in an equall ballance it will be found that the wisedome of the Church hath disposed them honestly and in order 25 And as our Church desireth that doctrine may shine like the light of the Lord vpon the holie candlesticke so she is carefull that the conuersation of her Ministers be such as may adorne the Gospell of Christ. In making of which Canon the church of England may seeme to haue set before her eies that golden sentence Let thy Priests ô Lord be clothed with holinesse and let thy Saints reioice and sing 26 And as they should be inwardly decked with godlinesse and grace so it is inioined that their outward apparell shall be sober and graue euery way correspondent to their calling that all things may bee done honestly and by order And thus much of the Ministrie and so I come to our ministration 27 The beginning of our Church Seruice is with some memorable sentence of holy Scripture appointed for that purpose moouing to repentance and praier or magnifying the mercy of God in Christ then after a holy exhortation all of vs both Minister and people fall downe before the throne of grace confessing our sinnes with an humble lowly penitent and obedient heart meekely kneeling vpon our knees without question beloued heere is a holie and a blessed beginning Now because that God which dwelleth in eternitie hath respect to an humble and contrite spirit and hath appointed the Minister to comfort them which mourne in Sion therefore in the next place the Minister in the name of Iesus Christ pronounceth forgiuenesse of sinnes to all that truely repent and vnfainedly beleeue his holie Gospell This is the oile of gladnesse the balme of Gilead the fountaine of grace for the washing away of sinnes O the fountaine of the gardens the Well of liuing water and the springs of Lebanon And lest any man hauing the pardon of his sinnes pronounced should take occasion of carnall libertie therefore our Church doth presently apply a preseruatiue against presumption and a conseruatiue of all grace and godlinesse euen that zealous and piercing praier which the Lord Iesus himselfe hath taught vs. And because when we haue done all that we can we are vnprositable seruants and must forget that which is behinde and indeuor our selues vnto that which is before therefore as though we had yet done nothing we beseech him to open our lippes that our mouth may shew foorth his praise And so with praier to him which is best able to helpe vs wee giue glory to the blessed Trinitie in all which what is there which can be bettered by the wit of man Now forasmuch as the minde of man in praier mounteth aloft with Eagles wings piercing the clouds with ardent affection and powring out her plaintes in the bosome of the Almighty therfore lest the vehement attention which is required in praier should be dulled by long continuance our Church vseth a profitable varietie intermingling the reading of heauenly wisedome wherein the soule tasting and seeing how good and gracious the Lord is feedeth vpon him by diuine contemplation and so returneth to praier with a greater inflammation The Psalms being a store-house of all godlinesse wisedome and grace so plaine to the simple so profound to the wise so profitable to all sorts in all ages in all estates ioy or griefe prosperitie or aduersitie our Church desireth to make familiar to all men and therefore we reade them ouer euery moneth still interlacing the Hymne of glorie to the blessed Trinitie Then follow Chapters of the old and new Testament intermingled with sacred Hymnes all in a knowne language so God is glorified and the people edified It is true that to some parts of the Apocrypha we giue publike audience in our church yet we omit some bookes thereof and reade them not at all and those bookes we reade we reade not altogither intirely but omit some Chapters and peeces of Chapters which some haue thought capable of hard construction And if any thing we reade be such as may seeme to found suspiciously or doubtfully wee hold it our dutie to make the most charitable and christian construction and if wee cannot of our selues satisfie our selues wee are referred for resolution of our doubts to the Bishop of the Diocesse of whom what interpretation is to bee expected the Church doth teach vs binding him to doe nothing contrarie to the booke and proclaiming withall in the booke that nothing is ordained which is not the very pure word of God or euidently grounded vpon the same and therefore his interpretation being accordingly performed should in reason satisfie and content vs. Furthermore we receiue them for humane cōpositions and not for diuine therfore we reade them not for confirmation of Faith but for information of maners yet haue I said nothing of the libertie granted by the Preface of the second booke of Homilies concerning the changing of Chapters Moreouer though some portions of the Canonicall concerning Genealogies and some other intricate and mysticall points be not appointed to be solemnly read in our Church seruice yet we vsually alleage and expound them in Sermons Neither is it our meaning to aduance the Apocryphal which we reade aboue the Canonicall which we reade not for all Canonicall being the sacred Oracles of God haue incomparable preheminence of excellencie yet nothing doth hinder but that some thing in it selfe of farre lesser excellencie may be more familiar for popular capacitie After the Chapter of the new Testament accompanied with a holie Psalme or Hymne wee all stand vp boldly professing our faith before God and men in that forme which is most anciently receiued in the Church of Christ for which