but of deacons which were appointed to make prouision for the poore only as you say neither did the multitude of the disciples for so they be called electe them before they were willed so to do by the twelue Apostles It may be that some vse to run and ryde and by vnlawfull sute and buying preuent others and it may be that you haue experience hereof all doe not so this is the faulte of the man not of the callyng you may not ascribe mens infirmities to a lawfull order The rule may be good though it be by some broken The sixth Then no minister placed in any congregation but by the consente of the people nowe that authoritie is giuen into the handes of the Bishop alone who by his sole authoritie thrusteth vpon them suche as they many tymes as wel for vnhonest life as also for lack of learning may and do iustly dislyke To proue that no minister was placed in any congregation but by coÌ„sent of the people you alledge the. 14. of the Acts and of the. 2. to the Corinth the. 8. chapter In the 14. of the Acts vers 23. for the which you haue quoted the 13. it is thus written when they that is Paule and Barnabas had ordeyned them elders by election for so is some traÌ„slatioÌ„ in euery church prayed fasted c. The text is plain that Paule Barnabas did ordeyn them elders the gréek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 although it signify to elect by putting vp of hands yet it is the common opinion almost of al ecclesiastical writers that this word in scripture is vsed for the solemn maner of ordring mynisters by the imposition of hands Surely howsoeuer the word is taken yet here is no generall rule prescribed of electing ministers You may as well conclude that al thinges ought to be common among Christians bycause wée reade Acts. 2. that all those whiche beléeued had all things coÌ„mon among them and that those whiche be conuerted to the Gospell oughte to sell their goodes and landes to bée distributed at the discretion of the mynisters bicause they did so Art. 2. 3. In the. 2. to the Corinthians 8. The Apostle declareth how the Churches had chosen Luke or as some thynke Barnabas to bée his companion in his iourney â–ª But what makes thys for electing of Mynisters Howe followeth this argument The Churches had chosen Luke or Barnabas to bée Paules companyon in hys iourney therfore ministers of the woorde muste be elected by the people These thrée last reasons are all one the places of scripture which I haue set downe answered be alledged of you to proue that the election of ministers was then made by the coÌ„mon consent of the people and that euery coÌ„gregation had authoritie to cal their ministerie I doe not denye but in the apostles tyme and after euen to Cyprians tyme the peoples consent was in many places required in the appointing of ministers But I saye that in the whole Scripture there is no commaundement that it should so be nor any example that maketh therein any necessarie or generall rule but that it may be altered as tyme and occasion serueth For in suche matters not commaunded or prohibited in Scripture touching ceremonies discipline and gouernement the Churche hath authoritie from tyme to tyme to appoynte that whiche is moste conuenient for the presente state as I haue before declared And I adde that howesoeuer in the Apostles tyme that kinde of electing and calling ministers was conuenient and profitable now in this state of the Church it were most pernicious and hurtfull First bicause in the apostles time the church was vnder the crosse and therfore very few in comparison was there that embraced the gospel and commonly they kept together or at the least met oftentimes so that one of them was thorowly knowne to another and they themselues could best iudge who amoÌ„g them was the â—ittest to teach and instruct hauing always diuers fit for that function Now the church is in prosperitie and therfore the number that professeth great and dispersed into dyuers places and in moste parishes not one fit for the ministerie among them or knowne vnto them so that they should call they knowe not whome Secondly in the Apostles tyme all or the moste that were Christians were vertuous and godly and such as did sincerely professe the worde and therefore the election of their pastour might safely be committed to them nowe the churche is ful of hypocrites dissemblers drunkardes whoore mongers c. so that if any election were committed to them they would be sure to take one like to themselues Thirdly in the Apostles time al that professed Christ had knowledge and were able to iudge who were méetes to be their pastour Now the most be ignorant and without iudgement in suche matters Fourthly in the Apostles tyme there was in the Churche no Idolaters no superstitious persons no Papistes nowe the Churche is full of Papists Atheistes and suche lyke Who séeth not therfore what straunge ministers we should haue if the election of them were committed to their seuerall parishes Fifthly in the Apostles time there was no Churche established béeing then no christian Magistrates and therefore the state of the Churche was popular nowe there is christian Magistrates and a Church established and subiect to rulers c. Therefore this diuersitie of the state of the Churche requireth a diuers kinde of gouernement and an other kinde of ordeyning Ministers For this cause in Concilio Laodicensi which was Anno. 334. it was decréed that the election of Ministers should not be permitted to the people This alteration of gouernement and orders in the Churche of Chryst is well set out by Ambrose in the. 4. to the Ephe. vpon these words Et ipse dedit c. where he saith on this sorte That the nuÌ„ber of Christians might encrease and be multiplied in the beginning it vvas permitted to euery one to preache the Gospel to baptise and to expounde the Scriptures but vvhen the Churche vvas enlarged there vvere certaine parishes appoynted and gouernours and other officers ordeined in the Churche c. Therfore the vvritings of the Apostles do not in al things agree vvith the orders that are now in the Church Thus farre Ambrose Musculus also in his coÌ„mon places answering to this question why that ministers of the word are not chosen nowe by the ministers and the people as they were in the primatiue Church but appointed by the Magistrate sayth thus Talis tum Ecclesiarum erat statiu vt aliter non essent eligendi ministri quia Christiano magistratu destituebantur Sireuocas temporum illorum mores primum conditiones statum quoque illorum reuoca Such vvas then the state of Churches that they coulde choose their Ministers no othervvise bicause they had no christian Magistrates If thou vvouldest haue the maners and customes of those times obserued then must thou call backe their condition and
men and the example of all Churches euen from Christes time as more plainly apereth by these words of Master Bucer in his book de regno Christi Iam ex perpetua ecclesiaruÌ„ obseruatione ab ipsis iam Apostolis videmus visum hoc esse spiritui sancto vt inter presbiteros quibus ecclesiaruÌ„ procuratio potissimum est commissa vnâ—â— ecclesiarum totius sacri ministerij curam gerat singularem eaque cura solicitudine cunctis praeeat alijs Qua de causa Episcopi nomen huiusmodi summis ecclesiarum câ—ratoribus est peculiariter attributum c. Nowe we see by the perpetuall obseruation of the Churches euen from the Apostles them selues that it hath pleased the holy ghost that amongst the ministers to whome the gouernement of the Churche especially is committed one should haue the chiefe care both of the Churches and of the whole ministerie and that he should go before all other in that care and diligence for the which cause the name of a Bishop is peculiarly giuen to suche chiefe gouernours of Churches c. Furthermore I haue declared that it engendreth schismes factioÌ„s and contentions in the Churche and bringeth in a méere confusion and is a braunch of Anabaptisme And now I adde that you desire this equalitie not bycause you would not rule for it is manifest that you séeke it most ambitiously in your manner but bycause you contemne and disdayne to be ruled and to be in subiection In déede your meaning is as I saide before to rule and not to be ruled to do what you liste in your seuerall cures wythoute controlemente of Prince Byshoppe or any other And therefore pretending equalitie most disorderly you séeke dominion I speake that I know by experience in some of you Your places quoted in the margent to proue that there ought to be an equalitie of ministers sounde nothing that way 2. Cor. 10. vers 7. These be the words of the Aposâ—le Looke ye on things after the appearaunce If any trust in him selfe that he is Christes let him consider this agayne of him selfe that as he is Christes euen so are we Christes How conclude you of these words your equalitie I promise you it passeth my cunning to wring out of them any such sense rather the contrarie may be gathered out of the words following which be these For though I shoulde boast somewhat more of our authoritie which the Lorde c. I should haue no shame Master Caluin expounding these words saith on this sorte It vvas for modestie that he ioyned himselfe to their number vvhome he did farre excell and yet he vvold not be so modest but that he would kepe his authoritie safe therefore he addeth that he spake lesse than of right he might haue done For he vvas not of the commoÌ„ sorte of ministers but one of the chefe among the Apostles And therefore he saith if I bost more I neede not be ashamed for I haue good cause And a litle after Quamuis enim commune sit omnibus verbi ministris idemque officium sunt tamen honoris gradus Although the selfe same office be common to all the ministers of the vvorde yet there is degrees of honor Thus you sée Caluine farre otherwise to gather of this place than you do The place in the first to the Coloss. vers 1. is this Paule an Apostle of Iesus Christ by the vvill of God and Timotheus our brother Surely your mynd was not of equalitie I thinke when you quoted these places to proue it But it is your vsuall manner without all discretion and iudgement to dally and play with the scriptures For what sequele is there in this reason Paule calleth Timothie brother Ergo in all respects there must be equalitie as though there were not distinction of degrées euen among brethren Admonition In stead of Chauncelors Archdeacons Officialles Commissaries Proctors Doctors Summoners Churchwardens and such like you haue to place in euery congregation a lawfull and godly Seigniorie Answere That is in stead of learned wise and discréete men you must place to gouerne the Churche in euerie congregation vnlearned ignoraunte and men most vnapte to gouerne for suche of necessitie you must haue in most coÌ„gregations But I pray you do thus much for me firste proue that there was in euery congregation such as you call seniors When you haue done that then shewe me that that office and kinde of regiment ought to be perpetuall and not rather to be altered according to the state and condition of the Church Last of all that these seniors were lay men as we call them and not rather ministers of the worde and Bishops When you haue satisfied my request in these thrée points then will I procéede further in this matter In the meane time I do not defende any Chaunceller Archdeacon c. which abuse their office I wish such reformed with all my harte But wherein haue Churchewardens offended you I perceiue nothing that is nowe in the Church can please you Admonition The deaconship must not be confouÌ„ded with the ministerie nor the Collectours for the pore may not vsurpe the Deacons office but he that hath an office must loke to his office and euery man must kepe him selfe within the bonds and limits of his owne vocation Answere Neyther do we confounde them and yet Paule in the place by you quoted in the margente speaketh not one worde of confounding or not confounding these offices So the poore be prouided for it forceth not whether prouision be made by Deacons or by collectours by the one it may be well done by the other it cannot be done in all places as the state is nowe But shewe any scripture to proue that the poore must only be prouided for by Deacons else not Admonition And to these three ioyntly that is the ministers seniors and Deacons is the whole regiment of the Church to be committed Answere This is only by you set downe without proofe therefore I will heare your reasons before I make you aunswere In the meane time I pray you what authoritie in these matters do you giue to the ciuill magistrate me thinke I heare you whisper that the Prince hath no authoritie in ecclesiasticall matters I know it is a receiued opinion among some of you and therin you shake hands also with the Papists and Anabaptists Admonition This regiment consisteth especially in ecclesiasticall discipline whiche is an order lefte by God vnto his Church whereby men learne to frame their willes and doings according to the lawe of God by instructing and admonishing one another yea and by correcting and puinshing all wilfull persons and contemners of the same Of thys discipline there is two kinds one priuate wherwith we wil not deale bycause it is impertinent to our purpose â–ª another publike which although it hath ben long banished yet if it might now at the length bee restored wold be very necessary and profitable for the building vp of Gods
vse 5. 1. Corin. 3. vse 9. The one to proue that by the booke bare reading is good tilling the other that by the same booke single seruice saying is excellent building c. they shew your intollerable audacitie I will terme it no worse in abusing the Scriptures In that place to the Corinth the Apostle sayth thus VVho is Paule then who is Apollos But the ministers by whom ye beleeued and as the Lorde gaue to euery man. Howe can you gather hereof that by the Cōmunion booke bare reading is good tylling or how can you hereof conclude that which I thinke you meane that the sole and onely reading of the Scriptures is not tylling or that the Scriptures may not be read in the open congregation by the minister What sequele call you this Paule and Apollos be the ministers by whom you beléeued as the Lord gaue to euery man Therefore the reading of the scriptures edifie not or it is not lawful for them to be red in the church by the minister You come too soone from the vniuersitie to haue any great skill in logike but belyke bicause there is mention made of tilling in the next verse of that chapter therfore you quote it in the margent missing onely the line for this is your vsuall maner if you haue but one worde in a text which you vse in your booke you quote the place as though it made for your purpose This is neither playne nor wise dealing In the ninth verse of that chapiter these be the words For we togither are Gods labourers ye are Gods husbandrie and Gods buylding Howe do you apply these wordes or howe do they proue that by the booke of common prayers single seruice saying is excellente buylding that he is a shepheard good inough that can as a Popish Priest could out of their portuis say fayrely their diuine seruice nay how can you possibly collecte any thing out of this texte agaynst a prescripte order and forme of prayers If you be past shame before man yet remember that God will call you to a reckning for thus shamefully abusing his holy scriptures But now I remember this worde building is in this text and that is inough for you If any haue misliked often preaching or haue sayde that much preaching bringeth the word of God into contempte or that foure preachers were inough for all London they are to be blamed and that iustly and not the booke for it willeth no man to say so But if any hathe sayde that some of those which vse to preache often by their loose negligent verball and vnlearned sermons haue brought the worde of God into contempt or that foure godly learned pithie diligent and discrete preachers mighte doe more good in London than fortie contentious vnlearned verball and rashe preachers they haue sayde truely and their saying might wel be iustified Howbeit take héede that you slaunder no man or vniustly séeke the discredite of any whilst you séeke to vtter your malice agaynst that godly booke None that fauoureth Gods word as I thinke denieth that hearing the word of God is the vsuall and ordinary meanes wherby God vseth to work fayth in vs And that therfore preachers be necessarie But the place of Sainct Paule Rom. 10. by you alledged derogateth nothing from the reading of the Scriptures And I thinke no learned man will denie but that fayth commeth also by hearing the scriptures read The examples of suche as haue bene conuerted by reading of the scriptures and hearing of them read be infinite I knowe not whervnto this your bitternesse against reading of the scripture tendeth except it be to confirme another opinion of the Papists touching the obscuritie and darknesse of the Scripture or diuers senses and vnderstanding of the same If you ioyne with them in that also then I haue to say vnto you with S. Augustine In hijs quae aperte in scripturis posim sunt inueniuntur illa omnia quae continent fidem moresque viuendi In those things that be playne and manifest in the scriptures are al such things conteyned which pertayne to fayth and good manners And with Hierome in Psalme 86. Sicut scripserunt Apostoli sic ipse dominus hoc est per Euangelia sua locutus est vt non pauci intelligerent sed vt omnes Plato scripsit in scriptura sed non scripsit populo sed paucis vix enim intelligunt tres homines Isti vero hoc est principes ecclesiae principes Christinō scripserunt paucis sed vniuerso populo As the Apostles writ so did the Lorde that is he spake by his Gospels not that a few but that all might vnderstande Plato writ but he writ to few not to the people for scarse three do vnderstande him these that is the Apostles writ not to few but to the whole people But I thinke you doubte not of this matter If the reading of Scriptures edifie not what néeded Chrysostome writing vpon the .3 to the Col. so earnestly exhorte the people to get them Bybles or at the least the newe Testament to be as it were a continuall master vnto them to instruct them ▪ What néeded the same Chrysostome Hom. 3. de Lazaro with suche vehement words haue moued the people to reade the scriptures declaring not only the cōmoditie of them but the easinesse also to be vnderstood Is not thys saying bothe auncient and true That when we reade the Scriptures God talketh with vs VVhen wee praye then we talke with God In the one and thirtie Chapter of Deuteronomie it is thus written Thou shalte reade this lawe before all Israell that they maye heare it that they maye heare and that they maye learne and feare the Lorde your GOD. But touching this matter I referre you to that whiche I haue spoken before in the former parte of youre admonition And also I beséeche you take paines to peruse the .15 article of that notable Iewel worthy Byshop late of Salisburye wherein he of purpose entreateth of this matter against Master Harding Foolishly he spake you say when he said c. No surely but you do folishly gather the reding is vnprofitable bycause Sainte Paule saide that a Byshop must be apte to teache for your argument is this in effecte a Byshop must be apte to teache therefore the scriptures néede not to be redde to the people which is a non sequitur Your place of the 2. Chronicles 13. I haue touched before where it was alledged to the same purpose I haue shewed how vnaptly you vse it For Ieroboam was reproued for making suche préests as were not of the tribe of Leui to the whiche tribe only the préesthood was then tyed now it forceth not of what stocke or tribe he is that is admitted to the ministerie so that other qualities required of a minister be in him You will say no more in this matter but desire vs to consider with you what small profite and edification this silly reading
