earthly inheritance and kingdome they will make him a King without any Dominion a Head without a body a Father without a family and a Pastor without a flock for many ages together Yâ—a if we will believe some of them Christs Church was no sooner settled in the truth of heavenly Doctrine but it dâ—clined superstitiously and wickedly from it The Centurists for example in their second â—â—p 4. Century after a deniall of Saint Denis Areopagita his known Works becauâ—e they contain many points and practices of Doctrine against them have accusâ—d St. Ignatius who lived with our Saviour himself and waâ— both for his life and death gloriously renowned for speaking of Priests Altars Sacrifice and severall Orders of Church Ministers not admitted by them of Colledges of Virgins and Widdows vowing to live chastly concerning the merit of good works and other declinings from the first purity of Christian Doctrine They accuse St. Irenaeuâ— for mentioning a Sacrifice according to the Order of Melchisedeck instituted under the forms of Bread and Wine by our Saviour himself in his last Supper taught by him to the Apostles and offered since in all parts of the World according to Cap. 1. Malachies prediction thereof and figured long before by Melchisedeck's oblation c. Others say Christs Church failed in Constantines time when it first began as a bright Sun to break out of the â—ark clouds of ten horrible Persecutions and spread its beams clearly throughout the world to the excessive joy of Christians as if at that very time Antichrist had begun his raign when Christs Church most flourished because then Pope Silvester a most glorious Confessor of Christ had the City of Rome for his residence assigned unto him by that glorious Emperour and they are inforced to this Blasphemy or else to allow of our present Church and Religion undoubtedly professed in Constantines time by the Sacrifice of the Mass solemnly celebrated with lights on the Altar with Prayer for the Dead Honour done unto Saints adoration of the sacred Host and kneeling before it images used in Churches c. as is in the Protestants Apologie for Catholicks plainly proved in a whole Chapter together Others affirm the utter overthrow of Christs Church to have happened in the time of Pope Boniface the third so as it hath been no where since vouchable and visible in any part of the world but wholly râ—tired to the hearts of some faithfull Persons knowing but not daring to professe true Religion members indeed of a Church framed onely by imagination and fancy and living perchance in the land of Faries or â—ome inchantâ—d Ilands or in Concaves of the Moon out of this world where there is no memory to be found of them whereas our Catholick Church even in the horriblest times of persecution was by the glorious Martyrdoms of innumerable Saints men and women children also amongst them Apologies written in defence of our Christian Religion meetings of Bishops learned expositions of Scriptures and in many other manners maintained as is now testified unto us Wherefore other Protestant Doctors not to trouble themselves with such fopperies of an invisible Church remaining still in ours for so many ages together affirm our Catholick Church at all times to have been the only Catholick and known Church of Christ but not to have been altogether free from erroneous Tenents and practices of doctrine reformed forsooth by them since Luthers and Calvins departure from it Yet so as the Authors of this opinion differ about the imagined errours of our Church some affirm them to have been fundamentall damnable idolaâ—rous and Antichristian which is the same as to say that during so many ages Christ had no true Church at all whilest others make a milder judgement of them and say that the being of a true Church was not hindred by the belief and practice of them so as they agree not in the very being before Luther of their Church and Religion The second part AND because they pretend our Church and Religion to have been resormed by them they shall give me leave here to declare what manner of men these Reformers were how they were first called to make this Reformation How they began it And to what antient Faith and Form of Church government they sought to reduce it And to discuss these points Comment in cap. 1. ad Galatas orderly my Reader must know that the first father of these Reformers was Martin Luther an Apostate Friar of St. Austins order who as he writeth himself lived chastely and well in his Monastery for fifteen years together but after his departure from it he became Sâ—â—m de Matrim by his own confession a very monster of Lust no more able to live without a woman than he could leave to be a man or forbear natural necessities of eating drinking spitting c. and luxury at one time so raged in him as for eight dayes together he could neither pray nor study and shortly after to asswage the heat thereof one night after Supper he married forsooth and took for his Bed-fellow Katheriue Bore a lusty Nun after eight years of her religious profession which troubled so much his friends and