striuing the inuestiture and placing of all Byshops in Italie and the Emperors dominions and at length in all the West besides By this the beast was growen so strong that he would nowe take vpon him to feede or famish his father and feeder For he would make the Emperour or else hee should be no Emperour hee would excommunicate him and depose him at his pleasure And hauing wrastled and ouercome him it was an easie matter for him to ouercome the other kings Nay the Emperors and kings did willingly giue the beast those thinges which made him strong and themselues weake For they sware obedience to him and that they would not diminish his dignitie nor commodities or dominions Edelwulphus king of the West Saxons here in England was the first that made his land tributarie to the Pope in the yeare eight hundred fortie and sixe And as this land receaued the yoke first so first it cast it off vnder king Henrie the eight By occasion that the Emperours in the East destroied images and for want of might could not holde vp the state of Rome against the Longobards in Italy the Pope excommunicated the Emperours of the East one after another and called Carolus magnus the king of Fraunce into Italy for his aide and there made the people proclaime him Emperour and he himselfe anointed him in the yeere 801. Thus Charles being an Emperour of the Popes owne making conferred vpon the Pope a great part of Italy and to requite him made him riche After that part of England other kingdomes by sundrie occasions came vnder the Pope The Sclauonians would vse their owne tongue in their publike seruice of God but they were content to doe it by the Popes permission and so declared themselues subiect to him an 861. When Miesko king of Poland embraced the faith of Christ appointed bishops in his kingdome Ioannes 13. sendeth one Giles the Tusculan bishop Cardinal to consecrate his bishops after the maner of Rome so maketh Poland subiect to himselfe as soone as it was christened in the yeere 965. To Benedictus the 8. Stephanus king of Hungarie sendeth ambassadours for his crowne and confirmation of the kingdome of Hungarie the Churches builded by him He then brought his kingdom to the obedience of the Pope Stephen himselfe at euery time the Pope was mentioned bowing his heade did bende his knee that by his example he might perswade also his people to the obseruance of the Pope Robert duke of Apulia Calabria in Italy bindeth himselfe by oth his hand writing to Pope Nicholas the 2. to send him aid whensoeuer he should neede because the Pope absolued him for deposing his brothers sonne the right heire from the dukedom A litle before Stephen the 9. brought the bishop of Millaine which before that time had alwaies bene free to the obedience of the See of Rome These increases came to the popedom about the yeere 1057 A little after this Hildebrand called Gregorie the 7. that is reported to haue poisoned sixe Popes one after another to make a way for himselfe to the popedom and was a most infamous coniurer Magitian excōmunicateth spoileth of his empire Henry 4. setteth vp first Rodulphus his seruant and afterward Henrie 5. his owne sonne against him He sent a crowne to Rodulph with this posie Petra dedit Petro Petrus diadema Rodolpho But Rodulph hauing lost his right hand dying cursed them that perswaded him to this The crime layed to the Emperour was simonie as the Pope called the bestowing of Byshoprickes and other ecclesiasticall liuings by the Emperour These thinges fell out about the yeare one thousand threescore and ten Henrie the fift stroue so long with Gelasius the second and Calixtus the second for the bestowing of Byshoprickes till at length hee was constrained by the thunder-bolt of excommunication and by feare of depriuation through treasons and conspiracies by his letters to graunt it to the Pope for euer and the letters of the graunt in token of the Emperour being ouercome were hanged vp in the Laterane Church at Rome for a monument of the victorie Through this victorie Calixtus the second as seemeth waxed bould for thus hee decreed A Romana Ecclesia non licere dissentire quia vt filius venit facere voluntatē Patris ita oportet Christianos facere volūtatem Matris Romanae Ecclesiae It should not be lawfull to dissent from the Church of Rome because as the sonne came to doe the will of the father so must all Christians doe the will of their mother the Church of Rome Sicilie was a long time tributarie to the Pope and none almost should hold it but at his pleasure In the yeare 1130. Innocentius the second maketh warre against Rogerius duke of Sicily for it but it was like to haue cost the pope well for he himselfe was taken in the warre yet the pope got by the helpe of Lotharius the dukedome of Calabria from him and gaue it for a reward to Rainold captaine of Lotharius armie that helped him againe to his popedome Norweigh in the time of Eugenius receiued the faith of Christ and then became subiect to the pope in