on the fire for it wil not quench the fire and therefore it will not be consumed by the fire as to say receiue this reformation for it is not repugnant therefore it will abide the triall of the word but the scripture abideth no suche distinction of contrary and diuers for he that is not with me take he the Iewes parte the Turkes the Papistes or the hipocriticall Englishe protestantes parte * he is against me sayth Christe Another he talketh for the Quenes supremacie Out saythe he may not the Queene doe thys and that but you muste 〈…〉 her to a reckening howe allowe you then hir supremacie in Ecclesiasticall things which are in deede to be determined in conferences and councels and that by the warraÌ„t of the worde you will proue very Anabaptistes not suffering Magistrates nor any politique orders besides and so he runneth away with alleaging scriptures that commaunde obedience to magistrates and say things must be done orderly and decently and he deuiseth many foule names and reproches for vs But heere hir Maiestie is to be humbly intreated that of hir clemencie shee will abide vs who are bound by duetie and obedience to God freely to discusse all things as they are set forthe in the woorde of God though her Maiestie otherwise thinke it straunge and also haue in owe to exasperate hir Maiestie against vs pore men who are farre vnable to abide hit displesure and would be sory to offende her if it might please God to encline her Maiesties heart to consider of our cause and not to be turned from vs by the importunatenesse of oure aduersaries nor by other preiudice of oure persones or places but to deale with vs euen according to the truthe of the matters we deale in which are according to the very woorde of almightie God or else if it will not fall out so we will be content to abide hir displeasure and sharp punishment Out if it fal out â—o then as an 〈…〉 oure Magistrate may not take the authoritie of the highest into hys hantes no more may any Magistrate vâ—urpe Gods. To Ce 〈…〉 geue that whych is Cesars to God that whych is hys saythe oure sauioure Nonâ— is so high at her common wealthe as hir maiestie none so vse the sweard but shee and whom shee appointeth vnder hir according to y lawes of thys land so that it be not repugnant to their vocation as to ministers Likewyse none is so hygh in the churche as Christe none to doe any thing nor any thing to be done in hys churche but as it is appointed in hys woorde eyther by precise or generall direction And therfore it is allowed and commaunded to Christian men to trie all * things and to holde that whiche is good whosoeuer forbâ—dde wythoute exception Prince or other so that if we examine euerye thyng done in thys churche of God in Englande by the worde of God and holde that whiche is good though the lawe be offended that lawe is to be reformed and not we to be punished for whatsoeuer our personnes or places be if oure matters we deale in be God 's her maiestie we trust remembreth what the scripture sayth he that despiseth you * despiseth me and he that receyueth you receyueth me As we know thys case to be cleare so we trust and dayly pray that God wyll open her maiesties heart to consider of it and vs But to these men agayne let them shewe vs if they can by what aucthoritie they may enâ—oyne vs if God hys worde beare them to be magistrates to obserue the boke of Common prayers bothe in matter and manner as in theyr laste Canons they forbid theyr ministers to depart from one or other it is wycked to say no worse of it so to attribute to a booke in deede â—ulled out of the vile popish seruice booke with some certaine rubrikes and gloses of their owne deuise suche authoritie as only is due to God hys booke and inditements imprisonments and suche extremities vsed agaynst them which breake it is cruell persecution of the members of Iesus Christe And of all other greeuous enormities layde vppon thys churche of God in England this is the greatest that it is not lawfull to vtter that whych we learne truely oute of the scriptures We must be in daunger of a premunire if we folowe not the lawes of the land thoughe they be agaynste the scriptures and in daunger of a twelue monthes imprisoment if we speake agaynst the booke of common prayer though it be agaynste the word of god In deede if there were order taken for conferences such as the scriptures commendeth to the church for the triall of truthe when it is hard darke then were the dealing not harde but vprighte As for the Conuocation house I tolde you before what it was and what may be looked for at theyr handes and somewhat more shall be sayde of it heereafter If that were sayd for the Bible whych is sayd for the booke of common prayer and whych God sayth in his law for hys woorde then were the dealyng vpryght and and good Now if they meane by not repugnaÌ„t that it is consonante in all and euerye the contents thereof wyth the woorde of God that can they neuer proue But coulde they proue that yet they snare the church of God betweene that boke and other bookes whych they obtrude with straight charge to be obserued whych bookes doe differ amongs themselues as the booke of common prayer and the iniunctions about wafers the boke of common prayer and the aduertisements about the churche