passe wee to the last Chapter touching the Synod of Dort It is but short wherein the Authour saith The Synod of Dort is not our rule And Priuate opinions no rule Doth he not herein say truely Orthodoxus Why then should his owne priuate peruerse opinions be reputed as the rule of the Church of England For it is true no doubt that no Synod or Councell much lesse any priuate mans opinion is the rule of our faith Yet all Synods and Councels so farre forth as their Decrees are grounded vpon the Scriptures we are to imbrace and reuerence But of all other passages in the Appealers Appeale I muse at none more then this his eleuating and slighting the Synod of Dort And what spirit trow we is that man of or possessed with that stands so much for the Councell of Trent and so little esteemes the Councell of Dort I wot well the Synod of Dort is an aduersary to his Arminian Pontifician opinions and therefore no maruaile if he beare it no great good will But considering next vnder God the prime and principall mouer of that Synod his late Excellent Maiestie of eternall memory yea how He promoued it what Princely and prouident care what liberall cost He was at to adorne the Synod with some of the choicest and solidest Diuines that He had in His Kingdome what a zealous desire Hee had by that meanes to quench those fiery flames of dissention blowne by the factious spirits of Inâ—endiaries which threatned the ruine of those neighbour reformed Churches the tayles of which smoking firebrands are not altogether quenched but begin to reuiue hauing for want of vent till now lyen smoathering euen in our Church of England the smoake whereof hath blinded a great many and now the flames threaten to burne moe what a religious care He tooke to establish true religion and to abolish that Arminian roote of bitternesse springing vp and spreading abroad wherewith many were defiled which one act of His Maiestie shall no lesse eternize His name then the most famous and vnparalleld actions Hee atchieued in all His Princely gouernment this I say strikes me with an exceeding wonderment that the Appealer would euer suffer himselfe so farre to be transported with the spirit of contradiction as to fall foule vpon such a learned Synod a Synod of Protestants a Synod of many reformed Churches and which if nought else might haue most moued him a Synod assembled managed concluded by the most auspicious Peace-making spirit zeale wel-wishes and prayers of His late Maiestie yea and to fill vp the measure of his all-daring hardinesse to presume to thrust this booke in the name of An Appeale vnder the protection of our most Excellent patrizing Caesar here I am at a stand What so to disrepute the Synod of Dort O spare it either speake not at all of it or reuerently and honorably at least for the thrice noble religious zealous louer of the truth King IAMES He that so honoured that Synod imbraced those orthodox conclusions of it as that He aduanced those to Ecclesiasticall honours whom Hee had selected and sent to represent the Church of England Which also by the way addes to my wonderment that the Appealer should and that vnder the name of the Church of England dare to oppose the Councell of Dort if he had considered that his late Excellent Maiestie did vnderstand no other but that all the conclusions of that Councell did consent with the Doctrines of the Church of England as also the representiue Church of England as they were of the number of the primest and actiuest Agents in that Synod so with the rest they were the first still in order who by their subscriptions sealed vp their vnanimous assent to all the Conclusions Or can the Appealer taxe the incomparable judgement of that famous King of ignorance either in the choise of that representatiue Church of England or in the state of the Doctrines of it Farre be it His Maiestie knew as well the true state of the Doctrine of the Church of England as the most and greatest Scholars in England that I may not disparadge his Excellency so much as to say He knew it better then the Appealer himselfe And if I might pin my faith vpon any mans sleeue or referre the judgment of the Doctrine of the Church of England to my one man I would haue chosen His Maiestie as the â—â—pire oracle of it before any man liuing And yet He that professed protested writ wrought studied liued and dyed in the maintenance of that