Canterburys Doom, Branch 1 · Evidence 2 · Section 1
1. Purgations of ſundry notable paſſages againſt Popery it ſelfe in generall, which muſt not paſſe the Preſſe upon any termes, but have a ſpeciall deleatur drawne over them.
In Doctor Clarkes Sermons, page 431. Sermon 19. l. 10. in the printed copy, Dr. Haywood the Licenſer (the Arch-biſhops own Chaplaine) purged out this clauſe againſt popery; God there expounds himſelfe, leaſt ſome Papists ſay, 'tis but my gloſſe; POPERY IS IDOLATRY by God's owne cenſure there, that prayes unto Images. It ſeems this practice and popery muſt not now be called Idolatry (as our Homilies againſt the perill of Idolatry, and all our writers formerly uſe to ſtile it) for that would ſcandalize the papiſts and make people to abhorre popery, ſo as never to embrace it.
Ibidem Sermon 20. page 443. l. 6. Popery a patchery and meer medley of moldy hereſies; are deleted by the Licenſer: It muſt have the honourable title of the old Religion ſtill, theſe two down-right Epithites will overmuch diſgrace it.
Ibidem Sermon 20. page 451. 452. this paſsage is expunged as ſcandalous to the Roman Religion: When he (the Pope or Prieſt) preacheth, it is lightly of legendary lyes; all Romes Religion is almoſt lyes: If I ſhall ſay, the Clergy-men lye not, I ſhall lye too: not lightly in his Doctrine, though the Romanists doe, that write and preach lyes.
Maſter Richard Ward in his Comentary upon Matthew, had theſe paſſages obliterated among ſundry others: We may justly feare that our Church ſhall have her period, when the Word ſhall depart from us to ſome other Nation that hath not enjoyed it, by a relapſe into Popery, as we did in Queen Maries time; or that we ſhall be overwhelmed by Atheiſme, and (as Rome doth now) onelyonly retaine a falſe ſhew of a Church, being drowned either with ſome blind ſuperstition, or impious corruption; therefore we ſhould be afraid of Superstition, prophaneneſſe, impiety and contempt of the Word of God, leaſt our bread be taken away and given unto the dogges, &c. Some workes are odious unto God, but gratefull unto men, as to temporize, to flatter and ſooth up great men, to embrace the Religion commanded by their Kings and Governours, be it never ſo Idolatrous, falſe and ſuperstitious; theſe works are not to the done.
In Doctor Featlye's Sermons, ſtiled Clavis Mystica, page 226. the Doctor having ſpoken ſomething againſt gaudy Images, Tapers, Perfumes, and prayer in an unknowne tongue in the Roman Church, concluded thus; But me thinks I have ſtayd too long in the TEMPLE OF RIMMON, I returne therefore to the Temple of the living God: This Doctor Bray the Arch-biſhops Chaplaine, blotted out, as ſcandalous to the Church of Rome, cauſing the whole ſheet to be re-printed: And in the very laſt Sermon and page of his book, page 907. he purged out this whole devout prayer in the cloſe of the Sermon, onelyonly becauſe this phraſe, of bowing to the Romiſh Baal, was comprized therein: Purge our polluted conſciences by faith in his blood; that though our ſinnes be as red as ſcarlet, yet they may be made as white as woole. Vouchſafe to looke downe from thy higheſt Throne of Majeſty upon this whole Land proſtrating her ſelfe at thy foot-ſtoole, and wallowing in duſt and aſhes; deſpiſe not the ſighing of ſo many contrite hearts; deſpiſe not the prayers of ſo many thouſands, which thou knoweſt proceed not out of fained lips; ſet a marke upon thoſe that mourne in ſecret for all thoſe impieties, iniquities, impurities and abominations which it is not in their power to redreſse, and ſpare the Kingdome for their ſake who never have bowed to the ROMISH BAAL, nor given way to any corruption of thy pure worſhip, but have ſought thee with an upright heart. O Lord, for our ſinnes thou didſt deſervedly ſmite us with Peſtilence after the manner of Egypt; yet when we turned to thee by faſting, weeping and mourning, thou commandedſt thy Angell to ſheath his ſword: and ſince that thou threatnedſt to ſend a famine amongſt us, and cleanneſse of teeth in all our coaſts; yet when we humbled our ſelves before thee, as at this day, thou commandedſt the wind and clouds and they obeyed thee, and for ſowing one day in teares, we reaped in joy the harveſt of the whole yeere: And now O Lord, what is our hope? our hope is even in thee: the clouds are gathered together from divers parts of the earth, and they threaten thundering and lightning in ſuch ſort, that we have juſt cauſe to feare a black and diſmall day, a bloody day of invaſion, and utter deſolation neere at hand: Yet O Lord, behold this whole Nation as one man, ſtretching out her hands unto thee, behold thy Sonne ſtretching out his hands on the Croſſe for her: Heare us we beſeech thee for our Prince, and our Prince for us; heare us for the Peeres and Nobles, and the Peeres and Nobles for us; heare us for the Commons and the Commons for us; heare us for this whole Church, and the Church for us, and Chriſt for all: Remove our ſinnes as a cloud and our tranſgreſſions as a miſt, and let the light of thy countenance and beames of thy favour ſhine upon us, and dry up thoſe teares, which out of the bitterneſſe of our hearts we now ſhed abundantly before thee, ſo ſhall we thy people and ſheep of thy paſture, ſing unto then in the great congregation, and prayſe thy name even to our laſt breath, Amen.