the yeere 1148. Liuonia had no sooner receiued the Christian faith about the yeere 1158 but pope Alexander seizeth vpon it and by asking a bishop of him they are brought in bondage to him It were long to tell how Frederike the first was handled of pope Adrian the fourth and Alexander the third The quarell at first of Adrian against him was because he required homage of his bishops and excluded his legate out of Germanie if he came when he was not sent for Adrian for these things cursed him and suborned one to faine himselfe a iester and finding oportunitie to kill him but the emperour escaped by leaping out at a window Then he procured one to poison him by an infected ring and that he escaped also Alexander the third pursued him for that he fauored Victor chosen against him therefore he cursed him made his chiefe captaine forsake him in fight traiterously and so was the emperour made to flee secretly away And at length when at Venice the emperours sonne fighting rashly against his fathers commandement before his comming was taken of the pope by the helpe of the Venetians hee to redeeme his sonne was constreined to come to Venice to submit himselfe to the pope At the staires in S. Marks church in Venice the emperour lying on the ground the pope putteth his foot on his necke vttring this verse of the psalme Vpon the aspe cockatrice shalt thou walke thou shalt tread vpon the lion and dragon This was the insolency of that beast Peter king of Arragon in Spaine maketh his kingdome and all that belonged to him tributary to the pope in the yere 1202 vt sic salutem animae mereretur saith Vincentius that he might thus merit the saluation of his soule King Iohn of England hauing deteined six yeres
but according to his owne fancie to establish his owne earthly kingdome Last of all hee denieth to Christ also his priesthood for neyther doth he admitte the sacrifice of Christ by himselfe in his owne person vpon the Crosse as sufficient for saluation but he ordaineth another sacrifice of the Masse and satisfactorie works of penance mens merites to redeeme their owne sinnes Neither doeth he permit Christ to be the only intercessor maker of request to the father for his people but hee ioyneth with him or substituteth vnder him the Virgine Marie and a great number of saintes of his owne creation Thus he denieth Iesus to be Christ sheweth himself to be an enemie vnto him the very Antichrist Wherfore al the notes markes of the beast fal vpon him This is the beast that Iohn speaketh of which doeth associate to himselfe the kings of the earth their armies maketh warre against Christ his army This is now our enemie he his kings fight against vs. It is good for vs to thinke of him as he is and as he is called in Scripture Let vs not thinke of him as of an holie Father Christes Vicar a sacred person the pillar of Christes religion the highest Byshop a god in earth as the Papistes and his owne seruants and flatterers so manie as haue not receiued the loue of the trueth such whose names are not written in the booke of life doe esteeme him But let vs thinke of him as of the great whore the mother of all fornication in the earth for his idolatrie as of Babylon for his persecuting Empire as of an Apostata for his falling from the true faith as of Antichrist and the enemie of Christ for denying the sufficiencie of Christs Sacrifice and intercession for expelling Christ out of his throne of gouernement and stepping into it himselfe for displacing Christs word and corrupting it and putting his owne word in the roome thereof Let vs account him as the beast that hath not one shape but the properties of manie beastes and therefore a monstrous beast Proude lyke the Lyon cruell lyke the Beare filthie like the Swine full of poyson through his blasphemies like the Dragon and yet in shewe of hornes like the Lambe This is the leader and captaine of all our enemies if we yeelde to them wee yeelde to the beast and the beast will make vs beastes like himselfe Wee must beare the beastes marke God defend vs from him and represse his furie and confounde his enterprises and ouerthrowe his kingdome Thus much of the beast The beast fighteth not alone against Christ and his people for thē he were not much to be feared but he hath first kings and then his owne their armies to assist him First wil I speake of the kings thē of their armies Kings were prophesied to be subiect to him The Angel saith to Iohn The ten horns which thou sawest are tenkings which yet haue not receaued a kingdome but shall receaue power as kings at one houre with the beast These haue one minde and shal giue their power and authoritie to the beast These shal fight with the Lambe and the Lambe shal ouercome thē For he is Lord of Lords king of kings they that are on his side called chosen faithful Againe he saith The ten hornes which thou sawest vpon the beast are they that shal hate the whore shal make her desolate naked shall eate her flesh and burne her with fire