Melancthon chiefly that in an Epistle to Camerinus You know saith he the manner of Luthers life wherefore I had rather you should conjecture the rest then I write thereof onely I may say Luther is not a man made to live without a woman which surely was no great commendation for an apostolicall man as he by his discipâ—es is pretended to have been Carolastadius Luthers first Schollar Priest and Dean of Witâ—enberg Church and Father of modern Sacramentarian Hereâ—icks fierce unlearned and void almost of common judgement as Melanctâ—on described him prevented his Master in a like marriage and was quickly followed therein by Peter Martyr a Priest and Canon Regular by Martyr Bucer a Dominican Friar who both took Nuns for their B dfellows and soon after Oecolampidius a Brigitan Monk did the same and Bernardius Ochinus a Capuchin with him drawing others like themselves to follow their example insomuch as Zuinglius Priests and Canon of Constance Operum ejus tom 2. sol 110. with the rest of his fâ—llows in Swizzerland so much longed to have this Evangelical liberty of wiving also granted unto them as they humbly petitioned the Mâ—gistrates of that country for the same as having already not without scandal of others experienced their own infirmity and unablenesse to live without women Calvin in like manner an under-Pastor of Noion after he became Luthers disciple had his Idoletta a Widdow of Strasburg and Beza his Candida truly called Claudia de Nossa with whom he lived four years before he married her enjoying her and Audibert his boy at the same time as himself in a wanton Poem expressed his lustfull delights wherein he seemed to have had most pleasure in his Boy to be much troubled that he could not enjoy them both together
Saints as S. Justine Apolog. 2. ad Anteninum witnesseth in these words we are callâ—d saith he athiests because we worship not your Gods it is true we acknowledge no such Gods but one true God alone c. and his only Son who came from him and taught us to seâ—ve him we reverence the whole Army of his angels and blessed Spirits of the Prophets c. which honour yielded unto Saints is by St. Deunis in his celestial and Ecclesiastical Hierarchies by St. Ignatius in his Epistles and in all ancient Liturgies peculiarly expressed and in this we believe communion between them and us that as we rejoyce in their felicity and greatnes so they secure now for themselves saith St. Cyprian are sollicitous for us and the higher they are now in their own Heavenly glory and greatnesse the more clearly do they know our necessities and are ready from their divine Lord and ours to obtain remedies for them And if whilst they lived here on earth they might lawfully pray for us why may they not now do the same in their happier estate not hindering but increasing their Charity towards us sithence especially their locall remotenesse from us hindereth not their hearing of our prayers directed unto them no otherwise than angells know by the testimony of our Mat. 22. Lucae 10. Saviour himself the secretest conversions here of sinners and rejoyce in them Saints being in their blessed estate like and equall unto them and those who together behold the Charity of their heavenly Lord in whom Morali 14. lib. 4 Dialog all things are contained can be ignorant of nothing saith St. Gregory belonging unto them in which sense St Paul telleth us that we are come to Mount Sion heavenly Jerusalem and City of the living God to the frequency of millions of Angells and the Church of those who were first conscribed amongst them c. so gone before us as we are hopefull to arrive unto them and become as now they are fully united unto him qui est caput super omnem Ecclesiam who is head of his whole Church so as they and we belong to one body and have some communion as fellow members under one and the same head together Calvin therefore without book and out of his own hereticall fancy affirmed the Saints of heaven to be secluded from having any commerce at all with us and that they pray in generall but not in particular for us because forsooth they cannot hear us for how saith he hath it been revealed unto any man that Saints have ears so long as to reach down from heaven unto us whilst we pray unto them Which Question had been better made by some Infidel than any Christian Authour of learning or judgement proposed for who knoweth not that pure Spirits such as are souls separated from bodies have a spiritual manner both of hearing and speaking without ears tongue or other corporall senses so as it would be no absurd thing if I should tell Calvin that Lucifer in hell knew him very well and such Heresies as were to the ruine of souls broached by him albeit he had no eyes to view his papers or ears to hear his Doctrines preached by the naturall light of his understanding in absence also penetrated by him which is as ears and eys unto him whose substance as we conceive not so is the spiritual manner of his understanding things hidden wholy from us wherein Angels and Saints in heaven do far no doubt exceed him because they have a purer and higher