Parents were It is true though that they through want of awful respect or reverence unto the divine Majestie were the Authors of sin and propagators of shame to their posteritie All of us are prone to think that they deserved ill not of God only but of us and yet the truth is that we lay a great deal more blame upon them then they deserved They indeed were the first yet not the greatest sinners Many of their posteritie in this qualitie go beyond them all of us imitate them too well in their sin but not in being ashamed when we sin 8. They had but one Commandement given by God and having transgressed that their Consciences did accuse them their very looks and gestures gave evidences against them We transgress all Gods Commandements and one and the same Commandement over and over God onely knows how often yet are not dejected are not confounded but bear out sail as if there were no danger Though every thing which God in his written Law hath prohibited is a branch of the forbidden tree He hath as peremptorily forbidden all To have any Gods but Him to worship any graven Image to take his Name in vain as he did our first Parents to taste of the Tree of good and evil Yet even such as would be held the only true Catholiques Worship Images and such again as would be accounted the pure Worshippers of God in truth and spirit worship their own Imaginations and transform the unchangeable nature of the Deitie into unfit similitudes Little Children amongst us are mightie Swearers and nothing more common in publique or private then to take Gods holy Name in vain to abuse it more grosly then the Jew or Heathen could who knew not God incarnate And all this they do without any sign of shame Women rail upon revile and curse one another in the open streets until their faces grow red indeed but with a redness which betokens no shame which bears no tincture of blush but rather of revenge and malice boyling in the heart or of heat in their tongue set on fire by Hell But these for the most part are of the meaner and baser sort Others there be as far transported with mis-guided Zeal from that modestie which becomes their Sex and this Zeal they offer up as strange fire unto God without blushing taking the Priests office upon them to be more then Teachers censurers of their Teachers swift to hear any doctrine that shall contradict the publique voice of the Church alwayes listening after the whisperings of such private Spirits as invert the Tenor of the Gospel no less then the old Serpent did the first Commandement which God gave unto mankind God had said unto them Gen. 3. ver 3. Ye shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil neither shall ye touch it lest ye die But the Serpent whispers ver 4. 5. Ye shall not surely die For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evil A plausible Comment to her which was now giving the raines to her longing appetite As plausible a doctrine it is to many of her Daughters to meddle with the marks of Election and Reprobation secrets which God hath reserved unto himself Points full of great difficultie and greater danger and wherein such as have waded farthest have as I said before inverted the Tenor of the Gospel For it is the perpetual voice of the Gospel If thou believe thou shalt be saved if thou believest not thou canst not be saved The very sum and final resolution of the doctrine of Election as it is vulgarly taught is this If thou must be saved that is if thou be of the number of the Elect or predestinated thou shalt believe If thou be not of the number of the Elect thou canst not believe To listen after such whisperings as these the weaker Sex take from their Mother Eve but to be confident or presumptuous upon such misinterpretations or to be censurers of their Superiors this they learn not from their Mother Eve but from her false Teacher This is a prodigious disposition in Women whom the Apostle commands to learn in silence with all subjection but will not suffer them to teach or to usurp authoritie over the man 1 Tim. cap. 2. ver 12. This silence and modestie is injoyned them as a Pennance for their Mother Eves transgression Ver. 13 14. For Adam saith the Apostle was first formed then Eve And Adam was not deceived but the woman being deceived was in the transgression Notwithstanding she shall be saved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the promised Seed If they continue in faith and charitie and holinesse with Sobrietie These are the meanes to make their Election sure 9. All of us both men and women are too prone to imitate our first Parents in doing that which is evil and forbidden by the Law of God And seeing better cannot be expected it were well if we could as truly imitate them in being ashamed of the evil which we have done They no sooner knew that they were naked but they sought a covering for their nakedness of fig-leaves but this would not serve For when they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden they hid themselves from his presence amongst the trees All of us have an experimental pledge of this which Moses relates concerning them in our selves unless we choke or stifle the instinct of corrupted nature by long custom or continuance in sin That our consciences do accuse us that the sight of men whom we know or suspect to be conscious of our mis-doings deject us both these argue that we must appear before a Judge even before that Judge from whose presence our first Parents hid themselves at whose appearance we shall be confounded