not will reward you for your labour Medioc If wée wil be zealously painful let these litle bees teach vs to be painful in vnity against the common aduersary painfull in shewing loue bearing one anothers burden painfull in preparing hony not in building of cobwebs painful for the cōmon good no one séeking alone his owne particular So the aduersaries mouth shal be stopped the church be cōforted all our soules shalbesatisfied with good we in all burli-burlies of the world may hold vp our head in the assurednes of our redemption As for them that hate Zion they shall be ashamed and turned backward as Apostates they shal be as the grasse on the house tops which withereth ere it commeth forth to any goodnes whereof the mower filleth not his hand neither the gleamer his lap for indeed they be tée hie spirited to be dealt withall neither they which go by say vnto them The blessing of the Lord bee vpon you we blesse you in the name of the Lord. And if they be once past the Churches Benedicitie how shall they come out of Satans snares vnto amendment of life Malcon O how the Lords loue hath abounded towards me thus timelily to to deliuer me what shall I render vnto the Lord for all his benefites vnto me I will out of my heart as out of a sauing cup poure forth praises vnto the Lord yea by his grace in the presence of his people I will pay my vowes of thankfulnes vnto him Medioc Pray for the peace of Ierusalem let them prosper that loue thee O Zion peace within thy walles deare mother prosperity be within thy pallaces For my brethren and neighbors sakes I wil wish thee now prosperity because of the house of our Lord God it being the place of publique worship I will procure thy wealth Malcon And Lord for thy sons sake giue me grace to be as painful for her peace as I haue beene for the breach of her peace That so thy blessing by her mouth may come vpō me thy bles sing againe by my ministry may bee doubled vpon her Medioc Now my Bées begin to gather themselues to their rest and we will retire into the house to refect nature The questions already propounded and resolued although they haue beene but few yet adding discretion vnto iudgement you may refer all other scruples to the same heads of doctrine at least for setling your owne soule in a peaceable progresse Come friend let vs walke in but by the way sée you this plant Colutea breake a branch off disorderly and plant it in the earth carelesly yet it will prosper Sée you this Anthora plant it neere to the poisonfull Aconitum and it attracts the poysoned nature Againe here is the herbe Arum of the root therof starch is made but let the Laundres prouide wel for her hands for it will chop chinke and blister them exceedingly From these and the like many excellent meditations may arise and such if we marke the scriptures well was the practise of y◠holy Prophets But as a bow continually bent doth lose his strength so Salomon wisheth that in hauing found hony we should but eate that is sufficient lest other wise it fall out we vomit it vp Ac modus sēper adhibēdus est appetitui Malcon And all I can say is * Wisedome wil be iustified of her Children when * Follie will not depart from a foole though he were brayed in a morterwith a pestell PROV 13. 20. He that walketh with the wise shall be wise but a companion of fooles shall be afflicted A Pastorall Epilogue betweene Hobbinoll and Collin Clout Collin GOod Hobbinoll why hangs thou so thy head hast lost some sheep or be some lābkins dead Thou Whilome sung vnto thy oten pipe as Fary queen could not but loue and like What meane these dumps Hobb Oh Collin-clout ays me Some of my Lambs that erst were full of glee Now droope amaine and squat aside the hill As hauing suckt from Dams some fatall ill Or frō the grasse haue lickt the venomd web Which hath them brought vnto so low an ebbe Black Will that vsde to lead them with his Bell His heart is broke to see they be not well And that is worse the cause is yet vnknowne Frō whēce these euils vntimely euils be growne Collin And what shall Collin haue if he can tell From whence it comes and how it shal be well Hobb O Collin there 's a kisse and it shall binde Me to performe the promise is behinde Speak louing Boy I long to heare thee speake Collin Ey ey but you your promise once did breake Giue me your hand that you will pitch and pay Now what 's your promise Hobb Hearken what I say I haue a nest of Turtles flidgd well ny Hearke hearken Clout one of them now did cry Tell me good newes thou shall haue thē both Collin But fetch them first Hobb Clout Clout thou' rt very loth To giue me credence 'fore thou haue thy pay Well well I le fet them Collin See you doe not stay I trust him no gainst Christmas he did say He would me giue a dozen points to play But whē yoo le came he dodgd me off with twaine And said he should but sin play to maintaine Come set them downe Now hearken forth Seest Hobbinoll on th'outside of that dale my tale In shadowie plots the Vipers Monks-cowle groes Which with his yellowe flower full trickly shoes His leaues but darker snipt like to