as much indispensable necessitie as conformitie and obedience vpon ours Like vnto this surmise is that which followeth And say wee cannot confirme in euerie point you know who said the varietie of ceremonies did commend the vnitie of faith But doubtlesse it had beene much better for the Church more warrantable for your selues more pleasing to the state more profitable to your owne families to haue conformed your selues in euerie poynt then by refusing to hinder the Church of that good which by your owne confession might haue beene more in one yeare then all the Ceremonies will doe whilest the vvorld standeth For if any thing be imposed by authoritie contrarie to the word of God let some men take vpon them to prooue it and farre be it from vs for any mans cause to maintaine an euicted errour wee may bee deceiued and haue our infirmities as other men but wee are not vnwilling who will needes bee our aduersaries to account them our maisters if there bee iust cause But if these ceremonies be onely vnlawfull to some men for want of true resolution and so contrarie to conscience which yet is no warrant for disobedience let them learne to know that in things not vnlawfull It is better to obey then to offer Sacrifice Amongest men of equall authoritie in place of freedome diuersities of opinions may safely be published without offence but where men want authority and place to aduise and when Iawes haue set downe what is though fit there to thinke otherwise then the Church doth it is as if common passengers would sayle to Chyna by the North-east when the maisters and gouernours had determined to sayle by the North-west Wherein if both partes remayne equally stiffe in their owne opinions a mutinie must follow for want of Discipline sometimes I confesse varietie and alteration of cerimonies are thought fit both to shew the authoritie of the Church for you selfe haue confessed when you read your articles that euerie particuler or nationall Church hath authoritie to ordayne change and abolish ceremonies or rites of the Church ordained onely by mans authoritie so that all things bee done to aedifying Secondly that they are but furtherances of deuotion and no partes of diuine worship But when they are established as thought fit for decencie edification and order by such as haue authoritie from Christ to moderate those thinges then by inferiour persons such as wee are eyther to bee oppugned misconstrued despised or disobeyed it is daungerouslye to kindle a fyre of Rebellion in the principall parts of Gods house But that which followeth is much worse O my good Lord will it not bee enough to keepe safe and well fenced your Iurisdictions and personall dignities not enough to deuide the Honours to your selues and labours to vs Haue the last Canons no other end but to fence the Iurisdictions and personall dignities vnto the B B. Doubtlesse the diminishing of their honors which could neuer haue been without wrong vnto the Church was little to be feared though the Canons had not beene where so wise a King ruled ouer vs who had throughly tasted the calamities and miseries of that Church which placed the greatest part of their Zeale in suppressing of Bishops and whilest they laboured that none might haue too much they presently brought it so to passe that scarce any had what was reasonable enough besides if you knew the vnwearied paines the intollerable burthens that diuers of the Reuerend Fathers who watch ouer vs dayly sustayne for the peace and the happinesse of this Church you would plainely acknowledge preaching not to be the greatest paines and that it is a misdeeming of their care to thinke That they haue deuided the honours to themselues and the labours to you Surely there is no greater or more vehement exercise of faith amongest so many perils then prayers for the publicke peace of the Church and it is our parts to vnderstand those perils and to iudge them to appertaine to our owne safeties Besides it is our dutie to ascribe to the Magisâ—rates Wisedome and Iustice that is that wee doe not preferre our priuate iudgements before the lawes and decrees of the Church but obey them This honour is most agreeable to publicke peace not to cauill against the lawes nor to interprete them with Iealousie or Enuie but to couer to excuse and mitigate the ouer-sightes of Magistrates and lawes if there be any This as it is in priuate the ornament of a Christian so it is in publicke the honour of a good subiect Loue beareth all things Loue is the bond of perfection to preuent dissolutions of a Church or a commonwealth And heerein if the requisite seueritie which the palsie of the Church exacteth from the Reuerend Fathers draw them to punish whom they desire to fauour to aduance and cherish it is not a casting out of borne Israelites as you terme it but a iust reprehension setting a marke vpon that sonne that hath made no conscience to discouer the supposed nakednesse of his owne father In whose place it any wild beasts Papists you meane shall multiply I doubt not but their religious care will be as readie to suppresse the one as depriue the other And if in the ende as you prophesie which God forbid vnfortunately it happen that the Bishops shall want you as King Henry did Cromewell it shall be much safer to indure the hazard of those times then to buy an aduantage at so deare a price In the meane time beleeue which it is fit for you to acknowledge that if you forbeare vpon the poynt of Conscience their Lordshipps haue better reasons for that they do then to stand vpon termes of their owne pleasures Now to conclude this vnpleasing worke which wee laid aside in hope to haue rested without trouble vntill such time as we saw their bookes of this argument to increase still and heard that as much of this as was then printed was by them confuted wee desire all men to think of vs as of those that account the infirmities of our brethren our owne harmes and the modest directions of men as meane as our selues to be no blemish vnto vs who propound not victory but truth and the Churches peace The God of all loue and the giuer of all graces multiply his blessings vpon this land let them be poured O Lord as an oyntment vpon the Kings head strengthen the weake hands of the reuerend fathers the chiefe builders of his Temple giue vnto vs all vnity and peace as the bonds and sinewes of the communion of saints make vs to thinke and to speake the same things grant vnto you and others that refuse conformitie vpon conscience a better light peace in your hearts remorse for silencing your selues comforts against all worldly afflictions and if it so seeme good to his infinite wisedome seeing our Church hath so many trayterous and seditious enemies without that all within her owne bosome may thinke loue desire and behaue
which are and shall be iust reasons to make me humbly obserue your honour the nearenesse of the same soyle which gaue the first ayre vnto vs both then the same two Colledges which gaue furtherance to both our studies and lastly the entrance into my Ministerie which with many fauours I receiued by the imposition of your Lordships hands these all as they are hopefull assurances of your pardon for this boldnes so they are and shall be strong reasons to make me remaine in all dutie at your Honours seruice Lambeth Ianuarie 22. 1605. Your Lordships to be commaunded WILLIAM COVELL A Preface to the Reader THERE are few resolutions that are filled with more hazard then those which are vndertaken to giue satisfaction to distempered humors wherein whilest euerie man would seeme eyther not to erre at all or to haue some colourable excuse for that which they had rather call freedom of conscience and Christian libertie then tearme errour the state of the Church hangeth ballanced with some opposite contrarieties as if it were the most profitable wisdome to stand in consultation and not to aduenture to hold any thing Doubtlesse no cause hath gained lesse to the defendants then this of the Church gouernement for first being in it selfe barren it hath little wherein there can be vse of the ancient Fathers for whilest men out of their owne fancie will frame dislikes wee can but in the generall alleage the constant moderation of our forefathers and without warrant for particulers satisfie them so farre as Religion and reason will giue leaue Secondly all men are caried with a pittie naturally toward such whom they suppose to suffer for the testimonie of a good conscience whilest others are suspected to flatter the present state as if nothing could be reputed honest which were not a bold opposition vnder colour of consciene to a setled gouernment vnto these may be added that which is not the least euill that whilest impatience zeale openeth the mouthes of our enemies for any fault in our answering committed by vs enuy doth open the mouthes of our supposed friends for that which may be thought to be done well So that though the recoÌ„pence hath nothing in it to be desired this only remaineth as the comfort against all trobles that it is a right vse of our small talent dispensed with Humility and dutie for the benefit and peace of the Church of Christ where first in the daies of our late dread soueraigne of blessed memory some