Twelve generall Arguments Proving that the Ceremonies imposed upon the Ministers of the Gospell in England by our Prelates are unlawfull And therefore that the Ministers of the Gospell for the bare and sole omission of them in Church Service for conscience sake are most unjustlie charged of disloyaltie to his Maiestie 〈…〉 Math. 18.23 If I have spoken evill beare witnesse of the evill But if I have spoken well why smitest thou mee 1605. To the Reader GOod Reader We come not as voluntaries into this field of Contention but draug'd into it by the very haires of our head If our cause bee â—ighteous and good Thou wilt easily graunt â—in so great Imputations and Extremities â—nflicted upon us for the same that we can â—oe no lesse Then give reasons for our selves â—nd it All the favour I require of thee 〈◊〉 That thou wouldest looke into our cause 〈◊〉 not by the flashing lightninges that come â—ut of the mouthes of our Adversaries the Prelates but by the light of our owne Reasons by which if thou shalt see the goodnes of our cause and innocencie of our persons theâ— imbrace it with vs. And in pitie pray foâ— vs that without shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience wee may endure patientliâ— and meekely what so ever God shall suffer to bee inflicted vpon vs for the same in these wicked and licentious times The first Argument All Wil-worship is sinne To use these Ceremonies in Church Service in manner and forme prescribed is a Wil-worship Ergo To use them is sinne The Proposition can not be denied for the Apostle Paule plainly condemneth Wil-worship The Assumption may thus be proved All partes of Divine Service and Worship imposed only by the wil and pleasure of Man upon the Ministers of Divine Service and that of necessitie to be done is Will-worship But to use these Ceremonies in manner and forme prescribed is to use such Ceremonies as are 1. partes of Divine Service and Worship 2. imposed onely by the pleasure and will of Men upon the Ministers of Divine Service 3. 9 necessitie to bee done therein Ergo To use these Ceremonies in manner anâ— forme prescribed is a Wil-worship The Proposition is as cleare as the Sunne at noone-day The Assumption hath three parts 1. That they are parts of Divine Worship and Service This is proved evidently by this Argument All Mysticall and Ecclesiasticall Rites and formes of Divine Service institutâ—d by Ecclesiasticall authoritie to beâ— Ministeriall actions in the solemne Worship of God and performed in that manner and having that use in Divine Service that if God should but ratifie and confirme the same use they should then be parts of his true Worship I say all such Ceremonies are used as partes of Divine Worship But these Ceremonies in controversie are either all or the greatest parte of them such Ergo â—hey are partes of Divine Worship and Service The Proposition cannot with any modest face bee denied For els how â—ould a sole Divine ratification of the present use of them make them partes of his true Worship if they were not used as partes of his Worship before The Assumption is as manifest For if Christ should by some Revelation from heaven signifie That it is his will that a Minister in Divine Service should weare a white linnen garment In Baptisme make the signe of a Crosse To these endes and purposes that are expressed in the Service booke then certainly they should be essentiall parts of his Divine Worship els the Iewish Rites and Ceremonies and our Sacraments are no partes thereof The second part of the Assumptionâ— the 1. Syllogisme That they are imposed onely upon tâ— pleasure and will of man This is evident For those things thâ—â— God leaves as indifferent to the wiâ— and discretion of man to doe or leavâ— undone being imposed by man upoâ— man are imposed onely upon the wiâ— and pleasure of man The 3. part of the Assumption is That they are of Necessitie to be donâ— in Divine Seruice Which is also out of all doubt Forâ— Minister standes bound to doe them upon paine of suspension and deprivation and God must haue no solemne Worship in England except it be administred in the same Upon all this it followes That to use these Ceremonies in manner and forme proscribed is to use such Ceremonies as are partes of Divine worship imposed onely by the will of Man c. The 2. Argument It is a sinne against God for him that is by way of Excellencie a servaunt of IESVS Christ without a precise and direct warrant from him at any time especially in the Solemne Worship of God to give speciall Honour to Antichrist and his members But to use these Ceremonies is in that manner aforesaid to give speciall Honour to Antichrist and his members Ergo It is a sinne against God to use them The Proposition is manifest cleare to any that have an eye of Reason and any light of Divinitie shyning in it For what is a sinne if this be not That a Servaunt of Iesus Christ even then when hee is in the Service of Christe should performe speciall Honour and Service to Antichrist or any of his limmes The Assumption is prooved If our adversaries will graunt it that the Pope is Antichrist and that all the visible members of his Church acknowledging him their supreame head are meÌ„bers of him by this reason Such a Conformitie to Antichrist and his Members in the Ceremonies of Religion and Forme of Divine worship as is not only besides the word of God but in a speciall manner derogatorie to all reformed Churches that have departed from the Synagogue