the vine But trust me Hobbinoll too bad for swine Some of thy flock too greedy of that shade There lickt and cropt till they were sickly made And to say sooth with such a trick as that Pers lost ten Ewes and Lambkins that is flat Hobb Aes me but what will help them to recouer Collin Giue me my doues This vale now walke we ouer Seest thou that Hill seest thou that helmet flower Whose stalke is hollow as a kex In it is power T' expell the venom of the others bane If now in time it off the sheepe be tane Hobb How how good Clout Collin Dig it vp Hobbinole That double-root now stamp thou in a bole And put the iuyce to milk made somwhat warme Then geet them with an horne feare no harme Hobb For euerie sore no doubt a salue there is But sin blindes sheepherds that they doe amisse But well I wot hereafter I shall watch If in such shades my sheep doe poison catch Collin farewell I must about this geare Till they haue drunk this draught I liue in feare But proue all well that sheepe and I may ioy I better while I liue will loue my Boy An Epilogue to such Scholars amongst vs who by their places in our Church and in respect of the treasure they receiue out of her dowry ought to defend our writings against Schisme Heresie and not vnder-hand and in corners to suggest euill against vs for strengthning the hands of the Factious their priuate Fauourites In Segnior-ambo SIr Ambo takes a Pension of his Mother But fees the Fugitiue that calles her whore To vs one hand to him he giues the other A Proditor behind a Friend before But marke whilst he thus doth himselfe delite Both sides do damne him for an Hypocrite In Segnior-drypate Sir Dry pate reads and carps and hems spits No maruaile though he haue purg'd out his wits For little 't was when wit was at the full And yet 't is true he has no little skull But let him bite no warriour of our Kirke For feare my purposd Satyres do him Iirke In quendam Fig-fag Se see how Figfag stirs and moues and strouts Heark heark the silly Syre how trim he flouts Boys girles fooles applaud him for some body And yet his carps do proue him but a Nody But say not so lest that when he shall read Iambick girdes he swound and fall downe dead In homunculum Snuffe Sniffesnuff must iudge not knowing what it ment For Barly broth is Snuffes chief element Put him besides the cushion of his cup. And all his liquid sense is dried vp But launce no further Busie bodies Tumour For euery foole must needs be in his humour To the louing Reader BEloued if GOD grant meanes I am purposed to draw into forme a description of the true Church and false of the true Christ and Antichrist according to that modell and measure of grace which of God shall be administred vnto me Meane time the peruersnes of time hath forced me to write as already in these two books I haue Accept my labours with as right a hand as I giue them and then I doubt not of thy louing acceptance at least of thy readines to help me in my weaknes by publishing thy better meanes for publike vtility If thou canst bring Algummim trees to the worke of the Temple I pray thee do it my Firre shall giue place and how canst thou require more of me Farewell FINIS Ezec. 1◠5. 16. 17. 5 16. 17. 25. 26. 23. 3. 8. c. Reu. 17. 4 Iudg. 9. 8. c. So Mr. More in his tables doth record one Arrian Anabaptist ano ther a luish Arrian both burnt at Norwich a Ioue the short of Iehoue b Pro. 26. 4. a Geo. Io. b Mr. Sm. c Him and his words I haue alledged in my preface to my Manuall This caused the Author to cast Popery on the left hand as begetting Libertinisme 1 Cor. 9. 1. c. 2 Cor. 8. 20. 21. 2 Cor. 11. 28. 1 Tim. 1. 3. Tit. 1. 5. Acts. 1◠6 Act. 5. ◠Cor. 10. 23. Colos. 2. 20. I meane the septuagint for the old Testamēt 1. Cor. 14. 38. Act. 7. 14 Genes 45. Master Broughton standeth stifly for this Rom. 12. 3 Deut. 32 25 Psal. 129. 5. c. Psalm 122. 6. c. * Prou. 25. 26. Math. 11. 19. Pro. 27. 22. * Deadly vvolfesbane or Aconite Anthora the antidote
Neither will I answere such a foote to his full lest I become like him Neque Iupiter omnibus pluens placet neque abstinens The Lord deliuer our Church from euill Amen From my House at Norburne in East-kent this 8. of Iune Anno Dom. 1608. Thine in the Lord He. Cl. THE FIRST DIALOGVE between Mal-content and Romanist First it must be conceiued that Malcontent sitting vnder a tree in the Hie-way hee thus alone expostulates with himselfe Malcontent O Mal-content how vnhappy art thou in this life whither shalt thou go and what will become of thee Go to the Brownist shall I do so In them and their proceedings I find no vnity no concordance Their hand being against all and the hands of all against them The brother of that Churches Pastor hath writ a great booke against them their vnsetled resolutions bloody excommunications and hie-handed tyrannies as if the Pastor were a Pope taking more vpon them for the measure of strength they haue then do all the English prelates In so much as howsoeuer he perswades people to ioine with the cause of Separation as himselfe had and therein since hath died yet at no hand to