one truth wherein by His auspicious vnanimity the Church of England and the Councell of Dort haue confented according to the rule of faith Gods word shall He He I say His sacred ashes be raysed vp againe and by an Appeale be vrged to recaut His former profession to reuerse His iudgment to cancell or to bâ—râ—â— His bookes which no antiquity no iniury of time no elementary flames shall euer be able to abolish I might better appeale to those who were so happy as dayly to heare the wisdome of that our Salomon euen at His ordinary repast They can testifie what zealous protestations He made for the truth and with what vehement derestation He had of the contrary As for instance how did He abominate those that writ de apostasia Sanctorum Which very title of Bertius His Maiestie often in His pious zeale professed His indignation against as a blasphemous doctrine And as in His vsuall and ordinary discourse at table and at other times He shewed His Princely diuine spirit in refuting and refelling all the vanities of Popery and Pelagian Arminianismo so at His death He protested His owne constancy and finall perseuerance in that truth which He had formerly professed All this I say duely waighed I am still in a muse what should imbolden infatuate rather the Appealer to insert any such passage as the depressing and deprizing the Synod of Dort in his Appeale Yet doing so he is not more guilty of ingratitude towards our late Caesar as also of ignorance that I may not say starke folly in addressing this his Appeale to our present Caesar. Doth not the Appealer remember that Hee is the Son the onely Son of such a Father Yea a Son of that naturall and pious affection to His Father as all can witnesse with me Hee might well be a Princely myrrour of filiall piety to many Sonnes whose naturall affection commonly descends rather then ascends Nor only the Sonne the onely Sonne the most naturally and graciously pious Sonne but the very viue and expresse image of such a Father inheriting not onely His Fathers Kingdomes Crownes but which is the Crowne of all and more precious then all His Kingdomes His vertues and graces His wisdome His iudgment and aboue all His religion yea His loue care and zeale in maintaining the same This religion Hee first suckt in with His Nurses milke therein also bred brought vp vnder a religious
Church and State then serue to edification c. Appeale pag. 42. 78. 80. Which speeches and the like whether doe they tend but to suppresse those Doctrines of the Gospell whereby God is most glorified and man most humbled shall we spare such When Policarpus met Marcion the hereticke casually and neglecting him was asked of him Dost thou not know vs He replyed I know thee for the Diuels eldest childe Such was the zeale of holy men in times past against not onely those that were Hereticks but hinderers of the truth The Apostle wished that those false teachers of legall righteousnesse were euen cut off which troubled the Church of Galatia Therefore what cause any faithfull Minister of Christ hath to vse sharpnesse of stile to seditious seducers and troublers of Church and State in so famous a Kingdome in so perilous a season too let any indifferent man iudge And consider iudicious Reader if we had not a King seasoned from his very cradle with the knowledge of the true faith of Christ hauing now growne vp therein to a goodly ripenesse in regard whereof we haue small cause to suspect his constancy herein iâ—to what danger were we and Gods religion brought when such kind of Ministers are not wanting to helpe forward the reerecting of the Romish Baal in our Land had they but a young Manasses to restore the Altars and Groues which the good King Ezechiah his Father had pulled downe But to conclude sith these two fore named Worthies worthy to be named againe the Reuerend Bishop of Chichester Dostor Carlton and the Worshipfull Maister Francis Rovs haue so learnedly and zealously confuted some materiall points in the Appeale which like expert archers making speciall choyse of for their marke they haue hit home although I could haue wished that they had with no lesse felicity coped with the rest of the materialls in the booke yet sith they haue ben pleased to leaue behind them some liberall gleanings yea some whole ricks of tares to be cut vp and carried away from Gods wheat field I will craue leaue to shew at