1 Cor. x. BOOK the Corinthians, with safety of conscience. As appeareth chap. x. Corinth. prima, in this sort: Quod siquis infidelium vos vocat, et vultis ire, quicquid apponitur vobis, edite, nihil interrogantes propter conscientiam. Whereby also appeareth, that Christians were not prohibited the conversing with infidels. Secondly, It is certain that Christ by his authority confirmed the New Testament, and abolished the Old; as St. Paul writeth to the Hebrews: Hoc, quod dicit novum, antiquavit prius. And the use thereof was not the service of God. And if the Jews took it to be still as needful, as the papists now do the mass, nevertheless St. Paul, &c. And here this paper ends abruptly. MSS. Burg. Number XVIII. Another discourse upon the same argument. IF the meat which was of the infidels dedicated to idols might be used and suffered of the Christian Corinthians with a safe conscience; then the mass which the papists use may be now used and suffered of the right Christians with a safe conscience. But the meat dedicated by the infidels unto idols might be used and suffered of the Christian Corinthians with a safe conscience. Ergo, the papistical mass may be now used and suffered of the right Christians with a safe conscience. The minor is proved from the 2 Cor. x. Siquis infidelium vos vocat, &c. and ye are minded to go; eat whatsoever is set before you, asking no question for conscience sake. Here we be taught two lessons. First, That that which is offered to idols is not unlawful by it self, but in that it is offered to the Devil, and not unto God. The second, That tho' it be offered unto the Devil, and not to God, and so most wicked; yet for all that, this abhominable abuse and idolatry mar not the liberty and the indifference of the meat, so ungodly abused, but that it may always be eaten lawfully, where no offence is given to the weak. Where I. upon we may wel gather, that the wicked abuse of the mass BOOK taketh not away the free and indifferent using of the same without the abuse. Christ by his death confirmed the New Testament; and so the Old was no longer his Testament. And Paul saith, Hebr. viii. Quod dicit novum, antiquavit prius. Nor the service thereof was no longer God's service; nor the using thereof was no longer profitable: nor was it no more to be used for religion and God's honour, than the mass, or any thing devised by man. And yet notwithstanding all this, the Jews still accounted it so needful, that they thought they could not be saved without it, nor please God without it. And Paul knew all this to be true, and yet he suffered Timothy to be circumcised: he kept himself the feast of Pentecost at Jerusalem: he went into the temple: he cleansed himself: he vowed: he shaved his head with the Jews. He was, as himself writeth of himself, Judæis factus tanquam Judæus. And commanded, that none should condemn the Jews, which for conscience and religion durst not eat that that was forbidden by the abolished law of Moses. Nor would not for devotion break the holy days commanded by the same law. How then can we rightly condemn them, which for igno- 35 rance use the mass with such holiness and opinion, as the papists? For as they judge it necessary for salvation, and for worshiping of God, so did the Jews judge the abolished law of Moses to be. And as the mass is but the ordinance of man, no more was the Levitical and ceremonial law, being before taken away by Christ. And afterwards used was, I say, not God's law, but man's mere ordinance, &c. And therefore as the superstitious users of the abolished law of Moses were born withal, so ought we to do with the superstitious users of the mass. For where like cause of bearing is given, there we ought to bear alike. BOOK MSS. Guil. Petyt, ar Number XIX. An extract out of the Admonition to the Parliament: containing such slanderous and unseemly termes, as there, by the authors thereof, against the orders of the church of England, and the state of the realm, that now is, are uttered. Out of the preface to the Admonition. WEE mean the lordly lords, archbishops, bishops, sufframig. Folio gans, deans, doctors, archdeacons, chancellors, and the rest of that proud generation: whose kingdom must down; hold they never so hard. Because their tyrannous lordships cannot stand with Christ his kingdom. 1. pag. line 11. L. 21. L. 25. L. ult. F. 1. p. 2. 1. 1. F. 4. p. 1. 1.17. L.31. Ungraciously, cruelly, and pope-like, they take upon them to beat them: and that for their own childish articles: being for the most part against the manifest truth of God. Their rigor hath too plainly appeared ever since their wicked reign. That one part being proud, pontifical, and tyrannous. Wee in England are so far from having a church right reformed, according to the prescript of God's word, that as yet we are not come to the outward face of the same. Besides, that ridiculous, and (as they use it to their own creatures) blasphemous saying, Receive yee the Holy Ghost. Now they must be discovered from others by popish P. 2.1.21. and antichristian apparel, as cap, gown, tippet....... Now princes plesures, mens devices, popish ceremonies, and antichristian rites, in public pulpits, are defended. F. 5. p.1. 