and of faithfull Preachers against false Teachers belongs to other visions and cannot be here intended unlesse you had the faculty of making one thing serve for all purposes DIALOGUE Gent. What is meant by the casting the Dragon and his Angels out of heaven Min. Thereby is meant the utter confusion and overthrow of Antichrist by the Spirit of Christs mouth that is by Preaching of the Gospell so as he shall be deprived of all dignity and shall have no place in heaven that is in the Church of God to domineere any more as thankes be to God the Arch-bishop of Canterbury is deprived of all dignity and shall never have any place againe in heaven I meane in the Church of God to domineere as he hath done ANSWER The further you goe the more wrong still in your interpretation But was it so that you could not have a fling at the Archbishop of Canterbury except you streine a Prophecy You had better sure have let him alone then by a false glosse corrupt the text for in this very passage you have done no lesse as is more then manifest nor doe my former Answers but declare it DIALOGUE Gent. Why is this Prophecy appointed to be read on Michaelmas day Min. It is appointed to be read on Michaelmasse day of purpose to pervert the meaning of our Saviour Christ by mis-applying to Michael and all Angels in the highest Heaven the victory that Christ hath and daily doth and will every day more and more give to true Christians that doe follow him fighting his battell against Antichrist ANSWER Here is againe another small dram of your little Charity the accusation is the same with a former and the exposition not agreeing with the scope of the Prophecy For if you study the Revelation throughly you will finde this to be a vision of the Primitive times and not to be extended so low as Antichrist or to the successe of sound Christians fighting against him Besides as for the Churches meaning you might have soberly judged this to be the meaning of the Church in ordering to have this Scripture read at the time appointed That albeit Christ be figured and signified to vs under the type of Michael yet even the Angell Michael is understood to have appeared in the vision shewed to S. John with an host of other Angels fighting against the Dragon and his Angels representing thereby Christ with his heavenly Angels and his servants on earth to sight against the Devill with his Angels and wicked complices and to prevaile against them as was historically fulfilled in the dayes of Constantine who with his souldiers did undoubtedly fight under Christs banner and was incouraged thereunto by miracle and thereby made Generall upon Earth of this holy warfare for behold a bright Crosse appeared in the Heavens about mid-day with this inscription on it * Vide lib. 1. de vita Constant cap. 22. In hoc signo vinces under this ensigne thou shalt overcome The truth of which miracle was confirmed to Eusebius by Oath even from Constantine himself And at the sight of this Constantine being admonished of the Christian Religion suffered himselfe to be taught in Christianity and had the Banners of his Souldiers proportioned according to the fashion of the Crosse with two Greek letters X and P made upon them which should stand to signifie the name of Christ After all which when the warre was ended the divine providence thus ordering these occurrences that thereby we might learn the accomplishment of this Prophesie he took order that a table should be hanged up on high over the gates of his Palace wherein a Dragon was painted which lay thrust through with a Dart under his own and his Subjects feet as a little before I have already mentioned and do now cite for my Authors Eusebius Socrates and Theodoret. Euseb de vit Const lib. 3. cap. Socrat. lib. 1. c. 6. Theod. lib. 1. cap. 15. In every of which places of the said authors the story mentioned stands recorded AND thus hitherto I have followed you step by step and balked nothing which your pretions Dialogue hath afforded You make a sally next against new Orders which because they are upon their tryall I passe them over heartily wishing that under the feare of hatching Popery we may be better setled then to part with piety For whilest these things have been in question the ruder sort are every day more and more irreverent But the God of Heaven put it into the hearts of the high Court of Parliament to look into it and to make the whole kingdome know that the Lord is King both of Heaven and Earth and therefore more to be honoured then any King nay then all Kings else * Psal 99.1 The Lord is King saith David be the people never so unpatient he sitteth between the Cherubins be the Earth never so unquiet a Ps 96 3,4,5,6,7,8,9 Declare his honour unto the heathen and his wonders unto all the people For the Lord is great and cannot worthily be praysed he is more to be feared then all Gods As for the Gods of the heathen they are but Idols but it is the Lord