Churches and many others whom they scandall and accuse of divers heresies and errors which we and they abhorre and detest This point I will conclude with Doctor Fields observations First Doct. Field of the Church lib 3. cap. 1. that by the mercifull goodnesse of God all these different sorts of Christians though distracted and dissevered by reason of delivering certaine points of faith mistaking one another or variety in opinion touching things not Fundamentall yet agree in one substance of faith and are so farre forth orthodox that they reta in a saving profession of all divine verities absolutly necessary to salvation and are all members of the true Catholicke Church of Christ The second that in the principall controversies touching matters of Religion betweene the Papists and those of the reformed Churches they give testimonie of the truth of that which we professe As Docter Field also hath collected 1 They all denie and impugne that supreame universalitie of Ecclesiasticall Iurisdiction which the Bishop of Rome claimeth 2 They thinke him subiect to error as other Bishops are 3. They deny that he hath any power to dispose of principalities kingdomes of the world or to depose Kings 4 they acknowledge all our righteousnesse to be imperfect and that it is not safe to trust thereunto but to the meere mercy and goodnesse of God 5 They adâ—nit not of the merit of Congruence condignitie nor works of Superrogation 6 They teach not the doctrine of satisfactions as the Romanists doe 7 They beleeue not Purgatorie and pray not to deliver men out of temporall punishments after this lfie 8 They reiect the Romish doctrine touching Indulgences and pardons 9 They beleeve not that there are seven Sacraments 10. They omit many ceremonies which the Roman Church useth in Baptisme as spittle c. 11. They haue no private Masses 12. They minister the Communion in both kindes to all communicants 13 They beleeve not transubstantiation nor the now reall sacrificing of Christ They have their divine service most of them in their owne tongue 15. Their Preists are married and although they permit theÌ„ not to marrie a second wife without dispensation yet if any do they do not avoid or dissoluethe mariage 16. They make no image of God 17 They have no Massy Images but pictures onely 18. They think that properly God onely is to be invocated and howsoever they have a kinde of invocation of Saints yet they thinke that God onely heareth them and not the Saints And thus much of the Vnity of these Churches with us 4 The Vnitie of the Reformed Churches appeareth by their severall Confessions OF Auspurge Set downe in a booke called the Harmonie of ConfessioÌ„s of the faith of the Chrislian Reformed Churches Printed Cambridge 1586. which was first presented in the Germaine tongue at the Citie of Auspurge in the yeare 1530 to Charls the fift being Emperor by certaine most renowned Princes of Germanie and other States of the sacred Empire whoÌ„ they call Protestants Of Straugsborough Constance Meminga Lindan presented to the said Emperour Of Basill called also the Confession of Millaine Of the Helvetian Churches Of the Saxon and Meissen Churches Of Wirtemberge presented by the Ambassadours of Christopher Duke of Wirtemberge and Tecca Earle of Mountbelgard presented to the Councell of Trent the 24 of the Month of Ianuary Anno. 1552. Of the French Confession which was in the yeare 1559. presented to Francis the second King of France Of the latter Confession of the Helvetian Church which was written by the Pastors of Zurich in the yeare 1566. Of Belgia which was published in French in the name of all the Churches of Belgia in the yeare 1566 and in the yeare 1579. In a publique Synod held at Belgia it was repeated confirmed and turned into the Belgian tongue Of Bohemia published in divers places was also approved by common testimonie of the Vniversitie of Wirtembergâ— published in the yeere 1532. Of Scotland subscribed by King James of famous memorie and the States thereof to the glory of God and good example of all men At Edenborough the 28 day of Ianuary 1581 and in the 14 yeere of his Maiefties Raigne Although some private men led more by passion and their owne selfe pleasing conceipt then by the sacred rules of piety and truth have laboured to sow the tares of dissention in the vineyard of the Lord and have made Crooked some branches cleaving unto them as Anabaptists Brownists and others yet the generall societies of these