Canterburys Doom, Branch 1 · Evidence 2 · Section 3 – Section 5
3. Paſſages purged out of new licenſed Books, againſt ſeducing traiterous Papists, Popiſh Prieſts, Jeſuits, Monks, Arminians; our toleration of, and remiſneſſe in executing Lawes againſt them, and revolting to Popery.
DOctor Iones in his written Comentary on the Hebrewes, had theſe caſuing paſſages againſt Papiſts, Jeſuits and their errors, expunged: page 446. One Papiſt if he be permitted, will quickly make many Papiſts: p. 148. If we happen to be ſeduced by Papiſts or other Hereticks: page 348. Though the Papiſts be many and we but few, yet we may be of the Church: page 161. This was called confirmation, whereas the Papiſts afterwards abuſed it, and made a Sacrament of it, exalting it above Baptiſme: page 90. God hardneth not only permiſſivè, as Bellarm, and the reſt of the Papiſts contend: page 101. Not to ſeek ſalvation by the obſervation of the Law, as the Papiſts doe: page 241. We need not ſtand a loofe, as the Papiſts would have us: page 137. The Papiſts this day cleave hard to the Pope, nothing ſhall ſeparate them from him: page 291. Both the Jeſuits and theirs, cannot avoyd this place, &c. page 341. To deny Chriſt, ſaith Bellarmine, is an hereſie, or an error next doore to hereſie; yet Pererius the Jeſuit denyes that they be in that Paradiſe wherein Adam was; therefore he is neere to in Hereticks, &c.
In Doctor Clerke's Sermons, page 52. l. 28. this clauſe was expunged: And as himſelfe the great Goliah of hell, this little Sonne of David hath caſt downe and beheaded: ſo his ſeed in this Land, blood-thirſty Catholikes, incarnate devils, the word incarnate, root them out of Iſrael; and the devils borne, which is the Beaſt of Rome; the Horne of ſalvation knock it off in Zion; ſo ſhall King Jacob be ſafe, and his Iſrael be glad.
Page 231. 233. Doctor Haywood expunged theſe memorable paſſages againſt traiterous blood-thirſty Jeſuits and Papiſts. Wherefore are the Jeſuits in France and here and every where, but to be his ſlaughter-men, to ſheed Kings blood? their feet are ſwift to ſpill it, becauſe his throat luſts to ſwallow it: Be wiſe now therefore O ye Kings, and be learned by France O yee Princes of the earth; at leaſt let the Lyon learne by the Flower-de-luce to watch not the Ieſuit onelyonly, whoſe fingers itch to ſpill his blood, but the Recuſant alſo, as very a traitor in his heart as he: The Lord convert their perſons and confound their plots, as many as look at Jacob with an Eſau eye.
We ſhould wonder both at the mans ſelfe and at the mans men, not at the Jeſuits onelyonly, and the Seminary Priests, you ſhall not know them, to make them the wonderment: But the Recuſant Papiſt, yea every profeſt Papiſt, let us wonder at them too: They wax in number and in ſpirit, and their mouthes ſpeak preſumptious things; Think you they cenſure that treaſon from their heart? ſurely I will think that he that ſayes as the Pope ſayes, will alſo doe as the Pope does: Say he comes to Church, and hold the Kings ſupremacy; tamen Romanus eſt, as Segiſmond the Emperour ſaid of a Cardinall, yet he is a Papiſt; nullus eſt fidus eorum affectus, quorum eſt diverſa fides: therefore truſt not that man that holds any Popery; if he kiſſe like a Serpent, he ſure will ſting too: his peace is with thee, but rebus ſit stantibus, he is that womans Son; he thirſts for blood, even thy blood that embraceth him; he ſayes with Eſau in his heart, the dayes of mourning for Iſaac will come one day; then I will kill my Brother Ia…cob; but let us wonder.