if we come before him polluted with such blots and stains as our souls are ashamed sinful men such as our selves are should look upon For even that redness or blushing which appears in mens faces upon consciousness of their infirmities or misdeeds is but a mask which our souls do naturally put before them as being afraid lest others should see the stain or blemish of sin As our first Parents sought to hide themselves from God after they had transgressed his Commandements So Offenders hide themselves from his Deputies or Vicegerents on earth not only for fear of punishment but for shame And if we should give you the real or physical Definition of shame It is no other then the striving of Nature to hide the stain of our souls by sending out blood into the face or visage And men do but second this dictate of Nature when they put their hands or other covering before their faces So Disarius one of the Discoursers in Macrobius Saturn lib. 7. cap. 11. saith Natura pudore tacta sanguinem ante se pro velamento tendit Thus both corrupted nature and we our selves
assurance which is conteined in our belief of Christs Death and Passion The first branch of it is That God by giving his only Son for us did give us an inestimable pledge of his love to us in particular This we must believe Certitudine Fidei by Certaintie of Faith Upon this Foundation or Assurance of Faith our Apostle builds another Rom. 5. 9 10. Much more then being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him For if when we were Enemies we are reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled to God we shall be saved by his life And again Chap. 8. 32. He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things These are the Prime Seeds of true Christian Faith and must be undoubtedly planted in every mans heart before he can be a fit Hearer much less a Disputer in other Points of Divinitie as of Election Reprobation c. Whilest we labour to plough up your hearts for the fit receiving of this Seed of Faith we must not baulk that saying of St. John 1 Ep. 3. 3. Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself as he is pure If your perswasions of your assured Estate in Grace grow up together with this Purification of your hearts then are they Perswasions of Faith not Presumptions CHAP. XXXX The Fourth Sermon upon this Text. ROMANS 2. 1. Therefore Thou art inexcusable O man whosoever thou art that Judgest c. The Author Chapt. 38. propounded Three Points He handled The First in the 38 and 39. Chapt. The Second viz. How Papists and Protestants judging the Jew condemn themselves he omitteth having other-where spoken to that Point and Particularly Fol. 3342 3688. of this Book He proceeds here to The Third Point viz. How Jews Papists Protestants evidently condemn themselves vvhilst they Judge the Idolatrie of the Heathen 1. THe very worst that the Jew or Christian can object unto the Heathen as Heathen is the acknowledgement of many gods or the adoring of stocks of stones or as Daniel enstiles them gods of gold of silver brasse iron wood and stone How beit even this Imagination of many gods or the worshipping of many imaginary gods was but a Transfiguration or Transformation of the True and Only God into the similitude of those creatures or visible substances which they represented by the images which they worshipped This was the very height of heathenish Idolatry as our Apostle instructs us Rom. 1. 23. They changed the glory of the incorruptible God that is of the only God into an Image made like to corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things Of what things soever the images were which they did worship they changed the glory of God into the similitude of that thing whose Image they worshipped And by this means as the Apostle inferres ver 25. they changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the Creature more than the Creator who is blessed for ever So then the Transformation of the Divine Nature into unfit similitudes is it which must give us the True Scale or Scantling for measuring the haynousness of that sin which we call Idolatry He that most grosly transforms mis-pictures or changes the nature of the true and only God is the most gross Idolater be he by profession a Jew a Turk an Heathen or a Christian And it was observed and excellently prosecuted by a Great Prelate a most Reverend and Learned Bishop in this Land That the worshipping of Images and the worshipping of Imaginations so the Imaginations and the Images be alike monstrous or unfitting come both to one Passe 2. In the worshipping of Images the Romish Church and the Heathens do at least for the outward Act too well agree And in this respect the Jew and Mahumetan are more averse from the ancient Heathens then the best in the Romish Church are And if the sinceritie of Gods worship did consist in Negatives as in not worshipping the Images of any living thing the Mahumetan or Jew might have the precedency of Reformed Churches So farre are they from worshipping Images that they do not allow the making of Pictures though for historical use A Painter or Picture-maker is as execrable a creature amongst them as a professed Jew a Turk or Sarazen or worshipper of Idols is amongst us Yet are the Jews and Mahumetans notorious Idolaters in that other main Branch or rather Essential Root of Idolatry that is in worshipping their own Imaginations or in observing the Fables or Traditions of their Ancestors To omit then that Branch of Idolatry which consists in