which was against Popish Recusancie of our Communion-booke and not against refusall of some few ceremonies contained therein I speake now of the Statute Law not of lawlesse canoÌ„s Or what if wee should stand upon that interpretation which fetcheth the obligation from the weight of the matter imposed which in our ceremonies is very little Some of these I am â—ure the Bishops must flye if they will defend their disuse of the Crosiers slaffe which they are bound by our lawes as well to use as the Ministers are surplusses But all this is needlesse because there can be no contempt in a conscionable forbearance of unlawfull impositions such as the ceremonies are sufficiently proved to be SECT XII HEre certaine Divines are brought in witnessing 1. that superstitions doe depâ—ive men of Christian liberty which we deny not but take their testimonies as making against our ceremonies because as I haue formerly shewed some of these superstitious opinions are inseparable from the imposing and using of them 2. That Christian liberty doth not consist in the use or disuse of things indifferent which we also willingly grant But I would haue the Defendant remember that all freedome is not in the minde conscience For where the minde is free the body may be bound else Christians should not taste so much of this worlds misery as they doe Now Christ hath left unto us not onely an inward liberty of minde and conscience but also an outward freedom of our bodies and outward man from such bodily rites in his worship as have not his stampe upon them and his Spirit and blessing promised unto them Of this the Defendant saith nothing at all Sect. XIII XIIII COncerning the profession of our Church so often brought in enough hath beene said before now it sufficeth to answer that no profession whatsoever can make humaine significant Ceremonies in Gods worship agree with Christian liberty As for superstition which the Defendant doth now the second time most ridiculously object I have answered in the beginning of this Confutation Now onely I note 1. how loosely he describeth that superstition which he calleth affirmative as if no man could use any thing superstitiously except he did hold that without it the faith of Christianity or the true worship of God could not possible consist Never was there such a description given by any man that considered what he said 2. How manfully he concludeth our negative superstition upon this ground that Christ hath left these ceremonies free which is the maine quaestion betwixt him and us 3. How he mis-reporteth our opinion in saying absolutely that wee hold a Surplice to have unholinesse and polluâ—ion in it whereas we hold that it is onely made more unfitt for Gods service then it was before through idolatrous abuse but yet unto other uses it may be applyed 4. That in stead of Scripture he bringeth forth the universall practise of men in the Church which yet hath beene formerly also refuted 5. That he can finde no Divine that calleth opposing of Ceremonies superstition but onely M. Calvin in one place speaking rhetorically as he useth to doe and not intending any definition or distributioÌ„ of that vice 6. How he corrupteth P. Martyrs words to have some colour for a new accusation P. Martyr taking there upon him the person of an adversarie unto Hoopers opinion with whom notwithstanding afterward he consented and recalled the counsell which then he gave as appeareth pag. 1125. saith that if we should refuse all things that the Papists used we should bring the church into servitude which assertion is most true because the Papists abused many necessary things even Christs own Ordinances the observing of which is liberty Now the Def. would have that precisely understood and that in the rigour of every word concerning the Surplice I have here subjoyned apart an Epistle of Zanchius who otherwaies was somewhat favourable to Bishops wherein the Reader may see his judgement concerning superstitious garments To the most renowmed Queene ELYZABETH Defendresse of the Christian Religion and most mighty Queene of England France and Ireland H. Zanchius sendeth greeting MOST gracious most Christian Queene we have not without great griefe understood that the fire of contention about certaine garments which we thought had beene quenched long agone is now againe to the incredible offence of the godly as it were raised from hell and kindled a fresh in your Majesties Kingdome and that the occasion of this fire is