The Canterburians Self-Conviction, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
OUR AdverſariesOur Adverſaries decline to anſwer our greateſt challenge. are very unwilling to ſuffer to appeare, that there is any further debait betwixt them and us, but what is proper unto our Church, and doe ariſe from the Service-Book, Canons, and Epiſcopacie, which they have preſſed upon us with violence, againſt all order Eccleſiaſticall and Civill; In the meane, leaſt they become the ſacrifices of the publick hatred of others in a ſubtile Sophiſticatiō, they labour to hide the notable wrongs and effronts which they have done openly to the Reformed Religion, to the Churches of England, and all the Reformed Churches in the main and moſt materiall queſtions debated againſt the Papiſts ever ſince the Reformation; for ſuch as profeſſe themſelves our enemies, and are moſt buſie to ſtirre up our gracious Prince to armes againſt us, doe wilfully diſſemble their knowledge of any other controverſie betweene them and us, but that which properly concerneth us, and rubbeth not upon any other Church.
In this their doing the Judicious may perceive their manifold deceit, whereby they would delude the ſimple, and many wittie worldlings doe deceive themſelves.
Firſt, they would have the world to thinke that we obſtinately refuſe to obey the Magiſtrate, in the point of things indifferent: And therefore unneceſſarily, and in a fooliſh preciſeneſſe draw upon our ſelves the wrath of the King.
Secondly, when in our late Aſſemblies the order of our Church is made knowne, and the ſeeds of ſuperſtition, hereſie, idolatrie, and antichriſtian tyrannie are diſcovered in the Service-Booke and Canons, they wipe their mouth, they ſay: No ſuch thing is meant; and that we may upon the like occaſion blame the Service-Booke of England.
Thirdly, when by the occaſion of the former quarrellings, their palpable Poperie and Arminianiſme are ſet before their eyes, and their perverſe intentions, deſires, and endeavours of the change of Religon and Lawes, are upon other grounds then upon the Service-Booke and Canons objected againſt them: they ſtopp their eares, or at laſt ſhut their mouthes, and anſwer nothing. This Challenge they ſtill decline and miſken; they will not let it be heard, let be to anſwer to it; And for to make out their tergiverſation, and to daſh away utterly this our proceſſe, they have beene long plying their great engine; and at laſt have wrought their yond moſt myne to that perfection, that it is now readie to ſpring under our wals. By their flattering calumnies they have drawn the Prince againe to arms, for the overthrow of us their challengers, and for the affrighting by the terrour of armies on foot of all others elſewhere, from commencing any ſuch action againſt them.
As for us,The ſcope of the Treatiſe. truely it were the greateſt happineſſe wee doe wiſh for out of Heaven, to live peaceably in all ſubmiſſion and obedience under the wings of our gracious Soveraigne, and it is to us a bitterneſſe as gall, as wormwood, as death to be neceſſitated to any conteſt, to any contradictorie tearmes, let bee an armed defence, againſt any whom he is pleaſed to defend; Yea certainly it were the great joy of our heart, to receive theſe very men, our mortall enemies, into the armes of our affection, upon any probable ſignes in them, of their ſincere griefe, for the hudge wrongs they have intended, and done to their Mother-Church and Countrie. But when this felicitie is denyed, and nothing in them, doeth yet appeare but induration, and a malicious obſtinacie, going on madly through a deſperate deſire of revenge, to move a very ſweete Prince for their cauſe to ſhed his owne blood, to rent his owne bowels, to cut off his owne members, what ſhall wee doe but complaine to GOD, and offer to the worlds eyes the true cauſe of our ſufferings, the true grounds of this Epiſcopall warre, or rather not Epiſcopall, but Canterburian broyle: for we judge ſundrie Biſhops in the yle to be very free of theſe miſchiefes, and beleeve that divers of them would gladly demonſtrate their innocencie, if ſo bee my Lord of Canterburie and his dependants, were in any way to receive from the Kings juſtice ſome part of their deſervings.
Howſoever, that wee may give a teſtimonie to the truth of God, which wee are like at once to ſeale with our blood, wee will offer to the view of all Reformed Churches, and above the reſt to our acer…ſt and ſibbeſt ſiſter of England, as it were in a table, divers of theſe errours, which our partie firſt by craft and ſubtilitie, but now by extreame violence of fire and Sword, are labouring to bring upon us; to the end that our deare Brethren, underſtanding our ſufferings in the defence of ſuch a cauſe, may bee the more willing at this time to contribute for our aſſiſtance from God, the helpe of their earneſt Prayers, and for ever hereafter to condole with the more hearty compaſſion, any miſery which poſſibly may befall us, in ſuch a quarrell.
All our plea is but one cleare ſyllogiſme.Albeit truely our hopes are yet greater then our feares, if we could become ſo happie as once to get our plea but entered before our Prince; for we can hardlie conceave what in reaſon ſhould hinder our full aſſurance of a favorable deciſion from that Sacred mouth, whoſe naturall equitie the World knowes in all cauſes whereof hee is impartially informed, ſince our whole action is … u…ht but one formall argument, whereof the M…j r is …he verdict of our judge, the Minor ſhalbe the open and …w…d Teſtimonie of our partie, need we feare th… either our judge or partie will bee ſo irrationall as to v…nture upon the denyall of a concluſion, whereof both the premiſſes is their owne open profeſſion.
Our Major is this:The Major thereof. VVho ever in the Kings Dominions ſpreads abroad Poperie, or any Doctrine oppoſite to the Religion, and Lawes of the Land, now eſtabliſhed, ought not to bee countenanced, but ſeverely puniſhed by the King. This Major the King hath made certaine t… us in his frequent moſt ſolemne aſſeverations, not onelyonly at his coronation both here and in England, in his proclamations both here and there,(a)Neither ſhall we ever give way to the authorizing of any t…ng, wherby any innovation many ſteal or creep into the Church but ſhall preſerve that unitie of doctrine & diſc…pline, eſtabliſhed …n Q. Elizabeths reign, wherby the Church of England have ſtood & flou… ſ…ed ſince. Proclam. diſsolving the Parl of England, 1628. and therefore o…ce for all we have thought fit to declare, and hereby to aſſure all our good people, that we neit…er were, are, nor ever (by the grace of God) ſhall bee ſlained with popiſh ſuperſtition, but by the con…tarie, are reſolved to maintain the true Proteſtant Chriſtian religion, already profeſſed within this our ancient Kingdom. We neither intend innovation in religion or lawes, proclam. …une 8. 1638. to free al our good ſubjects of t…e leaſt ſu…pition of any intent on in us, to innovate any thing, either in religion or lawes, and to ſati fie not onelyonly their deſires, but even their doubts. We have diſcharged, &c. proclam: Septemb 22. 1638. and to give all his Maj. people full aſſurance, that he never intended to admit any al…eration or change in the true religō, pofeſſed wi…in this kingdome, and that they may be truely and fully ſatisfied of the realitie of his intentions, and integritie of the ſame, his Maj. hath been pleaſed to require & command all his good Subjects, to ſubſcribe the confeſſion of Faith, formerly ſigned by his dear Father, in anno 1580. and it is his Maj will, that this be inſert and regiſtrat in the books of Aſſembly, as a teſtimony to p…ſteritie, not only of the ſinceritie of his intentions to the ſaid true religion, but alſo of his reſolution to maintaine and defend the ſame, and his Subjects in the pro…eſſion thereof, proclam. Decemb. 18. 1638. but alſo in his late large declaration, oftimes giving out his reſolution to live and die in the reformed proteſtant religion, oppoſite to all Poperie; to maintaine his eſtabliſhed lawes; and in nothing to permitt the enervating of them: Yea, this reſolution of the king is ſo peremptor, & publickly avowed, th…t Canterburie himſelfe dare not but applaud thereto;(b)If any Prelate would labour to bring in the ſuperſtitions of the Church of Rome, I doe not onelyonly leave him to Gods judgement, but if his irreligious falſhood can bee diſcovered, alſo to ſhame and ſevere puniſhment from the State, and in any juſt way, no mās hands ſhould bee ſooner againſt him then mine. in his Starre chamber ſpeech, who can ſeeme more foreward then he for the great equitie, to puniſh condignlie all who would but mind to bring in any Poperie in this Iſle, or aſſay to make any innovation in Religion or Lawes.
Wee beleeve indeed that my Lord Canterburie doth but juggle with the world in his fair ambiguous generalities, being content to invegh as much againſt poperie and innovation as we could wiſh, upon hopes ever when it comes to any particular of the groſſeſt poperie we can name, by his ſubtile diſtinctions and diſputations to ſlide out of our hands: But wee are perſwaded what ever may be the jugling of ſophiſticating Biſhops, yet the magnanimous ingenuitie, the royall integritie of our gracious Soveraigne is not compatible with ſuch fraudulent equivocations, as to proclaime his deteſtation of poperie in generals, and not thereby to give us a full aſſurance of his abhorring every particular, which all the orthodox Preachers of this Iſle ſince the reformation by Queene Elizabeth and King Iames allowance hath ever condemned as popiſh errours. Our Major then wee truſt may be paſt as unqueſtionable.
Wee ſubjoyne our Minor;The Minor. But ſo it is that Canterburie and his dependars, men raiſed, and yet maintained by him, have openly in their printed bookes, without any recantation or puniſhment to this day ſpread abroad in all the Kings Dominions, doctrines, oppoſite to our Religion and Lawes, eſpecially the moſt points of the groſſeſt poperie. In reaſon all our bickering ought to be here alone. This Minor I offer to inſtruct, and that by no other middes then the teſtimonie of their owne pens. If J doe ſo to the full ſatisfaction of all, who know what are the particular heads of the reformed Religion, and what the Tenets of Poperie …ppoſite thereto; what are the Lawes ſtanding in all the thr…e Dominions, and what the contrarie maximes of the Turkiſh Empire, wherewith Matchiveliſts this day every where are labouring to poyſon the eares of all Chriſtian Princes, for enervating the Lawes and Liberties of their Kingdomes: I hope that reaſon and juſtice which ſtand night and day attending on either ſide of King Charles Throne, will not faile to perſwade the chearfull embracement of the concluſion,The concluſion. which followes by a cleare and naturall neceſſitie, from the forenamed premiſſes, to witt, that Canterburie and his dependars in all the three Dominions ought not to be countenanced by the King, but ſeverally puniſhed: Let be that for their paſtime a bloodie & hazardous warre, ſhould be raiſed in ſo unſeaſonable a time, for the undoing of that countrie, and church, which God hath honoured with the birth, and baptiſme, both of his Majeſties owne perſon, and of his renowned Father, and to the which both of them as all their hundreth and ſix glorious Predeceſſours, are endebted before God and the VVorld, all their Prerogatives both of nature, grace and eſtate, ſo much as any Princes were ever to their mother church, & native Countrie.