the worshipping of Images we must examine ourselves I mean we Christians whether Papists or Protestants By our adherence to the Root of Idolatry that is the worshipping of Imaginations or the Transformation of the Divine Nature into the similitude of our corrupt desires or affections This is that which gave life and Being to the multiplicitie of imaginary gods amongst the Heathens And the Poyson of this Idolatry may be more malignant in others then it was or is in them for want of vent or issue 3. We of Reformed Churches rightly censure it as a Branch of heathenish Idolatry in the Romish Church in that they teach the people to make solemn supplication unto Saints deceased for their Intercession or mediation with God or Christ And under this Censure fall all their prayers which they make in this or the like form Sancta Maria Sancte Petre c. Ora pro nobis Into this branch of Formal Idolatry they could not possibly slide but through the other which properly consists in the Transformation or changing of the Divine Nature into the similitude of corruptible mans corrupt affections Now how deeply that very Church is tainted with this Idolatry Her own Plea for practising the former Branch in praying unto Saints will give evidence against them For the best warrant which her Sons can pretend unto to mis-perswade the multitude or vulgar is this That God is a Great King the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and therefore good manners requires that we do not preferre our Petitions immediately unto him but use the mediation or intercession of deceased Saints which are in greater favour with him then we wretched sinners are Now by this very Imagination or Conceit they transform the glorious Majestie of the invisible God and of his Christ into the similitude of mortal men of men though greater in power and Majestie then other men are yet for the most part not so good as they themselves are great not so inclinable to poor mens Peritions nor so compassionate of their miseries as meaner men are Or if by nature breeding or civil education these great Potentates of the world be more affable or compassionate then other men are yet are they not able to give dispatch to
them ye shall scourge in your Synagogues and persecute them from City to City That upon you may come all the righteous blood that was shee l upon the earth from the blood of the righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias the son of Barachias whom ye slew between the Temple and the Altar Verse 36. Verily I say unto you all these things shall come upon this Generation Or as it is in St. Lukes Narration of our Saviours Comment upon this Story taken by himself or by others who heard him in the very same words wherein he uttered it Therefore also saith the Wisdom of God I will send them Prophets and Apostles some of them they shall or will slay persecute That the blood of all the Prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this Generation from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the Altar and the Temple Verily I say unto you it shall be required of this Generation This vehement reiterated Asseveration literally and punctually referrs unto the words of my Text. The Implication or Importance is as much as if he had said Ye Scribes and Pharisees may call to mind that when your Fore-fathers whose murtherous acts ye acknowledge did slay Zacharias the High-Priest he expired with these words in his mouth Lord look upon it and require it His innocent blood was then in part required upon King Ioash upon the Princes of Judah and other chief offenders But shall now again be required in full and exact measure of this present Generation more murtherous and bloody then their idolatrous fore-fathers at any time were 9. What shall we say then That this last Generation was guilty of the murther of Zachariah or to be plagued for their fathers sins in murthering him This Point will come to be discussed in the Third General And however that may be determined This Case is clear that These later Iews did make up the full measure of their fore-fathers iniquity in killing Gods Prophets especially in murthering Zechariah who was the most illustrious Type of Christ the Son of God in the Manner of his death and for the Occasions which these several Generations took respectively to murther them both The special Occasion which their fore-fathers took to kill Zachariah the Son of Iehoiada or Barachias for he bore both names though both in effect the same or one equivalent to the other was because he taxed them for their idolatry and laboured to bring them again to the worship of the true God The only quarel which the malice of the later Jews could pick against our Lord and Saviour was because he taxed their hellish Hypocrisies which their too Curious Reformation of their fore-fathers Idolatry had bred And taught them how to worship God in spirit and truth not in Ceremonies or meer bodily observance Neither Generation were so blind as to persecute men whom they did acknowledge to be immediately sent from God Yet were both furiously prone to persecute such as indeed were sent from God for pretending or promulging their Commission from God or taking the names of Prophets upon them so often as their doctrine did crosse their practises or violent passions This later Generation of Scribes and Pharisees after they had failed in their Proofs of any Capital matter of Fact or point of doctrine delivered by Christ condemned him for answering affirmatively to this Question proposed Tell us art thou the Son of God or as St. Mark more punctually expresseth it Art thou the Christ the Son of the Blessed Mark 14. 