the Church may be without them So was it for some while after Christs Ascention for then neither was the Christian Church so Eminent as that of the Iewes nor was it Vniversall as being confined within Iudea nor great in number as consisting but of a very few nor in Possession of the name Catholike it being a word of a latter date and such as could not well be giuen it vntill it was growne Catholike So will it be also if wee may beleeue your owne writers in the time of Antichrist For then the Church shall bee darkned all externall communion with it shall cease there shall be no Sacrament in publike places all the glory and dignity of Ecclesiasticall order shall lye buried none shall come vnto the solemnity of the Lambe an innumerable multitude shall cleaâ—e vnto Antichrist even all besides the elect and those whose names are written in the booke of life But lastly whether these things be Markes or no is not now much materiall for it makes little to the purpose wee haue sufficiently proued that the Church is not the last Resolution of Faith As touching the second point that the Church may be beleeved securely for that shee can neither deceiue nor bee deceiued I demand what you meane by the Church If the company of all true Beleeuers that now are and heretofore haue beene including the holy Apostles together with them then I grant it For these were so lead by the Spirit into all truth that they could not possibly erre in any matter of Faith that was either to be taught by them or knowne by vs. But if you meane the Present Church in every age successiuely after the Apostles as here Saint Austin doth referring his friend Honoratus therevnto then I distinguish Either you must vnderstand thereby the whole number of true beleeuers who for the present life in the world or the Society and Fellowship of those that in their time rule and sway most in the Church If you take it in the former sense I grant what you say to be true in Fundamentall points but not in such as are not absolutely necessary nor preiudice the Foundation of Faith If in the latter then I affirme that the Church may both deceiue and be deceiued even in Doctrines of highest consequence neither can with such security bee beleeued Witnesse the time when the whole world groaned vnder Arianisme and the greatest part of the Prelates together with Liberius Bishop of Rome subscribed therevnto Neither doth the passage you alledge out of Saint Austin inferre the contrary For although the surest course to put an end to all labours and turmoiles be to follow the way of Catholike discipline which hath flowne downe to vs from Christ by his Apostles yet the Authority that swayeth most in the Present Church doth not alwaies either follow this way her selfe or direct others vnto it as for example it did not in the time aboue mentioned of the Arian heresy And thus much in answere vnto your generall ground N. N. Now I will shew first out of the old Testament how it was prefigured and prophecied and in the new both promised againe exhibited and confirmed by the intendment interpretation of the gravest and most ancient Fathers that haue lived in the Church of God from age to age who vnderstand so the said Figures and foreshewing of the old Testament As for example the Bread and Wine mysteriously offered vnto almighty God by Melchizedek King and Priest who bare the type of our Saviour The shew-bread among the Iewes that only could bee eaten of them that were sanctified And the Bread sent miraculously by an Angell to Elias whereby he was so strengthned as hee travelled forty daies by vertue only of that Bread These three sorts of bread to haue beene expresse Figures of this Sacrament of the true flesh of Christ therein contained doe testify by one consent the ancient Fathers as Cyprian â—lemens Alexandrinus Ambrose Hierom Chrysostom Augustine Cyrill Arnobius Euseb. many others as my author fetâ—eh downe Three other figures not expressed in the forme of Bread but other things more excellent then Bread as the Paschal Lamb the blood of the testament described in Exodus and to the Hebrues and fulfilled by Christ when he said This cup is the new testament in my blood and againe this is my blood of the new testament The Manna also sent by God from heaven was an expresse figure of this Sacrament as appeareth by the words of our Saviour and of the Apostle I. D. This Argument seemeth to be of great esteeme among you for who almost vrgeth it not and that with great confidence It standeth thus Melchizedecks Bread and Wine the Shew-bread Elias his Bread the Paschal-Lambe the Bloud of the Testament and Manna bee Figureâ— of our Sacrament Ergo Christ is corporally and locally present therein by way of Transubstantiation The consequence you maintaine in the next Section the Antecedent in this Wherevnto I answer first that the Legall sacraments and ceremonies if we may beleeue Scripture directly respected Christ So saith S. Paul They are a shadow of things to come but the Body is of Christ. And again Sacrifice and offerings thou wouldest not but a Body hast thou prepared me And hence is it that he doubteth not to call Christ our Passeouer or 〈◊〉 Lambâ— and to affirm that the Rock whereof the Israelites dranke in the â—â—ldernesse was Christ. Yea our Saviour himselfe plainly professeth that the Brasen serpent did prefigure him and that he was the Bread or Manna that came downe from heauen But that those Sacraments and Ceremonies are Types Figures of ours otherwise then by representing the same Substance together with ours I suppose if you searched every corner of Scripture neuer so narrowly you should never finde it therein Adde herevnto that our SacrameÌ„ts are themselues Figures being as S Augustine saith one thing and signifying another Whence it would follow that the old Sacraments being Figures of the New they should be Figures of Figures and Sacraments of Sacraments which standeth not greatly with reason For thus the Circumcision of the foreâ—kinne should figure the Water of Baptisme and water Christ and curious heads might runne on infinitely and as Irenaeus sometime obiected vnto the Heretikes of his time might ever bee devising of types vpon types and figures vpon figures Lastly if the Sacraments of the old Testament were but Signes of ours it would follow that they were ordained rather for the benefit of the Christian then the Iewish Church which is absurd For of our Sacraments which you say is the thing signified by theirs benefit they never reaped any as neuer being partakers of them and to leaue vnto them no more but bare signes that is emptie shels without the kernell how it might availe them I cannot conceaue Certainely all Sacraments
in such ascantling of time there could bee no expounding In the dayes of good King Iosiah the booke of the law which Hilkiah had found in the house of the Lord was read in the eares of all the people but of exposition not a word Ezra also the Priest read the law before the congregation from morning till midday but that his reading was interrupted by interpretation is not so cleare as you are borne in hand For first if any did interpret it was the Levites but that Ezra the Priest and a Scribe so learned should be put to the inferior and baser office of reading and the Levites but pettie ones in comparison advanced vnto the higher and worthier of interpreting seemes altogether improbable Secondly where it is said the Levites caused the people to vnderstand the law that it seemes was done not by way of expounding but by causing the people to stand still in their places and to giue due attention As for that which followes they gaue the sense and caused them to vnderstand the reading it is in the originall thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and may fitly be rendred they made attention and vnderstood the reading referring the distinct reading of the law vnto Ezra making of attention to the Levites vnderstanding to the people And thus doe sundry worthy Divines conceiue of this place All which not withstanding because diverse other great clarkes amongst the rest our late translators are of another mind I may not be too peremptorie herein Yet will I be bold to inferre that vnlesse they can proue that sermons were every Sabbath made in evey Synagogue which I thinke they will neuer proue Preaching in this place will be all one with Reading So will it be also vnlesse they can shew that whatsoever was read was expounded for it seemes by the text that whatsoever was read was preached But as with vs the Psalmes and Lessons and Epistles and Gospells with other parcells of Scripture read every Lords day in our Churches are not nor cannot all at once be expounded but only some small portion so the Petaroths or Sections of the law and the Prophets ordained by Ezra of old to be read in the Synagogues every Sabbath day are as they are set downe by the sonne of Maimonie so large that they could not possibly at leastwise conveniently bee interpreted at one time I presume therefore all was not interpreted which was read yet all was preached which was read wherefore Preaching cannot in this place bee interpreted but only Reading Besides these reasons least any should thinke I stand single and by my selfe alone it may please you to know that I am backed with the authority of sundry graue Divines of whom I will name two onlie with either of whom that one to whom we are referred is no way to be compared The one is reverend Whitgift late Archbishop of the See of Canterbury in his defence against Cartwright the other is learned and profound Hooker the hammer of our Schismatickes whose bookes they are afraid to looke vpon least they be confounded in his Ecclesiasticall Politie These both affirme Preaching in this place to be no other then Reading Whitgift addes that all expositors he could meet withall were of the same mind so that in effect I am warranted with a cloud of witnesses Against all which besides confident asseveration I find nothing opposed saue one only passage out of the second tome of Homilies wherein say they our church doth principallie fasten on this text to proue a distinction betweene Preaching and Reading Wherevnto I answere that the intent of the Homilie is to shew the right vse of Churches and that in them the word of God should be both read and interpreted and to this end are alledged sundry passages out of the Acts together with this text all which ioyntly but not severally conclude what was intended For Act. 13.5 speaketh only of Preaching this text only of Reading and Act. 13.14 of both But how soever the Homilie vnderstand this place sure I am both this booke and the Church of England account of Reading as an effectuall Preaching as shall anon in the due place be demonstrated In the meane season I hope I may be bold out of all these premises to inferre this conclusion that if any haue publikely said that whosoever collecteth out of this text Reading to be Preaching is no better then a seducing spirit giues the lye to his mother the Church of England yea to God himselfe and is mad with reason Hee himselfe at that time spake more out of Passion then reason For a seducing Spirit is not every one that erreth and delivereth what he conceiueth to be true but hee who out of the loue of errour endeavoureth to lead others astray from the truth And ô thou glorious Archangell of the Church of England Whitgift wert thou also a seducing Spirit Or was it true of our Church in thy time which the Prophet spake of his Doctores tui Seductores tui thy teachers are thy seducers And thou profound Hooker then whom never any man spake with more reason werst thou also mad with reason And yee both when yee vndertooke the defence of the Politie and government of your Mother did you vnder pretence thereof giue the lye vnto your Mother yea even to God your Father also What shall I say The Lord forgiue these intemperate speeches The best buckler to defend off such venimous arrowes is a good conscience and Christian patience And thus armed I passe to the second part The second Quere is whether Reading be a kinde of Preaching That Reading should be called or counted a kinde of Preaching there is a generation that at no hand can endure Such language they hold to be a foule Solecisme in divinity but the doctrine it selfe a great impeachment vnto Preaching What say they when our Saviour commanded his Apostles to goe into the World and to preach the Gospell vnto all creatures is it not a sottish thing to thinke hee meanes no more then this goe learne to read well then call the people together and read the word vnto them When St Paul saith to the Romans How can they preach except they bee sent doth not this imply that Preaching is more then bare Reading When the Prophet Esay said How beautifull vpon the mountaines are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings that publisheth peace c. Doe you thinke hee spake this of one that should come with a booke in his pocket and read vnto Sion Who saith S. Paul is sufficient for these things Now if Reading be Preaching who is not sufficient for these things Finally When S. Paul chargeth Timothy to preach the word to be instant in season out of season to reproue rebuke exhort withall long suffering and doctrine What meanes he no more then this goe take a care to read well These are their choicest objections out of
