hands of their Bishops so they did to Baal God and our Superiours haue had euer one and the same outward gesture Though here Paulus in vita Ambros not the Agent is so much regarded as the Action if your Ordinary would haue suffered you to haue done this peece of Idolatry you had neuer separated But the true God Bel and Dragon of England is the humane-Diuine-Seruice-Booke Let vs see what ashes or lumpes of pitch this Daniel brings We worship God in and by it as Papists doe by their Images Indeed we worship God in and by prayers contained in it Why should we not Tell me why is it more Idolatry for a man to worship God in and by a prayer read or got by heart than by a prayer conceiued I vtter both they are both mine if the heart speake them both feelingly and deuoutly where lies the Idoll In a conceiued prayer is it not possible for a mans thought to stray from his tongue in a prayer learned by heart or read is it not possible for the heart to ioyne with the tongue If I pray therefore in spirit and heartily vtter my desires to God whether in mine owne words or borrowed and so made mine what is the offence But say you if the Lord Iesus in his Testament haue not commanded any such Booke it is accursed and abominable But say I if the Lord Iesus hath not any where forbidden such a Booke it is not accursed nor abominable Shew vs the place where that we may know it with you Nay but I must shew you where the Apostles vsed any such Seruice booke shew you mee where the Apostles baptized in a Basin or where they receiued women to the Lords table for your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 11. Passag twixt Caluin and Smith Egyptij vbi lautè epulati sunt post coeâ—â—a â—d sâ—cuint Socrâ— 5. c. 22. will not serue shew me that the Bible was distinguisht into Chapters and Verses in the Apostles time shew me that they euer celebrated the Sacrament of the Supper at any other time than euening as your Anabaptists now doe shew mee that they vsed one prayer before their Sermons alwaies another after that they preached euer vpon a Text where they preached ouer a Table or lastly shew mee where the Apostles vsed that prayer which you made before your last prophecie and a thousand such circumstances What an idle plea is this from the Apostolike times Platin. initio And if I should tell you that Saint Peter celebrated with the Lords Prayer you will not beleeue it yet you know the Historie But let the Reader know that your quarrel is not against the matter but against the Booke not as they are prayers but as stinted or prescribed Wherein all the world besides your selues are Idolaters Behold all Churches that were or are are partners with vs in this crime Oh idolatrous Geneua and all French Scottish Danish Dutch Churches All which both haue their set Prayers with vs and approue them Caluin Epist ad Protest Angl. Epist 87. Quod ad formulam c. As concerning a forme of Prayers and Rites Ecclesiasticall saith Reuerend Caluin I doe greatly allow that it should be set and certaine from which it should not be lawfull for Pastors in their function to depart Iudge now of the spirit of these bold Controlers that dare thus condemne all Gods Churches through the world as idolatrous But since you call for Apostolike examples did not the Apostle Paul vse one set forme of apprecations of benedictions What were these but lesser Praiers The quantity varies not the kinde Will you haue yet ancienter precedents The Priest was appointed of old to vse a set forme vnder the Law Num. 6.23 so the people Deu. 26.3 4 5 c. 15. Both of them a stinted Psalme for the Sabbath Psal 92. Answ to the Minist Counterpoys 327. What saith your Doctor to these Because the Lord saith he gaue formes of Prayers and Psalmes therefore the Prelates may Can we think that Ieroboam had so slender a reason for his calues Marke good Reader the shifts of these men This Answerer cals for Examples and will abide no stinting of Prayers because we shew no patterns from Scripture We doe shew patterns from Scripture and now their Doctor saith God appointed it to them of old must wee therefore doe it So whether we bring examples or none wee are condemned But Master Doctor whom I beseech you should we follow but God in his owne seruices If God haue not appointed it you cry out vpon inuentions if God haue appointed it you cry Wee may not follow it shew then where God euer inioyned an ordinary seruice to himselfe that was not ceremoniall as this plainly is not which should not bee a direction for vs But if stinting our prayers bee a fault for as yet you meddle not with our blasphemous Collects it is well that the Lords prayer it selfe beareth vs companie Counterpoys and is no small part of our Idolatrie Which though it were giuen principally as a rule to our prayers yet since the matter is so heauenly and most wisely framed to the necessitie of all Christian hearts Omnibus arietibus gregis id est Aposiolis suis dedit morem orandi Dimitte nobis c. Aug. epist 89. to deny that it may be vsed intirely in our Sauiours words is no better than a fanaticall curiousnesse yeeld one and all for if the matter bee more diuine yet the stint is no lesse faultie This is not the least part of our patchery except you vnrip this the rest you cannot But might not God be purely and perfectly worshipped without it Tell me might not God be purely and perfectly worshipped without Churches without houses without garments yea without hands or feet In a word could not God be purely worshipped if you were not Yet would you not seeme a superfluous creature speake in your selfe Might not God bee intirely worshipped with pure and holy worship though there were no other Bookes in the World but the Scripture If yea as who can denie it that knowes what the worship of God meaneth What then doe the Fathers and Doctors and learned Interpreters To the fire with all those curious Arts and Volumes as your Predecessors called them Yea let me put you in minde that God was purely and perfectly worshipped by the Apostolicke Church before euer the New Testament was written See therefore the idlenesse of your proofes God may be serued without a prescription of Prayer but if all Reformed Churches in Christendome erre not better with it The Word of God is perfect and admits no addition cursed were we if we should adde ought to it cursed were that which should be added But cursed be they that take ought from it and dare say Ye shall not pray thus Our Father c. Doe wee offer to make our Prayers Canonicall doe we obtrude them as parts of Gods Word Why cauill
that giues the inward grace But hath not God giuen inward grace by our outward Ministerie Your hearts shall be our witnesses What wil follow therefore but that our Ministerie is his peculiar appointment SEP Where say you are those rotten heaps of Transubstantiating of bread And where say I leâ—â—ned you your deuout kneeling to or before the bread but from that error of Transubstantiation Yea what lesse can it insinuate than either that or some other the like idolatrous conceit If there were not some thing more in the Bread and Wine than in the water at Baptisme or in the Word read or preâ—â—â—ed Why should such solemne kneeling bee so seuerely pressed at that 〈◊〉 rather than vpon the other occasions And well and truely haue your owne men affirmed that it were farre lesse sinne and appearance of an Idolatrie that is nothing so grosse to tye men in their Prayers to kneele before a Crucifixe than before the Bread and Wine and the reason followeth for that Papists commit an Idolatrie far more grosse and odious in worshipping the Bread than in worshipping any other of their Images or Idols whatsoeuer Apol. of the 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 Dioc. part 1. pag. 66. SECTION XXXVI OVR kneeling you deriue like a good Herald from the errour of Transubstantiation but to set downe the descent of this pedigree will trouble you Kneeling at the Sacrament of the Lords Supper De Consecr d. 2. Ego Bereng Apol. we doe vtterly denie it and challenge your proofe How new a fiction Transubstantiation is appeares out of Berengaries Recantation to Pope Nicholas The error was then so young it had not learned to speake shew vs the same noueltie in our kneeling Till of 〈◊〉 bleâ—â—eld not the Bread to bee God of olde they haue held it saâ—â—ed This is the gesture of reuerence in our Prayer at the receit as Master Burgesse wâ—ll interpreted it not of idolatrous adoration of the Bread This was most-what in the eleuation the abolishing whereof cleares vs of this imputation you know wee hate this conceit why doe you thus force wrongs vpon the innocent Neither are we alone in this vse The Church of Bohemy allowes and practises it and why is this error lesse palpable in the wafers of Geneua If the King should offer vs his hand to kisse wee take it vpon our knees how much more when the King of Heauen giues vs his Sonne in these Pledges But if there were not somthing more than iust reuerence why doe we solemnely kneele at the Communion not at Baptisme Can you finde no difference In this besides that there is both a more liuely and feeling signification of the thing represented we are the parties but in the other witnesses This therefore I dare boldly say that if your partner M. Smith should euer which God forbid perswade you to rebaptize your fittest gesture or any others at full age would be to receiue that Sacramentall water kneeling How glad you are to take all scraps that fall from any of ours for your aduantage Would to God this obseruation of your malicious gathering would make all our reuerend Brethren wary of their censures Surely no idolatry can be worse than that Popish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Bread and the Crucifix striue for the higher place if we should therefore be so tied to kneele before the Bread as they are tied to kneele before the Crucifix their sentence were iust They adore the Crucifix not we the Bread they pray to the Crucifix not we to the