ioyne with his brothers congregation for manifold reasons there alledged Since which time one whose name soundes vpon an Anuile hath drawen certaine Principles and inferences touching a true visible Church where in he quoteth scripture for another forme of discipline then that which the Brownist practise and most of vs haue taught in our sermons and writings He purposing as it seemeth to receiue others into communion with him who shall separate as he hath and so shew themselues willing to be ruled by his discipline Aes me which side shall I leane vnto Both of them hold a set forme of discipline to be contained in the word Both of them alleadge for the substance thereof the very sarue scriptures but both of them differ exceedingly in the sense of such Scriptures Another side hauing no Baby for their leader although his sir name begin with a B. he holds both with the gouernement at home by Lord Bishops as also with that of Lay-elders abroad as being in the scriptures neither commanded nor forbidden but things in themselues of an indifferent nature So he holdes and yet denies to subscribe for sundry reasons Shall I separate with the first two or shal I continue in the Church of England with the third But miserable man how shall separation or not separation be good If I separate from the Church as Antichristian then the Anabaptist take hold vpon me and saith that I must separate not so much for the prelaticall discipline as for that the spirit of Antichrist there breatheth Antichristian doctrine Yea that the Church becomes to be Antichristian for that their groundes of faith therein held be principles opposite to Christ. And in my cōscience if the first be granted the second will ineuitably follow If I separate not but continue still in the Church I shall in my worke iustifie that which I haue condemned in word In word I haue condemned the Tippet the Surplice the Corner-cap the Crosse in Baptisme and the like for markes of Antichrist But forsaking my ministry I may liue in some other calling and so be put to the vse of no such ceremonies Yea but if I haue a child I must bring it where before I will not it cannot be baptized without the crosse Come I to the Cōmon seruice I must sit in the sight of a Surplice and come I to the Cōmunion I must there kneele receiue at the hands of one that vseth the ceremonies And be I called to be a Church-warden I must take an oath to present the sincere-sort that omit or speake against such ceremonies I am diuided in my selfe what shall I doe H. I. his followers do say very well that this persecution is worse then that of Queene Maries for that made an end of a man quickly but this grants life with a continuing misery Wo is me how is my soule pained within me Though heretofore Ifumed against the author of that booke intituled Errour on the Right-hand yet now mine affections bee cooled and calmed for well I see that there is nothing yet right amongst them And at home I know not how to liue as I would not be held an Hypocrite or turne-coat The euasion must be by some third meanes that as yet I know not Rest poore head rest rest against this trees roote and take a little nap in the shade He being asleep Romanista passeth by and espying Male-content asleepe be staieth and so speaketh Romanista What fast asléepe who may he be By his habite hée should be some Scholar or Citizen Whoo I know him it is Male-content whose head is full of whirligigs and whose pen spins nought but Cob-webs Stay his lips moue to and fro as doth my dog Grim when as he is ready to chunder and barke sléeping Malcon sleeping Fire fire Elias fire Romanista He is calling for fire from heauen as did Elias But it will burne as fast I thinke as did our Uault-gunpowder that should haue blowne vp the Parliament-house in Westminster together with all the heads of the Country But stay some politique retch now or neuer for an inch of policie I hold better then an ell of Diuinity In the time of discontent it is best working vpon Malcontent for vpon conceit it is then most easy to worke I remember a Dialogue in Erasmus his great Colloquium where one passing by the hie-way was desire us to fasten some strange conclusion vppon the conceit of his fellow Passengers Hereupon hée stops his course with his eies vpon the firmament fixed gaping gazing crossing blessing trembling The passengers thereupon stay looke vp and wonder whereat he should so wonder Anon as with much ado he tels them what a fearefull signe he saw in the firmament a Dragon a terrible thing in description I warrant you hereupon he startles holds vp his hands and wondreth at all the rest that they should say they see nothing Anon one of thē thinking scorne but he should see as much as another he also affirmeth that he saw such a terrible wonder Afterwards some and some euery one said he saw it and trembled In this dialogue some haue thought that Erasmus flouted people in England for conceiting a certain great prelate in the Churches firmament beyond that they should conceit c. But howsoeuer I will take aduantage of the time and see if so I can worke some strange thing vpon him I hope it the rather because one of this spirit a Sole sincerian being of late conuented before a great Prelate of this land he offred that if he the said Prelate could proue but one point then in hand hee would without more adoe turne back to the Church of Rome whereupon the Prelate spake to this effect I is it true indéed are you now ready to go a poping what a poping I had