For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his wil to doe with one consent for to giue their kingdom vnto the beast vntill the words of God be fufilled Thus kings shal subiect thēselues to the beast shal giue their authoritie to him shal fight for him so long as God hath appointed The loue of these kings to Rome their obedience is expressed which they shewed to it in time of the prosperitie thereof in this maner With her haue cōmitted fornication the kings of the earth And in the time of the decay of it in this sort The kings of the earth shall bewaile her and lament for her which haue cōmitted fornication liued in pleasure with her when they shall see the smoke of her burning What other state hath there bin or is in the world vnto which kings haue willingly subiected themselues and yet remaine kings but this If any be vnder the great Turke the name of kings and authoritie ceaseth by and by He onely will be king But in Poperie the kings submit thēselues become seruants tributarie yet remaine kings take pleasure in this subiection and striue against al others that will not be slaues bondmen as wel as thēselues These kings had the same occasion time of beginning their kingdomes that the beast had For the dissipation of the West Empire gaue the first occasion at one time to both For after the great fight betweene the Hunni vnder Attila on the one side being 500000 men al the power that the other natiōs Romans Goths Frenchmen Britons Germans could make on the other side after this battel fought in campis Catalaunicis in France the countries were gouerned not by one Emperor ouer all but by their owne seueral gouernors Then the French began in France the Hunni in Hungarie the Saxons in England the Goths in Spaine and so in euery countrie either strangers or the olde inhabitantes tooke the gouernement to themselues To finde that they were iust ten and neither more nor lesse it is hard but ten may be set for a perfect and full number rising of all the Vnities The occasion of the rising of the Popedome of these kingdomes was one and the same and at once began albeit the Popedome shewed not it selfe in his great pride and high name of Oecumenicall Byshop till Phocas the Emperor of Constantinople in the yeare sixe hundreth and sixe Then Rome was great with childe of this beast yea and brought him forth and gaue him the name But hee did growe vp afterward in great haste till he became the mightiest in the West partes of the worlde But his growing was by the suppressing of the Empire and by sucking of strength from the Emperor and from these kings The first milke that hee did sucke was that title gotten of Phocas that hee might be called and taken to bee the Oecumenicall and generall high Byshop of all the world Before that time the other Patriarkes were equall with him but by this title hee was set ouer them and all other Byshops Then hee obtained more milke of the Emperour although hee had much a doe to get it namely that the Emperour should not confirme him but his election should bee ratified by the Romanes and not by the Emperor When hee had this then hee was able to goe alone After this he obtaineth yet more plentifull nourishment and beginneth to swallowe downe stronge meate Hee obtaineth by much
the reuenues of the church at length is compelled to flee to the mercy of the pope Innocentius the third and maketh England and Ireland tributary to the church of Rome granteth the Peter pence promiseth to pay yerely an hundred marks of gold for both Ilands Innocentius the fourth sent certaine monks legats to the Tartarian emperour with his letters exhorting them to the faith of Christ and his obedience He thought that vpon the sight of his holinesse letters the Tartarian empire would yeeld it selfe vnto him Maudauus king of Lituania being turned to Christian religion falleth into the popes net in the yere 1255. The emperours had too much experience great feare of the euill that this beast might do vnto thē Henry the first would not receiue his crowne of the pope nor go into Italie for it He said it was sufficient for him that he was left emperour by his ancestors so saluted by his nobles When Frederike the first was going to Rome with his army the Romans sent messengers to him that they would not receiue him except he came in maner of triumph Thus they mocked the emperour meaning if he came so to waste him by his expences But he perceiuing it answered that he came to get mony out of Italie and not to leaue his owne there Rodolph the emperor put off the fetching of his crowne frō Rome saying that the emperors entring into Italy was pleasant stately but his going out was alwayes miserable and dolefull Boniface the eight that ordeined the first Iubile kept it an 1330 had great contention with Philip king of France In the presumption of his heart and to declare that he is this beast and Antichrist exalting himselfe he writ vnto the king as foloweth Se esse dominū omnium tam temporalium