purpose we vse sometimes the Creed of Athanasius and elsewhere the Creed of the Councell of Nice Hauing thus fedde our mindes with heauenly meditation of the blessed Word and confessed our faith in the holie Trinitie we fall a fresh to Praier we praie for our Prince for all the States of the land for all Gods children and that for all blessings spirituall and temporall and we praie onely to God and onely in the merits of Iesus Christ. And because the life of man is subiect to a seaof miseries and little doe we know what storme may hang ouer our heads and suddenly surprize either vs or any of our brethren therefore that Gods present wrath may bee appeased and future dangers graciously preuented we humble our soules in the presence of God with a most deuout Letanie which is so pathetically penned that it may seeme to soare aloft with wings of sanctified affections and to pierce the skies as it were with darts of deuotion And after some time spent in Praier wee intermingle againe the reading of Gods holie word to beate downe sinne wee reade Gods firie law and fearefull commandements religiously beseeching him to incline our hearts to keepe his law And to kindle and increase
And verilie for priuate men to range without the compasse of their calling and vpon their priuate opinions to controle the publike iudgement of the Church in a matter of decencie is in mine opinion a matter very vndecent Likewise seeing the spirit hath said Let all things be done by order therefore doubtles in the Church of God there must be an order But who shall appoint this order shall euery man doe what he list that were disorder Shall priuate men make publike constitutions that were against good order Therefore it remaineth that they onely haue authoritie to make Church orders whom the Lord hath made Church gouernours Now in an absolute kingdome as this of England the King by the law of God is the onely supreme gouernor of all persons and causes Ecclesiasticall and Ciuill within his owne kingdome Therefore the King and those which vnder the King haue the regiment of the Church lawfully committed vnto them haue lawfull authoritie to make Church-orders 8 Thirdly though Church gouernours may make Church lawes yet they may not establish what they list God hath inrailed their authoritie with certaine bounds and limits which they may not passe All their Canons must be framed according to the generall Canons of the holie Scripture which may aptly bee reduced to these two expressed in my text Let all things be done honestly and by order First honestly that is as was before declared in decent sort with relation to the glorie of God and the edification of the Church without scandall Secondly according to order for God is the God of order and not of eonfusion Now if all things in the Church must be done decently then nothing may be established which is base or beggerly The ceremonies of the Church though they cannot alwaies be costly yet they must alwaies be comely Againe if all things bee decent then religious solemnities must be performed with grauitie magnificent they may be and sumptuous according to circumstance of time person and place but alwaies without vanitie without luxurious pompe or meretricious brauery If all things must be done to the glory of God then nothing may be established in superstitious or idolatrous maner for that were repugnant to the glory of his maiestie then nothing must be established contrarie to the Scripture for that were repugnant to the glory of his wisedome then things indifferent must be established as indifferent not as meritorious or satisfactorie not as necessarie to diuine worship to iustification or saluation for this were repugnant to the glorie of his grace If all things must bee done to edification then the ceremonies of the Church must not be darke and dumbe but so cleerely set foorth that euery man may know what they meane and to what vse they serue If all things must be done to edification then Church gouernors must duly intend the soules health of Gods people framing all their Canons for the common good To which purpose the Church of Iesus Christ vseth her ceremonies either to imprint in mens mindes some reuerend mysterie of religion as when she appointed thrice powring on of water in Baptisme signifying the trinitie of the persons or once to signifie the vnitie of the Godhead or els some sanctified affection as when we pray kneeling by the bending of the knee signifyng the bending of the heart or confesse our faith standing to betoken our boldnesse or els she desireth to kindle deuotion as when she praiseth the Lord with the melodie of musicke or to put men in minde of their dutie so the blacke garment may admonish the Minister of grauitie the white of puritie The ornaments of the Vniuersitie may admonish the people to honor him whom the Church hath honored and may put the Minister in minde of his dutie seeing he hath receiued the ensignes of learning and vertue Finally euen things of inferior regard must in their kinde tend to edification The verie belles must giue a certaine sound that it may appeere when they call vs to the Church when they warne vs to praie for the sicke when they signifie that a brother or sister is departed Yea the very Pulpets and seats must beso placed as euery man may conueniently heare so euery thing according to his nature and degree must be referred to edification If all things must be done without scandall then nothing which is sinfull may be established for all sinne is of scandalizing nature yea euen things indifferent wherein is apparant danger of superstition or idolatrie