neuer enter into the Apostles true meaning which now after these fewe words of yours are so plainly euident as the Sunne at Noone-daies God haue the praise for it I beseech your patience sir a little longer for my further assurance in the faith In the next place somewhat touching the forme of the Letany Phrases and Clauses I know there besūdry which some except against but hee that brings Charity with him I doubt not may with the Bee gather honey where the Spider conuerteth all into poison The like may bee said of exceptions against some other praiers But that which seemes to bring with it some equall exception is the many repetitions of one and the same thing as Good Lord deliuer vt c. wee beseech thee to heare vs good Lord c. Medioc I know that some doe call this often Repetition by the name of vain-babling as if our Sauiour in Math. 6. had condemned it Our Sauiour there doth not cōdemne Repetitions simply but Respectiuely that is as himselfe there expoundeth when mē thinke that for their so doing they deserue to be heard of God Otherwise doing it not with perswasion of merit but with a simplicity of heart to God ward wee doe but as our M Christ himselfe did in the Garden who three times ouer repeated the selfe same praier to his father Or as the Prophet doth in Psalme 136 whose burden of his song is For his mercie endureth for euer and this 26 times together euen so oft as there be veries Malcon Stay good sir. The point is plaine enough but I haue beene as an horse and mule void of vnderstanding and to the blind Suns light is but darknes till scales fall from Pauls eies by the Ministery of Ananias There is one question sir which is as Goliah not able to be remoued Medioc And yet little Dauid with a small pebble-stone may knock downe the monster Bring him forth of the cāp of the Philistins and see if his owne sword cut not off his owne head Malcon GOD giue the truth to preuaile timelily with me and all his people Then this it is How shall we subscribe to our translation of the scriptures namely that it containeth nothing Repugnant to the word Medioc I answere something in the translation may bee diuers to the Originall and yet not Repugnant to the word Nam diuersa non sunt opposita vnderstand you that Malcon Very well and most true it is Medioc Secondly I answere by another Question can there be any subscription in this life made vnto any one Churches translation Malcon Surely that must needes bee else there will neuer be any vniformity or orderly communion where euery one shall be left to their owne priuate interpretation and meaning Medioc What should let then that there cannot bee a subscription to our Church Malcon Because some learned in the tōgues doe find some wants in it Medioc By that reason there can bee no subscription to any Translation Greeke Latine English or any For what trāslation that I say no more euer was there is there or euer shall be which shall not sauour of mans weaknes Tell me is there any Church so priuiledged in this life as she shall not erre Malcon Doubtles no. And therefore the whole Congregation of Israel had her sacrifice appointed for sin done of Ignorance Leuit. 4. 13. Medioc Then it vnauoidably followeth y◠either subscription is due to euery true Churches translation or else to none at all And if to none at all then much lesse to the Pastors sermons or to the churches constitutions or Articles seeing all these doe depend vpon the iudgement of men also which haue their wants and Ignorances Malcon It must needs be so Medeoc This puts mee in minde of one who within these fewe yeares said thus vnto mee what if I poue that there is no true bible c God tooke him soone after away I hope for his owne good but sure I am for the Churches good Good friend our mother church knowes what shee doth herein but these excepters are blinde in their manner of exception leading the high-way vnto Atheisme For thus they must argumentate No lawfull subscription in such sort as our Church vrgeth can bee made to any Translation in any thing dissenting from the Originall But euery Translation in some things dissenteth from the Originall Therefore no Translation to be subscribed to as our Church vrgeth Then hereupon will followe 1 No such subscription is due to any Bible sauing to the Hebrew for the Old testament the Greeke for the newe 2 These Not-subscriptors besides may ioyne with some Romanists séem to haue as lawfull exception against the said Hebrue and Greeke also If they know what I meane in this thē let them be ashamed of their ignorāt péeuishnes If they know not then with the Apostle I say Let the ignorant be ignorant 3 Not to