knowen preaching of the word purely ministring of the sacrameÌ„ts sincerely Ecclesiastical discipline which consisteth in admonition and correction of faults seuerely But this Church of England for so in effect they say is voyde of all these Ergo it hath not so muche as the external face of a Church To proue that the word of God is not preached truely they reason on this sorte The ministers of the worde are not according to Gods word proued elected called or ordeyned nor the function in such sort so narrowly looked vnto as of right it ought is of necessitie required And therfore the word of God not truly preached Here thanks be to God they alleage not one article of faith or poynt of doctrine nor one péece of any substaunce to be otherwise taught and allowed of in this church for not euery mans â—olly is to be ascribed to the whole church than by the prescript worde of God may be iustified neither can they Now how this conclusion followeth though the antecedent were true lef those iudge that be learned The ministers are not rightely proued and elected c. Ergo the worde of God is not truly preached howe wicked soeuer the man is howsoeuer he intrude himself into the ministerie yet may he preach the true worde of God for the truth of the doctrine doth not in any respecte depende vpon the goodnesse or euilnesse of the man I pray you howe were you and some other of your adherents called elected c. But to come to the purpose They would proue that the ministers of the worde in this Churche of Englande are not according to Gods worde proued elected called or ordeyned What force and pithe is in their arguments shall appeare in the seuerall answeres to euery one of theÌ„ This one thing I muste let you vnderstande that these men séeke to defaco this Churche of Englande by the selfe same grounds that the Papists do although by another kinde of proofe For what haue the Papists else to say but that we haue no Ministers bicause they â—e 〈◊〉 rightly called and so consequently no worde no sacraments no discipline no Churche And certainly if it were well examined I beléeue it woulde fall out that the authors of this booke haue conspired with the Papistes to ouerthrowe if they could the state bothe of this Church and Realme howsoeuer subtilly they séeme to detest Papistrie But now to their reasons The first is this For wheras in the old church a triall was had bothe of their abilitie to enstructe and of their godly conuersation also nowe by the letters commendatorie of some one man noble or other tag and rag learned and vnlearned of the basest sort of the people to the slaunder of the gospel in the mouthes of the aduersaries are freely receyued It is true that in the olde Churche tryall was had of their abilitie to instruct and of their godly conuersation But the place in the margent alleaged oute of the fyrst Chapter of the Actes of the Apostles maketh nothing for that purpose béeing therein no mention at all of any triall made either of learning or maners but onely of presenting two and of praying and casting of lottes And master Caluine in his Institutions sayth playnely that out of this place of the Actes and example there can be no certayne rule gathered of electing and choosing Ministers for as that ministerie was extraordinarie so was the calling also Reade master Caluine and you shall soone see howe little this place so ofte in this margent coted maketh for that purpose for the which it is coted In the sixt of the Acts mention is made of Deacons onely whome you will not allowe to be ministers of the worde and therefore this place serueth not your turne neither is there any thing spoken of any tryall but only they are willed to looke out among them seauen men of honest reporte and full of the holy Ghost and wisedome to be appoynted Deacons The rule of sainct Paule in the .1 Timo. 3. and Tit. 1. is to be followed And the Booke of ordering Ministers and Deacons sette foorth and allowed by this Churche of Englande requireth that who soeuer is to be admitted into any order of the ministerie shoulde so be tryed examined and proued bothe for learning and life as sainct Paule there requireth Reade the Booke with indifferencie and iudgement and thou canst not but greatly commende it If any man neglect his duetie in that poynt his faulte muste not bée ascribed to the rule appoynted neyther yet to the whole Churche Is the lawe euill bicause some Lawyers in their office swarue from it This is a fallation a non causa ad causam Agayne if some bée admitted into the ministerie eyther voyde of learning or lewde in lyfe are all the rest for their sake to be condemned Or is this a good argument some bee admitted into the ministerie without trial therfore none is lawfully admitted into the ministerie or some ministers be vnlearned and euill Ergo there is none good I thinke you wil not denie but that there is now within this Church of Englande as many learned godlie graue wise and woorthy ministers of the word as there is in any one realme or particular Church in all Christendome or euer hath bene heretofore Touching letters commendatorie of some one man noble or other it may bée that the parties whiche gyue these letters be of that zeale learning and godlynesse that their particular testimonie ought to be better credited than some other subscribed with an hundred hands And I thinke there is bothe noble men and other who may better be trusted in that poynt than a great number of parishes in Englande whiche consist of rude and ignorant men easily moued to testifie any thing And in many places for the most parte or altogether drowned in Papistrie I knowe no reason to the contrarie and I sée no scripture alledged why one learned godly and wise mans testimonie may not be receyued in such a case and yet the booke expresseth no such thing but requireth due examination of learning and sufficient testimonial of conuersation and giueth libertie to any one particular man to obiect any crime against any such as are to be ordered and willeth that the partie accused be kept from the ministerie vntill he haue cléered himself of the crimes obiected If tag and rag be admitted learned and vnlearned it is the fault of some not of all nor of the lawe And if they were called and elected according to your fantasie there would some créepe in as euil as any be nowe and woorse too You say that there be admitted into the ministerie of the basest sorte of the people I knowe not what you meane by the basest sorte This I am sure of that the ministerie is not now bound to any one tribe as it was to the tribe of Leui in Ieroboams tyme Now none is secluded from that function of any degrée state
only they insinuated them selues into these places wherin the Gospel had béen diligently preached and where ther were godly and quiet men there they made a sturre they raysed vp factions and bredde discorde 22 They sought to be frée from all lawes and to doe what they list 23 They were animated by craftie suttle Papists whiche did séeke the ouerthrowe of the Gospell and the restoring of papisme 24 To be short the people had them in great admiration bicause of their hypocrisie and straightnesse of lyfe and suche as were of contentious natures ioyned with them and commended their doings These were the manners conditions practises and procéedings of the Anabaptists in Germanie before they vttered their sedicious and monstrous heresies I leaue the application hereof to youre wysedomes who easily can coniecture what kind of men they be that come nearest to those steps Only I desire you to be circumspect and to vnderstande that Anabaptisme which vsually followeth the preaching of the Gospel is gâ—â—â—tly to be feared in this Church of Englande and almoste playnly professed in this Admonition the authors wherof agrée with them in these forenamed practises and qualities Moreouer it may also please you to consider the conditions and practises of the Donatists who deuided them selues from the congregation and had their peculiar Churches or rather Conuenticles in Africa They taught also that all other Churches were spotted and impure bicause of their Ministers Finally that there ought to be no compulsion vsed in matters of Religion and sayth and that none should be punyshed for their conscience To conclude these men â—â—atly ioyne with the Papists and by the selfe same assertions bend their force agaynst this Churche of Englande For Fyrst the Papistes affirme that we are not the true Churche no that we haue not so muche as the outward face and shewe of the true Churche And so do these men almost in flat and playne termes 2 Secondly the Papistes say that we haue no ministerie no Byshops no Pastours bicause they be not ritely and canonically called to these functions the selfe same do these men affirme 3 Thirdly the Papistes say that our Sacraments be not rightly ministred and so say they likewise 4 Fourthly the Papistes wholly condemne our booke of Common prayers set out by publike authoritie and the whole order of our seruice In that poynt these men do fully ioyne with them also for they condemne it wholly and that with most bitternesse 5 Fiftly the Papistes would not haue the Scriptures read in the Churche to the people no more would they For they say reading is not féeding but as euil as playing vpon a stage and worse too 6. Sixtly the Papistes denie the ciuill Magistrate to haue any authoritie in Ecclesiasticall matters and so do they 7 To be shorte the Papistes refuse to come to our Churche to communicate with vs in the Lords supper and these men would not haue them by lawes and punishment compelled there vnto Hereby it is manyfest that the Papistes and they ioyntly séeke to shake nay to ouerthrowe the selfe same foundations grounds and pillers of our Churche although not by the selfe same instruments and engines Wherfore it is time to awake out of sléepe and to draw oute the sworde of discipline to prouide that lawes which be generall and made for vniformitie aswell of doctrine as Ceremonies be generally and vniuersally obserued that those which according to their conscience and duetie execute them be maynteyned and not discoraged either boldly to defende the religion and kinde of gouernement in this Realme established or else if you can to refourme and better the same for it can not bée but that this fréedome giuen vnto men to obey and disobey what they liste to speake what they liste agaynst whome they liste and where they liste to broche what opinions and doctrine they list muste in the ende burst out into some straunge and daungerous effecte The Lorde bothe graunt vnto you that be Magistrates the spirite of gouernement and to all other that be Subiectes the spirite of true obedience Amen The preface of the Admonition To the godly Readers Grace and peace from god c. TWo treatises yee haue here ensuing beloued in Christ which ye must reade without parcialitie or blinde affection For otherwyse you shall neither see theyr meanyng nor refrayne your selues from rashely condemning of them without iust cause For certain men there are of great countenance which will not lightly like of them bicause they principally concerne their persons and vniust dealings whose credite is great and whose friends are many we meane the lordly Lords Archbishops bishops Suffraganes Deanes Doctours Archdeacons Chauncelours and the rest of that proude generation whose kingdome must downe holde they neuer so harde bicause their tyrannous Lordship can not stande with Christes kingdome And it is the special mischief of our English Church and the chief cause of backwardnesse and of all breach and dissention For they whose authoritie is forbidden by Christ will haue their stroke without their fellow seruantes yea though vngratiously cruelly Pope-like they take vppon them to beate them and that for their owne childish Articles being for the moste part againste the manifest truthe of God First by experience their rigoure hathe too plainely appeared euer since their wicked raigne and specially for the space of these fiue or sixe yeares last past together Of the enormities whiche with such rigoure they mainteine these treatises do in part make mention iustly crauing redresse therof But the matters do require a larger discourse Only the authors of these thoughte it their partes to admonish you at this time of those inconueniences whiche men seeme not to thinke vpon and whiche without reformation can not but increase further dissention the one part being proude pontificall and tyrannous and the worde of God for the other part expresse and manifest as if it pleased the state to examine the matters it would be euident And would to god that free conference in these matters might be had For howsoeuer learned many they seeme to be they should may in this realme finde inowe to matche them and shame them to if they hold on as they haue begon And out of this realme they haue all the best reformed churches thoroughout Christendome against them But in a fewe words to saye what we meane Either must we haue a right ministerie of God and a right gouernment of his church according to the scriptures set vp both whiche we lacke or else there can be no right religion nor yet for coÌ„tempt therof can Gods plagues be from vs any while differred And therfore though they link in together slaunderously charge poore men whom they haue made poore with grieuous faults calling them Puritans worse thaÌ„ the Donatists exasperating setting on suche as be in authoritie againste them hauyng hytherto miserably handled them with reuilings depriuations
of the Churche muste be spirituall I am ashamed of these reasons and so will you be likewise if you be not past shame If you meane that the gouernement of the Churche is spirituall bycause God by his spirite gifts and ministerie of his word doth gouerne it you say truly although these places be vnaptly alledged but if you meane that therefore there néede no ciuill magistrates no ciuill and politique lawes no externall discipline no outwarde ceremonies and orders you are greatly deceiued and ioyne with the Anabaptists whose erroure in that pointe is sufficiently by diuers learned men confuted And therefore I will not as yet intermeddle therewith vntill I vnderstande further of your meaning Admonition The twentith And as for the Commissaries Courte that is but a pettie little stinking ditch that floweth out of that former great puddle robbing Christes Church of lawfull pastors of watchfull seniors and elders and carefull Deacons in thys Court as in the other one alone doth excommunicate one alone sitteth in iudgemente and when he will can drawe backe the iudgement whiche he hath pronounced hauing called vppon the name of God and that for money whiche is called by chaunging of pennaunce In this Courte for non payment of two pens a man shal be excōmunicated if he appeare not when he is sente for if he do not as his ordinarie woulde from whome he had his Popish induction and institution to whome he hath sworne canonicam obedientiam canonicall obedience if he learne not his catechisme like a good boy without booke when it were more meete he should be able to teach others To conclude if he be not obediente to all these Lorde Bishops officers by and by he must be cut of by excōmunication and as it is lightly graunted and gyuen forth so if the money be payed the Court discharged it is as quickly called in agayne This Court poulleth parishes scourgeth the poore hedge preests ladeth Churche wardens with manifest periuries punisheth whordoms and adulteries with toyish censures remitteth without satisfying the congregation and that in secrete places giueth out dispensations for vnlawfull marriages and committeth a thousand such like abominations God deliuer all Christians out of this Antichristian tyrannie where the Iudges aduocates and proctours for the moste parte are Papists and as for the scribes and notaries as greedy as cormorants and if they al should perhaps see this writing they would be as angry as waspes and sting like hornets three of them would be ynough to sting a man to death for why they are high Commissioners All this we say springeth out of this Pontificall whiche we must allowe by subscription setting downe our hands that it is not repugnant or against the worde of god Wee meane this Antichristian hierarchie and popishe ordering of ministers straunge from the worde of God and the vse of all well reformed Churches in the worlde Answere To this I answere as before I will neyther iustifye that which is amisse nor cōdemn that which I know not only this I say that this taunting spirit of yours séeketh rather diffamation than reformation vttereth spytefulnesse of stomacke rather than godly zeale ▪ for what a deriding of authoritie disdaine towards the same is this three of them would be inowe to sting a man to death for why they are high Commissioners What example haue you of any godlie man that vsed thus to deride and floute magistrates You say al this springeth out of that pōtifical which you must allow by subscription c. But it had bene wel if you had told vs out of what part of that pontificall they spring and how they be thereof gathered Of this Antichristian hierarchie and Popishe ordering of ministers as it pleaseth you to say I haue spoken before sufficiently and proued it neyther to be Antichristian nor Popishe but profitable and conuenient and both according to the worde of God and vse of auncient godly and wel ordered Churches especially where the reformation is generall and in a kingdome For you must not looke to haue the same gouernement of one whole kingdome and of one little village or citie In suche matters you must haue consideration to the tyme place persons and other such circumstances The lack of this discretion maketh you wander you knowe not whither Admonition The one and twentith We haue almost let passe one thing worthie the remembraunce whiche is that they take vppon them blasphemously hauing neyther promise nor commaundement to say to their new creatures receyue the holie ghost As though the holy Ghost were in their power to giue withoute warraunt at their owne pleasure Answere I haue aunswered to this before and you haue in the former treatise set it downe in the same wordes Admonition And thus muche be spoken as touching this booke agaynst whiche to stande is a wonder to two sorts of men the one ignorāt the other obstinate The Lord giue those that be his vnderstanding in all things that they may haue iudgement as for the other whom the God of this worlde hath blynded least they should see and confesse the truth and so be saued and that doe in the full growth of wickednesse maliciously resist the truthe God confounde them that his peace may bee vppon Israell and hys sauing health vpon this nation Amen Answere Nay surely it is a wonder to wyse learned and godly men to sée this booke so paynfully penned with suche aduyse perused and by so long practise allowed nowe to be defaced as it were with friuolous vnlearned and vnapte reasons and that by foure sortes of men Atheistes Papists Anabaptists and as you woulde be compted Puritanes God of his infinite mercie giue you charitable quiet and thankfull myndes and eyther conuerte your heartes or roote all suche disturbers oute of this Church that we may with one hearte and mynde serue our Lorde God. The seconde article That the maner and order appoynted by publique authoritie aboute the administration of the sacraments and cōmon prayers that the apparell by sufficient authoritie appointed for the ministers within the Church of Englande be not wicked nor against the word of God but tollerable and being commaūded for order and obedience sake are to be vsed Admonition For the order of administratiō of sacraments and common prayer inough is sayde before all the seruice and administration is tyed to a surplesse in Cathedrall churches they must haue a Cope they receiue the cōmunion kneeling they vse not for the most part common bread according to the woorde of God and the statute but starch bread according to the Iniunction They commonly minister the sacramentes withoute preaching the worde Answere And I haue before sufficiently aunswered to all that is here obiected Admonition And as for the apparel though we haue bene long borne in hande and yet are that it is for order and decencie commaunded yet we know and haue proued that there is neither order nor comlynesse nor