are to be remooued for we must abstaine from all appearance of euill If all things must bee done in order then confusion by all meanes must bee auoided and consequently the Church must not exceed in superfluitie of ceremonies lest religion it self be ouershadowed as it were a grape with much abundance of leaues If all things must bee done in order then the Lay-man must not bee suffered to intrude himselfe into the office of a Minister in ministring the Word and Sacraments nor the inferior Minister to vsurpe that which belongeth to the Bishop but euery man must keepe his owne ranke and therein proceed according to order And that no maruell seeing the whole fabricke of the World both the celestiall orbes and the globe of elements are framed and vpholden by order The fixed starres in their motions and reuolutions keepe a most firme and fixed order The Planets though compared with the fixed they may seeme to wander yet in trueth they obserue a most certaine and neuer wandring order The day in opening and closing the Moone in waxing and waining the sea in ebbing and flowing haue their interchangeable course wherein they continue an vnchangeable order The Storke Swallow Turtle and Crane knowe their appointed time the Cranes doe also flie in order The Grashoppers haue no King yet goe they foorth all by bands The Bees are little creatures yet are they great obseruers of order Amongst men in peace nothing can flourish in warres nothing can prosper without order Order proceedeth from the throne of the Almightie it is the beautie of nature the ornament of Arte the harmonie of the world Now shall all things be in order and the Church of God onely without order God forbid The Church is a Garden inclosed and a garden must be in order The house of God and Gods house should be in order an armie with banners and an armie should bee marshalled in order Therefore in the Church of God Let all things be done honestly and by order 9 Fourthly wee may obserue that as Church gouernours may make Church lawes so all that liue in the bosome of that Church must respectiuely obserue the same For otherwise how can all things be done honestly and according to order Therefore as the enacting of good lawes so the obseruation of them is necessarie But some will demand what degree of necessitie is required whether humane lawes doe
to be the iudgement of the Christian world For when Christianitie was first preached the Temples of idols in England Fraunce and so through the world were turned into the Churches of the liuing God Againe when poperie was banished yet all popish churches were not pulled down but many remaine and some at Geneua still imploied for the seruice of Almightie God And Caluin saith that it may bee done without scruple of conscience Some learned men I grant beyond the seas haue thought otherwise but they are confuted by Zanchius and the Ministers of England which seeke reformation I hope are more considerate then to pull downe Churches But concerning Churches they returne vs this answer that they are profitable wherein they confesse that euen these particulars which haue beene abused to idolatrie may be vsed in the seruice of God so they be profitable Therefore the question is come to this issue whether the things questioned be profitable wherein who shall be the iudge those that sit at the sterne of the Church are perswaded that they are profitable from whose iudgement if they will depart it behooueth them to bring more sound and demonstratiue reasons then hitherto they haue produced But I will conclude this point with the consent of their owne standerd bearer who hauing in his first booke called the surplesse a marke and sacrament of popish abhomination hauing pronounced that it bringeth no profit but hurt yet in his third booke dareth not hence conclude any vnlawfulnesse but onely inconueniencie and would not haue any man to forsake his pastorall charge in regard of a surplesse And thus much for clearing our ceremonies from imputation of poperie 34 Now fourthly let vs consider whether they be Iewish wherein wee affirme that the Church of England doth approch no neerer to the Iewes then the law of God and the state of Christianitie doth permit For what is it that they controle vnder the name of Iewish is it their meaning that we should vse nothing in the Christian Church which was vsed by the Iewes Esdras a Iew preached in a Pulpit of wood shall wooden Pulpits therfore be vnlawful The Iews buried their dead in linnen clothes shall this likewise be reiected as Iewish But both these things our reproouers approoue by their owne practise Wherefore it is agreed that some things vsed by the Iewes may be retained and yet they are retained not because they are Iewish but because they are decent Beside these ceremonies of decencie and order the Iewes had other which by the ordinance of God were types of Christ and these as wee all confesse are solemnly abrogated and neuer to be resumed as circumcision sacrifices and such like But can it be prooued that we vse any such thing in the Church of England let it bee granted that Leuiticall garments in regard of their mysticall representation are abolished yet how can it appeere that any of our garments are Leuiticall Suppose there be some resemblance in matter of forme what then is the Church of Christ bound so farre to auoide all conformitie with the Iewes that she may not at all resemble them in a matter of decencie Our musicall harmonie they would likewise abolish as Iewish but they haue not yet prooued that church musicke vocall or instrumentall is such a Iewish ceremony as ought to be