Bread they direct their deuotions at the best by the Crucifix to their Sauiour we doe not so by the Bread we kneele no more to the Bread than to the Pulpit when we ioyne our praiers with the Ministers But our quarrell is not with them you that can approue their iudgements in dislike might learne to follow them in approbation and peaceable Communion with the Church if there be a galled place you will be sure to light vpon that Your charity is good whatsoeuer your wisdome be SEP To let passe your deuout kneeling vnto your Ordinary when you take the Oath of Canonicall obedience or receiue absolution at his hands which as the maine actions are religious must needs be religious adoration what is the adoring of your truly humane though called Diuine Seruice booke in and by which you worship God at the Papists doe by their Images If the Lord Iesus in his Testament haue not commanded any such Booke it is accursed and abominable if you thinke he haue shew vs the place where that we may know it with you or manifest vnto vs that euer the Apostles vsed themselues or commended to the Churches after them any such Seruice booke Was not the Lord in the Apostles time and Apostolike Churches purely and perfectly worshipped when the Officers of the Church in their ministration manifested the spirit of prayer which they had receiued according to the present necessities and occasions of the Church before the least pâ—rcell of this pacchery came into the World And might not the Lord now be also purely and perfectly worshipped though this printed image with the painted and câ—â—â—ed â—â—â—ges were sent backe to Rome yea or cast to Hell from whence both they and it came Spâ—â—ke in your selfe might not the Lord be intirely worshipped with pure and holy worship though 〈◊〉 other Booke but the holy Scriptures were brought into the Church If yes as who can denyâ—â— that knowes what the worship of God meaneth what then doth your Seruice booke there The Word of God is perfect and admitteth of none addition Cursed be he that addeth to the Word of the Lord and cursed be that which is added and so he your great idoll the Communion booke though like Nabuchadnezzars Image some part of the matter be Gold and Siluer which is also so much the more detestable by how much it is the more highly aduanced amongst you SECTION XXXVII Whether our Ordinary and Seruice booke be made Idols by vs. YEt 〈◊〉 Idolatry And which is more New and strange such I dare say as will nâ—â—er be found in the two 〈◊〉 Commandements Behold here two now Idols Our Ordinary and our Seruice booke a speaking Idoll and a written Idoll Calecute hath â—ne-strange Deitie the Deuill Siberia many whose people worship euery day what they see first Rome hath many merry Saints but Saint Ordinary and Saint Seruice booke were neuer heard of till your Canonization In earnest doe you thinke we make our Ordinary an idoll What else you kneele deuoutly to him when you receiue either the Oath or Absolution This must needs be religious adoration is there no remedy You haue twice kneeled to our Vice-Chancellor when you were admitted to your degree you haue oft kneeled to your Parents and Godfathers to receiue a blessing did you make Idols of them the party to be ordained kneeles vnder the hand of the Presbyterie doth he religiously adore them Of old they were wont to kisse the
Clingius the Franciscan aduise in this case that is Let all false conceit and preposterous confidence bee remooued from it that the trust which should onely be put in the merit of Christ bee not placed vpon these courses and let no man thinke that hereby he deserues righteousnesse remission grace and lastly which I adde remoue but idlenesse superstition necessitie from this kinde of life and we doe not we will not disallow it Neither doe we take our Colledges for any other than certaine sacred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 monasticall Academies wherein according to the precept of Pelagius the Pope we may be maturely fitted for these holy seruices of God and his Church such were the Monasteries of the Ancient insomuch as Possidonius can witnesse that Saint Austen out of one little house Possid in vita Aug. sent forth ten labourers into the haruest of the Church SECTION XIIII Concerning the Canon of the Scripture NOw lest I be too tedious it is time for mee from these points which doe directly concerne our selues to hasten vnto those which do more closely touch the Maiestie of God and doe as it were send plaine challenges into heauen And those do either respect the Scripture which is his expressed word or Christ which is his naturall and substantiall Word or lastly the worship due vnto his Name And first the Scripture complaines iustly of three maine wrongs offered to it The first of addition to the Canon The second of detraction from the sufficiencie of it The third of hanging all the authoritie thereof vpon the sleeue of the Church For of that corrupt Translation of Scripture which the Trent Diuines haue made onely and fully authenticall I forbeare purposely to speake although it were easie to shew that which Reuchline following the steps of Hierom hath auerred That the Hebrewes drinke of the Well head the Greekes of the streame Hier. aduers â—eluidium and the Latines of the puddle neither will I so much as touch the iniurious inhibition of those holy bookes to the Laity Who can endure a piece of new cloth to bee patched vnto an old garment Or what can follow whence but that the rent should bee worse I referre the reader for the citation of these to my disswasiue from Popery Who can abide that against the faithfull information of the Hebrewes against the cleere Testimonies of Melito Cyril Athanasius Origen Hilary Hierom Ruffinus Nazianzen against their owne Doctors both of the middle and latest age six whole bookes should by their fatherhoods of Trent be vnder pain of a curse imperiously obtruded vpon God his Church Whereof yet some propose to their Readers no better than magicall iugglings others bloudy selfe murders other lying fables and others heathenish 〈◊〉 not without a publike applause in the relation These indeed Caâ—â—â—â— ingennously as his fashion is according to that he had learned of Hierome would perswade vs to haue beene admitted onely by the Ancients into the Canon of Manners not of Faith And surely there be many precepts in Syracider the counterfeit Salomon and Esdraâ— which sauour of excellent wisedome but I wonder what kinde of good manners can be learned from such like histories Catechâ—â—â—eni euen by those Nouices to whom Athanasius bequeaths these bookes Well may I say of these as that Chian seruant of his Master which sold his wine Epith. l. 1. sect 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si quis l. Hester Dan Baeruc Eccl. Iudith Tob. Macca pro Canonicis non recipâ—rit Anathema fit sect 4. Apoc. vlt. and dranke his lees while they haue good they seeke for naught But let these bookes how questionable soeuer to Ephiphanius be all sacred let them be according to the meaning of the councell of Carthage and of Austen so oft cited to this purpose after Canonicall yet what man or Angel dare presume to vndertake to make them diuine Wee know full well how great impietie it is to father vpon the God of heauen the weake conceptions of an humane wit neither can we be any whit moued with the idle cracke of the Tridentine curse whiles we heare God thundring in our eares If any man adde vnto these words God shall adde vnto him the plagues written in this book SECTION XV. Of the Insufficiencie of Scripture NEither know I whether it be more wickedly audacious to fasten on God those things which be neuer wrote or to weaken the authority and denie the sufficiencie of what he hath written The Papists doe both We affirme saith Bellarmine that there is not expressely contained in Scriptures all necessary doctrine either concerning faith Lib. 4. de verbo non scripto c. 30. sect 1. Pari veneratiâ—â—e pari pietatis affectu or manners And the Tridentine Fathers giue charge that Traditions be receiued with no lesse Pietie and Veneration than the Bookes of Scripture Vnwritten Truths saith our wittie Chancellour More are equiualent to the Word of God What place is there for peace There are we confesse certaine things of a middle nature indifferent rites wherein much must be yeelded to the Church much to Traditions but that those things which are simply necessary to saluation whetherto be knowne or to be done should not be found in the holy Scriptures either in their words Per verba per sensum or in their sense as Aquinas distinguishes we iustly hold absurd and with Erasmus contrary to all true diuinitie Some Constitutions for publike order are from the Church but all necessary determinations of faith are to be fetcht from the voyce of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Can. Nic. Graec. con Pisan â—innius Conc. Tom. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is as Nissen truely commends it the right and euen rule of life The law of God is perfect saith Dauid yea and makes perfect saith Paul And what can be added to that which is already perfect or what perfection can there be where some necessary points are wanting yea if we may beleeue Hosius the greatest part How much is the Spirit of God mis-taken Hee wrote these things that wee might beleeue and in beleeuing be saued But now if Trent may be iudge although we beleeue what he hath written yet wee cannot be saued vnlesse we doe also receiue and beleeue what he hath not written How ill was Constantine taught of old how ill aduised in that publike speech for which yet we doe not finde that any of those Worthies of â—ice Theod. l. 1. c. â— Tert. de praeser l. â—â—â—er Her Origin c. 16. 〈◊〉 Rom. Achae in synops Ambr. lib. 3. Hex c. 3. did so much as iogge him on the elbow in a milde reproofe whiles hee sayd The bookes of the Euangelists Apostles as also the Oracles of the Ancient Prophets doe plainely instruct vs in the message and meaning of God How miserably were euery one of the learned Fathers of the Church blinded that they could neuer either see or acknowledge