quà m spiritualium per orbem terrarum c. That he is lord of all as well temporall as spirituall thinges through out the world that consequently the kingdome of France ought to be receiued of him which because he had not done he had deserued to be depriued but the king despised his legates and burnt his letters in an open fire and stopt the wayes of his kingdome that none might passe to Rome But the pope preuailed against him for he excommunicated him gaue his kingdome to Albert the emperour caused him to be taken by his owne housholde seruants and layd all his treasures open to the spoile Iohn the two twentieth excommunicated Ludowike the emperour because he tooke vpon him the name of the emperour without his consent Benedictus the twelft confirmed that excommunication against the emperour and vsed the empire as his owne placing officers in it himselfe Clemens the sixt absolued those that did fauour Lewes but vpon these conditions that they should sweare fidelitie to the pope and acknowledge none to be emperour but such as was confirmed by him Sigismund the emperour when three popes did striue together shewed himselfe so much a seruant to that seat that he trauelled into France and sailed into England and passed into Italie and came to the councell of Constance and sung the Gospell like a deacon in great humilitie before the pope the Gospell which he did sing was Exijt edictum à Caesare Augusto All this he did trauelling from one king to another to make these beasts agreed so glad he was to please And the greatest care of Frederike the third was that neutrality being remooued out of Germanie he might submit himselfe his people to the bishop of Rome in the yeere 1440. In this age wherein we liue Cosmus Medices was made by the pope great duke of Ferraria that he might trouble the world in the yeere 1570. Thus kings haue willingly serued him in times past and some haue bene brought vnto it whether they would or no yet at length all content to doe it In this age he hath yet some that fauour him and labour to holde him vp fight for him with all their power the king of Spaine and those that depend vpon him the duke of Sauoy the duke of Parma and the states of Italie and some fauourers he hath in France The beast is now much weaker then he was and it is maruell that there are any found in this land or els where that make so great account of his fauour I haue shewed vnto you how this beast hath had kings his assistants and as it were his seruants which neuer came to passe in any gouernment in the world that kings not subdued by armes but scarsely threatened by words so many and so willingly should submit themselues to one be content to holde their crownes of him and in all things to be at his commandement They receiued his decrees they forsooke their kingdomes they waged warre against one another they resigned a great part of their subiects they suffered their land to be tributarie they would attempt to winne the Holy land as they called it with hazzard of their liues and intolerable paines and exceeding great expences and all at his commandement When was there any power in the world that coulde worke this bring them thus to obedience The emperors of Rome had kings vnder them which remained kings but they were ouercome by battell few voluntarily did yeelde thēselues They fought oft for Spaine for Afrike for Greece for Egypt for France for Britaine for euery part of Italie it selfe before they could obteine it but the pope had all the West part subiect to him and scarse euer fought for any by the sword he subdued almost none of them vnto him nay he neuer fought for any except it were for some small dukedome or citie of Italie which he counted Peters patrimonie Is not this plainely that which the Angel saith to Iohn These haue one minde shall giue their power to the beast And againe God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will and to doe with one consent for to giue their kingdome to the beast vntill the words of God be fulfilled They shall giue it they shall not be conquered constreined by his power vnto it Thus much of the kings that assist the beast After the kings assisting the beast there are placed also armies vnder him Not one army but many armies are leuied for his defence They boast much of multitude and number And the Holy ghost giueth vnto them the greatest number as a sure marke of the beast This cause standeth not by number but by weight of voices If number should carie the matter of religion the Turks should haue the truth of it on their side There is more dirt thē golde moe stones then pearles more chaffe then good corne and so moe that holde on superstition then on trueth Our Sauiour saith Many are called but few are chosen and narrow is the way that leadeth to life few there be that find it but broad is the way that leadeth to destruction many there
