Iacksons bookes beene licensed it passeth Mr. Burtons learning yea though Mr. Prinne should bee of his counsell to find any thing in them which is not consonant to the doctrine of the Church of England Dr. Cosens private devot Mr. Brownes sermons I have not seene conteyned in the 39. articles and the booke of Common prayer Nor which is contrary to this Declaration of his Majesty Onely here I except my Lo of Chichester his Appeale which was published some yeares before the making of the Declaration And what blemish can it bee to Authority or to the Prelates if the booke of Franciscus a S. Clara. Also that book of Fr. à S. Clara. had beene printed 23. times and in London too so long as it is not cum Privilegio And what if he were so bold as to dedicate it to his Majesty I have knowne others and Mr. Burton by name p. 117. more bold in that kind than either was fitting or as I beleeve well pleasing to his Majesty But they say it was presented to the King by a Prelate And how if his highly-esteemed author They say do mis-informe him and there were no such matter Yet granting it to be true what hurt can be in it Blessed be God his Majesty is of yeares and wisdome abundantly sufficient to be able to discerne truth from falsehood be it never so cunningly masked or disguised Lastly what if a Romanist acting his owne part like himselfe indeavour to pinne such a sense upon our Articles as may make them almost Romish Who can hinder such mens tongues and pens Much applauded by our Innovators But doe any of our Innovators approve or applaud his wresting of our Articles to serve his owne turne I thinke Mr. B. cannot name any of them that doth And yet I cannot see what harme can follow if any shall so farre approve him as to like his moderate straine his lessening the number and quality of the differences between us which most of his owne party like M. Burton study to multiply and increase and so his desire of peace and reconciliation which if salvâ veritate it might once be wrought were a most blessed and happy accomplishment Neither is that though M. Burton so terme it true Christian p. 121. zeale but a distempered heat of a contentious spirit that shall come between and make an interruption And if as hee confesseth Puritans and Calvinists be such men no matter if they had no place either in Synode or Church of England As for those who because they know better are not willing as Mr Burton and others of his straine use to call all opinions and practices Popish which are beyond their learning and crosse the principles of their Catechismes and are therefore by him in scorne termed peaceable and indifferent men and well affected to Rome as Ely and Chichester and the Arch-Prelates they by their wisdome and moderation doe more good and acceptable service to God and his Church than ten thousand such fiery spirited Zelotes who understanding nothing but that the Romish Church are not of their opinion make it their ambition and highest point of Religion to condemne whatsoever is held or practiced in that Church not because evill or erroneous but because theirs What warrant they can have from the God of peace for their courses I cannot imagine One thing I am sure of that the Apostle S. Paul doth sufficiently warrant the contrary when he commands us If it be possible and as much as in us is to live peaceably Rom. 12. 18. with all men and according to his wont makes good his precept by his owne practice and that having to doe with men Jews and Gentiles opposite not to the faith onely but even to the very name of Christianity which yet they of Rome though bad enough are not For to the 1 Cor. 9. 20 21. Iewes he became as a Iew that he might gaine the Iewes To them that were under the law as under the law that he might gaine them under the law c. Yea as he there saith he was made all things to all men that he might by all meanes save some Not that thereby he did betray the truth or joyn with either Iew or Gentile in their errors from which he laboured by all means to with-draw them but because commiserating their condition he did condescend to their weaknesse and yeelded to them in what he might that thereby hee might winne them to yeeld to him in the maine As S. Augustine expounds the place And thus to August Ep. 19. deale with them of the Church of Rome at this day not that I intend to parallel them with either how any man can without wrapping up the blessed Apostle within the same sentence justly condemne I must confesse I am altogether ignorant For whereas such are bruited abroad to comply with Papists in their errors that is meere clamour without ground or shew of truth saving that they joyne not with these hot-spurres in rayling and raging and so exasperating them but leave that part to them as most delighting and exercised in that way and lacking compassionate affections to seek to gain and reduce those that wander into the way of truth Yet here we must take heed of going too far and that we doe not while we pitty and seeke to gain the adversary become injurious to the truth and lose it as it seemes if M. Burton may be beleeved some Factionists and Factors for Rome among us so he is pleased to style the Reverend Prelates and those that oppose his crotchets have done for he saith it is a common cry among them that we and they of Rome differ not in fundamentals This is I confesse to goe farre yea and a great deale too farre if we measure Fundamentalls by M. Burtons last who under that name will comprise all matters of faith as is evident by his quotation of these words out of our 19. Art in the margent The Church of Rome hath erred in matters of faith And this is usuall with others of his party who more truly may be termed Factionists than those whō he so calls for I once lighted upon a small book set forth by one of them which bare this title Fundamentall truths and nothing but Fundamentalls in which were contained all Catecheticall Doctrines the high points of Predestination the ten Commandements of the Law yea and though some more sublimated among them will admit none ten Commandements of the Gospell But M. Burton hath beene told sufficiently if prejudice would let him see that by Fundamentalls See B. of Exon advertisement Cholmely Butterf treatises are meant those points of faith which are absolutely necessary to salvation which whosoever beleeves not cannot be saved and to admit that in the Church of Rome these points are yet to be found and believed among them is no more than not absolutely to deny salvation to all that live in communion with that
