conscientia scripsi sicut credias sic etiam isberè loquutus sum vt facienduÌ„ esse docent sacrae litera Fides auteÌ„ mea nititur cùm primis simplâ—citèr verbo Dei Deinde nonnihil etiam communi totius veteris catholica Ecclesia consensu si ille cum sacris literis non pugnet Credo n. qua a pijs patribus in nomine Domini congregatis communi omnium consensu citra vllaÌ„ sacraruÌ„ litorarum contradictioneÌ„ definita receptafuerunt ea etiam quanquaÌ„ haud eiusdem cum sacris literis authoritatis a spiritu sancto esse Hinc fit vt quae sunt huinscemodi ea ego improbare noc velim nec audeaÌ„ bona conscientia quid autem certius ex Historijs ex concilijs ex omnium patrum scriptis quà m illos ministroruÌ„ ordines de quibus diximus communi totius reipublicae christianae consensu in ecclesia constitutos receptosque fuisse Quis autem ego sum qui quod tota ecclesia approbavit improbem sed neque omnes nostri temporis docti viri improbare ausi sunt quippe qui norunt licuisse haec Ecclesiae ex pietate atque ad optimos fines pro electorum aedificatione ea omnia fuisse profecta ordinata When I worte this Confession of my Faith I wrote euery thing with a good conscience and as I beleeued so I also freely spoke as holy writ teacheth me to doe My beliefe is principally simply grounded vpon Gods word then some-what also vpon the coÌ„mon consent of the auncient Catholique Church so it doe not swarne from the holy Scriptures For I belâ—eue that such things as that holy Fathers gathered together in Gods name haue with common consent defined and receiued without any contradiction of the holy Scriptures do proceed from the holy Ghost though not of the same authoritie with the holy Scriptures Hence comes it that my selfe neither will nor with safe conscience dare reproue such kinde of decrees But what is more cleare and euident by Histories by Councels and by the writings of all the Fathers then that those orders of Ministers wherof we haue spoken haue bene appointed receiued in the Church euen with the common consent of the whole christian Common weale And who am I that I should reproue that which the whole Church hath approued yea which all the learned men of our age durst neuer reproue to this day as who knew right well that both the Church might lawfully doe these things also that they proceeded of pietie that all things were ordained to very godly purposes for edefication of Gods elect Thus writeth this learned godly zealous and iudicious Father who for his rare learning profound knowledge pure zeale great iudgemeÌ„t was inferior to none of his age in Christs Church if not superiour to all Out of whose words I obserue many more excellent worthy documeÌ„ts for the help of the wel affected Reader First that this godly learned man was fully resolued to die in that Faith which he heare speaketh of Secondly that he published this his Confession of Faith with a good conscience constantly beleeuing as he wrote Thirdly that his Faith was grounded vppon the word of God Fourthly that the Decrees of the holy Fathers assembled in Christes name defined by the common consent of all and not repugnant to the Scriptures were not simply the Decrees of men but also of the holy Ghost Fiftly that the Degrees of Ministers and superioritie of Bishops Arch-bishops Primates and Patriarches were approued and receiued by vniforme and common consent throughout the whole Church of Christ. Sixtly that this great learned man neither durst nor could with good conscience reproue the same Seuenthly that the Church had authoritie to appoint constitute ordaine such degrees and superiority amongst the Ministers of the Church Eightly that such constitutioÌ„s proceeded of pietie were ordeined for edisicatioÌ„ of the Church To the testimony of this graue writer I deeme it worth the labour to adde that which the same Doctor hath in another place These are his words Hoc ego ingenuè denuò profiteor talem esse meam conscientiam vt a veteruÌ„ patrum sive dogmatibus sive scripturarum interpraetationibus non facilè nisivel manifestis sacrarum literarum testimonijs vel necessarijs consequentijs apertisque demonstrationibus convictus atque coactus discedere queam Sic enim acquiescit mea conscientia in hac mentis quiete cupio etiaÌ„mors I againe professe freely my conscience to be such that I cannot easily depart either from the Doctrines of the auncient Fathers or from their interpretations of the holy Scriptures vnlesse I bee convicted and compelled therevnto either with the manifest testimonies of holy Writ or with necessarie consequences and manifest demonstrations For so my conscience is at rest and in this quiet of minde I desire to die Out of which wordes I note two things both memorable and of great importance wishing the gentle Reader to marke them attentiuely First that the auncient Fathers haue decreed according to the holy Scriptures superioritie among Ministers in the Church and the degrees of Bishops Arch-bishops Primates Metropolitans Suffragans and Patriarches Secondly that this