vestures the Canons against the pontificall in not ordering of ministers sine titulo the preface of the last boke of homilies and of the last newe Bible agaynst the booke of Common prayer in the manner of reading of the scriptures And in many things the bishops articles in theyr seuerall diocesses differ from thys booke as aboute the standyng of the communioÌ„ table fetchyng the dead to church and such lyke but the courte of Faculties that for marrying wythoute asking the banes and many moe things differeth from it and all other theyr bookes but cheefely from God hys Bible what say we to thys case we are neyther free to folowe the Bible nor out of doubt what to doe by these bookes but to followe God and hys woorde we are so free that we are by the Apostle forbidden to become seruaÌ„ts of men If thys be true as who can denye it then is it your partes to rid our churche of these shrewde encombrances And whereas it was meant to bridle papists make direct lawes against them Further wheras our church yet misseth of the right course of the scriptures in our reformatioÌ„ let youre learned men be driuen to drawe a platforme out of God his boke wher it is descrybed at ful according to hys will in the same reuealed and the examples of the best Churches beyonde
⧠A SECOND Admonition to the Parliament Ieremie 26. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Then spake the Priestes and the Prophets vnto the Princes to all the people saying thys man is worthye to dye for he hathe prophesyed agaynst this Citie as yee haue heard with your eares Then spake Ieremiah vnto all the princes and to the people saying The Lorde hathe sent me to prophesie against this house and againste this Citie all the things that yee haue heard Therfore nowe amend your wayes and workes and heare the voyce of the Lorde your God that the Lorde maye repent hym of the plague that he hathe pronounced agaynste you As for me beholde I am in your handes doe wyth me as you thinke good and ryghte But knowe yee for certaine that if you putte mee to deathe yee shall surely bring innocent bloud vpon your selues and vpon thys Citie and vpon the inhabitants therof for of a truthe the Lorde hath sent me vnto you to speake all these words in your cares To the godly readers Grace and peace from god c. THe treatyse ensuing Christian Reader being in dede purposely meant as the tytle pretendeth to be a seconde Admonition to the Parliament as yet not being not dissolued cannot chuse I am sure but be read of diuers that are not of that honourable assembly at thys tyme so that though the treatise is principally directed to them yet the knowledge of the matters as it must needes passe further so are they necessary to be further known and they are the liker to take good effect by meanes of the general consent of those that like them and especially by meanes of the faythful prayers whych many good men shall poure forthe to God for hys gracious good blessyng therin wherfore some thyng was to be sayd in a Preface as me thought which might be direcâ—ed to thee christian reader whosoeuer thou art that lightest vpon thys boke to read it And world to God many moe myght read thys boke then are lyke bycause muche worse will be sayd against it by them whych shall speake of it by heare say then could or would be said if all read it that will speake of it whereof we haue had too much experience in the former Admonition But we haue cast our accompts whych do bend ourselues to deale in these matters not onely to abyde hard wordes but hard and sharpe dealings also for our laboure and yet shall we thynke oure laboure wâ—ll bestowed it by God hys grace we attayne but to thus much to giue some light of that reformation of religion whych is grounded vpon Gods boke and somewhat to haue opened the deformities of oure English reformation whych hyghly displeaseth our eternall god Neuerthelesse if it might be we wold be sory to offend any but especially any good Christian man for our purpose is not if we may chuse to â—urchase more hatred or get vs more enenmies for vndeserued we haue of that and them far too much already and to offend the godly man is farre from our meaning for God knoweth we altogether soâ—ke to do such good But what is ther in our bokes that should offend any that be or would seeme to be godly â—nd yet some man may say either there is muche amisse in our bokes or else we haue a great deale of wrong offered vs and that by suche men as woulde seeme to be the fathers of all true godlynesse for the authors of the former haue bene are hardly handeled to be sent close prysoners to Newgate next dore to hangyng and by some of no meane estimation it hath bene sayd as is reported that it had bene well for them if they had beene sente to Bedlem to saue their lyues as though they had bene in â—earill of be 〈…〉 hanged and another lykely prelate sayde if they were at hys orderyng Newgate should haue beene their sureâ—â—e and fetters their bondes And yet now that they haue had the law and I thynke wyth the most too y they were close prisoners they are found nether to haue ben traytors nor rebels and if it had bent tryed by Gods law they should not haue beene found to haue offended agaynst that lawe at all but to haue deserued prayse of that lawe