An Apology for the Discipline of the Ancient Church, Part 3 · Section 4
The words of the Letter.
FOurthly, was it not Chriſts own hand that did poure out a dreadful Vial of viſible vengeance upon the Cathedral Church? where the Lordly Dioceſan, was not ſo much the idle, as the addle head, which therefore under that notion was not venerable, nor tolerable, becauſe of its direct and point-blank oppoſition unto divers and down-right peremptory prohibitions, as Mat. 20.26. Ye know that the Lords of the Gentiles exerciſe dominion over them; but with you it ſhall not be ſo, &c. & 1 Pet. 5. Feed the flock of God which depends on you, — not as though you were Lords over Gods heritage. Which Royal Laws do testifie all ſuch lofty Lords, and Lordleſſe Out-Lawes to be ſuch illegal and irregular livers, as that their unhallowed dwellings appear to be long ſince deſtined and appointed for hedg-hoggs to houſe and harbour at, yea, for Iim and Ohim with the wild Satyrs to dance in, and for Owles and Vultures to dung…on, being afraid of none to drive them away, thus verifying that terrible threat to be performed and fulfilled at length, which was proph ſied of old: witneſſe what is written, Iſa. 13.19, &c.
The Reply.
We are ready to acknowledge more than you can ſay, that Chriſts hand hath fallen heavy upon us, that the vengeance is juſt & viſible, Rev. 16.5, 7.and with the Angel of the Waters at the pouring forth the third Vial, we are ready to praiſe him ſaying, Thou art righteous O Lord, which art and waſt, and ſhall be, becauſe thou haſt judged thus; and to eccho unto you thoſe words, from the other Angel out of the Sanctuary, even ſo Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. Verſe 10.11.For whereas that Antichristian train under the Throne of the Beaſt, blaſphemed the God of heaven, for their pains, and for their ſores, and repented not of their works; we under the Croſſe bleſſe God, and are heartily ſorry for our miſdoings. For this is a true difference betwixt the ſervants of God, and Vaſſals of Antichriſt, that under Gods ſevere hand the one bleſſeth,Jer. 5.3. 1 Tim. 3.13. Bernard in Cant. 26. Serm. the other blaſphemeth, the one rejoyceth, the other rageth, the one repents, and amends, the other goes on, and growes worſe and worſe. Stellae nocte ſplendent, quae die non videntur. And we have hope in this our ſorrow and amendment, that God may yet ſtay his hand, and not make us drink the dregs of the Cup. For remember that this plague was poured out of a Vial, which is a certain meaſure, and more or leſſe he can diſpenſe of it,Jonah. 3.9. as he pleaſeth. Inſult not then over us in our miſery. For who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger that we periſh not.
2. But whereas you ſay this Vial was poured out on the Cathedral, 'tis true, but you muſt prove that it was poured out upon it, quatenus or becauſe it was Cathedral, or elſe your cenſure is uncharitable and raſh. For many enormities and miſdemeanours there might be in the Cathedral, which I excuſe not, that might cauſe God in his fierce wrath thus to proceed againſt her, and yet ſhe no way guilty, quatenus Cathedral. God puniſheth his ſervant David, the ſword ſhall not depart from his houſe, for the matter of Vriah; but was this heavy judgment inflicted on him, becauſe he was King of Iſrael? The puniſhment overtook him for his ſin, not for his regality; his power was juſtifiable, not his wickedneſſe, and God ſhewed his anger againſt his ſinne, not his Crown. The caſe is the ſame, the Cathedral I grant was ſinful, and for that God proceeded againſt it, but not in that Notion as Cathedral, for that was juſtifiable, as I have before proved unto you. It is then a great ſhortneſſe of diſcourſe in you, to conclude, that as Cathedral it was puniſhed, which if you conclude not, you conclude nothing: ſince this vengeance proceeded againſt the ſin of the Cathedral, not the Church.
3. Of this Cathedral, you joy that the lordly Dioceſan was not ſo much an idle, as an addle head.] I little doubt but you pleaſed your ſelf with this paranomaſia, as much as the Mathematician did with his Diagramme, for the invention of which he offered to Jupiter a whole Hecatombe. But what now, were theſe qualities proper or common to the Dioceſan? if common, then it is poſſible that the Paſtour of a Combinational Church may be an idle and an addle head as well as the Dioceſan; becauſe common accidents are communicable to ſubjects of divers kinds: if proper, then it muſt agree omni, to every Dioceſan, and ſo every Dioceſan an idle and an addle head. Cranmer, Ridly, Latimer, Hooper, idle and addle heads; Jewel, Armagh, Andrews, Morton, White, Montague, Bilſon, both the Abbots; all thoſe eminent and learned Biſhops of our Church, that have ſtood up in the gap, and fought the battels of the Lord, againſt that Goliah of Rome, idle and addle heads. Do you not bluſh at theſe obloquies, by which you impute idleneſſe to them, who wore out their bodies in continual ſtudy and labour in defence of the Truth; and addleneſs, ſuch as in a rotten egge, to ſuch, whoſe names, ſay you what you pleaſe, will be venerable to poſterity for their wiſdome and conſtancy. You uſually call all yours, painful Preachers, and yet what is their pains more then that of the lungs? ſince by your own principles they may not take pains for what to deliver, but muſt rely upon that ill applyed promiſe, It ſhall be given you in that …: Which yet no man, but he that hath an addle head will truſt too; and ſo your itinerants may be idle and addle heads alſo, Nobis non licet eſſe tam diſertis. Moſt of our Biſhops were laborious, wiſe, diſcreet men; if all were not ſo, let not the whole order be branded with that black coal of reproach, for ſomes ſake. I know you would be loth to have the ſame meaſure meated out to you.