least my good will in all hoping my defects will finde pardon of all them who though they can yet forbeare to make their best supply The blasphemer was to be stoned of the whole Congregation some hitting one part some another till he were beaten downe and buried vnder the heape Yet in this Impression the Plea reacheth no farther then the first part of the Appeale Which if it finde courteous intertainment the other part is forth comming and wants but time to helpe the slownesse of the Presse to bring it forth Farewell Thine in the Lord H. B. Good Reader correct these faults with thy pen with others of smaller note The rest are noted in the end of the booke Amend first then reade Page 7 line 19 reade scantling l. 28 r. Doctrines p. 51 l. 13. r. preuifion p. 52 l 6 r. â—ssâ—s p. 54. l. 21. r. 4. 5. l. 29 r. sâ—â—scos p. 82. l. 3 1. â—â—â—â—â—ude 10. l. 9 1. vn 〈◊〉 c. Whence l. 13 1. anima l. 24 1. prâ—â—â—ceth p. 83 l. 15 r. the beginnâ—ng p. 84. l. 35 1. into him p. 85 l. 24 r. quomodo p. 87 l 13 1. â—xecrated p. 91 l. 30 1 ground of hope l. 35 r. his Maiesties A PLEA TO AN APPEALE Asotus Babylonius Orthodoxus ASotus Master Babylonius you are well met Babylonius And you Master Asotus Asotus Sir I thanke you for your last good company at the Ordinary and especially for your both merry and learned discourse wherein among other passages you wittilie disciphered the nature of a Puritan that common opposite to vs both I was much delighted to heare you and haue often thought of you since and shall loue you the better for it for of all men I cannot away with these Puritans a precise sect crosse and contrary to all other men A man may not sweare an oath forsooth nor play the good fellow a little in drinking a cup or two more then needs for good fellowship-sake nor loue a wench and the like but wee must passe their most sharpe censure Nay hauing deeply waighed the matter I am perswaded that were it not for these Puritans wee and you should agree together as louing brethren and Countreymen Babylonius Are you aduised of that friend Asotus you haue hit the very nayle on the head and herein you discouer your wisdome and judgement For it were no hard matter I wis to reconcile you and mee and such as wee are as well in Religion and opinion as we are already in affection were it not for these make-bate Puritans And you haue well said in saying we and you for howsoeuer the Puritans both in England and beyond the seas I meane the Caluinists and Hugenots are called Protestants yet betweene them and vs Romane Catholicks there is a great Gulfe set so that there is no hope of reconciliation betweene vs. And indeed for those ciuill and good fellow Protestants whom I know you meane that hold of the Church of England and of the Doctrine of the Church for the prop and piller of their Faith there is great hope that they will ere long be reconciled to the holy mother Church of Rome for he that beleeueth as the Church beleeueth is not farre from the kingdome of God But these Puritans they will not acknowledge any rule of faith from the Church but are all for Scriptures Scriptures so that so long as they are of that minde there is no hope of reconciliation betweene vs and them vnlesse they will yeeld to this Manime That the Church is the Iudge and interpreter of the Scriptures which they most obstinately deny Asotus But by your leaue Master Babylonius I neuer vnderstood but that the Doctrine of the Church of England was all one with the Doctrine of the Scriptures as I euer haue ben taught Babylonius I will not take vpon me now to dispute that point but haue you not seene an excellent Booke set out of late by one of your most learned Ministers which he calls his Appeale to Caesar. Asotus I haue heard of it the Author is highly commended by some for a great Scholler but a great many on the other side and especially those we call Puritans doe very much condemne the booke saying it is written in the gall of bitternesse and with the spirit of sedition enough to set all in a combustion if his books should passe for currant Babylonius In the gall of bitternesse That was the doome of Saint Peter vpon Simon Magus but by such like puritanicall censures you may the better judge of the worthinesse of the booke which is both learnedly and wittily pend Asotus You say well I thinke neuer a whit the worse of the booke for the Puritans taxing of it nor the Author the lesse learned when you Master Babylonius sticke not so to commend him Babylonius I must needs ingenuously confesse that I like the booke the better
