make the Commandement to speake riddles and arrant non-sense They deny that there is any Commandement given in the New Testament for the observation of the Lords day Though they acknowledge sufficient ground there to warrant the Churches institution and observation of that day And this they suppose they may justly maintaine till Mr. B. or some other of his mind in this point produce the place where it is written which if they would once do they would easily bring off the Bishops and others who agree with them to make a recantation and to subscribe to their better information That which they ascribe unto the Church in this argument is 1. The institution of the Lords day and other holy dayes that is the determination of the time of Gods publick worship to those dayes 2 The prescription of the manner of the observation of these dayes both for the duties to be performed and the time manner and other circumstances of their performance Concerning which they affirme 2. things Bishop of Ely p. 149. First That the Church hath liberty power and authority thus to do Secondly that Christians are in conscience bound to observe these precepts of the Church and that they that transgress Bern. de praec et dispens c. 12. Obedientia quae majoribus praebetur Deo exhibetur quamobrē quicquid vice Dei praecipit homo c. them sin against God whose law requires that we must obey every lawfull ordinance of the Church And as S. Bernard speakes The obedience that is given to Superiours he speakes of the Prelates and governors in the Church is exhibited to God wherefore whatsoever man in Gods stead commands if it be not for certaine such as displease God is no otherwise at all to be received than if God had commanded it For what matters it whether God by Himselfe or by his Ministers men or Angels make known his pleasure to us So hee and much more to that purpose in that place So that they which maintaine the institution of the Lords day to be from the Church doe not thereby as they are wrongly charged discharge men from all tye of obedience and give them liberty to observe it or not at their owne pleasure which no man will affirme but those onely who have learned to under-value and despise the Church of God and her rightfull Authority Now these things have beene so fully proved so plainly demonstrated already that it is needless yea impossible for me to adde any thing and as impossile for Mr. B. or any other to gain-say with any reason or evidence of truth Which because he cannot do hee betakes him to the forlorne hope of contentious spirits railing against his opposers and traducing the doctrine which he knowes not how to confute For his opposers he saith that in this point they have strained all the veines of their conscience and braines and that they are so mad upon it that no shame will stay them pag. 126. till confusion stop their mouthes But God bee praised they have not neither need they much to straine either Their conscience need not be strained at all in delivering that doctrine and acknowledging that truth which is after godliness And for their braines it is not Mr. Burtons Tit. 1. 1. Pamphlets or lawless Dialogues that can straine them No nor his larger answer which he threatens in answer to my L. of Elyes Treatise which were it not that simple and well meaning people might haply be seduced and made to thinke them unanswerable were quickly answered with that which best befits them silence and scorne As for that grave and learned Prelate whom he useth with such contempt and base language The world hath seene his humility joyned with that masse of learning which is lodged in that venerable brest that he hath not disdained to stoope to answer this railers railing dialogue of A. and B. which hee hath done like himselfe with great strength and evidence of reason and solidity of judgement and yet blessed be God hath not sacrificed the least dramme of reason which yet remaines in so great yeares to admiration quick and pregnant and will be able if need be to discover Mr. Burtons arrogancy and bold-fac't ignorance So that he must be faine to sacrifice the remainder of his modesty and honesty if any be yet left him to finde any thing to reply CHAP. X. Of his Majesties Declaration for sports c. Mr. Burtons scandalizing the memory of K. James about it His wicked censure of His Majesty for reviving and republishing it His abusive jeere upon my Lords Grace of Cant. Five propositions opposed to his so many unjust criminations in this argument THis is all he saith of his supposed innovations in doctrine But before I part with this last point I must annexe somewhat of his Majesties Declaration concerning lawfull sports to be used upon Sundayes as depending hereupon and being the great pretended grievance in this argument This Declaration and the publishing of it according to his Majesties Royall intent and command hath afforded Mr. Burton plentifull occasion of calumniation and caused him to utter many shamefull and slanderous invectives not onely against the Declaration it selfe but against the Royall authority commanding and those whom hee conceives procurers of it or that in obedience to his Majesty have urged the publishing of it and punished any that have obstinately refused For first hee hath endeavoured to blase the Honour of that great Patron of the Church K. Iames of Blessed memory by an odious and base insinuation of I know not what extraordinary temper wherein the King should be when this Declaration was first published a passage so unworthy and execrably scandalous that I will not so much as mention it Nor hath he dealt better but farre worse 2 with his sacred Majesty that now is in making his reviving and republishing of his Fathers Act to tend to the publick dishonour of God the annihilation of the holy Commandement touching the Sabbath p. 56. the