presence is the fulnesse of ioy and at his right hand are pleasures for euermore fulnesse of ioy not drops or showres of ioy lightly to bedewe or besprinkle vs but riuers of ioy flouds of ioy euen to bath our selues in And looke as vnwilling as a naturall man would be who enioyes the light of the sunne to returne backe againe into his mothers wombe so vnwilling would a glorified Saint be to returne from this shining glory and fulnesse of ioy to the honours and pleasures of this world The seuerall and different degrees of this reward are clearely represented vnto vs by the difference betweene the brightnesse of the firmament that of the starrs They that be religiously wise though they neuer haue the function nor the gifts to teach shall shine as the one but they who haue both the calling and abilitie to teach and withall a blessing vpon their labours thereby to turne many vnto righteousnesse as the other as the brightest starres for ever and ever I am not ignorant that some learned Divines haue not only doubted of this disparity of glory in the Saints but haue denyed it and disputed against it yet those very men haue confessed it to haue beene agreed vpon by the generall consent of the Fathers which for mine owne part I must professe I am vnwilling to forsake specially where the Scripture and reasons drawne from thence are so faire for it and in the analogie of faith nothing against it That there are diversitie of gifts and withall that we are to covet the best gifts S. Paul hath made it evident and our Sauiour that of the seed which fell in good ground some brought forth an hundred some sixtie some thirty fold and what they teach we find confirmed by daily experience That there are different degrees in grace then there can be no question and I thinke as little that there shall be in glory since grace is but a steppe to glory and glory againe the crowne of grace He who hath told vs that in his Fathers house are many mansions seemes to haue intended not only a multitude in number but a difference in order and so did the ancients vnderstand it Let vs heare one for thē all Apud patrem mansiones multae sunt tamen evndem denarium dispares laboratores accipiunt quia vno cunctis erit beatitudo laetitiae quamuis non vna sit omnibus sublimitas vitae saith the great Gregorie in the last chapter of the fourth booke of his Moralls In my Fathers house are many mansions and yet the labourers who entred the vineyard at different houres receaued every one the same penny because all shall enioy the same happinesse though some be advanced to an higher pitch of glory As in vessells some are bigger some lesser yet all are full to the very brimme and of eyes some are stronger some weaker yet all behold the same sunne of righteousnesse yet shall not all vessells of glory be capable of the same measure nor al gloryfied eyes be fixed vpon their blisfull object with the same strength sed in eisdem mansionibus saith the same Doctor erit aliquo modo ipsa diversitas concors quia tanta vis amoris in illa pace nos sociat vt quod in se quisque non acceperit hoc se accepisse in alio exuleet But in these many mansions there shall be a friendly kinde of diversity because so forceable shall be the charity of the Saints in that eternall peace that what every one hath not receaued in himselfe he shall reioyce to haue receaued in and by another He that gained two talents to his Master and he that gained fiue they are both commended for their faithfullnes both entred into their masters ioy yet as their talents were at first bestowed vpon them according to their seuerall abilities so no doubt but their reward was in some sort proportionable to their severall gaines which partly appeares in this that the talent which was taken from him who had but one was conferred vpon him who had gained fiue and not vpon him who had gained but two It is by all Divines freely acknowledged that there shall be different degrees of punishments in hell in as much as it shall be easier in the day of iudgment for some then for others and some shall be beaten with more others with fewer stripes why not then different rewards or rather different degrees of the same reward in heauen It is true that for the greater terrour the degrees of punishments are thus differenced in Gods iustice according to our deserts yet may it well be that for our better encouragement likewise in his mercy he hath thus proportioned out these different degrees in our reward not for any merit of ours but partly thereby to quicken vs in the way of vertue and godlinesse and partly to shew his truth as in disposing of all things so of his rewards as a man that hath many sonnes and promiseth to proportion out his Legacies to them as they shall shoote neerer or farther off the marke set up by himselfe conditionally that they hitt the butt is in a manner bound to bequeath him the fairest portion who comes neerest the white not for the merit of the sonne but by reason of his owne promise Little is the knowledge God knowes very little which we poore wormes here crawling vpon the face of the earth haue of things that are in heauen farther then in holy Scripture they are revealed vnto vs yet thus much we know that those blessed ministring spirits by their maker called Angels because they are his messengers sent forth to minister for their sakes who shall be heires of saluation are not all of equall ranke some being Cherubins and Seraphins others thrones and dominations some of an inferiour sort and therefore termed Angels only others of a superiour in that regard styled Arch-angels which how to interpret or accord were they all equall for my owne part I must professe I cannot possibly conceaue Now as in the life to come we shall be like the Angels free from the vse and want of those perishable things which this life stands in neede of so likewise it is not improbable but the gloryfied Saints may some way resemble the different orders in the severall distribution of rewards and to come somewhat neerer my text and withall fully home to the poynt in hand There is saith the Apostle one glory of the sunne another glory of the moone another glory of the starres and one starre differeth from another in glory then presently inferres so shall it be in the resurrection as one starre differeth from another in motion in situation in colour in influence in order the starres in their order fought against Sisera so likewise both in bignesse and brightnesse and so shall it be in the resurrection Behold saith our Sauiour I come quickly and my reward is with me to render vnto euery man according as his worke
effectuall to conversion the like efficacie cannot reasonably bee denied vnto the Reading of that written word which now we haue Lastly say they this was extraordinary for Ieremie was in prison and could not come to preach It is vntrue that Ieremie was now in prison for then the Princes would not haue said vnto Baruch Goe hide thee thou and Ieremie and let no man knowe where yee be And whereas Ieremie saith I am shut vp I cannot goe into the house of the Lord the best Expositors vnderstand it of some other impediment and not imprisonment But bee it that Ieremie was in prison yet is the Reading of his prophecies no more extraordinary then the Reading of any other booke of Scripture nor the Reading of these lesse effectuall then of them To let passe sundry other passages of Scripture I vrge in the last place that of Saint Iohn These things are written that yee might beleeue that Iesus is the Christ the sonne of God and that beleeuing yee might haue life through his name Here writing is made the meanes of beleeuing as beleeuing is made the meanes of life everlasting But Writing without Reading is void and of no effect the meaning thereof is as if he had said These are written to the end that by reading them yee may beleeue For to restraine it thus These thing are writen to the end that a Preacher by discoursing or making Sermons vpon some parcells of them may worke Faith in you is too absurd and shamelesse although I deny not that Sermons are an excellent meanes to beget faith also Vnto the authority and testimony of Scripture I adde the consent of ancient Fathers who although they be but little reckoned of by some children of these times yet haue euer beene of great credit with those that are wise and learned Tertullian in his Apologeticum wishes the Gentiles to search for the Seventies translation in Ptolemies library or if they will not take the paines to goe into the Synagogues of the Iewes that are among them there to heare the same translation read To what end that so they may finde the true God and beleeue S ◠Basill affirmeth that the Scriptures are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a common Apothecaries shop as it were of the soule and that every one may be a Physitian to himselfe and take from thence what he needs according to the nature of his disease St Ambrose saith Sacrarum Scripturarū lectio vita est the reading of the Holy Scripture is life according to that of our Sauiour Iesus Christ verba quae ego loquor spiritus sunt vita the words which I speake are spirit life Saint Hierome Frequenter evenit vt homines saeculares mystica nescientes simplici lectione pascantur It oftentimes cometh to passe that lay men ignorant of the mysteries of religion are fed and nourished by bare reading St Augustine Ama Ecclesiasticas literas legere c. Accustome thy selfe to read the letters of the Church that is the Scriptures and thou shalt not finde many things to demand of me but by reading and meditating if also with pure affection thou pray vnto God the giver of all good things thou shalt learne all things that are worthy to be knowne or certainely the most things rather by his inspiration then any admonition of men Finallie Iohn Bishop of Constantinople the noblest Preacher of all the Fathers and stiled for his eloquence Chrysostome that is Golden mouth and whom for his pregnant speeches to this purpose I haue reserued to the last saith as followeth All thinges necessarie are in Scripture so manifest and open that wee need nor Homilies nor Sermons were it not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through our owne sluggishnesse and negligence And againe If you will studiously and diligently read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yee shall need no other thing for he is true that saith Quaerite invenietis seeke and yee shall find And againe Neque moreris alium doctorem c. Neither stay thou for other Doctors thou hast the oracles of God none can teach thee better then Dr Peter or Dr Paul And yet againe The Apostles and Prophets as the generall Schoolemasters of the world haue made their writings so plaine to all that every one of himselfe only by reading may learne and yee need nothing else but read And yet againe lastlie why say they should I goe to the Church if there be no Sermon there right the language of some of our time This saith he is it that hath corrupted and overthrown all For what need is there of a Preacher This necessity comes through our own negligence For what need sermons All things are cleare and plaine in holy Scripture whatsoever things are necessary are manifest But because yee are nice auditors and seeke to haue your eares delighted therefore doe you call for sermons Thus farre Chrysostom and thus the Fathers With whom agree our moderne Divines both forraine and domesticall who perhaps are more gracious with our adversaries then the Fathers And here I might alledge many passages out of P. Martyr Musculus Aretius Zanchie Piscator and others of whom one sweareth that whosoeuer diligently readeth shall at length be taken another affirmeth that God would haue the Bible read of all thereby to know the truth and to be saued and all of them though not in direct yet in equivalent tearmes avouch my conclusion But I will content my selfe with these few following Francis Iunius I beleeue because I haue read and read it written and againe Faith is wrought by hearing and by reading also Dr Fulke By reading of the Scriptures ignorant men may learne to haue true knowledge and wild wicked fellowes to become more staid in their wits Dr Whitaker by the reading and study of Scripture Faith is learned by the ordinary way to learne faith Againe Faith is cherished by reading saith Tertullian now faith is nourished and cherished ex quibus existit by the same meanes that bred it And yet againe Reading is the ordinary meanes of edifying and God is effectuall by reading giueth the Holy Ghost thereby Wotton Wee doubt not many haue wee are sure they might and may attaine to the same faith what if I say to iustifying faith too without any Preaching by the reading of Scripture For since it is partly the matter that must argue the Scripture to be the word of God partly the maiesty which any man may discerne in the manner of writing vnlesse it can be proved out of the Scripture that the Holy Ghost will not worke by these vpon the heart of him that readeth but only of him that heareth a man expound this word vnto him I see no sufficient reason why faith may not be had by reading where Gods ordinance of Preaching is only wanting and not wilfully neglected Dr Nowell in his Chatechisme appointed by authority to be
