Baillie’s Parallel. Preface.
James Dodson
THE PREFACE.
The reformed Religion is a great Enemy to Satan’s Kingdom.
The Kingdom of Satan these last thousand years hath not been so much indamaged by any work of God, as by that glorious reformation of Religion, which in the days of our Fathers the LORD stirred up many Protestant Potentates and Divines to undertake, and to this day with an undaunted courage and marvelous success to maintain: it is nothing strange to see or hear of plots singularly crafty, of practises eminently cruel, employed by the vassals of the God of this world for the crushing of that reformation which hath proved so divine an engine to profligate errour, profaneness, and all other wickedness, whereby the souls of men were wont to be led away to their destruction without controlment.
Satan’s new device to overthrow the reformed Religion by his mediators of peace.
The old devices of the Devil against the Protestant Churches by their long use are a little blunted and become nothing either so terrible or effectual as once we felt them: the learning, vivacity, & indefatigable industry of the Jesuits & other Romish orders, in their voluminous Writings: the slight and rage of Antichristian Princes, in their wars, massacres, banishments, and persecutions of all kinds, have done their worst upon us, and yet by the mercies of our Protector, we stand firm against all these efforts. Our restless enemy finding himself in these his former endeavors disappointed, hath lately run about to a new point of his circle, and thought meet to assay another quarter of our walls, which to him appeared more weak and less attended, than those upon which he had spent his strength and skill so long in vain. When the most subtle disputations and sharpest swords were not likely with haste enough to bring forth our ruin, behold that mischievous General
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sends forth the reserved squadron of Knights of his new order of refined Reconcilers, by whose pretences of friendship and peaceable mediations, he is confident to overthrow the Protestant cause more quickly than by the heads and hands of all his former Souldiers. The experience he hath had of the efficacious operation of this engine, when at the first framing it was managed by the weak hands of Cassander, his remembrance how many thousand souls by the unhappy conceit of this man’s moderation were kept in the bosom of the great whore, when upon the clear sight of her abominations, they were on their wing to have forsaken with speed her communion, fills him now with hopes of drawing over to Rome whole Nations and kingdoms of Protestants, when he perceives this his noble instrument to be fallen into the hands of far greater spirits, and men armed with much greater authority.
Holland by this engine was well near catched in the net of the Pope and Spaniard.
The Churches and States of Holland having outridden all their former tempests, by the blasts of this last spirit, were well near dashed on the rocks of a total ruin: Arminius and Utenbogard, breathing nothing but charity and moderation of the rigours of Calvin and Beza, after they had gotten the shoulders of Barnevelt and Grotius to support them, in a short time did bring these famous Provinces in a more evident hazard, to fall into the mouth of the Spanish Lyon for their bodies and estates, and of the Romish she Wolf for their souls and Religion, than forty or fifty years of cruel and continual war had ever been able to reduce them.
By this instrument Cardinal Richelieu’s labouring to destroy the Churches of France.
How ever the Cardinal of France by the sword of the King his Master, hath weakened the Protestant Churches of that Kingdom in all their outward securities, much more than all the enemies that ever professed to oppose them, yet his peaceable weapons are far more terrible than all his instruments of Warre. Whither his finger had share in that late smoke of Amiraut [Amyraut] and Testard, I do not know, but the world doth now see him ready to strike (if he can) to the very heart these gracious Churches with Cassander’s sword. This is all the labour of his hypocrite emissary Milletier, once amongst the most zealous and learned Gentlemen of the Religion there, but lately having tasted of the Cardinal’s favours, by all the
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means he can endeavouring avowedly to persuade the Churches of France not to become at the first full Papists, but only to pass from their first reformation as rash, to enter into a new capitulation of peace with the Pope, to keep so much and leave so much of the reformed Religion, that if his importunate advise were hearkened unto, the most both of Pastours and people of their own accord without any violence from the King’s force or persuasion from the Jesuits craft, behooved incontinent to fall in such a mist of confusion, that they could not eschew to betake themselves either to open Atheism or plain Popery. No engine against our Churches pleased that too too wise man so well as this of a pretended reconciliation. Wherefore if it should fail in the hands of his servant Milletier, as indeed his too palpable siding with the Pope hath made him to the most of Protestants contemptible and ridiculous, yet hath his Master projected other means for the prosecution of this design: his familiar and frequent conferences with the prime Ministers of the Religion; his contentment to hear of a Patriarchate in France, of translating the Popish Bible and Liturgy in the vulgar Language, and some other such fables, hath no other end but to amuse the Protestants with pleasant and foolish dreams, that the Papists at last are inclining to meet them in the mid-way; that by this means they may be drawn from their old station, defended so long with rivers of the best blood of France, that they may desert a great part of their cause on vain hopes of an equitable condescending, and when they are brought to the mid term they imagine, they may either by persuasion be drawn quite over to the Romish side, or else quickly by force be chased out of France.
The greatest operation of this engine was in the Isle of Britain.
