The Judgment of Babylon, Title page – To the reader
THE JUDGEMENT Of the late Arch-Biſhop of ARMAGH, and PRIMATE of IRELAND.
Of BABYLON (Rev. 18.4.) being the preſent See of Rome.
(With a Sermon of Biſhop BEDELS upon the ſame words.)
Of laying on of hands (…eb. 6.2.) to be an ordained Miniſtery.
Of the old Form of words in Ordination.
Of a Set Form of PRAYER.
Publiſhed and enlarged by Nicholas Bernard D. D. and Preacher to the Honourable Society of Grayes-Inne, London.
Unto which is added a Character of Biſhop BEDEL, And an Anſwer to Mr. Pierces Fifth Letter concerning the late PRIMATE.
LONDON, Printed for John Crook, at the Sign of the Ship in S. Pauls Church-yard, 1659.
TO THE Right Worſhipfull Sir WILLIAM ELLIS BARONET, His HIGHNES Sollicitor GENERALL, The Readers, and Benchers, With the Ancients, Barreſters, and Students, Of the Honourable Society of Graies-Inne.
YEe are thus intituled to theſe Treatiſes. The occaſion of publiſhing the Firſt, was a Sermon preached by the late Arch-Biſhop of ARMAGH in your Chappell of the ſame ſubject, Nov. 5. 1654. who (out of his old love to this ſociety, whereof he was a member) intended it as his laſt: the requeſt then made to him for the permiſsion of printing that, he did ſatisfy in his conſent to the publiſhing of this. For the other, ſome parts of them have been long agone preached before you by the Authour, though now in another manner enlarged; which as a teſtimony of his due obſervance and reſpect to this Honourable Society, he deſires may be accepted from him, who is
Grayes-Inne, Octob. 27. 1658. Yours in the ſervice of Chriſt, N. BERNARD.
To the Reader.
HOw Popery and(a)Though of late it hath had that latitude as to comprehend Epiſcopacy, yet, in Ancient Records (which I have ſeen) it was limited to the Deans and Chapters; For this was then the form of the Arch-Biſhops Provinciall viſitation, declaring that he would viſit, Epiſcopum, Praelatos, clerum & populum. Prelacy came firſt to be contracted, is not my enquiry; but ſure I am, they are here very far aſunder, ſuch as do apply that of Babylon (Rev. 17.) and the Man of ſin (2 Theſ. 2.) to the Pope can hardly be accounted Popiſh, which you find affirmed by the late Archbiſhop of Armagh, and Biſhop Bedell, in their diſcuſſing of the ſame words, And who are ſupported in it by the moſt Eminent Biſhops of England and Ireland, ſince the Reformation. Archbiſhop Whitgift, Biſhop Jewell; Abbot, Bilſon, Andrews, Downham, Morton, Hall, Davenant, Prideaux, with others, who have unanimouſly given their votes the ſame way, as is hereafter ſhewn, And indeed it could not be otherwiſe expected from ſome of them who had been taught to put him into their(b)Common Prayer in Edw. 6. Letany, From the Tyranny of the Biſhop of Rome, and all his deteſtable enormities, Good Lord deliver us. So that if any of later years profeſſing themſelves to be the ſons of thoſe old Prophets, have ſo far favoured the See of Rome, as to divert the ſtream of that application ſome other way, it appears they have in it degenerated from their Anceſtors.
The firſt Treatiſe, being the Primates three poſitions concerning Babylon, was wrot above 40 years agone, (which appears by the places of Scripture, rendred according to the old Tranſlation) and ſent to an Iriſh Jeſuit in Dublin, (as I take it(c)The firſt that broached that figment of the Nagges head conſecration in England, after 45 yeares ſilence of any other Author, which in Biſhop Bedells Letters to Wadeſworth, p. 142. is confuted. Chriſtophorus à ſacro boſco, there called F. Halywood, the ſumme of which having been delivered by the Primate in a Sermon which he preached at Grays-Inne, Nov. 5. 1654. and being much deſired by ſome of the Auditours to be publiſhed, he did condeſcend, to permit this, with that other Letter following, in their ſatisfaction.
The learned Sermon of Biſhop Bedels (being of the ſame ſubject) I heard him preach it in Chriſt-Church, Dublin, 1634. before the Lord Deputy and Parliament. The occaſion of his giving a copy of it, was at the requeſt of a Papiſt, to have ſhewen it to ſome learned men of his own Religion, and my opportunity to have it, was the near relation I had to him for divers years in that See; which after theſe 22 yeares lying latent with me) I have taken this fit occaſion to publiſh it.
That which I have added, is by way of confirmation from ſome grounds out of Ancient Fathers, the ſucceſſive votes both of the learned Writers in thoſe ages, who lived under the Tyranny of the See of Rome, as of our eminent Biſhops and Writers, ſince that yoke was caſt off in England; with the concurrence of our book of Homilies, ſeverall Synods of our own, and other reformed Churches, the determination of the*Synopſ. Theol. diſp. 4…. de Chriſto & Antichriſto concluſ. Ex quibus apparet Pontificem & Papam Romanum, revera Antichriſtum & filium perditionis eſſe, &c. Dutch and French Divines. It being very obſervable, that whatſoever differences there are in the reformed Churches in other matters, yet there is a marvellous unity in this. To which is added the like judgement of Arminius, and ſome of the Church of Rome, (continuing at leaſt in that communion) who profeſſe it out-right; others by way of conſequence: Their chief Writers, who meet us halfe way, granting the place, only diſputing the time, contending as much as we, that Babylon (Rev. 17.) muſt be meant Rome, the difference between us, whether Ethnick, or Papall.
For that of the Primates judgement (ſeconded by ſome eminent Writers) what is meant, Heb, 6.2. by laying on of hands, and of the ſenſe of the old form of words in Ordination; viz. Receive the holy Ghoſt, whoſe ſins thou forgiveſt, &c. and the uſe of them to be continued. I had leave from himſelf for the manifeſting and enlarging of it. And I ſuppoſe the laſt ſubject concerning a Set Form of Prayer, will paſſe with the leſſe oppoſition, by the concurring of divers eminent and worthy Perſons, whom the contrary-minded cannot but highly eſteem of. Having both in the former and this, taken up Saint Pauls manner of arguing with the Athenians, as certain alſo of your own have ſaid, &c. or as elſewhere, one of themſelves, even a Prophet of their own, &c. And ſurely, the Primates appearing ſo much againſt the See of Rome in the firſt, cannot but be a preparative to the hearkning unto him the rather, in the two later.
For my ſelf, I have no other deſign in the whole, but the peace and unity of the Church, which we are all bound to ſeek, (and without which end and aim, all gifts whatſoever coveted by us, are of no value) and I hope to have that interpretation from ſuch as are ſo affected.
Two things which have been enlarged by way of Vindication of the Eminent Primate, from the injuries of Doctor Heylene, came ſo in my way, that I could not paſſe them, which elſe (by his being in the eſteem of men ſo far above his reach) there had been no need of. He having in thoſe and divers other aſperſions which he hath caſt upon him in his late book (which may hereafter be fully cleared) done himſelfe the chiefeſt wrong.
I commend the whole to the Readers charitable and impartiall cenſure, that no prejudicate opinion doe obſtruct his right apprehenſion.