Strange is it, that ſo devout and pious a prayer as this, ſhould be totally expunged for ſtiling Maſſe and popery the Romiſh Baal.
What the true intention and deſigne in purging out theſe and the following paſſages againſt Popery were, will moſt cleerly, yea infallibly appear by theſe remarkable clauſes expunged by the Licenſer out of Doctor Jones his Comentary upon the Hebrewes. In the Manuſcript copy, page 443. the Doctor upon theſe words; Follow peace with all men: had comented thus; We muſt distinguiſh between Peace and Familiarity; We may be at a generall peace even with the enemies of God; but we muſt not be familiar with them: There is danger in that: Be at peace with a Papiſt, but be not familiar with a Papiſt. Secondly, We may be at peace with the perſons of all, but with the vices NOTE.of none: Be at peace with a Papiſt, but not with his Popery and Idolatry: Be at peace with a drunkard, but not with his drunkenneſſe; reprove that, ſhew thy diſlike of that: The Licenſer obliterates theſe two clauſes (omitted wholy thereupon out of the printed copy) page 560. Be at peace with a Papiſt, but be not familiar with a Papiſt; be at peace with a Papiſt, but not with his Popery and Idolatry: Their deſigne was to reconcile us to Rome, and therefore this Doctrine, that we muſt not be familiar with papists, though we be at peace with them, becauſe there is danger in that; and that we muſt not be at peace with their Popery and Idolatry, but onelyonly with their perſons; muſt by all meanes be totally expunged, as heterodox and ſciſmaticall Doctrine.
The ſame Doctor in his Manuſcript copy, page 236. had this paſſage cloſed with a good prayer: England that was ever rude and barbarous, is now become civill and religious; and all that ever received the Beaſt's mark, have now baniſhed the Beaſt; and NOTE.GOD GRANT MAY NEVER CHANGE FROM THAT: The Licenſer, whoſe deſigne was conſonant to his Arch-maſters projects, to have us change to popery and receive the Beaſt and his mark againe, quite raſed out theſe words, relating particularly to England (totally omitted in the printed Book, page 278.) And all that ever received the beaſt's marke, have now baniſhed the beaſt, and God grant it may never change from it. Was not this a Romiſh beaſt indeed, and no true Proteſtant, who durſt obliterate ſuch a paſſage?
The Doctor in his written copy, page 93. uſed this diſſwaſion fro… popery to thoſe who pleaded the example of their forefathers continuance in it; Thy Father was a ſpend-thrift and made all away, and wilt thou doe ſo too? Thy father had the Frenchpox for his uncleane life, and muſt thou deſire it too? ſo thy Father had the Romiſh NOTE.Pox, being infected with the Romiſh Religion, therefore muſt thou obſtinately continue in that diſeaſe? All this the Licenſer totally deleted: and thereupon it is left out of the printed copy, page 128. where it ſhould have been inſerted.
The Doctor in his Manuſcript, page 148. had this paſſage; If he happen to be ſeduced by Papiſts or other hereticks, we that are preachers muſt have compaſſion on ſuch. The Licenſer wholy raſeth out: If he happen to be ſeduced by Papists or other Hereticks: NOTEbecauſe the deſigne was, we ſhould be ſeduced by ſuch; and in ſuch a caſe Preachers muſt have no compaſſion on us; therefore it is omitted in the printed copy, page 196.
Finally, the Doctor in his Manuſcript, page 106. had this ſerious Exhortation: We have begun in pure and ſound religion, Let us not end in Popery, in Atheiſme, in NOTE.Browniſme, in Anabaptiſme. The Licenſer to demonſtrate where he and his Archgrace would have us end and ſettle at laſt; blots out the word popery, and puts in prophaneneſſe in its ſtead; and ſo it is is printed, page 140. Let us not end in prophaneſſe, inſtead of, Let us not end in Popery; in which they then intended we ſhould all ſhortly end, though God (by his omnipotent power and admirable providence) hath wholy fruſtrated this their intended end: We ſhall now proceed to another head of expunctions, to wit,