thing which is to teach commanded also the manners of teaching which are to preach with liuely voice and to set forth the doctrine in writing both of them being fit for teaching and this latter most fit for to continue and to transferre doctrines and instructions vnto posterity Daniel Chamier in his Panstratia Tomo 1. Lib. 1. c. 21. num 6. To teach comprehendeth as well the liuely voice as writing So Paul preached the Gospell vnto the Romanes no lesse by writing an epistle vnto thē then teaching them by liuely voice out of the prison And it is the solemne custome of the Fathers when they cite any thing out of the Apostles writings to expresse it in these words The Apostle teacheth yea St Paul ascribeth vnto the Scriptures that they make a man wise Ibid num 7. All men know that a thing may be related two waies both by liuely voice and by writing For as those things which are in the voice are signes of those things which are in the minde so those things which are in the writing are signes of those which are in the voice And therefore the same is both waies equally signified or related Ibid. cap. 22. num 2. Because the liuely voice is vsed to no other end saue to expresse the meaning of the speaker and Scripture doth evidently expresse the meaning of God speaking vnto vs therefore in this respect it is false that the Scriptures are dumb For we no lesse vnderstand that a man is justified by Faith when wee read it in Paul then when Paul himselfe pronounced it with his liuely voice Lib. 6. cap. 5. num 7. The written word is distinguished from the word preached by no substantiall difference For they differ neither in specie nor in genere nor in number but only in accident So for example that Sermon which first S. Peter made vnto the Iewes after the gift of the holy Ghost differeth not from that which we read Act. 2. related by S. Luke saue only as writing is not a liuely voice yet because writing is no other then the image of a liuely voice so little difference letteth not but that I may affirme the Sermon which I there read to bee the same which S. Peter then made Wherefore if it be the same Sermon in number why may not the same bee affirmed of the same and I truely avouch it to bee read in S. Luke Hauing heard these things they were pricked in heart These things I say which both Peter then deliuered by liuely voice and now S. Luke representeth vnto vs. Ibid. cap. 18. num 8. Vergerius an Italian Bishop who had negotiated many businesses for the Pope against Luther vndertaking to write a booke against the Apostates of Germanie for so he tearmed them and diligently seeking out their arguments to confute them was himselfe so overcome by the strength of them that rejecting his Bishopricke and the hope of a Cardinalship hee vtterly renounced all Popish tyranny Ibid. lib. 7. cap. 9. num 17. The meditation of the Scriptures is doubtlesse an Ordinary meanes ordained by God to procure Faith For these things are written that yee might beleeue Ioh. 20. Ibid. lib. 10. cap. 6. num 11. To preach comprehends not only the liuely voice but also writing so that those words Preach the Gospell are thus to be vnderstood intimate the Gospell vnto all nations by what meanes soever it may be rightly intimated whether it bee by liuely voice or by writing D. Davenant B. of Sarumon Coloss. 1.9 pag. 64. They are not carried by an Apostolicall but Antichristian spirit who deny vnto Laicks the Ordinary meanes of begetting wisdome spirituall vnderstanding namely Reading and vnderstanding of Gods word For the law of the Lord is immaculate converting soules the testimonie of the Lord is faithfull giuing wisdome to the simple Psal. 19-7 Psal. 119.130 in English meeter When men first enter into the word They finde a light most cleare And very Idiots vnderstand When they it read or heare Phil Melancthon Enarrat Symboli Niceni In conversion these causes concurre the holy Ghost mouing the heart by the Gospell the voice of the Gospell weighed and considered either when it is heard or when it is read or in godly meditation and the will of man not resisting the voice of God but assenting although with some trepidation Ainsworth Counterpoison p. 116. The Gospell noted to bee the meanes of our calling 2. Thes. 2.14 hee maketh knowne vnto his people outwardly by his word 2. Cor. 5.19 spoken Act. 5.20 and written Ioh. 20.31 and inwardly by his holy spirit Neh. 9.20 1 Cor. 2 10.12 FINIS IOH. 17.1 c. These things spake IESVS and lift vp his eyes to Heaven and said c. ALL holy writ simply and in it selfe considered is of equall worth and dignity the Author the Matter and the Manner being in every part alike Divine Howbeit considered respectiuely and in relation vnto vs one Scripture without impeachment or derogation may iustly be preferred to another For as touching the Matter some Scriptures are more importing vs as containing doctrines of Absolute necessitie to bee beleeued whereas others are so only in the Disposition and Preparation of the Minde And as for the Manner whereas others are darkly and obscurely deliuered some are so attempered and proportioned vnto the weaknesse of our capacity that they are more easie and available for our instruction and edification In both these Respects this seventeenth Chapter of the Gospell after S. Iohn seemeth to me among all other to be the most eminent For if you regard the Matter it containes Doctrines of highest nature and consequence as being the very foundation of the Churches happinesse and the anchor of all her hope If the For me it is so heavenly and divine so powerfull and perswasiue that he must needs be destitute of all spirituall sense and tast whosoeuer with the naked and bare reading thereof is not extraordinarily ravished and affected The serious and due consideration of all which together with the vnspeakable benefit that might grow to the people of God by the right dividing and handling thereof hath at length ouercome and perswaded me to vndertake at times the interpretation of this whole Chapter in this place That so if it please God before I sing my nunc dimittis I may with these treasures satisfie some part of the debt I owe therevnto both for my birth breeding And because these first words now read seeme vnto mee not vnfitting the present occasion or to succeed what I haue already deliuered vpon the like occasions I haue thought good at this time to make entrance therevpon so as it is in the proverb Vnâ fideliâ duos dealbare parietes to dispatch two businesses at once For hauing heretofore vindicated the Dignitie of the Ministrie from the Contempt whereto it is subject by prescribing a soueraign Remedie Defensatiue against it as also hauing demonstrated the power and efficacie of Preaching
the question be of Preaching and the publike prayer of the Church God forbid that I should set or foment any such quarrell betweene them By the eager preferring of the one vnto the other both may easily be vilified The overmagnifying of Prayer hath heretofore shut Preaching out of the Church and the oueraduancing of preaching hath almost excluded prayer And it may be it is Lasinesse that speaketh so much for all praying and vaineglory that is so earnest for all preaching But dares any man thus quarrell the prophecie and Intercession of Christ I trow no for they are both alike infinite in worth and dignitie Preaching and prayer are answerable vnto them why then should we imagine such an inequality betweene them If when we preach we speake in Gods name vnto the people when we Pray we speake in Christs name vnto God for the people They are not subordinate one vnto the other but both coordinate vnto the same maine end Ioyned together they are as it were a familiar Dialogue betweene God and vs wherein God discouereth his will vnto vs and we say with S. Augustine Da quod jubes jube quod vis giue grace to doe what thou commandest and command what thou wilt They are the Angels of Iacobs ladder our Prayers are Angels ascending vp vnto God for vs and our Sermons are Angels descending downe with a blessing from God vpon vs. In a word they are both necessary and of singular vse in their place and therefore let neither be vndervalued but both haue their due honour So shall God bee glorified in his Ordinances and we enioy the benefit intended to vs by them But of the second circumstance when hee prayed so much The third and last is Quomodo How and in what Manner he prayed The Manner here expressed is onely externall Not that this Prayer wanted the internall Forme of truth and sincerity in the Heart For he was a true Israelite in whom was no guile Ye◠he was Truth it selfe forso he saith I am the way the truth and the life And being Truth he taught others to worship God in Spirit Truth and condemned all those who drawe neere to God with their lips their heart being farre off from him But by this outward comportment our blessed Saviour expresseth his inward affection and thereby lessoneth vs to take heed that wee presume not to appeare before God with holy countenances and hollow hearts For he is the tryer and searcher of the reynes and iudgeth not of the heart by the outward appearance but of the outward appearance by the heart Vnto these Hypocrites that dissemble both with God and man and who loue to take religion on them but not to haue it in them giue me leaue to say in the words of S. Chrysostome O Hypocrite if it bee good to be good why wilt thou not be that which thou wilt seeme to be And if it be evill to be evill why wilt thou bee that which thou wilt not seeme to be If it be good to seeme to be good it is better to be so if it be evill to seeme to be evill it is worse to be so And therefore either seeme as thou art or be as thou seemest to be But to returne to the Manner it is as we haue said Externall and double ingestu O culorum Sermone Oris Of the Eyes first He lifted vp his eyes to Heauen Elsewhere hee vsed a contrary gesture and prayed groueling vpon his face Neither doe we read that the Saints in their Prayers alwaies vsed the same situation and posture of body Steven praied kneeling the Publican stood David watered his couch with his teares lying therein Elias making request for himselfe sate although Tertullian thinke it vtterly vnlawfull to pray sitting So that as S. Augustin obserueth that the certaine site of the body when we pray is not prescribed in Gods word so as the minde be present and performe its intention to God The Iewes indeed were commanded to looke vnto the Temple and Daniel obserued it But that was typicall and the date of the Ceremonies is expired Now therefore the best rule is this In publike Prayer to conforme our selues vnto the vsuall and appointed gesture for avoiding of scandall in private deliberate Prayer to chuse such as wee thinke fittest for the present to affect the minde in suddaine eiaculations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that wherein the motion of Gods spirit shall then find vs. But although religion lie not in gestures and no one posture of the body be of absolute necessity yet I know not how these three naturally loue to accompany our affection in Prayer the Knee the Eye and the Hand The bent Knee betokening our humble subiection vnto God and reverend feare of his presence The Eye either deiected and cast downe in token of humiliation for sin or erected and lifted vp to heaven as here in token of our Faith and Hope that we looke confidently to haue our desires granted of God who dwelleth in Heauen The hand also lifted vp as ready to receiue what wee hope from aboue shall be granted vnto vs. Whether Christ at this time vsed all these three gestures or no is vncertain for the Text saith not that he bent his knees or lifted vp his hands but only that he lifted vp his Eyes And whether did he lift them To Heaven And why thither Because there his Father dwelleth who is the giver of every good gift In regard whereof he taught vs also to say Our Father which art in heauen Et vbi pater ibi patria where his Father dwells there is his country and the place of his everlasting abode where he longs to rest himselfe And therefore no marvaile if thither hee lift vp his Eyes A certaine Separatist from this Gesture collecteth thus yee must lift vp your eyes therefore ye may not pray on a booke Must lift vp what necessity I pray Did our Saviour forget himselfe when he fell on his face Or the Publican doe amisse when he stood aloofe off not daring to lift vp his eyes to Heaven Certainly which way soever the Eye looketh Sursum Corda the lifting vp of the heart is the sacrifice which God accepteth But what is it vtterly vnlawfull to pray on a booke why then haue learned and Godly men compiled so many bookes of Prayer to this end and what vniformity is there like to be if in the publike Liturgy there be not a certaine forme of Praier But God is the God of order not confusion and will they nill they to pray devoutly on a booke is more pleasing vnto God then their proud and schismaticall praying without booke From this lifting vp of the eyes wee may with better reason learne when we make our addresses vnto God to abandon earth and to entertaine nothing but heauenly cogitations The naturall erection of our countenances intimates both where our Hopes should lye and with what contemplation
