AN EXAMINATION OF CERTAINE MOTIVES TO RECVSANSIE By W. BEDELL Printed by the Printers to the Vniversitie of CAMBRIDGE And are to be sold at London by R. Daniel at the signe of the Angell in Lumbard-street 1628. TO THE RIGHT Worshipfull my very good Friend Sir THOMAS BARKER SIR I Send you here an Answer to that Paper I received from you containing a collection of certaine Reasons conveyed into the hands of some devout Gentlewomen your friends with purpose to divert them from society with Protestants and specially in Gods service established among us Vpon the first view of them I marvelled at the Authors strange drawing and misapplying Scriptures to his purpose at the opinions which he imputed to ancient Hereticks whereof to my remembrance I had never read nor heard before But when I came to examine the places more particularly in his owne Authors I found cause even to be astonished at the boldnesse of the man that taking advantage of the credulity of such good people durst put such a packet of lies into their hands And I could not but pitty their case who being fallen into the net of errour are by such a cunning but ungodly practise in danger to be inwraped and snarled by this perswasion of separation so as if Gods mercy be not the more there is no meanes for them to come ever even to understand this falshood wherby their simplicity is abused There is not a more approoved remedie against the stinging of a Scorpion then the Scorpion it selfe bruised in oyle and applyed I have here endeavoured to bray this Scorpion it shall be your part to apply it And if this Collector can and will justifie under his name his Doctrine of Separation and his Catalogue of Heresies and his Charge of Protestants to renew them he shall proove himselfe an honest man if he cannot and will yeeld to the truth at least a good Christian. If he doe not one of the two request your friends as our old Proverbe hath it to let him continue in their Pater noster but cast him his additions to the Catholick faith for ever out of their Creed Concluding I desire God to give you and them a right understanding in all things and to follow the truth in Charity and rest Yours in Christ Iesu W. BEDELL AN EXAMINATION of certaine Motives to RECVSANCIE ¶ Society with those of contrary Religion hath alwaies been pernicious and unlawfull THis Assertion is very confusedly set downe As it stands without limitation it is utterly untrue and besides nothing to the purpose For society of such as are of a false religion with those of the true Religion hath been often very profitable to them alwaies lawfull And the Religion of the reformed Churches is not a contrary religion to that of the Romane obedience but onely different as pure and corrupt reformed and deformed For the discovery of the truth the words and termes are to bee opened This terme Religion is not alwaies used in the same meaning Sometime it is put for the perswasion of the minde and judgement touching some divine nature and the devotion of the heart toward the same as the Iewish religion Aâ—… 26. 5. So religion of Angels Col. 2. 18. sometimes it is put for some more speciall observance and ceremony as the Religion of the Paschall Lambe Exod. 12. 26 43. According to which sense the rules of Saint Benedict Saint Basill and others have been called religions although they had not a divers faith or perswasion touching God nor yet a different worship in the substance but onely in circumstances as apparell formes and houres of praier and such like Contrary Religions therefore are such as have a contrary faith touching the God they worship as Iacob and Laban Gen. 31. Or a contrary manner of worshipping him in matter of substance Circumstances and differences in opinions government and ceremonies doe not make a diverse much lesse a contrary religion as appeares in the religion before and after the Law written before and after Christ. These were different as an infant a childe and a man of yeares yet the same person As for the terme Society it is likewise of divers sorts one in the duties of religion another in common life Wherein againe some is necessary and not at our choice and discretion as the society of parents and children servants and masters subjects and princes citizens neighbours kinsfolkes passengers in the same ship guests at the same table yea every man with another in that hee is a man Some againe is voluntary and at pleasure as of contracting marriage friendship familiarity choosing our habitation and company with whom we will consort our selves These explications premised I answer in these five propositions First society in the worship of God with true beleevers professing pure religion is lawfull and necessary and when it may be had cannot long bee omitted without sin Psal. 122. 1. I was glad when they said unto me let us goe into the house of the Lord Psal. 133. 1. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity Act. 2. 