furnished vnto all good workes Loe it is so profitable to all these seruices that thereby it perfects a Diuine much more an ordiarie Christian That which is so profitable as to cause perfection is abundantly sufficient and must needs haue full perfection in it selfe That which can perfit the teacher is sufficient for the learner The Scriptures can perfit the man of God both for his calling in the instruction of others and for his owne glorie Thou hast knowne the Scriptures from a childe saith Saint Paul to his Timothy which are able not profitable only to make thee wise vnto saluation through faith which is in Christ Iesus It is the charge therefore of the Apostle not to bee wise aboue that which is written The same with wise Salonons The whole word of God is pure Adde thou not vnto his words lest he reproue thee and thou be found a lier Loe hee saith not Oppose not his words but Adde not to them Euen addition detracts from the maiestie of that Word For the Law of the Lord is perfect conuerting the soule the testimonie of the Lord is sure making wise the simple The statutes of the Lord are right reioycing the heart the Commandement of the Lord is pure enlightning the eyes As for those Traditions which they doe thus lift vp to an vniust competition with the written Word our Sauiour hath before hand humbled them into the dust In vaine doe they worship me teaching for doctrines the commandements of men Making this a sufficient cause of abhorring both the persons and the seruices of those Iewes that they thrust humane Traditions into Gods chaire and respected them equally with the institutions of God Cardinall Bellarmine would shift it off with a distinction of Traditions These were such saith hee quas acceperant à recentioribus c. as they had receiued from some later hands whereof some were vaine some others pernicious not such as they receiued from Moses and the Prophets And the Authors of these reiected Traditions hee cites from Epiphanius to be R. Akiba R. Iuda and the Asamoneans from Hierome to bee Sammai Hillel Akiba But this is to cast mists before the eyes of the simple For who sees not that our Sauiours challenge is generall to Traditions thus aduanced not to these or those Traditions And where he speakes of some later hands he had forgotten that our Sauiour vpon the mount tells him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That these faulted Traditions were of old And that he may not cast these vpon his Sammai and Hiliel let him remember that our Sauiour cites this out of Esay though with some more cleernesse of expression who farre ouerlooked the times of those pretended Fathers of mis-traditions That I may not say how much it would trouble him to shew any dogmaticall Traditions that were deriued from Moses and the Prophets in parallel whereof let them be able to deduce any Euangelicall Tradition from the Apostles and we are ready to imbrace it with all obseruance Shortly it is cleere that our Sauiour neuer meant to compare one Tradition with another as approuing some reiecting others but with indignation complaines that Traditions were obtruded to Gods people in a corriualitie with the written word which is the verie point now questioned SECT III. Traditions against reason EVen the verie light of reason showes vs that as there is a God so that he is a most wise most iust God needs therefore must it follow that if this most iust and wise God will giue a Word whereby to reueale himselfe and his wil to mankinde it must bee a perfect Word for as his wisdome knowes what is fit for his creature to know of himselfe so his iustice will require nothing of the creature but what hee hath enabled him to know and doe Now then since hee requires vs to know him to obey him it must needs follow that hee hath left vs so exquisite a rule of this knowledge and obedience as cannot admit of any defect or any supplement This rule can bee no other then his written Word therefore written that it might be preserued entire for this purpose to the last date of time As for orall Traditions what certaintie can there be in them What foundation of truth can be layd vpon the breath of man How doe wee see the reports varie of those things which our eyes haue seene done How doe they multiply in their passage and either grow or dye vpon hazards Lastly we thinke him not an honest man whose tongue goes against his owne hand How hainous an imputation then doe they cast vpon the God of truth which plead Traditions deriued from him contrarie to his written Word Such apparently are the worship of Images the mutilation of the Sacrament Purgatorie Indulgences and the rest which haue passed our agitation Since therefore the authoritie of Romish Traditions is besides noueltie erroneous against Scripture and reason we haue iustly abandoned it and are thereupon vniustly condemned As for those other dangerous and important innouations concerning Scriptures their Canon inlarged their faultie version made authenticall their fountaines pretended to be corrupted their mis-pleaded obscuritie