conceive enough said on your part against it so I conceive I have said sufficiently for it in my reply to those two parts of it Confession and Satisfaction to which I refer you So I shall make it my business now to prove the other four to be Sacraments and of divine institution and I shall begin with the Sacrament of Confirmation Every Sacrament is a sensible sign having an infallible assistance of the grace of the Holy Spirit and such I prove Confirmation to be by most express Scriptures thus We find in the Acts That when the Apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had receiv'd the Word of God Act. 8.14.15 16 17. they sent unto them Peter and John Who when they were come down pray'd for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost Fâ—r as yet he was fallen upon none of them only they were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Then laid they their hands upon them and they received the Holy Ghost Here was manifestly a confirmation after Baptism and a sensible sign to wit Imposition of hands by which the grace of the holy spirit was confer'd and that is enough to make a Sacrament Again we find in another Chapter of the same Acts Act. 19.2.3 4 5 6. That Paul being at Ephesus and finding some Disciples there said unto them have ye received the Holy Ghost since â—e believed and they said unto him we have not so much as heard whether there be any holy Ghost and be said unto them unto what then were ye baptized and they said unto him Johns Baptism then said Paul John verily baptized with the Boptism of Repentance saying unto the people that they should believe on him which should come after him that is on Christ Jesus when they heard this they believed on Christ Jesus And when Paul bad laid his hands upon them the Holy Ghost came on them and they spake with Tongues and Prophesy'd Here is I say again after Beliefe and Baptism an Imposition of hands by which the grace of the Holy Spirit was ferr'd Now that this Sacrament waa instituted by Christ himself is plain by the Gospells John 16. where he promiseth his Apostles the Comforter his Holy Spirit with which they should be confirmed by virtue from above now the mission of the Holy Ghost in the time of Penticost either was the Sacrament of confirmation it self or instead of it Mark 11.13 14. Matth. 10. again we find in the Gospels That they brought young children to Christ that be should touch them and his Disciples rebuked them that brought them but when Jesus saw it be was displeased and said suffer the little Children to come to me for of such is the Kingdome of God c. Now it is very probable that he did either institute this Sacrament then or at least infinuate it So enough I coceive said to that Now that the Sacramnot of Orders was instituted likewise by Christ himself and with a sensible sign conferrs grace I prove this by expresse Scriptures First we find that when Jesus had called unto him his twelve Disciples Mat. 10.1 he gave them power against unclean spirets and to heal all manner of sicknesse and all manner of diseases Then again Jesus going up into the Mountain and called unto him whâ—m he would and they came unto him and he made that Twelve should be with him Mark 6.7 and he sent them to preach c. And after these things the Lord appointed other seventy also and sent them tweand two before his face into every City and place whither he himself would come Then again we find Luk 10.1 that taking bread he brake it giving thanks and saying this is my Body c. Do this in remembrance of me Then last of all look into St. Johns Gospel and you wil find yet a more express Ordination and mission As my Father hâ—th sens me so send I you Lâ—k 28. And when he had said this he breathed on them and saith unto them receive ye the holy Ghost John 10. â— 21 22 23 Whosoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them and whosoever sins ye retein they are reteyned Thus you have in the four Gospells the institution of this Sacrament Let us now look a little into the Apostolicall practise We find in the Acts Act. 13. â—â— As they ministred to the Lord and fasted the holy Ghost said separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them and when they had fasted and prayed and I did their hands on them they sent them away Here again is plain Ordination and Mission St. Paul gives direction to young Timothy how to behaave himself in his Ministry and then says 1 Tim. 4.14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given to thee by Prâ—phecy with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery Then again he says Lay not thy hands on any man over haftily and again the Elders that govern well are worthy of double honour Then the same Apostle tells Titus 1 Tim. 6. For this Cause I left thee in Creet that thou shouldst make Elders in severall Cities 2 Tim. 1. Then to Philemon he says of those Elders those that are of this sort have a great regard to thus you see what respect St. Paul had to holy orders and yet to admonish us further of our duties to them he makes it his humble request to the Thessalonians thus Phil. 1. We beseech you brethren to know them that labour amongst you and over you on the Lord and admonish you in the Lord and to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake and be at peace amongst your selves See what charge St. 1 Thes 5.12.13 Peter gives the Elders The Elders which are among you I exhort who am also an Elder c. Feed the flock of God which is among you taking the eversighe thereof c. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear ye shall receive a Crown of glory that fadeth not away So St. Paul again in the Acts of the Apostles Exhorts the Elders of Ephâ—sus thus Take heed therefore unto your selves and to the Flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you Bishops or Overseers as you would have it for it is all one to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own Blood Act. 20.28 Geâ— 1.37 Observe that the Holy Ghost made them Bishops and Overseers and yet you will deny Orders to be a Sacrament but it is plain it is for Imposition of hands is the visible sign which carries with it the invisible grace of the Holy Spirit as you have seen at large proved by Scripture That Matrimony is a Sacrament and instituted by Christ I likewise prove by expresse Scripture thus First it is very probable that the blessing which God Almighty gave to Adam and Eve in Paradice was not unaccompani'd with divine
