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 feastivals as Easter Pentecost c. baptizing and administration of the Supper in holy assemblies the service of the Church in a knowne language the delivering of the Communion to the people in both kindes the superioritie of Bishops over Priest and Deacons in Iurisdiction and power of ordination and triumph above all other reformed churches that they do 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 Sabbath the Apostles Creede the giving of the cup to the people praying in a known 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 theâ— speake to us of six hundreth (c) Montag orig pa. 396. Vbi iubentur in Scripturis infantes baptizori aut in coena Domini sub utraque specie communicantes participare 600. sunt ejusmodi in rebus sacris à deo institutis ecclesiae mandatis usurpaatis ab ecclesia de quibus possumus profiteri nihil tale docet Scriptura Scriptura haec non praedicat among these traditions which we must embrace with an undoubted faith They reackon up the authoritie of the Bishopes above the Priests prostration before the altars worshipping towards the East crosse iâ— Baptisme crossing of our faces at all occasions the standing of a crucifix upon the altar and whaâ— else they please to urge for which they can get no Scripture warrant To this head they referre the verie customes of the Popish church in latter times for which they have no scribe in any writeâ— let be in any Father (d) Montag orig page 276. Nihil est memoriae proditum quod ego quidem sciam hac dei apud vetustiores sive historicos sive patres prohabile tamen est hanc receptam ecclesiae consuetudinem de traditione vetustiore an t scriptis etiam patrum vetustioribâ— nunc deperditis dimanasse Montag apar page 389. Ad me quod attinet quid à sanctis patribus per illa tempora inventum primo usurpatum nulla traditione priore commendatum nullo usu veterum ne quidem vestigiis leviter impressis consignatum per tot aunorum decursum ad nostra usque tempora sine contradictione descenderit non video cur non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vim suam obtineat authoritatem Absit enim ut universalis ecclesia vel in rebus de facto ecclesiasticis ritibus tam diu aberraverit Ibid. page 382. Meminerimus Tertullianum olim statuisse cum applausu de hujusmodi consuetudinibus si legem expostules scriptam nullam invenies sed traditio a praetenditur auctrix consuetudo confirmatrix fides observatrix Et Irenaeus quid autem si neque Apostoli reliquissâ—nt nobis Scripturas nonne oporteret ordinem sequi traditsonis Idem antig page 42. That author sayes no more then is justifiable touching traditions for thus hee sayes The doctrine of the Church is two wayes delivered unto us first by writing then by tradition from hand to hand Both are of alike value of force unto pietie Yea all the injunctions of the Bishopes must be Ecclesiastick traditions whereto the conscience must submit no lesse then to the precepts of God (e) White in his examination of the dialogue presseth not only this testimonie of Austine Etiamsi Scripturae authoritas non subesset totius tamen orbis in hanc partem consensus instar precepti contineat nam alia multa quae per traditionem in Ecclesiis observantur authoritatem sibi scriptae legis usurpaverunt but also that of Eusebius Quicquid in sanctis Episcoporum consiliis decernitur id universum divinae voluntati debet attribui And this of Bernards Sive Deus sive homo vicarius Dei mandatum quodcunque tradiderit pari profecto obsequendum est cura pari reverentia suscipiendum ubi tamen Deo contraria non praecepit homo In the meane time Scripture must bee stiled the booke of hereticks (f) Montag orig page 353. Eusebius de Severianis hereticis loquens ait Hilege Prophetis Euangâ—liis utantur socrarum Scripturarum sensus sententias ut nostri salent purtani novatores pro suo arbitratu interpretantur Chounaei Colect page 31. Sensum Scripturarum ex patribus ecclesiae deductum traditum conseruatum in ecclesia approbatum quidni pro tali traditione agnoscamus in cujus veritate acquiescendum à qua minimè discendendum sit Montag orig page 318. Neque enim insanire solent sine Scripturis haeretici mirificè easdem ad suos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 solent applicare defendendos persuadendosque a Lesbian rule (g) Montag apar page 382. Non ut nostri novatores deâ—dirant quibus quicquid est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 respit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ideo refigendum est â— vel ut amant loqui reformandum ad Dei verbum hoc est ad Lesbiam plane regulam â—ipsorum cerebrositatem amussitandum In no controversies no not in Sermons any use may bee made of it except so farre as we can backe our deductions from Scripture by consent of the ancient Fathers or present church (h) Pocklingtoun altare page 129. The godlie and learned Fathers of our church give strict charge to private preachers that they preach nothing in their preachings which they would have the people religiously to believe 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 Sabboth page 12. The holy Scripture is the fountaine and living spring containing in all sufficiencie and aboundance whatsoever is necessarie to make Gods people wise unto salvation The consentient and unanimous testimonie of the true Church of Christ in the primative ages thereof is the canalis or a conduit pipe to derive and convoy to succeding generations the celestiall water contained in the holy Scripture Ibid. From Meisnerus hee sayeth Iniuriam nobis facit Beeanus scribendo nos docere solam Scripturam esse normam iudicem contraversiarum fidei imò spiritum sanctum seu judicem supremum praesupponimus ecclesiam ceu iudicem inferiorem libenter admittimus ideoque soli Scripturae officium iudicandi absque omni distinctione non assignamus Idem page 14. The ecclesiasticall storie reporterh of Nazianzen and Basille that in their studying the holy Scriptures they collected the sense of them not from their owne judgement or presumption but from the testimonie and authoritie of the