be tryed with honour As some expert Fences that challenges at all weapons so doth this great enemie in vaine shall we plead our skill in some if wee faile in any It must be our wisedome to be prepared for all kind of assaults As those that hold Townes and Forts doe not onely defend themselues from incursions but from the Canon and the Pioner still doth that subtill Serpent trauerse his ground for an aduantage The Temple is not high enough for his next tentation He therefore carrie vp Christ to the top of an exceeding high mountaine All enemies in pitcht fields striue for the benefit of the Hill or Riuer or Wind or Sunne That which his seruant â—â—ac did by his instigation himselfe doth now immediately change places in hope of preuailing If the obscure Countrie will not moue vs hee tries what the Court can doe if not our home the Tauerne if not the field our closet As no place is left free by his malice so no place must be made preiudiciall by our carelessnes and as we should alwayes watch ouer our selues so then most when the opportunity caries cause of suspition Wherefore is Christ caried vp so high but for prospect If the Kingdomes of the earth and their glorie were onely to be represented to his imagination the valley would haue serued If to the outward sence no hill could suffice Circular bodies though small cannot bee seene at once This show was made to both diuers kingdomes lying round about Iudea were represented to the eye The glory of them to the imagination Satan meant the eye could tempt the fancie no lesse than the fancie could tempt the will How many thousand soules haue died of the wound of the eye If we doe not let in sinne at the window of the eye or the doore of the eare it cannot enter into our hearts If there be any pompe maiestie pleasure brauerie in the world where should it bee but in the Courts of Princes whom God hath made his Images his deputies on earth There is soft rayment sumptuous feasts rich Iewels honourable attendance glorious triumphs royall state those Satan layes out to the fairest show But Oh the craft of that old Serpent Many a care attends greatnesse No Crowne is without thornes High seates are neuer but vneasie all those infinite discontentments which are the shaddow of earthly Soueraigntie he hides out of the way nothing may bee seene but what may both please and allure Satan is still and euer like himselfe If tentations might be but turnd about and showne on both sides the kingdome of darknesse would not be so populous Now whensoeuer the Tempter sets vpon any poore soule all sting of conscience wrath iudgement torment is concealed as if they were not Nothing may appeare to the eye but pleasure profit and a seeming happinesse in the enioying our desires those other wofull obiects are reserued for the farewell of sinne that our miserie may be seene and felt at once When we are once sure Satan is a Tyrant till then he is a Parasite There can be no safetie if we doe not view as well the backe as the face of tentations But oh presumption and impudence that hell it selfe may bee asham'd of The Diuell dares say to Christ All these will I giue thee if thou wilt fall downe and worship mee That beggerly spirit that hath not an â—ich of earth can offer the whole world to the maker to the owner of it The slaue of God would bee adored of his Creator How can wee hope hee should bee sparing of false boasts and of vnreasonable promises vnto vs when hee dares offer kingdomes to him by whom Kings reigne Tentations on the right hand are most dangerous how many that haue beene hardned with feare haue melted with honour There is no doubt of that soule that will not bite at the golden hooke False liâ—rs and vaine-glorious boasters see the top of their pedigree If I may not rather say that Satan doth borrow the vse of their tongues for a time Whereas faithfull is hee that hath promised who will also doe it Fdelitie and truth is issue of the heauen If Idolatrie were not a deare sinne to Satan hee would not bee so importunate to compasse it It is miserable to see how he draws the world insensibly into this sinne which they professe to detest Those that would rather hazard the furnace than worship Gold in a statue yet doe adore it in the stampe and finde no saint with themselues If our hearts bee drawne to stoope vnto an ouer high respect of any creature wee are Idolaters O God it is no maruell if thy ielousie be kindled at the admission of any of thine owne workes into a competition of honour with their Creatour Neuer did our Sauiour say Auoide Satan till now It is a iust indignation that is conceiued at the motion of a riualitie with God Neither yet did Christ exercise his diuine power in this command but by the necessary force of Scripture driues away that impure Tempter It is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue The rest of our Sauiours answeres were more full and direct than that they could admit of a replie but this was so flat and absolute that it vtterly daunted the courage of Satan and put him to a shamefull flight and made him for the time weary of his trade The way to be rid of the troublesome solicitations of that wicked one is continued resistance He that forcibly droue the tempter from himselfe takes him off from vs and will not abide his assaults perpetuall It is our exercise and triall that hee intends not our confusion SIMON called AS the Sunne in his first rising drawes all eyes to it So did this Sunne of righteousnesse when he first shone forth into the world His miraculous cures drew Patients his diuine doctrine drew Auditors both together drew the admiring multitude by troopes after him And why doe wee not still follow thee O Sauiour thorow deserts and mountaines ouer land and Seas that wee may bee both healed and taught It was thy word that when thou wert lift vp thou wouldst draw all men vnto thee Behold thou art lift vp long since both to the tree of shame and to the throne of heauenly glory Draw vs and wee shall runne after thee Thy word is still the same though proclaimed by men thy vertue is still the same though exercised vpon the spirits of men Oh giue vs to hunger after both that by both our soules may be satisfied I see the people not onely following Christ but pressing vpon him euen very vnmannerlinesse finds here both excuse and acceptation they did not keepe their distances in an awe to the Maistie of the speaker whiles they were rauished with the power of the speech yet did not our Sauiour checke their vnreuerent thronging but rather incourages their forwardnesse Wee cannot offend thee O God with the importunitie of our
this day wherein religion is not onely warmed but locked in her seat so fast that the gates of hell shall neuer preuaile against it There haue beene Princes and that in this land which as the heathen Politician compared his Tyrant haue beene like to ill Physitians that haue purged away the good humors and left the bad behind them with whom any thing hath bin lawful but to be religious Some of your gray haires can be my witnesses Behold the euils we haue escaped shew vs our blessings Here hath bin no dragging out of houses no hiding of Bibles no creeping into woods no Bonnering or Butchering of Gods Saints no rotting in dungeons no casting of infants out of the mothers belly into the mothers flames nothing but Gods truth abundantly preached cheerefully professed incouraged rewarded What nation vnder heauen yeelds so many learned Diuines What times euer yeelded so many preaching Bishops When was this City the City of our ioy euer so happy this way as in these late successions Whither can we ascribe this health of the Church and life of the Gospell but next to God to His example His countenance His endeuours Wherein I may not omit how right he hath trod in the steps of that blessed Constantine in al his religious proceedings Let vs in one word parallel them Euseb de vita Const l. 4. c. 36. Constantine caused fifty Volumes of the Scriptures to bee faire written out in parchment for the vse of the Church Lib. 3.61.62 King Iames hath caused the Bookes of Scriptures to bee accurately translated and published by thousands Constantine made a zealous edict against Nouatians Valentinians Marcionites King Iames Lib. 3.63 besides his powerfull proclamations and soueraigne lawes hath effectually written against Popery and Vorstianisme Constantine tooke away the liberty of the meetings of Heretickes King Iames hath by wholesome lawes inhibited the assemblies of Papists and schismatickes Constantine sate in the middest of Bishops Lib. 1. c. 37. In media istorum frequentia ac congressu adesse vna considere non dedâ—gnatus Basil dor as if hee had beene one of them King Iames besides his solemne conferences vouchsafes not seldome to spend his meales in discourse with his Bishops and other worthy Diuines Constantine charged his sonnes vt planè sine fuco Christiani essent that they should be Christians in earnest King Iames hath done the like in learned and diuine precepts which shall liue till time bee no more Yea in their very coynes is a resemblance Constantine had his picture stampt vpon his mettals praying Lib. 4.15 King Iames hath his picture with prayer about it O Lord protect the kingdomes which thou hast vnited Lastly Constantine built Churches one in Ierusalem another in Nicomedia Lib. 3.43 King Iames hath founded one Colledge which shall helpe to build and confirme the whole Church of God vpon earth Yee wealthy Citizens that loue Ierusalem cast in your store after this royall example into the Sanctuary of God and whiles you make the Church of God happy make your selues so Brethren if wee haue any relish of Christ any sense of heauen let vs blesse God for the life of our soule the Gospell and for the spirit of this life his Anointed But where had beene our peace or this freedome of the Gospell without