Canterburys Doom, Branch 1 · Evidence 2 · Section
Paſſages expunged againſt Prophaneneſſe, Libertiniſme, and living, ending in ſinne.
TO cloſe up theſe purgations we informed you in the firſt Section of them, p. 259. that the Licenſer changed this paſſage in Doctor Jones his Comentary on the Hebrewes, page 106. We have begun in pure and ſound Religion, let us not END in Popery; into, let us not end in prophaneneſſe; yet behold theſe purgers ending not only in Popery, but Libertiniſme and prophanenſſe too, in the higheſt degree, as their expunging theſe clauſes (to omit hundreds of like nature) evidence.
In Mr. Ward's Comentary on Matthew, p. 161. they deleted this period Thirdly they (Profeſſors) muſt be carefull to ſtop the mouthes of morall, civill, honeſt men, who uſually object, that they are not ſo proud, covetous, idle, revengefull, angry, and ſelfe-conceited as Profeſſors are; for they are Phariſes toward others, and little better then Publicans in themſelves; Let thoſe therefore who call upon the Name of the Lord, depart from all iniquity, and let them labour to abound in all vertues, both morall and Theologicall, that ſo our profeſſion may be praiſed both of prophane and civill men.
Page 147. in the ſame Author: Thirdly, another reaſon; why we muſt never ſinne at all, is, becauſe ſinne is like Penalopes Webbe, and therefore to admit of one were to caſt our ſelves as farre back as ever we were; wherefore we muſt ſo runne, that we may attaine, and ſo follow Gods Plough, that we look not backe: the ſow who after her waſhing turnes her ſelfe to her former wallowing, becomes as filthy as ever; and man by a willing running or falling into ſinne, becomes as far off from God, and odious unto him as ever; and therefore we muſt take no liberty unto ſinne at all.
And page 217. Secondly, thoſe are here blame-worthy, who after a generall call to the profeſſion of the gospel, live wickedly, turning the grace of God into wantonneſſe, Jude 4. and ending in the fleſh though they began in the Spirit, Gal. 5. 19: certainly theſe are the worſt of all in the Lords eſteem, this not being the perſwaſion of him who called them.
TO theſe purgations, infinite others might be accumulated, enough to make many whole Folio Volumes, but for brevitie ſake we ſhall pretermit them; all theſe here mentioned (for the Readers fuller ſatisfaction, & clearer diſcovery of this prelats popiſh intentions) not being read at large, at the Lords Bar, but onelyonly the principall of them, the reſt but pointed at (though all there actually produced in generall collections of them) to husband time, and avoyd tediouſneſſe in this kind of evidence.
Now we appeal to all the world and every mans conſcience who ſhal impartially peruſe theſe ſeverall orthodox paſſages expunged out of new licenſed books, by the Archb. and his Agents, before they could paſſe the Preſſe (the like whereof was never heard of in any Proteſtant Church, but onelyonly in Romiſh Babel) and compare them with the ſeverall forementioned Popiſh Doctrines, Superstitions, Errours, Clauſes authorized by them in other late printed Pamphlets, to corrupt the People: whether they be not a moſt full, ſatisfactory, experimentall, irrefragable Evidence to convince your Lordſhips and all gaineſayers, of the Arch-biſhops reall Endeavours, utterly to ſubvert the Proteſtant Religion, and introduce the whole body of popery (with arbitrary power and tyranny) among us without any publike oppoſition, notwithſtanding all his meer verball proteſtations to the contrary, moſt apparently contradicted, refuted, by theſe his popiſh purgations uncapable of any juſtification or excuſe, unparalleld by any Proteſtant Prelates unheard of in any Proteſtant Church, or in our own, before his comin…ering in it, unpractiſed by any, but onelyonly popiſh Inquiſitors, in their Indices Expurgator…y; wherein we find the very ſelfe-ſame paſſages in ſubſtance, yea and ſome of them in terminis deleted out of Claſſicall Authors, which this Arch-biſhop and his Chaplaines have obliterated out of our Proteſtant Writers, as you may evidently diſcerne by theſe few particular inſtances in the Index Librorum expurgatorum, by Gasper Quiroga, Cardinall and Arch-biſhop of Toledo, and generall Inquiſitor for Spaine, Salmuri; 1601. wherein I find theſe with ſundry other like clauſes expunged out of the Index to Saint Augustine's Works, ſet out by Froben: The Annotations to the Bible of Robert Stephanus Eraſmus. and others. Eucharistiam non eſſe ſacrificium, ſed ſacrificij memoriam: Fides ſola justificat: Justi ſummus ſola fide; Justos ab injustis fides diſcernit, non opera. Imaginum uſus prohibitus. Matrimonium omnibus conceſſum qui continere non volunt. Opera nostra noe non ſalvare: Peccata venialia damnant. Qui Sabbathum obſervat ſanctificat. Sacra ſunt venalia Romae. Culum eſt venale Denſque: Roma ipſa Lupanar Facta eſt toto execrabilis orbe. Chriſtus ſol… pacificator & juſtificator. Non meremur beatitudinem de condiguo. Vult Dominus Altare terreum, nos autem marmoreum conſtru…mus: Epiſcopus non differt a Preſbytere. Sacerdos & Epiſcopus olim idem: Monachi olim non fuerunt, ſi…ut hodis, &c. Voterum nulla vincula apud veteres Monaches. Boatiſſime pater audit Romanus Pontifex… Tuin euim glorificatur nomen Dei, cum nihil noſiris meritis, ſed totum tribuitur illius …iſericordiae. Templorum ſupervacaneus ornatus. Alienis meritis & operibus nemo juvetur: Fides etiam in tentatione manet: Summum malum eſt in operibus noſiris & meritis confidere; hoc cum eſt meritum Chriſti blasph…m…re. Confitenda Deo peccata non homini: Scripturae divinae omnibus voleutibus perviae & faciles; Seripiuras legere omnibus, etiam mund…nis praeceptum. Sanctorum invocationem pracavit Jo…nnes, Salut non ex Meritis. Imagines pictas contra Religionem eſſe ſcribit Epiphanus: Imagines vel ſia…uas Dei cultores adorar… non debent. &c.
