saith of the church of Rome Alexandria the most famous Churches in the Apostles times that about the yeare 430. the Romain Alexandrian Bishops leauing the sacred function were degenerate to a secular rule or dominioÌ„ HereupoÌ„ ye coÌ„clude that it is not safe to fetch our gouernment from any other then the Apostles times Wherein by the way it may be noted that in proposing the Apostles times as a paterne for the Church to follow though the desire of you all be one the drift and purpose of you all is not one The chiefest thing which lay reformers yawne for is that the Cleargie may through conformitie in state and condition be Apostolicall poore as the Apostles of Christ were poore In which one circumstance if they imagine so great perfection they must thinke that Church which hath such store of mendicant Friers a Church in that respect most happy Were it for the glory of God and the good of his Church in deede that the Cleargie should be left euen as bare as the Apostles when they had neither staffe nor scrip that God which should lay vpon them the condition of his Apostles would I hope endue them with the selfesame affection which was in that holy Apostle whose words concerning his owne right vertuous contentment of heart As well how to want as how to abound are a most fit episcopall emprese The Church of Christ is a body mysticall A body cannot stand vnlesse the parts thereof be proportionable Let it therefore be required on both parts at the hands of the Cleargie to be in meannesse of state like the Apostles at the hands of the laitie to be as they were who liued vnder the Apostles and in this reformation there will bee though little wisedome yet some indifferencie But your reformation which are of the Cleargie if yet it displease ye not that I should say ye are of the Cleargie seemeth to aime at a broader marke Ye thinke that he which will perfectly reforme must bring the forme of Church discipline vnto the state which then it was at A thing neither possible nor certaine nor absolutely conuenient Concerning the first what was vsed in the Apostles times the scripture fully declareth not so that making their times the rule and Canon of Church politie ye make a rule which being not possible to be fully knowne is as impossible to be kept Againe sith the later euen of the Apostles owne times had that which in the former was not thought vpon in this generall proposing of the Apostolicall times there is no certaintie which should be followed especially seeing that ye giue vs great cause to doubt how far ye allow those times For albeit the louer of Antichristian building were not ye sâ—y as then set vp yet the foundations thereof were secretly and vnder the ground layd in the Apostles times so that all other times ye plainely reiect and the Apostles owne times ye approue with maruellous great suspition leauing it intricat and doubtfull wherein we are to keepe our selues vnto the paterne of their times Thirdly whereas it is the error of the common multitude to consider onely what hath bene of olde and if the same were well to see whether still it continue if not to condemne that presently which is and neuer to search vpon what ground or consideration the change might growe such rudenes cannot be in you so well borne with whom learning and iudgement hath enabled much more soundly to discerne how farre the times of the Church and the orders thereof may alter without offence True it is the auncienter the better ceremonies of religion are howbeit not absolutely true and without exception but true onely so farre forth as those different ages do agree in the state of those things for which at the first those rites orders and ceremonies were instituted In the Apostles times that was harmlesse which being now reuiued would be scandalous as their oscula sancta Those feastes of charitie which being instituted by the Apostles were reteined in the Church long after are not now thought any where needfull What man is there of vnderstanding vnto whom it is not manifest how the way of prouiding for the Cleargie by tithes the deuise of almes-houses for the poore the sorting out of the people into their seuerall parishes together with sundrie other things which the Apostles times could not haue being now established are much more conuenient and fit for the Church of Christ then if the same should be taken away for conformities sake with the auncientest and first times The orders therefore which were obserued in the Apostles times are not to be vrged as a rule vniuersally either sufficient or necessary If they bee neuerthelesse on your part it still remaineth to bee better prooued that the forme of discipline which ye intitle apostolicall was in the Apostles times exercised For of this very thing ye faile euen touching that which ye make most account of as being matter of substance in discipline I meane the power of your lay-elders and the difference of your Doctors from the Pastors in all Churches So that in summe we may be bold to conclude that besides these last times which for insolencie pride and egregious contempt of all good order are the worst there are none wherein ye can truly affirme that the complete forme of your discipline or the substance thereof was practised The euidence therefore of antiquitie failing you yee flie to the iudgements of such learned men as seeme by their writings to be of opinion that all Christian Churches should receiue your discipline and abandon ours Wherein as ye heape vp the names of a number of men not vnworthy to be had in honor so there are a number whom when ye mention although it serue ye to purpose with the ignorant and vulgar sort who measure by tale not by waight yet surely they who know what qualitie and value the men are of will thinke ye drawe very neare the dregs But were they all of as great account as the best and chiefest amongst them with vs notwithstanding neither are they neither ought they to be of such reckening that their opinion or coniecture should cause the lawes of the Church of England to giue place Much lesse when they neither do all agree in that opinioÌ„ and of theÌ„ which are at agreemeÌ„t the most part through a courteous inducement haue followed one man as their guide finally that one therein not vnlikely to haue swarued If any chance to say it is probable that in the Apostles times there were layelders or not to mislike the continuance of them in the Church or to affirme that Bishops at the first were a name but not a power distinct from presbyters or to speake any thing in praise of those Churches which are without episcopall regimeÌ„t or to reproue the fault of such as abuse that calling all these ye register for men perswaded as you are that euery christian
God are approued in his sight Luminis naturalis ducatum repellere non modo stultum est sed impium Aug. 4. de trin c. 6. Th. Aqui. 12. q. l 1. art 3. Ex preceptis Legis naturalis quasi ex quiâ—usdam principiis communibus in demoÌ„strabilibus necesse est quod ratio humana procedat ad allqua magis particulariter disponenda Et istae particulares disposiâ—â—ones adâ—nuentae secâ—â—dum rationem humanaÌ„ dicuntur leg es humanae obseruatis aliiâ— conditionibus quae pertinent ad rationem legis 1.2 q. 95. art 3. 1. Cor. 11.22 Prou. 6.20 Rom. 8.14 Iohn 1.5 Rom. 1.19 2.15 That neither Gods being the author of laws nor his committing them to scripture nor the continuance of the end for which they were instituted is any reason sufficient to proue that they are vnchangeable Deut. 22.10 Deut. 22.11 Quod pro necessitate temporis statutum est cessante necessitate debet cessare pariter quod vrgebat 1. q. 1. Quod pro necessit Act. 15. Counterp p. 8. a We offer to shew the discipline to bee a parte of the Gospell and therfore to haue a coÌ„mon cause so that in the repulse of the discipline the Gospell receiueâ— a checke And againe I speake of the discipline as of a part of the Gospell and therfore neither vnder nor aboue the Gospel but the Gospell T.C. l. 2. p. 1.4 Tertul. de veland virg Maâ—t in 1. Sam. 14. Act. 15. a Disciplinâ— est Christianâ— ecclesiae politia a Deo eiurectè administrandae cause constituta ac propterea ex cius verbo peâ—enda ob â—andem causam omnium ecclesiarum communiâ— omnium temporum lib. de eccles discipli in Analy b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist eâ—h 10. c. 1. VVhether Christ haue forbidden all chaunge of those lawes which are set downe in Scripture Heb. 1.6 Either that commendation of the son before the seruant is a false testimony or the sonne ordained a permanent gouernment in the Church â—f parmanent then not to be changed VVhat then do they that hold it may be changed at the magistrates pleasure but aduise the magistrate by his positiue lawes to proclaime that it is his will that if there shall be a Church within his dominions he will maime and deforme the same M.M. p. 16. He that was as faithfull as Moses left as cleare instruction for the gouernment of the Church But Christ was as faithfull as Moses Ergo. Demonst of Disc. cap. 1. Iohn 17. Either God hath left a prescript forme of gouernement now or else he is lesse carefull vnder the new testâ—meÌ„t then vnder the olde Demonst. of Disc. cap. 1. Ecclesiast disc lib. 1 Rom. 1â— 17 Eph. â—12 16 Deut. 4.5 Verse 12. Verse 13. Verse 14. Deut. 5.22 Deut. 27. Deut. 28. Deut. 23. Deut. 30. Deut. 31. T.C. l. 1. p. 35. Whereas you say that they the Iewes had nothing but was determined by the law and we haue manie things vndetermined and left to the order of the Church I will offer for one that you shall bring that we haue left to the order of the Church to shew you that they had twentie which were vndecided of by the expresse word of God T.C. in the table to his second booke T.C. l. 2. p. 446 If he will needs separate the worship of God from the externall politie yet as the Lord set forth the one so he left nothing vndescribed in the other Leuit 24.12 Numb 15.34 Numb 9. Numb 27. Gen. 18.18 Gen. 48.10 T.C. lib. â— pag. 440. 1. Tim. 6.14 Iohn 18.37 Iohn 21.15 Act. 20.28 2. Tim. 4.1 1. Tim. 6.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Tim. 4.14 2. Tim. 4.7 1. Tim. 5.9 T.C. l. 3. pa. 241. My reasons do neuer conclude the vnlawfulnes of these ceremonies of buriall but the inconuenience and inexpediente of them And in the Table Of the inconuenience not of thâ— vnlawfulnes of popish apparell and ceremonies in buriall T.C. l. 1. p. 32. Vpon the indefinite speaking of M. Caluin saying ceremonies and externall discipline without adding all or some you go about subtilly to make men believe that M. Caluin had placed the whole externall discipline in the power and arbiterment of the Church For if all externall discipline were arbitrary and in the choise of the Church Excommunication also which is a part of it might be cast away which I thinke you will not say And in the very next words before Where you would giue to vnderstand that ceremonies externall discipline are not prescribed particularly by the word of God and therfore left to the order of the Church you must vnderstand that all externall discipline is not left to the order of the Church being particularly prescribed in the Scriptureâ— no more then all ceremonies are left to the order of the Church as the sacrament of Baptisms and Supper of the Lord. T.C. l. 3. p. 171. T.C. l. 1. p. 27. We deny not but certaine things are left to the order of the Church because they are of the nature of those which are varied by times places persons and other circumstances so could not at one be set downe and established for ever Esa. 29.14 Col. 2.22 Aug. Epist. 26. Ios. 22. Iud. 11.40 â—oh 10.22 Ioh. 19.40 a Nisi reip suae statum omneÌ„ constituerit magistratus ordinarit singulorum munera potestatémque descripserit quae iudi ciorum forique ratio habenda quomodo ciuâ—um finiendae lites non solum minus Ecclesiae Christianae prouidit quà m Moses olim Iudaicae sed quaÌ„ à Lycurgo Solone Numa ciuitatib suis prospectuÌ„ fit Lib. de Ecclesiast Disc. The defence of godly Minist against D. Bridges p. 13â— Luc. 6. â—â— Matth. 5 1â— Rom. 11.33 How great vse ceremonies haue in the Church Mat. 23.23 The doctrine and discipline of the Church as the waightiest things ought especially to be looked vnto but the ceremonies also as mint comin ought not to be neglected T.C. l. 3. p. 171. Gen. 24.2 Ruth 4.7 Exod. 21. â— a Dionis p. 12◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b Litt. â— 1. Mâ—nu ad digitos vsque involutâ â—em diuinaÌ„ facere significantes sidem tutandam sedémque eius etiam in dextris sacratam esse c Eccl. disci 101.51 â—ol 25. The first thing they blame in the kind of our ceremonies is that we haue not in them ancient Apostolical simplicitie but a greater pompe and statelines lib. eccle disci T.C. l. 3. p. 181. Tom. 7. de bap contra Donaâ—ist l. 5. cap 23. T.C. l. 1. p. 31. If this iudgement of S. Augustine bee a good iudgement and sound then there be some things commaunded of God which are not in the scripture and therefore there is no sufficient doctrine contained in scripture whereby we may be saued For all the commaundements of God and of the Apostles are needfull for our saluation Vid. Epist. 118 2. Sam. 7.2 2. Chro. â— â—â— Our orders ceremonies blamed in that so many of
that maketh them which way soeuer they take diligent in drawing their husbands children seruants friends and allies the same way apter through that naturall inclination vnto pity which breedeth in them a greater readines then in men to be bountifull towards their Preachers who suffer want apter through sundry opportunities which they especially haue to procure encouragements for their brethren finally apter through a singular delight which they take in giuing very large and particular intelligence how all neere about them stand affected as coÌ„cerning the same cause But be they women or be they men if once they haue tasted of that cup let any man of contrary opinion open his mouth to perswade them they close vp their eares his reasons they waigh not all is answered with rehearsall of the words of Iohn We are of God he that knoweth God heareth vs as for the rest ye are of the world for this worlds pompe vanity it is that ye speake and the world whose ye are heareth you Which cloake sitteth no lesse fit on the backe of their cause then of the Anabaptists when the dignitie authority and honour of Gods Magistrate is vpheld against them Shew these egerly affected men their inhabilitie to iudge of such matters their answer is God hath chosen the simple Conuince them of folly and that so plainely that very children vpbraid them with it they haue their bucklers of like defence Christs owne Apostle was accompted mad The best men euermore by the sentence of the world haue bene iudged to be out of their right minds When instruction doth them no good let them feele but the least degree of most mercifully tempered seueritie they fasten on the head of the Lords vicegerents here on earth whatsoeuer they any where find vttered against the cruelty of bloud-thirstie men and to themselues they draw all the sentences which Scripture hath in the fauour of innocencie persecuted for the truth yea they are of their due and deserued sufferings no lesse prowd then those ancient disturbers to whom S. Augustine writeth saying Martyrs rightly so named are they not which suffer for their disorder and for the vngodly breach they haue made of Christian vnitie but which for righteousnes sake are persecuted For Agar also suffered persecution at the hands of Sara wherein she which did impose was holy and she vnrighteous which did beare the buâ—then In like sort with theeues was the Lord himselfe crucified but they who were matcht in the paine which they suffered were in the cause of their sufferings disioyned If that must needs be the true Church which doth endure persecution and not that which persecuteth let them aske of the Apostle what Church Sara did represent when she held her maide in affliction For euen our mother which is free the heauenly Ierusalem that is to say the true Church of God was as he doth affirme prefigured in that very woman by whom the bondmaide was so sharply handled Although if all things be throughly skanned she did in truth more persecute Sara by prowd resistance then Sara hir by seueritie of punishment These are the pathes wherein ye haue walked that are of the ordinary sort of men these are the very steps ye haue troden and the manifest degrees whereby ye are of your guides and directors trained vp in that schoole a custome of inuring your cares with reproofe of faults especially in your gouernors an vse to attribute those faults to the kind of spirituall regiment vnder which ye liue boldnesse in warranting the force of their discipline for the cure of all such euils a slight of framing your conceipts to imagine that Scripture euery where fauoureth that discipline perswasion that the cause why ye find it in Scripture is the illumination of the spirit that the same spirit is a seale vnto you of your neernes vnto God that ye are by all meanes to nourish and witnesse it in your selues and to strengthen on euery side your minds against whatsoeuer might be of force to withdraw you from it 4. Wherefore to come vnto you whose iudgement is a lanterne of direction for all the rest you that frame thus the peoples hearts not altogether as I willingly perswade my selfe of a politique intent or purpose but your selues being first ouerborne with the waight of greater mens iudgements on your shoulders is laid the burthen of vpholding the cause by argument For which purpose sentences out of the word of God ye alleage diuerse but so that when the same are discust thus it alwayes in a manner falleth cut that what things by vertue thereof ye vrge vpon vs as altogether necessarie are found to be thence collected onely by poore and maruelous slight coniectures I need not giue instance in any one sentence so alleaged for that I thinke the instance in any alleaged otherwise a thing not easie to be giuen A verie strange thing sure it were that such a discipline as ye speake of should be taught by Christ and his Apostles in the word of God and no Church euer haue found it out nor receiued it till this present time contrariwise the gouernmeÌ„t against which ye beÌ„d your selues be obserued euery where throughout all generations and ages of the Christian world no Church euer perceiuing the word of God to bee against it Wee require you to finde out but one Church vpon the face of the whole earth that hath bene ordered by your discipline or hath not bene ordered by ours that is to say by episcopall regiment sithence the time that the blessed Apostles were here conuersant Many things out of antiquitie ye bring as if the purest times of the Church had obserued the selfesame orders which you require and as though your desire were that the Churches of olde should be paternes for vs to follow and euen glasses wherin we might see the practise of that which by you is gathered out of scripture But the truth is ye meane nothing lesse All this is done for fashions sake onely for ye complaine of it as of an iniury that meÌ„ should be willed to seeke for examples and paternes of gouernment in any of those times that haue bene before Ye plainly hold that froÌ„ the very Apostles times till this present age wherein your selues imagine ye haue found out a right patern of sound discipline there neuer was any time safe to be followed Which thing ye thus endeuour to proue Out of Egesippus ye say that Eusebius writeth how although as long as the Apostles liued the Church did remaine a pure virgin yet after the death of the Apostles and after they were once gone whom God vouchsafed to make hearers of the diuine wisedome with their owne eares the placing of wicked error began to come into the Church Clement also in a certaine place to confirme that there was corruption of doctrine immediately after the Apostles times alleageth the prouerb that There are few sonnes like their fathers Socrates