p. 56. for sports and often elsewhere and therefore that they are not the Kings acts What doth he else but perswade the people who for all his glosse beleeve them as indeed who can beleeve otherwise to be his That His Majesty is I tremble to speak it out such as he makes them whom he intitles to those acts And then what may we Calv. Inst l. 4. c 20. et 31. Bucan loc 40 77. See Goodman p. 190. expect to follow but the practise of that doctrine which is taught in many of his Orthodoxe Authors The withstanding and opposing of their commands and deposing of their persons But this passage is better answered by the justice of authority than a Scholers pen. Let us see then what it is he findes fault with in this Declaration First he intimates that Gods truth that is the saving doctrines of Election Predestination effectuall vocation Assurance and perseverance are thereby silenced and suppressed Be it so Is it not better that some truth for a while be suppressed than the peace of the Church disturbed St. Augustine saith It is prositable to keepe in some truth for their Facile est imo utile ut â—aceatur aliquod verum propter incapaces Aug. de persev SanctoruÌ„ c. 15. sakes that are uncapable and surely we might truly say of the time when this Declaration was published by His Majesty that men were uncapable of these doctrines When men begin once to strive about names to quarrell about abstruse mysteries to side one against the other and to count each other Anathema as it was with our neighbours and began to be with us was it not time to enjoyne silence to both parties All truths wee know are not of the same rank or of equall necessity some things there are which must be preached in season and out of season but those points he mentions come not within that number And though the godly consideration of Predestination and our Election in Christ is ful of sweet pleasant and unspeakable comfort to godly persons as our Church Article speakes that is if wise men in this argument Artic. 17. can be content to be wise unto sobriety and thus farre truth even in these points is not by the Declaration suppressed nor our Articles of Religion to which we all subscribe hung up upon the wall and cashier'd And though this may in some sense be called a saving doctrine yet not so as the ignorance of it should exclude from salvation However taking it in the sense he intends for those absolute and peremptory decisions desperate positions and high speculations and such as are opposite to the receiving of Gods promises in such wise as they be generally set forth to us in the holy Scripture and harping upon that will of God which is secret and not declared unto us in the word of God which is the doctrine Multa etenim benè tecta latem neâ—câ—taâ— prosunt c. vid. Carm de Ingrat which he aymes at we may count this doctrine among those things of which Prosper saith that they profit being unknowne And Mr. Burton is much deceived and deceives the people when hee saith Thus the Ministery of the Gospell is at once overthrowne and nothing but orations of morality must be taught the people Indeed Mr. Burtons Gospell is thus overthrowne which consists in such daring speculations But blessed be God the Gospell of Christ by this meanes hath had a freer passage than it was like to have had if things might have beene suffered to have gone on as they begun And then is the Gospel in most vigor when the people by it are instructed what it is that God hath commanded and what they ought to doe which in contempt he calls orations of morality God doth not bring men to heaven by difficult questions the way to eternity is plaine and easie to be knowne To beleeve that Iesus Christ was raised from the dead to acknowledge him to be Lord and Christ and to live soberly righteously and religiously in this present world is the summe of saving doctrine and Christian religion and this is left written for our learning in so plaine characters that he that runs may read it And therefore it is good counsell which the son of Syrach gives Seeke not out the things that are above thy strength But what is commanded Ecclus. 3. 21. thee thinke thereupon with reverence And what the Iesuit thinks of this way of silencing Contzen polit controversies it is not much to be regarded yet it seemes Mr. B. and he jumpe in opinion here as well as in other things But how this should be a meanes to restore the Roman-Catholick religion for men to be enjoyned to hold themselves to the Articles of the Church of England and as it is in the Declaration that no man shall either print or preach to draw the Article aside any way but shall submit to it in the plaine and full meaning thereof c. This I confess is beyond my capacity But by this meanes there is not one Minister almost among a thousand that dare clearely preach of these most comfortable doctrines Of Absolute Election and Reprobation and so soundly and roundly confute So I finde it printed diverse times in the place the Arminian heresie And blessed be God that there are so few that dare and