are to bee esteemed vaineglorious teachers though their mouths even runne over whith all manner of art eloquence and learning And as for those that preach any thing which God hath not commaunded or perswade to conforme to any thing which is not grounded on the scriptures from these words of Saint Peter wee may safely esteeme them whether they speake elegantly or rudely but fabulous fellowes and Deceiueable doctors in taking vpon them like young masters or old Rabbies to teach defend or maintaine any thing in Gods worship which Christ the sole Doctor of all thinges whatsoeuer of Religious vse and which his Churches vpon any cause and in any respect may conform vnto neuer commanded taught or in the scriptures published or so much as once mentioned by precept or president yea obserue them wel and take heed of them these are the teachers of false Christs for they may as well teach that here is Christ or loe he is there as presse Christians to coÌ„forme to this ceremonie or that gesture of religious use in the publicke worship of God which Christ neither here nor there nor any where ever taught or in any degree or respect commanded so that if you heare any preachers teahing things with great zeale and learning which are not the direct commandements of Christ or grounded plainly in the evidence of the spirit upon the unerring rocke of the sacred Scripture I will not deny but such may speake in the power of a Spirit but certainly not of Gods Spirit For he even the Spirit of truth teaches nothing of himselfe though he be the very fountaine of all truth but onely what he hath heard in the word of the Father not that he needs any instructer or direction but that the most glorius and blessed Trinitie as the sole and onely way to preserue all true Churches or congregations in holy and heavenly unitie hath tied himselfe as it were or covenanted that though there be many other things of most admirable excellencie yet to require conformitie to nothing but those things which are written in the scriptures seeing they are fully and perfectlie sufficient unto faith or beliefe and therefore unto all manner of godlinesse the fruits of faith and so to eternall life the end or reward of faith through his name If any man therfore undertake to teach the Churches of Christ let him speake as the words of God and not as the cannons and precepts of men do enioyne for as God is glorified by those so is hee much dishonoured by these yea though they speak the wisdom of this world which the great ones Commend the learned approue and all doe generallie admire for the kingdom of God or preaching consists not in word in phrases in elegancie of speach excellencie of uttrance or in any other endowments of Art nature but in the evidence of the spirit of power when the cosciences of the hearers by the right handling of the word shall bee wrought upoÌ„ by making manifest the verie secrets of their hearts and so enforced to humble their souls and worship God and confesse not that great learning or reading is in the preacher but plainlie that God is in that ministerie indeed because it casteth down and doth not lift up as the word or doctrine of men doth because their manner of teaching is meerly carnall euen such as is approved by men but not warranted by the word strong holds or the Imaginations and Inventions of men which in a high degree do exalt themselves against the knowledge of God even against those doctrines of ceremonies callings gestures which God hath made known in the word and set mens thoughts and consciences at libertie from the obedience of Christ according to the scriptures concerning these things onelie under pretence of not being forbidden and so by their conformitie to that which Christ hath not commanded doe most strongly repaire and fortifie tâ—ose strong holds of humane devices concerning voluntary religions or ceremonies which the Lord by all meanes labours as being the greatest hinderers of the peace of his kingdome and fosterers of his rebellious enemies to haue utterlie ruinated yea and as Christ hath ordained to sanctifie and cleanse his Church by the obedience of faith which is the true conformitie of the doctrines of the word so these men by pressing conformitie to ceremonies callings and gestures which haue no warrant in the word do directly intimate though they pretend the cleane contrarie that their religion is but a doctrine of the tongue and not of the reformation of the life For if they subscribe and haue understanding of the heauenly doctrines and be able to retaine them in memorie and so at a trice can discourse or reason of them then are they absolutely qualified and excellent Divines though they make no conscience of that which they know and professe further then they see cause so indeed do most beastly pollute and by plain intimation both of their doctrine and life perswade their hearers to defile the Church of Christ and to take away the beautie glorie of it which is to be free froÌ„ human inventions to fill it