totall falling away did not swallow him vp in the deepe but vpoÌ„ the planke of repentâ—nce he did swimme safe to shore And Saint Augustine saith of Dauids sinne In ista viâ—o 〈◊〉 Dauidâ— immoderata c. In this man iâ— Dauid there was not an abode but onely a passage of this inordinate lust And therefore the Prophet reprouing it called it a guest for he said not that he set before his King but before his guest his poore neighbors sheepe to feast withall so that thereby Augustine giues vs to vnderstand that Dauids inordinate lust was not as a King to raigne and to keep his Court of residence in his heart but onely as a guest comming accidentally and lodging with him for a night and so away The like he saith of Peters deniall Quis ita euanescat c. Who can be so vaine as to thinke the Apostle Peter had that in his heart which heâ— had in his mouth when he denied Christ surely in that deniall he retained the truth inwardly and outwardly vttered a lye For with his heart hee beleeued to righteousnesse but with his month he confessed not to saluation If therefore in Peters deniall his faith was not lost then certainly hee fell not totally away And that Peters faith was not then lost wee haue Christs testimony in his prayer for Peter But I haue prayed for thee that thy faith faile not This prayer of Christ was before Peters deniall of him yea Christs prayer did in particular point at Peters deniall which was that very night to preserue his faith from failing therein though his tongue did fouly faulter And who shall deny Christs prayer to be effectuall For the Father heareth him alwaies Ioh. 11. 42. and if it were effectuall Peters faith failed not no not in that his fearefull denyall and consequently his sinne was not a totall falling away from grace no not for an instant for his faith failed not nor finally nor totally nor at all St. Augustine saith Fides eius qui aedificatur super Petram c. His faith that is built vpon the rocke for which also Christ prayed that it should not faile doth not faile So that the faith of the elect faileth not no not in the degrees as we haue shewed Babylonius But admit 〈◊〉 faith did not faile yet others faith may for which Christ did not so particularly pray as for Peters saith Orthodoxus That which Christ prayed for Peter he did also in him pray for all the faith full Peter standing oftentimes for a type of the Church For Christ saith Lake 22. 31. calling Simon by name Simon Simon behold Sathan hath desired to haue you that he may sâ—fe you as wheat so that he speakes to Simon in the plurall number as including all his Disciples all his faithfull Sathan hath desired to haue you that he may 〈◊〉 YOV And in the next verse he addes But I haue prayed for THEE c. Where Christ doth more particularly apply his speech to Peter to arme him the better against his approaching deniall so that in Peter hee prayes for all his faithfull as Saint Augustine applies it Dicentâ— argo Christo Rogaâ—i pro te c. Christ saying I haue prayed for thee that thy faith faile not let vs vnderstand it to bee said to him that is built vpon the Rocke And againe more plainly in the plurall number Pro his interpellante Christo c. For these to wit the called according to his purpose Christ praying that their faith faile not without doubt it shall not faile vnto the end And as Saint Augustine in sundry places noteth Saint Peter beateth the person and figure of the Catholicke Church though he say not that Peter is the head of the Church so that oftentimes that which Christ speakes to Peter by name is extended to all the faithfull To conclude these fell not totally nor yet any of Gods elect sith the couenant betweene them and God stands firme and is neuer totally broken the couenant I meane made by and with Dauid in his Circumcision by and with Peter in his Baptisme Which couenant on our part is to beleeue in God and to serue him and to loue him with all our heart and with all our soule c. Now for Dauids and Peters faith that failed not as wee haue proued For their loue that was in the exercise of it defectiue for the time while the act of it was suspended so that they had made a partiall breach of their Couenant But totall it was not for the totall breach pertaines to that sinne which is impossible to be expiated by repentance described Heb. 6. as the sinne of Iudas of Iulian and the like But Dauid and Peters sinne was not committed out of a hatred of God much lesse a totall hatred of the whole soule minde and heart that is for Iudasses and Iulians and all Apostaticall Reprobates But the sinnes of Gods elect howsoeuer for the act they may be equall to the sinnes of the most reprobate yet in the affection they are not and so they make not a totall breach of their Couenant with God Againe the Couenant on Gods part is a Couenant of mercy as Roâ— 11. 