their restraint from the Laitie we haue already largely displaid them in another place CHAP. XVII The newnesse of the vniuersall Head-ship of the Bishop of Rome THose transcendent Titles of Head-ship and Vniuersalitie which are challenged to the Bishop and Sea of Rome are knowne to bee the vpstart brood of noted ambition Simple and holy Antiquitie was too modest either to require or tolerate them Who knowes not the profession of that holy Martyr in the Councell of Carthage Neque enim c. There is none of vs that makes himselfe a Bishop of Bishops or by a tyrannous feare compels his Vnderlings to a necessitie of obedience But perhaps at Rome it was otherwise Heare then with what zeale their owne Pope Gregorie the Great inueighs against the arrogance of Iohn Bishop of Constantinople for giuing way to this proud stile His Epistles are extant in all hands so cleare and conuictiue as no art of Sophistrie can elude them wherein hee calls this title affected by the said Iohn and Cyriacus after him a new name a wicked profane insolent name the generall plague of the Church a corruption of the Faith against Canons against the Apostle Peter against God himselfe as if he could neuer haue branded it enough And least any man should cauill that this stile is only cryed downe in the Bishops of Constantinople which yet might bee iustly claymed by the Bishops of Rome Gregorie himselfe meetes with this thought and answers beforehand Nunquam pium virum c. that neuer any godly man neuer any of his Predecessors vsed those Titles and more then so that whosoeuer shall vse this proud stile hee is the very fore-runner of Antichrist If in a fore-sight of this vsurpation Gregorie should haue beene hired to haue spoken
THE OLDE RELIGION A Treatise Wherin is laid downe the true state of the difference betwixt the Reformed and Romane Church and the blame of this schisme is cast vpon the true AVTHORS SERVING For the vindication of our innocence for the setlâ—ng of wauering minds for a preseruatiue against Popish insinuations By IOS HALL B. of Exon. LONDON Printed by W. S. for Nathaniell Butter and Richard Hawkings 1628. TO MY NEWE AND DEARELY Affected charge the Diocesse of EXCETER All Grace and benediction THe truth of my heart giues mee boldnes to professe before him who onely knowes it that the same God who hath cald me to the ouer-sight of your Soules hath wrought in me a zealous desire of your saluation This desire cannot but incite mee to a carefull preuention of those dangers which might threaten the disappointment of so happie an end Those dangers are either sinnes of practice or errours of of Doctrine Against both these I haue faithfully vowed my vtmost indeuours I shal labour against the first by Preaching Example Censures Wherein it shall bee your choyce to expect either the rod or the Spirit of meekenesse Against the latter my Pen hath risen vp in this early assault It hath beene assured mee that in this time of late Vacancie false Teachers catching the Fore-locke of occasion haue beene busie in scattering the tares of errours amongst you I easily beleeue it since I know it is not in the power of the greatest vigilancie to hinder their attempts of euill Euen a full See is no sufficient barre to craftie seducers Their suggestions wee cannot preuent their successe wee may This I haue here assay'd to doe bending my stile against Popish Doctrine with such Christian moderation as may argue zeale without malice desire to winne Soules no will to gall them And since the commonest of all the grounds of Romish deceit is the pretence of their Age and our Noueltie and nothing doth more dazle the eyes of the simple then the name of our forefathers and the challenge of a particular recital of our professors before Luthers reuolt I haue I hope fully cleared this coast so as out of the right apprehension of these differences my reader shal euidently see the vanitie of this cauill and find cause to blesse God for the safetie of his station in so pregnant and vndeceiueable a truth For me I shame not to professe that I haue passed my most and best houres in quiet Meditation wherein I needed not bend mine edge against any Aduersarie but Satan and mine own corruptions These controuersorie points I haue rather crost in my way then taken along with me Neither am I ignorant what incomparably cleare beames in this kind some of the worthy lights of our Church haue cast abroad into all eyes to the admiration of present and future times no corner of truth hath lyen vnsearcht no plea vnargued the wit of man can not make any essentiall additions either to our proofes or answeres But as in the most perfect discouerie where Lands and Riuers are specially descried there may bee some small obscure in-lets reserued for the notice of following experience So is it in the businesse of these sacred quarrels That braine is very vnhappie which meets not with some trauers of Discourse more then it hath borrowed from anothers Pen Besides which hauing fallen vpon a methode and manner of Tractation which might be