Church staÌ„deth bound by the law of God to put downe Bishops and in their roomes to erect an eldership so authorized as you would haue it for the gouernmeÌ„t of each parish Deceiued greatly they are therfore who think that all they whose names are cited amongst the fauourers of this cause are on any such verdict agreed Yet touching some materiall points of your discipline a kind of agreement we grant there is amongst many diuines of reformed Churches abroad For first to do as the Church of Geneua did the learned in some other churches must needs be the more willing who hauing vsed in like maner not the slow tedious help of proceeding by publike authoritie but the peoples more quick endeuor for alteratioÌ„ in such an exigent I see not well how they could haue staied to deliberat about any other regimeÌ„t theÌ„ that which already was deuised to their hands that which in like case had bene takeÌ„ that which was easiest to be established without delay that which was likeliest to content the people by reason of some kind of sway which it giueth them When therfore the example of one Church was thus at the first almost through a kind of coÌ„straint or necessitie followed by many their concurrence in perswasion about some materiall points belonging to the same policie is not strange For we are not to maruell greatly if they which haue all done the same thing do easily embrace the same opinion as coÌ„cerning their owne doings Besides mark I beseech you that which Galen in matter of philosophie noteth for the like falleth out euen in questions of higher knowledge It fareth many times with mens opinioÌ„s as with rumors reports That which a credible person telleth is easily thought probable by such as are well perswaded of him But if two or three or foure agree all in the same tale they iudge it then to be out of controuersie and so are many times ouertaken for want of due consideration eyther some common cause leading them all inâ—â— error or one mans ouersight deceiuing many through their too much credulitie and easinesse of beliefe Though ten persons be brought to giue testimony in any cause yet if the knowledge they haue of the thing whereunto they come as witnesses appeare to haue growne from some one amongst them and to haue spred it selfe from hand to hand they all are in force but as one testimony Nor is it otherwise here where the daughter Churches do speake their mothers dialect here where so many sing one song by reason that hee is the guide of the quier concerning whose deserued authoritie amongst euen the grauest diuines we haue already spoken at large Will ye aske what should moue those many learned to be followers of one mans iudgement no necessitie of argument forcing them thereunto your demaund is answered by your selues Loath ye are to thinke that they whom ye iudge to haue attained as sound knowledge in all points of doctrine as any since the Apostles time should mistake in discipline Such is naturally our affection that whom in great things we mightily admire in them we are not perswaded willingly that any thing should be amisse The reason whereof is for that as dead flies putrifie the oyntment of the Apothecarie so a little folly him that is in estimation for wisedome This in euery profession hath too much authorized the iudgement of a few This with Germans hath caused Luther and with many other Churches Caluin to preuaile in all things Yet are we not able to define whether the wisedome of that God who setteth before vs in holy Scripture so many admirable paternes of vertue and no one of them without somewhat noted wherin they were culpable to the end that to him alone it might alwayes be acknowledged Thou onely art holy thou onely art iust might not permit those worthy vessels of his glory to be in some thinges blemished with the staine of humaine frailtie euen for this cause least wee should esteeme of any man aboue that which behoueth 5. Notwithstanding as though ye were able to say a great deale more then hitherto your bookes haue reuealed to the world earnest chalengers ye are of triall by some publique disputation Wherein if the thing ye craue bee no more then onely leaue to dispute openly about those matters that are in question the schooles in Vniuersities for any thing I know are open vnto you they haue their yearely Acts and Commencements besides other disputations both ordinary and vpon occasion wherein the seuerall parts of our owne Ecclesiasticall discipline are oftentimes offered vnto that kind of examination the learnedest of you haue bene of late yeares noted seldome or neuer absent from thence at the time of those greater assemblies and the fauour of proposing there in conuenient sort whatsoeuer ye can obiect which thing my selfe haue knowne them to graunt of Scholasticall courtesie vnto straungers neither hath as I thinke nor euer will I presume be denied you If your suite be to haue some great extraordinary confluence in expectation whereof the lawes that already are should sleepe and haue no power ouer you till in the hearing of thousands ye all did acknowledge your error and renounce the further prosecutioÌ„ of your cause happily they whose authority is required vnto the satisfying of your demaund do think it both dangerous to admit such coÌ„course of deuided minds vnmeet that laws which being once solemnly established are to exact obedience of all men and to constraine therunto should so far stoup as to hold theÌ„selues in suspeÌ„se froÌ„ taking any effect vpoÌ„ you till some disputer can perswade you to be obedient A law is the deed of the whole body politike wherof if ye iudge your selues to be any part theÌ„ is the law eueÌ„ your deed also And were it reasoÌ„ in things of this qualitie to giue meÌ„ audience pleading for the ouerthrow of that which their own very deed hath ratified Laws that haue bin approued may be no man doubteth again repealed to that end also disputed against by the authors thereof theÌ„selues But this is wheÌ„ the whole doth deliberate what laws each part shal obserue not when a part refuseth the laws which the whole hath orderly agreed vpon NotwithstaÌ„ding for as much as the cause we maintain is God be thanked such as needeth not to shun any triall might it please theÌ„ on whose approbatioÌ„ the matter dependeth to coÌ„descend so far vnto you in this behalf I wish hartily that proofe were made euen by solemne confereÌ„ce in orderly quiet sort whether you would your selues be satisfied or else could by satisfying others draw theÌ„ to your part Prouided alwaies first in asmuch as ye go about to destroy a thing which is in force to draw in that which hath not as yet bin receiued to impose on vs that which we think not our selues bound vnto to ouerthrow those things whereof we are possessed that therefore
knowne relation which God hath vnto vs as vnto children and vnto all good thinges as vnto effectes whereof himselfe is the principall cause these axiomes and lawes naturall concerning our dutie haue arisen That in all things we go about his ayde is by prayer to be craued That he cannot haue sufficient honor done vnto him but the vttermost of that we can do to honour him we must which is in effect the same that we read Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule and with all thy mind Which law our Sauiour doth terme the First and the great Commaundement Touching the next which as our Sauiour addeth is like vnto this he meaneth in amplitude and largenesse in as much as it is the roote out of which all laws of dutie to men-ward haue growne as out of the former all offices of religion towards God the like naturall inducement hath brought men to know that it is their duty no lesse to loue others then themselues For seeing those things which are equall must needes all haue one measure if I cannot but wish to receiue al good euen as much at euery mans hand as any man can wish vnto his owne soule how should I looke to haue any part of my desire herein satisfied vnlesse my self be careful to satisfie the like desire which is vndoubtedly in other men we all being of one and the same nature To haue any thing offered them repugnant to this desire must needs in all respects grieue them as much as me so that if I do harme I must looke to suffer there being no reason that others should shew greater measure of loue to me then they haue by me shewed vnto them My desire therefore to be loued of my equals in nature as much as possible may be imposeth vpon me a naturall dutie of bearing to them-ward fully the like affection From which relation of equalitie betweene our selues and them that are as our selues what seuerall rules and Canons naturall reason hath drawne for direction of life no man is ignorant as namely That because we would take no harme we must therefore do none That sith we would not be in any thing extreamely dealt with we must our selues auoide all extremitie in our dealings That from all violence and wrong wee are vtterly to abstaine with such like which further to wade in would bee tedious and to our present purpose not altogether so necessary seeing that on these two generall heads alreadie mentioned all other specialties are dependent Wherefore the naturall measure wherby to iudge our doings is the sentence of reason determining and setting downe what is good to be done Which sentence is either mandatory shewing what must be done or else permissiue declaring onely what may be done or thirdly admonitorie opening what is the most conuenient for vs to doe The first taketh place where the comparison doth stand altogether betweene doing and not doing of one thing which in it selfe is absolutely good or euill as it had bene for Ioseph to yeeld or not to yeeld to the impotent desire of his lewd mistresse the one euill the other good simply The second is when of diuerse things euill all being not euitable we are permitted to take one which one sauing only in case of so great vrgency were not otherwise to be taken as in the matter of diuorce amongst the Iewes The last when of diuers things good one is principall and most eminent as in their act who sould their possessions and layd the price at the Apostles feete which possessions they might haue retained vnto themselues without sinne againe in the Apostle S. Paules owne choyce to maintaine himselfe by his owne labour whereas in liuing by the Churches maintenance as others did there had bene no offence committed In goodnes therefore there is a latitude or extent whereby it commeth to passe that euen of good actions some are better then other some whereas otherwise one man could not excell another but all should be either absolutely good as hitting iumpe that indiuisible point or Center wherein goodnesse consisteth or else missing it they should be excluded out of the number of wel-doers Degrees of wel doing there could be none except perhaps in the seldomnes oftennes of doing well But the nature of goodnesse being thus ample a lawe is properly that which reason in such sort defineth to be good that it must be done And the law of reason or humaine nature is that which men by discourse of naturall reason haue rightly found out themselues to be all for euer bound vnto in their actions Lawes of reason haue these markes to be knowne by Such as keepe them resemble most liuely in their voluntarie actions that very manner of working which nature her selfe doth necessarily obserue in the course of the whole world The workes of nature are all behoouefull beautifull without superfluitie or defect euen so theirs if they be framed according to that which the law of reason teacheth Secondly those lawes are inuestigable by reason without the helpe of reuelation supernaturall and diuine Finally in such sort they are inuestigable that the knowledge of them is generall the world hath alwayes bene acquainted with them according to that which one in Sophocles obserueth corcerning a branch of this law It is no child of two dayes or yeasterdayes birth but hath bene no man knoweth how long sithence It is not agreed vpon by one or two or few but by all which we may not so vnderstand as if euery particular man in the whole world did know and confesse whatsoeuer the law of reason doth conteine but this lawe is such that being proposed no man can reiect it as vnreasonable and vniust Againe there is nothing in it but any man hauing naturall perfection of wit and ripenesse of iudgement may by labour and trauaile find out And to conclude the generall principles thereof are such as it is not easie to find men ignorant of them Law rationall therefore which men commonly vse to call the law of nature meaning thereby the law which humaine nature knoweth it selfe in reason vniuersally bound vnto which also for that cause may be termed most fitly the lawe of reason this law I say comprehendeth all those things which men by the light of their naturall vnderstanding euidently know or at least wife may know to be beseeming or vnbeseeming vertuous or vitious good or euill for them to do Now although it be true which some haue said that whatsoeuer is done amisse the law of nature and reason therby is transgrest because euen those offences which are by their speciall qualities breaches of supernaturall lawes do also for that they are generally euill violate in generall that principle of reason which willeth vniuersally to flie from euill yet do we not therfore so far extend the law of reason as to conteine in it all maner lawes
deliuery of the same in writing is vnto vs a manifest token that the way of saluation is now sufficiently opened and that we neede no other meanes for our full instruction then God hath already furnished vs withall The maine drift of the whole newe Testament is that which Saint Iohn setteth downe as the purpose of his owne Historie These things are written that yee might beleeue that Iesus is Christ the Sonne of God and that in beleeuing yee might haue life through his name The drift of the olde that which the Apostle mentioneth to Timothie The holy Scriptures are able to make thee wise vnto saluâ—tion So that the generall ende both of olde and newe is one the difference betweene them consisting in this that the olde did make wise by teaching saluation through Christ that should come the newe by teaching that Christ the Sauiour is come and that Iesus whom the Iewes did crucifie and whom God did raise againe from the dead is he When the Apostle therefore affirmeth vnto Timothie that the old was able to make him wise to saluation it was not his meaning that the olde alone can do this vnto vs which liue sithence the publication of the newe For he speaketh with presupposall of the doctrine of Christ knowne also vnto Timothie and therefore first it is sayd Continue thou in those things which thou hast learned and art perswaded knowing of whom thou hast bene taught them Againe those Scriptures hee graunteth were able to make him wise to saluation but he addeth through the faith which is in Christ. VVherefore without the doctrine of the new Testament teaching that Christ hath wrought the redemption of the world which redemption the olde did foreshewe he should worke it is not the former alone which can on our behalfe performe so much as the Apostle doth auouch who presupposeth this when he magnifieth that so highly And as his words concerning the bookes of auncient Scripture do not take place but with presupposall of the Gospell of Christ embraced so our owne wordes also when wee extoll the complete sufficiency of the whole intire body of the Scripture must in like sorte bee vnderstood with this caution that the benefite of natures light be not thought excluded as vnnecessarie because the necessitie of a diuiner light is magnified There is in Scripture therefore no defect but that any man what place or calling soeuer he hold in the Church of God may haue thereby the light of his naturall vnderstanding so perfected that the one being relieued by the other there can want no part of needfull instruction vnto any good worke which God himselfe requireth be it naturall or supernaturall belonging simply vnto men as men or vnto men as they are vnited in whatsoeuer kinde of societie It sufficeth therefore that nature and Scripture do serue in such full sort that they both ioyntly and not seuerally either of them be so complete that vnto euerlasting felicitie we need not the knowledge of any thing more then these two may easily furnish our mindes with on all sides and therefore they which adde traditions as a part of supernaturall necessarie truth haue not the truth but are in errour For they onely pleade that whatsoeuer God reuealeth as necessary for all Christian men to do or beleeue the same we ought to embrace whether we haue receiued it by writing or otherwise which no man denieth when that which they should confirme who claime so great reuerence vnto traditions is that the same traditions are necessarily to bee acknowledged diuine and holy For wee doe not reiect them onely because they are not in the Scripture but because they are neither in Scripture nor can otherwise sufficiently by any reason be proued to be of God That which is of God and may be euidently proued to be so we deny not but it hath in his kind although vnwritten yet the selfe same force and authoritie with the written lawes of God It is by ours acknowledged that the Apostles did in euery Church institute and ordeene some â—iâ—es and customes seruing for the seemelenesse of Church regiment which rites and customes they haue not committed vnto writing Those rites and customes being knowne to be Apostolicall and hauing the nature of things changeable were no lesse to be accompted of in the Church then other things of the like degree that is to say capable in like sort of alteration although set downe in the Apostles writings For bothe being knowne to be Apostolicall it is not the manner of deliuering them vnto the Church but the author from whom they proceed which doth giue them their force and credite 15 Lawes being imposed either by each man vpon himselfe or by a publique societie vpon the particulars thereof or by all the nations of men vpon euery seuerall societie or by the Lord himselfe vpon any or euerie of these there is not amongst these foure kinds any one but containeth sundry both naturall and positiue lawes Impossible it is but that they should fall into a number of grosse errors who onely take such lawes for positiue as haue bene made or inuented of men and holding this position hold also that all positiue and none but positiue lawes are mutable Lawes naturall do alwayes bind lawes positiue not so but onely after they haue bene expresly and wittingly imposed Lawes positiue there are in euery of those kindes before mentioned As in the first kinde the promises which we haue past vnto men and the vowes we haue made vnto God for these are lawes which we tye our selues vnto and till we haue so tied our selues they bind vs not Lawes positiue in the second kind are such the ciuill constitutions peculiar vnto each particular common weale In the third kind the law of Heraldy in waâ—re is positiue and in the last all the iudicials which God gaue vnto the people of Israell to obserue And although no lawes but positiue be mutable yet all are not mutable which be positiue Positiue lawes are either permanent or else changeable according as the matter it selfe is concerning which they were first made Whether God or man be the maker of them alteration they so far forth admit as the matter doth exact Lawes that concerne supernaturall duties are all positiue and either coÌ„cerne men supernaturally as men or else as parts of a supernaturall society which society we call the Church To concerne men as men supernaturally is to concerne them as duties which belong of necessitie to all and yet could not haue bene knowne by any to belong vnto them vnlesse God had opened them himselfe in as much as they do not depend vpon any naturall ground at all out of which they may be deduced but are appoiâ—â—ed of God to supply the defect of those naturall wayes of saluation by which we are not now able to attaine thereunto The Church being a supernaturall societie doth differ from naturall societies in this that the persons
what nature and force lawes are according vnto their seuerall kinds the lawe which God with himselfe hath eternally set downe to follow in his owne workes the law which he hath made for his creatures to keepe the law of naturall and necessarie agents the law which Angels in heauen obey the lawe whereunto by the light of reason men find themselues bound in that they are men the lawe which they make by composition for multitudes and politique societies of men to be guided by the law which belongeth vnto each nation the lawe that concerneth the fellowship of all and lastly the lawe which God himselfe hath supernaturally reuealed It might peraduenture haue beene more popular and more plausible to vulgar eares if this first discourse had beene spent in extolling the force of lawes in shewing the great necessity of them when they are good and in aggrauating their offence by whom publique lawes are iniuriously traduced But for as much as with such kind of matter the passions of men are rather stirred one way or other then their knowledge any way set forward vnto the triall of that whereof there is doubt made I haue therefore turned aside from that beaten path and chosen though a lesse easie yet a more profitable way in regard of the end we propose Least therefore any man should maruailâ— whereunto all these things tend the drift and purpose of all is this euen to shew in what manner as euery good and perfect gift so this very gift of good and perfect lawes is deriued from the father of lights to teach men a reason why iust and reasonable lawes are of so great force of so great vse in the world and to enforme their minds with some methode of reducing the lawes whereof there is present controuersie vnto their first originall causes that so it may be in euery particular ordinance thereby the better discerned whether the same be reasonable iust and righteous or no. Is there any thing which can either be throughly vnderstood or soundly iudged of till the very first causes and principles from which originally it springeth bee made manifest If all parts of knowledge haue beene thought by wise men to bee then most orderly deliuered and proceeded in when they are drawne to their first originall seeing that our whole question concerneth the qualitie of Ecclesiasticall lawes let it not seeme a labour superfluous that in the entrance thereunto all these seuerall kinds of lawes haue beene considered in as much as they all concurre as principles they all haue their forcible operations therein although not all in like apparent and manifest maner By meanes whereof it commeth to passe that the force which they haue is not obserued of many Easier a great deale it is for men by law to be taught what they ought to do then instructed how to iudge as they should do of law the one being a thing which belongeth generally vnto all the other such as none but the wiser and more iudicious sorte can performe Yea the wisest are alwayes touching this point the readiest to acknowledge that soundly to iudge of a law is the waightiest thing which any man can take vpon him But if we wil giue iudgement of the laws vnder which we liue first let that law eternall be alwayes before our eyes as being of principall force and moment to breed in religious minds a dutifull estimation of all lawes the vse and benefite whereof we see because there can be no doubt but that lawes apparently good are as it were things copied out of the very tables of that high euerlasting law euen as the booke of that law hath said concerning it selfe By me Kings raigne and by me Princes decree iustice Not as if men did behold that booke and accordingly frame their lawes but because it worketh in them because it discouereth and as it were readeth it selfe to the world by them when the lawes which they make are righteous Furthermore although we perceiue not the goodnesse of lawes made neuerthelesse sith things in themselues may haue that which we peraduenture discerne not should not this breed a feare in our harts how we speake or iudge in the worse part concerning that the vnaduised disgrace whereof may be no meane dishonour to him towards whom we professe all submission and awe Surely there must be very manifest iniquitie in lawes against which we shall be able to iustifie our contumelious inuectiues The chiefest roote whereof when we vse them without cause is ignorance how lawes inferiour are deriued from that supreme or highest lawe The first that receiue impression from thence are naturall agents The lawe of whose operations might be happily thought lesse pertinent when the question is about lawes for humane actions but that in those very actions which most spiritually and supernaturally concerne men the rules and axiomes of naturall operations haue their force What can be more immediate to our saluation then our perswasion concerning the lawe of Christ towardes his Church What greater assurance of loue towards his Church then the knowledge of that mysticall vnion whereby the Church is become as neare vnto Christ as any one part of his flesh is vnto other That the Church being in such sort his he must needes protect it what proofe more strong then if a manifest lawe so require which law it is not possible for Christ to violate And what other lawe doth the Apostle for this alleage but such as is both common vnto Christ with vs and vnto vs with other things naturall No man hateth his owne flesh but doth loue and cherish it The axiomes of that lawe therefore whereby naturall agentes are guided haue their vse in the morall yea euen in the spirituall actions of men and consequently in all lawes belonging vnto men howsoeuer Neither are the Angels themselues so farre seuered from vs in their kind and manner of working but that betweene the lawe of their heauenly operations and the actions of men in this our state of mortalitie such correspondence there is as maketh it expedient to know in some sort the one for the others more perfect direction Would Angels acknowledge themselues fellow seruants with the sonnes of men but that both hauing one Lord there must be some kinde of lawe which is one and the same to both whereunto their obedience being perfecter is to our weaker both a paterne and a spurre Or would the Apostle speaking of that which belongeth vnto Saintes as they are linked together in the bond of spirituall societie so often make mention how Angels are therewith delighted if in thinges publiquely done by the Church we are not somewhat to respect what the Angels of heauen doe Yea so farre hath the Apostle S. Paule proceeded as to signifie that euen about the outward orders of the Church which serue but for comelinesse some regard is to be had of Angels who best like vs when we are most like vnto them
