of all other nations which they conquered But this beast sendeth out her Idoles and Saintes and pettie gods and commendeth them to the worshippers promising great things if they doe it Another marke followeth that she hath in her forehead a name written A mysterie This verie name in letters was written on the Popes Myter which hee did weare vpon his head and so they vsed it for a season Their Myters were branded with this marke Mysterium But they after tooke it out and now they vse not to beare that name in their foreheads But in the forehead of the whore that is of their whorish Religion it is written still but none saue Gods elect can reade it For the poyson and infection of their Religion is secrete It hath a goodly shewe it beguileth many For they keepe the names of Scripture and Christian religion but they haue turned them into another meaning yea they commend the basest and vilest ceremonie that they vse as a great mysterie Wherefore albeit the name mysterium be taken out of the Popes miter yet it remaineth still in the forehead of his religion Iohn commeth yet neerer and pointeth out the very place vnto vs for he calleth it great Babylon for as Babylon had the Monarchie and oppressed and caried captiue Gods people so likewise did both the olde and the newe Rome the first and the latter beast and so he calleth it when he speaketh of the fall thereof It is fallen it is fallen Babylon the great citie And in many other thinges was Rome like to Babylon as in the building but especially in the Monarchie and oppression of the Saintes All this the Papistes will graunt of olde Rome but not of newe Rome But if the first beast be olde Rome and the latter reuiueth the first then the first being Rome the second must needes also be Rome and therefore while he pointeth out one he pointeth out both Some Papistes haue imagined that Antichrist should make his seate at Babylon in the East or there be borne and so the name to be taken here in his proper signification But why then doeth he call it a mysterie There is in her forehead a name written a mysterie great Babylon It is Babylon in a mysterie and not in the proper signification of the name To point out Rome by the dominion which it had by the Empire and should haue by the popedome he sayeth further The waters which thou sawest where the whore sitteth are people and multitudes and nations and tongues and afterwarde more plainely The woman which thou sawest is the great citie which reigneth ouer the kings of the earth Two or three notes yet he addeth to describe the citie and gouernment and authoritie thereof One when he sayth The beast that thou hast seene was and is not And againe The beast that was and is not and yet is The Monarchie was there vnder Augustus Tiberius and some that followed most flourishing but now in Iohns time is not and yet is for vnder Domitian it did not flourish and therefore was not in comparison of that it had bene and yet was then for it had great power But after this it should ascende out of the bottomlesse pit euen out of hell by the subtiltie of the deuill after it was quite ouerthrowne by the Goths for it was reuiued and quickned in the Pope and Rome had as much authoritie by the papacie and as much riches as euer it had by the Monarchie The other note is when he saith I will shew thee the mysterie of the woman and of the beast that beareth her which hath seuen heades and ten hornes But of the ten hornes because they are set for ten kings I will speake afterward when I shall speake of the kings that ioyne with the beast in the fight against him that rideth on the horse Therefore of the seuen heades thus he saith Here is the minde that hath wisedome The seuen heades are seuen mountaines whereon the woman sitteth they are also seuen Kings First of the mountaines then of the Kings The woman sitteth vpon seuen hils and the woman is a citie Rome then on seuen hils and the latter beast reuiueth the first No matter if this Rome stande not vpon all seuen nay if it stande vpon none of them so that it stande for that Rome that stoode vpon them hath that name and dignitie and answereth to it in idolatrous religion and cruell persecution of the Saints Then was Rome well knowen to stande on seuen hils No other citie did so no other citie bearing rule ouer Kinges doeth so It was called Septicollis of the seuen chiefe hils whereon it stoode Virgil hath relation to them when hee sayeth Septem quae vna sibi muro circumdedit arces Meaning by towres the hilles on which that stoode And Propertius sayeth Septem vrbs alta nigis toto quae praesidet orbi Romulus sette it on foure hilles which were called Palatinus Capitolinus Auentinus and Exquilinus Afterward Seruius Tullus added three which were Caelius Viminalis and Quirinalis From this time was it called Septicollis although when it was further inlarged it comprehēded mo hils And the second beast with his kingdome and dominion is most fitly described by the citie for they challenge all their priuiledges by the citie Because Peter they say was Bishoppe there thence euen from the place they deriue all their authoritie