abrogated The princely Prophet Dauid brought into the Church the melodie of musicke for the better praising lauding of God For the sweetnesse of harmonicall sounds doth insinuate it selfe into the soule of man preparing the affections for the seruice of God lifting vp the heart towards heauen delighting the minde kindling deuotion and rauishing the spirit with celestiall ioy If it be said that some come to the Church rather to be delighted with musicke then to bee instructed with religion what then yet in that they come to the Church I reioice yea and I will reioice So some come to the Church with purpose to intangle and catch the Preacher and yet it pleaseth God sometimes that they are catched themselues As Pighius did read Caluins Institutions of set purpose to confute them yet it was Gods will that thereby hee should bee reduced to the right way in the Article of Iustification And father Latimer can tel you that some came to church of purpose to take a nappe and yet he had rather that they should goe a napping then not goe at all Euen so it may be some come to the Church only to heare the melody yet who can tell but it may please the wisedome of that heauenly teacher to finde out a way that hearing those things wherein their eares delight they may also learne that wher◠by their soules may profit The forme of our Church they brand likewise with Iudaisme as being framed after the fashion of the Iewish temple but the temple had roomes for sacrifices to which there is no resemblance in our churches and for the roomes of receit they had Atrium Gentium proper to the Gentiles and Atrium Iudeorum proper to the Iewes And againe for the Iewes they had one partition for men and an other for women And againe for men they had a seuerall for the people a seuerall for Priests and a seuerall where the high Priest entred once a yeere Peraduenture they will say that our chancels are like the Iewish sanctuarie But if wee respect the forme the sanctuarie was square if the magnificence it was ouerlaied with gold if the ornaments there was the Arke and the glorious Cherubins if the separation it was diuided from the Holie by a vaile if the situation it was at the West end of the Holie if the adiuncts it had cloisters galleries and chambers adioining if the vse it was onely for the high Priest whither he entred once a yeere not without bloud which he offered for himselfe and the sinnes of the people all which things are otherwise in our Churches Lastly they compare our churching of Women to Iewish purification but most vniustly for our Women doe not offer lambes sparrowes and pigeons which was Leuiticall they onely resemble them in matters morall Their abstaining from publike assemblies for a season is not onely for health but a matter of modestie their giuing thanks to God when they come to the Church is a Christian dutie neither doe I see how this can be called a Iewish ceremonie vnlesse to praise God be a Iewish ceremonie 35 Fiftly it is obiected that our ceremonies are scandalous let vs therefore consider what a scandall is and how many kindes of scandall The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comming from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to halt is properly that part of the trap whereto the baite is tied which being ouerthrowne the beast pulles the trap vpon his owne head Metaphorically it is taken for that which is an occasion to hurt or grieue
goe out of her my people that you be not partakers in her sinnes and that yee taste not of her plagues haue vpon your former premises gathered a practicall conclusion and made an actuall separation and rent from the Church of England And surely my brethren as they had their original from your positions so now they are strengthened by your practises for they may well thinke that such learned and vertuous men so famous and renowmed Preachers knowing a Wee pronounced against them if they preach not the Gospell would neuer suffer themselues to be silenced for matters which they iudged indifferent and therefore they will take it as granted that the things you sticke at are in your opinion simplie vnlawfull Vpon this dangerous position they will builde an other for if the Liturgie of the Church of England as it is inioined at this day to be performed be such as a Minister cannot execute his function with a good conscience then they conclude that neither may the people heare it with a good conscience because their presence were an approbation of it thus the vnquiet wit of man will still be working euen till it runne it selfe vpon the rocke of his owne destruction Wherefore my deare brethren I beseech you as you tender the good of the Church to lay aside all contentious humors Let there not bee found in you a spirit of contradiction and singularitie but follow those things which concerne peace and wherewith one may edifie an other Let vs consider one an other to prouoke one an other to loue and good works Bend your selues to settle the quiet of the Church and keepe the vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace Which is rather to be expected at your hands because the points in question are the publike constitutions of the venerable conuocation which is the Church of England representatiue in whose voice your owne voice is included Some peraduenture will replie that if this reason be sound then the reuerend Martyrs in Queene Maries time should haue subscribed to poperie because it was then decreed by the Conuocation But I answer that there is not the like reason For against their popish conclusions the blessed Martyrs had euident and necessary