our deliuerance and where had our deliuerance beene without him As it was reported of the Oake of Mamre that all religions rendred their yeerely worship there Socr. l. 2. c. 3. The Iewes because of Abraham their Patriarch the Gentile because of the Angels that appeared there to Abraham The Christians because of Christ that was there seene of Abraham with the Angels So was there to King Iames in his first beginnings a confluence of all sects with papers in their hands and as it was best for them with a Rogamus Domine non pugnamus like the subiects of Theodosius Ribera in prophet min. ex Ioseph Antiq. lib. 9 vlt. â— mritam Iudaeos cognatos appellari soliti quamdiu illis bene erat At vbi contra c. 1 King 12. Flectâ—re si nequco c. But our cozens of Samaria when they saw that Salomons yoke would not bee lightned soone flew off in a rage What portion haue wee in Dauid And now those which had so oft looke vp to Heauen in vaine resolue to dig downe to Heli for aid Satan himselfe met them and offered for sauing of their labour to bring Hell vp to them What a world of sulphur had hee prouided against that day What a brewing of death was tunned vp in those vessels The murderous Pioners laught at the close felicity of their proiect and now before-hand seemed in conceit to haue heard the cracke of this hellish thunder and to see the mangled carcasses of the Heretickes flying vp so suddenly that their soules must needs goe vpward towards their perdition their streets strewed with legges and armes and the stones braining as many in their fall as they blew vp in their rise Remember the Children of Edom O Lord in the day of Ierusalem which said Psal 117.7 Downe with it downe with it euen to the ground O daughter of Babel worthy to bee destroyed blessed shall hee bee that serueth thee as thou wouldest haue serued vs. But hee that sits in Heauen laught as fast at them to see their presumption that would bee sending vp bodies to heauen before the resurrection and preferring companions to Elias in a fiery Chariot and said vt quid fremuerunt Consider now how great things the Lord hath done for vs The snare is broken and wee are deliuered But how As that learned Bishop well applied Salomon to this purpose Diuinatio in labijs Regis Pro. 16.10 B. Barlow p. 350 If there had not beene a diuination in the lips of the King wee had beene all in iawes of death Vnder his shadow wee are preserued aliue as Ieremie speaketh It is true God could haue done it by other meanes but hee would doe it by this that wee might owe the being of our liues to him of whom wee held our well-being before Oh praised be the God of heauen for our deliuerance Praised bee God for his anointed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Suet. by whom wee are deliuered Yea how should wee call to our fellow creatures the Angels Saints heauens elements meteors mountaines beasts trees to helpe vs praise the Lord for this mercy Addit neque me liberosque meos cariores habebo quam Caium eius sorores Clodoneus Otho Fris l. 4. c. 32. Clodoucus Otho Fris l. 4. c. 31. And as the oath of the Romane souldiers ranne how deare and precious should the life of Caesar bee to vs aboue all earthly things how should wee hate the base vnthankfulnesse of those men which can say of him as one said of his Saint Martin Martinus bonus in auxilio charus in negotio who whiles they
not to eat when they are come Compelled not by perswasions for these were the first inuitations therefore by further meanes Though this conceit hath no place with vs where men are vrged not to receiue a new faith but to performe the old to abandon that wicked Idolatry which had defiled them and to entertaine but that truth which the very power of their Baptisme challenged at their hand But this was the old song of the Donatists Farre bee it from our conscience to compell any man to the faith If God did not draw vs and by a sweet violence bend our wils to his when should wee follow him Either you haue not read or not cared for the practise of the ancient Church and Augustines resolution concerning the sharp penalties imposed vpon the Donatists would God none of your kindred in his time with his excellent defences of these proceedings SECT XI BVT tell vs then what should haue beene done The Gospell should haue beene euery where preached All conuerts should haue beene singled out Constitution of the Church of England Barrow and Greenew passim and haue giuen a voluntary and particular confession of their Faith and Repentance I answer you The Gospell was long and worthily preached in the daies of King Edward enough to yeeld both Martyrs to the stake and Professors to the succeeding times Were their holy Sermons their learned writings and their precious bloud which was no lesse vocall of no force Afterwards in the beginning of Famous Queene Elizabeths reparation what confluence was there of zealous Confessors returning now from their late exile How painfully and diuinely did they labour in this Vineyard of God How did they with their many holy Partners which had shrowded themselues during that storme of persecution in a dangerous secrecie spread themselues ouer this Land and each-where drew stockes of hearers to them and with them Is all this nothing to their ingratefull Posteritie If you murmure that there were no more take heed lest you forget there were so many for vs we doe seriously blesse God for these and triumph in them All this premised now comes a Christian Edict from the State that euery man shall yeeld obedience to this Truth wherein they had beene thus instructed It was performed by the most whose submission what was it but an actuall profession of their faith and repentance And since such was their face who dares iudge of their hearts More than this if euer can be shewed absolutely necessary in such a State of the Church to the very constitution and repaired being thereof I doe here vow neuer to take the Church of England for my Mother Wee know and grieue to see how scornfully your whole Sect H. Answ Coūterp and amongst the rest your resolute Doctor turnes ouer these gracious entrances proceedings of these two Royall and blessed Reformers and whom should hee finde to raise his scoffes vpon but that Saint-like Historian M. Fox Act. Monu Edit 5. p. 1180. Now saies Master Fox a new face of things began to appeare as it were in a Stage new Players comming in the old thrust out Now saith your Doctors Comment new Bishops came in Counterp 226. as Players vpon the old stage of the Popish Church as if the Church were no whit altered but the men Shall we say this is too much malice or too little wit and conscience Euen in the Lord Protectors daies that holy man reports that after the Scriptures restored and Masses abolished greater things followed these softer beginnings in the reformation of the Churches P. Martyr P. Fagius Bucer c. Learned and godly Diuines were called for from forraine parts a separation was made though not so much willing as wilfull of open and manifest Aduersaries from Professors whether true or dissembled Commissioners were appointed to visit euery seuerall Diocesse Euery Bench of them had seuerall godly and learned Preachers to instruct the people in the truth and to disswade them from Idolatry and Superstition The Popes Supremacy not thrust but taught downe All wil-worship whatsoeuer oppugned by publike Sermons Images destroyed Pilgrimages forbidden the Sacraments inioyned to be reuerently and holily ministred Ecclesiasticall persons reformed in life in Doctrine Processions laid downe Presence and attendance vpon Gods word commanded the holy expending of Sabbath daies appointed due preparation to Gods table called for set times of teaching inioyned to Bishops and other Ministers all Shrines and Monuments of Idolatry required to bee vtterly taken from publike and priuate houses All this before his Parliament By that Six Articles 1547. Pag. 1182. Col. 2.60 all bloody lawes against Gods truth were repealed zealous Preachers encouraged so as saith that worthy Historian God was much glorified and the people in many places greatly edified What need I goe further than this first yeere Heare this and be ashamed and assure your selues that no man can euer reade those holy Monuments of the Church but must needs spet at your separation After that sweet and hopefull Prince what his Renowned Sister Queene ELIzABETH did the present times doe speake and the future shall speake when all these Murmurers shall sleepe in the dust The publike Disputations zealous preachings restaurations of banished Religion and men Extirpations of Idolatry Christian Lawes wise and holy proceedings and renewed couenants with God are still fresh in the memories of some and in the eares of all so as all the World will iustly say you haue lost shame with Truth in denying it Yea to fetch the matter yet further If the Reader shall looke backe to the dayes of their puissant Father King HENRY the Eighth Act Monu p. 999. 1000. he cannot but acknowledge especially during the time of Queene ANNE and before those six bloudie Articles a true face of a Church though ouer-spred with some Morphue of corruptions and some commendable forwardnesse of Reformation for both the Popes Supremacie was abrogated the true Doctrine of Iustification commonly taught confidence in Saints vntaught the vanity of Pardons declared worship of Images and Pilgrimages forbidden learned and godly Ministers required their absences mis-demeanors inhibited the Scriptures translated publikely and priuately inioyned to be read and receiued the Word of God commanded to be sincerely and carefully preached Act. Monu Edit 5. p. 1002. and to all this Holy Master Fox addeth for my conclusion such a vigilant care was then in the King and his Councell how by all wayes and meanes to redresse Religion to reforme errours to correct corrupt customes to helpe ignorance and to reduce the mis-leading of Christs Flocke drowned in blind Poperie Superstitious Customes and Idolatry to some better forme of Reformation whereunto he prouided not onely these Articles Barr. against Gyff Conference with Sperin and Master Egerton Greenw Barr. Arg. to Master Cartwr Master Trauers Master Clark Browne Reformation without tarrying Precepts Iniunctions aboue specified to informe the rude people but