the name of God as we should without an actuall intent to doe him in that particular some speciall obedience yet for any thing there is in this sentence alleaged to the contrarie God may be glorified by obedience and obeyed by performance of his will and his will be performed with an actuall intelligent desire to fulfill that lawe which maketh knowne what his will is although no speciall clause or sentence of scripture bee in euery such action set before mens eyes to warrant it For scripture is not the onely lawe whereby God hath opened his will touching all thinges that may be done but there are other kindes of lawes which notifie the will of God as in the former booke hath beene prooued at large Nor is there any law of God whereunto he doth not account our obedience his glory Doe therefore all thinges vnto the glory of God saith the Apostle be inoffensiue both to the Iewes and Graecians and the Church of God euen as I please all men in all thinges not seeking mine owne commoditie but manies that they may be saued In the least thing done disobediently towardes God or offensiuely against the good of men whose benefite wee ought to seeke for as for our owne we plainely shew that we doe not acknowledge God to be such as indeede he is and consequently that we glorifie him not This the blessed Apostle teacheth but doth any Apostle teach that we cannot glorifie God otherwise then onely in doing what wee finde that God in Scripture commaundeth vs to doe The Churches dispersed amongest the Heathen in the East part of the world are by the Apostle S. Peter exhorted to haue their conuersation honest amongest the Gentiles that they which spake euill of them as of euill doers might by the good workes which they should see glorifie God in the day of visitation As long as that which Christians did was good and no way subiect vnto iust reproofe their vertuous conuersation was a meane to worke the Heathens conuersion vnto Christ. Seeing therefore this had beene a thing altogether impossible but that Infidels themselues did discerne in matters of life and conuersation when beleeuers did well and when otherwise when they glorified their heauenly father and when not it followeth that some thinges wherein God is glorified may be some other way knowne then onely by the sacred Scripture of which Scripture the Gentiles being vtterly ignorant did notwithstanding iudge rightly of the qualitie of Christian mens actions Most certaine it is that nothing but onely sinne doth dishonour God So that to glorifie him in all things is to do nothing whereby the name of God may be blasphemed nothing whereby the saluation of Iew or Grecian or any in the Church of Christ may be let or hindered nothing wherby his law is transgrest But the question is whether onely Scripture do shewe whatsoeuer God is glorified in 3 And though meates and drinkes be said to be sanctified by the worde of God and by prayer yet neither is this a reason sufficient to prooue that by scripture wee must of necessitie be directed in euery light and common thing which is incident into any part of mans life Onely it sheweth that vnto vs the worde that is to say the Gospell of Christ hauing not deliuered any such difference of thinges cleane and vncleane as the law of Moses did vnto the Iewes there is no cause but that we may vse indifferently all thinges as long as wee doe not like swine take the benefite of them without a thankefull acknowledgement of his liberalitie and goodnesse by whose prouidence they are inioyed and therefore the Apostle gaue warning before hand to take heede of such as should inioyne to abstaine from meates which God hath created to be receiued with thankes-giuing by them which beleeue and know the truth For euery creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be receiued with thankesgiuing because it is sanctified by the word of God and praier The Gospell by not making many thinges vncleane as the lawe did hath sanctified those thinges generally to all which particularly each man vnto himselfe must sanctifie by a reuerend and holy vse which will hardly be drawne so farre as to serue their purpose who haue imagined the word in such sort to sanctifie all thinges that neither foode can bee tasted nor rayment put on nor in the world any thing done but this deede must needes be sinne in them which do not first knowe it appointed vnto them by scripture before they do it 4 But to come vnto that which of all other things in scripture is most stood vpon that place of S. Paule they say is of all other most cleare where speaking of those thinges which are called indifferent in the ende he concludeth that whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne But faith is not but in respect of the worde of God Therefore whatsoeuer is not done by the worde of God is sinne Whereunto wee aunswere that albeit the name of faith being properly and strictly taken it must needes haue reference vnto some vttered worde as the obiect of beliefe neuerthelesse sith the ground of credite is the credibilitie of thinges credited and things are made credible eyther by the knowne condition and qualitie of the vtterer or by the manifest likelihood of truth which they haue in thēselues hereupon it riseth that whatsoeuer we are perswaded of the same we are generally said to beleeue In which generalitie the obiect of faith may not so narrowly be restrained as if the same did extend no further then to the onely scriptures of God Though saith our Sauiour ye beleeue not me beleeue my workes that ye may know and beleeue that the father is in me and I in him The other Disciples said vnto Thomas we haue seene the Lord but his aunswere vnto them was Except I see in his hands the print of the nailes and put my finger into them I will not beleeue Can there be any thing more plaine then that which by these two sentences appeareth namely that there may be a certaine beliefe grounded vpon other assurance then Scripture any thing more cleare then that we are said not onely to beleeue the thinges which we knowe by anothers relation but euen whatsoeuer we are certainly perswaded of whether it be by reason or by sense For as much therefore as it is graunted that S. Paule doth meane nothing else by Fayth but onely a full perswasion that that which we doe is well done against which kinde of faith or perswasion as S. Paule doth count it sinne to enterprise any thing so likewise some of the very Heathen haue taught as Tully that nothing ought to be done whereof thou doubtest whether it be right or wrōg wherby it appeareth that euen those which had no knowledge of the word of God did see much of the equitie of this which the Apostle
body and Church of Christ cōsisteth in that vniformitie which all seuerall persons thereunto belonging haue by reason of that One Lord whose seruants they all professe themselues that one faith which they al acknowledge that one baptisme wherewith they are all initiated The visible Church of Iesus Christ is therefore one in outward profession of those thinges which supernaturally appertaine to the very essence of Christianitie are necessarily required in euery particular christiā man Let all the house of Israel know for certaintie saith Peter That God hath made him both Lorde and Christ euen this Iesus whome ye haue crucified Christiās therfore they are not which cal not him their Master Lord. And from hence it came that first at Antioch and afterwards throughout the whole world all that were of the Church visible were called Christians euen amongst the Heathen which name vnto them was precious and glorious but in the estimation of the rest of the world euen Christ Iesus himselfe was execrable for whose sake all men were so likewise which did acknowledge him to bee their Lord. This himselfe did foresee and therefore armed his Church to the end they might sustaine it without discomfort All these thinges they will doe vnto you for my names sake yea the time shall come that whosoeuer killeth you will thinke that he doth God good seruice These thinges I tell you that when the houre shall come ye may then call to mind how I told you before hand of them But our naming of Iesus Christ the Lorde is not inough to proue vs Christiās vnles we also imbrace that faith which Christ hath published vnto the world To shewe that the angell of Pergamus continued in Christianitie behold how the spirite of Christ speaketh Thou keepest my name and thou hast not denied my faith Concerning which faith The rule thereof saith Tertullian is one alone immoueable and no way possible to be better framed a new What rule that is hee sheweth by rehearsing those fewe articles of Christian beliefe And before Tertullian Ireney The Church though scattered through the whole world vnto the vtmost borders of the earth hath from the Apostles and their disciples receiued beleefe The partes of which beleefe hee also reciteth in substance the very same with Tertullian and thereupon inferreth This faith the Church being spread farre and wide preserueth as if one house did containe them these thinges it equally embraceth as though it had euen one soule one heart and no more it publisheth teacheth and deliuereth these thinges with vniforme consent as if God had giuen it but one onely tongue wherewith to speake Hee which amongst the guides of the Church is best able to speake vttereth no more then this and lesse then this the most simple doth not vtter when they make profession of their faith Now although wee know the Christian faith and allow of it yet in this respect wee are but entring entered wee are not into the visible Church before our admittance by the doore of baptisme Wherfore immediatly vpon the acknowledgement of christian faith the Eunuch we see was baptized by Philip Paule by Ananias by Peter an huge multitude containing three thousand soules which being once baptized were reckoned in the number of soules added to the visible Church As for those vertues that belong vnto morall righteousnesse and honestie of life we doe not mention them because they are not proper vnto Christian men as they are Christian but doe concerne them as they are men True it is the want of these vertues excludeth from saluation So doth much more the absence of inward beliefe of heart so doth despaire and lacke of hope so emptines of Christian loue and charitie But wee speake now of the visible Church whose children are signed with this marke One Lord one faith one baptisme In whomsoeuer these thinges are the church doth acknowledge them for her children them onely she holdeth for aliens and strangers in whom these things are not found For want of these it is that Saracens Iewes and Infidels are excluded out of the bounds of the church Others we may not denie to be of the visible church as long as these thinges are not wanting in them For apparent it is that all men are of necessitie either Christians or not Christians If by externall profession they be Christians then are they of the visible Church of Christ And Christians by externall profession they are all whose marke of recognisance hath in it those things which wee haue mentioned yea although they be impious idolaters wicked heretiques persons excommunicable yea and cast out for notorious improbitie Such withall we denie not to be the imps and limmes of Satan euen as long as they continue such Is it then possible that the selfe same men should belong both to the synagogue of Satan and to the Church of Iesus Christ Vnto that Church which is his mysticall body not possible because that body consisteth of none but onely true Israelites true sonnes of Abraham true seruantes and Saints of God Howbeit of the visible body and Church of Iesus Christ those may be and oftentimes are in respect of the maine partes of their outward profession who in regard of their inward disposition of minde yea of externall conuersation yea euen of some parts of their very profession are most worthily both hatefull in the sight of God himselfe and in the eyes of the sounder partes of the visible Church most execrable Our Sauiour therefore compareth the kingdome of Heauen to a net whereunto all which commeth neither is nor seemeth fish his Church hee compareth vnto a fielde where tares manifestly knowne and seene by all men doe growe intermingled with good corne and euen so shall continue till the finall consummation of the world God hath had euer and euer shall haue some church visible vpon earth When the people of God worshipped the calfe in the wildernesse when they adored the brasen serpent when they serued the Gods of nations when they bowed their knees to Baal when they burnt incense and offered sacrifice vnto Idoles true it is the wrath of God was most fiercely inflamed against them their Prophetes iustly condemned them as an adulterous seede and a wicked generation of miscreantes which had forsaken the liuing God and of him were likewise forsaken in respect of that singular mercie wherewith hee kindly and louingly embraceth his faithfull children Howbeit reteining the lawe of God and the holy seale of his couenant the sheepe of his visible flocke they continued euen in the depth of their disobedience and rebellion Wherefore not onely amongst them God alwaies had his church because hee had thousands which neuer bowed their knees to Baal but whose knees were bowed vnto Baall euen they were also of the visible church of God Nor did the Prophet so complaine as if that church had
bene quite and cleane extinguished but hee tooke it as though there had not bene remaining in the worlde any besides himselfe that carried a true and an vpright heart towardes God with care to serue him according vnto his holy will For lacke of diligent obseruing the difference first betweene the Church of God mysticall and visible then betweene the visible sound and corrupted sometimes more sometimes lesse the ouersightes are neither fewe nor light that haue beene committed This deceiueth them and nothing else who thinke that in the time of the first worlde the family of Noah did containe all that were of the visible Church of God From hence it grewe and from no other cause in the world that the Affricane Bishopes in the Councell of Carthage knowing how the administration of Baptisme belongeth onelye to the Church of Christ and supposing that heretiques which were apparantly seuered from the sound beleeuing Church could not possibly be of the Church of Iesus Christ thought it vtterly against reason that baptisme administred by men of corrupt beleefe should be accounted as a Sacrament And therefore in maintenance of rebaptization their arguments are built vpon the forealeaged ground That heretiques are not at all any part of the Church of Christ. Our Sauiour founded his Church on a rocke and not vpon heresie power of baptizing he gaue to his Apostles vnto heretiques he gaue it not Wherefore they that are without the Church and oppose themselues against Christ do but scatter his sheepe and flocke without the Church baptize they cannot Againe Are heretiques Christians or are they not If they be Christians wherefore remaine they not in Gods Church If they be no Christians how make they Christians Or to what purpose shall those words of the Lord serue He which is not with me is against me and He which gathereth not with me scattereth Wherefore euident it is that vpon misbegotten children and the brood of Antichrist without rebaptization the holy Ghost cannot descend But none in this case so earnest as Cyprian I know no baptizme but one and that in the Church only none without the Church where he that doth cast out the Diuell hath the Diuell he doth examine about beleefe whose lips and words do breath foorth a canker the faithlesse doth offer the articles of faith a wicked creature forgiueth wickednesse in the name of Christ Antichrist signeth he which is cursed of God blesseth a dead carrion promiseth life a man vnpeaceable giueth peace a blasphemer calleth vpō the name of God a prophane person doth exercise priesthood a sacrilegious wretch doth prepare the Altar and in the necke of all these that euill also commeth the Eucharist a very Bishop of the Diuell doth presume to consecrate All this was true but not sufficient to prooue that heretiques were in no sort any part of the visible Church of Christ and consequently their baptisme no baptisme This opinion therefore was afterwards both condemned by a better aduised councell and also reuoked by the chiefest of the authors thereof themselues What is it but onely the selfe same error and misconceite wherewith others being at this day likewise possest they aske vs where our Church did lurke in what caue of the earth it slept for so many hundreds of yeeres together before the birth of Martin Luther As if we were of opinion that Luther did erect a new Church of Christ. No the Church of Christ which was from the beginning is and continueth vnto the end Of which Church all parts haue not bene alwayes equally sincere sound In the dayes of Abia it plainely appeareth that Iuda was by many degrees more free from pollution then Israell as that solemne oration sheweth wherein he pleadeth for the one against the other in this wise O Ieroboam and all Israell heare you me Haue ye not driuen away the Priests of the Lord the sonnes of Aaron and the Leuits and haue made you Priests like the people of nations whosoeuer commeth to consecrate with a young bullocke and seuen Rammes the same may be a Priest of them that are no Gods But we belong vnto the Lord our God and haue not forsaken him and the Priests the sonnes of Aaron minister vnto the Lord euery morning and euery euening burnt offerings and sweete incense and the bread is set in order vpon the pure table and the candlesticke of gold with the lamps therof to burne euery euening for we keepe the watch of the Lord our God but ye haue forsaken him In Saint Paules time the integritie of Rome was famous Corinth many wayes reproued they of Galatia much more out of square In Saint Iohns time Ephesus and Smyrna in farre better state then Thyatira and Pergamus were We hope therefore that to reforme our selues if at any time we haue done amisse is not to seuer our selues from the Church we were of before In the Church we were and we are so still Other difference betweene our estate before and now we know none but onely such as we see in Iuda which hauing some time beene idolatrous became afterwards more soundly religious by renouncing idolatrie and superstition If Ephraim be ioyned vnto idoles the counsell of the Prophet is Let him alone If Israell play the harlot let not Iuda sinne If it seeme euill vnto you sayth Iosua to serue the Lord choose you this day whom ye will serue whether the Gods whom your fathers serued beyond the floud or the Gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell but I and mine house will serue the Lord. The indisposition therefore of the Church of Rome to reforme her selfe must be no stay vnto vs from performing our duty to God euen as desire of retaining conformity with them could be no excuse if we did not performe that dutie Notwithstanding so farre as lawfully we may we haue held and do hold fellowship with them For euen as the Apostle doth say of Israell that they are in one respect enimies but in another beloued of God In like sort with Rome we dare not communicate concerning sundrie her grosse and grieuous abominations yet touching those maine parts of Christian truth wherein they constantly still persist we gladly acknowledge them to bee of the familie of Iesus Christ and our hearty prayer vnto God almighty is that being conioyned so farre foorth with them they may at the length if it be his will so yeeld to frame and reforme themselues that no distraction remaine in any thing but that we all may with one heart and one mouth glorifie God the father of our Lord and Sauiour whose Church we are As there are which make the Church of Rome vtterly no Church at all by reason of so many so greeuous errors in their doctrines so we haue them amongst vs who vnder pretence of imagined corruptions in our discipline do giue euen as hard a iudgement of the Church of England it selfe But whatsoeuer either the
