his Kingdome Rome shall be grown proud and secure so as to say I sit as a Queen and then by the ten Kings mentioned in the former Chapter who had given their Kingdomes unto her shall she be ruined and burnt c In this Exposition the revolt that he tells of from the Obedience of the See of Rome is a Fancy of his own and hath not the least ground in St. Iohns Vision That the revolt from the Faith whereof the Apostle Paul speaks 2 Thessalonians 2. is the very Apostacy of Antichrist the man of sinne and sonne of perdition 2 Thes 2.3 that Rome in Antichrists time shall be secure and account her self to sit as a Queen and then be destroyed by the ten Kings that formerly had served and obeyed her this is very true as being expresly so laid down in the 16. and 17. Vers of the former Chapter But that which befell the Iewes in the looking for the Kingdome of Christ when it was already among them happeneth to Viegas and those of his side They fondly look for Antichrist the last head of the beast whereupon the Babylonian Harlot sitteth above a thousand yeares after all the former and consider not that this beast is one Principality under divers forms of Government whereof five being fallen in Saint Johns time one then in being and the other to endure a short space To make this short space a thousand years or else to put in so many years of the Popes government over Rome before Antichrist come who shall forsooth revolt from his Obedience It seemes rather the dream of a waking man then to hold any likelyhood of Truth Howsoever it resteth even by Viegas consent notwithstanding his cunning combination of two states of Rome that under Paganisme and that under Antichrist with a thousand years between that Rome must have continued Christian for sundery Ages before her Desolation and for ought doth yet appear the present Monarchy which she claims to exercise over the Christian World is the Mystical Babylon out of which Gods People are called For the better clearing whereof let us consider the Description that is made of this Babylon by the Angels and our Saviour Christ himself more distinctly to see whether it doe agree to the present estate of Rome or no The Angel tells Iohn in the last Verse of the former Chapter The woman which thou sawest is the great City which reigneth over the Kings of the Earth and before Verse 5. upon her forehead is a name written Mysterie Babylon the great Touching this greatness I may spare my pains to speak much there is a learned Book of Iustus Lipsius which he intitles Admiranda marvells touching the greatness of Rome not long after in concurrence thereto there was another made by Thomas Stapleton our Countreyman Professour at Lovaine which he intitles Vere admiranda Marvels indeed touching the greatness of the Church of Rome wherein by comparison he indeavours to shew that for largeness of Extent strength and power over Princes themselves honour yielded unto it the greatness and magnificence of the Romane Church doth far surpass the Roman Empire These two books were both printed together and set forth at Rome against the year of Jubilee 1600. as if the Papacy laboured to carry in her forehead the name Great Babylon For the reigning over the Kings of the Earth by this great City which is another point of the Angels description It is true that heathen Rome had anciently in the borders and consines of the state sundry Kings that held their Kingdomes of her Such were the Herods Aretas and Agrippa mentioned in the New Testament but these were neither in number nor dignity nor in the absoluten ss of their subjection to be compared with those that the now Rome reigneth over And no great marvel if the Roman Emperour armed with thirty or fourty Legions had many Kings at command saith Stapleton but that the Pope being altogether unarmed should give Lawes to the Kings of the Earth and either advance them to their Kingdomes or depose them who would not account worthy of great marvel true but the Angel shewes us the true reason Verse 12. the ten hornes which thou sawest are ten Kings which have received no Kingdome as yet but receive power Verse 17. as Kings at once with the beast c. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his Will and to agree and to give their Kingdome unto the beast until the Word of God shall be fulfilled And consider I pray you here the manner how they have given their Kingdomes to the beast Vpon the Election of any new Pope they send a solemne Embassage to profess their Obedience to him And one of those which is extant in Print as great a Monarch as any the Christian World hath Offers himself and all his Kingdomes his Seas Firm lands Islands Armes Forces Treasures Ships Armies whatsoever he is whatsoever he hath whatsoever he is able to doe and falling down at the Popes feet as a most obsequious Sonne he acknowledgeth and confesseth him to be the true Vicar of Christ our Saviour on Earth the successour of Peter the Apostle