this â—endeth Those irreproueable laâ—ours which the present age admireth and posteritie shall rather â—nuie than equall That admirable facultie wherewithall the Author of â—uerie good gift hath blessed our most heauenly Prelate aboue all the â—onnes of men all is blowne away with a puffe as if it were nothing but froth and to what end but to eleuate his authorite and by bringing his â—erson into dis-esteeme to eneruate â—is writings This is the artifice wherwithall some men at once doe thrust out others and worke themselues into the estimation of the common people But if Wit and Rhetorick be banished what shall succeed in the stead thereof why sound reason and substantiall demonstration Buâ— are these incompatible or is it noâ— Rhetorique argumentatiue as well â— Logick did not Zeno compare Logiâ— to the fist and Rhetorique to the opeâ— hand the one a more strict the other indeed a more apert way â— reasoning and by so much doth Rhetorique the Queene of humane anâ— excell Logicke by how much thâ— open hand is a more elegant form than the shut Hee was some bodâ— â—aâ—rentius 〈◊〉 that thought hee could conuinâ— of error most of the Philosopherâ— for that they wanted Elegancie â— speech Ac mea quidem sententia saiâ— Praâ—at ad lib. 4. 〈◊〉 he si quis ad scribendum in Thedogia accedat parui refort an aliquaâ— aliam facultatem affer at an non niâ—â— enim fere catera conferunt at qui ignarus cloquentiae est hunc indignum â—rorsus qui de Theologia loquatur existimo et certè sols eloquentes columnae Ecclesiae sunt etiam vt ab Apostolis vsque repetas inter quos mihi Paulus nulla alia re eminere quam eloquentia videtur In my opinion if a man come to write in Diuinitie it greatly mattereth not whether hee bring any other facultie or no but if hee bee not Eloquent â—aur Valla. ib. 〈…〉 aâ—ter loqu◠〈◊〉 cogitationes suas liteâ—iâ— mandat in Theologia praesertim â—mpudentissimus est siid conâ—â—â—â—â— sacere se art insamsamus quanquam 〈◊〉 est qui nolâ—te leganter facunde dicere quod cum 〈◊〉 non continâ—iâ— videri volunâ— vt sunt pâ—rueâ—â—â— nâ—lâ—â— aut 〈…〉 debere sic 〈◊〉 he is vnworthy to speake thereof for they are Eloquent men which are the pillars of the Church if wee looke backe to the verie Apostles amongst whom St. Paul excelleth in Eloquence And againe To presume to write Diuinitie without eloquence is impudencie and if it be purposely done madnesse although there is no man but would expresse his conceipts in clegancie of speech which because some cannot attain vnto they pretend such is their peruersenesse that they will not or indeed that they ought not so to speake Let vs then see what discourse that is which hath in it neither finenesse nor wit nor Rhetorique But you will say wee shalâ— haue sound reason and demonstratiue proofe in steed thereof So we hearâ— tell But I assure thee Reader if thou weigh it iudiciously thou wilâ— finde but a little wooll for this greaâ— cry and as the Prouerb saith Pro thesauro carbones in stead â—â— treasure coales and some of them so hot that they burne our fingers iâ— we touch them CHAP. III. Mr. Burtons Argument answered touching the Markes of a true CHVRCH TO come to the disputation iâ— selfe I finde but onely one passage which is like an Argument for the rest that wee may see how good â—n Orator he is in causa Iudiciaâ—â— hee amplifies before hee proues and to shew vs his skill in Logicke he proues that which is granted him inueighing against the impieties of the Church of Rome wherein so long as he speakes the words of soberâ—esse and truth no man will bee his Aduersarie and shewing how iniurious their Doctrines are to the Foundation of our Faith by consequent ouerthrowing it which is nothing to the purpose His onely Argument which hee produceth is delâ—uered in this forme A true visible 7. Vialls p. 34. Church hath the true Markes of a true Visible Church namely pure and sound Doctrine and the Sacraments administred according to Christ his holy institution but these Markes are not to bee found vpon the Church of Rome therefore shee is no true Church This Argument he professeth to take Ibid. from the Doctrine of the Church of England if the Homilies containe any part thereof If Mr. Burton doe doubt of that wee can succour him with the nineteenth Article of Religion the vnquestionable doctrine of our Church where the same words are For answer whereunto we professe that wee esteeme these tokens such genuine Markes of the true Church of God that the more apparant they are in her the more glorious shee is in his sight and the more perfect in respect of her selfe And herewithall wee iustly defend ouâ—selues against the whole Antichristian Band that so long as wee haue that Doctrine which Christ and hiâ— Apostles deliuered vnto his Church purely taught amongst vs and the holy Sacraments rightly administred it is not the want of their vnwritten rotten traditions vnwritten truthes vntrue writings which can take away from vs the Appellation of a true Church Yet we know that these markes are not so essentiall to the true Church that so soone as vnsound Doctrine is mingled with the truth of Gods Word and the Sacraments vnduely administred that which was a Church should cease to bee one The Children of Israel did abide many dayes without a Sacrifice and Ephod c. yet then Hos 3. 