alteration of the doctrine of the Church of England the violation of his solemne Royall protestations all which and more supposing the republishing of this Declaration to be his Majesties Act and by his Authority hee layes to his Majesties charge Indeed hee seemes not willing that the world should take notice of these blasphemies as directly sent out against his Majesty and therefore would make men beleeve that this Act was none of his Majesties But then I would Declaration concerning the dissol of the last Parliament demand of him how he knowes any Declaration or Proclamation to be set forth by his Majesty and in particular how he knows that Declaration to be his which he puts His Majesty so often in minde of Sure I am he can have no greater evidence for any than hee hath for this His Majesties name prefixed his Royall Test subscribed And who is there without danger of being found guilty of high treason can
to spirituall and heavenly meditations which must needs bee a thing very commendable and acceptable to God and farre from his Majesties intention to disallow or to prohibit any from incouraging men in such courses onely hee would not have this imposed as necessary for all which no Divine or Evangelicall precept hath done nor is possible by all to be observed all men not being morally able to apply themselves for the space of the whole day to spirituall and religious exercises and to divine Meditations onely If then by the Declaration the publike service of God be duely provided for no recreations permitted to the hinderance thereof no nor the pious affections of well disposed Christians for the applying of themselves on that day to private duties of devotion and piety any way prohibited Then it cannot justly be accounted any in-let to profanenesse or irreligion or hinderance of the due sanctification of the Lords day which was my first Proposition For the second Proposition Things may bee said to bee unlawfull either in themselves or in regard of some circumstance of time place or manner in which they may be used The great exception which is by most men taken against the sports and recreations allowed in the Declaration is not so much in regard of the things themselves as in regard of the day on which they are permitted when though in themselves lawfull as honest labours are they judge them unseasonable and sinfull But this hath beene already sufficiently cleared by the learned Bishop of See B. of Ely p. 237 238. c. Ely and others who have proved that neither the Jewes under the Law were prohibited all recreations on their Sabbath nor if that were not granted could such prohibition of them conclude against Christians using of them upon the Lords day Provided that the proper worke of the day the publick service of God be first ended and not thereby any way letted or impeached But secondly there are some that will have the Recreations by the Declaration permitted to be in themselves unlawfull and if so then must they be against the law of God or the law of the land M. Burton will have them against both pag. 57. 1. Against the law of the land for which he cites the Act of Parliament in the 1. of King Charles But in that Act none of the exercises or pastimes allowed by the Declaration are mentioned but onely in generall termes it prohibits all such as are unlawfull which the Declaration also doth and that not onely such as are simply unlawfull but all others forbidden by the law of the Land as Decla p. 12. unlawfull either on Sundayes as Interludes and Beare and Bull-baitings or for some persons as bowling an exercise by law prohibited the meaner sort And it were very hard to imagine that his Majesty should confirm any Act of Parliament which should crosse the Declaration set forth by his Royall Father not seven years before at least without expresse mentioning of it and rendring some reason moving him so to doe But secondly they are neverthelesse unlawfull and as supposed to be such Mr Burton will have them comprised in that Act under those generall words All other unlawfull pastimes which saith he are those By name all dancing leaping revelling and such like in termes condemned by Imperiall edicts Decrees of Councells writings of ancient Fathers of all learned Divines both Protestants and Papists in all ages And King James of famous memory in his Basilicon Doron whose words he there cites He that should reade this passage in M. Burton alone and not know the man would thinke him a man that did much esteeme the writings of the Ancient Fathers the Decrees of Councels and consentient testimony of Divines But the truth is it hath beene an usuall custome with men of his straine and humour if they can but light upon any thing in the Fathers or ancient Councels that sounds to their liking they catch hold of it presently and make a great shew and flourish with it and both sayings and Authors shal have their due commendations See Survay of the pretended holy Disc c. 26. 27. But if any or all of them be brought to impugne their crotchets they set light by their authority and care not a rush for them Bring them then the Scriptures or nothing I will not serve him in the same kinde but giving Antiquity its due honour for answer to that which he alledgeth I say first That sure the man is much mistaken and in his heat forgat himselfe in putting leaping into the number of those pastimes which he saith are so condemned For I beleeve he is the first man that ever so accounted it and I am verily perswaded that in his sad and sober thoughts if ever he come to himselfe so farre as to have any he will exclude from so hard a censure both it and archery and vaulting and such like though mentioned in the Declaration 2 For Revelling taking it in the usuall sense for drunken and disorderly meetings c. wee must subscribe to the Fathers and Councels and not to them onely but to the sacred Scripture where they are plainly condemned as workes of Gal. 5. 