Orthodox Churches in the publique confessions of their faith do so agree that there is a most sacred har mony betweene them in the more substantiall points of Christian Religion necessary to salvation as touching the Holy Scripture the Sacred Trinitie the person of the Sonner of God God and man The providence of God Sinne Freewill the Law the Gospell Iustification by Christ faith in his name Rogeneration the Catholique Church and supreme head thereof Christ the Sacraments their number and use the state of Soules after death the Resurrection Doctor Potters wantâ— of charitie pag. 93. Doct Field of the Church pag 819. and life eternall They differ rather in Phrases and formes of speech concerning Christs presence in his holy Supper other things then in substance of doctrine and also in Ceremonies And to manifest preface to Mr. Brerwoods enquiries this their unity The first Act in the Polonian Synods of which they have had divers lately as before in which assembly are Protestants embracing Bohemick Augustan and Helvetique confessions The first Act is a religious confession of their unfeined consent in the substantiall points of Christian faith necessary to Salvation and also that all disputation should be cut of concerning the manner of Christs presence All of them beleeving the presence it selfe and that the Eucharisticall elements are not naked and emptie signes but doe truely exhibite to the faithfull receiver that which they signifie and represent And for as much as they all accord in the substantiall veritie of Christian doctrine they professe themselves to be content to tollerate diversities of ceremonies according to the divers parctise of their particular Churches 5 Of the differences and want of unitie in the Roman Church WHereas our Adversaries boast much upon unitie and thinke it to be the glorie of their Church as Coster writeth that the Catholickes in the world are under one Pope whom they all obey and constantly retaine one faith they speake one thing they thinke one thing and beleeve one and the same in all things so that they disagree not in the least point of Religion Yet for all this their want of unitie will appeare not onely in the want of concord and love one to another but also in their difference in opinions amongst themselves and moreover they in their new doctrines differ from all the true Catholike Churches of the world yea even from holy Scriptures it selfe Their want of concord and unitie
of Cuthbert that one Hildmar an officer of Egfrid King of Northumberland intreated Cuthbert to send a Priest that might minister the Sacrament of the Lords body and blood unto his wife that then lay adying Antoninus Archbishop of Florence writeth that William the Conqueror and his whole Armie received the Communion in both kindes And Mathew Paris saith the same to wit the Normans the morning before they fought with Harald strengthened themselves with the body and blood of Christ For the marriage of Priests it was accounted as lawfull then as now Anselme was the first that made a decree against Priests marriage in this Kingdome Hon. Hunting lib. 7. pag. 378. Anselmus prohibuit uxores sacerdotibus Anglorum ante non prohibitas as Henry of Huntington reporteth Anselme saith he held a Synode in London in which he forefended Priests to have wives which they were not inhibited before to have which was about the yeere 1104. It seemeth that the Priests kept their wives after Anselmes time by the Decree made by the Cardinall of Cremen in the yeere 1131. against Priests marriage who having in a long oration commended Chastitie and in a Synod in London made a Decree against the marriage of Priests was himselfe that night found in bed with a whore as Mathew of Paris reporteth to the no little shame of the Clergie What Anselme or the Cardinall did against Priests marriage proceeded from the Pope Gregorie the seventh who under the colour of Chastitie forbad marriage His Bull is to be seene against Priests mariage which the Germans and French resisted what a holy man this Gregory was appeareth by the sentences of the Councell of Wormes and Brixia in which the said Gregory was deposed for his perjurie for necromancy for beeing a Conjurer and many other crimes Ordâ— Baptizandi visitandi For Merit reade a booke set foorth by Anselme Archbishop of Canterbury to be used in his province called the order of Baptizing and visiting the sicke in which are these words Dost thou beleeve that none can bee saved