and hurt haue crept into the church by meanes of euerye one of these and yet maye more crepe in except they be remoued I cannot at this present particularlye declare I haue here onely to entreat of the vse of apparell and to shew cause whie by no meanes it ought any lōgar to be borne with of a godlye Magistrate in a reformed church of Christ allthough many deuises muented by wyttie heddes may be alleged for some deffence thereof but we regard not wyttie heades but the Testimony of gods wyll Math. 15. First of all I conclude that euen these garmentes are vttarlye to be remoued from the church as a deuise of man by that ground and reason whych Christ and the Prophetes and Apostles vse in excluding or thrusting forth of the church as a pernicious thynge colo 2. all mens doctrines traditions or deuises Polidore virgil Li. 6. de inucnt beareth wytnes thereof it is a manner taken from the Hebrews that preistly apparell wyth couering of Altars wyth other thinges necessarie for the vse of the Temple should be consecrated and the garmétes appoyncted ouar to the Preistes and others wythin orders who should put them on when they occupied them selues about holie thynges whych Pope Steuen the fyrst dyd first apoinct should be done amongst oure Chirch men for he sayth that in the begynning whan religion begane to spring Preistes were wont to put nothing more vppon them when they went to deuine seruice standing raither to decke them selues inwardlye wyth verteus of the mind and to cast awaye affections and vices of the bodye then to take on them new attire Now thus reason I and gather Yf they changed not theyr garment or apparell whan they went to gods seruice then they vsed none for theim that were admitted into the Mynisterie of the gospell Paule and Barnabas were contented wyth laying on handes Fasting and prayer Paul diligentlye prescribing to Timothie and Titus all the offices of A Bishop makith no mention of peculiar garmentes and other ceremonies and that the vse of apparell did not by and by goe ouer all Churchis it is euident enough by the decre of Celestine the fyrst Byshop of Rome whose wordes are these against such peculiar vesture of Bishopes We are to be discerned saith he from the common people or other in doctrine not apparell in conuersation not in habit in puritie of mind not in attire For yf we begine to geue our selues to nouelties wee shall contemne and cast awaye the order that the Fathers haue deliuered and lefte vs and shall make a place for superfluous supersticions wee must not therfore drawe the simple mindes of the faithfull to such thinges for they must rayther be instructed then begiled and mocked neither must we deceiue theire bodylie eyes but poure in precepted into theire mindes Thus far he yet can we not denye but as men bend and inclyne to supersticion of them selues so some kyned of garmentes although verye simple and plaine had crepte into many Churchis before this mans dayes For Syluester no doubt gaue the occasion But Carolus called the great finished the matter as stories beare wittnes Now it is made manifest that the vse of peculiare apparell in the church or ecclesiasticall persones is a mere deuise and inuention of men and therfore to be reiected for this cause if there were no more They which wolde kepe thuse of this apparell in the Church as a thinge instituted of God refer the same to Aarons preysthoode but they litle for see what they say For we knowe by the scriptures that Christ is not a Priest after the order of Aaron but of Melchisedech that Aarōs pristhood was extinguished and toke ende in Christe with all the parts therof among the which we recken also the apparell Therfore Christ the verie wisdome of the father vsed no new or peculiar kynd of apparell in holie ministerye neyther appoincted any other to be vsed For that the figuratiue priesthod as a shadowe was perfited and ended in Christ the one and onelye Priest All they therfore that call agayne Aarons apparell into the Chirch dishonor Christes priesthod as though beynge the lyght it self he nedid shadowes neither wyll that excuse serue to say that all Aarons priesthod is not called into vseagayne but some parte therof onelye but he that receyuith a parte doeth not reiect the wholle But all Aarons priesthode being a figure and shadowe is no doubt to be reiected for that it is abrogated and as many as do restore againe those thynges that the auctorytie of gods worde hathe destroyed and abrogated are transgressers of gods lawe Paule therfore well teachith that the bond mayde is to be cast forth hir Sonne singnifiyng that all the bondage of the lawe is to be reiected after the lyght of the gospell is spronge forth and risen and he wyilith vs not to suffer our selues to be remoued from our libertye in Christ now it is to playne that the doctrine and commaandementes of whatsoeuer kynd of appparell peculiar in gods mynisterye is a trāsgression of gods lawe For because Aarōs priesthode is called in to vse agaye If any man by occasion of the first argument deny that the