What affinity there is between theſe purgations of this popiſh Spaniſh Inquiſitor, and thoſe of this Engliſh Archprelate & his Agents, you may eaſily diſcern by comparing both together; & therupon neceſſarily conclude, that their intentions were alike popiſh, becauſe their Practiſes, Purgations are ſo parallell. Only there are theſe remarkable differences between them: Firſt, that theſe purgations made by him and his Agents are far more groſſe in ſundry particulars then any we find in this, or any other Romiſh Inquiſitors Index Expurgatorem: Secondly, that they were made by this Arch-prelat and his Chaplaines, who profeſſed himſelfe a zealous Proteſtant, and who in reſpect of his very calling, ſupreame authority in our Church, and the great truſt repoſed in him, ought rather to have authorized then purged out theſe paſſages, eſpecially in ſuch times when we were all generally running headlong unto popery, and apoſtatizing unto Rome; when as all theſe other deleatures were made by profeſſed papiſts only in popiſh Kingdomes, Churches, when they were falling off to the proteſtant Religion, which they endeavovred to prevent.
By this Card you may ſee and ſuppreſſe what compaſſe this Arch-director and Corrector of our Church did ſayle by, and what forraigne port he was making to.
The precedent branch of the Evidence againſt the Arch-biſhop, hath given moſt ample proof of the ſeventh and ninth Originall Articles, to which we ſhall onelyonly adde; That, the Arch-biſhop having ſtopt the English Preſſes to all Orthodox Books againſt his Popiſh Innovations at home, endeavoured to hinder the Printing of them abroad in Forraign parts; to which end by Sir William Boſwels means, (then Leager Ambaſſador at the Hague) and the aſſiſtance of one Iohn le Maire, preacher in Amſterdam (his conſtant Spie and Intelligencer, to give notice of all Engliſh and Scottish Books there printing, as appears by ſundry Originall Letters under his hand and ſeal, found in the Arch-biſhops ſtuddy) he procured the States of the United Provinces in the Low Countries, to make a generall Proclamation in Aprill 1639. againſt the Printers and ſpreaders of Libellous and Seditious Books againſt the Church and Prelates of England, and obtained a Proclamation or Order from the Townes of Amſterdam and Roterdam, for the apprehending and puniſhing of Maſter Can and other English men, who Printed ſuch English and Scottish Books; which is evident by divers coppies thereof, and Letters from Sir William Boſwell and others, to the Arch-biſhop. By meanes whereof the Preſſes both in England and the Netherlands were all cloſed up againſt Orthodox Engliſh Books, under the notion of Libellous and Seditious Pamphlets, and could neither be Printed nor imported without great danger and cenſure.
On the contrary, divers Popiſh books of all ſorts, as well in English as Latin, French and other Languages, were Printed and diſperſed in London by Prieſts, Jeſuits, Papiſts and their Agents, without any reſtaint or ſearch made after them, or puniſhment inflicted on the Printers or diſperſers of them: yea, many thouſands of them were dayly imported by help of the Queens Prieſts and Capucins, who diſperſed them; and if the ſearchers or others ſeized them at the Cuſtome houſe, according to the Statute of 3. Iacobi. c. 5. which Enacts; That no perſon or perſons shall bring from beyond the ſeas, nor shall print, buy, or ſell, any Popish Primers, Ladies Pſalters, Manuels, Roſaries, Popish Catechiſmes, Miſſals, Breviaries, Portals, Legends and Lives of Saints, conteining any ſuperſtitious matter, Printed or Written in any Language whatſoever, nor any other ſuperſtitious Books, Printed or Written in the English tongue; upon pain of forfiture of 40. s. for every ſuch Booke; &c. The Arch-biſhop or his Chaplains would preſently ſend to the Searchers, and enjoyn them to reſtore theſe Books to the owners that claimed them; or elſe command them to bring them in to the High Commiſſion Office, upon pretence to proceed againſt the Importers, and to have the Books themſelves publikely adjudged to be burnt; where, after a little ſpace, they were delivered out from thence to the Importers, without any penalty or confiſcation, and then freely diſperſed among the Roman Prieſts and English Catholiques, to foment them in their Idolatry, Superſtition, and ſeduce others unto Popery: as one Iohn Egerton a ſearcher depoſed, and others atteſted; of which more hereafter. Which compared with the premiſed Licenſing of Popiſh, and purging Orthodox Books againſt Popery; will moſt perſpicuouſly diſcover his impious deſignes to advance and ſet up Popery among us by degrees.