But of all the Regions of the world this evil Cassandrian spirit did choose the Isle of Britain for his principal habitation, having once gotten possession in the heart of the great Arch Prelate there; from him as the head without much ado he diffused his venom into the most of the inferior members, numbers of the Clergy were incontinent in all the Dominions so far intoxicated with this pestilentious vapour, that how much true protestant life remained in their breast, it is hard to say. By all appearance too great a number needed
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no more for their posting to Rome, but a Warrant from the King and Parliament; yea so great a mind had they to the voyage, that many of them, notwithstanding of the King and States express discharge are found as fugitives much beyond the mid-way, if not within the walls themselves of that Babel: who pleaseth to peruse with attention that late Treatise of the Canterburian self-conviction, will find it more easy to recite the Catalogue of Romish errours, which were avowed by a great number of Divines, with the hearty approbation, or at least open countenance of all the Bishops, than to find any abomination of Popery whereof they were free.
The Canterburians by the means of the Liturgy did most promote their wicked design.
Amongst the manifold policies employed by these new engineers to steal away the hearts of people from their zeal to the Protestant Religion, to diminish their hatred of Popish corruptions, piece and piece to bring them insensibly within the doors of the Harlot’s house: their master-piece for these ends was the crying up with all their strength of the Liturgy and Popish rituals: they knew that amongst people the capacities of few did reach to the comprehension of doctrinal controversies, they perceived that the division of Protestants from Rome was most if not alone sensible in the use of their Liturgies and rituals; a civil society with Papists we did never refuse, diverse also make no scruple to come to their Sermons, but to countenance their worship, to partake of their Sacraments, to join with them in their Missal, Breviary, Pontifical, or any other of their Ceremonial books, all true Protestants have ever abhorred as superstitious and idolatrous pollutions. To remove this great if not sole wall of separation, our Masters of the new art did make it their chief task to frame all the rituals of our Church in such a mode, that they should in nothing at all cross with the least offence the mind of the Pope himself [See Hall’s defence of his Remonstrance, p. 10.]; and as if it had not been favour enough to Papists to have removed out of our Book of devotion, every thing any ways displeasing to them, they will yet more shew their care of complying with the desires of these their friends, when the reframing of the Liturgy cometh into their hands, by cunning conveyance they will slide in so many more new clauses from the Romish Missals, as may serve at their
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first explanation to be a fair bridge to all our people to walk straight over the ancient ditches of division to the midst of the City of Rome. They saw by sensible reasons, that when we did embrace such a Liturgy as did justify the Mass Book of the Papists, their Breviary and all other their public devotions; in all the most material exceptions we were wont to take at them, that then we were brought to an inevitable necessity to conjure at the first occasion with the Papists, in these things wherein our separation almost alone was apparent.
The Liturgy of old was a pregnant mean to subdue England to the Pope.
Beside reason and sense they were taught by ancient experience, that the easiest way whereby the Pope of old subdued the most of the Western Nations to his obedience, was by the snare of his Liturgy; they were not unacquainted with the history of foreign Churches, at least of their own: It was not only in Italy, France, and Spain, where the Pope after his long wars and contests both with the Preachers and people, for the receiving of his Ordo Romanus, at last sore against the heart both of the Churches and States by the violent oppression of misled Princes, did bind the yoke of his Service-book so fast on the neck of these realms, that to this day, the knot of that slavery could never be gotten either loosed by art, or cut by force; but in England above all Nations the first introduction of the Romish Liturgy was tragical and tyrannic, for notwithstanding of all that the crafty and infamous Apostle Austin could do, the Church-men of England were never induced to receive that Roman order, till that cruel maledictine Monk by the sword of the misinformed King, had massacred 1200 of the most zealous and innocent of his opposers, to the end that the seed of Romish rituals being watered with the blood of so many Martyrs, might take the deeper root in English ground; surely when once that cruel Monk, then Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Pope’s Apostle to England, had brought that Romish service into the Church over the carcasses of so many martyred Divines, the slavery of the whole Nation became so pitiful, that for many ages without any possible remedy, both their souls, bodies, and estates were trod upon by the foul feet of the Roman Antichrist.
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These tried experiences did encourage much of late our Leaders to assay the reducing of our Church in that old beaten path to the obedience of the Apostolic See. The English Liturgy which contained the most tolerable fooleries of the old order of Sarum was winked at in the beginning of King Edward and Q. Elizabeth’s Reign, by many gracious men overswayed by the prepotent Popish faction, hoping withal in due time by the power of preaching to get all that trash cast out, and all the mist of these shadows dispelled: but in this hope they were much deceived, for that book which at the beginning might have (albeit with some difficulty) been gotten quite removed, in process of time was so rooted, became so lovely to many of the Clergy, that when this new faction of Reconcilers was lifted up on the stage of this Isle, they found it the best instrument they could have wished for the promoting of all their designs: the greatest follies and most inexcusable faults thereof, which in the days of former Governours were either altogether neglected or but softly pressed, by our new Master’s wisdoms were all punctually and most straitly urged: these men gave unto many passages of that Book, which by a benign interpretation were wont to be drawn into a protestant sense; their first and native exposition according to the mind of these Popes who had at the beginning composed them; and finding it most easy by a little variation to get in much more of the Romish stuff, they procured from the King, as if it had been for the use of the Church of Scotland alone, the reframing of the whole Book: in this their work they inserted so much farther of the Romish rituals, that if God had not crossed their design, it had been in all appearance most easy for them so to have dressed that new service in a second Edition, which by a fresh Proclamation for a full uniformity in the worship of God amongst all the King’s Subjects, might have been imposed on all the three Dominions, that Protestants should have no longer made any scruple to have gone to the Popish Mass and Matins, nor Papists to have come to the English Liturgy, when both of them with their eyes did see these books at last to have become really the same.