There they delight to dwell although other cities are more pleasant and commodious There the Cardinals must meete when they choose the Pope there all the counsels and conspiracies are made against Gods Church Bellarmine maketh so great account of the citie that if the Pope should be driuen thence or it be destroied yet wheresoeuer he were he should still haue the honour and dignitie and title of the Pope of Rome Thus here by the seuen hils the very place is noted As in this Chapter Rome is most expresly described so of learned men in the sixteenth it is thought almost to be named They gather themselues together in a place called in Hebrewe Armageddon Foxe and others take it to be an allusion to Megiddo and Har megiddo the riuer and hill so called where Sisera with his armie was ouerthrowne which should signifie the like euent to the battels of the beast But for as much as it may be read so in some bookes was in two wordes each of two syllables arma geddon and Sigonius saith he sawe it written Geddon harma and the letter N. is not in the name of the place where Sisera was ouercome therefore it is thought that some other thing then the allusion to Megiddo must be found in the letters the signification of the word If Iohn had meant the place Megiddo he neede not haue said it is named so in Hebrewe for the name only would haue referred vs to that place although he had left out the mention of the language The signification of Geddon harma agreeeth well to the
say not as they alleage that the childe shall beleeue but that it doth in way of Sacrament and outwarde profession in as much as it is offered to baptisme which is Sacramentum fidei and is borne of parents that are professors of Christian faith And as for the procuring of these thinges in action in the childe there is none that vnderstandeth I thinke anie furder then as it maye lye in them conueniently and as neede shall require But what can there be in the Font to corrupt baptisme more thē in the Church wals to corrupt prayers and scriptures and and preaching and all Women are not purified as though they were otherwise vncleane but they giue thankes for their deliuerance and for the increase of mankinde and the Church In giuing thankes for Gods benefites there is not anie fault Confirmation is retained as a meanes to procure the instructing of the children or as a tryall of it not as a newe baptisme nor as anie Sacrament nor as that which shoulde conferre grace otherwise then by prayer to God for it Baptisme by women is not warranted by the booke nor allowed to bee put in practise About the Lordes supper they haue manie cauils as that it is soulde for two pence a head that the institution is broken and changed in the deliuerie that there is a stage-like dialogue betweene priest clarke and people that there are newe Apocryphall lawes and iniunctions added the Priest to stand at the Northside of the table the people to kneele verse and Collect that there is popish and idolatrous houseling of the sicke that there is popish visiting and pardoning of the sicke with this Sacrament These are hainous thinges The Sacrament they say is sould for two pence who selleth it who buieth it so He is to giue that whether he receaue or no It is no price of the Sacrament but a poore alowance to the Minister The institution is not broken in the deliuerie The wordes of institution are then vsed when the bread and wine are set apart for the vse of the Sacrament and so much set apart for it as is vsed in it The wordes in the deliuerie are to applie them to the persons to stirre vp their faith the institution was past before For the speeches vttered by the Minister and clearke and people there is no fault in the matter but they condemne the forme They thinke the Minister must vtter all that is spoken the people must onely say Amen That they are commanded to saye and they are not forbidden to saye more How can that sound of the multitude bee made in the praysing of God compared to the sound of many waters and of mightie thunders if the people saye nothing in Gods seruice Their owne speach maketh them more attentiue and stirreth vp their mindes the rather The finding fault with standing kneeling and such necessarie and seemelie gestures proceedeth of infinite curiositie and most froward peeuishnes We can not be together but we must haue some place some gesture and these are the fittest Last of all as prayers and the worde of comfort so likewise the Sacrament may be giuen to the sicke There is no pardon otherwise giuen to him by it then to other men at other times If hee beleeue and repent he hath forgiuenes by faith in Christ and it is sealed and confirmed to him by the Sacrament Thus much of the particular faultes which they are most offended with Moreouer besides these they carpe at comminations which are nothing but sentences of scripture and how bitter soeuer the curses are yet they are the curses of God against such as offend They finde fault with a seuenfold repetition of the Lordes prayer at one meeting some of them are oft omitted with tossing of Psalmes and sentences to and fro like tennis