as to ioyne with the Church Master Fox was one of the seuenteene that subscribed to this Letter Also after all those stirres vpon the point of their returne into England after Queene Maries death Iames Pilkington Io. Mullins Henry Carow Alexander Nowell c. writing an answere to Io. Knox Christopher Goodman Miles Couerdale Anthony Gilby Willi. Whittingham W. Williams c. We purpose not as wee trust these shall be no cause to enter into contention with you For Ceremonies to contend where it shall lye neither in your hands or ours to appoint what they shall bee but in such mens wisedomes as shall be appointed to the diuising of the same and withall receiued by common consent of the Parliament it shall be to small purpose but wee trust that both true religion shall be restored and that we shall not be burthened with vnprofitable Ceremonies and therefore as we purpose to submit our selues to such orders as shal be established by authoritie being not of themselues wicked so wee would wish you willingly to doe the same For whereas all the reformed Churches differ among themselues in diuers Ceremonies and yet agree in the vnitie of doctrine we see no inconuenience if wee vse some Ceremonies diuers from them for that wee agree in the chiefe points of your Religion c. Discourse of troubles at Franck. fol. 189. B B. Iewell Wee are come as neere as possibly wee could to the Church of the Apostles and of the olde Catholike Bishops and Fathers which Church wee know was sound and perfect and as Tertullian termeth it a pure Virgin spotted with no Idolatry nor with any fundamentall or euident errour And besides that wee haue aymed not onely our doctrine but our Sacraments also and forme of our publike Prayers after the patterne of their rites and ordinances Apolog. fol. 170. Master Deering against Harding Our Seruice is good and godly euery title grounded on holy Scriptures and with what face doe you call it darkenesse sure with the same that the Prophecies of the holy Ghost were sometimes called dreames the doctrine of the Apostles Heresie and our Sauiour Christ a Samaritane As Elias saide to the Priests of Baal Let vs take either our Bullockes namely their Masse booke and our booke of Common Praier and lay the pieces on our Altars and on which God sendeth fire let that bee the light a little before O Master Harding turne to your writings examine your authorities consider your counsells apply your examples looke if any line bee blamable in your seruice Booke and take hold of your aduantage I thinke Master Iewell will accept it as an Article This was their iudgement of our Ceremonies in generall which how opposite it is vnto the doctrine of suffering depriuation for not conforming to them I neede not say no not to men of a contrary iudgement wee will discend vnto the iudgement of the particulars Touching the Surplesse MElancthon Benhagius in the territories of Marques Albertus the Prince and court required the Pastors to embrace and follow the whole booke of the Augustane confession refusall thereof was made pio consensu by the godly agreement of the Nobilitie or Gentry of the Citizens and Pastors The Court hereupon runneth on another deliberation proposing Articles which alter not the doctrine and the Leturgie but thrust vpon them more Ceremonies which yet howsoeuer may well enough bee borne adding withall a threatning that they who will not follow this prescription should depart albeit many Pastors had rather haue departed then yeld to such condition yet the Churches requested that they might not bee forsaken In such a strait what councell should bee giuen some more forward affirme that it were good the Court were frighted with some terrible writing with the feare of sedition and with this scarcrow to represse and hinder farther alteration There be many causes why wee would not giue any such aduice Neither would wee haue the Churches forsaken as it came to passe in Sweuia where in many Churches there remaineth either no Minister or a Wolfe which bring in againe impious doctrine and false worships That it may euidently appeare that we wilfully dissent not from the Papists our aduersaries wee contend about great matters in the which the euidence of trueth doeth conuince the more sound euen among the aduersaries that we iudge to be more profitable then to wrangle about a Surplesse or the like matter where wise men will exclaime against vs that wee withstand and disobey authoritie and nourish dissentions with a foolish frowardnesse Concil Melanth part 2. fol. 90. 91. Againe we perswade not that by the vse of these Ceremonies as the Surplesse the Churches should be troubled neither are wee which thus perswade in this case to conformitie in lesse griefe and perill then they who stand against it But where new burdens are imposed wee thinke fit that it bee iudged whether Churches bee to bee left to Woolues or solitude and vtter ouerthrow of them to bee admitted or else whether seruitude of vsing these prescribed Ceremonies bee to bee endured For neither would we haue any impious Ceremonies to bee receiued neither the Churches to bee forsaken without most weightie reasons as it is written Not forsaking the fellowship c. ibid. fol. 92. Againe Melancthon Surely I could haue wished in these great occasions that these Churches had by no alteration or imposition of these Ceremonies such as Surplesse c. bin troubled But I cofesse I perswaded the Franck. Church and other