A Quench-Coal, Inquiry 2 · Part 4
The fourth Reason.
A fourth reason they produce in print is this: Let us learne of our Mother C…urches, for there our reverend Fathers the Prelates and others make there reverence to God on this wise both at their entry and returne. VVherefore to follow their good and holy patterne, we also are to doe the like, both at our first coming in to Gods house, and at our going out, so Shelford in his Sermon of Gods house, p. 20. and the Coale too, p. 1. 2. 27. 64.
And if I may judge, this is the cheife, if not the sole reason, why most men use this Ceremony. The Arch-Bishops both doe & practise it for reasons best knowne to themselves; and the Prebends, Deanes and Cathedrall men with other Ministers and C…rates in Citty, Court and Country, to imitate and please the Bishoppes, whose precepts and examples all are to obey and follow without any examination or demurre (as these writers, to witt, the Colier in his C…ale, pag. 2. & Reeves in his Exposition of the Catechisme in the Common-prayer-B…oke Dogmatize) else wee shall soone finde a speedy dissolution both of church and State.
To this Reason then I answer:
First, that Gods written Law, not our Prelates examples, no further th… warranted by Gods word, Cor. 11. 1. is the only rule both of Minsters and peoples obedience in matters of faith; Gal. 6. 16. Psal. 119. 9. 2 Pet. 1. 19.
And it together with the the Lawes of the Realme, and Canons confirmed by Acts of Parliament, (of which fort there are none now extant) the only rule for them to follow in matters of Ceremony.
Since therefore this bowing is neither commaunded by Gods Law, nor any Stat…te or Canon confirmed by Parliament, and the Statute of 1. Eliz. c. 2. expresly prohibits all Rites and Ceremonies but such as are prescribed by Parliament, in the Booke of Common-prayer, (as this is not) the Bishoppes practise therefore or Cathedrall usage, are no good arguments to perswade the practise of it.
Secondly, God forbid, that the Bishoppes practise should be the rules of mens obedience, many of them living and doing things quite contrary to Christs precepts in all things. Christ prohibites them both to be or called Gracious Lords, Mat. 20. 25. 26. L…ke 22. 25. 26. 1 Pet. 5. 1. 23. And they desire both to be Lords, and to be so stiled of all men, and style themselves so too; He prohibits them all civill temporall Offices, Iurisdiction and Dominion, sBishop White his Title to his Treatise of the Sabbath, and Bishop Morton in his Institution of the Sacrament Edit. 2.they ingrosse all into their hands. He would have them be content only with one sword, Ephes. 6. 17. to wit, of the spirit, the word of God, and they in despite of him will not only chalenge and possesse, but use and abuse both. He commaunds them to be lowly and humble, Matth. 11. 29. Col. 3. 12. And they studdy nothing else but to be pround and lofty; He enjoynes them to be pittifull and mercifull, even as he is mercifull, Col. 2. 12. 13. Ephes. 4. 31. 32. Luke 6. 36. And they shew themselves altogether pittilesse and cruell. He wils them to be*1 Tim. 3. 2. to 9. Tit. 1. 5. to 11. Eph. 4 31. 32. 1 Pet. 1. 15 16. 2 Tim. 4. 1. 2. 3. patient, and yet who more cholericke and angrie? to be meeke and gentle, yet who more insolent and inhumaine? To be ready to pardon and forgive; And yet who so dispitefull, malicious or revengfull? To be holy in all maner of conversation even as he is holy; And yet who so prophane or in heart, in life? So malignant against purity, holinesse, and holy men as they? To be apt to teach, and yet who more unfitt or unwilling to preach then they? To preach the word in season and out of season, and that every day; Vnde necesse est in singules, ut ita dicam dies sementum facere, ut ipsa saltem assiduitate doctrinae, sermonem auditorum animi retinere possint. S. Chrysestom: l. 6. de sacer: Tom. 5. Col. 471. Yet they will neither doe it themselves, and silence all others who desire to doe it; Having made almost a famine of Gods Word, throughout out the Land, Amos 8. 11. He presoribes them; to …sed his flocke, (Acts 20. 28. Ioh. 21. 15. 16. 17. Ezech. 36. 6. to 17. Ioh. 10. 1. &c. Ia. 40. 1. 