Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	apostle_n	church_n	people_n	2,810	5	4.5931	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67904	The life of William now Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, examined. Wherein his principall actions, or deviations in matters of doctrine and discipline (since he came to that sea of Canturbury) are traced, and set downe, as they were taken from good hands, by Mr. Robert Bayley, a learned pastor of the Kirk of Scotland, and one of the late commissioners sent from that Nation. Very fitting for all judicious men to reade, and examine, that they may be the better able to censure him for those thing [sic] wherein he hath done amisse. Reade and judge.; Ladensium autokatakrisis, the Canterburians self-conviction	Baillie, Robert, 1599-1662.	1643 (1643)	Wing B462; ESTC R22260	178,718	164

men are from Popery they tell us first that the putting downe of the Monasteries in England by Henry the eight let be by other Protestant Princes else-where was a worke exceeding impious and very prejudiciall both to the Church and Crowne 2. That the Monks for the paterne of their orders have the Prophets and the Apostles and specially Iohn the Baptist 3. That their habits to their very tree-shoone hath Scripture warrant 4. That the Virgine Mary was truely a Nunne and that the Nunnes this day are much to bee commended for the following of her paterne 5. That the present Carthusians Franciscans and the rest of the Fraternities are very good and holy people worthy in their very orders of Monastick life of our imitation 6. That their barefooted processions through the streets that their Canonicall houres of devotion at midnight in their Cloisters that in great festivall Eves their going at Mid-night with confluence of people to Towne-churches is all commendable service In the head of Purgatorie and prayer for the dead thus farre long agoe are they proceeded first they avow openly Limbus Patrum telling us that the Saints before Christ were not onely not in heaven but truely in an infernall place even in a lake where in one nooke the godly were in peace and the wicked in torments that Abrahams bosome was here betweene which and hell a certaine gulfe made but a tolerable distance that Iacob Samuel and David and other of the ancients were mourned for at their death because their soules went not to heaven but truely to a kind of hell their minde in these things as their custome is they propone in the words of some Father that by the shelter of their authoritie they may keep off their owne head the indignation of the people Again they tell us that Christ before he opened heavens gate to any soule he went first downe and loosed the soules in prison yea if yee beleeve M. Maxwell who hath written much for the drawing of our Church the factions way hee went downe to the lowest hells and delivered thence a number of Pagans such as Aristotle Plato Socrates and a world of mo Our maine pillers against purgatory they hew downe with the popish axes when wee reason that Scripture makes no mention of any third place betwixt Hell and Heaven they reply that there are many things whereof Scripture makes no mention When we reason that Scripture makes mention expressely of two places for soules after death they use the popish distinction that after the resurrection there is but two eternall places but that before the resurrection there may be three temporall 4. When papists urge upon us prayer for the dead they will not contradict them yea they commend oblations in the Lords Supper and prayers there for the dead in particular CHAP. 6. Anent their Superstitions IN the Church of Rome the Canterburians use to professe corruptions of two kinds errours and superstitions as for heresies or Idolatries they are loath that any such crimes should be laid to the charge of their mother church how many and how grievous errors they finde Rome guilty of they had need to declare for in the most of those wherein the protestants place the chief of the Romish errours you have heard them plainly take their part readily it will prove no otherwise when wee come downe to trie them in the particular heads wherein papists are reputed most superstitious The superstitions which in papists are most remarked in their private carriage are these four In their frequent saining of themselves with the signe of the crosse In wearing about their neck a crucifix or some such toy of an image or relique In saying their praiers on their beads In abstaining from flesh on friday wednesday lent or some great festivalls Eave Our men are farre from disproving of any of these practises For the first they avow that saining with the signe of the crosse at rising or lying down at going out or comming in at lighting of candles closing of windowes or any such action is not only a pious and profitable ceremony but a very Apostolicke tradition 2. They avow expressely the carrying of these holy trincats about their neck in cases of silver