they be Sacraments for we knowe that wicked men may receyue these externall signes and yet remayne the members of Sathan It is certaynely true that the mistical washing away of sinne is proper to the worke of God in the bloud of Christ and for that purpose you might haue alledged much more playner directer places of scripture than most of these which you haue noted in your margent but I think your meaning is not therfore to cōtemne the outward signes and sacraments as the heretikes called Messalians did The seconde thing you mislike is that we require a promise of the godfathers and godmothers which is not in their powers to perfourme to this cauillation I haue answered before and haue declared both out of Dionysius Areopagita and August why they answere so in the infants name and why they make that promise which I thinke they performe sufficiently if they pretermit nothing that lyeth in thē to the performaunce therof and so sayth Dionisius for suche promises are not made absolutely but quantum in nobis est To proue that it is not in the godfathers to perfourme that which they promise you quote the saying of sainct Paule to the Rom. cap. 7. vse 15. I allovv no that vvhiche I do for vvhat I vvould that I do not but vvhat I hate that I do And vse 18. For I knovve that in me that is in my flesh dvvelleth no good thing for to vvil is present vvith me but I finde no meanes c. And. vse 21. I finde then by the lavv that vvhen I vvould do good euill is present vvith me In al these places the Apostle declareth that infirmities remayne euen in the faythfull by reason of the flesh and that they can not come to suche perfection in thys lyfe as they do desire But howe doe these places proue that godfathers are not able to perfourme that whiche they promise for the Infante truely these proofes are too farre fetched for my vnderstanding In the ninth to the Romanes the Apostle sayth That it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy In the which words he sheweth that the cause of our election is not in our selues but in the mercy of god But what is this to the promise of godfathers made at the baptizing of infants if you would haue a man to promise nothing but that which is in his power to performe then must you simply condemne all promises made by man for there is nothing in his power to perfourme no not mouing of his foote not comming to dynner or supper c. Therefore as all other promises be made with these secrete conditions if God will so muche as lieth in me to the vttermoste of my power if I liue c. so is the promise in baptisme made by the godfathers likewise To the thirde superstitious toy as you call it that is the questions demaunded of the Infant at the time of baptisme I haue also answered out of sainct Augustine in the first parte where it may also appeare that this maner of questioning was vsed in the baptising of infants long before Augustines time for Dionisius Areopagita maketh mention of them in like maner To proue that this questioning with the infant is a mocking of God you quote Galath 6. vse 7. Be not deceiued God is not mocked for whatsoeuer a man soweth that shall he reape Paule in this place taketh away excuses which worldlings vse to make for not nourishing their Pastors for no fayned excuse will serue bicause God is not mocked But what is this to be questioning with infants howe followeth this God is not mocked Ergo he that questioneth with infants mocketh god Truely you mocke God when you so dallie with hys scriptures and séeke rather the glory of quoting of many places of scripture than the true applying of any one Concerning the fourth toy that is crossing the child in the forehead which you call wicked and superstitious I haue before declared master Bucers opinion It may be lefte and it hath bene vsed in the primatiue Churche and may be so still without either superstition or wickednesse neither dothe it any more make a sacrament bicause it is in token that hereafter he shal not be ashamed to confesse Christe crucified than your sitting dothe at the Communion in token of rest that is a full finishing through Chryst of the ceremoniall law c. I thinke you knowe that euery ceremonie betokening some thing is not by and by a sacramente and therefore here is as yet no wicked diuorse of the worde and sacraments excepte it be made by you Touching the last whiche you rethorically say you will speake nothing of that is the euill choise of witnesses I thinke in parte it is true but you speake that without the booke and therefore without my compasse of defence For I meane not to take vppon me the defence of any abuse within the booke if there be any much lesse without the booke But I know not wherto this tendeth that followeth that is Howe conuenient it were seing that the childrē of the faithful only are to be baptised c. Do yée not comprehend those vnder the name of faithful whiche be baptised For else it passeth mans vnderstanding to knowe who be faithfull in déede bycause the vnbeleuers may make a confession of faith in wordes And in this worlde it cannot certainely by man be determined who among Christians be faithfull who be vnfaithfull I praye you aunswere me this one question If a childe be founde whose father and mother be vnknowne as it hath happened sometimes in our remembraunce will you not baptise it bycause the parents be not foorth comming to make a confession of their faith or bycause the sounde faith of the parents is vnknowne But hereof I haue spoken in another place Admonition The ninth As for matrimonie that also hath corruptions to many it was wont to be counted a sacramente and therefore they vse yet a sacramental signe to which they attribute the vertue of wedlocke I meane the wedding ring whiche they fowlly abuse and dallye withall in taking it vp and laying it downe In putting it on they abuse the name of the Trinitie they make the newe married man according to the Popish forme to make an idoll of his wife saying with this ring I thee wed with my body I thee worship c. And bycause in popery no holy action maye be done without a masse they enioyne the married persons to receiue the Communiō as they do their bishops and priests when they are made c. Other pettie things out of the booke we speak not of as that women contrary to the rule of the Apostle come and are suffered to come bareheaded with bagpipes fidlers before thē to disturbe the cōgregation and that they must come in at the great dore of the church else all is marred Answere The firste thing you mislike in matrimonie is the
like manner well gouerne twentie parishes Surely an Archbishop may well gouerne one prouince but the Pope can neuer well gouerne the whole church And yet an Archbishop hath not the the charge of gouernement ouer the whole prouince generally but onely in certain cases exempted therfore may do it more easily You borowed these arguments from the very Papists who by the selfe same reasons go about to proue the Popes supremacie for thus they argue Among the Israelites ther was one high Priest whiche had authoritie ouer the rest therfore ther must be one high Priest which is the Pope ouer the whole Churche of christ Master Caluin in his Institutions chap. 8. doth answere this reason on this sort Quod in vna natione fuit vtile id in vniuersum orbem extendere nulla ratio cogit imo gentis vnius totius orbis longe diuersa erit ratio That whiche is profitable in one nation can not by any reason bee extended to the whole worlde for there is great difference betwixt the whole worlde and one nation And a little after Perinde enim est ac si quis contendat totum mundum à praefecto vno debere regi quia ager vnus non plur◠praefectos habeat It is euen as though a man should affirme that the whole worlde may be gouerned of one kyng bicause one fielde or towne hath but one ruler or maister An other of their reasons is this Peter was the chiefe among the Apostles therfore there ought to be one chief ouer the whole Churche The same maister Caluine in the book and chapter before rehersed maketh this one answere to that Argumente Vnus inter Apostolos summus fuit nempe quia pauci erant numero Si vnus duodecim hominibus praefuit an propterea sequetur vnum debere centum milibus hominum praefici There was one chief among the Apostles bicause they were but few in number but if one man rule ouer twelue shall it therefore followe that one maye rule ouer a hundred thousande And a little after Quod inter paucos valet non protinus traehendum est ad vniuersum orbem terrarum ad quem regendum nemo vnus sufficit That which is of force among few maye not by and by bee drawen to the whole worlde the whiche no one man can gouerne ▪ Euery hyue of Bées hath one chéefe master Bée euery companie of Cranes hath one principall guyde must there be therfore but one Bée one Crane to direct al the Bées and the cranes that be in the whole worlde you see therfore how weake this reason is The rest of this reason I haue answered before Admonition The fiftéenth Agayne in that they are honoured with the titles of kings and great rulers as Lorde Lordes grace Metropolitane primate of all England Honor. c. it is agaynste the worde of god Moreouer in that they haue ciuile offices ioyned to the Ecclesiasticall it is agaynst the worde of god As for an Archbishop to be a Lorde president a Lord Bishop to be a Countie Palatine a prelate of the Garter who hath much to doe at Saint Georges feast when the Bible is caried before the Procession in the Crosses place a Iustice of peace or Iustice of Quorum an high Cōmissioner c. And therfore they haue their prisones as Clinkes Gatehouses Colehouses towres and Castles which is also against the Scriptures This is not to haue keyes but swordes and playn tokens they ar that they exercise that which they would so fayne seeme to want I meane dominion ouer their brethren Answere All this is without the booke and therfore I néede not to answere it no more than you néede to absteyn frō subscribing to the booke for things not cōteyned in the booke But I meane a little to examine your places of scripture to sée if you haue any better lucke in applying of them than hitherto you haue had in others To proue that it is agaynst the worde of God to honor Byshops with titles of great rulers as Lorde Lords grace Metropolitane primate of all Englande honor c. for I doe not remember that we call them kings you first quote Math. 23. which place is very ofte by you iterated and sufficiently by me answered before In the .13 of Iohn which you vse also for the same purpose Chryst after he had washed his disciples feete tooke an occasion thervpon to exhorte them to humilitie which vertue is very necessarie in all degrées of men aswell in rulers and Magistrates as in inferiours And therefore that place requireth humilitie in all especially in the ministers of the worde but it disaloweth superioritie in none When Chryst addeth and sayth the seruaunt is not greater than his master c. he armeth them agaynst persecutions and willeth them to looke for afflictions for in the .15 chapter he addeth to the same words If they haue persecuted me they vvill persecute you also And to this are Archbyshops and Lordbyshops aswell subiect as other men examples whereof we haue of our owne as Cranmer Ridley Hooper c. That in the .5 chapter of S. Iohn is not spoken to the Apostles but to the whole company of Iewes in reproofe of their vayne glory for so is that place to be vnderstoode else it were altogither vnlawfull for any man to receyue honor yea euen for Princes them selues To the like purpose tende the words of the Apostle 2. Cor. 10. vse 16.17.18 Surely bothe the names of Archbyshops Lordebyshops c. and their offices may aswell stande with these places of the scripture as the names offices of kings nobles and any other persons in estimation or dignitie In déede the mother of all heresies and sectes that is vayne glory and arrogancie in all these places is vtterly condemned But I pray you dothe Christ condemne superioritie in all those whom he exhorteth to humilitie is not humilitie aswell required in Princes and great rulers as it is in meaner persons yes surely and a great deale more Wherfore Christ in suppressing ambition pride arrogancie and exhorting to humilitie doth not condemne superioritie neither yet titles of reuerence but requireth humblenesse of spirite lowlinesse of mynd in al degrées of persons especially in superiors whō this vertue dothe moste adorne the mightiest and noblest Prince in the worlde may come nearer this admonition of Christ than the poorest slaue It is therfore the affection of the minde that Christ here condemneth not superioritie not titles of honor and dignitie yea he reproueth in this place such hautie proude stomakes as yours be which contemne and disdayne those whom they ought both in words and déedes both in titles and subiections to reuerence To proue that ciuill offices ioyned to the ecclesiasticall is agaynst the worde of God first you note Luke 9. v. 60.61 where it is thus written And Iesus sayde vnto him let the dead bury their dead but goe thou and preache the kingdome of
imprisonements banishmentes such like extremities yet is these poore mens cause neuer the worse nor these chalēgers the better nor God his hande the further of to linke in with his against them nor you christian brethren must neuer the rather without examination condemne them But thankfully take this taste which God by these treatises offreth you weigh them by the word of god and do your endeuor euery one in his calling to promote his cause And let vs al with more earnest prayer than wee are wont earnestly cōmend it to God his blessing and namely that it will please him by his spirite to lighten the heart of our most gratious soueraigne and the rest in authoritie to the benefite of his small flocke and the ouerthrowe of their proude enimies that godlinesse maye by them proceede in peace and God his glorie thorowe Jesus Christ be throughly aduaunced Whiche wee call God to witnesse is our onely laboure and suite And so presently we leaue you heartily beseeching God to graunt it Amen An answere to the Preface of the Admonition THESE TVVO treatises conteyned in this admonition as they be voyde of sounde learnyng so are they full of blynde affection and stuffed with vncharitable and vnchristian terms and phrases wherfore it is to bée feared that they procéede not of loue but of hatred not of zeale but of malice not of humilitie but of arrogancie not of myndes desirous to reforme but of stomackes séekyng to deforme and confounde that whiche is in due forme and order by lawfull authoritie established For what charitable zealous and humble spirite woulde so spitefully and slaunderously speake of their brethren whose doctrine is pure whose zeale is feruent whose suffering for the Gospel hath ben in time of triall comparable with any mans that nowe liueth who haue also paynfully taughte the worde of God in this realme and do at this day and by whose ministerie the Gospel hath taken roote and is come to that encrease that now God be thanked appeareth Surely these opprobrious termes proude generation tyrannous lordships vngracious cruel Popelike wicked raigne proude enimies c. applied to brethren procéede not from the humble and mylde spirite of GOD but from the proude and arrogante spirite of Sathan Therfore by this vnséemely preface it may appeare from what spirite the reste of thys admonition spryngeth Touchyng the crueltie and rigeure these men complayne of I shall néede to speake little béeing manyfeste to all that bée not with synister affections blynded that lacke of seueritie is the principall cause of their licentious libertie But who séeth not their hypocrisie whiche would make the worlde beléeue that they are persecuted when they be with too much lenitie punished for their vntollerable contempt of good lawes and other disordered dealings Naye suche is their peruersenesse or rather arrogancie that if they be debarred but of the least part of their will and desyre by and by they crie out of crueltie and persecution It is to be doubted what these men will do when persecution commeth in déede whiche now make so muche of a little or rather of nothing As for this great brag For how so euer learned and many they seeme to be they should and may in this realme fynde inowe to matche them and shame them too if they hold on as they haue begonne Satis arroganter dictum est And verifieth that to be true that is commonly spoken of these kinde of men that is that they contemne all other in comparison of themselues that they thinke thēselues only zealous only learned c. But it is possible they may be matched and I know no man of learning afrayde to encounter with them eyther by word or writing Touching the ministerie and gouernement of the Church what faults there is to be therin found we shall vnderstand when we come to their reasons God graunt vs humble and méeke spirites that godly vnitie may be maynteyned in the Churche One thing I must desire thée to note gentle reader wherin the follie of these men maruellously appeareth how they haue paynted the margent of their booke with quoting of scriptures as though al were Scripture they write when as in déede they abuse both the Scripture and thée For what one place of scripture is in all thys preface alledged to any purpose and yet howe many is there quoted To proue that wée muste reade these two Treatises without parcialitie or blinde affection here is noted in the margēt 1. Thess. 5. vers 21. James 1. James 2. The place to the Thessalonians is this Trie all things and keepe that vvhiche is good The place of the first of James is this VVherfore my deare brethren let euery man be svvifte to heare slovve to speake and slovve to vvrath And the seconde place of James is this My brethren haue not the faithe of our Lorde Iesus Christe in respecte of persons And to what purpose are these places alledged What proue they Or what néede is there to alledge them These Apostles in these places speake not of rayling libels but of hearing the word of God and iudging of matters of faithe according to the truth and not to the persons To proue that tyrannous lordship can not stand with Christs kingdom they alledge the .15 of Mat. and Luc. 16. The place in the 15. of Mat. vers 23. is this But he answered hir not a vvorde Then came to him his disciples and besought him saying Sende hir avvay for she cryeth after vs. In the sixtéenth of Luke it is thus Then he sayd vnto them ye are they vvhiche iustifie youre selues before men but God knovveth your hartes for that vvhiche is highly estemed among men is abhomination in the sight of god I would gladly know how their assertion and these two textes hang together I allowe not tyrannous Lordshyp to stande with Christes kingdome But it may well inough for any thyng in these two places to the contrarie Tyrannous Lordship is not estéemed among men but hated To proue that they whose authoritie is forbidden by Christe will haue their stroke without their fellowe seruauntes c. is quoted Math. 20. Math. 23. Mark. 10. Luke 22. In the .20 of Math. it is thus written Yee knowe that the lordes of the Gentiles haue domination ouer them c. In the .23 of Mathew But be ye not called Rabbi for one is your doctor or teacher to wit Christ. The places in Marke and Luke be all one with that in the 20. of Mathew The conclusion that is gathered of these places is very darke and generall they should◠haue declared who they be that haue this authoritie forbidden and what the authoritie is Touching these places alleaged in the 20. of Mat. 10. of Mar. 22. of Luke Musculus and diuers other learned men think that they extende not onely to the Apostles and men of the Clergie as we call them but to all Christians of what state soeuer they
be And it is the common opinion of all writers that these words of Chryst do not condemne superioritie Lordeshippe or any suche lyke authoritie but the ambitious desire of the same and the tyrānical vsage thereof Musculus expounding these places sayth in this sorte VVhosoeuer vvill be great among you c. He sayth not no man ought to be chiefe among you vvhich he shoulde haue said if it had not ben lawful in the kingdome of God for some to be great and chiefe or if it had ben necessarie that all shoulde haue bene in all things equall the Celestiall spirits are not equal the stars be not equal the Apostles them selues vvere not equall Peter is found in many places to haue ben chiefe amōg the rest vvhich vve do not denie Therfore this is not Christes meaning to haue none great or chiefe among Christians seeing the very necessitie of our state requireth that some be superiours and betters so far is it from beeing repugnaunt to charitie In a common vveale it is necessarie that some should excell other so is it in a vvell ordered familie In like maner there must be in the Churche gouernours presidents rulers of vvhome Paule maketh mention Ro. 12. 1. Cor. 12. Heb. 13. As there is also in the body some principall mēbers some inferiour c. Therfore Christ doth not require that in his kingdome all should be equall but this he doth require that none should desire to be great or to be thought and counted chiefe Hitherto Musculus Which interpretation muste néedes be true else we may say that Christe in this place reiecteth and disalloweth the Princes and Magistrates of the Gentiles and also forbiddeth the same among Christians which is false and Anabaptisticall Likewise the same Musculus sayth that Chryste teacheth in this place what he ought to be in déede that desireth to beare rule ouer other to wit that he ought to be a seruaunt to other that is as he dothe interprete it to profite other and to serue for the cōmoditie of other for though the name of a prince and of a lorde be a name of honor and dignitie yet is it the office of a prince lorde to serue those which be vnder thē in gouerning of them carefully and in prouiding for their wealth and peace Moreouer the Greke wordes that Chryste vseth in all these places as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe signifie to rule with oppression and to rule as a man list Furthermore Christe doth not say that no man shall be great among them or beare rule but he sayth Quicunque voluerit inter vos magnus fieri c. He that desireth to be great among you c. To conclude it is manyfest that in Matthewe and Marke he reproueth the ambition of the sonnes of Zebedie who ambitiously desired the one to sitte on hys right hande the other on his lefte And in Luke the ambition of the rest of the Apostles who contended among themselues which of them should be greatest So that it is playne that these places suppresse ambition and desire of rule in all kinde of men and not superioritie not magistracie not iurisdiction in any kinde of persons Touching the place in the .23 of Mat. where Chryste said vnto his disciples Be not you called Rabbi call no man father be not called maisters Who is so ignorant to thinke that Christ forbiddeth by these wordes one Christen man to call another lorde maister father shal not children call their parents father shall not scholers call their teacher maister And shall not seruauntes call him master vnder whose gouernement they are Is it not lawfull for one to call an other maister doctour father lorde c Paule notwithstanding these wordes of Christ 1. Cor. 4. calleth himself their father and. 1. Ti. 2. he calleth himself the doctour of the Gētiles Wherfore it is manifest that these names be not here prohibited muche lesse the offices but only the pharisaicall ambitious and arrogant affection of superioritie As it is also manifest by this that foloweth VVho so euer exalteth himselfe c. And surely as Christe condemneth here the ambitious affectiō of such as ambitiously desire these names of superioritie so doth he in like maner cōdemne those who be so puffed vp with pride and arrogācie that they contemne and disdayne to call men in authoritie by the titles of their offices For pride contempt and arrogancie is as well in refusing to giue honoure and reuerence as it is in ambitious desiring the same But the chiefe purpose of Christe in this place is to teache vs not so to depende vpon men as though it were not lawfull to breake their decrées or to decline from their authoritie For there is one only Father Lorde and maister to whome wée are so bounde that by no meanes wée maye declyne at any tyme from hys preceptes These places therfore may be aptly alledged against the pride tyrannie and ambitiō of the Bishop of Rome whiche séeketh tyrannically to rule and not to profite But it maketh nothing at all against the lawfull authoritie of any other in any state or condition of men Howe aptly that place of the .24 of Mathew But if the euill seruaunt shall say in his heart c. is alleaged let all men iudge I thinke it forbiddeth not to punishe suche as breake good lawes But Lorde how these men are beaten which do as they liste say what they liste and that with reioycing thereto that is if they be no otherwise beaten than hitherto they haue bene they will not only with schismes and factions teare in sunder this Churche of Englande but in time ouerthrow the whole state of the common wealth To proue that either we muste haue a righte ministerie of God and a righte gouernement of his Church according to the Scriptures set vp c. or else there can be no right religion c. is alleaged the ninth of Matth. the fourth to the Ephe. and the eightenth of Math. In the ninth of Mat. the place they alleage is this Surely the haruest is great but the labourers be fevve vvherefore c. In the fourth to the Ephe. He therefore gaue some to be Apostle c. In the eightenth of Mathew If thy brother trespasse agaynst thee c. The first place declareth that Ministers of the words are necessarie in Christes Churche The seconde that there is diuers kindes and degrées of them And the thirde sheweth an order of correcting secrete sinnes and priuate offences and medleth not with those that be open and knowne to other Nowe therefore consider to what purpose those places be noted in the margente and howe little they proue that which is concluded As for all the rest of the places of Scripture that followeth noted in the margent of this preface I knowe not to what purpose they be alleaged but onely for vayneglorie to bleare the eyes of the ignorant people and to make them beléeue that all