and of the church of God as ryghtly that learned man mayster Beza sayth they deserue which oppose themselues against such endeuours as they doe in that little booke farre worse then those whych he calleth a manifest falling away from Christ And I pray theâ— gentle Reader marke these words wel of that great learned godly M. Beza and it shall answer for them to two men principally that haue ernestly declamed against that admonition and the authors therof The one sayd â—t was a folyshe boke the other sayd the authors were to rashe in setting it forth wythout a councell and I wot not what allowance before it wer de 〈…〉 ed. But thys learned man answereth them bothe wyth one word that it is a commendable work and deserueth no disprayse And whatsoeuer the declaimer saythe they shal be circumspect enough that shall auouche vndoubted truthes out of the scriptures though they wait not for the consent of a fewe no nor yet of many for maister Beza dare say it is a manifest falling away from Christe to maintaine pluralities of benefices licences for non residence c. though he heare not that any couÌ„cel hath agreed vpon it in England sor he knoweth it is a resolued truth in all ryght reformed churches and especially in the scriptures And what I pray you haue they done amisse but the declamer also offended in it if it be an offence They haue published in Print that the ministerie of England is out of square he hath published at Paules crosse that the bishops of England haue bene vncircumspect in making of ministers and that hathe he publyshed before any councell in England had determined it Woulde to God he had neuer done worse faulte nay woulde he had not more offended there whych he craued pardone for when he had done it and yet so as he sayd he cared not thoughe they pardoned hym not for he thinketh of lyke that he neede not care for offending the poore members of Iesus Christ and for as muche as he spake agaynste them two in Newgate he shall neuer goe to Newgate for saying the byshops were vncircumspect I coulde wishe such to be more circumspect what they saye to offend simple and pore meÌ„bers of Christe Let such men remember the penaltie threatned better a milstone tied about their necks and they drowned in the depth of the sea Nowe I neede not aske what they haue aunswered to that boke for they haue answeared nothyng but the it is a folysh booke c but wyth godly wyse men I trust that will not be taken for a sufficient answere as in deede it is not â–ª They saye there is an
deuise lawes for the preseruation and prosperitie of your common wealth and neglecte God his churche leaue that waste prouide not for that you shall finde as the * Prophet saith yee shall sowe muche and bring in little yee shall eate and not haue inoughe As for the Conuocation house whereof many haue conceiued a maruellous opinion and which should of duetie loke to these matters common experience dothe proue that they doe for the most parte apply them selues to the time and seeke rather to please and followe worldly pollicie then sincerely to promote Gods cause and to publishe his truth And hereof their last conuocations can be good witnesses But you say the Bishops are good men great clearkes they knowe what they haue to doe and possyble some of them doe excepte the God of thys worlde haue blâ—nded their eyes and so did some of the popishe bishops but you were deceiued by them and you are like to be deceiued by these if you truste them so farre as experience teacheth Neuerthelesse you shall die in * your synnes you shal both * fall into the ditche But some will say that the admonition hindered other things As who shuld say that to further Gods cause is to hinder other matters that be profitable for the coÌ„mon wealth doth the knowledge of God and the promoting of hys glory hinder profitable lawes that is a thyng that I would gladly learne for I coulde neuer vnderstand it before VVherfore this may be as a seconde Admonition wyth the like mynde as afore by them to craue redresse of the great abuses in oure Reformation of Religion some being continued from the papistes some deuised by the fantasticall heades of vayne menne and some though not maintayned yet suffered and not reformed vnto thys day yea and further as they afore doe againe appeale to thys hyghe Courte of Parliament from all other Courtes being ready to defende that whych I wryte touching the substance of it againste all men and that vppon the pearill of my lyfe Let me be but vprightly heard and interpreated The matter is Goddes ouerpasse it not lightly for we maye not thoughe you deuised lawes to cutte vs off as by some one byshop you haue bene ere nowe prouoked for oure partes thus leaue it The other bokes are shorte as it was requisite to present to you and therefore they haue not so muche tolde you how to Reforme as what to Reforme They haue tolde you of many things amisse and that very truely they haue tolde you in generall what were to be restored but howe to doe these things as it is the hardest poynte so it requireth as themselues saye a larger discourse I meane therfore to supplie as shortly as I can bicause I wryte as they dyd to you some thing that may make to the expressing of the matter so plainely that you may haue sufficient lyght