of vse to plain vnderstandings the familiaritie whereof promised to contribute not a little to the information and setling of weaker soules I might not hide it from you to whose common good I haue gladly resolu'd to sacrifice my selfe Let it bee taken with the same construction of loue wherewith it is tendred and that you may improoue this and all other my following labours to a sensible aduantage giue mee leaue to impart my selfe to you a litle in this short and free preamble It is a large body I know and full of ordinate varietie to which I now direct my words Let mee awhile in these lines seuer them whom I would neuer abide really dis-ioyned Yee my deare fellow-labourers as my immediate charge may well challenge the first place It is no small ioy to mee to expect so able hands vpon whom I may comfortably vnloade the weight of this my spirituall care If fame doe not ouer-speake you there are not many soyles that yeeld either so frequent Flockes or better fed Goe on happily in these high steps of true blessednesse saue your selues and others To which purpose Let mee commend to you according to the sweete experience of a greater Shepheard two maine helpes of our sacred trade first the tender Pastures and second the still Waters By the one I meane an inuring of our People to the principles of wholesome Doctrine By the other an immunitie from all faction and disturbance of the publike peace It was the obseruation of the learnedst King that euer sate hitherto in the English Throne that the cause of the mis-carriage of our People into Poperie and other errours was their vngrouÌ„dednes in the points of Catechisme How should those soules bee but carried about with euerie wind of Doctrine that are not wel Ballasted with solid informations Whence it was that his said late Maiestie of happie memorie gaue publike order for bestowing the later part of Gods day in familiar Catechising then which nothing could bee deuised more necessarie and behouefull to the Soules of men It was the Ignorance and Ill-disposednesse of some cauillers that taxed this course as preiudicial to Preachings Since in truth the most vse-full of all Preaching is Catecheticall This layes the grounds the other raiseth the wals and roofe this informes the iudgement that stirres vp the affections What good vse is there of those affections that runne before the iudgement Or of those wals that want a foundation For my part I haue spent the greater halfe of my life in this station of our holy seruice I thanke God not vnpainefully not vnprofitably But there is no one thing whereof I repent so much as not to haue bestowed more houres in this publike Exercise of Catechisme In regard whereof I could quarrell my very Sermons and wish that a great part of them had beene exchanged for this Preaching conference Those other Diuine discourses enrich the braine the tong this settles the heart those other are but the descants to this plain-song Contemne it not my Brethren for the easie noted homelinesse The most excellent and beneficiall thinges are most familiar What can bee more obuious then Light Ayre Fire Water Let him that can liue without these despise their commonnesse Rather as we make so much more vse of the Diuine bountie in these ordinarie benefits so let vs the more gladly improoue these ready facil helps to the saluation of many soules the neglect whereof breedes instabilitie of iudgment mesprision of necessarie truths fashionablenesse of profession frothinesse of discourse obnoxiousnesse to all errour
the faithfull except Martyrs in some blinde receptacles whether in the Center of the earth or elsewhere where they might in candida expectare diem Iudicij as Tertullian hath it foure seuerall times And Stapleton himselfe sticks not to name diuers of them thus fouly mistaken Others of the Fathers haue let fall speeches directly bent against this Inuocation Non opus est patronis c. There is no need of any Aduocates to God saith Saint Chrysostome and most plainly elsewhere Homines si quando c. If wee haue any suit to men saith he wee must fee the porters and treat with iesters and parasites and goe many times a long way about In God there is no such matter he is exorable without any of our Mediatours without mony without cost he grants our petitions It is enough to cry for thee with thine heart alone to powre out thy teares and presently thou hast won him to mercie Thus hee And those of the Ancients that seeme to speake for it lay grounds that ouerthrow it Howsoeuer it be all holy Antiquitie would haue both blushed and spit at those formes of Inuocation which the late Clients of Rome haue broached to the world If perhaps they spake to the Saints tanquam deprecatores vel potius comprecatores as Spalatensis yeelds mouing them to bee competitioners with vs to the throne of grace not properly but improperly as Altisiodore construes it how would they haue digested that blasphemous Psalter of our Ladie imputed to Bonauenture and those stiles of meere Deification which are giuen to her and the diuision of all