42 44. The Christians of the primitive Church are said to have continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in praiers and were together and Vers. 46. And they continuing daily with one accord in the Temple and breaking bread from house to house did eate their meat with gladnesse and singlenesse of heart Heb. 10. 25. Not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is Secondly society with men that worship the true God though in some points ignorant or misbeleevers may be holden so long as they are not obstinate and God is not dishonoured Act. 19. 9. Paul resorted to the Synagogue of the Iewes till they were hardned and blasphemed the way of the Lord then hee separated the Disciples See also 1. King 8. 41. where Solomon praieth for the stranger that was not of Gods people Israel but came out of a farre countrey and should come and pray towards the Temple that God would heare and doe according to his request that all the people of the earth might know his Name to feare him as Israel did Thirdly society with men that worship a false God or the true God with a false and Idolatrous worship in the exercise of their religion is utterly unlawfull Deut. 12. 30. Take heed to thy selfe that thou bee not snared by following them after that they be destroyed from before thee saying how did these nations serve their gods even so will I doe likewise Thou shalt not doe so unto the Lord thy God How neer so ever they be Deut. 13. 6 7. If thy brother the sonne of thy mother or thy sonne or thy daughter or the wife of thy bosome or thy friend which is as thine owne soule c. So Exod. 32. 27. The Levites are bidden by Moses from the Lord to slay
every man his brother and every man his companion and every man his neighbour that had committed idolatry by worshipping God in the golden Calfe Fourthly civill society with men of a false religion or wicked life to whom we are necessarily bound by the Law of God or man must be holden and cannot bee broken without sinne as that of the subiect and the Prince Rom. 13. the husband and the wife 1. Cor. 7. 10. servant master 1. Pet. 2. 18. yea Iew Samaritane Luk. 10. 37. Fiftly civill society such as is unnecessary with men of a false religion or wicked life albeit sometimes it be turned to good yet it is hazardous to the professours of the truth as 2. Chron. 18. 31. and Chap. 19. 2. where Iehosaphat hardly escaping with his life is thus reprooved Shouldest thou helpe the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord And Gen. 19. 15. Lot is sent out of Sodome in haste with this terrour Lest thou be consumed in the 〈◊〉 of the city And Peter while he would associate himselfe with the servants of the high Priest needlesly fell into the snare of the Devill and denied his master Matth. 26. 58. 70. And 1. Cor. 10. 27. If any of them that beleeve not bâ—… you to a feast and ye will goe c. Hee doth not absolutely forbid it but implies the danger in going to the feasts of Idolaters And 2. Cor. 6. 14. expresly forbids entermarrying with such Bee not unequally 〈◊〉 with unbeleâ—…vers c. But let us examine his proofes In the law of Nature the ruine of all mankinde in Noah his flood came of this That the children of God kept not themselves apart from the society of the wicked Gen. cap. 6. vers 2. THis is very true but nothing to our present purpose for neither doth it appeare by the text that these wicked people were of a contrary religion and the children of God entermarried with them which was to hold unnecessary fellowship with them whereby they were drawn away to their corruptions vers 11 12. The professours of true religion did so farre avoid the followers of errours that they would not after their death bee buried in the same Church-yard therefore Abraham bought a speciall place for the buriall of Sara and himselfe Gen. 23. 20. THe professours of true religion never esteemed much where their bodies were buried after death as being assured whatsoever became of them they should have a glorious resurrection Neither were there in Abrahams time Churches or Church-yards to be buried in nor was it the use to be buried all in one place every man was buried in his owne possession So that the burying of Sara in a field purchased by Abraham is very fondly attributed to a desire of separation from the Canaanites Abraham had not till then a foot of land in the countrey And whereas Iacob and Ioseph gave charge of their buriall in the land of Canaan it was to confirme their posterity in the faith of Gods promise that he would give it them for an inheritance Gen. 50. 25. Conformably to this the Israelites imployed the money of Iudas to buy a field for buriall of strangers Matth. 27. 7. Thus Gods people both alive and dead refused in religious actions the society of those who were of contrary religion The true Israelites would in no wise communicate with the schismaticke Samaritanes Ioh. 4. 9. 