Tertullian yet there is a Church that is to say a Christian assembly But a Church as now we are to vnderstand it is a society that is a number of men belonging vnto some Christian fellowship the place and limites whereof are certaine That wherein they haue communion is the publike exercise of such duties as those mentioned in the Apostles acts Instruction Breaking of bread and Prayers As therefore they that are of the misticall body of Christ haue those inward graces and vertues whereby they differ from all others which are not of the same body againe whosoeuer appertaine to the visible body of the Church they haue also the notes of externall profession whereby the world knoweth what they are after the same manner euen the seuerall societies of Christian men vnto euery of which the name of a Church is giuen with addition betokening seuerally as the Church of Rome Corinth Ephesus England and so the rest must bee indued with correspondent generall properties belonging vnto them as they are publique Christian societies And of such properties common vnto all societies Christian it may not be denied that one of the very chiefest is Ecclesiasticall Politie Which word I therefore the rather vse because the name of gouernement as commonly men vnderstand it in ordinary speech doth not comprise the largenes of that whereunto in this question it is applied For when we speake of gouernment what doth the greatest part conceiue thereby but onely the exercise of superiority peculiar vnto rulers and guides of others To our purpose therefore the name of Church-politie will better serue because it conteineth both gouernement and also whatsoeuer besides belongeth to the ordering of the Church in publique Neither is any thing in this degree more necessarie then Church politie which is a forme of ordering the publique spirituall affaires of the Church of God 2 But we must note that he which affirmeth speech to bee necessary amongest all men throughout the world doth not thereby import that all men must necessarily speake one kind of language Euen so the necessitie of politie and regiment in all Churches may be held without holding any one certaine forme to bee necessarie in them all Nor is it possible that any forme of politie much lesse of politie Ecclesiasticall should bee good vnlesse God himselfe bee author of it Those things that are not of God sayth Tertullian they can haue no other then Gods aduersarie for their author Be it whatsoeuer in the Church of God if it bee not of God wee hate it Of God it must bee either as those things sometime were which God supernaturally reuealed and so deliuered them vnto Moses for gouernement of the common wealth of Israell or else as those thinges which men finde out by helpe of that light which God hath giuen them vnto that ende The verie lawe of nature it selfe which no man can deny but God hath instituted is not of God vnlesse that be of God whereof God is the author as well this later way as the former But for as much as no forme of Church-politie is thought by them to be lawfull or to bee of God vnlesse God be so the author of it that it bee also set downe in Scripture they should tell vs plainely whether their meaning be that it must be there set downe in whole or in part For if wholly let them shewe what one forme of politie euer was so Their owne to be so taken out of Scripture they will not affirme neither denie they that in part euen this which they so much oppugne is also from thence taken Againe they should tell vs whether onely that be taken out of Sripture which is actually and particularly there set downe or else that also which the generall principles and rules of Scripture potentially conteine The one way they cannot as much as pretend that all the partes of their owne discipline are in scripture and the other way their mouthes are stopped when they would pleade against all other formes besides their owne seeing the generall principles are such as do not particularly prescribe any one but sundry may equally be consonant vnto the generall axiomes of the Scripture But to giue them some larger scope and not to close them vp in these streights let their allegations bee considered wherewith they earnestly bend themselues against all which deny it necessarie that any one complete forme of Church politie should bee in Scripture First therefore whereas it hath beene told them that matters of faith and in generall matters necessarie vnto saluation are of a different nature from Ceremonies order and the kind of Church gouernement that the one are necessarie to bee expressely contained in the word of God or else manifestly collected out of the same the other not so that is necessarie not to receiue the one vnlesse there be some thing in Scripture for them the other free if nothing against them may thence bee alleaged although there do not appeare any iust or reasonable cause to reiect or dislike of this neuerthelesse as it is not easie to speake to the contentation of mindes exulcerated in themselues but that somewhat there will bee alwayes which displeaseth so herein for two things we are reprooued the first is misdistinguishing because matters of discipline and Church gouernement are as they say matters necessary to saluation and of faith whereas we put a difference betweene the one and the other our second fault is iniurious dealing with the Scripture of God as if it conteined onely the principall points of religion some rude and vnfashioned matter of building the Church but had left out that which belongeth vnto the forme and fashion of it as if there were in the Scripture no more then only to couer the Churches nakednesse and not chaines bracelets rings iewels to adorne her sufficient to quench her thirst to kill her hunger but not to minister a more liberall and as it were a more delitious and dainty dyet In which case our apologie shall not need to be very long 3 The mixture of those things by speech which by nature are diuided is the mother of all error To take away therefore that error which confusion breedeth distinction is requisite Rightly to distinguish is by conceipt of minde to seuer thinges different in nature and to discerne wherein they differ So that if wee imagine a difference where there is none because wee distinguish where wee should not it may not bee denied that wee misdistinguish The onely tryall whether wee do so yea or no dependeth vpon comparison betweene our conceipt and the nature of thinges conceiued Touching matters belonging vnto the Church of Christ this wee conceiue that they are not of one sute Some things are meerely of faith which things it doth suffice that wee knowe and beleeue some things not onely to bee knowne but done because they concerne the actions of men Articles about the Trinitie are matters of meere faith and
narrow roome as that it should bee able to direct vs but in principall points of our Religion or as though the substance of Religion or some rude and vnfashioned matter of building the Church were vttered in them and those things left out that should pertaine to the forme and fashion of it let the cause of the accused bee referred to the accusers owne conscience and let that iudge whether this accusation be deserued where it hath bene layd 5 But so easie it is for euery man liuing to erre and so hard to wrest from any mans mouth the plaine acknowledgement of error that what hath beene once inconsiderately defended the same is commonly persisted in as long as wit by whetting it selfe is able to finde out any shift bee it neuer so sleight whereby to escape out of the handes of present contradiction So that it commeth here in to passe with men vnaduisedly fallen into errour as with them whose state hath no ground to vphold it but onely the helpe which by subtle conueyance they drawe out of casuall euents arising from day to day till at length they be cleane spent They which first gaue out that Nothing ought to be established in the Church which is not commanded by the word of God thought this principle plainely warranted by the manifest words of the lawe Ye shall put nothing vnto the word which I commaund you neither shall ye take ought therefrom that ye may keepe the commaundements of the Lord your God which I commaund you Wherefore hauing an eye to a number of rites and orders in the Church of England as marrying with a ring crossing in the one Sacrament kneeling at the other obseruing of festiuall dayes moe then onely that which is called the Lords day inioyning abstinence at certaine times from some kindes of meate churching of women after Child birth degrees taken by diuines in Vniuersities sundry Church-offices dignities and callings for which they found no commaundement in the holy Scripture they thought by the one onely stroke of that axiome to haue cut them off But that which they tooke for an Oracle being sifted was repeld True it is concerning the word of God whether it be by misconstruction of the sense or by falsification of the words wittingly to endeuour that any thing may seeme diuine which is not or any thing not seeme which is were plainely to abuse and euen to falsifie diuine euidence which iniury offered but vnto men is most worthily counted haâ—nous Which point I wish they did well obserue with whom nothing is more familiar then to plead in these causes The law of God The word of the Lord who notwithstanding when they come to alleage what word and what lawe they meane their common ordinarie practise is to quote by-speeches in some historicall narration or other and to vrge them as if they were written in most exact forme of law What is to adde to the lawe of God if this bee not When that which the word of God doth but deliuer historically we conster without any warrant as if it were legally meant and so vrge it further then we can proue that it was intended do we not adde to the lawes of God and make them in number seeme moe then they are It standeth vs vpon to be carefull in this case For the sentence of God is heauy against them that wittingly shall presume thus to vse the Scripture 6 But let that which they doe hereby intend bee graunted them let it once stand as consonant to reason that because wee are forbidden to adde to the lawe of God any thing or to take ought from it therefore wee may not for matters of the Church make any lawe more then is already set downe in Scripture who seeth not what sentence it shall enforce vs to giue against all Churches in the world in as much as there is not one but hath had many things established in it which though the Scripture did neuer commaund yet for vs to condemne were rashnesse Let the Church of God euen in the time of our Sauior Christ serue for example vnto all the rest In their domesticall celebration of the passeouer which supper they deuided as it were into two courses what Scripture did giue commaundement that betweene the first and the second he that was Chiefe should put off the residue of his garments and keeping on his feast-robe onely wash the feete of them that were with him What Scripture did command them neuer to lift vp their hands vnwasht in prayer vnto God which custome Aristaeus be the credite of the author more or lesse sheweth wherefore they did so religiously obserue What Scripture did commaund the Iewes euery festiuall day to fast till the sixt houre The custome both mentioned by Iosephus in the history of his owne life and by the words of Peter signified Tedious it were to rip vp all such things as were in that Church established yea by Christ himselfe and by his Apostles obserued though not commaunded any where in Scripture 7 Well yet a glosse there is to colour that paradoxe and notwithstanding all this still to make it appeare in shew not to be altogether vnreasonable And therefore till further reply come the cause is held by a feeble distinction that the commandements of God being either generall or speciall although there be no expresse word for euery thing in specialtie yet there are generall commaundements for all things to the end that euen such cases as are not in Scripture particularly mentioned might not be left to any to order at their pleasure onely with caution that nothing be done against the word of God and that for this cause the Apostle hath set downe in scripture foure generall rules requiring such things alone to be receiued in the Church as do best and neerest agree with the same rules that so all things in the Church may be appointed not onely not against but by and according to the word of God The rules are these Nothing scandalous or offensiue vnto any especially vnto the Church of God All things in order and with seemelinesse All vnto edification finally All to the glory of God Of which kind how many might be gathered out of the Scripture if it were necessary to take so much paines Which rules they that vrge minding thereby to proue that nothing may be done in the Church but what Scripture commaundeth must needs hold that they tye the Church of Christ no otherwise then onely because we find them there set downe by the finger of the holy Ghost So that vnlesse the Apostle by writing had deliuered those rules to the Church we should by obseruing them haue sinned as now by not obseruing them In the Church of the Iewes is it not graunted that the appointment of the hower for daily sacrifices the building of Synagogues throughout the land to heare the word of God and to pray in when they came not vp
controuersie in this cause concerning the orders of the Church is what particulars the Church may appoint That which doth finde them out is the force of mans reason That which doth guide and direct his reason is first the generall law of nature which law of nature and the morall law of scripture are in the substance of law all one But because there are also in scripture a number of lawes particular and positiue which being in force may not by any law of man be violated we are in making lawes to haue thereunto an especiall eie As for example it might perhaps seeme reasonable vnto the Church of God following the generall laws concerning the nature of mariage to ordaine in particular that cosen germains shall not marry Which law notwithstanding ought not to be receiued in the Church if there should be in the scripture a law particular to the contrary forbidding vtterly the bonds of mariage to be so far forth abridged The same Thomas therfore whose definition of humane lawes we mentioned before doth adde thereunto his caution concerning the rule and canon whereby to make them Humane lawes are measures in respect of men whose actiōs they must direct howbeit such measures they are as haue also their higher rules to be measured by which rules are two the law of God and the law of nature So that laws humane must be made according to the generall lawes of nature without contradiction vnto any positiue lawe in scripture Otherwise they are ill made Vnto lawes thus made and receiued by a whole Church they which liue within the bosome of that Church must not think it a matter indifferēt either to yeeld or not to yeeld obedience Is it a small offence to despise the Church of God My sonne keepe thy fathers comaundement saith Salomon forget not thy mothers instruction bind thē bothe alwaies about thine hart It doth not stand with the duty which we owe to our heauenly fathers that to the ordinances of our mother the Church we should shew our selues disobedient Let vs not say we keepe the commandements of the one when we breake the law of the other For vnlesse we obserue bothe we obey neither And what doth let but that we may obserue both when they are not the one to the other in any sort repugnant For of such lawes only we speake as being made in forme and maner already declared can haue in them no contradiction vnto the lawes of almighty God Yea that which is more the lawes thus made God himselfe doth in such sort authorize that to despise them is to despise in them him It is a loose licentious opinion which the Anabaptists haue embraced holding that a Christian mans libertie is lost and the soule which Christ hath redeemed vnto himselfe iniuriously drawne into seruitude vnder the yoke of humane power if any law be now imposed besides the Gospell of Iesus Christ in obedience whereunto the spirite of God and not the constraint of men is to leade vs according to that of the blessed Apostle Such as are led by the spirits of God they are the sonnes of God and not such as liue in thraldome vnto men Their iudgement is therefore that the Church of Christ should admit no law makers but the Euangelists The author of that which causeth another thing to be is author of that thing also which thereby is caused The light of naturall vnderstanding wit and reason is from God he it is which thereby doth illuminate euery man entering into the world If there proceede from vs any thing afterwardes corrupt and naught the mother thereof is our owne darknes neither doth it proceed from any such cause whereof God is the author He is the author of all that we think or doe by vertue of that light which himselfe hath giuen And therefore the lawes which the very Heathens did gather direct their actiōs by so far forth as they proceeded from the light of nature God himselfe doth acknowledge to haue proceeded euen from himselfe and that he was the writer of them in the tables of their hearts How much more then he the author of those lawes which haue bene made by his Saints endued furder with the heauenly grace of his spirit and directed as much as might be with such instructiōs as his sacred word doth yeeld Surely if we haue vnto those lawes that dutifull regard which their dignitie doth require it will not greatly need that we should be exhorted to liue in obedience vnto them If they haue God himselfe for their author contempt which is offered vnto them cannot choose but redound vnto him The safest and vnto God the most acceptable way of framing our liues therfore is with all humilitie lowlines and singlenes of hart to studie which way our willing obedience both vnto God and man may be yeelded euen to the vtmost of that which is due 10 Touching the mutabilitie of lawes that concerne the regiment politie of the church changed they are when either altogether abrogated or in part repealed or augmented with farther additions Wherein wee are to note that this question about changing of lawes concerneth onely such lawes as are positiue and do make that now good or euill by being commanded or forbidden which otherwise of it selfe were not simply the one or the other Vnto such lawes it is expressely sometimes added how long they are to continue in force If this be no where exprest then haue we no light to direct our iudgemēts concerning the chaungeablenes or immutabilitie of them but by considering the nature and qualitie of such lawes The nature of euery lawe must be iudged of by the ende for which it was made and by the aptnes of thinges therein prescribed vnto the same end It may so fall out that the reason why some lawes of God were giuen is neither opened nor possible to be gathered by wit of man As why God should forbid Adam that one tree there was no way for Adam euer to haue certainely vnderstood And at Adams ignorance of this point Satan tooke aduantage vrging the more securely a false cause because the true was vnto Adam vnknowne Why the Iewes were forbidden to plow their ground with an oxe and an asse why to cloath themselues with mingled attire of wooll and linnen both it was vnto them vnto vs it remaineth obscure Such lawes perhaps cannot be abrogated sauing onely by whom they were made because the intent of them being knowne vnto none but the author he alone can iudge how long it is requisite they should endure But if the reason why things were instituted may be known and being knowne do appeare manifestly to be of perpetuall necessitie then are those things also perpetuall vnlesse they cease to be effectuall vnto that purpose for which they were at the first instituted Because when a thing doth cease to be auaileable vnto the end which gaue it being the