light to wit of glory communicated by God unto them and according to his absurd question of long ears for Saints to hear our prayers directed unto them a man may well conceive him to have scarcely believed that our Saviour as Man according to his humane and glorified soul heareth the prayers of men here on earth directed unto him or knoweth their actions according to which notwithstanding he shall judge them Calvin in the mean time could not but know when he impugned our invocation of Saints that we in our addresses unto them intend nothing else but to obtain more easily at Gods hands by their intercession blessings and benefits needfull for us For if the joynt Prayers of two or three here on earth be more gratefull to God than of one alone and more effectuall to obtain what we ask of him how can it be but profitable for us to have with our own prayers the suffrages of Angels and Saints holily conjoyned we of our selves bâ—ing sinful wretches and wholy unworthy to obtain any thing of him Wherefore as Malefactors here on earth think themselves happy when any favourite of their Prince will be pleased to sollicite their pardon for crimes committed against him so are we in a like manner humble suiters unto these Courtiers of heaven to become unto their divine Lord and ours Mediators and Intercessors for us Neither doth this Mediation of Saints derogate any thing at all from the mediation of Christ For that he immediately by himself and in the right of his own merits advocateth and obtaineth at his fathers hands what graces he will himself and blessings for us Whereas Saints in a mediate and subalternate way of Mediation by him to wit and his merits who redeemed them and us also become intercessors for us And this custome of praying in this manner unto Saints hath been so anciently used in Christs Church as all Greek and Latine Fathers almost whose works are now extant have approved and practiced it Angels saith S. Ambrose are to be Lib. de Viduâ—â— invoked to our help the Martyrs are to be sought unto whose bodies we keep as pledges of their love towards us And S. Hierome disputeth thus against cap. 3. Vigilantius as now I may doe against Calvin or any other Protestant Thou sayest in thy Book that whilest we live we may pray for each other but not after death But I tell thee that if the Apostles and Martyrs living here in bodies could pray for others when they cared for themselves how much more may they now do that after their Crowns and victories So that if our Adversaries would admit any true Church or prâ—ctice of Religion before them they could not but acknowledge this doctrine and custome taught and practiced in our Church to have ever been truly Christian and Catholick but as their heretical Conventicles are newly raised so will they have a new Religion believed and practised in them The eighth Controversie Of reverencing of Saints Reliques AS we yeeld not unto Saints themselves now in heaven a divine honor but onely a reverend respect infinitely inferiour unto it so likewise their Reliques are not but by the same reverenced by us And our Adversaries sencelesly abuse words when they accuse us of Idolatry for yeelding this reverence unto them these Reliques being not false Gods or things belonging unto them but Reliques and parts of their bodies who were Gods true Servants and either
themselves in their Translations of Scripture follow sometimes the Greek sometimes the Hebrew and somtimes neither but other extravagancies yea and often our Vulgar Translation as they finde this or that or a third or fourth most convenient for them Secondly we tell them that we hold it more wholesome for us to drink the water of a pure stream then of a troubled fountain for that all learned and impartiall men know the Hebrew and Greek Originals to have been by Jewish Rabbins since St. Hierom's time and Grecian Hereticks altered and corrupted in many places whereas our Vulgar Edition is held in most parts thereof to be the same which that great Doctor at Pope Damasus intreaty corrected in the new Testament according to the Greek and translated in the Old out of the Hebrew by St. Austin in sundry places Lib. 10. de Civit. dei cap. 43. highly extolled thuâ— also mentioned by Doctor Whitaker against Reignalds Hierome I reverence Damasus I commend and the work I confesse to Pag. 241. in cap. 1. Luc. v. 1. be godly profitable for the Church So as Beza himself is inforced to confesse our Interpretor to have translated the holy Books with marvelous sincerity and religion And Pelicanus in his Preface on the Psalter which in our Edition is not St. Hieroms affirmeth the Interpretor thereof to have expressed the Hebrew Text with great learning and fidelity not doubting him to have been some propheticall person And many other cheif Protestants have highly commended the whole Edition generally used in the Church as Doctor Covel against M. Burges hath affirmed for 1300. past whereas Protestants with sharp and virulent censures mutually condemn each others translations Zuinglius for example and very justly condemneth Luther for having