with all horrible spots and wrinkles of worldly traditions that so it may never be holy but full of blame Are you not ashamed you deceitfull guides to cast abroad these firebrands and mortall insinuations in your lectures sermons or writings coÌ„versations and yet protest you meane no hurt is not your fiery heat in these courses a fained madnes or doe you make any more conscience thereof then of your play or sporte Yea say they our purpose in so doing is to do much good for we teach presse that in this conformitie which we so perswade unto every one should come with a good honest heart to perform these actions gestures withal for that is it which the Lord requires yea hee will passe by much infirmitie where he findes true sinceritie So that belike if men seem to haue good affections that shall be sufficient warraÌ„t to iustifie any strange or vncommanded gesture or ceremonie in the publicke worship of God yea though it be never so wickd at least in appearance and Idolatrous an action yet if they meane well and beleeue as the Church beleeues that these things are indifferent and lawfull or not forbidden all shall be exceeding well and what I pray you if the Iewes with good and honest hartes even sincerely purposing and verely intending to winne them vnto God do marrie wyues of Ashdod Amon and Moab dare you say these mariages are lawfull or can their Children euer possibly for all this good meaning speake the language of Canaan sincerely or trewly no verely though you charge them vpon paine of death to prepare them selues therevnto neuer so hartely yet doe you but presse them to a thing impossible be not wiser then God least it
manner it is a receiued opinion of great antiquitie being one of the deepe doctrines of diuine Durandus that euerie sonday and holiday the soules do play in Purgatorie Are they not worthy therefore to be presented that doe any kinde of worke upon any holy day yea though it bee not in prayer time unlesse it bee to goe to the Ale-house to be merry and to leap and daunce about the May-poule after a bagpipe or so forth for that helpes forward the foresaid merriment yea our owne countrey-man Cardinall Poole a reverent Divine and as great a Scholler as any of our great Adversaries held and taught that the meaning of Christ in making Peter a fisher of men was that hee would driue all Emperours and Kings yea all the people of the world into the Popes net so that he might seeth broyle or fry them in a pan even as his Holines should think best to use and order them and his Prelates and their inferiour officers also to make their best gain and advantage of them and many other strange opinions concerning callings and ceremonies in Gods worship haue beene published by great Schollers and confirmed by whole Synods Convocations yea and generall Councels with as great probabilitie many of them and shew of all kinde of true learning as all that is which the reverend fathers and learned Divines of this age haue published or can say for these ceremonies and the other things in controversie amongst us Seing then the Church in her wisedom establised them as divine truths though not as necessarie to salvation yet profitable for unitie decencie and to try the obedience of her children why should not they be as well conformed to as ours were not their pure naturals as able to finde out some things commendable yea necessarily to be conformed unto in the worship of God though they had no better ground for them in the Scripture then as is formerly mentioned as well as the naturals of this pure or learned and spirituall age Degrees of Evill there is indeed but nature admits not any one degree of goodnesse no not one for it is starke dead in trespasses and sinnes the minde vaine the understanding darkened and full of ignorance the heart haidened not perceiving the things of the spirit of God nay it thinks them to be meere foolishenesse and more then needes even most absurd and against common sence must it not therefore be granted of absolute necessitie that all such spirituall persons as well in these times as in those by what name or title soever they be called though they haue all the learning and wisedome in the world yet if they bring not the warrant of Gods word plainly or truely for them in all their ceremonies callings gestures and other devices whatsoever of religious use are to bee held reputed and adiudged lyars and therefore all such their opinions of the Divell the father of lies and therfore by no meanes upon any tearmes to bee conformed unto was not their verbum non scriptum consuetudo sanstae Ecclesiae traditiones patrum bonae intentiones constitutiones vel canones as tollerable and necessarie as ours was it not the practise of the serpent from the beginning to proue by many wise and learned arguments that the onely way to aspire to spirituall preferments in this world is absolutely to forsake and disclaime the warrant of the sacred scripture in all matters of ceremonie and to depend upon tradition and