unto Moses in the Cloud and in the Sea Now it is certain that the Infants were as well in the cloud and in the Sea as their Fathers were and were so also figuratively baptised Again S. Heb. 6.4.6 Paul has a remarkable passage in his Epistle to the Hebrews which is this For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the holy Ghost c. If they shall fall away to renew them unto repentance This must be understood of the renewing by baptisme which cannot be reiterated not of repentance which we know may be though you and some other Hereticks deny it and from thence infer a renovation of Baptisme Again to the Romans for if through the offence of one many be dead Rom. 5.15 16 17 18 19. much more by the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by on man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many and a little after saies as by one mans offence death reigned by one much more shall life by one Jesus Christ and again as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners So by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous from hence we infer that as both men and childeren were capable of death by Adams fall so both men and children are capable of a regeneration by Christ 1 Cor. 15.20 Rom. 6. This the Apostle confirmes again to the Corinthians when he tells them for as in Adam all dye that is children as well as men even so in Christ shall all be made alive that is children too as well as men and that is by baptisme by which we are all incorporated into Christ as the same Apostle saies in another place Then we finde that the Apostles did usually baptise whole families and housholds Ags 16.14 as in the Acts Lydia was baptised and her houshold and St. Paul saies he baptised the houshold of Stephanus c. 1 Cor. 1.16 now in those housholds there were undoubtedly children too and this has been always so universally practised in the Church that no sober Christians can doubt the truth of it And if there be yet any room for a doubt be pleased to take this argument along with you Whoever are capable of justifying grace may by Sanctifying grace be freed from original Sin and so by consequence must be capable of the remedy of originall sin and that is biptisme bâ—t infants are capable of justifying grace as is plain in the example of S. John Baptist of whom it is said that he was sanctifyed filled with the holy Ghost from his mothers womb Therefore sure children must be thought capable of the remedy against original sin and that is baptisme So now I shall proceed to prove some thing of the character imprinted on our souls by Baptisme which it seems gives your party somuch scandall Now that this character of ours is plainly prefigured and spoken of in the old Testament as first in Exodus Exod. 12 7. where we finde that the blood of the Lamb was to be sprinkled on the two side-posts and on the uper dore-posts of the houses where the passover was to be eaten that so the destroying Angel might pass them by So Christ in Baptisme by the merit of his blood does sign the side posts and uper dore posts of our souls that they may be preserved from the malice of the devil Again we find that this Christian character of ours was perfectly prefigured in the mark which Ezekiel speaks of Ez. 9.4 by Gods command v. 6. And the Lord said unto him go through the midst of Jerusalem and set T. a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh that cry for all the abomination that be done in the midst thereof a little after when the Lord commanded to slay utterly both old young both maids little children but charged them not to come near any one upon whom was the mark you may observe by the way that the mark was to be set upon young as well as old little children too to be preserved from the hands of the destroyer that mark T then spoken of is presumed by all the learned to be the Tipe of our character in Baptisme Then this mark is most clearly prophesied of exprest by the Prophet Isay 66.18 19. where speaking of the conversion of the Gentiles the future glory sanctity of the Christian Church he saith It shall come that I will gather all nations tongues they shal come see my glory I will set a sign among them I will send those that escape of them unto the Nations to Tarshith Pul Lud that draw the bow to Tubal Javan the Isles afar off that have not heard my fame neither have seen my glory they shal declare my glory among the Gentels Hear the Prophet plainly forsees prophesies the sending of the Apostles Disciples into Africa Jndia as well as Europe and that this sign or character which we treat of shall be establisht amongst all Christians But now the new Testament is so plain express in this point that we admire how any knowing Christian can dispute it First St. Paul saies to the Ephesians 1.13 14. in whom also after that ye beleived ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance c. by which text it is evident that the faithfull in the regeneration of Baptisme are signed sealed and marked by the holy Ghost that the sheep of Jesus Christ may be known and distinguisht from others Again the same Apostle repeats in the same Epistle Ephes 4.30 Grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption that sealing of the holy Ghost is the only character that we speak of and which is seems gives you so much scandall St. Iohn in like manner is very large in his discourse upon this sealing of a Christian in his whose book of his Revelation 7.2 3. but particularly in one place produceth an Angel ascending out of the East and haveing the seal of the living God crying with a loud voice to the four Angells to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the Sea and saying hurt not the earth neither Sea nor the treas till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads what is that seal I pray but our most sacred Christian Character which we receive in Baptisme Thus we weak women have been bold M. R. to shew you some of our little skill in Scripture by offering to your serious consideration these sew Texts not doubting but your better Bible abilities will soon furnish you with more If your own obstanency of Spirit which you call Text-fastness will permiâ— to you a right understanding For it is impossible that any one who keeps so contant a reading and conversation in Scripture as most of you do should not be satisfyed in what is there declared against all sorts of such Phanatick Spirits unless they be resolved as it is to be feared most of you are to prejudicate nay to violate the sense of the holy Spirit it self You know none are so blinde as they that are so willfully nor so ignorant as they that will not understand from which perversity if not reprobation of sence we do humbly pray Allmighty God to deliver you and all other missed Souls of mistaking Christians and give you all that humility and resignation of Spirit as is requifit for all those that will grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and his holy word So faâ—e you well and believe that we are M. R. Your friends in Christ M. N. FINIS
