Iurisdiction of Bishops jure divino as being no where found in the Scripture but the contrary sayd openly that in matters of divinity wee are not tyed to the Scriptures but to the Vniversall Catholicke Church in all ages for how said hee shall wee know the Scriptures but by the Church And therefore not without some reason doth that Iesuite in his Pamphlet printed in English 1636 intituled A Direction to bee observed by N. N. make a laudable mention of that great Prelate saying Although I ought not to dissemble but doe gladly acknowledge and deservedly publish in this occasion for a patterne to others in this Realme the care of the Chiefest Prelate in England in prohibiting the sale of Bookes tending to Socinianisme So there But what meaneth the Iesuite here by Socinianisme Hee tells us plainly pag. 16. and 17. in these words First then I say that the very Doctrine of Protestants if it be followed closely and with coherence to it selfe must of necessity induce Socinianisme This I say confidently and evidently proove by instancing in one errour which may well bee termed the Capitall and mother Heresy from which all other must follow at ease I meane their hereâ—y in affirming that the perpetually visible Church of Christ descended by a never interrupted succession fromour Saviour to this day is not infallible in all that it proposeth to bee believed as revealed truthes For if the infallibility of such a publicke Authority bee once impeached what remaines but that every man is given other to his owne wit and discourse And talke not here of holy Scripture And a little after And indeed take away the authority of Gods Church no man can bee assured that any one Booke or parsell of Scripture was written by divine inspiration or that all the contents are infallibly true which are the direct errours of Socinians So hee Where wee see what his meaning is when hee commends the chiefe Prelate as a patterne to all other in prohibiting such bookes as exalt the sole authority of holy Scripture as the onely Rule of faith Thus not unde servedly hee commends him for upholding the authority of the Church to wit of the Pope primarily and next after him the Prelates as whereon depends the authority and sence of Scripture Well But is this the way of setling the faith of Christians in the true religion Nay is it not the high ready way to unsetle all to make religion a wether-cocke to be turned this way or that way as the winde of mans unstable erronious fancy shall blow move it And for proofe hereof let us but obserue what the same Iesuite faith a little after For writing of the present state of our Church and that since this new generation of Doctors and Prelates hath Sprung up amongst us I know not from what Popish root hee saith * And to speake the trueth what learned judicious man can after unpartiall examination imbrace Protestantisme which waxeth even weary of it selfe Its Professors they especially of greatest worth learning and authority declare themselves to love temper and moderation allow of many things which some yeeres agoe were usually condemned as Superstitious and Artichristian and are at this time more unresolved where to fasten then at the infancie of their Church Thus by the way hee sheweth who they bee that are the chiefe Fathers of that new-fangle religion of Protestancy of late birth in England namely those of greatest worth learning and authority as the Prelates are counted to bee who are of that temper and moderation as they allow of many things which some yeeres agoe were usually condemned as superstitious and Antichristian But how doth the Iesuite demonstrate this Pag. Twenty two Hee saith For doe not the Protestant Churches begin to looke with another face Their walls to speake with a new language Their Preachers to use a sweeter tone Their annuall publicke Tentes in their Vniversities to bee of another style and matter Their books to appeare with titles and arguments which once would have caused a mighty scandal among the brethren Their doctrine to be altered in many things and even in those very paints for which their Progenitors for sooke the then visible Church of Christ Their 39 Articles that is the summe the Confession and almost the Greed of their Faith are patient Patient They are ambitious of some sense wherein they may seeme to bee Catholicke To alledge the necessity of wife and children in these dayes is but a weake plea for a married Minister to compasse a Benefice Fiery Calvinisme once a darling in England is at length accounted Heresy yea and little lesse then Treason Men in word and writing use willingly the once fearefull names of Priests and Altars Nay if one doe but mutter against the placing of the Altar after the old fashion for a warning hee shall be well warmed by a coale from the Altar English Protestants are now put in mind that for exposition of Scripture by canon they are bound to follow the ancient Fathers And to conclude all in one maine point The Protestant Church in England willingly professeth so small