SMART. 91 This was about ten months previous to the commencement of his troubles, occasioned by a sermon which he preached in the cathedral at Durham. In this sermon, delivered July 27, 1628, he spoke with considerable freedom against the superstitions and popish innovations, which Dr. Cosins and others had introduced into that church.. His text was , I hate all those that love superstitious vanities, but thy law do I love. For the satisfaction of the reader, we shall insert some of the most exceptionable and offensive parts of this sermon. He said, " The whore of Babylon's bastardly brood, doating upon their mother's beauty, that painted harlot, the church of Rome, has laboured to restore her all her robes and jewels again, especially her looking-glass the mass, in which she may behold all her bravery. For ;hey, despising all the plain simplicity of that grave matron, Christ's holy spouse, have turned her offices out of doors, with all her household-stuff, her tables, her books, her cups, her com- munions, the very names of her ministers : instead whereof, the words priest and altar are taken up by them; because without a priest no sacrifice can be offered; without priest and sacrifice there is no use of an altar ; and without all these there can be no mass. But the mass coming in, brings in with it an inundation of ceremonies, crosses, crucifixes, chalices, images, copes, candlesticks, tapers, basons, and a thousand such trinkets,which attend upon the mass. " Before we had ministers, as the scripture calls them, we had communion tables, we had sacraments ; but nowwe have priests, we have sacrifices and altars, with much altar-furni- ture, and many massing implements. Nay, what want we ? Have we not all religion again ? For if religion consists in altar-ducking, cope-wearing, organ-playing, piping, and sing- ing, crossing of cushions, kissing of clouts, oft starting up An accountof theseinnovations is still on record. Dr. eosins removed thecommunion table in the church of Durham, and erected it altar-wise, expending two hundred pounds in beautifying it.-He used there to officiate, turning his hack to the people.-He used extraordinary bowing to it.-He compelled others to do the same, using violence on those who refused.-He abolished the singing of Psalms in the church.-He caused three hundred wax candles to be set up and lighted in the church, on Candlemas-day at night, in honour of our Lady.-He caused divers images, most gloriously painted, to be erected in the church.-He used these words in his sermon The reformers of this church, when they abolished the mass, took away all good order, arid, instead of a reformation, made it a deformation,"- He caused two thousand pounds to be expended in setting up images and other superstitious innovations. He caused the holy knife for cutting the sacramental bread to be consecrated ; and he set up a splendid picture of our Saviour, with a golden beard, and a blue cap on his head.-Rush- worth's Collet. vol. v. p. 208.-210.-illustration of Neal, p. 81.
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