only but likewise the testimony of the most antient and holy Fathers the invincible evidence of the true Mother-Church and the testimony of divine miracles which are frequently one for the confirmation of our faith But you forsooth as if you were wiser than Christ himself will neither admit or hear of any thing but out of Scripture alone in which you shew your selves like those Jews against whom our Saviour so disputes for the Jews casting off all other testimony would admit onely of Scripture 2 Cor. 3.14.15 â— and yet they neither understood it then nor yet do or ever will as the Apostle tels us when he says but their minds were blinded for untill this day remaineth the same Vail untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament c. and again when Moses is read the Vail is upon their hearts c. To the third For what you urge so hard out of the Acts you shall find to be to as little purpose as the other if if you but please to examine the Context which tells you That there being a Synagogue of Jews at Thessalonica St. Paul as his manner was went in unto them and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures opening and alledging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead Act. 17.2 3. and that Jesus whom he preacht unto them was Christ c. But the Word so preacht did but little profit those of Thessalonica then follows that they of Berea were more Neble then those of Thessalonica in that they received the Word with all readinesse of mind and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so c. Now I would fain know what you wil conclude out of this as to your purpose unless thus Those of Berea searched the Testimonies of Scripture concerning Christ that were quoted by St. Paul therefore Scripture alone must determine faith and be the only Rule and Judge between us That is just as if you would say that one of your Doctors searcheth all the testimonies of St. Austin that are quoted by Bellarmin therefore St. Austin is the only Judge of Controversies Or thus one of your Congregation searcheth all the testimonies which are produced against a great Doctor of yours as they are quoted by a greater of your own therefore that great Doctor is the only judge of Controversies Or thus one of your Doctors searcheth all the Traditions that are alledged in the Councill of Yrent thefefore only Tradition is to be receiv'd for a Judge of Controversies I pray you forbear these pitiful consequences and yet your great Doctors seldommake be tter are not asham'd of them so I may well excuse you andothers seduced by them To the Fourth I say that your Argument if it had any weight at all would serve altogether as well agianst your self as us for if as you understand it every man be a Lyar add may erre it will follow necessarily that Moses with the Prophets Apostles and Evangelists nay that your Friends Luther and Calvin nay all your Preachers to be Lyars and may erre because they are men therefore there is no credit to be given to any of them no confidence to be put in them but all things that are said by them must be taken for suspected and uncertain where then is faith Nor matters it though they say that the Word which they tell us is not their own but Gods Word for if they be Lyars they may as well lye in the delivery of Gods message as in any thing else of their own nothing therefore can be certain But God forbid that any Christian should think so for it is far otherwise First we confesse the Scripture to be certain and infallible because it is the Word of God but we adde that it is so obscure that the true sence and meaning cannot easily appear to every man Therefore of necessity there must be some other Judge that must infallibly determine what is the clear and genuine sence of the Scripture it self Now this infallible Judge cannot possibly be every private man for then there would be so many Judges as there be men and diversities of Opinions and so there would be an utter impossibility to agree to any thing or compose any difference in Religion every one being apt to favour his own opinion It is necessary therefore that there should be a publick Judge agreed upon who should have a power of decreeing defining and determining all things between differet parties Gen. 8.21 Psal 38.6 Then again we says that we must consider men in two respects Num. 11.17 Deut. 17.9 Aug. 2.12 Malac. 2.3 Jerem. 1.7 first as men and the sons of Adam so obnoxions to many naturall corruptious so without doubt they are all prone to lying and falshood In the next place we must consider them as they are directed and goveâ—n'd by the Holy Ghost for the instruction of others so they are infallible and without possibility of lying such as Moses in the Old Testament with bis Congregation of Elders about him So were divers other High Priests that succeeded him such were the Prophets Isaiah Jeremiah Ezechiel Daniel and all the rest Such in the New Testament were the Apostles to whom it was said I wil from the Father send you the spirit of truth and again when the of Spirit of truth shall come he shall teach you all truth Iohn 16.6.13 now where there is all truth there can be no lye Such ever was now is and still must be the Church of Christ which having the perpetuall assistance and government of the same Holy Spirit ha's as it were the heart of it so long therefore as the faithfull Christian shall continue in the unity of the Church and keep close to the Doctrine of the supream Bishop and Councells he shall participate of the assistance and government of the holy Ghost nor can erre in faith but if through any pride or perversity of spirit he shall disagree and depart from that head and heart then he shuts all those passages and Chanels by which that divine assistency and direction is to be derived and so must of necessity be seduced from truth and led into a Labyrinth of errours as we have sadly seen in all the antient and modern Hereticks The next similitude may be drawn from a flock of sheep which indeed is the best representation of the Church Ioh. 10.14 math 28.20 as our Saviour himself is pleas'd to attest in the Gospel for as the whole flock being in one Fold or place collected together has the perpetuall assistance and guard of the Shepherd and so are defended from the malice fierceness of wolves so the Universall Church of the faithfull being collected in one faith and spirit has the perpetuall care and assistance of that divine Shepherd who said I an the good Shepherd and know my Sheep and again and I am always with you to the end of the