of Rome is a speciall honor to Antichrist and his members But to use these Ceremonies in Divine Worship is such a Conformitie to Antichrist and his members Ergo To use these Ceremonies in that manner aforesaid is to give speciall honor to Antichrist and his members The Proposition is without exception For if it should bee a speciall honor to the Bishops of England their conformed Cleargie For the Churches of Scotland voluntarily to leave conformitie to the Churches of the low Countries France Germanie and to conforme them selves in Ceremonies and Forme of Divine worship to the Prelaticall Cleargie of England It must needes bee a speciall honour to Antichrist and his members for anie to doe the like to them The Assumption is thus proved For a Minister of Iesus Christ to conforme him self in such peculiar Rites Ceremonies and formes of Divine Service to Antichrist and his members as all other reformed Churches have reiected for vaine foolish and superstitious is in a speciall manner derogatorie to all other reformed Churches But to use these Ceremonies in Controversie is in that manner to Conforme him selfe Ergo It is in a speciall manner derogatorie to all other Reformed Churches Both partes of the Syllogisme are such as may easilie bee prooved if they bee denied The 3. Argument All worship more then Civill performed to
London Ministers before him was this They are Ceremonies that teach good Doctrine Ergo They are good Ceremonies Whereas the filthiest actions and thinges that are may teach good doctrine The holy Ghost resembleth the soule polluted with sinne to a menstrous cloth A man fallen againe into sinne to a Sowe wallowing in the mire might therfore a filthie sow and such uncelane clothes be brought into the Church to be visible shadowes representations of such thinges Nay what may not by this meanes bee brought into Gods worship yet by this reason be defended to bee a good Ceremonie if the Magistrates and Bishops should decree the same A fooles coate and a beggers worne in Divine Service may fitly teach this doctrine Not many Wise not many Noble A Minister clothed in such apparel as those that act the Divels part in a playe may teach this That by Nature we are lymmes of Sathan and firebrands of hell Men might weare Womens apparell and Womens Men The one to teach That the Church is Christes Wife The other to teache That Women in Christ are equall to Men. Beare-bayting may teache us How Christ was bayted before the Tribunals of the Pharisies or the combate betweene the flesh and the spirit But the grossenes of these Assertions will appeare in our Speciall Reasons against the Ceremonies in particular The 9. Argument To Administer unto the Church of God Sacramentes that are not of Divine institution is to sinne To use divers of these Ceremonies viz. The Crosse in Baptisme the Ring in Mariadge the Surplice c. is to administer unto the Church of God Sacraments that are not of Divine institution Ergo To use these Ceremonies is to sinne The Proposition is graunted of all both Papist and Protestant The Assumption is thus prooved All mysticall bodily Rites and Signes of spirituall grace administred to the Church of God in his solemne service to confirme grace and that by him that representes the person of Christ are Sacramentes The greatest part of these Ceremonies in controversie are such not of any Divine Institution Ergo To use them is to administer Sacramentes that are not of Divine Institution The Proposition is most evident can not bee denied of any that beares the face of a Divine The Assumption is as evident only this one clause may bee doubted of Whether these Ceremonies bee administred to confirme Grace whiche is thus proved Those Ceremonies that are administred to edifie the soule and consciences are administred to confirme grace These Ceremonies are administred to edifie the soule and conscience Ergo They are administred to confirme Grace The Proposition can not with anie colour be excepted against For to edifie the soule to confirme grace in the soule and to feede the soule are equivalent The Sacrament of the Supper therfore being for this onely cause a Sacrament because it is a Mysticall Rite whereby the soule spiritually feedeth uppon Christ i. is edified in Christ These being Mystical Rites also wherby the soule is edified which it cannot be but also by feeding upon Christ It must needes follow That these Ceremonies are Sacramentes The Assumption is their owne for when they are urged with this That all things must be done to edification They hold all with one consent That they doe edifie The 10. Argument It is a Sinne against Christ the sole Head of the Church For any one of his Ministers especially in the Administration of Divine things either by Worde or Signes solemnely to professe and acknowledge a spirituall Homage to a usurped spirituall authoritie in the Church But to use these controverted Ceremonies in manner and forme prescribed is even in the solemne Service of Christ by solemne Signes to acknowledge a spirituall Homage to the spirituall authoritie of Lord Archbishops and Bishops which is usurped Ergo It is a sinne to use these Ceremonies The Proposition may not be gainesaid For all spirituall power usurped over the Churches of God is an Antichristian authoritie and to professe spirituall homage thereunto is to professe spirituall homage unto Antichrist which must needs be a sinne The Assumption hath two partes I. That these Ceremonies