Ibid. page 286. l. 10. theſe words are expunged: Inſtance but in the Pope; he is but one Serpent, but a great one, Draco magnus, in the Apocalipſe: He curſeth Kings, and States by his B…le, that is his Hiſſe. murders and maſſacres by his Jeſuits, they are his ſting: page 416. l. 25. I will not ſay the Jew, but ſurely the Gentile before the Jeſuit: page 420. l. 14. Rome is no Court of Arches, to licenſe the Jeſuit to teach where he will: page 427. l. 6. No Papiſt, no right Papiſt is a right Iſraelite, for there is guile in him: page 435. l. 5. The Epie…re Jeſuits and Stoick Prieſts, call theſe Calviniſts bablers; others of them ſay, they ſet forth ſtrange gods, for they preach to the people Ieſus & ſola ſides, a Male God and a Female: may we not know what this doctrine, this new doctrine, whereof theſe Calviniſts ſpeak, is? we will know what theſe things doe meane: Unhappy Recuſants.
Page 348. l. 6. To ſo many hearers, ſo intelligent, little need application, yet the times crave it: Is not this Land a limbe of this Ieruſalem? of Jeruſalem it is but not of this, not of David's Ieruſalem; you heare Jeruſalem taxt roughly by the Prophet, both for murther and adultery, for ſhedding Saints blood, and ſerving ſtrange gods; England is no perſecutor, but it is an halter between two Religions: Dagon affronts Gods Arke; heres both Euchariſt and Maſſe, Babylon is in Ieruſalem: It's not unworthy the obſerving that Jeruſalem in the Originall tongue is of the Duall number; there are two Ieruſalems; David bid… pray for Ieruſalems peace, but whether Ieruſalem? that ſurely which he here deſcribes, where is Unity, v. 2. Religion, v. 4. and Juſtice, v. 5. Ieruſalem is a City that is at Unity within it ſelf, thither goe up the Tribes to prayſe the Lord, and there are our ſeats of judgement. Is our Jeruſalem ſuch? ſchiſme in the Church and faction in the State ſhew there is no Unity: Popery and Atheiſme ſpread over the whole Land; prove there is ſmall Religion; and impunity, leſſe Juſtice; and may we pray for peace on this Ieruſalem? we may; but yet it muſt be by ſome other Text; pray we may for any; Moſes did for Iſrael though fallen greivouſly; Samuel for Saul though a grand ſinner, we may well curſe, though happily in vaine; for God ſayes, non est pax, theres no peace to the wicked; ſinne at length captiv'd Iſrael, ſackt the City, raced the Temple; nunc ſeges est, graſſe growes at Ieruſalem: Yet deſpaire not daughter Zion return our Sullamite, theres no peace to the wicked: ceaſe we to doe evill, ſorry we for ſinnes, heartily weep we; pray we God for peace, we ſhall have peace: the prodigious pride of women, their wanton vanities, cenſured often by preachers, but in vaine, they will come with them to Church in ſpite of us, I think in ſpite of Angels too who are ever preſent in our Church, and the drunkenneſſe of men their whoredomes and blaſphemies, draw downe divine revenge on our Jeruſalem; France will be Gods …od, and Spaine will be his hammer to ſcourge and beat Ieruſalem to powder; mature repentance will preuent all, and peace will be on Iſrael.
And page 445. 446. Jeſuits muſt ſpeak for Mammon, he is their god: There are ſeekers of ſoules a phraſe frequent in Scripture ſeekers of blood, Ieſuits are ſuch; ſeek fooles they ſhould, Ieſus ſelfe did it; he ſought to ſave them, Ieſuits doe but to deſtroy them: They Querere animas, but not in Chriſts ſenſe, in Satane ſenſe to devour them; they ſeek carefully, for they will foreign, do as the devil does, walk about the world to doe that worke: There are ſeekers of lyes, v. 42. The Church of Rome ſwarmes with ſuch ſeekers: That's from below too, another of Satans ſeekers, whom Chriſt cals father of lyes.
Theſe paſſages are all deleted by the Lincenſer as heterodox.
