living bread you have all him in it and so you are deprived of nothing He gave us his body not his Carcasse without blood In his body we have all both body and blood You take both from us we give both Agreable to this sayth S. Paul 1. Cor. 11.27 Therefore whosoever shall eate this bread or drink this Chalice of our Lord unworthyly he is guilty of the body and blood of our Lord which he could not be if he did not receive both body and blood so that by either eating or drinking both are received Againe Luke 24. v. 30. And it came to passe whyle he sat at table with them the two disciples in Emaus he tooke bread and blessed and brake and did reach to them Twice Christ with his owne hands gave the Communion First at the last supper under both kinds Secondly here at Emmaus under one kind only For many Holy Fathers without ever scrupulizing at the giving only one kind absolutely say Christ here gave thē the Communiō And the Text insinuates as much by the use of those Sacramentall words of taking blessing breaking reaching with the ensuing effect of opening theyr eyes to know him to be the same Christ who at his last supper had done the same action So that it is the more probable that he did administer Cōmuniō under one kind thē that he did not How thē dare you absolutely condemne this They object drinke ye all of this Matth. 26. But this command was only given to all then present and was fullfilled And they all dranke of it Mark 14.23 So when he commanded do this He did not commaund Lay men to do what he did Theyr other objections are excellently answered by the Scriptures alledged in the Councel of Trent Sess 21. c. 1. in these notable words he that sayd unlesse you eate the flesh of the Son of man and drinke his blood you shall not have life in you hath allso sayd If any one eat of this bread he shall life for ever And he that sayd He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath life everlasting hath allso sayd The bread which I will give you is my flesh for the life of the world he that sayd Who so eateth my flesb and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him hath likwise sayd He that eateth this bread shall live for ever What need wee more then to live for ever THE XIV POINT Of the Masse or of the Holy Eucharist as it is a Sacrifice 1. CHrist in his last supper sayd Luke 22.19 Do this in remembrance of me We must see then what Christ did that we may know what is commanded here to be done If he did offer his Body and Blood then in Sacrifice the Church allso is bound to have some Ministers doing that in remembrance of him We say then that Christ did then offer his body and blood in Sacrifice and we say that the doeing this is the very essence of our Masse I know as soone as Protestants heare the word Remembrance they will object that Christ can not be really offered there where the offering is done to his Remembrance I answere that S. Paul tells us what it is to do this in Remembrance of Christ 1. Cor. 11.24.26 This do ye in Remembrance of me for as often as you shall eat this bread and drink the Chalice you shall shew the death of our Lord untill he come Christ here is remembred by us to have dyed for us yet he doth not here really dye againe bloodily but this unbloudy Sacrifice is done in remembrance of his real bloudy death It is not only in Remembrance of him that we do this but we do this in Remembrance of him dying for us a bloody death upon the Crosse Now his beeing truly present maketh the Remembrance not lesse but more lively and perfect For if a Prince who had gained a great battel with much losse of his blood would have yearely some action or representation exhibited in remembrance of it would in person be present with his wounds acting his owne part the representation would not cease to be a Remembrance but it would rather be a far more lively Remembrance as often as the king should act his owne part And the yeare he should not do this the Remembrance would be lesse lively and lesse representative so c. How perfectly in this Sacrifice is Christs death represēted whilest by the force of these words This is my body only his body is put in shape of bread in one place wholy different from that other place in which by force of those words This is my blood his blood in a liquide shape of wine like blood lately shed is put in the Chalice a part from his body 2. Now I will shew that Christ did truly Sacrifice and offer up his body and blood under the formes of bread and wyne First out of the old Testament Psal 100. v. 5. it is sayd of Christ Our Lord swore and it shall not repent him thou art a Priest for ever of the order of Melchisedech which words S. Paul 5. Heb. 10. sayth to have bin spoake of Christ and of this is Priesthood We have great speach sayth he and inexplicable to utter because you are weake to heare You must looke therefore for a mystery not easily understood by new Christians The famous Priesthood in the old Law was settled in Aaron and his Sonns Levit. 