learned Doctor thinketh himselfe bound in conscience to acknowledge receiue and obey such decrees and constitutions of the holy Fathers and therefore earnestly desireth to ende his life in that beliefe Nicolaus Hemingius affirmeth constantly that the pure church which followed the Apostles-time ordeyned diuers degrees of Ministers for the peaceable Regiment of the Church as Metropolitans Arch-bishops Patriarches The 1. Obiection Ye know that the Lords of the Gentiles haue domination ouer them and they that are great exercise authoritie ouer them But it shall not be so among you but whosoeuer will be great among you let him be your seruant The Answere I answere that these wordes of our Sauiour Christ doe only condemne ambitious desire of rule and the tyrannicall vâ—â—ge thereof but not simply all superioritie and lawfull authoritie of one aboue an other I proue it first because Christ saith not the Lords of the Iewes but the Lords of the Gentiles beare rule ouer them As if hee had said you may not haue that tyrannicall kind of gouernment which the gentiles vsed nor such ambitious desire and sinister affection of rule as was found among them And therefore is it significantly said it shall not be so He saith not it shal not be at all but it shall not be so as it was among the Gentiles Secondly bcause it is the frequent custome of the holy Scriptures to forbid things simply without exception when it doth in deedes and true meaning prohibite onely the abuse and the inordinate desire and vsage of the same Call no man your father vppon earth saith Christ for there is but one your Father which is in heauen Bâ—â— not called Doctors for one is your Doctor euen Christ But
he that is the greatest among you let him be your seruant So Christ forbiddeth to bee carefull for to morrowe to bee carefull for our life for rayment for meate and for drinke And yet in true sense and meaning of holy writtâ— the moderate and honest care of such things is not forbidden but onely the inordinate and distrustfull desire and can thereof Nay nay the Scripture willeth the sluggarde it learne of the Pismire who hauing no guide gouernour nor ruler prepareth her meate in the Summer and gathethereth her foode in haruest And the Apostle giueth commandement that if any will not worke the same must no eate Thirdly because both olde and late writers of be account doe expound this text of S. Matthew against in ordinate and ambitious desire of ruling S. Chrysostome thâ— golden mouthed Doctor for his great learning and eloquence so surnamed hath these wordes It a gentium â—â—n esse ostendit prima quaeque appetere tyrannica enim haec passiâ—â—â— nonnunquam eximios etiam viros perturbat quapropter â—â— vehementiore castigatione indigent acrius etiam ipse insurgâ— comparatione gentium agrotantem ipsorum animum retinem It a horum quidèm invidiaÌ„ illorum verò arrogantiaÌ„ succidit qua magna voce dicens nolite tanquam contempti commoveri â—â— qui primatum quaerunt sibijpsis dedecori sunt ignorantes hoc pacto in infirma detrudere Thus he sheweth it to be the manner of the Gentile to desire superiority For this is a tyrannical passion doth often trouble excellent men Wherefore seeing they haue need of vehement castigation he doth sharpely reprooue theÌ„ so bridling their sickly minde by comparing theÌ„ to the Gentiles And by this meanes he taketh away enuie from the one sort and arrogant pride from the other as if hee should cry with a loude voyce be not troubled with passions of pride as contemptible persons For they that seeke Primacie doe dishonour themselues not knowing that by this meanes they doe abase themselues Theophilactus hath the same sense and interpretation which he vttereth almost in the very same wordes Many other writers expound this text in the selfe same manner neither can any one auncient father be alledged to the contrary sense and meaning Fourthly because the originall worde Catacurieuèin doth plainly insinuate so much vnto vs. Aretius a very learned writer a great patron of pure Religion hath these words Catacurieuèin Est dominari cum aliena tyrannide Catexousiazein in potestate violentèr tenere The one Greek word is to beare rule tyrannically so is the other Greeke word to haue violent power ouer men Erasmus Musculus and many other learned writers are of the same opinion Musculus hath these expresse wordes Non est autem putandum quod omninò prohibeat ne quis vocetur inter Christianos pater aut Magister aut Dominus vt illicitum sit liberis cum vndè sunt genâ—ti vocare patrem aut discipulis cum a quo instituuntur appellare Magistri aut praeceptoris vocabulo vel servis heros suos appellitare Dominos cum sacra Scriptura iubeat vt filij honorent patres suos Apostolus admoneat servos vt dominis suis obediant dominos vt aequi sint erga servos cum audisset in carcere a custode carceris vocari dominos se Silam non prohibuerit verum it a vocari patrem magistrum vt vocabantur Scribae Pharisaei prohibetur hoc loco Primùm illi amabant vocari Rabbi ergo affectus