21. the flesh And say withall that it was one end that his Majesty aimed at in this Declaration to hinder such Revellings which he condemnes under the name of filthy tiplings and drunkennesse Decl. p. 6. But if Mr. Burton intend by it all those other sports mentioned in the Declaration as Wakes and Whitson-ales c. I say then that hee is much wide in his conceit of them they are no such things especially in his Majesties intention who hath therefore given expresse charge for Decl. p. 16. the preventing and punishing of all disorders in them Thirdly That then which remaines under the sentence of condemnation is onely Dancing and as I suppose mixed dancing as they use to call it of men and women together for single dancing is not by the strictest disallowed As for mixed dancings I know they may be abused and become unlawfull by the immoderate and unseasonable use of them and may otherwise yea and they do many times become incentives unto lust and that two wayes especially First when there are used in them such immodest motions and gestures as have in them manifest tokens of a lascivious mind Secondly when they are done animo libidinoso with an intention to stir up the fire of lust where either of these are they must needs become unlawfull Now these as they may be as well in single dancing so they are not in all mixed dancings so as to make them all to be condemned For what hinders but that men and women may together expresse their joy in such modest motions and with as chast intentions as they may otherwise walke talke salute and converse together If any shall say there is danger because of our frailty which is prone to abuse these to wantonnes I
the exercise of Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction at last the Statute concludes with this proviso Provided also that such Canons Constitutions Ordinances and Synodalls provinciall Stat. 25. Hen. 8. 19. being already made which be not contrariant nor repugnant to the Lawes Statutes and Customes of this Realme nor to the damage or hurt of the Kings Prerogative Royall shall now still be used and executed as they were afore the making of this Act till such time as they be viewed searched or otherwise ordered and determined by the said two and thirty persons or the more part of them according to the tenour forme and effect of this present Act. It followes then that till those thirty two persons determine otherwise old Canons may bee still executed and retaine their ancient vigor and authority and when that will be I know not but as yet I am sure it hath not been done As for that which he saith he heard a Popish Canon alledged in the High Commission in opposition to a Parliament Statute unlesse he had brought us the Particular I will crave leave to put that among the rest of his incredible fictions which hee hath foisted upon that Honorable Court and those that sit Iudges in it And whereas heads that the Act of Parliament prefixed to the Communion-booke restraines Rites and Ceremonies to bee used in our Church to those only which are expressed in the same booke under the penalty of imprisonment c. I grant that the Statute doth forbid the use of any other rite ceremonie order forme or manner of celebrating of the Lords Supper Mattens or Evensong c. than is set forth in the said booke But this doth not hinder the retaining of any laudable and pious customes then and of a long time before in use in the Church which are no way contrary to the forme or rites prescribed in the booke of Common prayer For where is it said in that booke that men during the time of Divine Service or of prayer and the Letany shal sit with their hats off and uncovered and yet that ceremony is piously observed by all that have any religion in them * Sine scripto jus venit quod usus approbavit nam diuturni mores consensu utentium comprobaâ—i legem imitantur Iustin Instit l. 1. Tit. 2. Consuetudo est jus quoddam moribus institutum quod pro lege suscipitur cum deficit lex Gratian. Distinct 1. c. 5. In his rebus de quibus nihil certi statuit diving scriptura mospopuâ—i Dei vel instituta maâ—orum pro lege tenenda sâ—nt Aug. Ep. 86. Custome not contrary to Law or good reason hath ever obteined the force of a law and in things of this nature the pious customes of Gods people as Saint Aug speakes are to be held for lawes And being so must or at least may lawfully be observed till some law expressely cry them downe which I am sure the Common-prayer-book nor any Statute yet hath done And if Master B. shall not allow this for good reason he will doe himselfe more prejudice by it than those whom hee opposeth for besides that he will bee at a stand what gesture to use in many things which are yet left there undetermined His present practice in many things must needs be condemned as having no warrant or prescription in that booke For I would for instance faine know where in that booke his rite of carrying the blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ up and downe the Church to the receivers pewes is to be found Where hee hath any allowance of singing a Psalme while hee is administring where or by what Statute those meetred Psalmes were ever allowed to be sung at all in the Church And if he can plead custome or however practice these and many others like them which might bee reckoned up without the warrant of the Common Prayer-book Why may not the same plea hold as strongly for those which he oppugnes which saving that hee hath called them all to nought are neither against the Word of God nor booke of Common-prayer but most decent and religious and venerable for their antiquity in the Church of God Nay if the not being in the booke of Common-prayer shall bee enough to exclude all rites and ceremonies from being used in