Antiquity and so weake subsistence in it selfe that they acknowledge no other visible being for many Ages but in the Church of Rome So the Iesuite Behold here now Protestant Reader what testimony a Iesuite can give of the present state of our Church and that out of his owne reading and observation and which we our selves cannot deny all which hee ascribeth to the Prelates as those whom hee indigitates for men of greatest worth learning authority who declare their Innovations as Sodome her sinnes and hide them not even our enemies now their friends being witnesses who gladly feed their infants with the pappe of our new Papisme But to returne to our particular point of Innovation concerning the rule of faith which our Prelats have turned off from the holy Scripture to the authority of the Church this is the maine upshot in Dr. Whites Treatise of the Sabbath day wherein he tyes the observation of the Lord day to that limitation which the Prelates of the Church doe or shall prescribe so also all other matters of Religion And doe they not also overthrow the Scriptures as the rule of faith in that they restraine the preaching of them to their illiberall allowance inhibiting such and such points to be medled with as before is shewed doe they not place the Communion booke as a rule of faith in all matters of Religion wherin the Arch-Bishops definitive sentence must determine as Recv ibid. p. 206. The 8th innovation or Change is in the rule of manners which rule must not be any more the word of Christ and the writings and examples of the holy Apoles wherein they followed Christ for that is counted too precise and puritanicall but our Prelates have prescribed a new rule of Christian manners to wit the example of
precedent and proofe And for this very cause were there no more Preaching was never more necessary in this City than at this time which doth so swarme with multitudes of poore who without some present competent reliefe must needs perish so would heape upon this City yet greater Sins which is ready to sinck under the heavie burthens both of Sins and Plagues I might note againe as an 8. reason that great extraordinary increase the very first weeke of the Fast together with most hideous stormes fearfull and foule weather immoderate raine ever since it began God testifying by his reviving and renewing of the Plague by the sad and black countenance of the skies and those many great losses both by Sea Land that he abhorres such a Fast as of which his very judgemēts Speak Call you this a Fast Yea also a 9. reason because according to the Prelates practise this Fast is made a meere mock Fast wherein God is mocked to the face For doe the Prelates propose this as the principall end of their Fast to breake off their violent and tyrannicall proceedings against Gods Ministers and so against the State of Religion I feare it And so long let us never look for any good issue of this Fast but rather further judgements to be powred upon the Land For these reasons I say I could wish with all my heart to be an humble Petitioner to the King who I am perswaded would speedily hearken to such a request and would certainly answere that it was never his mynd that Preaching should be in this Fast prohibited The king prohibit Preaching Noe noe we all see who they be that prohibit Preaching even those that labour tooth and nayle to Suppresse Preaching and lay snares to intrap all painfull Preachers as the pressing of the booke for Sports for instance they being not content that the booke be read by the Curate but the Incumbent himselfe must read it or els abide extremity as Suspension from his Ministry Excommunicatiō out of the Church Sequestration from his living and Ecclesiasticall meanes the great crying Sinne of this Land at this day But I will add no more So as the Ninivites shall rise in judgement against this generation for they upon occasion of Ionas preaching proclaimed a Fast and reformed their lives and their violent dealing but these men under pretence of a Fast as Iezebel did to devoure Naboths vinyard would devoure Christs Vinyard while they Suppresse the Preaching of the Word whereby men should be convinced of their Sinnes and converted from them and bring forth good fruits of the Vine and thereby harden their necks against the Lord and strengthen their hands in violence to fill up their sinnes allway The sixt Innovation is about the meanes of the knowledge of God and of the Mistery of our Salvation That may be verified of many Prelates in these dayes which Christ charged the Pharisees with all Woe be unto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for yee shut vp the Kingdome of heaven against men for yee neither goe in your selues neither suffer yee them that were entring to goe in Matth. 23. 13. Which in Luke 11. 