World And just as each single Sheep so long as it remains in the society and Communion with the Flock and under the aare and custody of the Shepherd is safe and secure from the mouths of wolves so is each single Christian so long as he remains joyned and tyed up in the unity of the Church that is submits to the sence and doctrine of the whole Church is never err'd yet in matter of faith nor ever can now I presume you may require to know of me whether all and every one of this Church hath this great assistance and direction of the Holy Spirit that he cannot erre in matter of Faith I do readily answer that every one of the faithfull has it but by way of dependance upon the Church and from it So long therefore as any man remains in conjunction with the Church he cannot erre if he separates or dissents from it he must needs of necessity fall into an errour which I 'le thus explain to you by two Examples or similitudes The one may be taken from the proportion of a humane body in which we see that all the members do jointly and severally paticipate of the vitall and sensitive spirits by which life is preserved in them all but yet they have these spirits derivatively from and by way of dependency upon the head and heart for it is from them as from a double Fountain those spirits are derived into the other members so that when the Channells and passages by which that derivation and distribution is made are stopt or intercepted it must follow necessarily that the other Members must be left destitute of spirits and be rendred incapable of performing their Office but being open all will be well So likewise in the Church all the faithfull which are as it were Members of it have a certain assistancy and direction from the holy Ghost but by way of dependency upon the Pope who is as the head of the Church and from Councils which are safe and secure from all danger of errour and infidelity In the last place as sheep that go astray from the flock are out of the protection of the Shepherd and by consequence must fall into the danger of Wolves so Christians which depart from the common sence and doctrine of the Church must of necessity fall into millions of errours for want of the assistance of the holy spirit which is the Judge and Guardian of that I pray you good Mistriss N. have a care how you expose your self to this terrible danger To the Fifth I utterly deny that generall Councells have er'd in matters of faith it is possible that some particular Councells might or some false Councells more truely call'd conventicles Then that some councills have determined variously as to discipline and Ecclesiasticall government I grant for variety of times requires diversity of Laws and God himself gives the president of that who changed many things in the new Testament that were commanded in the Old And as for Lay-men to be present in Councels we do not at all deny so they be as witnesses defenders Counsellors Suggestors or Executioners of their decrees but never as to have a Voyc in any Councill or Church businesse and this is plain by those Gouncils that we find in the Acts celebrated by the Apostles and so clearly in every Age since and why should Lay-men have to do more now Now give me leave to reply something to you and I 'le be short in my proof having been so long in my answers That the Pope with a generall Council may detrmine what is of Fath and what is not I pove by expresse Scripture thus We find in Scripture some Councils celebrated by the Apostles that have actually made such determinations As first for the taking off the burthen of Circumcision and other Indaicall obligations we find the result thus For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us Act. 15.28 29. to lay upon you no greater burthen than these necessary things that they abstein from meats offered to Idols and from blood and from things strangled and from Fornication from which if ye keep your selves ye shalde well See here the form of an Apostolical Councell First the Text tells us that the Apostles and Elders came together and that St. Peter was President and Prolocutor then they issued out their decrees with this authoritative preface It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us Now do you find that any faithfull Christians then did question their authority ver 6.7 as you do now that of other Conncells assembled in like manner and assisted by the same spirit Thus you see that Councell did decree somethings to be necessary for a time which were not simply and of themselves matters of faith and to take off from the Jews many things that were to them before matters Faith as circumcision and other mosaicall Statutes Why should not I say the Church now have the same power when the same necessity shall require we have I 'm sure the same Christ the fame holy spirit the same faith the same Church why not the fame power in Councills We read again of another Council celebrated by the Apostles when they wer to part one from another Apostles Creed and to go preach the Gospel as the Lord had commanded them over the whole World when they met together and upon a large debate delivered to us the Creed which you your selves and I 'm sure the whole Church of Christ submits to as as points of faith and is to this day called the Apostles Creed and for some of those Articles we have no Scripture at all nor any other authority but this that they were so delivered by the Apostles and I conceive it a duty incumbent upon all good Christians what the wise Man adviseth Prov. 22.28 not to remove the antient Land-marks which our Fathers have set In what respect a Councill or Convocation of Elders was with God and ever taken for the representative body of the Church is plain in many places of Exodus Exod 19.3 7 8. especially that where God commands Moses to say to the House of Jacob and tell the Children of Israell c. And yet afterwards it is said of Moses that he came and call'd for the Flders onely of the people and laid before their faces all these Words which the Lord commanded him c. And though it is plain that the Elders of the people onely answered with whom Moses was talking Deut. 32.7 yet the Text tell us That all the people answered together and said c. Which could dot be â—nless onely so representatively by their convocation of Elders How well therefore does the same Moses express this in his fong when he saith Remember the days of old confider the years of many generations Ask thy Father and he will shew thee thy Elders and they will tell thee c. I should be infinite to run through all the