that which is written in this booke is nothing else but Scripture it selfe They haue delt very subtilly to cote the places onely and not to set them downe in playne words for by this meanes they thinke that of the moste parte it shall neuer be vnderstanded howe vnaptly and to what small purpose they be alleaged This name Puritane is very aptely giuen to these men not bicause they be pure no more than were the Heretikes called Cathari but bicause they think them selues to be mundiores cateris more pure than others as Cathari dyd and seperate them selues from all other Churches and congregations as spotted and defyled Bicause also they suppose the Church which they haue deuised to be without all impuritie An answere to the admonition Admonition SEing that nothing in this mortall life is more diligently to be sought for and carefully to be looked vnto than the restitution of true religion reformation of Gods church it shall be your partes dearly beloued in this present Parliament assembled as muche as in you lieth to promote the same and to employ your whole labour and studie not onely in abandoning all Popish remnants bothe in ceremonies regiment but also in bringing in and placing in Gods churche those things onely which the Lord himselfe in his word cōmandeth Because it is not enough to take paynes in taking away euil but also to be occupied in placing good in the stead therof Now because many men see not all things and the worlde in this respect is maruellously blinded it hath bene thoughte good to prosfer to your godly considerations a true platforme of a Churche reformed to the ende that it beeing layd before your eyes to beholde the great vnlikenesse betweene it this our English church you may learne either with perfect hatred to detest the one and with singular loue to embrace and carefull endeuour to plant the other or else to be without excuse before the maiestie of oure God who for the discharge of our conscience and manifestation of his truth hath by vs reuealed vnto you at this present the sinceritie and simplicitie of his Gospell Not that you should either wilfully with stande or vngratiously tread the same vnder your feete for God doth not disclose his wyll to any suche end but that you should yet now at the length with al your mayne and might endeuour that Chryst whose easie yoke and lyghte burthen we haue of long time cast of from vs mighte rule and reigne in his Church by the scepter of his worde onely Aunswere I Will not aunswere words but matter nor bare affirmations or negations but reasons and therfore in as few words as I can I will comprehende many lines But before I enter into their reasons I thinke it not amisse to examine that assertion which is the chiefe and principall grounde so farre as I can gather of their Booke that is that those things onely are to bée placed in the Churche which the Lorde him selfe in his worde commaundeth As though they shoulde say nothing is to be tollerated in the Churche of Chryste touching either doctrine order ceremonies discipline or gouernement except it he expressed in the worde of god And therfore the most of their argumentes in this booke be taken ab authoritate negatiuè which by the rules of Logique proue nothing at all It is moste true that nothing ought to be tolerated in the Churche as necessarie vnto saluation or as an article of faith except it be expresly conteined in the worde of God or may manifestly therof be gathered and therfore we vtterly condemne reiect Transubstantiation the sacrifice of the Masse the authoritie of the bishop of Rome woorshipping of Images c. And in this case an argumente taken Ab authoritate Scripturae negatiuè is most strong As for example It is not to be found in Scripture that the Bishop of Rome ought to be the head of the Church and therfore it is not necessarie to saluation to beléeue that he ought to be the head of the Churche c. It is also true that nothing in ceremonies order discipline or gouernement in the Churche is to be suffered béeing against the worde of God And therfore wee reiect all ceremonies wherein there is any opinion to saluation woorshipping of God or merite As créeping to the crosse holy breade holy water holy candle c. But that no ceremonie order discipline or kynde of gouernement may be in the Churche except the same be expressed in the worde of God is a great absurditie and bréedeth many inconueniences The Scripture hath not prescribed any place or time wherin or when the Lords Supper shoulde be celebrated neyther yet in what manner The Scripture hath not appoynted what tyme or where the congregation shall méete for common prayer and for the hearing of the worde of God neyther yet any discipline for the correcting of suche as shall contemne the same The scripture hath not appoynted what daye in the wéeke should be moste méete for the Sabboth day whether Saterday whiche is the Iewes Sabboth or the day now obserued which was appointed by the church The Scripture hath not determined what forme is to be vsed in Matrimonie what woordes what prayers what exhortations The Scripture speaketh not one woorde of standing sitting or knéelyng at the Communion of méetyng in Churches fieldes or houses to heare the word of God of preaching in pulpets chaires or otherwise of baptizing in fontes in basons or riuers openly or priuatly at home or in the churche euery day in the wéeke or on the Sabboth day only And yet no man as I suppose is so simple to thinke that the Church hathe no authoritie to take order in these matters I pray you what mente Sainct Paule in the .1 Corinth 14. after he had prescribed certayne orders vnto them to bée obserued in the Churche thus generally to conclude Omnia decenter ordine fiant Lette all things be doone decently and in order Dothe hée not there giue vnto them authoritie to make orders in the Churche so that all thynges hée doone in order and decently The best interpreters doo vnderstande this as a general rule giuen vnto the churche to examine hir traditions and constitutions by And therefore without all doubte their iudgemente is that the Churche hath authoritie in external things to make orders and appoynte lawes not expressed in the woorde of GOD so that thys rule of the Apostle bée obserued Nowe if eyther godly Councels or auncient fathers were any thing at all regarded of these men as they be not suche is their arrogancie this controuersie mighte soone be decided For the most auncient fathers and best learned as Iustinus Martyr Irenaeus Tertulian Cypriā and other do expresly declare that euen from the Apostles tyme the Churche hath always had authoritie in suche matters and hath obserued diuers orders ceremonies not once mencioned in the worde of God.
That notable learned father Augustine hathe diuers sayings touching this matter worthie to be noted In his Epistle ad Casulanum 86 he sayeth thus In his rebus de quibus nihil certi statuit scriptura diuina mos populi Dei vel instituta maiorum pro lege tenenda est In those thyngs vvherein the holie Scripture hath determined no certaintie the custome of the people of God and the traditions or decrees of our forfathers are to be holden for a lavve Whereby it is manifeste that those things maye be reteyned in the Churche whiche are not expressed in the Scripture In the same Epistle he reporteth the aunswere that Ambrose made vnto him béeing demaunded whether it were lawfull to faste on the Sabboth day or not to fast séeing that among the Churches there was some diuersitie in this pointe Quando hiâ— sum saith he non ieiuno Sabbato quando Romae sum ieiâ—no Sabbato ad quamcunque ecclesiam veneritis eius morem seruate si pati scandalum non vultis aut fâ—cere VVhen I am here I fast not on the Sabboth when I am at Rome I doe fast on the Sabboth and to vvhat Churche soeuer you come keepe the custome thereof if you vvill neyther suffer offence nor giue offence The whole Epistle is woorthie of reading That whiche hée wryteth in his Epistle Ad Ianuarium .118 is a moste playne declaration of hys Iudgement in this matter Illa autem quae non scripta sed tradita custodimus quae quidem toto terrarum orbe obseruantur dantur intelligi vel ab ipsis Apostolis vel plenarijs concilijs quorum est in ecclesia saluberrima authoritas coÌ„mendata atque statuta retineri sicuti quod Domini passio resurrectio ascensio in coelum aduentus de coelo Spiritus sancti anniuersaria solennitate celebraÌ„tur si quid aliud tale occurrerit quod seruatur ab vniuersa quacunque se diffundit ecclesia Those things vvhich be not vvritten but kept by tradition vvhich are obserued thorovv the vvhole vvorlde are to be vnderstanded either to be deliuered vnto vs from the Apostles themselues or else decreed by generall Councels vvhose authoritie is greate in the Churche as that vvee yearely with solemnitie celebrate the passion of the Lord and his resurrection his ascension into heauen and the coÌ„ming of the holy Ghoste and if there be any other thing that is obserued of the vvhole Churche And againe Quod neque contra fidem neque contra bonos more 's iniungitur indifferenter est habendum pro eorum inter quos viuitur societate seruandum est That vvhiche is enioyned being neyther against faith nor good manners is to be counted indifferent and to be obserued as the societie of those vvith vvhome vve liue requireth In the same epistle answering this question whether vpon the Thursday before Easter the Lordes Supper should be celebrated in the morning or at night bicause Christ did institute this sacrament and deliuer the same to his disciples after Supper he giueth these three rules worthie to be noted the first is this If the holie Scripture prescribe any thing to be done there is no doubt but that must be obserued as it is there prescribed The second is this That if any thing be vniuersally obserued of the vvhole Churche not repugnant to the Scriptures for so he meaneth not to keepe that or to reason of that is madnesse The thirde If it be not vniuersally obserued but diuersly in diuers Churches Faciat quisque quâ—d in â—a ecclesia in qua venit inuenerit â–ª Lette euery man doe as hee findeth in that church in to the vvhich he commeth modâ— non sit contra fidem aut contra mores â–ª So that it bee not against faith or good manners For so he â—ddeth In the same Epistle againe he sayth That the Lorde hath not in scripture declared in vvhat order and manner his Supper should be celebrated but left that to his disciples And in his hundred and nintéenth Ad Ianuarium In those things sayth he that be diuersly obserued in diuers places this rule as most profitable is to be kepte that those things vvhiche be not against faithe neyther good manners and make something to exhorte vnto a better life vvheresoeuer they are instituted vvee ought not onely not to disallovve them but to prayse them and to follovv them By all these places of this learned father it is euidente that it hathe bene receyued from tyme to tyme as a certayne trouth that the Churche of Christe hathe authoritie to ordeyn and constitute as shall be necessarie in those thyngs before of me rehersed For a further proofe héereof I coulde alledge that auncient and learned father Iustinus Martyr in his seconde Apologie pro Christianis and in his booke of questions Tertullian in his booke De corona militis Basile also in his .63 Epistle written to the mynisters in Neocesaria â–ª Eusebius libr. 5. Ecclesiasti histor cap. 25. 26. and diuers other but I omitte them for breuitie sake Neyther doe I alledge these learned Fathers bicause I thynke their authoritie any thing at all preuayleth with the authours of the Libell but foâ— the wyse discréete humble and learned whose humilitie and wisedom will not suffer them to despise the iudgements of so learned and godly fathers But I trust maister Caluines iudgement will wey somethyng with them who in his Institutions Cap. 13. Sects 31. C. 32. speakyng of Traditions saythe on this sorte Bycause the LORD hath bothe faythfully and plainly comprehended and declared in the holie â—criptures the vvhole summe of true righteousnesse and all the partes of the true vvoorshippyng of hym and vvhat so euer is necessarie vnto saluation therefore in those things he is only to be hearde as a maister or teacher But bycause in external discipline and ceremonies he vvould not particularly prescribe what we ought to folow bicause he foresaw that this depended vppon the state and condition of the tyme neyther did iudge one forme or manner to be agreable to all ages here we must haue respect to those generall rules vvhiche he gaue that according to them might bee examined suche things as the necessitie of the Churche requireth to be commaunded for order and decencie Fynally bycause in these thinges he hathe expressed nothing for that they are neyther necessarie to saluation and may be diuersly applied to the edifying of the church accordyng to the manner and custome of euery countreye and age Therefore as the commoditie of the Church requireth and as shall be thought coÌ„uenient both the olde may be abrogated and new appointed I graunt that vvee muste not rashely nor often nor for euery light cause make innouations But what hurteth and vvhat edifyeth Charitie vvill beste iudge vvhyche if wee wyll suffer too bee the moderatrix all shall bee safe and vvell Novve it is the office of Christian people vvith a free conscience vvithoute Superstition vvith a godlie mynde and
confessed to be true and no man denieth it And I pray God make vs thankefull for the Quéenes maiestie who hath not bene slacke in this poynt but hath lyke a vertuous religious and godly Prince in the very entring into hir reigne notwithstanding the multitude of hir aduersaries bothe at home and abroade abolished all superstition and restored the simplicitie of the Gospell But these men alleage these places to the discredite of this reformation and of the whole gouernemente of this Churche Howe aptly and howe truely let godly wise and learned men iudge To proue that these things onely are to be placed in Gods Churche which God him selfe in his worde commaundeth is noted the fourth and the twelfth of Deut. Ye shall put nothing to the vvord that I commaunde you neither shall you take any thing therefrom c. And in the other place VVhatsoeuer I coÌ„maunde you take heede you do it thou shalt put nothing thereto nor take oughte therefrom God in the olde lawe to his people prescribed perfecte and absolute lawes not onely morall and iudicial but ceremonial also neither was there the least thing to be done in the Churche omitted in the lawe And therfore for them at that time and during that state it was not lawfull to adde any thing nor to take any thing away no not in ceremonies or other ciuill lawes nowe in the time of the Gospell God hath left vnto his Churche expressed in his worde a perfect rule of fayth and maners and sufficient to saluation and cursed is he that shall adde any thing to it or take any thing from it in that behalfe for therein it is perfect and absolute But as he hath lefte the Iudiciall lawe to the discretion of the Magistrate to adde thervnto or take therfrom or alter and chaunge the same so that no lawe be made agaynst the rule of fayth and good maners expressed in the worde of God so hath he lefte authoritie vnto his Churche to make lawes and appoynte orders and ceremonies as shall from time to time be thought most expedient and profitable for the same so that nothing be done contrarie to his worde or repugnaunt to the same And this authoritie hath the Church vsed euen froÌ„ the Apostles tyme as it is manyfest both by the Scriptures Acto 6. Acto 15. 1. Cor. 11. and other Ecclesiasticall stories and auncient fathers as is before by me proued But to come to the words of Deut. themselues what is it to adde to the worde of God or to take from it truely to thinke otherwise or teache otherwise of God than he hath in his word reuealed those take from the word that beléeue lesse thaÌ„ in the word is expressed those adde to the word first which teach or decrée any thing either in matters of fayth or ceremonies contrary to the worde Secondly those that make any thing necessarie vnto saluation not conteyned in the worde Thirdly suche as make any religion or opinion of merite in any thing that they them selues haue inuented besides the worde of god Last of all they adde to the worde which forbid that for a thing of it selfe vnlawfull which Gods worde doth not forbid and make that sinne which Gods word doth not make sinne But suche as truely and sincerely embrace the worde of God and admit nothing contrary vnto it if in gouernement and ceremonies without any wicked or superstitious opinion they appoint or retaine suche as they know not to be agaynst the worde of God and profitable for the present state of the Churche can not truely be sayde to adde any thing to the worde of God or take any thing from it though the same be not expressed in the worde The other places noted in this margent as Psal. 37. Rom. 12. 1. Cor. 2. and the rest are not alleaged to proue any thing in controuersie but onely without iudgement placed in the margente to make a shewe howe aptely they be applied I leaue to the consideration of the diligent Reader This one thing I can not but maruell at that these fellowes so please them selues in the platforme of their Churche and attribute so muche therevnto that they exhorte nay rather charge the court of Parliament with perfect hatred to detest the present state of the Churche and with singuler loue to embrace that which they prescribe in this booke and so moue them rather to this perfect hatred of vs and singuler loue of them selues they vse the authoritie of the 31. and 39. Psalme In the one Dauid sayth that he hath hated them that giue themselues to decâ—pfull vanities bicause the trusteth in the Lorde In the other speaking of the contemners of God of wicked and bloudy men of such as blaspheme God and be his enimies he sayth I hate theÌ„ vvith an vnfained hatred c. As though all suche as like or allows of the present state of the Churche of this Realme of Englande gaue them selues to deceytfull vanities were contemners of God wicked and bloudy men blasphemers of God and his enimies I will not aggrauate this blasphemie of theirs let Prince nobles and all other louers of God and his word consider diligently this spirite and in time preuent the burning malice of the same no Turke no Iew no Papist could possibly haue spoken more spightfully of this Churche and state but suche is the spiritâ— of arrogancie To the like effect they alleage the .15 of Iohn 1. Tim. 3. Mat. 7. and .11 as though they onely had the worde of God and were of the Churche and we contemners reiecters of the same O where is humilitie Truly if these men be not by discipline bridled they wil work more harme to this church thaÌ„ euer the Papist did Admonition May it therefore please your wisdomes to vnderstande we in Englande are so farre of from hauing a Churche rightly reformed according to the prescripte of Gods worde that as yet we are not come to the outwarde face of the same For to speake of that wherein all consent whervpon all writers accorde The outward marks wherby a true christiaÌ„ church is knowne are preaching of the word purely ministring of the sacrameÌ„ts sincerely Ecclesiastical discipline which consisteth in admonition correcting of faults seuerely Touching the first namely the ministers of the word although it must be confessed that the substance of doctrine by many deliuered is sound good yet herein it fayleth that neither the ministers therof are according to Gods worde proued elected called or ordeyned nor the function in such sort so narrowly looked vnto as of right it ought and is of necessitie required Answere The proposition that these libellers would proue is that we in Englande are so farre from hauing a churche rightly reformed according to the prescript of Gods word that as yet we are not come to the outwarde face of the same For proofe hereof they vse this argument There be thrée outward marks wherby a true christiaÌ„ Church is