demonstration of holy Scripture to which all decâ—â—es of man must vndoubtedly giue place but against the orders of our Church no such demonstrations can be produced Againe the matters they stood vpon were substantiall points of religion whereas our controuersies are of a lower nature And surely as probable inducements must yeeld to necessarie so amongst probable of which sort are all reasons deduced from the authoritie of man the priuate must giue place to the publike Will you haue the iudgement of master Caluin in this point also Then attend and heare a notable place which was touched before but deserueth to bee pondered againe and againe his words are these Quamuis enim quod obtruditur scandalum afferat malam caudam trahat quia tamen per se Dei verbo non repugnat concedi potest maximè vbi maior numerus peruincit quando ei qui membrum est tantum illius corports nulla ratio suppetit vlterius pergendi Let it therfore be imagined that our orders bring scandall and draw after them a long and foule traine of inconueniences yet seeing that in themselues considered they are not repugnant to Gods word for this still wee must presume till the contrarie bee prooued and are agreed vpon by the greater part yea by the sacred Synod which is the Church of England representatiue and that with the royall assent of our Soueraigne surely in the iudgement of Caluin they may bee yeelded vnto by such as are members of the same Church neither in this case can they proceed any further Wherefore my brethren I cast my selfe downe at your feete and with tender teares beseech you euen in the bowels of Christ Iesus that you will seeke peace and follow after it and bee not like to them of whom it is saide The way of peace they haue not knowne 46 Fourthly looke vpon those reuerend Fathers and Bishops of our Church by whose hands and voices that blessing was powred vpon you which made you ministers of holie things Haue you not at your ordination made a promise and at your institution taken a reuerent oth of canonicall obedience Wherefore let mee exhort you which haue taken this oth and being admonished by your Bishop oppose your selues notwithstanding against the laudable discipline of our Church to enter into your owne soules and vprightly to consider whether while you pretend conscience you doe not that which is vncomely for conscieence And for our Bishops ò what an anguish will it bee to their soules if those voices which ordained you be constrained to depriue you And what a comfort would it be both to them and to all your brethren of the Ministerie if we might ioine together against the common enemie and bee linked in euerlasting chaines of loue one with another And heere most reuerend Fathers though in your wisedome you finde it fit that authorized lawes be put in execution yet remember that the offenders are your owne children in the Lord and by Gods mercie your assistants in dispensing the precious trueth of Iesus Christ and many of them very learned and laborious in the Church of God adorned with manifold vertues and graces of the spirit and therefore let all your proceedings towards them be with a tender heart and a tender hand Consider the multitude of papists and the insulting of vaine-glorious Iesuits behold how sinne and iniquitie euerie where abound and what need the Church hath of their learned labours and therefore in the name of God trie all meanes in Fatherly maner to reduce them endeuour according to your godly wisedome to giue them full satisfaction of their doubts and to make the equitie of the required subscription plaine and manifest vnto them that their consciences being resolued they may proceed as before in the worke of the Lord for this will tend much to the glorie of God the good of the Church your owne comfort and the sauing of many thousand soules This in all dutie I haue aduentured call to your remembrance most reuerend Fathers in behalfe of my brethren wherein if I seeme too bold that loue which caused me must excuseme 47 Finally beloued call to mind the flocke of Christ that depends vpon you their profiting in religion was the comfort of your hearts your ioy and your crowne the seale of your Ministerie they heard you as the Angels of God yea as Iesus Christ and could haue beene content to haue plucked out their owne eies and haue giuen them to you And therefore if there be any loue any bowels of compassion forsake not the lambes of Iesus Christ whereof the holie Ghost hath made you ouerseers For let me tell you that your loue to the flocke ought rather like a golden chaine to draw you then the
our spirituall ioy we reade those comfortable and selected portions of Scripture called Epistles and Gospels Now for the holie Communion it is so religiously penned and so reuerently performed in our Church as is most apt to kindle deuotion to inflame faith to raise vp the minde from earthly cogitations and to rauish the spirit with heauenly ioy for it is replenished with most zealous exhortations lowly confessions piercing praiers celestiall comforts angelicall lauding and praising of God and not presuming to come to the Lords table trusting in our owne righteousnesse but in his manifold and great mercies we beseech him to grant that we may so eate the flesh of his deare sonne and drinke his bloud that our bodies being clensed and our soules washed wee may euer dwell in him and he in vs. And though we are not woorthie of our selues so much as to gather vp the crums vnder his table yet after the reheatsall of Christs holy institution such is the mercy of God in the merits of Christ we are made partakers of this heauenly