8. they offered bloody Sacrifices and yet our Saviour is not sayd a Priest according to the order of Aaron but of Melchisedech who was not so much as a Iew. He whose descent is not counted from them took tythe of Abraham and blessed him that had the promisses Heb. 7.6 which sheweth he was a Priest of higher dignity then Abraham as S. Paul here proves Lett us see now all that the old Testament sayth of Melchisedech and his Priesthood and you shal find it to be only that which is written Genesis c. 14.18 But Melchisedech King of Salem bringeth forth bread and wyne And he was the Priest of the most high God And he blessed him Abrahā and he gave him tythes of all So unanimous is the consent of all the H. Fathers who did write either upon this text of Genesis or on that of S. Paul or that of the Psalme that the Priesthood of Melchisedech did consist in offering bread and wyne by way of Sacrifice to God and that Christs beeing a Priest according to his order did consist in his offering up and sacrificing his body and his blood for us under the formes of bread and wyne that to deny this is to crosse all antiquity see the Rhemists upon these two last Texts Now becaufe Christ to the end of the world offereth still this sacrifice by his Vicars or Ministers hands in the Sacrifice of the Masse He is sayd to be a Priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech For by force of these words This is my
1. Kinges 18.22 I even I only remaine a Prophet of our Lord. And in the next Chap. v. 10. I even I only am left which again he repeates v. 14. I answer that at lest he is told presently by God v. 18. That there were left in Israël seven thousand men whose knees had not bin bowed before Baal And in the former Chapter it is manifest he knew of an hundred Prophets For v. 13. Abdias told him I hidd of the Prophets of our Lord an hundred men by fifty and fifâ—y in caves Wherefore he knew well that there were many faithfull amongst whom so many Prophets were known to him yea hence it is cleare that he was not the only Prophet left Wherefore those words I only I remaine a Prophet of our Lord are to be understood thus I only I remaine a Prophet standing openly to oppose theyr fury amongst the Apostated Tribes of Israël For Elias knew full well that not all the Children of Israël but only tenne Tribes were faln from God 1. Kinges 12. He knew allso that the still faithfull Tribe of Iuda including Benjamin afforded Roboam an hundred and four seore thousand chosen men to fight against the other revolted tenne Tribes v. 21. which is again repeated 2. Chron. 11. with a notable declaration how much the true Church even then florished in Iuda and Benjamin Roboam himselfe building fifteene cities inclosed with walls And v. 13. the Preestes and Levits that were in all Israël resorted to him out of all theyr coasts And v. 16. Of all the Tribes of Israël whosoever had given theyr heartes to seeke theyr Lord God of Israêl came into Ierusalem to sacrifice and they strengthned the Kingdome of Iuda All this Elias knew very well and also that which follows to witt that Asa reigned over all Iuda in all pietie and peace 2. Chron. 14. And he built other fenced cities in Iuda And v. 8. Asa had of Iuda an army of three hundred thousand and of Benjamin two hundred eighty thousand And he defeated tenn hundred thousand Ethiopians And 2. Chr. 17. Iosaphat who lived in the day 's of Elias was yet greater then Asa his Father both in piety and power For v. 10. The Dread of our Lord came about all the Kingdomes of the Lands that were about Iuda Neither durst they make battell against Iosaphat And he built many strong cities and stupendious was the number of his forces v. 14. of Iudath under Abnath Three hundred thousand and two hundred eighty thousand under Iohanan And two hundred thousand under Amasias And two hundred thousand under Ehada And two hundred eighty thousand under Iosobad All these make Eleven hundred thousand and sixty thousand soldiers And yet the Scripture sayth All these were at the hand of the King besides others whome he had putt in Walled cities in Iuda Behold the Iewish Church even at her lowest ebbe Christ's Church is the Mistris and of higher dignity Wherefore at all times after her beginning you must find me at lest as many visible Professors of her doctrine as the Iewish Church had in her meanest coÌ„ditioÌ„ For the new testameÌ„t is established in far better promisses Heb. 8.6 As also appeares by the texts which here shall be cited All which texts coÌ„vince such a perpetuall coÌ„spicuous and visibly florishing state at all times that no church differing from the RomaÌ„ caÌ„ be shewed to have had any thing like it 3. The other only considerable objection is that perhapes these promises made by God to his Church concerning his allwaise protecting