27. as also Ier. 31. 33 34. This is my couenant vnto them when I shall take away their sinnes so that Gods Couenant with vs is a Couenant of mercy and mercy implyeth misery yea sinne it selfe that if through humaine frailtie we fall into sinne as Dauid and Peter did there is mercy with God that hee may be feared who if he should be extreame to marke what is done amisse who could abide it yea to take the extreamitie were to breake his couenant with vs which is a couenant of mercy But hee is not as a strict and cruell Land-lord who will take the forfeiture of our lease vpon euery the least breach Neither is hee as a Iudge strictly to take away our inheritance from vs onely for some flaw in the conueyance No our inheritance is conueyed ouer vnto vs not according to forme of law or regall right but according to the couenant of the Gospell which is not forfaited for euery flaw or defect on our part Indeede in point of Gods strict law euery the least flaw forfeits all but not so according to the tenure of the Gospell For saith God I haue found Dauid my seruant c. It is spoken literally of Dauid typically and mystically of Christ for he is Gods first borne higher than the Kings of the earth Now of him of his seede to wit all his elect and regenerate he saith ver 28. My mercy will I keepe for him for euermore my couenant shall stand fast with him his seede also will I make to endure for euer c. But if they breake my statutes and keepe not my commandements thou will I visite their transgression with the rod and their iniquities with stripes Neuerthelesse my
sound-hearted Tutor who besides other learned and godly gouernours ceassed not from His very infancy to instill into Him the deaw of all heauenly knowledge and that especially by acquainting Him with the Scriptures which according to His daily taske Hee missed not to reade by three or foure chapters a day being able also euen when He was very young not aboue seuen yeares old to giue a present account without booke of the principall things Hee had read I speake not by guesse I was so happy as to bee often an eye and eare-witnesse of it But aboue all those instructions Hee receiued from time to time from His Royall Father lighting vpon a subiect of such peerelesse indowments both of Nature and Grace haue made Him a compleate Prince in all excellent knowledge and worthy to be the onely Sonne and Heire of such a Father So that when He was now growne to riper yeares He was able euen at table to discourse and discusse points of controuersie betweene vs and the Papists to the great ioy of all His seruants about Him And yet after all this see the lucke of it must the Appealer haue the hap to foist in his fardell of fancies yea falsities and that by way of Appeale to His Excellent Maiestie And vpon what ground I hope if not presuming that His Maiestie now vpon His first happy entry into His Kingdomes is so taken vp with many waighty affaires that Hee will not haue the leasure to peruse his Appeale which is the Appealers happinesse yea and Maiesties too sauing that His judgment is so settled vpon the truth after so long and strong a seasoning that vneath it were for Master Mountagu to caule the liâ—uor of his musty caske to relish well in such an vncorrupt Palate And for this Chapter touching the Synod of Dort one part of his Appeale wherefore doth hee in this and other passages about this Synod appeale Forsooth he appeales to His present Maiestie King CHARLES to indge and determine whither the Councell of Dort bee now to bee holden in that esteeme as it was by His late noble Father King IAMES whither those conclusions of it bee not now to be reiected which His royall Father so much auowed and approued whither the Decrees thereof bee not now to be