that no maner of Gods honor is attributed vnto them and that they be in sighte comely and in number fewe and that Christian people be not wyth them ouerburdened and matters of greater importaunce be omitted You adde and say that they haue the shewe of euill séeing the Popish priesthoode is euill When they were a signe and token of the Popishe priesthoode then were they euill euen as the thing was which they signified but nowe they be the tokens and the signes of the ministers of the worde of God which are good and therefore also they be good no man in this Churche of Englande is so ignorante but that he knoweth this apparell not to be nowe the signes of a Massing priest but of a lawfull minister wherefore it is a shewe of good euen as it is in the lyke maner in the Uniuersities a shewe and signe of degrées in learning and therfore a showe of good excepte you will also condemne degrées of learning Neither is if any straunge matter for the selfe same thing in others respectes and at diuers times to be the signe bothe of good and euill The belles were a signe of euill when they were roong to call to Masse and to stay stormes and tempestes the selfe same belles are now a signe of good when they bée roong to sermons and other godly actions The Churches them selues were a signe of euill when Idolatrie was committed in them and false doctrine preached nowe they be a signe of good when God is rightly worshipped in them and his worde truely preached Many such examples I could bring but a reasonable man can gather of these sufficiently to confute your errour Furthermore when we be willed to abstayne from all shewe of euill it is ment of euill life and euill doctrine least we do any thing with a scrupulous conscience They worke discorde they hinder the preaching of the Gospell This is an argument à non causa ad causam it is not the apparell that worketh discorde or hindreth the preaching of the Gospell no no more than it is the worde of God that engendreth heresies or wyne that maketh dronke or the sworde that murdreth or the lawe that worketh iniurie c. But it is the sinister affection the rebellious nature the contentious minde of man For who began this contention or when was it begonne Truely if the lawe for apparell were vtterly abrogated yet would not your contention cease nay it woulde burst out muche more vehamently and in farre greater matters as this your admonition declareth And therefore I thinke rather that the lawe for apparell will stay further contentions especially if it bée duely executed They keepe the memorie of Egypte still amongest vs and put vs in minde of that abhomination wherevnto they in times past haue serued No truely no more than doth the Church the Pulpit the belles c. but they teache vs the true vse of Christian libertie and that all things be cleane to those that be cleane Finally that godly men may well vse that which wicked haue abused howsoeuer vngodly They bring the ministerie into contempte Onely with you and suche as you by your continuall crying out agaynst them haue deluded contemners of good orders lawes and statutes are to be seuerely punished for their contempt Good lawes orders and statutes are not to be altered or dissolued bicause by suche as forget their dueties they are contemned They offende the weake and encourage the obstinate Those that be offended with thē think them selues most strong and glory therein with condemning of others The obstinate be encouraged through the schismes and contentions that you trouble the Churche and slaunder the Gospell with which one day you will vnderstande if in time you do not repent Admonition Therfore can no authoritie by the worde of God with any pretence of order disobedience commaunde them nor make them in any wise tollerable but by circumstances they are wicked and agaynst the worde of God. Answere Nowe you come to the poynt where you would haue it it is the marke you shoote at to spoyle the magistrate of all authoritie in things indifferent especially in ecclesiasticall matters But you set it downe onely without proofe wherefore I will thus briefly answere to your bare words vntil you bring some proofe that this your assertion is both Anabaptisticall and Papisticall and contrarie also to the worde of God and all learning Admonition If this be not playne inough by that whiche is already sette foorth wee mynde by Gods grace to make it playner and shoulde do it better if it were as lawfull for vs as for oure aduersaries to publishe our myndes in print then shoulde appeare what slender stuffe they bring that are so impudent by open writing to defende it And if it might please hir Maiestie by the aduise of you right Honorable in this highe Court of Parliamente to heare vs by writing or otherwise to defend our selues then such is the equitie of our cause that we would trust to finde fauour in hir maiesties sight then those patched Pamphlets made by soden vpstarts and newe conuertes should appeare in their colours and truth haue the victorie and God the glory if this can not be obteyned we will by Gods grace addresse our selues to defende his truthe by suffering and willingly lay our heads to the blocke And this shall be our peace to haue quiet consciences with our God whom we will abide for with all patience vntill he make our full deliueraunce Answere And I will not spare my labour from time to time to vtter my minde and conscience in these matters protesting that if by learning you can persuade me I will say agayne with Augustine Errare possum haereticus esse nolo All the rest of your stoute and suspicious bragges of your vndecent and vnséemely words I let passe and leaue them to be considered as notes of your spirite and modestie The Quéenes maiestie may assure hir selfe that she hath of learned men a number sufficient able by learning to maynteine both hir authoritie and lawes whiche hir Maiestie hath hitherto vsed and made for the furtheraunce of the Gospell and maynteining of good order and peace in the Churche The Lorde of his infinite goodnesse long preserue hir and giue vs thankefull hearts to God for hir The thirde article That the articles of Religion which onely concerne the true Christian fayth and the doctrine of the Sacramentes comprised in a booke imprinted Articles wherevpon it was agreed by bothe Archbyshops c. and euery of them conteyne true and godly Christian doctrine Admonition For the Articles concerning the substaunce of doctrine vsing a godly interpretation in a poynte or two which are either too sparely or else too ▪ darkly set downe we were and are readie according to duetie to subscribe vnto them We would to God that as they holde the substaunce togither with vs and we with them so they woulde not denie the effecte and
¶ An answere to a certen Libel intituled An admonition to the Parliament By IOHN VVHITGIFTE D. of Diuinitie 1. COR. 8.2 If any man thinke that he knoweth any thing he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to knowe 1. COR. 11.16 If any man be contentious we haue no suche custome neyther the Churches of God. GALA 5.26 Let vs not be desirous of vayne glorie prouoking one another enuying one another ¶ Imprinted at London by Henrie Bynneman for Humfrey Toy Anno. 1572. ¶ To his louing Nurie the Christian Church of England I. VV. a member and minister of the same vvisheth peace in Christ and continuance of his glorious gospell euen to the vvorlds ende THere bee diuers thinges especially fiue that wheÌ„ I first tooke this labour in hande had almost vtterly dissuaded me from the same First bycause I doe with all my hart hate contention and strife and especially in matters of religion among such as professe the selfe same Gospell Secondly for that I feared gretly least some slander might redounde to the Gospell by this open contention séeing that God is not the authour of contention or confusion but of peace Thirdly I doubted whether this kinde of dealing by writing might minister matter to the common aduersaries of the Gospell to reioyce and glorie and to flatter them selues the more in their damnable errors Fourthly I greatly suspected the slanderous reportes of the backbiter and of the vnlearned tonâ—ue â–ª the 〈◊〉 bycause he loueth to speake euill and heare euill of all those that be not in all pointes inclinable to his phansie whereof I haue great experience being my selfe most vniustlye slandered by that viperous kinds of men the other bycause they be not able to iudge of controuersies according to learning and knowledge and therefore are ruled by affection carried hedlong with blind zeale into diuers sinister iudgementes erronious opinions Lastlye bycause I knowe sundrie in all respectes worthie men much more able to deale in suche matters than I am But when I considered my dutie towardes God to his Churche and to our most gracious Lady and soueraigne Elizabeth hir Maiestie by whose ministerie God hath giuen his Gospell frée passage vnto us the first stoppe and hinderaunce was answered For I thought that that dutie ought not to be omitted for any such cause séeing God and not man shall be my Iudge and also that not he which defendeth the truthe and confuseth errours but he that impugneth the truthe and spreddeth sectes is the authour of contention Likewise when I remembred the it was no new thing to haue contentions sectes schismes in the Churche of Christ especially when it enioyeth externall peace and that we had manifest examples therof from time to time first in Peter Paule ad Gala. 2. Paule Barnabas Acto 15 then in the Churche of the Corinthians 1. Cor. 1. and .3 Afterwardes betwixt the orientall Church occidentall Church touching Easter such like matters Betwixt the Bishops of Aphrica and the Bishops of Italie for rebaptising of heretikes sundrie times yea vsuallie in the external peace of the church as may be more at large séene in Eusebius Lib. 4. eccle histo ca. 6. lib. 5. ca. 24.25.26 li. 8. c. Likewise in Ruffinus li. 1. ca. 1. In Zozom Li. 6. ca. 4. In Basilius magnus epist. 61. ad fratres Episcopas in accidente epist. 69. and in sundrie other auncient and learned histories and writers For the second point I was satisfied for I thought that that could be no slander to this Church which by the malice of Sathan hath bene practised in all Churches euen synce the ascention of Christ. Thirdly when I perceiued the these men against whome I nowe write did agree with the aduersaries in defacing the state of religion the order of coÌ„mon prayers the ministerie the sacramentes the kind of gouermeÌ„t c. vsed and allowed in this realme of England and that in as opprobrious spitefull manner as the aduersaries do likewise that they séeke to ouerthrow the selfe same pillers of this Church with the aduersaries although not by the selfe same meanes I thought that the confutation and ouerthrowe of the one should be the confutation ouerthrow of the other and therefore the aduersaries to haue small cause in déed of reioycing Against backbiters slanderers and vnlearned tongs I shall by Gods grace arme my selfe with pacience for their taulke is no sufficient cause for a man to absteyne from dooing his dutie To conclude I although the vnworthiest and vnméetest of a great nuÌ„ber was bold to take vpon me this enterprise partly to shew that the booke called the Admonition is not such but that it may easily be answered and especially to satisfie mine owne coÌ„science for I coÌ„sidered that if no man had taken vpon him the enuie of the coÌ„mon sort in withstanding the enterprises procéedings of the Anabaptists wheÌ„ they began in Germanie Anabaptisme had ouerrunne those Churches vtterly destroyed them These were the reasons that satisfied the former obiections and especiallye moued me to take vppon me this labour wherewith if I can also satisfie others I haue my desire if not yet haue I done my dutie and satisfied mine owne conscience And for asmuche as the matter toucheth the state of the whole Church of England I thought it most méete to dedicate this my booke rather vnto the same generally than to any one particuler member thereof protesting that if I haue affirmed any thing therein that by learning and good reasons may be proued erronious I will reforme the same for I wholly submit it to the rule of Gods worde and the iudgement of those that he learned discrete wise The Lord blesse the o deare spouse of Christ with the continuance of his Gospell of the Quenes Maiestie and of godlye peace and quietnesse Amen A briefe examination of the reasons vsed in the booke called an Admonition to the Parliamente FIrst in that booke the scripture is most vntollerably abused and vnlearnedly applyed quoted only in their margent to delude both such as for lacke of learning can not and suche as either for slouthfulnesse or some preiudicate opinion will not examine the same as I haue particulerly declared in my aunswere following Secondly their proofes consist especially of these arguments The first is ab eo quod est secundum quid ad id quod simplicitorest as such and such things were not in the Apostles time Ergo they ought not to be nowe Whiche kinde of argumente is very deceiptfull and the mother and welspring of many both olde and newe schismes of old as of them that called them selues Apostolicos and of the Aërians of new as of Anabaptists who considering neither the diuersitie of times concerning the externall ecclesiastical pollicie nor the true libertie of the christian religion in externe rytes and ceremonies in matters neither commaunded nor forbidden in Gods lawe nor the authoritie of Christian magistrates in
be And it is the common opinion of all writers that these words of Chryst do not condemne superioritie Lordeshippe or any suche lyke authoritie but the ambitious desire of the same and the tyrānical vsage thereof Musculus expounding these places sayth in this sorte VVhosoeuer vvill be great among you c. He sayth not no man ought to be chiefe among you vvhich he shoulde haue said if it had not ben lawful in the kingdome of God for some to be great and chiefe or if it had ben necessarie that all shoulde haue bene in all things equall the Celestiall spirits are not equal the stars be not equal the Apostles them selues vvere not equall Peter is found in many places to haue ben chiefe amōg the rest vvhich vve do not denie Therfore this is not Christes meaning to haue none great or chiefe among Christians seeing the very necessitie of our state requireth that some be superiours and betters so far is it from beeing repugnaunt to charitie In a common vveale it is necessarie that some should excell other so is it in a vvell ordered familie In like maner there must be in the Churche gouernours presidents rulers of vvhome Paule maketh mention Ro. 12. 1. Cor. 12. Heb. 13. As there is also in the body some principall mēbers some inferiour c. Therfore Christ doth not require that in his kingdome all should be equall but this he doth require that none should desire to be great or to be thought and counted chiefe Hitherto Musculus Which interpretation muste néedes be true else we may say that Christe in this place reiecteth and disalloweth the Princes and Magistrates of the Gentiles and also forbiddeth the same among Christians which is false and Anabaptisticall Likewise the same Musculus sayth that Chryste teacheth in this place what he ought to be in déede that desireth to beare rule ouer other to wit that he ought to be a seruaunt to other that is as he dothe interprete it to profite other and to serue for the cōmoditie of other for though the name of a prince and of a lorde be a name of honor and dignitie yet is it the office of a prince lorde to serue those which be vnder thē in gouerning of them carefully and in prouiding for their wealth and peace Moreouer the Greke wordes that Chryste vseth in all these places as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe signifie to rule with oppression and to rule as a man list Furthermore Christe doth not say that no man shall be great among them or beare rule but he sayth Quicunque voluerit inter vos magnus fieri c. He that desireth to be great among you c. To conclude it is manyfest that in Matthewe and Marke he reproueth the ambition of the sonnes of Zebedie who ambitiously desired the one to sitte on hys right hande the other on his lefte And in Luke the ambition of the rest of the Apostles who contended among themselues which of them should be greatest So that it is playne that these places suppresse ambition and desire of rule in all kinde of men and not superioritie not magistracie not iurisdiction in any kinde of persons Touching the place in the .23 of Mat. where Chryste said vnto his disciples Be not you called Rabbi call no man father be not called maisters Who is so ignorant to thinke that Christ forbiddeth by these wordes one Christen man to call another lorde maister father shal not children call their parents father shall not scholers call their teacher maister And shall not seruauntes call him master vnder whose gouernement they are Is it not lawfull for one to call an other maister doctour father lorde c Paule notwithstanding these wordes of Christ 1. Cor. 4. calleth himself their father and. 1. Ti. 2. he calleth himself the doctour of the Gētiles Wherfore it is manifest that these names be not here prohibited muche lesse the offices but only the pharisaicall ambitious and arrogant affection of superioritie As it is also manifest by this that foloweth VVho so euer exalteth himselfe c. And surely as Christe condemneth here the ambitious affectiō of such as ambitiously desire these names of superioritie so doth he in like maner cōdemne those who be so puffed vp with pride and arrogācie that they contemne and disdayne to call men in authoritie by the titles of their offices For pride contempt and arrogancie is as well in refusing to giue honoure and reuerence as it is in ambitious desiring the same But the chiefe purpose of Christe in this place is to teache vs not so to depende vpon men as though it were not lawfull to breake their decrées or to decline from their authoritie For there is one only Father Lorde and maister to whome wée are so bounde that by no meanes wée maye declyne at any tyme from hys preceptes These places therfore may be aptly alledged against the pride tyrannie and ambitiō of the Bishop of Rome whiche séeketh tyrannically to rule and not to profite But it maketh nothing at all against the lawfull authoritie of any other in any state or condition of men Howe aptly that place of the .24 of Mathew But if the euill seruaunt shall say in his heart c. is alleaged let all men iudge I thinke it forbiddeth not to punishe suche as breake good lawes But Lorde how these men are beaten which do as they liste say what they liste and that with reioycing thereto that is if they be no otherwise beaten than hitherto they haue bene they will not only with schismes and factions teare in sunder this Churche of Englande but in time ouerthrow the whole state of the common wealth To proue that either we muste haue a righte ministerie of God and a righte gouernement of his Church according to the Scriptures set vp c. or else there can be no right religion c. is alleaged the ninth of Matth. the fourth to the Ephe. and the eightenth of Math. In the ninth of Mat. the place they alleage is this Surely the haruest is great but the labourers be fevve vvherefore c. In the fourth to the Ephe. He therefore gaue some to be Apostle c. In the eightenth of Mathew If thy brother trespasse agaynst thee c. The first place declareth that Ministers of the words are necessarie in Christes Churche The seconde that there is diuers kindes and degrées of them And the thirde sheweth an order of correcting secrete sinnes and priuate offences and medleth not with those that be open and knowne to other Nowe therefore consider to what purpose those places be noted in the margente and howe little they proue that which is concluded As for all the rest of the places of Scripture that followeth noted in the margent of this preface I knowe not to what purpose they be alleaged but onely for vayneglorie to bleare the eyes of the ignorant people and to make them beléeue that all
confessed to be true and no man denieth it And I pray God make vs thankefull for the Quéenes maiestie who hath not bene slacke in this poynt but hath lyke a vertuous religious and godly Prince in the very entring into hir reigne notwithstanding the multitude of hir aduersaries bothe at home and abroade abolished all superstition and restored the simplicitie of the Gospell But these men alleage these places to the discredite of this reformation and of the whole gouernemente of this Churche Howe aptly and howe truely let godly wise and learned men iudge To proue that these things onely are to be placed in Gods Churche which God him selfe in his worde commaundeth is noted the fourth and the twelfth of Deut. Ye shall put nothing to the vvord that I commaunde you neither shall you take any thing therefrom c. And in the other place VVhatsoeuer I coÌ„maunde you take heede you do it thou shalt put nothing thereto nor take oughte therefrom God in the olde lawe to his people prescribed perfecte and absolute lawes not onely morall and iudicial but ceremonial also neither was there the least thing to be done in the Churche omitted in the lawe And therfore for them at that time and during that state it was not lawfull to adde any thing nor to take any thing away no not in ceremonies or other ciuill lawes nowe in the time of the Gospell God hath left vnto his Churche expressed in his worde a perfect rule of fayth and maners and sufficient to saluation and cursed is he that shall adde any thing to it or take any thing from it in that behalfe for therein it is perfect and absolute But as he hath lefte the Iudiciall lawe to the discretion of the Magistrate to adde thervnto or take therfrom or alter and chaunge the same so that no lawe be made agaynst the rule of fayth and good maners expressed in the worde of God so hath he lefte authoritie vnto his Churche to make lawes and appoynte orders and ceremonies as shall from time to time be thought most expedient and profitable for the same so that nothing be done contrarie to his worde or repugnaunt to the same And this authoritie hath the Church vsed euen froÌ„ the Apostles tyme as it is manyfest both by the Scriptures Acto 6. Acto 15. 1. Cor. 11. and other Ecclesiasticall stories and auncient fathers as is before by me proued But to come to the words of Deut. themselues what is it to adde to the worde of God or to take from it truely to thinke otherwise or teache otherwise of God than he hath in his word reuealed those take from the word that beléeue lesse thaÌ„ in the word is expressed those adde to the word first which teach or decrée any thing either in matters of fayth or ceremonies contrary to the worde Secondly those that make any thing necessarie vnto saluation not conteyned in the worde Thirdly suche as make any religion or opinion of merite in any thing that they them selues haue inuented besides the worde of god Last of all they adde to the worde which forbid that for a thing of it selfe vnlawfull which Gods worde doth not forbid and make that sinne which Gods word doth not make sinne But suche as truely and sincerely embrace the worde of God and admit nothing contrary vnto it if in gouernement and ceremonies without any wicked or superstitious opinion they appoint or retaine suche as they know not to be agaynst the worde of God and profitable for the present state of the Churche can not truely be sayde to adde any thing to the worde of God or take any thing from it though the same be not expressed in the worde The other places noted in this margent as Psal. 37. Rom. 12. 1. Cor. 2. and the rest are not alleaged to proue any thing in controuersie but onely without iudgement placed in the margente to make a shewe howe aptely they be applied I leaue to the consideration of the diligent Reader This one thing I can not but maruell at that these fellowes so please them selues in the platforme of their Churche and attribute so muche therevnto that they exhorte nay rather charge the court of Parliament with perfect hatred to detest the present state of the Churche and with singuler loue to embrace that which they prescribe in this booke and so moue them rather to this perfect hatred of vs and singuler loue of them selues they vse the authoritie of the 31. and 39. Psalme In the one Dauid sayth that he hath hated them that giue themselues to decâ—pfull vanities bicause the trusteth in the Lorde In the other speaking of the contemners of God of wicked and bloudy men of such as blaspheme God and be his enimies he sayth I hate theÌ„ vvith an vnfained hatred c. As though all suche as like or allows of the present state of the Churche of this Realme of Englande gaue them selues to deceytfull vanities were contemners of God wicked and bloudy men blasphemers of God and his enimies I will not aggrauate this blasphemie of theirs let Prince nobles and all other louers of God and his word consider diligently this spirite and in time preuent the burning malice of the same no Turke no Iew no Papist could possibly haue spoken more spightfully of this Churche and state but suche is the spiritâ— of arrogancie To the like effect they alleage the .15 of Iohn 1. Tim. 3. Mat. 7. and .11 as though they onely had the worde of God and were of the Churche and we contemners reiecters of the same O where is humilitie Truly if these men be not by discipline bridled they wil work more harme to this church thaÌ„ euer the Papist did Admonition May it therefore please your wisdomes to vnderstande we in Englande are so farre of from hauing a Churche rightly reformed according to the prescripte of Gods worde that as yet we are not come to the outwarde face of the same For to speake of that wherein all consent whervpon all writers accorde The outward marks wherby a true christiaÌ„ church is knowne are preaching of the word purely ministring of the sacrameÌ„ts sincerely Ecclesiastical discipline which consisteth in admonition correcting of faults seuerely Touching the first namely the ministers of the word although it must be confessed that the substance of doctrine by many deliuered is sound good yet herein it fayleth that neither the ministers therof are according to Gods worde proued elected called or ordeyned nor the function in such sort so narrowly looked vnto as of right it ought and is of necessitie required Answere The proposition that these libellers would proue is that we in Englande are so farre from hauing a churche rightly reformed according to the prescript of Gods word that as yet we are not come to the outwarde face of the same For proofe hereof they vse this argument There be thrée outward marks wherby a true christiaÌ„ Church is
