The Vanity and Downfall of Superstitious Popish Ceremonies, Title page 1 – Title page 2
THE VANITIE & DOWNE-FALL OF SVPERSTITIOVS POPISH CEREMONIES: OR, A SERMON PREACHED IN THE Cathedrall Church of Durham by one Mr. PETER SMART, a Praebend there, July 27. 1628.
CONTAYNING NOT ONELYONLY AN Hiſtoricall relation of all thoſe ſeverall Popiſh Ceremonies and practiſes which Mr. IOHN COSENS hath lately brought into the ſaid Cathedrall Church: But likewiſe a punctuall confuration of them; eſpecially of erecting Altars, and cringing to them, (a practiſe much in vſe of late) and of praying towards the Eaſt.
PSAL. 4. 3.
O yee ſonnes of men, how long will yee turne my glory into ſhame? how long will you louelove Vanitie, and ſeeke after leaſing?
PHIL. 3. 18, 19.
For many walke, of whom I hauehave told you often, but now tell you weeping, that they are the enemies of the Croſſe of Chriſt. Whoſe end is deſtruction, whoſe God is theyr bellie, whoſe glory is there ſhame, who minde earthly things.
Printed at Edenborough in Scotland, 1628. By the Heyres of ROBERT CHARTERIS.
A briefe, but true hiſtoricall Narration of ſome notorious Acts and Speeches of Mr. IOHN COSENS, and ſome other of his companions contracted into ARTICLES.
WEe doubt not, but the world hath heard, of Mr. IOHN COSENS his ſpeculatiue and theoricall Popery, which hee hath audaciouſly broached in his Booke of Priuate Devotions, or the hoewrs of Prayer, which booke one Mr. BVRTON a zealous Miniſter, and Mr. PRINNE a priuate Gentleman, hauehave largely anſwered; though wee heare they were but ill rewarded for their paines; both of them beeing troubled for theſe their Orthodox Books by your high Commiſſioners, who ſtraine it ſeemes at harmeleſſe gnats, yet ſwallow Camels. We hauehave therefore thought it our bounden dutie as to publiſh this worthy Sermon; ſo to informe the world in particular, how this COSENS hath turned theſe his Popiſh theories and ſpeculations into practiſe.
Imprimis, The ſaid Mr. COSENS hath vttered theſe trayterous ſpeeches, in an open and affirmatiue manner; That the Kings highneſſe, is no more ſupreame Head of the Church of England, then the boy that rubs his horſe heeles (a courſe compariſon for a loyall ſubject) and this as wee are oredibly informed hath beene proued againſt him by the oaths of two ſufficient witneſſes.
Secondly, this COSENS in a Sermon of his vponupon the Parable of the Tares, vttered theſe Popiſh and Antichriſtian ſpeeches. That the Reformers of our Church when they tooke away the Maſſe, they tooke away all Religion, and the whole ſeruice of God: they called it a Reformation, but it was indeed a Deformation. Hee likewiſe ſaid to one that ſwore by the Maſſe, in a frowning manner; That hee wiſt not what hee ſaid, and that hee ſware by a better thing then he was a ware of: The Maſſe is a good thing, and a good word. The Author of this Sermon telling him vponupon occaſion, the Maſſe is diſallowed: hee replyed roundly, will you deny that our ſeruice is a Maſſe? Theſe are his ſpeeches, now behold his actions.
Thirdly, this COSENS hath ſet vp 50. glittering Angels round about the quire of Durham Church, in long ſcarlet gownes, with golden wings and guilded heads; together with three other Images ouer the Byſhops Throne, one of them beeing the Image of Chriſt, with a golden beard, a glorious blew cap with rayes like the ſunne beames; which betokens in the Popes ſchoole, ſome Deitie in the head which it couereth, if it might be knowne to be an extraordinarie Idol to be worſhipped, as this Image hath beene, by ſome Popiſh people which came to ſee it.