to proceede by till they whych are endued wyth greater giftes discusse it more exactly or till we our selues who haue begon maye haue further oportunitie to proceede if it be neglected of theyr part which coulde we it better And yet this I dare say for the substance of those Treatises which is it that galleth the aduersaries mooste howe so euer they quarrell with them vpon wordes that it is so grounded vpon the vndoubted truthe of God his booke that the diuell of hell cannot wyth his coloures blemishe it saue he may seeke to suppresse it by violence nor any but he and those whome he hathe deceiued or whome God hath not yet giuen so much light vnto will or can stand against it I would and doe therefore earnestly admonishe them that knowe to knowe as they ought and to doe as they knowe and to beware of the God of this worlde that he deceiue them not for the time will come that this * dung shall be throwne openly in their faces to their euerlasting shame that maintain it like as at this day it hathe befallen to the sencelesse Papistes who will neuer giue ouer til they can neither wil nor chuse with shame inough Next I woulde and doe earnestly adâ—â—onishe those that are ignorant to learne to knowe and to beware of a blinde zeale which is more violent vniust then oughte else carying men headlong to maintain that they haue no reason for and wickedly to gainstand the expresse truth to their endlesse perdition Now to the matter I say that we are so skarce come to the outwarde face of a Churche rightly reformed that although some truth be taught by some preachers yet no preacher may withoute greate danger of the lawes vtter all truthe comprised in the booke of god It is so circumscribed wrapt within the compasse of suche statutes suche penalties suche instâ—uctions suche aduertisements suche articles suche canons suche sober caueats and suche manifoâ—â—e pamphlets that in manner it doth but â—â—epe out from behâ—â—de the screene The lawes of the lande the booke of common prayer the Queenes Iniunctions the Commissioners aduertisements the bishops late Canons Lindwoodes Proumetais euery bishops Articles in his dâ—ocesse my Lord of Canterburies sober caueates in his licences to preachers and hys highe Courte of prerogatiue or graue fatherly faculties these together or the worste of them as some of them be too badde may not be broken or offended against but with more daunger then to offende against the Bible To these subscribing and sub 〈…〉 ing againe and the third subscribing are re 〈…〉 red for these Preachers and others are endi 〈…〉 are fined are prisoâ—ned are excommunicated are banished and haue worse things threatned them and the Bible that muste haue no further sâ—â—pe then by these it is assigned Is this to professe God his worde is this are formation He that could not abide straunge fire in the olde law but burnt * them that vsed it what will he doe to vs in the newe lawe that erect a new and straunge course or worde to rule his church by What did the Pope but so he did suffer God his worde to haue a course as farre as it pleased him so that he might haue the whole authoritie aboue it so dyd the Popishe churche but we say the * worde is aboue the church then surely it is aboue the Englishe churche and aboue all these bookes afore rehearsed If it be so why are not they ouer ruled 〈◊〉 and not it by them Here falleth forthe to be â—â—swered a shift of descant to turne and winde this 〈…〉 er Forsothe these are not repugnant saythe 〈◊〉 to the woorde of God no nor yet say we are 〈◊〉 consonante no more is chaffe like to quenche 〈◊〉 no nor yet can it abide the fire But gold can â—â—uen so are these vnable to quenche the lighte of 〈◊〉 gospell no * nor yet can they â–ª abide the courte oâ— the gospell but true religion abideth the triall of the word of god As wel reasoned it were to say lay hay or stubble
for the seruice of s Bartholomew for we haue Sametes and Angels and all Hallowes seruice whych the first treatises speake of I wâ—ulde I say knowe whereon they ground that Collect wherein they pray y they may follow Bartholomews sermons seeing there is neuer a sermon of hys extant and so we shall folow we wâ—t not what or y they pray y the church may preach as he did when as they neyther haue his sermones nor yet the whole church may preach but the ministers of y church only Is thys praying God forgeue vs it is a wicked pratling By what scripture haue they Lent seruice A sowedensday seruice thre Collects for that day There is also a Commination grounded vppon great reason if that be well marked which the priest forsothe must say at the entraunce into the matter that is what a peece of Discipline was in former times kept about the holy time of Lent which vntill it be restored would be supplied wyth this Iewishe order But what place of scripture dothe induce them to reduce thys ceremonie or what place of scripture woulde warrante suche a peece of discipline as there they seeme verye desirous to haue restored as who shoulde saye suche deuises of obscruances for dayes and tymes were profitable or sutterable in Christes churche Let them endeuoure to commend god hys discipline whych should be all the dayes and tymes of oure lyfe exercised in Christes churche Let them require that I would