the Catholicke grounds aforesaid Oh our most deere mother we can never forget these weightie instructions which so carefully and constantly thou hast taught unto us first that all manner of witch-craft is in the degree a direct forsaking of God and a uniting and knitting unto the Divell and therefore no manner of Witch white or blacke good or evill nor any that seeke after them ought to liue not that there is any of them good but that like other humane or divellish inventions they seeme to do good by maintaining divers in unlawfull callings and by helping some to their stollen or lost goods or others of diseases in men or beasts or the like Secondly that Rebellion is as the sinne of witchcraft yea that a Rebellious transgression though it bee but in ceremonie calling or gesture is a wickednesse not inferiour to Idolatrie for the same ground or foundation serues for both and that it is noâ— garments musick and such like complement that the Lord accepts or takes any pleasure in which yet hee doth in every thing of Religious use which he would haue his fervants in his worship to conforme unto but when his voyce is obeyed Now his voice is in nothing but what his word doth command therefore thou didst conclude that hee was not obeyed in any thing of religious use which was not grounded upon his commandement according to his own words whatsoeuer I command you concerning my worship that do thou shalt not add any thing whether ceremony calling gesture or whatsoever thereto for al counsels or canons or whatsoever that in Gods worship require any thing of religious use which is not the commandement of the Lord or his voyce is directly stubbornes of a wicked heart which makes to go backward from God and sinceritie to all profanes and Apostacie trueth is perished and cleane gone out of the mouth of such preachers as maintain such things and therefore thou didst charge us for ever to continue in our serving of God in all things which are written in the word of God to doe them yea them onely and not any Invention or noveltie whatsoever which unavoidably especially being once known and yet Iustified and defended will bring Gods greevous plague and curse Is the Righteousnesse of the Church Revealed in the Gospell and that not torne or patched but perfect and compleate and is the worship and ceremonies callings and gestures whereby the Church is made partaker of that righteousnesse and shewes her thankfulnesse unto God for the same but lamely taught therein or to the halues part being left to traditions unwritten verities and humane Inventions verily as in that so in these if there be any cause of Reioycing it is not with God and therefore must needs be with the Devill for what else can possibly bee found concerning the flesh bee it never so wise or learned or any work fruit or device thereof is not the Iustifying of humane Inventions in Gods worship without warrant from the word a plaine profession that they thinke though they bee not more Iust then GOD or more pure then their maker yet verily there is some iustice and puritie in their nature whereby they are able to find out a holy use of these things which God never commanded Is not this a verie naturall branch of that follie which being found was punished so fearefullie in the Angels therefore didst thou warne us also for ever to take heed of unstedfastnes
things wherein there is any appearance or likenesse of evill ye 〈…〉 forme to nothing be it gesture action or ceremony in Gods publicke worship if it be not the commandement of Christ which hath any resemblance of Idolatry in it though the Idolatry it selfe be sent packing for verily such inventions haue in them though purified never so often an Idolatheous disposition Haue you no fellowship therefore with them and so I pray that the peace of God may be with you all that are in Christ Iesus Now unto him that is able to keepe you that you fall not in these times of triall and to present you faultlesse before the presence of of his glory with ioyes unspeakeable and glorious even to God onely wise bee glory and maiesty dominion and power both now and for evermore Amen T. D. CERTAIN REASONS OF APRIVATE Christian against Conformitie to keeling in the very act of Receiving the Lords Supper THE Eternall sonne of God our blessed Lord spake alwaies to his church euen from the beginning and directed all his seruants for their manner of worship as well outward as inward even to the fathers before the flood to the Patriarks Prophetts and holy men of God after and this he did in diuers and sundry manners but now since his comming in the flesh he hath tyed all Churches and all persons that desire to haue eternall life to the sole direction of his word which is his owne and onely personall voyce and doth testifie of him whatsoever is profitable for the Church to conforme vnto either for doctrine or gouernment or for whatsoeuer else that is any way or in any degree helpfull vnto godlinesse for this and this onely is the immortall seede