affectione commodi that is though in regard of holinesse and righteousnesse he were already peâ—â—â—â—y blessed and arrived at his end yet by reason of thâ—â—pprehension of those vnpleasing and afflictiue evills which now were and yet were more to be vpon him the ioyes delights of heauen were not imparted to him So that the fulnesse and complement of Glory he had not yet attained Which being so the third and last enquirie how hee would be glorified may easily be resolued For as appeares by what we haue said he desires the dispelling and remouing of all those thicke mists and clouds which hitherto eclipsed his Deity that is the deposition not of his Humane nature for that is now become an essentiall part of his Person and shall continue therein vnto all eternity but of all humane infirmities and that low condition to which he had humbled himselfe to the end the glory of his Deity might at length appeare and shine forth most perfectly He desires furthermore that his Father would be pleased to glorifie him by preseruing and supporting him in the last act of his tragedy I meane his bitter agonie and passion by loosing the sorrowes of death and raising him from the graue by taking him vp into heaven setting him at his right hand crowned with maiesty and power and finally by conferring vpon him all glorious endowments both of soule and body and ioyning him vnto himselfe not only by the affection of perfect iustice but of comfort and delight also Hee desires lastly to bee glorified by the full manifestation of his Glory both that which already he had and that which yet he was to haue that not only Iewes but Gentiles also by the mission of his holy spirit and the preaching of his Apostles might know him to be the eternall Sonne of God of the same substance with the Father and no way inferiour vnto him Man also but such a man as is assumpted 〈◊〉 the vnitie of the second person in the Trinitie slaâ—â—â—â—ed and condemned yet iust and innocent dead and buried yet raised vp againe and liuing humbled low yet exalted high even to the highest top of all as hauing a name given him aboue every name And that these things being generally knowne of all he might be magnified and adored of all and at the name of Iesus all knees might bow both of things in Heaven and things in earth and things vnder the earth and every tongue might confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father And thus you see how our Saviour would be glorified The consideraâ—ion of all which may be vnto vs of singular vse and comfort For first seeing Christ who cannot be denyed what ever he demands hath prayed for his glorification what vanity is it for any man to thinke or hope that he can hinder or obscure it Let Iewes persecute him put him to death set a watch about his sepulcher to keepe him down yet can they not let but hee shall reviue and rise againe Though tyrants by open violence oppose the profession of his name and Hereticks by Sophistrie seeke to vndermine it and Antichrist assault it both waies by violence and sophistrie yet maugre all their cunning and malice his Father shall surely glorifie him Yea he is God manifested in the flesh iustified in the spirit seene of Angells preached vnto the Gentiles beleeved on in the world and received vp into glory Onely now it remaines to expect and pray for his returne in glory Secondly the Glorification of Christ is the pledge and earnest of our Glorification For had not he risen ascended and beene receiued vp into glory neither should wee The gates of death had beene bard vpon vs and of heaven shut against vs we should haue beene covered with eternall shame and ignominie But now Christ like another Sampson hath broken through the gates of death our head is risen and wee in him Hee is ascended and gone from vs but gone to prepare a place for vs that where he is there we may be also and behold that his glory and beholding it be made like vnto him bearing his glorious image For as now because hee is full of grace wee of his fulnesse receiue even grace for grace so being full of glory of his fulnesse wee shall also receiue even glory for glory Memorable is that saying of Tertullian As he hath left vnto vs the earnest of his spirit so he hath receiued from vs the earnest of our flesh and hath caried it into heaven as a pledge that the whole summe shall one day be reduced thither Rest therefore secure oh flesh and bloud yee haue livery seizan of heauen and the kingdome of God already in Christ. Thirdly Christ so earnestly suing for his Glorification it is our duty by all meanes both to procure and further his Glory which if wee cannot doe in such sort as his Father doth yet are wee to performe it in such a sort as we may If not gloriosum faciendo by bestowing glory vpon him yet gloriosum dicendo by praising and magnifying his glory By faith we are to be assured thereof by confession to acknowledge it by our holy Christian life to testify that the faith of our hearts and the confession of our mouthes accord and agree together and as much as lies in vs to labour that others may glorifie Christ together with vs. Fourthly and lastly as Christ did so are wee warranted by his example to pray for our owne Glorification that God would be pleased to perfect that glory vpon vs which here by grace he hath begunne in vs. Hence is it that the Saints are said not only to loue but also to long for the second comming of Christ as knowing that till then it cannot be obtained that the Church also so earnestly prayes Turne my beloued and be like the Roe or young Hart vpon the mountaines of Bether and againe yea come Lord Iesu come quickly But may we with Christ desire that the Glory begun in vs be manifested vnto others we may For wee are commanded to provide things honest in the fight of all men and to let our light so shine before men that they also may see our good workes Only wee must take heed that wee affect it not from men principally nor make it our maine end for this would be the foule sinne of Vaine-glory but that with Christ wee seeke it of our Father in the first place and to the end that being glorified of him hee may be glorified by vs. For not hee that commendeth himselfe or is commended of others is approued but hee whom God commendeth And so much for Quid what our Sauiour craueth to himselfe Now that he may not be denied his request he presseth his Father with sundry weighty and important reasons all which God willing we will handle in their order The first is drawen from the circumstance of time thus The
he mortify the deeds of the body In a word to this end hath the grace of God appeared vnto all men and instructed vs that we denying all vngodlinesse and worldly lusts might liue soberly iustly godly in this preseÌ„t world By all which it is cleare that all our corrupt lusts affections must be denied if we will be disciples in the schoole of Grace yet is it further to be observed that wheÌ„ the Apost saith we must deny all worldly lusts he meaneth fleshly lusts as they haue reference vnto the world to the profits pleasures of this present life So that in comparison of Christ when they let and hinder vs from comming after him whatsoeuer in the world is most deare pretious vnto vs must be despised and trodâ—n vnder foot We must with the holy Apostles be content to forsake all and to follow him If wee loue father or mother or sonne or daughter more then him we are vnworthy of him Nay if any come vnto him and hate not his father and mother and wife and Children and brethren and sisters yea his owne life also or as some thinke it may not vnfitly be translated his owne soule he cannot be my Disciple Wherefore as Hierom saith if Father or Mother shall lye in the way to hinder thee from comming after Christ bee not afraid to tread vpon the gray beard of thy Father and to trample vpon the belly of her that bare thee rather then to be barred from coÌ„ming vnto him As therefore to conclude this point a young man in the iudgement of Aristotle is an vnfit auditor of Morall Philosophy even so the meere Animall man by the verdict of Iesus Christ is vtterly vnmeet to be scholler in Christian Philosophy If hee will make himselfe meet for Christs schoole hee must of necessity deny himselfe which is the first Counsell The second is let him take vp his crosse daily The Crosse properly is a tree or engine of wood framed into such a forme where vpon malefactors were wont to bee executed and put to death The manner was either with cords to bind them or which was more vsuall with nailes to fasten them hand and foot vnto it and there to suffer them to languish and pine away vnto death in regard whereof they were wont aunciently to call it vltimum supplicium the extremest and greatest punishment because the basest sort of people only and such as were servants or slaues were in this manner executed therefore was it also termed servile supplicium a servile punishment This cruell and slavish death did our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ suffer to free vs from eternall death and to procure vnto vs everlasting life Wherevpon those pressures tribulations afflictions persecutions that doe befall a man not for his wickednesse but for righteousnesse sake for the profession of the Gospell of Christ are in the language of Canaan called the Crosse because they are the remainders of the afflictions of Christ which he in his body that is the Church doth yet still suffer And this is the Crosse which is here meant But it is further said His crosse Not that Crosse which a man frameth vnto his owne selfe or rashly pulleth vpon himselfe as sundry Martyrs in the primitiue Church seemed to doe whom yet I dare not censure because I know not with what spirit they did it For we may not like Coecias draw stormes and clouds vpon our owne heads and our Saviour himselfe advizeth vs when they persecute vs in one Citty to fly into another Then only are we bound to beare the crosse when without denying the truth we cannot avoid it Our Crosse then is that which is imposed vpon vs by God whether it be poverty or ignominy or imprisonment or banishment or whipping or racking or torment or death of what kind soeuer For God layeth not the same crosse on all but one Crosse on one and another on another as hee in his wisdome thinketh best But whatsoever the crosse is which God appointeth vnto a man that is his crosse And this crosse saith Christ must be taken vp It was the manner that he that was cruciarius to bee crucified was to beare his crosse or some part thereof vnto the place of execution So did Christ vntill meeting with Simon of Cyrene they compelled him to beare his crosse But malefactors beare it against their wills our Saviour willingly which was the very forme of his suffering and he requireth all those that will come after him to doe so too For to take vp the crosse imports not only a patient bearing of it when it is laid vpon vs but also a ready and voluntary vndergoing of it And this also saith our Saviour must bee done daily that is at all times and continually Not but that the Church hath sometimes her lucida intervalla her good daies for the rod of the wicked resteth not alwaies vpon the lot of the righteous and after stormes and tempests God sendeth calme Halcionian times How then Thus. Whensoever God sendeth the crosse vnto any he must actually take it vp in the time of peace and when there is no crosse though actually he cannot yet must he take it vp in the preparation and disposition of the mind And this is the substance of the second Counsell Let him take vp his crosse daily The Necessity of it if wee will come after Christ is easie to be demonstrated What more manifest in the Scripture then this that the Crosse is an vnseparable companion of the Church The Church is Lilium inter spinas a lilie among thornes Christ without his crosse is but a Chimoera so is the Church also without afflictions Many are the troubles of the righteous saith David In the world yee shall haue tribulations saith our Saviour Christ. Through much tribulation must we enter into the kingdome of God saith Saint Paul and againe All that will liue Godly in Iesus Christ shall suffer persecution Search the records of all times from the beginning of the world downe to this present and you shall find that Persecution hath ever attended vpon the Church Not to speake of particular persons the bondage of Egypt the captivity of Babylon the tyranny of Antiochus the ten bloudy persecutions of heathen Emperours the barbarous cruelties of Antichrist finally the fire the sword the massacres of this last age wherein our Fathers lived and we our selues yet liue doe make it more then manifest And indeed as long as Satan continueth to be malitious against vs how can it be otherwise Knowing himselfe to be eternally reiected and without redemption he beareth an eternall hatred against God And because he cannot wreake his teene vpon him being out of his reach he turneth his malice against mankind and among them those principally who by Christ are conquered out of his hands For as the Panther raging vpon the picture of a man bewrayes the