in that See the head of the Vniversal Church the Provost Parent and Pastor of all Christians praying him and humbly beseeching him that he would receive all whatsoever he hath offered to the profit defence of the Church into his Protection and Patronage And these words c. are said with a gesture corespondent the Embassador falling down upon his knees let Lipsius if he can with all his reading in Story shew us such an Example of any King subject to old Pagan Rome It is true that Nero accounted it for his highest Glory to have set the Crown upon Tiridates the King of the Armenians head in the City of Rome with great state and pomp But let us see saith Stapleton If the Majesty of the Church of Rome hath not had an equal part of this glory yea and a greater and then he reckons how Pope Leo the third gave the Empire to Charles the great and how other Popes conferred to others a great many other Kingdomes One thing he forgets that neither Nero nor any other Emperour of old Rome ever Crowned any with his feet as Celestine the third did Henry the sixth nor caused him to hold their stirrops or kiss their feet much less set their feet upon their neckes as Pope Adrian the fourth and Alexander the third did to the Emperor Frederick And that we may not spend more time in proving that the present Papal Rome reigneth over the Kings of the Earth the Merchants of Babylon are now resolved That all the Kingdomes of the Earth are the Popes insomuch that the best Title that any Prince can have to his Crown is Dei Apostolicae sedis gratia by the grace of God and Apostolick See Lib. Rom. Ponâ— 5.1.2 6. Ab Alex 6. Cap. 7.8 And Cardinal Bellarmine recognizing his
out of their own land to the same place of Babel where they continued seventy years unto the overthrow of the Babylonian Monarchy by Cyrus The Prophets Isay and Jeremiah foretel the ruine of this Babel and delivering of Gods People from her Tyranny whom they exhort upon her fall to returne into their own land Hence is this forme taken and this whole Chapter is compiled of little else but the phrases of the Prophets touching Babel and Tyrus as the diligent reader by comparing the concording places may easily perceive This Exhortation to leave Babylon is Depart ye Isa 52.11 Ser. 50.8 and Jer. 51.6.9 Depart ye goe out from thence remove out of the middest of Babylon and goe forth out of the land of the Chaldeans flee out of the middest of Babylon and deliver every man his Soul be not cut off in her iniquitie forsake her and let us goe every one into his own Countrey Vers 45. My people goe ye out of the middest of her and deliver ye every man his Soul from the fierce anger of the Lord which as you see are almost the very words of this Text so that which followes here in the seaventh Verse I sit as a Queen and am no VVidow and shall see no sorrow is taken out of Isaiah 47.7 8. The wayling of the Merchants of this Babel and the store and preciousnesse of her Merchandize is borrowed from the like Description of the Costlyness of Tyrus Ezekiel 27. Ezek. 27. The inrecoverable ruine of this Babel shewed in the end of this Chapter by the signe of a great Milstone cast into the Sea is taken out of Ier. 51. Ier. 51. Where the Prophesie of that it self against Babel is appointed to be bound to a Milstone and cast into the river Euphrates which ran through the old Babell with this word Thus shall Babel sinke and shall not rise from the evil which I will bring upon her These Prophecies were accordingly accomplished as you may see in Daniel Daniel 5. for she is related in a great Feast made by Belshazzar to a thousand of his Lords wherein he would needs bring forth the Vessels of Gods House for his Nobles and Concubines to quaff in God wrote his Doom with a hand upon the wall of his Banquetting house and the same night the Medes and Persians under Darius and Cyrus entered the Citie slew the King and proclaimed libertie to Gods People Ezra 1.1 to return into their Countrey and reedifie the House of God as you may see and thus came Babel the Glory of Kingdomes as it is called Esay 13.19 to Confusion But this is the literal Babel whereunto there is a reference in this Text What now is the Mystical Babylon which here Gods People are bidden to leave Questionlesse some City answering to this in State in Glorie in Oppression of the People of God neither must we take it for the buildings onely and houses but for the State also and Policy as besides the Evidence of the Type of old Babel so taken by the Prophets and the common use of all Authours in like Case doth lead us There be two Opinions recited by Cardinal Bellarmine in this matter one that it should be the communitie of all the wicked and reprobate But this hath no manner of agreement with the Circumstances of the Text This is not seated on seven hills nor hath it seven Kings five fallen one being and another to come nor will those things that are foretold of the destruction of Babel agree