fearing superstition might returne like a troublesome guest neither long nor farr absent sundry of the most learned most sincere not called to the honor the burden of a Bishopprick were consulted with all to giue satisfaction to such who seemed rather to follow the example of forraine Churches then to haue iust reasons to mislike their owne To this end letters were sent from the reuerend fathers of the Church to desire the resolution concerning the apparell of ministers Ceremonies and other indifferent things to M. Bullinger F. Martyr Gualter Bucer others men without comparison for integrity learning equall to the best in those times not much exceeded by any to my knowledge that haue liued since their answers to these questions for the contentment of our brethren if they loue peace we thought to haue published in the end of this treatise After these times by the suggestion of some both from Geneua Scotland the Church had not long rest but that diuers admonitions were written to the Parliament desiring a new discipline sundry Inuectiues against the Bishops diuers vnhallowed paÌ„phlets from the brood of Cham who gloried in the discouery of the supposed nakednes of their owne fathers a little more then ordinary rigor for their malypart boldnes had awaked the accustomed clemeÌ„cy of a most gracious prince by the execution of some few stopped in a manner for a time the mouthes the Pennes of all letting the ages that come after vnderstand thus much that writings how learned soeuer as what could be more excellent for modesty iudgement then the pains of that most worthy Archbishop are able to do litle good for the quiet of the Church if the magistrates be wanting to giue aid that they who at first make holines reformation the scope of whatsoeuer they say or write pretending to aime at nothing but to make men better in the end by degrees fall to a vanity prophanely to libel to make others laugh in my weak opinioÌ„ few things euer hapned in this kingdom more auailable to breed Atheisme then that was But the scope being for a Presbyteriall discipline it found with the most of that faction this fauour to be reprooued no more sharpely then the sin of the sons of Hely hitherto all stroue for a Presbitery wherof at the first comming of our most gracious soueraigne to this kingdom many were filled with a vain hope doubtleâ— deceiued by such men who either vnderstood not the state of this coÌ„monwealth or had little care of the happy prosperity of this Church But in the end when authority was more blessed assisted from aboue then to be deluded with such mists or to giue any hope to couetous affections greedily longing for the fall of Bishops which one Act of preseruing their state and honour amongst many thousand arguments of fauour shewed towards them shall stirre vp the praiers of all that now liue for the continuance of his state and make his memorie blessed amongst all posterities to the worlds end then I say many began to make a rent in the Church and to breake from vs chusing rather with what conscience they know to forsake their function and calling then to yeeld their conformitie to the cerimonies of this Church which hitherto by themselues were euer â—eputed as things indifferent and doubtlesse neither so many nor so dangerous but in this time of light and knowledge they may be admitted without superstition at all forseeing as Peter Martyr saith we be so free as we haue but a few Ceremonies and those easie and gentle it would be an intollerable thing and worthie to be condemned if we should not performe them without corruption I wish those to consider well who are desirous to make these things simply vnlawfull both how they differ from themselues and others at other times and what bondage vnder the name of libertie they impose vpon the Church by denying her authoritie to ordaine ceremonies in which if little or nothing be left vnto her neither shall she need much the directioÌ„ of Gods spirit to guid her consultations nor challenge any great obedience in her owne name if all things that are be simply either good or euill to which errour if Zeale or opinion shall tranport any he must eyther make the worship of God to be without Ceremonies or those Ceremonies simply necessarie without which there is no worshippe none that I know would haue religion to want
lawfull first to disobey and then to forsake your calling and liue a priuate life it were lamentable that the state of our Church were such as that men to auoid the seuerity of her superstitious laws had no other safetie for their conscience but to forsake their functions we know better of her and we will hope better things of you then you should thinke or write thus CERTAINE REASONS BY VVAY OF AN Apology deliuered to the Right Reuerend Father in God the Lord Bishoppe of LINCOLNE by IOHN BVRGES Wherein hee laboureth to proue that hauing heretofore subscribed foure tymes and now refusing to subscribe as a thing vnlawfull that he hath notwithstanding done lawfully in both ¶ The Preface of the APOLOGY RIGHT Reuerend Father in God according to my promise made vnto your Lordshippe at our conuention before you on the third of October and since by Letters I now present vnto you my determinate answere and therein my refusall of such subscription as your Lordshippe and the late Canons doe require And because it will seeme strange that I should now stick at subscription who haue already foure times subscribed I craue leaue to performe vnto your Lordshipe a true and sincere report of what I haue yeelded vnto as of what I now refuse and the reasons of both And because there goe many rumors and some copies and both perhaps false of my late subscriptions I pray leaue to set downe those very words which acquired as from the King I sent by maister Deane of the Châ—ppell vnto his excellent Maiestie and the report of that which I afterward performed before my Lord of London ANSVVER THere is little hope in the sequell of this Apology to find that submission and humility which were requisite in the Ministers of Christ when one of inferiour place dare aduenture to make a determinate answere of refusal to subscribe hauing notwithstanding before subscribed and yet maintaineth that he is lawfully warranted to do both doubtlesse if it had but beene the obedience to a priuate bishoppe in his own Dyoces ought we not rather to haue yeelded theÌ„ either to haue incurred the suspicion of coÌ„tempt or to haue hazarded by suspension the vse of our ministery But when by your confession it was that Subscription which his Lordship and the Canons did both require you giue a singuler testimonie of his Lordshippes Episcopall vigelancie and withall runne into suspition of singuler contempt vnlesse your reasons being examined do prooue good for except the inferiour Clergy be obedient to the Bishoppe and the Bishoppes to the Metropolitane there would bee saith S. Hierome as many Scismes as Priests And one of the most modest and most learned that seemeth to fauour the cause of discipline maketh it a principall poynt of the ecclesiasticall gouerment that the Inferior clergye in things honest be obedient to the Bishop and the Bishoppe to the metropolitan so that you not onlye refusing obedience in this vnto the Bishopp but violating those canons wherevnto in ther intendiment you gaue consent which doubtles being so lawfully authorised was the whole church of England by representation you had need to afford good reasons of this refusall or else to account this refusal a great sin which the rather I doubt not but your wisdome will be carefull to avoyde as being not onlye to render an account of your owne obedience but to do it being required by so humble so learned so vertuous a King who in the midst of the greatest affaires of his realme vouchsafeth in his vsuall and extraordinarye loue to his cleargie to respect you and to require your answere by their message who if they had spoken in their own names deserued verye much to haue bene reuerenced by yow APOLOGY MY Answere to his Maiesties demaunds touching the discipline Ceremonies and Subscription I doe thinke and beleeue touching the gouernment of the Church by Bishops as with vs in EnglaÌ„d or by ruling Elders as in other Churches of God that neither of them was prescribed by the Apostles of Christ neither of them is repugnant to the word of God but may well and profitably bee vsed if more fault bee not in the persons then in the callings themselues 2 Secondly I doe hold and am perswaded of the Crosse and Surplesse that as our Church vseth them they bee not vnlawfull though in some men and places so inexpedient as that I thinke no mans ministery likely to do so much good as some mens sodaine vse of them might doe hurt 3 Thirdly for the subscription to the Articles of 62. as the Lawe requireth it and to his Maiesties Supremacie I approue it without any exception or qualification And touching the third Article about the booke of Common Prayer and booke of Ordination doe holde that howsoeuer they haue some things in them which cannot simply bee allowed as false translations c. Yet considered in the purpose and intention of the Church of England and reduced to the propositions it publickly professeth they containe nothing