infidelis c. Who them except au Infidel will deny Christ to haue been in Hell Behold what in S. Augustius iudgment are all Presbyterians who do contradict the prophecy which he saith cannot be contradicted and who vnderstand it in a contrary sense which S. Peter did expound least any man should presume to vnderstand it otherwise Which is indeed to goe against the Scriptures both the old and new Testament the Prophets and Apostles the holy Fathers the whole Church and in a word as S. Augustin speaks to be Infidels S. Hierome expounding that place of S. Paul in the 4. to the Ephesians Hier. in cap. 4. ad Ephes And that he Christ ascended what is it but because he descended also first into the lower parts of the earth saith The inferiour parts of the earth are taken for Hell to which our Lord Saviour did descend Where it is also shewed for what end our Saviour did descend He saith S. Paul ascending on high did leade captivity captive and gaue gifts to men Vpon which the same S. Hierome saith Our Lord and Saviour descended into Hell that being Victorious he might lead with himself the Soules of those who were kep't there inclosed Whence it came to passe that after his resurrection many bodies of the iust were seen in the holy Citie The Apostle sheweth the same truth in the 2. chapter to the Collossians Coloss chap. 2. ver 15. where he saith And Christ spoyling the Principalities Powers hath ledde them confidently in open shew triumphing them in himself I passe by for brevities sake Pet. 1 Ep. c. 3. v. 19. some other passages as that of S. Peter how Christ in his Spirit did goe downe and preach'd vnto the Spirits in prison and the like which are vnderstood by some of the holy Fathers of Christs descēt to hell these already brought appeared to me to be most clear sufficient Moreover I found S. Aug. vnderstanding the words of Christ to the good theefe This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise far otherwise then the Presbyterians do For he saith Non ex his verbis c It is not to be thought by these words Aug. epist 57. ad Dardan that Paradise is in heaven for the man Christ Iesus was not to be in heaven to witt that day but in hell according to his Soule and in the grave according to his flesh And a little beneath he subioynes The Scripture clearly shewes that he was in Hell according to his Soule But as the same holy Father shewes out of the 87. Psalme He was so in hell that he was free among the dead and did there begin his triumph over all infernal powers principalities and freeing the Soules of the iust from their captivity did carrie them gloriously with himself vnto the heavens into which he did first enter and opened them vnto all true faithfull Christians For so it was fitting That he who is the head of the body the Church Colos 1. ver 18. the beginning the first borne of the dead as S. Paul speaks the first fruites of these who are asleep 1. Cor. 15.20 may in all things hold the Primacie I know these things are laughed at as if they were fables by the Presbyterians who founds their faith vpon their owne groundlesse fancies and will believe nothing which doth not suite to their humours albeit it be most clearly contain'd in the Scriptures so vnderstood by the holy Fathers and so believed by the Christian world But I intend God willing to prefer these solid grounds to Puritanical imaginations which are without yea and against Scriptures the holy Fathers and whole ancient Church and lastly against the clear words of the Creed As I saw the true and clear sense of this article so I found that the Ministers haue vsed many crooked windings turnings to obscure and deny the true sense of it For first they haue not stood to corrupt the letter of the Scripture 2. they followed a sense invented by Calvin which was not only false but by many esteem'd blasphemous 3. When for shame they had abandonned that sense the Presbyterians haue of late invented a new one not so impious but very ridiculous And lastly to compleate the work they haue denyed the whole Creed to be Apostolical which is the cleanliest way that hath been yet vsed For their corrupting of the words of Scripture Beza Calvins entire brother may cary the prize For in the Bibles of his translation he turnes these words 2. Acts 31. Thou wilt not leave my soule in Hell After this manner Thou wilt not leave my body in the grave And when this manifest corruption of Gods word was obiected to him by Protestants he answers in defence of his version against Sebastian Castalio Beza cont Sebast Cast ap Bellar. lib. 4. de anima Cha c. 12. saying No man can doubt but here is mean't of the body grave vnlesse one would be blind in the mid-day This must be a strange light or rather a strong illusion which the Presbyterians alone see But the reason which Beza gives there a little before for his changing Soule into body and hell into graves is very remarkable I did not this rashly saith he since we see that this place is chiefly wrested by the Papists for establishing their Limbe and the ancients also devised from it the descent of Christs soule into hell Our Presbyterians in Scotland were one degree inferiour to Beza for they did not corrupt two words as he did but only one as may be seen in the great bibles printed at Edinburgh by Andrew Hart where they reade thus the foresaid text Thow wilt not leave my Soule in the grave putting grave for hell which corruption was amended in the new Translations that was made by order of King Iames who said in the conference at Hampton-Court that he had never seen a true and sincere translation of the bible in English but of all these he had seen that of Geneva was the worst Having thus corrupted the text they did also invent corrupt senses of it Calvin the great Foundator of Presbytery vnderstands by Christs descent to hell that he suffered in his Soule the paines of a damned man and that doubting of his Salvation he vtteted words of desperation For thus he writes in his Institutions Diros in anima cruciatus Cal. lib. 2. instit cap. 16. sect 10. damnati ac perditihominis pertulit c. that is he suffered in his soule the horrible paines of a damned lost man And writing on the 27. chap. of S. Mathew ver 46. he saith that a word of desperation did fall from Christ And a little after Sowe see saith he Cal. in 27. Math. v. 46. that he was vexed on all sides that being overwhelmed with desperation he ceased from calling vpon God which was to renounce Salvation O most strange doctrine which I find to be condemned by many
pretend Vniversality when you say that your faith is beleeved received and defended by many Notable Kirks and Realmes but chiefly by the Kirk of Scotland Next you lay claime to a certain kind of Antiquity when you say that it hath been of a long time openly professed Such is the evidence of Truth that Enemies to it are sometimes enforced to make vse or rather a shew of it But to speak first of the vniversality of your faith where are all these many notable Realmes and Kirks which you affirm do professe your religion In Europe no such Kingdomes can be found For Swedland Denmark are known to be Lutherians who have neither Vnity of faith with you nor Communion in Sacraments and abhorre the very name of Calvin of all Sacramentaries The Realme late Church of England maintaind the Hierarchy of the Church abhorring very much the Anarchy of your Presbytery and now since England became a Commonwealth it hates nothing more then the Soule-Tyranny as it is commonly called there of your Presbytery The other famous Kingdomes of Europe are either totally or for the much greater part Roman Catholiques So that the many Notable Realmes of your religion are as yet invisible vnlesse you would count all those to be of your religion who are not Papists or who go vnder the general name of Protestants But that cannot be done for the Vniversality of a Church requires Vnity in faith Communion in Sacraments which you evidently want with a great part of Protestant Churches And therefore knowing that you want this Vnity you wisely pretend that this faith which you so much praise is chiefly professed by the Kirk of Scotland For every one of you pretends to be chief and will not yeeld to another Then yow come as little speed of your Antiquitie For all the long time that your faith was profest from the beginning of your