to this Exposition and is rejected by the learned of that side And himselfe names another which he approves for the better viz. that here by Babel is meant the Citie of Rome As that was in Saint Iohns time for as he shewes out of Tertullian Look as old Babylon was the head of that Empire whose King persecuted and lead into captivity the People of God so did Rome then This is not onely Bellarmines judgement but Salmeron Viegas and others of that side that Babylon is Rome They do well to yield to the clear evidence of truth so clear in deed as it would be too shameful impudence to deny it For what City was there which in Saint Iohns time could have the addition of great but onely Rome or did rule over the Kings of the earth or to omit all other Arguments was seated on seven hills Septemque una sibi muro cirnundedit arces It may be said Constantinople also is set on seven hills and not unfitly for it was built in Emulation of Rome called new Rome but not till some * Anno 330. Ages after Saint Iohns time we need not spend more words in a plain matter having our Adversaries own Confession Babylon is Rome and old Rome yea saith Bellarmine Heathen Rome persecuting Rome Hear I beseech you Right Honourable and beloved to observe well not what Isay but what Saint John what the Angels what our Lord Jesus Christ himselfe doe foretell and relate in this Chapter touching the fall of this Babel or Rome It is confessed if Babylon be Heathen Rome that is now falne and hath been above a thousand years agoe and consequently thenceforth it is become An habitation of Devils the hold of every foul spirit and a Cage of every unclean and hateful bird for these are by the Angel conjoyned with the fall thereof in the 2 Verse will Bellarmine and his fellowes now confess this to be so I trow not But because it may be some body else will that we may speak not only to the men but to the matter Observe that the ruine of Babylon here spoken of is so described as to be sudden in one day in one houre her desolation is not only without recoverie but even Consolation Verse 8.10.19 like to the throwing of a stone into the Sea Verse 21.22 23. so as neither Musick nor Minstrel nor the sound of a Quâ—rn or any Crafts-man nor the voyce of a Bridegroome or a Bride nor light of a Candel shall be found in her any more This cannot agree with the Conversion or the Subversion of heathen Rome for all these things are yet left now to be found there and if men will not wilfully shut their eyes they must me thinkes needs see that this Desolation did not then come upon Rome nor is yet come upon her And therefore it is not Heathen Rome but after the embracing of Christian Religion which is to fall and consequently that out of which Christs People are called Viegas of likelyhood was aware of this and therefore hath devised another shift to escape by He saith Rome is here to be tâ—ken in a double estate That before it received Christs Faith and that which shall be in Antichrists time when as Saint Iohn saith in this and the former Chapter It shall revolt from the Bishop of Rome and from the Faith as he saith a little before Antichrists coming or at least at the beginning of
excessive decking of Images and Idols with painting gilding adorning with pretious vestures pearles and stones what is it else but for the further provocation and inticement to spiritual fornication whieh the Idolatrous Church understandeth well enough For she being indeed not only an harlot as the Scripture calls her but also a foule filthy old harlot for she is indeed of ancient yeares and understanding her lack of nature and true beauty and great lothsomnesse which of her self she hath she doth after the custome of such harlots paint her self and deck and tire her self with gold pearle stone and all kind of pretious jewels that she shining with the outward beauty and glory of them may please the foolish fantasie of fond lovers and so entice them to spiritual fornication with her Who if they saw her I will not say naked but in simple apparel would abhorre her as the foulest and filthiest harlot that ever was seen According as appeareth by the description of the garnishing of the great strumpet of all strumpets the Mother of whoredomes set forth by Saint John in his Revelation Apoc. 17. who by her glory provoked the Princes of the earth to commit whoredome with her c. and it followeth pag. 77. And it is not enough to deck Idols but at the last come in the Priests themselves likewise decked with gold and pearle and with a solemn pace they pass forth before these golden puppets and fall down to the ground on their marrow-bones before these honourable Idols and then rising up again offer up odours and incense to them c. He that reads the whole cannot judge of it to be meant otherwise then of the Papacy And if the fifth and sixth part of the Sermon against wilful rebellion be viewed there will be found such a large narration of the pride and