or gold 3. The saying of their prayers yea their Ave Maries upon their beeds is to them an holy 〈◊〉 worthy of praise and imitation 4. Wednesday Friday and Lent-fasts are to them not only lawdable practises of the ancient Church but also traditions come from Christ and the Apostles which for Religions cause all are obliged to embrace The popish publick superstitions are very many but of these which that whole Church doth allow very few comes to my minde which stand much against the stomack of our men Those that come first to my thoughts are all pleasantly digested Protestants wont to deride the popish conceats of their holy ground of their consecrate walls and the sanctuarie of their Chancels their turnings towards the East their manifold toyes in Baptisme and the Lords supper joyned with the sacramentall Elements their gesticulations in time of publicke service their hallowing above the Sabboth a multitude of Festivals their pilgrimages their processions and many such their practises In this behold the minde of our men they tell us first that Kirk-yards by prayers and conspersion of holy water must be made holy ground that before these episcopall consecrations no Christian buriall may bee made therein but after that the Bishop hath used the pontificall ceremonies thereupon no Heretick no Schismaticke no Excommunicate person may bee brought there no worldly no common action there performed without the profanation of the holy place Again they shew us that the church by the bishops anointing some stones thereof with oyl and sprinkling others with water and using from the Roman pontificall some mo prayers some mo ceremonies upon it becomes a ground more holy That before these consecrations though the people of God for many yeares have met into a Church for divine service yet it is no more holy than a 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 a tolbooth but after these consecrations there is such holinesse in the walls that even when there is no divine service men at their comming in and going out must adore and all the time of their presence stand discovered and never so much as sit downe were the service never so long except upon great infirmitie 3. That the Chancell and the Altar must not onely bee dedicate with prayers and unctious but with lighted Candles burning Incense and many other such toyes that it must bee divided from the Church with vailes to keep not only the bodies but the eyes of the Laicks from beholding the arke and throne wherein the body of the Sonne of God doth sit as in a chaire of state that none but Priests must enter there that with their triple low adorations at

Lent the Lords day the great festivalls of Easter and Whitson day beside these we 〈◊〉 there are and have been many ancient 〈◊〉 traditions from which as foundations grew those noted practices of not fasting on the Sunday of adoring towards the East 〈◊〉 before the altar of signing the baptised with the crosse of exorcising the party baptised and putting a white garment upon them of receiving the 〈◊〉 fasting of mixing water with the wine of sending it to such as were absent of eating the confecrate bread in the Church or carrying it home of crossing themselves when they went out or when 〈◊〉 went in when they went to bed or when they rose when they sate downe to meat when they lighted candles or had any businesse of moment to doe that ceremonies and rites of this nature are 〈◊〉 the power of the Church to ordaine we generally grant to our adversaries White on the Sabboth page 97. The reformed Churches reject not all traditions but such as are spurious 〈◊〉 and no consonant to the holy Scripture but genuine traditions agreeable to the rule of faith derived from the Apostolicall times by a successive current and which have the uniforme testimony of pious antiquity are received and honoured by us Now such are these which follow the historicall tradition concerning the number integrity dignity and perfection of the books of Canonicall Scripture the Catholick exposition of many sentences of Scripture the Apostles creed the baptisme of infants the observation of the Lords day and some other 〈◊〉 as Easter 〈◊〉 c. baptising and administration of the Supper in holy assemblies the service of the Church in a known language the delivering of the Communion to the people in both kindes the superiority of Bishops over Priests and Deacons in jurisdiction and power of ordination c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 396. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tur in Scripturis infantes batizari aut in coena Domini sub utraque specie communicantes participare 600. sunt ejusmodi in rebus sacris à Deo institutis 〈◊〉 mandatis usurpatis ab Ecclesia de quibus possumus pro 〈◊〉 nihil tale docet Scriptura Scriptura haec non aedicat d Mon. orig p. 276. Nihil est memoriae proditum quod ego quidem sciam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apud vetustiores sive historicos five 〈◊〉 probabile tamen est 〈◊〉 receptam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de traditione vetustiore aut scriptis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vetustioribus nunc deperditis dimanasse Montag apar 389. Ad me quod attinet si 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sanctis patribus per illa tempora inventum primo 〈◊〉 nulla traditione priore commendatum nullo usu veterum ne quidem vestigiis leviter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 per 〈◊〉 annorum decursum ad nostra usque tempora sine contradictione 〈◊〉 non video cur non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vim suam obtineat authoritatem Absit enim ut 〈◊〉 Ecclesia vel in rebus de facto Ecclesiasticis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diu aberraverit Ibid. p. 382. Meminerimus 〈◊〉 olim statuisse cum applausu de hujusmodi consuetudinibus si legem expostules scriptam nullam invenies sed traditio praetenditur autrix consuetudo 〈◊〉 fides observatrix Et Irenaeus quid autem si neque 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nobis Scripturas nonne oporteret 〈◊〉 traditionis Idem antig p. 42. That author saies no more then is justifiable touching traditions for thus he 〈◊〉 the doctrine of the Church is two waies delivered unto us first by writing then by tradition from hand to hand Both are of alike value or force unto piety e White in his examination of the dialogue 〈◊〉 not only this testimony of 〈◊〉 Etiamsi Scripturae authoritas non subesset totius tamen orbis in hanc partem consensus instar praecepti obtinet 〈◊〉 alia multa quae per traditionem in 〈◊〉 observantur authoritatem sibi scriptae legis 〈◊〉 but also that of Eusebius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in sanctis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 decernitur id universum divinae voluntati debet attribui And this of Bernards Sive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 homo vicarius Dei mandatum quodcunque tradiderit pari profecto obsequendum est cura pari reverentia 〈◊〉 ubi tamen Deo contraria non praecipit homo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pag. 31. Sensum Scripturarum ex patribus doctoribus Ecclesiae 〈◊〉 traditum conservatum in Ecclesia approbatum quidni pro tali traditione agnoscamus in 〈◊〉 veritate acquiescendum à qua minimè 〈◊〉 sit f Montag orig p. 353. Eusebius de Severianis hereticis loquens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prophetis 〈◊〉 utuntur sacrarum Scripturarum sensus sententias ut nostri solent puritani novatores pro suo arbitratu interpretantur Mon. orig p. 318. Neque enim insanire solent sine Scripturis haeretici mir 〈◊〉 casdem ad suos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 solent applicare defendendos persusdendosque g Mont apar 382. Non ut nostri 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quibus 〈◊〉 est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 resipit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ideo 〈◊〉 est vel ut amant 〈◊〉 reformandum ad Dei verbum hoc est ad Lesbiam plane regulam ipsorum cerebrositatem amussitandum h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 129. The godly and learned Fathers of our Church give strick charge to private preachers that they preach nothing in their preachings which they would have the people 〈◊〉 to beleeve and observe but that which is agreeable to the doctrine of the old and new Testament and that which the Catholick Fathers and ancient Bishops have formerly taught and collected from thence White upon the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 12. The holy Scripture is the fountaine and living spting containing in all 〈◊〉 and abundance whatsoever is necessary to make Gods people wise unto salvation The 〈◊〉 and unanimous 〈◊〉 of the true Church of Christ 〈◊〉 the primitive ages thereof is the 〈◊〉 or a 〈◊〉 pipe to derive and convoy to 〈◊〉 generations the 〈◊〉 water 〈◊〉 in the holy Scripture Ibid. From 〈◊〉 he saith Injuriam nobis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nos 〈◊〉 solam 〈◊〉 esse 〈◊〉 judicem 〈◊〉 siarum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spiritum 〈◊〉 p. 14. The Ecclesiasticall 〈◊〉 reporteth of 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 that in their studying the holy Scriptures 〈◊〉 collected the sense of them not from their owne judgement or presumption but from the testimony and authority of the ancients who had received the rule of the true intelligence of Scripture from the holy Apostles by succession In the doctrine of faith justification fulfilling of the Law merit they are fully Popish i 〈◊〉 pag. 46. This one faith is called by Divines the Catholike faith contained in the three Creedes of the Apostles Nice and 〈◊〉 The false faith is contrary to this the private faith or fancy rather by which men beleeve to be saved by themselves that which is the mother and nource to vice an enemy to all good life that this is not the Catholick faith shall appear because that faith hath not a special