or the seede of immortalitie all other doctrins for any Religious vses raised els where are meerly mortall or seeds of death and therefore vtterly vncapable of any good vse in the publicke worship of God Seing then we must wholy and onely depend vpon the scriptures for direction in all the actions of Gods publick worship which are to be conformed unto let us in these controversies about kneeling in the very act of receaving the Lords supper whatsoever else is in question being of Religious use diligently give heed to the things wee haue heard and learned therein being truely or evidently grounded thereon and by no means approove in any degree of any thing else for that will make us one time or other in one thing or other to run out and fall from our first love yea doe what possibly we can to decline scatter Harken therefore to that which the Lord Iesus himselfe did purposely speake in this his own voice concerning this very point I thanke thee ô father Lord of heauen and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise hast opened or as Luk renders it revealed them to babes euen so father because it so pleased thee VVhence he gives all his â—ervants plainly to understand that all the wit learning discretion experience and Iudgement in the whole world is not possibly able to find out the mysteries of Religion or to determine with what ceremonies actions gestures Gods publick worship service is to be performed no though they be Rabbies Doctors or the most absolute teachers in Israel but that this is a speciall peculiar priviledge or grace treasured up in the word and reserved purposely for such persons as will dig and search for it and rather desire and labor to have dominion over all their known corruptions and so to bee glorious within then to exercise any outward glorious pompous domination in the world for those that rest them selves and depend on Gods holy own ordinances shall have their hearts or understanding thereby opened or inlightned so made able to know the hope of their calling the riches of the glorious inheritance of the saints the exceeding greatnes of Gods power towards al which beleeue but those that depend upon the wisdom and learning of men can not possibly attain hereunto because Gods own ordinances though they do enjoy them yet are not esteemed of them further then the excelleÌ„cy of the outward gifts therin give coÌ„tent to their senses for though they heare yet they will not do or obey all such bee they never so wise and learned are in the flesh and therefore cannot possibly please God but those in whom the Spirit of God doth dwell shal be enlightned and made able to discerne all things which the other though of never so great learning most admirable parts having even the very spirit of the world in them can not do because they have but mans wisdom that perceiveth not the things of God nay they are foolishnes unto him here therefore for distinction sake and that every one might iudge his own heart whether he be of that number to whom God hath revealed these things or no our Saviour cals them Babes not in sanctification of life and power of Gods spirit but in their sence feeling being privy to their manifold weaknesses ignorances therfore in all humblenes of mind and meeknes of spirit they renounce their owne wisedom and submit themselves to the word of God as also being in the accompt esteeme of the world when they are compared with those that be contrary minded no better then very Babes even base contemptible persons not worthy so much as to carry their books after them yet these are the people and thus must they find themselves quallified men women or children whom Christ hath chosen to Reveale his holy and divine mysteries unto So that howsoever learning and wisdom are highly to bee reverenced as being very excellent gifts of God ordeyned for special helps in the ministerie of the Church both for the finding out of the truth also for the deviding of it aright therefore they that despise them cannot bee of God yet many times men of Belial doe enjoy them even false Prophets profane preachers who are many of them of most excellent parts so that from this place it is most evident that very often and not unusually learned and wise grave and understanding men yea famous and of principall note even Chiefe Rulers and principall pillars in the Churches of Christ having as much in them for all manner of learning in humanity in divinitie and in whatsoever as nature and industrie can possibly attaine unto are notwithstanding all this more then this if more can be teachers defenders maintainers of many grosse and horrible errors yea vise and damnable heresies which yet Babes do separate and fly from if any be pleased to restraine these words of Christ to the doctrines of faith and IustificatioÌ„ though every branch haue intrest in the priviledges of the tree I wil not contend about it but onely presuming on their patience be bould