her were made upon this condition that he would do this if she should persever to keep his commandments for so all his promises to David and Salomon are made I answer that it is evideÌ„t that some promises which feeme made to them and their posterity are not to be litterally understood of their posterity according to flesh but as they by grace be sonnes of Christ who was the sonne of David And diverse of these promises are made so absolutly that absolutely they admit of no such condition Take for proof hereof that convincing Text Ps 89.4 I have made a covenant with my chosen I have sworne to David my servant thy seed will I establish for ever and I will build up thy throne to all generations All which is only verified in Christ Who in his Church hath giveÌ„ hâ—m the seate of David his father and he shall reigne in the house of Iacob for ever and of his Kingdome there shall be no end As the Angel sayd Luke 1.32 After this promise of everlasting perpetuity to his Church lest any ony should thinke his promises might be made void by any sins of hers or to be made only upon condition of theyr walking in his commandments he addeth in the same Ps v. 29. And I will putt him the first begotteÌ„ high aboue the kings of the earth I will keepe my mercy unto him for ever and my Testament faithfull unto him I will putt his seede for ever and ever and his throne as the days of heaven But if his Children shall forsake my law this can not be possibly in your doctrine spoken of the Elect and will not walke in my Iudgments If they will prophane my Iustices and not keep my commandments I wil visit theyr iniquities with a Rod and theyr sinnes with stripes But my loving kindness I will not take a way from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail My covenant will I not break nor the thing which is gone out of my Lips Once I have sworn in my holy if I ly to David his seed shall continue for ever And his throne as the Sun in my sight and as the Moon perfect for ever This Text speakes home to prove what I inteÌ„d to witt that these promises be made upon Christ The son of David the son of Abraham Matth 1.1 and as S. Paul teacheth that only those who believe in Christ be the rue children of Israël and Abraham so they only be the true children of David and concerning them is verified the promise which as is here sayed for no fins of theirs shall ever be frustrated Not as though the word of God had takeÌ„ no effect but they that are the Children of the Promisse are counted for the seed Rom. 9.6 4. And in this sense the Sacred Text speakes 2. Sam. 7.16 And thine house and thy Kingdome shall be established for ever before thee thy throne shall be established for ever According to all these wordes did Nathan speake to David So Psalm 72.5 They shall feare thee as long as the Sun and Moone endure through out all generations He shall have dominion allso from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the Earth In whom can these Texts of Scripture be verified but in Christ ever raigning in his Church diffufed even in a florishing condition over the face of the earth According to what is sayd Luke 1.32 The Lord God shall give
moved to be more favorable unto him by his great repentance he doth not onely absolue him from from the sin and from the Excommunication but having enjoyned him a most severe publicke pennance which was to have lasted for a great time before the paines due to his enormious offence would have been fully cancelled he notwithstanding out of the plenitude of his Apostolicall power gratiously pardons the remnant of his pennance Now this pardon would have been no favour nor grace unles at the same time he had pardoned the remnant of the paine still due according to divine Iustice Therefore he declares expressely that he doth it in the power of Christ so he sayth 2. Cor. 2. v. 10. To whom you forgive any thing I forgive allso in the person of Christ that is by Christs commission I give this pardon Christ ratifying the pardon or Indulgence which I give to one so well disposed as I see this delinquent to be 7. And hēce comes in a fourth proof Io. 20. v. 23. Receive the Holy Ghost whose sins you shall remitt they are forgiven and whose sins you shall retaine the are retained Behold power in the Church not only to forgive the remnant of the paine due to the sins forgiven which is all that is done by Indulgences but allso behold a power to forgive the very sin it selfe and consequently to take quite away the very eternity of paine which before was due to the sin See Point 16. Whence you cannot wonder to see power of taking away only temporall paine due to sin when such conditions be fulfilled as wee did expresse here n. 2. THE XXVII POINT That faith alone doth not Iustifie 1. THis is a point point blank against the very prime Point of Protestant Religion as theyr grand Reformers call it who define this faith