or callyng so that those qualities be founde in him which in that office are to be required I maruel to what purpose the twelfth chapiter of the first booke of Kings is here quoted for Ieroboam is there reproued bicause he toke the préesthood from the tribe of Leui to the whiche onely it did apperteyne The Papists neuer toke so great occasion of sâ—andring the gospel at the ignoraÌ„ce of the ministers for they haue of them selues those that be as ignorant and inore as they do at your schismes and fonde opinions wherewith you disquiet the peace of the Churche and lay stumbling blockes before the weake for the whiche God wil surely call you to accompte The second chapter to the Romaines is here quoted only to paynt the margent The second In those days no idolatrous sacrificers of Heathenish priests were appoynted to be preachers of the Gospell but we allowe and lyke well of Popish masse mongers men for al seasons King Henries priests King Edwards preestes Queene Maries preests who of a truth if Gods word wer precisely folowed shold froÌ„ the â—ame be vtterly remoued The place in the fifth chapter of the Hebrues quoted in the Margent speaketh nothing of Idolatrous sacrificers or Heathenish priests but only by the example of Aaron proueth that no man ought to intrude himselfe into the office of a Bishop or Préeâ—t except he be called of god Lord how dare these men thus wring the scriptures In the .23 of the Prophete Hieremie there is muche spoken againste false Prophetes but not one woorde for any thing that I sée to proue that idolatrous sacrificers maye not be admitted to preache the Gospell The places of the .44 of Ezechiell haue some shewe in them for there the Lorde commaundeth the Leuites whiche had committed Idolatrye to bée put from theyr dygnitie and not to bée receyued into the Preestes office but to serue in inferioure mynisteryes I thinke you wyll not make thys a generall rule to debarce such from preaching of the gospel as haue through infirmitie fallen and be nowe with hartie repentance retourned Wée haue many examples to the contrarie Peter forswore his maister Chryste whyche was as euill as sacrifising to idolles and yet hée was not put from hys Apostleshippe Wée haue dyuerse examples in the Primitiue Churche of suche as by feare béeyng compelled to sacrifise to straunge gods after repented and kepte still the office of preaching the Gospell and did moste constantly dye in the same I pray you what say you to maister Luther Buâ—er Cranmer Latimer Ridley c. were not all these somtymes Massemongers yet singuler notable instrumeÌ„ts of promoting the Gospel and preaching the same wherof many haue giuen testimonie by sheding their bloud And by whose Ministerie especially hathe the Gospell bene publyshed and is as yet in thys Churche of Englande but by suche as haue ben Massemongers and nowe zealous godlie and learned preachers God in that place of the Prophet Ezechiel sheweth how gréeuous a sin idolatry is especially in the préests but he prescribeth no generall rule of secluding them from theyr ministerie if they falling afterwarde repent Besides this there is a great difference betwixt the seueritie of the lawe and the lenitie of the Gospell betwixte the externall regimente of the Churche before Christe and the Churche after Chryste neyther can you make the one in all poyntes correspondent to the other Lykewise betwixt the declining of those Préests which was wholly from God to Gentilitie and the falling of ours to Papistrie which confesseth the same articles of fayth that wée doe althoughe not syncerely It is one thing wholly to worshippe false gods an other thing to worship the true God falsly and superstitiously But among all other things I woulde gladly knowe wherein king Edwards préestes haue offended you It is happie you let Quéene Elizabeths préestes alone I maruell whose Préests you are The thirde Then they taught others now they must be instructed them selues and therfore lyke yong children they muste learne Catechismes God be thanked there is a great number of ministers that can teache others and may be your schoolemasters in all kinde of learnyng excepte you haue more than you vtter in these treatises If they that fynde some want of learning in themselues or that be crepte into the ministerie vnlearned eyther of theyr owne accorde or by commaundemente of their ordinarie reade and learne godlie and learned Cathechismes they are to be commended and so is he that prouoketh them therevnto That Catechisme whiche you in derision quote in the margent is a booké fit for you to learn also and I know no man so wel learned but it may become him to reade and learne that learned and necessarie booke But some arrogant spirites there be that thinke them selues of all men best learned and disdayne to learne of any That place of the fourth chapter of the first to Timothie dothe not forbid a man to learne He that is a good and modest preacher wil not disdayn as well to be taught as to teache The fourthe Then election was made by the common consent of the whole Churche nowe euery one picketh out for himselfe some notable good benefice he obteyneth the nexte aduouson by money or by fauour and so thinketh himselfe sufficiently chosen To proue that the election was then made by the coÌ„mon consent of the whole Churche you quote the fyrst of the Acts. I tolde you before maister Caluines iudgement of that place There is no mention of electing by any common consante And in the place by you quoted whiche is the. 26. verse it is declared howe they gaue foorth their lottes and that the lot fell on Mathias and that he was by a common consent compted with the eleuen Apostles here is no mention of any election But when he was extraordinarily through Gods prouidence by lot appoynted then they all compted him and estemed him as one of the Apostles where as before some of them would haue had Barsabas I thinke your meaning is not to haue always two at once to be presented to the ministerie and then one of them to be chosen by lot I knowe none of that opinion Wherfore this example is singular and extraordinarie and therfore no generall rule to be folowed If any man seeketh a benefice extraordinarily or vnlaufully If any man desire honorem the honor not onus the burthen opes the ryches not opus the vvoorke hée hathe to aunswere for it but I truste you will not accuse all though perhaps you knowe some I meane of youre selues and peraduenture your owne selfe The fifth Then the coÌ„gregation had authoritie to call ministers in steede therof now they runne they ride and by vnlawful sute and buying preuente other suters also To proue that the congregation had then authoritie to call ministers you alledge the sixte of the Acts which place of the Acts I touched before It speaketh not of ministers of the worde
be subiect to Deacons Deacons to Prestes prestes to Bishops the Bishop to Christ. And again Let no man do any thing vvhiche perteyneth to the Churche vvithout the consente of the Bishop And againe He that attempteth to do any thing vvithout the Bishop breaketh peace and confoundeth good order The like saying he hath in his epistle ad Magnesianos These thre epistles doth Eusebius make mentioÌ„ of Li. 3. ca. 35. .36 and hiero de viris illustribus Iustinus Martir one of the most aunciente writers of the Grékes in his second Apologie ad Anthonium Pium alloweth this superioritie and calleth him that bare rule ouer the other ministers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyrillus calleth hym 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theodoretus li. 5. ca. 28. writeth that Chrisostome béeing the Bishop of Constantinople did not only rule that Church but the Churches also in Thracia in Asia and in Pontus Theodoretus Episcopus Ciri in an epistle that he writ to Leo saith of him selfe that he had gouernement ouer 800. Churches But what shall I néede to vse such proues in a matter so plaine and euident to all such as haue redde any thyng of antiquitie The best learned men of our dayes and diligentest preferrers of the Gospell of Christ do with one consente one or two of the latest writers excepted acknowledge and confesse that this distinction of degrées and superioritie in the gouernement of the Church is a thing most conuenient and necessarie Caluine in his institutions saith on this sorte That euerie prouince had among their Bishops an Archbishop and that the councell of Nice did appointe Patriarches vvhiche should be in order and dignitie aboue Archbishops it was for the preseruation of discipline Therefore for this cause especially vvere those degrees appointed that if any thyng shoulde happen in any particuler Churche vvhich coulde not there be decided it might be remoued to a prouinciall Synode If the greatnesse or difficultie of the cause required greater consultation then vvas there added Patriarches togither vvith the synodes from vvhome there vvas no appeale but vnto a generall counsell This kinde of gouernement some called Hierarchiam an improper name and not vsed in the Scriptures For the spirite of God vvill not haue vs to dreame of dominion and rule in the gouernement of the Church But if omitting the name vve shall consider the thing it selfe vve shall finde that these old Bishops dyd not frame any other kinde of gouernmente in the Church from that vvhich the Lorde hath prescribed in his vvorde Caluine here misliketh this name Hierarchia but he alloweth the names authoritie of Patriarks and Archbishops and thinketh the gouernement of the Church then vsed not to differ from that which God in hys word prescribeth Hemingius in his Enchirid. sheweth that these degrées in the Church be necessarie and that discipline cannot be kepte without them And he addeth that their Churche kepeth this forme nec mouetur saith he anabaptist ar â—m ac libertinorum effrenilibidine qui ecclesiam Christi barbaricum quendam hominum coetum sine ordine fingunt cum habeat nostra ecclesia non solum exemplum Apostolicae purioris ecclesiae verum etiam mandatum spiritus sancti omnia ordinatè decenter ad aedificationem faciendi Neither is our Church moued vvith the licentious libertie of Anabaptists and Libertines vvhich faine the Church of Christe to be a barbarous confused societie vvithout order seing that our Church hath not only the example of the Apostolicall and most pure Church but also the commaundemente of the spirite of God to do all things orderly and decently to edifie Wherefore thus I conclude with the very words of that worthy man who hath so well deserued of thys Church of Englande master Foxe In the ecclesiasticall estate vve take not avvay the distinction of ordinarie degrees such as by the scripture be appointed or by the Primitiue Churche allovved as Patriarches or Archbishops Bishops Ministers DeacoÌ„s for of these foure we especially read as chiefe In vvhich foure degrees as vve grauÌ„t diuersitie of office so vve admitte in the same also diuersitie of dignitie neither denyeng that vvhich is due to each degre neyther yet mainteining the ambition of any singuler person For as we giue to the minister place aboue the Deacon to the Bishop aboue the Minister to the Archbishop aboue the Bishop so vve see no cause of inequalitie vvhy one minister shold be aboue another minister one Byshop in his degree aboue another Bishop to deale in his dioces or one Archbishop aboue another Archbishop And this is to keepe an order duely truly in the Churche according to the true nature and definition of order by the authoritie of Augustine libro de ciui Ordo est parium dispariumque rerum sua cuique loca tribueÌ„s dispositio Hitherto master Foxe Now let the indiffereÌ„t reader iudge whether these offices be strange vnherd of in the church of Christ or no. Concerning the offices of an high commissioner Iustice of peace how necessarily they be committed to some of the best and wisest of the Clergye what vice by them is brideled what inconuenience met with what necessarie discipline vsed those knowe that be wise and haue experience in publique affaires and gouernement There is no worde of God to proue why these offices may not concurre in one man But it is the commisson that troubleth these men as for peace they are at defiance with it To be shorte they say that all these offices be playnly in Gods word forbiddeÌ„ and they alledge Mat. 23. Luc. 22. 1. Cor. 4. 1. Pet. 5. The places of Mathewe and Luke be aunswered before Christe beateth downe ambition and pride and desire of bearing rule as he did before when he saide be ye not called Rabbi and call no man father be not called doctors he doth not condemne the names but the ambition of the minde In the 1. Cor. 4. it is thus written Let a man thus thinke of vs as of the ministers of Christ. c. The ministers of the worde in déed are not to be estéemed as Gods but as the ministers of god Some among the Corinthians gloried in their ministers and attributed to much vnto them hereof came these factioÌ„s I holde of Paule I of Apollo c. This teacheth your adhereÌ„ts and disciples not to attribute to much to you and such as you are or any other minister of Gods worde It maketh nothing against the names or authorities either of Archbishop Lord Bishop or any other that you haue named who be the ministers of Christ and ought so to be estéemed The place of S. Peter ca. 5. is thys Feede the flocke of god c. not as though you vvere lords ouer the flocke c. Peter here condemneth hautinesse contempt and tyrannie of pastours towards their flockes he doth not take away lawfull gouernment The pastor hath rule and superioritie ouer his flocke but it must not be tyrannicall These
ascribed to this Churche of Englande by these libellers and therfore it hath as God wil the first note of the true Church of Chryst that is puritie of doctrine Admonition These and a great many other abuses are in the ministerie remaining which vnlesse they be remoued and the truth broughte in not onely Gods iustice shal be poured forth but also gods Churche in this realme shall neuer be buylded For if they whiche seeme to be workemen are no workemen in deed but in name or else work not so diligently and in such order as the workmaister commaundeth it is not onely vnlikely that the building shall goe forwarde but altogether impossible that euer it shall bee perfited The way therfore to auoyde these inconueniences and to refourme these deformities is this Your wisedomes haue to remoue Aduousons Patronages Impropriations and Bishops authoritie claiming to themselues therby right to ordeyn ministers and to bring in that old and true election whiche was accustomed to bee made by the congregation You muste displace those ignoraunt and vnable ministers alreadye placed and in their roomes appoynt suche as bothe can and will by Gods assistance feed the flocke You muste plucke downe and vtterly ouerthrow without hope of restitution the court of Faculties from whence not only licences to enioy many benefices are obteyned as Pluralities Trialities Totquots c. but all things for the most part as in the courte of Rome are set on sale licences to marye to eate fleshe in tymes prohibited to lie from benefices and charges and a great number besyde of suche lyke abhominations Appoint to euery congregation a learned diligente preacher Remoue Homilies articles iniunctions a prescript order of Seruice made oute of the Masse booke Take away the Lordshippe the loytering the pompe the idlenesse and liuings of Bishops but yet employ them to such ends as they were in the olde Churche appoynted for Let a lauful and a godly Seigniorie loke that they preach not quarterly or monthly but continually not for filthy lucre sake but of a readie mynde So God shal be glorified your consciences discharged and the flocke of Chryst purchased wyth his owne bloud edified Answere What these great abuses by you hitherto alledged be I trust you doe now fully vnderstand Surely except such factious libellers such stirrers vp of schismes such disturbers of the peace of the Church such contemners of those that be in authoritie be not only remoued but repressed God wil not only of his iustice punish the magistrates of this realme for their carelesnesse in this behalfe but also Gods gospel wil therin be as much defaced with factiōs schismes and heresies as euer it was in the Popes tyme with superstition idolatrie For surely these men that would be compted suche perfect buylders be but vndermyners and destroyers and instruments of some gréedy guts and lusty roysters who to maynteyne their pryde and ioylitie séeke for the spoyle of the Churche and in déede the vtter ouerthrowe bothe of learning and Religion For take from Bishoppes their landes and their authoritie let euery parishe elect theyr owne minister remoue Homilies Articles Iniunctions appoynte no prescript order of seruice that is to say let there be no order prescribed to any man no lawe to directe him or controle him but lette euerye minister doe what he liste speake what he list alter what he list and so oft as him list to be short let euery minister be king and Pope in his own paryshe and exempted from all controlement of Bishop Magistrate and Prince and you shall haue as manye kyndes of Relygion as there is parishes as many sectes as ministers and a Churche miserably torne in péeces wyth mutabilitie and diuersitie of opinions Doe you not sée what they shoote at Woulde they not bée frée from all Magistracie Doe they not moste ambitiouslye desyre that them selues whyche they condemne in others that is Lordeshippe and superioritie For who thinke you shoulde bée chéefe in euerye Parrishe and directe the reste Surely euen the minister The Pope neuer required greater authoritie ouer all Christendome tkan they seeke to haue ouer their parish The Pope and hys Clergie didde neuer more earnestly séeke and desyre to be exempted from the iurisdiction of Ciuile Magistrates than these menne doe bothe from Ecclesiasticall and Ciuile Princes nobles and Magistrates were neuer brought into greater seruitude and bondage than these men séeke to laye vppon them Wherefore you that bée in authoritie if you loue the peace and prosperitie of the Churche of Christe if you desire the good successe of the Gospell if you wyll preserue the state of thys realme if you thinke it necessarie to haue good Magistrates to haue good lawes and orders in a common wealth if you estéeme learning and séeke to preferre it if you hate anarchian confusion anabaptisme if you allowe of your owne condition and lyke of a kingdome better than of a popular state Then prouide betyme some spéedie remedie for these and suche like kinde of men and if the religion you haue established be good if the orders and lawes you haue made be conuenient let them not be written agaynst spoken against nay openly contemned and broken without sharpe and seuere punishment suffer not suche as execute them to be contemned hated discouraged and oftentymes frumped by some superiours Eyther let your lawes be mainteyned as lawes or else deliuer vs from our dutie in executing and obeying of them Touching the Courte of Faculties I can not say much for I haue no great experience of it and lesse knowledge in the lawe notwithstanding bycause by lawfull authoritie it is allowed in this realme I can not but reuerently iudge of it for in suche matters I thinke it a poynte of modestie to suppose the beste and to absteyne from condemnyng of that gouernement whyche is allowed as conuenient If there be faultes in the officers they maye be corrected The places of Scripture quoted in this margent be answered before except that of the .20 of the Actes which proueth nothing in controuersie at this tyme. Admonition Nowe to the seconde poynte whiche concerneth ministration of sacramentes In the olde tyme the worde was preached before they were ministred nowe it is supposed to be sufficient if it be read Then they were ministred in publique assemblies nowe in priuate houses Then by ministers onely nowe by midwiues and deacons equally But bicause intreating of both the sacraments together we should deale confusedly we will therfore speake of them seuerally And fyrst for the Lordes Supper or holie Communion Answere The seconde externall note of the true Churche of Christe is ministring of the Sacramentes sincerely you would proue that this Churche of England hath not the Sacramentes sincerely ministred First by thrée generall reasons pertaining to both the Sacramentes then by certain abuses whiche you fynde seuerally in eyther of them The first generall reason is this In olde time the worde was preached
