his Doctrine to wit not to worship those Images with the worship of Latria nor otherwise simply but with relation to the Prototype So that for ought we know the Authour implyeth that some kind of adoration may be either giuen to the Image respectiuely to the Prototype or at least before the Image to the Prototype Againe he saith They that are worshippers of Idols or representments of false Gods This clause is wholly Iesuiticall See the Doway translation on Exod. 20. where the Iesuites allow none other Images to bee forbidden in the second Commandement but onely Idols and those forsooth are say they the Images of false Gods Iust so our Author here As if Angels or Saints being worshipped in and by their representations were not turned into false Gods Or as if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idolum Simúlachrum an Idol and Image were not all one See Polyd. Virgil. de Inuent rerum Lib. 5. Cap. 13. Againe They that are worshippers of Saints Images and out of a false opinion of promeriting the protection of the blessed Uirgin or any other Saint of God doe giue a religious adoration to those vsuall representments which be made of them Now in all this he speakes nothing against Poperie and so all his flourish is but a meere froth while he would seeme to say something against it For howsoeuer Popish practise is yet they teach not that Adoration of Images or Saints in them is meritorious So that the Authour leaues it as granted that a man may vse Images in their Saint-inuocation so he account it not meritorious Thus he is rather for Poperie in this point then against it Vpon the fourth Commandement he saith They offend vnder a pretence of seruing God more stâ—â—â—tly then others especially for hearing and meditating of Sermons doe by their Fasts and certaine Iudaizing obseruations condemne the ioyfull festiuitie of this high Holy-day which the Church allowes as well for the necessarie recreation of the body in due time as for Spirituall exercises of the Soule Here we come more plainly to discerne the Wolfe in the Sheeps skinne or in the Sheepherds cloke For here he breakes down a gap and whistles out the Sheepe that straying hee may deuoure them Yea in this speech he goes about to set open the verie Flood-gate of all profuse prophanesse First All truly religious and conscionable seruing of GOD he makes to be but a pretence Hypocrisie and dissimulation But the maine marke his enuie and malice shootes at is especially Hearing and meditating of Sermons By this verie speech a man that neuer saw nor knew the Authour may easily conclude whether he be a Resident vpon his Cure or no a faithfull Sheepherd or no. Hearing and meditating of Sermons hee cannot away with they are a burthen vnto him These he ranketh with I wâ—t not what Fast and some certaine but vncertaine what Iudaizing obseruations But the worst is that by such exercises as hearing and meditating of Sermons especially such persons condemne the ioyfull festiuity of this high and holy day which the Church allowes as well for the necessary recreation of the body as the spirituall exercises of the soule Well yet he acknowledgeth the Sabbath or Lords day to bee an High and Holy day Let him hold him to that But what be those ioyfull Festiuities of this High and Holy-day He mentioneth not But seeing he shuts out none we may well conclude hee meaneth all kinde of Festiuity and iollity and iouialty such as hee â—eâ—â—nes necessary recreations for example Rush-bearings Whitsun-Ales Morice-dances setting vp of May-poles hearing of a play or seeing of a Maske or Dicing and Carding or bowling or bowsing or whatsoeuer other Glosse the carnall vulgar may make of this vnlimited ioyful Festiuity or necessary recreation But he saith that this ioyfull Festiuity the Church allowes What Church surely none other as throughout his whole Booke but his holy mother Church of Rome Indeed that Church allowes a most liâ—entious vnlimited latitude of all such ioyfull Festiuity and especially on the Lords day as may feed the humours of the carnall and prophane multitude That Church indeed reckoneth hearing and meditating of Sermons among Iudaizing obseruations But the Church of God doth not neuer did allow such ioyfull Festiuity as the Author allowes â— S. Aughstine saith Iudaei c The Iewes do seruilely obserue the Sabbath day to luxury and drunkennesse how much better were it for their women to spin wooll and vpon that day in their New-Moones to dance Farre be it my brethren that we should say they keepe the Sabbath And againe Qui in obseruatione Sabbati c. They who keeping the Sabbath doe not continue in good workes and prayer which is to sanctifie the Sabbath and sanctification is where the holy Ghost is are like to those little Flies ingendred in the mud which disquitted the Egyptians And De Consensu Euang. lib. 2. cap. 77. speaking of that flight in winter and on the Sabbath day mentioned Luke 21. by Winter he vnderstands the Cares of this life and by the Sabbath surfeiting and drunkennesse agreeable to Christs admonition ver 34. Quod malum Sabbati nomine c. Which euill is therefore signified by the name of the Sabbath because this was as now it is the impious custome of the Iewes vpon that day to flow in delights all one with our Authors ioyfull Festiuitie or necessary recreation while they were ignorant of the spirituall Sabbath And de Genesi contra Manichaeos lib. 1. Iudaei carnaliter obseruando Sabbatum non nouerunt The Iewes by keeping the Sabbath carnally knew not the Sabbath But our Author allowes of ioyfull Festiuity and necessary recreations in their due time onely not in time of diuine seruice Neither did the Iewes omit their diuine seruice in their Synagogues both Maâ—ins and Euenâ—ong And yet spending the rest of the day afterwards in such ioyfull Festiuity as the Author allowes as done in due time S. Augustine cals them prophane and impious and that they might better spend the rest of the day in spinning For the worke of a mans honest and lawfull calling is at all times to be preferred before the workes of the Diuell that come not within the compasse of any Christian mans Calling being renounced and disavowed in our Baptisme And because the sanctification of the Lords day is so mightily impugned and cryed downe not onely by such Ministers of Sathan as are Popishly affectâ—d by their precept and precedent by the prophane rabble rout especially in those places where there is not a settled Ministry of the word Let me adde a word or two more in Gods cause that we may not so easily suffer prophane wretches like swine to trample the Orient pearle of Gods glory so prophaned on his owne day in the mire S. Augustine saith againe Prâ—ponitur Dies Dominicus c. The Lords day is preferred befode the Iewes Sabbath in the faith of the Resurrection and not in the