should deny to be Bishops and yet have very conscientiously avoided marriage The Apostle would not therefore that a Bishop should be found guilty of so much carnality as to be husband to two Wives and the Church taught by Saint Paul ha's forbid bigamy ever since and St. Paul only here lays down the Rule of a Bishops continence that hâ—â— should not take a second Wife To the Fifth I grant chastity to be free but necessary after it is vow'd and then commanded nor does that at all oppose the liberty of the Spirit but promote it for God himselfe does freely and yet necessarily produce the holy spirit It is true likewise what the Apostle says that it is better to marry then to burn but the same Apostle tells you likewise that it is good for a man not to touch a Woman St. Paul would not have a man burn that is tempted of the flesh but he is burnt that is overcome with the flames of concupiscense and for such a man saith he it is better to Marry than to bee always wallowing in the mire if you will put any other sence upon St. Pauls words you wil make St. Paul himself to marry because he had a Prick in his flesh c. I do confesse that I believe it to be very difficult to contein but the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it as our Saviour assures us and St. Paul tels us That though we are tempted of the flesh yet God is faithfull who suffers not to be tempted above that we are able and will be always present to support us if we implore his help To the Sixth To what you urge out of the same Apostle to the Cor. That if thou marry thou hast not sinned c. I answer that St. Paul speaks plainly there of one that was free to marry or not to marry not I say of the Virgin that ha's dedicated it self to God already but of that which is free and at it's own dispose To the Seventh Whereas you say that our vows of Virginity are vain and indeed foolish because impossible I do truly grant as to nature an impossibility and so are many other things that are absolutely commanded But if you consider the assisting grace of God nothing is impossible and every man is capable to receive that whom God shal think worthy to bestow it upon and neither the Pope nor any of his do trust in their external mortifications at all but that God will please to assist those their endeavours with his Almighty grace which hee never denies to those that so dutifully and instantly ask it as they do There is something else that you say in your argument which though it be sufficiently answered I must desire you yet to advise better upon and think whether it was so well said of a woman for which very words Luther himself as I am inform'd lost much of his credit with his own Disciplcs To what you alledge against us for multiplying of Sacraments and making them as you say out of meer humane inventions I answer thus To the First Whereas you are pleas'd to begin so briskly with me and as I take it with a syllogism I professe I know not whether it be true or false in the form but one proposition I am sure is false First that we have any supernumerary Sacraments or any Sacrament that was not of Christs own institution as you shall see how I will prove anon To the Second Whereas you say you have sufficiently already convinced the Sacrament of penance to be none by overthrowing the parts of it Confession and Satisfaction I answer that I humbly conceive that I have sufficiently in my reply restor'd that Sacrament both in whole and in it's parts so shall insist upon it no further neither To the Third Whereas you say that our Sacraments of Confirmation and order are but meer constitutions of the Church and not of Christ I have but your bare word for it and so you must give me leave to deny it To the Fourth As you are pleased to give me something like an Argument so I shall give you something like an answer You say there can be no pretence for to make Matrimony a Sacrament but a few mistaken words of Saint Paul who had no power to make a Sacrament neither c. I concurre with you that Saint Paul had no power at all to constitute a Sacrament nor any but our Saviour Jesus Christ and that it was he who constituted it a Sacrament I shall prove â—non As for the mistaken words in which you pretend Sacrament for Mystery I do confesse that Matrimony is a mystery but how dare you therefore inferre that it is no Sacrament when we know that all Sacraments are mysteries and so the Greeks as I am inform'd do generally call all the seven Then that it is a great Sacrament in Christ and his Church as the Apostle tells us does it therefore follow that it is e're the less a Sacrament on the contrary the Apostle here explains how it is a Sacrament that is how it coms to be the sign of a holy thing and that not of grace only as all the others are but of something more that is of the union between Christ and his Church so upon the matter it is so farre from being no Sacrament that it may be well reputed as a double one with Reverence be it spoken To the Fifth Wheras you say we have a less pretence for our extream unction to make it a Sacrament I do in one sence submit to it for it is not so literally constituted a Sacrament by our blessed Saviour as the other was but yet it was of his own institution as we shall shew anon and if it were not I do not find any matter of false faith in it that an Apostle by the commandement of Christ and possest with his ful authority should have the power to institute a Sacrament But it is plain that our Saviour did institute it and Saint James only publish and declare it And though it were at sâ—me time doubted whether that Epistle were written by any body else besides Saint James yet it is plainly now admitted to be Canonicall and never denied yet by your own Church And truly he that shall refuse to hear the Church in this particular approving the Epistle of this Apostle will presently throw all Scripture into uncertainty and by the same reason may deny the Epistles of St. Paul or any other Apostles Now because you seem to take for granted that our Sacraments are for the most part humane constitutions and it is of faith that they are of divine institution 1 Pet. 3.15 and we ought to be as St. Peter adviseth us Always ready to give answer to every one that asketh us a reason of the saith and hope that is in us I shall take some pains to prove it to you thus As for our Sacrament of Penance as you