balles which is a prophane speach and the thing is not commanded and it may well be practised so they reade and speake in such sorte that all men may heare and vnderstand These are the chiefe thinges with which they finde fault in the booke The most of them are circumstances and as it were the shels the kirnel is the confession of our sinnes the asking of thinges necessarie to soule and bodie for the common state and our selues the praysing of God for his benefites the setting forth of Gods will his worde and testament These are the substance of the booke and of Gods worship They make a buzzing about mens eares with trifles and vanities for the most parte and for these they will turne all vpside downe which are such things in deede many of them as it would not come into our mindes once to speake of them if their exclamations and outcries did not stirre vs of necessitie to it Yet there is one thing pertaining to Gods worship among vs which they can not submit themselues vnto An othe is a parte of the honor we giue to God when vpon iust cause in the trueth wee call his name to witnes this we do by laying the hand vpon the booke of holy scripture The othe is taken in the name of God that gaue his worde to his Church by the promises and threatnings that he in it hath made vnto vs the booke is kissed and touched in signe thereof otherwise by the dead paper or ynke or couer wee are not willed neither ought we to sweare and this hath neither impietie nor idolatrie in it no more then if a man did lift vp his eyes or his hands to heauen when he doth it in more vehement expressing of his sincere and earnest meaning in it Thus much of the fourth note of their Church Gods true worship for corruption whereof they accuse vs falsely The fift note of the visible Church they make to bee the obeying of Iesus Christ as their king priest and prophet Thus should Christ be receaued or else he is not receaued at all to anie benefite First then they goe about to shewe that wee acknowledge not Christ to bee our king wee receaue him not as king they saye because wee reiect his gouernment and stand vnder the Antichristian yoke of popish gouernement There be many things which pertaine to Christs gouernement and reigne as hee is king which wee haue yea all thinges that are necessarie and substantiall partes of that his office First the spiritual gouernement in the soule by which hee reigneth in vs to the peace of conscience and the vanquishing of Satan and the beating downe of sinne and ignorance is founde among vs and wee specially reioyce in it Of this it is sayde the kingdome of God is within you and that the kingdome of God is not meate and drinke but peace and righteousnesse and ioy in the holy ghost and that wee are translated from the kingdome of darkenes to the kingdome of light Secondly his worde read and preached reprouing sinne and teaching righteousnes is among vs. Of this it is saide the scepter of thy kingdome is a right scepter and for
owne making Last of all in his lawes and by his flatterers hee hath beene called God in plaine termes and he hath suffered it There it is written Dominus Deus noster Papa our Lord God the Pope and againe Tues omnia super omnia Thou art all and aboue all Howe can any creature shewe him selfe as God in Gods temple more presumptuously then by these meanes or more directly for otherwise in flat termes to proclaime himselfe as God to be honoured with diuine honour it is too grosse and it is not such a craftie mysterie as should deceaue a meane man much lesse bring into danger Gods elect To these things agree the words of Daniel which many take as spoken of purpose of Antichrist or at least they are applied to him by the Fathers The king shal do what him list he shal exalt himselfe and magnifie himself against all that is called God and shall speake marueilous things against the God of gods and shall prosper till the wrath be accomplished for the determination is made neither shall he regarde the God of his Fathers nor care for any God for he shall magnifie himselfe aboue all Peter and Iude speake of their pride in lifting themselues aboue Magistrates saying that they should despise gouernment and speake euill of them that are in authoritie These are the markes of this beast other might be added out of Daniel Paul Peter as that they shal worship God with gold and siluer for all their religion stoode in outward worldly ostentation that they should forbid mariage and meates as they make great holines in single life accoūt mariage vncleane and the eating of flesh at certaine times they vtterly condemne as vnholie That likewise they should be rich and mighty and should make merchandise of all things yea of mens soules for they as in way of religion solde wood stones incense oile and all things if they had dedicated them once to some holie vse they were costly merchandise although otherwise the vilest things that might be All these markes agree most fitly to the Romish Antichrist to none other The Pope therefore is the beast which being aided by the kings of the earth fighteth against Iesus Christ. As for the marks