Popish Glorying in Antiquity Turned to their Shame, Title page – Dedication 1
POPISH GLORYING IN ANTIQVITY turned to their shame.
WHEREBY IS SHEWED, how they wrong, villifie, and disgrace, that whereunto they pretend to carry greatest reuerence: and are most guilty of that which they vpbraid vntounto others.
Collected and proued out of themselues, for the singular profit both of PASTORS and PROFESSORS.
By WILLIAM GVILD, Minister at King Edward.
LONDON, Printed for Robert Allot, and are to be sold in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the blacke Beare. 1627.
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL, And truely honorable, SIR ALEXANDER GORDON BARONET, of CLUNIE KNIGHT, &c.
NEver more subtily intended the Gibeonits vnderunder pretence of olde Furniture, & comming from a-farre, to deceiue the Lordes People, nor vnderunder the like pretence of Antiquitie novv, doeth Babels brood intende to doe the same to Bethels Children. Neither more braggingly did ever the carnall Iewes, dissenting frō his Faith, yet claime a corporal descent from Abraham their father, nor doe the craftie Iesuits, dissenting frō their doctrine, yet claime a full consent vvith orthodox Antiquitie: accusing vsus of Noveltie, as Christs ovvn doctrine, & His Apostles, vvas before vsus, that it may be seene true vvhichwhich Sainct Peter fore-prophecied of such: to vvit, That in the latter times there should come false prophets,Marke 1.27. Acts 17.19. 2. Pet. 1.2. vvho privilie should bring in damnable heresies; and by reason of vvhome the vvaye of trueth shoulde bee evill spoken of.
While as vve, notvvithstanding, adhere so to truest Antiquitie, as that consenting vvith Tertullian, Te…. Apol. …lt.vvho saith, Constat id verius esse, quod prius, id prius, quod ab initio, id ab initio, quod ab Apostolis, Is is manifest, that that is truest, which is first; that that is first, which hath bene from the beginning; that that hath beene from the beginning, which hath proceeded from the Apostles; vvee conclude vvith Lyrinensis vvordes, Quod it a docemus, Lyrinens. adversiu hereses.vt cum dicimus nove, nont amen dicimus nova, & vniversum penitus mundum saeva repentinae haereseos tempestate perculsum, adantiquam fidem, à novella perfidia, ad antiquam sanitatem, à novitatis vesania, ad antiquam lucem, à novitatis caecitate revocamus, That we so teach, that when wee speake after a new manner, yet notwithstanding wee speake not new things: and we draw back the whole worlde, affrighted with the cruell tempest of sudden heresie, from recent-broached perfidie, vntounto the ancient Faith; from the madnesse of Noveltie, vntounto sound Antiqultie; from the darknesse of Noveltie, vntounto the ancient Light.
Yet it is no marvell, that as vnderunder pretence of keeping the lavve made against blasphemers, our Head vvas condemned as a blasphemer, by that Iewish High priest;Iohn, 19.7. So vnderunder pretence of pleading for Antiquitie, the members be condemned by the Romane High priest, as violaters of Antiquitie. And as the Hagarenes called themselues Saracenes, so likevvise that vnderunder a name contrary to their nature, that Iesuitish crue, vvho seeme moste to procure for Antiquitie, practize moste against the same.
This Pharisaicall brood being herein (as in other things) like to their fore-fathers, of vvhom our Saviour …aith, Dicūt, sed non faciunt, They say, but doe not: So these men, (as Ioab did to Abner) they speake fairlie, but deale most foulie vvith venerable Antiquitie: 1. Rejecting Scripture (vvhichwhich is most primitiue to vsus, and Gods ovvne mouth) from being sole determiner in Gods ovvne cause; because it is indeed that breath of consumption to their man of sinne: and, like the Arke, it plagueth those Philistimes, and over-throvveth their Dagon. Next, vvhen they hauehave made their recourse frō divine Authoritie, to humane Testimonie, challenging those holie Fathers of the primitiue Church, as impudentlie to bee altogether on their side, as ever that Whoore challenged Athanasius, to be her associate in her filthie Whoordome. Yet notvvithstanding, vvhen they finde that vvherein they repose, so clearly and peremptorly to depose against them; no more disdainfully did ever the Iewes reject Christ, preferring to Him Barabbas, than they reject those Ancients, and their famous testimonies, preferring there-vntounto the giddie Wine of their inebriating Errors: and regarding them only so farre as they seeme to make for them; as Elias sate no longer by Cherith, nor Ionas vnderunder the Gourd, than the one flovved, & the other flovvrished.
Yea, not only dismisse they them, vvith contempt, vvhen they make not for them; but as the envious man, after the husband-mans fielde vvas sovvne vvith good seede, came craftily & quietly there-after, & mingled in his tares: So hauehave our Romanists sundry vvayes sophisticated the famous vvorks of the Lords Worthies, eyther by intermingling their language of Babel, vvith the language of Bethel; and so making their Books lyke a Lincie-vvoolsie Garment: or doing to their paines, as Hanun did to the persons of Davids Embassadours, cutting and curtayling them; or els altering their vvords, & vvhere they vvould say Shibboleth, making to say Siboleth.
And as Paul vvas accused, for bringing in Strangers and Grecians in the Temple, to pollute the same; So most justly may they be accused, for vnjust in bringing of strangers (vvhichwhich are Counterfeits, vnderunder the name of Fathers) into the Church of GOD, vvith such fraudfull Forgerie, to corrupt craftily; and inventing vvittily, to circumvent vvickedly. And all this they doe for the Diana of the Papacie, and supporting of that glorious Whoore of their proude Monarchie; setting not only a Citie, vvith Demetrius, but the vvhole vvorld in vproare: for (as that silver smith sayd) by that Craft they hauehave their vvealth: & if the Lords vvord prevaile, they see their Craft is in danger to be set at naught, and Dagon vvill surely dovvne before the Arke of GOD.
The proofe and particularizing of vvhat is formerly spoken, both in their dealing vvith Fathers, Councels, and Histories, I hauehave summarily hereafter digested, & succinctly set dovvn, & dedicate the same to Your Worships Name, as a most vvorthy Patrō & Pattern of Vertue, sincere in the Truth, zealous against Errour, a Mirrour of Policie, a Map of Humanitie, an Honour to Your Name, an Ornament to Your Countrey, & a sole Moecenas of Letters amongst Your Equals in this respectlesse and clayie Age: vvhose Name, therefore, justly the Penns of the painful shal perpetuate, propagat your Fame, & cōtinue your memorie. And amongst many astricted to your Worship, for your Honorable & vertuous parts, I shall ever approue my selfe
Your Worships in all respectiue duetie, W. GVILD.