that text in the Gospell I and my Father are one some of you will venture a distinction upon it too as that they are one in will not in substance Then again as to the perpetuall Virginity of our blessed Lady which some of you will please to deny but most prudent Christians believe what Scripture have we for it or for your and our observation of the Lords Day I know no Scripture that and so for a hundred things more can be produced I say sure according to your judgement that nothing is to be received but clear and expresse Scripture Out Saviour himself not clearly proved the Resurrection of our bodies against the Saduces for he brought no certain cleare and expresse text but onely this because it is said in the Old Testament the God of Abraham the God of Isass and the God of Jacob our Saviour therefore infers that God is not the God of the dead but of the living and then we know that those Patriarchs were only living in their souls not in their bodies So I say upon your grounds that was no conviction to the Sadduces By all this it is plain that not only those things are to be blessed and observed which are expresly to be found in holy writ or clearly proved out of it as those of your Church will have it but also we are to believe and observe what our holy Mother the Church believes and observes For we see all things of Faith are not clearly delivered in sacred Scripture but very many things are left to the determination of the Church which because it is enlightened governed by the holy Ghost cannot possibly wander or go astray out of the track of truth John 76.13 13. Our Saviour therefore in St. Johns Gospel said to his Disciples Iâ— have yet many things to say unto you but ye cannot bear them now Howbeit when he the Spirit of truth is come bâ— will guide you into all truth c. The holy Church therefore observeth many things in its Rites and Ceremonies besides matters of faith from the familiar instinct of the holy Spirit and by the tradition of the Apostles and Primitive Fathers which though they are not expresly to be found in holy Scriptures yet they are no ways against them or differ from them Nay they are in all things most conformable to them and therefore to be embraced and observed by all good Christians for so St. Paul most expresly tells us 2 Thes â— 15 Therefore Brethren stand fast and hold the Traditions which ye have been tavght whereby word or our Epistles Again St. Paul speaking to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 11.34 concerning the blessed Eucharist a thing in Christianity as I take it of greatest concernment tels them that the rest he nill set in order when he comes so all was not to be ordered by his Epistle or written words but something it is plain he was afterwards to dispose of concerning that important affair by word of mouth In like manner St. 2 John 12 John tels the honourable Matron that he writ unto That hebad many things to write unto her but be would not writer with paper and â—nk but he trusted to come unto her and speak face to face c. And so he likewise tells his friend Gaius sohn 3. vers 13 14 That he trusted shortly to see him and that they should speak face to face and yet he said before that he had many things to write unto him but he would not with ink and pen write unto him c. By all which it is plain that Christians are not in all things to be ruled and determined by the word written Nay do we not plainly finde many things both of the words and deeds of our blessed Saviour that none of the Evangelists make mention of Act. 20.26 1 Cor. 15.6 which the Apostles have supplied and exprest in word or deed As first St. Paul in the Acts of the Apostles cites some words of our Saviours that are not to be found in any of the Evangelists and he bids them to remember the words of the Lord Josus how he said that it is more blessed to give than to receive and no such thing or to that purpose I could find yet in any of the Gospels In like manner some of his most confiderable deeds were not fully described or at all signified to us by any of the Evangelists As that he was seen by above five bundred brethren at once which St. Paul most expresly affirms to the Corinthians which apparition of his I could never read any thing of Luke 10.35 as I said before in any of the Gospels Then there are some Ecclesiastical observancies which you retain still in your Church that neither are to be found in Scripture nor is the reason apparent to every one why they were ever invented or used As first that we kneel at our prayers is not from any command in Scripture and yet you your selves hold it highly necessary Then that we choose out of all the corners of heaven that side where the Sun riseth towards which to turn our selves praying it is neither in Scripture nor apparently in reason to ordinary capacities but only that it has been the practice of the universal Church Again we know as I have shewed formerly in the Old Testament Dent. 17. Ezeth 44. the Law was not the judge of difficulties but the Priest so at large in Deuteronâ—â—y and the Prophet Ezekiel tels us plainly that the Priest shall stand in judgement and they only shall judge Now it is clear that we admit of Scripture as well as you but we differ in the understanding of it because you will have your own single judgments upon it to be your Rule and we admit no other judge but that authority which gives it that is the Church And this is apparently the reason why all you that are out of the Church do so differ amongst your selves upon all points and principally in that great point concerning the blessed Sacrament whether it be truly and spiritually the very body and blood of Christ by the figure and signs and the bare letter of Scripture will never be able to determine betwixt you and so there must be an impossibility of Accord in that and a hundred things more Thus we see that the Devil himself could alledge Scriptue against our blessed Saviour which was that God had given his Angels charge over him to keep him c. But he malitiously mistook Metth. 4. or through ignorance misunderstood which is not altogether so likely the sense of that place Now whereas you do all pretend that the holy Scriptures are clear and easie to be understood of all ordinary Readers and so that lay people and doting old women may be bold to venter their interpretations and comments upon it that is clean contrary to what St. Peter tells you speaking of all the Epistles of St. Paul in which