In Maſter Ward's Comentary upon Matthew, theſe clauſes were purged out by the Licenſer, fol. 120. Thirdly, Fiſhes, i. e. men, not onelyonly rich men, but all men, and therefore the Monks are but bad fiſhers, who fiſh onelyonly for great and rich men, labouring onelyonly to draw them into their nets: Fol. 148. Firſt, my ſervants ſhall drink and ye ſhall be thirſty, and therefore it is a great inſolency in the Papiſts, thus diametrally to contradict the direct promiſes of God. Secondly, Aliquando bonus dormit Hom…rus, wiſe men may play the foole ſometimes, and ſubtle Sophiſters diſpute abſurdly, as our witty country-man Stapleton doth in this preſent Argument, diſputing thus, &c. Secondly, if our country-man Stapleton had not been a profeſſor of Divinity, and a teacher of others, he might have gone to the Logick profeſſor to learne to frame a better Argument, this thus framed by him being ſo abſurd; Thoſe that deſire temporall things are wicked, therefore thoſe who want temporall things are not happy; he had need look well to this Syllogiſme or Argument, leaſt with its foure feet it runne away from him. Fol. 154. Secondly, there is an anlawfull Hoſpitality, which is ſhewed to Traytors, Jeſuits, popiſh Prieſts: Fourthly, they are faulty here, who give unto the rich, as the Papiſts, who plentifully feaſt the fat Monks, and ſend large preſents to the Jeſuits and Cap…chins. Secondly, there are ſowers of diſcord in Kingdomes, viz. thoſe who inſtigate others unto warres, as the Cardinals and Jeſuits upon every occaſion doe whiſper in the eares of Princes, to make warre upon their Neighbours, when they perceive any advantage to be had thereby. Fol. 212. Secondly, adde nothing to the Word of God: Neither firſt, the chaffe of ſuperſtition with the Papiſts: Nor ſecondly, Machavilliniſme and unwarrantable policy, with ſome Statiſts: Neither thirdly, New opinions, &c. Fol. 213. Secondly, that is no true ſenſe of Scripture which doth make any ſentence in Scripture falſe, as the Papiſts make the Word of God quarrell with, and thwart, and croſſe it ſelfe; Example: they would prove Rom. 3. 28. & 4. 25. to be falſe by Iam. 2. 21. Now we know theſe expoſitions to be falſe, becauſe the eſtabliſhing of the one place, is the demoliſhing of the other. Fol. 276. Thirdly the Papiſts have Rimes which muſt be ſaid over three or four times every day; certainly with a little pains a man might make a good Parret a good Papiſt, for he might be taught to ſpeak all this. Fol. 476. Q. Wherein are the Papiſts to blame concerning the Augmentation of Faith? Anſw. They are faulty in two things; Negant fiduciam & certitudinem fidet, they grant faith, but deny both confidence and certainty of faith, &c. fol. 52. Anſw. But the Monkiſh life is not perſecution except thus becauſe the Locuſts (which are no other but Monks and Fryars) Revel. 19. doe bite and ſting like Serpents, that is do ſecretly wound mens conſciencex (and four lines after) Thirdly, all go not to Chriſt that come into Monaſteries but rather goe from him, they living after another rule then Chriſts; for Francis their great founder, erected a new ſect of Monkery, and found out a new rule for them, which he called regulam Evangelicam, the rule of the Goſpell, as though Chriſts rule were not ſufficient. Many other paſſages of like nature, over-numerous to recite, were blotted out of this Author by the Licenſer.