I wish that Mr. B. and those others that have dared would have shewed more obedience to his Majesty As for the comfortableness of that doctrine as they teach it let the poore tormented consciences speake which have by it beene affrighted and driven to desperation I heard one once an acquaintance of Mr. Burtons making this objection against his preaching about reprobation that said It was very fit that therefore it should bee taught that men that found in themselves the marks of reprobation should be driven to horror and despaire and have hell fire kindled in them here in this life A most comfortable doctrine no question CHAP. VII Of the bookes that have beene printed of late Of Franciscus à S. Clara. Desire of peace warranted by S. Paul We and they of Rome differ not in fundamentals What are fundamentals in Mr. Burtons sense The distinction in fundamentalibus circa fundamentalia justified The Church of England not Schismaticall How far separated and wherein yet united with the Romish Church Good workes necessary to salvation Iustification by workes By charity in what sense no Popery Whether the Pope be That Antichrist disputable Of confession Of prayer for the dead how maintained by our Church Praying to Saints justly condemned by Protestants FOr the bookes that he saith of late times have come abroad maintaining Popery and Arminianisme My answer is that Mr. Burton knowes well enough how to get bookes printed in spight of authority and therefore he cannot lay the blame there if any such have past out without license And for those that have Bishop Mount Appeale Dr.
make the Commandement to speake riddles and arrant non-sense They deny that there is any Commandement given in the New Testament for the observation of the Lords day Though they acknowledge sufficient ground there to warrant the Churches institution and observation of that day And this they suppose they may justly maintaine till Mr. B. or some other of his mind in this point produce the place where it is written which if they would once do they would easily bring off the Bishops and others who agree with them to make a recantation and to subscribe to their better information That which they ascribe unto the Church in this argument is 1. The institution of the Lords day and other holy dayes that is the determination of the time of Gods publick worship to those dayes 2 The prescription of the manner of the observation of these dayes both for the duties to be performed and the time manner and other circumstances of their performance Concerning which they affirme 2. things Bishop of Ely p. 149. First That the Church hath liberty power and authority thus to do Secondly that Christians are in conscience bound to observe these precepts of the Church and that they that transgress Bern. de praec et dispens c. 12. Obedientia quae majoribus praebetur Deo exhibetur quamobrē quicquid vice Dei praecipit homo c. them sin against God whose law requires that we must obey every lawfull ordinance of the Church And as S. Bernard speakes The obedience that is given to Superiours he speakes of the Prelates and governors in the Church is exhibited to God wherefore whatsoever man in Gods stead commands if it be not for certaine such as displease God is no otherwise at all to be received than if God had commanded it For what matters it whether God by Himselfe or by his Ministers men or Angels make known his pleasure to us So hee and much more to that purpose in that place So that they which maintaine the institution of the Lords day to be from the Church doe not thereby as they are wrongly charged discharge men from all tye of obedience and give them liberty to observe it or not at their owne pleasure which no man will affirme but those onely who have learned to under-value and despise the Church of God and her rightfull Authority Now these things have beene so fully proved so plainly demonstrated already that it is needless yea impossible for me to adde any thing and as impossile for Mr. B. or any other to gain-say with any reason or evidence of truth Which because he cannot do hee betakes him to the forlorne hope of contentious spirits railing against his opposers and traducing the doctrine which he knowes not how to confute For his opposers he saith that in this point they have strained all the veines of their conscience and braines and that they are so mad upon it that no shame will stay them pag. 126. till confusion stop their mouthes But God bee praised they have not neither need they much to straine either Their conscience need not be strained at all in delivering that doctrine and acknowledging that truth which is after godliness And for their braines it is not Mr. Burtons Tit. 1. 1. Pamphlets or lawless Dialogues that can straine them No nor his larger answer which he threatens in answer to my L. of Elyes Treatise which were it not that simple and well meaning people might haply be seduced and made to thinke them unanswerable were quickly answered with that which best befits them silence and scorne As for that grave and learned Prelate whom he useth with such contempt and base language The world hath seene his humility joyned with that masse of learning which is lodged in that venerable brest that he hath not disdained to stoope to answer this railers railing dialogue of A. and B. which hee hath done like himselfe with great strength and evidence of reason and solidity of judgement and yet blessed be God hath not sacrificed the least dramme of reason which yet remaines in so great yeares to admiration quick and pregnant and will be able if need be to discover Mr. Burtons arrogancy and bold-fac't ignorance So that he must be faine to sacrifice the remainder of his modesty and honesty if any be yet left him to finde any thing to reply CHAP. X. Of his