shall be saved and no other Ye see brethren what a large field I haue to expatiate in but the time forceth me to be briefe In other Churches vpon whom the Crosse now lieth heauily this theam perhaps requires a larger handling yet is it not vnseasonable in this our peace to touch it in a few words in regard of the hopes of our enimies and our owne feares if need be to prepare vs for the Crosse. And thus much of the second counsell The third and last is let him follow me This many happily would thinke and many indeed doe thinke to be all one with comming after Christ for what is it to follow but to come after Were it so then were I here to make an end But I suppose there is a farther matter intended in it and therefore let me intreatâ— your patience to adde a word or twaine concerning it Wee are to follow Christ non pedibus sed affectibus not with our feet but with our hearts and affections and we are to follow him Docentem Ducentem both teaching leading vs. For it might be demanded if we must deny our owne selues that is our reason and wills with all their ability and power who then shall direct vs who shall guide vs For our minds being blind we cannot of our selues see the way and our wills being in bondage vnto sin we cannot walke in the way Wherevnto Christ readily returneth this plaine answere Follow me I will be your Teacher I will be your Leader First then Christ is our Teacher even hee who is every way most sufficient to teach He is the eternall word of his eternall Father the very Truth it selfe and the substantiall Wisdome of God He is made of God the grand Counseller of the Church the Angell of the covenant the Apostle of our profession the only Prophet and Doctor of the Church He came out of the bosome of the Father and knoweth all his counsells in him are hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge and he hath received the Spirit without measure Being therefore such a Teacher him are we to follow and we are to follow his teaching Audiendo credendo by hearing and beleeuing whatsoever he saith The divine oracle from heaven expressely commandeth vs to heare him This is my beloved sonne in whom I am well pleased heare yee him And our Saviour affirmeth that whosoever are his sheepe heare his voice and will not heare the voice of any other implying that whatsoever heareth him not is none of his sheepe But it is not sufficient to heare vnlesse we also Beleeue that is assent to all that he saies assuring our selues that whatsoever hee affirmes is true and whatsoever he commands is iust To beleeue is the first ground of Christianity He that beleeueth not cannot vnderstand the mysteries thereof O portet discentem credere he that will be a scholler must beleeve his Master if hee will not hee deserues to bee turned out of schoole Christ will not be argued with be it aboue reason or seeme it against reason yet will he be absolutely beleeued And reason for being God who neither can deceiue nor be deceived his bare word is more certaine then a thousand demonstrations Certainely they are none of Christs sheepe that doe not Beleeue and without Faith it is impossible to please God to be iustified in his sight or to obtaine life everlasting Therefore whosoever will come after Christ must thus follow him docentem teaching So must he also Ducentem follow him Leading Hee leadeth and guideth vs two waies Spiritu Exemplo inwardly by his Spirit outwardly by his example By his Spirit first For as Saint Paul saith As many as are lead by the spirit of God are the sonnes of God but if any haue not the spirit of Christ he is none of his Now as the word of Christ sounds outwardly to the eare so doth the Spirit of Christ speake inwardly to the heart He helpeth our infirmities and after a secret and vnconceivable manner suggesteth and putteth good motions into our minds exhorting and persuading vs to the practice of all holy and good duties Which direction of the spirit we are to follow Obediendo by obedience Not to obey the good motions of the Spirit is to resist him to greeue him and to quench him but to cherish the sparke that he hath kindled in vs and to yeeld obedience vnto his holy inspirations and perswasions this is indeed to follow him Which if we doe not wee are yet in the flesh and if wee bee in the flesh we are not in Christ Iesus for they only are in Christ who walke not after the flesh but after the Spirit As Christ leadeth by his Spirit so doth hee also goe before vs by his Example Longum iter per praecepta breve efficax per exempla the way of precept is long and tedious but of example short and effectuall But whose example are we to follow Mans It is not safe for be he neuer so good yet may he erre himselfe and mislead vs. Gods That indeed is safe because he cannot erre nor misguide vs but he is invisible cannot be seene Therefore he became man that being visible in the flesh he might giue vs example Which we are to follow imitando by imitation For as Augustine saith Summa religionis est imitari quem colis It is a chiefe point of religion to imitate him whom wee worship But wherein are we to imitate him In creation of the world in redeeming mankind in meriting for others In working miracles and the like as it is reported of that mad Salmoneus Qui nimbos non imitabile fulmen Aere cornipedum cursu simularat equorum who would needs counterfeit Iupiters thundring and lightning by driuing his chariot over a copper bridge darting torches at the faces of men No if wee would burst our selues with pride we cannot imitate God in these things Potestas subiectionem maiestas exigit admirationem neutra imitationem saith Bernard the power of God requireth subiection his maiesty admiration neither imitation How then Appareat Domine bonitas tua cui possit homo quia ad imaginem tuam creatus est conformari let thy goodnes o Lord appeare wherevnto man being created after thine owne image may be conformed To be breefe wee are to imitate Christ in all those holy duties which hee commandeth and whereof he hath made himselfe an example They are all summed vp in one word Obedience this hee commanded this he practised And he practised it both actiuely and passiuely and in both is he to be imitated He obeyed the law of his father the Morall law as being the sonne of Adam the Ceremoniall as being the sonne of Abraham And this actiuely exampling vs to walke even as he walked in all duties by God enioyned vs. It would bee too long to particularize in all those
judgement vpon the Conscience and to be the executioner of his lawes or finally hee bindes the Conscience in vaine and to no purpose To say that man is in such sort Lord of the Conscience is vnreasonable because his knowledge and power reach no farther then the outward man To say that man may command God is sacrilegious aduancing man aboue God Lastly to say that he bindeth in vaine and to no purpose is withall to say that their opinion is vaine and that man hath no such power at all To shut vp all in a word vnlesse a man may with as much security obey man as God man who is subject to error and injustice as God who is free from both vnlesse we be all as deeply bound to study the laws of men and to knowe them as we are Gods and to subject our selues as absolutely vnto them it is altogether vnconceauable how humane lawes can bind the Conscience equally with diuine This point being thus cleared it is euident that by conscience in this place wee are with St Peter to vnderstand Conscientiam Dei conscience towards God and to interpret this of St Paul yee must bee subiect for conscience by that of the same St Peter Submit your selues vnto every ordinance of man for the Lords sake as if he should say because God hath bound you to be subiect For God hath laid this obligation vpon man appeares by the very institution of Magistracie For although St Peter call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a humane creature yet his meaning is not that it is not from man but for man and his benefit otherwise S. Paul expresly affirmeth that it is the ordinance of God and Solomon that by him kings raigne The reason mouing God to institute the same was partly his soueraigne Lordship ouer man by right of creation by which he may order and dispose of him at pleasure partly the great loue he beareth vnto humane society which his infinite wisdome saw could not so well be maintained if euery man should be left to himselfe and orderly gouernment were not setled among them Herevpon hee ordained some to be in authority some to liue in subiection commanding the one to rule according to justice and equitie the other to submit themselues with all lowlinesse and humility as I meane touching subiection hath in the first part which is the Dutie beene sufficiently declared Now man being thus by the commandement and ordinance of God bound Conscience cannot bee free but as man shall either subject or not subject himselfe so is Conscience bound to testifie for or against him and to excuse or to accuse him If then yee breake the commandement of God and refuse to be subject there is one who will surely accuse you and will not spare a witnesse whose testimony is omni exceptio ne majus better then a thousand witnesses that will testifie against you even your Conscience But to whom will it accuse Vnto that great and dreadfull Iudge of the whole world whose wisdome can not be deceaued whose justice cannot be corrupted and the execution of whose sentence cannot be avoided And what will the sentence be Perpetuall imprisonment in the bottomelesse dungeon of hell therein eternall torments both of body and soule which although it be not presently executed vpon you yet the worme of conscience instantly will begin to gnaw vpon your soules fill you so full of vnspeakable horror and anguish that your life shall be but a death and this world a hell vnto you But if on the contrary side yee shall for the Lords sake and in obedience to his ordinance yeeld subjectiō vnto the higher powers and vnder them liue dutifully in all godlinesse and honestie then shall your consciences testifie nothing but good of you and excuse you vnto God he shall justifie and acquit you your soule shall bee replenished with vnspeakable peace and comfort so as yee shal haue a heaven vpon earth and in heauen it selfe in due time such ioyes as nor eye hath seene nor eare heard nor ever entred into the thought of man To conclude and summe vp all if either we will keepe a good conscience that we may both here and ever be blessed or will avoid the sting of an euill conscience and the miseries that attend vpon it wee must of necessity be subject Yee must needs be subject not only for wrath but also for conscience And thus haue I finished the second part also which is the Necesstie of the dutie It only remaineth now to adde a word or two by way of vse and application There is a generation of whom both St Peter and St Iude speake that despiseth all gouernment and speaketh evill of Dignities cleane contrary vnto the doctrine of my Text which commandeth all to be subject and to honour and obey the Magistrate But these are not all of the same kinde for some despise it out of an erronious judgment others out of an euill habit and custome They that despise it vpon errour are either Anabaptists or Papists The Anabaptists a fanatical fantastical sect vtterly mislike all gouernment and subjection among Christians It is not without cause that S. Iude calleth such kind of people Dreamers for so indeed they are and their dreame is this that Sin is the cause of Subjection and although it were ordained and allowed to the Iewes because they were but infants yet fits it not vs Christians that are in the state of perfection Shall I dispute against this dotage and shew that even among those blessed spirits that are free frō sinne still persist in the truth there are Thrones Dominations Powers Principalities Angels and Arch-angels That if man had continued in his integritie yet government should haue beene inasmuch as man naturally is sociable and disciplinable the morall law commands to honour father and mother the end of gouernment is Peace with Pietie and Honestie and one man euen then should haue stood in need of another That finally there is now as great a necessity thereof as was among the Iews and that the new Testament would neuer haue commanded Subjection or to pray for Magistrates if it were a sin for a Christian to be a Magistrate But I will not vouchsafe them the honour to dispute with them let it suffice in this honourable auditory barely to affirme first that a Christian safely may be a Magistrate secondly that none is fitter then he because no man better knowes the dutie of a Magistrate then he Lastly that no man can so compleatly and perfectly performe the office of a Magistrate but hee because no man vnderstands the true religion which he is to maintaine and by which he is to gouerne but he As for Papists although they doe not thus reject all government yet doe they many waies both in doctrine and practise avile and abase it For first they giue vnto the Pope a supremacie ouer Princes euen vnto Deposition and depresse