which the Papistes make of Antichrist they touch him not they come not neere him They imagine he should be of the tribe of Dan because that tribe is not reckoned among the tribes of which many are marked to be saued A weake foundation the tribe is there omitted therfore Antichrist shal come of that tribe Thus they ground their religion of that which the Scripture hath not said And as for Enoch and Elias to come and preach against him in their owne persons which they say they haue not done against the Pope and therefore he is not that beast that is a thing imagined as the other for no Scripture hath saide that they two shoulde come but they ground it on this that Christ sayth Elias should come and restore all things which was fulfilled at his first comming and that two witnesses are promised to be sent against Antichrist which are vnderstood by many to be Iohn Husse and Hierom of Prage both burned at the Councel of Constance or as others expound it of a sufficient number to cōuince the errors of Antichrist for the scripture maketh 2. witnesses a sufficient trial And this age hath sent out many witnesses against him That also which they say is not yet fulfilled yet must be before the comming of Antichrist is false which is that the gospell must first be publikely preached receaued in all kingdomes of the world but it is not any where saide that this should be before the comming of Antichrist Christ sayth that the Gospell should be preached through the worlde before the ende should come And it is one thing for the Gospell to be preached and another thing to bee receaued It hath bene preached that is by some meanes made knowne to all nations but it hath not bene publikely receaued of al nations by common cōsent Another thing that cōmeth neere this is that which S. Paul saith that there must be an apostasie first A falling away frō the faith not frō the Empire of Rome is meant by it For Paul saith vsing that word to Timothie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some shal fal from the faith the word is not vsed otherwise in scripture And the Apostle seemeth so to expounde it afterward himselfe when he saieth because men receaued not the loue of the truth that they might be saued for if they receaued not the loue of the truth it seemed they had the truth but loued it not therefore were thus punished Wherefore there must be a falling away from the faith from the loue of the trueth and strong delusion to beleeue lies where Antichrist is These thinges came to passe in poperie So much therfore as is said concerning the gospel to be receaued or forsakē before or in the kingdom of Antichrist is fulfilled in thē Yet they say the Pope is free from one especial notable marke of the beast What is that Iohn saith he that denieth that Iesus is Christ the same is Antichrist And againe euery spirit which confesseth not that Iesus is come in the flesh is not of God but this is the spirite of Antichrist And Peter agreeably saith they shal deny the Lorde that bought them And Iude in like maner they deny God the only Lord our Lord Iesus Christ And somwhat like it by way of affirmation is that of Daniel he shall honour the God whom his fathers knew not This marke they say of denying Christ the Popes haue not If they haue not this marke also thē they haue none of the rest Large bookes are writtē of this to shew how they deny Christ They deny him to be the king ouer his Church for the Pope maketh himselfe the king But saith Bellarmine he acknowledgeth himself Christes deputie But it is certaine that Christ neuer cōmanded any such deputie nor vicar if he wil be Christs deputie against the pleasure wil of Christ or if he were deputed yet rule otherwise then Christ would haue him only according to his own affection humor doth he not thrust Christ out of his kingdome As though one might not cal himselfe a deputie yet draw all to himselfe so doth the Pope howbeit Christ neuer ordained such a deputie Therefore while he will be as Christ and for Christ he is made against him and is Antichrist Furthermore he doeth not suffer Christ to be the onely and sufficient Prophet to his Church which hath reuealed fully the will of the father to it for partly he shutteth vp his Testament and will not haue the people reade it and partly hee ordayneth other lawes as necessarie to saluation as the lawes of Christ by his decrees partly he interpreteth the wordes of Christ not according to Christs meaning