continuance of it must then of necessitie appeare superfluous And of this we cannot be ignorant how sometimes that hath done great good which afterwardes when time hath chaunged the auncient course of thinges doth growe to be either very hurtfull or not so greatly profitable and necessary If therefore the end for which a lawe prouideth be perpetually necessary the way whereby it prouideth perpetually also most apt no doubt but that euery such law ought for euer to remain vnchangeable Whether God be the author of lawes by authorizing that power of men wherby they are made or by deliuering them made immediately from himselfe by word only or in writing also or howsoeuer notwithstaÌ„ding the authority of their maker the mutabilitie of that end for which they are made doth also make them changeable The law of ceremonies came from God Moses had commandement to commit it vnto the sacred records of scripture where it continueth euen vnto this very day and houre in force still as the Iewe surmiseth because God himselfe was author of it and for vs to abolish what hee hath established were presumptioÌ„ most intollerable But that which they in the blindnes of their obdurate hearts are not able to discerne sith the end for which that lawe was ordained is now fulfilled past and gone how should it but cease any longer to bee which hath no longer any cause of being in force as before That which necessitie of some speciall time doth cause to be inioyned bindeth no longer theÌ„ during that time but doth afterwards become free Which thing is also plain euen by that law which the Apostles assembled at the counsell of Ierusalem did froÌ„ thence deliuer vnto the Church of Christ the preface whereof to authorize it was To the holy Ghost and to vs it hath seemed good which stile they did not vse as matching theÌ„selues in power with the holy Ghost but as testifying the holy Ghost to be the author and themselues but onely vtterers of that decree This lawe therefore to haue proceeded from God as the author therof no faithful man wil denie It was of God not only because God gaue theÌ„ the power wherby they might make lawes but for that it proceeded euen froÌ„ the holy motion suggestion of that secret diuine spirit whose sentence they did but only pronounce Notwithstanding as the law of ceremonies deliuered vnto the Iews so this very law which the Gentiles receiued from the mouth of the holy Ghost is in like respect abrogated by decease of the end for which it was giuen But such as do not sticke at this point such as graunt that what hath bene instituted vpon any special cause needeth not to be obserued that cause ceasing do notwithstanding herein faile they iudge the lawes of God onely by the author and maine end for which they were made so that for vs to change that which he hath established they hold it execrable pride presumption if so be the end and purpose for which God by that meane prouideth bee permanent And vpon this they ground those ample disputes coÌ„cerning orders and offices which being by him appointed for the gouernment of his Church if it be necessary alwaies that the Church of Christ be gouerned then doth the end for which God prouided remaine still and therefore in those means which he by law did establish as being fittest vnto that end for vs to alter any thing is to lift vp our selues against God and as it were to countermaund him Wherin they marke not that laws are instruments to rule by and that instruments are not only to be framed according vnto the generall ende for which they are prouided but eueÌ„ according vnto that very particular which riseth out of the matter wheron they haue to worke The end wherefore lawes were made may be permanent and those lawes neuerthelesse require some alteration if there be any vnfitnes in the meanes which they prescribe as tending vnto that end purpose As for exaÌ„ple a law that to bridle theâ—â— doth punish the ones with a quadruple â—estitution hath an end which wil coÌ„tinue as long as the world it self coÌ„tinueth Theft will be alwayes and will alwayes need to be bridled But that the meane which this law prouideth for that end namely the punishment of quadruple restitution that this will be alwaies sufficient to bridle and restraine that kind of enormity no man can warrant Insufficiency of lawes doth somtimes come by want of iudgement in the makers Which cause cannot fall into any law termed properly and immediatly diuine as it may and doth into humaine lawes often But that which hath bene once most sufficient may wax otherwise by alteratioÌ„ of time place that punishment which hath bene somtimes forcible to bridle sinne may grow afterwards too weake and feeble In a word we plainely perceiue by the difference of those three lawes which the Iewes receiued at the hands of God the morall ceremoniall iudiciall that if the end for which and the matter according whereunto God maketh his lawes continue alwaies one and the same his laws also do the like for which cause the morall law cannot be altered secondly that whether the matter wheron lawes are made continue or coÌ„tinue not if their end haue once ceased they cease also to be of force as in the law ceremonial it fareth finally that albeit the end coÌ„tinue as in that law of theft specified and in a great part of those ancient iudicials it doth yet for as mush as there is not in all respects the same subiect or matter remaining for which they were first instituted euen this is sufficient cause of change And therefore lawes though both ordeined of God himselfe and the end for which they were ordeined continuing may notwithstanding cease if by alteration of persons or times they be fouÌ„d vnsufficieÌ„t to attain vnto that end In which respect why may we not presume that God doth eueÌ„ call for such change or alteratioÌ„ as the very coÌ„dition of things theÌ„selues doth make necessary They which do therfore plead the authority of the law-maker as an argument wherefore it should not be lawfull to change that which he hath instituted and will haue this the cause why all the ordinances of our Sauiour are immutable they which vrge the wisdome of God as a proofe that whatsoeuer laws he hath made they ought to stand â—nlesse himselfe from heauen proclaime them disanuld because it is not in man to correct the ordinaÌ„ce of God may know if it please theÌ„ to take notice therof that we are far froÌ„ presuming to think that meÌ„ can better any thing which God hath done eueÌ„ as we are from thinking that meÌ„ should presume to vndo some things of men which God doth know they cannot better God neuer ordeined any thing that could be bettered Yet many things he hath that haue bene changed and that for the better That which succeedeth as better now wheÌ„
and their potent opposites vtterly to cast away themselues for euer Wherefore least it should so fall out to them vpon whom so much did depend they were not permitted to enter into warre nor conclude any league of peace nor to wade through any acte of moment betweene them and forraine states vnlesse the Oracle of God or his Prophets were first consulted with And least domesticall disturbance should wash them within themselues because there was nothing vnto this purpose more effectuall then if the authority of their lawes and gouernors were such as none might presume to take exception against it or to shewe disobedience vnto it without incurring the hatred detestation of al men that had any sparke of the feare of God therefore he gaue them euen their positiue lawes from heauen and as oft as occasion required chose in like sort Rulers also to leade gouerne them Notwithstāding some desperatly impious there were which adventured to try what harme it could bring vpon them if they did attempt to be authors of confusion and to resist both Gouernours and Lawes Against such monsters God mainteined his owne by fearefull execution of extraordinarie iudgement vpon them By which meanes it came to passe that although they were a people infested and mightily hated of all others throughout the world although by nature hard harted querulous wrathful impatiēt of rest and quietnes yet was there nothing of force either one way or other to worke the ruine and subuersion of their state till the time before mentioned was expired Thus we see that there was not no cause of dissimilitude in these things betweene that one only people before Christ and the kingdomes of the world since And whereas it is further alleaged that albeit in Ciuill matters and things perteining to this present life God hath vsed a greater particularity with them then amongst vs framing lawes according to the quality of that people and Countrey yet the leauing of vs at greater liberty in things ciuill is so farre from prouing the like liberty in things pertaining to the kingdome of heauen that it rather proues a streighter bond For euen as when the Lord would haue his fauour more appeare by temporall blessings of this life towards the people vnder the Lawe then towards vs he gaue also politique lawes most exactly whereby they might both most easily come into and most stedfastly remaine in possession of those earthly benefites euen so at this time wherein he would not haue his fauour so much esteemed by those outward commodities it is required that as his care in prescribing lawes for that purpose hath somewhat fallen in leauing them to mens consultations which may be deceiued so his care for conduct and gouernement of the life to come should if it were possible rise in leauing lesse to the order of men then in times past These are but weake and feeble disputes for the inference of that conclusion which is intended For sauing only in such consideration as hath bene shewed there is no cause wherefore we should thinke God more desirous to manifest his fauour by temporall blessings towards them then towards vs. Godlinesse had vnto them and it hath also vnto vs the promises both of this life and the life to come That the care of God hath fallen in earthly things and therefore should rise as much in heauenly that more is left vnto mens consultations in the one and therefore lesse must be graunted in the other that God hauing vsed a greater particularity with them then with vs for matters perteining vnto this life is to make vs amends by the more exact deliuery of lawes for gouernment of the life to come these are proportions whereof if there be any rule we must plainely confesse that which truth is we know it not God which spake vnto them by his Prophets hath vnto vs by his onely begotten Sonne those mysteries of grace and saluation which were but darkely disclosed vnto them haue vnto vs more cleerely shined Such differences betweene them and vs the Apostles of Christ haue well acquainted vs withall But as for matter belonging to the outward cōduct or gouernment of the Church seeing that euen in sense it is manifest that our Lord Sauiour hath not by positiue lawes descended so farre into particularities with vs as Moses with them neither doth by extraordinary means oracles and Prophets direct vs as them he did in those things which rising daily by new occasions are of necessitie to be prouided for doth it not hereupon rather follow that although not to them yet to vs there should be freedome libertie graunted to make lawes Yea but the Apostle S. Paule doth fearefully charge Timothy euen In the sight of God who quickneth all of Christ Iesus who witnessed that famous confession before Pontius Pilate to keepe what was commaunded him safe and sound til the appearance of our Lord Iesus Christ. This doth exclude al liberty of changing the lawes of Christ whether by abrogation or addition or howsoeuer For in Timothy the whole Church of Christ receiueth charge concerning her duty And that charge is to keepe the Apostles commaundement And his commaundement did conteine the lawes that concerned Church gouernement And those lawes he straightly requireth to be obserued without breach or blame till the appearance of our Lord Iesus Christ. In Scripture we graunt euery one mans lesson to be the common instruction of all men so farre forth as their cases are like and that religiously to keepe the Apostles commandemēts in whatsoeuer they may concerne vs we all stand bound But touching that commandement which Timothy was charged with we swarue vndoubtedly from the Apostles precise meaning if we extend it so largely that the armes thereof shall reach vnto all things which were cōmanded him by the Apostle The very words themselues do restraine thēselues vnto some one speciall commandemēt among many And therfore it is not said Keepe the ordinances lawes constitutions which thou hast receiued but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that great cōmandement which doth principally concerne thee and thy calling that cōmandement which Christ did so often inculcate vnto Peter that cōmandement vnto the carefull discharge whereof they of Ephesus are exhorted Attend to your selues to all flock wherin the holy Ghost hath placed you Bishops to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased by his owne bloud finally that cōmandement which vnto the same Timothy is by the same Apostle euen in the same forme maner afterwards again vrged I charge thee in the sight of God the Lord Iesus Christ which will iudge the quicke dead at his appearance in his kingdom Preach the word of God When Timothy was instituted into that office then was the credit and trust of this duty committed vnto his faithfull care The doctrine of the Gospell was thē giuen him as the precious talent or treasure of Iesus Christ
then receiued he for performance of this duty the special gift of the holy Ghost To keepe this cōmandement immaculate and blamelesse was to teach the Gospel of Christ without mixture of corrupt vnsound doctrine such as a number did euen in those times intermingle with the misteries of Christian beliefe Til the appearance of Christ to keep it so doth not import the time wherein it shold be kept but rather the time whereunto the finall reward for keeping it was reserued according to that of S. Paul concerning himselfe I haue kept the faith for the residue there is laid vp for me a crowne of righteousnes which the Lord the righteous shall in that day render vnto me If they that labour in this haruest should respect but the present fruit of their painefull trauell a poore incouragement it were vnto them to continue therein al the daies of their life But their reward is great in heauen the crowne of righteousnes which shal be giuen them in that day is honorable The fruite of their industry then shall they reape with full contentment and satisfaction but not till then Wherein the greatnes of their reward is abundantly sufficient to counteruaile the tediousnesse of their expectation Wherefore till then they that are in labour must rest in hope O Timothie keepe that which is committed vnto thy charge that great commandement which thou hast receiued keepe till the appearance of our Lord Iesus Christ. In which sense although we iudge the Apostles words to haue bene vttered yet hereunto we do not require them to yeeld that thinke any other construction more sound If therefore it be reiected and theirs esteemed more probable which hold that the last wordes doe import perpetuall obseruation of the Apostles commaundement imposed necessarilly for euer vppon the militant Church of Christ let them withall consider that then his commaundement cannot so largely bee taken as to comprehend whatsoeuer the Apostle did commaund Timothy For themselues do not all blind the Church vnto some things whereof Timothy receiued charge as namely vnto that precept concerning the choise of Widowes So as they cannot hereby maintaine that all things positiuely commanded concerning the affaires of the Church were commanded for perpetuitie And we do not deny that certaine things were commanded to be though positiue yet perpetuall in the Church They should not therefore vrge against vs places that seeme to forbid change but rather such as set downe some measure of alteration which measure if we haue exceeded then might they therwith charge vs iustly Whereas now they themselues both granting and also vsing liberty to change cannot in reason dispute absolutely against al change Christ deliuered no inconuenient or vnmeete lawes Sundry of ours they hold inconuenient Therefore such lawes they cannot possibly hold to be Christs Being not his they must of necessity graunt them added vnto his Yet certaine of those very lawes so added they themselues do not iudge vnlawfull as they plainly confesse both in matter of prescript attire and of rites appertaining to buriall Their owne protestations are that they plead against the inconuenience not the vnlawfulnes of popish apparell and against the inconuenience not the vnlawfulnesse of Ceremonies in Buriall Therefore they hold it a thing not vnlawfull to adde to the lawes of Iesus Christ and so consequently they yeeld that no lawe of Christ forbiddeth addition vnto Church laws The iudgement of Caluin being alleaged against them to whom of all men they attribute most whereas his words be plaine that for Ceremonies and externall discipline the Church hath power to make lawes the answer which herunto they make is that indefinitly the speech is true and that so it was meant by him namely that some things belonging vnto externall discipline and Ceremonies are in the power and arbitrement of the Church but neither was it mēt neither is it true generally that al externall discipline all Ceremonies are left to the order of the Church in as much as the sacraments of Baptisme the Supper of the Lord are Ceremonies which yet the Church may not therefore abrogate Againe excommunication is a part of externall discipline which might also be cast away if all externall discipline were arbitrary and in the choise of the Church By which their answer it doth appeare that touching the names of Ceremonie and externall discipline they gladly would haue vs so vnderstood as if we did herein conteine a great deale more then we do The fault which we find with them is that they ouermuch abridge the Church of her power in these things Whereupon they recharge vs as if in these things we gaue the Church a liberty which hath no limits or boūds as if all things which the name of discipline cōteineth were at the churches free choice so that we might either haue Church-gouernours and gouernement or want them either reteine or reiect Church censures as we list They wonder at vs as at men which thinke it so indifferent what the Church doth in matter of ceremonies that it may bee feared least we iudge the very sacraments themselues to be held at the Churches pleasure No the name of ceremonies we do not vse in so large a meaning as to bring Sacraments within the compasse and reach thereof although things belonging vnto the outward forme and seemely administration of them are conteined in that name euen as we vse it For the name of ceremonies we vse as they themselues do when they speake after this sort The Doctrine and Discipline of the Church as the waightiest things ought especially to be looked vnto but the Ceremonies also as mynt comyn ought not to be neglected Besides in the matter of externall discipline or regiment itselfe wee doe not deny but there are some thinges whereto the Church is bound till the worlds ende So as the question is onely howe farre the bounds of the Churches libertie do reach We hold that the power which the Church hath lawfully to make lawes and orders for it selfe doth extend vnto sundrie things of Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction and such other matters whereto their opinion is that the Churches authoritie and power doth not reach Whereas therefore in disputing against vs about this point they take their compasse a great deale wider then the truth of things can afford producing reasons and arguments by way of generality to proue that Christ hath set downe all things belonging any way vnto the forme of ordering his Church and hath absolutely forbidden change by addition or diminution great or small for so their maner of disputing is we are constrained to make our defence by shewing that Christ hath not depriued his Church so farre of all libertie in making orders lawes for it selfe and that they themselues do not thinke he hath so done For are they able to shew that all particular customes rites and orders of reformed Churches haue bene appointed by Christ himselfe No they graunt