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 own amplifications in the thirtie six year These and the like pieces must in reasoÌ„ be rather fathered on those who put them foorth then upon their pretended authors who readily did never know such posthume children or else did take them for such unhappie bastards as they were resolved for reasons known to them selves to keepe them in obscurity and never in publick to avow them as their owne In this Canon there are two parts most principall which the papists call the Heart and Head thereof (Å¿) Innocent lib. 4. cap. 1. Ecce nunc ad summam Sacramenti verticem accedentes ad ipsum cor divini sacrificii penetramus The prayers of consecration and of oblation this head the English strikes off this heart they pull out of their book that the wicked serpent should not have any life among them But our men are so tender and compassionat towards that poor Beast that they will againe put in that Heart and set on that Head The consecration and oblation they will bee loath to want Consider then these mens changing of the English book towards both those the two incomparably 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 do 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 (t) Durand lib. 6. Dicimus illud non conserari sed sanctificari differt autem inter haec nam consecrare est consecratine transubstaÌ„tiare sancti ficare est sanctum reverendumesficere ut patet in aqua benedicta 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 prayer of consecration 2. The Papists to the end that their consecratorie 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 pronunce them over their meales and so which once they say was done transubstantiat their ordinarie food into Christs bodie For the eshewing of these inconveniences they ordaine the consecration to bee made in the outmost corner of the church so far from the ears of the people as may be and for the greater securitie they ordaine their priests in the time of consecration both to speake low and to turne their backs upon the people For to remeed their 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 beset at the East end of the Chancell that in the time of the consecration the priest may stand so far 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 consecration from the profaine eares of Laicks our booke hath a second Rubrick injoining expressely the priest in the time of consecration to turne his back on the people to come from the North end of table and to stand at such a place where hee may use both his hands with more decencie and ease which is not possible but on the Westside alone for on the South side the commoditie is just alike as in the North. On the East none can stand for the Table is joined hard to the Wall and whosoever stands at the West side of the Altar his back is directly to the people that are behinde 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 (u) Heylens antid pag. 45. and 46. The Church of Rome injoyneth the priest to stand in medio altaris with his face to the East and backe to the people But the Church of England at the north side of the Table albeit in King Edwards Lyturgie the priest was appointed to stand at the mids of the altar Againe that alwayes in the ancient church the priests stood in the uppermost end of the church divided from the people behinde them with railes and vailes and other distinctions (x) Supra saepe 3. That Scripture is the ground of this practise for so it was in the Jewish church the priest when wee went into the Sanctuarie to pray and offer incense for the people they stood without and never did heare what he spake nor saw what he did (y) Pâ—kling alt pag. 99. The people might see the priest going into the Sanctuarie they might heare the noise of his bels himself his gesture his actions they saw not yet all this was done in medio Ecclesiae but not among the people in the outward or inward Court whereunto only the people were permitted to come If from this practice wee would infer with Bellarmine that the Priest in the consecration might speake in latine or in a language unknowne to the people since God to whom he speaks understands all languages the elements upon which the consecratorie words are murmured (z) Scottish service the words of consecration may bee repeated againe over more either bread or wine understands none and the people for whom alone the vulgar language is used is put back from the hearing of the consecration we know not what in reason they could answer But this we know that the maine ground whereupon wee 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 deny and for it gives us no ground but the old tradition of the church ( ) VVhite on the Sabbath pag. 97. Such traditions are those that follow the Service of the Chruch in a known language 3. When our priest is set under the East wall within his raile his back upon the people he is directed to use both his armes with decencie and ease what use heere can be made of the priests armes except it be for making of large crosses as the masse rubricks at this place doth direct We do not understand only we have heard before that they avow the lawfulnesse of crossing no lesse in the supper then in baptisme 4. The prayer which stands heer in
