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A02930 The curtaine of Church-povver and authoritie in things called indifferent Drawne and laid open, to shew the many infectious sores and maladies they bring in, and cover. Together with sundry infallible reasons, proving that the service of God, and the generall good of the Church and common wealth require that they should be abolished. By Ia: Henric Henric, James. 1632 (1632) STC 13071; ESTC S111374 72,115 112

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against the Arrians They had almost decreed against Priests mariage that had not beene so well nor was well in such Councels as after decreed it against her and the word of God which is greater therefore the booke of Articles saith well That generall Councels may erre and sometimes have erred Art 2● The same Councell made the Bishop of Rome a Patriarch and the first of the Patriarchs and so gave him a primacy of order before the Patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch who had like priviledges over the other parts of the Christian world but this was not so well because the Beast arose to his Antichristian greatnesse out of this sea of Fathers doctrine and Canons and from this small beginning of preeminence If the Church have taken on her to ordaine a feast for the blessed Nativity of our Saviour and another or two in memory of his resurrection and the comming of the Holy Ghost Esth 9.21 because indeed the Iewes did the like in a case of great deliverance from the conspiracy of proud Haman she must yet set bounds to her power and not think she may ordaine what holy dayes ordinances and ceremonies shee list as the Church of Rome hath done ordaining the feast of Candlemasse or the purification in place of that feast the Heathen kept to the Goddesse Febra the mother of Mars and so divers titular offices ordinances and Sa●●●s dayes in place of those the Heathen celebrated to their hee-Gods and shee-Gods But leaving to make any further discovery of her presumptuous imitation of Iewes and Heathen in such cases because it is sufficiently set forth in a little booke called The root of Romish rites translated out of French into English let us take a little view of some ordinances and ceremonies received in the Church of England I deny not but the Church may ordain some orders for the decent worship of God as touching the time and place of meeting and reverent behaviour while the people are there that men should kneele and be uncovered in the time of prayer heare the word with silence and reverence when it is read or preached that a pulpit should be erected in a place most convenient for hearing a fit vessell set for Baptisme a Table and a Cup for the Lords Supper that people should come orderly and not confusedly to the same that collection should bee made for the poore in the best manner that may be that there should bee an uniformity in the manner of administring the Sacraments both in words prayer and ceremony and that as neere as may be to the institution and in that purity and simplicity wherein they were left us by the Apostles that so one may not doe these things after this manner and another after that and some come to say I like this 1 Cor 1.12 I that Ministers way best like those I am of Paul I of Apollo that the Pastors in every province shall meet once a yeare or so oft as need shall require to reforme abuses if any arise in doctrine or government Ordinances of this nature are not things meerly indifferent but convenient and necessary and doe not onely preserve peace and unity but even tend to the due performance of that which is commanded in the word directly or by consequence in such places as that O come let us worship and bow downe and kneele before the Lord our maker Psal 95. 1 Cor. 14. Let all things be done decently and in order There may and ought to be such orders and ceremonies but all are not thus necessary for the very Article confesseth Act. 34. Act. 20. that some be changed and abolished which cannot be said of such as are thus necessary and that nothing must be ordained against Gods word There ought to be nothing that may make Religion ridiculous or the word of none effect In the Church of England the Bishops will have an infant signed with the signe of the crosse In token that hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confesse the faith of Christ crucified and manfully to fight under his banner against sin the world and the devill and to continue Christs faithfull souldier and servant unto his lives end Now what a mockerie is it to stand so strictly on this ceremonie when in the meane while they will not have such a one being come to be a man confesse the faith of Christ against the Arminians nor manfully contend for the faith against such Pelagian and popish opinions and when also they like a Minister the worse if in the pulpit hee strive to beate downe growing Arminianisme and Poperie in things controverted as if they were not things revealed matters of faith profitable for us to know and of great honor to God being knowne as that election is wholie of grace and not of foreseene faith and workes that the death and merit of Christ preached are more availeable for the conversion and salvation of the elect than of others that regeneration and conversion are of Gods grace and power and not of the will of man that those whom God electeth he calleth justifieth and glorifieth so that they cannot fall away finally that justification while wee live here and heaven after this life are not of our works and merits but of Christ and on our part of faith in him yea of faith alone that worketh by love and is fruitfull in good works That Christ by one oblation of himself hath made a full satisfaction for the sins of all the elect that he is the only mediator of intercession in heaven that can heare us know our hearts and by whom wee may come to the Father and the only head of his Church to ordaine lawes binding the conscience that his Testament is sufficient in matters of salvation that there is much error and vanitie in the doctrine of Purgatorie Images and other points of poperie Now I say it is a meere mockery to enforce Ministers to signe everie child with the signe of the Crosse in token that he shall confesse the faith of Christ and manfully fight against such spirituall evils and enimies and yet to hinder any much more Ministers to confesse and defend the faith of Christ in these and the like points by disputes bookes and sermons and to pretend that knowledge of Gods truth in these points is curious and unprofitable not only in babes that have more need of milke but even in divines and men of knowledge and that in a time when Papists and Arminians strive so much to corrupt men in them And the mockerie is so much the greater Because they teach all to pray Wee give thee humble thankes that thou hast vouchsafed to call us to the knowledge of thy grace On the feast of Simon and Iude. and faith in thee Increase this knowledge and confirme this faith in us evermore Granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth And touching the Apostles and Prophets grant us to bee joyned together in