by his owne merits but by the merits of Christs passion to which the sicke partie was taught to make answer all this I beleeve And the Priest concluded Goe to therefore as long as thy soule remaineth in thee place thy whole confidence in his death onely c. And for the Supremacy what did King Henry the eighth assume more then Bishop Eleutherius gave to Lucius our King and that the antient Kings of the Britans assumed to themselves Of these points and others you may reade more in the most learned discourse of the Religion antiently professed by the Irish and British written by the most reverend Father in God Iames Vsher Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland And thus you may see how King Henry the eight or King Edward brought in no new Religion amongst us but restored the old ancient Religion suppressed for some yeeres by the Church of Rome By this it manifestly appeareth that most of the Doctrines before named now taught and urged for Catholike in the Roman Church were neither the Doctrines of the other Christians in Europe Asia and Africa nor the antient Roman Easterne Southerne Churches nor of Gregory the great Bishop of Rome who sent Austen hither nor of the antient Britaines our forefathers And whereas inquirie is made for the visibilitie of our Church or for any one professing our Religion before Luther heere you may see the whole true Catholike Church of God upon the face of the Earth of the which these Churches are members professing the same faith with us For which common Vnion we have greate cause to rejoyce Hieremie as the Greeke Patriarch having seene the Tenets of some of the reformed Churches congratulateth with them after this manner Wee give thankes to God the Author of all grace and wee rejoyce with many others especially in this that in many things your Doctrine is agreeable to our Church So let us thanke God for the holy harmony and agreement of these Churches with us in the point before mentioned in controversie betweene the Roman Church and us and let us endeavour to keepe the unitie of the Spirit in the bond of peace VIII Of the Devotion and pietie of these Churches BRochardus the Monke telleth us Brochard Monac that he found the Nestorians Jacobites Maronites and Georgians and such others whom they judge to bee heretickes to bee for the most part honest and simple men living sincerely towards God and man men of great abstinency attentively hearing the word of God And that the Armenians and Georgians have for their Prelats men of the best conversation going before them aad teaching them as by word so also by example Devotion Godignus de Abass rebus p. 133. In oratione frequentanda non facile similes reperiri censeo omni namque diluculo cuncti corum toto corpore in pulverem ipsuÌ„ prostrati orationes ad Deum fundunt Faber in Relig. Moscovit p. 180. These Christians use great reverence in their Churches no man is allowed to walke talke or sitt in them the old and weake may leane against the walls Godignus reporteth that the Aethiopians doe allow the old weake crutches to sustaine them withall as before and Faber reports of the Russes that hee hath not seene of them the like for their frequenting prayers and devotion in their prayers which lying prostrate on the ground they poure out unto God They touch not the holy Scriptures but with great reverence and place the Bible in their houses in the most honorable place The Greekes much blame the Latines for their unreverent sitting in their Churches and suffering Lay men with Bootes and Spurres to sit by the Priests at time of Divine Service and also for not keeping dogges out of their Churches as before Of these Churches I may say although wee thinke them not to be so learned as we are they wanting the meanes that we have yet they are more devout For their Fasts Their Fasts these Christians tast nothing at all till Sun sett The Aethiopians doe so macerate themselves in their Lent-fasts which they begin tenne dayes before ours that their enemies commonly set upon them at the end of their Fasts hoping then to finde them feeble and weake in their Fasts especially upon good-friday beside their great abstinence they goe like mutes not saluting one another with their countenances dejected The Greekes also blame the Latines for drinking in their Fasts Irineus Râ—dâ—ginus pag. 15. and that some of them are drunke before their fasts are ended and that when their fasts are ended generally they eate and fill their bellies plentifully For their obedience to Princes Obedience to Princes their Patriarches and Bishops although they are subject to many greivous pressures yet they submitt themselves to their Kings and Princes that God hath placed over them according to that of Lactantius Religion is to bee defended not by
