A Canvas of Limbus Patrum, Title page – Dedication
LIMBO-MASTIX: That is, A Canuise of Limbus Patrum, shewing by euident places of Scripture, inuincible reasons, and pregnant testimonies of some ancient writers, that Christ descended not in soule to Hell, to deliuer the Fathers from thence.
Containing also a briefe replie to so much of a Pamphlet lately published, intituled, An answere to certaine obiections against the descension &c. as lookes that way, and is personally directed against some writers of our Church.
PHILIP. 3. 15.
Let vsus as many as be perfect be thus minded, and if ye be otherwise minded, God shall reueale euen the same vntounto you.
Augustin de Trinitat. lib. 1. c. 3.
Siquid erraueris, Deus tibi reuelabit, siue per occultas inspirationes & admonitiones, siue per manifesta eloquia, siue per fraternas sermocinationes.
If thou hast any where erred, God shall reueale it vntounto thee, either by secret inspiration and admonition, or by manifest Scripture, or brotherly conference.
LONDON Printed for Thomas Man. 1604.
TO THE MOST HONORABLE SENATE OF THE LORDS SPIRITVALL AND Temporal, Knights, Burgesses assembled in the high Court of Parliament, grace merciemercy and peace from the Lord Iesus.
RIght Honourable Lords, and ye right Worshipfull Knights and Gentlemen, I feared at the first to present this short treatise to your view, remembring what sometime I had read in Hierom: Vereor ne officium putetur ambitio, & videamur sub occasione sermonis, amicitias potentium quaerere. ad Saluinam.I am afraide least in doing my dutie I bee thought to be ambitious, & while I pretend to write, should intend to seeke great mens fauour: But the Apostles words did more imbolden mee, than the others could draw mee back: We cannot but speak the things, that we hauehave Act. 4. 20.seene and heard: So neither could I containe my selfe, hearing of that honourable resolution, which is in you all to further the cause of the Church of Christ and true religion, but to reioyce in this common ioy, and among other welwillers of Sion to testifie our inward ioy, and outward thankfulnes to God, and you all for the same. It is written, that the Israelites gathering themselues together against the children of iniquitie the men of Gibeah, assembled Hosh. 10 9. Iudg. 20. 1.before the Lord as one man: Such a Christian consent hath well appeared in this sacred assemblie to promote Gods glorie and his truth. The saying was wont to be, The greater part hath Maior pars vicit meliorem.ouercome the better: but the contrarie is now wel seene: and that rule, which Plinius Cecilius was wont to prescribe vntounto his schoole, that hee had Sciamus eum pessime dixisse, cut maxime sit applausum: Eras. praef. in 2. tom. Hieron.worst spoken, which had the greatest applause, beginneth now to faile in this great Consistorie, where the best motions, we doubt not, but shall hauehave the greatest applause. I know not whereunto better to liken this Christian harmonie, than vntounto the Seraphims, that cried one to another, Holy, holy, holy Lord of hosts; and to that heauenly song, wherein both the vpper ranke of Isai. 6. 1.those foure glorious creatures, and the nether order of the foure and twentie Elders consented Reuel. 4. 9. 11.to giuegive glorie and honour vntounto God: that I may say truly in his words; That in this reuerent Hieron. Paulin. tom. 3.assemblie, wee hauehave a patterne of the heauenlie companie.
Now we see performed that worthie saying of his excellent Maiestie; A godly King findeth, Meditat in 1. Chron. 15. 2. part.as his heart wisheth, godly estates concurring with him: For as God hath endued his princely hart with a liuely feeling and inward touch of true religion; as hee saith, It was fit, that hee, Necesse erat, vt qui potentior cunctis fuerat deuotior fieret vniuersis: Ambrosserm. 40.which was superiour in power, should not be inferiour in deuotion: So your Honours are (wee trust) those godly states, which will be readie to concurre with his Maiestie in establishing of godly lawes. Among the rest of the Parliaments in this land, one was called the Edward. 3. anno 29. Anno 1388. sub Richard. 2.good Parliament: another, the Parliament that wrought wonders: But wee doe all hope that this honourable Session shall rather deserue to be so called. That Parliament was of all other the most glorious, which in the beginning of worthie Queene Elizabeths raigne restored religion: how can this be inferiour, which endeuoureth to establish and make better both Church and religion? One saith well; It is one Aliud est quaerere quod perdideris, aliud possidere, quod nunquam amiseris: Hier. ad Demetriad.thing to seeke what thou hast lost, another to keepe that thou hast. This Church may count her self more happie in holding and encreasing that she hath, than when shee was forced to recouer that which she had lost.