the first verse which he had not commanded them what could it advantage them to plead as these men do the Lord hath not forbiddē it therefore we may conform unto it seeing there is no ill meaning nor any the least purpose to bring in Idolatrie or to confirme any therein but the cleane contrary as it is well enough known why should any bee so precise to abridge us of our libertie But the Lord foreseeing that all the other eight commandements would not haue halfe so much oppsition as this of his outward worship yea knowing that all the witty obiections and the very quintescence of all the subtill distinctions that the bottomlesse pit could possibly affoord would bee set abroach in these last times under colour of unity and decency for the more easie making way to the breach thereof this being the very key to all the other following for keepe this sincerely and faithfulnesse and truth will flourish in all the rest but suffer wicked men by carnal devices to make a breach in this and to iustifie the same and there will bee nothing but carnall policie and dissimulation in all the rest Now to prevent this misery which all callings and conditions else wil feele the smart of he teaches Magistrates by his owne practise how to deale with their Nadabs Abihues for every age wil haue some such and by this his argument o◠maner of reasoning teaches al private Christians how to behaue themselues in these occasions as if he had said That fire which the Lord hath not cōmanded is strange or a novelty that gesture in Gods worship that ceremony or calling in the Church which the Lord hath not ordained is strange and a meere Innovation Is it a matter of religious use yes And hath not the Lord in the word commanded it no. Then it is strange and thou mayst not in any case subscribe or conforme unto it And lest the impudent importunity of these indiffrent ones should prevaile in his Churches the Lord is pleased for our better confirmatiō to afford us this invincible reason Those that teach words in my name he doth not say which I haue forbidden but which I haue not commanded teacblying words so that whatsoever is ministerially taught and expressed in the Churches of Christ which God hath not commanded is of a lying disposition even of no other vse but to oppose the truth and to iustifie errour Those callings then which the Lord hath not commanded are lying callings Those ceremonies and gestures which the Lord hath not commanded are lying ceremonies gestures ferue for no other end but under colour to thrust out Gods holy ordinances and to bring in by degrees even any of mens Inventions But here me thinks I heare one crying out this is not to the point though they graunt all that I haue said for Nadab and Abihu were violent and vnstaied yong men and that which they did was the friute of rash and greene heads and they were neuer Inioyned by Moyses to take any other fire then that which was of Divine institution and came downe from heaven but voluntarily presumptuously without any dāger of losing their liuings or having any Ecclesiasticall ordinance or allowance for the same they very vnadvisedly yea desperatly ventred on it whereas otherwise if they had been graue and discreete persons the action not being forbidden by God the magistrate commaunding it and that otherwise they might not haue ministred at the Altar but should haue beene deprived both of their places and maintenance In such a case rather then the daily sacrifice should cease and the people be untaught it were better a thousand times to take any fire yea and to weare a fooles or a red pyde Coate in steed of the Priests garments and to conforme or subscribe to any thing whatsoever in cases of such desperate extremitie and so there appeares an exceeding great difference betwixt ther case and ours I must needs confesse this to be true and hee were worthy of a fooles Coate and cox-combe too that will not acknowledge this so great a difference in many of you But is it any other then that which was betwixt Ioabs killing of Abner in his owne private quarrell voluntarily presumptuously and of malice forethought And of Doeg that Edomite his running upon and slaying fourescore and fiue persons that did weare a linnen Ephod by the direct but most uniust commandement of Saul the annointed of the Lord Hee that voluntarily makes himselfe a Foole and a Knaue is worthy of reprose but he that is commanded to doe wickedly and damnably as to take away a mans living good name or life by some Canon-shot poyson or other damnable practise is not to be held any strange man but by this strange inference of these strange disputers to bee iustified because though to breake any of Gods least commandements even the least branch of anie of them wilfullie against knowledge and to teach others so to do or to perswade them to conforme thereto in cases of extremitie will certainlie keepe out of the kingdom of God in the iudgement or opinion of Christ yet if the magistrate will haue it so saith our learned masters sweet inference then any even the greatest commandements of