to be an assured confidence that theyr sins are forgiven them wholy by Christs Passion And yet in all Scripture they will not find one single text to prove that ever yet any one single man was justified by this speciall faith as they call it I say by this speciall Faith which breeds in them an assured confidence that theyr sins in particular are pardoned them for Christs sake Wee aske only for one such Text And yet though the beliefe of this the Protestant beliefe be chiefly grounded in this Point they have not so much as one simple cleere Text so groundles is theyr very ground Look upon the Faith of Abraham who is called the Father of all that believe and see what Faith was counted to him for his righteousnes Rom. 4.3 and you shall find that verse taken out Gen. 15. v. 6. where when God had told him he would multiply his seed like the starres Abraham believed God and he counted it to him for righteousnes Why so For his believing promptly that which God had revealed in a matter so hard to his understanding as is expresly sayd Rom. 4.21.22 Hence I argue thus Here is no mention of his assured confidence that his sins were forgiven him by Christs Passion but here is mention of Iustifying Faith or of Faith counted or imputed to man for righteousnes therefore Iustifying Faith is no such matter as this speciall Faith or confidence How this Faith of Abraham came to Iustify S. Iames tels us that it was by being a Faith effective of good works For he so firmely believed what God had said that he feared not to see that saying made null and voyd though he should offer upon the Altar that very Sonne of his upon whom by name all Gods faire promises seemed grounded For was not Abraham our Father justifyed by works when he had offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar Iam. 2.21 2. Wee say then that Faith alone doth not justify but that Faith working by Charity compleats Iustification Luke 7.47 Many sins are forgiven her because shee loved much So Matth. 22. v. 11. Hee that was called to the marriage Feast and came to it and entred in and sat down could not do this but by faith entring the Church yet because he was not attired in a wedding garment of Charity he was cast out and for his sake it was sayd Many are called but few are chosen 3. S. Paul allso inculcates this 1. Cor. 13.2 If I should have all Faith so that I should move mountaines and have no Charity I am nothing Note the word all Faith Again v. 13. The greater of these three is Charity And again Col. 3.14 But above all things have Charity which is the bond of perfection For Matth. 22. v. 40. On these two Commandements of Charity dependeth the whole Law and the Prophets Yet again Gal. 5.6 Neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Charity or love Behold that very Faith which our very doctrine requires that is Faith working by Charity which allso before he called Faith observing the Commandements of God 1. Cor. 7.19 Where it is sayd Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the commandements of God Again Gal. 6.15 Neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor incircumcision but a new Creature formed by Charity according to Gods commandements Again Eph 1 4. He hath chosen us before the constitution of the world that wee should be Holy and without blame before him in love or Charity Note how that which makes us Holy and without blame before him is Charity Again Eph. 3 17. Christ dwels by Faith in the hart rooted in Charity Again Hebr. 5.9 He became the author of eternall saluation to all that obey him He was not made the author of this saluation to any but such as did obey him For as is sayd 1. Io. 1.7 If we walke in the light Lex Lux the blood of Iesus Christ clenseth us from all sin Where read you that it doth so if wee walke not in the light or do not obey him 4. Note that besides other Texts I have cited here eight out of S. Paul because our adversaries chiefly ground themselves in those his words Rom. 3.28 A man is justifyed by Faith without the works of the Law Where his meaning only is that neither the works of the written Law done by the Iew nor the works of the Law of nature done by the Gentil before either of them believe in Christ can without Faith in Christ justify any one For neither Iew nor Gentil is justifyed by any one of those works but they are justifyed by that Faith which he told you in the former Texts to worke by Charity and to be a Faith observing the commandments of God making us a new creature rooted in Charity and obeying him Thus S. Paul is explicated by S. Aug. upon this place Yea he is explicated by S. Iames in many places of his second chapter as v. 14. Though a man sayth he hath Faith and have not works can Faith save him Note here first that S. Iames supposeth this may happen that a man may