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It is marvelous that any good man should now be zealous for the Liturgy.
It is strange that men who profess more than ordinary zeal to the peace of the Church of England, should at this time be so earnest solicitors for the preserving of this Liturgy, when the far most part, if not simply all the godly of the Isle are longing with great expectation, and greater desires to see that instrument after all the evil they have suffered by it to be broken in pieces; these bygone years the truths of God, of the highest quality in a very great number by their Brethren the Canterburians were shamefully trod underfoot, the world truly wonders how then these men’s pens and tongues were employed, where their remonstrances, their defences, their apologies lay then buried? when the whole Protestant religion before their eyes was violate, when a deluge of Arminianism and Popery was overflowing the Land, were they not then dumb as fishes? did either the King, or the Parliament, or the Country hear one syllable of the smallest complaint from them? but now when the holy Miters of Prelates begin to be touched, when the book of sacred Ceremonies cometh in hazard of a removal, heaven and earth is filled with their clamours, no end there is now of their pamphleting, as wave presseth wave, so their irrefragable propositions must be seconded with their divine Episcopacy, and that backed with a remonstrance, and this with a defence; and however all these should swell never so big with disdainful pride and most bitter injuries, yet the world must forsake their senses, and take all for the most sweet, mild, and humble moderation. I will passe no censure on that Spirit which leads men of eminent parts and dignity to a dumb silence, when both Church and State are set on fire about their ears by Incendiaries of their special acquaintance and intim[at]e familiarity, but wakens them to high and outrageous passions, when Bishops and Ceremonies come to be call’d in question, only they would beware least this their second practice be a just punishment on them from God for their first fault, least for their former betraying (at least through their connivance) the truth of God, and liberties of their Country, they be now scorched with the flames of that desperate zeal for keeping in the Church that trash which they may know hath ever been, and now is like to be an occasion of most pitiful division
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vision both in Church and State, which the World known hath ever been a rod of Scorpions in the hands of the sons of Belial, to scourge alongst all the Kingdom many amongst the best both pastors and professors of the whole Land, which themselves have seen with their eyes to have been the prime instrument whereby the Canterburians were like in a short time to have redelivered all these Dominions into the hands of the Pope, and which if they please they may know to be of that nature that to the worlds end will make it very apt to do the like service to any who shall have the like boldness and occasion to reattempt the like designs.
The scope of the subsequent Treatise.
But with the Liturgy of the Church of England I will not meddle, those whom more properly it concerns will doubtless now shortly in all seriousness recognise upon it, whether or no at this divine occasion when without the least hurt to any soul it may most easily be gotten quite removed, it ought not once for all to be cast away for the remedying of many great evils wherewith in all bygone times it hath afflicted both Church and State, as also for the procuring of many great blessings which through the want of its encumbrance all other reformed Churches this day enjoy. It is my only intention to consider the Scottish Liturgy, which the Bishops persuaded the King to be all one with the English, and as indeed by the English Authours so cunningly contrived that no sensible difference to a common and running eye will appear: according as the general Assemblies and Parliament of Scotland gave express warrant, and as now thanks be to God both his Majesty and this gracious Parliament of England doth freely consent: I will shew that this our Service-Book is not only taken well near word by word, out of the sink of Rome, but also that all the filth which runs in any lanes of the Mass, is either clearly to be seen in the gutters of it, or at least secret conduits are laid under its streets for to receive all the mire of the Romish rituals, whensoever it shall be the pleasure of a misleading Prelate to open the Sluices for deriving to us more of the Romish puddle. It is my labour in this subsequent Treatise to shew not so much that the Liturgy is in the Mass, whereof none do doubt, as that the Mass is in the Liturgy.
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Liturgy: that the matter and the form, that the substance and the accidents of the Mass are here; that of the integral parts those which are incomparably the worst, do actually and expressly appear in our Service; that all the portions of the Mass better and worse are in our Book, if not expressly (as very many be) yet virtually such a seed of them being sown, that for their bud, blossom, and fruit, they need no more but a command from a Bishops mouth to a Printer, upon a privy [private] Warrant from Court, purchased by false information; if this I make good to the sense of every unprejudicate [unprejudiced] Reader, I hope all reasonable men will absolve of rigour and malice only, the decrees of the Scottish Church against this unhappy Book, and all those within her jurisdiction who have contributed their endeavors for the contriving, imposing, or defending thereof, and who yet refuse to give any true security of their purpose to oppose, if that same Book or a worse by a misled Church, or misinformed Prince, should tomorrow again be recommended, though not peremptorily commanded to be embraced by our Nation, with what safety a flock of Christian people may be committed to the charge of men of that temper, it is easy to judge.