2.) and they starue them; To seeke his wandring sheepe, and they runne from and looke not after them; To be Pastors to them, yet who such theeves and mu… therers, who not only fleece, but kill, sley, devoure, and sucke the very blood of their sheepe? To comfort his people, and speake comfortably to his inheritance, yet who such causes of greife, vexation, oppression, teares, and anguish of heart unto them, as they? He commaunds them to be blamelesse, yet who more …candalous and blame-worthy? Not selfewilled; Yet who so violont, wilfull and head strong in all their undertakings? Not soone angry, yet who more touchie or outragious? No strikers; Yet who strike more then they, and that with both Swords, with which they lay on like mad men almost in every place? Not given to filthy lucre, yet who more griping and covetous? Not given to wine, yet who love or follow it more then they? Sober; Yet who so Incivill? Iust; Yet who unjust, oppressive, or treacherous both in word and deede. Temperaie; Yet who more immoderate in all kind of pompe and luxurie? Ruling well their owne houses; Yet whataBucer Enarrat. in Psal. 92 houses or servants so unruly, disorderly, irreligious or prophane as theirs? Men having a good report of all men; bQuod si Pontifices nolunt de se turpia narrari, aut nefaria, nihil ejusmodi faciant: aut cum fecerint, nō putent caipsa ita latere, ut & sciri & posteris narrari nequeant. Papir. Massa:Yet who so ill reported of as they? Men holaing fast the faithfull word, as they have been taught; Yet who such Apostates from the truth, and revolters from the established doctrine of the Church, as they? Men able and williug by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince the gainesayers; Yet who so unwilling (if not unable) to doe it, as many of them?
God forbid. then that their example should be our precedents. J read in our learned Bale (Scriptorum Brit. Cent. 9. c. 97. p. 756. See Bishop Whites Orthodox paragr. 12. p. 63.) in the life of Iohn White Bishop of Winchester, whom he styles Antichristi Romani terrificus Minister, Principum illusor, animorum carnifex, duplex & periurus, hypocrita, qui rostris & unguibus in regno Angliae restituere conatur, omnes Antichristi Rom…ni tyranides, idololatrias, faetida, & impia dognita universa; That as he changed his religion like a Weather-cocke with the times, so he had this disticke bestowed upon him for his paines, by Iohn Parkhurst.
Candidus es recte, nec candidus es, Rogitas cur?
Nomine candidus es, Moribus niger es.
And may wee not now say the like of some of our Candid Prelates, who like the Polypus change their colour with the Climate, and can shift themselves out of one colour into another at their pleasure, especially Blacke & White; Being sometimes all white in there surplesles, anon all blacke in their gownes, at other times speckled black and white in their Rotchets, wearing their Shirt-sleeves (as a*Mr. Badgers young daughters speech to Bis… Laude who asked him: Why he wore his shirtsleeves upon the top of his cloths Child once ignorantly to…d a Bishop) over their gowne-sleeves.
Those who can thus easily change their garments from white to black, &c. can as easily alter their religion; As some of their Predic…ssours have done. Bishop Pilkington in his Exposition upon Aggeus, chap. 1. verse 9. tells us of some, Bishops here in England in Queen Maries dayes, (which some beginne to magnify) who in one yeares space confirmed the p…eaching of the Gospell of Christ, and pure Ministring of Gods Sacramēts, & the same men within the same yeare, with the same impudent mouthes and blasphemous tongues brought in the Pope, set up Jdols, banished Christ and his holy Supper, appointed for all men that will to receive it together, tooke way his holy Gospell, Table and Sacraments, and placed by their Authority the Masse for one shaveling to eate up all, and blesse the people with empty Chalice, and burned his Preachers to fill their bellies.
I cannot say that some of our Bishops, have in as short a time done the like, or as much as this comes to; Only this I dare say of some of them: cSee the Orthodox faith, &c. in āswer to a Popish Treatise, entitled WHITE DIED BLACK Dr. of Divinity, Deane of Carlile then, now Bishop of Ely, to compare his and his brothers Doctrines and P…sitions there defended, with these since mentioned in his last Treatise, and in the High Commission Court.Qui color Albus erat, nunc est contrarius albo. That they have in a short time altered their colour for the worse, and (like the Albanes of whomdNat. Hist. l. 7. c. 2. Herodotus: l. 2. Plinic writes) growne black in their old age, when as they were white in their youth, contrary to the custome of all other people.
I shall therefore deny this reason to be of force, and conclude with Iohn eBalaeus, Cent. 9. c. 97.Parkhurst verses to England:
Anglia furcatis nimium ne fidito mitris,
Dic rogo, num serus sum tibi praemonitur?