that made the Heavens Glory and worship are before power and honour are in his Sanctuary Ascribe unto the Lord oh yee kindred of the people ascribe unto the Lord worship and power Ascribe unto the Lord the honor due unto his name bring presents and come into his Courts O worship the Lord in the beauty of holinesse let all the Earth stand in aw of him b Ps 122.1 I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord. c Ps 93.6 Thy testimonies O Lord are sure Holinesse becommeth thine house forever d Psal 95 6. O come let us worship and fall down and kneele before the Lord our Maker e Ps 86.8,9,10 Among the Gods there is none like unto thee O Lord there is none that can doe as thou dost All nations that thou hast made shall come and worship thee O Lord and shall glorifie thy name For thou art great and dost wondrous things thou art God alone f Psal 5.7 I will come into thy house in the multitudes of thy mercy and in thy feare will I worship towards the Temple of thy holinesse g Ps 63,2,3,4,5,6 My Soule thirsteth for thee my flesh also longeth after thee in a barren and dry land where no water is Thus have I looked for thee in holinesse that I might behold thy power and glory For thy loving kindnesse is better then the life it self my lips shall praise thee As long as I live will I magnifie thee on this manner and lift up my hands in thy name My Soule shall be satisfied even as it were with marrow and fatnesse when my mouth praiseth thee with joyfull lips h Ps 74.2,3,4,5,6,7 O thinke upon thy Congregation whom thou hast purchased and redeemed of old Thinke upon the
him to bee an Angell it is like enough he would have demeaned himselfe otherwise but taking him to be a man as he seemed hee was more honest than to set him a worke for nothing Nor in case this story were as true as could be were it more absurd for old Tobie to offer this Angell wages whilst he knew him not than it was for Gideon to present an Angell with a Kid or for Lot to afford the Angels lodging or for Manoah to dresse a Kid likewise that the Angell might eate For Manoah saith the Scripture knew not that he was an Angell Iudges 13.16 And as for the dog going with them it is an usuall thing for a dogge to runne abroad with his Master and I pray quarrell not with him for feare hee bites you Little reason is there that you should bee troubled to see a man with a dogge at his heeles except he were going into a Church But if you be of the Packe of Praecisians you care as little to exclude your dogge from thence as you doe to shut out your owne irreverence And yet Iacob could say Gen. 28.17 How dreadfull is this place surely it is no other than the house of God and the gate of Heaven The Lord also saith Levit. 19.30 Ye shall observe my Sabbaths and reverence my Sanctuary And in the Prophet Malachie Mal. 1.6 If I saith the Lord be a Father where is my honour If I be a Master where is my Feare And in the Gospell Mat. 21.13 Luke 19.46 It is written saith Christ that my House shall bee called the house of prayer but yee have made it a denne of Theeves Thus t was then And I would to God it could not in some sort bee as truely said that Gods House is by many made no better still than a denne of Theeves wherein they rob him of his service and are not against the respect which is done there to themselves giving none at all to him before whom they cannot bee too reverent but should bow which we commonly reade Worship fall downe and kneell Psal 95.6 as the Psalmist speaketh Nor doth Saint Paul but say 1 Cor. 11 22. That the Corinthians despised the Church of God for which hee praysed them not And as for reverence to bee done to the Lord of Heaven and Earth the same Apostle instructs the Hebrewes thus Wherefore saith he Heb. 12.28,29 Wee having received a kingdome which cannot be shaken let us have grace whereby wee may serve God acceptablie with reverence and a godly feare For our GOD is a consuming fire All which Scriptures mentioning these things are quoted in the Margent DIALOGUE Minist On the third of October another lying fable is appointed to be read how Tobias being come from Rages did call the Angell unto him and bade him take a servant and two Camels and goe to Rages for mony and that the Angell went and carried writings which he delivered to Gabael who brought bags of mony sealed up which he delivered to the Angell ANSWER Her 's still great noise and little Wooll much spoken but to little purpose as in the former answers hath beene already shewed DIALOGUE Gent. O horrible how have the Bishops deluded King Edward the sixt Queene Elizabeth King James and Our gracious King Charles and the whole estate and made them beleeve that there was nothing in the service Booke contrary to Gods Word God Almighty deliver us from them ANSWER You talke you know not what for that the Bishops have not deluded the state nor those Princes which you speake of appeares First by the Martyrdome