certainly iudge you as he sees you iudge others Remember farther that they are men whose causes yee iudge made of the same stuffe bearing the same image of God redeemed by the same pretious bloud of Christ quickned by the same spirit heires of the same Kingdome with you Oh then tender them as your owne bowels let their bloud and right be deare and pretious in your eyes Remember lastly that though yee be Gods yet yee are men also and shall dye as men In Nabucadnezars image the head was gold the breast and arme siluer the belly and thighs brasse the leggs iron but all â—â—od on feete of clay Oh then when you are in your â—â—â—â—unalls thinke sometime of these feete that when they â—â—all faile you conscience of doing justice may support you Iudge yee therefore now as your selues would be iudged in the last day weigh every cause in even ballance let nothing but right sway you Draw forth the sword of your authority and strike at wickednesse couragiously Never more need the sins of this land are crying and spreading among the rest the pestilence of Drunkennesse infecteth every where There was a street in Rome called Vicus sobrius the sober streete but is there a village in England that may be called Villa sobria the sober village Every house almost is now become an ale-house and they are the very schooles of all rogery and villany yet by our country Magistrates are too much winked at and favoured Against these and the like enormities my Lords there is neede of your greatest severity Qui non vetat peccare cum potest iubet hee bids men sinne who 〈◊〉 power forbids them not Let not your remissenesse eithâ—â— harden the wicked or dishearten the good but rise vp 〈◊〉 with David to destroy all the wicked of the land Iustice requireth it at your hands wisdome requireth it justice that offendors may be cut off wisdome that others may be preserued from contagion and the state from Gods vengeance which otherwise will light vpon it if yee purge it not from such pollutions But your honours are wise and vnto the wise one word had beene sufficient Yet before I conclude I cannot but intreat my brethren of the cleargy also seeing them here so frequent to haue care that Magistracy be not despised As wee are desirous to be assisted by theÌ„ so let vs in our places assist them Let the sword of God Gedeon the sword of the mouth the mouth of the sword goe together while they labour 〈◊〉 make men subiect for wrath let vs endeavour to make them subiect for Conscience Wrath belongs vnto the Magistrate but Conscience is the taske of the Minister Oh theÌ„ let vs apply our selues diligently vnto this taske and speake home vnto the conscience first by our holy life and conversation and then by our powerfull and effectuall preaching Let our end and aime bee in all our Sermons not so much to please as to profit nor to tickle the eare with quaint phrases as to establish the heart with grace that the mind being enlightned the spirit fortified and flesh repressed vice may bee loathed and detested and the way of vertue facilitated and sweetned So shall wee make good subiects indeede such as if there were no wrath to terrify them yet meerely for conscience would submit themselues Yea so shall wee prepare both them and our selues also to bee meete subiects for that glorious Kingdome whose King is Trinity whose law Charity whose reward perfect blessednesse whose measure Eternity FINIS A DEFENCE OF THE LAVVFVLNESSE OF LOTS IN GAMING AGAINST THE Arguments of N. N. OXFORD Printed by I.L. for E. F. 1633. A DEFENCE OF THE LAWFVLNESSE OF LOTS IN GAMING NOT that I hope to purchase any great reputation to my selfe by confuting so slight a Pamphlet nor yet that I desire to afford the least countenance to those irregular Gamesters who loue not to keepe due compasse in their play but for sundry other important and weighty reasons haue I vndertaken this Defence of Lot-games Among the rest first to cleare the truth rightly to informe the vnderstanding that what wee doe or leaue vndone in this case bee not sinne vnto vs. For practice without knowledge is little better then Presumption and abstinence vpon errour is little lesse then Superstition Secondly to arme and settle weake and tender Consciences least happily some honest and religiously affected hearts who haue at times without scruple vsed these Games receiue some wound from these Arguments and be brought into a needlesse labyrinth and perplexity vnlesse they be provided of some buckler against them or threed to disintangle them Thirdly lastly to reforme the affection and to worke those that are contrary minded to a little more Charity that seeing vpon how slender and sandy a ground they haue wronged the people of God in their Christian liberty tying them farre shorter and straiter then God himselfe doth they may be moued hereafter not to censure their brethren with so much superciliousnesse to hold a better correspondence with them These are the cheefest ends I aime at for which I haue chosen rather to adventure my selfe into these lists then out of I know not what imaginary feare of encouraging idle and immoderate Gamesters to forbeare True it is debausht and lewd companions are not to bee humoured in their vanities howbeit it is a very preposterous course because of the abuse to condemne the lawfull vse and to labour the redressing of a misdemeanure in life either by breeding or fomenting an errour in judgement An errour in judgement will you say That is not yet demonstrated neither will it bee accounted so vntill the contrary Arguments bee sufficiently answered Let vs therefore in Gods name trie examine the force and strength of them N. N. Meere Lots vnlawfull in light matters as at play with Cards and Dice and the like exercises DEFENCE A Lot is nothing else but a casualty or casuall event purposely applied to the determination of some doubtfull thing Of Lots some are Meere some are Mixt. Meere Lots are those wherein there is nothing else but a Lot or wherein there is nothing applied to determine the doubt but only meere casualty Mixt Lots are those wherein something else besides casualtie is applied to determine the doubt as namely wit skill industrie the like These termes being thus cleared I answer first that by the tenor of your words you seeme to allow Mixt Lots in Gaming and only disallow Meere Lots Whereas notwithstanding you dispute anon against the vse of all Lots in light matters So that you haue not exprest your selfe distinctly enough and thereby giue iust occasion to suspect that you apprehend of this matter but confusedly Secondly I deny this Proposition affirming the Lots both Mixt and Meer are lawfull even in the lightest matters and consequently that cards and dice and tables and all other Games of the like nature are lawfull and may
Sacramentaries imagine this Sacrament to be only the creatures of Bread and Wine I would faine knowe whom you vnderstand by these Sacramentaries If the Church of England it is a loud vntruth For we acknowledge that the Sacrament consisteth of two things the one Earthly the other Heavenly as Irenaeus speaketh that is of the outward Elements and the Lords Body If there be any other who imagin as you say spare them not let them hardly be called Sacramentaries But know withall that we detest both them you them for retaining no more then the signes you for excluding them and establishing nothing but Shewes Accidents insteed of them In regard whereof they may iustly requite you with the name of Accidentaries N. N. And if Protestants will say for an evasion as they doe that their Bread is not Common Bread but such Bread being eaten and receaued by Faith worketh the effect of Christs Body in them and bringeth them his Grace Catholikes answer that so did the Figures and Sacraments also of the old Testament being receaued by Faith in Christ to come as the ancient Fathers and Preachers receaued thē And forasmuch as Protestants doe farther hold that there is no difference betweene the vertue and efficacie of those old Sacraments and ours which Catholikes deny it must needs follow that both Catholikes and Protestants agree that the Fathers of the old Testament beleeued in the same Christ to come that we doe now being come their Figures and Shadowes must be as good as our truth in the Sacrament that was prefigured if it remaine Bread still after Christs institution and Consecration I. D. Here least wee should escape your hands by some one Evasion or other you endeavor very diligently to block vp the passage against vs. For whereas your Argument was that vnlesse Christ be really present in the Sacrament the Iewish Figures are as good as our truth you bring vs in answering thereto that our Bread is not Common Bread but such as being eaten by Faith worketh the Effect of Christs Body and bringeth Grace Indeed we say that our Sacramentall Bread is not Common Bread and we farther confesse that whosoeuer receaueth the same worthily eateth withall the Body of Christ and receaueth Grace But we neuer say it in answer to your Objectiō neither cā we with any reason For wee are not ignorant that the signes also in the old Sacraments were not Common or Profane things but sanctified and set apart to holy vses and that being receaued by Faith they were thereby partakers of Christ and all his benefits as well as we The right answer wee giue is by denying the consequence our Sacraments as wee haue shewed many waies excelling those of the old Testament though there be no Transubstantiation at all So that this is not an Evasion as you say of ours but rather a fiction and device of yours to the end you may seeme to prevaile in something being not able to gainesay the true Answer But Catholikes you say deny the old Sacraments that Vertue and efficacie which they grant to the new I know they doe For they hold that the new Sacraments justifie and conferre Grace by the very work done without any respect to the merit or Faith of the receauer which the old Sacraments did not But hereby you vtterly overthrow your owne Argument For how doth this follow vnlesse there be a Real Presence our sacraments excell not seeing in your owne opinion they are farre more Vertuous and Effectual then those of the old Covenant Howbeit this Tenent of yours is too palpably absurd for it giueth vnto the creature a divine vertue of percing into the soul and cleansing the sinnes thereof which is proper vnto God And if the word preached profit vs nothing vnlesse it be mingled with Faith no nor the Flesh of Christ it selfe except it be eaten by Faith how can it be imagined that Water or Bread or any other Sacramentall Element should availe vnto Iustification without any respect vnto Faith at all Herevnto agree the Fathers S. Hierom Man only applyeth water but God the holy spirit by whom ou◠filthinesse is cleansed the sinnes of bloud are purged And S. Augustine Without this sanctification of invisible grace what doe the visible sacraments availe That visible Baptisme which wanted invisible sanctification nothing profited Simon Magus And againe Water clenseth the heart the word effecting it not because it is spoken but beleeued But of this enough N. N. But Catholike Fathers did vnderstand the matters far otherwise And to allege one for all for that hee spake in the sense of all in those daies S. Hierom talking of one of those foresaid Figures to wit of the shew-Bread and comparing it with the thing figured and by Christ exhibited saith thus There is so much difference betweene the Shew-bread and the body of Christ prefigured thereby as there is difference betweene the shadow and the Body whose shadow it is and betweene an image and the truth which the image representeth and betweene certaine shapes of things to come and the things themselues prefigured by those shapes And thus of Figures and presignifications of the old Testament I. D. To what end this passage of St Hierom To proue our Sacraments to be of greater vertue efficacy then those of old This indeed should be your conclusion but St Hieroms words inferre it not For hee compareth the Shew-bread not with the bread in the Eucharist but with Christs body betwixt which I confesse there is as maine a difference as there is betwixt the Shaddow and the Body But I beseech you is there not as great a difference betweene water in Baptisme and the Blood of Christ or bread in the Eucharist and the Body of Christ Doubtlesse there is for they are all but figures of the same Verity namely Christ. Whereas therefore you argue thus Hierom preferreth the body of Christ vnto Shew-bread as farre as the substance exceedeth the shadow Ergo our Sacraments are more vertuous then those of old or if you will for indeed I know not well what you would conclude Ergo the body of Christ is really present by transubstantiation it is a miserable non sequitur and without either rime or reason For vpon the same ground I may aswell inferre the contrary thus Christs body excells Eucharisticall Bread as much as the substance doth the shadow Ergo Shew-bread and the old Sacraments are more vertuous then ours The maine error is that you tye the Body of Christ vnto our new Sacraments if not vnto the Eucharist only whereas indeede he is the Truth of all Sacraments both old and new and therefore is alike present and powerfull in them all to all that beleeue as contrarily to the incredulous and vnbeleeuers his Grace is alike vneffectuall And thus much of your first Argument N. N. The opinion of the ancient Fathers grounded vpon the Scriptures as vpon those speeches of our Saviour This is my