Majesties Declaration for sports c. Mr. Burtons scandalizing the memory of K. James about it His wicked censure of His Majesty for reviving and republishing it His abusive jeere upon my Lords Grace of Cant. Five propositions opposed to his so many unjust criminations in this argument THis is all he saith of his supposed innovations in doctrine But before I part with this last point I must annexe somewhat of his Majesties Declaration concerning lawfull sports to be used upon Sundayes as depending hereupon and being the great pretended grievance in this argument This Declaration and the publishing of it according to his Majesties Royall intent and command hath afforded Mr. Burton plentifull occasion of calumniation and caused him to utter many shamefull and slanderous invectives not onely against the Declaration it selfe but against the Royall authority commanding and those whom hee conceives procurers of it or that in obedience to his Majesty have urged the publishing of it and punished any that have obstinately refused For first hee hath endeavoured to blase the Honour of that great Patron of the Church K. Iames of Blessed memory by an odious and base insinuation of I know not what extraordinary temper wherein the King should be when this Declaration was first published a passage so unworthy and execrably scandalous that I will not so much as mention it Nor hath he dealt better but farre worse 2 with his sacred Majesty that now is in making his reviving and republishing of his Fathers Act to tend to the publick dishonour of God the annihilation of the holy Commandement touching the Sabbath p. 56. the alteration of the doctrine of the Church of England the violation of his solemne Royall protestations all which and more supposing the republishing of this Declaration to be his Majesties Act and by his Authority hee layes to his Majesties charge Indeed hee seemes not willing that the world should take notice of these blasphemies as directly sent out against his Majesty and therefore would make men beleeve that this Act was none of his Majesties But then I would Declaration concerning the dissol of the last Parliament demand of him how he knowes any Declaration or Proclamation to be set forth by his Majesty and in particular how he knows that Declaration to be his which he puts His Majesty so often in minde of Sure I am he can have no greater evidence for any than hee hath for this His Majesties name prefixed his Royall Test subscribed And who is there without danger of being found guilty of high treason can
Burtons endeavour to excuse Ap-Evans Mr. Burtons opposites not censorious What they thinke of those whom he calls Professors and the profession it selfe True Piety approved and honoured in all professions The answere to this crimination summed up The censured partiall Iudges of their own censures How offences are to be rated in their censures THe next is Innovation in Discipline which saith he in a word is this That whereas of old the censures of the Church were to be inflicted upon disordered and vitious persons notorious livers as drunkards adulterers c. Now the sharpe edge thereof is mainly turned against Gods people and Ministers even for their vertue pag. 127. and piety c. A man that reads this charge and were ignorant of the language that is spoken among those of M. Burtons tribe would verily beleeve if it were but halfe true that the State of our Church were metamorphosed into a very Babel of disorder and confusion and sinck of profanenesse and iniquity But the comfort still is we may fitly answere him as Nehemiah did Sanballat There are Nehem. 6. 8. no such things done as thou sayest but thou fainest them out of thine owne heart For first let the records of Ecclesiasticall Courts and as that hee most aimes at of the High Commission bee searched and compared with the now highlymagnified times of the raigne of Queene Elizabeth of famous memory and it will appeare that there is not now the least Innovation either in the manner of their proceedings or in the crimes and persons censured but that it continues in the old and troden steps of religious justice and useth the same severity against vitious persons and inordinate livers in all kindes as ever it was wont to doe And that if there bee any change at all it is that the edge of their censures is not now so sharp or so mainly turned against Gods people and Ministers for their vertue and piety as it was in those happy times For had it beene now as it was then perhaps Mr. Burton had beene prevented for ever comming to this height and his vertue and Piety had beene nipt in the bud which now hath enlarged her branches loaden with goodly fruits suitable to the stocke on which they grow And many of his vertuous friends and Candidates of Martyrdom in the Sabbatarian cause would not have thus long have waited for their sentence of condemnation for their godly and right Christian resistance of his Majesties unquoth commands But I must not goe farther with this vizor and therefore before I proceed I le pull it off and expound the termes and then reade this part of his charge in plaine English Here then by Gods people and Ministers understand People and Ministers of Mr. Burtons party Their vertue and piety their disobedience to their Soveraigne their repining and murmuring at his government their inconformity to the Orders of the Church their contempt of Ecclesiasticall power and authority and other strange insolencies whereof M. Burton hath given us a full patterne in this booke and his long practices The summe and plaine truth is That some people and Ministers that have a better conceit of themselves than they have cause for have beene lately censured for their not conforming to his Majesties commands and the Churches orders This is all and