before the Sacraments were ministred now it is supposed to be sufficient if it be read To proue that the worde was preached before the sacrameÌ„ts were ministred you alledge the third of Mathew verse 12. VVhich hath his fanne in his hand and vvil make cleane his flovver and gather his vvheate into his garner but vvill burne vp the chaffe vvith vnquencheable fyre I vnderstand not how you can of this place conclude that there must be of necessitie preaching and not reading before the administration of the Sacraments If you say Iohn preached vnto suche as came vnto his Baptisme and readde not vnto them therefore of necessitie there must be preaching and not reading I denye the argument for it is a common rule that we may not conclude a generall doctrine of a singuler or particuler example and I am sure it is agaynst all rule of Logicke But how if it maye be proued that Iohn did baptyse some without preaching vnto them In that third chapter of Mathew verses .5 and .6 we reade that all Ierusalem and all Iâ—daea and all the region round about Iordan went out to be baptized of him and that they were baptized of him in Iordane confessing their sinnes but we reade not that he did immediatly before preache vnto them and verses .13.14.15 it is manifeste that he did baptize Christe without preaching This is but a slender proofe you vse therby to condemne the sinceritie of our sacraments and administring of them in this Churche There is no man I thinke whiche doth not allowe of preaching before the administration of the Sacraments But it is not therwith ioyned tanquam de necessitate sacramenti as of the necessitie of the sacrament neyther is there any thing here alledged for preaching before the administration of the Lords Supper In déede we reade not that Christ did preache immediatly before the distribution of the Sacrament of his body bloud to his disciples onely he told them that some of them should betray him that he had greatly desired to â—ate that passeouer with them This I write to shewe youre blynde and vnlearned collections not to disallow preaching in the administration of Sacraments But I woulde gladly learne why you doe so greately myslyke of readyng the Scriptures I hope you be not Zwingfildians Is not the worde of God as effectuall when it is read as when it is preached or is not reading preaching Isidorus sayeth that reading bringeth great profite to the hearers Tertulian sayth when wée come togither to the reading of the holy Scriptures wée féede oure faythe wyth those heauenly voyces we rayse vp oure affiaunce wée fasten our hope And againe he calleth the reading of the Scriptures the féeding of our fayth But what néede I speake anye more of a matter so manyfeste You flatly ioyne with the Papist in this For in the confutation of the Apologie of the Churche of Englande mayster Harding calleth reading of the Scriptures to the people in the Churche a spirituall dumbnesse and a thing vnprofitable c. That to reade the scriptures in the church is no newe thing but moste auncient and grounded vppon Gods worde it is manyfest by that whiche is written in the fourth of Luke where the Euangelist sayeth that Christ on the Sabboth day going into the synagoge according to his accustomed manner risse vp to reade and there was deliuered vnto him the booke of the Prophete Esaye and as soone as hée opened the Booke hée founde the place where it was written Spiritus Domini super me c. The Spirite of the Lord vpon me c. Likewyse in the thirtéenth of the Actes wée reade that Paule and other of his companie béeing in the Synagoge on the Sabboth day was sent vnto by the rulers of the Synagoge Post lectronem legis Propherarum after the readyng of the lawe and the Prophets to know if they would make any exhortation to the people Iustinus Martyr Apolog. 2. pro Christianis sayeth that in his tyme the manner was on the Sabboth daye when the people were gathered together to haue the Scriptures read in the publique congregation and in the time of publike Prayer for the space of one whole houre Origene wryting vppon Iosua Homel 15. saythe that the Bookes of the olde Testamente were deliuered by the Apostles to be read in the Churches Cyprian lib. 2. Epists 5. sayth The reader soundeth out the highe and heauenly vvords he readeth out the Gospel of Christ. c. Chrysostome vppon the Actes Hom. 19. The Minister and common Minister standeth vp and cryeth vvyth a loude voyce saying Kepe silence after that the reader beginneth the prophecie of Esay Augustin speaking to the people sayth Yee heard vvhen the Gospell vvas read yee heard erevvhile vvheÌ„ it vvas read if ye gaue eare to the reading dearely beloued vvee haue hearde in the lesson that hath ben read But of reading bothe scriptures and prayers I haue spoken before and mynde to speake something hereafter For my part I muse what you meane in this poynt so to iumpe with the Papists The seconde generall reason is this Then Sacramentes were ministred in publique assemblies nowe in priuate houses The places of Scripture wherby you proue that Sacraments were then ministred in publique assemblies be taken out of the first of S. Marke and .1 Cor. 11. which places of Scripture proue that Iohn did baptize openly that the Lords Supper was ministred in the publique congregation but neyther of them bothe conclude that these Sacraments may not also be ministred vppon any occasion in priuate houses For what sequele is there in this reason all the countrey of Iudaea and they of Ierusalem wente out vnto him and were baptised of him in the riuer of Iordan confessing their sinnes Ergo Baptisme may not be ministred vpon any occasion in priuate houses you may as well conclude that none ought to be baptized but in the riuer of Iordan and none but suche as be able to confesse their sinnes and so you shoulde seclude children from Baptisme as the Anabaptistes doe Baptisme was ministred in Cornelius house Actes 10. The place is not of the substaunce of the Sacraments To the .1 Corin. 11. it is answered before Surely this Churche of England doth not permit the sacraments to be ministred in priuate places except there be a coÌ„gregation and then not vsually but only in certaine cases The thirde generall reason is this Then by ministers onely now by midwiues and deacons equally That then the Sacraments were ministred onely by ministers you alledge the 28. of Mathew whiche place is answered before Likewise .1 Cor. 4. Let a man so thinke of vs as of the ministers of Chryst and disposers of the mysteries of God. Here is not one worde for your purpose Except you take mysteries for sacrameÌ„ts which if you do you are much deceyued for by the word mysteries here he vnderstandeth the worde of God and Gospell of Chryste as all learned writers do
interprete it We reade in the eight of the Actes that Philip béeing a Deacon did baptize we reade also that Moses wyfe did cirumcise But where dothe this Churche of England allow any woman to baptise or deacon to celebrate the Lords supper and if it did the dignitie of the Sacraments doe not depende vpon the man be he minister or not minister be he good or euill Let euery one take héede that they do not vsurpe that authoritie wherevnto they be not called Those be your general reasons which in déede bée no reasons but bare words Your particuler reasons wherby you séeme to proue that neither of the sacraments be sincerely ministred be these that followe And first concerning the Lordes supper you reason on this sort Admonition They had no introite for Celestinus a Pope broughte it in about the yere .430 But we haue borrowed a péece of one out of the Masse booke Answere What you vnderstand here by the introite certaynlie I knowe not The first thing that we say at the Communion is the Lords prayer which Celestinus did not inuente but Chryste Mathew 6. nor first vse in the celebration of the Lordes Supper but the Apostles as we reade in good Chronicles nexte vnto that is a very godly and necessarie prayer worthy to bée sayde in the celebration of suche a mysterie and therfore no matter at all who inuented it or brought it in And yet Celestinus was a godly Byshoppe and the Churche of Rome at that time had the substaunce of the Sacraments according to Gods word neither was there any superstition mixed with them notwithstanding I know not any introite of Celestinus inuention that we haue in our order of the Communion for the introite that he appointed was one of the Psalmes as Volateranus Gratianus and Polydorus Virgilius doe testifie And we have not any Psalme in the celebration of the supper if we had it were not to be reproued This I am sure of that it is not euill bycause it is in the Masse booke excepte it be repugnaunt to the worde of God For the Lordes prayer some of the Psalmes the Gospels and Epistles the Nicene creede c. be in the Masse book and yet good so is there some other good prayers in it also Admonition They read no fragments of the Epistle and Gospell we vse both Answere And what faulte can you finde in that Is not the whole Scripture and euery péece of it profiâ—able 〈◊〉 edifie can the Scripture at any tyme in the open câ—â—gregation be read oute of season béeing in a knowne toung but I thinke your quarell is at reading not agaynst the Epistle and the Gospell Alwayes in the Churche there hath bene read the scriptures in the celebration of the mysteries and I am sure the Gospell was not wont to be read from the one ende to the other at one time Well it is but your opinion without reason that the Epistle and Gospel ought not to be read at that time for you bring no proole and I thinke the contrarie First bicause they be scripture and tend to edifie secondly bicause it hath bene the maner of long time euen since Alexanders time Anno. 111. The third The Nicene creede was not read in their communion we haue it in ours The Nicene Creede and euery parte of it is grounded vppon the worde of God it was collected by that famous Councell of Nyce to confounde that deteâ—table heresie of the Arrians and therefore méete to bée read in all Christian congregations neither â—an any mislike it but Arrians and suche lyke of the which secte you giue iuste suspitions that you bee fautours Thys Créede in this forme was not framed in the Apostles tyme bycause the heresie of Arrius was not then hatched And therfore no good reason to say it was not read in the Apostles tyme at the Communion Ergo it ought not to bée read nowe But this argument is intollerable the Nicene Créede is read at the Communion therefore the Communion is not sincerely ministred All these thrée reasons bée taken ab authoritate negatiuâ— and therefore of no force excepte we will also graunte these to bée true and suche like scilicet â–ª Then they had no â—hristian Princes and therefore we may haue no christian Princes Then they had no ciuill or politike lawes Ergo we ought to haue none Then the Churche had no externall peace but was vnder persecution Ergo it should haue no peace now Then Christians had proprietie in nothing but all things were common Ergo no man may haue any thing of his owns but common to other we doe not reade expressely that children were then baptised therefore they oughte not to be baptised nowe for so do the Anabaptistes reason neither do we reade that women dyd then receyue the Supper therfore they ought not to do it nowe with infinite other as absurde as these The fourth There was then accustomed to be an examination of the communicaÌ„ts which nowe is neglected Howe proue you that there was then any examination of communicants If there had bene either commaundement or example for it in scriptures I am sure you woulde not haue lefte it vnquoted in the margent S. Paule sayth 1. Cor. 11. Probet homo scipfum Let a man examine him selfe c. But be speaketh of no other examination wherefore this reason of yours is altogither friuolous and without reason And yet I do not disalowe the examination of communicants so there be a discrete respect had of the persons places and other circumstaunces neither it is neglected in this Churche of Englande but by learned and discrete ministers with bearning and discretion vsed But note I pray you the force of his argument some ministers neglect to examine the communicants Ergo the Communion is not rightly and sincerely ministred as though the examination of the communicants were of the substance of the sacrament If you woulde reason after your accustomed manner you should rather coÌ„clude thus the Apostles were not examined when they receyued the Communion neither is it expressed in scriptures that they examined others therefore there oughte to bée no such examination this is your vsuall manner of reasoning but it is childish vnlesse it were to conclude damnation or saluation The fifth Then they ministred with common and vsuall bread nowe with wafer cakes brought in by Pope Alexander being in forme fashion substance like their God of the alter The place you alledge Act. 2. which is this And they coÌ„tinued dayly vvith one accorde in the Temple and breaking bread at home did eate their meate togither vvyth gladnesse and singlenesse of harte maketh as muche for your purpose as it maketh for the Papists halfe communion for they alledge it to proue that the supper may be ministred with bread onely But learned interpreters and especially Master Caluyne denie this place to bée mente of the ministration of the supper howsoeuer it is vnderstanded it doth not necessarily
ninth They had no Gloria in excelsis in the ministerie of the sacrament then for it was put to afterwarde We haue nowe It is the common consente of ecclesiasticall histories that the Apostles did celebrate the Lords supper with the Lords prayer and yet we do not read that Christ did so you also teach that the supper oughte not to be ministred without a Sermon and in the ministration thereof you vse diuers prayers and other orders which Christe vsed not Can you spye a mote if it be a mote as it is not in another mans eye and can you not perceiue a beame to be in your owne There is nothing conteined in Gloria in excelsis but the same is taken out of the scriptures and to be vsed of all true Christians Telesphorus whome you note in the margent to haue added to the supper of the Lorde Gloria in excelsis in the yeare of the Lord 130. was a good Byshop and the Church of Rome as yet pure in doctrine and vnspotted with heresie The tenth They toke it with conscience we with custome This is but your presumptuous and arrogant iudgement who dare take vppon you to giue this generall sentence so generally vpon this whole Church of England for you make no exceptiō but set vs ad oppositum to them If you say some take it without conscience I thinke you say truly and so did some of them as Iudas But if you say all or the most parte you goe beyonde your commission and make your selues iudges of other mens consciences contrarie to the rule of Christ Math. 7. Luke 6. and of Paule Rom. 2. ◠14 1. Cor. 4. and of Iames the .4 The eleuenth They shut mē by reason of their sinnes from the Lords supper We thrust thē in their sinne to the Lords supper The place that you alledge out of the fifte Chapter of the firste to the Corinthians which is this But nowe I haue written vnto you that you companie not togither if any that is called a brother be a fornicator c. doth not particulerly touch the secluding of men by reason of their sinnes from the communion but generally prohibiteth true Christians to haue any familiaritie or frendship with any such notorious offender If you were not with malice blinded you mighte easily vnderstande that by the order and rules of this Church of Englād all notorious and knowne offenders euen such as S. Paule here speaketh of are secluded from the Lordes supper But peraduenture your meaning is that no man should be compelled to the Communion at any time wherin you greatly gratifie the Papists and shewe your selfe a good patrone of theirs when you shew any reason why men may not be compelled to come to the Communion then you shal be aunswered In the meane time you are worthy of your fée The twelfth They ministred the sacramentes plainly we pompeously with singing piping surplesse and copewearing This is a very slender reason to proue that the sacrament of the Supper is not sincerely ministred bycause there is singing piping surplesse and cope whē you shew your reasons against that pompe which is nowe vsed in the celebration of that sacrament you shall heare what I haue to saye in the defence of the same I thinke that there is nothing vsed in the administration therof that doth in any respecte contaminate it or make it impure As for piping it is not prescribed to be vsed at the Communion by any rule that I knowe Singing I am sure you do not dissalowe being vsed in al reformed churches and an arte allowed in scriptures vsed in praysing of God by Dauid Of surplesse cope I haue spoken before and will speake more hereafter as occasion is ministred The thirtenth They simply as they receiued it from the lord We sinfully mixed with mans inuentions and deuises There is no suche inuentions or deuises of manne mixed with the Supper of the Lorde as can make it sinfull being all perteyning to edifieng and to good and decent order and nothing there appointed to be done contrary or not agreable to the Scriptures Caluine him selfe saith in his Institutions Li. 4. ca. 10. That those things which be partes of decencie commended vnto vs by the Apostle though they be prescribed by man yet are they gods traditions and not mans as kneeling at solemne prayer and such like The supper it selfe in all points of any momente is ministred nowe in this Churche of Englande euen as Christ deliuered it as the Apostles vsed it and as the Primatiue Churche continued the same These be all the reasons you vse to proue that the sacramente of the Supper is not rightely and sincerely ministred whereof some bée impious some ridiculous and all of them vnworthy any confutation Admonition And as for baptisme it was ynough with them if they had water and the partie to be baptised by faith and the minister to preache the word and minister the sacraments Now we must haue Surplesses deuised by Pope Adrian Interrogatories ministred to the infant Godfathers and Godmothers brought in by Higinus holy fonts inuented by Pope Pius crossing and such like peeces of Poperie which the Churche of God in the Apostles time neuer knew and therfore not to be vsed nay whiche we are sure of were and are mans diuises brought in long after the puritie of the primatiue church Answere The impurities you finde in the administration of baptisme be these surplesse Interrogatories ministred to the infāt godfathers godmothers holy fonts crossing Touching the surplesse and such like apparel I haue spokē before sufficiently the first inuētor of it which you say to be Pope Adrian doth make it neither better nor worse yet it was vsed long before Adrians time neither can you proue him to be the first inuenter therof It is certen that such kind of vesture hath bene vsed in the ministration of the sacramēts long before any corruption of doctrine tooke place in the Churche as it appeareth both by Hierome in his first booke aduersus Pelags where he maketh manifest mention of a white garment vsed in the administration of sacrifice by the Byshop priest deacon And also Chrysostome Hom. 6. to the people of Antioche who speaketh of the like garment worne in the Churche Those that answered the examiner do but childishly cauill at these two places which in déede be plaine of them selues and euident and so is that of Hieromes also vpon the .44 of Ezechiell The religion of God hath one habite in the ministration and another in cōmon vse and life Reade the place considerately it shal easily appeare that Hierome meaneth aswell of Christian ministers as of Iewish priests But of the vse of this and other apparell prescribed in this Churche to be worne by ministers I haue spoken partely before and am ready to speake more as occasion shall be offered In the meane tyme the Surplesse is not of the substaunce of baptisme neither