Gods Law in anie branch thereof may very safely be broken without all danger conformed unto Is not this most horribly though most closely to vilify supreame authority let no sonne of Esau or cursed Amalekite gather that from hence which was never so much as Intended as if I inferred that either such an unlawfull decree may in any fashion be resisted seing all the servants of Christ though in in such cases they cannot be obedient because it is not in the Lord yet of absolute necessity they must bee subiect for the Lords sake or because David a man after Gods own heart gave forth a commandement occasionally wicked which yet being meerly civill Ioab unwillingly obeyed that therefore David is to be esteemed a Saul a persecutor an hypocrit a reprobate God forbid if it be a sin of the second table though great and filthy yet with Shem and Iaphet couer it but if directly against God confesse it if ever we looke for mercy Not but that God himselfe may dispence with any of his Commandements but for us to give this his glory or a speciall prerogative to any other is to blaspheme him that made us Moyses therefore knowing the absolute necessity in the ordinarie way to salvation of the knowledge in this principall and fundamentall poynt of faith and Religion viz. that the Lord will be sanctified both by using his own ordinances reverently and holily and especially or principally in having nothing in his publicke worship of religious use but what hee hath Commaunded in them that come neere him and can we possibly come neerer him then when we are with him and he by his speciall presence with us at his
sensible savouring the things that are of men as how we ought to pitty our selues our wiues and children and so prevent the unavoidable evils of non-conformitie but yet they understand not in this poynt the things that are of God namelie that rather then we should conforme to anie thing in his worship which he hath not in the word commanded we must forsake yea we must hate or denie in this case all affection of dutie reverence loue tender care or whatsoever to father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters yea and our owne liues also or else we cannot bee the disciples of Christ Must not these graue and learned perswaders then of absolute necessitie bee an offence unto every faithfull and tender heart Goe on therefore my brethren and be of good courage and assure your selues that in suffering for not conformitie to kneeling you suffer for the Lord Christ and to yeeld against the light of your hearts is to be ashamed of him seeing these things doe directly follow from his own words even wheÌ„ for feare of men spiritually adulterated we will conforme to things of divine use in his worship which he never commanded but are onely warranted to our consciences by the advise of the learned or the precepts of men the traditions of the Elders and other like humane authorities All which without warrant from the word even euery one of them in particular and generally altogether are Lyars and therefore all the gestures or actions ceremonies or or callings of religious use in the worship of God which they perswade unto without warrant from the word are lying gestures lying actions lying ceremonies and lying callings not but like the Divel they may speake professe and acknowledge some excellent truths but that the maine thing they aime at is to maintaine some errour or other and therefore all the volumes in the world filled with all the Art learning wisedome and discretion of the whole world compared with or set against one verse in the sacred Scriptures are to bee esteemed most filthy and stinking dung But haue we but one sentence in the Bible for a table-gesture which yet were sufficient against all humane opinions and authorities whatsoever haue we the first institution onely or barely mentioned do not everie one of the Evangelists make mention of a supper or a table of rising from supper and sitting down and of sitting even in the act of administring and receiving the sacrament yea doe not diuers places in the Acts and Epistles plainly inferre the continuance of a table gesture and therefore to bee the direct ordinance of Christ But it seems an impudent generation is come up who dare affirm that the Sunne of the Church must if they make such a charme or Canon stand still continually and not stir at all as once it did for one whole day in Gibeon but the Moone especially not to moue one inch as for that time it did not in the valley of Aielon further then they in their discretion shall thinke to bee fit and so by their wit and learning are bold to defend that the earth is in circular motion all the world and the creatures therein turning round continuallie yea they are most confident if they may haue audience to make any indifferent hearer that comes without preiudice to conforme and subscribe to â—his opinion Doth not the spirit of giddinesse possesse the heads of these men are not these the true successors of those learned