in his German Bible changed and left out not onely words but whole Sentences And Oecolampadius his Bible printed at Bazil is censured by Beza to be a sacrilegious corruption of Scripture Betwâ—en himself also and Castalio like censures have passed and been published of their different versions with greater bitterness then beseemed Christian Doctors Carolus Molineus condemneth Calvin and saith that in his Harmony he maketh the Text to leap up and down as he pleaseth Broughton hath noted multitudes of errours in all our English translations and King James in the conference at Hampton-Court affirmed plainly that he had never amongst them all seen a good one and judged that of Geneva to be the worst amongst them So full of incertainties are these new Doctors in the total summe as I may say of their Religion wholy depending upon the true knowledge of Scripture For that in their opinion no point or practice of Faith is to be admitted which is not expressed or gatherable by a clear and immediate consequence out of Scripture a tenent which shall be by me afterwards in every controversie disproved In the mean time to their pretence that St. Hierome denyed those very Books to be of a sacred and infallible authority which they have rejected from the Canon of Scripture I Answer first that St. Hierom as a private Doctor might easily erre in his opinion of these Books before our Churches Canon was fully declared and accepted Secondly I Answer that when Ruffinus objected this unto him In Apologia 2a contrâ— Russinum he called him Sycophant and said that he had onely uttered what the Jews not himself thought of those Books and professed to translate Judith because the first Nicene Councel had declared the same to be canonical albeit the Jews then denyed it to be so Neither doth it make much against the sacred authority of those Bookes that the Jews admitted them not into their Canon of Scripture because all or most part of them were written since Esdras composed their Canon and who can doubt but that Christs Church might better from them Apostles than from the Jews come to know true Scriptures And whereas some Protestant Divines pretend against those Books because they were not written in Hebrew as though no Scriptures could be written in any other tongue I can tell them here also that it hath been discovered and confessed of late even by Protestants themselves that the two Books of Machabees were first written in Hebrew and so was Ecclesiasticus which S. Hierom testifieth himself to have seen in Hebrew bound up together with the Proverbs of Solomon As for the absurdities pretended by our Adversaries to be found in those Books of Tobias Judith and Hester many of our chief Divines as Canus Bellarmine Serrarius and others have cleared them and shewed no lesse difficulties to be found in other confessed Books of Scriptures That some ancient Fathers also when many forged Scriptures were extant not distinguish'd from canonical writings doubted of or denied the authority of some Books admitted by us is an argument that proveth over much or just nothing for that we know many undoubted parts of Scripture have been questioned in a likâ— manner the Churches Examen having in time discovered the verity of them And albeit no one of those Books denied by Protestants wanteth the testimonies of antient Fathers to prove the said sacred Authority yet are there two of them in former times especially so approved Sapientia and Ecclesiastiâ—us the first of them was written as St. Hierome witnesseth in his Preface on the Books of Salomon by Philo a Jew long before our Saviours time wherein he compiled the Sentences of Salomon not conteined in his own Books but by tradition other wise conserved this Book is cited for true Scripture by S. Hierome himself yet with this restriction Cui In c. 8 12 Zacha. iae in cap. Esaiae in 18. Hâ—â—râ—â—iae tamen placeâ— librum recipere if any man will receive this book and without it in his latter Writings for then perchance he saw the Canon of Scripture more fully declared St. Ireneus Apud Eusebi um li. 5. Hist c. 8. l. 5. 6. stomatum bomil 12. in Leviti cum lib. 8. in epist. ad Romanos Heâ—â—si 63. homilia 33. 34. in Math. also long before him cited it for sacred so did St. Clement of Alexandria so did Origen so did S. Athanasius in Synopsi orat 2. contra Arianos so did S. Basil lib. 5. contra Eunomianos so did S. Gregory Nissen in testimoniis ex veteri testamento cap. de Nativitate Christi ex virgine so did S. Epiphanius S. Chrysostom S. Ciprian S. Hilary in Psal 127 S. Ambrose li. de Salomone cap. 1. S. Austin and others highly extolling the Book as Exhortatione ad martyrium teaching all sorts of vertue under the generall notions of Wisdome and Justice and conteyning in the second Chapter thereof a clear Prophesie of our Saviours Passion killed by the Jews because he made himself the Son of God c. which alone is sufficient to prove the divine authority of this Book Ecclesiasticus also was written by Jesus the Son of Sirach in