ambition of the Bishop of Rome that there will not need any further help to an application of that 2 Thes 2. to him which thus beginneth viz. After that ambition and desire of dominion entred once into Ecclesiastical Ministers whose greatnesse after the doctrine and the example of our Saviour should chiefly stand in humbling themselves And that the Bishop of Rome did by intolerable ambition challenge not only to be the head of all the Church dispersed throughout the world but also to be Lord of all kingdoms of the world as is expressely set forth in the book of his own Canon-Lawes He became at once the spoyler and destroyer both of the Church which is the kingdom of our Saviour Christ and of the Christian Empire and all Christian kingdomes as an universal Tyrant over all The particulars of whose actions to that end are there related viz. The Bishop of Rome stirring up subjects to rebell against their Soveraigne Lords even the Son against the Father pronouncing such Schismaticks and persecuting them who refused to acknowledge his above-said challenge of supreme authority over them discharging them from their oath of fidelity made not only to the Emperour but to other Kings and Princes throughout Christendome The most cruell and bloody wars raised amongst Christian Princes of all kingdoms the horrible murder of infinite thousands of Christian men being slain by Christians the losse of so many great Cities Countries Dominions and Kingdomes sometimes possessed by Christians in Asia Affrick and Europe The miserable fall of the Empire and Church of Greece sometime the most flourishing part of Christendom into the hands of the Turks The lamentable diminishing decay and ruine of Christian Religion and all by the practice and procurement of the Bishop of Rome chiefly which is in the Histories and Chronicles written by the Bishop of Rome 's own favourites and friends to be seen claiming also to have divers Princes and Kings to their vassals liege men and subjects c. behaving themselves more like Kings and Emperours in all things then remained like Priests Bishops and Ecclesiastical or as they would be called spiritual persons in any one thing at all c. and so concludes with an exhortation of all good subjects knowing those the speciall instruments of the Devill to the stirring up of all Rebellion to avoid and flee them Is not this a full description of the pride of that man of sinne 2 Thess 2. in exalting himselfe above all Kings and Princes and that son of perdition being understood actively who was the cause of the perdition or losse of so many thousands of Christian mens lives And in the sixth part of the same Sermon you have a more particular relation of the Bishop of Rome 's blood-shed according to the description of that Harlot Revel 17.6 in these words viz. And as these ambitious usurpers the Bishops of Rome have overflowed all Italy and Germany with streams of Christian blood shed by the rebellions of ignorant subjects against their naturall Lords and Emperours whom they have stirred thereunto by false pretences so is there no Countrey in Christendome which by the like means of false pretences hath not been over-sprinkled with the blood of subjects by rebellion against their naturall Soveraigns stirred up by the same Bishops of Rome c. And in conclusion as the Sermon often entitles the Bishops of Rome unsatiable wolfes and their Adherents Romish greedy wolfes so doth it in speciall call the See of Rome the Babylonicall beast in these words viz. The Bishop of Rome understanding the bruit blindnesse ignorance and superstition of the English in King Johns time and how much they were inclined to worship the Babilonical beast of Rome and to fear all his threatnings and causelesse curses he abused them thus c. I have transcribed these the more largely out of the Book of Homilies both that such as have rejected them as Popish may see their errour and those that now so much favour the See of Rome that they call such language railing may have their mouthes stopped being it is from the mouth of the Church of England in her Homilies which is a good warrant for her sons to say after her Let the Reader judge whether these passages do not confirme rather then contradict or be contrary as Doctor Heylene saith to the Articles of Ireland and the Primates judgement of the See of Rome I shall only alledge one passage more and that is in the conclusion of the second part of the Sermon for Whit-sunday viz. Wicked and nought were the Popes and Prelates of Rome for the most part as doth well appear by the story of their lives and therefore worthily accounted among the number of false Prophets and false Christs which deceived the world a long while the Lord defend us from their Tyranny and pride that they may never enter into this Vineyard again but that they may be utterly confounded and put to flight in all parts of the world And he of his great mercy so work that the Gospel of his Son may be truly preached to the beating down of sin death the Pope the Devill