are an acknowledging by solemne signes a spirituall Homage to the spirituall authoritie of Archbishops and Bishops Which is most evident for it having bene proved before that they are meere Ecclesiasticall Religious spirituall Actions injoyned by an Ecclesiasticall and spirituall authoritie They must needes be Signes of spirituall homage to the same authoritie For either the doing of a Religious and spirituall Action in obedience to a spirituall authoritie is a Signe of spirituall homage or no Actions can bee a Signe thereof As therefore a serving man being a civill person upon the Bishops pleasure wearing a Tawnie Cote and a Chaine of Golde holding vp his Trayne Going bare-headed before him holding a Trencher at his Table lighting him to the house of office dressing his meate rubbing his Horses c. doeth by these Actions as it were by solemne Signes acknowledge Civill homage to him being a Civill Lord and Maister So a Minister of the Gospell and a Pastor of a particular Congregation beeing by his office a mere spirituall man beeing commaunded by the Bishop as he is a spirituall Lord and Maister over the Church of God To weare a Tippet a square cap a Priestes Gowne Cloke a Surplice to make Crosses upō childes faces To put Rings on Brides fingers c. and all this in their Divine Service I say a Minister doeth thereby give solemne Signes and Tokens of spirituall homage to their spirituall Lordships even as by preaching the Word Administration of Sacramentes prayer he professeth by solemne Signes a spirituall homage to the spirituall authoritie of Christ If they shall peremptorilie affirme That they are onely Civill matters as some in high place have done to my self Then this will follow of it Wheras the Bishops commaunde now Ministers To weare a Surplice a Priestes Cloke c. hee may commaund them to weare Tawnie Cotes livry clokes in their courses to waite and attend upon him as serving Creatures For there is no more civill authoritie shewed in requiring the one thē the other If the one as well as the other bee civill matters Neither will it helpe their cause That the Magistrate requireth these things to be done For the Magistrate com̄aunding Ecclesiasticall matters to be done his commaundement doth no more make them civill thē his commanding the Sacraments other partes of Divine worship to bee administred duly doeth make them civill matters For the ratificatiō by civill authoritie the Constitutions of Ecclesiasticall authoritie doeth no more make them civill matters thē the ratification and confirmation of civill matters by Ecclesiasticall authoritie doeth make them Ecclesiasticall or spirituall matters Though therefore there is none of us that stande out in these matters but have ever been content to yeeld unto their Lordships all civill honor such as is given to Barons
Earles Dukes and Princes yet except they were Gods Christes wee have no reason to give spirituall homage unto them which is it that in very deede they require in these things And therefore hence it comes to passe That as they turne out of their Pallaces Those servauntes that refuse their liveries and to doe their civill Services So as though they were Lords Masters in the Church They turne the Ministers out of their offices shut them out of the Church if they refuse to weare their spirituall Liveries and to doe them spirituall and Religious Service But I come to the second part of the Assumption II. That the authoritie of our Lorde Archbishops and Bishops is a usurped authoritie This is sufficiently proved of late by Mai. Iacob in his I. Assertion by many reasons Onely because the weight of the Argument leaneth upon it I will use one Reason Those Officers and Rulers in the Church that make claime to be of Divine institution chalenge to them selves Apostolicall authoritie and Iurisdiction as the onely Successours of the Apostles to sitt onely in Moses chaire To have sole power of the Keys To cut from the visible Church receyue againe To haue power of creating displacing all other Ecclesiasticall Officers To bee the Vniversall Pastors of whole Dukedomes and Kingdomes under whom all other Pastors are as Curates c. And yet for all this are such as stand are supported only by humane Traditions and Ceremonies such as a civill Magistrate may without sinne put out of the Church And such as the true Churches of God may renounce and yet continue the true Church as Antichristian Vsurpers and spirituall Tyrants I say all such Officers Rulers exercise a usurped authoritie in the Church But our Archbishops Bishops are such Rulers and Officers as are aforesaid Ergo They execute a Vsurped power over the Church The Proposition may easily be iustified For it inferiour officers viz. Pastors of particular Congregations have had and may have firme continuance in the Church without these humane devises inventions If the Magistrate cannot without sinne put them out of the Church And if those can bee no true Churches that renounce to haue perticular Pastors and Ministers over them It must much more hold in such church-Officers Rulers as these are if their authoritie be lawfull and good For whilest the Apostles lived They needed not any humane Traditions divises to support their authoritie The Magistrates that sought to putt them downe sinned with a high hande And that was no Church that renounced and disclaimed their Office Authoritie and Iurisdiction The Assumptiō is as easilie iustified For 1. They make claime and Title