or callyng so that those qualities be founde in him which in that office are to be required I maruel to what purpose the twelfth chapiter of the first booke of Kings is here quoted for Ieroboam is there reproued bicause he toke the préesthood from the tribe of Leui to the whiche onely it did apperteyne The Papists neuer toke so great occasion of sâ—andring the gospel at the ignoraÌ„ce of the ministers for they haue of them selues those that be as ignorant and inore as they do at your schismes and fonde opinions wherewith you disquiet the peace of the Churche and lay stumbling blockes before the weake for the whiche God wil surely call you to accompte The second chapter to the Romaines is here quoted only to paynt the margent The second In those days no idolatrous sacrificers of Heathenish priests were appoynted to be preachers of the Gospell but we allowe and lyke well of Popish masse mongers men for al seasons King Henries priests King Edwards preestes Queene Maries preests who of a truth if Gods word wer precisely folowed shold froÌ„ the â—ame be vtterly remoued The place in the fifth chapter of the Hebrues quoted in the Margent speaketh nothing of Idolatrous sacrificers or Heathenish priests but only by the example of Aaron proueth that no man ought to intrude himselfe into the office of a Bishop or Préeâ—t except he be called of god Lord how dare these men thus wring the scriptures In the .23 of the Prophete Hieremie there is muche spoken againste false Prophetes but not one woorde for any thing that I sée to proue that idolatrous sacrificers maye not be admitted to preache the Gospell The places of the .44 of Ezechiell haue some shewe in them for there the Lorde commaundeth the Leuites whiche had committed Idolatrye to bée put from theyr dygnitie and not to bée receyued into the Preestes office but to serue in inferioure mynisteryes I thinke you wyll not make thys a generall rule to debarce such from preaching of the gospel as haue through infirmitie fallen and be nowe with hartie repentance retourned Wée haue many examples to the contrarie Peter forswore his maister Chryste whyche was as euill as sacrifising to idolles and yet hée was not put from hys Apostleshippe Wée haue dyuerse examples in the Primitiue Churche of suche as by feare béeyng compelled to sacrifise to straunge gods after repented and kepte still the office of preaching the Gospell and did moste constantly dye in the same I pray you what say you to maister Luther Buâ—er Cranmer Latimer Ridley c. were not all these somtymes Massemongers yet singuler notable instrumeÌ„ts of promoting the Gospel and preaching the same wherof many haue giuen testimonie by sheding their bloud And by whose Ministerie especially hathe the Gospell bene publyshed and is as yet in thys Churche of Englande but by suche as haue ben Massemongers and nowe zealous godlie and learned preachers God in that place of the Prophet Ezechiel sheweth how gréeuous a sin idolatry is especially in the préests but he prescribeth no generall rule of secluding them from theyr ministerie if they falling afterwarde repent Besides this there is a great difference betwixt the seueritie of the lawe and the lenitie of the Gospell betwixte the externall regimente of the Churche before Christe and the Churche after Chryste neyther can you make the one in all poyntes correspondent to the other Lykewise betwixt the declining of those Préests which was wholly from God to Gentilitie and the falling of ours to Papistrie which confesseth the same articles of fayth that wée doe althoughe not syncerely It is one thing wholly to worshippe false gods an other thing to worship the true God falsly and superstitiously But among all other things I woulde gladly knowe wherein king Edwards préestes haue offended you It is happie you let Quéene Elizabeths préestes alone I maruell whose Préests you are The thirde Then they taught others now they must be instructed them selues and therfore lyke yong children they muste learne Catechismes God be thanked there is a great number of ministers that can teache others and may be your schoolemasters in all kinde of learnyng excepte you haue more than you vtter in these treatises If they that fynde some want of learning in themselues or that be crepte into the ministerie vnlearned eyther of theyr owne accorde or by commaundemente of their ordinarie reade and learne godlie and learned Cathechismes they are to be commended and so is he that prouoketh them therevnto That Catechisme whiche you in derision quote in the margent is a booké fit for you to learn also and I know no man so wel learned but it may become him to reade and learne that learned and necessarie booke But some arrogant spirites there be that thinke them selues of all men best learned and disdayne to learne of any That place of the fourth chapter of the first to Timothie dothe not forbid a man to learne He that is a good and modest preacher wil not disdayn as well to be taught as to teache The fourthe Then election was made by the common consent of the whole Churche nowe euery one picketh out for himselfe some notable good benefice he obteyneth the nexte aduouson by money or by fauour and so thinketh himselfe sufficiently chosen To proue that the election was then made by the coÌ„mon consent of the whole Churche you quote the fyrst of the Acts. I tolde you before maister Caluines iudgement of that place There is no mention of electing by any common consante And in the place by you quoted whiche is the. 26. verse it is declared howe they gaue foorth their lottes and that the lot fell on Mathias and that he was by a common consent compted with the eleuen Apostles here is no mention of any election But when he was extraordinarily through Gods prouidence by lot appoynted then they all compted him and estemed him as one of the Apostles where as before some of them would haue had Barsabas I thinke your meaning is not to haue always two at once to be presented to the ministerie and then one of them to be chosen by lot I knowe none of that opinion Wherfore this example is singular and extraordinarie and therfore no generall rule to be folowed If any man seeketh a benefice extraordinarily or vnlaufully If any man desire honorem the honor not onus the burthen opes the ryches not opus the vvoorke hée hathe to aunswere for it but I truste you will not accuse all though perhaps you knowe some I meane of youre selues and peraduenture your owne selfe The fifth Then the coÌ„gregation had authoritie to call ministers in steede therof now they runne they ride and by vnlawful sute and buying preuente other suters also To proue that the congregation had then authoritie to call ministers you alledge the sixte of the Acts which place of the Acts I touched before It speaketh not of ministers of the worde
flocke neuerthelesse howsoeuer you proue it true it is that if he be a Pastor he must haue a certen flocke for therein doth a Pastor differ from the reste of the degrées of mâ—nisters in Chrystes church mentioned in that fourth chapter to the Ephesians But you must learne that there be not onely Pastors in the Church but also Apostles Prophets Euangelistes Doctors Ephe. 4. 1. Cor. 12. who all are called Ministers and haue their place in the Churche of Chryst as it shall be proued if you denie it You say also that euery flocke had hys shephearde or else shepheardes And to proue that one flocke had mo shepheards you cite Acts. 14. which maketh nothing for your purpose yet I denie not but one flocke may haue mo Pastors for I sée nothing in the worde of God agaynst it To be short you say now they go fisking from place to place and couetously ioyne liuing to liuing c. And beeing but one shephearde haue many flockes If you meane by fisking from place to place suche as preache in diuers places and not in their owne cures onely your phrase of fisking is too lighte and scurrilous when you alledge any reason why men may not go from place to place to preache where they thinke it necessarie you shal either be aunswered or yeelded to In the meane time I thinke it agreable bothe to Gods worde and conscience Agaynst couetously ioyning of liuing to liuing you alledge the fifte of Esay which is farre from your purpose for the Prophet speaketh there of such as oppresse the poore and will not suffer them to haue a place to dwell in Yet I do not allowe suche as couetously ioyne liuing to liuing of what kinde or degrée of men soeuer they be But I sée no cause why one good and diligent Pastor may not rather be credited with mo flockes than a slouthfull vnskilfull or negligent with one You thinke I suppose that there be diuers parishes in Englande whiche mightâ— be ioyned in one and so committed to one man and why may they not be so in lyke maner when they be distincte For who deuided paryshes and who hath authoritie to ioyne them Dyd not Dionisius a Monke and Pope of Rome For it is thus written of him Tom. 1. conci Dionisius Monachus Papa presbiteris Ecclesâ—as diuisit caemiteria â–ª parochiasque Dioeceses constituit Dionisius a Monke and Pope deuided to Preestes Churches and Churcheyardes and appoynted parishes and dioces I speake not this to encourage any man to take more vppon him than with a good conscience he may well discharge And I woulde wishe you to abstayne from iudging to farre when you sée a man that hath mo liuings vse him selfe vprightly and carefully in them all and otherwise profitably to the whole Churche The tenth Then the ministers were preachers now bare readers And if any be so wel disposed to preach in their owne charges they may not without my Lords licence Your places of Scripture alleaged to proue that Ministers were then Preachers proue not that all were then Preachers The place in the .2 to the Philip. 20. verse is this For I haue no man like minded vvho vvil faythfully care for your matters And in the .25 verse But I suppose it necessarie to sende my brother Epaphroditus to you my companion in labour and fellovve souldiour euen your messanger and he that ministred vnto me suche things as I vvanted Coloss. 1. verse .7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our deare fellovv seruaunt vvhich is for you a faythfull minister of Chryst. Quorsum haec How proue these places that al ministers then preached That of Luke ca. 9. proueth aswel that they cured diseases as that they preached and therefore oute of that place you mighte aswell conclude that all ministers oughte to be curers of sickenesses aswell as preachers This I write onely to let you vnderstande your vanitie and ignorance in quoting so many Scriptures to so small purpose I wishe that euery minister were a preacher but that béeyng vnpossible as the state is nowe I sée not howe you can condemne reading ministers séeyng reading is necessarie in the Churche and faythe commeth aswell by readyng the Scriptures in the booke as by rehearsing of them without booke In the 31. of Deuter. it is thus written Leges verba legis huius coram omni Israel c. Thou shalt reede the vvords of this booke before al Israel c. S. Paule saith in the .15 to the Rom QuaecuÌ„que scripta sunt c. vvhatsoeuer is vvritteÌ„ c. But I neuer heard reading of the scripture reading of prayers reading of Homilies taken out of the scripture condemned but only by the authors of this boke and by the Zuinfildians You here fynde fault that if a preacher be disposed to preache in his cure he may not doe it withoute my Lordes licence Where the worde of God is professed and Christian Magistrates gouerne there it is meete that no man should take vppon him any function excepte he be by the magistrate â–ª to whome it doth apperteyne therevnto admitted And for as muche as there be alwayes in the Churche hypocrites heretikes schismatikes and other euill disposed persons whiche studie for nothyng more than to disquiet the state of the Churche and to occupie the people with their factions it is necessarie that none should be admitted to preache in any place without hée be thervnto licenced by the Bishop who ought to haue a diligent care in that matter I suppose you are not of that mynde that men maye now in this Church vnder christian magistrates preach without licence It hath always ben the opinion of wise learned and godly men that since the apostles time none were ordinarily called to the office of preaching but such as were called of God by man onely Anabaptistes and some other sect of heretikes teache the contrarie The eleuenth In those dayes knowne by voyce learning and doctrine nowe they muste be discerned from other by popish and antichristian apparell as cappe gowne tippet c. To proue that in those dayes ministers were knowne by voyce learning and doctrine you cite the ninth of the first of Samuell and the .26 of Mathew In all that ninth chapter of Samuell there is not one worde that maketh for this purpose except you meane this that when Saule asked of Samuell where the Séers house was Samuel aunswered agayne that he was the Séer Iâ— this be to be knowne by voyce learning and doctrine the ignorantest mynister that is may soone be knowne by his voyce lerning and doctrine for if you aske him where is such a man he can answere you I am he In the .26 of Mathew the first place verse .48 is this Novv he that betrayed hym had giuen them a token saying VVhosoeuer I shall kisse that is he laye holde on him The multitude that came with Iudas knewe Chryste by Iudas kissyng of hym therforâ— in those days ministers were
should be brought into the tresurie of the Lorde VVherefore that also whiche is written in Deuteronomie thou shalte not couet their siluer nor their golde neither shalte thou take any thing therof to thy selfe least thou offende bicause it is abomination vnto the Lord thy god c. It manifestly appeareth that either priuate vses is forbidden in suche things or that nothing shoulde so be broughte into thy house that it be honored for then it is abomination c. Hitherto Augustine By these words it doth manifestly appeare that euen things altogither dedicated to Idols and vsed in idolatrie may be conuerted to common vses and vsed in the seruice of God and to his honor But not to priuate vses nor superstitiously Peter Martyr in the Epistle before mentioned touching this matter writeth on this sort But let vs cōsider your other argumēt that is to say It is not lawfull to vse these kind of vestures bycause they were inuented of the Popes tyrannie In this point I doe not wel perceiue howe it may be affirmed for a surety that we can vse nothing that perteined to the Pope is vsed in Popery Trulye we must take good heede that we bring not the Church of Christ into such bōdage that it may not vse any thing that the Pope vsed It is very true that our forfathers toke the temples of Idols turned the into holy Churches where Christ should be worshipped And they toke also the salarie reuenewes cōsecrated to the Idols of the Gētiles to their wicked shewes and playes and to their holy votaries virgins and transposed it to finde the ministers of the Church And yet all these things did not only seruice vnto Antichrist but vnto the Deuill yea the holy ecclesiasticall writers did not sticke to take the verses of Poets which had bin dedicated vnto Muses and to other diuers gods and goddesses for to be plaide in plaies and spokē in shewes to obteine the fauoure of their gods I saye they did nothing sticke or feare to vse thē whē it semed to them cōuenient imitating Paule the Apostle who stucke nothing at all to reherse for his purpose Menāder Aratus and Epymenides and that he did in intreating the holy Scripture applying prophane words to set forth Gods religion VVe read also hovv that vvine was consecrated vnto Bacchus bread vnto Ceres vvater vnto Neptune oile vnto Minerua letters vnto Mercurie song vnto the Muses and vnto Apollo and many other things Tertullian reherseth in his booke entituled de Corona Militis Christiani vvhere almost he entreateth this selfe same argumente Yet for all that vve sticke not to vse all these things frely asvvell in holy as in prophane vses although at one time or other before they had bin consecrated to Idols and to diuels Hitherto Peter Martir Bucer in an epistle that he writte to Iohn Alasco is of the same iudgement his words are worthy to be noted and be these For if by no meanes it be lawfull to vse those things vvhith were of Aarons preesthod or of the Gētiles thē is it not lavvfull for vs to haue Churches nor holidaies For there is no expresse commaundement by vvorde in the holy scriptures of these things It is gathered notvvithstāding frō the example of the old people that they ar profitable for vs to the encrease of godlines vvhiche thing also experience proueth For any thing to be a note of Antichrist is not in the nature of any creature in it selfe for to that ende nothyng vvas made of God but it hangeth algither of consenting to Antichristes religion and the professing thereof The vvhiche consente and profession beeing chaunged into the consente and profession of Christianitie there can sticke in the thinges themselues no note or marke of Antichrists religion The vse of belles vvas a marke of Antichristianitie in oure Churches vvhen the people by them vvere called to Masses and vvhen they vvere rong againste tempestes Novv they are a token of Christianitie vvhen the people by them are gathered together to the Gospell of Christe and other holie actions VVhy may it not then be that the selfe same garmentes maye serue godlie vvith godlie men that vvas of vvicked signification vvith the vngodly Truly I knovve very many ministers of Christ most godlie men vvho haue vsed godly these vestures and at this day do yet vse them So that I dare not for this cause ascribe vnto them any faulte at all muche lesse so heynous a faulte of communicatyng vvith Antichrist for the vvhich fault vve may vtterly refuse to communicate vvith them in Christe The preestes of diuels did celebrate in their sacrifices the distribution of bread and the cuppe as Iustinus Martyr and Tertullian make mention VVhat lette is there vvhy vvee may not vse the same ceremonies also you will saye vvee haue a commaundement of the Lorde touching this ceremonie Very vvell And by the selfe same it appeareth that same thing to serue among the children of God to the seruice of Christe vvhich the vvicked abused in the seruice of deuils if the commaundement of Christ be added therto But it is the commaundement of Christ that in our holie actions vve institute and vse all things so as comlinesse and order be obserued that faith may be edified The same maister Bucer in an other Epistle written to maister Cranmer Archbishop of Canturburie sayeth on this sorte All true godly men may godly vse those rites vvhiche vvicked men haue abused howsoeuer vngodly Bullinger and Gualter in the Epistle before alledged answering this question whether we maye weare suche apparell as the Papistes doe say on this sorte If vvee should haue nothing common vvith them then muste vve forsake al our churches refuse all liuings not minister baptisme not say the Apostles or Nicene crede yea and quite cast avvay the Lordes prayer neyther doe you borrovv any ceremonies of them The matter of apparell vvas neuer taken away at the beginning of reformation and is yet reteyned not by the Popes lavve but by the kings commaūdement as an indifferent thing of mere policie Yea truly if you weare a cap or a peculiar kynd of apparell as a ciuile and politique thing it smelleth neyther of Iudaisme nor Monachisme For these will seeme to separate themselues from the ciuile and common life and accompte a meritorious deede in the wearing of a peculiar garment So Eustachius Bishop of Sebastia was not simply condemned for wearing a peculier kinde of garmente but for that he did put religion in his garmēt The Cannons of the councell of Gāgren Laodicen and of the sixt coūcel are vvell knowne If in case any of the people be persuaded that these things Sauoure of Papisme Monachisme or Iudaisme let them be tolde the contrarie and perfectly instructed therein And if so be thorough the importunate crying out hereon before the people by some men many be disquieted in their conscience let them beware vvhiche so do that they bring not greater yokes on their owne neckes
