fashion of Refection 〈◊〉 in the Licentiousnesse of drunken Songs And ibid It is questioned whither a man must not fast on the Sabbath but not whither he must not reuell it on the Sabbath which neither is done on the Lords day of those that feare God although they fast on that day And deuout Bernard Obserue the Sabbath which is to exercise thy selfe in the Holy-dayes so as by the Râ—st present thou mayest learne to hope for that which is eternall And that a prophane person may not flatter himselfe as though his voluptuous keeping of the Sabbath may teach him to hope for those eternall and true ioyes in heauen Heare the same Bernard or rather Gillibert whose Sermons are added to fill vp Bernards vpon the Canticles inserted in Bernards workes where mentioning Esay 58. hee saith Non dicit c. He saith not onely that the Sabbath is a Delight but he addeth And Holy and Glorious to the Lord that these things may not bee in the confusion of thy Glory Non sit desidiosum Sabbatum tuum operare in Sabbato tuo opera Dei Let not thy Sabbath bee idly spent but in thy Sabbath worke the workes of God Opus Dei in die siâ—o And surely the Lords day is not called so for nought If it be Christs day sanctified and founded in his Resurrection as S. Augustine saith then what workes are proper for that day whereby it may bee sanctified of vs and wee of it but such as are the fruits of those that are risen with Christ from the graue of sin to newnesse of life and not those which with the swinâ— would lead vs backe to our wallowing in the mire And is not the hearing and meditating of Sermons a speciall part of the sanctification of the Lords day How come we to be sanctified but by the word of God Sanctify them with thy truth thy word is the truth saith Christ. And as we noted before that Deuotion is blind whose lampe is emptie of oyle to supply the light A plaine argument that the Authors whole booke of Deuotion is but a meere counterfeit And to inuy or inueigh against the due sanctification of the Lords day what is it but to raze the very foundation whereon all true religion is built To heare Sermons and not to meditate of them is to receiue water into a Sieue to be an vncleane creature that chowes not the cudde to receiue the seed vpon the highway side where it being vnharrowed and vncouered is by the fowles of the ayre that fowle spirit that raignes in the ayre and in the vnsetled hearts of aery and windy braines to be deuoured The Lords day is the Marketday of our foules He that stands idle in the marketplace is justly reproued Or he that buyes those spirituall commodities needfull for his soule in hearing of the word and goes presently and squanders it away and brings it not home to dispose of it for his weekely vses is an vnprouident housekeeper a prodigall vnthrift of grace because he heares not for afterwards for the time to come Such are they that either are carelesse of hearing the Word or when they haue heard goe and dance it away about the May-pole or walke and talke it away in idle prate or any kind of prophane or profuse recreation Those are like the Wolfe who neuer attaine to any more learning of God then to spell Pater but when they should come to put together and to apply it to their soules in stead of Pater they say Agnus their mindes and affections running a madding after the profits and pleasures of the world Such are enemies to all Godlinesse and expresse their enmitie in nothing more then in their proâ—anation of the Lords Holy-Day If any man would know of 〈◊〉 estate and condition of any Parish in generall in 〈◊〉 Land whether it bee religious or no let him buâ—â—â—quire what conscience they make of the due sanctification of the Lords day That 's the true touchstone of a truely religious man And although all are not that sincerely whereof they make outward profession for there will euer be some hypocrites among sound Professors yet none can be a true and sound Christian who makes not speciall conscience of a religious and sober keeping of the Lords day For this day well kept sanctifies to a man the whole weeke The seuenth day sanctifieth our six as the tenth of our goods doth all the other nine As Elias his meate made him strong to trauell forty dayes and forty nights to Horâ—bâ— so the hearing and meditating of sound Sermons on the Lords day ministers strength to our soules to serue God all the weeke in our particular Callings But I may not transgresse the bounds of my proposed breuity For Conclusion of the Commandements among other offenders against the sixt Commandement he reckoneth those that be sowers of strife and sedition among any men whatsoeuer Now how farre the Author is guilty hereof or whether he may not merit to be put in the forefront with the most grand Authors of strife and sedition not onely to set priuate men together by the eares but the whole Church and state of England in a most fearefull hurly-burly and combustion I referre to all wise men to judge that doe but read this most pernitious pestilent