Church I beseech you be pleased to make your own application Over and above all this I shall prove that the Church is not only incapable of errour because it is the Spouse of Christ his body and called the Kingdome of Heaven but because she is governed by the perpetual presence power and authority of the Holy Ghost who is never to forsake her Joh. 14. and first our Saviour promiseth that be will ask the Father and he shall send another comforter and so accordingly he did not long after in the same Gospell Holy Father Joh. 17.11 keep through thine own name those that thou hast given me c. and he explains himself in the same chaâ—ter that he prayes not for them onely meaning his Apostles but for them who were afterwards to believe in him through their preaching 1 Tim. 3.15 Does not S Paul tell his Disciple Timothy how he is to behave himself in the house of God which is the Church of God the pillar ground of truth how then can it possibly erre Then S. John tells us that our Saviour said that he had many things to say unto them but that they could not bear them then but when the spirit of truth should come he should teach them all truth Again the same S. John in his Epistle General tells us 1 John 2.20 that we have an unction from the holy one and that we know all things and that we shall be alwaies capable to distinguish a lye from truth it must be therefore the unction of the holy Ghost that alwaies teacheth the Church In fine Matth. 28.20 S. Matthew makes them the concluding words of his Gospel Go yet herefore teach all Nations c. teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and loe I am with you alwaies even to the end of the world Christ who is the way the truth and the life said this to his Disciples it is plain therefore that this Church which is the pillar and ground of truth that has him for its leader and the Holy Ghost for its teacher can never erre how probable is it then that it should be in an errour for above a thousand years together as you fondly imagine Then as the Church is but one so it is necessary that unity should be in the Church I prove out of the express words of S. 1 Cor. 1.10 Paul Now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there he no divisions amongst you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgement and then in another place in the same Epistle sayes 1 Cor. 14.33 that God is not the author of confusion but of peace as in all Churches of the Saints What then will you say for your selves that have nothing but confusions amongst you nay is it not more probable that God will rather inspire his own body that is the concord and unity of his Church than any private Doctors whatsoever that teach a dissent from it Nay how much this unity of his Church is desired by God himself is evident by what the same S. Paul writes to the Romanes Rom. 15.4 5 6. for whatsoever things are written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one towards another according to Christ Jesus That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God even the father of our Lord Jesus Christ c. Again the same Apostle in the same Epistle laies an injunction upon the Romanes Rom. 12.16 whose faith he acknowledged before was celebrated over the whole world that they should be of the same mind one towards another not to mind high things but condescend to men of low estate and not to he wise in their own conceits which all they are and must be that are out of the Church Observe I pray you the most pathetical exhortation of S. Paul to this purpose Phil. 2.1 2. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the spirit if any bowells of mercy fulfill ye my joy that ye be like minded having the same love being of one accord of one wind Nay the breach of this peace unity and unanimity in Gods Church is most passionately if it be lawfull to say so Jerem. 2.12 13. bewailed by God himself as the Prophet Jeremy expresseth it nay proposeth it as a matter of amazement to Heaven it self be astonished O ye Heavens at this and be horribly afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord foy my people have committed two evils they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters and hewed them out cisterns broken cisterns that can hold no water I pray you seriously examine with your self whether you do lesse by leaving off the Church the true and living fountain and digging to your selves broken cisterns out of Wicklif Huss Luther Calvin c. In vain sure hath God sent his Son in vain the Holy Ghost and yet more in vain hath he sent Apostles Martyrs Confessors Doctors in all ages to perpetuate the truth of his Church to us when a few of such precious persons as those of yours would have served the turn Here are only two things now as I conceive left to be cleared the one is that the Prelates and principal Persons of Christs Church assembled together do make the representative body of the whole Church the other is that the Romane Catholick Church is that universal Church disperst over the whole world As to the first it is sufficiently clear by many such Scriptures as thse And he stood and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice c. And the King and all Israel with him offered Sacrifice before the Lord now that this must be onely meant of the body representative of Israel is plain to sense and particularly exprest in the beginning of the Chapter Then Solomon assembled the Elders of Israel and all the heads of the Tribes the chief of the Fathers of the Children of Israel unto King Solomon in Jerusalem 1 Kings 8.58.62.1 Thus it is plain that the heads of the Church assembled represent the body of the whole Church Then as to the clearing of the next point I must tell you a great mistake amongst you for you commonly speaking of the Church of Rome take it only for the particular Church which formerly was and still is there and so it is no more indeed than particular But if you take it for the collection of all the faithfull who being disperst over all the world did in old daies alwaies adhere and still do to the Bishop of Rome so it is called Catholick or Universal because diffused over the whole world and it is called