the Church and that upon so great a danger as imprisonment c. Therâ— surely such as are contrary to the expresse orders there prescribed must much more be excluded their practice expose men more deservedly to the same danger And certainely Master B. by this meanes would be but in an ill case many others especially of his faction For how could they justifie their not reading of Gloria Patri at the end of every Psalme their addition of those words to the Lords Prayer for thine is the Kingdome the power c. when they finde it not there printed Their Christening of children after divine Service and the Sermon is ended their consummation of the whole forme of Marriage in the body of the Church without going to the Communion-Table and their churching of women other where than by that table and many other things which are contrary to the expresse words of the * If any person c. shall c. speake any thing in derogation depraving of the same book or of any thing therein contained c. every such person beeing thereof lawfully convicted shall forfeit for the first offence 100. markes for the second 400. for the 3. all his goods and chattels and suffer imprisonment during his life Stat. 1. Eliz 2. Rubrick yea which is more than all this how can Master B. bee excused from the penalty imposed by that Statute for depraving speaking against the reading of the second or Communion service at the Communion Table beeing so appointed in that booke These things considered it may justly be wondred at why the Statute should bee so strait-laced to some as not to admit any ceremony to be used but those that are prescribed and mentioned in the Common-prayer booke though commended by antiquity and the practice of the most judicious and of greatest authority in the Church and yet so indulgent to others as to suffer them freely to use what they thinke good and to wave the orders there prescribed and to deprave and speake against them at their pleasure But let us heare what more he hath to say Besides all this saith he these men have one speciall Sanctuary to fly unto and that is their Cathedrall Churches Well what then nay stay and give him leave first to empty his stomack for we may well thinke he cannot name Cathedrall Churches without moving his vomit which hee utters plentifully both against those places and those that belong to them with all their furniture vestments yea and the divine Service that is used in pag. 160. them And having thus cleared himselfe of that cholericke and bitter stuffe which I loath to pudle in he propounds
in the worship of God Ceremonies no substantiall parts of Gods worship The crimination and a generall answer Of standing at Gloria Patri What will-worship is Standing at the Gospell Bowing at the name of Jesus Of the name of Altar and what sacrifice is admitted Of the standing of the Altar Of Communicants going up to the Altar to receive Of the railes Of bowing toward the Altar and to the East and turning that way when we pray Of reading the second Service at the Altar Chap. 15. Fol. 121. Innovation in the civill government slanderously pretended without proofe His slander of my Lords Grace of Canterbury about Prinnes Prohibition confuted Other calumnies against His Grace c. answered The Bishops falsely charged with dividing the King and His Subjects Chap. 16. Fol. 132. Of the altering of the Prayer-books The putting In for At. The leaving out of Father of thine elect c. no treason Master B. rather guilty His pretty shift about it and how he and some of his use the Prayers of the Church Of the Prayers for the fifth of November altered Those Prayers not confirmed by act of Parliament The Religion of the Church of Rome not Rebellion Of the alterations in the last Fast-booke The restraint of preaching Fasting-dayes no Sabbaths Chap. 17. Fol. 150. Of the sixth pretended Innovation in the meanes of Knowledge The Knowledge of God necessary The Scriptures the key of Knowledge Impious to take them away or hinder the knowledge of them The difference between the Scriptures and Sermons How faith is begotten of Rom. 10. 17. The Word of God must be rightly divided what it is so to do Chap. 18. Fol. 162. Of the seventh pretended Innovation in the Rule of Faith What matters of Religion are submitted to the Bishops decision The Doctrine of our Articles The properties of the Bishops decisions Master Burtons clamors against the Bishops in this particular odious and shamefull Of that speech which he ascribeth to the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury concerning the Catholick Church What is justly attributed to the Church and how wee ordinarily come to know the Scriptures to be Scriptures Chap. 19. Fol. 170. Of the jurisdiction of Bishops how far of Divine right given by Christ to his Apostles and from them derived by succession The power given to the Apostles divided into severall orders What power Ecclesiasticall belongs to the King and the intent of the Statutes which annexe all Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction to the Crowne Of Mr. Burtons Quotation of the Iesuits direction to be observed by N. N. M. B. and the Iesuite confederates in detraction and ignorance Chap. 20. Fol. 182. The last Innovation in the Rule of manners The Scriptures acknowledged to be the sole rule of manners and how Old Canons how in force The Act before the Communion-booke doth not forbid the use of ancient and pious customes Master B. incurring the penalty of that Statute Of Cathedrall Churches The argument from them frees the rites and ceremonies there used from novelty and superstition Of the Royall Chappell His dangerous insinuations referred to the censure of Authority The Close Chap. 21. Fol. 193. A briefe Discourse of the beginning and progresse of the Disciplinarian Faction Their sundry attempts for their Genevian Dearling Their Doctrines new and different from the true and ancient tenets of the Church of England and they truly and rightly termed Innovators REcensui librum hunc cui titulus est Innovations unjustly charged c. in quo nihil reperio quô minùs cum utilitate publicâ imprimatur Iune 17. 