Reformation to the first making of the Covenant is but about 20. years and as yet to this day it has not past the bounds of one Age. If you had the Vniversality Antiquity of the Catholique Church how would you glory when you make such a stirre with your fewnesse and Novelty For your one Kingdome and your one hundred years in which your religion has been professed we can show you the same Kingdome professing the Catholique religion above 14. hundred years and all the famous Christian Kingdomes and Countries of the world making the same profession even to the first time of their Conversion from Infidelity to Christianity And for your one King mentioned in your Covenant which he took in his younger years disproveing it when he became more ripe as appears in the Conference at Hampton-Court we can show you 80. Kings of the same Nation diverse of which are glorious Saints in heaven who lived and dyed in the Catholique Profession To whom we may add all the famous Christian Kings Emperours that have been in the world But albeit you were more spread then you are you would find no great advantage by it S. Augustin compareing you with good reason to smoake Aug. serm 2. in Psal 36. which doth vanish so much the sooner by how much it is greater more dilated abroad This we have seen verifyed in our time For the late Church of England intending to dilate her self in Scotland did shortly thereafter vanish like smoake in England Again the Scottish Presbytery indeavouring with great zeal to propagate it self in England lost soone much of its fyrie force in Scotland Secondly Antiquity of your religion would tend no lesse to your ruine for as S. Hierom hath observed all heresies please only men for a time and when they grow old they weare out of request as may be known by the many alterations of religion that have happened in Scotland but especially in England since their publique fall from the Catholique religion Then for Acts of Parlament whereby you say your faith is confirmed they cannot be very many seing the religion is so late neither can they give great confirmation to a religion because they are very changeable We see one Protestant Parliament has ransacted the Kings Suâ—remacy which many Protestant Parliaments had enacted and that which was before declared Heresy if not Treason to deny is now iudged both great follie and Treason to affirme The true religion is warranted by a higher authority then by earthly Courts But the Protestant religions are made and vnmade by Protestant Parliaments The last point here proposed containes three vntruths linked together as where you say that you all willingly agree in all points All the Horologes of the world will sooner agree then your wills When coercive power is now taken out of your hands you see how many do willingly freely disagree from you Then you call all the points of your faith Gods vndoubted truth which they cannot be besides other reasons because many Protestants doubt of diverse of them yea they think them vndoubted falshoods and besides yourselves are often changeing them which shewes that many articles of your faith are doubtsome and your faith of them is nothing but meer opinion Lastly it is most false that all your faith is grounded only vpon the written word because you beleeve some things without the word of God as the changeing of the Sabboth into Sunday the baptizing of infants and which is more you beleeve some points against the expresse word of God as your article of Iustification by faith only to speak nothing of diverse others And moreover you lay down a false ground when you professe to beleeve nothing 2. Thes 2.15 but what is containd in the Scriptures whereas they expresly bid you Hold fast the Traditions Thus we have seen all your pretences as about the word Spirit of God the Vniversality Antiquity of your faith by which you would make it more commendable to be false groundlesse Now we shall see how bitterly you renounce accurse the Catholique faith SECTION IV. Of the Popes Supremacy where it is shewed that the Pope is not Anti-Christ nor an Vsurper as the Covenanters do calumniate AFTER the former Preface follow these words of the Covenant And therefore we abhorre and detest all contrary Religion Doctrin but chiefly all kind of Papistry in generall and particular heads even as they are now damned confuted by the word of God and Kirk of Scotland But in special we detest and refuse the Vsurped Authority of the Roman Anti Christ vpon the Scriptures of God vpon the kirk the Civil Magistrate and Consciences of men c. Here you ingenuously confesse your selves to have one quality which all heretiques have ever had to hate and detest most the Catholique religion And your practice sheweth this your Confession to be true For albeit any person become a Socinian Anabaptist or Atheist you take no great notice of him but if you heare of any that is become a Papist he is sure to
for the further manifestation of the truth and he turn's all the plots and cunning design 's of the Authours and Promoovers of falshood to the ruine and confusion both of it and of themselves and to the exaltation of that whereof they intended so eagerly the destruction This was evident of old in the Arrians who vsed all slight and might to obscure and extinguish the great mystery of the holy Trinity But it did never shyne so brightly neither was it so fully discussed clearly vnderstood till the Arrians begun to bark against it as S. Augustin speaks Aug. in psal 54. So that by the many fold grace of our Saviour that which the Enemy intends for hurt destruction God turn's into help and advantage These things for the most part are now by the goodnesse of God become very evident in the Scottish Covenant and Presbytery which prospered so much for a time and yet at leuth are come to nought notwithstanding all the wise deepe plots that were so subtilly deuised for the standing and aduancing of them And notwithstanding the great power of Armies which did raise and vphold them in these Nations And by which they should in a Martial rather then Apostolique manner haue been propagated troughout the world as the Ministers some others fondly imagined but more foolishly bragged The great Covenanters also haue been much disappoynted and come short of their design 's There was nothing wherein they so much gloryed as in their prosperity and in the ruine which fell vpon all their opposers whereby they avowed publiquely and frequently that their cause was clearly owned by Heauen All their discourses and sermons were nothing but Panegyriques of that great ingyring light as they tearm'd it which God had made shyne to them above all other Nations They did bragge not a litle that they were Gods Covenanted people and he their Covenanting God which high priviledge no nation else could claime Their wisdome in their counsels diligence in executions were highly esteem'd and much cry'd vp by many There seem'd nothing in humane prudence fitting for the advancment of their cause but they try'd it And nothing could appeare a crosse and hinderance to their designs but they provyded for it And yet notwithstanding all these pretended priuiledges exploits and diligences the Covenanting Presbyterians haue been brought to confusion their prosperity so much bragged of hath quickly turn'd into adversity and their self conceated wisdome Iob. 5. v. 13. hath now appear'd to all men to be manifest folly For God who takes th2 wise in their own craftinesse and dissipats the counsels of the froward as it is in Iob hath made that witty or crafty course which they took for their own standing tend to their ruine and hath caused their fall to proceed from those whom they least or in no wise suspected that is from their own Covenanting and Leagued Brethren whom they had of purpose raised and vpholden to be a prop to themselues and a ruin to their Enemies And now is verifyed in them that which S. Paul foretold showld befall to all false Teachers and Seducers 1. Thimoth 3.9 They shall not long prevaile for their folly shall be made manifest to all men Yea it hath not only pleased God to bring the Covenant and Presbytery to such a stay and to frustrate the designs of their Promoters but he who drawes good out of evil hath drawen this good from them amidst the many deplorable evils which they haue directly brought vpon this