people Iosue in that dignity did succeed him But he had but part of his glory so Num. 27. v. 18. Take Iosue the sone of Nun a man in whome it the spirit and put thy hand upon him who shall stand before Eliazar Priest and thou ô Moyses shalt put some of thine honour upon him Now the one part of Moyses his honour was to be a secular Prince and commander in chiefe In this dignity Iosue did succeed him But in Levit. Ch. 8. God commanded Moyses to inuest Aaron with the other part of his dignity which was to be High Priest But when Aaron now came to dye God sayd to Moyses Num. 20.26 Take Aaron and his sonne with him and when thou hast unvested the father of his vestiture thou shalt revest therewith Eleazar his sonne Moyses did as our Lord commanded him And thus successively God provided his Church of high Priests Neither for the wikedness of any of them did he cease to governe his Church by them even by heavenly and supernaturall assistance As bad as Cayphas was yet because he was the high Priest he did prophesy Io. 11.51 He sayd not this of himselfe but beeing the high Priest of that yeare he prophesyed that Iesus should dye for the Nation 5. The old law beeing now transferred to the new it was necessary that the Priesthood allso should be transferred these two going togather Hebr. 7.12 wherefore the new law beeing the Lady the old the hand maide as S. Paul speakes the new law allso according to him beeing established upon better promisses Hebr. 8.6 we may with all ground in Scripture expect to see Christs church ever provided of such high Priests as shall by his bounty have many advantages above the high Priests of the old law Christ then intending to build his new church he called to him even amongst the first of his Apostles Simon and presently changed his name into Cephas which is interpreted Peter a Rock Io. 1.42 To this Simon Matth. 16.18 he sayth Thou art Peter which in that language which Christ spoke is as much as to say Thou art a Rock and vpon this Rock I will build my Church The wisest of men designes a sure Rock for the everstanding building of his church in the midst of all windes and waves if any one say that Christ himselfe is a Rock so as not to communicate this Rock-like firmity of his allso to S. Peter he flatly contradicts Christs saying Thou art a Rock and upon this Rock I will build my Church If any man should take a fayre stone in his hand and say Thou art a fayre goodly solid stone and upon this stone I intend to rayse a Chappel Who would conceive this man in the last part of his speach to point at any other stone thē that which he had in his hand True it is that Christ is the fundation yet with out any dishonour to him nay to the increase of his honour he communicateth that very title of fundation to others So Eph. 2.20 we are sayd Built upon the fundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ beeing the thiefe corner stone Christ then is the chiefe Rock of an everlasting perpetuity and this by his owne vertue S. Peter is a Rock standing firme everlastingly not by his owne vertue but by the vertue of Christ and made thus not for his owne sake but for Christs churches sake Christ intending that this his church should stand for ever as I proved Point 3. Whence Christ adds upon this Rock I will build my Church We willingly grāt that the church was to be built not upon the shoulders of S. Peter but vpon his faith yet his faith must not be taken as separated from his person but it must be taken as the thing chiefly regarded in his person for which to him personally this dignity was given yet given chiefly for the perpetuall good of the church to be built upon him Wherefore lest the building should be shattered at his death this firme perpetuity of a Rock that is this saith of his which Christ prayed should never fayle Luc. 22.32 was to be derived to his lawfull successors as the chaire of Moyses ever had the successors of Moyses sitting in it for no well ordered common wealth is destitute of sufficient meanes still to provide her of her lawfull Heads and Governours appointed her successively And as it is not enough to say Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords therefore the civil commō wealth needs no other King or Lord. So it seems farr greater non-sense to say that because Christ is the chiefe head and Priest of the church therefore we vpon earth need no other head to governe such a common wealth as the Church is conteining so many severall people of so many nations natures customes and dispositions as be foūd frō the rising of the sūne to the going downe of the same though this so farr spread common-wealth were intended from the beginning to last as long as the Sunne and Moone It was then for this his churches sake that some one was ever to be first and Chiefe in it 6. Now sayth S. Matthew numbring the Apostles Princes of the Church The names of the twelve Apostles be these The first Simon who is called Peter Matth. 