4. But you have reaſon for what you ſay, and then very good reaſon you ſhould be heard. Reaſon the ſtrongeſt that may be given, even out of our Saviours mouth and his Apoſtle Saint Peter. There muſt be no lordly Dioceſan; ſo ſay I to, that is no domineering and tyrannical Superiour in the Church; and yet they may be called Lords for all that; neither are theſe words of Chriſt or Peter any prohibition againſt it, as I have ſhewed you before, when I gave you the true intent of thoſe Scriptures, whether for the meaning I now refer you.
And yet one thing more I ſhall be bound to tell you, that if you look heedfully into the Text, the word Lord is not in the Original; for thus the words are, they that bear rule, are called foreign, Benefactours; or Ptolomy in Aegypt, foreign, but with you it ſhall not be ſo. The ſimple then may be deluded by you, but the Learned know 'tis a gloſſe beſides the Text; your illation, no tranſlation of the words. There is no more prohibition for being called Lord, then for Rabbi, or Maſter, or Doctor,Mat. 23. v. 9.10. or father, as is evident in the Goſpel, and may not then a man be called Maſter or father? Let an anſwer be thought upon for theſe appellations, and it will ſerve for the other without any ſenſible errour. Lord and ſervant are oppoſite terms, and not Lord and ſonnes or brethren; now the flock are no ſervants, but brethren, and the Paſtours no Lords over Gods inheritance, but fathers to the faithful; what marvail therefore if Chriſt prohibited a Lordly authority to his Apoſtles, ſince they were to entreat them kindly, as fathers do their children, as one brother ſhould do to his brother, and not think to command and compell them as their Vaſſals; for this is foreign foreign, which Saint Peter forbids. Such an uſurpation, tyranny, domineering as this, would have made your words good, and teſtifyed them to have been lofty Lords, and Lordleſſe Out-Laws, to have been illegal and irregular livers; which I ſhall not yield you true of that Dioceſan you ſpeak, much leſſe that becauſe they were called Lords, that this was the cauſe that their unhallowed dwellings were deſtined and appointed for hedg-hogs to houſe and harbour in; yea, for Iim and Ohim to dance in, and for Owls and Vultures to dung on: had there been no greater tranſgreſſion then this, I beleeve they might have kept their dwellings ſtill.
But what now, are thoſe that houſe and harbour in their dwellings, become hedg-hogs, and hob-goblings, and Satyrs? good words I pray, leſt this prove ſcandalum magnatum; ſhould I ſay ſo much, I fear I ſhould have ſwords about my ears; for conſider who they be that have taken poſſeſſion, and dwell in theſe houſes. They be Saints I hope; not Devils; the meek that are to poſſeſſe the earth, and not prickly hedg-hogs, the chaſt, no wanton Satyrs, and they'l have a care no doubt to keep their houſes clean, ſo that no Vulture nor Owle ſhall dare to a light and dung there, for they have power enough to drive them away. Or if by theſe houſes you mean the Cathedrals themſelves, pray conſider again, who hath the uſe of them, who preach in them? and are theſe alſo hedg-hogs, and foul ſpirits, unclean Satyrs, Vultures and Owls? do theſe defile theſe places with their dung? ſhould they do ſo, 'twere your grief, that no man dare drive them away. What Phineas birds ſuffered to defile Gods Temple? Deus meliora.
Yea, but ſo it muſt be, for ſo it was propheſied of old; how could that terrible threat be performed and fulfilled? at length it came to this, witneſs the Prophet, Iſa. 13.19, &c. For ſo much you ſhall evidently confeſſe, if you look but on the firſt verſe of that Chapter, where you ſhall read onus Babylonis, The burden of Babylon, which Iſaiah the ſonne of Amos did ſee; and this Propheſie was never fulfilled till England became Babel. And ſo much again, if you read but this 19. And Babylon the glory of Kingdomes, the beauty of the Caldees excellency ſhall be as when God overthrew Sodome and Gomorrah.
Your luck is very ill in alledging of Scripture; this I am certain which makes ſo little to your purpoſe. Had you inferred from hence, let Tyrants beware how they oppoſe the people of God, as the Babylonians did the Iſraelites, before they were overthrown by the Medes; let them take heed that they commit not Idolatry, and ſerve not Devils in their Temples, as did the Caldeans, upon whom the words you alledge were fulfilled; then you had hit the Prophets meaning; for what he foretold came ſo to paſſe; but to tell us, that thus it ſhould be done to our Cathedrals, that this terrible threat might be performed and fulfilled at length, and that this was propheſied of old, and to call the Prophet Iſaiah for a witneſſe, it muſt be ſo, is to take Gods Name in vain, no leſſe then if you ſhould take a vain or a falſe oath. I am loth to ſay it, but your impertinent allegation hath forced it from me.