not Canonicall which though they are not Canonicall yet are they set forth for the edification and instruction of the Church for Eleazar in Machabes the 6. c. Eusebius Bishop of Caesarea The Maccabees are not received amongst us for divine Scriptures Saint Hierom The booke of Wisedome The Easterne Church Sapientia quae vulgo Salomonis inscribitur Iesu filij Syrach liber Iudeth Tobias Haster non sunt in Canone Hierom. Tom. 3. praef in lib. ReguÌ„ of Iesus the sonne of Syrach of Judeth of Tobyas and Haestor are not in the Canon Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria a Athana in Synopsi The bookes of the old Testament are 22. There are others that are not canonicall as the Wisedome of Salomon St. Augustine b De mirabilibus sacra Scripturae lib. 2. cap. 34. not found in the Canonicall Scriptures but in the booke of Maccabees The South Church 3. The sufficiency of the Scriptures Gregory Whatsoever serveth for edification and instruction The old Roman Church Greg. in Ezek. lib. 1. hom 9. In hoc volumine cunctâ— quae aedificant omnia quae erudiunt scriptacontinentur is contained in the volume of the Scriptures Saint Chrysostom a In opere imperfect lib. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost in 2. Thessal hom 3. He commandeth Christian men that will bee assured of true faith to resort to nothing else but to the Scriptures Againe hee saith in holy Scripture all necessary things are plaine Idem The Easterne Church St. Que pertinent ad veram religionem quaerendam tenendam divina scriptura non tacuit August Epist 42. in ijs enim quae aperte in Scripura posita sunt inveniuntur illa omnia quae continent fidem moresque vivendi de doctr Christiana lib. 2. cap. 9. tom 3. Augustine All those things that pertaine to the attaining and keeping of true Religion the holy Scripture hath not concealed St. Augustine In these things which are laid downe plainely in Scriptures all those things are found which appertaine to faith and direction of life 4. Reading of the Scriptures Gregorie The Scripture is an Epistle sent from God to his Creature The old Roman Church Gregor lib. Epist 40. ad Theod. medicum Quid autem est scriptura sacra nisi quaedam Epistola omnipotentis Dei c. that is to Priest and people And if thou receive a letter from an earthly King thou wilt never sleepe nor rest till thou understand it The King of Heaven and God of men and Angels hath sent his letters to thee for the good of thy soule and yet thou neglectest the reading of them I therefore pray thee studie them and daily meditate of the word of thy Creator and learne the heart and minde of God in the words of God St. Chrysostom The Easterne Church a Epistol ad Coll. hom 9. Heare you Lay people get you Bibles the Physicke of your soules St. Augustine South Ch. b Sermo 112 feria sexta post dom passionis Lectio assidua purificat omnia Daily reading purifieth all things 5. Concerning Transubstantiation Gregorie The old Roman Church Greg. in 6. Psal paenitent Quis expoenere queat quaÌ„tae fuerit miserationis sacratissima pretiosi sanguinis effusione genus humanum redimere sacrosanctum vivifici corporis sanguinis sui mysterium membris suis tribuere cujus perceptione corpus suum quod est Ecclefia passcitur pouitur abluitur sanctificatur Christ with the effusion of his most precious blood redeemed mankind and giveth unto his members the most holy mysteries of his quickning body and blood by the participation whereof his body which is the Church is nourished with meate and drinke and is washed and sanctified St. Chrysostome If any man taketh it fleshly The Easterne Church In Iohan. homil 46. it profiteth nothing Idem a In opere imperfecto in Mat. pag. 810. Bas in quibus non est verum corpus Christi sed mysterium corporis Christicomiretur In the holy vessels the true body of Christ is not contained but the mysterie of his body St. Augustine The South Church Cont. Adimant cap. 12. Non enim Dominus dubitavit dicere hoc est corpus meum cum signum daret coporis sui Ad quid paras dentes ventrem crede manducasti super Ioan. tract 25. Tom. 9. Christ spake these words This is my body when hee gave the signe of his bodie Jdem