10.2 And so in all places where the Apostles are counted as Iudas is allwaise the last so S. Peter is counted first and as it was sayd of Eliazar that he was the Prince of Princes of the Levites Num. 3.32 So amongst the spirituall Princes of Christs Church S. Matthew doth not only count him first but plainly says he was the first The first Simon who is called Peter He was neither the first in order of calling to the Apostle shipe nor in age For his Brother Andrew was before him in both these Io. 1. Again to signifie that he was the head and chiefe in ordinary Christ sayd to him Matth. 16.19 And to thee will I give the Keyes of the Kingdome of heavē For though the power of loosing and binding was afterward given to the other Apostles Iohn 20.23 yet the Keyes of the Kingdome of heaven are never in Scripture sayd to be given to any but to S. Peter The giving of the Keyes is wel knowne to signifie naturally the supreme Rule in a citty or familie Hēce the Keyes of the citty are offered to the chiefe Governours at theyr entrance So allso the Keye of the house of David is given to Christ being to reigne in the house of David for ever Here Christ giveth the Keyes to S. Peter as to his successor in the house of God which is the Church of the living God 1. Tim. 3.15 By these Keyes is signified the plenitude of highest power 7. Again Iohn 21.15 Simon of Iohn lovest thou me more then these Feed my lambes And yet again v. 17. Feed my sheepe Note that he would not have required greater love in Peter rather then in any of the rest nor
of these things agree to the Pope and yet they all agree to Antichrist 7. Seaventhly the beast which shall sett up the power of Antichrist shall make fyre come downe from heaven to earth in the sight of men Apoc. 13.13 Tell me what setter up of the Popes power did ever doe this 8. Eightly there allso v. 17. it is sayd that he also shall effect that no mā shall buy or sell but he that hath the Character or name of the beast or number of his name In what Popes dayes was this verified 9. Ninthly and lastly 2. Thess 2.4 That one speciall man who is called that man of sin is extolled above all that is called God or all that is worchiped Now whosever is extolled above all that is God is not only extolled above judges and Kings sometimes called Gods as all just men are but to be extolled above all that is called God he must be extolled above God himselfe who in the very first place is called God So he that is extolled above all that is worshiped must be extolled not only above Princes and Kings but above saints and Angels and God himselfe Now neither doth the Pope extoll himselfe or is extolled by any of his adherents above the Apostles or Angels and much lesse above God himselfe shewing himselfe That he is God as there sayd Antichrist shall do THE NINTH POINT Of the Sacraments of the Church and of the Ceremonies which the Church useth in administrating these Sacraments as allso in other occasions 1. HAving treated of the Church and her chiefe Pastor it followeth to treate of the Sacraments of this Church And because our Church useth severall ceremonies in the administration of these Sacraments and especially in sacrifice of the Masse as allso in other severall occasiōs a thing much scoffed at by our adversaries We will here allso treate of these Ceremonies 2. First then concerning Sacraments in generall before we come to treate of every particular Sacrament to prevent mistakes I define a Sacrament to be An outward signe instituted by Christ signifying the inward grace which it confers when duly receaved And here it must be exactly noted that every such outward signe or holy ceremony by the applying of which inward grace is infallibly conferred when it is duly receaved must needs be a signe or ceremonie instituted by Christ For no body but Christ could annex the infallible guift of inward grace to the applying of such an outward signe 3. Now if any one will stand contending to prove that a Sacrament is some thing else and ought to be defined otherwise all that I neede to say in confutation of him is that I will finde in Scripture seven such holy signes or ceremonies to the due application of which the guift of inward grace is infallibly annexed And for this reason I say that these be either seuen true Sacraments or else seven things much better then those which your definition will allow to be Sacraments For by these seven that divine quality of heavenly grace is conferred by yours it is not But before I come to shew our seven Sacraments in particular to be such holy signes or Ceremonies instituted by Christ from whome all grace is derived I will in the second place treate of the Ceremonies of the Church which Protestants are pleased to account foolish Childish Apish Comicall c. 4. I say then that the light of reason teacheth us in all actions which we desire to rayse above the Rank of vulgar Actions to devise some Ceremonies to sett that action