Nation That many who were not sensible of the great errour wherein they were lying haue been awakned as it vere out of a dead sleep by the huge confusion of the Covenant and Presbytery and so seeing their own danger haue been stirred vp to seeing for the truth and to see the day of God as S. Augustin speaks Multi vt diem Dei videant per haereticos é somno excitantur Aug. lib. de vera relig c. 8. Amongst which number his vnspeakable goodnesse hath been pleased to make me one who by all apparance would haue liv'd and dyed in a grosse security of the religion wherein I was bred if the Covenant Presbytery by their confusions changes and violence had not furiously endeavoured to dispossesse me of many points which I formerly beleev'd as I was taught for vndoubted truths and by that means pressed me to make an earnest search to informe my self of the true grounds of these alterations and to find some setled ground whereon I might safely rely for the Salvation of my soule and not be tossed to an fro with every wind of doctrine in the wickednesse of men and circumvention of errour Whilst there was nothing but some little jarres betwixt the Bishops and a few Ministers for conformity to the 5. articles of Perth which concerned kneeling at Communion privat Baptisme Confirmation of children observation of Christmasse and of some few festival dayes I was never moved to doubt of the religion publiquely professed For these dissensions were not as I conceaved in substantial points neither was the manner of them very vehement and rigorous by reason of the Bishops temper who did not vrge these things violently though establish'd both by Ecclesiastical and Civil lawes Besid's the Ministers who oppos'd them were but few and not considerable either for learning or prudence in regard of those who were of a contrary iudgement All this time I liv'd in a deepe security in an implicit faith of the Church of of Scotland and its doctrine imagining that it was the very same which was taught by Christ and his Apostles But so soone as that great storme of the Covenant did arise none got leave to sleep any longer at rest in that barke all were awakned by these unskilfull Mariners to whom we had rashly trusted our soules who fell at such oddes and dissensions amongst themselv's that hardly ever such confusion and noise was heard or seen every one of them contradicting condemning and accursing another and making such factions that they seem'd to thirst after nothing but blood with which they may be sufficiently glutted since they begun This tempest and confusion hath brought such shipwracke vpon the Church to speak nothing of the miseries of the Countrey that many of sound iudgement seing the danger haue been mov'd to abandon that confus'd and sinking vessell and putt themselv's in one more solidly built and govern'd by more sober wise and discreet Pilots This confusion was the occasion of my first doubt which made me begin to examin the particular points of these new dissenssions and to try the ground whereon our religion so easily shaken was weakly founded And finding that all was built vpon the sand I made there after a diligent search to find out that true religion and holy Church which Christ the wise Master builder had promised in the Scriptures to build vpon a Rocke which could not be shaken neither by the deceits of men nor
to abolish the hymne of Glory which was ordinarly sung in praise of the holy Trinity This Innovation seem'd very strange and gaue great scandal to many For besids that it had been vsed from our infancy and was sung publickly in all Churches at the conclusion of of the Psalmes it contain'd not the least apparance of evil but rather did appear to tend much to the honour of God to whom all praise glory principally belongs And albeit it be not word by word in one place of the holy Scripture as our Lords prayer is yet the sense and the like words if not the same are to be found in it For what is more expresly contain'd in the new Testament then the Father Son and holy Ghost in whose name we are all baptized and which all true Christians do acknowledge to be one true God And what is more cleare in Scripture then that Glory is due vnto God S Paul saith to the King of the worlds immortal 1. Tim. 1.17 Pet 2. epist 3. ch ver 18. Iude ver 25. invisible only God be honour and glory for ever Amen S. Peter also speaking of Christ saith to him be Glory both now and to the day of eternity Amen And S. Iude to the only God our Saviour by Iesus Christ our Lord be Glory magnificence empire and power before all worlds and now for all worlds evermore Amen There is nothing more frequēt in the Revelatiō then redoubling of this Glory to God S. Iohn saith that he heard every Creature in heaven and vpon earth saying Apocal. 5.13 to him who sitteth on the throne and to the Lambe benediction honour glory power for ever and ever Therefore since the giving of Glory to God is the principal exercise of the Saints in heaven why may it not or rather why ought it not to be the exercise also of the Saints on earth S. Iohn saith he heard a voice come out from the throne saying Apoc. 19.5 Say praise to our God all you his Servants and you that feare him little and great Why then should the Presbyterians hinder both little great to sing this hymne of praise Glory vnto the holy Trinity Why should they goe against their owne former practise and that custome which was observed by their first Reformers and which is yet keep 't in all the more ancient Protestant Churches How could one of their Ministers interrupt the people when they were singing that hymne by crying out no lesse ridiculously then scandalously No more Glory to the Father No more Glory Indeed if the Presbyterians denyed the mystery of the holy Trinity as the Arians did they might vpon that false ground had some pretence of reason for this innovation but acknowledging the truth of that Divine mystery they appear'd very vnreasonable for abolishing that hymne which was ordinarly said in praise of it and which hath so good ground in the holy Scriptures Being therefore desirous to know this matter from the source I had my next recourse according to my accustomed methode vnto the primitive Church the holy Fathers And there I found that this hymne was most ancient an Apostolical tradition that it was highly esteem'd and much vsed by the Catholique Church in the primitive times that as some heretiques did much endeavour to pervert it so the Catholiques did labour as diligently to preserve it in the same purity as it had descended vnto them by continual practise and tradition And lastly I found that God did approve the laudable vse of this hymne by some notable miracles All which we shall briefly shew Basil ad Amphiloch de sp 5. How the hymne of Glorification was vsed from the very tyme of the Apostles S. Basil the Great doth largely shew For when the Sacrament of Baptisme was administrated by them in name of the Father of the Son and of the holy Ghost the faithfull answered Glory be to the Father to the Son and to the holy Ghost Which custome of glorifying God the same holy father doth affirme to be an Apostolical tradition which had been every where observed throughout the whole Church Of this matter Cardinal Baronius treateth amply in his third tome anno 325. Where he also sheweth that this hymne was of so great authority and esteeme in the ancient Church that when the holy Fathers in the Councel of Constantinople were to establish a rule of faith against some Heretiques who denyed the Divinity of the holy Ghost they would haue inserted in that Symbol a testimony from this hymne of Glory for the Divinity of the holy Ghost in these words Who with the Father and the Son Baron tom 3. anno 323. n. 174. is adored and Con-glorifyed And albeit this hymne was much vsed in the Church from the beginning yet it was sung more frequently in honour of the blessed Trinity after the Arians began to corrupt it How the Arians did strive to change and pervert this hymne the same Card. Baronius sheweth out of Sozomen Baron ibid. n. 173. for as they had changed the forme of Baptisme by saying I baptise thee in the name of the Father by the Son in the holy Ghost so also they corrupted the hymne of Glorification by singing Glory be to the Father by the Son in the holy Ghost Which diversity bre◠a