We ſhall conclude with ſuch paſſages as Doctor Bray, with the Arch-biſhop's privity, purged out of Doctor Featlyes Sermons, wherein ſome Texts of Scripture were expunged to do Popiſh Prieſts & ſeducers a favour: p. 90. What are the great Foxes but the Prieſts and Jeſuits? what are the little Foxes but the Demipelagian cubs, which will ſpoyle our faireſt cluſters, the Colledges of both Univerſities, if in time they be not looked unto, as they have done already in our neighbour Vine in the Low-countryes, &c. page 472. If theſe cries of the ſoules under the Alter awake not the zealous Magiſtrates whom God hath made protectors of his Spouſes, to draw out the ſword of wholſome Statutes out of the ſcabbard to wound the hairy ſcalpe of the Strumpet; yet let them at leaſt take compaſſion on the ſoules of the living, even their ſonnes and daughters, who are dayly enticed by ſecular Prieſts and Jeſuits and by their Agents conveyed over beyond the Seas, to be ſacrificed to the Molech at Rome; aCypr. de lapſis, quid hoc loco faciam dilectiſſimi fratres? ſluctuam vario mentis estu, quid aut quo modo dicam? lachrymis magis quam verhis opus eſt, ad exprimendum dolorem, quo corporis nostri, plagu deflenda eſt.What, or how ſhall I ſpeake unto you, beloved brethren? I need rather teares then words to bewaile the great loſſe our Church ſustaineth of hundred, nay thouſand of ſoules, that have been drawn out of the right way, and are fallen into the ſnares of Satan, and den of the Beaſt &c. Here though I loſe my voyce by it. I cannot but cry aloud with zealous bBul, in Apoc. Quae quae. ſo clmentia eſt crudeliſſimis …upis blandiri ut oves innocentes, Chriſti ſanguine redemptas impune dilanient? quae haec patientiae ſinere viniam Domini ab immaeniſſimis monstris deviaſtari.Bullenger, What clemency call you this, to ſuffer the Lords Vineyard to be ſpoyled and layd waſte by ugly monsters? what mercy to ſpare the Wolves, which ſpare not Chriſts ſheep redeemed with his procious blood?
cJuven. ſat. 2.Ubinune lex Iulia dormis?
To what purpoſe ſerves our wholſome Lawes and Statutes, if they ruſt, as the dCic. orat. 1. in Catil. Habeamus ſenatus conſultum velut gladiam in vegin… …condiſum.Orator ſpeaketh, like ſwords in the ſcabbards, and are never drawne upon the ſworne enemies of our Church and ſtate? &c. page 485. That the ſeverity of our Lawes and Canons ſhould fall upon ſtraying Doves ſilly ſeduced perſons, without any gall at all, whilſt the Black-birds of Antichriſt are let alone: if chaſte Lydia be ſilenced for her undiſcreet zeale, let not Jezabel be ſuffered to teach and to deceive Gods ſervants, &c. page 495. I know to reſtraine ſuch abuſes is the peculiar duty of the Eccleſiaſticall and civill Magiſtrates, but to detect and diſcover them to authority, and to refraine from ſociety or Idolaters, is the duty of us all; and I beſeech you for the love of him who hath eſpouſed your ſoules to himſelfe and decked them with the richeſt Jewels of his grace, and made them a Joynture of his Kingdome, beware of Jezabels Panders, who goe about to entice you to ſpirituall fornication; If they be your eDeut. 13. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.brethren, the ſonnes of your mother, or your owne ſonnes or daughters, or the wife that lyeth in your boſome, or your friends that are as your owne ſoules, that ſolicite you in this kind, ye are to renounce them, and by the law of God, to ſee justice executed upon them &c. p. 796. Beware therefore deare brethren, beware of the Panders of Antichriſt, who goe about to intice you not to corporall, but which is farre worſe, to ſpitituall whoredome; If they be fDeut. 13. 6, 7, 3, 9, 10.your brethren, the ſonnes of your owne mother, or your owne ſonnes or daughters, or your wives that lye in your boſome, or your friends that are as your owne ſoule, that intice you to goe to Maſſe, and partake with the Romanists in their manifold idolatries, you are bound by the Law of God to be ſo far from conſenting to them, or hearing them, that you are to account NOTE.of them as your capitall enemies, and proceed againſt them as you would againſt thoſe who have plotted your utter ruine and overthrow.
Good God! that ſuch patheticall clauſes as theſe againſt ſeducing popiſh Prieſts and Jeſuits, nay the very words of ſacred Scripture it ſelfe, ſhould be thus obliterated in our Proteſtant Church by the Arch-biſhop's owne direction, who profeſſeth himſelfe ſuch an enemy to Prieſts and Jeſuits! Doubtleſſe his vapouring proteſtations againſt them were all meere deluſory complements to beguile the over-credulous, ſince all theſe purgations proclaime both him and his agents to be their moſt endeared friends (as they openly vaunted them to be at Rome) and to hold moſt ſtrict intelligence with them.