and Popish Booke As it followeth Of the Sacraments of the Church What Sacraments trow we are these The Sacraments of the Church This is written I am sure fiylo 〈◊〉 This title is no where learned but from the Church of Rome from the Councell of Trent and from the shop of Iesuiticall Catechists He learned not this of his Mother Church of England if so he account her his Mother and not rather that other Church to which he intitles his Sacraments for the Church of England sets downe the title simply Of the Sacraments saying also Sacraments ordained of Christ. So that she intitles the Sacraments vnto Christ the sole Author of them But let vs heare what those Sacraments of the Church be or how many Namely Two and Fiue which put together as euery Arithmetician can tell make seuen Now England thou art come to thy seuen Sacraments againe This euery Papist can now bragge off And haue they not reason for there is more in it then the bringing of vs backe to the seuen Sacraments againe he would hereby knit vs fast againe to be one Church with the Church of Rome For these seuen Sacraments he calls the Sacraments oâ— the Church Oâ— what Church surely no Church euer held seuen Sacraments but the Church of Rome nor doe I read of seuen Sacraments beâ—ore Peter Lombard set them downe All the ancient Fathers knew but two Saint Ambrose writing six bookes of the Sacraments could find but two The Greeke Church neuer held but two yet saith our Author the Church holdeth them yea the Catholicke Church of Christ as before in his Preface Whereupon here he concludes
sinceerest meaning expressed in clearest and most nâ—ked words yet as J vttered with a cleere voice in the carâ—â— of the Lord Bishop of London at my first examination about Israels Fast I haue done nothing but with a true intent and desire for Gods glory the good of my King and Country and the Church of England whereof we are members and for which I am ready if need were to lay down my life So little doe I esteeme the Serpents hissing or the dogs barking Not to stay thee too long in the threshold here take a full view of my answere to a Popish booke bearing in the Front A collection of priuate Deuotions or The houres of Prayer If I haue not fully vnfolded the mystery of iniquity wrapped therein let thy charity pardon my imperfections and thy sharper judgement supply my defects Onely J confesse J haue purposely omitted many things for breuity sake wherein the Author rather expresseth his popish if not apish affection in symbolizing with Iesuiticall catechismes Officium B. Mariae c. then giueth occasion of solid confutation as being partly ridiculous though mostly superstitious and some erroneous for example The lawes of nature the Precepts of the Church the three theologicall vertues three kinds of good workes seuen gifts of the Holy Ghost the twelue fruits of the Holy Ghost the spirituall workes of mercy the corporall workes of mercy the eight beatitudes seuen deadly sinnes the contrary vertues Quatuor nouissima c. To which he might haue added The fiue senses c. The foure Cardinall vertues as they are set downe in Officium B. Mariae whence he hath the rest and in Las horas del nuestra senora The houres of our Lady As also the 15. mysteries of the office of our Lord Iesus Christ for to meditate and say the Rosary of our Lady whereof fiue joyfull fiue sorrowfull fiue glorious which with the rest are numbred vp by Ledesmâ— the Iesuite in his Catechisme of Iesus Maria. But he would first try how these would relish Yet his seuen deadly sinnes at least deserued to come vâ—der the ferula or censure Wherein wee might haue shewed the absurdity of Popish distinctions of sinnes mortall and veniall yea how it verifies and cryes downe the inestimable price of Christs death and extenuates or annihilates the rigor of Gods law and eleuates or sleights the nature of sinne the least deseruing eternall death Againe we might haue shewed how by Christ al sins are veni-that pardonable but without Christ mortal and vnpardois nable seeme they neuer so small Thirdly we might haue shewed the absurdity of his number of those seuen deadly sins of the of which ye shall not find the breaches of many of the Commandements of the second table ranked nor of any of the first Table as if Athiesme infidelity idolatry blasphemy periury profanation of the Sabboth and the rest were not deadly sins but to be reckoned if the Author account them any sins at all onely among his venials But J hope some other will supply what I haue omitted Jn the meane time take this in good part and so Farewell Thine in Christ HEN BVRTON A TRIALL OF Priuate Deuotions OR A DIALL FOR THE houres of PRAYER Charis GOD saue you Madam Curia Lady Charis My loue salutes you much ioying to see you Madam it is newes to see you at Court Some good winde no doubt hath blowne you hither Cha. Madam no other wind but of duety and affection to visit your Ladiship Onely I must confesse that the late Booke of Deuotion which your Ladiship sent mee