say any thing of our Sauiour some others of his Disciples Then they will bring the credit of S. Luke into question who introduceth S. Stephen saying that 75 soules went downe into Aegypt whereas Moses mentioneth only 70 soules Nor can Beza deny but that all Greeke copies hee met with doe read 75. As also the Syrian and Arabian and the Latine with Ierome and Augustine And herein indéede to speake only what is probable S. Stephen followed the Greeke translation of the old Testament called the Septuagint of the 70 or 72 Rabbines that translated it so at the request of the Egyptian King Ptolemy Philadelph which translation in our Sauiours time was most vulgar best knowne to the Iewes thēselues And therfore followed of S. Stephen that I speake nothing of others nor yet here what the Septuagint might intend by 75 nor how in very many places they differ from the Hebrue 4 Then neither may there be such Subscription to any Sermons Articles of faith Ecclesiastique constitutions Leitourgie or the like For mā failing in his worke vppon the Canon or Rule of faith then likewise if not much more he is like to faile in his maner of building vpon that rule of Faith yea not only in maner but in the matter also 5 Then necessarily followeth that no such subscription is at all to bee made but euerie mole is left to dig in the earth as pleaseth his owne blindnes And in such libertie they may go shake hands with Segnior Li bertino and of Libertines become Atheists and of Atheists Diuels incarnate This is not M. Perkins his golden chaine but the black chaine that leadeth and draweth vnto perdition And thus is it not euident that men then begin to be phrenetike when they begin to be fantastique and the despising of the mothers counsell is of God punished with extream blindnes Malcon Oh Lord how haue I been mislead by Sathan All seemed faire that I followed But now to thy praise O God I more and more see that it was but Sathan transformed
into an Angell of light that so mislead me and the fruit which I cropt was but the forbid-fruit the ruine of such as couer knowledge beyond knowledge wich Salomon vpon his Repentance calleth a Being-ouerwise Medioc The Apostle therefore commandeth that no man presume to vnderstād aboue that which is méete to vnderstād but that he vnderstand according to sobriety all one with his Mottie that writ vppon the errour on the right hand Malcon I pray you sir by the way know you the Author of that Booke intituled Errour on the right-hand Medioc I doe Malcon And what thinke you of his booke Medioc The man is so neere and deare vnto mee as I cannot speake what I thinke but I should be held partiall Yet this I dare say as he had experience in himselfe of the Flyers error so in the persons of others he by experience of disputation did wel obserue that if the first positions of Malcontent did hold currant then not onely would followe the Brow nists separation but also would followe the main positions of the Anabaptist and if of the Anabaptist then also of othres Malcon Was hee not then at some times caryed away or entangled with Anabaptisme Arianisme c Some conclude that by his booke hee should Medioc Uery wittily and conscionably I warrant you as if certaine of the Fathers as Epiphanius Augustine should haue been tainted sometimes with all Schismes and Heresies of their times because they writ against all Schismes and Heresies of their times A conclusion good enough for Tom-Scull sometimes of Immanuel Colledge in Cābridge But to leaue this By and to returne vnto y◠main namely the Subscription afore discoursed of It seemeth somwhat hard that subscription by our church shold bee pressed to all her conclusions agreed vpon in common as agreeing to the word of God Malcon It is so indeede Neither doth the former booke intituled Errour on the right hand decide that point as to to me it seemeth Medioc When you shall reade it with a lesse partiall spirit you shall obserue what yet it seemeth you haue not specially by the positions added to y◠hee le of that Booke But to leaue y◠and to come vnto the Scriptures for helping vs out of the Atheisticall consequents that follow their reasō of not subscribing You remember that of Iob it is thus recorded Hee was an vpright and iust man one that feared God and eschewed euill And the word Tám turned vpright is in propriety perfect was he such a one before God absolutely if so he should haue beene examined by the perfection of the Law Malcon Onely Christ could bee such a one Medioc Well in the first of S. Luke it is testified touching Zecharias and Elizabeth the parents of Iohn Baptist that both were iust before God and walked in all the commandements and ordinances of the Lord. Did S. Luke herein testifie truth Malcon It were blasphemy to say the contrary seeing therein he was but the pen man of the holy Ghost Medioc Were both of them so iust and had both of them so kept all the commandements as in nothing they had offended Malcon Doubtles no for all haue gone out of the way and all need grace and free pardon for sin else Christ vnto such died in