dissension in Antioch between the Catholiques and the Arians whilst they would keep the ancient custome and the others would bring in their corrupt innovation Therefore the great Councel of Nice Baron ibid. n. 176. which had condem-the Arian heresy for the more confusion of it gave order to continue these hymnes in the Church which were in vse to be sung formerly in praise of the holy Trinity and especially the hymne of Glorification which the Arians had changed and endeavoured to pervert as they had impiously denyed the mystery of the holy Trinity in whose honour it was said And from this time that hymne began to be more frequently vsed so that the Countrey people would sing it whilst they were busied about their ordinary labours For how much the Arians did strive to suppresse and pervert it so much the Catholiques did labour to preserve and celebrat it For which cause S. Ambrose did conclude all the new hymnes which he made to be sung by the people during the time of the persecution which he suffered of the Arians with the hymne of Glorification as S. Augustin testifieth Ang. lib. 9. Confes◠c. 6.7 Ambros in Auxent And therefore being accused by the Arians for hauing deceived the people with the verses of his new hymnes he answered I do not deny that c. What is more powerfull then the Confession of the Trinity which is celebrated every day by the mouths of the people They labour all earnestly to confesse the faith they know to praise in verse the Father Son holy Ghost and they are all become Teachers who scarcely
Calvins doctrin to be false so I soone perceived that his pretence of preserving Gods honour was very frivolous For how can the vertue of the Sacraments derogate from the power honour of Christ since all power vertue that they have is acknowledged to be from Christ who is the principall Agent and Author of grace they being only the instruments by which he produceth it How can the vertue of the Sacraments draw people from God and make them rely more on corporal things then on God since it being so spiritual and supernatural rather drawes people from corporal things to God and makes them to admire more his power to love his goodnesse This was the effect that the vertue of the Sacraments produced in S. Augustin when with admiration he cryed out Whence hath the water that vertue that it toucheth the body cleanseth the soule A Catholique did further illustrate this matter to me by an example VVho can be so void of reason said he as to think that the vertue which proceeded from the hemme of our Saviours garment by touching whereof Luke 8.44 the woman in the Gospel was cured did derogate from the honour of Christ or would make the women to rely or fixe her ey 's more on the garmen then on Christ himself But rather is not the contrary most evident that thereby the power vertue of Christ was mvch illustrated who by such a small instrument had produced so wonderfull an effect And was not the woman all the people present drawen thereby more closely to Christ and made to love his goodnesse and admire his power It is iust so in the Sacraments As that vertue which proceeded from the hemne of our Saviours garment cured supernaturally the desease of the body so the vertue which proceeds from the Sacraments cures the deseases and infirmities of the soule And as that tended to the honour of Christ so doth this much more Thus he Moreover I found this Presbyterian opinion which robs the Sacraments of all vertue to be an ancient heresy condemned by the holy Fathers Epiph. her 80. Aug. haeres 57. Damas lib. de heresâ—b in some heretiques called Messalians who taught that sins were purged without the divine Sacraments as S. Epiphanius S. Augustin Damascen do testifie There is indeed this difference between them the Calvinists that they ascribed that power of purging sins to prayer which these do in their own manner to Faith Lastly this opinion of Luther Calvin is so false absurd Prot. Apol. tract 3. sect 4. in marg ad 111. Mont. Orig. pag. 72. that diverse famous Protestants as Osiander Whitaker Hooker Bilson and others cited in the Protestants Apology besids some more late Doctours of the late English Church haue reiected it and believe with the Catholiques that the Sacraments of the new law do not only signifie but also conferre grace and acknowledge the difference which the holy Fathers haue put between the Sacraments of the old law and these of the Euangel All which considerations gave me sufficient ground not to make any longer such a grosse errour an article of my faith But because the first chief Protestants deny the Sacraments to conferre grace I was curious to know for what end they thought the Sacraments were ordain'd Melanch in locis com c. de signis Zuing. de vera fal relig c. de Sacram Luth. de capt Bab. cap. vltimo also Cal. lib. 4. Inst c. 14. and for what vse they served and in this matter I found a diversity among them Melanchton said that they serve as badges to distinguish vs from infidels Zuinglius maketh Sacraments no better then Souldiours marks by which they are distinguished Luther saith that they are external signes ordain'd to stirre vp our faith Calvin is of the same opinion but he addeth that they are seals of Gods promises ordain'd to vphold our faith to witt his special iustifying faith When it was obiected to Luther by the Catholiques that the Sacrament of baptisme could not stirre vp faith in infants baptized who have no vse of reason he was brought to that straight that he said infants did actually beleeve whilst they were baptized which is so false that as S. Augustin speaks they Aug. epist 57. ad Dardan Cal. lib. 4. Instit cap. 16. sect 19. who affirm such things do an iniurie to humane senses Calvin not relying fully vpon Luthers vnreasonnable opinion saith that the baptism of infants stirreth vp their faith when they come to the vse of reason Which doctrin gives great advantage to the Anabaptists and sheweth that the baptism of infants is not profitable before they attayne to the vse of reason So that according to the chieff Protestant Reformers the Sacraments are nothing but badges or bare signes tokens or seales of Gods promises without any inward effect of grace And therefore they are made by them to serve to little or no purpose By which I saw what vncertainty is among these Reformers even in the principal points of our faith and how abiectly they speak and think of the Christian Sacraments Whereas the Catholique Church holy Fathers speak most reverently esteem highly of them shewing that they were ordain'd principally for our sanctification according to that famous definition of a Sacrament Aug. lib. 10. de Ciuit. Dei c. 5. Idem quaest 84. in Leuit. Et lib. 19. conâ— Faust cap. 11. collected out of S. Augustin A Sacrament is a visible signe of invisible grace instituted by Christ for our Sanctificatâ—on To which purpose the same holy Father saith Without the grace of invisible Sanctification to what would the visible Sacraments serve And again the vertue of the Sacraments vnspeakably auaileth much Therefore the Presbyterians Sacraments being without invisible Sanctification serve to little vse according to S. Augustin There was one doubt which I had in this matter concerning that which the Catholiques teach that the Sacraments do conferre grace ex opere operato or by the work wrought For I have heard some Ministers affirm that the Papists intended thereby to shew that the Sacraments produced grace as well in those who were evil disposed and came without due preparation as in those who were well disposed and came well prepared to receive them which I iustly esteem'd to be most false and impious Therefore having proposed this difficulty to a Catholique I was informed by him that this was a meer calumny of the Ministers Luther de capt Basil cap. de Bapt. Cal. in Antid sess 7. can 5. 8. wherein they followed their Predecessors Luther Calvin who said that to conferre grace by the work wrought according to the Catholiques was nothing else but to conferre grace to a sinner without faith and repentance But the Catholiques said he have no such false and absurd meaning They only by that phrase do shew that the grace which Christ produceth by the Sacraments as by his