let one of these necessities like two nailes driue out another So they haue done Nulla necessitâ—â— maior est charitate Hieron Apol. ad Ruff. Fr. Iun. de Eccl. Sed accidunt per saepe tempora quibus aut noua Ecclesia generatur aut altera pars interrumpitur scilicet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tamen Ecclesia esse non definit forma nimirum essentiali adhuc permanente Act. 7. beg Cypr. l. 3. Ep. 9. Mem. nisse Diacom debent quoniam Apostolos id est Episcopos praepositos Dominus elega Diaconos autem post ascensum Domini in coelos Apostoli sibi constituerunt Episcopatus sui et Ecclesiae ministros Rom. 1.8 1 Cor. 1.5 1 Thes 1.7 Gal. 4.15 and your owne necessitie as the stronger hath preuailed for that other necessity might bee eluded by flight you haue sought and found else-where what the necessity of our lawes denied and the necessitie of your conscience required Beware lest vniustly Sinne is as strong bond to a good heart as impossibility Christians cannot doe what they ought not contrary to the lawes of your Prince and Country you haue fled not only from vs but from our Communion Either is disobedience no sin or might you doe this euill that good may come of it But what necessity is this simple and absolute or conditionall Is there no remedie but you must needs haue such Elders Pastors Doctors Releeuers such offices such executions Can there bee no Church no Christians without them What shall wee say of the families of the Patriarks of the Iewish congregations vnder the Law yea of Christ and his Apostles Either deny them to haue beene visible Churches or shew vs your distinct offices amongst them But as yet you say they were not Therefore God hath had a true Church thousands of yeeres without them Therefore they are not of the essence of the Church You call me to the times since Christ I demand then was there not a worthy Church of God in Ierusalem from the time of Christs Ascension till the election of the seuen Deacons Those hundred and twenty Disciples Act. 1.15 and three thousand Conuerts Act. 2.41 Those continuall Troupes that flocked to the Apostles were they no true Church Let the Apostles and Euangelists be Pastors and Doctors where were their Elders Deacons Releeuers Afterwards when Deacons were ordained yet what newes is there of Elders till Act. 11 yet that of Ierusalem was more forward than the rest We will not as you are wont argue from Scriptures negatiuely no proofe yet much probabilitie is in S. Pauls silence He writes to Rome Corinth and other Churches those his Diuine letters in a sweet Christian-ciuility salute euen ordinary Christians And would hee haue vtterly passed by all mention of these Church-officers amongst his so precise acknowledgement of lesser titles in others if they had beene ere this ordained yet all these more than true Churches famous some of them rich forward and exemplary Onely the Philippian Church is stiled with Bishops and Deacons Phil. 1.2 but no Elders besides them The Churches of Christ since these if at least you will grant that Christ had any Church till now haue continued in a recorded succession through many hundreds of yeeres Search the Monuments of her Histories shew vs where euer in particular Congregations all these your necessary Offices as you describe them were either found or required It was therefore a new-no-necessitie that bound you to this course or if you had rather a necessitie of Fallibilitie If with these God may be well serued he may be well serued without them This is not that vâ—â—m necessariâ—â— that Christ commends in Marie you might haue sate still with lesse trouble and more thankes SEP But also in our most sinfull subiection to many Antichristian enormities which we are bound to eschue as hell SECTION XXI BVT besides that we ought to haue had somewhat which we want The enormities of the Church in common wee haue somewhat which we should haue wanted Some yea many Antichristian enormities To say we are absolute and neither want nor abound were the voyce of Laodicea or Tyrus in the Prophet Our Church as shee is true so humble and is as far from arrogating perfection as acknowledging falshood If she haue enormities yet not so many Fr. Iohns against M. Iacob Bar. Gyff refuted i. Transgress p. 28. or if many not Antichristian Your Cham hath espied ninetie one nakednesses in this his mother and glories to shew them All his malice cannot shew one fundamentall error and when the foule mouth of your false Martyr hath said all they are but some spots and blemishes not the old running issues and incurable botches of Aegypt the particulars shall plead for themselues These you eschew as hell While you goe on thus vncharitably both alike Doe you hate these more than Master Smith and his faction hates yours His Character shall be iudge So do we value your detestation as you his It were well for you if you eschewed these enormities lesse and hell more Your sinfull subiection to these vnchristian humors will proue more fearefull than to our Antichristian enormities SEP Shee is our mother so may shee be and yet not the Lords Wife euery mother of children is not a wife Ammi and Ruhamah were bidden to plead with their mother Apostat Israel and pleads that shee was not the Lords wife nor He her husband Ho. 2.1 2. And though you forbid vs a thousand times yet must we plead not to excuse our fault but to iustifie our innocencie and that not onely not so much in respect of our selues as of the truth which without sacrilege wee may not suffer to bee condemned vnheard And if you yet heare her not rather blame your selues as deafe than vs as dumbe Hierom. ad Eustoch Epitaph Paulae ex Psal 67. SECTION XXII The Church of England is the Spouse of Christ Cypr. de simplic Praelator Adulterari non potest spâ—â—sa Christi incorrupta est pudica 1 King 12.29 Hos 2.16.2.13 SHE may be your Mother you say and not the Lords Wife It is a good Mother that hath Children and no Husband Why did you not call her plaine Where Your old Embleme is As is the mother so is the Daughter These are the modest circumlocutions of a good Sonne who cares not to proue himselfe a Bastard that his Mother may be markt for an Harlot be you a true Lo-ammi but England shall neuer I hope proue an Apostate Israel We haue no Calues in our Dan and Bethel none of Ieroboams Idolatrie We haue still called God ISHI and neuer burnt incense to Baaliâ— It is your Synagogue that hath fallen away from vs as Israel from Iuda But these Children were bidden to plead Gods command shields them from the note of vngracious Abraham must sacrifice his Sonne and this Sonne must condemne his Mother shew vs either our equall desert or your equall warrant Where hath
it contemptuous to spend that day iâ— lawfull labour notwithstanding that liberty of the six dayes which God hath giuen Why shall that be lawfull in a case of deiection which may not in praise and exultation If you had not loued to cauill you would rather haue accepted the Apology or excuse of our sister Churches in this behalfe than aggrauated these uncharitable pleas of your owne yet euen in this your owne Synagogue at Amsterdam if we may beleeue your owne is not altogether guiltlesse your hands are still and your shops shut vpon festiuall dayes But we accuse you not would God this were your worst The Masters of our Courts would tell you they would not care so much for this dispossession as that it should be done by such coniurers as your selfe SEP If an ignorant and vnpreaching Ministery be approued amongst you and the people constrained by all kinde of violence to submit vnto it and therewith to rest as what a more vsuall throughout the whole kingdome then let no modest man once open his mouth to deny that ignorance is constrained and approued amongst you If the seruice said or sung in the Parish Church may be called deuotion then faâ—e there is good store of vnknowne deuotion the greatest part in most parishes neither knowing nor regarding what is said nor wherefore SECTION XLII Our approbation of an vnlearned Ministery disproued YOur want of quarrels makes you still runne ouer the same complaints which if you redouble a thousand times wil not become iust may become tedious God knowes how far we are from approuing an vnlearned Ministery The protestations of our gracious King our Bishops our greatest Patrons of conformity in their publike writings might make you ashamed of this bold assertion we doe not allow that it should be we bewaile that it will be our number of Parishes compared with our number of Diuines will soone shew that either many Parishes must haue none or some Diuines must haue many Congregations or too many Congregations must haue scarce Diuine-Incumbents Confer at Hampt Our deare Souereigne hath promised a medecine for this disease But withall tels you that Ierusalem was not built all on a day The violence you speake of is commonly in case of wilfull contempt not of honest and peaceable desired further instruction or in supposall of some tolerable ability in the Ministery forsaken we do heartily pray for labourers into this haruest we do wish that all Israel could prophesie we publish the Scriptures we Preach Catechise Write and Lord thou knowest how many of vs would doe more if wee knew what more could bee done for the information of thy people and remedy of this ignorance which this aduersary reproues vs to approue We doubt not but the seruice said in our Parish-Churches is as good a seruice to God as the extemporary deuotions in your Parlours But It is an vnknowne deuotion you say Through whose fault The Readers or the Hearers or the Matter Distinct reading you cannot deny â—o the most Parishes the matter is easie Prayers and