that they would not forsake the Churches for such seruitude which without impietie may bee sustained Miricus out cries that rather desolation should be made in the Church and that Princes are to bee frighted with the terror of insurrection For my part I will be author of no such sower aduice And for our part it is euident that wee endure farre more heauie and hard burdens in our places then is a linnen garment c. fol. 106. Againe Melancthon I perswaded that desolation should not be made in the Church for the refusing of a linnen garment or matters of the like nature ibid. fol. 108. Bucer I am perswaded that godly men may vse these garments godly In Script Anglican Censur fol. 458. Againe To the question mooued by Bishop Cranmer to him Whether the Ministers of the Church of England might vse the Surplesse prescribed by the Magistrate After he had put in this caueat that his answer cōcerned only such as were true and faithfull Preachers of Gods word answereth that hee iudged those Ministers who are such in the English Church might by the grace of God vse these garments if so withall they did preach the whole trueth and perfect detestation of the Antichrist of Rome and teach withall that their meaning is not hereby to establish any Antichristian corruption that the Ministers by them are nothing more holy then other men neither the more effectuall to please God neither that they thereby intend to reuolue
Gods of worships not accidentall And secondly that these our Ceremonies are esteemed imposed and obserued by the intention and doctrine of the Church of England for things of such nature For this I constantly auerre and resolutely holde that if they can be proued matter of this nature that they are doubtlesse to bee refused of all in a case of confession vnto the losse of Ministery and of life it selfe Howbeit of this I can by no meanes be perswaded as yet and I will giue my Brethren the reasons thereof namely because the Church of England doth not so esteeme them impose them or obserue them for parts of Gods worship But here it wil be first asked what I mean by the Church of England To which I answere that as the Church is considered two wayes first for the Congregation of the faithfull scattered here and there or for the whole societie of English men compact in one entire body visibly professing the religion of Christ distinguished from the bodies of Scotland France Germany other Countreys So by the Church of England in either acception ceremonies are not esteemed imposed or vsed as parts of Gods worships Of the Church in the former sence I know my Brethren make no question the latter I will iustifie For the doctrine and practise of the Church of England I take to be that which by coÌ„mon consent of the whole State King Nobles Bishops Iudges Commons in Parliament is taught and commanded Whatsoeuer commeth hence cometh from the compleate bodie of the Church of England and is to bee ascribed to it as to the visible Church Now the doctrine of this Church of England is included in the Bookes established by this power which are the booke of Articles and the booke of Common prayer Now for the doctrine of our Church in this point the booke of Articles expresly teacheth first that it is not lawfull for the Church to ordaine any thing that is contrary to Gods word Act. 20. Secondly that the Church ought not to enforce any thing to be beleeued besides the holy Scriptures for necessitie of saluation Act. 20. Thirdly that nothing of traditions and Ceremonies be ordained against Gods word Act. 34. Fourthly that euery particular or Nationall Church hath authoritie to ordaine change and abolish Ceremonies or Rites of the Church ordained onely by mans authoritie so that all things bee done to edifying Act. 34. So likewise the Preface of the common prayer booke tit of Ceremonies enacted by Act of Parliament that is by the authoritie of the visible Church of England this doctrine of Ceremonies is set downe We thinke it conuenient that euery country should vse such Ceremonies as they shall thinke fit to the setting forth of Gods honour and glory and to the reducing of the people to a most peafect and godly liuing without error or superstition and that they should put away other things which they perceiue to bee most abused as in mens ordinances it often chanceth diuersly in diuers countreys And thus wee see the doctrine of our Church doth not esteeme any Ceremonies as parts of Gods worships but doth disclaime it vtterly And for the application of their doctrine to our Ceremonies that wee may see what maner of Ceremonies and of what nature the Church of England doth propose to be practised and with what affection such as practise them should performe it the said Preface to the Booke of Common prayer saith of the Ceremonies prescribed in that Booke That they are retained for a discipline and order which vpon iust causes may bee altered and changed and therfore not to be esteemed equall to Gods Law Now according to this doctrine and application thereof by our Church all doctrines and practise of intention and action should bee conformed to this they should be referred If there bee any contrary direction or doctrine taught published or inioyned by any one person or many together or in diuers places it is nothing to the point For they who preach esteeme practiâ—e and impose any Ceremonies otherwise by any conceit word or acte then according to the afore mentioned direction they doe it contrary to the iudgement of the Church of England and it is to bee esteemed as the iudgement and practise of priuate persons violating the doctrine and lawes of this Church for the which they shall answere vnto God and are liable to the censure of authoritie Whatsoeuer Ceremonie therefore of our Church is either imposed or the omission censured by any persons or by any Minister practised or obserued by superstitious or ignorant people as a part of Gods worship is onely accidentall adherent and not inherent to our Church neither ought it to bee laide vnto the charge of our Church Neither doe any of the Diuines Abridg. fol. 38. 