unity of spirit by their doctrine They make men pray thus and yet are against the things praied for 2 Because they make every Bishop and every Minister at his ordinantion to promise * See the ordering of Bishops Priests and Deacons to be readie with all diligence to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange doctrines contrarie to Gods word Marke all without exception which cannot be better donne then by manifesting the revealed truth of God in these points and so striving earnestlie to joyne men together in the unitie of the spirit by the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets as is desired in prayer For what a mockerie is it first to make him thus to vow it and pray for it and then to hinder him from keeping that vow 3. Because they forbid the defence of Gods ordinances against the Hierachie and those traditions thereof which are erroneous of the world and causes of temporizing and ignorance making men ambitious that should rather with the Olive tree refuse to leave their fatnes for Dominion like their Lord who saieth Iudg. 9.8 Luc 12.14 Who made thee a judge or a divider And what a mockerie is it when Bishops that cause all to bee signed with the signe of the crosse in such a token have not beene as carefull to get our Princes people to send timely effectuall helpe to them that fought under Christs banner in the Palatinate and elsewhere but rather flattered such Courtiers and feigned freinds as underhand betraied them and the common cause in stead of an effectuall going out to the helpe of the Lord against the mightie How much better is God pleased when men are more in deeds and lesse in signe of humane invention and authoririe The article of traditions confesseth that all things ought to be done to edifying But how doth this ceremonie edifie Have Englishmen that stand so much for the Hierarchie for this signe beene made by them better souldiers of Christ then other Protestans or have they not rather proved worse and so shewed the fruits of the hierarchie and ceremonies So ordinarie is it with God that blesseth his owne ordinances to punish mens inventions and presumptions May it not be said to such maisters of ceremonies you can see the faith daily opposed religion corrupted poperye and Arminianisms increase and the poore members of Christ to fall by the sword practises yet in the meane be contented with the signe of the crosse the name of a souldier without the worke neither doing it themselves nor suffering those Ministers that would and might have prevailed by the word these things must be left to the only care and wisdom of the Prelates who are well experienced in flatterie and can best see that nothing be donne to any purpose and in the meane take it for granted that the Church might impose and adde to baptisme the signe of the crosse so superstitiously used and abused by the Papists that it is fit to uphold that and all other traditions and ceremonies of the Church though the Article confesse they may be changed according to the diversitie of countries times and mens manners and that it is authoritie enough for the use of the same now because it was ancientlie used so was salt and other Romish trash because soone after the death of the Apostles or at least soone after the victorie of Constantine Aug. confes lib. when divers Iewes and heathen mocked the Christians with a crucified God and Redeemer they signed themselves to shew they were not ashamed of him when who sees not that if their reason were then good not superstitious yet there is not the same now in England Seeing there men live not amongst such mocking Iewes heathen unles it bee among such as scorne and mock them with the name of Professors Disciples and factious Puritains who strive against Arminianisme or the hierachie and ceremonies Indeed these are so much scorned and persecuted that no men in England do more truly beare the crosse of Christ for his names sake then they whereas their adversaries strive by all meanes to divert all men from bearing the crosse in this manner and by allurements and threats to make them leave the cause and temporise as themselves doe who are therein enemies of the crosse of Christ Phil. 3.18 whose glorie is their shame For they in the meane while have only borne the crosse in a signe made with the hand like the Papists which is but a mockerie in respect of the other Besides no man ever as yet maintained that the Apostles or any in their time used the crosse in baptisme much lesse in signe only without the worke pretended to be signifed Object It will be saide In some cases the Bishops stand for the truth as against Anabaptists and other hereticks Answ So doe the Romish Bishops and Iesuites who likewise have many painfull writers and preachers and are not behind them in stirring up Princes to fortitude temperance holines justice and other vertues but they will suffer nothing against the tenets practises of their hierarchie no more will the English Bishops who therin are also stout souldiers but that is in their owne cause not in Gods Iohn seeth many in white Rev. 7. and is told Rev. 7.13.14 These are they which come out of great tribulation and have washed their roabes white in the blood of the Lambe Chap. 6. This is a garment of joy and triumph given by the merits of Christ to them that have had not the signe and name but the worke of a souldier in confessing and defending the faith and cause of Christ against all opposers If I should say there may bee amongst them some English Martyrs that have striven against Arminianisme or at least against the hierarchie and have suffered for it the Bishops could not prove the contrarie So that it is no wonder if men doe not now offer to dispute with them nor alwaies set their names to their bookes seeing the power of the Prelates to be great as that of the inquisition very dangerous and the Bishops themselves so obstinate and mightie in friends that they keepe their adversaries bookes and arguments from being seene or regarded and so plague them that all their opposers seeme to have lost their labour and doe litle other good then increase the number of those Martyrs in white Rev. 7. This is one of the places alleadged for the wearing of the surplesse but here still they dwell in the signe they will not doe the worke of those Martyrs but rather are against some of them and therefore because they can not looke to weare the white roabe hereafter they will weare and make others weare an unprofitable signe of it now though men prove it to be a rite taken from the Iewes and ancient heathen See the root of Romish Rites as other of their pontificall garments and ceremonies are It is a custome in England to