to all those Prerogatives before rehearsed in the first part of the Proposition and unto more then that as shal be proved if it be denied 2. It is an Embleme of their own NO CEREMONIE NO BISHOP Ergo No humane Tradition and Invention no Bishop Ergo The office of a Bishop is supported by them either only or specially 3. Their Ecclesiasticall Iurisdiction is derived from the King els it is a flat deniall of his Supremacie Also them selves graūt in their last Tables of Discipline That the King hath power to increase or diminish the Circuit of a Bishopricke That he may make two or more Bishopricks of one one Bishoprick to be two or more Yea what should hinder but that he may divide the Bishoprike of London into 800. For where God hath not defined the number of Parishes that a Bishop is to raign over it must needes bee a thing indifferent in which by their owne Doctrines the King hath authoritie without sinne to dispose If therefore the King may as well notwithstanding any thing in the Law of God Give the Keyes of the Church to everie particular Pastour of a Congregation over his owne Congregation as to a Bishop over a Diocesse which taketh away the very Essence of an English Bishop He may without sinne take away the very Office of the Bishop which cōsistes in having Iurisdiction over many Cōgregations Also it being not defined by the word of God but left free what attire Bishops shall weare as also what maintenance they shal have The K. having absolute power in things indifferēt according to their owne Doctrine hee may turne them out of their Rochetts and Parliament Robes Thrust them out of their Pallaces and put them to their stipendes to live upon voluntarie devotions of poore Christian people and then a man may easily imagine what the office of a Bishop would bee worth For he that hath authoritie to prescribe to a Bishop and other Ministers the Formes Rites and Ceremonies of their Divine Service hath also power much more To prescribe moderate and appointe their Apparell Diet and manner of maintenance So that it is cleare That the King may without sinne disanull the authorities dignities and prerogatives of Bishops Any of which shal be if it bee denied prooved to be matters of greater indifferencie and therefore more appertayning to his Supremacte then the prescribing of Formes of Divine Service and mysticall Rites of Religion For let the King take from the Bishop all indifferent things which he may doe by their owne doctrine and a Bishop will be no Bishop as shal be prooved if it be denied 4. There is no true and sober Christians but will say that the Churches of Scotland Fraunce the low Countries and other places that renounce such Archbishops Bishops as ours are as Antichristian and usurping Prelates are true Churches of God which they could not bee if the authorities prerogatives they claime to them selves were of Christ and not usurped For if it were the ordinance of Christ Iesus That in every Kingdom that receaveth the Gospel There should bee one Archbishop over the whole Kingdome One Bishop over many hundred Pastors in a kingdome and all they invested with that authoritie and iurisdictiō Apostolicall which they claime iure Divino to be due vnto them and to reside in them by the ordināce of Christ certainly that church that should renounce and disclaime such an authoritie ordayned in the Church cannot be a true Church but a Synagogue of Sathan For they that should renounce and denie such must needes therein renounce and denie Christ him selfe Thus the Assumption is cleared The 11. Argument All humane Traditions and Rites enioyned to bee performed in Gods Worship as necessarie to Salvation are unlawfull These Ceremonies in controversie beeing but Humane Traditions are enioyned to bee performed in Gods worship as necessarie to Salvation Ergo These Ceremonies are unlawfull The Proposition is freely graunted of all our Adversaries hitherto If anie heereafter bv reason of some difficulties the cause may bee thrust into by graunting the same shal be desperate as to denie the same we shal be readie to make it good at any time The Assumption is thus prooved What soever Humane Tradition Ceremonie or Action That may without sinne
or inconvenience to any part of the Worship of God bee omitted in the same and yet notwithstanding are inioyned and urged as more necessarie then those Actions that are by the woord of God necessarie to Salvation I saye such humane Ceremonies and Traditions are inioyned as necessarie to Salvation But these Ceremonies are such as may without any sinne or any inconvenience to any part of the Worship of God bee omitted in the same and yet notwithstanding are inioyned as more necessarie for Christians to doe then those Actions that are necessarie to Salvation by the Woord of God Ergo These Ceremonies in controversie are inioyned c. as necessarie to salvation He hath no blood of shame running in his veines that will deny the Proposition The Assumption hath two partes The first is this That these Ceremonies are such as may without sinne or any inconvenience to anie part of the worship of God bee omitted This is evident For 1. if they could not bee omitted without sinne in Divine Worship they were Divine not Humane Ordinances For example Though to go clothed to the Congregation be a Civill action yet because it is a sinne for any to goe naked to the Congregation It is a Divine Ordinance That men should goe clothed thither And in this case as in any