punished and that sharpely Youre Eldership is not for this tyme and state as it is before declared and yet maye menne bée compelled to render a reason of their faythe if any be doubted of althoughe youre places quoted for that purpose proue no suche thing For Paule the .1 to the Corinth 11. vse 28. willeth a man to examine himselfe before he eate of that breade c. and not to be examined of any other Peter 1. Epist. cha 3 vs. 15. willeth euery christian man to be redy without fear in time of persecution to render a reason or defence for the Greke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of his fayth not at all tymes to euery man as maister Caluine him selfe noteth vppon that place Of the authoritie of statutes and Iniunctions it perteyneth not to my facultie to determine I leaue that to suche as list to contende with the Prince for hir authoritie in suche cases This only I saye that if it be breade whether it be wafer cake or loafe breade the matter is not great as it is before declared Of sitting and knéeling at the Communion I haue spoken before knéeling is no shewe of euill but of an humble reuerent and deuoute mynde Of excommunication you haue spoken nothing hitherto and therfore it commeth in here out of place we shall haue afterwarde more occasion to speake of it Surely the Papistes haue to thanke you that you woulde not haue them constrayned to come to the Communion Thys one lesson of libertie hathe made all the stubborne and stiffenecked Papistes in Englande great patrons and fautours of your booke you myghte as well haue sayd that you woulde haue euery man fréely professe what religion hée list without controlemente and so set all at libertie which is your séeking The Sacraments are ministred in as great puritie simplicitie as euer they were since ther was any Church established neyther are you able to proue the contrarie I muse what you meane to saye on this sorte The parties to be baptized if they bee of the yeares of discretion c. You knowe that in this Churche of England none tarrie for Baptisme so long except it bée in some secrete congregation of Anabaptists The place alledged out of the thirde of Matthew telleth howe they that were baptized confessed their sinnes it speaketh nothing of any confession of fayth It is well that you admitte some to answere for the Infant in the absence of the parente and why not in hys presence too what Scripture haue you that the parente at the baptizyng of hys chylde shoulde make a rehersall of his fayth and desyre that his chyld should bée therein baptyzed Thys I desyre to knowe for myne owne learnyng for I neyther remember anye suche thyng in Scripture neyther yet in any auncient wryter I doe herein but desyre to bée enstructed I knowe not what you meane when you saye That in the absence of the parentes some one of the congregation knowing the good behauiour and sounde faith of the parentes may both make a rehersall of their faith and also if their fayth be sounde and agreeable to holie Scriptures desyre in the same to be baptised What if the parentes be of euill behauiour What if it be the chylde of a drunkarde or of an harlot What if the parentes bée Papists What if they be heretikes what if they erre in some poynte or other in matters of faythe shall not their children be baptized herein you haue a further meaning than I can vnderstande And I feare fewe doe perceyue the poyson that lyeth hydde vnder these woordes Maye not a wycked father haue a good chylde Maye not a Papiste or heretike haue a beléeuing sonnes Wil you seclude for the parents sake béeing himself baptized his séede from baptisme Surely your fansies nay your daungerous errours wil burst out one day in more playne maner This reformation you séeke for and desire were rather a deformation naye a confusion and whilest you will nothing to bée doone but that for the whiche there is expresse warrant in Gods worde you your selues prescribe that whiche is not to be found in all Gods worde Admonition Let vs come nowe to the thirde part whiche concerneth ecclesiasticall discipline the officers that haue to deale in this charge are chiefely three Ministers Preachers or Pastours of whome before Seniors or elders Deacons Concernyng Seniors not onely their office but their name also is out of this english Churche vtterly remoued Their office was to gouerne the Churche with the reste of the ministers to consult to admonishe to correcte and to order all things apperteyning to the state of the congregation Answere What Scripture haue you to proue that suche Seniors as you meane and Deacons had any thing to doe in Ecclesiasticall discipline I thinke the onely discipline that wée haue in the whole new Testament except you wil make admonition and exhortation a parte of it is excommunication and the execution of that is onely committed to the ministers of the worde Math. 16. Iohn 20. Examples hereof we haue .1 Cor. 5. 1. Tim. 1. ad Titum 3. Basilius Magnus in his seconde Booke De officijs Cap. 27. testifyeth the same Theodoretus bishop of Laodicêa did by himselfe alone excommunicate both Apollinaries for kéeping companie with that wicked Sophister Epiphanius as Sozomenus writeth Lib. 6. cap. 25. So did Ambrose excommunicate Theodosius the Emperour and is therfore in all stories greatly commended I reade in the fifth Chapter of the first to the Corinthians that the incestuous Corinthian was excōmunicated publiquely in the presence of the whole congregation But I reade neyther of Senior nor Deacon called as officers to the same Sainct Paule himselfe sayth Ego quidem vt absens corpore praesens spiritu iam decreui tanquam praesens vt is c. I truly as absent in the bodie but present in spirite haue determined as present that he c. Whiche manifestly argueth that Ius excommunicandi was in Paule and not in the rest But all is Scripture that you speake howe farre soeuer it is from the true meaning and sense of the Scripture To proue that the office of Seniors was to gouerne the Churche with the rest of the Ministers to consult to admonishe to correct and to order all thinges apperteyning to the state of the congregation you alledge Actes 14. and the first Corin. 12. In the .14 of the Acts it is written that Paule and Barnabas ordeyned elders at Antioche in euery Churche but there is not one woord spoken of their office and therefore that texte serueth not youre purpose You haue alledged this selfe same place twice béefore to proue that no minister of the worde oughte to bée placed in anye Congregation but by consente of the people and that the election of mynisters oughte to bée by the congregation Nowe you alledge it to proue the office of your Seniors can it bothe be ment of Seniors and of the ministers of the
worde béeing as you saye distincte offices will you thus dallie with the Scripture and make it a nose of waxe as the Papistes terme it to wrest and writhe it whiche waye you liste Here you muste néedes confesse eyther contradiction in your selues or falsification In the .1 Cor. 12. Sainct Paule sayeth that God hath ordeyned in the Churche firste Apostles then Prophetes thirdly teachers then them that doe miracles after that the giftes of teaching helpers gouernours diuersities of toungs here is not one worde of the office of Seniors neyther yet of their names For this worde gouernours teacheth vs that Christe hath ordeyned in his Churche some to beare rule and to gouerne but whether one in euery congregation or mo whether ministers of the worde or other whether magistrates or Seniors it is not here expressed howsoeuer it is it maketh nothing for your purpose I knowe that in the primatiue Churche they had in euery Churche certaine Seniors to whom the gouernement of the Congregation was committed but that was before there was any christian Prince or magistrate that openly professed the Gospell and before there was anye any Churche by publique authoritie established or vnder ciuile gouernement both the names and offices of Seniors was extinguished before Ambrose tyme as hée himselfe dothe testifie writing vpon the fift of the first to Timo. I tolde you before that the diuersitie of tyme and state of the Churche requireth diuersitie of gouernement in the same It can not be gouerned in tyme of prosperitie as it is in tyme of persecution It maye not be gouerned vnder a christian Prince which doth nourish and maynteyne it as it maye bée vnder a tyrant when it is constrayned to flée and séeke corners It can not bée gouerned in a whole Realme as it may be in one little Citie or towne it can not be gouerned when it is dispersed thorough many places as it maye be when it is collected into some one narrow and certaine place To bée shorte it can not be gouerned when it is full of hypocrites Papists Atheists and other wicked persons as when it hath very fewe or none suche As commonly it hathe not in tyme of persecution when the golde is as it were by fyre tryed from the drosse He that according to thys diuersitie of the forme state and tyme of the Churche doothe not allowe a diuersite of gouernemente dothe confounde and not edifye I praye you what Seniors coulde you haue in moste parishes in Englande fitte for that office But wyse not wilfull men haue to consider this God hath giuen the chiefe gouernement of his Churche to the Christian Magistrate who hath to consider what is moste conuenient and wée must therwith be content so that nothing be doone agaynst faythe and the commaundement of God. Admonition In steade of these Seniors in euery Church the Pope hath brought in and yet we maintein the lordship of one man ouer sundry Churches yea ouer many shires Answere You alledge in the margent in these words in the .12 to the Ro. he that exhorteth let him wayte on exhortation he that distributeth let him doe it with simplicitie hee that ruleth with diligence hee that sheweth mercye with cheerefulnesse To proue that in steade of these Seniors in euery Churche the Pope hath broughte in and wée yet maynteyne the Lordship of one man ouer many Churches c I knowe not howe this geare hangeth together or to what purpose you shoulde alledge that place It neyther proueth that in euery Churche there was Elders neyther that in place of them the pope hathe broughte in the Lordship of one man ouer many Churches I haue proued before in my aunswere to youre thirtéenth and fourtéenth reason that this Lordshippe of one man as you terme it but in deede lawfull iurisdiction ouer sundrye Churches was not the inuention of anye Pope but of great antiquitie in the Churche of Christe allowed by that famous Councell of Nice and practised since of moste godly and learned fathers In the nynth Cannon Concil Anno. it is thus written Per singulas regiones Episcopos conuenit nosse Metropolitanum Episcopum solicitudinem totius Prouinciae gerere propter quod ad Metropolim omnes vndique qui negotia videntur habere concurrant vnde placuit eum honore praecellere nihil amplius praeter eum caeteros Episcopos agere secundum antiquam à patribus nostris regulam constitutam nisi ea tantum quae ad suam Dioecesim pertinent c. It behoueth the Bishoppes in euery countrey to knowe theyr Metropolitane Bishop to haue care ouer the vvhole Prouince and therefore all suche as haue any businesse must come to their Metropolitane Citie vvherfore it pleaseth this Councell that hee also excell in honoure and that the other Bishoppes doe nothing vvithout him according to the aunciente rule prescribed by our forefathers but those thinges onely vvhiche perteyne to his owne Dioces c. Thys Councell was aboute the yeare of our Lorde 345. Admonition These Seniors then bicause their charge was not ouer muche did execute their office in their owne persons without substitutes Our Lorde Byshops haue their vnder officers as suffraganes Chauncelors Archdeacons Officials Commissaries and such like Answere You barely affirme without any proofe that these Seniors then did execute their offices in their owne persons without substitutes But your bare worde is not of sufficient credite although I thinke you wyll make a great difference betwixt Seniors and Byshops For they whome you call Seniors had no authoritie to preach or to minister the sacraments as Byshops haue That Byshops might haue substitutes and had so it is manyfest in the .13 Cannon Ancâ—rani concilij whiche was about the yere of our Lorde thrée hundred and eight and before Nicene councell where we reade on this sorte Vicarijs Episcoporum quos graeci coepiscopos vocant non licet vel presbyteros vel diacâ—nos ordinare sed nec presbyteris Ciuitatis sine Episcopi praecepto amplius aliquid ordinare nec sine authoritate literarum eiâ—â— in vnaquaque parochia aliquid agere It is not lawfull for Byshops substitutes whom the Gretians do call felow Byshops or coadiutors to order either priests or deacons neither is it lawfull to the priests of the Citie without the Byshops authoritie to commaunde any thing else or without the authoritie of his letters to do any thing in any parishe It is manyfest hereby that Byshops then had Deputies whether you will call them Chauncellors Commissaries c. the matter is not great To contend for the name when the thing is certayne is a note of a contentious person Admonition Touching Deacons though their names be remaining yet is the office fouly peruerted and turned vpside downe for their duetie in the primatiue Church was to gather the almes diligently and to distribute it faythfully also for the sicke impotent persons to prouide painfully hauing euer a diligent care that the charitie of godly men were
not wasted vpon loyterers and idle vagabounds Nowe it is the first steppe to the ministerie nay rather a mere order of priesthoode Answere In the whole .xij. chapiter of the Epistle to the Romanes there is not one worde to proue the office of a Deacon to consist in gathering almes and distributing the same neither yet dothe he speake there of the office of a Deacon no more dothe he in the thirde Chapiter of the seconde Epistle to the Thessalo Lorde God what meane you thus to play with the scriptures It is true that in the primatiue Churche the office of a Deacon was to collecte and prouide for the poore but not onely for it was also their office to preache and to baptise for Stephen and Philippe béeing Deacons dyd preache the Gospell Act. 6.7.8 And Philip dyd baptyse the Eunuche Act. 8. Iustinus Martyr one of the moste auncient writers in his seconde Apologie sayth that in the administration of the Supper deacons did distribute the bread and the wine to the people The same doth master Caluine affirme of deacons in his Instit. ca. 19. It may well be compted the first steppe to the ministerie as it hath bene from the Apostles time and S. Paule ioyneth them togither 1. Tim. 3. Admonition For they may baptise in the presence of a Bishop or priest or in their absence if necessitie so require minister the other sacrament likewise reade the holy scriptures and homilies in the congregation instruct the youth in the Cathechisme and also preache if he be commaunded by the Byshop Answere I know not what you meane by your Ponti tit in the margent of your booke but if you meane the booke entituled the forme and maner of making and consecrating Byshops c. now allowed in this Church of Englande then do you vntruely reporte it for there is no mention of baptising in the presence of a Byshop or Priest neither yet of ministring the other sacrament in their absence if necessitie require onely the booke sayth that a deacon may baptise or preach if he be thervnto admitted by the Byshop and that he may so do by the worde of God I haue proued before As for reading the holy scriptures and Homilies in the congregation also for instructing the youth in the Cathechisme who doubteth but that a deacon may do them Admonition Agayne in the olde Churche euery congregation had their Deacons Answere O how aptely you haue alledged the Scriptures to proue that euery congregation had their deacons In the first to the Philip. these be the words Paule and Timotheus c. to all the Saincts which are at Philippi with the Bishops and Deacons Paule and Timotheus salute the Byshops Deacons which were at Philippi Therfore in those dayes euery congregation had their Deacons a straunge kind of reasoning you might well haue thus concluded Ergo at Philippi there was Deacons But surely this argument is too muche out of square there was Deacons at Philippi therfore euery congregation had their Deacons In the .13 of S. Iohn verse .27 these be the wordes And after the soppe Sathan entred into him then sayde Iesus vnto him that thou doste do quickly After supper Sathan entred into Iudas and Iesus sayde vnto him that thou doste do quickly Therefore euery congregation had their Deacons No maruell though your margent be pestred with Scriptures when you take libertie to make ex quolibet quidlibet Peraduēture you meane that Iudas was a Deacon as he was not but an Apostle bicause he carried the bagge and that some of the Apostles thought that Christ had bid him giue somwhat to the poore belike whosoeuer giueth a peny to the poore at his masters commaundement is with you a Deacon In the sixt of the Acts we learne that there were chosen seauen Deacons but there is not one worde to proue that euery congregation had their Deacons In the third of the first to Timothie S. Paule sheweth what qualities and conditions a Deacon ought to haue but not one worde of deacons béeing in euery congregation This is great audacitie thus manifestly to wring the scriptures without all colour or shew of reason Admonition Now they are tyed to Cathedrall Churches only what do they there gather the almes and distribute it to the poore nay that is the least peece or rather no parte of their function What then to sing a Gospell when the Bishop ministreth the Communion If this be not a peruerting of this office and charge let euery one iudge Answere I am sure you are not offended that there be Deacons in Cathedrall Churches For if they ought to be in euery congregatiō they ought to be there also and yet I know no such order now in Cathedrall Churches that they be more bounde to Deacons in the respecte of reading the Gospell thā other Churches be But admitte they were it is no peruerting of the office of a Deacon being incident to his office aswell to reade the Scriptures in the congregation and to exhorte as to giue almes and distribute to the poore For the state of the Churche is not nowe as it was in the Apostles tyme neyther is that parte of the office of a Deacon so necessary nowe as it was then being lawes and orders otherwise to prouide for the poore than there either was then or coulde haue bene Admonition And yet least the reformers of our time shold seeme vtterly to take out of gods Church thys necessarie function they appointe something to it concerning the pore and that is to search for the sicke needy and impotent people of the parrish and to intimate their estates names and places where they dwell to the Curate that by his exhortation they may be releeued by the parrish or other conuenient almes And thys you see is the nighest parte of his office and yet you must vnderstande it to be in suche places where there is a Curate and Deacō euery parrishe cannot be at that cost to haue both nay no parrish so farre as can be gathered at thys present hath Answere And what faulte can you finde herewith is not thys greatly to be commended If euery parrishs cannot be at the cost to haue both Curate and Deacon why do you require them both in euery parrish Why do you not thinke well of suche lawes as appoint collectours for the poore which may aswell prouide for them and better too than could the Deacon who must be susteyned himselfe with that which the poore should haue Admonition Now then ▪ if you will restore the Churche to his ancient officers this you must do In stead of an Archbyshop or Lorde Byshop you must make equalitie of ministers Answere I haue proued before that aswell the name as office of an Archbishop is both most auncient and also most necessarie in the Church of Christ and that this equalitie of ministers which you require is both flatly against the scriptures and all aunciente authoritie of councells and learned
no one man can discharge suche a cure and therfore he hath appoynted in his Churche diuers Byshops diuers Princes many Gouernours But one Prince may suffise to gouerne one kingdome and one Archebyshoppe one Prouince as chéefe and principall ouer the rest one Byshop one Dioces one Pastor one parishe neither doth the Apostle speake any thing to the contrarie In the .xij. to the Romanes it is thus written he that ruleth with diligence What maketh this for your purpose or how can you wring it to your assertion In the .5 of the .1 to Timothie The Elders that rule well are worthy of double honour c. Paule sheweth in these words that suche are worthy their stipende and rewarde which rule well in the Churche and do their dueties diligently But what is that to your assertion The places alledged out of the fiftenth of the Actes bée of the like sorte Wheresoeuer mention is made in the Scriptures of gouernours or Elders that you alledge to improue the gouernement of one man wherein you shewe a greate wante of iudgement And yet there is no one person in this Realme the Prince onely excepted which hath suche absolute iurisdiction as you woulde make youre disciples beléeue But youre meaning is that Chryste lefte the whole gouernement of hys Churche to the Pastor and to some foure or fyue of the Parishe besides whiche you are not able to proue and your places of Scripture alledged signifie no such matter In déede as Ambrose saith writing vppon the .5 of the .1 to Timothie The Sinagoge and after the Church had seniors without whose counsell nothing was done in the Churche but that was before his time and before there was any Christian Magistrates or any Churche established neyther is there any authoritie in the whole Bible that enforceth or prescribeth that kynde of gouernement as necessarie or conueniente for all tymes no more than there is to proue that in the Churche there muste be alwayes suche as haue power to worke miracles or that haue the gift of healing and such lyke whiche offices notwithstanding are mencioned as well as gouernours in the first to the Corinth 12. Well sayth Musculus in his common places Tit. de magistratis Si reuocas temporum illorum mores primum conditiones statum quoque illorum reuoca If thou vvilt vse the manners of that tyme firste call againe the condition and state of that tyme That is let vs be withoute christian Magistrates as they were let vs be vnder tyrantes and persecutors as they were c. You say it is more easie for the wicked by brybing to peruerte corrupt one man thā to peruert ouerthrow the faith and pietie of a zealous godly cōpanie And therfore better the gouernment of the Church to bée committed to many than to one If this reason be good thē the more there be that rule the better is the gouernement and so popularis status erit optimus reipublicae status against all both diuinitie and Philosophie For we sée that God himselfe in his common weale of Israell did alwayes allowe the gouernement and superioritie of one ouer the rest bothe in the tyme of Iudges and after in the tyme of the kings And in the new Testament we may also sée that kynde of gouernement moste allowed of .1 Peter .2 But I will not here reason with you in this matter and call that into question whiche hath ben by so many learned menne determined and by the examples of all good common weales confirmed You that woulde haue all brought to suche a popularitie I pray you tell me in how many parishes in Englande coulde you fynde suche Pastors and suche Seniors as you say should be In those places that be gouerned by many doe you not sée what contention there is what enimitie what factions what partes taking what confusion what little good order obserued what carelesnesse and dissolutenesse in all manner of behauiour I coulde make this manifest by examples if I were disposed In the .18 of Exodus which place you quote to proue that Seniors ought to be zelous and godly Iethro giueth Moyses counsell not to wearie himselfe in hearing all matters that be brought vnto him but rather to commit the hearing determining of smaller matters to others And therefore verse .21 he sayth Prouide thou among all the people men of courage fearing God men dealyng truly hating couetousnesse and appoint such ouer them to be rulers ouer thousandes rulers ouer hundredes rulers ouer fifties and rulers ouer tennes c. This maketh nothing for Seniors Moses here was chiefe these were but his vnder officers placed by himselfe This place serueth well for the gouernement of one Prince ouer one whole realme and giueth him good counsell what vnder officers he ought to choose To the same effecte and purpose is that spoken and written which you cite out of the fyrst of Deuteron vse .13 Admonition Then it was sayd tell the Churche nowe it is spoken complayne to my Lordes grace Primate and Metropolitane of all England or to hys inferioure my Lorde Bishoppe of the Diocesse if not to him shewe the Chancelloure or Officiall or Commissarie or Doctoure Answere As it was said thē so ought you and may you say now In priuate offences if priuate admonitiōs will not serue then must you declare them to the Churche either by reprehending of them publiquely before the whole cōgregation if you be called therevnto for that is one kinde of telling the Churche or else by complayning to suche as haue authoritie in the Church for in that place of Matthew as all learned interpreters both old and new doe determine the Church signifieth such as haue authoritie in the Churche Therefore when you complaine to my Lords grace Lord Byshop of the dioces or their Chauncelloures Commissaries c you tell the Church that is suche as be appointed to be publique Magistrates in the Church according to the very true sense and interpretation of that place Admonition Agayne whereas the excommunicate were neuer receyued tyll they had publiquely confessed their offence Now for paying the fees of the Courte they shall by mayster Officiall or Chauncelloure easyly be absolued in some priuate place Then the congregation by the wickednesse of the offendoure greeued was by publique penaunce satisfied Nowe absolution shall be pronounced though that be not accomplished Then the partie offending shuld in his owne person heare the sentence of absolution pronounced Nowe Bishops Archdeacons Chauncellours Officials Commissaries and suche like absolue one man for an other And this is that order of ecclesiasticall discipline which all godly wishe to be restored to the ende that euery one by the same may bee kept within the limittes of his vocation and a greate number be broughte to liue in godly conuersation Answere If Chauncellors Cōmissaries c. do as you here charge them they do that whiche by Gods lawe they can not iustifie But I acknowledge my