Divines graue Rabbies great Doctors that still cried out to Christ Shew us a signe make it appeare that there is a Sun in the firmament proue unto us that there is a God or which was as evident that thou art the Messias Seeing then all things whatsoeuer of religious use which the father would haue the Church to know and conforme unto are treasured up in the word though every one indeed can not come at them deny this if they dare it must needs follow that either the gesture of kneeling as it is urged is a a humane Invention or as you would say in playne termes a very starke lie though hansomlie lapped up and therefore of the divell the father of lies though artificially painted perhaps by some of his limmers with the very best Italian beauties or else if it bee a trueth and therefore to bee conformed unto then there be some unwritten trueths or vereties which the Churches are bound of conscience to beleeve and conform unto and yet not commanded in the word of truth then it must needes follow besides the scriptures and either let our learned adversaries make this large breach for the Iesuites at pleasure to enter by or else for starke shame discharge no more such furious Cannon shot against our bullet-beaten fortresse The scriptures sufficiency Is it not high time to take away these presumptuous causes which purposely teach and perswade Conformity to such blasphemous doctrins out of Israel being the best seeds of the verie worst evils thereof I conclude therefore it is farre better to expose our estates and bodies to the greatest malice of our greevous adversaries by standing for a gesture without all exception then by conforming to one which that Prophet never taught no nor so much as once mentioned in that manner and forme as it is urged and so to be by him Destroyed out of the people For must we have his warrant and heare him onely in the doctrine of the sacrament and shall wee not care for his warrant nor regard what his word saith for the gesture of the sacrament And for those who in these matters of God concerning his publick worship insist so much and with such violence upon prohibitions a service sometimes not very acceptable to them crying out unto us shew one place where the Lord forbids these things and wee will yeeld that it is a damnable sin to conforme unto them I am bould with their good leave to Remember them of one other argument of the Lords own making concerning this very subiect of the actions ceremonies and gestures in this publick worship and service which he purposely framed and committed also to writing for the use of all posterity even to bee a lanthorne of our feet and an unerring light to our paths in these very occasions and in most plain evidence of the spirit it stands thus By the light of nature all mankind knows that there is a God therfore everie one wil worship him as wel as he caÌ„ though it bee not according unto knowledge to glorifie him as God for that is impossible without direction from his spirit according to the scriptures but though they have excellent wisdom and admirable understanding yet even the learnedest of them when they professe themselves greatest Clarkes proue themselues the veriest fooles because they become vain in their thoughts their foolish hearts are full of darknes for they turn the glory of the
a spirit in man and therefore it may bee that some are called spirituall men yet we should allwayes find this to be true in all controversies o◠proceedings about matters of Religious nature not many such how excellent soever much lesse the greatest part of them though most wise after the flesh no though their counsell in their dayes be esteemed as free from error as the oracle of God are notwithstanding chosen of God to doe any speciall good to his Churches or servants for indeed though their titles be spirituall yet their wayes and courses doe plainly testifie that their hearts are Carnall and fleshly and therefore they do not savour the things of Gods spirit no they seeme meere foolishnesse unto them because indeed they are spiritually discerned therfore they esteem them verie fooles and asses that will loose a good living rather then conforme to mens Inventions in Gods worship thus doe they assume that sufficiencie to themselues which is wholy of God Almightie whose inspiration onely giveth understanding especially in all matters of Religious use and yet will these aspiring spirits presume to set the H. Ghost to schoole most presumptuously reade large lectures of discretion unto him in his servants because they will not conforme without his direct warrant pretending that there is great truth no lies in the things they presse and yet cannot possiblie proue them to bee commanded of God as all trueth necessarie for the Church to conforme unto is as though if there were any kind of truth in them the holy Ghost would not lead and direct us therein and least they should put this off as a peculiar promise to the Apostles he hath purposely by precept and practise