heathen of the land gathered in the name of Christ whome they truely worship and readily obey as their onely king priest and prophet ioyned together as members of one bodie ordered and gouerned by such officers and lawes as Christ in his last will and testament hath thereunto ordained all and each of them standing in and for their Christian libertie to practise whatsoeuer God hath commanded and is reuealed to them in his holy worde executing the Lordes iudgementes against all transgression and disobedience which ariseth amongst them and cutting it off accordingly by the power which their Lord and king Christ Iesus hath committed vnto them This is the Church this is the armie of Christ in their account and such they will not acknowledge vs to be Our parishes which they call perishes they examine by all the parts of this description and wil not allowe to any parish any one of these thinges Ten partes are found in it Let vs see how they examine our Churches by them First they say the Church consisteth of a faithfull people None are accounted of thē to bee of the Church but such as are regenerate haue the spirit and are indued with knowledge and haue receaued the gift of a sauing faith But it is certaine that many are in the visible church that haue not these things For first the kingdome of God is like a net that gathereth together good bad the bad are not regenerate neither haue these things by thē named And as many followed Christ when he walked vpō earth were his disciples which followed not for regeneration but for that he fed their bodies so is it in the Church now And what shal we say of the tares the Christ cōmandeth to be suffered til the haruest least the wheate be plucked vp with thē They are not only hypocrites which are like the good for the tares are not like the wheate but the open wicked mightie which if the Church would goe about to roote out from among them they would indanger the whole as by experience hath oft bin feene When Paul saieth All men haue not faith he speaketh not onely of them that are without but euen of them that are within the Church And to the Corinthians hee sayth Some haue not the knowledge of God I speake this to your shame Wherefore euen in the Church of Corinth the people whereof are called faithfull and Saintes there were some that had no knowledge of God And why may not that befall the Churches of Christ which befell the Israelites Vnto vs was the Gospell preached as vnto them but the worde that they heard profited not them because it was not mixed with faith in those that heard it As wee are like them in hearing so why may not some among vs be like them in not beleeuing And yet as they were so may we be reckoned of the outwarde Church They see that the Church in the time of the Prophets had many which were neither regenerate nor faithfull such as had neither the spirrte nor knowledge But they would make vs differ from them in a straiter couenant of separation For they say the carnal propagation from Abraham and outward circumcision was inough to keepe them in the Church but nothing keepeth vs in it that is outward not baptisme nor any outwarde thing but onely grace and faith and the spirite If any man haue not these and be not so esteemed hee is not to bee accounted so much as of the visible Church And this they grounde of the practise of the Iewes which as they saye separated none from their Synagogues for sinne But this is false Them that confessed Christ they put out of their Synagogues althogh vniustly for diuers kindes of sinnes they had diuerse sacrifices which must bee offered by them before there coulde bee any attonement for them So the Iewes separated some for sinnes and yet wicked persons were stil of their outward Church As for the places that they alleage to proue that all in the Church must be faithfull and haue the spirite petaine eyther to the elect onely and such as are called according to purpose as when it is saide to so many as receaued him he gaue power to bee made the sonnes of God And againe I will write my lawes in their hearts or else declare what euery one ought to be and not what euery one is or shal be as when Paul sayeth In Christ neither circūcision auaileth any thing nor vncircumcision but a newe creature or else speake of outward profession shewe of faith as whē the Corinthians are called faithfull and such as S. Iames speaketh of in his second chapter or last of all because some haue these in trueth they are ascribed to the rest because they make one outward body with thē are denominated of the best as when Paul saith Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified As Augustine sayeth that a heape wherein lyeth more chaffe thē wheate is yet called a heape of wheate and not of chaffe because it is a heape for the wheates sake So although there be wicked vnfaithfull men in the Church yet the Church is called faithful because it is a Church for the faithful godly not for the wicked Wherefore it is not necessarie that the visible Church should consist onelie of a faithfull and a regenerate people such as haue