Epistles whiche he writ to Nicholas the first in the defence of the mariage of Priests sayth that Dionysius Areopagita Saint Paules scholer was by S. Paule made Archbishop of Athens Erasmus in his argument of the epistle to Titus sayth that Paule made Titus Archebishop of Creta but Antichryste was not in Paules tyme Ergo the name of an Archbishop was not inuented by Antichrist I omit Anacletus a godlie bishop Martir who liued Anno domini 85. which in his Epistle â—om 1. conci diuers times maketh meÌ„tion of Archbishops Patriarks Primates Metropolitans and sayth that S. Iames which was called Iustus was the first Archbishop of Ierusalem I omitte also Anicetus who liued An. domini 155 which like wyse in his epistle maketh mention of Archbishops bicause these epistles ar not without iust cause suspected eyther to be none of theirs or else in diuerse poyntes corrupted But that notable and famous Councell of Nice must be and is of all wise and learned men nexte vnto the Scriptures them selues reuerenced estéemed and embraced that Councell celebrated Anno Domini 330. when as the Bishoppes of Rome were as yet learned and godlye men dothe not onely allowe of the name but also of the office of Metropolitane Archebishoppe Archdeacon c. In the sixth Canon of that Councell it is thus written This Councell doth determine him to be no Bishop vvhiche is made vvithout the consent Metropolitant Episcopi of the Metropolitane In the .13 Can. mention is made of a Patriarke and of an Archdeacon diuers tymes and his office there in diuers poyntes declared as it is also in the seuenth Canon of the same Councell In the .25 Canon is named bothe Patriarke and Archbishop and declared what authoritie they had in their prouinces and in admitting of Bishops So is it likewyse in the .26 and .27 Cannons of the same Councell Ambrose also that olde and learned father both alloweth the name and office of an Archbishop Lib. De dig Sacerde cap. 5. Sozomenus likewise Lib. 2. of his Ecclesiasticall historie Cap. 8. calleth Symeon Archbishoppe of Seleucia and Basile the greate Metropolitane of Cappadocia Lib. 3. Cap. 16. Damasus calleth Stephen an Archedeacon Hierome in his Epistle Ad Euagrium hath this name Archdeacon Sextus in his decrées sayth that Laurence the martyr was an Archedeacon Sozomenus lib. 7. cap. 19. maketh mention of an Archdeacon reading the Scriptures Socrates in the seuenth booke of his Ecclesiasticall historie speaketh of one Timothie an Archdeacon Augustine in his first booke De moribus Ecclesiae Catholica maketh mention of Deanes and their offices Hythertoo Antichriste had not inuaded the Churche of Rome But what shoulde I trouble you with anye mo authorities Those that bée learned maye easyly vnderstande that these names Metropolitane Archbishop Archdeacon Primate Patriarke and suche like be most auncient and approued of the Eldest best and worthiest councels fathers and writers And forasmuch as the originall and beginning of these names suche is their antiquitie can not be found so farre as I haue read it is to be supposed that they haue their originall from the Apostles them selues For as I remember Saincte Augustine hathe this rule in his 118. Epistle Ad Ianua Those things that be not expressed in the scripture and yet by tradition obserued of the vvhole Churche come either from the Apostles or from generall Councels as the obseruing of Easter the celebrating of the day of the Ascention and of the coÌ„ming of the holie Ghost and such like very vnlearned therfore and ignorant be those whiche so boldly affirme that these names vsed in the purest tyme of the Churche be Antichristian Whether that the name of Prelate of the garter Erle Countie Palatine Honour high Commissioner Iustice of peace and Quorum béeing necessarie offices in this Common weale partely for the honour of the Prince and Realme but especially for the good gouernement of all states and degrées of persones bée Antichrystian lette those consyder to whome GOD hathe commytted the sworde of gouernemente Suche insolent audacitie against states and lawfull regiment is rather to be corrected with due punishment than confuted by argument Lordes grace lorde Bishop honour c. be names of reuerence teaching vs to acknowledge our dutie towardes oure superiours and their authoritie ouer vs and it is muche more to bée reprehended not to gyue honour to whome honour is due than to receyue honoure when it is due You may and you please in verie auncient histories and in greate learned fathers see as honourable and reuerente titles giuen vnto Bishoppes as these bée And surely it is not Antichristian to be called by names and titles not ambitiously soughte for but orderly and lawfully giuen according to the condition and state of the place wherein a man is But it is Antichristian that is proude presumptuous disdaynful arrogant and contemptuous to refuse to giue to euerye one that name and title that by lawe ciuilitie and duetie of vs is requyred and expresseth oure reuerence duetie and obedience You woulde speake as muche of names of honoure and reuerence in other persons if you durste bée so bolde with them as you thinke you may bée with some Nowe it followeth to proue that the offices signified by these names are not strange and vnheard of in Christes churche neyther yet plainely in Gods word forbidden that they are not to be remoued but as most necessarie to be reteyned It is without all doubte that bothe these names and offices haue bene in Chrystes Churche long before Nicene Councell and that they haue hadde in the same continuaunce euen to thys daye as partely it maye bée gathered by that whyche I haue spoken before and moste manyfestlye by all Hystories and learned wryters from béefore that Councell of Nice to this instant houre and therefore they little considered what they writte when they set it downe that these names and offices were straunge and vnheard of in the Churche of Chryste These men contemning auncient writers neuer read them and that is the cause of such vnlearned assertions Cyprianus Li. 1. Epis. 3. ad CorneliuÌ„ speaking of the office of an Archbishop saith on this fort Neque enim aliunde haereses abortae sunt aut nata sohismata quam inde quod Sacerdoti dei non obtemperatur nec onus in Ecclesia ad tempus Sacerdos ad tempus index vice Christi cogitatur cui si secundum magisteria diuina obtemporaret fraternitas vniuersa nemo aduersus Sacerdotum Collegium quicquam moueret Neither haue heresies or schismes risen of any other occasion thaÌ„ of that that the priest of God is not obeyed neither one priest for the time in the Churche and one iudge for the time in steade of Chryst thought vpon to vvhom if the vvhole brotherhoode vvoulde be obedient according to Gods teaching no man vvoulde moue any thing agaynst the Colledge of Priests Cornelius béeing Byshop of Rome and hauing excommunicated certayne notorious wicked men and afterwarde béeyng
before the Sacraments were ministred now it is supposed to be sufficient if it be read To proue that the worde was preached before the sacrameÌ„ts were ministred you alledge the third of Mathew verse 12. VVhich hath his fanne in his hand and vvil make cleane his flovver and gather his vvheate into his garner but vvill burne vp the chaffe vvith vnquencheable fyre I vnderstand not how you can of this place conclude that there must be of necessitie preaching and not reading before the administration of the Sacraments If you say Iohn preached vnto suche as came vnto his Baptisme and readde not vnto them therefore of necessitie there must be preaching and not reading I denye the argument for it is a common rule that we may not conclude a generall doctrine of a singuler or particuler example and I am sure it is agaynst all rule of Logicke But how if it maye be proued that Iohn did baptyse some without preaching vnto them In that third chapter of Mathew verses .5 and .6 we reade that all Ierusalem and all Iâ—daea and all the region round about Iordan went out to be baptized of him and that they were baptized of him in Iordane confessing their sinnes but we reade not that he did immediatly before preache vnto them and verses .13.14.15 it is manifeste that he did baptize Christe without preaching This is but a slender proofe you vse therby to condemne the sinceritie of our sacraments and administring of them in this Churche There is no man I thinke whiche doth not allowe of preaching before the administration of the Sacraments But it is not therwith ioyned tanquam de necessitate sacramenti as of the necessitie of the sacrament neyther is there any thing here alledged for preaching before the administration of the Lords Supper In déede we reade not that Christ did preache immediatly before the distribution of the Sacrament of his body bloud to his disciples onely he told them that some of them should betray him that he had greatly desired to â—ate that passeouer with them This I write to shewe youre blynde and vnlearned collections not to disallow preaching in the administration of Sacraments But I woulde gladly learne why you doe so greately myslyke of readyng the Scriptures I hope you be not Zwingfildians Is not the worde of God as effectuall when it is read as when it is preached or is not reading preaching Isidorus sayeth that reading bringeth great profite to the hearers Tertulian sayth when wée come togither to the reading of the holy Scriptures wée féede oure faythe wyth those heauenly voyces we rayse vp oure affiaunce wée fasten our hope And againe he calleth the reading of the Scriptures the féeding of our fayth But what néede I speake anye more of a matter so manyfeste You flatly ioyne with the Papist in this For in the confutation of the Apologie of the Churche of Englande mayster Harding calleth reading of the Scriptures to the people in the Churche a spirituall dumbnesse and a thing vnprofitable c. That to reade the scriptures in the church is no newe thing but moste auncient and grounded vppon Gods worde it is manyfest by that whiche is written in the fourth of Luke where the Euangelist sayeth that Christ on the Sabboth day going into the synagoge according to his accustomed manner risse vp to reade and there was deliuered vnto him the booke of the Prophete Esaye and as soone as hée opened the Booke hée founde the place where it was written Spiritus Domini super me c. The Spirite of the Lord vpon me c. Likewyse in the thirtéenth of the Actes wée reade that Paule and other of his companie béeing in the Synagoge on the Sabboth day was sent vnto by the rulers of the Synagoge Post lectronem legis Propherarum after the readyng of the lawe and the Prophets to know if they would make any exhortation to the people Iustinus Martyr Apolog. 2. pro Christianis sayeth that in his tyme the manner was on the Sabboth daye when the people were gathered together to haue the Scriptures read in the publique congregation and in the time of publike Prayer for the space of one whole houre Origene wryting vppon Iosua Homel 15. saythe that the Bookes of the olde Testamente were deliuered by the Apostles to be read in the Churches Cyprian lib. 2. Epists 5. sayth The reader soundeth out the highe and heauenly vvords he readeth out the Gospel of Christ. c. Chrysostome vppon the Actes Hom. 19. The Minister and common Minister standeth vp and cryeth vvyth a loude voyce saying Kepe silence after that the reader beginneth the prophecie of Esay Augustin speaking to the people sayth Yee heard vvhen the Gospell vvas read yee heard erevvhile vvheÌ„ it vvas read if ye gaue eare to the reading dearely beloued vvee haue hearde in the lesson that hath ben read But of reading bothe scriptures and prayers I haue spoken before and mynde to speake something hereafter For my part I muse what you meane in this poynt so to iumpe with the Papists The seconde generall reason is this Then Sacramentes were ministred in publique assemblies nowe in priuate houses The places of Scripture wherby you proue that Sacraments were then ministred in publique assemblies be taken out of the first of S. Marke and .1 Cor. 11. which places of Scripture proue that Iohn did baptize openly that the Lords Supper was ministred in the publique congregation but neyther of them bothe conclude that these Sacraments may not also be ministred vppon any occasion in priuate houses For what sequele is there in this reason all the countrey of Iudaea and they of Ierusalem wente out vnto him and were baptised of him in the riuer of Iordan confessing their sinnes Ergo Baptisme may not be ministred vpon any occasion in priuate houses you may as well conclude that none ought to be baptized but in the riuer of Iordan and none but suche as be able to confesse their sinnes and so you shoulde seclude children from Baptisme as the Anabaptistes doe Baptisme was ministred in Cornelius house Actes 10. The place is not of the substaunce of the Sacraments To the .1 Corin. 11. it is answered before Surely this Churche of England doth not permit the sacraments to be ministred in priuate places except there be a coÌ„gregation and then not vsually but only in certaine cases The thirde generall reason is this Then by ministers onely now by midwiues and deacons equally That then the Sacraments were ministred onely by ministers you alledge the 28. of Mathew whiche place is answered before Likewise .1 Cor. 4. Let a man so thinke of vs as of the ministers of Chryst and disposers of the mysteries of God. Here is not one worde for your purpose Except you take mysteries for sacrameÌ„ts which if you do you are much deceyued for by the word mysteries here he vnderstandeth the worde of God and Gospell of Chryste as all learned writers do
interprete it We reade in the eight of the Actes that Philip béeing a Deacon did baptize we reade also that Moses wyfe did cirumcise But where dothe this Churche of England allow any woman to baptise or deacon to celebrate the Lords supper and if it did the dignitie of the Sacraments doe not depende vpon the man be he minister or not minister be he good or euill Let euery one take héede that they do not vsurpe that authoritie wherevnto they be not called Those be your general reasons which in déede bée no reasons but bare words Your particuler reasons wherby you séeme to proue that neither of the sacraments be sincerely ministred be these that followe And first concerning the Lordes supper you reason on this sort Admonition They had no introite for Celestinus a Pope broughte it in about the yere .430 But we haue borrowed a péece of one out of the Masse booke Answere What you vnderstand here by the introite certaynlie I knowe not The first thing that we say at the Communion is the Lords prayer which Celestinus did not inuente but Chryste Mathew 6. nor first vse in the celebration of the Lordes Supper but the Apostles as we reade in good Chronicles nexte vnto that is a very godly and necessarie prayer worthy to bée sayde in the celebration of suche a mysterie and therfore no matter at all who inuented it or brought it in And yet Celestinus was a godly Byshoppe and the Churche of Rome at that time had the substaunce of the Sacraments according to Gods word neither was there any superstition mixed with them notwithstanding I know not any introite of Celestinus inuention that we haue in our order of the Communion for the introite that he appointed was one of the Psalmes as Volateranus Gratianus and Polydorus Virgilius doe testifie And we have not any Psalme in the celebration of the supper if we had it were not to be reproued This I am sure of that it is not euill bycause it is in the Masse booke excepte it be repugnaunt to the worde of God For the Lordes prayer some of the Psalmes the Gospels and Epistles the Nicene creede c. be in the Masse book and yet good so is there some other good prayers in it also Admonition They read no fragments of the Epistle and Gospell we vse both Answere And what faulte can you finde in that Is not the whole Scripture and euery péece of it profiâ—able 〈◊〉 edifie can the Scripture at any tyme in the open câ—â—gregation be read oute of season béeing in a knowne toung but I thinke your quarell is at reading not agaynst the Epistle and the Gospell Alwayes in the Churche there hath bene read the scriptures in the celebration of the mysteries and I am sure the Gospell was not wont to be read from the one ende to the other at one time Well it is but your opinion without reason that the Epistle and Gospel ought not to be read at that time for you bring no proole and I thinke the contrarie First bicause they be scripture and tend to edifie secondly bicause it hath bene the maner of long time euen since Alexanders time Anno. 111. The third The Nicene creede was not read in their communion we haue it in ours The Nicene Creede and euery parte of it is grounded vppon the worde of God it was collected by that famous Councell of Nyce to confounde that deteâ—table heresie of the Arrians and therefore méete to bée read in all Christian congregations neither â—an any mislike it but Arrians and suche lyke of the which secte you giue iuste suspitions that you bee fautours Thys Créede in this forme was not framed in the Apostles tyme bycause the heresie of Arrius was not then hatched And therfore no good reason to say it was not read in the Apostles tyme at the Communion Ergo it ought not to bée read nowe But this argument is intollerable the Nicene Créede is read at the Communion therefore the Communion is not sincerely ministred All these thrée reasons bée taken ab authoritate negatiuâ— and therefore of no force excepte we will also graunte these to bée true and suche like scilicet â–ª Then they had no â—hristian Princes and therefore we may haue no christian Princes Then they had no ciuill or politike lawes Ergo we ought to haue none Then the Churche had no externall peace but was vnder persecution Ergo it should haue no peace now Then Christians had proprietie in nothing but all things were common Ergo no man may haue any thing of his owns but common to other we doe not reade expressely that children were then baptised therefore they oughte not to be baptised nowe for so do the Anabaptistes reason neither do we reade that women dyd then receyue the Supper therfore they ought not to do it nowe with infinite other as absurde as these The fourth There was then accustomed to be an examination of the communicaÌ„ts which nowe is neglected Howe proue you that there was then any examination of communicants If there had bene either commaundement or example for it in scriptures I am sure you woulde not haue lefte it vnquoted in the margent S. Paule sayth 1. Cor. 11. Probet homo scipfum Let a man examine him selfe c. But be speaketh of no other examination wherefore this reason of yours is altogither friuolous and without reason And yet I do not disalowe the examination of communicants so there be a discrete respect had of the persons places and other circumstaunces neither it is neglected in this Churche of Englande but by learned and discrete ministers with bearning and discretion vsed But note I pray you the force of his argument some ministers neglect to examine the communicants Ergo the Communion is not rightly and sincerely ministred as though the examination of the communicants were of the substance of the sacrament If you woulde reason after your accustomed manner you should rather coÌ„clude thus the Apostles were not examined when they receyued the Communion neither is it expressed in scriptures that they examined others therefore there oughte to bée no such examination this is your vsuall manner of reasoning but it is childish vnlesse it were to conclude damnation or saluation The fifth Then they ministred with common and vsuall bread nowe with wafer cakes brought in by Pope Alexander being in forme fashion substance like their God of the alter The place you alledge Act. 2. which is this And they coÌ„tinued dayly vvith one accorde in the Temple and breaking bread at home did eate their meate togither vvyth gladnesse and singlenesse of harte maketh as muche for your purpose as it maketh for the Papists halfe communion for they alledge it to proue that the supper may be ministred with bread onely But learned interpreters and especially Master Caluyne denie this place to bée mente of the ministration of the supper howsoeuer it is vnderstanded it doth not necessarily