advice and assistance in the management of hir further discourses with my Lady The Doctor was at this time fallen into some indisposition of body notwitnstanding he took the pains to look hastily over them and then called his wife to him and told her after this manner Indeed sweet-heart you have done very ill to engage your self in any business of this nature without my knowledge and approbation for what you have said or done amiss in it wil be all imputed to me though utterly ignorant and innocent in the matter And I must tell you that you have ventured very boldly upon some main points in which the most learned Doctors in the world are yet to seek for satisfaction and again give me leave to tell you that you charge the Church of Rome with some things that the Church of England does not and so instead of healing up those breaches that are betwixt us which should be all our endeavours to do you have made the wounds wider and differences greater then indeed they are and that truly is no small fault amongst us all Then last of all I fear you have hazarded much of that good opinion that my Lady had of us by entring the list with her upon this occasion and that interest we had in her was not a little considerable being so excellent a neighbour and especiall a friend as she has always been to us so for my part I will have nothing to do in the business but as you begun you shall e'n make an end without me but if you must needs be scribling of controversie and dabling in divinity I 'le let you a task and you may offer it to my Lady if you please and you are both I perceive so good Scripturists as that I may entrust you with it it is a Paper that I received from Mr. R. the grand Patriarch of all the Anabaptist in these parts I will write a Letter to my Lady to beg her excuse of me for not waiting on her Ladyship at dinner Mr is N. not a little troubled to finde no better acceptation of her zealous and painful endeavours for my Ladies conversion yet being unwilling to move her husband further at that time took the Anabaptists paper from him so left him to his other studies and she betook her self to her houshold occasions The next morning early she made her self ready to wait on my Lady that she might have some private discourse with her Ladyship before dinner so calling for her husbands letter she took her walk and comming to my Ladies house she found her in her Kitchin giving orders about dinner and directing her servants how to employ themselves in the other affairs of her family My Lady begging pardon for her being surprized in that place and posture took Mrs. N. along with her to her chamber where after she had delivered her husbands letter they fell to read the Anabaptists paper which when they had done my Lady willingly undertook the task to joyn with her in the answer but what shall we doe with the Latine that is here said my Lady O for that Madam replyed Mrs. N. my husband will direct us and has promised us all his assistance in this though he does not approve our other disputes at all Nay further he sayes that when we have answered in our way he will answer it too in his Well then replied my Lady we will not trouble him till we have done for I have a Kinsman in my house that will be able to give us the English of his Latine and so they fell to work immediately and in two or three meetings more they made an end of the business in this manner as followeth That to build or to use Steeple-houses which you call Churches in the service of God is altogether unlawfull much more to beautifie or adorn them and to give priviledges lands or possessiens to them or to the persons of your Churchmen but that we are all Priests equally and that your Canonical hours and prayers in those Churches are utterly unlawfull too I prove by Scripture thus 1. FIrst we find that Stephen in the latter end of his Sermon and in the words foregoing his death expresly declares against the vanity of all Temples or Churches call them what you please Acts 7.48 49 50. and quotes the Prophet for it Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in Temples made with hands as saith the Prophet Heaven is my Throne and earth is my footstool what house will ye build me saith the Lord or what is the place of my rest hath not my hands made all these things c. From hence it is plain that God delights not in any of your Steeple-houses Again we find Paul as plainly declaiming against the Idolatry of all Steeple-houses assuring the Athenians Acts 17.24 25. that God that made the world and all things therein seeing that he is Lord of Heaven and earth dwelleth not in Temples made with hands neither is he worshipt with mens hands c. Thus you see how in the begining of Christianity there were not onely no steeple-houses but by Scripture expresly forbiden that there should be any 3. The Apostle Paul bids us again 1 Tim. 2. to pray always in all places holding up pure hands what need have we more of Churches and steeolehouses to pray in than in any other roomes 4 Nay finde we not our Saviour Jesus Christ himself prophesying the destruction of that Idoll of the Jews their Temple to say Matt 24.2 Verely Verely I say unto you there shall not be left heer one stone upon another that shall not be throwne down You may see then what pleasure he tooke in that place which was the gloriousest of the whole world what then will become of your pittifull Temples and steeple-houses 5 Our Saviour yet more plainly shews his distast of that kinde of worship when he tells the woman of Samaria in S. Johns Gospell John 4.21.23 Women believe me The hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Hierusalem worship the Father c. But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him Heer it is plain that he will not have his worship confined to places no not to his holy Temple 6 Then does not the Prophet Jeremy heat down the fond confidence that the Jews had in their Temple when he bids them not to trust in lying words saying Jer. 4.7 The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord it is plain he says that to call that the Temple of the Lord was to give lying words 7 Is not God in every place and can there be any one place shewed where he is properly present but he is always ready to hear sinners every where as is frequently sayd in Scripture what need have we then of your Churches or