holden as opposite Doctrines to those of the Church of England which the most judicious King IAMES found to be so correspondent and consonant one to the other or whither the Doctrine of the Church of England be not now quite changed from that it was in the time of King IAMES his peaceable gouernment whither the learned representatine Church of England selected by the most judicious and learned King for that purpose which in that Councell swarued not from the Tenents and grounds of their Mother Church be rather to be admitted as interpreters of our Church Doctrines then singular Maister Mountagu whither the Decrees of that Synod being grounded vpon expresse texts of Scripture and concluded by so many learned and graue Diuines be to be accounted priuate opinions rather then Maister Mountagues owne fancies conceiued of some misunderstood Doctrines of the Church of England and so which of these should be admitted of vs rather for no rule In a word hee appeales I wisse whither the judgment of King IAMES approuing the Doctrine of the Synod of Dort as agreeable to the Doctrine of the Church of England and both to the holy Scriptures or his owne iudgment in his disallowing and reiecting the Synod as not agreeable to his owne fancies for his words are I haue no part nor portion in them either in them that maintaine the Decrees or in the Decrees themselues whither I say King IAMES His iudgment or his owne be rather to be intertained and approued of His sacred Maiestie His Son whom God for euer preserue in all integrity of judgment and loue of the Truth Asotus Gentlemen I thanke you both for your learned discourse though much of it aboue my capacity It is now dinner time If it please you to take the paines to meete here againe after dinner about two of the clock I shall bee glad to bee informed further of some points in the Second part of the Appeale Babylonius You haue made a good motion friend Asotus I shall be ready at the time appointed if it please Maister Orthodoxus to receiue further satisfaction with you Orthodoxus And seeing you haue giuen so good proofe of your patience thus farre I am not vnwilling to yeeld to your motion and desire so farre as God shall in able me So fare ye well Asotus Babylonius And you good Maister Orthodoxus Gentle Reader I pray thee correct these faults with thy pen. Page 7 Line 13 reade Philistian p. 13 l. 19 r. as his owne 〈◊〉 26 his forced l. 36 r. reuerence p. 21 l. 36 1. the Rocke p. 31 l. 36 r. recured p. 38 l. 7 r. presumption l. 12. r. audiunâ— p. 40 in margâ—nt râ—guauiter p. 41 l. 2 1. or no. p. 45 l. 20 r. Iuterimsists p. 48 l. 2 for Dued r. Quum l. 36 r. done with the. p. 62 l. 30. r. great p 69 l. 19 r. motiue FINIS Tertul de Praescript aduersus hareticos libâ—â—â—â—â— miâ—â—â—◠〈…〉 Quaest. super 〈◊〉 1. qu. 117. 〈◊〉 4. and in Psal. 55. Tertul ibid. 2. Iohn 10. Gal. 〈◊〉 * As Master Mountagâ—â— hath fairly promised laying though he may erre yet he will be no Hereticke especially against the Church of England Appeale c 1. p. 4. p. 9. Acts 〈◊〉 Acts 13. Euseb. lib. 4 cap. 14. Aliud est quod competit Rectori aliud quod prosertur emptori For example Rusinus Ecc. hist. lib. 1. cap 11. Socratas lib. 1. cap 25. homoâ—ousios for homousiâ—s Of losse of Faith and Iustification Of totall and finall â—â—lling from grace * Pap. 34. Subscription to the Church of Englands Doctrine not to Mr. Mountagues priuate inteâ—pretation The Church of Englandâ— doctrine â—o other then that of the Scriptures Heb. 6. 6 The Churches rule of faith is the Scriptures A sure rule to interpret Scriptures Aug. de corrept grâ— cap. Aug de correpâ— c. cap. 13. a Aug. de fide et operibus cap. 16 Tom. 4. b 〈◊〉 de correpâ—â—â—t gratâ—a cap. 12. Et 〈◊〉 9. Note Baptisme is called Regeneration Sacramentally He quotes the booke De bono pâ—rseuerentia for the booke 〈◊〉 corrept gratia Saint Augustine guelded by the Appealler * Aug. de ben perseuer cap. 〈◊〉 Aug. de corrept et grat cap. 7 * He saith not whose faith doth fall totally away expressing the same thus ibid. 〈◊〉 si quando exorbitant electi correpts emendantur inâ—iam quam reliquerant redemus * Aug. de corâ—pâ— de graâ— cap. 1â— Act 27 28. Doctor Ouerall fred from the Appâ—alers wrestings Reasons of the Saints perscuâ—rance 1 Reason Ang. de â—omo perseâ—â—â— cap. 2. 〈◊〉 Reason Rom 11. 29. 〈◊〉 Reason 4 Reason * Exemplified also in Christâ— prayer for