the knowledge and the spirite of God the outward profession of these thinges and the Sacraments and the shadow as it were of the good keepeth thē in the visible Church although such men are in it only for their further damnation except they repent Thus much of that they say the Church must be a cōpanie of faithful people The second note which they make is a separation frō the heathen of the land These heathens they tearme by many other names calling them vngodly prophane and atheists and the other common sort of them take all such as come to Church with vs to bee no better the other that will seeme to speake with more iudgement make such to be prophane which are without the Church or returne to their former filthines or haue done any thing that may shewe them to bee without the couenant of Gods grace and free promise Euery man that hath not knowledge to render a distinct account of his faith in all necessary branches they esteeme prophane thus they minse it but their writings and doings shewe that all are prophane with them that are not of their owne societie Now the separation frō prophane persons is so great a matter with thē that if but one such man remaine be kept in the Church either he maketh it as they thinke no Church or at least maketh all exercises of prayers and of Sacramēts to be of no vertue nor value but offēsiue to God hurtful to the Church Therefore they accoūt our churches no churches our sacramēts no sacramēts our praiers no
this partelie the Gospell is called the Gospell of the kingdome These are the principall thinges pertaining to Christes kingdome heere in earth and these by his grace and goodnes wee haue among vs. Nowe they haue a third branch of a kingly reigne which is a forme of outwarde gouernement the ende and scope whereof is that order should bee kept sinne shoulde bee punished and corrected among Gods people by ecclesiasticall punishments and censures This they saye wee want and therefore doe not acknowledge Christ our king They imagine that Christ hath set a forme externall by which euery congregation shoulde bee framed in this behalfe as that there must bee besides the teachers in euerie congregation a certaine number of Elders which must electe depose ordeine make orders and decrees reprooue suspende and excommunicate when they see good This is the kingdome which they striue for if this bee not in euery parish Christ they saye can not bee our king we haue cast him off Christ is our king not onelie by his necessarie to saluation directlie commaunded as the Priestes did in the dayes of Malachie If wee reiected gouernement and refused all correction and punishmēt for sinne we reiected an expresse commaundement of Christ our king But in reiecting the censures of ten or sixe or any such number in euerie congregation wee doe not repugne anie open or knowen commaundement of Christ our king Wherefore notwithstanding the gouernement which wee haue and the excluding of that gouernement which they would obtrude wee haue Christ to bee our king and hee acknowledgeth vs his people subiectes and armie Nowe wee must see what it is that maketh them to thinke that we denie the priesthoode of our Sauiour Iesus Christ and so make that he is no priest to vs. If hee be no priest for vs then hath hee not sacrificed and satisfied for our sinnes then hath hee not neither doth make intercession for vs. Hee that denieth the priesthoode of Iesus Christ loseth these his benefites He is a priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech and all must come vnto God by him Now then wherein doe wee deny his priesthoode Because saye they we sacrilegiously prophane his name with our idolatrie and because we prostitute his blood and make him a priest and sacrifice to infidels and most wicked offenders His priesthoode were denyed if we trusted in anie but in his sacrifice for the forgiuenes of our sinnes or if wee made prayers to God in anie mediators name but his But they saye wee denie his priesthoode because wee make prayer vnto him out of a booke for this they call idolatrie But by that booke wee praye to God the father in his name for thinges agreeable to his will with faith and from the heart Therefore there is no idolatrie in that nor any thing that derogateth from his priesthoode The second thing wherein wee denie his priesthoode is they saye because wee prostitute the blood of Christ and make him a priest and sacrifice to infidels and the most wicked offenders In baptisme they say it is prostituted because wee giue the Sacrament to the whole nation in the Supper because wicked impenitent persons are receaued of vs to it and generally in both because at the first by proclamation of the prince and vpon the sudaine from idolatrie and poperie streight after the reigne of Queene Marie all were receaued to the Sacrament and that people is yet retained But for the infantes to bee baptised although the parentes were wicked there is good warrant First for that their auncetors