their several Confessions For these Confessions distinguish them from all other Societies and they require no more of any to be esteem'd a Protestant of their respective Churches then to subscrive and swear their Confessions But it is to be observed that these Confessions must be beleeved wholly and intirely and not only a part of them otherwise all heretiques might be esteem'd Protestants For Arius Sabellius and the rest beleeved some of these articles and yet were not Protestants These two grounds being setled he proceeded to his proof CHAP. XXIV That the Protestant Church hath not been perpetual yea was not at all before Luther and therefore is not the true Church FROM the former two principles which I granted and conceive no Protestant can deny this argument was made vnto me The true Church of Christ hath still continued without interruption since the ascension of Christ But the Protestant Church hath only continued since the apostasy of Luther Therefore the Protestant Church is not the true Church of Christ The maior is evident by the first principle of the perpetuity of the Church The Minor is proved by the second principle after this manner The Protestant Church for example of Scotland is a Church beleeving all the articles of the Scottish Confession and the same may be proportionally said of all other Protestant Churches and their Confessions But before Luther there was no Church which beleeved that Confession or any other of the Protestant Confessions Therefore there was no Protestant Church before Luther and consequently it hath only continued since the fall of Luther The Maior is evident by the second principle The Minor to witt that there was no Church before Luther which beleeved any Protestant Confession is proved thus If thâ—re had been any Church before Luther beleeving any Protestant Confession it was either visible or invisible there is no medium But there was no Church either visible or invisible which beleeved any Protestant Confession Therefore there was no Church at all beleeving any Protestant Confession before Luther If you will affirm said he that there was such a Church visible I ask where it was to be seen before Luther appeared Which can never be showen If you say there was a Church beleeving some Protestant Confession but invisible I demand only for the present how the true Church can be invisible How can the true Church be without doctrin Sacraments neither of which can be had in an invisible Church But I shall prove he after that the Scriptures Fathers right reason are as evident for the visibility as they are for the perpetuity of the Church Yea I shall shew that albeit the true Church could be invisible the Protestant Church was not so much as invisible before Luther and therefore was not at all Visibility invisibility are indeed the two starting holes by which your Authors think to escape when they are prest by this argument and therefore they must be both diligently watcht For there is a custom as S. Augustin observes common to foxes heretiques Aug. in psa 80. Cant. 2 As foxes have two entries to their hole to the end they may save themselves by the one when they are pursued by the other so heretiques whom the Scripture ressembles to foxes have a double issue in their answers that they may escape by the one when they find themselves assaulted pres't by the other This custome many Protestants observe well in this same matter For when they are pres't to shew their Church before Luther they say often it was invisible therefore could neither be known nor shown But when it is proved by the Scriptures right reason that the true Church must be visible then they make many shifts to shew it was visible and when all these faile they run back again vnto their hole of invisibility and so think to escape that way Thus he But I esteeming visibility a more honorable natural propertie of the Church of Christ then invisibility since Christ saith Tell the Church which were impossible to be done if the Church were not visible knowing that diverse famous Protestants do affirm that their Church was visible before Luther I willed him if he would gain his point to shew me first that the Protestant Church was not visible before Luther Wherevpon he toul dme that he would prove that very particularly but first he would shew me in general that even these Protestants who pretend their Church to have been visible cannot endure to be ask'd that fatal question where was your Church before Luther For knowing the hardnesse of this question and the insufficiency of their answers they endeavour to shift it calling it an vniust impertinent demand an old but vnnecessarie question a question of historie which would require twentie yeares study But said he if this demand be vniust Tertul. de prescrip c. 31. Optat. l. 1. ad Parmen p. 48. Aug. in collat 3. diei cap. 6. Theologi Heidel praef in Protocoll Frankentalen Beza ep 16. then the Fathers were vniust who made the same demand to the heretiques of their time required them to shew the origine of their Churches and to tell what they were and whence they came Yea if this demand be vniust some chief Protestants are vniust who made the same to diverse sectaries who have gone out from them For the Theologs of Heydelberg speak thus to the Anabaptists If you be the Church of God it followeth that God hath been without people and without a Church c. And the reason which they subioyn is very remarkable for it is directly according to the second principle above setled For if you say they would read over all histories you shall find no people from the beginning of the world that hath made a Confession of faith like yours Beza hath also been vniust who presseth the new Arians with the like question If their doctrin saith he be true we require them to show vs at length in what place their Church hath been These testimonies to passe by many others do shew that this question is neither vniust nor impertinent and that these Protestants who vrge it so hardly against others do know the great strength and evidence of it which they cunningly dissemble or maliciously deny when it 's vrged against themselves But that this question is not vniust may be shewed also by reason For if the Protestant Church hath been visible it must have been in some place visible Since then we cannot see nor heare of it before Luther arose although all histories have been searched all records pervsed which do inform vs of things lesse considerable as sometimes of one single man when and where he arose and opposed the Church and yet not so much as one word can be found of a whole visible continual society of Protestants and besids that they cannot be found in histories they have left no Monuments behind them by which they may be
known to have been in the world before Luther although they have left many ruinous Monuments behind them since Luther seing I say after all this diligence we cannot find out this visible Protestant Church and yet these Protestants affirm that it was visible we most iustly require them to help tell vs where their Church was in what kingdome province or citie and if they cannot do this we may iustly conclude that their allegation is a groundlesse imagination invented to deceive men against their sense vnderstanding in a matter of greatest importance But wc do not as yet make any such conclusion we only require them to shew what we cannot see by our selves to point vnto vs where their Church was that we may fix our ey 's towards that place and for satisfaction we are answered that the demand is vniust and we impertinent if we do not beleeve vpon their bare word that their Church was visible albeit neither we can find nor they can tell where it was But all prudent and indifferent men would think it much more iniustice impertinencie both in them to require and in vs to beleeve that their Church was visible before it can be shewed where it was then in vs to require where it was before we beleeve that it was Who giveth credit quickly Ecclesi 19.4 saith the wise man is light of heart Any heretiques albeit never so grosse may pretend the same vpon as good ground and yet no reasonable man can think it vnreasonable to demand where their Church was before we beleeve them Moreover this is not only a iust and pertinent but also a most necessarie and important question For thereby all false Churches are clearly sensibly discovered even to the meanest capacities Because