3 Reg. 12. and this because they put away the true Priests and set up a new service to withdraw men from the right service which was ordained in Ierusalem THe strangers for whose buriall a field was bought with the money which Iudas received for betraying our Lord for any thing in the text might be Proselyâ—… and not of a contrary religion Howsoever the wicked murtherers of Christ if there had been any religion to bee put in the not burying the strangers with Gods people would not of likelyhood have been the â—…st nor are the most commendable Authors of this practise Let them glory in this president that dig up the bodies of the dead and cast them out into the fields or bury them in dunghills or burne them to ashes How much more likely is it that the holy Ghost would typically set forth by this story that the price of our Lords blood should procure to the Gentiles who were strangers from the Common-wealth of Israel a place of sleep and rest though the Priests purchase was to them and Iudas a field of blood As touching the Samaritans and the Israelites separation from them first the originall of the Samaritanes is not rightly referred to the time of Ieroboam 3. Reg. 12. Samaria it selfe was not then built nor the ten Tribes carried away captive in whose place the 〈◊〉 came above two hundred yeares after Ieroboams reigne These Samaritanes were not onely Schismatickes but Idolaters also 2. King 17. 4. The cause of the Iewes separation from them even after they had a Priest of Aarons line and a Temple and service like to that of Ierusalem erected by Sanballat for Manasses his sonne in law upon mount 〈◊〉 was the expresse commandement of God appointing Ierusalem the place of worship besides many other respects religious and civill But our Lord Iesus Christ even in the place here alleadged communeth with a woman of Saâ—…ria asketh drinke of her and after giveth to her and the men of the Citie water of life And elsewhere impersonateth in a Samaritane the duty of mercy which a Priest and Levite had neglected And rebukes the preposterous zeale of Iames and Iohn which would have called fire from heaven upon the Samaritanes that received them not giving us rather an example of meeknesse and gentlenesse towards all howsoever exasperated against us then of further enraging and setting off those that are separated Korah Dathan and Abiram made a schisme against the Priests of God presuming to worship the true God as the Priests did whereas it was not their office see the event Numb 16. 26 30. The earth opened and they went alive to hell with all that were in their company THe rebellion of Korah and his company against Moses and Aaron is very plainly referred to the seeking the Priest-hood vers 10. As for the offering incense it was by the commandement of Moses vers 17. I see not what this example makes to the purpose unlesse it teach men not to rend themselves from the Church of God or joyne in the despising of government with them that seek worldly glory and not the glory of God Heresie for the confusion and dissention in the doctrine is called Babylon The Prophet Ieremy saith of it Fly from the midst of Babylon goe out from her my people lest you be partaker of her sinnes and receive of her plagues Apoc. 18. 4. cap. 14. 9. To be with her in the act of her rebellion in the service of God which she hath set up
preaching Christ but being in faith one differing from another the Infidels not knowing which to chuse for true Christians they sent them both back againe THis is as true as the golden Legend excelleth all other books as much as gold all other mettalls I marvell out of what Countrey the Lutherans went into New France or by what way they were sent home againe The Author of this fiction seems to have imagined that New France is as neare and accessible to France and Germany as the Frank County and the Infidels there as able to discerne what makes a different faith as the Colledge of the holy Inquisition at Rome But the blinde swallows many a flie There is but one truth and one onely true Church wherein it is conserved and of whom it must be learned in this onely Church are Gods people aâ—…d in this he hath ordained Sacrificâ—… Sacraments and a peculiar externall service to worship him that he may be knowne to be their God and they to be his people IN the multitude of opinions there is but one truth And among sundry truths there is but one necessary to salvation that wherein the holy Scriptures as the Apostle saith are able to make us wise by the faith in Christ Iesus The Keeper of this truth and of the Scriptures in which it is treasured is the Church not of one City but the Catholick Church that is the fellowship of Saints dispersed through the whole world This is that Church in which onely are Gods people In this he hath ordained the commemoration of Christs Sacrifice till his comming againe with a service not now consisting in rites and ceremonies but reasonable as the Apostle teacheth Rom. 12. which for the particular manner of it may bee divers in divers places but for the generall must be with understanding and edification 1 Cor. 14. 