banquet euen of the precious bodie and bloud of Christ for the forgiuenesse of our sinnes and all other benefits of his passion So againe powring out praiers and rendring thanks and glorie to God on high we conclude the celebration of these reuerend mysteries pronouncing a blessing to the people departing Thus we repent and pray wee reioice and praie we thanke God and praie we confesse our faith and praie wee reade and praie we heare and praie we preach and praie we receiue the Sacraments and praie This is the order of our Church which may well be called the house of Praier Iacob when he awaked from the dreame of the ladder he said How reuerend is this place it is none other then the house of God and the gate of heauen So I say vnto you oh how reuerend is this Church of England where God is thus serued surely it is the house of God and this gracious seruing of him is the gate of heauen And thus much of the declaration and now I come to the confutation 28 As Iacob loued Ioseph aboue the rest of his children and in token thereof made him a partie coloured coat so God hath loued the Church of England aboue manie other Churches he hath decked and adorned her with sundrie gifts and graces so that she is like to a kings daughter in a beautifull garment of changeable colours Of Ioseph it is said that The archers shot at him and those archers were his brethren so of the Church of England it may bee saide that the archers shot at her and some of them were her owne children O mercifull God who would imagine that men borne and bred in so holy a Church should shoote so many venemous arrowes at their owne mother Some in their firie zeale haue called our Church musicke meretricious our reading of the Psalmes the tossing of tennis bals our briefe and piercing praiers cuts shreds our choice of the Epistles and Gospels the cutting and mangling of the Scripture the reading of Seruice and Homilies woorse then a stage plaie yea our vsing of the Letanie the Nicene Creed the Hymne of glorie the Creed of Athanasius the Euangelicall Hymnes and the Lords praier it selfe hath not escaped their censure What a world are wee growne vnto when thankesgiuing after childe-birth kneeling at the Communion reading the holy Scripture and funerall Sermons are made matters of reproch yea the whole Communion Booke some are said to call an idoll a Portuis a peece of Swines flesh yea the very Temples of God they are said to tearme temples of Baal idoll synagogues abominable sties But I hope my brethren of the Ministerie for whose loue I haue vndertaken this labour are for the most part more iudicious and of a milder temper yet because diuers of them stand as yet vnresolued imagining that we come neerer to the chuch of Rome then in dutie we should and therefore in the tendernesse of their conscience make scruple whether they may safely ioine with vs or no therefore I will bend my selfe to answer those arguments which in mine opinion doe most commonly intangle them that is certaine generall exceptions which are vniuersally opposed against the orders ceremonies of our Church These firie darts flie farre and wide the people men and women haue learned disdainfully to dash them in our faces these I hold it my dutie to quench or at least to doe mine endeuour I will therefore bring my bucket of water and commit the euent to the gracious goodnesse of Almightie God And for breuities sake I will reduce all these arguments into one the branches whereof shall bee handled in order Those orders and ceremonies which were neither commanded of God in holie Scripture nor practised in the Apostles times but are hereticall popish and antichristian being scandalous where they remaine and therfore cast out of other reformed Churches are in no wise to be imbraced or assented vnto by subscription but such say they are sundry of the orders and ceremonies of the Church of England therefore not to be imbraced nor yeelded vnto by Subscription 29 And first they require that nothing should be placed in Gods Church but those things onely which the Lord himselfe in his word commandeth Now it is supposed that we haue many rites which are not commanded as for example where is the Surplesse commanded where is the Ring in marriage commanded where is the Crosse in baptisme commanded where is kneeling at the Communion commanded These and a number of other things are vsed in our Church which as it is obiected God in his holie Word hath no where commanded To which obiection I answer First that if vnder this word commanded they comprehend things commanded in generall then these and the like orders of our Church are commanded If they demand where I answer in euery place where God commands vs to obey our Prince For the meaning of Gods cōmandement is that we should obey the Prince in all things lawfull but things indifferent are things lawfull therefore God commands vs to obey our Prince in things indifferent But all these things are indifferent therfore in all these God commands vs to obey our Prince yea euen in this my text it is commanded when it is said Let all things be done honestly and by order Secondly if by commanded they vnderstand a particular command then I grant that these things are not so commanded but neither are their owne rites they so much desire any where thus commanded A white Surplesse I confesse is no where commanded neither is a blacke gowne or cloake any where commanded Kneeling at the Communion is no where commanded but neither is sitting or any other gesture which they allow any where commanded If our orders may not be receiued because they are not commanded then neither can