because your most gracious Majesty being perswaded by some otherwise great men and carried with a zeal but certainly not according to knowledge to retaine unity in religion hath now more then ever before resolved and decreed yea doth will and command that all †Zanchius it is like was misinformed for Bishops have bin the chief devisers and advisers Bishops and Ministers of the Churches shall in divine service putt on the white and linnen garments which the Popish Priests use now in Poperie yea that it is to be feared least this fire be so kindled and cast its flame so farre and wide that all the Churches of that most large and mighty kingdome to the perpetuall disgrace of your most renowned Majesty be sett on a flaming fire seeing the most part of the Bishops men greatly renowmed for all kinde of learning and godlines had rather leave their office and place in the Church then against their owne conscience admit of such garments or at the least signes of Idolatry and Popish superstition and so defile themselves wiâ—h them and give offence to the weak by their example Now what other thing will this be then by retaining of these garments to destroy the whole body of the Church For without doubt that is Satans intent by casting a seed of dissentions amongst the Bishops And that hee aimed at the infancie of the Church by stirring up discord betweene the East and West Churches about the Passover and other Ceremonies of that kind Therfore Irenaeus Bishop of Lions had just cause in his Epistle sent out of France to Rome sharply to reprove Victor the Pope of Rome because he out of a kind of zeale but not according to knowledge was minded to excommunicate all the Churches of Asia because they celebrated not the Passeover just at the same time as they at Rome did For this was nothing but by an unseasonable desire to retaine the same Ceremonies in all Churches to rent and teare a peeces the unity of the Churches I therefore so soone as I heard that so great a ruine hanged over the Church of Christ in that kingdome presently in respect of that dutie which I owe to the Church of Christ to your gracious Majesty and to that whole kingdom intended to write thither and to try by my uttermost endevor whether so great a mischiefe might possibly be withstood some that feare Christ and wish well to your Majesty exhorting me to the performance of this duty But when I had scarcely
in short to vvit Hovv farr in vvhat cases some kynd of tartnes may be expressed in pen or speech How fâ—rr tâ—rt speeches may be used Ans ther be tvvo instances in Scripture vvhich are playne pregnant to this purpose left for our direction in this case The first is the behaviour of Elias tovvards Idolaters their Idolatrous practises vvhom he jeares to their faces out of a holy kind of indignation sâ—iâ—gs vvith a bitter a deriding Irony For so the 〈◊〉 And it came to passe at noone that Eliah mocked them 1. Kings 18.26 sayd crye aloud for he is a God either he is talking or is pursuing or he is in a journey peradventure he sleepeth must be avvakened And hence it is the Lord casts such loathsom terms of detestation upon the Idoll that he besparckles the vvorshippers therof vvith disdayne The second instance is touching ambitious false teachers 56. Isay 10. or Idoll sheapherds So Isayah his vvatchmen are blynd they are dumb doggs they cannot bark they are greedy doggs they can never have enough So the Apost Paul gyrds the consciences of those silken Doctors of Corynth their follovvers vvhich slighted the simplicity of the Gospell 1. Cor 4.10 vve are fooles for Christ ye are vvise in Christ vve are vveake ye are Strong ye are honorable vve are despised These tart Ironicall speeches stable the heart vvith a secret disdayne of their groundlesse ambitious folly And indeed vvhen the Lord enjoyns it as a duty makes it a note argument of a happy man 15. Psal. 4. that a vyle person is contemned in his eyes vvhat expression of vvords can sute such a contempt in the heart unlesse they cary some tartnes of diâ—dayne vvith them VVe novv see our limitts allovvance let the judicious Reader according to this rule consider of some Keene passages of the Reply and I suppose it vvill be found that the most of theÌ„ if not all are poynted agaynst the unvvarrantable standings places the intollerable ambitious courses of our Prelats or else their seeming self-deceaving arguments If in any he hath exceeded the bounds of sobriety I professe neither to defend nor excuse it