but that concerning the points which hitherto haue beene disputed of they must agree that they haue molested the Church with needelesse opposition and henceforward as we said before betake themselues wholly vnto the triall of particulars whether euery of those thinges which they esteeme as principall be eyther so esteemed of or at all established for perpetuitie in holy scripture and whether any particular thing in our Church-politie bee receiued other then the scripture alloweth of eyther in greater thinges or in smaller The matters wherein Church-politie is conuersant are the publique religious duties of the Church as the administration of the word and sacraments prayers spirituall censures and the like To these the Church standeth alwayes bound Lawes of politie are laws which appoint in what maner these duties shal be performed In performance whereof because all that are of the Church cannot ioyntly and equally worke the first thing in politie required is a difference of persons in the Church without which difference those functions cannot in orderly sort bee executed Hereupon we hold that Gods clergie are a state which hath bene and will be as long as there is a Church vpō earth necessarie by the plaine word of God himselfe a state whereunto the rest of Gods people must be subiect as touching things that appertaine to their soules health For where politie is it cannot but appoint some to be leaders of others and some to be led by others If the blind leade the blind they both perish It is with the clergie if their persons be respected euen as it is with other men their qualitie many times farre beneath that which the dignitie of their place requireth Howbeit according to the order of politie they being the lightes of the world others though better and wiser must that way be subiect vnto them Againe for as much as where the clergie are any great multitude order doth necessarily require that by degrees they be distinguished wee holde there haue euer bene and euer ought to be in such case at least wise two sorts of Ecclesiasticall persons the one subordinate vnto the other as to the Apostles in the beginning and to the Bishops alwaies since wee finde plainely both in scripture and in all Ecclesiasticall records other ministers of the word and sacraments haue bene Moreouer it cannot enter into any mans conceipt to thinke it lawfull that euery man which listeth should take vpon him charge in the Church and therefore a solemne admittance is of such necessitie that without it there can be no church-politie A number of particularities there are which make for the more conuenient being of these principall perpetuall parts in Ecclesiasticall politie but yet are not of such constant vse and necessitie in Gods Church Of this kind are times and places appointed for the exercise of religion specialties belonging to the publike solemnitie of the word the sacraments and praier the enlargement or abridgement of functions ministeriall depending vpon those two principall before mentioned to conclude euen whatsoeuer doth by way of formalitie circumstance concerne any publique action of the Church Now although that which the scripture hath of thinges in the former kind be for euer permanent yet in the later both much of that which the scripture teacheth is not alwaies needfull and much the Church of God shall alwaies neede which the scripture teacheth not So as the forme of politie by thē set downe for perpetuitie is three waies faultie Faultie in omitting some things which in scripture are of that nature as namely the difference that ought to bee of Pastors when they grow to any great multitude faultie in requiring Doctors Deacons Widowes and such like as thinges of perpetuall necessitie by the law of God which in truth are nothing lesse faultie also in vrging some thinges by scripture immutable as their Layelders which the scripture neither maketh immutable nor at all teacheth for any thing either we can as yet find or they haue hitherto beene able to proue But hereof more in the bookes that followe As for those maruellous discourses wherby they aduenture to argue that God must needs haue done the thing which they imagine was to be done I must confesse I haue often wondred at their exceeding boldnesse herein When the question is whether God haue deliuered in scripture as they affirme he hath a complet particular immutable forme of Church-politie why take they that other both presumptuous and superfluous labour to proue he should haue done it there being no way in this case to proue the deede of God sauing only by producing that euidence wherein he hath done it But if there be no such thing apparent vpon record they do as if one should demaund a legacie by force and vertue of some written testament wherein there being no such thing specified hee pleadeth that there it must needes be and bringeth argumēts from the loue or good-will which alwaies the testatour bore him imagining that these or the like proofes will conuict a testament to haue that in it which other mē can no where by reading find In matters which concerne the actions of God the most dutiful way on our part is to search what God hath done and with meeknes to admire that rather thē to dispute what he in congruitie of reason ought to do The waies which he hath whereby to do all things for the greatest good of his Church are mo in number thē we can search other in nature thē that we should presume to determine which of many should be the fittest for him to choose till such time as we see he hath chosen of many some one which one wee then may boldly conclude to be the fittest because he hath taken it before the rest When we doe otherwise surely we exceede our bounds who and where we are we forget and therefore needfull it is that our pride in such cases be controld and our disputes beaten backe with those demands of the blessed Apostle How vnsearchable are his iudgements and his waies past finding out Who hath knowne the minde of the Lord or who was his counsellor The fourth Booke Concerning their third assertion that our forme of Church-politie is corrupted with popish orders rites and ceremonies banished out of certaine reformed Churches whose example therein we ought to haue followed The matter conteined in this fourth Booke 1 HOw great vse ceremonies haue in the Church 2 The first thing they blame in the kinde of our ceremonies is that wee haue not in them auncient Apostolicall simplicitie but a greater pompe statelinesse 3 The second that so many of them are the same which the Church of Rome vseth and the reasons which they bring to proue them for that cause blame worthy 4 How when they go about to expound what popish ceremonies they meane they contradict their owne arguments against popish ceremonies 5 An answere to the argument whereby they would proue that sith wee allow the customes
onely to say in the hearing of the publique magistrate I will that this man become free but after these solemne wordes vttered to strike him on the cheeke to turne him round the haire of his head to be shaued off the magistrate to touch him thrise with a rod in the end a cap and a white garment to be giuen him To what purpose all this circumstance Amongst the Hebrewes how strange in outward appearance almost against reason that he which was minded to make himselfe a perpetuall seruant should not only testifie so much in the presence of the iudge but for a visible token thereof haue also his eare bored through with a nawle It were an infinite labour to prosecute these things so far as they might be exempplified both in ciuill and religious actions For in bothe they haue their necessary vse and force The sensible things which Religion hath allowed are resemblances framed according to things spiritually vnderstood wherunto they serue as a hand to lead and a way to direct And whereas it may peraduenture be obiected that to adde to religious duties such rites and ceremonies as are significant is to institute new sacraments sure I am they will not say that Numa Pompilius did ordaine a sacrament a significant ceremonie he did ordaine in commanding the Priests to execute the work of their diuine seruice with their handes as farre as to the fingers couered thereby signifiing that fidelitie must be defended and that mens right handes are the sacred seate thereof Againe we are also to put them in mind that themselues do not holde all significant ceremonies for sacramentes in as much as imposition of handes they denie to be a sacrament and yet they giue thereunto a forcible signification For concerning it their words are these The party ordained by this ceremony was put in mind of his seperation to the worke of the Lord that remembring himselfe to be taken as it were with the hand of God from amongst others this might teach him not to account himselfe now his owne nor to doe what himselfe listeth but to consider that God hath set him about a worke which if he will discharge accomplish he may at the hands of God assure himselfe of reward and if otherwise of reuenge Touching significant ceremonies some of thē are sacramēts some as sacramēts only Sacraments are those which are signes tokēs of some general promised grace which alwaies really descendeth from God vnto the soule that duly receiueth thē other significant tokēs are onely as sacraments yet no sacraments Which is not our distinction but theirs For concerning the Apostles imposition of handes these are their owne words Manuum signum hoc quasi sacramentum vsurparunt They vsed this signe or as it were sacrament 2 Concerning rites and ceremonies there may be fault either in the kinde or in the number and multitude of them The first thing blamed about the kind of ours is that in many thinges we haue departed from the auncient simplicitie of Christ and his Apostles we haue embraced more outward statelinesse we haue those orders in the exercise of Religion which they who best pleased God and serued him most deuoutly neuer had For it is out of doubt that the first state of thinges was best that in the prime of Christian Religion faith was soundest the scriptures of God were then best vnderstood by all men all parts of godlines did then most abound and therefore it must needes follow that customes lawes and ordinances deuised since are not so good for the Church of Christ but the best way is to cut off later inuentions and to reduce thinges vnto the auntient state wherin at the first they were Which rule or canō we hold to be either vncertain or at leastwise vnsufficient if not bothe For in case it be certain hard it cannot be for them to shew vs where we shall finde it so exactly set downe that wee may say without all controuersie These were the orders of the Apostles times these wholly and onely neither fewer nor moe then these True it is that many things of this nature be alluded vnto yea many thinges declared and many thinges necessarily collected out of the Apostles writings But is it necessary that all the orders of the Church which were then in vse should be contained in their bookes Surely no. For if the tenor of their writinges be well obserued it shall vnto any man easily appeare that no more of them are there touched then were needfull to be spoken of somtimes by one occasion and sometimes by another Will they allow then of any other records besides Well assured I am they are farre enough from acknowledging that the church ought to keepe any thing as Apostolicall which is not found in the Apostles writings in what other recordes soeuer it be found And therefore whereas S. Augustine affirmeth that those thinges which the whole Church of Christ doth hold may well be thought to bee Apostolicall although they be not found written this his iudgement they vtterly condemne I will not here stand in defence of S. Augustines opinion which is that such thinges are indeede Apostolicall but yet with this exception vnlesse the decree of some generall councell haue happily caused them to be receiued for of positiue lawes and orders receiued throughout the whole Christian world S. Augustine could imagine no other fountaine saue these two But to let passe S. Augustine they who condemne him herein must needs confesse it a very vncertaine thing what the orders of the Church were in the Apostles times seeing the scriptures doe not mention them all and other records thereof besides they vtterly reiect So that in tying the Church to the orders of the Apostles times they tie it to a maruellous vncertain rule vnlesse they require the obseruatiō of no orders but only those which are knowne to be Apostolicall by the Apostles owne writings But then is not this their rule of such sufficiencie that we should vse it as a touchstone to trie the orders of the Church by for euer Our ende ought alwaies to bee the same our waies and meanes thereunto not so The glory of God and the good of his Church was the thing which the Apostles aymed at and therefore ought to bee the marke whereat we also leuell But seeing those rites and orders may be at one time more which at an other are lesse auaileable vnto that purpose what reason is there in these thinges to vrge the state of one onely age as a patterne for all to followe It is not I am right sure their meaning that we should now assemble our people to serue God in close secret meetings or that common brookes or riuers should be vsed for places of baptisme or that the Eucharist should be ministred after meate or that the custome of Church feasting should bee renued or that all kinde of standing prouision for the
ministrie should be vtterly taken away and their estate made againe dependent vpon the voluntary deuotion of men In these thinges they easily perceiue how vnfit that were for the present which was for the first age conuenient enough The faith zeale godlines of former times is worthily had in honour but doth this proue that the orders of the Church of Christ must bee still the selfesame with theirs that nothing may be which was not then or that nothing which then was may lawfully since haue ceased They who recall the Church vnto that which was at the first must necessarily set boundes and limits vnto their speeches If any thing haue bene receiued repugnant vnto that which was first deliuered the first things in this case must stand the last giue place vnto them But where difference is without repugnancie that which hath bene can be no preiudice to that which is Let the state of the people of God when they were in the house of bondage and their maner of seruing God in a strange land be compared with that which Canaan and Ierusalem did afford and who seeth not what huge difference there was betweene them In Aegypt it may be they were right glad to take some corner of a poore cottage there to serue God vpon their knees peraduenture couered in dust and strawe sometimes Neither were they therefore the lesse accepted of God but he was with them in all their afflictions and at the length by working their admirable deliuerance did testifie that they serued him not in vaine Notwithstanding in the very desert they are no sooner possest of some little thing of their owne but a tabernacle is required at their handes Beeing planted in the land of Canaan and hauing Dauid to be their King when the Lord had giuen him rest from all his enemies it greeued his religious minde to consider the growth of his owne estate and dignitie the affaires of religion continuing still in the former manner Beholde now I dwell in an house of Cedar trees and the Arke of God remaineth still within curtaines What hee did purpose it was the pleasure of God that Salomon his sonne should performe and performe it in maner suteable vnto their present nor their auncient estate and condition For which cause Salomon writeth vnto the King of Tyrus The house which I build is great and wonderfull for great is our God aboue all Gods Whereby it clearely appeareth that the orders of the Church of God may bee acceptable vnto him as well being framed sutable to the greatnes and dignitie of later as when they keepe the reuerend simplicitie of aunciente◠times Such dissimilitude therefore betweene vs and the Apostles of Christ in the order of some outward things is no argument of default 3 Yea but wee haue framed our selues to the customes of the Church of Rome our orders and ceremonies are Papisticall It is espied that our Church-founders were not so carefull as in this matter they should haue bene but contented themselues with such discipline as they took from the Church of Rome Their error we ought to reforme by abolishing all Popish orders There must bee no communion nor fellowship with Papistes neither in doctrine ceremonies nor gouernment It is not enough that wee are deuided from the Church of Rome by the single wall of doctrine reteining as we do part of their ceremonies and almost their whole gouernment but gouernment or ceremonies or whatsoeuer it be which is popish away with it This is the thing they require in vs the vtter relinquishment of all thinges popish Wherein to the ende wee may answer them according vnto their plaine direct meaning and not take aduantage of doubtfull speech whereby controuersies growe alwaies endlesse their maine position being this that nothing should bee placed in the Church but what God in his word hath commaunded they must of necessitie holde all for popish which the Church of Rome hath ouer and besides this By popish orders ceremonies and gouernment they must therefore meane in euery of these so much as the church of Rome hath embraced without commandement of Gods word so that whatsoeuer such thing we haue if the Church of Rome haue it also it goeth vnder the name of those thinges that are Popish yea although it be lawfull although agreeable to the word of God For so they plainely affirme saying Although the formes and ceremonies which they the Church of Rome vsed were not vnlawfull and that they contained nothing which is not agreeable to the word of God yet notwithstanding neither the word of God nor reason nor the examples of the eldest Churches both Iewish and Christian do permit vs to vse the same formes and ceremonies being neither commanded of God neither such as there may not as good as they and rather better be established The question therefore is whether we may follow the Church of Rome in those orders rites and ceremonies wherein wee doe not thinke them blameable or else ought to deuise others and to haue no conformitie with them no not as much as in these thinges In this sense and construction therefore as they affirme so we denie that whatsoeuer is popish wee ought to abrogate Their arguments to proue that generally all popish orders and ceremonies ought to be cleane abolished are in summe these First whereas wee allow the iudgement of Saint Augustine that touching those thinges of this kinde which are not commaunded or forbidden in the scripture wee are to obserue the custome of the people of God and decree of our forefathers how can we retaine the customes and constitutions of the Papistes in such things who were neither the people of God nor our forefathers Secondly although the formes and ceremonies of the Church of Rome were not vnlawfull neither did containe any thing which is not agreeable to the word of God yet neither the worde of God nor the example of the Eldest Churches of God nor reason doe permit vs to vse the same they being heretiques and so neare about vs and their orders beeing neither commaunded of God nor yet such but that as good or rather better may be established It is against the word of God to haue conformitie with the Church of Rome in such things as appeareth in that the wisdome of God hath thought it a good way to keepe his people from infection of Idolatry and superstition by seuering them from idolaters in outward ceremonies and therefore hath forbidden them to doe thinges which are in themselues very lawfull to be done And further whereas the Lorde was carefull to seuer them by ceremonies from other nations yet was he not so careful to seuer them from any as from the Aegyptians amongst whom they liued and from those nations which were next neighbours vnto them because from thē was the greatest feare of infection So that following the course which the wisdom of God doth teach it were more safe for
which they did condemne The Apostles notwithstanding from whom Stephen had receiued it did not so teach the abrogation no not of those things which were necessarily to cease but that euen the Iewes being Christian might for a time continue in them And therefore in Ierusalem the first Christian Bishop not Circumcised was Marke and he not Bishop till the daies of Adrian the Emperour after the ouerthrow of Ierusalem there hauing bene fifteene Bishops before him which were all of the Circumcision The Christian Iewes did thinke at the first not onely themselues but the Christian Gentiles also bound and that necessarily to obserue the whole lawe There went forth certaine of the sect of Pharises which did beleeue and they comming vnto Antioch taught that it was necessary for the Gentiles to be circumcised and to keepe the lawe of Moses Whereupon there grew dissention Paul and Barnabas disputing against them The determination of the Councell held at Ierusalem concerning this matter was finally this Touching the Gentils which beleeue we haue written determined that they obserue no such thing Their protestation by letters is For as much as we haue heard that certain which departed froÌ„ vs haue troubled you with words and combred your minds saying Ye must be circumcised and keepe the lawe knowe that we gaue them no such commandement Paule therefore continued still teaching the Gentiles not onely that they were not bound to obserue the lawes of Moses but that the obseruation of those lawes which were necessarily to be abrogated was in them altogether vnlawfull In which point his doctrine was misreported as though he had euery where preached this not only concerning the Gentiles but also touching the Iewes Wherfore comming vnto Iames and the rest of the Cleargie at Ierusalem they tolde him plainely of it saying Thou seest brother how many thousand Iewes there are which beleeue they are all zealous of the law Now they are informed of thee that thou teachest all the Iewes which are amongst the Gentiles to forsake Moses and sayest that they ought not to circumcise their children neither to liue after the customes And hereupon they gaue him counsell to make it apparent in the eyes of all men that those flying reports were vntrue and that himselfe being a Iew kept the lawe euen as they did In some thinges therefore wee see the Apostles did teach that there ought not to be conformitie betweene the Christian Iewes and Gentiles How many things this lawe of inconformitie did comprehend there is no need we should stand to examine This generall is true that the Gentiles were not made conformable vnto the Iewes in that which was necessarily to cease at the comming of Christ. Touching things positiue which might either cease or continue as occasion should require the Apostles tendering the zeale of the Iewes thought it necessary to binde euen the Gentiles for a time to abstaine as the Iewes did froÌ„ things offered vnto idols from bloud froÌ„ strangled These decrees were euery where deliuered vnto the Gentiles to bee straightly obserued and kept In the other matters where the Gentiles were free and the Iewes in their owne opinion still tied the Apostles doctrine vnto the Iewe was Condemne not the Gentile vnto the Gentile Despise not the Iewe the one sorte they warned to take heed that scrupulositie did not make them rigorous in giuing vnaduised sentence against their brethren which were free the other that they