contrarie to the word of God and in witnesse that this is my vnfained Iudgement in the premises I haue set to my name this second of Iuly 1604. and will be alwaies ready to professe at his Maiesties command ANSVVER I doubt not but you haue well examined what you haue here set downe and wise men in cases of this moment deale not like vnwise builders but cast their account before hand Wee heare your opinion which it pleaseth you to call your vnfained Iudgment concerning Discipline Ceremonies and Subscription matters oftentimes handled before as be also the most things set downe by you wherein we must craue pardon if we alledge our owne words euen in that which we haue been occasioned to answere in another Treatise for wisdome telleth vs that it is necessarie to sowe againe after an euill haruest seeing oftentimes that which perisheth by the barrennes of some badground is abundantly restored in the fertility of some one year that followeth In your first concerning the gouernment of the Church which you call discipline neither is it vndetermined what was prescribed by the Apostles of Christ nor what succession of Bishops was continued in all Churches euen from their time so that it must needes seeme strange that the gouernment by Elders or by Bishoppes should in your opinion be a thing so indifferent as that neither beeing prescribed by the Apostles of Christ neither of them repugnant to the word of God may wel profitably be both vsed It seemeth straÌ„ge to my vnderstanding that after so many sharpe conflictes for the discipline of the Churh after such bitter inuectiues against the authority of Bishops After so confident commendation of the gouernment by Elders maintained as onely warrantable and inioyned out of Gods word fancies wherwith ye haue filled the Church for this fifty yeares that you should now confesse neither to be coÌ„maunded neither to bee repugnant to Gods word What meant
for information of manners yet seeing in those ancient times some of the fathers did inhibit the reading of them some say they were vsed by the Catechistes as wee permitted base coyne to the Irish some euen Councels forbad the reading of them and seeing by their first more innocent then prudent admission of them to be read in assemblies they wonne as appeareth in the third Councell of Carthage the stile first of Canonicall Scriptures and afterward the full dignity and haue since iustled with the Canon as Ismael did with Isack for precedeÌ„ce and hauing wonne it by this stratagem do maintaine their stile from the sâ—me reason of being read and that euen amongst vs me thinks there was neuer so great cause of aduancing them so neare the Chayr of estate as is now of teaching them to know their distances eyther by sylencing their voyces in the assemblies as most of the reformed Churches do or else by teaching them to speake in a different time as doe those Churches that read them while the coÌ„gregation is gathering not as parts to diuine seruice or at least that euery Minister were ioyned to giue them their note of difference that the people might know and discerne the voice of God from the voice of good men And if Hierom translating some of them did giue them a brand of difference why should not we in the reading Or if the elder brother suffer not the yonger to giue the armes of his house without a Crescent to distinguish them how will God that is so Iealous of his Honour put it vp that wee put no sensible difference betwixt the children of his spirit and the baser sonnes of men though good men In which cause my Lord I am the more earnest because I finde at the Conference Hierom taxed for calling them Apocripha and there though not truely for Cyril did it before him saide to bee the first that so termed them and his exceptions called the old euils of the Iewes and I find theÌ„ also tearmed Canonicall ad mores as if any writing but Gods could be properly Canonical which is co ipso canonica quo authentica as D. Whitaker well saith which make one feare that which I am loth to feare or speake must make me by so much the more afraid of allowing their admission by how much they incroch vpon the prerogatiues royoll of the Scriptures eyther in titles or in vsage ANSVVER THe custome of accusing the lawfull ordinances of this Church hath imboldened some men aboue both dutie and reason to continue still vehement in their first opposition which peraduenture at the beginning was vndertaken without cause this land as it neyther doth nor I hope euer shall professe any other doctrine but that which is sincere and true Our home aduersaries confessing that for the substance of Religion it maintayneth the true and the holy faith so for our publike Lyturgye which now is misliked by you wee will first take the censure of one as strickt as any that liued eyther since or before him and after if wee be further vrged enter into the particular defence of all that iustly can bee misliked in our Church not that wee are willing to giue any strength to this last errour or to flatter for aduancement the eye or the hand of this time an infirmitie which we hope shall not cleaue vnto vs but because wee are perswaded in conscience that the holy Spirit hath directed the consultations of the fathers of our Church euen then when first they banished superstition to frame by the assistance of a Diuine power a publike seruice of God in this land purer for the matter more effectuall for vse more chast for ceremonie more powerfull to procure deuotion then any Lyturgye publicklye established since the defection from the primitiue Church Of which as I promised I must tell you what Maister Deering said Looke if any line be blameable in our seruice take holde of your aduantage I thinke Maister Iewell will accept it for an article our seruice is good and godly euerie title grounded vpon holy Scriptures and with what face doe you call it darknesse But men are ashamed to seeme guiltie who alwaies haue beene Iudges or at least accusers That then which you mislike in this place for the rest wee shall indeuour to defend when wee come vnto them is the reseruation euen of the parcels of those Chapters some parts whereof we reiect as drosse that is to summe vp your whole accusation in few words that no Apocripha is publikely to be read in diuine seruice The Church of Christ according to her authoritie receiued from him hath warrant to approoue the Scriptures to acknowledge to receiue to publish and to commaund vnto her children so then that the Scriptures are true to vs wee haue it from the Church but that we beleeue them as true in themselues we haue it from the holy Ghost By this power the Church hath severed those parcels of Scripture by the name of Apocripha from those which vndoubtedly were penned from Gods Spirit In this diuision neyther hath the light nor the approbation beene all one seeing euen some partes penned by the holy Ghost and so now generally approued both by the Church of Rome and vs haue had some difficulty not without great examination to be admitted into the Catalogue of Gods Canon As the Epistle to the Hebrewes of S. Iames the second of Peter the second and third of Iohn the Epistle of Iude and the Reuelation And howsoeuer those that were neuer doubted of may seeme to haue in some sort greater authoritie then those that were yet wee giue them saith M. Zanchy equall credit with the rest and to the Apocripha the next place of all other to the holy Scripture The Canonical only wee allow for probation of the doctrine of Faith but the other being proued for the confirmation therof Nay the Church of Rome confesseth howsoeuer they and wee differ which are Canonicall that the Apocripha in the Canon are to haue no place Saint Austin calleth by a larger acceptation of the word Canonicall euen those which though they had not perfect and certaine authority yet accustomably were read in the Church to edefie the people a custome as it seemeth neither now nor differing from the practise of our Church Athanasius allowed them to some men The third CouÌ„sel of Carthage not at al. Cyrill Bishoppe of Ierusalem reiectes them from beeing read in the Church of whome Doctor Whitakers whome you alledge giueth this censure in this Cyrill peradueÌ„ture was ouer vehement which forbad these bookes to be read at all For other Fathers although they accounted them Apocripha yet they permitted them to be read And Saint Hierome speaketh of the booke of wisdome and of Ecclesiasticus out of which two is more read in our seruice then out of al the Apocripha besides that they may be reade to the edification