is most certaine saith he by the name of Babylon the City of Rome is signified Ribera in his Commentary upon it saith the same adding also (z) Huic conveniunt aptissimè omnia atque illud inprimis quod alii convenire non potest optimè etiam convenisset◠quod in eodem capite mulier quam vidisti est civitas magna quae habet regnum super reges terrae all things fitly agree to it and somewhat that can be applied to no other then Rome as The seven heads are seven hills and The City which reigneth over the Kings of the earth Viegus saith (a) Existimamus nomine Babylonis Romanam urbem significari in hoc Apocalypsis opere ubi toties Babylon nominatur c. omnia quae his capitibus memorantur in Romanam urbem aptissimè quadrant We conceive wheresover Babylon is mentioned in the Revelation it signifies Rome and all things in the 17. and 18. Revel very fitly appliable to it According to that of (b) Johannes in Apocalypsi Passim Romam vocat Babylonem ut Tertullianus annotavit apertè colligitur ex cap. 17. Apocalyp ubi dicitur Babylon magna sedere suprà septem montes habere imperium super reges terrae nec enim alia civitas est quae Johannis tempore imperium habuerat super reges terrae quam Roma notissimum est supra septem colles Romam aedificatam esse lib. 3. de Rom. Pont. cap. 13. Bellarmine formerly quoted and Lessius (c) Roma à Johanne vocatur Babylon quia Babilon fuit figura Romae quibus verbis aptè designat Romam who saith John calls Rome Babylon as being the figure of Rome and by his words he elearly sheweth it to be Rome All which may well give a check to the Novelty of some among our selves who without the ballast of sound or sollid judgement have been carried about with the winds of other imaginations which yet I could easily believe some Popish Agents upon second thoughts have had their hands in to get it driven off the further from their shore Though how farre not-withstanding our aforesaid Writers and these are from an agreement in the above-said hath been made apparant in the two former Treatises viz. Those of the Popish Writers would have it Rome while it was Heathen and the fall to be with the Heathen Empire and ours Rome since it became Christian and the fall yet to come Those of ours who in defence of our Ordination from the scandal of Antichristian by its passing through the See of Rome have endeavoured to take off that See from being such in the aforementioned places as it was a needlesse refuge so the cure is worse then the disease And those who have with the Popish Writers yeelded the man of sin and the son of perdition by that manner of expression to be meant of a single person were not forced to it for it may notwithstanding be meant of a successive race of men in one place and government non de unitate individui sed speciei according to the like instance in Scripture Esa 23.15 Tyre shall be forgotten 70 years according to the days of one King i. e. of one Kingdom viz. The Empire of the Caldeans which after Nebuchadnezar and his successors Evelmerodach and Belshazar was given to the Medes and Persians and Dan. 7.17 the 4 beasts are 4 Kings i. e. the four successive Empires the Chaldean Persian Grecian Roman as the seven Kings do accordingly Rev. 17. signify seven successive governments and so the man of sin may be meant accordingly not of a particular man but of a race of men succeeding in that Tyranny as when they say the Pope is the Head of the Church they do not limit it to this or that particular Pope but mean it of the continued succession from S. Peter Neither is the Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of any more force for the limitation of it to one man there 2 Thes 2. then it is in Luk. 4.4 Man lives not by bread only or Mark 2.27 The Sabbath was not made for man both includeing all mankind or 2 Tim. 3. ult That the man of God may be perfect c. which is not confined to one but takes in all the Ministery For which or any thing else concerning this controversie which I shall not enter into I shall referre the Reader to Bishop Downham Bishop Jewel Bishop Abbot with others from whom he may receive full satisfaction Only thus much in confirmation of the Judgement of those two Reverend and eminent Bishops a Vindication of it from the aspersion of singularity and novelty THE Late Arch-Bishop of ARMAGH'S judgement of the sense of that place Heb. 6.2 Of laying on of hands enlarged and defended THis and the former verse may well be called the Apostles Catechisme consisting of six Principles or Fundamentals of Christian doctrine as they are called in the former verse of which this is the Method The two former concern this life viz. Repentance from good works and Faith towards God The two latter the end of this life viz. the Resurrection of the dead and eternal judgement The two middle viz. the doctrine of Baptismes and laying on of hands are in relation to