Fourthly, On Candlemas day laſt paſt: Mr. COSENS in renuing that Popiſh Ceremonie of burning candles to the honour of our Lady, buſied himſelfe from two of the clocke in the afternoone till foure, in climbing long ladders to ſticke vp wax candles in the ſaid Cathedrall Church: The number of all the Candles burnt that euening, was 220. beſides 16. Torches: 60, of thoſe burning tapers and torches ſtanding vponupon, and neare the high Altar (as he calls it) where no man came nigh.
Fifthly, hee hath brought in a new cuſtome of bowing the body downe to the ground before the Altar, (on which hee hath ſet Candleſticks, Baſons, and Croſſes, Crucyfixes, and Tapers, which ſtand there for a dumbe ſhew:) hee hath taught and enjoyned all ſuch as come neere the Altar to cringe and bow vntounto it: he hath commanded the Choreſters to make low leggs vntounto it, when they goe to light the Tapers that are on it in the winter nights; and in their returne from it, hee hath enjoyned them to make low leggs vntounto it againe, going backewards with their faces towards the Eaſt, till they are out of the incloſure where they ſtand.
Sixthly, hee enjoynes all them that come to the Cathedrall Church, to pray with their faces towards the Eaſt, ſcoulding and brawling with them, euen in time of Diuine Seruice, which refuſe to doe it, and bidding them either to pray towards the Eaſt or to be packing out of the Church: himſelf hath praying and reading his face alwayes turned towards the Eaſt: when he miniſters the Sa…r: he ſtands at the Weſt ſide of the Altar, (as he termes and makes it) not at the North, as the Common prayer booke enjoynes him: that ſo his face may bee Eaſt and his backward parts to the peoples faces, who can neither heare, nor vnderſtand him: hee hath remoued the Readers ancient Deske and Pue: together with all the ſeates, and the Deanes Pue which ſtood on the Eaſt ſide of the Church, to the Weſt ſide, that ſo their faces might ſtand Eaſtward: hee ſends the Ʋirgorers about the Church, to remoue all thoſe, both ſtrangers and others, which ſit downe with their backes to the Eaſt. So deuoted is hee to this Eaſterne Superſtition.
Seuenthly, he hath diuided the Morning Seruice into two parts, the 6. of clocke Seruice which was vſed to bee read onelyonly, and not ſung: hee chaunts with Organs, Shackbuts, and Cornets which yield an hydeous noyſe, and makes that Seruice which was ſcarce one quarter of an houre long before, one houre and an halfe at leaſt: and this hee calls Mattens. The ſecond Seruice at 10 of the clocke hee calls Maſſe, which conſiſts of Epiſtles, and Goſpels, the 10. Commandements, and the Nicene Creed, which are onelyonly to be read on Sondayes and Holydayes, by the order in the Common Prayer Booke.
Eightly, hee enjoynes all the people to ſtand vp at the Nicene Creed, (a Ceremonie which your Church enjoynes not) which he commands to bee ſung with Organs, Shackbuts, and Cornets, and all other inſtruments of Muſicke, which were vſed at the Conſecration of NAEVCHADONOZERS golden Image, (vnfit Inſtruments for Chriſtian Churches where men come for to pray, and not for to chaunt, or heare a ſound or conſort of they know not what) Each who refuſe to ſtand during this muſicall Cries (which laſts for halfe an houre) Mr. COSENS himſelfe hath gone and rayſed them vp, during Diuine Seruice, to the great diſturbance of all there preſent, bidding them to depart out of the Church, and nayling vp their pue doores in deſpite of the Deane and other Praebends, that ſo they might not come into their ſeates.