I knovv the Replyer himself vvill not allovve it For he hath silenced all such expressions in this second Reply though he had never so just cause to provoke him thereunto never so great advantage given him by the miserable mistakes of the Rej. in many places vvhich if the Rej. had found in him He that can haulke after vvords vvith such eagernes vve should have had exclamations Proclamations outcryes enough to haue filled up a vvordy vvyndy volume Hovv ever vvas the Reply never so vvorthy to have the reproach of scurrility cast upon him or his vvork the Rey vvas most unvvorthy unfit te doe it vvho hath I dare say much exceeded in this kynd Quis tulerit Gâ—aecos Hovv unseemely is it hovv ill sounds it to heare theeves complayne of Robbers harlots of adulteresses The proverb is homely but true it s a hard vvorld vvhen heerring-men revile fisher-men For proofe vvhereof I appeale to thyne eyes to be vvitnesses Christian Reader And that I may proceed according to Allegata probata I vvill not look beyond my lyne Only that picture vvhich the Rej. hath made of himself I judge it not only lavvfull but in this case necessary to present agayne to his veivv that the vvorld may knovv if God vvill Doctor Burgesse also may knovv himself vvhat his spleen hath beene agaynst the people of the most High God blessed for ever A tast of the tartnes of Doctor Burgesse his Spirit in the severall passages of his ansvver This tartnes vvill appeare in 3. kindes 1. His heavy Censures and that of the very hearts consciences of men 2. His open reviling of the persons of the noÌ„ conformists or secret inducements to bring them into distast 3. His Keene scornefull jests vvhich are his pastime frequently expressed through the vvholl Heavy Censures 1. They vvho tell us that all the Church may doe touching rites is but the application of circumstances vvhich are in nature Civill Adding that the Church may not ordayne any Cerem meerly Ecclesiasticall do Manifest a spirit vvhich lusteth after contradiction p. 37 of manuduc In the ansvver 2. If it seeme so to him indeed God hath smitten his contentious spirit vvith Giddines for vvho but a man forsaken of all vvisdome c. 62. p. 3. The Convocation house is not so likely to conclude c. as this Libeller is to come to shame for his factious intollerable comparison unlesse God humble him p. 62. 4. For vvhosoever thinksnot as they must either be condemned of grosse corruption or excused as having some good meaning yet much vveaknes vvith all scil in comparison of them And this pride makes them so scornefull p. 65. 5. It is so palpablely false that I should hardly beleeue any Fryar durst haue sett it dovvne in print p. 67. 6. And see hovv these men that talke vvrite in so haughty magistrall a fashion doe but gull deceiue them vvith the names of vvorthy men Vvhich is so great shamefull a sinne in this Replyer so frequent that I vvonder he dares dispute about Cerem before he have learned the substance of common honesty p. 83. in his alligations 7. Hovv can you beleeue any truth crosse to your opinion vvhen as you seek glory one of another presume of your nevv traditions as if the spirit of truth came to you or from you alone p. 103. 8. As for tearmes of excrements vvhich he vvould be loath one should apply to the hayre of his heade It savoureth of a spirit of rancor as doth the like Foule speech in the Scotch Dialogue God vvill judge them for these reproches by vvhich they labor to breed scorne and abhorring of these in the minds of ignorant men p. 131. 9. This flim-flam Master Iacob lent you and both he and you take it up merely for a shift Not out of conscience or judgement but of hauty desire of defending vvhat you have once spoke 207. 10. This Replier in a common course giving the name of a good Christian to some unconformable The Rej. breaks out into these vvords This Addition savores Strongly of that spirit of seperation vvhich hath beene hunted after in the chase of unconformity For this shovves that vvith these men the adversaries of Ceremonies Bish. are the only good Christians p. 216. 11. Doth this Repl. such as he vvho vvithout lavv vvithout calling vvithout reason vvithout conscience doe smite vvith their toungs and condemne to the put of darkenes â—he Bish. the conformed Ministers in a manner all that are not of thâ—ir party 216. pa 12. Nor is it rightly taken up that these men are counted factious for neglect of Ceremonious Canons upon conscience but