maximè potuimus ad Ecclesiam Apostolorum veterum Catholicorum Episcoporum patrum quam scimus adhuc suisse integram atque vt Tertullianus ait incorruptam viâ—ginem nulla dum idolclatria nec errore graui ac publico contaminatam nec tantùm doctrinam nostram sed etiam sacramenta praecumque publicarum formam ad illorum ritus instituta direximus In al which doubtlesse there is nothing wanting which is requisite in a religious reformed Church sauing the charitable construction of our brethren who will needs eyther out of singularitie or feare bee our aduersaries in this cause And when nothing can bee said against the forme of that Lyturgy which wee vse they blame the orders of our Church which inioyne the whole Lyturgy to be read at the vsuall houres And vnder pretence of long prayers to banish preaching out of the Church I meruaile that any man will obiect it now seing it was an vntrue imputation long since by Master Cartwright layd vpon this church but as one telleth him neither aduisedly nor truly spoken wee will not compare two things of that nearenes and vse together but if some mens discretion could haue tempered their Zeale so farr that their owne paynes which they call Sermons might haue beene shorter and the orderly prayers of the church wholly read I doubt not but the religion of the people would haue beene much greater the worship of God more sound and the vnseasonable contentions of the Church farr lesse and if they continew but as some before them haue done to allow an houre half according to the pattern of reformed Churches for the whole Lyturgy or seruice wee are perswaded it will both bee time sufficient for performing the intention of the Canon which forbiddeth all diminshing in regard of preaching yet no man shal haue iust cause if he be willing to preach to complaine that hee wants time or that the length of prayers hath deuoured the Church for by this means hauing time which the wisdom of authority thinketh sufficient for both all extemporall inuention of vnsounde prayer shall bee vtterly banished out of christes Church and in Preaching the shortnesse of time shall necessarily cut off all impertinent discourses whilest they are sorced to comprize abundance of matter in few words But if any man thinke the Communion booke at first to be ordayned in part to supply the want of a Learned ministry which being obtayned may beomitted either in part or in whole as men please It is an error greatly mistaking the first vse and ouermuch differing from the modesty and humility of auncient tymes Wherein the Apostles came into the Sinagogue of the Iewes at Antioch and sat downe and after the Lecture of the law the prophetts which I take was their ordinary seruice the rulers of the Sinagogues sent vnto them saying ye men and brethren if ye haue any word of exhortation for the people say on read the ordinary marginall note vpon this place and it will seeme that the Sermon expected the finishing of ordinary diuine seruice as neither all waies necessarily following when this was nor at any time presuming to be vpon the Sabbath when this was not nor if the vnhallowed boldnesse of some in our time hath aduentured to thrust the graue religious discreete deliberate and iudicious prayers established by authoritie out of our Churches and forced them against all reason to giue place to an vnlearned vnorderly and bould exhortation without wisedome or sobrietie onely somewhat glorying in the show of a hote zeale was it not a petition necessary and seasonable humbly at the conference to intreat of his Maiestie for a praying ministery From the contempt whereof haue directly proceeded the prophannesse the Atheisme and all the want of Religion in this land yet let no man thinke that eyther the Canons or any of the Reuerend Fathers desire that preaching may be lesse but rather that with all modesty God being honoured in our praiers as we ought wee maye the better be able to profit by those lessons that sermons doe giue vnto vs. And therefore it is ouer greate boldnes of our aduersaryes in this to accuse any man in authoritye in the church as an aduersarie to preaching seing the whole scope of sundry of these late Canons prouideth better for more and more learned Sermons then any lawes heretofore concluded in this Kingdome so that wee banish not preaching for prayers as you would make the world beleeue but saye as our Sauiour doth in another case this ought ye to haue done but not to haue left the other vndone For doubtles the children of God fynd continually an excellent vse of both by prayer saith Isiodore wee are clensed by reading and hearing wee are instructed If both may be had they are both good If both cannot be had it is better to pray So then to say lesse then their vncharitable accusation deserueth in this cause wee affirme that they surmise vs to seeke to haue preaching neglected but wee know too wel that praiers are contemned by their meanes from which at the last without great care the neglecting of preaching must needs follow and therefore the restraynt of the one with discretion to giue way to the other is neither to delay or delude the Kings purpose against an vnlearned and scandalous ministery or like the shadowe of the moone at the battell of Cremona or an abuse to his Maiestie a sinn to bishops aplague to the Church or to the offenders Intollerable Insolencye in stead of deserued shame but rather to speake truly and as this wisdome deserueth in the vpright sinceritye of a good conscience an execution of the Kings vertuous and religious care an honour to his Princelye Maiestye a holye discretion in the reuerend Bishops a happines to the Church a brydle strayt enough to such as deserue shame for now all may learne to be longer in prayers and shortter in Sermons because speeches ouer much inlarged want vnderstanding saith Saint Austen And you may be aduised heareafter to blame your selfe and to pardon others APOLOGY ANd thus from the generall I descend to some particular exceptions as first those about the Scriptures to be read which are three 1. The omission of the Canon 2. The appointing of some corrupt Apocripha 3. The translations It is manifest that 160. Chapters of the Canon and therein some whole bookes as the Chronicles Canticles and most of the Apocalipse are omitted in the Rubrick as least to edifying This I excused in my owne heart thus that because most of these chapters omitted were either obscure or obnoxius to euill hearts if read without interpretation the Church in good discretion making a choyce of Scriptures which the learned allow did omit them in the direction of the Kalender but made no doubt but any able Minister might read them ouer and aboue the appointed Lessons with some exposition of
may add the testimonie of others as of Pellican Chenitius and Kymedencius all not ouer great fauourers of vs and whom our aduersaries may not refuse in this case all consent in this Sciendum maioribus placuisse vt preter libros vere Canonicos ex quibus fidei nostrae assertiones constant Ecclesiastici quoque ad plebis aedificationem publicè legerentur vt sunt liber Sapientiae Ecclesiastici libellus Tobiae c. From all antiquitie it then appearing many thinges profitable to edification to be read in the Church both in the time of the Iewes before Christ as also since which the Church did not esteeme Canonicall how can it be a silencing of the Scripture in vs who onely after the example of all antiquitie read some writings which were called Ecclesiasticall and more profitable to edification then some Scriptures although not of equall authoritie for doctrine of faith as the rest of the Scriptures are neither was this custome euer thought vntill now of late vnlawfull and idle but lawfull and of much vse nor as one well noteth can it be reasonably thought because vpon certaine solemne occasions some Lessons are chosen out of those bookes and of Scripture it selfe some Chapters not appointed to be read at all that we therby do offer disgrace to the word of God or lift vp the writings of men aboue it For in such choise considering the intent of the Church we do not thinke but that fitnes of speech may be more respected then worthines And therfore although for the peoples more plain instruction as the ancient vse hath bin we read in our Churches some Apocripha besides the Scripture yet as the scripture we read them not all men know the differēce that the Church of England maketh in this point But men shall easily fall into error when they once oppose their priuate iudgement against the Reuerend authority of their owne Church neither is their conclusion altogether sound that seeing Moses amongst the Iewes was read euery Sabbath day in their Synagogues that therefore such Scripture should be onely read which had the same authority that the writings of Moses had vnlesse they be able to proue that it was not lawfull for any bookes to be read of them but the bookes of Moses which if it were true as all men know it is not then eyther there was no Scripture but the bookes of Moses or elfe all partes of the Scripture was not read in the Iewish Synagogues If they vrge vs further with the councell of Laodicea which forbiddeth any thing to be read that is not Canonicall we must tell them that the same councell accounteth that Canonicall which is not Further we must craue leaue of those who vrge so strictly the reading of the whole Scripture in Churches in what part of the world or in what tōgue the new testamēt was read in the purest times Besides if the authority of Saint Hierome which you vrge against vs may be accepted as sufficient in this case against you he will tel you that some part of the beginning of Genesis the Canticles the beginning of Ezechiel were not amongst the Iewes permitted to be read of any vnlesse they were comne to the age of priesthood which was thirtye from whence paraduenture the gouernors of our