5. That none ought to reprove our prayers unto our Angel keeper The Saint in heaven which the Papists doe most idolize is our blessed Virgine to whom it is well knowne they give much more false worship then true to the whole Trinity concerning her the Canterburians affirme first that she is created in another way then any of the race of Adam that God did meditate fifty ages upon the worke of her perfect creation that she did live all her daies without mortall sin yea without all actuall sinne yea without all originall That she is now advanced above all the Angels to the highest created perfection that is possible to be daughter mother and spouse of God and that her very body is already translated to the heavens 3. That God hath made her to bee true Lady and Empresse of the Catholike Church of all the earth and of the heaven and that all these honours shee hath obtained by her due deservings and merits 4. That all the Angels and Saints in Heaven let bee men upon earth are obliged to adore her and bow their soules unto her 5. That shee knoweth all thinges perfectly heere beneath upon the earth For in the face of God in the glasse of the Trinity shee doth behold all creatures 6. That it is but prophane puritans who refuse to say the Ave Maries and to follow the example of their pious predecessors who wont so to pray 7. That the devotions of the present Monks Nunnes and Princes who have enrolled their names in the sodality of the Virgin Mary is worthy of imitation 8. That the old pious ceremony of burning of wax candels in all the Churches of England through the whole cleare day of her purification ought to be renewed 9. That the Christians obtained that famous victory over the Turkes in Lepanto by her intercession at their prayers with Christ her sonne All this his Grace hath permitted under his eye to bee printed at London without any censure and when this doctrine was challenged by Burton hee was rewarded with the losse of his eares and perpetuall prison The booke which he inveighed against let bee to bee recalled is openly excused in Print at his Graces direction as containing no evill but only innocent retorications Yea M. Dow with his Graces licence pronounceth that booke to bee free of all Popery and that upon this reason because the author professeth his tracing the steps of Doctor Montagu whom all England must know to be above all suspition of Popery CHAP. V. The Canterburians avow their embracing of the Popish heresies and grossest errours THE nature of heresie is so subtilized by our faction that so farre as in them lies it is now quite evanished in the aire and no more heresies are to be found on the earth With the Socinian Remonstrants they exeeme all 〈◊〉 controverted this day among any Christians from being the Subject of heresie For they tell us that the beleefe of the doctrines uncontroverted by all is sufficient for salvation And howsoever some of them will bee content to count the Socinian Arianisme and Macedonianisme to bee true heresies yet as we shew before and all of them do clearethe Popish errors of this imputation Alwayes not to strive for words our assertion is that the grossest of the Roman errours which in the common stile of Protestants wont to goe for heresies are maintained by the Canterburians for Catholick truths For to 〈◊〉 this cast over the bookes of Bellarmine and see if his grossest tenets bee not by them embraced In his first tome his errours about the Scriptures imperfection and doctrinall traditions seemes to be most weighty In his second besides these already named his defence of the monastick vowes of Limbus Patrum and Purgatory are very palpable In the third his ascribing too little to the Sacraments of the old Testament and too much to the Sacraments of the new his making all infants in baptisme to bee regenerate and all nonbaptised to bee damned his corporall presence of Christs body on the altar his sacrifice of the Masse auricular confession extreame unction are very grosse corruptions In the last tome his errours about faith justification merit free-will are among the chiefe In all those consider how farre our party is long agoe declined to the left hand Begin with Scripture and traditions The reformed Churches in the harmony of their confessions lay all down one common ground for their mutuall consent the Scripures absolute perfection without the helpe of any doctrinall tradition Hogh me once this pillar the whole edifice of the reformation must fall To batter downe this fort the Papists plant two Engines One that there is divers Apostolicke and ancient traditions both rituall and dogmaticall which beside Scripture with a divine faith must be firmely beleeved An other that Scripture must not be taken in any sense by us but 〈◊〉 wherein the ancient Fathers of the Church have understood it or the present Church do take it In both these very dangerous corruptions our party joines with Rome They glory and triumph above all other reformed Churches that they doe embrace