that receaue it The body of Christ not many Bodies but one Body Whence I argue as wee by receauing the Sacrament are made Christs Body so is the Bread But wee are not made his Body corporally by way of Transubstantiation Ergo neither is the Bread nay much lesse is the Bread But Saint Chrysostome saith Not by faith only but in very deed True Yet not as if he that is ioyned to Christ by Faith were not indeed ioyned for as Saint Augustine saith The Apostle deceiueth vs not who saith that Christ dwelleth in our harts by faith He is in thee because faith is in thee Nor as if he would exclude Faith and that a man might be vnited vnto Christ by some other meanes without Faith How then His meaning plainly is this that wee are ioyned vnto Christ by Faith and by charity and that this coniunction is not only imaginary as some may foolishly conceiue by the apprehension of the mind and phantasy or by participation of the spirituall gifts and graces of Christ but true and Reall by communication of his very Flesh vnto vs. Of which more in the next testimony Saint Cyril saith that wee are conioyned vnto Christ corporally by communication of his flesh and againe that in the Sacrament wee corporally and substantially receiue the Sonne of God Wherevnto I answere that Saint Cyril disputeth against a certaine Heretike who held that wee are one with Christ by Faith in his Deity and not by coniuction with his Flesh and to this purpose wrested that saying of our Saviour wherein he calleth himselfe a Vine vs the branches and his Father the Husbandman To refute this he endeavoureth to shew that wee are ioyned vnto him not only by that Faith whereby wee beleeue him to be the Sonne of God and that Charity whereby wee loue him and spiritually embrace him but also in our Flesh to his very Flesh and that therefore Christ not only in regard of Deity is the Vine and wee his Branches but also in respect of his Body May it not saith hee conveniently be said that his humanity is the vine and wee the Branches by reason of the identity of nature And to proue this he drawes his argument from this Sacrament for that by it not only the gifts and graces of his Deity but also his true reall Body is after an inscrutable and vnspeakable manner communicated vnto vs. True it is he vseth the word corporally but he saith also by the participation of the same flesh Whereby he insinuateth that hee intendeth not by that word to expresse the Manner how we are vnited but the Thing wherevnto wee are vnited after a Bodily manner but vnto the Body Else this absurdity will follow that wee by the Sacrament are after a Bodily manner in Christ as well as Christ is in vs for Saint Cyril affirmeth both that wee are corporally in Christ and Christ corporally in vs. Whereas therefore Cyril saith not only by Faith and charity but also corporally he doth not exclude the one but admitteth both as appeareth by that he saith both spiritually and corporally are wee the Branches and Christ the Vine And the plaine meaning is that not only in regard of the Spirit or Deity of Christ and our faith charity but also in respect of his very Flesh are wee truly ioyned vnto him More briefly wee are vnited not to his Divinity or Humanity alone but vnto both N. N. Wherevnto for more explication addeth Theophilact When Christ said this is my Body hee shewed that it was his very Body indeede and not any Figure correspondent therevnto for he said not This is the figure of my body but this is my body By which words the bread is transformed by an vnspeakable operation though to vs it seeme still bread And againe in another place Behold that the Bread which is eaten by vs in the mysteries is not only a figuration of Christs flesh but the very flesh indeed for that the Bread is transformed by secret words into the flesh And another Father more ancient then he aboue twelue hundred yeares past handled these words of Christ This is my Body saith It is not the figure of Christs Body and Blood as some blockish minds haue trifled but it is truly the Body and Blood of our Saviour indeed I. D. The testimonies of Theophilact I might safely if I would passe over in silence for that hee liued some nine hundred yeares after Christ and therefore is too young to be reckoned among the ancient Fathers Neverthelesse let vs heare what he brings Christ saith not This is the figure of my body but this is my body True neither was it fit to speake otherwise For in the institution of a Sacrament what forme can be more fit then that which is proper to a Sacrament That forme is to giue vnto the signe the name of that whereof it is a signe Hence is circumcision called the covenant and the Lamb the Passeover and Baptisme our Death and Buriall with Christ. The reason because of the resemblance that is betweene the Sacraments and those things whereof they are Sacraments as Saint Augustine saith As also to raise our thoughts from setling on that which is earthly and elementall in them to the contemplation of that heauenly grace which is signified and exhibited by them as Theodoret saith But of this what doth he collect That it is his very body indeed and not any figure thereof Not any Figure Those that are both his ancestors and betters say otherwise Tertullian The bread that was taken and given to the Disciples Christ made his body saying This is my body that is the Figure of my body Augustine The Lord did not sticke to say This is my body when hee gaue the signe of his body And againe The Lord at his supper commended and deliuered to his Disciples the figure of his body and blood Amhrose The new Testament is confirmed by blood in a Figure of which blood wee receiue the mysticall cup. Hierom Iesus tooke bread and giuing thankes brake it transfiguring his body into the bread Finally for it would be infinite to alledge all what more frequent in the writings of the Fathers then Signes Sacraments Figures Symbols Types Anti-types Mysteries Samplars Images Similitudes Remembrances and the like Against all whose yea Theophilacts Nay is not worth a straw Yet for all this if you will giue him leaue to interpret himselfe I see not but his Nay may easily bee reconciled to their Yea. For in the next passage by you vouched he faith It is not only a Figuration as if hee should say A figure it is but it is not only so not a bare and naked Figure but a Figure endued from on high with the efficacy of the Spirit according to that of St Cyprian The truth is present to the signe and the spirit to the Sacrament As
enough to be numbred among the ancient Fathers In regard whereof as also because of those many shamefull errors and fabulous narrations every where appearing in his writings hee is one of little or no authority in the Church of God He was the first that removed the bounds of the ancient Doctors in this matter bringing in sundry new strange terms never heard of in former times the misvnderstanding of which by little and little prepared a way to that deformed monster of Transubstantiation Neverthelesse it is certaine that howsoever many of his speeches may seeme harsh and inconvenient and great advantage hath beene taken of them that way yet himselfe was cleane of another mind Let vs therefore heare what hee saith It is made saith hee by the Holy Ghost even as our Lord made for himselfe a body out of the Virgin mother If so then is it not made by Transubstantiation for Christ assuming a body turned not his Deity into it Yet was the worke of the Holy Ghost necessary for he alone is able to sanctify the Naturall element and to invest them with Supernaturall graces The same saith he of Baptisme He hath ioyned the Grace of the Holy Ghost to oile and water and hath made it the washing of Regeneration And Leo yet more fully vsing the selfe-same comparison Christ gave vnto water that which he gaue vnto his mother for the power of the most high and over shaddowing of the holy Ghost which made that Mary brought forth the Saviour hath made water to regenerate the beleeuer Whereby you see that the same power of Gods Spirit by which the blessed Virgin conceived may be emploied in a Sacrament without that change and conversion that you imagine of And that Damascen though hee aknowledged a change of the Bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ yet was not acquainted with your change may appeare by these words Because it is the manner of men to eat bread and to drinke wine with water he hath conioyned his divinity with them and made them his body and blood that by vsuall things and which are according to nature we might be setled in these things that are aboue nature Here you see hee conioyneth the Divinity with bread and wine Now coniunction is only of those things that are and haue a being Bread and Wine therefore still are If they be then are they not abolished And if they be not abolished then is Transubstantiation gone Adde herevnto that Accidents without Substance are not Vsuall things nor according to Nature and therefore not they but true bread and true Wine are the things which in Damascens judgement raise vs vp to those things that are aboue Nature But of him enough N. N. The perishing meat and pleasures of this world please me not I long for Gods Bread the heauenly Bread the bread of life which thing is the flesh of Christ the Sonne of God I. D. That Ignatius wrote an Epistle to the Romans both Eusebius and Hierom testify and that this which now passeth vnder that title may be the right Epistle I deny not Howbeit it is confessed of all that those Epistles which are granted to be his are not come vnto our hands perfect For some passages are cited out of them by some of the ancients as Hierom Theodoret and others which now are not found in them and some are manifestly corrupted and depraved as appeareth So that if Baronius and Bellarmine might challenge them of corruption in those places which make for Saint Pauls marriage and against halfe Communions I hope I haue as much liberty to challenge the place by you alleaged if it made any thing against vs. But it needs not for Ignatius speaketh not there of the Sacrament and therefore it maketh nothing to the purpose Neither doth it follow The bread is flesh Ergo by Transubstantiation N. N. We ought so to communicate with our Lords table that wee doubt nothing of the verity of his Body and Bloud seeing he said Except yee eat the Flesh of the Son of man c. I. D. Leo disputeth in this place against the Eutychians who denied the truth of Christs body and thus he argueth The Eucharist is a symboll of the body of Christ Ergo Christ hath a true body and whosoever will rightly communicate must nothing doubt thereof So reasoneth also Theodoret. For Orthodoxus demanding whether Bread and Wine were Symbols of the true body blood of Christ or no and being answered yea he thus concludes If the divine mysteries be samplars of the true body then the body of the Lord is now also true and not changed into the nature of the Divinity Hence may you see the weaknesse of your Argument Communicants may not doubt that Christ hath a true body or if you will that the true body of Christ is in the Eucharist Ergo bread is transubstantiated into body Ridiculous N. N. As therefore our Baptisme is made by reall washing with water and reall renewing of the Holy Ghost so now in the Supper of Christ it behooueth wee bee really fed with the fruit of the tree of life which is none other thing besides the flesh of Christ. I. D. If we yeelded Euthymius vnto you the matter were not great For he liued vpward of eleven hundred yeares after Christ and your owne Chronologers place him after Gratian and Peter Lombard Yet what saith hee It behooueth that in the supper wee be really fed with the flesh of Christ. Really fed Who doubteth of it But you are to know that Reall doth not necessarily import your Carnall manner For Spirituall is also Reall vnlesse you will say a spirit is no thing N. N. It is a remembrance of Christs death by the presence of the body which died It is the Body and Bloud of Christ covered from our eyes revealed to our Faith feeding presently our body and soule to everlasting life I. D. This Nicephorus also liued eleauen hundred yeares after Christ and therefore is none of the Fathers nor of any great authority Neither doth that which hee saith conclude your purpose For Christs Body may bee and is present Sacramentally and to our faith and presently feed both soules and bodies to everlasting life and yet Bread and Wine remaine still in the Sacrament Else where hee calleth the outward Elements symbolls and signes of the Passion of Christ. If symbolls and signes then not the Body it selfe N. N. They receiue not the fruit of Saluation in the eating of the healthfull sacrifice They eat the healthfull Sacrifice which surely is nothing else but the naturall body of Christ but the frute they receiue not As many men take an healthfull medicine but because their bodies bee evill affected it proueth not healthfull to them I. D. Thus you reason The healthfull Sacrifice is the naturall body of Christ Ergo Bread by Transubstantiation is made the body of Christ. How