1637. Sa. Baker R. P. Episc Londin Cap. domest INNOVATIONS UNJUSTLY CHARGED UPON THE PRESENT CHURCH and STATE CHAP. I. An Introduction to the ensuing Discourse containing the reasons inducing the Author to undertake it and his aime in it IT is better in the judgement of St Melius errantis imperitiam silentio spernere quaÌ„ loquendo dementu insaniam provocare Nec hoc sue â—â—gistâ—â—ii diviniâ—eâ— nominis aucteritate faciebam c. Cypr. ad Demetrian Cyprian by silence to condemne the ignorance of the erroneous than by speaking to provoke the fury of the enraged And for this judgement of his he had the warrant as hee saith of divine authority And certainly it must needs be a great point of folly to grapple with those who as that Father of Demetrianus by the noyse of clamorous words seek rather to get vent and passage for their owne than patiently to hear the opinions of others it being more easie to still the waves of the troubled sea than by any discourse to represse the madnesse of such men To undertake such a task therefore is but a vaine attempt and of no more effect than to hold a light to the blinde to speake to the deafe or to instruct a stone Foule-mouth'd railers and barking dogs are soonest still'd by passing on our way in silence or by severe and due correction Yet notwithstanding this rule is not without some exception and therefore Solomon who giveth this counsell not to answer a foole according Prov. 26. 4 5. to his folly addes in the next words as it were a crosse-proverb to it bidding us Answer a foole according to his folly lest he be wise in his owne conceit In that case an answer to clamorous and slanderous railers whom the Wise-man comprises under the name of fooles is not unfit or unseasonable And there are no doubt other cases in which without deserving the imputation of folly a man may yea and it is expedient that he should make answer to the envenomed railings of imbittered spirits And if at any time surely then when such detractors are not onely wise in their owne conceits but which is more have enveigled many simple and perhaps otherwise well-meaning people and drawne them to an opinion of their wisedome and beliefe and approbation of their false and wicked calumnies Much more when they levell their poisoned arrows of detraction against the Soveraigne Power and against the Fathers of the Church which if they should prevaile would wound and endanger the setled government and peace of both Church and State In such case it cannot be accounted rashnesse for any true-hearted subject and sonne of the Church to breake an otherwise resolved silence to prevent what in him is the growth of so great a mischiefe I will adde one other particular When men shall be so impiously presumptuous as to break into the secrets of the Almighty and peremptorily to pronounce of his unscrutable judgements as if they had beene his counsellors and to cast the causes of the present plague and all the evills that have lately threatned or befallen us upon those men to whom next under God we owe and in duty ought to acknowledge our preservation hitherto and that the plague and other evils have no more raged amongst us yea and upon those meanes which God hath sanctified for the removall of his judgements It is high time then to speake lest silence
Thus I have smelt this which hee calles the sweet flower of candid sinceritie and find it to be no other than the unsavory and bitter weed of detraction As for that for which hee brings this and the other instances viz. To prove that the Bishops whom hee calles the Popes Factors doe by these practises labour to divide the King from his good Subjects and bring Him to have a hard opinion of the good Ministers of the Land and the Kings most loyall loving dutifull faithfull obedient peaceable Subjects I say first that if hee meane himselfe and his party as it is out of all question hee doth for wee shall never finde him to grace any others with those titles His Majestie hath such experience of their love and loyalty such as it is that hee needs no informers nor need Mr. B. feare till they alter their courses that ever His Majestie will or any of those hee aymes at goe about to alter his deserved opinion of them Secondly if the words bee taken in their latitude and as they sound I say onely two things First That it is a meere slander and groundlesse calumnie Secondly That if they should act their parts in that way with His Majestie as devoutly and with as great zeale as Mr. B. and others of his faction have done theirs with the people or to speake more plainly if they should as earnestly endeavour to bring His Majestie to have as hard an opinion of His Subjects as Mr. Burt. hath done to bring the Subjects to have of His Majestie all things had long before this beene in a combustion if not arrived at a totall ruine and desolation But enough of this Passe wee now to the fift kinde of Innovations CHAP. XVI Of the altering of the Prayer-bookes The putting In for At. The leaving out of Father of thine elect c. no treason Master B. rather guilty His pretty shift about it and how hee and some of his use the Prayers of the Church Of the Prayers for the fift of November altered Those Prayers not confirmed by act of Parliament The Religion of the Church of Rome not Rebellion Of the alterations in the last Fast-booke The restraint of preaching Fasting dayes no Sabbaths THe fift Innovation hee tels of is in altering of Prayer-bookes set forth by publick Authority And this out of the zeale hee beareth to Authority much troubles him so that he makes