1.16. F.7. p. 2. 1. 15. Remove homilies, articles, injunctions, a prescript order of service, made out of the mass-book. Take away the lordship, the loitering, the pomps, the idlenes, and livings of the bishops. If he come not at the whistle of him, who hath by God's word no authority to call: we mean chancellors, officialls, doctors, and all that rabble. Out of the treatise following, called, A View of Popish BOOK Devices. 1. 18. I. Wee must needs say, that this book, The Communion F. 9. p. 2. Book, is an unperfect book, culled and picked out of that popish dunghil, the mass-book, full of all abhomination. Wherewith we justly find fault. And they too con- F.10. p. 1. temptuously, for the love of their livings maintain, smelling 1. 12. of their old popish priesthood, &c. Meaning the bishops. But drawn they are and shew their own shame, to strive P. 2. 1. ult. so eagerly to defend their doings, that they will not only 36 acknowledge their imperfections, but will enforce other men to allow them. 1.6. The queen's chapel and cathedral churches must be pa- F. 14. p. 1. troons and presidents to the people, of all superstitions : thrust away most sacrilegiously that order which Christ hath left to his church, &c. They shew, they hold the doctrine with us, but in unrighteousness, with an outward shew of godliness, but having denyed the power thereof: entring not in by Christ, but by a popish and unlawful vocation. L. 15. As the names of archbishops, archdeacons, lord bishops, chancellors, &c. are drawn out of the pope's shop, together with their offices; so the government which they use by the law of the pope, which is the canon law, is antichristian and devilish, and contrary to the scriptures. P. 2. 1. 10. Lord bishops, their suffragans, archdeacons, chancellors, officials, proctors, doctors, and such ravening rablers. 1.5. The archbishops court, or that filthy quavemire and F. 15. p. 2. poisoned plash, of all the abominations that do infect the whole realm. L. 29. This petty pope primate, and metropolitan of all England. 1. 32. If they all should perhaps see this writing, they would be F. 16. p. 1. as angry as wasps, and sting like hornets. Three of them would be enough to sting a man to death. For why? They are high commissioners. P. 2. 1. 5. They take upon them blasphemiously to say, Receive the Holy Ghost. That this reign of antichrist may be turned out headlong F. ult. 1. 3. from among us. 1. BOOK The view of that church that the authors of the late published Admonition would have planted within this realm : containing such positions as they hold against the state of the said church, as it is now. F. 3. p. 2. 1.1. F. 4. p. 1. 1.7. F. 4. p. 2. 1. 1. P. 5. 1. 16. F. 9. p.2. 1. 18. Out of the first treatice, named, An Admonition to First, They hold and affirm, that we in England are not yet come to the outward face of a church, agreable to God's word. L. ult. They will have the ministers to be called, chosen, allowed, and placed by the people. They will have none made minister, but the minister of some one certain church or parish. L. 9. They hold, that a bishop at no hand hath authority to ordain ministers. L.17. They say, for a bishop to say to a minister, Receive the Holy Ghost, is blasphemous and ridiculous. L. 28. They will have the ministers at their own plesure to preach without licence. L. 31. They will have the ministers discerned from others by no kind of apparel. And the apparel appointed they term antichristian; and the apparel appointed by the prince, disobedience against the prince. They will have all archbishops, bishops, archdeacons, chancellors, and all other ecclesiastical officers, together with their titles, jurisdictions, courts, and livings, clean taken away, and utterly with speed removed. L. 9. They will not have the minister tyed, as they term it, to any form of prayer, invented by man; but as the Spirit moveth them, so to make their prayers. And therefore they will be bound to no prescript order of prayers: so, 1. 12, will they have the Book of Common Prayer clean taken away. The Book of Common Prayer, they say, containeth a great number of things contrary to God's word; that it is patched, for the most part, out of the popes portuise; that it is an imperfect book, culled and picked out of the popish dunghil, the mass-book, full of all abominations. They will have all advousons, patronages, impropriations, and bishops authority in ordaining of the ministers, to be removed. |