forth in such a manner that all shall by the very sight of it be stirred up to apprehend such an action to be farr surpassing ordinary things So in the solemne inauguration of great Princes in the coronatiō of Kings in they re going to sitt in Parlaments yea in they re carrying to they re graves and interment great choyse is made of exquisite ceremonies to sett forth these actions so that they may be raysed much above the strayne of vulgar actions wherefore seeing no actions deserve more esteeme or to be raysed to a higher degree of reverence and veneration amongst the Christian people then the chiefe actions of our Religion it was wholy convenient that the administration of the Sacramēts beeing the chiefest of these actions should chiefly of all other actions be graced and sett forth with some kinde of ceremonies such as the Church should think fittest that so all the vulgar by the very sight of those actions may be excited to conceave a sacred esteeme of those actions sett forth so mystically in a manner quite different from ordinary and vulgar actions By this argument and not by any Text of Scripture you must justifie your Ministers surplice The law of nature which was before the Ceremoniall law did teach the holyest men of that law thus to rayse the most pious actions they solemnly performed by addition of certaine ceremonies So Holy Iacob Gen. 28.18 Arrising in the morning tooke the stone that he had layd under his head and erected it for a title or monument and poured out oyle upon the toppe of it A ceremony so farre from beeing superstitious that Gen. 31.13 God approves this fact appearing to Iacob and saying I am the God of Bethel where thou didst anoynt the stone and didst vow thy vow to me 5. And because our adversaries scoff at ceremonies as if they were ridiculous things we desire them to reflect whether a heathen may not as well scoff at the Iewish Ceremonies appointed by God himself as indeed the Iewes both by the Greeks and the old Romans were held for the most superstitious people of the world upon that account And though the Iewish Ceremonies appointed by God do now cease yet it is now blasphemy to say any one of them were foolish Apish comicall gestures Yet looked upon with carnall eyes they may to the full as much appeare to have bin so as the Ceremonies of the Church appeare to you For example what a mimicall action would you account it in us if we should in the Consecration of the Pope appoint that the tippe of his right eare ande the thumb and great toe of his right hand and right foot should be the parts particularly annointed and yet God himself commanded Exod. 29. v. 20. That in the Consecration of Aaron and his sonnes Thou shalt take of the blood of a Rā and put it upon the tippe of the right eare of Aaron and of his sonns and upon the thumbs and great toes of theyr right hand and foot A number of as strange Ceremonies as these are both in this book of Exodus and particularly in Leviticus and yet all set down by Gods own appointment And it is now blasphemy to say they were ridiculous 6. But lett us passe to the new law though in this all Iewish Ceremonies be abolished yet is it no where sayd that we should serve God without all Ceremonies which no nation under
they were obliged by no precept But as long as they would be separated or consecrated God obligeth them not to drinke wine nor eate grape or raison Yea Ieremy 35. v. 6. Ionadab the son of Rechab most commendably though he were not commanded did give these Laws to himselfe and his Sonns You shall not drinke wine you and your Children for ever though wine were as common drinke with that nation as beere with us And you shall not build houses and you shall not sow seede and you shall not plant vineyards nor have any But you shall dwell in tabernacles all your days We obeyed the voice of Ionadab our father Wherefore to them by Ieremy v. 18. Thus sayth the Lord for that you have obeyed the commandment of Ionadab your father and have done all things that he commaunded you therefore thus sayth the Lord. There shall not want a man of the stock of Ionadab the son of Rechab standing in my sight all dayes or to stand before me for ever As your Bibles have it This is true for the sonns of promise though not the sons of flesh to the Rechabites be our Religious of which from the time of the Apostles to the last day there shall not faile to be many devout men still standing in Gods sight Lett Protestants shew any such amongst them who can be esteemed of the stock of Ionadab or a Rechabite They are so farre from this that they rayle at us for being followers of superstitious inventions of men when we follow the giver of so Holy Rules as Ionadab gave to his sonne so praised and so rewarded by God for following them Let them tells vs if they can how amongst them it is true there shall not want a man of the stock of Ionadab 4. Suppose the Booke of Iudith if you please to be only a true History which you do not deny from thence then we have a true Relation how piously Iudith lived without any precept who c. 8. 