of it more in a generall Councel than in the Pope who hath authority to call and confirm it is an extravagant opinion of some divines and hath little colour of truth in it especially considering that sundry great and general Councels not following the Popes sentence and directions given either by their Letters or Legats in them have perniciously in their Decrees and scandalously erred Whereas it cannot be proved that Popes alone have in their doctrines so failed Neither hath it in former times been held necessary for resolving doubts in matters of faith or for condemning Heresies risen against them to have a generall Councel presently called but Popes alone have commonly performed that Office acknowledged by chief Fathers in all ages to belong unto them so as amongst many others which might here to that purpose be instanced by me St. Hierom writing to Pope Damasus about admiting 3 hypostasies in the deity or not because that word then was of a doubtfull signification tell me saith he whether I shall admit them or not as a sheep I ask help of my Sheapherd I know not Vitalis I refuse to believe Mâ—lesius I am joyned to your beatitude alone c. And in this kinde of language have other antient fathers written to severâ—l Pâ—pâ—s to have quâ—stions and doubts of faiâ—h resolved by them which they would not have done had they not believed our Saviours prayer that their faith should not fail to hâ—ve been heard for them by his eternal Father and that a peculiar assistance of the Holy Ghost was promised unto them The fourth Controversie Of Traditions needfully added into the Canon of Scripture OUr Adversaries under a specious pretence of following in the Doctrine and practice of Faith Gods word alone contained in Scripture seek to overthrow amongst Christians all true belief and Religion for admitting what scriptures they list themselves and interpreting them as they please is in effect to have a Religion of their own making no lesse absurd than if in Kingdomes and Common-wealths Subjects were permitted to interpret laws of themselves without admitting Judges to determine of them or any authentical Declaration of them so as every man may to his own advantage in suits and controversies expound them and defend any cause how bad and unjust soever it be by them And that pretence of Protestants to believe nothing which is not either expressed in Scripture or by a clear immediate consequence gatherable from it is a false brag and purposely devised to exclude the Churches teaching and deceive ignorant people unable to note how ungroundedly and without sence many times texts of Scripture are cited by them to prove their own and impugn our doctrines insomuch as the Catholick and learned Pastor of Chaventon a place alotted unto the Hugonits neer Paris hath in sundry Volumes discovered the fraudulent proceedings of Protestants about maintaining points of their Religion and particularly shewed that no point thereof can be without false Glosses of their own convinced out of Scripture For example when S. Paul affirmeth all scripture divinely inspired to be profitable to teach to correct to instruct in justice that the man of God may be perfect He doth not say as our Adversaires falsly gather from this place that scripture alone can make him perfect in the knowledge of heavenly truth for that revealed and unwritten doctrines may serve likewise to increase this knowledge in him as when S. Paul willed the Galatians to stick firmly to cap. 1. his doctrine by writing or preaching delivered unto them and exhorted the Thessalonians to keep those traditions which either by his Epistles or by 2 Thess 2. speech they had received from him praâ—sing the Corinthians for observing such precepts as he had given unto them When also against Apostolical and certain tradition they urged those texts wherein our Saviour reprehended Pharisaical and wicked doctrines teaching plainly observances against the Law of God sometimes also vain things and of no moment their arguments are meer fopperies and prove nothing against unwritten doctrines such as are the Creed of the Apostlâ—s the translation of the Jewish Sabbath into our Sunday the Feasts of Easter and Pentecost antiently observed not for the celebration of Jewish but Christian mysteries and many other Feasts and Fastâ— kept in the Church from Apostolical tradition the Baptism of Children the matters and forms of Sacraments and many other doctrines and practices of faith not expressed in Scripture Where in the mean time I will ask those mâ—n is it either plainly expressâ—d or by clear consequencies gatheâ—ablâ— from Scripture that the Commandements of God are impossible to be observed that men have no free will to do good or evill that the justâ—st men do mortally offend in their best actions that there is no inherent justice or sanctification in us by heavenly graces communicated unto soules cleansed from sin but that all are holy by Christs justice alone apprehended by faith and imputed only unto them that each faithfull man is by an Act of faith to believe that he shall be saved no lesse surely than Christ himself that Christ dyed for none but the Elect and that