Church haue restrayned their voyces frō speaking by bare reading to the comon people who either vnderstand them not at all being so read or else peruert them to their owne harme this is not to sylence them as you say but rather to reserue them to a better and safer vse that those who for soundnes of Iudgment knowledge are able maye reade and expound them at seasons which are more conuenient This if it weare not by lawes strictly commaunded to be obserued of all but should giue liberty as you seeme to desire to some able ministers to doe otherwise Ignorance which is euer boldest would take aduantage continually to be reading the obscurest chapters whereby the church of necessity could not chuse but receiue greate harme therfore the desires of a few peraduenture by reason of their sufficiency not hurtfull ought to be no motiue why lawes should not be made or executed which preuent that the worst disposed may not haue libertye to doe harme or the weakest to receiue The Chronicles some part the Canticles the Apocalipse the chapters of some Genealogyes things wherin ignorant men haue beene euer most forward to deale contain in the iudgment of wise men many things not so requisit for silly people to know because they are not bound to giue an account of those things their imployment therein doth not onely distract them but make them vnable to know such Scriptures as are of more vse and nearenesse to their owne saluation I may say as Salomon doth in another case It is modest humilitie to abstayne from these but euerie foole will be medling so that what safely peraduenture might be admitted to able ministers such as it may be you are ought not to be a reason either why lawes should not be made at all or why libertie for not vsage should bee granted to those that are able seeing experience telleth vs that euerie man will be a Iudge to account himselfe able and so exemptions perhaps reasonable from the strict obseruation of some Canons granted to a few shall become warrants for the intollerable boldnesse of others and in the end bring a contempt to all vniformitie in order from whence must needes follow a ruine and desolution to the gouernment of the whole Church And surely if men well considered eyther the generall weakenesse of many that take vpon them to expound or the common ignorance of silly people mixt with a pronnesse to euill when such Scripture is read hee must needes thinke the wisedome of our forefathers in this choyce of Scripture to be great and esteeme the instruction of the people to be the principall end that was propounded by them this made the Vniuersitie of Cambridge to giue permission onely to such to interpret Saint Paules Epistles as were thought in diuinitie fit to be admitted to the degree of Bachelers because Saint Peter saith that in them are many things hard to be vnderstood which they that are vnlearned and vnstable wrest as they doe all other Scriptures vnto their owne destruction and for the Canticles which euery man now vndertaketh to expound Aquinus being requested by the example of Saint Bernard to write something vpon them he gaue this answere giue me the Spirit of Saint Bernard and I will doe it yet our Church goeth not so farre to forbid any that is licenced to preach to expound these but only for reading vnto the people admit in their roome with out stopping their voyces in due season other writings euer accounted Ecclesiastical to be read not as better but as better seruing for reformation of manners Yet howsoeuer they haue wrongfully accused our Church in this point we
are glad to see them now so earnest intreaters for reading the Scriptures in the Church seeing heretofore the most of them haue beene content for a Sermon of small edification but of great length to omit the reading of many Chapters which might haue beene done at that time so that in true vnderstanding the silencing of the Scripture was rather to be feared at their hands who desired to haue it indifferent and left free for to read it at all APOLOGY AS for the corrupt Apocripha appointed in the Calender it made to me no scruple of subscribing to the Booke with reference to the Churches intention and doctrine for besides that our doctrine was and is pure touching the dignities of the Canon the reformers of the booke professing to haue ordered that nothing should be read but eyther the pure word or that which is euidently grounded vpon the same gaue me reason to thinke that howsoeuer some vnmeet Chapters kept their old standing in the Calender yet our Churchment not to vrge the reading of them in which I was the more confirmed by that prouision which vnder the Queenes authority was published with the Homelies that the minister might exchaÌ„ge any one or other lesse profitable Chap. of the old TestameÌ„t for any of the new testament more profitable if as Doctor Abbots saith of the CanoÌ„ much more of the Apocripha But now I perceiue by the Rubrick that the tale of Susanna must be read to the last verse which helps to manifest the falshood of the whole fable as Ierom calles it and I see by the order of the Canons our former liberty of exchange all â—iberty of ceÌ„sure to be repealed Now how can I suâ—scribe to the reading of an vncertain tale in stead of the more sure word of the Prophets which Peter biddeth vs attend and not to Iewish fables such as is that of Iudith for which no time can be found out to father it vpon And that of Tobit both which Luther as I haue heard thought to be plaâ—es at the first and after made stâ—râ—es How can 〈◊〉 for instruction of Gods people read these fictions better then the popish Legends or so well as Holinsheds or Eusebius Chronicles for what ground is there for conscience to build vpon when nothing can be certainly obserued for doctrine where nothing is certainely knowne for truth Finally in the 13 of Daniell as it is vnfitly called is a repugnancy to the true story of Daniels age and beginnings of honour In the ninth of Iudith a commendation of Simeon and Leuies bloody act as ordered and blessed of God vndertaken with praier yea euen of that most outragious cruelty in which for the offeÌ„ce of one they executed many innoceÌ„t harmeles persons And this womaÌ„ blessed that zeale which Iacob cursed and God plagued as a rage And this exception our men tooke against Campian in the Tower So in the 7. of Tobit 3. the Angell maketh himselfe of the tribe of Nepthaly in the 12. one of the seuen Angels that offer vp the prayers of the Saints to God in both a lyar And in the latter a lying vsurper vpon that office which none but the Angell of the couenant may meddle with Now knowing that God hath no need of lyes I dare not read as a part of diuine seruice these tales in his presence and the presence of his Angels and people much lesse allow the appointing of them to be read especially obseruing how idlely wee shall tell the common people of their basenesse while yet we read them out of the Bible ANSVVER WE are glad to heare you confesse that the intention of our Church was and is pure and I hope euer shall be touching the dignitie of the Canon which in my opinion ought to haue been a strong motiue both to you and others neyther to haue dissented from the practise of the Church in reading things ancient profitable and such as were called by the fathers Scripture though not Canonicall nor to haue quarrelled with these bookes as if all that were in them were thought by vs to be of an infallible vndoubted truth we say theÌ„ first coÌ„cerning all these bookes that neither doe wee nor any in our Church retaine them as Canonical truthes for doctrine nor of equall authoritie with the other Scriptures yet peraduenture we may giue some reasons why these things misliked by you are not of that moment that thereby they ought to be accouÌ„ted of no better authority theÌ„ Hollinsheads or Eusebius Cronicles We confes that we read by apointmeÌ„t the Historie of Susanna to the last verse but the last verse which is the greatest exceptioÌ„ to the History we read not and the Church of Rome confesseth that it ought to belong to the beginning of the foureteenth Chapter It is knowne that Africanus wrot to Saint Origen coÌ„cerning the truth of this book but what hee wrote wee haue yet no warrant neither can Origen or S. Hierom be iustly proued to bee aduersaries to our opinion in this case for hee that is most earnest against them which was Saint Hierom affirmeth as Doctor Whitakers collecteth that this storie of Susanna of Bell and the Dragon the Hymne of the three children was commonly read in the Church of God which is al for which we desire your allowaÌ„ce as a thing not new or lately inuented but auncient warraÌ„table so practised by our Church I could willingly enter into a defence of the trueth of this History if our aduersaries of the Church of Rome were not ouer-apt to make this conclusion which is not sound that whatsoeuer was aunciently read in the Church and is true ought to bee esteemed as the Canonicall Scripture so that they froÌ„ truth coÌ„cluding scripture we are forced against them to accuse them of some faults Whereas if confessing them to bee no canonicall Scriptures they or others would haue giuen vs leaue to read theÌ„ in the Church as profitable to manners wee could without violence haue afforded them the reconcilement of other Scriptures and vndoubtedly haue proued them to be most true But howsoeuer the Church of England requireth not the Subscription of you or of any other to warraÌ„t the falshood and vntruth of any Iewish fable but to approoue the forme of our Liturgy so farre that those books which anciently were read in the Church or at least those parts which containe nothing contrary to faith may still retaine their auncient place in the Church for edifying of manners which was giuen them in the first and the purest times In which doubtlesse the liberty of exchange formerly left to the discretion of the minister might haue continued stil if men would haue tempered themselues from indiscret causelesse neglect of publicke order for as Saint Austin well noteth That surely he hateth his country who thinketh himself neuer well except he trauell So little obedience or loue appeareth in those men