vaine Medioc How then were they iust and how then did they kéep all the commandements Malcon Iustice and perfect obedience was imputed vnto them because their hearts were vpright in the maine of their conuersation howsoeuer they failed in the By through imbecillity and weaknesse Medioc And if God lay not the By to his childrens charge where the maine of their cariage is iust what are we that we shold once dare to lay the By vnto his churches charge being a whole corporation of his children and besides to make it an argument of brawling with our mother Salomon saith The eie that mocketh the Father and despiseth the instruction of the Mother let the Rauens of the valley picke it out and the yong Eagles eate it Malcon You in your wisedome haue inforced me to cut off the head of mine owne doubt Medioc Why alas doth not our Church hold that she erred in this life and could she be thought to hold a subscription against her owne Tenet Shée doth not presse inch subscription in an high absolute sense as if in none of her words or writings shee failed from the perfection of the word one of her 39 articles cleares that so well as all her Apologie doth against the pride of the Church of Rome in that point but she presseth conformity Secundùm quid according to that is due vnto her in this world as she hath receiued of God to be a faithful Dispensator of his will Nor otherwise could wee put a sufficient difference betwéene the Canonicall scriptures our writings For priuat conceits as you may haue yours I may haue mine a third may haue a third and so on without end must these be causes why euery of vs must exclaime one vpon another and all of vs agree in one to disturbe the Church So there shall neuer be communion neuer any order so consequently not any peace If she be a mother let her keepe her place remembring still that here she is but as Israel in the wildernes and if we be not bastards but true borne children let vs know our place and not with Corah Dathan Abiram rise vp against the congregation our mother for if we do the earth will desire to swallow vp our glory and we shal be but as they that went downe to the pit Oh Malcontent Malcontent if Quéene Maries scortching Beames were vpon vs againe wee would a thousand times be thankfull for the least cooling shade that our Lawrell gouernement affordeth But it is in such fulfilled whereof Moses long since sung He that should haue been vpright becomming once fat hath spurned with his heele Had not Manna béen so plenteous they would not so soone haue lothed and had not their mother béene so familiar shee had not beene so soone despised Nam nimia ingurgitatio facit ineptum nimia familiaritas parit contemptum They still haue in their mouthes wee must grow in grace grow in knowledge grow in obedience but when we examine their growth behold they go from good vnto bad from light vnto darknesse from obedience to disobedience from some order vnto none from some vnity to all sorts of faction First warring with their mother then iarring amongst themselues and lastly a loathing vnto all men So grew Israel in the wildernes from discontent vnto faction from faction vnto Schisme from Schisme vnto rebellion from rebellion to lifes confusion till the earth was weary of them the Sanctuary lothed them and the Lord slue them Malcon O Lord how nere this comes vnto me and how may I seale to the truth thereof from mine owne experience Reuerend sir I haue beene thus troublous vnto you but God I doubt
had to do with meere Infidels without the Church but ours with Christians within the visible face of the Church and therefore no such cause nor néed But as the Apostles hauing ordained Presbyters or Priests to euery Church for yâ— néere ouer sight thereof did notwithstanding care for all the Churches and visite them as opportunity was offred so it is yâ— duty of ours and their maine duty If any one faile herein Est quidem error personalis non legalis the fault is in the person not in the function confirmed by Law As for their Prerogariues what haue they wherein the Apostles exceeded not If they incarcerate persons by authority deriued lawfully from our Prince a thing which Infidelious Princes would not coÌ„mit to yâ— Apostles nor yet to any ChristiaÌ„ is therfore yâ— sword vnlawful to a ChristiaÌ„ in the roome therof the King of kings collated a farre greater power vpon them In so much as thereby S. Paulâ—mot â—mot Elymas the sorcerer with blindnes and S Peter smote Anamas and Sapphira with present sodaine death When the times begun to be ordinarily Christian then the Lord tooke away that extraordinary prerogatiue and conferred vppon his Church the ordinary meanes for protection and correction of bodies A weake despised Church they would haue her who being destitute of extraordinary power would haue her robbed of that which is ordinary also The Prophets could foretell that Kings of the earth should bring their honour and glory vnto it and these cannot abide it Yes they will say we would haue the Church not her ministry to haue it I beleeue it they would haue