15 26 and with comelinesse and order vers 40. Such is God be praised the service used among us in the Churches of England That the new invented service of God is schismaticall and the doctrine now preached is heresie by the judgment of the primitive Church and for such condemned see the fathers of those daies who as the Apostles ordained have noted all such as have taught contrary to the saith which was delivered to the Churches by the Apostles HItherto hath been the endeavour of the Authour of this Collection to proove it unlawfull to hold society with those of a contrary religion Now hee goes about to shew that the Church of England is of a contrary religion But herein he behaves himselfe so superficially and sleightly as if he would have it presumed and taken for granted or received upon his word without proofe And for the former hee hath alledged some twenty texts of Scripture though some of them very impertinently as hath been seen For this there is not so much as one word of Scripture where there was most need both in respect of the matter being the convincing of heresie and the men against whom hee deales ever resting in the authority of Scripture and appealing to that rule and Touch stone He saith the new invented Service of God is schismaticall This if he meane it of ours is a slanderous speech without proofe That it is so he bids us See the fathers of the primitive Church Why how should the Fathers if our service be newly invented condemne that which they never saw or heard This is to trifle and presume his Readers are simple Innocents that will take such generall proofe as this See the Fathers of those daies What if they be no Schollers What if they have no leasure What if they be told that the Fathers of the Primitive Church doe by their describing the service of God in their owne times as it were in a table picture out ours That for the present service of the Romane faction of all the old Fathers they have not one Well yet in this his modesty is to be commended that he would not say the service of God which we use is hereticall but schismaticall We take his Confession and sure it proceeded not from want of will to speak the worst but from lack of matter to furnish out his accusation if he should have said otherwise For the substance of our Service being a Confession of our sins the pronouncing of Absolution to the penitent beleever according to the commission of the Gospel the Psalmes the Lessons out of holy Scripture the Hymne of Saint Ambrose called Te Deum that of Zachary the blessed Uirgin and Simeon the Apostles and Athanasius Creed the Lords Praier the Collects for the most part the same which themselves use but in a tongue understood Slaunder it selfe never yet durst accuse it of heresie The like may be said for the celebration of the Sacraments and the rest of the acts of the publick Ministery And here I desire the Reader to consider how he shuffelleth in this second part of his Argument for he began with men of a contrary religion and hereticks now he falls to such as have a schismaticall Service Which of the Fathers ever accounted difference in Service hereticall or schismaticall when as neither any particular forme was prescribed by our Lord Iesus Christ nor delivered by the Apostles or yet ordained by any generall Councell to be used in the Catholick Church The liturgies of the Greek Church which goe under the names of Saint Iames Saint Mark Saint Basil Saint Chrysostome are extant differing each from other and from those of the Latine Church whether the later of Saint Gregory or the ancienter of Saint Ambrose In Gregories time it is plaine that the Churches of France had not the same service with the Church of Rome for when as Austen whom he sent to plant the faith among the English demanded why there was one custome of Masses in the Romane church and another in the churches of France Saint Gregory bids him That he should chuse whether in the Romane or any other Church whatsoever might most please God and establish it in the new Church of the English In this Church of England even to the day of the reforming the Service we had divers orders as of Sarum York Hereford Bangor And so had they in Italy it selfe till Pius Quintus reformed the Breviary and Missall after the Romane use enjoyning all Churches to follow that unlesse where they had for above 200 years a custome to celebrate otherwise And Pius acknowledgeth that in the reformation of his Breviary those things that were impertinent and uncertaine were remooved and the Missall restored to the ancient rule and rite of the holy Fathers Which reformation notwithstanding and that Pius decreeth by his Bull prefixed that nothing should at any time be added taken away or altered yet in the time of Clement 8. it was again corrected in some things corrupted as Marsilius one of the Uenetian Divines