but so hard a iudgement in wisdom might haue been well spared considering that he coÌ„fesseth the place to be corrupt which might haue moued him either to acknowledge that by reason therof he is ignorant of the true sence of the place or to allow of the interpretation of the learned before him that haue deliuered such sence as may be admitted without allowing any vntruth Lyra saith It is a figuratiue speach like that in Tob. 6. vers 12. Wher Azarias is interpreted adiutor Dei so are the Angels Ananias is interpreted gloria Dei whose sons are the Angels Now if it be an vsurping vntruth for the Angels to offer vp the prayers of the Church vnto God in the mediation of his Son we shal peraduenture depriue our selues of a great part of their ministery dissolâ—e that communion of Saints which we professe to beleeue as an Article of Gods truth We doubt not but Christ maketh intercession for vs and offereth our prayers in another manner more powerfull effectuall then Angels can Zanchie concludeth thus Si hos non licet inuocare qui nos audiunt nostraque spectant nos curant quomodo igitur demâ—rtuos homines And in the same booke he alledgeth this place not doubting that this was a true Angell to whom you giue the lye to proue that the Angels are both sent vnto vs yet haue their aboad especially in the preseÌ„ce of God himself so that these bookes being in some sort innocent haue tasted of much euil through the ignorance of such as haue bin their iudges But we cannot shew our charity better then hartily to be sory for those who wil needs erre To conclude then this point I must intreat you in the spirit of meeknesse to take a second view of this your vnreuerend vncharitable ceÌ„sure both of his Angels in heauen his Church on earth for if the Angel had made the same answere which you alledge that he was one of the seuen Angels that offer vp the prayers of the saints to God he had not bin a lying Vsurper as it pleaseth you to tearme him for saith P. Martir If thou read in the scriptures note that he calleth them Scriptures and in the margent quoteth this place that the Angels offer vp our prayers this is not done of them to instruct or teach God but by discouering laying them open we our selues be the more earnestly bent to craue the helpe of God And what discommodity should arise if we affirm this selfe same thing of Angels Thus far P. Martir which was taken of S. Austin so that you see there was smal reason to account those blesâ—ed spirit the Angels Lying vsurpers hauing spoken no otherwiâ—e then truth may warrant or else to what end were that speech of our sauiour Se that ye dispise not one of these little ones for I say vnto you that in heauen there Angels alwaies behold the face of my fathâ—r which is in heauen But you cannot with a safe conscience subscribe to a translation that vttereth so vsurping an vntruth I doubt not but you haue wel considered that it is as you say or else as in the doctrine you haue wronged the Angells so for the translation you will be found for to wrong the Church You caÌ„not be Ignorant that the approued translation authorised by the church of England is that which cometh nearest to the vulgar and is commonly called the Bishops Bible wherein according to the Latine the words are onely read thus I am Raphaell one of the seauen Angels which stand in the presence of GOD. I confesse the Geneua translation readeth it as you reproue but it was a traÌ„slation neuer for the notes or the text publickly authorised in our Church so that modesty and due consideration ought to haue examined accusations of this Nature with greater care least others rightly iudge that the assertions of such cannot be sound that wrongfully without conscience dare aduenture to accuse both the church on earth and the Angels in heauen APOLOGY TOuching the corrupt traÌ„slations of the Psalmes Epistles or Gospels in the booke they made before no barre to my Subscription because I supposed that our Subscription exteÌ„ded but to the forme of Diuine seruice In which such portions of scripture were appointed to bee reade ledd thereto partly by the words of Subscription wherein wee acknowledge in the booke such a forme as may lawfully be vsed and promise to vse the same partly by the Doctrin of our Church which iustly taxing the Papists for adhering to the vulgar Latine and maintaining that all translations ought to bee corrected by the Originall made it to me vnprobable that our Church would impose an allowance of any corrupt translations and chiefly by the practise of our Church in authorising another translation of the Church Bible by which I made no doubt but any man might correct the translations in the Communion booke where they obscured or crossed the sense But you my Lord gaue me in this point another light telling mee that we must vse only and subscribe to the traÌ„slations in the booke which I also vnderstood to be auouched by some other of your brethren and lately found out to be intended in the Canon for subscription wherin it is said that the booke of Common Prayer containeth nothing in it contrary to the worde of GOD and may lawfully So be vsed so a word now put in as containing in it nothing contrarie to the word and after that I do ex animo subscribe to all things contained in the three articles Now my Lord if Austin vpon the credit of many Latin copies would not admit one word palam where the sense rather required then receiued it because it was not in the Greeke how shall I approue vnder my hand a translation which hath many omissions many additions which sometime obscureth sometime peruerteth the sense being sometime senselesse sometimes contrarie of which I pray your Lordship to take a tast in the last page of this booke where I will muster them together ANSWER IF you had continued in your former resolution not to haue feared to subscribe although some faultes were iustly to be found in the translation vsed in our Church you had neither opened a way to your owne wrong hazarded for your curious disobedience the Churches censure nor procured our labour in defending her at this time It need not to be supposed by any that the Church of England desireth to impose an allowance of any corrupt translation neither are you or any other as we haue often told you required to allow by subscription the translation but onely to approue the forme of diuine seruice and yet surely the care of this Church since the light of the Gospell did shine in it was neuer wanting to publish the scriptures translated as agreeable to the fountaines as they could deuise and to this end authoritie did commaund the allowance of
that translation which for their 〈◊〉 and cost in it is commonly calâ—ed the Bishops Bible from whence if you or any man collect that because a new translation is authorised and the papistes iustly taxed by our men for adhering to the vulgar that any man might correct the translations in the communion Booke where they obscured or crossed the sense we must tell you that first for the vulgar translation we disable not so farre but that we are readie to confesse whether you vnderstand the Italian or that which goeth vnder the name of Saint Hierom that they were vsed anciently in the Church a thousand and three hundred yeares ago one of them by Saint Austin preferred before all the rest the other highly commended by Beza and that of the vulgar though with Pagian and Dryedo we thinke it were not Saint Hieroms but mixt yet we can be content to say as Isiodor doth of it Interpretatio eius ceteris anteponitur his translation is to be preferred before others but for all this both you the Church of Rome must know that these neither are so pure as the fountaines themselues for no translation whatsoeuer is Authenticall Scripture and that from hence euerie priuate man must not take libertie vnto himselfe to correct and amend at his owne pleasure least wee haue iust occasion to complaine as Saint Hierome doth that there be as many varieties of translations as there be bookes whilest euerie man according to his fancie addeth or detracteth as seemeth good to himselfe Neyther can an error in translating in any Church be an argument sufficient to proue it to be no Church And concerning the Church of England it hath not wanted a care and a religious