yeeres agoe He indeed sets downe the Seuen houres in the Title of his Chapter iust as truly as our Authour in the Title of his Booke deriuing the same from some spring of antiquitie and namely the Agathen Councell Prouinciall in France which was some 800 yeers before his time But the Pope there committed a foule errour in setting downe Seuen canonicall houres for two The Agathen Councell mentioning but two houres of prayer the morning and euening So that the best authoritie and hoariest antiquitie for your Seuen canonicall houres is GREGORY the Ninth Pope of Rome This is that ancient Church wherein this practise appeareth first to be decreed and solemnely obserued This Pope then first decreed the Seuen canonicall houres But of whom to be obserued Namely of the Priests Friers Monkes and such like holy-day-persons for the most part Male feriati homines as Rome could afford â—now Of others he saith nothing saith the glosse although it say Others seeme not to be bound but surely they are But the Priests Monkes and other Votaries were specially bound to keepe them constantly Which seemes to be the reason why it is probable that some haue coniectured PELAGIVS the Second to haue beene the first institutor For about his time did all kind of Monkes and such like Orders begin exceedingly to be multiplyed many of them taking vpon them such a strict discipline as might admit yea in some sort necessarily require so many Canonicall Houres of Prayer at least to refresh the tediousnesse of that austeritie wherewith they exercised their extreame patience Some Monkes were called Insomnes for their continuall watchfulnesse And what could they doe better but pray to entertaine the tedious nights and vacant daies Some did so macerate themselues with immoderate fasting and course faire of small quantitie that they made themselues vnable to doe any thing but pray if that Others coopt themselues vp in such short and narrow and low Cells as vneath they could either lye along or stand vpright so that the best and easiest posture for them was to be on their knees praying Others forsaking humane societie and liuing among the wild Beasts called therefore Armenta Droues or Heards feeding on roots and grasse and lodging sub Dio or in the Caues what could they doe else but if they had so much sense left them pray Now seeing our Authour will needs reuiue and recommend to the Church of England these his seuen Canonicalls Vpon whom will hee impose their obseruation Vpon Courtiers Alas they are taken vp with a thousand thoughts perhaps how to rise higher perhaps how to keepe their standing perhaps how to preuent and take off enuie perhaps how to appease such an Opposite perhaps how to purchase such a Friend perhaps how to compasse such a preferment but specially the Female sex incombred with a thousand womanish Ceremonies if not State-proiects or their owne honours as I heard once a great Lady of the Court say there was neuer a day went ouer their heads but once at least their heart aked so as they cannot attend such tedious Canonicall Seruice Or Citizens or Countrey-men They haue their vocations to follow which if they should intermit to say ouer this Booke of Deuotion daily and duely as it prescribes how should they liue Except ye could perswade them to a thinner diet and courser habite too good an allowance for an idle life Or will you impose it vpon the Priests or Ministers of the Church But you know our golden Priests I meane in the best sense are not like those woodden Ones in the Church of Rome who hauing little else to doe but to say ouer their Masse or a few Mattens had need to be exercised with Canonicall houres to keepe them at least from worse exercises But you know most Ministers in the Church of England are labourious in their calling who if they should precisely â—uerie day say ouer your Booke of Deuotion they should haue little time left to prepare conuenient Food for their Flockes on the Lords day Although perhaps you could be content to dispense with that Nay rather if yee will needs inforce your Houres vpon vs lay them vpon dumbe Priests such as either cannot or dare not or at lâ—ast will not preach the Word to their people These being the men that cry so much for long prayers and short preaching you might doe well to bring them to a Canonicall obedience of your Canonicall houres and that they performe the same not by Proxie or Curacie but in their owne persons Otherwise if you cannot find Holy-day-men enough to take your Booke to taske what doth it import else but a necessitie of bringing in Monkerie and so of erecting Cells againe for the practise of your Deuotion Which I trust all your Deuotion will neuer bring to passe In the second place from the practise of the ancient Church the Authour descends to defend his Septiformious Deuotion to be Much after the manner published by authoritie of Quéene ELIZABETH 1560. Much after the manner is indeed a prettie qualification of the matter Much-what not so altogether But for your Much Distingue tempora Distinguish the times That Horarie the Authour speakes of was set out neere the first yeere of her Raigne when as Poperie was not buried nor the Gospell out of her Cradle That noble Queene of euer blessed memorie in the beginning of her Raigne did for the present prudently conniue at and act some things which afterwards by degrees she suffered to vanish For the purpose In the verie beginning of her Raigne before her first Parliament she set forth a Proclamation inhibiting all Ministers in and about London and else-where to preach at all lesse or more but onely to read Seruice vntill further order from her Maiestie Is this a good argument for the Author or any his Fautors by his seeming deuotion of making many long prayers to sholder preaching out of the Church or to wayne the people from hearing because forsooth QU. ELIZAB. once by Proclamation prohibited preaching and allowed onely reading of Seruice But how long lasted this restraint No longer then the Parliament approaching wherin was most happily established the liberty of preaching the Gospell and administring the Sacraments Take another example in the dawning of the Gospell in England before her time in King Henry 8. his raigne The Lord Cromwell in his English Primer 1535. in the Preface before the Letany apologizing his leauing out of the Letany in his former Primer saith wherefore for the contentation of such weake minds and somewhat to beare their infirmities I haue now at this my second Edition of the said Primer caused the Letany to be printed and put into the same c. Marke for the contentation of weake mindes Thus in the Primitiue Church some things were tolerated during the infancy of it which afterwards were quite abolished as Act. 15. The abstaining from blood and strangled was inioyned the Gentiles for a time And why for