52. is expressed thus Ye take away the Key of Knowledge And doe not our Prelates thus when they hush and silence all Lectures in whole Diocesse When they suppresse and cut short Preaching all they can When they lay snares to muzzle Gods Ministers that they may not Preach When they disgrace and traduce Preaching calling it in scorne Sermonizing When they forbid Ministers to use any prayer before their Sermons but that bare and barren forme of words in the Canon wrapping all up in the Lords Prayer When they must use no Prayer at all after the Sermon but come downe and read a second or third Service at the Altar where in great Churches halfe the people cannot heare a word When they must not preach at all in the Afternoone upon the Lords dayes When they must onely Catechise for halfe an hower and that not by expounding the Principles of Religion which may well be called the Key of Knowledge which they take away but onely by the bare questions answeres in the booke teach the children like Parats so as they can never come to give a reason of their fayth with understanding When in a great City or in the Vniversities they limit all Sermons to one hower so as the heares cannot injoy the benefit of more then one Sermon a day Yea what devises have they not put in practise to put the light of Gods word vnder a bushell if not rather altogether to quench it if it were in their power What invectives are in Shelfords ad Treatise against Preaching and the peoples knowledge How doth he find fault with the Peoples desire of Sermons And pag. 47. he Sayth Our Soli Sermonists and Solifidians so they may have a Sermon or two on the Lords dayes c. And pag. 91. he allowes of Preaching with a restriction and limitation as being not fit for every Minister but for extraordinary excellent men called by God and the Church to reforme Errours abuses or to promulge to the world new Lawes Canons And againe least this should be too great a burthen to these his extraordinary men he qualifies the matter by restraining their preaching to certaine extraordinary times in the yeare pag. 94. as Easter Whit-Suntide Christmas day and to extraordinary places too as Cathedralls and for this cause pag. 93. he would have many Ministers vnfurnished of their licences especially those that preach twice every Lords day and those that are permitted to preach to be restrained to certaine times and seasons as once a Moneth at most And he gives the reason of all because the Church is now settled and therefore doth not need preaching as once it did in its infancy So he Thus they labour tooth and nayle to cry downe Preaching For saith he p. 94. Reading is the ordinary preaching ordained by God himselfe And this is that maine marke which they al shoot at to mould up all in the Lumpe of the Communion Booke and make that the Summe and Scope the very Circle of al Religion Knowledge The Seventh innovation is in the rule of faith for whereas the sole and complete rule of faith is the Holy Scripture as 2. Tim. 3. Our new Doctors cry up the dictates of the Church to wit of the Prelates to be our only guides in Divinity as in Reeves Cōmunion booke Catechisme expounded pag. 20. and 206. where all Ministers must submit to the judgement of the Prelates in all matters pertaining to religion and all Prelates must submit to the Arch-Prelate as having a Papal infalibility of spirit whereby as by a Divine Oracle all questions in Religion are finally determined And here I cannot forget a speech of the chiefest Prelate of England in the High Commission who at the censure of Doctor Bastwicke for oppugning the
against his King or lifted up a hand against his Sacred Person But wee can fill large volumes of Examples if need were of Iesuites Priests and Prelates that have beene notorious traitors to their Emperours and Kings and some of them that have laid violent hand upon the Lords anointed And howsoever they cry thiefe first and their cry being lowder prevailes most especially being ushered in with the very name of Puritan as of old the very name of Christians was crime enough yet they which thus abuse the eares of pious Princes both by base flattery and mallicious traducing of good men the Kings good Subjects unto His Majestie incensing him against them that so they may more easily worke their owne mischievous ends these will be found to bee the great theeves as will appeare by that which now followeth in these words And meddle not with them that are giuen to change These words are an admonition to all that feare the Lord and the King not to meddle with them that are given to change that is not to have fellowship or partnership with them as before was opened The point we learne hence is That the true servants of the Lord subjects of the King ought not to joyne with those that are given to change whither it bee in the State of Religion or of the Common-weale This is confirmed first with sundry places of Scripture As Prov. 22. 28. Remove not the ancient Land-marke which thy Fathers have Set. This alludes as Divines interprit to the alteration of the State of the true Religion of good Laws So Eccl. 10. 8. Who so breaketh an hedge a Serpent shall bite him An hedge is a bounder or fence betweene man and man This is forbidden with a curse Deutr. 