were receaued into the couenant and the sinne of the father shall bee vpon himselfe and is personall and necessarily the punishment passeth not God himselfe sayeth the sonne shall not beare the iniquitie of the father Another reason is because there is hope of the childe that hee shall bee brought vp to knowe God and beleeue in Iesus Christ and last of all for that there is none baptized but some doe vndertake for him that it shall be performed they marueile that a whole nation shoulde bee baptised and yet Christ hath saide Go teach all nations baptising them And as touching the whole multitude receaued after the ende of the reigne of Queene Marie First it can not bee saide but they had teaching in the dayes of the most worthie king Edwarde although they fell from it Secondly they came not as meere strangers to Christian Religion but as men from an aberration in Christian Religion which they might easilie correct if they were not wilfull And what shoulde that preiudice the Church nowe If they had not bene taught then yet nowe they haue bene taught aboue these thirtie yeres Last of all in such maner Gods people haue bene reduced to Gods worshippe againe from idolatrie vnder Iosias and Ezechias Kings of Iudah Nowe concerning the Sacrament of the Supper we doe not prostitute it to infidels We cannot count any in this land infidels whome we know and receiue to the Sacrament of the Supper All make profession of faith all acknowledge Christ God and redeemer and hope for saluation in him if they haue not this we may and ought reiect them If any neglect his duety it is no preiudice nor cause to condemne the rest So likewise knowen wicked offenders if they be impenitent are remooued and if it were so that some such as are not to be made partakers doe communicate is that a denying of his sacrifice and priesthoode to the rest It is euill applyed to such but it is not thereby plucked from the rest It is applyed to him that hath no benefite but he is not depriued to whom the benefite belongeth The places of Scripture by which they woulde prooue that we denie Christs priesthoode for giuing the Sacrament to such as we receiue are these Ezec. 44.7 first the complaint of God in Ezechiel Yee haue brought into my Sanctuarie strangers vncircūcised in heart vncircūcised in flesh to be in my Sāctuary to pollute my house when ye offer my bread God reproueth thē for making such priests as were vncircūcised in flesh strangers euen heathens idolaters for to be in the sāctuary there to minister was to be a priest Such we make not this pertaineth nothing to the receiuing of any among vs to the sacramēt To this they ioine another complaint of Ieremie Lam. 1.10 The enemie hath stretched out his hand vpon all her pleasant things for she hath seene the heathen enter into her sanctuarie whom thou diddest cōmand that they should not enter into thy Church This is spoken of the enemies which should possesse al they had be Lords ouer them spoile their Sanctuarie by violence These were heathen idolaters the Babylonians Such should not enter into the Church We receiue none such as professe themselues to be idolaters as beleeue not in Christ and are open persecuters of his people Thus it is apparant we do not prostitute the blood of Christ to
Church altogether Nowe then how shall we knowe whether a thing be popish and Antichristian or no By the names that can not be Names of their nature be indifferent the thinges contained in the names as they are vsed of vs must be examined And how shall we finde whether they bee popish and Antichristian If they serue to promote poperie then are they popish then are they Antichristian But if they further Christs glorie his kingdome then may they bee retained in the Church of Christ and we hauing them bee his Church Therefore if none of these offices nor courtes nor Ministers helpe to maintaine idolatrie or the Popes supremacie or mens traditions against the written worde or free wil against the grace of Christ or mens merites against iustification by faith or the Idole and sacrifice of the Masse or pilgrimages or purgatorie or prayer for the dead or auricular confession or satisfactions for sinnes by penance or indulgences or the keeping of the worde of God from the people in an vnknowen tongue or such like if they doe not maintaine vice nor iniustice nor heresie among vs but are directed to roote out poperie to keepe vs in the true faith to aduance the worde of God to establish our iustification by faith to further repentance and good workes to punish sinne to define that which is equall and right to keepe the common peace of the Churche then are they not popish seeing they are bent and exercised to the ruine of poperie but they are Christian and holie and appertaining to the Church of Christ for as much as they further the kingdome and glorie of Christ our Sauiour All that are zealous striue for two thinges wherein all men are to put to their helpe by counsel by credite by authoritie