4. did not God cease to bee their God nor they to bee his Church The Perkins Cases of Conscience Booke 2. Chap. c. quest 1. Sacrament of Baptisme saith one of note in the lawfull vse thereof is a note whereby the true Church of God is dâ—scerned and distinguished from the false Church not that the Church of God cannot bee a Church without the Sacrament for it may want Baptisme for a time and yet remaine a true Church as well as the Church of the Iewes in ancient times wanted Circumcision for the space of forty yeares Iosh 5. 6. and yet ceased not to bee a true Church and loued of God Thus he Besides wee are giuen to vnderstand See Rogers on the nineteenth Article prop. 8 by the authorized Commentary vpon the Confession of our Church that although the Church of England make these the Markes of the Visible Church yet doth she not so strictly tye the Church to the signes articulate as if all were excluded the Church which doe not rightly participate of the Word and Sacraments for it may fall out that they may bee corrupted as in the times of blindenesse and superstition or intermitted as in persecution Thus this Argument alledged concludes affirmatiuely Wheresoeuer Gods Word is purely preached and the Sacraments duely administred there is a true Church but not negatiuely Wheresoeuer these are not found in such sort as were to be desired there is no
ascended vp on high he gaue gifts vnto men to some to Eph. 4. â— be Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists for the worke of the Ministery â—nd for the edifying of the Body of Christ To these he gaue his Promise That he would be with them alwaies Mat. 28. 20. to the end of the world Solomon had a Vineyard in Baal hamâ—n hee let it Cant. 8. 11. sorth vnto Keepers This Vine-yard is the Church the Keepers to whose â—â—elage and care our blessed Lord typified in Solomon committed his Church were at the first Apostles and Apostolicke persons their Successours to the worlds end in their function and Ministeriall office 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men consecrate and set a part for that purpose whose is the power of the keyes and the office of laying on of hands conueying that grace vnto others which themselues haue receiued that so the Church of Christ neuer be destitute Where soeuer there be persons retaining thâ—â— power howsoeuer otherwise exceeding blame-worthy which I ofteâ— inculcate because I would not beâ— mis-vnderstood there wee cannâ—â— deny that there is the true Church of Christ And our Aduersaries â—â— this cause see that they cannot gaine their purpose vnlesse they strip the Church of Rome of this priuiledge There is no Ordination no Ministery 7. Vialls pa. 36. and so downe ward no Baptisme â—â— Christianitie The eares of our Diuines are well accustomed to thoâ—â— importune clamours of our Aduersaries of the Church of Rome botâ— for our Church in former ages â—f you hâ—d a Church before Luther wherâ— were your Pastors and since the reformation finding their cause desperate in the particulars of it they inueigh against our Clergy You haue no calling you haue no more right â—â— meddle in things sacred than yoâ—â— Wiues or Daughters you are no Ministers you runne before you are sent you are Intruders and Theeues that enter not in by the doore of the fold but climbe vp aâ—other way Wolues and Lay-men no Priests and therefore you haue no Sâ—â—râ—ments nor Seruice of God This is the voyce of Bristow Howlet Saâ—ders Câ—â—pian and the rest of that rabble Now if it be obserued what wee answer to the first and bow wee refute the latter calumny it will soone appeare what wee are to determine in this matter First then we affirme That no man hath â—â— doe in this office but hee that is lawfully called thereunto Who euer intruded himselfe with impunitie and without dangerous arrogancie into this functâ—on The hand of Ieroboam is withered and Oziaâ— though a King is smiâ—ten with Leprosie for touching those things which were holy without a calling thereunto This is that whereby wee may discerne the Priests of the Sanctuary from Ieroboams Priests of whom wee reade that whosoeueâ— would might consecrate himselfe Christ suffereth not the Diuell to tell 1. King 13. that he knew him becaâ—se as one nâ—teth Mark 1. 25. hoc presumed without a calling â—â— publish the truth The Diuell could easily espy the want of Commissioâ— in the Sonnes of Sceâ—a when they adiured him by the name of Iesâ—â— whom Paul preached Iesuâ— I acknowledge Acts. 19. and Paul I know bâ—t who aâ—â— yee Your warrant is not good yoâ—â— counterfeit charmes are not strong enough to remoue me The reason is manifest No man taketh this honour to himselfe but hee that is called of God as was Aaron Secondly Heb 5. 