if the Church of Christ must be perpetual as hath been evidently demonstrated and if it must be also perpetually visible as these Protestants of whom we now speak do grant then it followeth when ever a new Church or Congregation ariseth with a new Confession of faith which was not see nor known before that that Church is not the true Church of Christ which ought to be alwayes both perpetual visibie For this cause the holy Fathers did vrge this question so hardly by which they confounded all heretical new vpstart Churches And whereas some Protestants do alleadge du Mou lin in his Nouueauté cont Card. Peron c. 12. that this question is a curiosity of history an old question which would require tventie yeares studie it is such a curiosiry of hystâ—ry that it can be found in none or else the laborious Centurists had not omitted it It is indeed an old question but was never well answered and will yet require a new answere as shall appear by the insufficiency of all the old answers And if it require twentie yeares study they cannot complain who have got now a hundred yeares to find out an answer to it But to speak no more of these shifts I shall shew how diverse Protestants being vrged by that fata question make many essaies to answer it and yet cannot make appear the visibility of their Church before Luther They run almost all the world over to find their Church They begin their iourney in France striveing to prove it in the Waldenses Albigenses 2. From France they go over to England to prove it in the Wicleffists 3. From England they passe to Boheme to find it among the Hussists 4. From Boheme they travaâ—le to Greece and from that to Aethiopia Armenia pretending that thâ—se Nations were Protestants 5. Having thus wearied themselvs all in vain the most learned are glad to come back again to the Papists saying that their Church before Luther was in the very heart of Popery 6. Finding that their new coin'd distinction of fundamental points involves them in great labyrinths and that the Papists will not acknowledge them for their Associats they passe from the later vnto the purer times before S. Gregory alleadging that the primitive Church holy Fathers were Protestants 7. After they have made this monstruous leap of 900. yeares and there find both Pastors people at the sacrifice of the Masse which the Protestants abhorre as Idolatry they run to their last shift which is to get out of the sight of the world and hide themselves in the hole of invisibiliy These many different answers shew that the Protestant Church hath no great certainty of its pedegree I shall briefly shew you the insufficiency of every one of these answers by which it shall be proved that the Protestant Church was not visible before Luther and hereby their first starting hole shall be either so stop't or lay'd that they cannot escape this way CHAP. XXV That the Protestant Church was not visible before Luther neither in the Waldenses Albigenses VViclifists nor Husits THAT the Protestant Church may be continued in the Waldenses and the same is to be observed of the Albigenses and the rest two things are to be proved by Protestants 1. That the Waldenses have ever continued since the time of the Apostles And this is clear by the first vndeniable principle of the perpetuity of the Church 2. That the Waldenses were intirely of that faith which the Protestants do now or did professe that is beleeved any of their Confessions of faith For without this whole agreement the Waldenses could not be a Protestant Church as is evident by the second principle above setled Now it is impossible for them to shew either of these two For first concerning the continuance of the Waldenses all histories do affirm that they began in the twelfth age and that their Author was one Waldo a marchant of Lions about the yeare 1160. whom the Centurists place in the 12. Century How can it be then proved Cent. 12. c. 8. that the Waldenses had continued since the Apostles time seing their Author who was before a Catholique a Laique lived neer 12. hundred yeares after the Apostles supposeing then that Waldo became a Protestant after he had been before a Catholique the question remaines where was the Protestant Church before Waldo The true Church must be perpetuall Secondly as the Waldenses did not continue since the Apostles so neither did they agree intirly with Protestants Luth. in Colloq c de Sacr. Calvin epist 224. in the principal articles of their religion to witt in Iustification by faith only if we beleeve Luthers testimonie And if we will trust Calvin they held also the reall presence in the Popish sense of Transubstantiation Therefore such men could not be Protestants Protest Apol. Tract 2. c. 2. sect 3. sub 3. Thirdly they agreed with the Catholiques in diverse other points as about the number nature of the Sacraments the vow of chastity the necessity of childrens baptism They began a kind of religious order for which they were called the poore men of Lions and sought confirmation of it from Pope Innocent
by the Christians of the preceeding age makes the doctrin of every following age the same with the doctrin of the preceeding age and so makes the doctrin of all after ages the same with the doctrin of the first age For suppose that the Church now in this age relies vpon that principle to believe nothing as Christs doctrin but what her predecessors of the 15. age taught her to be his doctrin it is evident that the doctrin of these two ages will be the same And the Church of the 15. age relying vpon the same principle must hold the same doctrin which the Church of the 14. age held and so vpward the doctrin of the third age will be the same with that of the second and the doctrin of the second will be the same with that of the first and so if this principle has been carefully observed in all ages the doctrin of all ages will be the same with the doctrin of the first age which is the doctrin of Christ and of his Apostles The Maior then is evident The Minor is proved thus The Church now in Communion with the Roman sea holds in this age that principle For she professeth to believe nothing contrary to the doctrin of her immediat Ancestors and presumes to add nothing as Christs doctrin vnto the doctrin of her Ancestors Therefore she professeth to believe nothing as Christs doctrin but what she received as such from her immediat Ancestors If the Church of the present age professeth so as it is evident she doth then the Church of the fifteenth age behoved to make the like profession or else the Church of this age could not make it For so many persons as are now in Communion with the Roman Church cannot concurre to make so notorious sensible a lye as to say they professe nothing but what was profes't and taught by their immediat Ancestors if these of the 15. age had not made truly such a profession of the same doctrines And for the same reason these of the 15. age could not make that profession and teach it vnto this age vnlesse the 14. age had done the same and so you may ascend vpward even vnto the first age Therefore the Church professing to observe this principle now in this age hath profes't it alwayes If she has profes't it alwayes she has also observ'd it alwayes for the same reason because so many Nations as are in Commmunion of the Roman Church cannnot make so notorious a lye as to say they believe nothing but what they received from their immediat Ancestors if they believed any thing else as Christs doctrin which they had not received Therefore seing they affirm in all ages even vnto the first that they received all their doctrin from their Ancestors it must be true that they did receive it all and it must be also true that with the other doctrine they received and observed this principle To believe nothing but what has been delivered by their immediat Ancestors For this is as it were the rule ground of all particular doctrines So that by proving that the present Church in Communion with the sea of Rome professeth to observe this principle it 's proved she profes't it alwayes and by proving that she profest it alwayes it is shown she has observ'd it alwayes and this principle been alwayes profes't and observed it has been ever delivered with the rest of the doctrin as the main ground whereon the Church hath relyed by which men may come vnto the sure