hath occasioned mee to come sooner then otherwise I should or well could Cur. Madam you are the more welcome And I pray you how doe you like that Booke Ch. Madam it were good manners I should first howsoeuer giue your Ladiship thankes for I dare say whatsoeuer the Booke is your Ladiship out of good Deuotion sent it me as a token of your loue vnto mee Otherwise for the Booke it selfe I must confesse that so soone as I looked but vpon the Frontispeece of it and seeing it to weare the vsuall Badge of Iesuiticall Bookes I had certainly without any more adoe flung it away but for the due respect I bore to the sender your Ladiship And yet I thought with my selfe that haply your Ladiship had mistaken one Booke for another Otherwise I knew not what to thinke whither some might haue gone about if not to seduce yet at leastwise to induce your Ladiship to a friendly opinion of the Popish Religion or I wot not what Cur. But Madam though I haue but little Latine yet I haue learned by rote one Prouerbe Fronti nulla fides The outward front or face of things is not to be belieued But haue you looked within the Booke and read it ouer Then you will be of another mind and conceiue a better opinion of it Ch. Surely Madam to the front or face of it I confesse I gaue but small credit But looking further into the Booke and according to the scantling of my slender capacitie and shallow iudgement taking a view of the whole frame and mould of it it seemed to me to hold sutable enough to the Front and to be much what the same in substance that the Title made shew of Cur. But Madam I hope you are none of those that censure the Booke for Papisticall as Puritans haue slandered it Cha. Madam I dare not take vpon me to passe my censure vpon Bookes Yet I confesse seeing your Ladiship vrgeth me that it smelleth strongly of Poperie Yet not relying vpon mine own conceit I desired some learned Ministers to tell me their iudgement of it and none of them could approue of the Booke Cur. I pray you what Ministers were those Cha. Madam I dare be most bold to name mine own Chaplaine for the rest Cur. But doth your Chaplaine hold the Booke to be Papisticall Ch. Madam I had rather I had some good occasion to be a suiter to your Ladiship for some good preferment for my Chaplein and no better then he deserueth 〈…〉 present occasion which I feare may perhaps preiudice his preferment We poore Countrey-people cannâ—â—â—â—use sometimes when our leasure serueth but as 〈…〉 discerne which way the game goeth 〈…〉 to hazzard our stake where we see such infinite odds of Court-wit to Countrey-simplicitie Cur. Madam you speake merily But in good sadnesse I desire for mine owne satisfaction to heare what your Chaplaine can say to this Booke either in whole or in part I promise you of mine honour it shall be no manner of preiudice vnto him but I will rather doe him all the good I can Ch. Madam vpon these conditions my Chaplaine shall attend you when you please to appoint the time Cur. Madam I thanke you Then if it may stand with your conueniencie I shall entreat your Ladiship to bring him with you on Friday morning by eight of the clocke I will set all other businesse apart for
his Doctrine to wit not to worship those Images with the worship of Latria nor otherwise simply but with relation to the Prototype So that for ought we know the Authour implyeth that some kind of adoration may be either giuen to the Image respectiuely to the Prototype or at least before the Image to the Prototype Againe he saith They that are worshippers of Idols or representments of false Gods This clause is wholly Iesuiticall See the Doway translation on Exod. 20. where the Iesuites allow none other Images to bee forbidden in the second Commandement but onely Idols and those forsooth are say they the Images of false Gods Iust so our Author here As if Angels or Saints being worshipped in and by their representations were not turned into false Gods Or as if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idolum Simúlachrum an Idol and Image were not all one See Polyd. Virgil. de Inuent rerum Lib. 5. Cap. 13. Againe They that are worshippers of Saints Images and out of a false opinion of promeriting the protection of the blessed Uirgin or any other Saint of God doe giue a religious adoration to those vsuall representments which be made of them Now in all this he speakes nothing against Poperie and so all his flourish is but a meere froth while he would seeme to say something against it For howsoeuer Popish practise is yet they teach not that Adoration of Images or Saints in them is meritorious So that the Authour leaues it as granted that a man may vse Images in their Saint-inuocation so he account it not meritorious Thus he is rather for Poperie in this point then against it Vpon the fourth Commandement he saith They offend vnder a pretence of seruing God more stâ—â—â—tly then others especially for hearing and meditating of Sermons doe by their Fasts and certaine Iudaizing obseruations condemne