4. Wee auerre no lesse confidently that it belongeth vnto the Church onely to send those who shall hauâ— authority in the Ministration of holy things Shee receiued the Keyes at the hands of Christ and to her it appertaines to deliuer them to those that shall vse them Shee hath heâ— Commission As my Father sent me so I send you For this cause I lâ—ft thee in Iohn 20. 21. Creâ—t saith St. Paul to Titus that thou Tit. 1. 5. mightest ordaine Elders iâ— euâ—â—y Ciâ—ie â—â— I appointed thee Without this there can be no Oeconomie nor order in the Church wee should haue as many seuerall opinions as seuerall â—â—n Ordination therefore and laying on of hands the Church hath â—ommanded to be retained and performed with all solemnitie That a Bishop should bee ordained â—â—ther by the whole Prouince or by a Councell or according to the Canon Canon Apost 1. by three or two Bishops at the leâ—st â—he Metropolitane if it be possible beeing present and promoting the businesse What Priesâ—â— and Deacons should bee ordained with dueâ—ites and ceremonies and prayers in the face of the Church that 〈◊〉 people might acknowledge their lawfâ—ll Pastors Thirdly For those thaâ— before Lâ—ther had the Popish tâ—â—sâ— in detestation they might â—cknowledge euen them of the Church Dr. â—ridâ—â—â—x Lâ—ct de Vâ—siâ— Eâ—cleâ—â—a of Rome for their Pastors so farre forth as they had a lawfull calling and preached Christ howsoeuer a for as much as they oftentimes feed others who themselues eate nothing or giue good corne mingled with a great deale of chasâ—e Fourthly and lastly for our Ministery at this day wee answer them That eyther it iâ— Lawfull and Canoâ—icall or else they haue none seeing tâ—at wee haue receiued it from them though they weâ—â— vnworthy to conferre it as they â—â—om their Predecessours and ours in Ecclesiasticall Iurisdiction It is worth the while to obserue the impudencie of our Aduersaries iâ— this matter how when they cannot answer vâ— they betake themselues to their wonted trade of lying Thus goes the â—â—le Sâ—ory Sandes and Griâ—dâ—ll say they â—ee by appoâ—â—â—menâ— at the sigâ—e of the Nâ—ggesâ— heâ—â— in Châ—â—pe side to Loâ—den and 〈◊〉 that the old Bishop of Lâ—â—dâ—ffe whâ—â— they expected for their Canonicall Consâ—â—ratoâ—â— had withdrawne himselfe for the threats of â—onner they layed hands one vpon another Our Diuines passe not this ouer in silence but giue a precise and punctuall answer to it Not onely our Reuerend Bishop whose cause wee haue now in hand answering his Egregious Cauiller in that golden Worke of The honour of the married Clergie but diuers others of our choysest Diuines who Dr. Prideaux orat de vocatione Ministror M. Mason in the defence of the Ministry of the Church of England seriously refute this Fable euidently shewing out of the vndeniable Recordes of our Church not onely at what time by whom in what place euery one of the â—orenamed Bishops was Canonically consecrated but also touching B. Iewell Parker and others who preached at the consecration of euery one of these and likewise what were their seuerall Texts And left these turne coates should persist herein and still tickle their Proselytes in the head with this tale our right Reuerend Arch-Bishop that now is caused foure of the learneder sort of their Priests â—â— be brought who beheld and viewed these Recordes before sufficient witnesses and promised to certifie the truth to the rest of their partie Thus we perceiue that it is a thing hitherto vnheard of amongst vs that any Member of
true Church Thus the maior proposition is answered For the minor which affirmeth That the Cburch of Rome hath not these Markes of a true Church we confesse that Gods Word is not purely taught amongst them but mingled with much drosse and error yet haue they not abolished all truth neyther can wee thinke but that they are much sounder in their Sermons than in their Disputations For the Sacraments it is true they haue defiled the Ordinances of God with their indecent Rites yet can they not hereby make them nullities much lesse by their erroneous opinions â—uacuate the force of them Their Baptisme for the substance of it is holy and good and effectuall no doubt to them that receiue it as ours The Eucharist is to them that partake of it if they be worthy Receiuers a true Sacrament notwithstanding their Teachers opinion of Transubstantiation That they are debarred of the Cup in the holy Communion is the sacriledge of the Masters of that Synagogue and the want thereof shall not be preiudiciall to those that vnfainedly desire it It is a rule of equitie Factum alterius â—lij nocere non debet The faultinesse of others shall not hurt those which doe not so much as consent with them and surely God will neuer lay that to their charge which through the perfidiousnesse of others it lay not in them to auoyde This part of the Reason then proueth the Church of Rome to bee an vnsound Church not no Church And Mr. Burton himselfe who thinks that these markes could not agree to the Church of Rome for these nine hundred yeares past yet denieth not that there was both a