horum cognominum vetatur Deinde ita vocari rabbi volebant vt ab ipsis prorsus penderet populus domini nec vlla in re placitis ipsorum repugnaret at hoc pacto vocari patrem magistrum nemini mortalium competit Est enim vnus verus pater tantùm deus vnus veruâ— magister Christus a cuius debemus pendere praeceptis vt non liceat nobis in alterius cuiuspiam tur are verba magistri Sequitur hec satis indicat quomodo prohibuerit suos vocari rabbi magistros viz. vt dixi contradrim itus ambitum dominandique libidinem ista sunt aicta Alioqui dixisset nemo inter vos sit reliquis maior I am verò vbi dicit qui maximus est vestrum erit vester minister ostenait se non ita dixisse vos omnes fratres estis quòd per omnia voluerit suos esse inter se aequales sed vt ij qui reliquos ex donis dei excellebant ad omnium ministerium sese demitserent We may not thinke that Christ doth altogether forbid that no christian shall be called father or maister or Lord as if it were vnlawfull for children to call him father that did beget them or for Schollers to call him Maister who teacheth them or for Seruants to call their Maisters Lords seeing the holy Scripture commaundeth children to honour their Parents and the Apostle also willeth Seruants to obey their Maisters and when hee heard the keeper of the Prison call him and Silas Maisters he did not rebuke him for the same but so to bee called Father and Maister as the Scribes and Pharises were called hee vtterly forbiddeth in this place First they greatly desired to bee called Rabbi and therefore the affection of such names is forbidden Againe they wished so to be called Rabbi that GODS people should wholy depend vpon them and in no respect denie or withstand their ordinances and Decrees But to bee called Father or Maister in this sort and manner agreeth to no mortall man For there is one onely true Father which is GOD himselfe and one onely true Maister which is Christ vpon whose commaundements wee must so depend that wee may in no case sweare to the wordes of any other man Heere wee are sufficiently taught in what sense Christ for bad his Disciples to bee called Rabbi and Maisters viz. As I saide against the ambition of Primacie and desire to rule are these things spoken and not simply against Rule Dominion or Superioritie For otherwise hee would haue saide let none amongst you bee greater then the rest But nowe when hee saith hee that is the greatest of you shall bee your Seruant hee sheweth himselfe not to have saide yee are all brethren for that hee woulde haue them in all things to bee equall among themselues but that they who excelled others in the gifts of GOD might humble themselues to the seruice of others Thus writeth this great learned Father out of whose golden wordes wee may gather euidently sundry necessarie documents for a resolute and full aunswere to the precedent obiection For first hee affirmeth constantly that Christ doth not simply prohibite Christians to bee called Rabbies or Maisters but so as the Scribes and Pharises desired to bee called Maisters Secondly hee telleth vs that Paul and Silas were well pleased to bee called Maisters Thirdly hee auoucheth roundly that CHRIST did not forbid Dominion Rule and Superioritie but
Of the discipline of the Church The first Section of the multiplicitie of Church-discipline THe Authors Patrons and seekers of the new English presbyterie reckon vp three parts of church-discipline viz 1. the election abdication of ecclesiasticall officers 2. the excommunication of the stubborne and absolution of the repentant 3. the decision of all such matters as rise vp in the church whether it be touching corrupt manners or peruerse doctrine For answere whereunto marke the next Section The second Section containing an answere vnto the former There is but one onely kind of publique church-discipline which is called in the new testament by the name of excommunication I say publique because I grant priuate admonition and reprehension to be a certaine kind of priuate discipline I say church-discipline because I acknowledge also ciuill discipline Discipline consisteth intrinsecally in the punishing and correcting of vice It is one part of the churches pollicie farre different from the election of ministers and decision of controuersies The third Section of the essence nature and condition of church-discipline The Patrones of the English presbyterie doe make it an essential part of the Gospell so necessarie to saluation as no Church can bee without it but the truth is otherwise I proue it first because S. Paul giueth a singular commendation to the Church of Corinth although it wanted at that time the Church-discipline which is excommunication Secondly because we may stay and continue in that Church which is destitute of excommunication Which doubtlesse we could not doe if excommunication were a part of Christs Gospell and necessarie vnto saluation For we must flee from that Church which wanteth any thing necessarie to saluation This notwithstāding many learned men euē