both either as Conduits to convey the two former into us or as Chariots to carry us with comfort to the two latter That they are Fundamental Principles as well as the other cannot be doubted of by their being placed in the midst of them only the question is what is meant by them First by the doctrine of Baptismes I conceive is meant the Sacrament of Baptisme which is often joyned with the two former Fundamentals By our Saviour with Faith he that believeth and is baptized Mark 16.16 By Saint Peter with repentance Acts 2.38 Repent and be baptized Object The objection against it is that 't is Baptismes in the plurall number Answ Answ First the Syriack reads it in the singular number and Saint Augustine in his book de fide operibus renders it Lavacri doctrina the doctrine of the font from whence Ribera gathers there might be some Ancient Greek Copies accordingly But secondly it is an Enallage Numeri the plural for the singular as Genes 8.4 The Ark rested on the Mountaines of Arrarat which Tremelius by way of explanation renders uno montium Matth. 27.44 Theeves for one of them only Luke 23.39 So accordingly The Israelites having made one golden Calfe said these are thy Gods O Israel c. Exodus 32.4 and verse 33. Moses saith they have made themselves Gods of Gold yet verse 24. it is called by Aaron This Calfe Drusius hath divers of the like as Sepulchers for Sepulcher Cities for City c. and so here Baptismes for Baptisme I am not ignorant of other conjectures by learned men signifying a threefold Baptisme Sanguinis flaminis fluminis or the thrice dipping for sprinkling the number of perons coming to be baptized the
ministration none presumed of themselves to officiate without an Ordination John Baptist who was the preparative voice of the Gospel was ordained to it and his disciples were set apart by him our Saviour did the like in ordaining first Twelve for preaching and baptizing and then 72 after them when one of the twelve was lost no other stepped into his place without a solemne choice of him Paul and Barnabas Acts 14.23 wheresoever they came and converted any nation were carefull of ordaining Successors Saint Paul as his last gives that charge to Timothy and Titus after him and in all Ages of the Church from the Primitive times both in the Greek and Latine Church it hath been observed to this day successively So that for such as would have no such office of a Ministery by ordination but all men left to themselves to officiate at their pleasure we may say with the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.16 We have had no such custome neither the Churches of God or as Eliphaz to Job cap. 5.1 call now if there be any will answer thee and to which of the Saints wilt thou turn where is there any such President in all the reformed Churches The Israelites would have a King as all other nations These are upon the contrary singularity 'T is true the New Jerusalem Revel 21.22 meant heaven is found without a Temple and a Priest because Christ shall then give up his kingdome to his Father 1 Cor. 15. i. e. the manner of this present government by the Scepter of his word and Seale of Sacraments and then God shall be all in all but till then a setled Ministery must be continued Secondly if no successive ordainedMinistery why doth Saint Paul spend so much time in exhorting to a future provision for them 1 Cor. 9. Gal. 6.6 1 Tim. 5.17 can we think it was only for himself and such then living who expected Martyrdome weekly why such large directions for the qualification of such as were to be ordained by his Successors in his Epistles to Timothy and Titus surely it was written for our instruction now Thirdly consider what conclusion must be the issue of the contrary our Saviour pitied the people when they were like Sheep without a Shepherd That which is every mans work is no bodies As in reason the office of the Ministery must be weakly and negligently done when no persons are appointed to make it their study and labour so when gaps are thus opened for any person may not Jesuits and such lik Agents creep in under other forms and privily bring in damnable heresies to the seducing of the hearers I am loth to imagine that this should be at the bottome of this assertion that so with the more specious pretext they might take away the maintenance as indeed one must follow the other for if there be no need of a setled ordained Ministery what use of a setled meanes alotted for it If any shall stumble at that speech often in the mouthes of some Isa 54.13 All thy children shall be taugbt of the Lord he may be satisfied by this double Answer 1. It was fulfilled in that time of our Lord and Saviour teaching them immediately by himself which he expounds accordingly John 6.45 It is written in the Prophets they shall be all taught of God every man therefore that hath learned of the Father cometh unto me c. 2. The Lord is said to teach when he doth it by a Ministery sent by him according to that of Jerem. 