fashion of Refection 〈◊〉 in the Licentiousnesse of drunken Songs And ibid It is questioned whither a man must not fast on the Sabbath but not whither he must not reuell it on the Sabbath which neither is done on the Lords day of those that feare God although they fast on that day And deuout Bernard Obserue the Sabbath which is to exercise thy selfe in the Holy-dayes so as by the Râ—st present thou mayest learne to hope for that which is eternall And that a prophane person may not flatter himselfe as though his voluptuous keeping of the Sabbath may teach him to hope for those eternall and true ioyes in heauen Heare the same Bernard or rather Gillibert whose Sermons are added to fill vp Bernards vpon the Canticles inserted in Bernards workes where mentioning Esay 58. hee saith Non dicit c. He saith not onely that the Sabbath is a Delight but he addeth And Holy and Glorious to the Lord that these things may not bee in the confusion of thy Glory Non sit desidiosum Sabbatum tuum operare in Sabbato tuo opera Dei Let not thy Sabbath bee idly spent but in thy Sabbath worke the workes of God Opus Dei in die siâ—o And surely the Lords day is not called so for nought If it be Christs day sanctified and founded in his Resurrection as S. Augustine saith then what workes are proper for that day whereby it may bee sanctified of vs and wee of it but such as are the fruits of those that are risen with Christ from the graue of sin to newnesse of life and not those which with the swinâ— would lead vs backe to our wallowing in the mire And is not the hearing and meditating of Sermons a speciall part of the sanctification of the Lords day How come we to be sanctified but by the word of God Sanctify them with thy truth thy word is the truth saith Christ. And as we noted before that Deuotion is blind whose lampe is emptie of oyle to supply the light A plaine argument that the Authors whole booke of Deuotion is but a meere counterfeit And to inuy or inueigh against the due sanctification of the Lords day what is it but to raze the very foundation whereon all true religion is built To heare Sermons and not to meditate of them is to receiue water into a Sieue to be an vncleane creature that chowes not the cudde to receiue the seed vpon the highway side where it being vnharrowed and vncouered is by the fowles of the ayre that fowle spirit that raignes in the ayre and in the vnsetled hearts of aery and windy braines to be deuoured The Lords day is the Marketday of our foules He that stands idle in the marketplace is justly reproued Or he that buyes those spirituall commodities needfull for his soule in hearing of the word and goes presently and squanders it away and brings it not home to dispose of it for his weekely vses is an vnprouident housekeeper a prodigall vnthrift of grace because he heares not for afterwards for the time to come Such are they that either are carelesse of hearing the Word or when they haue heard goe and dance it away about the May-pole or walke and talke it away in idle prate or any kind of prophane or profuse recreation Those are like the Wolfe who neuer attaine to any more learning of God then to spell Pater but when they should come to put together and to apply it to their soules in stead of Pater they say Agnus their mindes and affections running a madding after the profits and pleasures of the world Such are enemies to all Godlinesse and expresse their enmitie in nothing more then in their proâ—anation of the Lords Holy-Day If any man would know of 〈◊〉 estate and condition of any Parish in generall in 〈◊〉 Land whether it bee religious or no let him buâ—â—â—quire what conscience they make of the due sanctification of the Lords day That 's the true touchstone of a truely religious man And although all are not that sincerely whereof they make outward profession for there will euer be some hypocrites among sound Professors yet none can be a true and sound Christian who makes not speciall conscience of a religious and sober keeping of the Lords day For this day well kept sanctifies to a man the whole weeke The seuenth day sanctifieth our six as the tenth of our goods doth all the other nine As Elias his meate made him strong to trauell forty dayes and forty nights to Horâ—bâ— so the hearing and meditating of sound Sermons on the Lords day ministers strength to our soules to serue God all the weeke in our particular Callings But I may not transgresse the bounds of my proposed breuity For Conclusion of the Commandements among other offenders against the sixt Commandement he reckoneth those that be sowers of strife and sedition among any men whatsoeuer Now how farre the Author is guilty hereof or whether he may not merit to be put in the forefront with the most grand Authors of strife and sedition not onely to set priuate men together by the eares but the whole Church and state of England in a most fearefull hurly-burly and combustion I referre to all wise men to judge that doe but read this most pernitious pestilent and Popish Booke As it followeth Of the Sacraments of the Church What Sacraments trow we are these The Sacraments of the Church This is written I am sure fiylo 〈◊〉 This title is no where learned but from the Church of Rome from the Councell of Trent and from the shop of Iesuiticall Catechists He learned not this of his Mother Church of England if so he account her his Mother and not rather that other Church to which he intitles his Sacraments for the Church of England sets downe the title simply Of the Sacraments saying also Sacraments ordained of Christ. So that she intitles the Sacraments vnto Christ the sole Author of them But let vs heare what those Sacraments of the Church be or how many Namely Two and Fiue which put together as euery Arithmetician can tell make seuen Now England thou art come to thy seuen Sacraments againe This euery Papist can now bragge off And haue they not reason for there is more in it then the bringing of vs backe to the seuen Sacraments againe he would hereby knit vs fast againe to be one Church with the Church of Rome For these seuen Sacraments he calls the Sacraments oâ— the Church Oâ— what Church surely no Church euer held seuen Sacraments but the Church of Rome nor doe I read of seuen Sacraments beâ—ore Peter Lombard set them downe All the ancient Fathers knew but two Saint Ambrose writing six bookes of the Sacraments could find but two The Greeke Church neuer held but two yet saith our Author the Church holdeth them yea the Catholicke Church of Christ as before in his Preface Whereupon here he concludes