a great adoo about both in his sermons and so doth the Author of the Ipswich libell Let us briefly inquire what the matter may bee that thus moves his patience First he tells us of alterations made in the Communion-booke set forth by In the editions since 1619. Parliament within this seventeene or eighteene yeares as in the Epistle for the Sunday before Easter That In the name of Iesus is turned into At the name of Iesus Surely a mighty alteration and which toucheth the substance of Religion and worship of God To read it in the Epistle as it is used to be read in the Lesson when that chapter is appointed for so it is there turned both by his friends the Genevians and our last Translators But hee hath a matter of other-like moment than this In the Collect for the Queene and Royall Progenie they have put out Father of thine Elect and of their Seed This he keeps a foule pudder about and in the Epitome they cry out O intolerable Newes Ips p. 3. impiety affront and horrid treason and puts it in the title-page to startle and amaze the readers at first dash and make them cry shame upon the Bishops But if I could take the man in coole bloud I would demand of him who made that prayer If hee say as hee must it was made at the beginning of King Iames his raigne I would aske by whom If he say by the Bishops I shall then become his petitioner to bee informed why they may not as well alter it when the occasion ceased as well as make it to serve the present occasion of those times If he say as hee here intimates that it was set forth by the Parliament let him produce the Act that was made for that prayer then I shall say more to him But for all that it is not to bee so slighted for it sounds little better than high treason to dash the Queene and Royall Progeny out of the number of Gods Elect. Wee may very well let Master B. boast of his loyalty when hee gives such experiment of it by his zeale in detecting traitors treasonous practises But in good earnest doth he think it treason truly I can hardly beleeve he doth but if he or any other seduced by his sermons and libels should I will by asking a question or two get them assoyled from so heavie a charge For how if this Alteration were as indeed it was and for that cause alter'd before the Kings Majesty had any Royall Progeny Sure then it could bee no treason hee may perhaps if there be any such call it treason in the roote which in time may grow up to bee treason though at first it was no such thing but an act done upon good ground and reason But he is not very confident that they doe exclude them out of the number of Gods Elect it is but as it were or as if nor can hee doe otherwise in reason because it is no necessary consequence to say they doe not when they pray for them addresse their prayers to God by the name of Father of his elect and of their seed therfore they doe not think them they pray for to bee of Gods Elect. But what if Master B. himselfe doe indeed exclude them and doe not thinke them to be of the number of Gods Elect Will it be intolerable impiety and horrid treason still No question it must bee the same crime in him and them persons doe not so difference acts whose objects are the same And that this uncharitable and most unchristian-like Christian man is of this opinion were easie to demonstrate out of his senselesse bookes against my Lord of Exon and Master Cholmeley were it fit for me to prosecute this argument But he hath a pretty shift for that and by the helpe of a mentall reservation can use that clause well enough For though he doe not beleeve them to be Elect to an Eternall Crowne such is the wisedome and charity of this black Saint hee beleeves that they are to a Temporall And this is intimated in his Epitome where the leaving out of this clause is made to imply that they which did it made them all reprobates and none of the number of Gods Elect either to a Temporall or an Eternall Crowne By which men may judge with what faith such as Master B. use to say the prayers of the Church and what strange senses they are faine to put upon them to fit them to their fancies And this is no new thing with them but practised a long
time especially in the prayers at Baptisme when after the Sacraments administred Wee give God humble and hearty thankes for that it hath pleased him to regenerate the Infant baptized Where they use to understand some such clause as this If hee bee elected or as I have heard some expresse it as we hope by which device they can without scruple of conscience both subscribe and use the prayers of the Church which in the Churches sence they doe not beleeve or assent to But this onely by the way The next booke that he sayth they have altered is that which is set forth for solemne thanksgiving for our deliverance from the Gun-powder Treason In the last Edition whereof instead of this passage Root out that Babylonish and Antichristian sect which say of Ierusalem down with it c. They read Root out that Babylonish and Antichristian sect of them which say c. and little after for whose religion is rebellion and faith faction they read who turne religion into rebellion and faith into faction For answer to this I say first That those prayers were not as he falsely affirmes set forth by authority of Parliament The Act of Parliament which is obvious to every man that reads that book being prefixed to it and appointed to bee read on those dayes enjoynes the keeping of that day by resorting to the Church at morning prayer but mentions no speciall prayers either set forth or to be set forth afterwards for that purpose If he know any other act that authoriseth them I say to him as be to my Lord Bishop of Norwich and I hope I may doe it with lesse sawcines Let him shew it Then secondly pag. 72. I say that being done by the same Authority that first set them forth it is neither