From theſe purgations againſt Popery, Popes, Papiſts, Prieſts, Jeſuits, Monks, and other Romiſh vermine in the generall, we ſhall next proceed to ſundry expunctions againſt doctrinall poynts of Popery in particular, which we ſhall proſecute in an Alphabeticall manner; the firſt whereof is this.
4. That the Abſolution of Prieſts is but declarative; and that they cannot bind and looſe men at their pleaſures againſt Gods Word, as the Papiſts hold their Prieſts can doe.
IN Doctor Clerkes Sermons, Sermon 3. of the Nativity, page 23. the Licenſer hath expunged theſe words: Nay, nor bind nor looſe ſinne neither, but declarativè: the Prieſt does, but pronounce the abſolution, &c. So that in this purgation Chriſt is but the Phyſick, the Prieſt is the Phyſitian or Apothecary at leaſt; but he wants Heleborus to purge his braine.
In Maſter Richard Ward his Comentary upon Matthew, the Licenſer hath quite obliterated this paſſage as erronious, Matth. 18. 18. Whatſoever ye bind, &c. the Papiſts hold this groſſe opinion, that men are bound and looſed in Heaven, according to the will and pleaſure of every Prieſt, exerciſing the Keyes upon earth; and this Tenet they ground upon the generality of theſe words; Whatſoever ſinnes ye remit, they are remitted; and whatſoever you bind on earth ſhould be bound in heaven, in this verſe, and in John 20. 23. Remiſt. Annot. John 20. 23.
Theſe places are not ſo to be underſtood, as though God were bound to ratifie every decree of men upon earth. For,
Firſt, this power is given to all lawfull Paſtors, who maintaine and hold the Apoſtolike faith, and not to idolatrous, ignorant and blaſphemous Prieſts, ſuch as moſt, if not all the popiſh Prieſts are.
Secondly, they muſt decree in the earth, according to Gods will, and therefore John 20. 22. out Saviour dotb firſt breath his Spirit upon his Apoſtles, and then giveth them their Commiſſion; ſignifying thereby, that they muſt execute this power, as they ſhall be directed by Gods Spirit; yea, hence Matth. 18. 20. it followeth, that they muſt be aſſembled in the name of Chriſt, that is, according to Chriſts rule, and the direction of his Word; they muſt bind and looſe, and not at their owne diſcretion.
There are divers other purgations of this nature, which brevity enforceth as to omit.
5. Clauſes againſt adoring the Euchariſt, and conſecrated Bread in the Sacrament, expunged.
MAſter Ward in his Comentary on Matthew, had this memorable clauſe againſt Papiſts adoring the Euchariſt, purged out by the Licenſer. Object. The Euchariſt is to be adored becauſe Chriſt is very God. Anſw. He ſhould have aſſumed; the Euchariſt is very God, which is blasphemy to ſay; and therefore not to be uttered by any but by Babylons brood, unto whoſe Prince and head is given the name of Blaſphemy, Revel. 13. 1. yea, a mouth ſpeaketh blaſphemies, verſe 5. even againſt the moſt high God, verſe 6. and therefore we leave this opinion to the Papists, to whom properly it belongs.
The Licenſer it ſeems would have Proteſtants embrace this opinion as well as Papiſts, and therefore purged out this clauſe as heterodox.
Doctor Jones in his Comentary on the Hebrewes, had the like purgation; page 20. Then how ſharply are the Papists to be reproved, that worſhip a peece of bread in the Sacrament: Strange that ſuch a paſſage ſhould be deleted, but that our bowing to, and toward the Altar, gArch-biſhops Speech in Star-chamber, p, 47.becauſe there 'tis, hoc eſt corpus meum, tended to introduce the ſelfe ſame adoration of the Euchariſticall Bread among us by degrees.