not wasted vpon loyterers and idle vagabounds Nowe it is the first steppe to the ministerie nay rather a mere order of priesthoode Answere In the whole .xij. chapiter of the Epistle to the Romanes there is not one worde to proue the office of a Deacon to consist in gathering almes and distributing the same neither yet dothe he speake there of the office of a Deacon no more dothe he in the thirde Chapiter of the seconde Epistle to the Thessalo Lorde God what meane you thus to play with the scriptures It is true that in the primatiue Churche the office of a Deacon was to collecte and prouide for the poore but not onely for it was also their office to preache and to baptise for Stephen and Philippe béeing Deacons dyd preache the Gospell Act. 6.7.8 And Philip dyd baptyse the Eunuche Act. 8. Iustinus Martyr one of the moste auncient writers in his seconde Apologie sayth that in the administration of the Supper deacons did distribute the bread and the wine to the people The same doth master Caluine affirme of deacons in his Instit. ca. 19. It may well be compted the first steppe to the ministerie as it hath bene from the Apostles time and S. Paule ioyneth them togither 1. Tim. 3. Admonition For they may baptise in the presence of a Bishop or priest or in their absence if necessitie so require minister the other sacrament likewise reade the holy scriptures and homilies in the congregation instruct the youth in the Cathechisme and also preache if he be commaunded by the Byshop Answere I know not what you meane by your Ponti tit in the margent of your booke but if you meane the booke entituled the forme and maner of making and consecrating Byshops c. now allowed in this Church of Englande then do you vntruely reporte it for there is no mention of baptising in the presence of a Byshop or Priest neither yet of ministring the other sacrament in their absence if necessitie require onely the booke sayth that a deacon may baptise or preach if he be thervnto admitted by the Byshop and that he may so do by the worde of God I haue proued before As for reading the holy scriptures and Homilies in the congregation also for instructing the youth in the Cathechisme who doubteth but that a deacon may do them Admonition Agayne in the olde Churche euery congregation had their Deacons Answere O how aptely you haue alledged the Scriptures to proue that euery congregation had their deacons In the first to the Philip. these be the words Paule and Timotheus c. to all the Saincts which are at Philippi with the Bishops and Deacons Paule and Timotheus salute the Byshops Deacons which were at Philippi Therfore in those dayes euery congregation had their Deacons a straunge kind of reasoning you might well haue thus concluded Ergo at Philippi there was Deacons But surely this argument is too muche out of square there was Deacons at Philippi therfore euery congregation had their Deacons In the .13 of S. Iohn verse .27 these be the wordes And after the soppe Sathan entred into him then sayde Iesus vnto him that thou doste do quickly After supper Sathan entred into Iudas and Iesus sayde vnto him that thou doste do quickly Therefore euery congregation had their Deacons No maruell though your margent be pestred with Scriptures when you take libertie to make ex quolibet quidlibet Peraduēture you meane that Iudas was a Deacon as he was not but an Apostle bicause he carried the bagge and that some of the Apostles thought that Christ had bid him giue somwhat to the poore belike whosoeuer giueth a peny to the poore at his masters commaundement is with you a Deacon In the sixt of the Acts we learne that there were chosen seauen Deacons but there is not one worde to proue that euery congregation had their Deacons In the third of the first to Timothie S. Paule sheweth what qualities and conditions a Deacon ought to haue but not one worde of deacons béeing in euery congregation This is great audacitie thus manifestly to wring the scriptures without all colour or shew of reason Admonition Now they are tyed to Cathedrall Churches only what do they there gather the almes and distribute it to the poore nay that is the least peece or rather no parte of their function What then to sing a Gospell when the Bishop ministreth the Communion If this be not a peruerting of this office and charge let euery one iudge Answere I am sure you are not offended that there be Deacons in Cathedrall Churches For if they ought to be in euery congregatiō they ought to be there also and yet I know no such order now in Cathedrall Churches that they be more bounde to Deacons in the respecte of reading the Gospell thā other Churches be But admitte they were it is no peruerting of the office of a Deacon being incident to his office aswell to reade the Scriptures in the congregation and to exhorte as to giue almes and distribute to the poore For the state of the Churche is not nowe as it was in the Apostles tyme neyther is that parte of the office of a Deacon so necessary nowe as it was then being lawes and orders otherwise to prouide for the poore than there either was then or coulde haue bene Admonition And yet least the reformers of our time shold seeme vtterly to take out of gods Church thys necessarie function they appointe something to it concerning the pore and that is to search for the sicke needy and impotent people of the parrish and to intimate their estates names and places where they dwell to the Curate that by his exhortation they may be releeued by the parrish or other conuenient almes And thys you see is the nighest parte of his office and yet you must vnderstande it to be in suche places where there is a Curate and Deacō euery parrishe cannot be at that cost to haue both nay no parrish so farre as can be gathered at thys present hath Answere And what faulte can you finde herewith is not thys greatly to be commended If euery parrishs cannot be at the cost to haue both Curate and Deacon why do you require them both in euery parrish Why do you not thinke well of suche lawes as appoint collectours for the poore which may aswell prouide for them and better too than could the Deacon who must be susteyned himselfe with that which the poore should haue Admonition Now then ▪ if you will restore the Churche to his ancient officers this you must do In stead of an Archbyshop or Lorde Byshop you must make equalitie of ministers Answere I haue proued before that aswell the name as office of an Archbishop is both most auncient and also most necessarie in the Church of Christ and that this equalitie of ministers which you require is both flatly against the scriptures and all aunciente authoritie of councells and learned
againste interpreting of the Scriptures or preaching for I knowe they be both necessary but agaynst suche as be enimies to the reading of them The places in the .56 of Esay and in the eleuenth of Zacharie tende to the same purpose they all speake against ignorant foolishe slouthfull gouernours and Pastours there is nothing in them that condemneth or disalloweth reading of the Scriptures or reading of prayers No more is there in the fiftéenth of Matthew nor 1. Timo. 3. reade the places and you shall soone sée with howe little iudgement they be quoted against suche Ministers as vse to reade the Scriptures and prayers to the people If you had sayde agaynste dumbe and vnlearned ministers viewe these places you had sayde some thing For reading ministers that is for reading the Scriptures publiquely in the Church by ministers view you these places 1. Tim. 4. Till I come giue attendance to reading to exhortation to doctrine In the which wordes as Musculus sayth Exprimit ordinem ecclesiasticum quo primum ex sacris scripturis aliquid legebatur deinde exhortatio doctrina subijciebatur He expresseth the Ecclesiasticall order wherein first there is some thing read oute of the Scriptures then followeth exhortation and doctrine Luke 4. Where we learne that Christe béeing at Nazareth as his custome was went into the Synagoge on the Sabboth day and stoode vp to reade c. Act. 15. it is thus written For Moyses of olde tyme hath in euery citie them that preache him seeing hee is read in the Synagoges euery Sabboth day Where he also séemeth to call reading preaching According to these examples and places of â—cripture the Churche of Christe euen from the beginnyng hath alwayes vsed to haue the Scripture publiquely read in the Churche as a thing moste profitable as it is before by me declared And yet you say Reading is not feeding but it is as euil as playing vpoÌ„ a stage and worse to for players yet learn their parts without booke and these a mainy of them can scarcely reade within booke That reading is feeding Musculus gyueth these reasons First bicause it maketh the people expert and cunning in the scriptures so that they can not be so easily deceiued with false teachers And therfore Iosephus lib. 2. contra Appi. speaking of this commoditie of hauing the scriptures read sayth on this sort In vnaquaque septimana ad legem audiendaÌ„ coÌ„ueniunt vniuersi NostroruÌ„ quilibet de legibus interrogatus facilius quam nomen suuÌ„ recitat Vniuersas quippe mox à primo sensu discentes in animo velut inscriptas habemus Euery weeke al the people come together to heare the lawe Euery one of vs demaunded any question of the lawe can answere as readily as hee can tell his owne name For we learning the law euen from our youth haue it as it were written in our memorie Secondely the publique Reading of the Scripture is good for suche as can not reade them selues to such lykewise as can reade but yet haue not the bookes of the holie Scripture at home in their houses Thirdly it maketh the people better to vnderstande the Sermons preached vnto them bicause through the continuall hearing of the Scriptures read they be acquainted with the wordes and phrases of the same Last of all it may be that some men be more edified by the simple reading of the scriptures than by sermons But both of reading the Scriptures and the profitablenesse therof I haue spoken before in the former treatise I can not but maruell what these men meane not onely in spyte and malice to ioyne with the Papistes against the Communion Booke but agaynst the publike reading of the Scriptures in the Churche also Saying that Reading is no feeding but it is as euill as playing on a stage and worse too than the which no Papist coulde haue spoken more spitefully If there be any ministers that can scarsly reade I defende them not neyther doth the Booke of coÌ„mon prayer allowe of them these be but Papisticall cauillations against the puritie of our seruice and Sacraments As for that which foloweth These are emptie feeders c. And the places of scripture quoted in the margent may be aptly spoken and alledged agaynst wicked ignorant and dumbe Pastors not against vertuous godly learned preaching or as you terme them reading ministers And therfore I leaue them to you and to the Papists better to be considered of Admonition By this booke bare reading is good tilling and single seruice saying is excellent building and he is shepherde good inough that can as Popishe Priestes coulde out of their Portuis saye fayrely their diuine seruice Naye some in the fulnesse of their blasphemie haue sayde it that muche preaching bringeth the woorde of God into contempt and that foure preachers were inough for all London so farre are they from thinking it necessarie and seeking that euery congregation shoulde haue a faythfull pastor Paule was not so wise as these politike men when he sayd we can not beleeue except we heare and we can not heare without a preacher c. Seeing we may heare by reading and so beleeue without a preacher foolishly he spake when he sayde he muste be apt to teach sith euery man of the basest sorte of the people is admitted to this function of suche as Ieroboam did sometimes make his priests We wil say no more in this matter but desire you to consider with vs what small profite and edification this seely reading hath broughte to vs this thirteene yeres paste excepte perhaps by some Circumcelion or newe Apostle we haue had nowe and then a fleing sermon surely our sinnes are growen ripe our ignorance is equall with the ignoraunce of our leaders we are lost they can not find vs we are sicke they can not heale vs we are hungrie they can not finde vs except they leade vs by other mens lights and heale vs by saying a prescript forme of seruice or else feede vs with homilies that are to homely to be set in place of Gods scriptures But dronken they are and shewe their owne shame that striue so eagerly to defende their dooings that they will not onely not acknowledge their imperfections but will enforce men to allowe them Answere Here is muche a doe about bare reading and single seruice saying by like you lacke matter to make out your Uolume when you iterate one thing so often I tell you agayne no honest godly or learned man euer hitherto did or will disalowe reading of the scriptures in the Churche or a prescript order of common prayers Shewe any learned mans iudgement to the contrarie shewe the example of any Christian Churche of antiquitie or of any late reformed Church wherein there is not bothe reading of the Scriptures in the publike congregation and a prescript order of common prayers nay shew any one sillable in the Scriptures to the contrarie As for your places alledged out of the. 1. Corinth 3.
hath brought to vs these thirtene years past c. And what can you tell howe much it hath profited I thinke very much but the lesse bycause of your cōtentiousnesse For by the factiōs that you haue stirred many be brought into a doubte of religion many cleane driuen backe and no doubte the frutes of the Gospell would haue muche more appeared if you had not made this schisme in the Churche a perpetuall companion but yet a deadly enimie to the Gospell I know not what you meane by your Circumceliō or newe Apostle If you meane such as preach in diuers places as they be called or as they sée occasion I sée not with what honest zeale or godly affection you can call them in derision Circumcelions or newe Apostles Some such haue done more good with their flying sermons as you terme them than you haue done with your rayling libels But as I said in the beginning I will not aunswere wordes but matter although I am constrained to do otherwise you are so full of words and barren of matter Admonition The second reason In this booke also it is appointed that after the creede if there be no sermon an homely must followe either already set out or herafter to be set out This is scarce plaine dealing that they would haue vs to consent vnto that which we neuer sawe whiche is to be set out hereafter we hauing had such cause alreadye to distrust them by that whiche is already set out being corrupt and strange to mainteine an vnlearned reading ministrie And sith it is plaine that mens works oughte to be kepte in and nothing else but the voyce of God and holy scriptures in which only are conteined al fulnesse and sufficiencie to decide controuersies must sounde in hys Churche for the very name Apocrypha testifieth that they ought rather to be kepte close than to be vttered Answere Your seconde reason in fewe wordes is this In the booke of common prayer it is appointed that after the creede if there be no sermon an Homily must followe either already set out or hereafter to be set out but you knowe not what wil hereafter be set out therefore you will not subscribe You haue no cause to suspecte any thing touching religion set out by publique authoritie for so is the booke or hereafter to be set out by cōmon authoritie Hitherto you are not able to cōuince any homily set out by cōmon authoritie of any error and therefore you ought not to be suspicious of any that is to come If any Homily shall hereafter be sette out wherein you mislike any thing you néede not to reade it the boke doth not appoint you this or that Homily to read but some one which you like best But what néede you to be scrupulous in thys matter if you be disposed to preach then néede you reade no Homily at all therefore this is no reason This assertion that in the holy scriptures is cōteyned al fulnesse to decide controuersies if you meane controuersies in matters of fayth and in matters touching saluation is very true but you haue vsed little discretion in quoting some places to proue the same I finde no faulte with you for citing the sixte verse of the 2. Timo. 3. for the 16. verse that is but a small ouersight and it may bée in the Printer But howe doe you conclude this assertion of the words of Peter 2. epist. ca. 1. verse 20. which be these so that ye first knovve that no prophecie of the scripture is of any priuate motion For this place only proueth that the scriptures be not of men but of the holy Ghost it speaketh nothing of the sufficiencie of the Scripture That place also 1. Cor. 1. is not fitly applyed to this purpose there is scripture sufficient directly to proue the sufficiencie of scripture so that you shoulde not haue néeded to giue the aduersarie occasion to carpe at the vnaptnesse of these places for that purpose Homelies contayning doctrine agréeable to the scriptures be of the same nature that sermons be Wherfore if it be not lawfull in the Church to reade homilies neither is it lawfull to preach Sermons The reason is all one neyther is there any difference but that Homilies be read in the booke Sermons sayde without the booke Homilies are pithie learned and sound sermons oftētimes be words without matter vnlearned erronious But of reading Homilies in the church I haue somthing spoken before now it shal be sufficient only to set down Master Bucers iudgemente of this matter in his notes vppon the Communion booke which is this It is better that vvhere there lacks to expound the scriptures vnto the people there shoulde be Godly and learned Homilies readde vnto them rather than they shoulde haue no exhortation at all in the administration of the supper And a little after there be too fevve Homilies and too fevve points of religion taught in them vvhen therefore the Lord shall blesse this kingdome vvith some excellent preachers lette them be commaunded to make moe Homilies of the principall points of religion vvhich may be readde to the people by those pastors that cannot make better themselues Admonition In this booke days are ascribed vnto saints and kepte holy with fastes on their euens and prescripte seruice appointed for them whiche beside that they are of many superstitiously kept and obserued and also contrarie to the cōmaundement of God Sixe dayes thou shalt laboure and therefore we for the superstition that is put in them dare not subscribe to allowe them Answere This is contained in your first reason and there aunswered Your collection hangeth not togither for howe followeth this these holydayes be superstitiously obserued of some therefore you may not allow them Why shoulde other mens superstition hinder you from lawfully vsing a lawfull thing The Saboth day is superstitiously vsed of some so is the church so is the Créed the Lords prayer and many things else and yet I hope you will subscribe to them You heape vp a number of places in the margent to proue that which no man doubteth of that is this portiō of the commaundement Sixe daies shalt thou labour c. The meaning of which wordes is this that seing God hath permitted vnto vs sixe days to do our owne works in we ought the seuenth day wholy to serue him This is no restraint for any man from seruing of God any day in the wéeke else For the Iewes had diuers other feasts whiche they by Gods appointmente obserued notwithstanding these wordes Sixe dayes c. Euery man hath not bodily laboure to doo but may serue God aswell in these sixe dayes as in the seuenth And certenly he doth not by any means break this commaundement which abstayneth in any of these six dayes from bodily laboure to serue god For this is the commaundement Remēber that thou kepe holy the Saboth day as for this Sixe dayes thou shalt vvorke is no commaundemente
finishing of the ceremoniall law you do but delude the readers and abuse the Scriptures for there is no suche matter to be founde in them If you alledge them to proue that Christe is the full finishing of the Ceremoniall lawe you take vpon you to proue that which no man deâ—teth of is very far froÌ„ your purpose You note also the .20 of Exodus Thou shalt not bow downe to them nor worship them to proue that we may not knéele at the Communion but how fitly euery child may iudge for what sequele is there in this argument God in the second commaundement forbiddeth worshipping of Images therfore we may not receyue the Communion knéeling Admonition The fift As for the halfe communion whiche is yet appointed like to the commemoration of the Masse we saye little of it sauing that wee may note howe neare the translatour bounde him selfe to the massebooke that woulde not omit it Wee speake not of the name of Prieste wherwith he defaceth the minister of Christe bicause the priest that translated it would perhaps fayne haue the minister of Christ to be ioyned with him seing the office of priesthoode is ended christ being the last priest that euer was To call vs therfore priests as touching our office is eyther to call back agayn the olde priesthode of the lawe whiche is to denie Christe to be comen or else to keepe a memorie of the Popish priesthod of abhomination stil amongst vs As for the first it is by â–ª Christe abolished and for the seconde it is of Antichriste and therefore wee haue nothyng to doe with it Suche ought to haue no place in our Church neyther are they ministers of Christe sente to preach his Gospell but priestes of the Pope to sacrifice for the quicke and the dead that is to tread vnder their feete the bloud of Christe Suche oughte not to haue place amongest vs as the scriptures manifestly teache Besides that we neuer reade in the newe Testament that thys worde Priest as touching office is vsed in the good parte Answere I know not what you meane by the halfe communion I finde no such worde in the CoÌ„munion booke If you meane the communion in one kinde you speake vntruely and slaunderously of the booke and of this whole Church If you meane the scriptures and prayers appoinpointed to be read when there is no communion then do you vniustly liken them to the coÌ„memoration of the Masse being most fruteful scriptures godly prayers The name of Priest néede not be so odious vnto you as you would séeme to make it I suppose it commeth of this worde Presbyter and not of Sacerdos and then the matter is not great The Priest or priests that translated this book be not so scornefully to be taunted I thinke some of them haue ended their lyues in the fyre and all of them singuler both in lyfe religion and learning Speake not so contemptuously of so worthie men vtter not youre hautie stomackes with so spitefull wordes towardes youre superiours and betters least you proue your selues to be in the number of those of whome Saincte Paule speaketh 2. Tim. 3. vse 2.3.4.5 and Iudas in his epistle vse 8. It is true that the presthod of the old law is abolished but the place of Scripture noted in your margent proueth it not For Hebrues 5. Paule doth shew why the highe Prieste was ordeyned and what were his offices But hée speaketh nothing of the abolishing of the Priesthoode I muse what you meane thus vnnecessarily to paynte youre margent and that with so little iudgemente and lesse discretion The ninth to the Hebrues is some thing to the purpose but néedlesse Touching popish Priests as you call them whether they ought to haue any place in our Church or no I haue spoken before where I haue also answered your marginall notes concerning that matter You farre ouershotte your selfe in my opinion when you set it downe that you neuer read in the newe Testament this worde Priest touching office to be vsed in good parte What say you to the fourth to the Hebrues vse 14. Seeing then that we haue a greate high priest which is entred into heauen Iesus Christe c. And vse 15. For we haue not a hye priest whiche can not be touched with the feeling of oure infirmities but. c. And chap. 5. vse 6. Thou art a priest for euer c. And Apocalips 5. 