garmentes are a portion of Aarons priesthoode and say that they were by a certaine libertye brought in of the Byshopes of Rome to adorne and set forth priestlye ordar yet saith he not enough why they may be lawfully retained we knowe that the Pope of Rome is very Antechriste him selfe wherfore his priesthode also is Antichristian wherby Christes priesthod wholie is foyled and vtterlie troden vndar fote But forasmuch as the chiefest part of the priesthod of the Pope consistith in Ceremonies Anointing shauing Miters and garmētes for with owt these they accoumpt no man Byshoppe and they coumpt hym Byshop whatsoeuar he be otherwyse that is set oute with these thinges yt followith that yf we condemne the popish priesthod for that it is Antchristian wee ought to auoid all the partes and notes therof also For how can A godlie and Christian hart loue the marke of the blasphemus popish priesthode Where with Christes pristhood is so greatlie contaminate and defiled he therfore that hateth Antechrist pristhod must hate also all the notes and markes therof Againe he that loueth partes thereof can not hate the whole Moreouar yf we knowe that the Popes priesthood with all the notes and signes therof be Antechristes priesthod and euerie worke of Antechrist be Satans worke we must not promote and helpe it forward but ouerthrow destroy it if so be wee wylbe workers together wyth Christ who came to destroy the workes of the Diuell as the scriptures beare record And let vs not thynke that it is law fell for anye man to institute reduce or kepe in vse by his auctoritie these garmentes for all power is giuen to edifie not to destroy as Paule sayth who in the same place saith we can do nothing agaynst the
truth but for the truth And edefiyng is to build the faythfull vppon Christ in fayth hope charytie and innocēcie of lyffe cōtendyng alwayes to more perfection but the garmentes promote or helpe forth none of these thynges but rayther obscure Christes face bryng in a certayne agrement wyth Antechristes pristhod or rayther a backesliding to the shadowes of Aarō from the bodye of Christ The truth is it for the whych Apostolike men and christian Magistrates ought to trauell and Christ is content wyth the ordinaunce whych he him self hath left neyther doth he any longar require shadowes wherfore they must and wyll labore for it not against it by reuokynge those thynges whych Christ hath destroyed and abolished Furthermore Paule simplie admittith nothing into the Church but that which may edefie that is to say encrease godlines peculiar garmentes in the ministerie edifie not therfore are they not to be borne those thinges that minister a certaine counterfait or fantasticall occason to godlines do not by and by edefie but they must nedes giue Christians a necessarie prouocation vnto godlines But garmentes contrarie wyse partlie encrease hautines and pride in them that vse them partlie hypocrisie partlye both twain And to minister occasion to hypocrisie it is verye readie for them yea it must nedes be For yf that vertew be in thee which thow imaginest to be signified by the apparell why by shewing of it doest thou take the reware of men but yf it be not art not thow a plaine Hypocrite beinge indeed an other maner of man then thow pretendest to bee And thow canste not escape by sayeng these priuat garmentes signifie no vertew in vs but admonish vs as it were of our dutie and office what then I pray yow admonished the Apostles of their dutie and office attire or the spirit of the Lord the loue of the Chirch and Christ doe they then forget their dutie as often as they put these garmentes of why rather meditate they not in the word of the Lord day and night and therby mend their wayes for that it Pearceth the ground of the hart when apparell can moue enelye the owtward mā What thing dothe Christ three scuerall times require of Peter to be admonished of his office in feading his sheeppe suarly nothyng but loue Againe it is to be feared lest it brede an opinion of merite or some such other sollye that the dignitie of the Minister or Sacramentes or preachinge the word is dimmished vnlesse these vnprofitable and pernicious garmētes be vsed this feare of mans merite alone should moue vs that vestimentes ought to be shutt out of the Temple with other ceremonies deuised by men It is vngodly to giue such occasion of offence or falling to the weake for whom Christ dyed How casie a matter it is to put considence in these thynges experiēce hath taught vs so that he that wayeth these thinges and hath no consideration therof may seme not to be free from the suspicion of vngodlines neither can they excuse them selues that it is known to all men that there lyeth no good nor hurt in the garmentes for though we graunt this this knowledge was in these dayes whē they were first brought in of the Byshops we are borne not for our selues onelye but wee serue the Chirch and our posteritie also to whō to leaue Christes religion verie pure can not but be verie acceptable vnto god No more whan he dyeth wyllynglie leauith