Why dost thou provide thy teeth and thy belly beleeve and thou hast eaten 6. Private Masse Gregorie Let not the Priest alone celebrate Masse The old Roman Church In lib. Capitulari cap. 7. apud Cassand liturg cap. 33. pag. 83. sacâ—â— dos missam solus neqnaquam celebret quia sicut illa celebrari non potest sine salutatione sacerdotis responsione nibilominus plebis it a nimirum nequaquam ab une debet celebrari esse enim debent qui ei circumstent ques ille salutet a quibus es respondeatur c. for as hee cannot performe it without the presence of the Priest and people so likewise it ought not to bee performed by one alone for their ought to bee present some to whom hee ought to speake and who in like manner ought to answer him Chrysostome Neither doe we receive more The East Church 2. Thess cap. 2. Homil. 4. De sacrificio missae contra Muscuâ—uÌ„ apnd Cassand lituro cap. 35. pag. 86. Oâ—im omnes tum sacerdetes tum â—â—ici quicunque intererant sacrificio missae peracta oblatione cum sacrifieante communicabant c. Definivit sanctuÌ„ concilium ut nullus presbyter praesumat solus missam cantare apud Cassand pag. 83. or you lesse of the holy table but tast thereof equally together Cochleus Antiently all the Priests and people did communicate together Concilium Nanetense The holy Councell hath decreed that no Priest should presume to celebrate alone 7. Communion in both kindes Gregorie You have learned what the blood of the Lambe is The old Roman Church Tom. 2. Hom. 22. in Ewang Quid namque sit sanguis Agni non audiendo sed bibendo didicistis c. Dial. lib. 4. cap. 58. Ejus sanguis non jam in manns infidelium sed in or a fidelium funditur De conse dist 2. c. Comperimus quod divisio unius ejusdemque mysterij sine grandi sacrilegio nequeat provenire apud Cassand pag. 1020. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not by hearing but by drinking Againe the blood of Christ is not powred into the hands of unbeleevers but into the mouthes of the faithfull people Pope Gelasius Decreed to communicate in both kindes because the division of the one mysterie from the other could not bee done without great Sacriledge Saint Chrysostome In some cases 2. Corinth Hoâ— 18. Tom. 3. Edit Savilij pag. 647. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is no difference betweene Priest and
killing but by dying not by crueltie but by patience not by wickednes but by faith c. For their Chastitie among the Russes adulterie is severely punished and the Aethiopians punish all fornication and lust and none of the Patriarches of these Churches allow brothel-houses or Stewes that I reade of Whereas the Pope of Rome howsoever they pretend Chastity yet they onely of all Christians Patriarches allow stewes brothelhouses where a father Sixtus pontiâ—ex maximus Romae nobile admodunlupanar extruxiâ— Agrippa de van taâ—e scientiarum cap. 64. Atque utrique sexui assignavit Zeg spec ponti pag. 79. Dici nequit quaâ— incredibili Christianorum tum pâ—dore tum etiam â—orum qui vere tales sunt cordolio ut Iudae filiae scortari non liceaâ— Dei filiae liceat his sonne and his brother may commit uncleannesse with one whore yea Sixtus the fourth built a famous Stewes in Rome for both Sexes This wickednes is not unpunished among the Iewes themselves Bishop Espensous reporteth to the great shame of Roman Christians of a Iew maide who renounced her Religion and turned Romish Christians that she might freely exercise the art of Ribandie not permitted by herown Religion his words are It cannot bee spoken but with incredible shame of Christians with the great heart griese of them that are the like that it is not lawfull for a daughter of Judah to commit fornication but lawfull for the daughter of God Imo Israe is filia meretricari non aliter ante possit quam facta per BaptismuÌ„ sanctuÌ„ Christi soror filia yea the daughter of Jsrael may not otherwise play the whore before shee bee made by holy baptisme sister and daughter of Christ c. Moreover he writeth that we cannot but be offended to see so many Stewes in one Citie and that it may be almost said of Rome Christian as of Rome Ethnick that the whole Citie is one stewes Againe these Patriarches and Bishops sell no pardons to deliver soules out of Purgatorie nor allow the sale of any Sacrament that I reade wheras the Roman Church maketh infinite gaine of their Masses Romana scorta in singulas hebdemadas juliuÌ„ poudent Pontifici Agrippa loco citat Zeg loco Citat Taxa Cancell Apostolicae