when was it otherwise in this Church nay in any Church since the beginning of Christianity was it ever knowne that any Church or any civill government did or could subsist without inflicting censures upon the wilfull violators of their orders and constitutions Hath not ever the edge of discipline been justly sharpned against those that shall to their disobedience adde contempt of the authority and that with contumelious reproaches and slanders against the persons invested with it If men for the maintenance of their selfe will'd humours and for exalting of their private fancies against the publick Orders of the Church and the authority Ecclesiasticall shall presume so farre Sipro errore homines tanta prasumunt quanto magis aequ◠est et oportet eos qui pacis et unitatis Christianae asserunt veritatem omnibus etiā dissimulantibus et cobibentibus manifestam satagere instanter atque impigrè non solùm pro eorum munimine qui jam Catholici sunt verū etiam pro corum correctione qui nondū sunt Nam si pertina cia insuperabilis vires habere conatur quantas debet habere constātia quae in eo bono quod perseveranter atque infatigabiliter agit et Deo placere se novit et proculdubio non potest hominibus prudentibus displicere Aug. Ep. 167. How much more is it fit and behoves those who stand for the truth of peace and Christian unity which is manifest even to those that dissemble and oppose it to endevour with all earnestnesse and diligence not onely for the securing of those which are Catholicks but also for the correction of those that are not For if stubbornnesse seeke to get such strength what ought constancy to have which in that good which uncessantly and unweariedly it doth both knowes that it pleaseth God and without doubt cannot displease wise men So Saint Augustine once Apologized for the Church in his dayes proceeding against the Donatists and a fitter I cannot use for our Church at this day nor need I adde more in this case But this will not haply be contradicted by any that thus viewes things in their true notions and if any should be so void of reason and grace as to declaime against it every man would cry shame of him But the cunning maske that is put upon it makes it passe current and to be entertained as a just and a great grievance when it shal be presented under the names of persecution and unjust censures inflicted upon Gods people and Ministers and that for their vertue and piety who then can but pitty and commiserate the sufferers and condemne their persecutors of notorious injustice and horrible impiety It is an old and a cunning stratagem used by some expert Captaines to march disguised and to beare the Colours of those against whom they fight that they may finde the more easie passage And this practice hath beene long in use with the disturbers of the Churches peace to usurp the name and priviledges of the true Church and to appropriate that to themselves which of right belongs to those whom they oppugne But never any Vos enim dicitis remansisse Ecclesiam Christi in sola Africa partis Donati Aug. Ep. 166. were better Artists in this kinde than the Donatists in S. Augustines time who were wont to circumscribe the Church within the bounds of their party and to account all other Christians as Pagan and to call the repression of their turbulencies persecution and boast of Martyrdome as appeares out of S. Augustine and Optatus Milevitanus Optat. Milevit l. 3. prope finem And these Donatists were never better parallel'd than in these
scholer to preach in Yea and our Saviour himselfe whom Saint Paul would not contradict told his Disciples of such an out of season that he thought not fit to preach to his Disciples the things which they should afterwards be taught when he saith I have yet many Ioh. 16. 12. things to say unto you but ye cannot beare them now It must needes therefore behoove the governors of the Church the Bishops who are the grand Pastors and Ministers of their whole Dioces if they will not bee wanting to the Cure of soules committed to their charge to see that those whom they admit to partake in their cure and charge doe rightly divide the word of truth to see 2. Tim. 2. 15. that it be not onely the word of truth but rightly divided rightly 1. in regard of the quality of it that it may be suited to the condition and capacity of those to whom it is divided putting a difference 1. Cor. 3. 1. betweene those that are carnall and those that are spirituall betweene babes and strong men in Christ between those who are unskilfull in Heb. 5. 13. the word of righteousnesse and those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discerne both good and evill 2. It must be rightly also for the time maner and measure of it 1. There is a time for all things a time to preach and a time to pray Eccle. 3. and a time for worke a time also for recreation and it is a point of wisedome to fit every worke to its best time and season and the fitnesse of the season is a great furtherance to the worke which many times by unseasonablenes becomes unprofitable and gaines contempt It is without question then best received when mens minds are freest from distraction of worldly cares or pleasures and therefore the Sundayes and Holidayes are the fittest times for Preaching and not upon Market-dayes when men must be dilemm'd betweene the word of God and their worldly affaires and when some willingly others sometimes are necessitated to preferre their body and the world before their soules and Heaven and much lesse as if a sermon were of kin to a fiddle or a bagpipe to have preaching upon every merry meeting or feasting or at a Beare-baiting at which I once heard of a sermon made which cannot be but a prophanation of Gods Name and derogation from the honour of his ordinance Secondly For the manner of it it must bee done gravely with religious reverence for the edifying of men in their holy faith and godlines not vainely or with intermixture of Fables newes or passionate declamations for such prophane and vaine bablings will encrease unto 2 Tim. 2. 