did not become scandalous by abusing their libertie freedome to the offence of their weake brethren which were scrupulous From hence therefore two conclusioÌ„s there are which may euidently be drawne the first that whatsouer conformitie of positiue lawes the Apostles did bring in betweene the Churches of Iewes and Gentiles it was in those things only which might either cease or continue a shorter or a longer time as occasion did most require the second that they did not impose vpon the Churches of the Gentiles any part of the Iewes ordinances with bond of necessary and perpetuall obseruatioÌ„ as we al both by doctrine and practise acknowledge but only in respect of the conueniencie and fitnes for the present state of the Church as theÌ„ it stood The words of the Councels decree coÌ„cerning the Gentiles are It seemed good to the holy Ghost to vs to lay vpoÌ„ you no more burden sauing only those things of necessitie abstinence froÌ„ Idoll-offrings froÌ„ strangled bloud and froÌ„ fornication So that in other things positiue which the coÌ„ming of Christ did not necessarily extinguish the Gentils were left altogether free Neither ought it to seeme vnreasonable that the Gentils should necessarily be bound tied to Iewish ordinances so far forth as that decree importeth For to the Iew who knew that their differeÌ„ce froÌ„ other nations which were aliens strangers froÌ„ God did especially consist in this that Gods people had positiue ordinaÌ„ces giuen to theÌ„ of God himself it seemed maruelous hard that the ChristiaÌ„ Gentils should be incorporated into the same common welth with Gods owne chosen people be subiect to no part of his statutes more then only the lawe of nature which heatheÌ„s count theÌ„selues bouÌ„d vnto It was an opinioÌ„ constaÌ„tly receiued amongst the Iews that God did deliuer vnto the sonnes of Noah seueÌ„ precepts namely to liue in some form of regimeÌ„t vnder 1 publique lawes 2 to serue call vpoÌ„ the name of God 3 to shun Idolatry 4 not to suffer effusioÌ„ of bloud 5 to abhor all vncleane knowledge in the flesh 6 to commit no â—apine 7 finally not to eate of any liuing creature whereof the bloud was not first let out if therefore the Gentiles would be exempt from the lawe of Moses yet it might seeme hard they should also cast off euen those things positiue which were obserued before Moses and which were not of the same kinde with lawes that were necessarily to cease And peraduenture hereupon the Councell sawe it expedient to determine that the Gentiles should according vnto the third the seuenth and the fift of those precepts abstaine from things sacrificed vnto idoles from strangled and bloud and from fornication The rest the Gentiles did of their owne accord obserue nature leading them thereunto And did not nature also teach them to abstaine from fornication No doubt it did Neither can we with reason thinke that as the former two are positiue so likewise this being meant as the Apostle doth otherwise vsually vnderstand it But very marriage within a number of degrees being not onely by the lawe of Moses but also by the lawe of the sonnes of Noah for so they tooke it an vnlawfull discouerie of nakednes this discouerie of nakednesse by vnlawfull marriages such as Moses in the lawe reckoneth vp I thinke it for mine owne part more probable to haue bene meant in the wordes of that Canon then fornication according vnto the sense of the lawe of
nature Words must be taken according to the matter wherof they are vttered The Apostles commaund to abstaine from bloud Conster this according to the lawe of nature and it will seeme that Homicide only is forbidden But conster it in reference to the law of the Iewes about which the question was and it shall easily appeare to haue a cleane other sense and in any mans iudgement a truer when we expound it of eating and not of sheading bloud So if we speake of fornication he that knoweth no lawe but only the lawe of nature must needes make thereof a narrower construction then he which measureth the same by a lawe wherein sundry kindes euen of coniugall copulation are prohibited as impure vncleane vnhonest Saint Paule himselfe doth terme incestuous marriage fornication If any do rather think that the Christian Gentiles themselues through the loose and corrupt custome of those times tooke simple fornication for no sinne and were in that respect offensiue vnto beleeuing Iewes which by the law had bene better taught our proposing of an other coniecture is vnto theirs no preiudice Some thinges therefore we see there were wherein the Gentiles were forbidden to be like vnto the Iewes some things wherin they were commanded not to be vnlike Againe some things also there were wherein no lawe of God did let but that they might be either like or vnlike as occasion should require And vnto this purpose Leo sayth Apostolicall ordinance beloued knowing that our Lord Iesus Christ came not into this world to vndo the law hath in such sort distinguished the mysteries of the old testament that certaine of them it hath chosen out to benefit euangelicall knowledge withall and for that purpose appointed that those things which before were Iewish might now be Christian customes The cause why the Apostles did thus conforme the Christians as much as might be according to the patterne of the Iewes was to reine them in by this meane the more and to make them cleaue the better The Church of Christ hath had in no one thing so many and so contrary occasions of dealing as about Iudaisme some hauing thought the whole Iewish lawe wicked and damnable in it selfe some not condemning it as the former sort absolutely haue notwithstanding iudged it either sooner necessary to be abrogated or further vnlawful to be obserued then truth can beare some of scrupulous simplicitie vrging perpetuall and vniuersall obseruation of the law of Moses necessary as the Christian Iewes at the first in the Apostles times some as Heretiques holding the same no lesse euen after the contrary determination set downe by consent of the Church at Ierusalem finally some being herein resolute through meere infidelitie and with open profest enmitie against Christ as vnbeleeuing Iewes To cōtrowle slaunderers of the law and Prophets such as Marcionites and Manichees were the Church in her liturgies hath intermingled with readings out of the new Testament lessons taken out of the lawe and Prophets whereunto Tertullian alluding saith of the Church of Christ It intermingleth with euangelicall and apostolicall writings the law and the Prophets and from thence it drinketh in that faith which with water it sealeth clotheth with the spirit nourisheth with the Eucharist with martirdom setteth forward They would haue wondered in those times to heare that any man being not a fauourer of heresie should terme this by way of disdaine mangling of the Gospels Epistles They which honor the law as an image of the wisdome of God himselfe are notwithstanding to know that the same had an end in Christ. But what was the lawe so abolished with Christ that after his ascention the office of Priests became immediatly wicked the very name hatefull as importing the exercise of an vngodly function No as long as the glory of the temple continued and till the time of that finall desolation was accomplished the very Christian Iewes did continue with their sacrifices and other parts of legall seruice That very lawe therefore which our Sauiour was to abolish did not so soone become vnlawfull to be obserued as some imagine nor was it afterwards vnlawful so far that the very name of Aultar of Priest of Sacrifice it selfe should be banished out of the world For thogh God do now hate sacrifice whether it be Heathenish or Iewish so that we cannot haue the same things which they had but with impietie yet vnlesse there be some greater let then the onely euacuation of the law of Moses the names thēselues may I hope be retained without sin in respect of that proportion which things established by our Sauiour haue vnto them which by him are abrogated And so throughout all the writings of the auncient fathers we see that the words which were do continue the onely difference is that whereas before they had a literall they now haue a metaphoricall vse and are as so many notes of remembrance vnto vs that what they did signifie in the letter is accomplished in the truth And as no man can depriue the Church of this libertie to vse names whereunto the lawe was accustomed so neither are wee generally forbidden the vse of things which the lawe hath though it neither commaund vs any particularitie as it did the Iewes a number and the waightiest which it did commaund them are vnto vs in the Gospell prohibited Touching such as through simplicitie of error did vrge vniuersall and perpetuall obseruation of the lawe of Moses at the first we haue spoken already Against Iewish heretikes and false Apostles teaching afterwards the selfe same Saint Paul in euery Epistle commonly either disputeth or giueth warning Iewes that were zealous for the lawe but withall infidels in respect of Christianitie and to the name of Iesus Christ most spitefull enemies did while they flourished no lesse persecute the Church then Heathens After their estate was ouerthrowne they were not that way so much to be feared Howbeit because they had their Synagogues in euery famous Citie almost throughout the world and by that meanes great opportunitie to withdraw from the Christian faith which to doe they spared no labor this gaue the Church occasion to make sundry lawes against them As in the Councell of Laodicea The festiuall presents which Iewes or Heretikes vse to send must not be receiued nor Holy dayes solemnized in their company Againe From the Iewes men ought not to receiue their vnleauened nor to communicate with their impieties Which Councell was afterwardes indeede confirmed by the sixt generall Councell But what was the true sense or meaning both of the one and the other Were Christians here forbidden to communicate in vnleauened bread because the Iewes did so being enemies of the Church Hee which attentiuely shall waigh the wordes will suspect that they rather forbid communion with Iewes thē imitation of them much more if with these two decrees be compared a third in the Councell of Cōstantinople Let no man either of the Clergie
they would rather forsake Christianitie then endure any fellowship with such as made no cōscience of that which was vnto them abhominable And for this cause mention is made of destroying the weake by meates and of dissoluing the work of God which was his church a part of the liuing stones whereof were beleeuing Iewes Now those weake brethren before mentioned are said to be as the Iewes were and our ceremonies which haue bene abused in the Church of Rome to be as the scandalous meates from which the Gentiles are exhorted to abstaine in the presence of Iewes for feare of auerting them from Christian faith Therefore as charitie did bind them to refraine frō that for their brethrens sake which otherwise was lawfull enough for them so it bindeth vs for our brethrens sake likewise to abolish such Ceremonies although we might lawfully else retaine them But betweene these two cases there are great oddes For neither are our weake brethren as the Iewes nor the ceremonies which we vse as the meates which the Gentiles vsed The Iewes were knowne to be generally weake in that respect whereas contrariwise the imbecillitie of ours is not common vnto so many that we can take any such certaine notice of them It is a chance if here and there some one be found and therefore seeing we may presume men commonly otherwise there is no necessitie that our practise should frame it selfe by that which th' Apostle doth prescribe to the Gentiles Againe their vse of meates was not like vnto our of Ceremonies that being a matter of priuate action in common life where euery man was free to order that which himselfe did but this a publike constitution for the ordering of the Church and we are not to looke that the Church should change her publique lawes and ordinances made according to that which is iudged ordinarily and commonly fittest for the whole although it chance that for some particular men the same be found incōuenient especially whē there may be other remedy also against the sores of particular inconueniences In this case therefore where any priuate harme doth growe we are not to reiect instruction as being an vnmeete plaster to apply vnto it neither can wee say that hee which appointeth teachers for phisitians in this kind of euill is as if a man would set one to watch a childe all day long least he should hurt himselfe with a knife whereas by taking away the knife from him the daunger is auoyded and the seruice of the man better imployed For a knife may be taken away from a childe without depriuing them of the benefite thereof which haue yeares and discretion to vse it But the Ceremonies which children doe abuse if we remoue quite and cleane as it is by some required that wee should then are they not taken from children onely but from others also which is as though because children may perhaps hurt themselues with kniues wee should conclude that therefore the vse of kniues is to bee taken quite and cleane euen from men also Those particular Ceremonies which they pretend to be so scandalous we shall in the next booke haue occasion more throughly to sift where other things also traduced in the publike duties of the Church whereunto each of these appertaineth are together with these to be touched and such reasons to be examined as haue at any time beene brought either against the one or the other In the meane while against the conueniencie of curing such euils by instructiō strange it is that they should obiect the multitude of other necessary matters wherin Preachers may better bestow their time then in giuing men warning not to abuse Ceremonies a wonder it is that they should obiect this which haue so many yeares together troubled the Church with quarels concerning these things and are euen to this very houre so earnest in them that if they write or speake publiquely but fiue words one of them is lightly about the dangerous estate of the Church of England in respect of abused ceremonies How much happier had it bene for this whole Church if they which haue raised contention therein about the abuse of rites and Ceremonies had considered in due time that there is indeede store of matters fitter and better a great deale for teachers to spend time and labour in It is through their importunate and vehement asseuerations more then through any such experience which we haue had of our owne that we are forced to thinke it possible for one or other now and then at leastwise in the prime of the reformation of our Church to haue stumbled at some kinde of Ceremonies Wherein for as much as we are contented to take this vpon their credite and to thinke it may be sith also they further pretend the same to be so dangerous a snare to their soules that are at any time taken therein they must giue our teachers leaue for the sauing of those soules bee they neuer so fewe to intermingle sometime with other more necessary thinges admonition concerning these not vnnecessarie Wherein they should in reason more easily yeelde this leaue considering that hereunto we shall not neede to vse the hundreth part of that time which themselues thinke very needefull to bestowe in making most bitter inuectiues against the ceremonies of the Church 13 But to come to the last point of all the Church of England is grieuously charged with forgetfulnesse of her dutie which dutie had bene to frame her selfe vnto the patterne of their example that went before her in the worke of reformation For as the Churches of Christ ought to be most vnlike the synagogue of Antichrist in their indifferent ceremonies so they ought to be most like one vnto an other and for preseruation of vnitie to haue as much as possible may be all the same Ceremonies And therefore S. Paul to establish this order in the Church of Corinth That they should make their gatherings for the poore vpon the first day of the Saboth which is our sunday alleageth this for a reason that he had so ordained in other Churches Againe as children of one father and seruants of one family so all Churches should not only haue one dyet in that they haue one word but also weare as it were one liuerie in vsing the same Ceremonies Thirdly this rule did the great Councell of Nice follow when it ordained that where certaine at the feast of Pentecoste did pray kneeling they should pray standing the reason whereof is added which is that one custome ought to be kept throughout all Churches It is true that the diuersitie of Ceremonies ought not to cause the Churches to dissent one with another but yet it maketh most to thauoyding of dissention that there be amongst them an vnitie not onely in doctrine but also in Ceremonies And therefore our forme of seruice is to be amended not onely for that it commeth too neare that of the Papistes but also because it
in attire to the example of their elder sisters wherein there is iust as much strength of reason as in the liuery coates before mentioned S. Paul they say noteth it for a marke of speciall honor that Epaenetus was the first man in all Achaia which did embrace the Christian faith after the same sort he toucheth it also as a speciall preeminence of Iunias and Andronicus that in Christianity they were his auncients the Corinthians he pincheth with this demaund Hath the word of God gone out from you or hath it lighted on you alone But what of all this If any man should thinke that alacrity forwardnes in good things doth adde nothing vnto mens commendation the two former speeches of S. Paule might leade him to reforme his iudgement In like sort to take downe the stomacke of proud conceited men that glorie as though they were able to set all others to schoole there can be nothing more fit then some such words as the Apostles third sentence doth containe wherein he teacheth the Church of Corinth to know that there was no such great oddes betweene them and the rest of their brethren that they should thinke themselues to be gold and the rest to be but copper He therefore vseth speech vnto them to this effect Men instructed in the knowledge of Iesus Christ there both were before you and are besides you in the word ye neither are the fountaine from which first nor yet the riuer into which alone the word hath flowed But although as Epaenetus was the first man in all Achaia so Corinth had bene the first Church in the whole world that receiued Christ the Apostle doth not shew that in any kind of things in different whatsoeuer this should haue made their example a law vnto all others Indeed the example of sundry Churches for approbation of one thing doth sway much but yet still as hauing the force of an example onely and not of a lawe They are effectuall to moue any Church vnlesse some greater thing do hinder but they bind none no not though they be many sauing onely when they are the maior part of a generall assembly and then their voyces being moe in number must ouersway their iudgements who are fewer because in such cases the greater halfe is the whole But as they stand out single each of them by it selfe their number can purchase them no such authority that the rest of the Churches being fewer should be therefore bound to follow them and to relinquish as good ceremonies as theirs for theirs Whereas therefore it is concluded out of these so weake premisses that the reteining of diuerse things in the Church of England which other reformed Churches haue cast out must needs argue that we do not well vnlesse we can shewe that they haue done ill what needed this wrest to draw out from vs an accusation of forraine Churches It is not proued as yet that if they haue done well our duty is to followe them and to forsake our owne course because it different from theirs although indeed it be as well for vs euery way as theirs for them And if the proofes alleaged for conformation hereof had bene â—ound yet seeing they leade no further then onely to shew that where we can haue no better ceremonies theirs must be taken as they cannot with modesty thinke themselues to haue found out absolutely the best which the wit of men may deuise so liking their owne somewhat better then other mens euen because they are their owne they must in equitie allow vs to be like vnto them in this affection which if they do they case vs of that vncourteouâ— burden whereby we are charged either to condemne them or else to followe them They graunt we need not followe them if our owne wayes already be better And if our owne be but equall the law of common indulgence alloweth vs to thinke them at the least halfe a thought the better because they are our owne which we may very well do and neuer drawe any inditement at all against theirs but thinke commendably euen of them also 14 To leaue reformed Churches therefore their actions for him to iudge of in whose sight they are as they are and our desire is that they may euen in his sight be found such as we ought to endeuour by all meanes that our owne may likewise be somewhat we are inforced to speake by way of simple declaration concerning the proceedings of the Church of England in these affaires to the end that men whose minds are free from those partiall coÌ„structions wherby the only name of difference froÌ„ some other Churches is thought cause sufficient to condeÌ„ne ours may the better discerne whether that we haue done be reasonable yea or no. The Church of EnglaÌ„d being to alter her receiued laws coÌ„cerning such orders rites and ceremonies as had bene in former times an hinderance vnto pietie and Religious seruice of God was to enter into consideration first that the change of lawes especially concerning matter of Religion must be warily proceeded in Lawes as all other things humaine are many times full of imperfection and that which is supposed behoofefull vnto men proueth often-times most pernicious The wisedome which is learned by tract of time findeth the lawes that haue bene in former ages establisht needfull in later to be abrogated Besides that which sometime is expedient doth not alwaies so continue and the number of needlesse lawes vnabolisht doth weaken the force of them that are necessarie But true withall it is that alteration though it be from worse to better hath in it inconueniences and those waighty vnlesse it be in such laws as haue bene made vpon special occasions which occasions ceasing laws of that kind do abrogate themselues But when we abrogate a law as being ill made the whole cause for which it was made still remaining do we not herein reuoke our very owne deed and vpbraid our selues with folly yea all that were makers of it with ouer sight and with error Further if it be a law which the custome continuall practise of many ages or yeares hath confirmed in the minds of men to alter it must needs be troublesome and scandalous It amazeth them it causeth theÌ„ to stand in doubt whether any thing be in it selfe by nature either good or euil not al things rather such as men at this or that time agree to accoÌ„pt of them wheÌ„ they behold euen those things disproued disanulled reiected which vse had made in a maner naturall What haue we to induce meÌ„ vnto the willing obedience obseruation of lawes but the waight of so many meÌ„s iudgement as haue with deliberate aduise assented thereunto the waight of that long experience which the world hath had thereof with consent good liking So that to change any such law must needs with the common sort impaire and weaken the force of those grounds whereby all lawes are made effectual