others were to have no share in the fruit of his death and passion for us that Christs body and blood are not really and corporally present in the Sacrament but by saith onely that Sacraments of the new law are signes and seals of faith onely no graces are communicated at all to such as receive them and many such Protestants Tenents bâ—sides which have no true ground at all in Scripture for them And in this pretence of gathering and proving the faith out of scriptures onely they imitate many anciâ—nt Hereticks before them So Maximus the Arian as S. Austin in his first In principio book against him recounteth rejecteth the word Homousion because it was not expressed in Scripture and so did Epist 174. Pascentius as the same father recounteth and as S. Gregory Naziâ—nzen relateth of Eunomius he was wont to ask his Christian Adversaries why they did name a God meaning the Holy Ghost not mentioned for such in scripture making so saith he the sacred Act. 3. writings of God a cloak of their impiety Acasius the Arian in the Councel of Selevica used the same words and so did Eutiches in the Councel of Constantinople under Flavianus asking the Fathers therein assembled in what scripture they found expressed that cap. 6. Christ had two Natures conjoyned in his Person neither could he be drawn from those words commonly used by Protestants I follow onely the scriptures and regard not the Fathers Exposition Lib. de natura de gratia cap. 39. of them The Pelagians also as S. Austin citâ—th their words made profession to believe no more than Anathetisma 7. what they read in Scripture So did the Iconomachi or Image-breakers in the second Councel of Nice and the Albigenses said the same to S. Bernard Hom. 66. in Cant. as
Epist 87. ad Casulanum and antient Ordinations are to be maintained and observed as laws prescribed unto us Neither doth Calvins denial of them to be lawfull because they are not expressed in Scripture derogate any thing at all from the antiently allowed authority of them and the want of them in his reformed or rather deformed Conventicles is a notable blemish unto them insomuch as a great Lord of France beholding another Hâ—gonet Lord his friend after a Pompous Funeral caft like a Dog into the Earth by two ordinary labouring men without any Prayer or Ceremony used in the Burial of him sware that Calvins Religion was like a bald mans head without any hair upon it and another Lord there present said merrily in answer of him not without an Oath that it was a Religion if you will call it so fitter for Beggers than Gentlemen The fifth Controversie Of Protestancy begun here in England under Queen Elizabeth ANd since continued untill now when Puritanism by covert means at home and help of Scottish neighbours abroad came to overtop it and made an open way to the destruction of all setled and constant professions of Faith by the power of such as call themselves Independents as depending on none but themselves in the choice of their Religion Queen Elizabeth intended not this freedome of Sectaries now licensed unto them nor did she of her self so dislike Cathâ—like Religion but that she could have been contented to have continued the same in her kingdome if the Flaw of her Mothers marriage contrary to the Popes order and the act of her own father excluding her from the Crown had not caused King Henry the second of France whose eldest sonne Francis had newly then married Mary Queen of Scotland and next heir to the Crown of Engand to proclaim her a Bastard and resolved to maintain the right of his Daughter in law against her By which unfortunate occasion her ears were opened unto bad Councellors then about her and for their own ends busily perswading her that if the Popes power were still obeyed and Catholick Religion continued among her Subjects she could not have any certain hope of enjoying her Crown quietly and upon this ground chiefly she was moved to change the ancient Religion of her Kingdom which could not be done but in Parliament of which I have seen a daily Relation gotten from Mr. Camden by a Protestant Bishop and lent by him for some daies unto me So as out of the same I can truly affirm that such Burgesses and Knights were cunningly packed out of every Shire and Burrow-town in the lower House as for their incâ—ination to Protestant Religion or other private respects would easily conform themselves to the Queens intentions And amongst the Lords in the higheâ— House many great ones loth to be long absent from their Country Sports or by their first Acts to distaste the young Queen absented themselves from Parliament and gave their Proxies to the old Earl of Arundell a known Catholick and the Duke of Norfolâ—â— his Son in law not doubting but that they would do all things to maintain their Religion against all uncermining thereof But it proved not so for the Earl put in to a vain hope of marrying the Queen when by his age he might have been more than her father and the Duke of Norfolk being neither sound in Religion and for other ends of his own not sincere in his proceedings prevailed by their many