lacke of experience in such matters and therefore I can say little in them Let them answere for themselues they be of age sufficient Admonition Not that wee meane to take awaye the authoritie of the ciuile magistrate and chiefe gouernour to whome we wishe all blessednesse for the increase of whose godlinesse we dayly pray but that Christe being restored into his kingdome to rule in the same by the scepter of his worde and seuere discipline the prince may be better obeyed the realme more flourishe in godlynesse and the Lorde him selfe more syncerely and purely accordynge to his reuealed will serued than heretofore he hath ben or yet at this present is Answere I will not speake what I thinke your former assertions agrée not with this protestation Christ ruleth in hys Churche by the godlie Magistrate whom he hath placed ouer his Churche and to whom he hath committed hys Churche touching externall policie and gouernemente and whosoeuer therewith is not content or setteth hym selfe against it playeth the parts of Corah Dathan and Abiram and be occasions why neyther the Prince is obeyed as she ought to be nor God so truly serued c. Admonition Amende therefore these horrible abuses and reforme Gods Church the Lorde is on your right hande you shall not be remoued for euer For he wil deliuer and defend you from all your enimies eyther at home or abroade as he did faithfull Iacob and good Iehosaphat Let these things alone God is a righteous iudge he will one day call you to your reckening Answere The greatest abuse that I knowe in this Churche is that you and such as you are be suffred to do as you doe and with your schismes to trouble the peace of the church and to contemne those that be in authoritie other abuses that be in the same I doubt not but that they shall by due order be reformed Admonition Is a reformation good for Fraunce and can it be euill for England Is discipline meete for Scotlande and is it vnprofitable for this realme Surely God hath sette these examples before your eyes to encourage you to goe forewarde to a thorowe and a speedie reformation You may not doe as heretofore you haue done patche and peece nay rather goe backewarde and neuer labour or contend to perfection But altogither remoue whole Antichrist both head bodie and braunche and perfectely plante that puritie of the word that simplicitie of the Sacramentes that seueritie of discipline which Christe hath commaunded and commended to his Churche Answere Hath there bene no reformation in this Churche of Englande since the Quéenes maiesties reigne what say you to the abolishing of the vsurped power of the Bishop of Rome what saye you to the banishing of the Masse Nay what say you to the puritie of doctrine in al points perteining to saluation is this no reformation with you O intollerable vnthankfulnesse England is not bound to the example eyther of France or Scotlande I would they bothe were if it pleased God touching religion in that state and condition that England is I would Antichrist were as farre from them remoued The Lorde make vs thankefull and continue this reformation wée haue and graunte peace to his Churche and eyther conuerte the hartes of those that be enimies vnto it or remoue them Admonition And here to ende we desire al to suppose that we haue not attempted this enterprise for vain glory gaine preferment or any other wordly respecte Answere I would to God you were as frée frō vaine glory ambition malice and other sinister affections as you would séeme to be But no indifferente man reading your booke will so thinke of you for besids the opprobrious vnsemely termes you vse towards your superiours your admonition smelleth altogether of popularitie and vayne glory Admonition Neyther yet iudging our selues so exactly to haue set out the state of a Churche reformed as that nothing more coulde be added or a more perfect forme and order drawne for that were greate presumption to arrogate so muche vnto our selues seing that as we are but weake and simple soules so God hath raised vp men of profound iudgement and notable learning Answere And yet in the beginning of youre booke you call it a true platforme of a Churche reformed and I dare saye you thinke it to be as perfect a forme of a Church as all the best learned godliest men in the world could frame For it is wel known that men of your disposition think commonly as well of themselues as they do of any man else and better too But we graunt vnto you that you are so farre from setting downe a perfect state of a Churche reformed that you maye rather be called confounders and deformers than buylders and reformers Admonition But therby to declare our good wils toward the setting forth of Gods glorie and the buylding vp of his Church accompting this as it were but an entrāce into further matter hoping that our God who hathe in vs begonne thys good worke wil not only in tyme hereafter make vs strong and able to go forward therin but also moue other vpon whom he hath bestowed greter measure of his gifts and graces to labour more thorowly and fully in the same Answere God graunte you maye become buylders and not destroyers I thinke in déede you haue but begon I know there is other opinions among you which be not yet cōmonly knowne and truly I doubte that you will neuer ende but from tyme to tyme coyne new deuises to trouble the Church vntil you haue brought that heauie plage of GOD vppon vs whiche the lyke kynde of men thorough their schismes and heresies haue brought vpon all those places almoste where any of the Apostles preached and where the Gospell was first planted and commonly before ruine and destruction commeth inwarde discorde and domesticall dissention The Lorde make vs thankefull for the puritie of his Gospell that wée by his mercie enioy The Lorde roote out schismes and factions from among vs and either conuert or confounde the authors of them The Lorde of his singular goodnesse continue our gracious Quéene Elizabeth vnto vs and giue vs faithfull and obediente heartes to his worde and to hir Maiestie Amen AFter I had ended this confutation of the Admonition there comes to my hande a newe edition of the same wherin some things be added some detracted and some altered which I thought good here breefly to set downe and to examine that it may be séene what these men haue learned since they published their first booke Additions detractions and alterations in the first part of the Admonition In the preface to Archbishops Bishops Suffragans Deanes c. they haue added Uniuersitie doctors and bachelers of diuinitie It should seme that they would haue a confusion of degrées which they cal equalitie aswell in Uniuersities as in Parishes and other their imagined congregations marke whether this geare tende not to the ouerthrowe of
An Answere to the seconde parte of the Libell called An admonition to the Parliament and entituled A view of Popishe abuses yet remayning in the English Church for the which godlie ministers haue refused to subscribe Admonition WHere as immediatly after the laste parliament holden at Westmynster begon in Anno. 1570. and ended in Anno 1571. the ministers of gods holy word and Sacraments were called before hir maiesties high Cōmissioners and enforced to subscribe vnto the articles if they would kepe their places and liuings and some for refusing to subscribe were vnbrotherly and vncharitably entreated and from their offices and places remoued May it please therefore this honorable and high Court of Parliament in cōsideration of the premises to take a view of such causes as then did withholde and now doth the foresaide Ministers from subscribing and consenting vnto those foresaide articles by way of purgation to discharge them selues of all disobedience towardes the Church of God and their soueraigne and by way of most humble entreatie for the remouing away and vtter abolishing of all suche corruptions and abuses as withhelde them through whiche this long time brethren haue bene at vnnaturall warre and strife among them selues to the hinderance of the Gospell to the ioy of the wicked and to the griefe and dismay of all those that professe Christes religion and laboure to attaine Christian reformation Answere You complayne much of vnbrotherly vncharitable entreating of you of remouing you from your offices and places Surely in this point I must compare you to certayne heretikes that were in Augustines time who most bitterly by sundry meanes afflicting and molesting the true ministers of the Churche yet for all that cried out that they were extreamly dealte with and cruelly persecuted by them or else vnto a shrewd and vngratious wife which beating hir husbande by hir clamorous cōplaints maketh hir neighbours beleue that hir husband beateth hir or to him that is mētioned in Erasmus colloquies that did steale and runne away with the Priests purse and yet cried alwaies as he ranne stay the thiefe stay the thiefe and thus crying escaped and yet he was the thiefe him selfe You are as gentlie entreated as may be no kinde of brotherly perswasion omitted towardes you most of you as yet kepe your liuings though some one or two be displaced you are offered all kind of friendlinesse if you could be contente to conforme your selues yea but to be quiet and holde your peace you on the contrary side most vnchristianly and most vnbrotherly both publikely and priuately raile on those that shew this humanitie towards you slaunder them by all meanes you can and most vntruly report of them séeking by all meanes their discredit Againe they as their allegiance to the Prince dutie to lawes requireth yea and as some of them by oth are bounde do execute that discipline whiche the Prince the lawe and their oth requireth You contrary to al obedience duty and oth openly violate break those lawes orders and statutes which you ought to obey and to the which some of you by oth is bounde If your doings procéede in dede from a good conscience then leaue that liuing and place whiche bindeth you to those things that be against your conscience for why shold you striue with the disquietnesse both of your selues and others to kepe that liuing which by laws you cannot excepte you offende against your cōscience or what honestie is there to sweare to statutes and lawes and when you haue so done cōtrarie to your oth to breake thē and yet still to remaine vnder them and enioy that place which requireth obedience and subiectiō to them For my parte I thinke it much better by remouing you from your liuings to offende you than by suffering you to enioy them to offend the prince the lawe conscience and god And before God I speake it if I were persuaded as you séeme to be I would rather quietly forsake all the liuinges I haue than be an occasion of strife and contention in the Church a cause of stumbling to the weake reioysing to the wicked I know God would prouide for me if I did it bona conscientia yea surely I would rather die than be an author of schismes a disturber of the common peace and quietnesse of the Churche and state There is no reformed Churche that I can heare tell of but it hath a certayne prescripte and determinate order aswell touching ceremonies and discipline as doctrine to the which all those are constrayned to giue their consent that will liue vnder the protection of it and why then may not this Churche of England haue so in like manner Is it méete that euery man should haue his owne phansie or liue as him list Truly I know not whervnto these your doings can tende but either to Anabaptisme or to méere confusion But nowe to the reasons that moue you not to subscribe to those articles ministred vnto you by hir Maiesties highe Commissioners The first article First that the booke cōmonly called the boke of common prayers for the Church of Englād authorised by parliamente and all and euery contents therin be suche as are not repugnant to the word of God. Admonition Albeit right honorable and dearely beloued we haue at all times borne with that whiche we could not amend in this booke and haue vsed the same in our ministerie so farre forth as we might reuerencing those times and those persons in whiche and by whome it was first authorised being studious of peace and of the building vp of Christes Church yet now being compelled by subscription to allow the same and to confesse it not to be against the worde of God in any point but tollerable we must nedes say as followeth that this booke is an vnperfecte booke culled and picked out of the popish dunghill the masse booke full of all abhominations for some and many of the contents therin be such as are against the worde of God as by his grace shal be proued vnto you And by the way we cannot but muche maruell at the craftie wilinesse of those men whose partes it had bene first to haue proued each and euery cōtente therin to be agreable to the word of god seing that they force mē by subscription to consente vnto it or else sende them packing from their callings Answere And what reason can you giue why you should not aswell allowe of it by subscription as you saye that you haue hitherto done by vsing of it in your ministerie Will you speake on thing and do another will you not subscribe to that whiche you publiquely vse and giue your cōsent vnto If those persons by whome this booke was first authorised were studious of peace and of bulding vp of Christes Church as you say they were then you that séeke to deface it are disturbers of peace and destroyers of the Church of Christ. They were singuler learned men zelous in Gods religion blamelesse in life
and Martirs at their end for eyther all or the most parte of them haue sealed this boke with their bloud But by the way this is to be noted that you confesse your selues to haue allowed that by vsing of it which you say is against the worde of God. The vnperfectnesse of this booke 〈◊〉 suche things in the same as be culled and picked out of that popish dunghill the masse booke wyth the contents therin that be against the worde of God shal apeare I am sure in your seuerall reasons for it is not sufficiente for you barely to say so withoute wit learning or reason This you know right well that in so saying you make the Papists leape for ioy bycause they haue gotten suche companions to assault this booke whilest they rest them and lye as it were in slepe O that the wise men of thys Realme suche I meane as be in authoritie sée not thys Popish practise and séeke not with more earnestnesse to preuent it Will ye suffer the Papists to gather strength and to multiplie by tollerating suche libellers vnder the pretence of reformation to discredit so muche as lyeth in them yea to ouerthrowe the whole state and substance of religion in this Church be not secure but watche and remēber the beginning and encrease of the Anabaptists of late in Germany which I haue described in my preface to this booke You saye that you can not but muche maruell at the craftye wylynesse of those menne whose partes it had bene firste to haue proued eache and euery contente therein to bee agreeable to Gods woorde c. Nay surely but it were youre partes rather to proue that there is some thing therein contrary or not agréeable to Gods worde For suche as bée learned and knowe the manner of reasoning saye that the Opponente muste proue or improue and not the Aunswerer They stande to the defence and mayntenaunce of the Booke you séeke to ouerthrowe it it is youre partes therefore to iustifie youre assertions by reasons and argumentes Nowe to your reasons Admonition The first is this They shoulde firste proue by the worde of God that a readyng Seruice going before and with the administration of the Sacraments is according to the worde of God that priuate communiō priuate baptisme baptisme ministred by women holydaies ascribed to saints prescript seruices for them kneeling at Communion wafer cakes for their bread whē they minister it surplesse and cope to do it in churching of women comming in vayles abusing the Psalme to hir I haue lifted vp mine eyes vnto the hilles c. and suche other foolish thinges are agreable to the written worde of the almightie Answere I do not well vnderstand your meaning woulde you haue vs to proue that to reade prayers before and with the administration of the sacraments is according to the word of god In déede in the booke of seruice there is first appointed to be read some one or two profitable sentences mouing either to prayer or to repentance after followeth a generall confession then the Lords prayer and certaine Psalmes nexte certaine Chapiters out of the olde and newe testamente c. Last of all the administration of the Sacramente If you aske me of the sentences they be Scripture If of the Lords prayer Psalmes and chapiters they be scripture also If of the Sacrament of the supper it is according to Scripture Math. 26. Mar. 14. Luc. 22. 1. Cor. 11. If of the other prayers annexed they be likewise according to the scripture for they be made to God in Christes name for suche things as we néede or as we desire according to that saying of christ Quicquid petieritis c. VVhatsoeuer you aske my father in my name c. And again Petite dabitur vobu Aske and it shal be giuen vnto you Math. 7. and. Iacob 1. If any of you lacke wisdome let him aske it c. 1. Ti. 2. with other infinite places besides If you would haue vs to proue that to reade prayers or scripture in the Churche is according to the worde of God whiche you séeme to denie then we say vnto you that if there were any pietie in you any religiō any learning you would make no such vaine and godlesse doubts Was there euer any from the beginning of the worlde to thys daye the Zwinfildians onely excepted that mysliked reading of prayers and Scriptures in the Church but you But touching reading in the Churche I haue spoken before in the former treatise and minde to speake something of it hereafter as occcasion shal be ministred If you meane by priuate communion the communion ministred to one alone there is no suche allowed in the booke of common prayers but if you call it priuate bycause it is ministred sometime in priuate houses to sicke persons Then haue we the example of Christ who ministred the supper in a priuate house and inner parlor Marc. 14. Luc. 22. Math. 26. We haue also the example of the Apostles them selues who did minister the Supper in priuate houses especially if that place bée vnderstanded of the supper whiche is in the seconde of the Actes and before alleadged of you to proue that common and vsuall bread oughte to be in the supper Likewise of the primatiue Churche as appeareth in the seconde Apologie of Iustinus Martyr Tertul. de corona militis and others If you meane by priuate baptisme baptisme ministred in priuate houses and families you haue therof example in the Scriptures Acts. 10. other priuate baptisme allowed in the church of Englande I know none Master Bucer in his censure vppon the Communion booke speaking of the order appoynted in the same for priuate baptisme writeth thus In this constitution all things are godly appoynted I would to God they were so obserued and especially this that the baptisme of Infants be not deferred for therby is a doore opened vnto the diuell to bring in a contempt of baptisme and so of oure whole redemption and Communion of Chryste which through the sect of Anabaptists hath too muche preuayled with many For women to baptise we haue no rule that I knowe in the whole Communion booke but in scripture we haue an example of Moses wife that did circumcise and circumcision is correspondent to baptisme But I know no generall doctrine can be grounded of a singuler example and therfore most of your arguments be very féeble Holy dayes ascribed to Sainctes wherein not the Saincts but God is honored and the people edified by reading and hearing suche stories and places of scripture as pertayne to the martyrdome calling and function of suche Saincts or any other thing mentioned of them in scripture muste néedes be according to Gods worde For to honor God to worship him to be edifyed by the stories and examples of Saincts out of the scripture can not be but consonant to the scripture The proscript seruice for them is all taken out of Gods word and not one péece thereof but it