Well may we now say vntounto this noble companie, as the Prophet to and of Sion: Glorious things are spoken of thee, O Citie of God. We cannot Psal. 87. 3.but reioyce to heare of your Honors Christian consultation for the propagating of the Gospell, in planting eueryevery where of good pastors, that the people may be brought from the darknesse of their ignorance to the light of knowledge: that they be no longer children in vnderstanding, 1. Cor. 14. 20, and as babes and sucklings in religion. Ambrose herein thus pleasantly alludeth vponupon these words, Woe to them that giuegive sucke: Lot vsus make haste to weane our Ambros Ergo paruulos nostros ablactare properemus: ablactato Isaak epulū magnum sacit Abraham; paruulum non ablactatum per temulentiam somnolenta nocte opprimit: in Lu 6. 21.little ones: when Isaak was weaned, Abraham made a feast, the child not weaned was in the night by the drowsie mother ouerlaid. Your Honors then do right well to prouide good nurses, to weane the people from their ignorance, that they be no longer ouerlaid with drowsie and negligent pastors: and that such bee not excluded from nursing, which hauehave store of milke in the breasts, and seeke in peace and a good conscience to nourish the people of God.
But because the nurse cannot giuegive milke that is not first fed her selfe; most prudent and christian is that other care to prouide for the maintenance of good pastors: which as wee hope will be by our Reuerent Fathers in their graue Synode deuised, so we trust it shall by your Honourable fauours be furthered: for the Apostle saith, The mouth of the oxe is not to be musled. And Origene well agreeth; Nisi dederit oleum populus extinguetur lucerna in templo: If the people minister not oyle, the lampe goeth out in the temple. Now among other graue matters of deliberation, if it were not too great boldnes, giuegive me leaue I beseech you to interpose my petition: Saint Paul saith in a case not much vnlike: Set vp them 1. Cor. 6. 4.which are least esteemed in the Church: and I trust you will not despise my simple motion, euen the least of the seruants of Christ. Valerius saith well to this point: We know the noise of geese is contemned, according to the saying, a goose Reprobata est fatui vox anseris tanquam anser inter olores, ea tamen docuit senatores vrbem seruare ab incendio. Valer. ad Ruffin.among Swannes; yet by the chattring of geese the citie of Rome was saued from burning. May it therefore please you to heare a foole speak vntounto wise men: That whereas men hauehave of late daies taken vntounto themselues great libertie, in Sermons, Lectures, writings, to set abroach strange & vncouth doctrines, exorbitant from the current doctrine among Protestants, it might please this honourable Court, that one vniformitie of doctrine may be taught and held; and seeing there are many vnsound doctrines, which, because they are omitted, are not opposite to the articles of religion established, that either it might seem pleasing to his Maiestie and you, to hauehave those articles augmented, explaned and enlarged, or els, that it be lawfull for none to defend or maintaine those doctrines, wherein the professors of the Gospell in England consent with other reformed Churches, and dissent from that of Rome, and which are both by our domesticall, and forren writers among the Protestants, maintained against the common aduersarie. And further, that concerning al such points, no inuectiues be vsed of one against another in preaching or writing: that, as the Apostle saith, we proceed all by one rule, that we Philip. 3. 16. Uera illa necessitudo, quam non vtilitas rei familiaris, nō praesentia tantùm corporum non subdlo a adulatio, sed Dei amor, & diuinarum studia scripturarum conciliant. Hier. Paulin. tom. 4.may minde one thing: And this shall bee true friendship and concord indeede (as he well saith) which not worldly profit, or bodily presence, or cunning flatterie, but the feare of God, and the louelove of the Scriptures doth knit together. Pardon my boldnesse Honorable Patrons, who out of the simplicitie of my desire to the peace of the Church, hauehave presumed thus to moue. I know you can consider, that champions many times are stronger than their Athletae suis incitatoribus fortiores sunt, & tamen neonet debilior, vt pugnet ille qui fortior est. Hieron. ad Iulian.abettors, and the weaker doth stirre him vp to fight that is stronger; as Hierom well saith. I am but a weake man, that hauehave moued this, God shall make your Honours strong to performe this and more for the good of his Church, and glory of his name; to whom bee praise for euer.