it For without a priest and an altar there can be no sacrifice There was a bloudie sacrifice than an unbloudy now a priest derived from Aaron then from Melchisedeck now an Altar for Mosaicall sacrifices than for Euangelicall now The apostles in the institution were appointed priests by Christ where they received a power for them and their successours to celebrate these holy mysteries Hoc facite is for the priest who hath power to consecrat Hoc edite is both for priest and people Ibid. pag. 17. Hee maintained at length that in the Lords Supper there is a true proper corporall visible and externall sacrifice 5. After the consecration and oblation they put to the Lords prayer with the Missals Preface audemus dicere Heere the Papists tell us that their Priest by consecration having transubstantiat the bread and by their memoriall of oblation having offered up in an unbloody sacrifice the body of Christ for the reconciliation of the Father doeth then close his quiet whisperings his poore pipings and becomes bold to say with a loud voice having Christ corporally in his hands Pater noster The English to banish such absurdities put away that naughty preface and removed the prayer it selfe from that place But our men to shew their Orthodoxie repone the prayer in the owne old place and set before it in a fair Rubrick the whole old preface 6. The first English prayer which stood before the consecration where the passages of eating Christs body and drinking Christs blood could not possibly by the very Papists themselves be detorted to a corporall presence yet now in our book it must change the place and be brought to its owne old stance after the consecration and oblation immediatly before the communion as a prayer of humble accesse The third part of the Masse I spake of was the communion Our changes in the communion see how heere out men change the English Booke The English indeed in giving the elements to the people retaine the Masse words but to preveene any mischiefe that could arise in the peoples minde from their sound of a corporall presence they put in at the distribution of both the elements two golden sentences of the hearts eating by faith of the Soules drinking in remembrance Our men being nothing affrayed for the peoples beliefe of a corporall presence have pulled out of their hands and scraped out of our Booke both these antidots 2. The Masse words of Christs body and blood in the act of communion being quite of the English antidots against their poyson must not stand in our Booke simplie but that the people may take extraordinar notice of these phrases there are two Rubricks set up to their backs oblidging every communicant with their owne mouth to say their Amen to them 3. The English injoines the Minister to give the people the elements in their owne hand ours scrapes out that clause and bid communicat the people in their own order which imports not onely their removall from the altar their standing without the raile as profaine Laicks far from the place and communion of the Priests but also openeth a faire door to the popish practice of putting the elements not in the profaine hands but in the mouths of the people 4. The English permit the Curate to cary home the reliques of the bread and wine for his privat use but such profanity by our Book is discharged The consecrat elements are injoined to bee eaten in the holy place by the Priest alone and some of the Communicants that day whose mouths hee esteemeth to bee most holy Yea for preventing of all dangers the cautele is put in that so few elements as may bee consecrat 5. Our Booke will have the elements after the consecration covered with a Corporall the church linnings were never called Corporals any where till transubstantiation was born neither carried they that name in England till of late his Grace was pleased by the pen of his man Pocklingtoune and the like to disgrace them with that stile 6. The English will have the Ministers and people to communicat in both kindes our booke injoines the Priest to receave 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 only ground for communicating of the people in both kindes is stark nought that for this practice there may well be tradition but Scripture there is none (d) VVhit on the Sabbath pag. 97. Such traditions are those that follow the deliverie of the communion to the people in both kindes Montag orig pag. 396. Vbi iubentur in Scripturis infantes babtiZari aut in caena Domini subutraque specie communicantes participare de his possumus profiteri Nihil tale docet Scriptura Scriptura haec non praedicat Andrews stricturae p. 5. It can not be denyed but reserving the Sacrament was suffered a long time in the primitive church in time of persecution they were permitted to carrie away how great a part they would and to keep it by them and to take it at times to comfort them but for the sick it was alwayes sent them home were the distance never so great and against the time of extremitie it was thought not amisse to have it reserved that if the priest should not then be in state to go to the sick partie and there to censecrat it for him yet at least it might be sent him as in the case of Cerapion Pokling as we have heard made it one of the matters of that Churches glory that they yet doe retaine in their Chanchels the old Repositories Also that in diverse 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 sicke to bee taken at privat occasions and laide up in the church in a publicke repositorie 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 bee used with the bread in the times of strait nor set up in the Church in the ciboir or repositorie These changes of the English Liturgie which the Canterburians have made in some few pages lying together of the Scottish service if they be either few or small your self pronunce the sentence The last Chapter containing the Canterburian maximes of Tyrannie ONe of the great causes of Protestants separation from Rome is the tyrannie of the Romish Clergie whereby they presse upon the very 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 souls And for the