16. more ungodlinesse and their words will eat as doth a Gangrene edifying to nothing but sedition and the subversion of the Church Thirdly For the measure That cannot bee rightly done that is over-done and there may be a too-much even in the best things and spirituall food as well as corporall must bee taken with respect to the digestive faculty of the eaters The too-often and over-much taking of the best and daintiest fare begets loathing and contempt whereas the moderate use procures appetite helps digestion and mantaines their due esteeme and certainly there is nothing more advantagious to piety than to uphold the Majesties of the Priestly or ministeriall offices and among the rest of Preaching which cannot but bee impaired if it be either too often or out of due measure obtruded upon men for familiarity we know breeds contempt but retirednesse is the preserver of Majesties and rarity commends pleasures and makes them more delightfull and with moderation must needs make preaching pretious and become more acceptable which if it be not it cannot profit Besides Sermons must be ordered for their measure and length that they leave roome sufficient for solemne Prayers and other Divine Offices these must not bee curtall'd to lengthen them nor vilified by meanes of any new-devised formes of praier either ushering or following them And therefore when the Bishops to whom the care and charge of these things belong shall in their wisdomes thinke fit to use their just power to order and regulate Preachers and Sermons according to these rules they doe no wrong but right to the Word of God and what in duty they are bound to doe If Lectures be unseasonable or not in places fitting if they be upheld with faction abused and made nourishers of sedition male-contented thoughts or cast contempt upon the Pastorall charge and setled ministery To suppresse such Lectures and suspend such Preachers is but just and fit and others than such as have beene guilty in these or the like kindes have not received any such censure If Sermons upon the Lords day bee produced to that length that they justle out the Prayers of the Church or be become of that esteeme as that men shrinke up all religion into hearing or that they be of that straine that the ignorant may be ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth it is but reason that they both cut them shorter and provide for the due esteem of other religious duties and for the instruction of the ignorant by turning Sermons into catechising and if that be abused too and that men in stead of laying the foundation and teaching the first principles of the Oracles of God which is the true catechizing shall soare aloft and adventure upon the most high and abstruse points in Divinity and notwithstanding his Majesties Declaration to the contrary shall deliver the doctrines of Election and Reprobation and that in such wise as to make God the author of sinne and obduration in sinne which is blasphemy in the highest degree if men use to catechise after this manner as some of late have done is it not high time to reduce men to the prescribed platforme of the Church Catechisme which even in the bare questions and answers as it is there set forth cannot bee denied without extreame ignorance or impudent malice to containe the principles of Christian Religion and whatsoever is necessary to be known of those for whom it was intended for the fitting of them for the receiving of the Lords Supper Lastly if Sermon-prayers shall bee used as libels as some have used them or be exalted above the prayers of the Church as with too many they are it cannot but bee much better to tie men to the forme prescribed in the Canon which was the old use of these prayers in this Church and to shut up all in the Lords Prayer which is without all contradiction the most absolute patterne of prayer and the summe of all rightly-conceived petitions My conclusion then is that the Reverend Bishops doing these things upon these grounds and no otherwise and upon other grounds they have done nothing in this kinde are unjustly charged to take away the key of knowledge whose right use by these meanes is preserved and
restored to the singular benefit of Christian soules CHAP. XVIII Of the seventh pretended Innovation in the Rule of Faith What matters of Religion are submitted to the Bishops decision The Doctrine of our Articles The properties of the Bishops decisions Master Burtons clamors against the Bishops in this particular odious and shamefull Of that speech which he ascribeth to the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury concerning the Catholick Church What is justly attributed to the Church and how we ordinarily come to know the Scriptures to be Scriptures THe seventh Innovation he makes to be in pag. 151. the rule of Faith for whereas the perfect and compleat rule of faith is the holy Scripture as 2 Tim. 3. Our new Doctors cry up the dictates of the Church to wit of the Prelates to bee our only guides in Divinity as in Reeves Communion booke Catechisme expounded pag. 20. 