Proxiâ—s to exclude the Bishops from sitting in Parliament all holy and learned men able to have turned the businesse as they listed after which Vote passed the Queens party in both houses still prevailed so as not long after new Bishops in place of the old were chosen some come â—râ—m Geneva others out of Germany of different Religions yet contented for honour weâ—lth and wives to joyn in any profession Seven of them were Apostata Monks and Friars and most of the rest meer Lay-men having neither Ordination nor Jurisdiction besides that which the Queen and Parliament could give them commonly therefore called the Parliament Bishops and Patent Prelates I know they have tried many waies and fained an old Record to prove their ordination from Catholick Bishops but it is false as I have received from two certain witnesses the former of them was Doctor Darbishire then Dean of S. of Pauls and Nephew to Doctor Boâ—ner Bishop of London who almost sixty years since lived at Meuse Pont then a holy religious man very aged but perfect in sense and memory who speaking what he knew affirmed to my self and another with me that like good fellows they made themselves Bishops at an Inn because they could â—â—t no true Bishops to consecrate them My other witnesse was a Gentleman of known worth and credit dead not many years since whose Father a chief Judge of this Kingdome visiting Archbishop Heath permitted by Queen Elizabeth his god-childe to live in Surrey at the Parsonage House of Cobham saw a letter sent from Bishop Bonner out of the Marshalsey by one of his Chaplains to the Archbishop read whilest they sate at Dinner together wherein he merrily related the manner how these new Bishops because he had disswaded Oglethorpe Bishop of Carlile from doing it in his Diocesse ordained one another at an Inn where they met together And whilest others laughed at this new manner of consecrating Bishops the Archbishop himself gravely and not without tears expressed his grief to see such a ragged company of men come poor out of Forraign parts and appointed to succeed the old Clergie in rich Deanries Prebendaries and Canons places who had such ill luck in meeting with dishonest Wives as an Ordination was put out by the Queen and Parliament That no woman should for a wife be commended to any Minister without her honesty could be testified withall sufficiently unto him and many who had been Clergie men before were urged either to take Wives or loose their Benefices as many were contento do and follow these Bishops examples The Tenents of Faith imbraced by the Queen and Parliament were Calvinian Doctrines but the form of Church Government was seemingly Catholick and the Title of Lord was to the new Bishops constantly to be continued and all other Officers under them as Deans c. And when some for their own ends would have had the new Bishops put to pensions the Queen would not hear of it as affecting the ancient splendour in her new Clergy And albeit Altars were pulled down and in place of the Masse a Book of Common Prayer ordained yet the Bishops were to keep their habits and the Ministers appointed to use Caps and Surplices for Decencies sake in time of Service much disliked afterwards by Puritans at home and Protestants abroad So that such professors are called usually by them Calvino-papiste Calvinian Papists Samaritans half Jews and half Gentiles And the Queen her self was for such ecclesiastical authority assumed by her so much disliked abroad
as a chief Protestant Doctor wrote thus to the Elector Brandeburg of her Elizabeth Queen of England hath with a temerity never before heard of made her self Papissam a she Pope in all Churches in her kingdome And all her Subiects must under great Penalties swear it to be so And had she not been for her power usefull in those times to the Hereticks of France Scotland and the Low-Countries in Rebellion against their Sovereigns she had been more than she was cried out against by them So as it is evident that in this change of Religion secular policy chiefly prevailed to the perpetual disgrace and shame of such as since have imbraced it And a mixture was made therein of many Religions as the Queen and her bad Councellors listâ—d wholy different from any other Protestant Reformâ—tions dâ—sliâ—â—d therefore extremely by all several Professors of them yet so by prejudice of opinion education and custome imbraced by many in their affection at least thereunto albeit the use thereof be in these times debarred unto them as with those foolish Idâ—laters they still cry out that their gods are taken from them some affecting it the more because it is forbidden unto them others also because the Elizabethian Church Service and Government carried a greater decency and outward shew of Religion with it than that which amongst later Sectaries is now used in a Song and a Sermon onely ended without any set form of praying together not barer of ceremony than void of devotion and many times in ex tempore praying and preaching wholly ridiculous like it so much as they cannot be drawn from it even now when it is taken