doctrinall traditions for which in Scripture there is no ground And of this kinde they reckon out some of great importance such as are the baptisme of infants the sanctifying of the Sabboth the Apostles Creed the giving of the cup to the people praying in a knowne tongue our knowledge of Scripture to be Scripture the names and number of the Canonicall bookes and their distinction from Apocrypha of this kinde they maintaine large as many as Rome For at the first word they speake to us of six hundreth Among these traditions which wee must embrace with an undoubted faith They reckon up the authority of Bishops above Priests prostration before the altars worshipping towards the East crosse in Baptisme crossing of our faces at all occasions the standing of a crucifix upon the altar and what else they please to urge for which they can get no Scripture warrant To this head they referre the very customes of the Popish Church in latter times for which they have no syllable in any writer let bee in any Father Yea all the injunctions of the Bishops must bee Ecclesiastick traditions whereto the conscience must submit no lesse then to the precepts of God In the meane time Scripture must bee stiled the booke of hereticks a Lesbian 〈◊〉 In no controversies no not in Sermons any use may bee made of it except so farre as wee can backe our deductions from Scripture by consent of the ancient Fathers or present Church In our most important controversies anent faith justification fulfilling of the Law merite c. they teach first that faith is no more but a bare knowledge and naked assent that in the nature of it there is no confidence no application at all that the soules

avowedly sets out in the twentie ninth yeare and those new pieces never heard of which in the thirtie one yeare are set out by M. Aylward under the name of the English Martyrs as also that writ of Overall which Montagu puts out with his owne amplifications in the thirty six yeare These and the like pieces must in reason be ratherfather'd on those who put them forth then upon their pretended authors who readily did never know such posthume children or else did take them for such unhappy bastards as they were resolved for reasons known to themselves to keep them in obscurity and never in publike to avow them as their owne In this Canon there are two parts most principall which the papists call the Heart and Head thereof The prayers of consecration and of oblation this head the English strikes off this heart they pull out of their Booke that the wicked Serpent should not have any life among them But our men are so tender and compassionate towards that poore Beast that they will again put in that Heart and set on that Head The consecration and oblation they will bee loth 〈◊〉 want Consider then these mens changing of the English booke towards both those the two incomparable worst parts of the whole Masse First the English scrapes out all mention of any consecration for however we delight not to strive with the papists any where about words yet in this place while they declare expressely that by consecration of the Elements they doe understand not the sanctification of the Elements by the word and prayer but a secret whispering of certaine words upon the Elements for their very Transubstantiation Consecration in this place being so taken by the papists the English rejects it and will have nothing to do therewith but our men being more wise and understanding their owne ends put up in their rubrick in capitall letters formally and expressely their praier of consecration 〈◊〉 The Papists to the end that their consecratory words may bee whispered upon the elements for their change and no wayes heard of the people who perchance if they heard and understood them might learne them by heart and in their idlenesse might pronounce them over their meales and so which once they say was done Transubstantiate their ordinary food into Christs body for the eschewing of these inconveniences they ordaine the consecration to bee made in the outmost corner of the church so far from the eares of the people as may be and for the greater security they ordaine their priests in the time of consecration both to speake low and to turne their backs upon the people For to remedy these wicked follies the English expressely ordained their Communion Table to stand in the body of the Church where the Minister in the mids of the people might read out openly all the words of the Institution But our men to returne to the old fashion command the table to be set at the East end of the Chancell that in the time of the consecration the priest may stand so farre removed from the people as the furthest wall of the Church can permit and as this distance were not enough to keep these holy words of 〈◊〉 from the prophane eares of Laicks our book hath a second Rubrick enjoyning expressely the priest in the time of Consecration to turne his backe on the people to come from the North end of the Table and to stand at