of those worthy Bishops which suffered in the dayes of Queene Mary Secondly by the conference holden at Hampton Court in the beginning of King Iames his Raigne who as you know was a Prince so well accomplished in learning and particularly in Divinity that if they would they could not have captivated his judgment and skill as in that conference is most apparent His wise Nobles saw it well enough For being present and observing all passages they were perswaded that His Majesty spoke by inspiration And thirdly that they went not about to delude him appeares by that which they said throughout the whole conference and especially by the faire dealing with His Majestie about particular absolution and private Baptisme DIALOGUE Gent. Now that you have shewed me the blasphemies and lying fables shew also what are the Popish errours that are in it and first tell me whether the Service Booke doth command that all both Ministers and people shall bow their bodies when the Name Jesus is read Minist The Bishops only without any warrant from God but from the Pope Gent. I have read that the Name Jesus was a common name among the Jewes was it so Minist Yes Syrach of Jerusalem had a son whose name was Iesus Eccl. 50.23 Also Ioshua the son of Nun was called Iesus Acts 7.57 and one of Saint Pauls fellow Labourers was called Iesus Col. 4 11. Gent. Why doe the Bishops make an Idoll of the name Jesus by causing men to bow their bodies and to put off their hat when it is read Min. Because they mistake the Word of God where it is written that at the name of Iesus every knee shall bow both of things in Heaven of things on earth and of things under the earth Phil. 2.10 Gent. What is the name of Jesus Min. As by the name of our gracious King Charles is meant not the name Charles which is a common name but the authority and power that God hath given him over all people within his owne dominions as when men are prest to the Kings service they are prest in the Kings name that is by vertue of authority and power from the King even so as by the name of K. Charles is meant his authority and power c. So by the name of Iesus ia meant the authority and power that God hath given him over all things in Heaven and in Earth and under the Earth Gent. What is meant by things in Heaven Min. By things in Heaven are meant the holy Angels and soules of the faithfull that have no knees Gent. What is meant by things on Earth Min. By things on Earth are meant all mankinde living on earth whether they be Elect or Reprobate Gâ—nt What is meant by things under the Earth Min. By things under the Earth are meant the Devils and damned soules in hell Gent. What is meant by bowing of the knee Min. By bowing of the knee is meant subjection Isa 45.23 and not bowing of the body when the name Jesus is read as Pope Anastatius did command Anno 404. Gent. What is meant by bowing of every knee of things in Heaven of things on earth and of things under the earth Min. Thereby is meant that all the holy Angels and Saints in Heaven and all mankinde on earth and all the Devils and damned soules in hell shall submit themselves to
arrayed for so the Psalmist mentions in Psal 132.9 Hereto again agrees our worthy Hooker Eccl. Polit. lib. 5. pag. 61. namely That it suteth so fitly with that lightsome affection of joy wherein God delighteth when his Saints praise him and so lively resembleth the glory of the Saints in Heaven together with the beauty wherein Angels have appeared unto Men that they which are to appeare for men in presence of God as Angels if they were lest unto their own choice and would choose any could not easily devise a garment of more decency for such a service Psal 149.2 Rev. 15.6 Mar. 16 5. Thus then we see what little cause there is for any one to scruple eryout or raile against the solemne wearing of this Vestment For mine own part I shall better esteem it then ever yet yea though it should chance to be quite put down my thoughts will be ever the same in the mean time accounting them no other then turbulent troublers of the Churches quiet who shall still be obstinate and upon no termes receive satisfaction but perversely provide to advance puritanicall humours which being once predominant are like a naked sword sharp and unsheathed in a mad mans hands But from such as these Good Lord deliver us A further addition concerning a place in the XII Chapter of Tobie at the IX verse where it is written that Almes doe save from death and purge away all sinne SOme say it is an Hyperbole and ought so be taken least otherwise we detract from the Blood of Christ to whom it belongeth to free from Sin and Death Others answer thus that we must have recourse to the rule because the doctrine of the Law without Christ profiteth nothing Placent igitur Eleemosynae Deo quae sequuntur reconciliationem seu justificationem non quae praecedunt that is Almes please God which follow Reconciliation or Justification