loue to our Cerem the peace of our Church so much pretended in his ansvver The third therfore must be concluded for I do not see vvhat fourth thing can be given Only Did ever any ansvverer serious judicious amongst Divines of any kynd Protestant Papist Lutheran propound such conditions did ever any grant such nay is it not to common sense ridiculous For any Lutheran to send to a Calvinist any Protestant to a Papist having printed some serious treatise agaynst them to send I say this message vvell you haue printed a treatise here you place some yea great confidence in it if you vvill reduce it into sillogismes you shall be soone ansvvered that ther is nothing but bumbast paynted vermilion putt upon it Spectatum admissi risum VVould not the Papists laugh in ther sleeves at such an ansvver I vvill say no more but only propound this forme to the Rej. saue him a labor to reduce it He that propounds such tearmes of ansvver vvhich never vvere yet asked or granted indeed are unreasonable to yeeld professeth he cannot make an ansvver being vvilling therunto But such termes the Rej. craves The like jirkes he lends to M r. Iacob p. 16. To Godly learned Fenner p. 38. And he hath such a mynde to chide that upon the occasionall mentioning of one vvord excrement he fetcheth a vagary into Scotland as it vvere sitts in judgement upon the Author of theScotch dialogue pa. 131. l. 20. vvithout any confutation of any ground vvhich I supose had better suited his place being an ansvverer and not a judge In like sort he vilifies M r. Bradshavv A pamphlet of things indifferent of M r. Bradshavv pa. 188. your M r. Bradshavv VVhom vve are not ashamed to ovvne suppose the Doctor vvould haue beene afrayd to haue grappled vvith him in an arg had he beene aliue Venerable M r. Cartvvright he taketh up sometime as if he had vvritten upon praejudice vvithout judgemeÌ„t Thus much I thought good to adde in short to vvipe avvay that supercilious disdayne cast here by the Doctor upon divers of the Lords deare servants many thousands of vvhom together he accuseth after of stupiditie or praejudice even all that allovv not of Organs in Divine service or Psalmes-singing VVe shall novv summarily poynt at the rest of the places as an inventory or treasury of the Rej. taunts p. 47. l. 22. p. 50. l. 7.8 p. 52. l. 33.34.35 p. 55. l. 26. p. 113. l. 32. p. 120. l. 12. p. 130. l. 10. p. 141. l. last p. 180. l. 32. p. 182. l. 16 17. p. 213. l. 18. p. 247. l. 21.22 p. 312. l. 6.7 p. 315. l. 11.12 p. 316. l. 10. These are some of the many common places of scoffes to be found in his booke are all contayned vvithin the compasse of the three first chapters as for the last I had neither leyseure nor list to trouble thee good reader or my self vvith vvriting them out Only to giue thee a guesse hovv prittily the Rej. can play vvith vvords fynd himself talk fill up pages I shall take so much paynes as to transcribe a place or tvvo Thus he vvrites p. 66. So this those rules after added are as the proverbe is like a rope butter that if the one slip the other may hold So agayne p. 73. The truth is M r. Iacob could never get ouer the block vvhich M r. Cartvvright the Admonitors had layd in his vvay hovv ever M r. Cartvvright himself a man of more activity made a shift to leape ouer it namely thus VVhat soeuer is not commanded in the vvord must not be in the Church And yet M r. Iacob that he might seeme to hold fayre quarter vvith M r. Cartvvright other learned Divines vvho acknovvledge that certayne Ecclesiasticall rites Cerem appropriated to holy actions vvere left to the determination of the Church under some generall rules of the vvord vvill seeme to allovv somevvhat he cannot tell vvhat some circumstances only civill or occasionall as the tyme place vvhich he rather calleth circumstances then Cerem that so if any shall say he allovveth nothing to the Churches determination to be squared by some rules He may ansvver for himself say yes certayne circumstances are namely such as are necessary in civill as vvell as sacred actions If on the other side one challenge him to giue some liberty to men for the ordayning of rites vvhich are but extrinsecall circumstances about the vvorship of God He may ansvver for himself he hath protested agaynst all meere Ecclesiasticall Rites vvhich are ordayned by men not left so much as one to their determination Thus as he that by turning of his picture of an horse made it running or a tumbling horse vvhich you vvould So hath M r. Iacob provided for himself