3.15 I will give you Pastors after my own heart that shall feed you with knowledge and understanding c. fulfilled under the Gospel And we grant that though the proposal of the doctrine is by the Minister yet the illumination of the mind and the rectifying of the heart through it is from God Object If that of Saint Peter 1 Eph. 4.10 he objected As every man hath received the gift so let him minister the same as good Stewards of the manifold grace of God Answ I conceive it is not meant the gift of preaching but of Almes The words immediately before are these Vse hospitality one to another without grudging there is the manner and then in these words As every one hath received the gift so let him minister is implyed the measure of it agreeing with that of Saint Pauls injunction 1 Cor. 16.2 Let every one lay by him to that end as God had prospered him c. That these temporal things are the gift of God the fourth Petition of the Lords Prayer shewes sufficiently And that collections of these and giving them to the poor is called a ministring to the Saints See 2 Cor. 8.4 cap. 9.1 and stiled grace cap. 8.19 and what other sense can there be of that cap. 9.8 God is able to make all grace abound but of temporall blessings as the next words shew to multiply your seed sowen and minister bread for your food V. 10. and they may be called the manifold grace or gift of God by the divers sorts of them to be administred food clothing relieving of the sick c. according as they are distinctly remembred at the last day Matth. 25. And are not all bountiful charitable persons the Lords Stewards in dispensing these things to those of his houshold of Faith so that upon these considerations the place appears to to be farre off from any application of it to Preaching Indeed the next verse may be so meant If any man speak let him speak as the Oracles of God c. but yet to be understood with this limitation viz. of a man ordained and constituted as we have said for that end In a word to allow all sorts of men to be preachers is to make the whole body an eye a tongue c. and if so as the Apostle saith where is the hearing are all teachers are all interpreters 't is an argument from the absurdity as if ye would expect the foot to see the hand to speak In Saint Pauls dayes it was said Who is sufficient for these things and shall all persons think themselves so now Saint Paul bids Timothy give himself wholly to it i. e. to meditation study reading and not to intangle himself with the things of this world which might take him off and may they now meet in tradesmen and manufactures and the office be performed without either Is there not a distinction made between the Church of Ephesus and the elders of it Acts 20. between the Church and the Angel of it Revel 2. which if it be not meant of one person the Bishop as Ignatius stiles him so about twelve years after which was the judgement of the Primate yet must at least be collectively meant of the Bishop the Ministery of it Is there not a distinction between the Saints of Philippi Phil. 1.1 the Bishops Deacons are there not some said to be over the * 1 Ep. 5.12 Thessalonians in the Lord and preaching admonishing called in
Colledge Library in Cambridge He was buried acccording to his own appointment in the Church-yard of the Cathedral of Kilmore where he had caused his wife and son some years before to be buried His judgement being against burials in Churches as an abuse introduced by pride superstition I conclude only with this if the Moderation of this Bishop had been observed elsewhere I believe Episcopacy might have been kept upon its wheeles A Letter of Sir Henry Wottons to the late King in the behalf of Bishop Bedel when he was desired by the Archbishop of Armagh to accept of the Provostship of Dublin Colledge in Ireland which hath been lately published in the Life of Sir Henry Wotton May it please your most Gracious Majesty HAving been informed that certain persons have by the good wishes of the Arch-Bishop of Armagh been directed hither with a most humble Petition unto your Majesty that you will be pleased to make Mr. William Bedell now resident upon a small Benefice in Suffolk Governour of your Colledg at Dublin for the good of that society and my self being required to render unto your Majesty some testimony of the said William Bedell who was long my Chaplain at Venice in the time of my employment there I am bound in all conscience and truth so far as your Majesty will vouchsafe to accept my poore judgement to affirm of him that I think hardly a fitter man for that charge could have been propounded unto your Majesty in your whole Kingdom for singular erudition and piety Conformitie to the rites of the Church and Zeal to advance the Cause of God wherein his Travels abroad were not obscure in the time of the Excommunication of the Venetians For may it please your Majesty to know that this is the man whom Padro