nothing during the Fast. Nothing at all If our Fast be for a day we are to eat nothing till night when the Fast is ended Such was Nineueh's Fast. Nor can that be a Fast of fourtie dayes in which space any thing is eaten or drunke But is that a Fast to eat no Flesh and to fill the stomacke with good Fish and the best Wine To eat no Butter but the purest Oyle To eat no Egges but the most restoratiue Figges Sint tibi Iâ—iunia pura casta simplicia moderata non superstitiosa saith St IEROME Quid prodest c. What auailes it not to eat Oyle and to seeke out meats hard and troublesome to be gotten As dryed Figges Pistacke nuts Almonds Dates Meale and Honey Tota hortorum cultura vexatur vt cibaria non vescamur pane dum delicias sectamur a regno Caelorum retrahimur All the Gardens and Orchards must bee troubled to serue our palate And while wee follow such delicacies wee are haled away from the Kingdome of Heauen And why should our Authour impose vpon vs such a Lent-Fast as a matter of Religion and a speciall part of his Deuotion Whereas this Noble and Religious STATE doth not prescribe or inhibite the vse of any Creatures but out of a ciuill regard and for a ciuill end In that case doe not men take Licences from the Exchequer And doth not the KINGS Proclamation inioyne forbearance of Flesh during that time of the Spring and that expresly for the increase of Cattle But if our Authour will needs vrge the Authoritie of the Church for the Lent-Fast I doe but referre him to the Order of Pope VRBAN the third afore cited We know no such constitution in the Church of England Neither after CHRISTS Resurrection wherein all Iewish ceremoniall obseruation of dayes was abolished remained in Scripture any one day in the weeke or weeke in the moneth or moneth in the yeere to be religiously and yeerly obserued of Christians but onely the Lords day The Church of Galathia intangling herselfe in Iewish Ceremonies the Apostle sharply reproueth them saying Ye obserue dayes and moneths and times and yeeres I am in feare of you least I haue bestowed on you labour in vaine This was as he tells them to begin in the Spirit and to end in the Flesh. And Col. 2.16 17. Let no man iudge you in meat or in drinke or in respect of an Holy-day or of the new Moone or of the Sabbaoth-dayes which are a shaddow of things to come but the Body is Christ. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the Rudiments of the World Why as though liuing in the world are ye subiect to Ordinances Touch not tast not handle not which all are to perish with the vsing after the Commandements and Doctrines of men c. But now they that goe about to destroy or at least to defalke from the due obseruation of the Lords-day consisting in all religious exercises both publicke and priuate excluding all prophane pastimes and licentious mad mirth so as Christians being thereby inured to a religious conformitie of life in all seemely sobrietie haue the lesse need of superstious obseruations to be imposed or obtruded vpon them for their priuate humiliation seeing the whole tenure of their life is a constant walking in a sober and moderate course not mad to day and sad to morrow for fashion so adding drunknesse to thirst and neuer well as we say full nor fasting whereas euerie day to a true Christian is a day of sobrietie and all his life a Lent while all along his life is seasoned and sanctified with a conscionable keeping of the Lords day wherein he prouides his store for euerie weeke I say they that goe about to cut away a a great part from the religious and sober keeping of the Lordsday no maruel if they would fill vp the want of true Religion with some satisfactorie Superstition of mans deuising and so to expiate all the yeeres prophanesse with the seeming sanctitie and superstitious solemnitie of a pretended Lenten Fast which indeed is no Fast as men doe vse it And yet for all it is so abused it hath monopolized and ingrossed to it selfe all other true Fasts wherein Gods people in time either of any present publicke calamitie or eminent danger ought to be humbled in making their peace with God deprecating as the sinne so the punishment the consequent fruit of it But the Lent-Fast must keepe out all beat downe all other Fasts Good Lent either fast as thou pretendest thou shouldest or giue place to other Fasts which being performed as they ought may stand in the gap to turne away that wrath which thy Superstition and Hypocrisie is like to bring vpon vs. But the Authour cites St IEROME to proue the Quadragesimall Fast to be an Apostolicke constitution Indeed we read of one ABDIVS who tells strange Tales of St MATHEVV the Euangelist and among the rest that he taught that Saints must looke to goe into Heauen by their Merits That the time of Lent must be kept with abstinence from Flesh from coniugall beneuolence or else a man becomes polluted and commits a haynous offence which must be washed away with many teares These and other the like be so likely to be true as it may be lawfull for vs to belieue St MATHEVV wrot one thing and spake another But we must know that the Misterie of Iniquitie began to worke euen in those prime times while Satan wanted not his Instruments to lay the foundation thereof in superstitious Deuotions the strongest supporter of Antichrist As for S. IEROME and other of the Ancients who knowes not that many things of this nature haue been foysted into their Workes Neither is it necessarie that we should either labour in all things to cleare the Fathers nor in euerie thing to follow them But howsoeuer our Authour would draw down the Lent-Fast from the obseruation of the Church although he still meanes the Church of Rome yet wee know that the ancient Churches which were no members of the Church of Rome but as all then were ioynt members of the Catholike did obserue their Quadragesima after a different sort both for the time and manner Socrates who was much about the time of S. Ierome saith that in those dayes Qui sunt Roma c. They that are at Rome do Fast three weekes before Easter the Saturday and the Lords day onely excepted In Illyria and all Greece at Alexandria they begin their Fast 6 weekes before Easter and call that time Quadragesima Others begin their Fast 7. weekes before Easter although they keepe their Fast but 15. of those dayes scattered â—mong the rest and yet they call that time Quadragesima too Nor differ they onely about the time but about the maner of abstinence For some eate Fowles and Fishes as both comming of the water Others abstaine from shel-fruits and eggs some feed onely vpon drie bread and others