ther to square some circumstances by 4. rules or to put of all by another as the market shall require This is the substance Christian Reader of a vvhole page almost Touching vvhich I vvould propound these Quaeres to thy consideration VVhether it vvas not easy to make up a massy volume vvith such talk as this 2. If a man should sett dovvne such like passages vvord for vvord add an ansvver sutable filled vvith such vvynde vvould it not rather be accounted that justly a blotting of paper abusing the reader then rendering an ansvver of any vvorth satisfaction And by the survay of these perticulars collected out of the three first chapters comparing theReply thervvith I am confident it vvill soone appeare to any not forstalled vvith prejudice vvhether the replye or ansvver mâ—y most justly challenge beare the name of scurrilous And it vvill be as evident thatthe Rej. had no cause to accuse the Repl. of scurrility unlesse he vvould condemne himselfe not only of the same crime but ofsomvvhat beside farr more synfull For though it be easily incident I confesse to our corrupt natures out of a pange of pride passion to cast unbrotherly contempt upon such vvho seeme to crosse us in our opinions practises vvhen it comes to poynt of opposition bevvixt some particular men our selves yet to vent such a masse of venome in heavy censures harsh Revilings slighting scornes that not agaynst one particular vvhich may appeare in competition opposition agaynst us but even agaynst the generation of those vvhich refuse humane Ceremonies in Divine vvorship many vvherof our penns consciences acknovvledge vvorthy Godly Nay not only to vent these expressions but to keepe them sovvring leavening by us in our hearts vvritings many yeares vvherin vve haue beene persvvaded by freinds after persvvasions resolved rather to haue theÌ„ burned by others or to burne them our selves And yet after all this in colde blood in saddest consideration upon revievv so far to approue of theÌ„ as to print publish them to the vvorld Hovv such a mans spirit is principled vvhether
also hold in our time If so then why is not our argument good Calvin Bucer Beza the Divines of Helvetia France Netherland c. have in their practise banished Crosse Surplice and kneeling Ergo their doctrine is against them 5. The Rej. calleth it a spirit of singular singularity to thinke the whole Church in the dayes of purest zeale and frequent martyrdome did not duâ—ly examiâ—e theâ—r Ceremâ—nies And yet the same Rej. without any spirit of singular singularity acknowledgeth that in the two first ages after the Apostles there was either want of clearnesse or a manifest touch of error about some sixteene points of doctrine very important pag. 458. Which if he will reconcile with this affected accusation he must say that Christians in those times more attended to certain humane Ceremonies then to divers points of divine doctrine though in the maine power of Godlinesse they went beyond those which are purer both in Ceremonies and doctrine But the trueth is he spake there for excessive commendation of our English-Church-doctrine and so in comparison depressed the Primitive and heere he seeketh to defend our Ceremonies by theirs and so extolleth their judgement of Ceremonies in both places according to occasion exceeding thâ— just measure as it usually falleth out to those who dispute out of affection more then out of judgement 6. The Rej. taketh it ill that the Repl. should say that the bringing in of humane Ceremonies made any way for Antichristian supersâ—ition But seeing that the Antichristian Papists argue so strongly from those first humane Ceremonies to divers of those which they use and by us are rejected that they cannot bee fully confuted but by rejecting of both I see no reason for his indignation Gideons Ephod in the argument of the eight chapter of Iudges according to our new translation was a cause of Idolatrie And was not the old crossing at every step at every comming to and going out Ad 〈◊〉 progressum atque promotum ad omnem ad itum exiitum ad vestitum calceatum ad lavacrae ad monsat ad lumina ad cubâ—iie ad sâ—dilâ—a sert aâ— Corona at the apparreling themselves at washing at eating at lighting candles at sitting c. as a great cause of that Idolatry which hath been and is-used about the crosse D. Fulke in his Rej. to Bristow cap. 3. mainteyneth that many abuses and corruptions entred into the Church immediately after the Apostles time which the Divell