1. Peter 2. But what shoulde I trouble you with a tedious heaping vp of Scriptures Shew me one place in this Epistle yea in the whole newe Testament where this worde priest is taken in euill parte touching office Truly eyther you are farre deceyued or else my vnderstanding fayleth mée I condemne that office and institution of sacrificing for the quicke and the deade with you and I knowe it is condemned in the scriptures manyfestely and namely in the ninthe and tenthe to the Hebrues Admonition Sixthly in this booke three or foure are allowed for a fit number to receyue the Communion and the Prieste alone together with one more or with the sicke man alone may in tyme of necessitie that is when there is any common plague or in tyme of other visitation minister it to the sicke man and if he require it it may not bee denyed This is not I am sure lyke in effecte to a priuate Masse that Scripture drinke ye all of this maketh not against this and priuate Communion is not agaynst the Scriptures Answere How vntruly these meÌ„ charge the church wyth priuate coÌ„munions I haue shewed before The place of scripture here alledged to proue the thrée or foure be not a sufficient number to coÌ„municate is this drinke ye all of this Matth. 26. Mark. 14. Which may as well be applyed to proue that ten twentie fortie is no sufficient number I know not what your meaning is except you thinke no number sufficient vnlesse all do communicate together bicause Chryst sayde Drinke ye all This texte proueth that all ought to be partakers of the Lordes cup but it dothe not determine any certaine number of communicantes I knowe there be some of the olde fathers as Basilius Magnus whiche woulde not haue fewer communicants than twelue But of the number of Communicantes there is nothing determined in Scripture neyther is it materiall so that there be a number that it may be a communion Admonition The seuenth And as for priuate baptisme that will abyde the touchstone Go ye sayth Christ and teache baptizing them c. Now teaching is diuorced from communions and sacraments They may go alone without doctrine Women that may not speake in a congregation maye yet in tyme of necessitie minister the sacrament of Baptisme and that in a priuate house And yet this is not to tye necessitie of saluation to the sacramentes nor to nousell men vp in that opinion This is agreable with the scriptures and therfore when they bring the baptised child they are
be not present Well men may sée whervnto this geare tendeth if they be not blinde Benedictus also Nuns dimittis and Magnificat be great motes in your eyes but you shewe no reason worthy to be answered onely in derision you say except some of them were ready to dye or would celebrate the memorie of the Uirgin or Iohn Baptist. As thoughe these Hymmes or Psalmes were not profitable for all men as the rest of the holy Scripture is but these especially bicause they conteyne the mysterie of our saluation and the prayse of God for the same By this your reason we may not vse any of the Psalmes vntil we be in like case as Dauid was or other when they were first made But I thinke nowe the time is come when those shall correct magnificat qui nesciunt quid significat Truely this your dooing is a méere prophanation of holy scriptures Admonition The thirtenth In all their order of seruice there is no edification according to the rule of the Apostle but confusion They tosse the Psalmes in most places like tennise balles the people some standing some walking some talking some reading some praying by theÌ„selues attende not to the minister He againe posteth it ouer as faste as he can gallop for either he hath two places to serue or else there are some games to be played in the after noone as lying for the Whetstone heathenishe dauncing for the ring a Beare or a Bull to be bayted or else Iacke an apes to ryde on horse backe or an Enterlude to bee playde and if no place else can bee gotten it muste bee doone in the church c. Now the people sit now they stand vp wheÌ„ the old testameÌ„t is read or the lessons they make no reuerence but when the Gospell commeth then they all stande vp For why they think that to be of greatest authoritie and are ignorant that the scriptures came from one spirite When Iesus is named then off goeth the cappe and downe goeth the knees with suche a scraping on the grounde that they can not heare a good while after so that the word is hindred but when any other names of God are mentioned they make no curtesie at all as though the names of God were not equall or as though all reuerence oughte to be giuen to the sillables We speake not of ringing when Mattens is done and other abuses incident bicause we shal be answered that by the booke they are not mainteined only we desire to haue a booke to refourme it As for Organes and curious singing though they be proper to popishe dennes I meane to Cathedral churches yet some others also muste haue them The Queenes Chappell and these Churches must be paternes and presidents to the people of all superstitions Answere This is a slaunderous vntruth And the .1 Cor. 14. abused to confirme it Whatsoeuer S. Paule requireth in that place is vsed in that booke of Seruice for first the whole seruice is in a tong knowne as S. Paule there requireth that the people may vnderstande and say Amen Then are the Scriptures read the Sacramentes ministred according to Christes owne institution those that be godly disposed persons knowe what a manifeste vntruth this is that you here vtter But madde men women and children must haue their wordes If by tossing of Psalmes you meane the singing of them alternatim then doe you disallowe that whiche is both commendable and of great antiquitie as it appereth in an Epistle that Basilius Magnus did write to the ministers in Neocesaria where he sheweth the selfe same order of singing Psalmes to be then vsed in the churche that we vse at this day If by tossing of Psalmes lyke tennyse balles you meane the ouer hastie reading or singing of them it is in déede to be mislyked but it is no parte of the booke and therfore no cause why you should absteyn from subscribing to it Walking talking reading priuate praying of the people in time of Common prayers seruing of two cures games played in the afternoone on the Sabboth daye as lying for the whetstone c. be faults worthy of punishment where they be vsed but they are not within the contentes of the boke they are here recited out of place to no purpose This is very malicious and vndiscrete dealing to burden the common order with suche faultes whiche by the malice of men are growen in vse and are of all good men mislyked So you might haue burdened Saint Paule and other preachers with the faults of the Churches of Corinth and Galathians and the residue of the Apostles with the superstitions of the Iewes conuerted in the primitiue Churche and all good rulers with such faultes as corruption of time breedeth Standing or sitting at this time or that time is indifferent and therfore may both be well vsed and abused also Kneeling at the name of Iesus is of the lyke nature ringing when matâ—ins is doone as you tearme it curious singing organs â–ª c. All these be without the booke and therfore without discretion alledged as a reason why you wil not subscribe to the book Here it pleaseth you to call Cathedrall Churches Popish dennes As hap is your words ar no slander But this brag I will make of Cathedral Churches and such as be now in them I wil offer vnto you a doze in cathedral Churches in EnglaÌ„d which I my selfe do know the worst wherof in learning shal encounter with al Papists Puritans Anabaptists and what other sects soeuer in England for the defence of religion now professed eyther by worde or writing Without arrogancie be it spoken I thinke there was neuer time wherein these churches were better furnished with wyse learned and godly men than they be at this day I speake not this bostingly but to Gods glorie the honour of the Prince the comfort of the godly and the shame of slandrous Papists and disdainful schismatiks Your slaÌ„drous spéech of the Quéenes Maiesties chappel which you also say to be a pattern and president to the people of all superstitions is rather seuerely to be punished than with wordes to be confuted Admonition The fouretéenth Their pontificall whiche is annexed to the booke of Common prayer and whervnto subscribing to the Articles we must subscribe also wherby they consecrate Bishops make ministers and Deacons is nothing else but a thing worde for worde drawne out of the Popes pontificall wherin he sheweth himselfe to be Antichrist most liuely And as the names of Archebishops Archdeacons lorde Bishops Chancelours c. are drawen out of the Popes shop together with their offices So the gouernement whiche they vse by the lyfe of the Pope which is the Canon law is Antichristian and diuellish and contrarye to the Scriptures And as safely may we by the warrante of Gods word subscribe to allow the dominion of the Pope vniuersally to raigne ouer the Churche of God as of an Archbishop ouer an whole prouince or a Lordbishop
ouer a dioces which conteyneth many shires and parishes For the dominion that they exercise the Archbishop aboue them and they aboue the rest of their brethren is vnlawfull and expresly forbidden by the worde of God. Answere Now that you haue spitte out all your poyson againste the Communion booke and poured downe all youre reasons you come to the Pontificall as you terme it that is the booke conteyning the order and manner of making of ministers c. this booke you saye is worde for worde drawen out of the Popes pontifical c. Surely if those things whiche were good in the Popes pontificall and either conteyned in the scripture or well vsed before in the auncient Church or wel prescribed by general councels be also in our Pontificall our pontifical is neuer the worse for hauing of them for if the thing it self be good profitable it forceth not from whom it was takē or of whō it was vsed so that now it be rightly vsed But it is most false vntrue that the booke of ordring ministers Deacons c. now vsed is word for word drawn out of the Popes pontifical being almost in no point correspōdent to the same as you might haue séene if you had cōpared them together But ignorāce rashnesse dryues you into many errors Both of the names and also of the offices of Archebishops Archedeacons Lorde-bishops ▪ c. I haue spoken before sufficiētly and fully answered these places quoted in this margent sauing the .2 to the Galathi the .5 to the Hebrews Ezech. 34. 2. Cor. 1. for these places haue ben foūd out since and thought méete nowe to be alledged but how discretely by emmination it will appeare The words of the Apostle to the Gala. 2. vse 6. be these And of them whiche seemed to be greate I was not taught what they were in tyme passed it maketh no matter to mee God accepteth no mans persone neuerthelesse they that are the chiefe did communicate nothing wyth me The Apostle in these wordes doth declare that he receyued not the gospell whiche he preached of men no not of the Apostles but of Iesus Christe and that the Gospell preached by him ought to be no lesse credited than the Gospel preached by them So that in those wordes he declareth that the truth of the doctrine doth not depende of anie mannes person He speaketh nothing agaynst superioritie quoad ordinem concerning order but dothe rather acknowledge it for he sayth they that are the chiefe c. But it is true that master Caluin noteth on this place Hic non est certamē ambitionis quia nequaquam de personis agitur The cōtention is not for ambition for it is not vnderstanded of the persons Nowe I pray you consider this argumente Paule receyued the Gospell that he preached not of the Apostles but of Christ or the Gospel preached by Paule is equiualent with the Gospell preached by other of the Apostles therfore the names of Archebishoppes Archdeacons ▪ c. are drawne out of the Popes shop together with their offices or this Paule sayth that they that were the chiefe did communicate nothing with him Ergo the names and offices of Archbishops bee taken out of the Popes shop The wordes in the .5 to the Herues .4 vse be these And no man taketh this honour to himselfe but he that is called of God as was Aaron The Apostle here sheweth that Christe was a laufull Priest bicause he was therevnto called by God as Aaron was What is this to Archbishops c. This place teacheth that no man oughte to intrude himself to any function except he be thervnto called by god But what maketh this agaynst any lawfull function or authoritie or what conclusion call you this Christ did not take vnto him that office whervnto he was not called or no mā must take vpon him that whervnto he is not called Ergo Archebishops c. and their offices came out of the Popes shop You shuld fyrst proue that whiche ought to be your minor In the .16 of Luke vse 25. it is thus written but Abraham sayd sonne remember that thou in thy lyfe tyme receauedst thy pleasures and lykewise Lazarus paynes now therfore is he comforted and thou art tormented The riche glutton in his lyfe receyued pleasure and therfore was after in hell tormented Lazarus receyued paynes and after was comforted Therfore Archbishops c. and their offices come out of the Popes shop These fellowes neither care for maior minor nor conclusion so they say some thing and vaynly paynt their margent with shamefully abusing the Scriptures The wordes of Ezech. chap. 34. vse 4. bée these The weake haue ye not strengthened the sick haue ye not healed neyther haue you bounde vp the broken c. In the whiche place the Prophet speaketh against suche Kings magistrates and rulers as despise the people of God and vse themselues cruelly towardes them this doth as well condemne kings and magistrates as it dothe Archbishoppes although in déede it condemneth no office or superioritie but the abuse of the same that is the man abusing the office and not the office it selfe In the .2 Cor. 1. vse 24. the Apostle speaketh thus vnto them Not that we haue dominion ouer your faith but wee are helpers of your ioye for by faith you stande S. Paule here sayth that he hath no authoritie to alter true religion or to rule ouer their consciences but howe proueth this that Archebishops c. came out of the Popes shop Paule saith that he had no power ouer the consciences of the Corinthians therfore Archebishops c. and their offices were drawne out of the Popes shop If you had ben more studious when you were a Sophister if euer you were any you would haue learned better to frame an Argument and haue had better iudgemēt in the sequele of the same If you had not troubled your margent with these quotations you had lesse vttered your follie So muche of the Cannon lawe as is contrarye to the Scriptures is Antichristian and diuellish but there bee diuers Canons in it very good and profitable which may well be reteyned Good lawes may be borrowed euen of Turkes heathenish idolaters and why not of Papists also I haue tolde you before that the thing it selfe is to be considered not the inuentor if it be good and profitable it may be vsed whosoeuer did inuent it In that you say That you maye as safely by the warrant of Gods worde subscribe to allow the dominion of the Pope vniuersally to reign ouer the church of God as of an Archbishop ouer an whole prouince c. You expresse but youre heate I suppose you thinke not so can the Pope as well gouerne the whole Church as the Archbishop one prouince and a lord Bishop one dioces Is one king as well able to gouerne the whole world as he may be to gouern one kingdome or bicause you can rule one parrishe well can you therfore in
in the Churche or common weale But where read you that Eugenius did first inuent them Admonition The sixtenth In that the Lorde byshoppes their suffraganes Archdeacons Chauncelors officials proctors doctors summers and suche rauening rablers take vpon theÌ„ which is most horrible the rule of Gods Church spoyling the pastor of his lawfull iurisdiction ouer hys own flock giuen by the word thrusting away most sacrilegiously that order which Christe hath left to his Church and which the primatiue church hath vsed they shew they hold the doctrine with vs but in vnrighteousnesse with an outwarde shew of godlinesse but hauing denied the power therof entring not in by christ but by a Popishe and vnlawfull vocation We speake not how they make ministers by them selues alone and of their sole authoritie and that in secret places of their election and probation that it is of him to whom by no righte it belongeth And that when they haue made them either they may carry in their Colledge and lead the liues of loytring losels as long as they liue or else gad abroad with the Byshops buls like to Circumceâ—ions to preach in other mens charges where they list or else get benefices by friendship or money or flattery where they can catch theÌ„ or to coÌ„clude if al these faile that they may go vp down like beggers and fal to many follies or else as many haue done set vp billes at Paules or at the Royall exchaunge in such publike places to see if they can heare of some good masters to entertayne them into seruice Surely by the Cannon law by which the byshops reigne rule they ought to keepe those ministers which they make as loÌ„g as they haue no liuings places We know three or foure byshops in this Realme would haue kepte suche houses as neuer none did in this land if this rule had bene obserued They clapt theÌ„ out so fast by hundreds they made them pay well for their orders and surely to speak truth they were worthy for the bishops what oddes soever there were of their giftes yet in their letters gaue them all a like commeÌ„dation They put on their surplesses or else subscribed like honest men Fye vpon these stinking abominations Answere In all these wordes there is not one thing touched which is conteyned in the Communion booke therfore I might passe this parte ouer with silence noting onely your vnorderly and vndiscrete dealing who going about to deface the booke of Common prayer wander you know not whither and spende your labour in writing agaynst such things as be not in that booke once meÌ„tioned But yet something I must say to certayne things by you in this parte written without al modestie discretion or reason And first you shewe your selfe greatly offended that the pastor is spoyled of his lawful iurisdiction ouer his stocke and therfore you burst out into these wordes of heate rauening rablers horrible sacrilegiously and suche like It had bene well if you had tolde vs what that lawfull iurisdiction of the pastor ouer his stock giuen by the word had bene for the places of scripture which you quote for that purpose doe not playnly inough set out that matter In the 18. of Mathewe vse 17. after certaine admonitions in priuate offences Christ sayth Dic ecclesiae tell the Churche In which place as I tolde you before the Churche doth signifie suche as haue authoritie in the Churche or else publike reprehension in the open congregation by suche as be called thervnto It giueth not any pecâ—lier iurisdiction to the pastor for any thing that I can learne And in the same cha 18. vse where christ saith VVhat soeuer ye binde on earth shall be bound in heauen c. according to your iudgement vttered before it is mente of the whole Church not of the pastor only You haue before denied that one man can excommunicate and therefore this place maketh nothing for your assertion In the .11 of the Actes vse 30. mention is made howe the Disciples which were at Antiochia dyd according to their abilitie sende succoure to their brethren which dwelte in Iudea and that they sente it to the elders by the handes of Barnabas and Saule But what is this to the iurisdiction of the pastour This declareth that the disciples of Antiochia trusted the elders whiche were in Iudea with the distribution of their almes The .15 of the Actes in the places by you noted sheweth how Paule and Barnabas were sente to the Apostles and Elders which were at Ierusalem about the deciding of a certain question moued by certain of the sect of the Phariseys touching circumcision This declareth the vse of Councels and openeth the next and readyest way to determine controuersies but it speaketh nothing of the iurisdiction of the pastour The .xii. to the Rom. vse 7.8 hath bene sundry tymes by you alledged to no purpose at all euen as it is nowe in lyke manner The Apostle there willeth euery man that hath an office to attende vpon his office c. But he speaketh not of any peculiar iurisdiction of the pastor ouer his flocke In the first to the Phil. vs. 1. Paule and Timothie salute the Bishops and Deacons which be at Philippi How gather you therof any iurisdiction perteyning to the pastor The .1 Cor. 12. vse 28. The Apostle sayth that God hath placed in his Churche first Apostles secondely Prophetes thirdly teachers c. What is this to youre purpose or what iurisdiction of Pastors doe you gather hereof you may here learn that there is in the church diuers degrées of persons 1. Thessa. 5. Paule exhorteth them to knowe and loue suche as laboure among them he describeth no peculiar kynde of iurisdiction 1. Timo. 4. vse 14. Saint Paule willeth Timothie not to despise the gifte giuen vnto him by prophecie with the laying on of the hands of the companie of the eldership in the .1 Timo. 5. vse 17. he sayth The elders that rule well are worthie of double honour c. Which place commeth the nearest to youre purpose for here is mention made of ruling and of ministers but yet it is not declared what kind of rule this was except you will expounde it by the wordes following specially they whiche labour in worde and doctrine And this kinde of rule remayneth to the pastor still Thus you see with how little discretion lesse learning you heape vp scriptures in your margent only to deceyue the simple and ignorante who are by you too muche deluded beléeuyng what so euer you speake or wryte without any further examination If they would marke these words of yours wel they might soone vnderstand that you séek as great iurisdiction ouer them as any of those persons whome you haue here named You saye they hold the doctrine with you but in vnrighteousnesse with an outward shew of godlinesse but hauing denyed the power thereof entryng not in by Christ but by a Popish and vnlaufull