knowledge possession of the true doctrin which was taught by Christ his Apostles So that if the whole Church hath not made a notorious sensible lye in one age to damn themselves and their whole posterity she hath ever received all her doctrin from her immediat Ancestors and so it will be true that the doctrin of all ages is the same with the doctrin of the first age which is the true doctrin of Christ his Apostles Now it rests to be shown that this Church alone observes the former principle which is easily done For if there had been any other society of Christians which had constantly kept that principle it had also kep't the same doctrin which the Roman Church keeps as is evident by what hath been said Secondly No other Churches and especially the Protestant can so much as pretend to keep this principle For they are so far from professing to receive all their doctrines from their immediat Ancestors that at their first rising they accuse their Ancestors and the Church in their time of Errors whereof they professe themselves to be Reformers and that not by doctrin which they had received immediatly from others but what they had received or pick't out from the Scriptures by their private collections which has been the ordinary custom of all heretiques And this is evident in Protestants who do acknowledge that they have their doctrin not by the testimony of the age immediatly preceeding Luther but from him who opposed the whole Church in his time and for many ages before him which he pretended to reform by the Scriptures The whole strength of this proof is grounded vpon this manifest truth that a full report from whole worlds of fathers to whole worlds of Sons of such things as they heard and saw is altogether infallible since sensible evidence in a world of eye witnesses vnanimously concurring is altogether infallible And such is the test mony of the whole Church in every age for her doctrin that it is the very same which was delivered by Christ and his Apostles and therefore it was truly delivered by them For neither can the Church be mistaken in this testimonie since whole Nations cannot be deceived in what is told them not once or twice but what is dayly beaten into their ears what they are bred with and what they see dayly with their eyes or else we may say the whole world erres in iudging white from black Neither can all the Christians in the world dispersed through so many Nations malitiously conspire to make so notorious a lie as to say they heard this taught and saw it practised if they had not seen and heard it For that were to testify a lie in a matter subiect to sense against their greatest interest to witt the Salvation of themselvs of their posterity If it be impossible that all the persons of a great Citie and much more of a whole Nation should think affirm that they saw and heard such things which truly they neither saw nor heard How much more is it impossible that all Christians Cities Nations should think and affirm they were instructed in such doctrines saw such practices if it were not really true that they had received these doctrines seen these practices Hence it remaines evident that this continued testimony of so many Christian in every generation is a most sure infallible way to attayn vnto the certain knowledge of what
of them of some excellent privilege For they spoile God of his goodnesse by making him the Author of sin Christ of his merits by denying he dyed for all and the holy Trinity of Glory They spoile the Angels and the Saints of their felicity and of all respect and reverence from men They rob the Church of the continual assistance of the Holy Ghost Man of his free-will the living of the prayers of the Saints and the faithfull departed of the suffrages of the living They rob the Sacraments of Grace and the Commandments of obedience Yea what have they left vntouched in the Church They have taken away many books of the Scriptures almost all the Sacraments all Traditions Priesthood Sacrifice Vowes set Fasts Festival Dayes Altars Reliques Holy Images all Monuments of Piety all the antient Ecclesiastical Lawes all Order and Disciplin all Comlinesse and beauty from the House of God They have abolished the Apostolique Government denyed the Apostles Creed subverted the Divine Commandments and abiured all the Evangelical Counsels and many more points have they destroyed as we shall see in the progresse of the Covenant so that never any heresy deserved more the title of Destroyer never any heretical Confession of Faith deserved so much the Title of the Negation of Faith as the Covenant For never any heresy or negative Confession denyed so many points of the Catholique faith and so overturn'd the Christian Religion both in doctrin disciplin in all the Monuments and helps of Piety As the matter of the Covenant is very large containing so many points of the Catholique Faith which it deny's so the manner how it doth renounce them which is as it were the life and forme of the Covenant is very considerable For it doth not only deny these articles but it detests and abiures them yea and blasphemes them adding a blasphemous Epithet almost to every point For thus it speaks We renounce and detest the Vsurped authority of the Roman Anti-Christ his wicked Hierarchie his Devilish Masse Blasphemous Priesthood Profane Sacrifice Bastard Sacraments Doubtsome Faith Desperat Repentance c. Behold said the Catholique to me what a Rapsodie of lies and calumnies against manifest sense and experience against the ancient faith and true religion was fathered vpon God the Author of truth and was called his Covenant Behold what a blasphemous Negation of the Faith was entitled the Confession of Faith Behold what a monstrous Idol of lies execrations blasphemies the Covenanters did so highly honour reverence as if it had been Gods vndoubted truth and not only did Idolatrize it themselv's but with furious zeal and rigour enforced others to adore it against their Consciences S. Cyptian affirmes that the Devil Cypr. de simâ—l Praelator Hieron in EsaiaÌ„ c. 21. in place of the old Pagan Idols has invented the deceits of Errors Heresies and S. Hierom saith that all Heretiques are Idolaters adoring their own fictions and imaginatio s as divin truths According to this doctrine if the Covenant containe heresies as we shall see it containes not a few the Covenanters have been great idolaters The old Pagans did indeed adore false Gods and the works of their own hands but never any carying the name o Chr stians did more Idolatrize the fancies of their own braines then the Covenanters have done The prosperity of the Covenant for a time did blind many but now the Visitation which God has sent vpon it has opened the ey 's of a great part so that the Covenant which was before the obiect of their greatest reverence respect is now become the subiect of their laughter sport The Prophet Ieremy foretells that these miseries should befalls to all Idols They are vain things Ieremy 10.15 Hieron â—u hunc loâ—um saith he and a work worthy to be laughed at in time of their Visitation they shall perish Which words S. Hierom applies excellently to Heresies Who would not laugh saith he when he considers the Idols of Heretiques c. Heresies prevaile only for a time that these who are chosen may be made manifest and be approved But when the Visitation of God comes and his eys do behold their fooleries then all are quyet and siâ—e it And so now is the Covenant silent and fallen asleep But enough for our intended brevity of the false Titles of the Covenant and of the grosse vntruths in it against sense We shall now run brieflâ— through the Spiritual vntruths of it against Faith SECTION III. Of the Covenantes vain pretext of the word and Spirit of God and of the marks by which they describe their Relâ—gion THAT this matter may proceed more clearly we shall set down in order the words of the Covenant and then subioyn the Observations we made vpon them The Preface then of it goes thus Covenant Wee all and every one of vs vnderwritten protest that after long due examination of our Consciences in matters of true false religion Wee are now throughly resolved of the truth by the word Spirit of God And therefore we beleeve with our hearts confesse with our mouths subscribe with our hands and constantly affirme before God the whole world