English Scriptures if the hearers be regardlesse or in some things dull of conceit lay the fault from the Seruice to the men All yours are free from ignorance free from wandering conceits we enuy you not some knowledge is no better than some ignorance and carelesnesse is no worse than mis-regard SEP What are your sheet-penances for adultery and all your purse-penances for all other sinnes than which though some worse in Popery yet none more common SECTION XLIII Penances inioyned in the Church of England COmming now to the Vaults of Popery I aske for their Penances and Purgatory those Popish Penances which presumptuous Confessors enioyned as satisfactory and meritorious vpon their bold absolutions You send me to Sheeâ—-penances and Purse-penances the one ceremonious corrections of shame enioyned and adioyned to publike Confessions of vncleannesse Saccâ— cinâ—ri incubare corpâ—â— fordibus â—bscurareÌ„ presbyteris aduoluâ— aris Dei adgeniculari Tert. de penit for the abasing of the offender and hate of the sin such like as the ancient Church thought good to vse for this purpose Hence they were appointed as Tertullian speaketh in sackcloth and ashes to craue the prayers of the Church to besmeare their body with filthinesse to throw themselues down before Gods minister Altar not to mention other more hard perhaps no lesse ancient Rites and hence were those fiue stations of the Penitent whereby he was at last receiued into the body of his wonted Communion Canon Greg. Neocaesar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. the other a pecuniarie mulct imposed vpon some not all you foulely slander vs lesse hainous offences as a penalty not as a penance I hope you deny not Sodomy Murder Robbery and which you would not Theft it selfe is more deeply auenged But did euer any of ours vrge either sheet or puse as the remedy of Purgatory or enioyne them to auoid those infernall paines vnlesse we do so our Penances are not Popish our Answerer is idle SEP Touching Purgatory though you deny the doctrine of it and teach the contrary yet how well your practise sutes with it let it be considered in these particulars Your absoluing of men dying excommunicate after they be dead and before they may haue Christian buriall Your Christian buriall in holy ground if the party will be at the charges your ringing of hallowed bels for the soule your singing the Corps to the graue from the Church stile your praying ouer or for the dead especially in these words That God would hasten his Kingdome that wee with this our Brother though his life were neuer so wretched and death desperate and all other departed in the true faith of thy holy Name may haue our perfect consummation both in body and soule Your generall doctrines and your particular practises agree in this as in the most other things like Harpe and Harrow In word you professe many truths which in deed you deny These and many moe Popish deuices by others at large discouered to the world both for pompe and profit are not onely not raâ—ed and buried in the dust but are aduanced amongst you aboue all that is called God SECTION XLIV YOur next accusation is more ingeniously malicious The practises of the Church of England coÌ„cerning the funerals of the Dead our Doctrine you grant contrary to Purgatory but you will fetch it out of our practise that we may build that which we destroy Let vs therfore purge our selues from your Purgatory We absolue men dying excommunicate a rare practise and which yet I haue not liued to see but if Law-makers contemne rare occurrents surely accusers doe not Once is too much of an euill Marke then Doe we absolue his Soule after the departure No what hath the body to doe with Purgatory Yet for the body doe we by any absolution seeke to quit it from sinne Nothing lesse reason it selfe giues vs that
carrie it The Church of Rome hath beene ancient not the errors neither doe we in ought differ from it wherein it is not departed from it selfe I did not more feare your wearinesse than my owne forgetting the measure of a Preface I would passe through euery point of difference betwixt vs and let you see in all particulars which is the old way and make you know that your Popish Religion doth but put on a borrowed visour of grauitie vpon this Stage to out-face true antiquitie Yet lest you should complaine of words let mee without your tediousnesse haue leaue but to instance in the first of all Controuersies betwixt vâ— offering the same proofe in all which you shall see performed in one I compare the iudgement of the ancient Church with yours see therefore and bee ashamed of your noueltie Especially Toby Iudeth Wisd of Salomon Ecclesiasticus Maccabees Euseb l. 4. c. 25. Exposit Symboli veteris instrumenti primi omnium Mosis quinque libri c. Haec sunt quae patres intra Cánonem concluserunt ex quibus fidei nostrae assertiones c. Alij libri sunt qui non Canonici c. First our question is Whether all those bookes which in our Bibles are stiled Apocryphall and are put after the rest by themselues are to be receiued as the true Scriptures of God Heare first the voice of the old Church to let passe that cleare and pregnant testimonie of MELITO SARDENSIS in his Epistle to ONESIMVS cited by EVSEBIVS Let CYPRIAN or RVFFINVS rather speake in the name of all Of the old Testament saith he first were written the fiue bookes of MOSES Genesis Exodus Leuiticus Numbers Deuteronomie after these the booke of IOSHVAH the Son of NVN and that of the Iudges together of RVTH after which were the foure bookes of the Kings which the Hebrewes reckon but two of the Chronicles which is called the booke of Dayes and of EzRA are two bookes which of them are accounted but single and the booke of ESTER Of the Prophets there is ESAY HIEREâ—â—E EzEKIEL and DANIEL and besides one booke which containes the twelue smaller Prophets Also IOB the Psalmes of DAVID are single books of SALOMON there are three books deliuered to the Church the Prouerbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs In these they haue shut vp the number of the bookes of the old Testament Of the new there are foure Gospels of MATTHEVV MARKE LVKE and IOHN the Acts of the Apostles written by LVKE of PAVL the Apostle fourteene Epistles of the Apostle PETER two Epistles of IAMES the LORDS brother and Apostle one of IVDE one of IOHN three Lastly the Reuelation of IOHN These are they which the Fathers haue accounted within the Canon by which they would haue the assertions of our faith made good But we must know there are other bookes which are called of the Ancients not Canonicall but Ecclesiastical as the Wisedome of SALOMON another Book of Wisedome which is called of IESVS the sonne of SIRACH which book of the Latines is termed by a generall name Ecclesiastiâ—us of the same ranke is the book of TOBY and IVDETH and the bookes of the Maccabees Thus farre that Father so HIEROME after that he hath reckoned vp the same number of bookes with vs in their order hath these words This Prologue of mine saith hee may serue as a well defenced enâ—rance to all the bookes which I haue turned out of Hebrew into Latine In prologâ— gâ— to Tem. 3. p. 6. Hic prologus Scripturam quasi GaleatuÌ„ principium omnibus libris quos de Hebraeo c. Vt scire valeamê° quicquid extra bos est inter apocrypha esse ponendum igitur Sapientia quae vulgo Salomonis inscribitur Iesu c. non sunt in Canone c. Euseb l. 6. c. 24. Haud ignoranduÌ„ autem fuerit veteris instrum libros sicut Hebraei tradunt 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Haec sunt Apocrythae Iesus Sapientia Pastor MaccabaeoruÌ„ libri Iudeth atque Tobia Hugo Card. Concil Trident. Decr. de Canon Script April 8. promulg in quar Sessione SacroruÌ„ vero librorum indicem huic decreto adscribendum censuit c. Sunt autem infra scripti Testamenti veteris quinque libri Mosis c. Tobias Iudeth Sapientia Salomonis Ecclesiasticus Maccab. 2. Si quis autem libros ipsos integres cum omnibê° suis partibus pro vt in Ecclesia Catholica legi consueuerunt in veteri vulgata Latina Editione habenter pro sacrit canonicis non susceperit Anathema sit Aug. de Ciuit. Dei l. 15. c. 13. Sed quomodo libet istud accipiatur c. Ei linguae potius credatur vnde est in aliam facta translatio Ludouic Viues ibid. Hoc ipsum Hieronymus clamat vbique â—c ips◠〈◊〉 ratio c. Sed frustra honorum ingraciorum consensus hoc dâ—cet Hieron l. 3 â—â—m in Esaiam Quod si aliquis dixerit Hebraeos libros pesâ— Ã Iudâ— falsatos c. Sâ— autem dixerint post aduentum Domini saluatoris c. Hebraeos libros fuisse falsatos cachiâ—num tenere non poteâ— vt salâ—r Apostoli c. cap. 6. Decr. p. 1. dist 9. c. vt veterum Vt veterum librorum fides de Hebraeis voluminibus examinanda est ita nouerum Graeci sermonis normam defiderat Ad Decr. p. 1. d. 19. c. 3. Ad diuina reâ—urre scripta Graeca that we may know that whatsoeuer is besides these is Apocryphall therefore that booke which is intituled Salomons Wisdome and the booke of Iesus the sonne of Syrach and Iudeth and Tobias and Pastor are not Canonicall the first booke of the Macabees I haue found in Hebrew the second in Greeke which booke saith hee indeede the Church readeth but receiueth not as Canonicall The same reckoning is made by Origen in Eusebius word for word The same by Epiphanius by Cyrill by Athanasius Gregorie Nazianzen Damascen yea by Lyranus both Hugoes Caietan Carthusian and Montanus himselfe c. All of them with full consent reiecting these same Apocryphall bookes with vs. Now heare the present Church of Rome in her owne words thus The holy Synode of Trent hath though good to set downe with this Decree a iust Catalogue of bookes of holy Scripture lest any man should make doubt which they bee which are receiued by the Synode And they are these vnder-written Of the Old Testament fiue bookes of MOSES then IOSHVAH the Iudges RVTH foure bookes of the Kings two of the Chronicles two of ESDRAS the first and the second which is called NEHEMIAS TOBIAS IVDETH ESTER IOB the Psalter of DAVID containing one hundred and fiftie Psalmes The Prouerbs of SALOMON Ecclesiastes the Song of Songs the booke of Wisdome Ecclesiasticus ESAY HIEREMIE c. two bookes of the Maccabees the first and the second And if any man shall not receiue these whole bookes with all the parts of them as they are wont to