39. mentioned in the depriued Ministers reasons nor can any Diuinity iustifie or say that the questioned Ceremonies are imposed by the Church as parts of Gods worships for this cause or will perswade men to suffer themselues to be depriued for refusing to coÌ„forme vnto them For here is no such case of confession to which we are inforced seeing we may all freely and ought as in obedience to the Church confesse the doctrine thereof agreeing to Gods Word and conforme vnto the Ceremonies according to the doctrine namely as to things which are no worships of God nor needfull to saluation And as for them that hold teach or conforme vnto them as to the parts of Gods worships they are to be esteemed as malefactors condemned by the Church which can no more preiudice the doctrine of the Church then the practise of theeues rebels and murtherers can preiudice the good lawes of our Common-wealth that are made against them and it were no lesse strange to blemish our Church with the iudgement or practise of the one then to brand the Common-wealth with the practise of the other Now where my Brethren say that the Apostles neither obserued nor imposed the Ceremonies of the Iewes as parts of Gods worship I referre them to my answere in the former member touching the seruice of God and do adde that if they vsed them not as parts of Gods worship taken strictè yet they did vse them inioyne theÌ„ as parts of his worship taken latè or in a larger sence seeing God may be said to be worshipped by that he is serued and he is serued by duties done according to his will and they conformed inioyned coÌ„formity to those ceremonies that they might do duties according to his will viz. the winning of the Iewes the freedome of their teaching and the like But now whereas it is demanded further by my Brethren what it is vnto the purpose I alledge that the Iewes esteemed imposed obserued them as necessary to saluation Acts 15. 1. 5. and the rest I answere first that I might make those Ceremonies analogicall with ours that as our Ceremonies were and are holden as parts of Gods worship and needfull to
opposit therto if it be fauourably taken or construed on the better part For I confesse there want not some few matters which if they be not * candidè fairely taken may seeme not altogether to agree vnto the word of God Script Angl. fol. 456. Praefac ad censur Caluin In the English Leturgie or booke of Common prayer which you describe I perceiue sundry * tolerabiles ineptias Looke the discourse of the troubles at Frankford fol. 28. wherin is shewed that Knox Whitingham and others described the English Leturgie to which description this was the answer of Caluin as appeareth there fol. 34 35 tolerable vnfitnesses In which two words I expresse thus much that there was not that purity therein contained which were to be wished which blemishes at the first day of reformation could not be corrected Wherein seeing there is conteined no manifest impiety these things therfore ought to be borne with for a season Ep. 200. fol. 336. and a little after to the English exiles at Frankeford which desired reformation of the English Leturgie hee giueth this aduise Vos vltra modum rigidos esse nolim Epist. 200. fol. 336. Of the which aduice of his he thus speaketh in Epist. 228. fol. 374. in Anglorum controuersia moderationem tenui cuius me non poenitet in Epist 206. fol. 342. hee perswadeth one part to incline themselues to all possible moderation and is displeased with the other part that nothing by them was yeelded or mitigated Martyr loc com inter Epist fol. 1127. amico in Angliam For mine owne part I wish that all things may bee done simplicissimè most free from humane mixtures in the worship of God Yet when I thinke with my selfe that if peace betweene the Saxon Churches and ours might be obtained there would follow no separation for such matters as these Ceremonies Alexander Alesius a worthy Scot of great account and note in Proaem before his Translation of the Common prayer Booke in Script Anglican Buceri fol. 373. commendeth the performance of it by our Countrey-men exceedingly with their great diligence and care therein and calleth it Preclarissimum diuinum factum in constituting and ordering the Church of Christ according to that Booke further declareth that the vertue and pietie of English men in this matter would reioyce many mindes and bee an help to the endeuors of others in the like and that it was euident that the enemies of the trueth were very sorry of the good successe and progresse herein Also hee complaineth with Gregory of some Vt cōmotis studijs contentio semper irritet aliquorum indignationem vtque nimio ardore interdum admodum peccetur dum nemo minus videri altero ac potius solus sapere vult fit vt non necessarijs quaestionibus