of best accoūt in the reformed churches do think it lawfull to remaine in those Churches where excommunication is not in vse Maister Bullinger writing against the Anabaptists hath these words This the Anabaptists vrge that there is no true Church acceptable vnto God where there is no excommunication To whom we answere that the Church of Corinth was a true Church and so acknowledged of Paul before there was any vse of excommunication in it The same doctrine is taught vniformely of maister Caluin maister Gualter and others Thirdly wheresoeuer the word of God is truly preached and his Sacraments lawfully administred there is Christs Church vndoubtedly For these are the true markes by which best learned Writers discerne the Church of God The case is euident enough it is needelesse to spend much time about it Vide sententiam Gualteri in fine sectionis subsequentis The fourth Section of the persons that must excommunicate Excommunication precisely and chiefely pertaineth to the Church and secondly to those to whom the Church hath cōmitted the execution thereof I proue it by Christs owne wordes in his holy Gospell where hee willeth his Disciples to tell the faults of their brethren if they will not heare them vnto the Church that is to say vnto the whole congregation And forthwith Christ addeth these wordes Verily I say vnto you whatsoeuer ye bind on earth shall be bound in heauen and whatsoeuer yee loose on earth shall be loosed in heauen Againe in an other place he giueth the same authoritie of binding and loosing vnto Peter alone which hee gaue in the other place to all the Apostles ioyntly Thirdly in an other place he giueth power to remit retain sins vnto his Disciples onely soly Out of which three seuerall commissions of our Lord Iesus I gather and conceiue two generall rules and settled lawes The one that onely the successors of Christs Apostles and Disciples haue the keyes of the kingdome of heauen that is of opening and shutting of binding and loosing of remitting and retaining sinnes as also the power of excommunication touching the vse and execution thereof I say touching the vse and execution thereof because it is one thing to execute excommunication and the keyes of heauen an other thing to commit the execution thereof to others The other that the whole Church hath authoritie to commit the execution of the keyes and of excommunication to some speciall persons fit for that purpose for comlinesse and order sake and for auoyding of confusion This my resolution I will proue to be grounded vpon the doctrine of great learned men highly renowned in the reformed Churches two things I haue to proue first that the whole Church hath power to commit the keyes and excōmunication to some certaine fit persons chosen for that end and purpose Secondly that onely the Ministers of the word Sacramēts can denounce the sentence and put the same in execution Concerning the former Maister Bullinger hath a long and learned discourse which is able to satisfie any indifferent Reader These are his expresse wordes caeterum video controversum inter quosdam nostri aevi homines c. But I perceiue it is a controuersie among certaine men of our age who should haue power to punish sinne and to execute the discipline of the Church some ascribing it to the whole Church other some to speciall men chosē for that purpose Doubtlesse I cannot perceiue that they offend who giue this power to certain men chosē for that end wtout doubt they doe not offend against Gods word But they obiect if he shal not heare you tel it to the church Now some chosē men are not the church But these men perceiue not that Christ his Apo. vsed the figure Synecdoche For Paul saith you being gathered with my spirit And in the latter Epistle he saith it is sufficient to the same man that he was rebuked of many If they wil stand vpon Christs words literally we wil see when they wil bring the whole church together But we speake say they of the particular Church We therfore haue the victory who say that Christ vsed the figure Synecdoche We graunt that this power is giuen to the whole Church but we call the congregation of good men the Church For it followeth forthwith in the very words of our lord where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the mids of them Therfore if Christ as they graunt committed the ecclesiasticall discipline to a particular church two or three much more eight or twelue make a particular church what letteth that christ cōmitted not the same to chosen men who are consecrate to Christs name seeing the authoritie of ecclesiasticall discipline is more intiere renowned among chosen godly men then among the confused vulgar sort who as they lack iudgement so are they often carried away with affections Haec Bullingerus Maister Gualter hath these words potestatis christi meminit alludeut ad mat 18. ne ille ecclesie sententiā cōtemneret et hoc iubet quiatunc non erat alia tales coercendi quādo magistratus non erant christiani ali◠qui iste paenas dedisset secundum