obscure he might auoid our nice slothfulnesse for there is scarce any thing that can be fetcht out of those obscurities which is not found most plainly spoken else-where And because Bellarmine takes exception at this Ferè Scarce compare this place with the former and with that which he hath in his third Epistle thus The manner of speech in which the Scripture is contriued is easie to be come to of all although it be throughly attained by few Those things which it containeth plaine and easie it speakes like a famliar friend without guile to the heart of the learned and vnlearned c. But it inuites all men with an humble manner of speech whom it doth not onely feede with manifest truth but exercise with secret hauing the same in readinesse which it hath in secrecie Thus AVSTEN To omit IRENEVS and ORIGEN CHRYSOSTOME whom BELLARMINE saith we alledge alone for vs besides many other plaine places writeth thus Who is there to whom all is not manifst which is written in the Gospell Chrysost Hom. 3. de Lazaro Cui non sunt manifesta quacunque in Euangel c. qâ— possis intelligâ—t quâ— ne leuiter quidem inspicâ—e vobis c. s◠〈◊〉 in â—us lege c. Citat ab ipso Bellarm Apostoli verò propheta omnis contra fâ—cerunt manifestae clarâ—que quae prâ—dideruÌ„t exposueruÌ„t exposueruÌ„t nobis veluti câ—nes orbis doctores vt per se quisque discâ—re possit ea quae dicuntur ex sola lectione Chrys hom 3. in Laz. Quaâ—obreÌ„ opus est concionatore omnia sunt plana ex scripturis diuinis sed quia delicatuli estis c. Hom. 3. in 2. Thess Bellarm. lib. 3. de verbo cap. 1. Necessario fatendum est Scripturas esse obscurissimas Lutherus duo effugia excogitauit vanâ— quod Scriptura etiamsi alicubi obscura tamen illud idem alibi clarè proponat c. ibid. § 2. Eckius in Euchirid c. 4 Lutherani coÌ„tendunt Scripturas sacras esse claras Dâ—aeus contr Whitak lib. 6. Rhemists in 2 Pet. 3.16 and in their Preface at large c. Homil. in 4. Dominic ab EpiphaÌ„ Amb. ser 35. Hieron in Psal Dominus narrabit que modo narrabit Non verbo sed scriptura in cuius scriptura in populorum c. Dominus narrabit in scripturis populorum in scripturis sanctis quae scriptura populis omnibus legitur hac est vt omnes intelligant non vt pauci intelligerent sed vt omnes in Psalm 86. Omnis quae post ascens c. quis fidelis vel etiam catechâ—menus antequam Spiritum Sanctum baptizatus accipiat non aequo animo c. Aug. tract in Ioh. 96. and to the same purpose l. 2. de Doct. Christ c. 8. Chrys hom 3. de Lazar Semper hortâ—r horâ—i non desâ—am vt non hic tantum attendatis c. Ego forensibus causis affixus sum c. who that shall heare Blessed are the meeke Blessed are the mercifull Blessed are the pure in heart and the rest would desire a teacher to learne any of these things which are here spoken As also the signes miracles histories are not they knowne and manifest to euery man This pretence and excuse is but the cloake of our slothfulnesse thou vnderstandest not those things which are written how shouldest thou vnderstand them which wilt not so much as slightly looke into them take the booke into thy hand reade all the history and what thou knowest remember and what is obscure run often ouer it So CHRYSOSTOME yea he makes this difference betwixt the Philosophers and Apostles the Philosophers speake obscurely but the Apostles and Prophets sayth hee contrarily make all things deliuered by them cleare manifest as the common teachers of the world haue so expounded all things that euery man may of himselfe by bare reading learne those things which are spoken yea lastly so farre hee goes in this point as that he asketh Wherefore needs a Preacher all things are cleare and plaine in the Diuine Scriptures but because ye are delicate hearers and seeke delight in hearing therefore ye seeke for Preachers You haue heard the old Religion now heare the new BELLARMINE hath these words It must needs be confessed that the Scriptures are most obscure Here therefore saith he LVTHER hath deuised two euasions One that the Scripture though it be obscure in one place yet that it doth clearely propound the same thing in another The second is that though the Scripture be cleare of it selfe yet to the proud and vnbeleeuers it is hard by reason of their blindnesse euill affections so the Lutherans saith Ecchius contend that the Scriptures are cleare and plaine so Duraeus against Whitakers so the Rhemists in their annotations and generally all Papists Iudge now if all these forenamed Fathers and so the ancient Church were not Lutherans in this point or rather we theirs and yeeld that this their old opinion by the new Church of Rome is condemned for hereticall and in all these say vpon your soule whether is the elder Let mee draw you on yet a little further Our question is whether it be necessary or fit that all men euen of the Laitie should haue libertie to heare and reade the Scriptures in a language which they vnderstand Heare first the voice of the old Religion To omit the direct charges of GREGORY NISSEN and AMBROSE thus hath IEROME vpon the Psalms The Lord will declare and how will he declare Not by word but by writing In whose writing In the writing of his people c. Our Lord and Sauiour therefore tells vs and speaketh in the Scriptures of his Princes Our Lord will declare it to vs in the Scriptures of his people in the holy Scriptures which Scripture is read to all the people that is so read as that all may vnderstand not that a few may vnderstand but all What faithfull man saith AVGVSTINE though he be but a Nouice before he be baptized and haue receiued the Holy Ghst doth not with an equall minde reade and heare all things which after the Ascension of our Lord are written in Canonicall truth and authority although as yet he vnderstands them not as he ought But of all other Saint CHRYSOSTOME is euery where most vehement and direct in this point Amongst infinite places heare what hee saith in one of his Homilies of LAzARVS I doe alwayes exhort and will neuer cease to exhort you saith hee that you will not heere only attend to those things which are spoken but when you are at home you continually busie your selues in reading of the holy Scriptures which practice also I haue not ceased to driue into them which come priuately to mee for let no man say Tush they are but idle words and many of them such as should be contemned Alas I am taken vp with law causes I am employed in publike affaires I follow my trade I maintaine a wife and children Vxorem alo
altogether of humane constitution must like to remedies in diseases be attempered to the present estate of matters and times Those things which were once religiously instituted afterwards according to occasion and the changed quality of manners and times may be with more Religion and Piety abrogated which yet is not to bee done by the temerity of the people but by the authority of Gouernors that tumult may be auoyded and that the publicke custome may be so altred that concord may not be broken the very same is perhaps to be thought concerning the Mariage of Priests of old as there was great paucity of Priests so great Pietie also They that they might more freely attend those holy Seruices made themselues chaste of their owne accord And so much were those Ancients affected to Chastitie that they would hardly permit Mariage vnto that Christian whom his Baptisme found single but a second Mariage yet more hardly And now that which seemed plausible in Bishops and Priests was translated to Deacons and at last to sub-Deacons which voluntarily receiued custome was confirmed by the authority of Popes In the meane time the member of Priests increased and their Pietie decreased Inter hos quanta raritas eorum qui castè viuunt How many swarmes of Priests are maintained in Monasteries and Colledges and amongst them how few are there that liue chastly I speake of them which doe publikely keepe Concubines in their houses in stead of their Wiues Nec enim attingo nunc secretiorum libidinum mystâ—ria c. I doe not now meddle with the mysteries of their more secret lusts I onely speake of those things which are most notoriously knowne to the World And yet when we know these things how easie are we to admit men into holy Orders and how difficult in releasing this constitution of single life when as contrarily S. Paul teaches that hands must not be rashly laid vpon any and more then once hath prescribed what manner of men Priests and Deacons ought to be but of their single life neither Christ nor his Apostles hath euer giuen any Law in the holy Scriptures Long since hath the Church abrogated the nightly Vigils at the Tombes of Martyrs which yet had been receiued by the publike custome of Christians and that for diuers Ages Those Fasts which were wont to continue till the euening it hath transferred to noon and many other things hath it changed according to the occasions arising Cur hic humanaÌ„ constitutionem vrgemus tam obstinatè praesertim cùm tot causa suadeant mutationem Primùm enim magna pars Sacerdotum viuit cum malâ famâ parumque requieta conscientia tractat illa sacrosancta mysteria c. And why then doe we so obstinately vrge this humane constitution especially when so many causes perswade vs to an alteration For first a great part of our Priests liues with an ill name and with an vnquiet conscience handleth those holy Mysteries And then the fruit of their labours for the most part is vtterly lost because their doctrine is contemned of their people by reason of their shamefull life Whereas if Mariage might be yeelded to those which doe not containe both they would liue more quietly and should preach Gods Word to the people with authority and might honestly bring vp their children neither should the one of