Ninthly, hee hath turned moſt of the Seruice into Piping, and ſinging, ſo that the people vnderſtand it not no more then they doe Greeke or Hebrew: He hath brought meere ballads and Jigs into the Church, and commanded them to bee ſung for Anthems: and among many other, the three Kings of Colen, IASPER, MELCHIOR and BALTHASER. Hee will not ſuffer ſo much as the holy Communion to bee adminiſtred without an hideous noyſe of vocall and inſtrumentall Muſicke, (the tunes whereof are all taken out of the Maſſe-booke:) whereby the peoples mindes are wholly withdrawne from the holy duty which they are about, and from the meditation of Chriſts bitter death and paſſion. On the faſt day after Eaſter laſt, he commanded the laſt prayer at the end of the Communion, to be ſung with the Organ as an Anthem, ſo that no man could vnderſtand one word, in ſo much that the …cople riſing vp and ſitting when it began to bee ſung, Mr. COSENS call'd to them that ſate neare about them, ſaying, you muſt kneele, you muſt kneele, it is a prayer: then all the congregation kneeled downe, and prayed very deuoutly they knew not what. It was tht fondeſt Faſt that euer any man ſaw, it being rather a Triumph, then any Faſt or Humiliation.
Tenthly, he hath brought diuers old Copes which hauehave beene vſed in May-games heretofore, one of them hauing the picture of the Trinitie embroydered vponupon it, and theſe Copes hee would enjoyne the Praebends conſtantly to weare.
Eleuenthly, hee hath imployed diuers Recuſant Papiſts (and ſuch onelyonly in making of wax candles, Crucifixes and glaſſe windowes; in guilding and painting of Images and the Altar, fit workemen for ſuch Idolatrous workes, and incite inſtruments to reuiue and ſet vp Poperie once againe.
Twelfely, hee hath violently inforced the obſeruation of thoſe Ceremonies, going about the Church like a mad man, thruſting ſome out by the head and ſhoulders, calling them Pagans, when they ſtood quietly hearing Seruice and refuſing to obſerue his Popiſh Ceremonies. Hee hath likewiſe gone about the Altar (for ſo hee calls it) before the Communion, croſſing the cuſhions, kiſſing the Altar clothes, and ſmacking them with his lippes: in ſo much, as ſome ſeeing him ſo ridiculouſly occupied, ſayd one to another, looke, looke, is not the man mad, looke I pray is hee not mad. Theſe and ſundry other Popiſh Innouations hath Mr. COSENS brought into the Church of Durham: and now ſee their fruits. One Mr. FRANCIS BVRGONIE Parſon of Wermoth, following Mr. COSENS his practiſes, hath taken away the Communion table out of his Pariſh Church, and in ſtead thereof hath erected an Altar in the Eaſt end of the Chancell, made of a graue-ſtone. This ſtone he hath layd vponupon a wall, not on a frame; he hath adorned it with guilded hangings round about it, contrary to the Communion Booke: this Altar hee worſhippeth with the bowing of his knee vntounto it, and there both hee and his Curate read part of the Seruice, ſo that moſt of the people on both ſides, can neyther heare, nor ſee them. This example of Mr. BVRGONIE many pariſh Churches elſe are reported to follow, to the great offence of Religious people, the great advancement of Popery and Superſtition, which are like to overflow the whole Byſhoppricke of Durham if they are not in time ſuppreſſed: In ſo much that the Papiſts of Durham ſay openly: The Proteſtants need not labour to bring vsus to them, for they are comming apace to vsus. Thus, thus alas, Grex totus in agris vnius ſcabie cadit: Our prayer, our deſire therefore to this preſent aſſembly of Parliament, is but this: Pereat vnus, ne pereamus omnes. Let Mr. COSENS with all his great Abbetters and Diſciples, rather periſh with theyr pardons, (which wee heare his potent Byſhop patron, who ſhould hauehave rather procured them an helter then a pardon, had hee any ſparke of louelove to your Religion in him, hath of late procured,) then that both you and wee, with both our States and Churches ſhould periſh by their Pardons, which can neuer expiate nor diſanull theſe great offences.
A SERMON PREACHED IN THE CATHEDRALL CHVRCH OF DVRHAM. IVLY 7. 1628.
BY PETER SMART.
PSAL. 31. 6. v.
I hate them that holde of ſuperſtitious vanities.
Imprinted, 1628: