The Ancient Doctrine of the Church of England, Title page – Errata
The Ancient DOCTRINE OF THE Church of England Maintained in its Primitive Purity.
CONTAINING A Juſtification of the XXXIX. ARTICLES of the Church of ENGLAND, againſt Papiſts and Schiſmaticks.
The Similitude and Harmony betwixt the Romane Catholick, and the Heretick, with a Diſcovery of their Abuſes of the Fathers, in the Firſt XVI. Ages, and the many Hereſies introduced by the Roman Church.
Together with a Vindication of the Antiquity and Univerſality of the Ancient Proteſtant Faith.
Written long ſince by that Eminent and Learned Divine DANIEL FEATLY D. D.
Seaſonable for theſe Times.
Leo Mag. Ser. 1. de Epiph.
Inſanis veritas ſcandalum eſt & caecis Doctoribus fit Caligo quod lumen eſt.
LONDON, Printed for Auſtin Rice, and are to be ſold at the Crown in Saint Pauls Church-yard. 1660.
TO THE RIGHT Reverend Father in God, THOMAS, By Divine Providence, Lord B. of DURESME, &c.
May it pleaſe your good Lordſhip;
AFTER I had taken a reſolution to apologize for my departed friend, and make a kind of hedge to his Via tuta, I ſeriouſly bethought my ſelfe, who would maimtaine the fence, by one ſo made; and patronize this patronage of that his worthy worke. For though the cauſe in hand, be the truth of God; and the perſon whom I undertake to defend againſt the Calumniations of his Adverſarie, be now foreign, out of the eye of(a)Horat. Od. 14. l. 3. Sublatum ex oculis quaerimus invidi. Ovid. l. 3. De Pont Paſcitur in vivis livor poſt fata quieſcit. Et Iuvenal. Sat. 1. Nulli gravus eſt percuſſus Achilles, aut multum quaeſitus Hylas. envie, and the reach of malice; yet I well know, that neither the conſideration of the one, nor regard to the other, will prove any Amulet againſt the poyſon of the(b)Ariſtoph. in Plut. foreign, id eſt, annulis medicinalis aut antidotus. Sycophants tooth, or venom of the Detracters tongue. Death I grant, which ſets a period to all ſuits in Courts, ſhould grant a Superſedeas of Courſe, againſt all Arreſts and moleſtations of them who have taken Sanctuarie in the grave; and therefore(c)Bruſonius facet et exemp. l. 1. Solon legem condidit, quâ prohibuit in defunctos maledicta conſicere. Et Theodorus Chius cenſuit Pompeium in aegypt, admittendum addens Mortuos non mordere. Eroſm. Apoph. p. 374. Selon enacted a Law, whereby, under a great penaltie, he prohibited any to caſt any foule aſperſion on the dead. And(d)Bruſon. ibid, Aſinius Pollio cum orationes condidiſſet in Plancum quas poſt mortem ejus legendas ſer…abat audlit à Planco, cum mortuus non niſi larvas puguare. Plancus ſharply reproved the folly of Aſinius Pollio (who threatned to ſtigmatize him after his death, by publiſhing his declamations againſt him) ſaying, None but Hobgoblins fight with ghosts. Notwithſtanding this privilege granted to the dead, even by the Law of Nature; I cannot remember without horrour, nor expreſſe without griefe, what the Acts and Monuments of the Church, preſent to the view of all men, concerning Popiſh malice ſurviving life it ſelfe, and committing inhumane (not onelyonly unchriſtian) outrages on the corpes, and not leſſe upon the workes of Orthodoxe Profeſſors now with God. The bleſſed Martyr, Saint(e)Cypr. de lap. & Ep. l. 2. Saevitum eſt in plagas, ſaevitum eſt in vulnera: & in ſervis Dei non jam membra torquebantur ſed vulnera: manabat pro fletibus ſanguis & pro lachrymis cruor e ſemiuſtulatis viſceribus defluebat. Cyprian, ſetting the cruelty of the heathen, as it were, upon the Racke, could ſtraine no higher after hee had ſaid, Theſe Salvage Perſecutors wreake their furie on the bruſed, and battered ſervants of Chriſt; and torture not ſo much their members as their wounds. Yet there is a Plus ultra in the enraged malice of our Romiſh Adverſaries, Saevitum eſt in cadavera, ſaevitum eſt in oſſa, ſaevitum eſt in cineres. For they(f)Vide hiſt. de mort. Spalatenſis. M. S. Arraigne the dead, they ſue againſt them an Ejection out of their long homes, and interre them in(g)Acts and Monuments, volume 3. pag. 778. The body of Peter Martyrs wife, at Oxford, was taken up by Doctor Marſhall out of her grave, in the Church of Saint Frideſwids, and buried in a dunghill. Leſtals; nay they burne their(h)Acts and Monuments, vol. 1. p. 606. The body, and bones of Iohn Wickliffe, by the Decree of the Synod of Conſtance, were taken up & burned, 41. yeares after he was buried, in his owne Pariſh at Lutterworth, and his aſhes taken & throwne into the river; and ſo was hee reſolved into three elements, Earth, Fire, and Water: thinking thereby, utterly to exſtinguiſh and aboliſh both his name and Doctrine for ever. Acts & Monuments, volume 3. pag. 771. The Vice chancellor taking with him a publike Notarie, bound the Pariſhioners with an oath, to digge up Paulus Fargius his bones: and received the like oath of Roger Davis, and William Hazell, for doing the like with Martin Bucer, when they came to the place of execution, the Cheſts were ſet up an end, with the dead bodies in them, and faſtened on both ſides with ſtakes, and bound to the poſt with a long …on chaine, fire being forthwith put to, as ſoone as it began to flame round about, a great ſort of bookes that were condemned with them, were caſt into the ſame. bones, and ſtrew their aſhes on the rivers.
Tantene animis coeleſtibus irae?
Loe the bowels of them who moſt boaſt of workes of MercieMercy, (i) Edmund Camp. rat. 10. Clavinum & has principes unum coelum capere non poteſt. Et Fiſhers reſp. to Doctor White, and Doctor Featley. c. 2. p. 152. Out of the unity of the Romiſh Church, no ſalvation. Et Coſter reſp. ad refut. Oſiander propoſit. 8. wiſheth himſelfe damned with Lucifer, if ever any Lutheran were ſaved.towards the bodies of true Profeſſors, whilome, Temples of the holy Ghoſt: yet their charitie to their ſoules, exceeds this; for theſe they peremptorily exclude out of heaven, and ſend them pell-mell, without Baile, or Mainpriſe, to the dungeon of hell; and there ſentence them to more exquiſite (k)Coccleus hiſt. Huſsit. l. 2. Multo graviora eſſe crediderim Wicklefi tormenta quam ſint apud inferos, vel ſcelera tiſſimorum hominum Iudae proditoris Chriſti, & Neronis Chriſtianorum perſecutoris.torments, than either Nero the monſter of men, or Iudas the betrayer of Chriſt himſelfe, indure. Of this ſtraine is the Knights(l)Flood, Spect. c. 17. per tot. Papiſts dying in their Reliligion ſaved, Proteſtants damned. Alaſtor, with whom I am to deale; whoſe perfect character your Lordſhip may ſee in Sozimus, drawne to the life by Iſidorus Peluſiota, foreign,as your Lordſhip may find likewiſe, an exact Emblem of his booke in Plinie his deſcription of the(m)Plin. nat. hiſt. l. 9. c. 36. Beares whelpe, Jnformis caro ſine oculis, ſine pilis, ungues tantum prominent? In which conſideration,(n) Ben. Syr. Apoph. foreign, Sa…t…ns nutu ſtultus fuſte Druſ. in Alph. v…t. ſap. foreign. I thought it moſt needfull to make choiſe of a Patron of eminent qualitie, who with his Authoritie, might ſtoppe the mouth of ſuch railing Rabſhakah's; and if need be, lend them a ſmart blow with his Crozure, as(o)Hom. Iſ. ſ. foreign. Ʋliſſes did Therſites with his golden Scepter. Now, although the Knight vvanted not many Noble and vvorthie friends, and ſome of your Lordſhips Sacred order, who honoured him living, and would willingly have afforded him their protection being dead. Yet two reaſons were prevalent with me, to dedicate this Apologie to your Lordſhip. Firſt, becauſe none of your Lordſhips ranke now living, to my knowledge hath ſo often entered into Liſts with the Romiſh Adverſaries, nor ſerved ſo long in this ſacred Leguer as your Lordſhip; in ſo much, that at my aboade in France, now 25. yeares agoe: where I ſaw the(p)Fitzg: Hector Romulidum cecidit ſub Achille Iuello. Rhemenſi Hannibali Scipio Fulcu… erat. Tum cor papicolis Rainoldus fregit in Hatto. Alba Stapletonum jugera deinde premunt: Ac …edes noſtris prerium Deringe pa…yris. Net gemmae Renues Annulus ire comes. Abfuit Elyſiis tantum ſua Laurea lucis. Te Deus in lu…os tranflulit ergo ſuos. Armes of other Champions of the truth blazoned in a Latin Epigram, I deſcried your Lordſhips among them in an appoſite Anagram, made by a renowned Paſtor of the French Church.
THOMAS MORTONIVS homo Martis notus.
With this, or the like Euloge.
Quaſſanda eſt iſtâ Pelias haſta manu.
The other reaſon was, your Lordſhip in your laſt, no leſſe unimitable, then unanſwerable(q)Mort. inſtitut. ſacram. l. 3. c. 3. p. 158. Of Rom. Tranſub. This ſentence I have ſeene lately canvaſed by a Ieſuit againſt a judicious and religious Knight, falſly imputing unto him diverſe falſities, &c. And l. 7. c. 7. pag. 545. Your Ieſuit in his booke of Spectacles made in confutation of a judicious and religious Knight, among many other of his Paradoxes and Abſurdities &c. maſterpiece, held up your buckler over the Knight then living, more then once, and ward off the Ieſuits blowes; and therefore I doubt not but that your Lordſhip will now beſtride him being dead, and ſave him from all further injury. For my ſelfe, as nothing induced me to make this ſupplement to his Apologie, but the love of Gods truth, and the truth of my friends love: ſo I hope that all who love the truth in ſincerity, upon the impartiall peruſall hereof, will doe the Knight honour, and me right. For envie it ſelfe cannot denie that he hath much advantaged the common cauſe, both by convincing the Adverſaries, in all the maine points of difference betweene us, out of their owne mouthes, and diſcovering more at large then any the myſtery of their Indices expurgatorij…; wherein though they profeſſe to correct onelyonly their owne writers, and that but from the yeare 1518. yet the Knight hath traced them upwards, and detected their corruption of all ſorts of Writers in all former ages: whereby the judicious Reader may obſerve ſuch indirect dealing in our Adverſaries towards us, as(r)Melancth. orat. Tom. 1. de Od Sophiſt. Cum triginta Tyranni, legem tuliſſent, ne quis è ſuo Catalogo in dict â cauſà necaretur Critias tamen Therammenem collegam ſuum, cujus nomen in Catalogo ſcriptum erat, in dict â cauſâ interfici juſsit cumque Therammenes legis occiliū peteret, reſpondet, legem ſcriptam eſſe de iis quorum nomina ſunt in Catalogo, ſe vero jam Therammenes nomen in Catalogo deleviſſe. Critias in the Athenian State practiſed againſt Therammenes: there being a law enacted in the time of the 30. Tyrants at Athens, that none of them ſhould be put to death without a legall tryall, whoſe names were written in a certaine Catalogue, Critias bearing a ſpleene to Therammenes, firſt blots his name out of the Catalogue, and then proceeds to ſentence him to death; and when Therammenes pleaded the priviledge of the law, as being one of the thirty Governours, whoſe name was ſet downe in the Catalogue; Critias anſwered, that the benefit of the law was reſtrained to thoſe whoſe names were in the Catalogue; but that he had newly ſtrucke out the name of Therammenes. Let any that hath a ſingle eye, judge whether the proceedings of our Romiſh Adverſaries againſt us, are not altogether as injurious as this of Critias towards his Collegue Therammenes. Firſt, they raze out our Records, and burne our writings, and then nonſuit us for want of Evidence. Secondly, they blot and cut out by their Indices Expurgatorij, the moſt pregnant teſtimonies of Antiquity for us, and then charge us with falſe Allegations, becauſe, forſooth, they agree not with their caſtrated Copies. I freely confeſſe that if any man ſhall ſearch all the Knights quotations, eſpecially out of the Romiſh Writers, in the latter corrected, or rather corrupted Editions of them, or looke upon him through the Ieſuits Spectacles unrubbed, he will thinke him very foule in ſome Allegations at leaſt: but let him inquire into the more Auncient and uncorrupted Copies, or looke upon the Knights writings without the Ieſuits falſe glaſſes, and gloſſes, or even through thoſe Spectacles he hath fitted for him in this laſt Pamphlet; as they are now wiped and clenſed by me, he will finde him a moſt faire and ingenuous Writer.
There is no text of Scripture among duplicate page duplicate page many ſcores, no Allegation of Antiquity among many hundreths, vellicated by the Ieſuit, which is not here vindicated: no argument ſeeming to be blunted, which is not ſharpened, and a new edge ſet on it; no paint, colour, or varniſh layed by the Ieſuit on the rotten Pillars of Popery, which is not here ſcraped out, or waſhed away. And thus at the length the Caſe for the Spectacles begunne by the Knight is finiſhed: on which I crave leave to imprint your Lordſhips Name and Armes; entreating your Lordſhip to accept this Dedication as an indication of my ſincere love to my deceaſed friend, and withall an acknowledgment of that great debt of thankes I owe your Lordſhip for your Lordſhips many undeſerved favours, which I am able no other wayes to diſcharge, then by underwriting my ſelfe,
Your Lordſhips moſt humbly and affectionatly Devoted, DA. FEATLEY.
The CONTENTS of the firſt Part.
In the Epistle to I. R.
FAlſifications objected by the Ieſuit, anſwerd and retorted. pag. 2.
Perſonall ſucceſſion of viſible Profeſſors is no certaine note of a true Church. pag. 3.
The ſecond Commandement is morall, and the Ieſuits leaving it out of the Decalogue, is unexcuſable. pag. 8.
In the Anſwer to the Preface.
The Ieſuits anſwer is full of railing, ſlanders, ſophiſmes, and tergiverſations. pag. 16.
CHAP. I. The Articles of the Roman Creed, publiſhed by Pope Pius the fourth, were never anciently received. pag 25.
The 39 Articles of the Church of England juſtified. pag. 30.
Papiſts teach, that the Pope hath power to create new Articles of Faith. pag. 33.
Many Doctrines of Poperie are new, by the confeſſion of Papiſts themſelves. pag. 38.
Proteſtants have a certaine rule of Faith, Papiſts have not. pag. 45
The Roman tranſlation of the Bible, is moſt corrupt. pag. 51.
Three ſorts of corruptions, and abuſes of ancient Fathers. 1. By foyſting baſtard Treatiſes, & entitling them to the Fathers. 2. By falſifying their undoubted Treatiſes by additions, detractions, or mutations. 3. By alleaging paſſages and places out of them, which are not extant in their Workes: and of all theſe three kinds, Romaniſts are proved guiltie. pag 64.
Corruptions, and falſifications of ancient Writers, by Papiſts:
In the firſt Age. pag. 65.
In the 2. Age. pag. 67.
In the 3. pag. 68.
In the 4. pag. 73.
In the 5. pag. 77.
In the 6. pag. 89.
In the 7. pag. 90.
In the 8. pag. 92.
In the 9. pag. 105.
In the 10. pag. 109.
In the 11. pag. 110.
In the 12. pag. 111.
In the 13. pag. 112.
In the 14. pag. 114.
In the 15. pag. 115.
In the 16. pag. 122.
Of implicit Faith, and blind Obedience, maintained by Papiſts. pag. 143.
CHAP. II. Papiſts their bitterneſſe againſt reformed Churches is cauſleſſe. pag. 148.
The definition of Heretikes agreeth to Papiſts, but no way to Proteſtants. pag. 151.
Rome confeſſed to be Babylon, by learned Romaniſts. pag. 157.
CHAP. III. Caſſander and Caeſenus are juſtified. pag 164.
Corruption in Faith as well as manners, are confeſſed to have been in the Roman Church by the learned of that partie. pag. 165.
The Councell of Trent intended a reformation of Faith as well as manners. pag. 173.
CHAP. IV. The Catholike Faith is not ſo indiviſible, but that a man may renounce it in part, though not in all, as many learned Romaniſts have renounced the Trent Faith in part. pag. 178.
Prieſts marriage is lawfull. pag. 181.
CHAP. V. Romaniſts prefer their own interpretations of Scriptures, before the ancient Fathers. pag. 188.
CHAP. VI. Many errours have crept into the Church, whoſe firſt Authors cannot be named. pag. 191.
The difference between Hereſie and Apoſtacie. pag 196.
CHAP. VII. The petty degree of the Romiſh Faith is drawne from the ancient Heretikes, namely; the Oſſeni Helcheſeite, the Capernaites, the Manichees, the A…gelici, the Collyridians, the Tacians, and the Cathoriſts. pag. 219.
CHAP. VIII. The Antiquitie, and Vniverſalitie of the Proteſtant Faith in generall is proved by the teſtimonies of our learned Adverſaries. pag. 253.
There are but 22 Canonicall books of the old Teſtament, as is proved by the teſtimonies of the ancient Fathers, both of the Greeke and Latine Church. pag 276.
Errata in the first Part.
PAge 42. line 8. reade his. lin. 17. r. authority, in marg. l. 2 r. ad Dard. p. 57. lin. 11. r. their foreſeene. p. 66. l. 4. r. the deepe. p. 75. l. 20. r. Angles. p 92 in mar. l. 8. r. alius, in text, l. 29. r. rejected. p. 93. l. 16. r. ſerve. p. 109. l. 23. r. making him ſpeake. p. 131. in mar. l. 12. r. veniali. p. 138. l. 25. r. very corruptly. p. 139. l. 25. in marg. 1. repurgata: p. 153. l. 22. r. homoouſians. p. 164 in marg. l. 25. r. viceſimi terrii. p. 173. l. 23. r. operierunt. p. 189. in mar. l. 17 ſequuntur. p. 218. l. 2. r. Vitalian. p. 219. l. 18. in marg. r. regnum. p 224. in marg. l. 10. r. minus. p. 248. in marg. l. 12. r. curvat. & l. 14. r. pronus. & l. 18. r. iudico. p. 251. l. 6. r. argument. p. 255. l. 3. r. ingenuouſly. p 257. l. 12. r. true body. & l. 21. r. is. & l. 22. dele and. p. 270. l. 4. r. looke. p. 271. l. 29. r. of the. p. 273. l. 3. dele to the p. 279. l. 22. r. when.