be not present Well men may sée whervnto this geare tendeth if they be not blinde Benedictus also Nuns dimittis and Magnificat be great motes in your eyes but you shewe no reason worthy to be answered onely in derision you say except some of them were ready to dye or would celebrate the memorie of the Uirgin or Iohn Baptist. As thoughe these Hymmes or Psalmes were not profitable for all men as the rest of the holy Scripture is but these especially bicause they conteyne the mysterie of our saluation and the prayse of God for the same By this your reason we may not vse any of the Psalmes vntil we be in like case as Dauid was or other when they were first made But I thinke nowe the time is come when those shall correct magnificat qui nesciunt quid significat Truely this your dooing is a méere prophanation of holy scriptures Admonition The thirtenth In all their order of seruice there is no edification according to the rule of the Apostle but confusion They tosse the Psalmes in most places like tennise balles the people some standing some walking some talking some reading some praying by theÌ„selues attende not to the minister He againe posteth it ouer as faste as he can gallop for either he hath two places to serue or else there are some games to be played in the after noone as lying for the Whetstone heathenishe dauncing for the ring a Beare or a Bull to be bayted or else Iacke an apes to ryde on horse backe or an Enterlude to bee playde and if no place else can bee gotten it muste bee doone in the church c. Now the people sit now they stand vp wheÌ„ the old testameÌ„t is read or the lessons they make no reuerence but when the Gospell commeth then they all stande vp For why they think that to be of greatest authoritie and are ignorant that the scriptures came from one spirite When Iesus is named then off goeth the cappe and downe goeth the knees with suche a scraping on the grounde that they can not heare a good while after so that the word is hindred but when any other names of God are mentioned they make no curtesie at all as though the names of God were not equall or as though all reuerence oughte to be giuen to the sillables We speake not of ringing when Mattens is done and other abuses incident bicause we shal be answered that by the booke they are not mainteined only we desire to haue a booke to refourme it As for Organes and curious singing though they be proper to popishe dennes I meane to Cathedral churches yet some others also muste haue them The Queenes Chappell and these Churches must be paternes and presidents to the people of all superstitions Answere This is a slaunderous vntruth And the .1 Cor. 14. abused to confirme it Whatsoeuer S. Paule requireth in that place is vsed in that booke of Seruice for first the whole seruice is in a tong knowne as S. Paule there requireth that the people may vnderstande and say Amen Then are the Scriptures read the Sacramentes ministred according to Christes owne institution those that be godly disposed persons knowe what a manifeste vntruth this is that you here vtter But madde men women and children must haue their wordes If by tossing of Psalmes you meane the singing of them alternatim then doe you disallowe that whiche is both commendable and of great antiquitie as it appereth in an Epistle that Basilius Magnus did write to the ministers in Neocesaria where he sheweth the selfe same order of singing Psalmes to be then vsed in the churche that we vse at this day If by tossing of Psalmes lyke tennyse balles you meane the ouer hastie reading or singing of them it is in déede to be mislyked but it is no parte of the booke and therfore no cause why you should absteyn from subscribing to it Walking talking reading priuate praying of the people in time of Common prayers seruing of two cures games played in the afternoone on the Sabboth daye as lying for the whetstone c. be faults worthy of punishment where they be vsed but they are not within the contentes of the boke they are here recited out of place to no purpose This is very malicious and vndiscrete dealing to burden the common order with suche faultes whiche by the malice of men are growen in vse and are of all good men mislyked So you might haue burdened Saint Paule and other preachers with the faults of the Churches of Corinth and Galathians and the residue of the Apostles with the superstitions of the Iewes conuerted in the primitiue Churche and all good rulers with such faultes as corruption of time breedeth Standing or sitting at this time or that time is indifferent and therfore may both be well vsed and abused also Kneeling at the name of Iesus is of the lyke nature ringing when matâ—ins is doone as you tearme it curious singing organs â–ª c. All these be without the booke and therfore without discretion alledged as a reason why you wil not subscribe to the book Here it pleaseth you to call Cathedrall Churches Popish dennes As hap is your words ar no slander But this brag I will make of Cathedral Churches and such as be now in them I wil offer vnto you a doze in cathedral Churches in EnglaÌ„d which I my selfe do know the worst wherof in learning shal encounter with al Papists Puritans Anabaptists and what other sects soeuer in England for the defence of religion now professed eyther by worde or writing Without arrogancie be it spoken I thinke there was neuer time wherein these churches were better furnished with wyse learned and godly men than they be at this day I speake not this bostingly but to Gods glorie the honour of the Prince the comfort of the godly and the shame of slandrous Papists and disdainful schismatiks Your slaÌ„drous spéech of the Quéenes Maiesties chappel which you also say to be a pattern and president to the people of all superstitions is rather seuerely to be punished than with wordes to be confuted Admonition The fouretéenth Their pontificall whiche is annexed to the booke of Common prayer and whervnto subscribing to the Articles we must subscribe also wherby they consecrate Bishops make ministers and Deacons is nothing else but a thing worde for worde drawne out of the Popes pontificall wherin he sheweth himselfe to be Antichrist most liuely And as the names of Archebishops Archdeacons lorde Bishops Chancelours c. are drawen out of the Popes shop together with their offices So the gouernement whiche they vse by the lyfe of the Pope which is the Canon law is Antichristian and diuellish and contrarye to the Scriptures And as safely may we by the warrante of Gods word subscribe to allow the dominion of the Pope vniuersally to raigne ouer the Churche of God as of an Archbishop ouer an whole prouince or a Lordbishop
vocation This is but your veyne of rayling and your vsuall manner of extolling your selues and condemning other But as I sayde before your wordes be no sclaunder neyther will I in words contend with you but therin giue you the vpper hande only I must still let you vnderstand of your foolish applying of scriptures For wherfore haue you here quoted the tenth of Iohn vse 1. Belike bycause Christ sayth there That he whiche doth not enter in by the dore into the sheepfolde but climbeth vp an other way is a theefe and a robber therfore all such as bée placed in this Churche of England your selues excepted enter in by a popish and vnlauful vocation You had gone orderly to worke if you had firste proued that we haue not come into the shéepfold by christ If you thus omitte the proofe of your minor you may conclude what you wil and quote scriptures at your pleasure But wyse and lerned men will lament your follie and laughe at your vnskilfulnesse Of making of ministers I haue spoken before and answered the places Actes 6.14 20. sufficiently As for the other two places Ro. 12. vse 6.7.8 and .1 Cor. 9. vse 16.17 I muse why you note them they nothing at all perteyning to the making of ministers they something touche their office yet not that directly But you must be borne with least you shoulde haue séemed to youre disciples to haue sayd nothing Some of those ministers you say may tarie in their Colledge and leade the liues of loytering losels as long as they liue If you knew any suche loytering losels in any Colledge I trust you would make them knowne to other also If you knowe none suche then are you a slaunderer of Colledges and suche as be in them It were to be wished in my opinion that there were many preachers in Colledges of greater continuance than I knowe any Then should not yong factious vnruly and vndiscrete persons so greately trouble with their contentions and sects bothe vniuersities and the whole realme also I knowe no Bishops that giue out Bulles but if such preachers as remayne in Colledges or elsewhere béeing thervnto licenced by the Bishop or other that haue authoritie doe take paynes to preach where they sée occasion they are greatly to be commended and I pray God encrease the nūber of such Circumcetiōs But since this your opinion hath bene broched it hath not only driuen many frō the ministerie but also caused diuers to loyter and cease from preaching And certainely if it be not in tyme prouided for that one braunch of your doctrine wil spoyle this Churche of England bothe of preachers and preachings The rest that you write in this parte I hope is more slaunderously of you spoken than truely notwithstanding I thinke there hathe bene some ouersighte in some men whiche I trust is and will be amended if not then I wishe that Cannon of the lawe to be put in practise that suche as admit them should also prouyde for them When you say that the Bishoppes of thys Realme reigne and rule by the Canon lawe you forgette your selfe you know it is otherwise Their chiefe authoritie they haue by Gods lawe the reste by the lawes of the Realme and of the Prince but these wordes are but wordes of course with you Admonition The seuentéenth We should be too long to tell youre honoures of Cathedrall Churches the dennes aforsayd of al loytering lubbers where master Deane master Vicedeane master Canons or master Prebendaries the greater master Petie canons or Canons the lesser master Chauncelor of the Churche master Treasorer otherwyse called Iudas the purse bearer the chief Chaunter Singing men speciall fauourers of religion squeaking Queristers Organ players Gospellers Pistellers Pentioners Readers Vergers c. liue in greate idlenesse and haue their abiding If you woulde knowe whence all these came we can easyly answere you that they came from the Pope as oute of the Troian horses belly to the distruction of Gods kingdome The Churche of God neuer knewe them neither doth any reformed church in the worlde know them Answere Here you speak both without the book of Cōmon prayers and scriptures also for neither are cathedral churches conteyned in that booke neyther haue you any scripture to proue that which you so impudently affirme God be thanked it is well knowne to those that be not with malice blinded that Cathedrall Churches be furnished with godly zelous and learned men And that they be the chiefe and principall ornaments of this Realme and next to the vniuersities chiefest mainteyners of godlinesse religion and learning there be some desire the spoyle of them whose instrumentes you be But I hope both their mouthes and yours also shal be firste stopped with earth Master Deane master vicedeane master Cānons c. as much as they loyter may thinke themselues fitte to be compared with such as you are in any respects The rest of your rayling words I leaue to the Authoure You say all these come from the Pope c. It is not materiall frō whence they come so they be good profitable and necessarie for the mainteyning of religion lerning wise and learned men But I pray you from what Pope came they or in what time did the Pope inuent them I told you before that such places and Colledges were in Augustines time and that he both hath the name of master Deane and alloweth of his office If you had redde any aunciente learned authours as your writings declare you haue not then shoulde you finde that Collegiate Churches be of great antiquitie euen since the yeare of our Lorde .235 But what can you speake against Cathedrall Churches which you may not aswell speake against the Colledges in the vniuersities They were not in the Apostles time neyther yet in the primatiue Church must they therefore nowe be dissolued your meaning is belike to bring al to cōfusion and barbarisme You say no reformed church in the worlde knoweth them wherin I thinke you speak more than you knowe Can you name any reformed Church that hath plucked them downe Peraduenture in dyuers places where the Gospell is now preached they had neuer suche rewardes for learning But what haue we to do in suche cases with other reformed Churches we haue to consider what is most méete for this Churche and state and not to follow other as though we were children I sée no cause why other reformed Churches should not rather followe vs than we them seing in no respecte we be inferior to them Well to conclude your wordes be but vayne and your proofes none at all And therefore I doubte not but Cathedrall churches shall be able to withstand both your opprobrious speaches and the gréedinesse of all their aduersaries so long as it shall please God to blesse thys land with so vertuous and learned a Quéene and so wise and discréete counsellours Admonition The eightéenth And birds of the same fether are couetous patrones of benefices persons vicars
this reason is alledged among other euen in the boke of Common prayers And that it is not to make baptisme perfect the boke of common prayers it selfe declareth in these words And that no man shall thinke any detriment shall come to children by deferring of their confirmation he shall know for truth that it is certaine by Gods vvorde that children being baptised haue all things necessarie for their saluation and be vndoubtedly saued You adde as though the Byshop coulde giue the holy Ghost the Byshop may vse the ceremonie vsed by the Apostles that is imposition of handes may safely say this godly prayer conteyned in the boke Defend O Lord this child vvith thy heauenly grace that he may continue thine for euer and dayly encrease in thy holy spirite more and more vntill he come vnto thy euerlasting kingdome Amen And other such godly praiers ther conteyned Of any other kinde of giuing the holy ghost there is no mention in that booke and therefore these additions myght very wel haue bene left out of your libell But of the Bishops benedictiō by laying on of his hands heare Master Caluines iudgement in his Instit. cap. 19. secti 4. Talem manuum impositionem quae simpliciter loco benedictionis fiat lando et restitutam hodie in purum vsum vilim Such imposition of handes as is simplie made in the steade of blessing I do commend and vvish that it vvere restored at this day to the pure vse There shall you also reade the very self same for me manner of confirmation allowed which is now vsed in this Church of England To the ende of the eleuenth reason these wordes be added and open our eyes that we may see what that good and acceptable will of God is and be more earnest to prouoke his glorie to the which I only answere Amen In the ende of the twelfth there is something left out which they haue placed in the 13. reason but it is answered before Fol. 6. There is nothing added or altered worth the noting only in the fiftenth reason where they sayde before that we honored Byshoppes by the titles of Kings nowe they haue recanted that and condemned themselues of an vntruth for they haue left out that title In the ende of that fiftéenth article or reason this is added and whiche of them haue not preached against the Popes two swords nowe whether they vse them not thēselues Touching the Popes two swords we are of the same minde stil for the Pope contrary to the worde of God taketh from Princes vnto him selfe that authoritie whiche is due vnto them by the worde of God and woulde haue them to receiue that authoritie from him whiche he hath no power to gyue the Pope also requireth the full authoritie of a ciuill magistrate and exempteth him selfe from all subiectiō which is flat contrary to the word of God our Byshops in this Church do not challenge as of their owne right any such ciuill authoritie but only according to their duty execute that that by the Prince lawes of this Realme for iust considerations is layde vpō them Neither do they medle in all ciuill causes or exercise all ciuill iurisdiction but such only as helpeth to discipline and to the good gouernment of this church and state Wherefore we may safely preache against the Popes two swords and yet lawfully defende that iurisdiction and authoritie that any bishop hath in this Church for any thing that I knowe Fol. 7. Wheras before it was thus in the margent and. 19. reason to proue that the regiment of the church shoulde be spirituall reade Eph. 1.23 1. Thess. 5.13.1 Ti. 5.2 Heb. 10.30 now it is thus altered to proue that the regiment of the church should be spirituall read Caluine in his cōmentaries vpon these places Eph. 1.23 1. Thes. 5. 13.1 Ti. 5.2 Heb. 10.30 Belike bicause the scriptures thēselues do not sufficiētly proue your assertiō therfore you would haue vs to leaue them to reast vpon Caluines interpretation which is nothing else but to prefer mans iudgemēt before the word of god or to giue master Caluine authoritie to conclude that which is not determined by the scripture If this be not your meaning why flye you frō those places themselues to master Caluines interpretatiō vpon them But what if you now abuse master Caluines cōmentaries vpon these places as you did before the places themselues In his commentaries vpon Ephe. 1. vse 23. This is all that he sayth touching this matter Nam vtcunque Christus omnia perficiat nutu virtuteque sua tamē specialiter loquitur hic Paulus de spirituali ecclesiae gubernatione Quanquam nihil interea impedit quo minus de vniuersali mundi gubernatione accipias For howsoeuer Christ maketh perfecte all things with his becke and by his power yet Paule speaketh here especially of the spiritual gouernemēt of the church Although that in the meane time it is no hinderance why thou mayest not also vnderstād it of the vniuersall gouernement of the world These words serue litle for your purpose There is no man that doubteth but that Christe doth spiritually gouerne his Churche and raigne in the hartes of the faithfull by hys sprite But your meaning is that the gouernement of the Churche is only spirituall which you can no more gather of these wordes of Caluine than you may that the gouernemente of the whole world ought only to be spirituall The same Caluine writing vppon .1 Thessa. 5 vers 12. for the which you haue noted the .13 saith on this sorte Hoc additum videtur ad notandum spirituale regimen tametsi enim Reges quoque magistratus Dei ordinatione prosunt quia tamen ecclesiae gubernationem dominus peculiariter vult suam agnosci ideo nominatim praeesse in Domino dicuntur qui Christi nomine mandato ecclesiam gubernant This seemes to be added to note the spirituall regiment For although kings also and Magistrates do gouerne by the ordinance of God yet bycause the Lorde would haue the gouernemente of the Churche knowne peculierly to be his therefore namely they are saide to rule in the Lorde whiche gouerne the Churche in the name of Christe and by hys commaundemente Hitherto Caluine also affirmeth that whiche no man denieth that God doth by the ministerie of his worde spiritually gouerne his Church But this taketh not away the ciuill Magistrate neyther yet ciuill lawes made by the Magistrate externally also to gouerne the Churche In his Commentaries 1. Ti. 5. verse 2. he speaketh not one word of this matter for any thing that I can perceiue Vppon the place to the Hebrewes he onely sheweth that God dothe gouerne hys Churche the whiche I thinke no man is so wicked as to denye You muste more plainly sette it downe what your meaning in this matter is before you can be fully aunswered For to proue that God dothe spiritually gouerne his Churche is néedlesse being denied of none either Papiste or Protestant
obijciunt obstacula atque remorae ab illis quoque exortae qui maximè Euangelici volunt videri Verum per initia reformationis Ecclesiae nostrae eadem nos exercuit molestia Erant enim quibus nihil in reformando satis purum videbatur vnde ab Ecclesia sese segregabant conuenticula peculiaria constituehant quae mox consequibantur schismata sectae variae quae iucnudum spectaculum exhibebant hostibus nostris papistiois Sed innotuit tandem ipsorum Hypocrisis ataxta suaque sponte diffluxêre Liberabit hac molestia vos haud dubie clemens misericors Dominus c. The same in Englishe FIrst of all we reioyce with you for the wonderfull felicitie of your moste gracious Queene in quieting of troubles in ouerthrowing of hir enimies in keeping of hir subiects in obedience and for hir wyse and couragious sifting out of the mischeeuously vvrapped practizes of traytors And vve do earnestly pray vnto God that he wil not only continue these so great graces in hir but also increase them and that he will defende hir from all euill This virgin Prince beloued of God in the iudgement of all good men excelleth all the men Princes that novv reigne in the vvorlde in vvisedome in modestie in mercy in iustice in dexteritie and maruellous happinesse in all hir affayres so that vndoubtedly the godly of al nations do comfort them selues and are confirmed in the true religion for that they do euidently see Christe the Lorde so mightily to fauour his seruaunt and to preserue hir in glory and all maner vertue before Heroicall and diuine Princes But vve are not a lyttle sory that in your spreading of the truthe and enlarging of the limittes of Christes church so many stops and stayes are cast agaynst you and they springing from them that vvill seeme moste Euangelicall For in the beginning of the reformation of our Churche the same grieues occupied vs for there vvere some vnto vvhom in reforming nothing might seeme sufficiently pure in so muche that they separated them selues from the churche and appoynted priuate conuenticles the vvhich there did presently follovv schismes and diuers sectes and they were a pleasaunt spectacle to our enimies the Papistes But at the length their hypocrisie and disorder dyd appeare and they vanished of their ovvne accorde The mercifull and gracious Lorde shall deliuer you also no doubt from this trouble c. A briefe answere to certain Pamphlets spred abroade of late I HAVE of late receyued thre litle Pamphlets the first as it were a preface to the other two the seconde entituled An exhortation to the Bishops to deale brotherly with their brethren The thirde An exhortation to the Bishops and theyr cleargie to answere a little Booke that came foorth the last Parliament and to other brethren to iudge of it by Gods worde vntill they see it aunswered and not be caried awaye with any respect of men The Preface consisteth of these poynts especially first by diuers examples it is there declared that the wicked and vngodly of this world coulde neuer away with such as woulde reproue them for their manyfest sinnes and vngodlynesse Secondly that this is the cause why these two Treatises which wer lately written and imprinted in the last Parliament time c. were of so many mysliked and the authors thereof so cruelly entreated and straightly imprisoned c. Thirdly it rayleth on the Bishops and suche as be in authoritie comparing them to false prophets and to Phariseys c. Laste of all it concludeth wyth threatenyng that if they goe forewarde in their sinnes their doings shall bée with more bitternesse of woordes and playnenesse of speache throwne into their faces The first is néedlesse for who knoweth not that from tyme to tyme it hath ben the maner of such as wer desperatly wicked not to suffer their sins opeÌ„ly to be reproued The seconde is false vncharitable and slaunderous for the cause why the bookes bée not estéemed especially of the wise and learned is the vntrue doctrine conteyned in them maynteyned with vntrue and vnapt allegations of the Scriptures and interlaced with opprobrious termes and rayling speaches tendyng to the disquietnesse of the Churche and ouerthrow of true religion The authors therof to be imprisoned not for telling any man of his sinnes but for writing Libels agaynste this whole Churche of Englande agaynst the booke of Common-prayers agaynste the ministerie agaynst the Sacramentes fynally agaynst the whole forme and gouernement of the Churche by the whole consent of this realme established according to the rule of Gods word And with what face can you say that they be imprisoned for telling men of their sins â–ª where euer read you or herd you that any of the Prophets or apostles told meÌ„ of their sins by liâ—els Surely that kinde of dealing is not for the Apostles of Christ but for the ministers of Sathan The thirde commeth of the same spirite that the seconde dothe that is of the spirite of arrogancie and malice for it compareth godly wyse zealous and learned Bishops to idolatrous Priests and â—o Phariseys but in déede the conditions and qualities of the Phariseys doo moste aptely agrée wyth the authours of these Libelles and theyr adherentes for the Phariseyes didde all that they did to bée séene of men and soughte the commendation of the common people as appeareth Matthew 6. and .23 and so doo they The Phariseys when they fasted disfygured theyr faces and these walkyng in the streates hang downe their heades looke austerely and in companie sighe muche and seldome or neuer laughe the Phariseys strayned out a gnat and swallowed down a Camell And these men thinke it an heynous offence to weare a cap or a surplesse but in slaundring and back-biting their brethren in rayling on them by Libelles in contemning of superiors and discrediting suche as be in authoritie to be shorte in disquieting the Churche and state they haue no conscience The Phariseys separated themselues from the common sorte of men as more holy and contemned the poore Publicanes as sinners And therfore some learned interpreters thinke that they bée called Pharisaei quasi segregati quod vitae sanctimonia a vielgi moribus vita separati essent noÌ„ aliter atque monachi quos Chartusianos vocant They be called Phariseis as separated and deuided from the coÌ„mon sort in holynesse of lyfe muche like vnto the Monks which be called Carthusians And Iosephus sayth that they were called Phariseys bycause they séemed to bée more holy than other and more cunnyngly to expounde the lawe Also hée sayeth this to bée one propertie of theirs that what so euer theyr owne reason persuadeth them Id sequuntur pertinaciter that they stubbornely followe Agayne hée sayth that they bée astutum hominum genus arrogans interdum Regibus quoquâ— infestum c. A suttle kynde of men arrogante and sometymes ennimies to Kinges and rulers These men separate them selues also from the congregation