to be repeated ouer euery day Doth he not hereby rob vs of the rest of the Scripture Chapters and Psalmes Wee like our Communion booke better then so thus to exchange it to our losse All Priests and Dâ—acons are bound to say dayly the Morning and Euening Prayer either priuately or publikely except they be letted by Preaching studying of Diuinitie or by some other vrgent cause Thankes be to God there are plenty of manuall Psalters and Testaments as easie to carry in mens pockets and I am sure farre more profitable to edification then this booke of Deuotion Yea and it will appeare all along this booke howsoeuer he seeme tenderly affected and deuoted to his mother Church and to our diuine Seruice that neuer any though Popish booke published this threescore yeares vnder the name of Deuotion hath more slily and subtilly vndermined the state of this our Church then this doth while it would confound our Church with that of Babylon whereof more hereafter in the proper place So much in generall of the state of this Booke occasioned by the two first title Pages The Preface NOt to intangle our selues with perplexed questions aâ— whither all prayers other then set prayers and those either the Lords prayer or the Churches publicke formes of this Authors priuate formes bee denyed to Gods people or Ministers as vttered from priuate spirits and Ghosts of their owne they are the words of the Preface wherein perhaps the Author takes the liberty to bewray his malice or ignorance or want of experience of the supply of the spirit of Christ helping our infirmities in prayer Rom. 8.26 Phil. 1.19 as not hauing his wits exercised that way we haue occasion giuen in the first place to touch vpon the second reason of these his houres the words are To let the world vnderstand that they who giue it out and accuse vs here in England to haue set vp a new Church and a new faith to haue abandoned all the ancient formes of piety and deuotion to haue taken away all the religious prayers and exercises of our forefathers to haue despised all the old Ceremonies and cast behind vs the blessed Sacraments of Christs Catholick Church c. Is not here a sound reason for the bringing in of old Popish Ceremonies and superstitions and such trumperies into our Church to the end that Popish mouthes may be stopt who slander our Church in this behalfe for antiquating all old Ceremonies whereof the obseruation of the seuen Canonicall houres is one Then belike we must set vp Popery againe at least in a good part onely to appease the clamours of Papists accusing vs for Nouelists But take heed what you doe for vnlesse you meane thus by degrees to reare vp the whole tower of Babylon again in England you striue in vaine to stoppe their mouthes who will haue all or none But in the meane time remember what your Mother the Church of England if ye be indeed her true bred sonnes saith Of such Ceremonies as be vsed in the Church and haue had their beginning by the institution of man Some at the first were of godly intent and purpose deuised and yet at length turned to vanity and superstition some entred into the Churh by vndiscreetâ— deuotion and such a zeale as was without knowledge and for because they were winked at in the beginning they grew dayly to more and more abuse which not onely for their vnprofitablenesse but also because they haue much blinded the people and obscured the glory of God are worthy to be cut away and quite râ—iâ—cted c. Heere consider whether your seuen Canonicalls be not of the number of those Ceremonies which haue had their beginning by the institution of man by Pope Gregory 9. as we haue shewed and perhaps for a good intent and purpose yet at length haue turned to vanity and superstition as is manifest both by the doctrine and practise of the Church of Rome or such as hauing entred into the Church by vndiscreet deuotion and zeale without knowledge and for because winked at in the beginning and growing dayly to more and more abuses our Church not onely for their vnprofitablenesse but because of their much blinding of the people and obscuring Gods glory hath thought worthy to cut away and cleane reiect Consider it I say For hath not our Church among many other superstitious ceremonies quite casheered this of your Canonicall houres But thereupon she heareth A nouellist a setter vp of a new Church and a new faith to haue abandoned all the ancient formes of piety and deuotion to haue taken away all the religious â—xercises and prayers of our forefathers to haue despised all the old Ceremonies c. But of whom doth our Church heare this Of the Church of Rome And can she blame Rome for it But charity would or Christian prudence or I wot not what tender care of her owne reputation being thus exposed to the obloquy of her enemy she should salue the wound againe which the venemous tongue hath made How The Authors of this booke her pregnant young sonnes though no small babies I wis can tell their old Mother shee must now after threescore yeares and more seing there is no other remedy in her old age turne ouer a new leafe begin to renew her old acquaintance with her stepmother or elder sister at least the Church of Rome intertaine some of her old ceremonies againe as religious which long agoe she abandoned as superstitious receiue reuiue that faith and religion as the Old which earst she reiected as the New thus after shee hath begun yea so many yeares continued and growne vp to a ripenesse in the spirit she must with the foolish Church of Galatia be made perfect in the flesh But we hope better things of our reuerend Mother that with aged Sophocles accused by his sonnes of carelesse improuidence in gouerning his family she will vindicate her wisdome and motherly authoritie ouer her darling but ouerdaring sonnes As for that other clause of hauing it cast in our dish that we cast behinde vs the blessed Sacraments of Christs Catholicke Church which cannot be obiected to our Church but onely because we allow no more Sacraments but two a point not a little materiall if well weighed of this we shall haue occasion to speake more when we come to his Sacraments of the Church Onely by the way this is a faire inducement to draw on his 7. Sacraments for otherwise how shall he thereby acquit vs forsooth of the grieuous scandall and imputation which the Church of Rome layes to our charge of our reiecting the blessed Sacraments of Christs Catholicke Church As if he should say as in effect and almost totidem verbiâ— he doth say They charge vs falsely in saying that we cast behind vs the blessed Sacraments of Christs Catholicke Church alas silly simples these men do little else but bewray their owne infirmities and haue more violence or will then reason or