disputationibus necessariarum rerum cognitio negligatur further he sheweth this contention of brethren about this booke to come of the diuell who failing one way seeketh another to mischiefe the Church hee complaineth of some Aliquam diuisionis occasionem arripientibus non iam nulli vocabula penissyllabas expendendo verbis tantùm litigant reipsa si placidè exquiratur futuri concordes Of the common prayer booke it selfe he saith Hic liber per se vtilis futura lectio ipsius quà m plurimis hoc tempore diuinitus oblatus esse videatur ibid. fol. 375. Cranmer Martyr In his purgation of slanders against him If the Queenes highnesse will graunt thereunto I with Maister Peter Martyr and other foure or fiue which I shall chuse will by Gods grace take vpon vs to defend not onely the common prayers of the Church the ministration of the Sacraments and other rites and Ceremonies but also all the doctrine and religion set out by our said Soueraigne Lord King Edward the sixt to be more pure and according to Gods word then any other that hath beene in England these 1000. yeeres so that Gods word may bee iudge Acts mon. fol. 1465. Bishop Ridley When Bishop Grindall from beyound Sea wrote to him in prison being condemned to bee burned concerning Knox his peremptory and violent exceptions against our booke of Common prayer which was euen misliked by Caluin himselfe Epist fol. answered by writing thus Alas that brother Knox could not beare with our booke of Common prayer in matter against which although I grant a man as hee is of wit and learning may finde apparant reasons yet I suppose hee cannot soundly by the word of God to disproue any thing in it Act. mon. Doctor Taylor Martyr There was after that set forth by the most innocent King Edward for whom God be praised euerlastingly the whole Church seruice with great deliberation and by the aduise of the best learned men of the Realme and authorised by the whole Parliament and receaued and published gladly by the whole Realme which booke was neuer reformed but once and yet by that reformation it was so fully perfected according to the rules of our Christian religion in euery behalfe that no Christian conscience could bee offended with any thing therein contained I meane of that booke reformed Act. mon. fol. 1521. Exiles at Franckeford Among them was great diuision and dissention about the vsing of the Common prayer booke of England one part refusing it as Iohn Knox William Whittingham Christopher Goodman Dauid Whitehead Miles Couerdale Iohn Fox Anthonie Gilby c. The other part standing for it which also were reuerend persons as Thomas Leauer Iohn Iewell Iohn Mullins Iohn Parckhust Lawrence Humphry Iames Pilkington Alexander Nowell Iames Haddon Edwin Sands Edmund Grindall and others Looke the discourse of the troubles at Franckeford fol. 16. 23. 19. Which dissentions caused them to seeke the iudgements of other churches and their teachers as of Caluin Beza Bullinger fol. 25. 199. Also Robert Horne Thomas Leauer Io. Mullins Tho. Bentham W. Cole Io. Parckhust Lawrence Humphry c. were all fully determined to vse none other then the order last taken in the Church of England Discourse fol. 16. 223. The same order of seruice concerning religion which was in England last set forth by King Edward fol. 10. Also Iames Haddon Edwin Sands Edmund Grindall Christopher Goodman c. not doubting or distrusting their good conformitie and ready desires in reducing the English Church now begun there to it former perfection it had in England least by much altering the same wee should seeme to condemne the chiefe authours thereof whereas they now suffer so are they not ready to confirme that fact with the price of their bloud c. fol. 22. 23. They also at Franckford writing to them at Zurick exiled also dissenting from them about our Ceremonies Thought not that any godly men would stand to the death in defence of those Ceremonies which as the booke specified vpon iust occasions may be altered accounting it an argument that they are slenderly taught which for a Ceremony will refuse such a singular benefit
Aharonicall garments but onely in obedience to the King his Maiestie and those with whom God hath left authoritie to determine of externall Rites of the Church yet according to Gods word and further that they doe it to auoid the scandall of troubling the publike order and agreement and last of all testifying to godly men that euery creature of God is good and therefore all Christians may vse such things godly howsoeuer others haue impiously abused them Idem ibid. in Epistol ad Cranmer fol. 682. Againe I can by no meanes affirme these garments by Antichrists abuse to bee so defiled that they are not to bee permitted to any Church notwithstanding that that Church knoweth and worshippeth Christ and withall knoweth and practiseth the Christian libertie of all things Neither doe I see any Scripture whereby I may defend this condemnation of the good creature of God Ibid. in Respons ad liter as Hooperi de re vestiariaÌ„ fol. 707. To make it impium perse an euill thing in nature for a man to vse these garments in Gods seruice in any respect I see no Scripture to permit or affirme so much ibid. fol. 709. § Againe I verely as I haue confessed vnto you and declared to our Countreymen had rather that no kind of vesture which the Papists vsed were reteined amongst vs for the more full detestation of the Antichristian Priesthood for plainer aduouching of