from them by a prevailing power unexpectedly raised to depresse Protestants and Puritans together to end also Bishops and Bishopricks with them Insomuch as in these miserable times I deem it to be a needfull and high point of Christian wisdome for Dialogo ultimo contra Luciâ—â—rianos each one according to S. Hieroms rule to leave all new Sects and betake themselves to that Church which hath unalteredly continued one and the same profession of faith since the Apostles time whilest Novilists have in vain laboured to change it and are come themselves to nothing so as wise men will in succeeding ages with grief and compassion conclude and deplore the eternal damnation of such as have lived and died in the profession of them Was there ever for example any Heresie since Christs time so powerfully broach'd subtly defended so lastingly continued as the Arian Heresie for a long time together in so many parts of the world by whole Countries and Nations imbraced with such a shew of Scriptures making for it and other arguments produced by learned men to prove it yet we see now the same by all good Christians worthily hated and detested as all modern Sects of Protestants will after an age or two come to be abhorred and accounted to have been miserable Seductions of Souls and damnable professions of different beliefs before in the world not so much as heard of time and truth prevailing to discover the falshood of them The sixth Controversie Of the Holy Eucharist 1. PART Concerning our Saviours reall Presence therein PLâ—inly imported in these words when of brâ—ad blessed in his last Supper he said this is my body c. and of Wine this my â—loud of the new Testament which shall be shed for many in remiâ—sion of Sinnes ever literally understood and believed saith Luther Lâ—b de interpret vâ—rborum Caenae by Christian Pastâ—urs and People since the Apostles calling his Sâ—cramentariâ—n Adversâ—ries Corruptâ—rs of Christs plain words and muâ—derers of souls by new and false interpretations of them and I would have saith he these brave men who from Sense and Reason chiefly imâ—ugn the literal understanding of them to tell me why God by his infinite and unconceiveable powâ—r cannot make the same body to be at once in many places sithence our Saviours râ—peated and expresse promises of giving us his flâ—sh to â—at and his bloud to drink plainly require this miracle to bâ— done by him for the fulfilling â—f thâ—m Not distributed by parts and in their proper formes as the Carpharnites carnalâ—y and grossâ—ly understand them but Sacramentally and hiddenly under the forms of Bread â—nd wine communicatâ—d unto us In which sâ—nse St. Paul asked of thâ— Corinthians the Chalâ—ice of benediction which we bleâ—â—e is iâ— not the communication of Christs blâ—ud and the Bread which we break is it not the participation Ep. 1. c. 10. of our Lords body to wit under the forms of Bâ—ead and Wine wont tâ— be consâ—cratâ—d by the Apostles themselves and distributed to the People according to St. Justins words where speaking of the Primitive Christians Apologia 2. ad Antonium in their Sinaxâ—s and publick meetings we receive not in them saith he common Bread and Wine but we believe them to be the Flesh and bloud of our incarnat Lord. For the Bread Serm de Coena saith St. Cyprian which our Lord gave unto his disciples was not in shew but in the nature thereof changed made flesh by the omnipotency of Christs words from whom we are warranted to drink bloud by Moses in his law so strictly forbidden And St. Catech. 1 3 4. Cyrill having affirmed the same Doctrine addeth albeit sense suggesteth the contrary unto thee yet let faith confirm thee that Bread and Wine after the invocation of the blessed Trinity are made the Body and Bloud of Christ and he who refuseth to believe In ancorato so of them saith Epiphanius loseth grace and salvation St. Ambrose likewise thus plainly Lib. 4. de Sacramentis c. 4 5. delivereth the same Doctrine Bread distributed at the Altar is Bread before Consecration but after Consecration of Bread is made the Flesh of Christ and let us certainly believe it But how can that which was Bread be made so by Consecration by what words then and by whose is Consecration made by those words of our Lord Jesus this is my body c. for when the venerable Sacrament is to be made the Priest useth not his own words but the words of Christ c. and St. Hierome to the same purpose that Bread saith he which our Lord brake and gave to his Disciples was as Epist 1â—0 quae est ad Hedibiam we believe his own flesh and the Challice which he blessed was his Bloud neither is it man now that consecrateth the Bread and Wine laid on the Altar and maketh them the Body Homil. de proditione Judae and Bloud of Christ but himself who was crucified for us Saith St. Chrisostome the words are pronounced by the mouth of the Priest but the Elements are consecrated by the power of Christs words and as the speech of God increase and multiply once pronounced hath force still to effect what he intended by them so have Christs words this is my body still power at all