Parisiis 1613. Pardons and Dispensations yea the Popes themselves have a rent out of the brothell houses every whore paying weekely a Iulie to his holines which rent is more some yeeres then 40000. Duckets In the booke of taxes of the Apostolike Chancerie and sacred penitentiaries you may see the prises and rates of all dispensations and absolutions as for murthers of all kindes as of Clergie men Lay men of Father Mother Sonne Brother Sister Wife c. For impoisoning inchantment witchcraft sacriledge simony c. for fornication adultery incest without any exceptioÌ„ or distinction c. Also for dispensations for oathes vowes and many things more although there be many sinnes raigning amongst these Christians and us yet they are not allowed by them and us and so they are not the sinnes of the Churches as fornication is one of the sinnes of the Roman Church as before To put an end to this some of their sinnes are not only personall but Cathedrall from whence they seeme to have a liberty of sinning to use their own distinctioÌ„ their veniall sins are easily done away with a short shrift as for mortal sins a man may have for money a warrant dormant Anton. sum par 3 tit 1. cap. 11. Crantzius saxon lib. 5. cap. 8. Quid enim hodie per dispensationem Apostolicam non obtinetur Quinta causa dissidij Graecorum credipotest species austerioris vitae quaein eorum Hiere monachis Metropolitis Archiepiscopis at que episcopis frequenter cernitur Haec igitur austerioris vitae ratio Latines contemnendi praebuit occasionem c. Tho. a Iesis de convers p. 284. or dispensation to commit sinnes against nature as to marie his Aunt his brothers wife his neece his own daughter for which Pope Martin the fift gave a dispensation as Antonius reporteth and what saith Crantzius their own writer cannot be gotten by dispensation To conclude Thomas the Iesuite confesseth that the fift cause of difference betweene the Greekes and Latins may bee thought to be the shew of a more austere life which is often seene in their holy Monkes Metropolites Archbishops and Bishops this their more austere life causeth the Greeks to contemne the Latins c. But the Greekes are to know that Christian righteousnes doth not consist chiefly in macerating the body but in Charity Faith Hope Humility and Patience and other vertues WHereas there is come to my hands a booke of Possevins the Iesuit written against Chytraeus in which he challengeth these Churches for agreeing with them In praying for the Dead invocating Saints worshipping Images having of Monkes c. I answer that I finde these Churches in these things also to differ from the Papists 1. As in praying for the dead they pray not to deliver Soules out of Purgatorie nor from any temporall punishment as the Papists do but for their generall resurrectioÌ„ Field of the Ch. pag. 59. publicke acquital c. 2. For their invocating of Saints some doe it not at all pag. 109. of this booke as the Aethiopians as before but I will not justifie all these Churches in their invocations 3. For Imageworship Nullas habent sanctorum imagines Iosephus Indus cap. 133. some have none at all as the Indians others have Pictures onely to which they give no undue reverence as the Aethiopians yet will I not justifie some of them in this point 4. For their Monks Singuli pro sui Monasterij oeconemia sustinenda laborant alij vineas fodientes c. Bellon obser lib. 1. cap. 35. they are not idle bellygods or beggers but live on their labour as before For other things mentioned the Iesuit hath a streame of witnesses against him And last of all if these Churches agree with the Roman Church why doe most of them excoÌ„municate the Pope and his clergie as before And more especially to shew their disagreement with the Aethiopian Church Godign de Abass rebus pag. 225. the Bishop of Sydonia gave new orders to Tecla Maria an Aethiopian Priest in the Chapell of the Cardinall of Saint Severin by the coÌ„mandement of the Pope and advice of the Cardinals Of the Antiquitie CHAP. IIII. WHereas the Church of Rome boasteth of her Antiquity I purpose to set downe in this Chapter three things 1. That some of these Churches are Churches more ancient then the Church of Rome and that the ancient Church of Rome received Christianitie from them or some of them 2. That the now Church of Rome and the ancient before Boniface the third are not one and the same Church but different 3. As the now Church of Rome is a new Church and a different from the old so