the ioyfull festiuitie of this high Holy-day which the Church allowes as well for the necessarie recreation of the body in due time as for Spirituall exercises of the Soule Here we come more plainly to discerne the Wolfe in the Sheeps skinne or in the Sheepherds cloke For here he breakes down a gap and whistles out the Sheepe that straying hee may deuoure them Yea in this speech he goes about to set open the verie Flood-gate of all profuse prophanesse First All truly religious and conscionable seruing of GOD he makes to be but a pretence Hypocrisie and dissimulation But the maine marke his enuie and malice shootes at is especially Hearing and meditating of Sermons By this verie speech a man that neuer saw nor knew the Authour may easily conclude whether he be a Resident vpon his Cure or no a faithfull Sheepherd or no. Hearing and meditating of Sermons hee cannot away with they are a burthen vnto him These he ranketh with I wâ—t not what Fast and some certaine but vncertaine what Iudaizing obseruations But the worst is that by such exercises as hearing and meditating of Sermons especially such persons condemne the ioyfull festiuity of this high and holy day which the Church allowes as well for the necessary recreation of the body as the spirituall exercises of the soule Well yet he acknowledgeth the Sabbath or Lords day to bee an High and Holy day Let him hold him to that But what be those ioyfull Festiuities of this High and Holy-day He mentioneth not But seeing he shuts out none we may well conclude hee meaneth all kinde of Festiuity and iollity and iouialty such as hee â—eâ—â—nes necessary recreations for example Rush-bearings Whitsun-Ales Morice-dances setting vp of May-poles hearing of a play or seeing of a Maske or Dicing and Carding or bowling or bowsing or whatsoeuer other Glosse the carnall vulgar may make of this vnlimited ioyful Festiuity or necessary recreation But he saith that this ioyfull Festiuity the Church allowes What Church surely none other as throughout his whole Booke but his holy mother Church of Rome Indeed that Church allowes a most liâ—entious vnlimited latitude of all such ioyfull Festiuity and especially on the Lords day as may feed the humours of the carnall and prophane multitude That Church indeed reckoneth hearing and meditating of Sermons among Iudaizing obseruations But the Church of God doth not neuer did allow such ioyfull Festiuity as the Author allowes â— S. Aughstine saith Iudaei c The Iewes do seruilely obserue the Sabbath day to luxury and drunkennesse how much better were it for their women to spin wooll and vpon that day in their New-Moones to dance Farre be it my brethren that we should say they keepe the Sabbath And againe Qui in obseruatione Sabbati c. They who keeping the Sabbath doe not continue in good workes and prayer which is to sanctifie the Sabbath and sanctification is where the holy Ghost is are like to those little Flies ingendred in the mud which disquitted the Egyptians And De Consensu Euang. lib. 2. cap. 77. speaking of that flight in winter and on the Sabbath day mentioned Luke 21. by Winter he vnderstands the Cares of this life and by the Sabbath surfeiting and drunkennesse agreeable to Christs admonition ver 34. Quod malum Sabbati nomine c. Which euill is therefore signified by the name of the Sabbath because this was as now it is the impious custome of the Iewes vpon that day to flow in delights all one with our Authors ioyfull Festiuitie or necessary recreation while they were ignorant of the spirituall Sabbath And de Genesi contra Manichaeos lib. 1. Iudaei carnaliter obseruando Sabbatum non nouerunt The Iewes by keeping the Sabbath carnally knew not the Sabbath But our Author allowes of ioyfull Festiuity and necessary recreations in their due time onely not in time of diuine seruice Neither did the Iewes omit their diuine seruice in their Synagogues both Maâ—ins and Euenâ—ong And yet spending the rest of the day afterwards in such ioyfull Festiuity as the Author allowes as done in due time S. Augustine cals them prophane and impious and that they might better spend the rest of the day in spinning For the worke of a mans honest and lawfull calling is at all times to be preferred before the workes of the Diuell that come not within the compasse of any Christian mans Calling being renounced and disavowed in our Baptisme And because the sanctification of the Lords day is so mightily impugned and cryed downe not onely by such Ministers of Sathan as are Popishly affectâ—d by their precept and precedent by the prophane rabble rout especially in those places where there is not a settled Ministry of the word Let me adde a word or two more in Gods cause that we may not so easily suffer prophane wretches like swine to trample the Orient pearle of Gods glory so prophaned on his owne day in the mire S. Augustine saith againe Prâ—ponitur Dies Dominicus c. The Lords day is preferred befode the Iewes Sabbath in the faith of the Resurrection and not in the