206. where as he saith that authour affirmes all Ministers must submit to the judgement of the Prelates in all matters pertaining to Religion and all Prelates must submit to the judgement of the Arch-prelate And then addes his owne glosse as having a Papall infallibility of spirit whereby as by a Divine Oracle all questions in Religion are finally determined My Answer to this shall bee very briefe for that the same crimination is by Master B. objected in his Lawlesse Pamphlet intituled An Answer to a late Treatise of the Sabbath day and since by the Reverend Author of that Treatise that venerable masse of solid learning the L. Bishop of Ely so profoundly answered that my poore endeavours In his Treatise intituled An Examination vid p. 17 18 19 20 c. seeme to me altogether needles it being abundantly sufficient to referre my Readers thither for satisfaction Yet somewhat I will say for their sakes that have not that Booke at hand First it is confest that the holy Scripture is the sole and compleat Rule of Faith This is the constant and subscribed Doctrine of our Church Artic. 6. And therefore it were strange that they who themselves have so often subscribed and who exact subscription from others should goe against so confessed a truth and certainly if hee had had but the least graine of ingenuity in interpreting the writings of other men or rather if malice had not wholly filled him with ignorance and confidence hee would never have dream't of any contradiction to this Doctrine in the words by him alledged or to have stretched matters of Religion subjected to the Bishops determination to the substantiall points of Faith which no Protestant ever affirmed But somewhat sure there is in it that is in matters of Religion submitted to the Bishops judgement True and so it ever was in the Church of God But this extends not to matters of Faith or manners to be believed and done of necessitie to salvation so as to coine new articles in either kinde The power which by them is challenged and by all understanding Christians in all ages of the Church ascribed to them is no other but that which is given them by the tenth Article of our Religion whose words are That the Church hath power to decree rites and ceremonies and authoritie in Controversies See Preface to the Booke of Common-Prayer referring parties doubting of any thing that is conteined in that Booke to the Bishop and the Bishop doubting to the Arch-Bishop of Religion Where by the Church whoever Master B. understands is meant the heads and Governors in the Church to whom the right of direction and government doth peculiarly belong and therefore they are called Bishops or Overseers and Rulers or Guides and Leaders as being by their Office to judge of things needfull and to direct those that are under their charge Now this power of theirs hath these properties 1. It is not supreme but ministeriall not ruling but ruled by the Scriptures by which rule they are to square their determinations in all matters of Religion being altogether unlawfull for them to define any thing contrary thereunto 2. The things wherein they have power to decree ordaine alter and change any thing touching Religion in the Church is onely in matter of Ceremonie which are in comparison of the points of Faith onely circumstantiall as concerning time place gesture order and the like to bee observed in the service of God 3. In these things which they thus order and ordaine they must keepe them to those generall Rules 1. That things be dâ—â—e decently and in order 2. That nothing bee ordained contrary to the Scripture 3. That things beside the Scripture ordained be not inforced to be believed of necessitie to salvation as our Article speakes 4. Their decisions in matters of Religion are not infallible neither did they ever challenge nor any that ever I heard of among us ascribe unto them no not to the Arch-prelate any Papall insallibilitie of Spirit Neither did they arrogate any other abilitie of right and true judgement in things than is attained by ordinary meanes nor any immediatly Divine Inspiration or Assistance annexed to their Chaire all which the Pope doth Lastly the submission that is required by those that are under them Ministers and people is not absolute and such as no inferiour Priest or Christian can without sinne dissent from their judgements but in regard of externall order and for the avoiding of confusion and sects in the Church as it is not left free for every man to appoint or judge of matters of Religion or to have them after their owne way so it cannot but be a great disorder and consequently a sinne for any man out of his private humour openly to reclaime or to disobey those who are invested with the power of Judicature This being the power that is given or challenged by the Bishops it cannot but be a wonder to thinke that any man should bee so past all shame as so odiously to clamour upon this ground against the Bishops and Fathers of the Church and to deride and scorne the most Reverend Arch-Bishop of Cant. calling him the Oracle and one that hath a Papall infallibilitie of Spirit and the like But for a Priest to doe it puts it beyond all wonder and astonishment especially if wee consider these two things First which is also observed by the Reverend Bishop of Ely that See the Booke of Ordination at his Ordination he promised yea swore that hee would reverently obey the Bishops and with a glad minde and will follow their godly admonitions and submit to their godly judgements 2. That every Priest hath a power of directing those that are under his charge in matters of Religion and that the people ought to inquire the Law at their Mouthes and to submit to their judgements which to take away from them were to robbe them of a maine part of the Priestly function and yet I suppose neither challengeth any Papall infallibilitie of Spirit nor requireth any blind obedience and therefore how he can