61. Zechariah as was now said was Christs true Picture for Quality for Office and for the Relation of Names and kindred For Zechariah was a Prophet and a Priest the Son of Iehoida which signifieth as much as The knowledge of God or as our Saviour expresseth the Reality answering to his name The son of Barachias that is The blessed of God And our Saviour was The Son of the only wise God the wisdom of God and The blessed of God the very God of blessing being the Great Prophet of God and high-Priest of our souls Lastly the Princes of Iudah having by glozing flattery perswaded their King to authorize their projects against Zechariah the High-Priest and Prophet of the Lord put them in execution upon the solemn Feast of Attonement or expiation The Scribes and Pharisees equal or Superior to these Lay-Princes in cruelty importuned Pilate by pretended observance and loyal obedience to the Roman Caesar to sacrifice The Son of the Blessed whom they had unjustly condemned unto their malice at that solemn Feast which was prefigured by the Feast of Expiation the Feast instituted in the memory of their deliverance out of Egypt CHAP. XLII MATTH 23. verse 34 35 36 c. Wherefore behold I send unto you Prophets and Wise men and Scribes and some of them ye shall or will kill and crucifie and some of them shall or will ye scourge in your Synagogues and persecute them from City to City That upon you may come or by which means will come upon you all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias the son of Barachias whom ye slew between the Temple and the Altar Verily I say unto you all these things shall come upon this Generation 2 Chron. 24. 22. The Lord look upon it and require it Luke 11. 51. Verily I say unto you it shall be required of this Generation THese words were uttered by our blessed Lord and Saviour against the Scribes and Pharisees with their Associates in Blood a little before the Feast of the Passover Whether that Last Passover wherein this Lamb of God prefigured by that Solemn Feast as also by the Death of Abel and his Sacrifice was offered upon the Cross is or may be a Question amongst the learned not at this time to be disputed But rather if occasion serve in the explication of the last verse Verily I say unto you ye shall not see me henceforth till that ye say Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. For gathering the true and full Connexion of this Passage with the former Relations it shall suffice to observe that as our Saviour never spared the Scribes and Pharisees So at this time above others he reproves them most fully and sharply The Matter of this Reproof was their avarice and hypocrisie The End partly to prevent the like desire of vain-glory with other Enormities in his Disciples Partly to cure if it were possible the Scribes and Pharisees of their hereditary disease Hence whereas they most affected Complemental Greetings in publick places or glorious Titles of Rabbies Our Saviour to allay this humour for respectful Salutations presents them Woes instead of glorious Titles he instyles them Hypocrites For striking at seven several Branches of their Hypocrisie he seven times in this Chapter begins his speech in this style Wo
or Title of being called the sons of God And under this style it is promised ver 9. Blessed are the peace-makers for they shall be called the sons of God 13. Yet all these qualifications were not sufficient unless they be accompanied with a firm and constant resolution to suffer persecution all the persecution that flesh and blood can in this life devise against them rather then they should forego their humilty their mourning their meekness their love of righteousness their mercifulness and puritie of heart towards God There must be a greater love of all these qualifications here mentioned then of our selves otherwise we shall be uncapable of the least portion of the Blessedness here so often promised This patience in suffering or constant resolution to endure persecution is the very girdle or tie of all other Christian vertues and for this reason it is twice repeated Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousness sake ver 10. And again ver 11. Blessed are you when men shall revile you c. 14. Many may be forward to suffer persecution yea to affect it but as he said Res ingeniosa est esse Christianum It is a matter of extraordinary wit to be a true Christian unto true Martyrdom there is required not only sobrietie of spirit but of Iudgement for none can be a Martyr but he that suffers for Righteousness sake or for Christs sake who is such a fountain of righteousness as the sun is of light Now to discern true righteousness from pretended or to sever Christs Cause from our own particular Interest or engagements is a point of extraordinary skill Whereas it is an easie matter to pawn our fame or credit our very lives in maintenance of that which we have boldly avouched to be true and just None were more forward to sacrifice themselves for their Religion then were the Jews which yet blasphemed the name of Christ and the wayes of truth after they had crucified the Lord of truth and of glory none more forward then they to raise up persecution against the Apostles and disciples in every City and albeit many of them were put to cruell and ignominious deaths for their stiff adherence to Moses Law as they