not which goe before it This thus in the book of the Concord of the Prince Electours in Germany and of those Divines which embraced the Augustane Confession Wherein is further added that Almes are the exercises of faith which receives Remission of sinnes which overcometh Death whilest it exerciseth it selfe more and more and in those exercises gaines forces There it is also written that the whole speech of Tobie being lookt into sheweth that Faith is required to go before Almes All the dayes of thy life have God in thy minde And again Alwayes blesse God and desire of him that be would direct thy wayes Now this is properly of such a ones Faith of which we speake which perceiveth that it hath God appeased by reason of his mercy and is willing to be justified of God sanctified and ruled by him Thus farre out of that booke in the answer to the Papists who cite certain places against us to prove that Faith doth not justifie and that we deserve Remission of sinnes and grace by our Works Doctor Fulke against the Rhemish Testament denieth these words to be in the Greek text of Tobie But there is a place much like it in Dan. 4 24. See also Prov. 15.27 Prov. 16.6 Luk. 11.41 and then heare an answer out of Bishop Morton in his Protestant appeale lib. 3. cap. 9. § 1. First saith he in these places which have been objected there is only mention made of Almes can the Romanists say that Almes alone have this force of redeeming sinne If they should then might they readily be confuted by their owne Jesuite Maldonate shewing from St. Austine that no man will say that giving of Almes can availe for purgation of sinne without faith in him Christ who is the authour of salvation And this doctrine the Protestants they know doe not mislike Secondly the question is How then can Almes be said to purge sinne Whereunto their foresaid Jesuite answereth that it is impossible for Almes to cleanse the soule from sinne but to dispose it Which exposition is that which we may easily admit in his true sence for God disposeth man unto faith and charity and then is man disposed and qualified to receive Remission as in the margent he noteth Thirdly their Bishop Jansenius and Cardinall Bellarmine examining the same text report the excellent judgement of Basil who taught that Almes of themselves cannot expiate sinne but the primordiall cause is the mercy of God wberehy men have Redemption in all other actions Well then without any further searching into Authours thus I conclude that Almes are the fruits and exercises of faith and well pleasing unto God Heb. 13.16 And for any one to make an outward shew of Religion and to talke much of Faith but practise no deeds of Charity is to be like a sounding Brasse and tinckling Cymball and to be dead still in sinnes and trespasses not bringing forth fruits meet for Repentance 1 Cor. 13. Mat. 3.8 Psal 1. v. 1 2 3. Blessed therefore is the man that hath not walked in the councell of the ungodly nor stand in the way of sinners and hath not sit in the seat of the scornfull But his delight is in the Law of the Lord and is his Law doth he exercise himselfe day and night For he shall bee like a tree planted by the waters side which will bring forth ber fruit in due season In a word This is a true saying and these things I will thou shouldest affirme that they which have beleeved God might be carefull to shew forth good workes Tit. 3.8 And then at the 14 verse Let ours also learne to shew forth good workes for necessary uses that they be not unfruitfull Soli Deo gloria A further and finall Addition concerning Episcopacie to prove that it is of Divine right because instituted by Christ and his Apostles which this Dialogue-writer granteth not to be till 334. yeares after Christ together with a Corollary concerning a new Edition of the said writers Booke THe beginning of Imparity among the Ministers of the New Testament was first laid by our Saviour Christ and upon his ground as Churches were planted the Apostles raised the fabricke of that government which in all parts of the Church they left established before such time as they left the world Onely Diotrephes maliciously prated against them and scorned to acknowledge the transcendent power of their Apostolicall jurisdiction Whereupon we read in the third Epistle which was written by S. Iohn that when the said Apostle wrote unto the Church this great Stickler proudly stood out against him For I wrote unto the Church saith he but Diotrephes which loveth to have the preheminence among them receiveth us not Wherefore if I come I will call to your remembrance his deeas which he doth pratling against us with malitious words and not therewith content neither he himselfe receiveth the Brethren but forbiddeth them that would and thrusteth them out of the Church But Diotrephes might have seen a manifest imparity in our Saviours owne choyce even at the first when he chose twelve Apostles and made them