Paule took I may say into his very soule with whom he did communicate the inwardest thoughts of his heart from whom he professed to have received more knowledge in all Divinity both Scholastical and positive then from any that he had ever practiced in his dayes of which all the passages were well known to the King your Father of most blessed memory And so with your Majesties good favour I will end this needlesse office for the generall fame of his Learning his Life and Christian temper and those religious labours which himself hath dedicated to your Majesty do better describe him then I am able Your Majesties most humble and faithfull Servant H. WOTTON A Postscript Mr. Thomas Pierce hath in an Appendage to a late book of his printed five Letters wrot unto me by him in each of which I cannot but much acknowledge his respects to me To the four first I gave little else but brief returnes of the like to him which consisting chiefly either in the asserting of the nearnesse of his judgement to the Primates or the remotenesse of Mr. Barlees I did not conceive it fitting for me to interpose and where there was a professed full agreement it was no good office in me to make a difference Now for those the cause rendred of his not publishing them is good there being nothing as he saith needfull or of concernment in any one of them Only to the fifth of his wherein three Certificates are published as testimonies to confirm his former assertion of a late change of judgment in the Primate with other applicatory passages from thence I did return him a larger answer in this Letter following excepting some few circumstantiall alterations having then no imagination that either of them should have bin made publick And I have as little mind to it now only by the provocation of divers of my Friends who conceive the Primate suffers in the interpretation of many by the silence of it I have been compelled upon this occasion to put forth this brief defence of him without any offence to Mr. Pierce For his Appendage wherein his respects to me are rather encreased then lessened I have thought fit to clear one passage He saith I have spoken indiscriminately of Universal Grace and Vniversall Redemption and the place he quotes for it is out of my second Letter to Mr. Barlee p. 64. in these words viz. But that by an Vniversall Redemption should be understood an Vniversall Grace c. will not be attested to have heen affirmed by the Primate c. doth not this clearly imply a distinction to be made between them I am sure I then so intended it And therefore that which he addes immediately after viz. That there is a wide difference between them I do fully concurre with him in it Yet it seems to me that himself puts them together often indiscriminately as in the page before this thrice in one page 86. and p. 88. l. 32. as in his Philanth p. 15. and elsewhere And if I have in any other place done it as in the title of the Letter I was led to it by him In this we have no disagreement and I wish this following Letter may not occasion any which I am forced thus to publish as followeth Doctor Bernards Answer to Mr. Pierces Fifth Letter containing three Certificates produced by him to justifie a late change of judgsment in the Primate of Ireland SIR I Owe you many thanks for the labour you have taken in your last Letter of the 28. of January in transcribing the Certificates of those learned persons which supposing to have been rightly apprehended by them without any mistake of him yet favourably interpreted do not seem to me necessarily to argue what you have apprehended and concluded of the change of judgement in the Primate which I shall now ingenuously give you my sense of without any desire of further dispute or contention about it First for Doctor Waltons where he saith My Lord Primate did declare his utter dislike of the doctrine of absolute reprobation I conceive it may be understood of the Supralapsarian opinion which makes reprobation to be antecedent to the fall of Adam and not only as a Praeterition but a Predamnation for actuall sins That he held the universality of Christs death not onely in respect of sufficiency but also in regard of efficacy so that all men were by that made salvable for so much efficacy I do not deny differs not from that which his letter published doth testifie and that the reason why all men were not thereby saved was because they did not accept of salvation offered is also granted if it be according to his judgement rightly understood viz. of those to whom the Gospel is preached not of Pagans and Infidels That the grace of Conversion was not irresistable but that men did often resist and reject the same may well stand with my Lord Primates Judgement and no wayes opposite to this viz. That it is so effectual that by the decree of his election It is not resisted by the elect and therefore his dissent from Geneva as Doctor Walton certifies is to be understood of Beza not of