that the Church of Rome is Christs Catholickâ— Church For the Sacraments of the Church and of Christs Catholicke Church being seuen and no Church euer holding seuen Sacraments but the Church of Rome and that of late dayes too it followeth necessarily that the Church of Rome must be The Church yea the Catholicke Church of Christ. But how will â—e proue that the Church of England holdes these seuen Sacraments Because she hath not despised nor cast behind her the blessed Sacraments of Christs Catholicke Church How proues he that Namely out of the Catechisme of the Sacraments and out of the 25. Article which hee hath alledged in the Margent Now let vs for more cleernesse compare his proofes with his owne text The Authors words The Sacraments of the Church The principall and truely so called as generally necessary to saluation are Baptisme and the Lords Supper The Catechisme Q. How many Sacraments hath Christ ordained in his Church Ans. Two onely as generally necessary to saluation that is to say Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord. Article 25. Of the Sacraments Sacraments ordained of Christ bee not onely badges or tokens of Christian mens profession but rather they be certaine witnesses and effectuall signes of grace and Gods good-will towards vs by the which hee doth worke inuisibly in vs and doth not onely quicken but also strengthen and confirme our faith in him Let the judicious reader but well obserue and compare the Church of Englands doctrine of the Sacraments with this our Authors and he shall find the differenâ—e to stand vpon tearmes mainely opposit For first is it all one to say The Sacraments of the Church and the Sacraments which Christ hath ordained in his Church And betweene the Church that which the Author expresly meaneth and Christs Church His Church there is I wis no small difference Againe The principall saith our Author implying there are other besides but Two onely saith the Church of England excluding all other And as for the words of the Article cited they so set downe the nature of the Sacraments as that they exclude all other Sacraments from hauing any fellowship with them And therefore hath the Author cautelously suppressed the definition of a Sacrament But yet hee findes fiue other Sacraments following in the Article which he quotes ouer against his fiue in the Margent Let vs therefore paralell them The Authors words The other fiue that is to say Confirmation Penitence Orders Matrimony Uisitation of the sicke or extreame Unction though they bée sometimes called and haue the name of Sacraments yet haue they not the like nature the two principall true Sacraments haue Article 25. Ibid. Those fiue commonly called Sacraments that is to say Confirmation Penance Orders Matrimony and extreme Vnction are not to bee counted for Sacraments of the Gospell being such as haue growne partly of the corrupt following of the Apostles partly are states of life allowed in the Scripture but yet haue not like nature of Sacraments with Baptisme and the Lords Supper for that they haue not any visible signe or Ceremony ordained of God Note here the vast difference betweene the sincerity of our Church and the egregious sophistry of this our Author Those fiue saith the one as pointing to those which now the Church of England in the beginning of the blessed Queenes Raigne newly then purged from Popery as in 1562 when those Articles were compiled had cut off from the number of the Sacraments although those fiue were euen then in high esteeme still with too many not yet powred from their Leâ—s but the Author comes roundly with the other fiue inducing necessarily Seuen Sacraments of the Church Two and the other fiue His Conclusion is this in effect and forme We hold the Sacraments of the Church But the Sacraments of the Church are two and the other fiue to wit seuen Therefore wée hold the seuen Sacraments Againe our Church saith Those fiue to wit Confirmation c. are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospâ—ll But our Author saith They are the Sacraments of the Church and that no lesse then the other they all tunne vnder one title The Sacraments of the Church Thirdly our Church saith these are such as haue growne partly from the corrupt following of the Apostles but saith our Author in his Preface They are the blessed Sacraments of Christs Cathoâ—icke Church receiued from our forefathers a good argument to proue the lineall descent of Popery so farre is he from sayâ—ng or assenting with the Church of England that they haue growne partly from the corrupt vse of following the Apostles In a word the Church of England saith These haue not any visible signe or Ceremoâ—ie or 〈◊〉 of God but our Author saith no such thing but in generall shuffling them vp vnder the tiâ—le oâ— the Sacraments of the Church he will needs haue them to be Sacraments But Sacraments must haue a visible signe ordained of God or else they are no Sacraments And these haue no visible signe ordained of God saith our Church Therefore our Author crosseth the doctrine of our Church expresly Onely he confesseth that these the other fiue haue not in generall the like nature that the two principall and true Sacraments haue If in this his speech their lurke no equiuocation for he may closely meane by The like nature that these are not generally necessarie to saluation as the first two hee must needs inferre that these his other fiue are no true Sacraments therefore false and bastard Sacraments And if we take the word Sacrament in the largest sense as those fiue are then according to that reckoning the number of Sacraments will quickly amount from other fiue to fiue hundreth For as Saint Chrisostome obserueth in his 11. Hom. on Luke Omnia quaecunque fecit Christus Sacramenta sunt siue ambulauit c. All things whatsoeuer Christ did are Sacraments whither hee walked or eate or dranke or fasted or wept c. All these saith Chrysostome Sacramenta nostra sunt they are our Sacraments To conclude this point of difference there is some oddes betweene their naming of these Sacraments Our Church calls them Confirmation Penance Orders Matrimony and Extreame vnction Our Author is pleased to call his fiue thus Confirmation Penitence Orders Matrimony and visitation of the sicke or Extreme vnction In two of his fiue hee varies hee calls Penance Penitence and Extreme vnction he calls Visitation of the sicke In which two new names of his new Sacraments there lurkes not a little of Serpentine poyson For first he would bring Penitence to be all one with popish Penance For doth hâ—e not meane by Penitence Repentance I trow so Repentance then hee will make to be Penance as the â—esuites in their Rhemes and Doway Traâ—sâ—ation turne the word for Repentance Penance Now Penance is a Popish word and implyeth the Popish practise in this their Sacrament Their practise is to inioyne Shrift or Confession to wit a strict