was with him in the Gospell but seruants being commaunded to goe shall stand still till they haue their errand warranted vnto them by scripture Which as it standeth with Christian dutie in some cases so in common affaires to require it were most vnfit Two opinions therefore there are concerning sufficiencie of holy scripture each extreamly opposite vnto the other bothe repugnant vnto truth The schooles of Rome teach scripture to be so vnsufficient as if except traditions were added it did not conteine all reuealed and supernaturall truth which absolutely is necessary for the children of men in this life to know that they may in the next be saued Others iustly condemning this opinion growe likewise vnto a dangerous extremitie as if scripture did not only containe all thinges in that kinde necessary but all thinges simply and in such sorte that to doe any thing according to any other lawe were not onely vnnecessary but euen opposite vnto saluation vnlawfull and sinfull Whatsoeuer is spoken of God or thinges appertaining to God otherwise then as the truth is though it seeme an honour it is an iniurie And as incredible praises giuen vnto men doe often abate and impaire the credit of their deserued commendation so we must likewise take great heed least in attributing vnto scripture more then it can haue the incredibilitie of that do cause euen those thinges which indeed it hath most aboundantly to be lesse reuerendly esteemed I therefore leaue it to themselues to consider whether they haue in this first point or not ouershot themselues which God doth knowe is quickly done euen when our meaning is most sincere as I am verily perswaded theirs in this case was The third Booke Concerning their second assertion that in Scripture there must be of necessitie contained a forme of Church-politie the lawes whereof may in no wise be altered The matter conteined in this third Booke 1 What the Church is and in what respect lawes of politie are thereunto necessarily required 2 Whether it be necessary that some particular forme of Church-politie be set downe in scripture sith the thinges that belong particularly to any such forme are not of necessitie to saluation 3 That matters of Church-politie are different from matters of faith and saluation and that they themselues so teach which are our reprouers for so teaching 4 That hereby we take not from Scripture any thing which thereunto with soundnesse of truth may be giuen 5 Their meaning who first vrged against the politie of the Church of England that nothing ought to be established in the Church more then is commaunded by the worde of God 6 How great iniurie men by so thinking should offer vnto all the Churches of God 7 A shift notwithstanding to maintaine it by interpreting Commaunded as though it were meant that greater thinges only ought to be found set downe in Scripture particularly and lesser framed by the generall rules of Scripture 8 An other deuise to defend the same by expounding Commaunded as if it did signifie grounded on Scripture and were opposed to things found out by light of naturall reason onely 9 How lawes for the politie of the Church may be made by the aduise of men and how those lawes being not repugnant to the word of God are approued in his sight 10 That neither Gods being the author of laws nor yet his committing of them to Scripture is any reason sufficient to proue that they admit no addition or change 11 Whether Christ must needs intend lawes vnchangeable altogether or haue forbidden any where to make any other law then himselfe did deliuer ALbeit the substance of those controuersies whereinto wee haue begun to wade be rather of outward things appertaining to the Church of Christ then of any thing wherein the nature and being of the Church consisteth yet because the subiect or matter which this position concerneth is A forme of Church-gouernment or Church-politie it therefore behoueth vs so far forth to consider the nature of the Church as is requisite for mens more cleare and plaine vnderstanding in what respect lawes of politie or gouernment are necessary therunto That Church of Christ which we properly terme his body mysticall can be but one neither can that one be sensibly discerned by any man in as much as the parts thereof are some in heauen alreadie with Christ and the rest that are on earth albeit their naturall persons be visible we do not discerne vnder this propertie whereby they are truly and infallibly of that body Onely our mindes by intellectuall conceipt are able to apprehend that such a reall body there is a body collectiue because it cōtaineth an huge multitude a body mistical because the mysterie of their coniunction is remoued altogether from sense Whatsoeuer we read in scripture concerning the endlesse loue and the sauing mercie which God sheweth towards his Church the onely proper subiect thereof is this Church Concerning this flocke it is that our Lord and Sauiour hath promised I giue vnto them eternall life and they shall neuer perish neither shall any plucke them out of my hands They who are of this society haue such markes and notes of distinction from all others as are not obiect vnto our sense onely vnto God who seeth their hearts and vnderstandeth all their secret cogitations vnto him they are cleare and manifest All men knew Nathaniel to be an Israelite But our Sauiour pearcing deeper giueth further testimony of him then men could haue done with such certaintie as he did Beholde indeede an Israelite in whom is no guile If we professe as Peter did that we loue the Lorde and professe it in the hearing of men charitie is prone to beleeue all thinges and therefore charitable men are likely to thinke we do so as long as they see no proofe to the contrary But that our loue is sound and sincere that it commeth from a Pure heart and a good conscience a faith vnfained who can pronounce sauing onely the searcher of all mens hearts who alone intuitiuely doth knowe in this kinde who are his And as those euerlasting promises of loue mercy blessednes belong to the mysticall church euen so on the other side when we reade of any dutie which the Church of God is bound vnto the Church whom this doth concerne is a sensibly knowne company And this visible Church in like sorte is but one continued from the first beginning of the world to the last end Which company being deuided into two moieties the one before the other since the comming of Christ that part which since the comming of Christ partly hath embraced and partly shall hereafter embrace the Christian Religion wee terme as by a more proper name the Church of Christ. And therefore the Apostle affirmeth plainely of all men Christian that be they Iewes or Gentiles bond or free they are al incorporated into one cōpany they al make but one body The vnitie of which visible
scandalous at certain times and in certaine places and to certaine men the open vse thereof neuerthelesse being otherwise without daunger The verie nature of some rites and Ceremonies therfore is scandalous as it was in a number of those which the Manichees did vse and is in all such as the law of God doth forbid Some are offensiue only through the agreement of men to vse them vnto euill and not else as the most of those thinges indifferent which the Heathens did to the seruice of their false Gods which an other in heart condemning their idolatrie could not doe with them in shew and token of approbation without being guiltie of scandall giuen Ceremonies of this kinde are either deuised at the first vnto euill as the Eunomian Heretiques in dishonour of the blessed Trinitie brought in the laying on of water but once to crosse the custom of the Church which in Baptisme did it thrise or else hauing had a profitable vse they are afterwards interpreted and wrested to the contrarie as those Heretiques which held the Trinitie to be three distinct not persons but natures abused the Ceremonie of three times laying on water in Baptisme vnto the strengthning of their heresie The element of water is in Baptisme necessarie once to lay it on or twice is indifferent For which cause Gregorie making mention thereof sayth To diue an infant either thrice or but once in Baptisme can be no way a thing reproueable seeing that both in three times washing the Trinitie of persons and in one the Vnitie of Godhead may be signified So that of these two Ceremonies neither being hurtfull in it selfe both may serue vnto good purpose yet one was deuised and the other conuerted vnto euill Now whereas in the Church of Rome certaine Ceremonies are said to haue bene shamefully abused vnto euill as the Ceremonie of Crossing at Baptisme of kneeling at the Eucharist of vsing Wafer-cakes and such like the question is whether for remedie of that euill wherein such Ceremonies haue bene scandalous and perhaps may be still vnto some euen amongst our selues whome the presence and sight of them may confirme in that former error whereto they serued in times past they are of necessitie to be remoued Are these or any other Ceremonies wee haue common with the Church of Rome scandalous and wicked in their verie nature This no man obiecteth Are any such as haue bene polluted from their verie birth and instituted euen at the first vnto that thing which is euill That which hath bene ordeyned impiously at the first may weare out that impietie in tract of time and then what doth let but that the vse thereof may stand without offence The names of our monethes and of our dayes wee are not ignorant from whence they came and with what dishonour vnto God they are said to haue bene deuised at the first What could be spoken against any thing more effectuall to stirre hatred then that which sometime the auncient Fathers in this case speake Yet those very names are at this day in vse throughout Christendome without hurt or scandall to any Cleare and manifest it is that thinges deuised by Heretiques yea deuised of a very hereticall purpose euen against religion and at their first deuising worthy to haue bene withstood may in time growe meete to be kept as that custome the inuentors wherof were the Eunomian Heretiques So that customes once established and confirmed by long vse being presently without harme are not in regard of their corrupt originall to be held scandalous But coÌ„cerning those our Ceremonies which they reckon for most Popish they are not able to auouch that any of them was otherwise instituted theÌ„ vnto good yea so vsed at the first It followeth then that they all are such as hauing serued to good purpose were afterward conuerted vnto the contrary And sith it is not so much as obiected against vs that we reteine together with them the euil wherwith they haue bin infected in the Church of Rome I would demand who they are whom we scandalize by vsing harmles things vnto that good end for which they were first instituted Amongst our selues that agree in the approbation of this kinde of good vse no man wil say that one of vs is offensiue and scandalous vnto another As for the fauorers of the church of Rome they know how far we herein differ dissent froÌ„ them which thing neither we conceale they by their publike writings also professe daily how much it grieueth them so that of theÌ„ there will not many rise vp against vs as witnesses vnto the inditement of scandal whereby we might be coÌ„demned cast as hauing strengthned theÌ„ in that euil wherwith they pollute themselues in the vse of the same Ceremonies And concerning such as withstaÌ„d the Church of England herein hate it because it doth not sufficiently seeme to hate Rome they I hope are far enough froÌ„ being by this meane drawne to any kind of popish error The multitude therfore of them vnto whom we are scaÌ„dalous through the vse of abused ceremonies is not so appareÌ„t that it can iustly be said in general of any one sort of meÌ„ or other we cause theÌ„ to offend If it be so that now or theÌ„ some few are espied who hauing bin accustomed heretofore to the rites ceremonies of the Church of Rome are not so scowred of their former rust as to forsake their auncient perswasioÌ„ which they haue had howsoeuer they frame theÌ„selues to outward obedience of laws orders because such may misconster the meaning of our ceremonies and so take theÌ„ as though they were in euery sort the same they haue bin shal this be thought a reason sufficieÌ„t wheron to coÌ„clude that some law must necessarily be made to abolish al such ceremonies They answer that there is no law of God which doth bind vs to reteine theÌ„ And S. Pauls rule is that in those things froÌ„ which without hurt we may lawfully absteine we should frame the vsage of our libertie with regard to the weakenes and imbecillitie of our brethren Wherefore vnto them which stood vpon their owne defence saying All things are lawfull vnto me he replyeth But all things are not expedient in regard of others All things are cleane all meates are lawfull but euill vnto that man that eateth offensiuely If for thy meates â—ake thy brother bee grieued thou walkest no longer according to charitie Destroy not him with thy meate for whome Christ dyed Dissolue not for foodes sake the worke of God Wee that are strong must beare the imbecillities of the impotent and not please our selues It was a weakenesse in the Christian Iewes and a maime of iudgement in them that they thought the Gentiles polluted by the eating of those meates which themselues were afraid to touch for feare of transgressing the lawe of Moses yea hereat their hearts did so much rise that the Apostle had iust cause to feare least
theÌ„ are the same which the Church of Rome vseth Eccles. discipl fol. 12. T.C. lib. 1. p. 131. T.C. lib. 1. p. 20. T.C. lib. 1. p. 25 T.C. l. 1. p. 13â— T.C. l. 1. p. 30. T.C. l. 1. p. 131. T.C. l. 1. p. 132 Tom. 2. Brâ—â— 73. Con. Africa cap. 27. Lib. de Idololatria He seemeth to mean the feast of Easter day celebrated in the memory of our Sauiours resurrection and for that cause termed the Lords day Lib. de Anima T.C. l. 3. p. 178. T.C. l. 3. p. 17â— T.C. l. 3. p. 180. That wheras they who blame vs in this behalfe wheÌ„ reason euicteth that all such ceremonies are not to be abolished make answere that when they condemne popish ceremonies their meaning is of ceremonies vnprofitable or ceremonies in stead wherof as good or better may be deuised they cannot hereby get out of the briers but contradict and gainesay themselues in as much as their vsuall maner is to proue that ceremonies vncommaunded of God and yet vsed in the Church of Rome are for this very cause vnprofitable to vs and not so good as others in their place would be T.C. lib. p. 171. What an open vntruth is it that this is one of our principles not to be lawful to vse the same ceremonies which the Papists did when as I haue both before declared the contrary and euen here haue expressely added that they are not to be vsed when as good or better way be established Ecclesi discipl fol. 100. T.C. l. 3. p. 176. As for your oftâ—Ì„ repeating thaâ— the ceremonies in question are godly comely decent it is your old wont of demaunding the thing in question and an vndoubted argument of your extreme pouerty T.C. l. p. 174. T.C. l. 3. p. 177. And that this complaint of â—urs is iust in that we are thus constrained to be like vnto thâ— Papists in any their ceremonies and that this cause only ought to moue â—hem to whom that belongeth to do theirs away for as much 〈◊〉 they are their ceremonies the Reader may further seâ— in the B. of Salisbury who brings diuerse proofes thereof That our allowing the customes of our fathers to be followed is no proofe that we may not allow some customes which the Church of Rome hath although we do not accoÌ„pt of them as of our fathers That the course which the wisedome of God doth teach maketh not against our conformitie with the Church of Rome in such things T.C. lib. 1. p. 89. 131. Leuit. 18.3 Leuit. 19.27 Leuit. 19.19 Deut. 22.11 Deut. 14.7 Leuit. 11. Ephes. 2.14 Leuit. 18.3 Leuit. 19.27 Leuit. 21.5 Deut. 14.1 1. Thes. 4.13 Leuit. 19.19 Deut. 22.11 Deut. 14.7 Leuit. 11. Leuit. 19.19 Deut. 14. Leuit. 11. Eph. 2.14 That the exaÌ„ple of the eldest Churches is not herein against vs. T.C. l. 1. p. 132. The Councels although they did not obserue themselues alwaies in making of decrees this rule yet haue kept this consideration continually in making of their lawes that they would haue the Christians differ from others in their ceremonies To. 6. cont Faust. Mâ—nich lib. 20. cap. 4. T.C. l. 1. p. 132. Also it was decreed in â—nother Councell that they should not decke their houses with bay leaues greene boughes because the Pagans did vsesâ— and that they should not rest from their laâ—or those daies that the Pagans did that they should not keepe the first day of euery moneth as they did T.C. l. 3. p. 132 Tertul. saith O sayth he better is the religion of the Heathen for they vse no solemnitie of the Christians neither the Lords day neither c but we are not afraid to be called Heathen T.C. l. 1. p. 133. But hauing shewed this in generall to be the politie of God first and of hâ—â— people afterwards to put as much difference as can be commodiously betweene the people of God and others which are not I shall not c. That it is not our best policy for the establishment of sound religion to haue in these thinges no agreement with the Church of Rome being vnsound T.C. l. 1. p. 132 Common reason also doth teach that contraries are cured by their contraries Now Christianity and Antichristianity the Gospell and Popery be contraâ—ies and therefore Antichristianitie must be cured not by itselfe but by that which is as much as may be contrary vnto it T.C. l. 1. p. 132 If a man would bring a drunken man to sobrietie the best and nearest way is to carry him as farre from his excesse in drinke as may be and if a man could not keepe a meane it were better to fault in prescribing lesse them he should drinke theÌ„ to fault in giuing him more then he ought As we see to bring a sticke which is crooked to be straight we do not only how it so farre vntill it come to be straight but we bend it so farre vntill we make it so crooked of the other side as it was before of the first side to this end that at the last it may stand straight and as it were in the midway betweene both the crookes That we are not to abolish our Ceremonies either because Papists vpbraide vs as hauing taken from them or for that they are sayd hereby to conceiue I know not what great hopes T.C. l. 3. p. 178. By vsing of these Ceremonies the Papists take occasion to blaspheme saying that our religion cannot stand by it selfe vnlesse it lâ—â—ue vpon the staffe of their Ceremonies T.C. l. 1. p. 179. To proue the Papists triumph and ioy in these things I alleaged further that there are â—oâ—e which make such clamors for these ceremonies as the Papists and those which they suborne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 T.C. l. 3. p. 179. Thus they conceiuing hope of hauing the rest of their poperie in the end it causeth them to be more frozen in their wickednesse c. For not the cause but the occasion also ought to be taken away c. Although let the reader iudge whether they haue cause giuen to hope that the tails of Popery yet remaining they shall the easilier hale in the whole body after considering also that Maister Bucer noteth that where these things haue bene left there Popery hath returned but on the other part in places which haue bene clensed of these dregs it hath not bin seene that it hath had any entrance Ecclesi disâ— fol. 94. T.C. l. 3. p. 180. There be numbers which haue Antichristianitie in such detestation that they câ—â—not without griefe of mind behold them And afterwards such godly brethren are not easily to be grieued which they seeme to be when they are thus martyred in their minds for ceremonies which to speake the best of them are vnprofitable The griefe which they say godly brethren conceiue in regard of such Ceremonies as we haue common with the Church of Rome T.C. l. 3. p. 171 Although the corruptions in them sticke not straight to the heart yet as gentle