that this only is the true Christian faith and Religion pleasing God and bringing salvation to man which now is by tho mercy of God revealed to the world by the preaching of the blessed Evangel and received beleeved and defended by many and sundry notable Kirks Realms but chiefly by the Kirk of Scotland the Kings Maiesty and the three Estates of this Realm as Gods eternal Truth and only ground of our Salvation as more particularlâ— is confessed in the Confession of our faith established and publickly confirmed by Sundry Acts of Parliament and now of a long time hath been openly professed by the Kings Maiesty and whole body of this Realm both in Burgh and Land To the which Confession and forme of Religion we willingly agree in our Consciences in all points as vnto Gods vndoubted Truth and Verity grounded only vpon his written word To passe by the first sensible vntruth about the long and due examination of their consciences which was lately touched they pretend next that they are fully perswaded of the truth of their Religion by the word and Spirit of God But this is no new song neither is it only peculiar to them All sects although never so monstrous which receiv'd the Scriptures have made and do make the same pretexts And this they must all do or else they would get few followers But that the Covenanters make this pretext as falsly as any other sects is very evident For first they falsly pretend to be perswaded of the truth of their Religion by the word of God seing they beleeve diverse points as principal articles of their religion which are expresly against the word of God Which may be shown by many Instances but we shall be content with two or three The Covenanters beleeve as
the punishment of fire that being purged by fire he may be saved and not tormented for ever as the Infidels are with everlasting fire The second place is in S. Mathew ch 12. v. 32. where our Saviour saith He that shall speak against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world nor in the world to come Vpon which S. Augustin saith Aug lib. 21. de Civit. c. 24. Neither could it be truly said of some That they are neither forgiven in this life nor in the life to come vnlesse there were some who though they are not forgiven in this life yet should be Ber. ser 66. sup Cantic in the life to come S. Bernard brings this same testimony by which alone he thinks to have sufficiently confuted the Petro-brusian heretiques who denyed Purgatory in his time The third place is Math. 5.26.27 where our Saviour saith Amen I say to thee thou shalt not goe out from thence till thou pay the last farthing Vpon which S. Hierom. This is that which he saith Hieron in c. 5. Math. thou shalt not go out of prison till thou shalt pay even thy little sins By all which it is evident that Purgatory was beleeved by the holy Fathers by the Primitive Church and that it has good ground in the Scriptures Yea the same was also beleeved by the ancient Iewes as it is clear out of the 2. book of the Machabees 12. ch and it is also known that the Iewes to this day pray for the dead to speak nothing that the very Heathens of old held and the Mahumetans hold the same Bellar. l. 1. de purg c. 11. as Bellarmin sheweth Therefore it is not only a false but also a shamelesse calumnie which you Covenanting Ministers do make when you say that Purgatory is a late invention of the Popes and they are miserably deceived who give credit to you But indeed you ought not to be so great enemies to Purgatory seing you must either grant a certain Purgatory after this life or else none of you can go to Heaven as has been shewed above out of your own principles For seing according to your doctrine Supra p. 188. the filthinesse of your sins alwayes remaines in you dureing this life it must either be taken away purged after this life and so consequently you must grant a Purgatory or else you will not be admitted into that heavenly City where no vnclean thing can enter Purgatory then being so firmly established by the the Scriptures Fathers Tradition of the whole Church the question of Prayer for the dead which has such affinity with it is soone determined S. Augustins testimony alone shall be sufficient because it shewes the practice of the whole ancient Church Aug. de Verbis Apost ser 34. It is not to be doubted saith he but the dead are eased by the prayers of the holy Church by the wholsome Sacrifice and the almes which are given for the soules departed so that they are more mercyfully dealt with by our Lord then their sins do deserve For this being delivered by the Fathers the whole Church observeth And that this was not a new doctrine or practice Calvin himself confesseth granting that it was a custome to pray for the dead 13. hundred years before his time Cal. l. 3. inst c. 5. par 10. You detest next the custome of the Catholique Church in offering vp her publique prayers in a language not vulgaire But you do this without solid reason For first the Church has introduced no Novelty in that matter but has still retain'd her Liturgies in the same Tongues which she had vsed from the first time of her founding by the holy Apostles Secondly The Church has thought more fitting to retain her Liturgies in these ancient sacred and vnchangeable languages though not commonly now known then to subiect her Liturgies to all the inconveniences that are occasioned by the changes of vulgaire tongues which are in a continual ebbing flowing This custome may be confirmed by the practice of the ancient Iewes who having corrupted their language by the long continuance of the Babylonicall captivity speaking commonly Syraick did not leave of for that to continew their office in the Hebrew tongue for which our Saviour did not reprehend them which certainly he had done if it had been an vnlawfull thing Thirdly The command and practice of the Church ought to be obeyed and followed in matters of disciplin where God has commanded nothing as he has done nothing here concerning the language of the publique Liturgie Lastly there is no necessitie of vseing a vulgaire tongue in the publique prayers of the Church seing they are directed to God who vnderstands all languages for the good of the people who are sufficiently instructed in these matters by continual Catechizing preaching and interpretation in their vulgaire languages And hence it comes to passe that the service of the Church is more venerable being in an ancient vnchangeable language not known to all and by that means also the Communion of the Churches service is more spread it being in a Common language Therefore we may iustly conclude that you vniustly blame the Catholique Church for vseing this ancient venerable custome But you may be iustly blamed who although you pray not in a strange language yet you oftentimes pray ex tempore in a strange sense yea you have committed a greater absurditie For you have put Latin which you call a strange language in your Confession of faith this same very Covenant when you abiure opus operatum as we shall see presently and which is more you do not interpret and explain it which experience sheweth none or few of you can doe If it be amisse as you alleadge to pray vnto God in a strange language albeit he vnderstands all languages it is much more faulty in you to put Latine in your Confession of faith which the people does not vnderstand and yet not only require them to say but also enforce them to swear Amen to it as you have done with your Covenant Vnlesse perhaps you think it a sin to pray vnto God in a strange language but not to swear or curse something in it You are Enemies also to the most laudable Ceremonies and devotions of the Catholique Church as vnto Processions Litanies by which Gods glory is manifested and his Iudgments have been often prevented First concerning Processions we read in the Scripture how acceptable to Christ was the procession of the children people of Ierusalem Math. 21. when he entred into that Citie vpon Palmes-Sunday throwing down their garments before him carrying braunches of Palmes and singing Hosanna in imitation of which the Catholique Church vpon that day makes solemn processions by carrying the holy Sacrament strawing of flowers and bearing of Palmes All which is done to the honour of Christ In the old Testament also we read of the solemn Processions that