and wyll communicate wyth vs neyther in prayers hearing the worde nor sacramentes they confemne and despise all those that bée not of their secte as polluted and not worthye to be saluted or kepte company with and therfore some of them méeting their olde acquayntance béeyng godlie Preachers haue not onely refused to salute them but spitte in theyr faces wishyng the plague of God to lyghte vpon them and saying that they were damned and that God had taken his spirite from them and all this bycause they did weare a cap wherefore when they talke of Phariseys they plucke themselues by the noses But Lorde what a straunge tyme is this when suche as they bee dare thus boldly publishe libelles agaynst their superiors for maynteyning and executing good and godly lawes The conclusion of this Preface is a stoute presumptuous and malaperte threatning in my opinion not to be suffered but howe soeuer your penne and toung walketh yet I pray you holde your handes or else c. In this portion entituled An exhortation to the Bishoppes to deale brotherly with theyr brethren There is no greate matter conteyned worthye of answering onely the authour dothe excuse himselfe for takyng vppon hym that exhortation and moueth the Byshoppes to deale brotherly with the authors of the Admonition Fyrst bicause they be their brethren Secondly bicause they oughte firste to haue discouered vnto the worlde by the worde of God howe truely or falsly they haue written Thirdly bicause they do but disclose the disorders of our Churche of Englande and humbly desire a reformation of the same according to the rule of Gods word c. Fourthly that Papistes lye abroade in their dioces vntouched c. Fifthly that many leude light bookes and balades flie abroade printed not onely without reprehension but Cum priuilegio Lykewyse in the same booke the Author séemeth to iustifie the Admonition and to condemne the Lordship and authoritie of Byshops ascribing thervnto the stay and hinderance of their pretenced reformation charging them after a sort with mangling the Scriptures of God and with snaring the godlie with suche lawes as were purposely made for the wicked These be the principall contentes of that booke The first reason that is that they be their brethren might aswell be alledged for the impuritie of Anabaptists Arrians and such like who pretende the synceritie of Gods woorde and would be counted brethren Yea it might aswell be alledged for many other male faâ—tours who be also brethren and yet must not therefore escape vnpunished for their offences Shall not the Prince and the magistrate execute lawes vppon such as breake them bycause they be their brethren in Christ beware of such doctrine let not affectioÌ„ in priuate mens causes carry you headlong into publique errours But I thinke you are in this point deceiued for how so euer we accoÌ„pt them our brethren yet they accoÌ„pt not vs their brethren neither wil they acknowledge vs so to be as some of theÌ„ bothe in open speach and manifest signes haue declared And therefore when the Bishops deale with them they deale with such as disdayne to be called their brethren To their seconde reason I answere that I thinke they haue bene talked with and herd what they haue to say for them selues but their hawtie mindes and good opinion conceiued of them selues will not suffer them to sée their errours In this reason you alledge nothing for them but that which may also be alledged for the Papistes or any other sect of heretikes But it is an olde saying Turpe est doctori c. How happeneth if that they them selues haue first defamed not the Bishops onely but also this whole Churche of England with publique libelles before they haue vsed brotherlie and priuate conference This is to spye a mote in another mans eye c. How true the third reason is may appeare in my answere to their AdmonitioÌ„ But how true so euer it were yet their disordered disclosing by vnlawfull meanes that is by libelling deserueth as much punishement as hitherto they haue had for the truth nedeth no such vngodly meanes of disclosing If Papists go abrode vnpunished when by lawe they may be touched surely it is a great faulte and can not be excused and I pray God it may be better looked to But this is no good and sufficient reason for the impunitie of other Bicause some Papists be not punished shall therefore no disordered persons be punished Or bycause some in authoritie winke at some Papists shall therefore no lawes be executed towards any offendours Surely touching malice against the forme and state of this our Church I sée no great differeÌ„ce betwixte them and the Papists and I thinke verily they both conspire togither The same answere I make to your fifte reason shall no booke be suppressed bycause some be not It is a fault I confesse to suffer leude ballets and bookes touching manners But it were a greater faulte to suffer bookes and libells disturbing the peace of the Church and defacing true religion Concerning the titles and offices of Byshops I haue spoken sufficiently before In mangling wresting of the scriptures none offend so muche as do the Authours of the Admonition who in that pointe are comparable to the Papistes as may bée séene by the learned and diligent reader If they whome they terme godly do willingly offend against suche lawes as were made for the wicked they are to be punished according to the lawes neyther are they to be spared bicause they pretende godlinesse For there is no godlinesse in breaking of lawes The thirde scroule called An exhortation to the Bishops and their clergie to aunswere a litle boke c is satisfied I trust for I haue as it is there required aunswered the shorte and peuish pamphlet as they terme it I haue disclosed their double and corrupte dealing their wringing of the scriptures to serue their turne and haue declared the true sense and meaning of them I haue not bumbasted it with rethoricke but in plaine and simple manner vttered my iudgement according to the true meaning and sense of the scriptures Notwithstanding I haue in sundrie points declared the vse of the Churche of Christ in times past and do vse the testimonie of auncient councells and learned fathers whiche these vnlearned men vnlearnedly contemne a thing not hearde of in any age or Church nor allowed of any learned man but only of certaine heretiques and especially Anabaptists To be shorte I haue not answered the booke by péeces but wholy How be it I must desire them to pardon me for not making more spéede wyth mine Answere their friuolous quotations so troubled me and my other businesse that I could no sooner make an ende of it In all the rest of that deriding Pamphlet there is nothing of any moment worth the answering Therefore as they alledge this portion of a sentence taken out of Saincte Augustine in his epistle ad Vincen. Si terrerentur non docerentur
improba quasi dominatio videretur If they should be feared and not taughte it mighte seeme a wicked gouernaunce so I conclude with the other parte of the same sentence Si docerentur non terrerentur vetustate consuetudinis obdurarentur ad capescendaÌ„ viaÌ„ salutis pigrius mouereÌ„tur If they shold be taught and not feared in time they woulde waxe stubborne and be the hardlier moued to embrace the way of saluation ¶ A briefe viewe of the seconde Admonition I Haue also receyued a seconde Admonition to the ParliameÌ„t the Authoure whereof vndertaketh to teach how to reforme those things whiche the other Admonition found fault with I shall not néede to make any long discourse of it neyther will I The aunswere to the first Admonition is an answere to this also Only I thought it good to note vnto you that this booke consisteth of these points especially First it iustifieth the authours of the first Admonition séemeth to complaine that they haue not iustice bicause they appealing to the highest Courte of Parliament their appeale woulde not be receiued And therefore they say the scripture is plaine that it shal be easier for Sodom Gomorra in the day of iudgement than for suche a Courte meaning the Court of Parliament they quote for that purpose in the margent the .10 of Math. vers 14.15 which is a shameful prophanation of the scripture an egregious slander to that honorable Courte The iustnesse of the appeale I leaue to the Iustices and skilfull lawyers to be considered of for it is not within the compasse of my facultie Only I thinke that that scroule can haue no defence of Parliament first bycause it is a Libell secondly bicause it was published in printe before the Parliament was made priuie vnto it In this parte these words of theirs would be wel considered there is no other thing to be looked for than some speedy vengeance to light vppon the whole lande prouide as well as the politique Macheuills of EnglaÌ„d thinke they can though God do his worst It would be knowne whome they meane by these politique Macheuills For they enuie all men of great authoritie wit and pollicie The seconde parte consisteth only of rayling wordes and slanderous accusatioÌ„s first against this whole church of England for they say that we are scarce come to the outward face of a church rightly reformed and that althogh some truth be taught by some preachers yet no preacher may without greate danger of the lawes vtter all truth comprised in the booke of god c. And a litle after they ad say that the truth in a manner doth but peepe out behind the screene which speches as they be very vntrue for who knoweth not that the Gospel is wholy publikely fréely preached in this church of EnglaÌ„d so they be slanderous neither can the Papists speak any worse In this part also to proue that this is no true saying in maters of pollicie gouernmeÌ„t it is not repugnaÌ„t to the word of god therfore it may be vsed is alledged this saying of Christ. Math. 12. He that is not with me is against me But they haue forgoteÌ„ the words of christ Mar. 9. qui non est aduersus nos pro nobis est He that is not against vs is with vs. Wherevpon we may much better coÌ„clude that that which is not repugnaÌ„t to the scripture is consonaÌ„t to the Scripture than they can doo the contrary of the former place Notwithstanding in both these places as I thinke Christe speaketh rather of men and persons than of things themselues In the same parte their speach of the Quéenes supremacie is very suspicious it would be demaunded of theÌ„ what they think in déede of hir maiesties authoritie in ecclesiastical matters for in this pointe they haue hitherto delte very subtilly and closely notwithstaÌ„ding their meaning may easily be perceiued of such as diligently coÌ„sider their bookes Likewise in this parte they note certayne contrarieties in this Churche as betwixte the Communion boke and Iniunctions touching wafers the Communion booke and Aduertisementes concerning Churche vestures the Cannons and the PoÌ„tificall in not ordering of ministers sine titulo and such like matters of no importance which iustifie rather this church thaÌ„ otherwise for surely if they had had weightier matters they would no doubt haue alledged them But in these same matters they are muche deceiued for as I suppose in matters of ornaments of the Church and of the ministers thereof the Quéenes maiestie togither with the Archbishop or the commissioners in causes ecclesiastical haue authoritie by Acte of parliameÌ„t to alter and appointe such rytes and ceremonies as shall from time to time be thought to them most conueniente To be shorte in that pointe they saye that in thinges of order one Churche maye many times differ from another without offence following the generall rules of scripture for order as in appointing time and place for prayers c. whiche is a very true saying and flat contrary to all that is saide either in the first admonitioÌ„ or in this second For if such things may be appointed in the church not being expressed in the word of God but depending vppon this generall rule Let all thinges be done decently and in order 1. Cor. 14. then surely the magistrate hath authoritie in such matters to appoint what shall be thought vnto them most conuenient so that it be not repugnant to â—o y word of God excepte you will make this the question whether in suche matters we oughte to be directed by the magistrates and gouernours of the Churche or by euery priuate pastoure in his seuerall charge The thirde parte of this booke condemneth the degrées of Doctors Bachilers of diuinitie and Masters of arte in the vniuersities and slaunderously vntruly and opprobriously speaketh of the vniuersities and suche as be in them presumptuously prescribing a manner of reformation for the same when as I thinke verily they knowe not what Uniuersities meane But here we may note that they séeke to ouerthrowe al learning and degrées of learning The same parte also very slaunderously and vnchristianly rayleth on some bishops by name and the rest of the clergie charging them most vn truly with sundrie things but bycause it is done by way of libelling a diuelishe kinde of reuenge therefore I trust godly and wise men will estéeme of it accordingly Besides slaunderous reports and opprobrious words there is nothing in thys parte worthy the answering In the fourth parte the Authoure taketh vppon him to set downe a plat forme of a Churche to prescribe the manner of electing ministers of their exercises of theyr equalitie of the gouernement of the Church c. Whiche surely being well considered wil appeare not only a confused plateforme without any sounde warrant of Gods worde but also a fantasticall deuise tending to the ouerthrowe of learning religion yea the whole state and gouernement of the common welth But bicause I haue
before in the confutation of the first Admonition spoken sufficiently of al these matters therfore I will only note one or two things in this parte to let you vnderstand that these platformers builde not vppon that foundation that they woulde haue others so strictly bounde vnto For let them tell me vppon what scripture this is grouÌ„ded Let no one minister medle in any cure saue his owne but as he is appointed by common consente of the nexte conference or counsells prouinciall or nationall or further if it may fall out so generall of all Churches reformed Or this That the ministers muste be equall and that some must be gouerned by all and not al by some Or that the pastor or teacher in euery congregation ought to be the principall of the consistorie of their congregation Or that Many parishes may be ioyned in one and haue one pastor and yet that it is vnlawfull for one pastor to haue many parishes Or that In the meane whyle till preachers increase to furnishe the places vnfurnished vpon coÌ„ference among the learned some discrete man be appoynted to make some entiet prayer c. Or that it is euill so ofte to repeate Glory be to the father c. Lorde haue mercy vpon vs c. or the Lordes prayer For the text which they alledge for the same Math. 6. is wickedly wrested and corruptly alledged for the words of Christe be not as they translate them When you pray 〈…〉 that is many words without fayth and the inwarde affection of the minde is forbidden Paule 1. Thessa. 5. saith Pray continually And Christ Math. 6. sayth Pray on this maner Our father c. So that of necessitie we muste oftentimes repeate the Lordes prayer if we will beléeue Christe and his Apostle Paule But Lorde what strange doctrine is this to call Glory bee to the father c. Lorde haue mercy vpon vs c. Our father c popishe Surely these men as I suppose be not well in their wittes These and a number of other phansies they haue in this booke which they can not grounde vpon any scripâ—ures but by wringing and wresting of them and in déede their séeeking is to haue all thinges framed according to their fansies that they may be accompted planters and platformers of Churches I omitte this that the Author boasteth that he and many others will set them selues agaynst vs as the professed enimies of the church of Christ For the matter is not great neither shall theâ— in that poynt deale any otherwise with vs than 〈◊〉 Anabaptistes Arrianâ— and other Heretikes haue 〈◊〉 with other Churches This shall be sufficient for an answere to that booke bicause all other matters of substaunce are by me answered before in the former confutation Articles collected out of the former Admonition and vntruely sayd of the fautors of that Admonition to be falsified TO the end of the second AdmonitioÌ„ there is ioyned A reprofe of certen Articles collected as it is thought by the byshops for so they say out of a little booke entituled An admonition to the Parliament c. But as I think it may rather be termed a recantation or if you will a reformatioÌ„ or mitigation of certen articles in that first admonition rashly set downe and without learning or discretion printed 1. Fol. 3. li. 1. pa. 2. First they holde and affirme that we in EnglaÌ„d are not yet come to the outward face of a Church agreable to gods word Here you find fault that this word scarce is left out In déede this worde scarce was written in the margent of diuers copies of the first admonition whether it were so in al or no I know not no more do I whether any suche collection as you pretend was made But what néed you so much sticke in words when the thing is manyfest For in effect they denie as much as that propositioÌ„ importeth they wholly coÌ„demne the ministerie the ceremonies and the gouernement of this Church They say the sacrameÌ„ts be ful of corruptioÌ„s and in their second AdmonitioÌ„ fol. 42. they say that the sacraments are wickedly mangled prophaned they vtterly condemne our order maner of coÌ„mon prayer yea in effect our doctrine also for in their secoÌ„d AdmonitioÌ„ fol. 7. they say that although some truth be taught by some preachers yet no precher may with out daÌ„ger of the lawes vtter all truth coÌ„prised in the booke of god What can be spoken more sleÌ„derly of the doctrine preached in this church A man may truly speake as much of the Romish church for some truthe is taught by some Papistes yea some truth is taught by some Iew and Turke When therfore you say that in this Churche neither the worde is truely preached nor the Sacraments sincerely ministred nor yet Ecclesiasticall discipline which thrée in the first Admonition Fol. 3. is sayde to be the outwarde markes wherby a true christian Churche is knowne and also condemne our ministerie as Popish and vnlawfull with the whole gouernement of our Church as you do in playne termes may it not be truely sayde that you affirme vs in Englande as yet not to be come to the outwarde face of a Churche agreable to Gods worde Furthermore what doth this word scarce helpe the matter doth it not import as muche It is a rule in Philosophie quod vix fit non fit that vvhich is scarâ—e done is not done 2 They will haue the ministers to be called allowed and placed by the people You say that this article is falsified and yet their words in that place of their admonitioÌ„ be these Then election was made by the common consent of the whole Churche And a little after Then no minister placed in any congregation without the coÌ„sent of the people Wherfore the collection is very true and they belike ashamed of their doings and therfore they haue corrected these assertions in their second edition of their first admonitioÌ„ on this sort Then election was made by the elders with the common consent of the whole Churche Surely these men be past shame else would they not denie their owne written assertions 4. Lin. 9. They holde that a byshop at no hand hath authoritie to ordeyne ministers This article you confesse to be truely gathered but now you make this glose not alone and yet in their Admonition it is in flat termes that the ordering of ministers doth at no hande appertaine to bishops 6. Lin. 28. They wil haue the ministers at their owne pleasure to preache without licence This is true by your owne coÌ„fession for you will haue no other licence but your calling to the ministerie which must bee as you say by the congregation Here you shut out both the Princes licence and the Bishops 7. Lin. 13 fol. 17. lin 6. pa. 1. Whatsoeuer is set downe in this article is manyfestly affirmed in the Admonition and your Answere to it is friuolous and nothing to the purpose For in the first parte of the Admonition fol. 2.