such a place where bee may use both his hands with more decencie and ease which is not possible but on the West side alone for on the South side the commoditie is just alike as in the North. On the Eastnone can stand for the Table is joyned hard to the Wall and whosoever stands at the West side of the Altar his Back is directly to the people that are behind him They say for this practise many things first That in the good holy Liturgie of Edward the sixth the Priest was ordained to stand with his back to the people Againe that alwayes in the ancient church the priests stood in the uppermost end of the church divided from the people behind them with railes and vailes and other distinctions 3. That Scripture is the ground of this practice for so it was in the Jewish Church the Priest when hee went into the Sanctuary to pray and offer incense for the people they stood without and never did heare what he spake nor saw what he did If from this practice wee would inferre with Bellarmine that the priest in the consecration might speake in latine or in a language unknown to the people since God to whom he speaks understands alllanguages the elements upon which the consecratorie words are murmured understands none and the people for whom alone the vulgar language is used is put backe from the hearing of the consecration we know not what in reason they could answer But this weknow that the maine ground whereupon we presse the use of the vulgar language not onely in the consecration as they call it but in the whole service of God I meane the warrant of Scripture they openly denie and for it gives no ground but the old tradition of the Church 3 When our priest is set under the East wal within his raile his backe upon the people he is directed to use both his armes with decency and ease what use here can be made of the priests armes except it be for making oflarge crosses as the masse Rubricks at this place doth direct We doe not understand only we bave heard before that they avow the lawfulnesse of crossing no lesse in the supper than in Baptisme 4. The prayer which stands here in the English booke drawne from the place wherin it stood of old in the Masse to countenance the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into Christs body and blood but standing in this place before the consecration it is clear of all such suspition Our men are so bold as to transplant it from this good ground to the old wicked soyle at the backe of the consecration where it wont to stand before in the old order of Sarum 5. In the next English prayer we put in the words of the Masse whereby God is besought by his omnipotent spirit so to sanctifie the oblations of bread and wine that they may become to us Christs body and bloud from these words all papists use to draw the truth of their transubstantiation wherefore the English reformers scraped them out of their Booke but our men put them fairely in and good reason have they so to do for long agoe they professed that about the presence of Christs body and blood in the Sacrament after consecration they are fully agreed with Lutherans and papists in all things that is materiall and needfull as for the small difference which remaines about the formalitie and mode of presence it is but a curious and undeterminable question whereabout there would bee

the pen of his man Pocklingtonne and the like to disgrace them with that stile 6 The English will have the Ministers and people to communicate in both kinds our booke enjoynes the Priest to receive in both kindes but the people onely in due order This due order of the people opposite to the communion of the Priest in both kindes may import the removall of one kinde from the people so much the more may wee feare this sacriledge from their hands since they tell us that our onely ground for communicating of the people in both kindes is stark naught that for this practice there may well be tradition but Scripture there is none Also that in divers cases the ancient Church did lawfully give to the people the bread alone that the Sacrament after the publick communion was oft reserved to be sent to the sick to be taken at private occasions and laid up in the Church in a publicke repository Now it is well knowne and the papists presse this upon us when they would rob the people of the cup that the wine was not sent to the sicke in a farre distance from the Church nor taken home by the people to be used with the bread in the times of straight nor set up in the Church in the Ciboir or Repositorie These changes of the English Liturgy which the Canterburians have made in some few pages lying together of the Scottish service if they be either few or small your selfe pronounce the sentence The last chapter containing the Canterburian maximes of Tyrannie ONe of the great causes of Protestants separation from Rome is the tyranny of the Romish Clergie whereby they presse upon the verie conscience of their people a multitude of their own devices with the most extreame