knowe what there is in Athanasius Creede that that must be vpon hyghe dayes as they terme them rather then the Apostles Creede I woulde knowe why Venite may not serue at Easter as it must all the yeare afore and after folow Domine labia it is surely a straunge thyng to see the fansies that this boke is full of I ouerpasse the dry Communion as they call it the Epistle the Gospel the Offertorie and because they haue in the former treatises touched many things of the sacrameÌ„ts of matrimonie of confirmation of y rest I y more willingly skippe ouer manye things else saying shortly y the sacraments are wickedly maÌ„gled prophaned But as for Confirmation as it hath no ground out of the scriptures at all so I wold haue their prayer marked how they recken vp y seuenfold grace as the papistes did neither more nor lesse where they haue one grace more then the. 11. of Esay hath which they allude to And again they haue farre fewer then are mentioned in the rest of the scriptures Lorde to seâ— these very follies may not thys booke be altered neyther in matter nor manner Surely then haue you a mannerly sort of ministers that strain curtesie to forbeare to lie and to forbeare superstition when they seeme to present themselues before the Lord which can worse like such seruice then you can to forbeare it I haue thus much further â—xamined the orders that these men vse in prayer beside the generall obseruation that they allowe prayer in publique place without a sermoÌ„ which is rightlye prohibited in Churches reformed Would the word of God thus negligently thus santastically prophanely and heathemshly be preached or the sacraments be so wickedly with out examination at the supper or sinceritie at baptisme be so I say wickedly ministred woulde prayers be made eyther that were so folyshe or so superstitious or so false or y best of them so vndeuoutlye if there were suche righte orders as were in the churches planted by the Apostles as is in the best reformed churches and ought to be in oures What though these men be and wil be taken so learned so right that they neede learne of none other are not these their orders doe they not maintaine them doe they not persecute them that speake agaynste them and yet I praye you are they not starke naught yea and so are diuers of them not onely for their bribing and corruption and their arrogancie their tyrannie but for flat heresie in the sacrament and some bee suspected of the heresy of Pelagius For the first y is concerning the sacrament the bishops are notoriously knowne which erre in it and for Free will not onely they are suspected but others also And in deede the booke of the Articles of christian religion speaketh very daungerously of falling from grace which is to be reformed bicause it too muche enclineth to their erroure Other thyngs there are maintained by some of them whych are not agreeable wyth the Scrypture namely the false interpretation of thys clause in our Creede he descended into hell whych is expresly set downe contrary to the scriptures in the Creede made in meter in these wordes Hys spirite dyd after thys descend into the lower parts to them that loÌ„g in darknesse were the true light of their heartes If they can warrant thys oute of the scriptures then Limbus patrum within a while purgatorie will be founde oute there And yet thys must be priuiledged and suche like diuers matters disagreeing with the scriptures as in the humble sute of a synner it is sayde that the Saintes and Angelles see Christes bloudye woundes as yet and in their last great Bible in the first edition of it such a sight of blasphemous pictures of God the father as what they deserue for it I will referre them to none other iudge then their owne note vppon the. 15. verse of the fourth of Deuteronomie we holde I wotte not what heresies that speake agaynst their pride traditions but they that expresly speake and we againste the scriptures holde nothyng I trowe but 〈◊〉 But lette these guides weyghe the scripture which saythe you strame a gnatte and swallowe downe a Camell Wel now seeing we haue thus farre weyghed partly God his orders for the ministers election for their exercises and for their equalitie that it is better then oure L. Bishops for the continuing of sounde religion and that the order of bishops is contrarye to the scriptures and that they make and maintaine with crueltie agaynst the scriptures many wicked orders let vs nowe come to the other parte which is of the gouernment of the churche to see howe that standeth by the scriptures I haue alreadye made mention of a Consistorie which were to be had in euery congregation That consisteth first of the ministers of the same coÌ„gregation as the guides and mouth of the rest to direct them by y scriptures and to speake at their appoyntment that whych shall be consented vpon amoÌ„gst them all bicause of their giftes place amongst them whych maketh them more fit for those purposes The assistants are they whome the parish shall consent vpon and chuse for their good iudgemeÌ„t in religioÌ„ and godlinesse which they know they be of wherby they are mete for that office vsing the aduise of their ministers therin cheefely and hauing an eye to a prescript forme drawne out of the scriptures at the appointment of