vocation This is but your veyne of rayling and your vsuall manner of extolling your selues and condemning other But as I sayde before your wordes be no sclaunder neyther will I in words contend with you but therin giue you the vpper hande only I must still let you vnderstand of your foolish applying of scriptures For wherfore haue you here quoted the tenth of Iohn vse 1. Belike bycause Christ sayth there That he whiche doth not enter in by the dore into the sheepfolde but climbeth vp an other way is a theefe and a robber therfore all such as bée placed in this Churche of England your selues excepted enter in by a popish and vnlauful vocation You had gone orderly to worke if you had firste proued that we haue not come into the shéepfold by christ If you thus omitte the proofe of your minor you may conclude what you wil and quote scriptures at your pleasure But wyse and lerned men will lament your follie and laughe at your vnskilfulnesse Of making of ministers I haue spoken before and answered the places Actes 6.14 20. sufficiently As for the other two places Ro. 12. vse 6.7.8 and .1 Cor. 9. vse 16.17 I muse why you note them they nothing at all perteyning to the making of ministers they something touche their office yet not that directly But you must be borne with least you shoulde haue séemed to youre disciples to haue sayd nothing Some of those ministers you say may tarie in their Colledge and leade the liues of loytering losels as long as they liue If you knew any suche loytering losels in any Colledge I trust you would make them knowne to other also If you knowe none suche then are you a slaunderer of Colledges and suche as be in them It were to be wished in my opinion that there were many preachers in Colledges of greater continuance than I knowe any Then should not yong factious vnruly and vndiscrete persons so greately trouble with their contentions and sects bothe vniuersities and the whole realme also I knowe no Bishops that giue out Bulles but if such preachers as remayne in Colledges or elsewhere béeing thervnto licenced by the Bishop or other that haue authoritie doe take paynes to preach where they sée occasion they are greatly to be commended and I pray God encrease the nūber of such Circumcetiōs But since this your opinion hath bene broched it hath not only driuen many frō the ministerie but also caused diuers to loyter and cease from preaching And certainely if it be not in tyme prouided for that one braunch of your doctrine wil spoyle this Churche of England bothe of preachers and preachings The rest that you write in this parte I hope is more slaunderously of you spoken than truely notwithstanding I thinke there hathe bene some ouersighte in some men whiche I trust is and will be amended if not then I wishe that Cannon of the lawe to be put in practise that suche as admit them should also prouyde for them When you say that the Bishoppes of thys Realme reigne and rule by the Canon lawe you forgette your selfe you know it is otherwise Their chiefe authoritie they haue by Gods lawe the reste by the lawes of the Realme and of the Prince but these wordes are but wordes of course with you Admonition The seuentéenth We should be too long to tell youre honoures of Cathedrall Churches the dennes aforsayd of al loytering lubbers where master Deane master Vicedeane master Canons or master Prebendaries the greater master Petie canons or Canons the lesser master Chauncelor of the Churche master Treasorer otherwyse called Iudas the purse bearer the chief Chaunter Singing men speciall fauourers of religion squeaking Queristers Organ players Gospellers Pistellers Pentioners Readers Vergers c. liue in greate idlenesse and haue their abiding If you woulde knowe whence all these came we can easyly answere you that they came from the Pope as oute of the Troian horses belly to the distruction of Gods kingdome The Churche of God neuer knewe them neither doth any reformed church in the worlde know them Answere Here you speak both without the book of Cōmon prayers and scriptures also for neither are cathedral churches conteyned in that booke neyther haue you any scripture to proue that which you so impudently affirme God be thanked it is well knowne to those that be not with malice blinded that Cathedrall Churches be furnished with godly zelous and learned men And that they be the chiefe and principall ornaments of this Realme and next to the vniuersities chiefest mainteyners of godlinesse religion and learning there be some desire the spoyle of them whose instrumentes you be But I hope both their mouthes and yours also shal be firste stopped with earth Master Deane master vicedeane master Cānons c. as much as they loyter may thinke themselues fitte to be compared with such as you are in any respects The rest of your rayling words I leaue to the Authoure You say all these come from the Pope c. It is not materiall frō whence they come so they be good profitable and necessarie for the mainteyning of religion lerning wise and learned men But I pray you from what Pope came they or in what time did the Pope inuent them I told you before that such places and Colledges were in Augustines time and that he both hath the name of master Deane and alloweth of his office If you had redde any aunciente learned authours as your writings declare you haue not then shoulde you finde that Collegiate Churches be of great antiquitie euen since the yeare of our Lorde .235 But what can you speake against Cathedrall Churches which you may not aswell speake against the Colledges in the vniuersities They were not in the Apostles time neyther yet in the primatiue Church must they therefore nowe be dissolued your meaning is belike to bring al to cōfusion and barbarisme You say no reformed church in the worlde knoweth them wherin I thinke you speak more than you knowe Can you name any reformed Church that hath plucked them downe Peraduenture in dyuers places where the Gospell is now preached they had neuer suche rewardes for learning But what haue we to do in suche cases with other reformed Churches we haue to consider what is most méete for this Churche and state and not to follow other as though we were children I sée no cause why other reformed Churches should not rather followe vs than we them seing in no respecte we be inferior to them Well to conclude your wordes be but vayne and your proofes none at all And therefore I doubte not but Cathedrall churches shall be able to withstand both your opprobrious speaches and the gréedinesse of all their aduersaries so long as it shall please God to blesse thys land with so vertuous and learned a Quéene and so wise and discréete counsellours Admonition The eightéenth And birds of the same fether are couetous patrones of benefices persons vicars
this reason is alledged among other euen in the boke of Common prayers And that it is not to make baptisme perfect the boke of common prayers it selfe declareth in these words And that no man shall thinke any detriment shall come to children by deferring of their confirmation he shall know for truth that it is certaine by Gods vvorde that children being baptised haue all things necessarie for their saluation and be vndoubtedly saued You adde as though the Byshop coulde giue the holy Ghost the Byshop may vse the ceremonie vsed by the Apostles that is imposition of handes may safely say this godly prayer conteyned in the boke Defend O Lord this child vvith thy heauenly grace that he may continue thine for euer and dayly encrease in thy holy spirite more and more vntill he come vnto thy euerlasting kingdome Amen And other such godly praiers ther conteyned Of any other kinde of giuing the holy ghost there is no mention in that booke and therefore these additions myght very wel haue bene left out of your libell But of the Bishops benedictiō by laying on of his hands heare Master Caluines iudgement in his Instit. cap. 19. secti 4. Talem manuum impositionem quae simpliciter loco benedictionis fiat lando et restitutam hodie in purum vsum vilim Such imposition of handes as is simplie made in the steade of blessing I do commend and vvish that it vvere restored at this day to the pure vse There shall you also reade the very self same for me manner of confirmation allowed which is now vsed in this Church of England To the ende of the eleuenth reason these wordes be added and open our eyes that we may see what that good and acceptable will of God is and be more earnest to prouoke his glorie to the which I only answere Amen In the ende of the twelfth there is something left out which they haue placed in the 13. reason but it is answered before Fol. 6. There is nothing added or altered worth the noting only in the fiftenth reason where they sayde before that we honored Byshoppes by the titles of Kings nowe they haue recanted that and condemned themselues of an vntruth for they haue left out that title In the ende of that fiftéenth article or reason this is added and whiche of them haue not preached against the Popes two swords nowe whether they vse them not thēselues Touching the Popes two swords we are of the same minde stil for the Pope contrary to the worde of God taketh from Princes vnto him selfe that authoritie whiche is due vnto them by the worde of God and woulde haue them to receiue that authoritie from him whiche he hath no power to gyue the Pope also requireth the full authoritie of a ciuill magistrate and exempteth him selfe from all subiectiō which is flat contrary to the word of God our Byshops in this Church do not challenge as of their owne right any such ciuill authoritie but only according to their duty execute that that by the Prince lawes of this Realme for iust considerations is layde vpō them Neither do they medle in all ciuill causes or exercise all ciuill iurisdiction but such only as helpeth to discipline and to the good gouernment of this church and state Wherefore we may safely preache against the Popes two swords and yet lawfully defende that iurisdiction and authoritie that any bishop hath in this Church for any thing that I knowe Fol. 7. Wheras before it was thus in the margent and. 19. reason to proue that the regiment of the church shoulde be spirituall reade Eph. 1.23 1. Thess. 5.13.1 Ti. 5.2 Heb. 10.30 now it is thus altered to proue that the regiment of the church should be spirituall read Caluine in his cōmentaries vpon these places Eph. 1.23 1. Thes. 5. 13.1 Ti. 5.2 Heb. 10.30 Belike bicause the scriptures thēselues do not sufficiētly proue your assertiō therfore you would haue vs to leaue them to reast vpon Caluines interpretation which is nothing else but to prefer mans iudgemēt before the word of god or to giue master Caluine authoritie to conclude that which is not determined by the scripture If this be not your meaning why flye you frō those places themselues to master Caluines interpretatiō vpon them But what if you now abuse master Caluines cōmentaries vpon these places as you did before the places themselues In his commentaries vpon Ephe. 1. vse 23. This is all that he sayth touching this matter Nam vtcunque Christus omnia perficiat nutu virtuteque sua tamē specialiter loquitur hic Paulus de spirituali ecclesiae gubernatione Quanquam nihil interea impedit quo minus de vniuersali mundi gubernatione accipias For howsoeuer Christ maketh perfecte all things with his becke and by his power yet Paule speaketh here especially of the spiritual gouernemēt of the church Although that in the meane time it is no hinderance why thou mayest not also vnderstād it of the vniuersall gouernement of the world These words serue litle for your purpose There is no man that doubteth but that Christe doth spiritually gouerne his Churche and raigne in the hartes of the faithfull by hys sprite But your meaning is that the gouernement of the Churche is only spirituall which you can no more gather of these wordes of Caluine than you may that the gouernemente of the whole world ought only to be spirituall The same Caluine writing vppon .1 Thessa. 5 vers 12. for the which you haue noted the .13 saith on this sorte Hoc additum videtur ad notandum spirituale regimen tametsi enim Reges quoque magistratus Dei ordinatione prosunt quia tamen ecclesiae gubernationem dominus peculiariter vult suam agnosci ideo nominatim praeesse in Domino dicuntur qui Christi nomine mandato ecclesiam gubernant This seemes to be added to note the spirituall regiment For although kings also and Magistrates do gouerne by the ordinance of God yet bycause the Lorde would haue the gouernemente of the Churche knowne peculierly to be his therefore namely they are saide to rule in the Lorde whiche gouerne the Churche in the name of Christe and by hys commaundemente Hitherto Caluine also affirmeth that whiche no man denieth that God doth by the ministerie of his worde spiritually gouerne his Church But this taketh not away the ciuill Magistrate neyther yet ciuill lawes made by the Magistrate externally also to gouerne the Churche In his Commentaries 1. Ti. 5. verse 2. he speaketh not one word of this matter for any thing that I can perceiue Vppon the place to the Hebrewes he onely sheweth that God dothe gouerne hys Churche the whiche I thinke no man is so wicked as to denye You muste more plainly sette it downe what your meaning in this matter is before you can be fully aunswered For to proue that God dothe spiritually gouerne his Churche is néedlesse being denied of none either Papiste or Protestant
improba quasi dominatio videretur If they should be feared and not taughte it mighte seeme a wicked gouernaunce so I conclude with the other parte of the same sentence Si docerentur non terrerentur vetustate consuetudinis obdurarentur ad capescendaÌ„ viaÌ„ salutis pigrius mouereÌ„tur If they shold be taught and not feared in time they woulde waxe stubborne and be the hardlier moued to embrace the way of saluation ¶ A briefe viewe of the seconde Admonition I Haue also receyued a seconde Admonition to the ParliameÌ„t the Authoure whereof vndertaketh to teach how to reforme those things whiche the other Admonition found fault with I shall not néede to make any long discourse of it neyther will I The aunswere to the first Admonition is an answere to this also Only I thought it good to note vnto you that this booke consisteth of these points especially First it iustifieth the authours of the first Admonition séemeth to complaine that they haue not iustice bicause they appealing to the highest Courte of Parliament their appeale woulde not be receiued And therefore they say the scripture is plaine that it shal be easier for Sodom Gomorra in the day of iudgement than for suche a Courte meaning the Court of Parliament they quote for that purpose in the margent the .10 of Math. vers 14.15 which is a shameful prophanation of the scripture an egregious slander to that honorable Courte The iustnesse of the appeale I leaue to the Iustices and skilfull lawyers to be considered of for it is not within the compasse of my facultie Only I thinke that that scroule can haue no defence of Parliament first bycause it is a Libell secondly bicause it was published in printe before the Parliament was made priuie vnto it In this parte these words of theirs would be wel considered there is no other thing to be looked for than some speedy vengeance to light vppon the whole lande prouide as well as the politique Macheuills of EnglaÌ„d thinke they can though God do his worst It would be knowne whome they meane by these politique Macheuills For they enuie all men of great authoritie wit and pollicie The seconde parte consisteth only of rayling wordes and slanderous accusatioÌ„s first against this whole church of England for they say that we are scarce come to the outward face of a church rightly reformed and that althogh some truth be taught by some preachers yet no preacher may without greate danger of the lawes vtter all truth comprised in the booke of god c. And a litle after they ad say that the truth in a manner doth but peepe out behind the screene which speches as they be very vntrue for who knoweth not that the Gospel is wholy publikely fréely preached in this church of EnglaÌ„d so they be slanderous neither can the Papists speak any worse In this part also to proue that this is no true saying in maters of pollicie gouernmeÌ„t it is not repugnaÌ„t to the word of god therfore it may be vsed is alledged this saying of Christ. Math. 12. He that is not with me is against me But they haue forgoteÌ„ the words of christ Mar. 9. qui non est aduersus nos pro nobis est He that is not against vs is with vs. Wherevpon we may much better coÌ„clude that that which is not repugnaÌ„t to the scripture is consonaÌ„t to the Scripture than they can doo the contrary of the former place Notwithstanding in both these places as I thinke Christe speaketh rather of men and persons than of things themselues In the same parte their speach of the Quéenes supremacie is very suspicious it would be demaunded of theÌ„ what they think in déede of hir maiesties authoritie in ecclesiastical matters for in this pointe they haue hitherto delte very subtilly and closely notwithstaÌ„ding their meaning may easily be perceiued of such as diligently coÌ„sider their bookes Likewise in this parte they note certayne contrarieties in this Churche as betwixte the Communion boke and Iniunctions touching wafers the Communion booke and Aduertisementes concerning Churche vestures the Cannons and the PoÌ„tificall in not ordering of ministers sine titulo and such like matters of no importance which iustifie rather this church thaÌ„ otherwise for surely if they had had weightier matters they would no doubt haue alledged them But in these same matters they are muche deceiued for as I suppose in matters of ornaments of the Church and of the ministers thereof the Quéenes maiestie togither with the Archbishop or the commissioners in causes ecclesiastical haue authoritie by Acte of parliameÌ„t to alter and appointe such rytes and ceremonies as shall from time to time be thought to them most conueniente To be shorte in that pointe they saye that in thinges of order one Churche maye many times differ from another without offence following the generall rules of scripture for order as in appointing time and place for prayers c. whiche is a very true saying and flat contrary to all that is saide either in the first admonitioÌ„ or in this second For if such things may be appointed in the church not being expressed in the word of God but depending vppon this generall rule Let all thinges be done decently and in order 1. Cor. 14. then surely the magistrate hath authoritie in such matters to appoint what shall be thought vnto them most conuenient so that it be not repugnant to â—o y word of God excepte you will make this the question whether in suche matters we oughte to be directed by the magistrates and gouernours of the Churche or by euery priuate pastoure in his seuerall charge The thirde parte of this booke condemneth the degrées of Doctors Bachilers of diuinitie and Masters of arte in the vniuersities and slaunderously vntruly and opprobriously speaketh of the vniuersities and suche as be in them presumptuously prescribing a manner of reformation for the same when as I thinke verily they knowe not what Uniuersities meane But here we may note that they séeke to ouerthrowe al learning and degrées of learning The same parte also very slaunderously and vnchristianly rayleth on some bishops by name and the rest of the clergie charging them most vn truly with sundrie things but bycause it is done by way of libelling a diuelishe kinde of reuenge therefore I trust godly and wise men will estéeme of it accordingly Besides slaunderous reports and opprobrious words there is nothing in thys parte worthy the answering In the fourth parte the Authoure taketh vppon him to set downe a plat forme of a Churche to prescribe the manner of electing ministers of their exercises of theyr equalitie of the gouernement of the Church c. Whiche surely being well considered wil appeare not only a confused plateforme without any sounde warrant of Gods worde but also a fantasticall deuise tending to the ouerthrowe of learning religion yea the whole state and gouernement of the common welth But bicause I haue