for him nor me nor any other of inferiour ranke to question them but with humble reverence to submit to their iudgements and to thinke them wiser and farre more fit to order those things that belong to their places than we whom it neither concernes nor indeed can know the reasons that move them either to doe or alter any thing But more particularly that which he obiecteth against the former is That they would not hereby have all Iesuites and Papists termed a Babylonish and Antichristian sect but restraine it to some few of them and mentally transferr it to those Puritans who cry downe with Babylon that is Popery But what then what if out of a charitable respect to those which in that Religion are honest and peaceable men as no doubt but some of them whatsoever Master B. beleeves of them are such they are not willing nor thinke it fit to pray for the rooting up and confusion of all Papists indiscriminatim under those harsh termes surely charitably minded Christians cannot but approve such an alteration if there were no other ground than that for it As for any mans transferring it to Puritanes that is as meere a surmise as it is a false slander that any of those whom he intimates doe call Rome Ierusalem or Popery the true Catholick Religion Yet I know not why such furious cryers downe of Popery as Master B. hath shewed himselfe may not bee accounted of a Babylonish and Antichristian sect as well as any Iesuit in the world nor why we may not pray and that with better reason than Master B. would have men to doe and under those titles against the Hierarchy of our Church that God would roote them out of the land when they cry so loud not of Rome but of our Ierusalem the truely and rightly reformed English Church Downe with it down with it even to the ground To the other his exception is that they which made that alteration would turne off Rebellion and Faction from the Romish Religion and faith to some persons as if the Religion it selfe were not Rebellion and their faith Faction But he craves leave to prove it so to bee according to the judgement of our Church grounded upon manifest and undeniable proofes and without expecting the grant of what hee craves from any but his good Mrs the People hee sets upon it but presently forgets his promised brevitie for he spends almost five leaves in that Argument And lest I forget my promise in the same kinde I le summe him into a very narrow roome 1. Their Religion First Reason is rebellion 1. Because the Oath of Supremacie is p. 132. refused by Iesuites Seminary Priests and Iesuited Papists and if any Papist take it hee is excommunicated for it But this reason concludes nothing Answered against the Religion but against the Practise of some of that Religion and some positions of a Faction rather than the generally received Faith among them It is well knowne that the French and Venetian States professe the Romish Religion and Faith and live in communion with that Church And yet they doe not acknowledge that Duaren de Benefic l. 5. c. 11. extravagant Power over Princes which some Popes have challenged and their flatterers doe ascribe to them As is evident 1. by the Pragmaticall Sanction as they call it in France in the time of Charles the VII approving and ratifying the Decrees of the Councels of Constance and Basill against the Popes usurped Power over generall Councels and Princes which notwithstanding the attempts of many Popes and the Bulls and Constitutions of Pope Iulius the II. and Leo the X. against it is not yet antiquated or abolished Secondly by the publick Decree made in France Christianography p. 132. Anno 1611. for expelling the Iesuites except they approved these foure Articles 1. That the Pope hath no power to depose Kings 2. That the Councell is above the Pope 3. That the Clergie ought to be subject to the Civill Magistrate 4. That Confession ought to be revealed if it touch the Kings Person 3. By that memorable Controversie that of late Controversia memorabilis inter Paul 5. Venetos Acta script c. edita 1607. happened betweene Pope Paul the V. and the State of Venice where the just libertie of Princes and States in their Dominions against that Popes tyrannicall Interdict and Sentence of Excommunication is defended by those who notwithstanding professe their union in Religion and due obedience to the Sea of Rome By all these I say it is evident that what ever the tenets of fiery spirited Iesuites and other furious Factionists of that Religion be the Religion may bee held and yet due obedience to Princes maintained and performed which could not be if the Religion were Rebellion and Faith Faction Besides our English Catholicks though for the most part more Pontifician and Spanish than French doe not all disallow the taking of the Oath of Allegiance nor their Priests themselves but though some of them doe yet others like and approve both the Oath and those that take it and others neither approve nor denie it but leave every man to his owne Conscience The