by power and by all lawfull meanes that bee in them One that the worde of God maye bee more diligently and commonly taught the other that sinne may bee more seuerely and generally punished If these two may by this gouernement bee more set forwarde much of these troubles and contentions will be easier stopped There is no fault in the names or in the offices but they may helpe forward these or any good things Wherfore they be not simplie popish or Antichristian but in the abuse they were in the right vse they are now holie Christianlike Now let vs see what scripture doth condemne these names and offices Two places are brought out against thē One out of the Psalme The kings of the earth band themselues and the princes are assembled together against the Lord and against his Christ let vs breake their bands and cast their cords from vs. But do our gouerners all the people in this estate band themselues against the Lord and against his Christ doe they not band themselues for the glorie of the Lorde and of Iesus Christ It might be done I knowe more plentifullie yet this gouernement setteth forth Christ onely to vs with his benefits to saluation Christs deitie Christs gospel Christs sacrifice Christs iustice Christs kingdome by this is aduanced Wherefore they band not themselues against Christ neither do they say let vs breake their bands cast their cordes frō vs but rather they willinglie receaue the bands yea the chaines of Christ if neede be We are contēt that his lawe binde our feete hands eyes and hearts also but we cast off their bands because we cast away their gouernement by Elders They are not the bandes of Christ they are but small threeds that wil easily bee broken Luke 19.14 The other place which they alleage against those titles offices is in Luke Now his citizens hated him and sent an embassage after him saying we wil not haue this man to reigne ouer vs. These places that were spoken of the obstinate Iewes that hated the name faith of Christ of the heathen idolaters that worshipped false Gods and would not acknowledge Christ to be God of the Mahometicall sect that reiect Christs gospel denie his redēption of the Antichristian popish rable which keepe his name and denie his efficacie sufficiencie in redeeming vs those I saye they bring against them that acknowledge all which they thēselues doe for sufficiencie of saluatiō for infalliblenes of his truth and for all his benefites onelie because wee yeeld not to thē for a certaine forme of outward gouernment But they must proue more euidentlie that those thinges are euill or else we will not be terrified by those places but that we may safelie say that that true Church of Iesus Christ is with vs euen in this gouernmēt To returne againe to their other notes which remaine whereby they will describe a visible church of Christ they say that Christs Church must be gouerned by his own lawes takē out of the olde newe Testament and no other They thinke as it seemeth that no lawes neede more to be made for any thing but that the lawes of Moses shoulde stand be sufficient to determine all matters Or if for ciuil matters they will admit more yet for punishments in matters Ecclesiasticall it is certaine they will acknowledge no more nor anie other Their groundes for this opinion are these scriptures First out of Saint Matthewe Mat. 17.5 This is my beloued sonne heare him It extendeth to matters of doctrine and saluation and all that hee hath taught but not to matters of gouernement Ciuill or Ecclesiasticall in particular For hee hath not made such lawes The next is out of the Epistle to the Hebrewes Heb. 3.6 Hee is Lorde of the house 1. Cor. 2.16 therefore hee is to bee obeyed in so much as hee hath set downe Particular ordināces he hath not prescribed for gouernmēt but left it free Thē they bring this out of the Epistle to the Corinthians We haue the minde of Christ hee meaneth for matters of saluation and the worship of God but not for particular actions that must be considered in gouernement After this commeth that to the Galathians Gal. 3.15 A mans testament when it is confirmed no man doth abrogate or addeth to it Paul speaketh of iustification by faith whereto works as a cause of iustification must not be added nothing there of outward gouernement Now as for their other places 1. Tim. 6.13 they inferre not that in the worde are sufficient lawes set downe for all thinges but that such as are commanded should be obserued as that to Timothie I charge thee that thou keep the commandement without spot and vnrebukeable vntil the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ That which Paul hath set downe as a commandement to be kept or hath so declared that must be kept for euer But who can saye that Paul hath set downe lawes for all things in that Epistle Ephe. 4.11 And that to the Ephesians doth not conclude their purpose Hee hath giuen Apostles for the worke of the Ministerie and gathering together of the Saintes til we all meete