planted as a preparative for Antichrist The same Doctor also ibid. sect 4 proveth many Ceremonies of the Primitive times to have been unprofitable because they are abrogated And cap. 9. hee sayth plainely that the error of conceiving and using some superstitions or superfluous Ceremonies is common to the Fathers with Papists 6. A great matter is made of that which the Replier said concerning 1500. yeares experience of humane significant Ceremonies For about this the Rej. sayth that it is wonderfull rashnesse answering the spirit of montanus to challenge the whole Church of error in this matter for 1500. yeares But 1. it is rashnesse in the Rej. to accuse one of challenging the whole Church who mentioned not in his challenge either Church or whole 2. The whole Church cannot be understood except the Waldenses and all like unto them that is the purer part bee excluded out of the whole Church 3. Doctor Morton himselfe Prot. Apol. cap. 25. sect 9. maintaineth this sentence of M r. Calfhill the Fathers declined all from the simplicity of the Gospel in Ceremonies if by simplicity be understood a vertue opposite either unto superfluitie or superstition And And are not superfluity and superstition errors 4. From the primitive times by the space of sixe hundred yeares the Church generally erred in giving the Lords Supper unto infants as D. Morton sheweth Prot. Apol. l. 2. cap. 25. sect 10. and after that for many hundred yeares it mended for the common course of errors as soure ale doth in Sommer 5. The Rej. cannot name any Church in all that time free from errors neither can he denie but the Church that erreth in doctrine may erre in Ceremonies Ergo. 6. Hee was unhappie in mentioning Montanus his spirit which breathed and broached so many humane Ceremonies that the Church hath ever since beene more wronged thereby in Ceremonies then in any other respect or by any other spirit of that time as all men know that have read those writings of Tertullian which were dictated by a piece of Montanus his spirit Montanus would have three Lents in stead of one Montanus advanced the Crosse unto more honour then ever it had before Montanus in one word was of a ceremoniall spirit SECT 30. IN this section foure or five Protestant Divines are named as allowing of some significant Ceremonies But there is not any one of them whose judgement to the contrary hath not beene manifestly declared I will not therefore so much distrust the Readers attention and understanding as to weary him with needlesse repetitions SECT 31. HEere the Defend urgeth upon us the ordinary forme of swearing upon a booke To which if the Replier hath not sayd enough I leave it to the Readers judgement after hee hath compared the Rej. opposed which speaketh 1. of Gamballing 2. of Bucklers and Quarrelling 3. of a proofe necessary to an answere 4. of swearing by a bocke 5. of Sophistication in confounding our Churches esteeme and the trueth about this forme of swearing 6. of equalitie betwixt speciall solemne worship of God and occasionall swearing in civill Assemblies I will onely adde as an explication of the Repliers answere that which D. Iackson answereth the Papists about this fashion Orig. of unbel sect 4. cap. 35. We use the booke onely as a complement of the civill act whereby we give satisfaction unto men or as a visible resemblancer partly to by standers or spectators whose eyes by this meanes may become as true witnesses as their eares that such protestations have beene made partly unto him that makes them who will be more wary and circumspect what he avoucheth and protesteth when he perceiveth his speeches must be sealed with such remarkeable circumstances as they cannot be often recalled to his owne and others memorie To the same ende men of honourable place and calling use to lay their hands upon their hearts when they take a solemne oath SECT 32. Concerning the Lords-Day Temples and ceremoniall Festivals 1. THe Def. having spoken of his much sayling in the maine and narrow Seas commeth to object the observation of the Lords Day as a fit example of a humane Ceremonie whereupon the Replier continuing his similitude sayth that he was at this time eyther sea-sicke or sleepy with his much sayling This the Rej. calleth a scurrilous jest and scoffe so liberall is he of termes when reasonable answers are not at hand But if he had thought of the ordinarie sayings Quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus animi perturbatio est quaedam ejus