care in this point and therefore it were no reason for you or any to reproue her for that wherein she deserueth prayse onely your patience is required to forbeare all priuate corrections of translations vntil authority from the diligent labors of learned men wholly imployed in that busines may establish a better yet the faults in this are not such but they may be tollerated without offence though peradueÌ„ture corrected with more benefit And seeing there is no error in faith contrarie to the doctrine of the Church that can be in pretence confirmed by any reading which we allow me thinks the article of subscription may wel say that the book of common prayer containeth nothing in it contrarie to the word of God and that it may lawfully be so vsed But say you if Austin whom I call Saint Austin vpon the credit of many Latin copies would not admit one word palam where the sense rather required theÌ„ receiued it because it was not in the Greeke how shal I approue vnder my hand a translation which hath many omissions c. If your moderation had beene like vnto Saint Austins in this case we should haue little cause to mislike your doing and yet the example which you bring for your best warrant being stretched so far as you do cannot iustly be reckond amoÌ„gst S. Austins vertues For in that place which you alledge he saith Multa latina exemplaria sic habent et pater tuus quividet in absconso reddet tibi palam sed quia in Graecis quae priora sunt non inuenimus palam non putauimus huic aliquid disserendum esse Now I see not what can be directly gathered from S. Austins example for palaÌ„ was not in some Greek copies but I hope you know what 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is which sometimes they traÌ„slate in propatulo somtimes palam if the old Latin translation want it the Greek haue it as Doctor Whitakers noteth Iudge whether you ought to imitate Saint Austin in this whom the Rhemistes follow rather then the original which is followed by our Church and therefore the blemishes in our translation which your zeale hath published of omission addition obscuritie peruerting as senselesse contrary and such like we are willing to answer them when we come to your obiections in the last page whch wee know you cannot proue not that you want wit but because you are not assisted with a good cause APOLOGY FRom the exceptions concerning the Scriptures I come to those which arise about the SacrameÌ„ts And though there because to speake of priuat Communions as on the Churches part not so well ordained yet I will insist vpon priuate Baptisme and will draw vnto it that Rubrick which saith that it is certaine by Gods word that Infantes baptised haue all things needfull to saluation and are vndoubtedly saued This speech I did interpret as spokeÌ„ not simply but ex hypothesi in opposition to the popish conceit of the necessity of confirmation in this maner that the child hath al things necessary that is all outward means needs no confirmation is vndoubtedly saued that is as vndoubtedly as if it were confirmed And vnto this construction the precedent part of the Rubrick directed me the sound doctrine of our Church against the simple necessity of Baptisme and grace inseperably annexed therto did set me in it then the speech seemed like that of Christ in the ninth of Iohn where hee saith neither hath this man sinned nor his father that is not in such sense as the question was asked whether he or his father had sinned As for priuate Baptisme by a lawfull minister being acccompanied with such doctrine as our Church hitherto hath generally receiued about the same I thought it might be inexpeâ—tent but not vnlawfull But my Lord obseruing since in the booke of conference that my Lord of Londoâ— leauing the state of the child vnbaptised as vncertaine saith that if it die baptised there is an euident assurance that it is saued without any exception made of Gods eternall purpose and further that the place in the third of Iohn Except a man be regenerate of water and of the holy Ghost c. must be vnderstord of the Sacrament of baptisme which conceit if we draw the text to infants must necessarily thrust vs as it diâ— Austin and other Fathers vpon the simple necessity of that Sacrament vnto saluation as the like words in the sixt of Iohn Except ye eate the flesh and drinke the bloud of the Sonne of man ye cannot be saued being vnderstood of the other Sacrament drew on the Administration thereof to Infants perceiuing I say the grounds laid in that conference and by whom and adding therunto that addition to the Catechisme that there be two Sacraments as generally necessary to salâ—uation and the sixtie ninth Canon which vnder paine of suspension bindes the Minister in case of necessity to hast to the baptising of euery weake child the very night not excepted It seemeth to me that our Churches doctrine in this point is declining to that opinion of the simple necessitie of that Sacrament and grace annexed thereto which we formerly opposed And if this be
is worship And againe it is confessed by the learned that in dedication of the Temple at Hielrusaem mens houses the Priests the Altars or whatsoeuer was dedicated 〈◊〉 Gods seruice or protection the very ceremonies as being then built vpon a word of God were parts of Gods worship and concluded against the Popish dedicating ceremonies that we now may vse no other means or rites of dedication then the word SacrameÌ„ts thanksgiuiâ—g and prayers such as Constantine onely vsed at the dedication of the Temple which he built at Hierusalem Add hereto that the Papists which abound in significant ceremonies for dedication do hold them all to be meane and parts of Gods worship finally yet if he that dedicated an Altar to an Idol were as Austine saith the worshipper of an Idol in that dedication theÌ„ they that dedicate a child vnto God are in that dedication worshippers of God and then the means of that dedication must be the means of his worship which for man to deuise de nouo and impose is to teach for doctrine mens traditions ANSVVERE THere is no plea we so willingly heare as that which striueth for the sincerity of Gods worship for that being mans duety and happinesse yet because easily corrupted least of all permitted to mans liberty God hauing prescribed an exact forme how hee will be honored wee ought all of vs both to search out and to further those holy obseruations which are free from superstition do serue vnto this end To dedicate the infant by this signe to Christ is to make this signe say you a meanes whereby Christ is worshipped and so will-worshippe is raised repugnant to the word of GOD a thing surely not fit either to bee commanded or performed by any that are vertuous in our Church It seemeth that in this more then ordinary curiosity of zeale you haue neither rightly waighed what it is to dedicate in that sense which the Church taketh it nor how many and of what nature are the parts of externall diuine worship For euery action referred to God of which kinde pearaduenture this is not to set out any part of our deuotion and duety to him is not of necessity worship for as in Baptisme wee are incorporat into the death of christ which was ignominious vpon the crosse so by this signe we doe externally testifie to the world that we haue coÌ„mended our selues for it doth not please you to say dedicated vnto his seruice of whose death merit and profession we are not nor euer purpose to bee ashamed all which wee testifie by signing this signe in the seat of shame without any proportion or resemblance with diuine worship Only we acknowledge as D. Whitakers noteth that this is an ancieÌ„t ceremony from the first beginning almost of Religion and the christian church the reason wherof as hee noteth was this Vt Christiani qui tum inter Ethnicos viuebant qui a fide alienissimi essent sese omni ratione Christianos esse declararent atque testarentur publice That christians who then liued amongst the Heathen and such as were aliens from the faith might publickly restifie and declare themselues that they were christians For with this signe by reason of the contempt of the crosse which all others had the christians were accustomed to marke and signe themselues as with the ensigne of their owne profession which being the custome of those times as Doctor Whitakers noteth and no more then is performed at this day wee cannot but wonder at the cauelling of such as make it any part of Diuine worshippe and at the peeuishnesse of those who from hence would conclude a will-worship inuented from humane reason All men may knowe that there was vnto the Iewes and so is and shall bee in all Churches vntill the end of the world besides the Sacraments in the externall worshippe sacrifices oblations and such like which are not the inuentions of men but traditions of the church which in matters of this nature hath authority to appoint daies places and things furtherances and parts though not of the immediate yet in a large phrase of the externall worshippe of God of which external worship some parts belong to obedience doing and fulfilling the morall precepts some other to the obseruation of outward ceremonies and yet euen these are not all of one nature nor of equall nearnes