and rigorous censures which can be inflicted either upon bodies or soules And for the more facilitating of their purposes they advance the secular power of Princes and of all Soveraigne Estates above all that themselves either crave or desire alone for this end that their Clerks may ride upon the shoulders of Soveraignty to tread under the feet of their domination first the Subjects and then the Soveraignes themselves How much our men are behinde the greatest tyrants that ever were in Rome let any pronounce when they have considered these their following maximes They tell us first that the making of all Ecclesiastick constitutions doth belong alone to the Bishop of the Diocesse no lesse out of Synod than in Synod That some of the inferiour Clergy may be called if the Bishops please to give their advice and deliberative voyce That the Prince may lend his power for confirming and executing of the constitutions made but for the worke of their making it is the Bishops priviledge belonging to them alone by Divine right 2. That in a whole kingdome the Bishops alone without the privatie of any of the Clergie of any of the Laity may abolish all the Ecclesiasticall judicatories which the standing and unrepealed lawes which the constant customes ever since the reformation had setled and put in their roomenew forraigne Courts which the kingdome had never knowne scarce so much as by their name That at one stroke they may annull all the Acts of three or fourescore Nationall Assemblies and set up in their roome a Book of Canons of their owne devising That they may abolish all the formes used in the worship of God without any question for threescore yeeres and above both in the publicke prayers in the administration of the Sacraments in singing of Psalmes in preaching the Word in celebrating of marriage in visiting the sicke and in ordination of Ministers neither this alone but that it is in their hand to impose in place of these accustomed formes foure new Bookes of their owne of Service of Psalmes of Ordination of Homilies All this our Bishops in Scotland have done and to this day not any of them to our knowledge can bee moved to confesse in that deed any faile against the rules either of equity or justice what ever slips of imprudence there may bee therein And all this they have done at my Lord of Canterburies direction as we shall make good by his owne hand if ever we shall bee so happy as to be permitted to produce his owne authentick autographs before the Parliament of England or any other Judicatorie that his Majestie will command to cognosce upon this our allegeance Readily Rome it selfe cannot be able in any one age to parallell this work which our faction did bring forth in one yeare It is a bundle of so many so various and so heavie acts of tyrannie Certainly England was never acquaint with the like we see what great trouble it hath cost his Grace to get thorow there one poore Ceremonie of setting the Communion Table Altar wayes for there themselves dare not denie that it is repugnant to the established Lawes of their Church and state for any Bishop yea for all the Bishops being joyned to make the poorest Canon without the voyces of their Convocation house or nationall Assembly yea without the Parliaments good pleasure 3. They avow that all their injunctions though so many and so new yet they are so holy and so just that the whole kingdome in conscience mustembrace them all as the commands of God That whoever will be so peart as to affirme in any one of them the least contrariety to the Word of God he must have no lesse censure then the great excommunication from which he must never be relaxed but by the Bishops own mouth after his publick repentance and revocation of so vile an errour That his bodily and pecuniall penaltie shall be at the free-will and discretion of the Bishop That the worthiest men of any liberall profession get favour to lose but their eares to have their nosesslit and cheeks burnt for contradicting their innovations That the furthest banishments for tearme of life is a priviledge which their indulgence may grant but to few That the vilest dungeons irons whippings bread and water chaining to posts without all company day or night in the coldest and longest winters is but a part of their opposers deserving That the greatest Nobles of the Land ought in Law to forfeit their Life and Estate if they be so bold as to put their hand to a supplication unto their gratious Prince against their practices That all this is but just severity and the very expedient meane to advance their cause which they glory hath well neere already close undone their opposites and which they boast shall still bee used But alas it is gone now beyond boasts when they are the second time upon the very poynt to kill millions of the Kings best Subjects to dash together all his dominions in a bloody warre as pitchers one upon another for the confirmation of their intollerable tyranny where long it hath beene tottering and the