Church and Saluation there till the Councell of Trent Thus I hope wee haue giuen full satisfaction to Mr. Burtons greatest and his onely Argument and shewed it to bee neyther substantiall nor demonstratiue The Word of God purely preached and the Sacraments according to Christ his holy institution administred are Markes of the true Church If here by we examine the Church of England shee will appeare glorious and beautifull like Eden the Garden of the Lord if wee vrge them against the Church of Rome they shew her to bee not no Church at all but not an Orthodoxe Church CHAP. IV. Mr. Burtons cauilling at the Reuerend Bishops Similitudes examined FRom hence hee descendeth to examine those speeches which fell from the Reuerend Bishops Pen whiles he would set downe the extents of the differences betwixt vs Old Religion Chap. 1. and the Church of Rome Who iustly blameth those which dislike whatsoeuer is in the Church of Rome counting all Doctrine Popish that by them is maintained and all Discipline Antichristian which by them is vsed as if it were all errour no Church adding these words Neither for the chaffe doe we leaue the floore of God neyther for the bad fishes doe we breake his nets Mr. Burton But if pag. 36. the floore bee not now Gods floore but Antichrists floore where nothing is to bee found but chaffe and if the nâ—tâ— bee no other but such as catch onely the bad fishes which is not the property of Gods nets c. Stay a little Is there nothing in the Church of Rome but chaffe no good corne Pol ego illum perisse dâ—co quoi perijt pudor Is it all chaffe which they teach concerning the Trinitie Is it all chaffe which they teach touching many other fundamentall Points of Christian Religion Those studious endeauours of the Dominicans against the Iesuites maintaining Gods free grace against mans free wil are they all chaffe The Twelue Bookes of Aluarez De auxilijs gratiae which doe so trouble all the Fathers of the Societie is there nought but chaffe in them neither So long as M. Burton hath been in the Ministrie could hee neuer find any good graine amongst the writings of the Iesuites themselues how many sound and orthodox interpretations of Scripture do they lend vs Maldonat Lorinus and the rest if there be nothing but chaffe in them wherefore doe we lay out so much monie to buy their Commentaries It is not long that I haue been a Preacher yet in that short time I thanke God I haue found much good corne amongst them and haue deliuered many things professedly out of them yet neuer hitherto could any man accuse mee of teaching either Heresie or Schisme And doubtlesse hee himselfe is not ignorant hereof though he thinke good to dissemble it Againe It is true it is not the propertie of Gods Nets to catch onely bad fishes nor yet of any nets at all and for no other cause is the Kingdome of heauen that is the Visible Church of God compared to a Net but because that promiscuously it gathereth both good and badde Mat. 13. 47. fishes All truth saith the Bishop wheresoeuer it is found is Gods as the Kings coine is currant though it be found in any impure channell M. Burton True but when the truth of God is turned into Pag. 36. a lie and this lie put for Gods truth then the case is altered Here is a nimble conuersion But if all Men and Deuils should turne Alchymistes were it possible for them to Metamorphose Gods truth into a lie St. Paul speaking of the Gentiles how they abused that light of reason wherewithall God enlighteneth euerie one that commeth into the world and became vaine in their Imaginations saith of them that they changed Rom. 1. 25. the truth of God into a lie which was but a change neither 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not a simple conuersion Thus M. Burton vnlesse you may haue leaue to wrest Scripture your answere is nothing If any man obtrude adulterate money of his owne stamping If a man take the Kings coyne and beaâ—e it into a thinne lease cat pag. 30 in the Kings name let him suffer as a Malefactor but when the Kings currant coine is profered let no maâ— reiect it as base and vicious least hâ— himselfe bee impeached for a Traitor Where by the way note that yoâ— haue already contradicted your selâ—e Euen now all was chaffe in the Church of Rome now Gods truth is there how else can it be pretended how else can they colour ouer lyes with it The Reuerend Bishop proceedes Fundamentall truth is like the Maroâ—ean Wine which if it bee mixed with twenty times so much water holds his strength He is pleased to bee merry with the Bishop and tels him that his Comparison is pretty if it did hold water Your Vibanity Mr. Burton pag. 37. is pretty if your manners were as good But saith hee what if twenty times so much poyson be put to it c What will that hold poyson now which before would not hold water We grant it yet let me tell you that all the poyson in the world cannot be operatiue vpon the truth of God to alter the nature of it Popery is poyson but fundamentall Truth is an Antidote a little quantitie of Antidote that is soueraigne