into this state and Church from which Antichristian religion and Tyranny we haue bin through Gods incomparable mercy to this Land now so many yeares deliuered hauing thus long inioyed the light of the Gospell attended with all outward blessings of a peaceable and happy Gouernment till now of late a generation of vipers eating to themselues away out of their spirituall Mothers bowels that they may turne tayles and joyne with the great Beast of Babylon against the Lambe and those of his side the called and chosen and faithfull haue made a fearefull breach in this beautifull Body like to be vtterly wracked if it be not all the sooner made vp againe Whether to goe about with a high hand to frustrate and make void to violate and breake in sunder all those sacred and religious lawes which haue bin made for the firme establishment of the Gospell the truth whereof hath beene sealed with the blood of so many Martyrs and is and will be witnessed by Millions of faithfull Confesâ—ours of his Maiesties Crowne and Scepter and religious gouernment of vs his people and the rest of his Dominions whether I say to go about to bring in a new forme of Papall religion and dominion in this Church and state of England be not more then matter of periury to cost a mans eares but of high Treason and that in a high degree against God and thâ— King the Church and State Who would euer haue thought that in this shining of the Gospell any Romish owles hoodwinckt with the vaile of superstitious Deuotion durst attempt sâ—ch things as the bringing backe of the Church of England to the captiuity of Babylon What Achitophel duâ—st counsell all-daring young Absolon thus to offer to goe lye with his fathers Concubines on the toppe of the house in the sight of the Sunne and all Israel And wherefore But in Policy thereby to fasten the fickle false hearts of those traiterous Israelites to the Crowne aspiring Absolon when they should see him become an open abomination to the King and be at an vnreconcilable defiance with him And what made Achitophel so confident and Absolon to take such wicked counsell but the great strength wherein they presumed But is the Popish faction growne so great and strong as already to aduance their crest and colours in defiance of Religion and Lawes and with strong hand to suppresse and beare downe Dauids Kingdome It should seeme their confidence is arriued at a high pitch But God bring it downe as he did that subtil-headed and shag-haired conspiracie against the King and state He can send Achitophel to his halter and Absolon to his fatall Tree He can Nay assuredly he will For as Dauid saith The wicked and blood thirsty men shall not liue out halfe their dayes but my trust shall be in thee O Lord. And againe God shall wound the haiâ—ie scalpe of such a one as goeth on still in his wickednesse O consider this yee that forget God least I plucke you away suddainly and their be none to deliuer you Proceede we to other particulars· In his later and corrected edition Pag. 17 he bewrais a peece of old superstition as formerly about his Houres so here about the place of Prayer where he hath one special saying of Scripture for a man to vse at his entrance into the Church and another for the Chancell Thus by his Jgnis fatuus Deuotion he will leade simple mâ—n through a maze of superstition that they shall noâ— know where they are if they will but follow him He quoteth the decrees of the Church for his third houre Those are the Decretals of the Church of Rome for with our Author no other Church but the Church of Rome is The Church as he often in this booke giues vs occasion to remember that we may not easily forget a matter of such importance But of the Decrees of that Church of Rome concerning the seuen Canonicall houres we spake in the second Title-page So that here remaines no more for vs to reioyne but to oppose and preferre the formes of priuate prayer prescribed in the end of our Communion booke against and before the Decrees of the Church which he expresly meaneth or before those cuâ—ious formes which the Author hath deuised for all his 7. houres Our Church hath set downe very good formes in the Communion booke both for morning and euening and some of them such as I dare say our Author could wish were cancelled As that for the whole estate of Christs Church in the end of the singing Psalms wherin is this prayer Roote out from hence O Lord all rauening wolues which to fill their bellies seeke to destroy thy flocke c. What would then become of our Author and a great many of his Consorts if all such rauening wolues were rooted out of this land And that morning prayer for priuate houses a little before wherin are these words And forasmuch as they cannot belieue except they heare nor cannot heare but by preaching and none can preach except he be sent therfore O Lord raise up faithfull Distributers of thy Mysteries who setting apart all worldly respects may both in their life and doctrine only seeke thy glory Contrarily confound Satan Antichrist with all Hierlings whom thou hast cast oft in a reprobate sense that they may not by sects schismes heresies errors disquiet thy litle â—â—ocke And because O Lord we be fallen into the later daies and dangerous times wherein ignorance hath gotten the vpper hand and Satan by his Ministers seeketh by all means to quench the light of the Gospell we beseech thee to maintaine thy Cause against these rauening wolues and strengthen all thy seruants c. I dare say this praâ—er doth not relish well in the palate of our Authors Deuotion He could wâ—sh it either expunged or at leâ—st excused to be vsed by interposing his owne priuate forâ—â—â— For this prayer was not fitter for those 〈…〉 was first composed then for these of ours 〈…〉 sâ—ands vp for Preaching of the 〈…〉 who in these times would cry 〈…〉 with their long prayers shoulder it out of the Church This prayer is against all worldly respects in Ministers against the shamelesse ambition of this age It prayes against Antichrist contrary to those that would raise vp againe the throne of that Beast in this our Church It prayes against all hirelings such as in these dayes for preferments will sell soule and body to the Diuell turne time-seruers and mens seruants It prayes against men possest with a reprobate sense who are Authors of sects and schismes heresies and errors whereof this present age is full Although the ring-leaders of sects and schismes who make a pitifull and rufull Rent in the Church of England by Siding with Popery Arminianisme yet forsooth cry out vpon the true Ministers and Professours of the Gospell as the onely sectaries and schismatickes And if this were true then no lesse now when Ignorance if not hath