approbation of many more than of their owne straine till at length their purposes were unvailed and their aime discovered which was the erecting of a seminary at Saint Antholins subordinated to a Classis or Clerolaicall Consistory who had power at least in their intentions to plant there such hopefull imps as should bee fit upon the falling of any of their purchased Impropriations to be removed transplanted into great populous places in this Kingdom in which they endeavoured so to fasten and fence these transplanted choice ones that no Ecclesiasticall censure should touch or deprive them of their maintenance by that meanes hoping in such places to use the words of a prime agent in that cause to establish the Gospel by a perpetuall decree to this end also they had sundry attempts of which these two were famous First the striving by money to purchase the place of an Head of an house in Oxford for one of their owne party for the first trayning up of their novices in their misteries And the other was in the like way their attempt for the getting of a Commissaries place there where they intended to make a speciall plantation who being after their own hearts might winke at their irregularities and secure them from the danger of that Court The scanning of which and other their attempts I leave to the indifferent and intelligent In the meane time I shall ever blesse God that put it into the heart of His sacred Majesty and the State timely to discover and prevent this their purpose before it had undermined the present government of the Church as no question it would have given a good say to it if it had without controule proceeded as it began And for this that learned and famous man in his profession Master William Noy at that time His Majesties Attorney generall deserves an honorable memory among those that are true well-willers to the Church and State whose industrie and zealous paines in this cause was a chiefe meanes of it's discovery and overthrow And that the rather because for that one peece of service sake he fell totally and finally from the grace and favour of that faction and Master B. or the Author who ever he was of that libell annexed to his Divine Tragedy as if he were some fury whose hate death could not pacifie for that and his service against Prynne tramples upon his memory and pisses as it were upon the ashes of him and his unfortunate eldest sonne whom he reserves for the last scene of that his late audaciously vented fable as if hee had beene the most remarkable prodigie of impiety by him brought upon the State But I leave him his presumptuous censurers to the judgement of God which whatsoever theirs be I am sure is according unto truth Neither will it boote Rom. 2. 2. them that which they now so much boast of their persons are accepted for there is no respect of persons with God in the day wherein hee shall judge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ But I finde my selfe digressed to returne therfore and to conclude that which I intended by this briefe relation of the Doctrine and practices of these men it may manifestly appeare who they are that may rightly bee termed Innovators and broachers of novell opinions and practises in this Church and how easie it were by way of recrimination to cry quittance with Master B. and for his eight to charge him and his party with five times that number not such as his fond surmises ignorantly and falsely accused of novelty and superstition but really and truly such having neither Canon nor Article of the Church for them nor any solid foundation in the Word of God and which are some of them at least as dangerous to the soules of men and as great enemies to the power of godlinesse as any of those which hee taketh for such as are by him pretended to be If any man complaine of brevity or of confusion and want of order in the relation let him know I intended it rather for a taste and to shew what might be done in that way than for any full discourse which would have required more than my present leisure and have swoln my booke too much beyond its intended proportion If they judge it defective as wanting proofe and because I have not produced the Authors of those opinions which I mention I answer to the same purpose that it did not stand with my present intentions which was only to point out the things in a cursory way in which I conceive the producing of proofes and Authors might well be spared But for further answer I say that I did it for two other reasons First because the things are so well knowne yea and acknowledged by those from whom if from any contradiction was to bee expected that I could not thinke it necessary Secondly because I could not doe it without bringing some mens names and writings upon the Stage which if I had done Master B. in his next treatise would have stiled me as bad as hee hath done my betters but that did not so much diswade me as the respect I beare to many of their persons from whom though for the truths sake I must testifie my dissent yet I shall never by Gods grace expresse any disaffection to their persons or procure them any blame or blemish so long as they as I verily beleeve many of them heartily doe remain studious of true piety and of the Churches peace What I have written in this kinde God himselfe knowes whom I have served in it I have written out of love to truth and peace and of them who are mis led by these errors and therefore I say to them as Saint Augustine concluding an Epistle of his to some of Donatus partly * Erit autem vobis bic sermo quem de munere Dei novit ipse quanta pacis vestra dilectione de prompsimus correctio si velitis testis verò et si nolitis August Epist 162. in fine That this that I have done shall bee if they please a correction of their errors but if not a witnesse against them FINIS Errata PAge 40. line 18. dele wise p. 53. l. 3. dele to p. 58. l. 16. for callenge r. challenge p. 61. l 13 for thoses r. those p. 71. l. 15. for displease r. displeaseth p. 86. l. 25. for doth best r. doth least p. 149. l. 4. for fire r. five p. 153. l. 3. for that they r. they that p. 159. l. 8. for Majesties r. Majesty item l. 14.