imagined yet Martyrs they were not because they died not for Moses sake nor for his sake for whom Moses wrote but for maintenance of their own perverse opinions and affections For though they abhorred the Idols of the heathen yet they committed more abominable sacriledge then the Heathens did for of all kinds of Idolatry or Sacrilegious worship the most untoward and least to be pittied is when men are prone to sacrifice themselves to their own pride or head-strong ignorance 15. The truth is that no man can suffer persecution for righteousness sake but he that is a follower of righteousness and a son of peace No man can suffer persecution for Christs and the Gospels sake but he that hath learned of Christ to be humble and meek And for this reason haply it is that unto such as suffer persecution whether in their body or good name so they suffer it for Christs name the blessedness of the life to come is promised First under the same Style or Title that it was unto the poor in spirit He had said of these ver 3. That theirs is the Kingdom of heaven and of those ver 10. Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven As also secondly under the same Title that it is promised to the meek of whom he had said ver 5. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth And unto such as are reviled and persecuted falsely for his sake he addeth verse 12. Rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven 16. And thus hath our Saviour taught us the Use and application of all that hath been delivered concerning Eternal Life And the Use or application of it is as General and large as are the commandments of God There is no duty enjoyned whereunto the hope or belief of this Eternal Reward doth not enable and bind us This was the first Lesson our Saviour taught after he entred upon his Propheticall function and it is the last Article in our Creed It is as Christ himself is Imus angularis lapis et suminus It is both the foundation stone and that which bindeth all the building nor need we be afraid to do well Intuitu mercedis with respect to recompence or reward seeing Christ himself when he first begun to Preach the glad tydings of the Gospel did make no promise of reward save only to such as continue in weldoing or suffer evil with patience And his Apostle Saint Paul exhorting us to cheerfulness in weldoing and patience in suffering proposeth the like hope of reward making Christ Iesus himself a patern for us to follow Wherefore seeing we are also compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us Looking unto Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the Crosse despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God Heb. 12. 1 2. Nor is it possible for flesh and blood to resist either their proper Enticements or the temptations of Satan much lesse to vanquish this tempter by any other means then by serious meditation upon the several Rewards proposed unto such as shall overcome and of the several punishments which are threatned and shall be awarded unto all such as forsake the field and neglect the service of God And though it be true that we must obtain this victorie by the spirit of God yet one special means by which the spirit of God obtaines this victory for us is by representing and imprinting such punishments or plagues as are dreadful and fearful even to flesh and blood so that the flesh must be affrighted and deterred from or forth of the wayes of sin by the wages of sin And the spirit of God which is in man must be daily animated and encouraged by the hope of heavenly joyes whose very nature and qualitie is spiritual The flesh or sensitive part cannot truly apprehend the joyes of the spirit nor is the spirit so capable or so apprehensive of deadly punishment or pain as the sensitive or animal part is 17. To branch this Use or Application which our Saviour makes of this point into his proper particulars Though it be true that all of us are the seed of rebellious parents and have gone astray from the womb as well by sins of omission as of commission yet that which the heathen Philosopher long since observed if it be candidly interpreted and with such charity as becometh Christians is likewise true Nemo sponte malus No man in his
bounds do the same things she doth by Equivalencie and run to the same End by a quite contrary way The Romish Church it cannot be denyed makes her Popes and Prelates with other Pillars of their Church plain Idols They which out of an undiscreet and furious zeal seem most to abhor this kind of Idolatry commit Sacrilege and rob God of his honour as the Romish Church doth And he that robs God of his honour doth the very same thing and no other which an Idolater doth Now they are said in Scripture to rob God of his honour and to commit an abomination more then heathenish for the heathen do not spoil their Gods which defraud him of his tithes offrings which were due unto the Priest for his ministration and service in Gods House But they rob God of his honour more immediately and more directly which despise or contemn his Embassadors not in word only but in taking that Authority from them which he hath expresly given unto them and which is worst of all in seeking to alienate it unto them over whom he hath in matter of salvation appointed them Guides and Overseers That Precept of our Apostle I am sure will stand good when all Laws or Intendments of Laws to confront it will fail Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves Heb. 13. 