yet at least striues to get the vpper hand seeking to cast the blacke mantle of blind Deuotion ouer all mens eyes and that by Satans Ministers seeking by all meanes to quench the light of the Gospell Therefore what great need haue we euer to take in our mouthes this worthy prayer recommended vnto vs by our reuerend mother-Mother-Church of England and to pray heartily Wee beseech the O Lord to mainetaine thy cause against all rauening wolues and strengthen thy seruants c. And so much the rather because our Author and he goes not alone hath also in this his booke patched vp a prayer of his owne head which he intitles A prayer and thanksgiuing for the whole state of Christs Catholicke Church wherein he prayeth for the holy Catholicke Church the mother of vs all that beare the name of Christ and that all may become one fold vnder one shepheard Iesus Christ. Now comparing this holy Catholicke Church with that Church which all along his booke he recommends and would obtrude vpon vs as our Mother which is no other Church but that Church of Rome what doth he here pâ—ay for else but that we may all become one with that Churâ—h to be one flocke vnder one shepheard Iesus Christ and consequently vnder the great Antichrist who challengeth the title of sole head of the Catholicke Church and â—ole Vicar generall of Iesus Christ. But to the rest Pag. 232.233 c. He comes with his Septuagesima and therein and thenceforth thoroughout Lent â—e by a suddaine motion brings men vpon the knees of their most solemne Deuotion to expiate all their mad gamballs and Reuels in the Christmas time at least As Saint Chrysostome saith Men thinke to expiate the whole yeares excesse and sinne with forty daies humiliation and then the weeke following they fall afresh to their lusts Only suddainnesse here from one extreame into another is dangerous except it be of our true conuersion from sin vnto God and then the more speedie and suddaine the better and safer Otherwise the saying here may be verified Dum vitant stulti vitia in contraria currunt Yet this suddainnesse from Christmas reuels to Lent-relâ—ntings may seeme to be like that strange and suddaine alteration in those men that being mad liued among the Tombes and kept a pitifull rule to whom Christ comming he cast the Diuell out of them and â—oorthwith they came to their sober and right wits sitting and Christs feete cloathed and heaâ—â—ng his word But heere is the difference commonly out of those mad men the Diuell was whoâ—y câ—st out But in our ordinarie Lent-obseruâ—â—s hee is but at the least wise bound to goo◠〈◊〉 for the time but not cast out when after â—â—ster at the furthest hee breakes loose againe Such Obseâ—uants and selfe-castigators returning to their excesse of riot a fresh These for the most part being much like to the Images in Popish Churches which all the Lent are all vailed ouer in blacke as mourning that they haue beene Idol-obiects to Idolators But beginning on Easter-Eue to peepe out oh how doe the people begin a fresh to be rauished with a glimpse of their glittering Gods so long clouded and ecclipsed from their deuout Adorers But on Easter-day morning no sooner is the Vaile with-drawne by the Priests dexterous hand but down they fall on their Maribones beating their brests more eagerly now then euer as imputing it to their most grieuous sinnes that they haue been so long withheld from their prettie pettie-Gods For euer Nitimur in vetitum semper cupimusque negata And this abstinence from their Images all the Lent makes the people the more to dote vpon them all the yeere after as accounting them the more precious the lesse familiar And such are the most strict obseruers of Lent If there be any sinne or pleasure whereof out of blind superstition they impose and inforce a restraint vpon themselues for Lent-sake while they demurely goe in blacke It giues them but occasion to affect and pursue the same sinne or pleasure with greater desire all the yeere after The affections for the time being but as waters stopt with the Sluce which the longer pent vp breake out againe with greater violence Although in the meane time all the Lent long they abate nothing of their Pride of their Couetousnesse of their Ambition and other habituall Lusts. He that will eat no Flesh in Lent will not intermit his ordinarie Swearing and vaine wicked Oathes though he remit some-what of his Eating yet will not abate an ynch of his Drinking and good-fellowship will take no lesse Vse-mony then at Christmas will not abate an ace of his poore Tenants Rackt-rent will stretch the strings of his Simon Magus pouch as much now for a lustie preferment as he will doe any time out of Lent Though IOHN the Patriarch of Constantinople were for his much fasting called Iohannes Ieiunator IOHN the Faster yet he wanted for no pride and ambition to aspire to be vniuersall Head of the Church that which GREGORY of Rome cryed out against as Antichristian but BONIFACE the Third a little after got that Title wholly to himselfe suffering none to be that Antichrist but the Pope and Bishop of Rome And it is vsuall that as fasting breeds wind in the stomacke So the opinion of fasting specially when it is a part of Will-worship and humane inuention fills the stomacke of the Soule full of windy pride and hypocrisie As Pope VRBAN the Second to make the better speed for the recouerie of the Holy Land ordained that no Cleargie or Lay man should eat Flesh from Shrouetyde to Easter Guil. Malmesâ—ur Lib. 4. Misterie of Iniquitie A meritorious matter I wis so to fast all Lent long as to eat no Flesh. For as nothing displeaseth God more then the worship which we frame to him out of our owne fancifull braines So no deuotion is of more value with vs doth more please our humours then such as we inuent our selues So that it fareth with our Lent deuotion as with the young Ape we so dote vpon it so claspe and hug it as being the barne of our own braine we strangle it so that such Lenten deuotion seldome suruiueth the time of Lent but is dead all the yeere after And what I pray you is all the Lent-fast as it is generally vsed but a meere apish imitation and mocke-fast The example of CHRISTS Fast fourtie dayes and fourtie nights is brought by our Authour for vs to imitate Well Let our Authour begin to imitate CHRIST Let him fast fourtie dayes and fourtie nights without eating and drinking as CHRIST did if he be able to endure such a Fast â— see no reason but others may brooke it as well who haply are more acquainted and inured to fasting at other times then himselfe is Nor doe I see any reason why such a keeping of Lent as our Authour prescribes should haue the name of a Past. For a Fast is to eat nothing and drinke