beleeue and aske not How as if wee doubted of the truth of them Nay wee constantly adhere vnto them though we thinke it impossible to know the manner How But your words vnlesse you demonstrate them wee are not bound to beleeue and wee may without offence as I thinke demand How that may be which you affirme yea reiect it too if wee find it repugnant to the rule of Faith or of right reason N. N. I forgot to set downe this place of Saint Paul in his due place which is a cleare confirmation of S. Paul who for resoluing doubts as it seemed had conference with Christ himselfe after his ascension for before he could not being no Christian when Christ ascended the matter will bee more evident His words are these to the Corinthians For I haue receiued from our Lord himselfe that which I haue deliuered vnto you about the Sacrament And doe you note the word For importing a reason why he ought specially to be beleeued in this affaire for asmuch as hee had receiued resolution of the doubt from Christ himselfe and then he setteth downe the very same words againe of the institution of this Sacrament that were vsed by Christ before his Passion without alteration or new exposition which is morally most certaine that hee would haue added for clearing all doubts if there had beene any other sense to haue beene gathered of them then the plaine words themselues doe beare I. D. Omitting your amplifications of Pauls conference with Christ of his learning thereby to resolue all doubts of rendring it as a reason why he is to be beleeued in this matter of the Sacrament although I for my part know of no such conference as you speake of but only of an immediat inspiration into him by the Spirit of Christ of all truths wherein hee was to informe the Church which why you should call a Conference I cannot guesse Omitting I say all these Circumstances and by talks the substance of your argument is this If the words had had any other sense then the plaine words themselues doe beare then certainly S. Paul would haue cleared it But this hee endeavoureth not for he doth but repeat the words of institution and that without alteration or exposition Ergo the words haue no other sense then the plaine words themselues doe beare I answere the plaine words are This namely This bread is my body Which Proposition taken precisely and according to the letter cannot possibly be true The best of your owne side as hath already and shall againe bee shewed confesse so much Why therefore did not S. Paul more plainely expound it Hee needed not for it was a Sacramentall speech And whosoeuer knewe the nature of a Sacrament could not but vnderstand it Sacrameâ—â—ally thus This is the Sacrament of my Body But where you say St Paul added nothing for clearing of doubts you are much deceaued For the sixth seuenth and eight and twenty verses are added to that end In which among other things three times he calleth that Bread which wee eat in the Lords Supper And if that which wee eat then that which is consecrated And if that which is consecrated then Bread remaines after consecration which vtterly overthroweth your Transubstantiation And it is farther to be noted that Saint Paul comming after our Saviour Christ it is to be presumed that he meant rather to cleare and enlighten his words then to obscure darken them Yet he darkens them if that which we eat â—ee truely and properly Christs Body and not Bread Yeâ— hee entiâ—eth people into errour and diggeth a pit for them to fall into For it appearing Bread vnto the Sense and man naturally yeelding credit to the report thereofâ— hee should rather haue called it as it is Flesh if it be Flesh and not feed vs in errour by calling it so often Bread But to this you reply as followeth N. N. I was the more willing to set downe those words of S. Paul although not in their due place because M. Downe iâ— his writing seemeth to take so much â—old of S. Pauls words in calling it Bread in divers placâ—s wherein S. Paul meanâ— no other Bread then that Christ declared it to bee 〈◊〉 his lâ—st Supper and as one of the Fathers before cited calleth it the heavenly Bread the Bread of life I. D. What hold soeuer M. Downe tooke of S. Pauls words this answer is not able to remoue it By Bread say you the Body of Christ is meant If so then haue wee found that which hetherto you could not endure to heare of a Figuratiue speech in the Sacrament for Christs body properly is not Bread But why doth hee call it Bread Because before consecration it was Bread as some say Noâ— so for it was never Bread Or because it seemeth to bee Bread as others say Noâ— so for Christs body nor is nor seemeth Bread Why then because in Scripture all nourishment is called Bread Nor so for in that sense vnder Bread Drinke is comprehended whereas our Apostle distinguishes them as divers things Let him eat saith hee of that Bread and drinke of that Cup. Is it lastly because Christs body lies hid vnder the shewes of bread Absurd for by the same reason you may call the Casket by the name of a Diamond because it containes it The truth is S. Paul vnderstands by bread not Christs body but that which in proper speech is so For Christs true body cannot be broke but this bread even after consecration is broken For so he saith The bread which we breake is it not the Communion of the body of Christ N. N. All which laid together and the vniforme consent of expositions throughout the whole Christian world concurring in the selfe-same sense and meaning of all these Scriptures about the Real Presence of Christs true Body in the Sacrament you may imagine what motiue it is end ought to be to a Catholike man who desireth to beleeue and not to striue contend Besides this Protestants haue not one authority nor can produce any one at this day that expresly saith that Christs Reall Body is not in the Sacrament 〈…〉 only a Figure Signe or token thereof though divers impertinent peeces of some Fathers speeches they will now and then pretend to alleage So on the contrary side the Catholikes doe behold for their comfort the whole â—â—nke of ancient Fathers throughout every age standing with them in this vndoubted truth I. D. Indeed if you haue the Vniforme consent of expositions throughout the whole Christian world concurring with you and the whole ranke of Fathers throughout every age standing with you in this as you suppose vndoubted truth I must needs confesse it both is and ought to be a sufficient Motiue vnto you to perswade assent vnto the truth thereof But if vpon due examination you finde that not one of them all doth so expound as you doe and that your Author hath presented you with a list
of Faith because it is not a matter altogether so necessary for all men and because for this reason peradventure it is omitted in the Nicen Creed the knowledge of which Creed seemeth to be sufficient for fulfilling the Precept of Faith Lastly for this cause peradventure Augustine and other of the Fathers expounding the Creed doe not vnfold this mystery vnto the people Thus he But perhaps your Author hath reason for what he saies Certainly none at all Only he rakes together all the vehement and passionate speeches whatsoever hee can finde to haue passed from any of our pens in heat of contention to worke all the disgrace he can vpon vs. And if any of vs for proofe of his Conclusion draw his Argument from an Article of Faith then shall say as sometimes through too much eagernesse men vse to doe the Controversie is about such an Article loe saith your Author by and by a difference in matters Essentiall and Fundamentall whereas notwithstanding we all agree in the Article and the difference lies only in the Conclusion And seeing in all disputations it is the manner to fetch proofs from common Principles assented vnto on all sides what folly is it leaving the Question in debate to make that the matter of controversie wherein we all perfectly accord If any in pursuing their quarrels haue suffered themselues to bee transported with passion farther then becomes Christian charitie I acknowledge humane infirmitie vndertake not to defend them Yet you may knowe that others haue proceeded much farther For in that of Theophilus Patriarch of Alexandria and Epiphanius B. of Cyprus against Chrysostome they grew to such violence that Epiphanius and he cursed one the other many were slaine in taking of parts the Cathedral Church of Constantinople and the Senate house were burned to the groūd Chrysostome himselfe lost both his Bishopricke and life in banishment Which made Baronius beginning to entreat thereof to vse these words A shamefull contention in the Church the lamentable narration whereof I now take in hand wherein shall bee described the bickering and cursed persecution not of Gentiles against Christians or Hereticks against Catholikes or wicked men against good iust men but which is monstrous and prodigious of Saints and holy men one against another But what is there all peace in the Romish Church no quarrell no contention at all So would your lying Masters haue all their credulous schollers to beleeue though all the world knowe to the contrary For haue there not beene therein about thirtie Schismes and some of them continuing many yeares together wherein Pope hath beene against Pope one thundring excommunications against another and by their factions renting the whole Christian world asunder Haue there not beene long quarrells betweene the Franciscans and Dominicans about the Conception of the blessed Virgin Mary Doth the Church of France at this day admit of the Councel of Trent which you count the chiefest stake in your hedge Was there not of late a foule bickering betweene the state of Venice and the Pope about the power hee would haue vsurped over them I suppose you are not such a stranger in England but you may haue heard of the infamous dissentions betweene the Secular Priests and Iesuits Which themselues were not ashamed to publish to the world For a tast thus say the Seculars of the Iesuits and you may assure your selfe they were repaid in their owne coine Howsoeuer Iesuits talke of their perfections holinesse and meditations exercises yet their plat-forme is heathenish tyrannicall satanicall and able to set Aretine Lucian Machiavel yea Don Lucifer in sort to schoole It seemeth impossible for Antichrist to invent a more sleightie plausible and colourable devise nor with greater art more cunning tricks bring it about to make him be credited then the Iesuits haue invented and put in practise Iesuits teach that the Catholique Church must now hang vpon the Monarchie of K. Philip and his heires A Iesuit maintained that a man that is no Christian may be Pope There is not a Iesuit nor a Iesuits fautor any where to bee found but hath a foule tast of Atheisme Iesuits impudence to deny all truths against them as lies obiect any slaunderous lie as a truth The Pope said of them that on the one side they pretended piety and zeale and on the other shewed the very spirit of the Divell in pride contumacy and contradiction c. They haue three maxims times are changed and wee are changed in them all for the time and nothing for the truth divide and rule Of Father Parsons also thus in particular A bastard vnhonestly begot basely borne a Wolsey in ambition a Midas in Mundicity a traitor in action The villany of this bastardly Renegate Parsons cursed be the houre wherein he was borne the sonne of sinne of iniquity of sacrilege of the people of the Divell The great Emperour illegitimate irregular abstract quintessence of all coines coggeries and forgeries Parsons the bastard of Stockersey O monster of mankinde fitter for Hell then middle earth Thou giuest occasion to divers to thinke thou art not a meere man but some Fairy-brat begotten by an Incubus or Aërish spirit vpon the body of a base woman I might be infinite in this kind but this is enough to let you see that all the distemper lies not on our side but that your very ring-leaders can outrage one another and farre exceed vs in bitternesse and tartnesse And least you should thinke that all your quarrells are rather about by matters then in points of Doctrine know that herein also you are miserably distracted and divided Your ancient Schoolemen Thomas Scotus Durandus Occam and the rest what almost doth any one of them say but is straight gainsayed by another Is it not ordinary also with your new writers Bellarmine Suares Gregory of Valentia Stapleton and others one to controll and confute the others opinions Bozius saith Warmington blameth many excellent Divines namely Bellarmine calling them new Divines and teachers of false Doctrine The Vulgar translation of the Bible I suppose is made Authenticall by your Trent Fathers yet saith the Iesuit Mariana there hath beene of Late especially in Spaine such disputation moued about it among Divines and pursued with such heat and eagernesse and implacable hatred on each side that from reproaches and contumelies wherewith they disgraced one the other they came at length vnto the tribunalls and that side which was most confident vexed their adversaries most greevously accusing them in point of religion as wicked proud arrogant such as boldly elevate the authority of the bookes of God and the credit of that interpretation which the Church every where vseth and is tearmed Vulgar preferring and bringing in new interpretations contrary to the Lawes both of God and man and the decrees of the Tridentine Councell not long since published And now at this instant what deadly warres are