17. What Rule doth he mean meerly Civil or Temporal No! What then Ecclesiastick Not that only But the Rule of Government spiritual such as is proper to the Bishops of the Church For so it follows for they to whom you are to submit your selves watch for your souls as they that must give an accompt and you are therefore to obey that they may do their office with joy and not with grief for that saith the Apostle is unprofitable for you Now that in this plenty of preaching and frequencie in hearing The most hearers profit so little in the School of Christ the true Reason is for that men do not submit themselves unto their Pastors in such sort as they ought but think it his Duty or Office only to preach and their duty only to hear not to be Ruled or Governed by him whereas the ones preaching is vain and the others hearing is vain unless this duty of obedience be first planted in their hearts The Pastors Grief which ariseth from neglect or contempt of this Duty will prove in the issue the Peoples Curse 8. But the main stream of Popery from which the name of Babylon is derived unto Rome was the Absolute Infallibilitie of the Romish Church Representative The branches of this supposed absolute Infallibilitie were Two The First That the sense of Scriptures which that Church doth maintain or avouch concerning Faith or Manners is alwayes Authentick undoubted and true But whereas many Points as well of Doctrine as Practise concerning Faith and Manners were in that Church established by Prescription and Use without so much as any Pretence of warrant from Scripture They were inforced in the Second Place to maintain That the Unwritten Traditions of the Church were of equal Authoritie with the Scriptures and that the present Church was as Infallible in her Testimony of the One as in her Judgment of the other The Infallible Consequence of which supposed Infallibilitie is This That the people were absolutely to believe whatsoever that Church should propound unto them as a Point of faith or practise commendable and to abjure whatsoever that Church should condemn for heresie or ungodliness By Absolute Belief or obedience they intend a belief or obedience not only without Condition or scruple in the first undertaking but without Reservation of appeal upon any new discovery of dangers unseen unsuspected in the first undertaking The Churches Authority once declared was in their Divinity sufficient to quell or put to silence all succeeding Replies or mutterings of Conscience Both these dangerous Errors were well Reformed The later stream or puddle of Traditions in a manner drained by this Church and State For every Bishop at his Consecration doth solemnly promise or vow not to propound any thing to the people as a Point of Faith unless it be either expresly conteined in the Scripture or may be thence deduced by necessary Inference To bind or tie all Bishops thus solemnly unto the observance of this Rule the wisdom of those Times had these Reasons Not only to curb or restrain the licentious Abuse of Bishops former Authoritie but because they knew that the people were in many Cases concerning the service of God and other Christian duties bound to yeeld more credence and obedience to their Bishops and Pastors then unto men not called to Sacred or Pastoral Function It is One Thing to believe any Doctrinal Proposition as A Point of Faith necessary to salvation Another to believe it so far as we may safely adventure upon any practise or duty injoyned by superiors That is to believe it not Absolutely but Conditionally and out of such belief to obey them not absolutely but conditionally that is with reservation of freedom or libertie when either the truth shall be better discovered then now it is or greater dangers appear then for the present we do suspect The Obedience which we give unto Superiors may be Ex Fide of Faith albeit the points of doctrine or the perswasions out of which we yeeld this obedience be not De Fide No points of Faith or necessary to salvation 9. But a great many well-meaning men there were who shortly after this happy Reformation could not content themselves to stand upon such sure Termes of Contradiction unto the Romish Church as the first Reformers had done but sought in this Point which was indeed above all others to be abhorred to be most extremly Contrary unto her Wherein then doth that Contradiction to the Romish Church wherein the first Reformers of Religion did entrench themselves and wherein doth the Extream Contrarietie whereunto others more Rigid Reformers if they could have effected their Projects would have drawn this Church and Land consist The Romish Church as you heard before did make Unwritten Traditions a Part of the Rule of Faith as soveraign as the written Word of God and did obtrude those observances which had no other warrant then such Tradition as altogether necessary to salvation The First Reformers of this Error were contented to contradict them only in this And their Contradiction is expresly mainteined partly in the Articles of Religion partly in the Book of Consecration of Bishops The Contradiction is This That all things necessary to salvation are contained in Scripture which is all one as to say That the Scripture is the only Rule of Faith Yet did they not for all this utterly reject All use of Tradition or Ceremonies as you may find expressed in the thirty fourth Article in which though Rites and Ceremonies or other customs of the Church be not injoyned in particular as they take for granted by God himself