them bee a mutuall shame to other c. FINIS A BRIEFE SVMME OF THE Principles of Religion fit to be knowne of such as would addresse themselues to Gods TABLE Q HOw many things are required of a Christian A. Two Knowledge and Practice Q What are we bound to know A. God and our selues Q. What must we know of God A. What one he is and what he hath done Q. What is God A. He is one Almightie and infinite Spirit Father Sonne and Holy Ghost Q. What hath he done A. He hath made all things he gouerneth and preserueth all things and hath eternally decreed how all things shall bee done and hath reuealed his will to vs in his Word Q. What more must we know concerning God and his actions A. That God the Son Christ Iesus tooke our nature vpon him dyed for our redemption rose again and now liueth gloriously in Heauen making intercession for vs. Q. Thus much concerning God What must we know of our selues A. What we were what we are and what we shall be Q. What were we A. We were made at first perfect and happy according to Gods Image in knowledge in holinesse in righteousnesse Q. What are we now A. Euer since the fall of our first Parents we are all naturally the sonnes of wrath subiect to misery and death But those whom God chooseth out to himselfe are in part renewed through grace and haue the Image of God in part repaired in them Q. What shall we be A. At the general resurrection of all flesh those which were in part renewed here shall be fully perfited and glorified in body and soule those which haue liued and dyed in their sinnes shall be iudged to perpetuall torments Q. Thus much for our knowledge Now for our practice what is required of vs A. Due obedience and seruice to God both in our ordinary course of life and also in the speciall exercises of his worship Q. What is that obedience which is required of vs in the ordinary course of our life A. It is partly prescribed vs by the Law and partly by the Gospell Q. What doth the Law require A. The Law contained in Ten Commandements enioyneth vs all piety to God and all iustice and charity to our neighbour Q. What doth the Gospell require A. Faith in Lord Iesus with the fruit of it Repentance as our onely remedie for the breach of the Law Q. What is faith A. The affiance of the soule vpon Christ Iesus depending vpon him alone for forgiuenesse and saluation Q What is Repentance A. An effectuall breaking off our old sinnes with sorrow and detestation and an earnest purpose and endeuour of contrary obedience Q. Thus much of our obedience in the whole course of life What are the seruices required more specially in the immediate exercises of Gods worship A. They are chiefly three first Due hearing and reading the Word secondly Receiuing the Sacraments thirdly Prayer Q. Which call you the Word of God A. The holy Scriptures contained in the Old and New Testament Q. How many Sacraments are there A. Two Baptisme and the Lords Supper Q. What is the vse of Baptisme A. By water washing the body to assure vs that the blood of Christ applied to the soule of euery beleeuer clenseth him from his sinnes Q. What is the vse of the Lords Supper A. To be a signe a seale a pledge vnto vs of Christ Iesus giuen for vs giuen to vs. Q. What signifies the Bread and wine A. The body and blood of Christ broken and powred out for our redemption Q. What is required of euery Receiuer A. Vpon paine
of God sinne because grace hath abounded sinne that it may abound Thou art safe enough though thou offend bee not too much an aduersarie to thine owne liberty False spirit it is no libertie to sinne but seruitude rather there is no libertie but in the freedome from sinne Euery one of vs that hath the hope of Sonnes must purge himselfe euen as hee is pure that hath redeemed vs Wee are bought with a price therefore must wee glorifie God in our bodies and spirits for they are Gods Our Sonne-ship teaches vs awe and obedience and therefore because wee are Sonnes wee will not cast our selues downe into sinne How idlely doe Satan and wicked men measure God by the crooked line of their owne misconceit Ywis Christ cannot bee the Sonne of God vnlesse he cast himselfe downe from the Pinacle vnlesse hee come downe from the Crosse God is not mercifull vnlesse he honour them in all their desires not iust vnlesse hee take speedie vengeance where they require it But when they haue spent their folly vpon these vaine imaginations Christ is the Sonne of God though hee stay on the top of the Temple God will be mercifull though wee mis-carry and iust though sinners seeme lawlesse Neither will hee bee any other than hee is or measured by any rule but him selfe But what is this I see Satan himselfe with a Bible vnder his arme with a Text in his mouth It is written Hee shall giue his Angels charge ouer thee How still in that wicked One doth subtilty striue with Presumption Who could not but ouer-wonder at this if hee did not consider that since the Deuill dare to touch the sacred Body of Christ with his hand hee may well touch the Scriptures of God with his tongue Let no man henceforth maruell to heare Heretikes or Hypocrites quote Scriptures when Satan himselfe hath not spared to cite them what are they the worse for this more than that holy Body which is transported Some haue beene poysoned by their meates and drinks yet either these nourish vs or nothing It is not the Letter of the Scripture that can carry it but the Sence if wee diuide these two wee prophane and abuse that word wee alledge And wherefore doth this foule spirit vrge a Text but for imitation for preuention and for successe Christ had alledged a Scripture vnto him hee re-alledges Scripture vnto Christ At leastwise hee will counterfeit an imitation of the Sonne of God Neither is it in this alone what one act euer passed the Hand of God which Satan did not apishly attempt to second If wee follow Christ in the outward action with contrary intentions wee follow Satan in following Christ Or perhaps Satan meant to maâ—e Christ hereby weary of this weapon As wee see fashions when they are taken vp of the Vnworthy are cast off by the Great It was doubtlesse one cause why Christ afterward forbad the Deuill euen to confesse the Truth because his mouth was a flander But chiefly doth he this for a better colour of his tentation Hee gâ—ds ouer this false mettall with Scripture that it may passe current Euen now is Satan transformed into an Angell of light and will seeme godly for a mischiefe If Hypocrites make a faire shew to deceiue with a glorious lustre of holinesse wee see whence they borrowed it How many thousand soules are betrayed by the abuse of what word whose vse is soueraigne and sauing No Deuill is so dangerous as the religious Deuill If good meate turne to the nourishment not of nature but of the disease wee may not forbeare to feed but indeauour to purge the body of those euill humours which cause the stomach to worke against it selfe O God thou that hast giuen vs light giue vs cleare and sound eyes that we may take comfort of that light thou hast giuen vs Thy Word is holy make our hearts so and than shall they finde that Word not more true than cordiall Let not this diuine Table of thine bee made a snare to our soules What can bee a better act than to speake Scripture It were a wonder if Satan should doe a good thing well He cites Scripture then but with mutilation and distortion it comes not out of his mouth but maymed and peruerted One peece is left out all mis-applyed Those that wrest or mangle Scripture for their owne turne it is easie to see from what Schoole they come Let vs take the word from the Authour not from the Vsurper Dauid would not doubt to eate that sheepe which hee pulled out of the mouth of the Beare or Lyon Hee shall giue his Angels charge ouer thee Oh comfortable assurance of our protection Gods children neuer goe vnattended Like vnto great Princes wee walke euer in the midst of our guard though inuisible yet true carefull powerfull What creatures are so glorious as the Angels of heauen yet their Maker hath set them to serue vs Our adoption makes vs at once great and safe Wee may bee contemptible and ignominious in the eyes of the world but the Angels of God obserue vs the while and scorne not to wait vpon vs in our homeliest occasions The Sunne or the light may wee keepe out of our houses the aire we cannot much lesse these Spirits that are more simple and immateriall No walls no bolts can seuer them from our sides they accompany vs in dungeons they goe with vs into our exile How can wee either feare danger or complaine of solitarinesse whiles wee haue so vnseparable so glorious Companions Is our Sauiour distasted with Scripture because Satan misse-layes it in his dish Doth he not rather snatch this sword out of that impure hand and beat Satan with the weapon which he abuseth It is written Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God The Scripture is one as that God whose it is Where it carryes an appearance of difficultie or inconuenience it needs no light to cleare it but that which it hath in it selfe All doubts that may arise from it are fully answered by collation It is true that God hath taken this care and giuen this charge of his owne hee will haue them kept not in their sinnes they may trust him they may not tempt him here meant to incourage their faith not their presumption To cast our selues vpon an immediate prouidence when meanes faile not is to disobey in stead of beleeuing God we may challenge God on his Word wee may not straine him beyond 〈◊〉 wee may make account of what hee promised wee may not subiect his promises to vniust â—â—minations and where no need is make triall of his Power Iustice Mercy by deuises of our owne All the Deuils in hell could not elude the force of this diuine answer and now Satan sees how vainely hee tempteth Christ to tempt God Yet againe for all this doe I see him setting vpon the Sonne of God Satan is not foyled when he is resisted neither diffidence nor presumption can fasten vpon Christ he shall