Christian libertie for the auoyding of dangerous contention among the Brethren Yet I cannot be brought by any Scriptures as farre as to see hitherto to denie that the true Ministers of Christ his Church may vse without superstition and to a certaine edification of faith in Christ any of those vestures which the Antichristians abused Idem in Epist Io. Alasco at the ende of the examination a booke so named and written in answere of a booke called the vnfolding of the Popes attire Againe I know very many Ministers of Christ most godly men who haue vsed godly these vestures and at this day doe vse them So that I dare not for this cause ascribe vnto them any fault at all much lesse so hainous a fault as communicating with Antichrist For the which fault wee may vtterly refuse to communicate with them in Christ Ibid. Peter Martyr Seeing these garments are things in different and in themselues good they neither make any man godly nor wicked yet as you also thinke I iudge it rather expedient that these garments and other things of that kind be remooued when conueniently they may that matters of the Church may much more simply bee perfourmed Loc. com ad finem inter Epist. Amico fol. 1085. Againe the reasons by you Bishop Hooper alleadged perswade me not to holde the vse of these garments to bee pernitious or in their nature contrary to the word of God which I suppose to be altogether indifferent being not ignorant of this that things indifferent may sometimes be vsed and sometimes should bee remooued Ibid. Hoopero fol. 1086. Againe albeit I doe but slenderly approue these of garments yet I perceiue somtimes that some indifferent things albeit troublesome and burde some yet must needs bee borne with thus farre foorth as wee cannot doe otherwise lest if it be contended more bitterly then it ought to be it prooue to be an hinderance vnto the Gospel and by our vehement contention we teach those things to be impious which in their nature are indifferent Ibidem Againe surely to mee it should bee farre more pleasing as I haue often testified that wee might onely doe those things which Christ himselfe practised and deliuered to his Apostles Howbeit if some indifferent things be added such as the Surplesse I would not haue men too eagerly to contend about this matter especially when we see those by whom the light of the Gospel is much furthered in England and may yet more bee furthered to oppose themselueâ— to vs heerein Ibid. fol. 1085. Againe First I exhort that you withdraw not your selfe from your calling to the Bishopricke which is offered you in regard of the wonderfull penury of able Ministers Whence this mischieâ—e will come that if you that are the pillars of the Church pull backe and refuse to execute the Ecclesiasticall affaires both the Churches will bee distitute of faithfull Pastours and you shall giue toome to Wolues and Antichrists after Concerning the square Cappe and externall Apparrell of Bishops I suppose that it ought not much to bee disputed of seeing it is free from superstition and may haue a ciuill reason especially in this Kingdome of England Touching the holy Garments as they call them I wonder that they bee so strictly retained For I wish that all things in Gods worship may be perfourmed with greatest simplicitie Howbeit when I thinke with my selfe that if reconcilement in points of doctrine might be made betweene the Saxon Churches and ours there would be no separation for such garments as these For albeit wee like them not a whit yet wee would beare with their vse among them and gratulate our selues that wee haue abolishâ—d them Wherefore you may lawfully vse these garments either in preaching or in administring the Lords Supper yet so as you proceed to speake and teach against the inconuenience in the vse of them Idem ibid. fol. 1127. amico in Angliam Caluin of Bishop Hooper As I commend his constancy in refusing vnction and annealing so I had rather that hee had not so exceedingly contended de pileo veste linea about the square Cap and Surplesse Epist 120. fol. 217. Againe to Melancth To that you say the Magdeburg Ministers doe moue brawles about a linnen garment onely I see not whereto such brawles of theirs did appertaine or tend a little before It may be some will vrge some things as in contentions it came to passe will odiously ventilate some ceremonies wherein there is not so much euill as they pretend Epist. 17. fol. 213. Also although at first Caluin being demanded his iudgement de rebus adiaphoris of things indifferent in the Saxon Churches such as Surplesse c. did freely manifest his iudgement and admonish Melancthon whom some accused as to soft and too remisse for hee perswaded to conformitie rather then to suffer depriuation vt superius yet saith Beza they accused him immerito quidem very vndeseruedly as afterwards Caluin knew more thorowly For then it was not known with what intention that euill spirit and whole troope of Flaccians which perswaded rather to be depriued then conforme which after occasioned so many tumults and now saith Beza at this time doth hinder the worke of God against the Papists with that impudency and fury as if he had beene hired with large summes vnto it by the Pope of Rome Beza in vit Caluin anno 1540. Beza But if any man demand whether nothing at all of those things which are indifferent in themselues may bee retained at least for the sake of the weake and whether I thinke the ministry rather