3. having but lived three yeares and a halfe with her husband he dying shee in the higher part of her house made her selfe a secret chamber in which she aboade shut up with her mayds and having cloath of hayre upon her loynes she fasted all the dayes of her life but Sabboths and the feasts of the house of Israel And this though her husband left her much riches and a great family And c. 16. v. 26. There was allso Chastity ioyned to her vertue so that shee knew not man all the dayes of her life after that Manasses her husband was deade And she aboade in her husbands house a hundred five yeares so that she so faire and so rich lived a widdow about sixty nine yeares in Chastity in prayer in a perpetuall fast and hayre cloath Who commaunded her this or who required it at her hands Love of serving God more perfectly 5. Wherefore in the Ghospel to the yong man whom our Saviour loved because he truly for he loves not lying boasters did say that he had kept the commaundments from his youth Mark 10.20 Christ notwithstanding sayd One thing thou lackest Go thy way go sell whatsoever thou hast and thou shalt have a treasure in heaven This one thing was not wanting to any duty which he was bound to performe to be saved For to enter into lyfe Christ did only bidd him keepe the commaundments Matth. 19 v. 7. But sayth our Lord v. 21. If thou wilt be perfect go sell the things thou hast and give to the poore and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come and follow me This then is that one thing which thou lackest I say thou lackest this one thing not to the state of saluation for keeping the commandments doth suffice to the state of saluation but thou lackest this to the state of perfection if thou wilt be perfect For this one thing conteines all the three Evāgelicall Counsels First Poverty to sell all and give to the poore Secondly Chastity for him whom he counselleth to sell all and give to the poore he must needs counsel not to take a wyfe with charge of family and Children for else something were to be kept for them Thirdly Obedience Come and follow me under the obedience of those whom I shall place over thee in lawfull authority for our Saviour in person was not to live but a very short time after this See all that followeth in the next Point THE XXIII POINT Of voluntary austerity of life 1. I handle this point apart because there being such dayly practise of these kind of works in our Religion and so little in our adversaryes they scoffing at all we do or suffer in this point we will shew whether they scoffe not at the practise of vertue recommended by Scripture 2. First then observe all that hath beene sayd in the last point doth recommend austerity of life by counselling a chast life which cannot be maintayned unlesse the flesh be tamed by some austerityes neither is Chastity it selfe a small austerity Note allso that they who in the old Law Numb 6. Had a will to separate themselves to God had allso a will to choose an austere life abstayning from wyne the usuall drinke of that countrey How great and voluntary was the austerity of the Rechabites or sonns of Ionadab who neither did drinke wyne nor built houses but lodged abroad in tabernacles nor possessed vineyeards nor sowed corne or any seede And yet how doth God praise and reward them for it Ieremy 35.18 How great and how voluntary was the austerity of Iudith living sixty nine yeares in Chastity in upper roomes retyred from the world allmost in continuall fast continuall hayre cloath most frequent prayer she being so rich and when she began this course so younge and so beautifull Christ allso counselled no small voluntary austerity to him whome he advised for greater perfection to sell all for money being the price of all commodities the want of it brings all incommodities He was advised allso to follow him who had not a hole to shroud his head in What austerity is here counselled 3. Much like this was the voluntary austerity of the first Christians forsaking money the price both of all delights and allso of all convenient accommodation and yet Act. 4. v. 34. As many as were owners of lands or houses sold and brought the prices of those things which they sold and caryed them before the feete of the Apostles Who commaunded this Love of serving God more perfectly For if we speake of any obligation they had no other then we have Hence S. Peter to Ananias c. 5. v. 4. Whiles it remained was it not thine owne and after it was sold in thyne owne power That is thou hadst power to keepe it wholy to thy selfe or to vow it wholy to God after which vow thou hadst no further power to keepe it according to what we proved fully out of Scripture Point 21. n. 1.2 4. But to speake more particularly of that