themselues and their lay children euected and the ministry deiected Euen as they expound that precept Tell the Church to bee tell Tom Tynker tell Dick Cullion tell Ione the oyster-wench with all the rest of their Ignorants such a Sanhedrim the Iewes neuer had so yâ— bringing of glory and honour vnto the Church must not be at all or almost not at all to the ministerie for they be but vassalls but to her Laicall members as being the only vessels capable of glory honour They would haue all power and dignity in their owne hands that so the ministery standing both in Need Awe of them they might be topped and ouertopped at their pleasure not daring once in their Sermons to touch their corruptions as they wold not haue their good Masters and good Dames to withdraw their Almes from them So indeede it would come to passe as it did in Ezechiels time wee should be glad to preach for a crust of bread and an handful of barley Malcon Indeede sir I must needes say it would come to no better Experience euery where will giue testimony vnto it But I beseech you sir another question how shall wee cleare that the Surplice is not an Idolothyte Medioc By the definition of an Idolothyte for an Idolothyte is whatsoeuer is dedicate or consecrate to an Idoll by way of deuotion But none of our Surplices haue been so deuoted therfore none of them Idolothytes If any can fetch out a Surplice that hath beene by the Papists consecrated to their Idol-idle masse such a one may be termed an Idolothyte and it skils not though it were burnt As for ours they be not such though like to such no more then the Animal-offerings of Israel vnder the lawe were Idolothytes howsoeuer like to the oblatioÌ„s of Aegypt out of which they made their exode and passage But that which is more if the idolatour had abused it may I not vse it The Apostle teacheth otherwise vnto the Corinthians he layes downe the case thus Of cattle offered vp to the Idols some part comes to the offerers and from them sometimes that part comes to the flesh market Some infidell buyes of it dresseth it and sets it before thee Let thy coÌ„science make no scruple to eate of it how soeuer it was Idolatrized for as the earth is the Lords not the Diuels so the fulnes thereof is his and created for the vse of his Yet this prouiso withall If any one at table with thée doe pointe at it and say certainly this is an Idolothyte I like it not then because of his conscieÌ„ce not because of thine let it alone for the Lord hath things know besides in the earth for thee to feede vpon Otherwise thou eating of it and giuing thankes to God for it why should another speake end of thee Hence it is plains that the children of God may lawfully vse any creature in the earth howsoeuer it haue beene by others prophaned Only in case of anothers weaknes he is to forbeare euen from his owne right This Prouiso I know is the maine of all their speech who kéepe such a stir about the poore garmeÌ„t but in pressing this prouiso they must take with them this they must confesse themselues to bee but as yet very yong Christians and not fitted to be Pastors ouer flocks of people no more then they were fit for ministeriall function which were but Neophyts newly come from heatheÌ„ Idolatry vnto Christianity for such were they of whom the Apostle speaketh And then it will followe first that they haue sinned in medling with the strongest function in the congregation being but as yet nouices in the faith Secondly that they deserue to be sharply censured for making their people weaker then they â—ound them who at first could brooke the Garment well but now must 〈…〉 as if it were an Idolothyte And if they say they knowe their owne Christian liberty therein but many about them will be offended I answere there be none about them that can as the former Neophyts plead tollerable infirmity All about them be Christians borne of Christian parents in the profession of Christianity for some thousand yeares and vpward Let them sée to it then if such their exception doe not growe not from infirmity but from wilful péeuishnes as willing to stick rather in their owne preiudged opinion then to â—eeled forward vnto Christ. With the Apostlo to the Colossians I say thus If they be dead with Christ from the ordinances of the world why as though they liued in the world are they burdened with traditions as touch not taste not haÌ„dle not wee say to shew the liberty wherewith Christ hath made theÌ„ free they ought to weare it They answere that they may not We say besides the former reason the Christian Princes commandement propounding it but as a garment for seemelines and order it ought to moue their conscience to the vse of it They answere it doth not PropouÌ„d what we shall they still with the superstitious Colossians doe returne vs a not as if their only study were to crosse Christ to crosse a Christian King and to crosse the Churches affirmatiue with their Ethelothreskia their Negatiue Not. Malcon I wonder how reading that place to the Corinths so often as I haue so well as this last to the Colossians I could