expresly in all such occasions tied us absolutely to the Scriptures you haue done foolishlie therefore in this O yee reverend and learned men that ye◠haue not rested on the word of the Lord in these thing in controversie which you so eagerly presse conformitie unto but as it were upon the hoast of the Aramits on the Ancient fathers general counsels and canons humane reason and the learning and wisdom of the world heare therefore the word of the Lord henceforth you shall haue wars one or other shall set upō your ceremonies all other your humane inventions and never giue that argument over till all ordinances in the Church which God hath not planted by the authoritie of the Scriptures bee utterlie rooted out And this your Idoll of conformitie the ripe fruit of your proud hearts wil deceiue you yea though thereby you are growen confident because you haue at length setled your seats as safely as in the clefts of the Rock and made your nests the verie next to the Eagle himself in the supremest mountaines of the highest Region yet will I bring you down from thence saith the Lord for though by thy wisdom and deepe pollicies or undiscerned subtleties thou hast gotten thee great riches and prefer 〈…〉 nts and hast increased very greatly thy power and authoritie and so art lifted up in thine heart as in a chaire of securitie conceiting thy selfe that thou art wiser then Daniel and hast more learning and wisdom greater reason and stronger arguments for thy conformitie then all those that are of perfect or sincere hearts towards the Lord and are contrarie minded and therefore dare no way conforme unto you with whom their feare even hee whom they serue will shew his strength yet behold God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound you that are so wise yea vile and despised persons which in the opinion of the world being compared with you did not so much as seeme to exist or bring to naught your strongest arguments for this your great goddesse conformitie and that by a plaine demonstration of their vanity yea though they be neither prophets or sons of the Prophets nor so much as brought up at the feet of some prophet but in comparison meere strangers yet they bee as a terrible nation and their arguments shall be as drawen swords against the verie beautie of thy wisdom yea they shal defile thy brightnesse your so admired vnderstanding by laying open your most dissembling and cunning practises yea in some of you horrible and fearefull blasphemies Many haue had I confesse too religious estimation of your learning and other venerable endowments but finding it plaine that in this Controversie with poore Christians you haue cast off the word of the Lord and trust in violence and wickednesse and stay thereupon for the iustifying of your courses not regarding the lawes of God or man but by one devise or other will breake through all therefore there is great hope that this iniquitie which lies swelling within you will make you so top-heavie as your verie height the onely thing you so wisely foresaw to be necessarie and therefore so providently by your deepe reaches haue attained will be an unavoydable cause of your sudden and violent downefall yea and with that detestation as no one humane invention seeme it never so tollerable shall bee left for the meanest use and office in the worship and publick service of the Lord no not so much as a little sheard to fetch fire or water for as all Gods ordinances are good so no humane invention of religious use in Gods worship can be good no not one And wheras it is obiected y t the reverend Fathers of our Church hold thē lawfull and good Iure diuino even so that Reuerend father Deterano Chamberlen to Vrban 6. publickly taught with great approbation of many great Divines that the verie meaning of Christ in saying giue to Caesar the things that be Caesars was but till his ascention and that when he was lifted vp he would drawe all these things vnto him that is Baronies Earledomes yea and kingdomes too even all that was Caesars and that it is therfore of Diuine Institution that the ministers of the Gospell might challenge and enioy these things as their proper and peculiar right both revenewes and honours and that it was grievous sacriledge for any prince to withhold the same or any ciuil authority from them or to this effect was that which he held which hath sprong out of that slip which he then set the seueral plants wherof haue wōderfully thriven in al christendom so likewise many great schollers and very learned divines haue held it an invincible argument that the Popes gouernment Hierarchie and supremacie is lawfull because it hath prospered and so long endured with good success for els say they God would neuer haue suffred it Is it not also avowed by many wise and reuerent Doctors that Iames the brother of our Lord according to the flesh did bring in the Masse and ioyned it to the scripture and therefore that it is of Apostolicall institution and ought to be conformed unto In like