the argument pretended to bee drawne from hence Thus Cathedralls are so and so therefore all other Churches must conforme to them And then manfully denies the argument and saith wee must live by lawes not by examples Legibus vivendum est non exemplis and that the rites and ceremonies of all our Churches are prescribed and precisely limited by Act of Parliament and not left at large to the example of Cathedralls c. Wee are not I confesse left to be ruled in point of ceremonies by the example of Cathedrall Churches and it is the best and rightest course to live by lawes rather than examples But that the Act of Parliament hath so prescribed and precisely limited the rites and ceremonies that no custome or usage how ancient or pious so ever may bee practised without expresse allowance of the Act of Parliament or of booke of Common prayer which by it is authorised that I have already shewed to bee untrue But I wonder where the man found any using that argument in that manner yet I need not wonder it being common with weake and passionate disputants to cast the arguments of their adversaries to such a mold as they can best fit them with answers and to make them say that to which they can say somewhat not that which indeed they speake or intend And thus hee hath dealt with this for who knowes not that Cathedrals have ever had certaine rites and ceremonies vestments and other ornaments which have not beene used in Parochials And that to reduce all Parochiall Churches to their modell is neither necessary nor convenient nor almost possible to be done Yet the argument drawne from the examples of Cathedrals is good enough against Master B. and holds strongly to prove that for which it is brought It is a good argument to say Cathedrals are so and so or use such and such rites and ceremonies and ever since the beginning of the reformation have used them Therefore those rites and Ceremonies are no noveltyes or innovations in the Church of England Yea and it may passe for a good Argument to cleare those Ceremonies which he hath so deepely charged from superstition and idolatrie except with such as are so past sense and shame as to lay the approbation and allowance of those grosse sinnes to this Church yea and condemne not the Prelates onely but these Soveraign Princes who have not onely not purged but been spectators and actors in the same And therefore if hee had not had so much wisedome as to thinke the Church and the Soveraigne and subordinate Governours thereof to bee as wise and able to judge and as conscientious to avoyd superstition and Idolatry as he yet he might have shewed that modesty and reverence as not to have trumpeted out their faults but rather to have imitated Samuel in honouring them and upholding their reputation 1. Sam. 15. 31. before the people But he proceeds after his raving manner to let fly at the usages and ornaments in severall Cathedralls where it must be taken for an innovation if any ornaments that were decayed have happened to bee renewed or repaired or things neglected have beene restored 162. or any Chappell in either Vniversity be adorned they are taxed to become nurceries of superstition and Idolaty to the whole Land and tels of a late Order read at Sidney Colledge in Cambridge that whosoever would not bow at the naming of Iesus to the Altar should be upon the second admonition expelled the Colledge Wherin surely his intelligence deceived him made him foyst an order upon that Colledge which I dare say is not guilty in any such kind and then he quarrels the calling of Cathedrals Mother-churches because forsooth other Churches never came out of their bellies and such like stuffe which to me seemes not worthy any other answer than silence or laughter At last he falles upon the Royall Chappell which he saith is the Innovators last refuge and they as pag. 165. hee falsely chargeth them plead the whole equipage thereof as a patterne for all Churches to follow c. In his answer to which hee hath truly said that it is not for subjects to compare with the King in the state of his royall Family or Chappell and so in his second answere that many things in pag. 166. the Kings Chappell as Quire of Gentlemen c. cannot be had or maintained in ordinary Churches But though these answers had beene sufficient to have answered that argument if it had been brought by any in that manner wherein he propounds it yet hee rests not in them but addes others and not obscurely intimates that the practice even of the Royall Chappell and the rites there used are contrary to the Law of the Land and the Divine rule of Scripture and compares the use of them to the bowing to King Nebuchadnezzars golden Image and the offering of incense in the presence of the Emperour Iulian the Apostatels Altar at his command which the godly servants of God in those times by no meanes could be brought to doe And concludes with a supposall That if Masse were set up in the Kings Chappell it were no good argument why it should be admitted in all the Churches throughout the Realme of England And I verily beleeve that the argument is insufficient to make the Masse or any other idolatrous worship to bee lawfull But say with all that his answers are dangerous and most disloyall insinuations of the violation of Law of Idolatry and superstition practised in the Royall Chappell by the allowance and in the presence of His most Sacred Majesty and fitter for the censure of Authority than other answer And I conclude as hee doth with that which if hee had rightly considered would have taught him more religion and loyalty and have saved me this trouble My sonne feare thou the Lord and the King and medle not with them that are given to change for their calamity shall rise suddenly and who knoweth the ruine of them both And thus I have gone over these eight heads of Innovations wherein I was willing to follow Master Burtons method and take his owne division not that I thought it perfect for I might easily have reduced them to halfe that number but because I thought that the best way for the satisfying of some kind of readers who would perhaps if I had abridged their number have thought some of them unanswered And in my answer to these I have brought in divers things such as I thought most materiall which I found scattered in other places and excepting his senselesse railings and declamations wherein he hath Tautologised to the tiring of a resolved patience I trust I have not omitted any thing to which an answer may not well be framed out of that which I have said I shall now desire to take a little breath and by way of digression though not altogether impertinently to give a briefe of the story of the proceedings of