to the principall parts of the outward worshippe for the ceremoniall worshippe which hath and shall bee in the Church in all ages consisting in things and actions is thus distinguished into those wherein the worshippe consisteth into those which are annexed to it These amongst the Iewes were Temples Altars Persons Garments Vessels Times and such like but with vs as one noteth they are for number fewer for signification more famous for vertue more excellent forâ— obseruation more easie And howsoeuer wee can bee content to say and thinke that it is not lawfull to worshippe God with any other externall and ceremoniall worshippe then is warranted in his word by his owne allowance yet if any thing bee varied which is not commaunded of God or added not as essentiall but accidentall and not as necessarie but as indifferent pertaining to comelinesse order and edification wee cannot thinke that there is any change in the worship commaunded nor any new worship brought in without warrant For example Christ celebrated the Supper at eâ—ening the Apostles and the Church after theÌ„ in the morning shall wee say therefore any thing is added or detracted in this Sacrament no because Christ did not command that this should be celebrated in the euening as he did but only that we should do that which hee did not at that time wherein hee did it so that the auncient Church as wee may reade in Iustin Martyr mingling and delaying the wine with water did not therefore or thereby change the institution of the Supper whereof there may be a twofolde reason one that the wine which Christ gaue to his disciples might be so allaid for any thing wee knowe seeing the Apostles haue set nothing downe to the contrarie and therefore probable that the ancient Church receiued it from them Secondly because the ancient Church did not adde â—his in the Sacrament as an esseÌ„tiall necessary thing pertaining to the substance of the Supper but as accidentall to signifie a mysterie the like may bee saide of many things in Baptisme where either by adding or detracting to alter things otherwise not essentiall in Baptisme and therein stil following the lawes and ceremonies of that Church wherein wee liue is not to change either the sacrament of Christ or to prophane it by addition of any wil-worship to ordaine then new diuine worshippe is to adde vnto his word which thing is not lawfull seeing the word is necessarie bindeth the conscience deliuereth the substance of diuine worshippe and hath nothing in it expressed indifferent Now to adde hereunto is to ordaine somewhat as a thing absolutely
who should discern betwixt the cleane and vncleane whose power is to bynd loose who by an other Canon is tyed to suspend from the communion euery notorious offendour must pronounce an assured hope of this mans happynes and pray to be consummate blessed with him which is to speak good of euill and which god abhorreth to iustifie the wicked ANSVVERE AS in a great variety of Iewels affection iudgment do not easely agree which to valew and esteeme of most worth so amongst al those vertues the true ornaments of a Christian life which seuerally are deuided vnto Christian men all being excellent it cannot easily be determined which exceedeth but leauing the rest and following the blessed contention which Saint Paule maketh concerning Faith Hope and Charitie wee say Abraham testifyeth for the first who beleeued and it was accounted vnto him for righteousnesse Enoch taught the assurance of Hope who religiously expecting a better life gaue beginning to the publicke inuocation of Gods name Lastly the patterne of true Charitie was Christ himselfe whole loue being stronger then death held him vpon the crosse whom Death was not able to hold in the graue nay God maketh Loue to be himselfe in that hee maketh himselfe to bee loue and who so abideth in loue to abide in God and God in him and howsoeuer there can be no Christian life where these three remayne not Fayth Hope and Charitie yet the greatest of these is Charitie For if we had all faith so that wee could remooue mountaines yet if wee wanted Charitie we were nothing Faith is the foundation of the Spirituall building of Gods house Charitie the roofe without which the best are but as houses vncouered that cannot long continue there is no iust reason to denie our loue vnto our brethren of the same promise who are the sonnes and hoyres of the same life with vs except sin nay though they sinne which wee ought not to loue in them yet we are not warranted to leaue off our loue thogh they leaue not sin For euen out of this vertue of charitie we can afforde them a couering to make their sins in our opinion to seeme lesse Charitie still directing vs in other mens falles for to hope the best And therfore euen those whom wee ought to excommunicate if we had authoritie we dare not pronounce as absolutely cut off from the attainement of euerlasting life the one is the discipline of the Church to cut off for a time that which is euill the other is our peculiar charitie to hope that that may be good which is cut off And therefore such men who haue no other interest in their brethren but to hope and to speake the best thingâ— can no way receiue preiudice if following the commaundement of the Church they pronounce of all liuing within her bosome a sure and certaine hope of resurrectio to eternall life And pray to haue with them their perfect consummation and blisse not taking vnto them the exact iudgement of God himselfe who onely knoweth such as belong vnto him in which men may erre as well though not so easily nor so often in those of much outward holinesse as in them that are openly prophane and therefore in both we thinke and speake onely as we are warranted by Hope Wherein if our charitie shall exceed the happinesse of any that so dyeth it shall be no hurt to our soule to pray to haue our perfect consummation and blisse with him of whom charitie made vs so to hope and to speake though he be not saued this being the intention of our prayer that all dying in the bosome of the Church shall haue part in the triumphant with whom we desire from the communion of Saints to partake not as they in Gods secret iudgement may bee for so wee thinke it not lawfull to speake of the best that are but as our charitie maketh vs to hope of them and as the church teacheth vs to speak with this our brother and all other departed in the true faith of his holy name for so we suppose him to be for howsoeuer his sinnes may be manifest and publick in this life yet we dare not esteem him in death impenitent neither can any authoritie belonging to vs so warrant vs to distinguish betwixt the cleane and the vncleane but that in charity we may both hope and speake better then the secret iustice of god will permit and yet neither speake good of euill seing we thinke as we speake nor iustifie the wicked seeing we acquitt but them whome we haue no authority to condemne following in all things a christian charity which there is litle feare should be ouermuch especially in these dayes wherein it it is prophesied that it shall wax cold APOLOGY THese are mine exceptions for as for some incommodious phrases and speeches I hold it my duety to take them in the fairest sense till cause be giuen to suspect a worse and now my Lord I humbly beseech you to consider that I haue not reuoked my former subscriptions but onely refused a new that I had reason for that I did and that which I doe that the interpretation of ambiguous things make them good or euill that it is neither straunge nor vnfit to chaunge the iudgment as the euidence chaungeth And if I can obtaine any thing of your Lordship let me craue the repute of an honest man how ignorant or deceiued soeuer you take me to be And for the rest I will now speak as a dying man counting my selfe after twenty yeares ministery painfully I thank god peaceably as his church knoweth would god I could add fruitefully spent in the churches seruice vtterly cast out of seruice and of all meâ—â—â—s of maintenance charged with a wife and ten children in a poore estate ANSVVER THere are few coÌ„siderations that more effectually do moue pittie then where the innoceÌ„t are wraped in a misery procured by the offence of others and I confesse for my owne parte I neuer heard or thought of the iust depriuation of any of tollerable desert but I hartily lamented that those things should seeme so greuous in their iudgment as to defraude the church of God of their best indeauours and to sylence themselues from the preaching of the gospell that might be through a blessing so benificiall to many being imposed by a woe could hardly be neclected without a curse This hath made me earnestly and ofteÌ„ to pray that the thirst of Innouation increased in many by the comming of his maiesty vnto this kingdome did not inforce men through the euill counsell of some hypocriticall brethren Iealously to suspect and malitiously to depraue the cerimonies and gouernment of the church when they had least cause And amongst those manifould misteries which accompanyed the King into this land this is not the least that when a strong continuance of a setled truth dispersing all wandering opinions vnder a learned prince was more then hopefully