27. 17. And the Princes of Iuda were reprooved as those That remooved the Bound to wit of the Lawes Hose 5. 10. Which Zanchie expounds as the other And the Ordinary Glosse expounds it of Trelates which would be accounted Princes that remoove the bounds that is Preach other doctrine then they have received from the Apostles So as the Doctrines of the Apostles are the ancient Bounds which must not bee remooved Now with Innovators such as feare the Lord and the King must not meddle nor pertake and that for sundry waighty reasons 1. Because the accessory is equall with the principall both in fact and punishment As Obad. 11. Edom is as deepely charged as the Heathen actors for but looking on while they spoiled his brother Iacob and took no compassion on him much les ayded him against his enemies And in our Law misprison of Treason that is concealement of it is punishable as treason So when wee see wicked men goe about by their Innovation to undermine and overthrow the State of Religion and of the Common-weale if wee be silent and doe not detect them nor labour to defeate them but out of a base feare hold our peace when the State of things cal upon us to speak we shal be found guilty before God though the State take no notice of it of the same Sinne with them and so pertake of the like punishment 2. Because Innovation of Religion and the Republike is and ever hath beene held dangerous to a State especially when the change is for the worse As 1. in point of civill government to change a Kingdome setled on good Lawes into Tirany is very dangerous And ever States have beene wary hereof Insomuch as the Locrians ordained that who so would moâ—ion a nâ—w Law should come with an halter about his necke that is it were not liked hee should be hanged in his halter And it was the speech of Heraclitus Ephesius That Citizens ought to fight no lesse for their Lawes then for their walls Because a City may stand without walls but without Lawes it cannot For a State can no more stand without good Lawes as it were the Soule of it then the body can live without the soule Lycurgus therefore to preserue his Lawes unto perpetuity covenanted with his Citizens that they should alter nothing till his returne whereupon he voluntarily became a perpetuall exile from his Countrey Aristotle compares changes in a State which at first seeme but small and insensible to the expenses of a howse and the wasting of a mans substance by little and little which in a short time consumes all And in his Third Booke ibid. Shewing the difference betweene a King and a Tyrant hee saith The Citizens defend with Armes their King but Strangers a Tyrant For Kings doe rule according to Law and over willing Subjects But Tyrants against their wills So as Kings have a Guard of their people but Tyrants against them So hee Whereby we see the usefulnesse of good Lawes as combining King and peoples as the head and members Secondly in point of Religion A notable example hereof we have in Deut. 13. Where if Sonnes of Belial have drawne a City of Israel to Idolatry upon the inquiry of the Truth all Israel is to smite the Inhabitants of that Citie with the sword destroying utterly all therein both man and beast with the edge of the sword and the whole City with all the spoile therein shall be consumed with Fire and made a heape for ever that so Israel may be guiltlesse and blessed of God So for all Ieroboams policy which yet to carnall judgement seemed very subtily and safe for his Kingdome the erecting of his Calues proved the bane of his House and Kingdome for ever And the like ruine fell upon Ierusalem afterward with the Babilonian Captivity for 70. yeeres And the cause was partly changing of the Lawes whereof before and partly and especially changing of Religion as these two changes goe commonly hand in hand together So Iere. 2. 36. Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way So vers 11. Hath a Nation changed their Gods which yet are no Gods But my people have changed their glory for that which doeth not profit And Esay puts all together Saying The earth is befiled under the Inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the Lawes changed the ordinance broken the Everlasting Covenant Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth and they that dwell therein c. Innovation in Religion breeds oftentimes troubles and distractions especially after a long settling And for this cause the first Reformers of our Religion were very tender of settling such an exact reformation in all things as perhaps they desired As the Lord Cromwell having set forth the Psalter in English with omission of the Letany there was such discontent about it as hee was forced to put it in againe Some indulgence must be given According to that observation of Beatus Rhenanus upon Tertullian it was needfull saith hee in ancient times to give indulgence to Christians in many things who commonly when they were old were converted from Paganisme to our Religion with great difficulty relinquishing