to others who by their flattering service and wicked perswasions moved them to take up their unjust armes Ye doe well by the passages of King James writs which hee let fall in passion against some few persons as himselfe professeth to incite King Charles to destroy the whole generation of your opposits For that equivocation which ye obiect to some in their subscribing of the Covenant at the Commissioners and Counsels direction sufficient satisfaction is given long agoe to all reasonable men by published writs The matter shortly was this one of your factious ingines to draw us subtilie from that Covenant wherein we did abiure Bishops Bookes and the rest of your novations which were contrarie to the doctrine and discipline of our Church was a new subscription to the first part of this Covenant as it was first set downe in the yeare 1580 without our late addition wherein it was applyed to your newly obtruded novations Upon hope by this new subscription that not only the formerly subscribed addition and abjuration of these novelties expressed in that addition should be forgotten but also that meanes should be gotten to perswade that these once abiured novations were in nothing contrary to the Kings Covenant yea that all of them were so much conforme to it and virtually contained therein that all the subscrivers should finde themselves oblidged by that oath and subscription to embrace the articles of Perth the Canons the Leiturgie and all the intended novations at least without all doubt Episcopacie the Fountaine whence the rest had proceeded and from which they knew they would flow againe in due time if it alone could be gotten preserved This was the true intention of the Commissioner in pressing that new subscription as his Grace did publish thereafter in print but in the first proposition of that new oath all such designe was carefully concealed yet wise men among us fearing and foreseing the plot did carefully diswade that new subscription as a dangerous master piece invented for the utter destruction of the true sense of our first subscribed Covenant Their advice was heard by the most part who thereupon refused that new subscription yet some knowing perfectly well that the Covenant in the 1581 did not include Episcopacie or any of the late novations but clearely enough excluded them Since the Commissioner his Grace in the proponing that subscription did make no declaration at all neither of his owne nor of his Master the Kings minde to have Episcopacie or any of these novations included in that Covenant they were content at his desire to subscribe it but with this expresse declaration which they required and obtained to be acted in the Counsell Bookes so farre were they from any Equivocation that they did subscribe that Covenant in that same sense and no other wherein it was understood at the first framing in the 1580. What that sense was we had for a time too much dispute but at last the Registers of our Church in the generall Assembly being carefully cast over it was found that the doctrine and discipline of our Church in that 80. yeare did runne so crosse to Episcopacie to Perth articles to the Leiturgie and all the rest of our troublesome novelties that whosoever did heartily subscribe the Covenant of our Church in that sense it behoved to have in the yeare of his first framing did stand no lesse oblidged thereby to renounce the posteriour novations then those who had subscribed the other Covenant with the addition wherein all these novations were expressely named It was found even in our last Assembly whereto Traquaire according to his commission from the King did consent that both these Covenants that with the application and that without the application were but both one So that your equivocation whereupon your brethren also have too much tinkled is cleared without the disgrace of any but the like of you who were the authours of all the mistake that for a time was in this matter 15. Paralell The fifteenth paralell of your piae fraudes is but like the rest the ground of this great commotion could not be the malcontentment of any man for losse of what they possessed in the tyths or any thing else of the Church patrimonie or for want of such favour they desired to have with their Prince All these are but sillie fables These whose hand hath beene prime in this high affaire from the beginning hath had very little or no entresse at all in any part of the Church patrimonie ye may know that the most of the tithes were in the hands of the not covenanting Lords and that the small portion which remained with Covenanters was made so sure to them as the King and his Lawes were able to make it Also it is very well knowne that the chiefe in the Covenant had so much favour of their Prince as their heart could wish which they constantly did brook till their zeale unto this cause did crack their credit Yee are exceedingly injurious to say that we did ever slander our King with any idolatrie with any poperie Our thoughts of that gracious Princeâ— are farre more considerate and our words of so sacred person more full of due regard But indeed though we both say preach and print that so long as the like of you gett leave to possesse his eare we can have little hope that any true Protestant so farre as ye are able shall ever gett living in quiet in this I le and though we avow that by the Service-booke and other novations yee intended to make us all trot backe againe unto Rome believe us that in those Speeches we wrong not our minde that we speake no other then we thinke and we hope now have given tolerable evidence for these our thoughts and Speeches though ye and the Pope both should laugh in the Sardonian fashion when ye are like to lose your game In your last paralell The last paralell The paterne of a perfect Iesuite your motion that it may appeare to be naturall is swifter then at the beginning ye â—ere overcome your very selfe any Iesuite J have ever read in vilenesse of lies slanders filthie Speeches railings scâ—ffings and blasphemous abuse of the holy Scripture to all this stuffe Ye prove a good Scholler to your Masters Petroneus Arbiter Lucian Rabelais none that come in your way whether men or wâ—men whether living or dead Nobles Pastors Commanders People may escape the fire and filth of your envenomed tongue All your opposites if the King can be perswaded to follow your advice must quickly be packing out of these dominions as the vilest straitours but to our nobles and leaders ye will not shew such favour they as ye tel us with Râ—villiack Coppinger must be hanged drawen quartered and buried with the buriall of an asse That Jesuite Abernethy should have become Protestant ye can not abide with patience for so is the doctrine of your Society that separation from Rome is needlesse That