other case of sinne a man ought rather never Worship God publicklie then to goe naked to the Congregation For the omission of a Good action is no sinne when it can not be done but by committing of a sinne 2. Divine Worship consisting in Prayer the Sacraments and the Word no witt of man can shew wherein the bare omission of any one of these Ceremonies is inconvenient to any one of these partes For what inconvenience can a man that is not drunk with the dreggs and lees of popish superstition finde it to publike prayer to bee saide in the Congregation without a Priestes Surplice The omission of ordinarie Pawses Accentes pointes stoppes the suppressing of the voice or a lowd whopping and hollowing out of the words or an undistinct soundinge of them were such Actions as common reason will teach are inconvenient for prayer and so inconvenient that a man ought never to praye publikelie in the Congregation as the voyce thereof that should by Canon be tied thereto And the Magistrate though there were no Canon to the cōtrarie ought to turne such out of the Ministery that should omitt such matters in prayer But for a Minister to pray without a Surplice can be in reason no more inconvenient then for him to pray without booke without a paire of Spectacles upon his nose And there may bee as good reason given to proove it convenient for a man that saith a thinge without booke to putt on a paire of Spectacles as there can be to prove it convenient for him that is to praye in the Church to putt upon him selfe a white linnen garment The second part of the Assumption is this That they are inioyned as more necessary for Christians to doe then those actions that by the worde of God are necessary to Salvation Which I proove by this collection of Reasons 1. If the whole Solemne Worship and Misterie of Iesus must stoupe and yeelde to these And these must not stoupe or yeeld to them 2. If those that will yeeld to these are dispenced with for omissiō of some duties that God requires of the Minister to be performed as necessarie to Salvation and those that are willing to doe all necessarie Services tending to the Salvation of Man can not be dispenced with for the Omission of these but must bee turned out of Christes Service 3. If those that refuse onely Conformitie to these are worse then Idolatrous Papistes 4. If the bare omission of these though upon tendernesse of Cosscience bee Sedition Scisme Disloyaltie Rebellion a deniall of the Kings Supremacie Anabaptistrie Frenzie Worthie imprisonment Banishment losse of Goods and living 5. If all that professe these to bee unlawfull are to be delivered up to Sathan and anathematized as men holding wicked damnable errours 6. If a man beeing in that Church ought not to be of it where these Ceremonies are omitted 7. If the bare omission of these make a Minister by our law more subiect to deprivation and suspension then the commission of the foulest Crimes even Drunkennes Blasphemie grosse Ignorance Vncleannesse 8. If her late Excellent Ma. Religion consisted in these I say If all these Assertions bee true then are they inioyned as more necessarie to bee done then those Actions that by the worde of God are necessarie to Salvation But all these 8. pointes are to bee iustified Ergo These Ceremonies are enioyned as more necessarie to bee done then some Actions that are necessarie to Salvation The Proposition can not be gainesayed It being a Topick Axiom Cuius privatio est deterior illud ipsum est melius to wit The worse the Privation of a thing is the better the thing is For example If blindnes be worse thē deafnesse Then is the positive habit of seeing better then that of hearing So if Non-Conformitie be worse then drūkennes blasphemie Idolatrie Filthines of body c. It must needs follow that Conformitie is a more excellent thing in it selfe then Sobrietie the true worship of God the glorifying of the name of God then a chaste and honest life But all these are urged by the worde of God as necessarie meanes to Salvatiō For the holy Ghost saith No Murderer Adulterer Vncleane person Idolator c. shall enter into the kingdome of heaven If therefore Conformitie be more urged by our lawes then these and the Privation more punished If this be more strictly required of Christians yea of principall Christians even the Ministers of the word then the other They must needes bee urged more necessarie to Salvation then the other For of the more excellencie a Christian vertue is the more necessarie to Salvation it is The Assumption in every part and parcell thereof may be iustified by the practise and Assertions of our Adversaries not onely privately but in publique For the 1. God must not by Canon bee Worshipped solemnely in England except these be mingled with it Though without them he might be never so well worshipped For the 2. Those that yeeld to these neede not preach at all in our church except they will No nor to doe any other parte of Divine Service in their owne person if they will maintayne a Curate that will keepe the Ceremoniall Law and fairely Read or Sing the Kings Service as they call it And yet if preaching were not necessarie to Salvation Paule that was above an Archbishop should not haue been under a woe if hee had not done it For no Minister of the Gospell is under a woe That performeth all services to the Churches of God that are necessarie to Salvation Neither was Paules preaching A reading of Homilies or of a Service booke For the 3. Nothing