his children a Testament or wyll vnlesse it be throughlie perfect that all occasion of striue maye be cut of why shew we not lyke diligence and fidelitie in gods Testament I know that some men bragg that the holie ministerie is adorned and bewtysied bye garmētes but it is indede much obscured and darckned therbye For the apparell affecting and occupiēg mennes eies do stay and hynder theyr myndes from the consideration of such spirituall thynges as are don in the sacramētes and drawe thē to delyghtes and pleasures of the Senses Holy simplicitye commendeth and setteth forth gods ordenaunces Examples make of our side both of Christ and the Apostles and also the primitiue Church which it is more safe more holye and more profitable to follow then to alter and chaunge or bye doing otherwise to condempne christ Here farther add I that which Paule hath noted of mennes doctrines that outwardly they haue a spice and shew of wysdome through supersticion and humblenes of the mind and hurtinge of the bodie Coll. 2. and not by any honor thereof to the satissieng or filling of the fleshe At the length tyrannie is brought in and the garment is put vppon men will they nill they And this tyrannie suerly makith that if a thinge be of his own nature free and indifferét it nowe ceaseth to be indifferent Paulle in falt and plaine wordes forbiddeth Christians to submit them selues to suche superstitious tyrannie Collo 2. 1. Cor. 7. If therefore ye be dead from the ordenaunces of the wo lde c. and againe become not the seruantes of men Is it not a verie hard bondage and mere slauerye to be driuen to a certaine kind of garment in the Church that sauoreth ether gentilitye or heathnishnes or Araons priesthode or els Antechrit stianisme and poperie that is so many wayes hurfull and no way profitable But what maketh vs to delyght so to defyle our selues with popish filthines whie geue we not that honor to Iesus Christs priesthode which popish Priestes giue to Antechristes priest hode There is nothing so small or light by hym prescribed although it diffent or varie from Christ which his obserue not verye superstitiously and precisely to the vttermost Whye do not we agayne lykewise in all thynges obey Christ contenting our selues with his naked and simple trueth To conclude 1. thess 5. seing that Paule iudgeth it mete to abstaine frō all shew and aperaunce of euill and we haue shewed that to prescribe garmentes in the administracion of holye thynges is in dede euill for that it is deuyse of men they be partes or members of the Aaronicall or popysh priesthode they edifie nothing at all they brede hautines and pride hipocrine and opinion of merit or deseruynge what christian is he that wyll not iudge them mete to be eschewed and shounnid There are obiected somme thinges of the fautors and patrons of these garmentes vvhich it shall suffice breiflie and in fevv vvordes to note and touch for that they ouerthrovve not our reasones before Alleadged IN indifferent thynges we must haue regard to the weakenes of our bretherne First obiect after the example of the Apostles A man may deny those thinges to be indifferent which obscure Christes pristhode Aunswere and of them selues engédre stire vp and cause nothinge els but hipocrisie sectes and pride in the Chirch hauing no originall or ground in the scriptures and yet are commaunded with tyrannie vnsemelie for Christianes The Apostles are neuar readde to haue done such thynges as these are
the other side there ar other not euell men but also well learned and workers in the word of God that stand vp against these Some men mark and some trie the Lorship what it is beinge afraid least through the studie and zeale of these men not beinge sufficientlie circumspect and ware the dooreshold be opened by litle and litle to brynge into the Chirch againe the olde Lordshippe that is least they by their aucthoritie which they haue of the Ministerie of the word might open the way to false vanfaithfull Ministers to abuse the power that is defended and brought in againe by them to the contrarie And they suppose that this feare is not in vaync whilse they consideringe the beginninge of the popish Lordshippe call to remebrance vnder how bewteous a pretence and by the zeale of great and holy men by and by after the time of the Apostelles it was brought into the Chirches And a litle after be saith It is plainly to be granted at the beginning that some power was giuen vnto the ministery of the word and to the dispeÌ„fation of the mysteris of God which is profitable and mightie to edisication yea and necessarie for our saluation which is through Christe and that is ment by the way of a smilitude of Christ him selfe when as in the xxiiij of Mathew he saithe who thinkest thow is a faithfull seruant and a wise Whom the Lorde hathe made Ruler ouer his housholde to giue them meate in time he meaneth that he wolde giue vnto his Disciples such power ouer his Chirch as they haue to whome the whole housho de is committed of the good man of the howse that they shold giue theÌ„ sufficient meat Marke 13. Euen as a man that goeth into a far countrey leaueth his howse and hath giuen power vnto his seruantes and hath apoincted euery man his office and hath giuen chardge vnto the Porter that he shold watche Watch ye therefore c. Doubtles he spake these thinges vnto his Disciples to shew what sholde be their condition VVheather was this coÌ„ mission coÌ„mitted vnto Princes only or only to the Disciples of Christ and their shccessort 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Howse of God after that he had departed from them to Heauen And a litle after amongest 3. powers there is one that is called potestas iuris that is the power of ryght whereby a man hath lordshippe ouer his owne substance whych is not subiect vnto an other mans ryght This power of ryght is ginen of God the Father vnto his sonne Christ for he sayth all power is giuen vnto me in Heauen and in Earth Peter taketh away this povver from the Ministers of Christ vvhen he saythe S. Peter taketh away all dominioÌ„ and lordshippe from the elders of the Church therfore he graÌ„teth none neither to the P. neyther to any B of his making VVhoare ininrious to the maiestie of Christ and to the libertie of the Chircy who perteyne vnto the kingdome of Antechrist exercisingle single lordshipe 1. Pet. 5. and the Apostell Paule refuseth it saing we ar no Lordes of yowre faith and he exhorteth faithful men that they submit not them-selue vnto them which wyll exercise lordshippe ouer them when he sayth be ye not made the seruantes or bondmen of men wherfore they that chalenge vnto them selues this power in the howse of God for that end that they shall not be seruantes of Christ but Lordes of the Church ar eniuryous and do vvrong to the maiestie of Christe and also to the libertie of the Church As many as do this vtterly perteyne vnto the Kingdome of Antechriste which occupienge the place of Christ in the Church and chalenging all his aucthorytie not onely for this cause that he is contrarie to Christe but also for that he thrust him selfe into the Church in stâ—de of Christe is iustly called Antechrist thatis the aduersarie and also the vycar of Christ for euen as he is called Antistrategos not only that is against the chefe Capitaine but he also that thrust him selfe by vsurpation vnto the souldiers to be theyr chefe Capitayne and braggeth of his office Rodolphus vpon the 22. Chapiter of Marke THere is no stroÌ„ger or greater hynderaunce vnto saluatioÌ„ No greater hinderaunc to saluacion to faith theÌ„ the counterfit aucthori tic of false Prelates and to fayth then is the counterfait aucthoritie of false Prelates confirmed by the prescriptioÌ„ of long time for by the reuerence that men haue vnto them hit is brought to passe that men dare not depart from them Loug tunc is the maintainer of errors the word is the â—â—wraer of them euen for the errors that all men spie in them because that the commune people dothe knowe that so manye hundred Years emongest all men of euery order and place haue had them in such honor and so greatlie regarded A litle after in the same Chapter THe Papistes do saye that they are not rashlie to be prouoked to angre whych are defended by the publique aucthoritie of Kynges Such as are made defendors of the publicke health of the Chirch must not fcare kinges whose angre to styrre vp against any man is very ieopardous but I answere that such men ought not to be afrayde of any perels whom God hath appoincted for to be Kepers and Defenders of the publique health or saluation And we do knowe that the false Prophetes haue euer had thys good Lucke that they haue had Kynges and Princes to be theyr Defedors and protectors And yet for all that neyther the Prophetes nor the Apostles gaue any place vnto them False Prophetes are euer defended trevv Prophetes but syldom because the commandement of God droue them vnto this that they shold with ieopardye of their lyues stoughtly both wythstand them and theyr Patrones or Defendors And these wordes of God which he spake vnto Ieremie are well knowne Be not thow afrayd when thou seest them least I destroy the whylest they loke vpon thee for behold I make this day a well defended cytie a Pyller of yron and a brasen wall againste the Kynges of Iuda against the Princes and the Priestes of the same Therefore there is no cause whye they that are gods officers shold feare the tyrnnnie of the world The same Rodolphus a little a feer in the same chapter CAuete a Scribis inquit Beware saith he of the Scribis in dede it is but A short sentence but such a one as many men doubtles thought vntollerable For he speaketh of them which for the space of many hundred yeres occupied the chiefe place in the Church To whom God had committed his lawe and the key of knowledge as it is sayde in another place which also sitting in the preachinge Stoole of Moyses gloried much that they did succede the old Priestes and Prophetes The people must depart and not acknowledge the Phareses for Pastors and occupied their places yet for all that Christ moueth his