offices of pietie to mankinde betwixt the mother and the Sonne How had their eares glowed to heare Christus orauit Franciscus exoranit Christ praied Francis preuailed How would they haue brooked that which Ludouicus Viues freely confesses Multi Christiani c· Many Christians worship diuos diuaâ—que the Saints of both sexes no otherwise then God himselfe Or that which Spalatensis professes to haue obserued that the ignorant multitude are carried with more entire religious affection to the blessed Virgin or some other Saint then to Christ their Sauiour These foule superstitions are not more hainous then new and such as wherein we haue iustly abhorred to take part with the practices of them SECT II. Inuocation of Saints against Scripture AS for the better side of this mis-opinion euen thus much colour of Antiquitie were cause enough to suspend our censures according to that wise and moderate resolution of learned Zanchius were it not that the Scriptures are so flatly opposite vnto it as that we may iustly wonder at that wisdome which hath prouided Antidotes for a disease that of many hundred yeares after should haue no being in the World The ground of this Inuocation of Saints is their notice of our earthly condition and speciall Deuotions And behold thou preuaylest euer against man and he passeth thou changest his countenance and sendest him away His sonnes come to honour and hee knowes it not and they are brought low and he perceiueth it not saith Iob. The dead know nothing at all saith wise Salomon Also their loue and their hatred and their enuie is now perished neither haue they any more a portion for euer in any thing that is done vnder the Sunne No portion in any thing therefore not in our miseries not in our allocutions If we haue a portion in them for their loue and Prayers in common for the Church they haue no portion in our particularities whether of want or complaint Abraham our Father is ignorant of vs saith Esay and Israel acknowledges vs not Loe the Father of the faithful aboue knowes not his own children till they come into his bosome and hee that giues them their names is to them as strangers Wherefore should good Iosiah bee gathered to his Fathers as Hulda tels him but that his eyes might not see all the euill which should come vpon Ierusalem Wee cannot haue a better Commenter then Saint Augustine If saith hee the soules of the dead could be present at the affaires of the liuing c. Surely my good Mother would no night forsake me whom whiles she liued shee followed both by Land and Sea Farre be it from mee to thinke that an happier life hath made her cruell c. But certainly that which the holy Psalmist tels vs is true My Father and my Mother haue forsaken me but the Lord tooke me vp If therefore our Parents haue left vs how are they present or doe interesse themselues in our cares or businesses And if our Parents do not who else among the dead know what wee doe or what wee suffer Esay the Prophet saith Thou art our Father for Abraham is ignorant of vs and Israel know vs not If so great Patriarkes were ignorant what became of that people which came from their loynes and which vpon their beliefe was promised to descend from their stocke how shall the dead haue ought to doe either in the knowledge or aide of the affaires or actions of their dearest Suruiuers How doe we say that God prouides mercifully for them who die before the euils come if euen after their death they are sensible of the calamities of humane life c. How is it then that God promised to good King Iosiah for a great blessing that hee should die before hand that he might not see the euils which hee threatned to that place and people Thus that diuine Father With whom agrees Saint Ierome Nec enim possumus c. Neither can we saith hee when this life shall once be dissolued either enioy our owne labours or know what shall bee done in the World afterwards But could the Saints of Heauen know our actions yet our hearts they cannot This is the peculiar skill of their Maker Thou art the searcher of the hearts and reines O righteous God God only knowes abscondita animi the hidden secrets of the soule Now the heart is the seat of our Prayers The lips doe but vent them to the eares of men Moses said nothing when God said Let me alone Moses O therefore thou that hearest the Prayers to thee shall all flesh come Salomons argument is irrefragable Heare thou in Heauen thy dwelling place and doe and giue to euery man according to his wayes whose heart thou knowest For thou euen thou only knowest the hearts of all the children of men He only should be implored that can heare hee only can heare the Prayer that knowes the heart Yet could they know our secretest desires It is an honour that God challengeth as proper to himselfe to bee inuoked in our Prayers Call vpon me in the day of thy trouble and I will deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie me There is one God and one Mediator betwixt God and man the man Iesus Christ. One and no more not only of redemption but of intercession also for