euil deedes If he be a blasphemer of the name of Christ an open despiser of his Gospel one that refuseth him and acknowledgeth him not as Redeemer and God hee is to be accounted an infidel and by all meanes to be reiected None such are admitted of vs or mingled with vs being once knowen Moreouer Isa 65.11 they thinke that Esay condemneth vs for admitting a whole parish to the holy Communion when he saith Yee are they that haue forsaken the Lorde and forgotten my holy mountaine and haue prepared a table for the multitude and furnish the drincke offering for the number Esay speaketh not of receauing a number into societie to offer to the Lorde but rather of sacrificing to a multitude of Idols in steade of the true God For hee opposeth the onely true God to a multitude whome they serued yea some thinke that the names that are translated a number and multitude doe signifie Mars and Mercurie Wherefore this pertaineth not to the admitting of manie to the Communion It was a commendation for the people and seruice of God when they did all eate the passeouer and offer sacrifices together as at their comming out of Egypt and in the wildernes and vnder Iosias and otherwise It is much more to be misliked with vs that some refraine from the communion then that so many come vnto it They obiect many other things against the retayning of wicked men in the societie of the Church but these are the chiefe To answere all woulde require a seuerall treatise Their thirde note of a visible Church is that it must be gathered in the name of Christ Esai 11.14 Esay did so prophecie In that day the roote of Ishai shall stand vp for a signe vnto the people the nations shall seeke vnto it Whole nations and many nations shoulde come to Christ in steede of one nation Could this be but many wicked and vngodly should be mixed and howe should the nations seeke to him some in shewe some in trueth some by outward profession and some by inward feeling Ioh. 12.32 When our Sauiour sayth If I were lift vp from the earth I woulde drawe all men vnto me hee meaneth that such as come in trueth shall come by his power but hee meaneth not that there should none come in outward fashion onely in word and yet in heart be farre from him in their deedes denie him And as he sayeth againe Mat. 18.20 where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of them so are our assemblies in the name of Christ if to come vpon his commaundement to call vpon him to heare his worde and to receaue his Sacramentes bee to be gathered in his name and the wicked comming with vs hindereth not this our purpose nor disappointeth our worke That which Peter saieth To whome yee come as vnto a liuing stone disalowed of men but chosen of God and precious and yee as liuely stones bee made a spiritual house an holie Priesthoode to offer vp spirituall Sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ This I say is spoken of them which are called of God according to his eternall purpose But none are thus ioyned to Christ but onely such yet for their sakes the rest are so accounted and take the name of that which is the chiefe and so farre are they from making vs to bee separated from God when we consent not to their sinnes that they are tolerated and receaued into some outwarde honor of the Church for vs. These places sufficiently proue that the Church of Christ must be ioyned vnto Christ the head But what exception can bee taken against our Churche howe can it be sayde that wee are not gathered together in the name of Christ They saye our Churches are gathered together not in the name of Christ but in the name of Antichrist This is a most vile slaunder against the Church All that is proper to Antichrist we withstand and therefore Antichrist seeing himselfe cast off and vs not gathered in his name striueth by force and policie to gather vs to himselfe again The name of Antichrist included especiallie his supremacie his humane traditions against the written worde of God his idolatrie his adoration of Saintes his pilgrimages and reliques his prayers for the dead and purgatorie his iustification by workes his satisfactions for sinnes his doctrine of free-will his vowes of pouertie of single life his workes of supererogation his pardons and the like To come together in these opinions and in the practise of those thinges is to bee gathered in the name of Antichrist But thus wee doe not Contrariewise wee come to worship God in the name of Christ alone to bee iustified by him to heare his trueth therefore wee are gathered in the name of Christ The fourth note of a visible Church they make this that it must worship Iesus Christ truelie It is out of question that the true Church of God worshippeth Christ aright But what can they alledge against vs and the worship that we performe to Christ First the commandement Thou shalt make no grauen image They account vs idolaters Then that to the Corinths 1. Cor. 10. If anie man say vnto thee that is sacrificed vnto idoles eate it not because of him that shewed it Our seruice they say was once offered to idoles and therefore now must not be vsed To these they ioine that of Esay Esai 66.17 They that sanctifie thēselues purifie themselues in the gardens behind a tree in the middest eating swines flesh and such abomination euen the mouse shal be consumed together saith the Lord. In their account our prayers the forme of our publike seruice is swines flesh or as a mouse which things were vncleane and might not be offered to God by the law And to this end they heape vp many places of like nature as that of Deuteronomy Deut. 17.1 such other Thou shalt offer to the Lorde thy God no bullocke nor sheepe wherein is blemish or any euill fauoured thing for that is an abomination to the Lorde thy God Such a sacrifice they iudge the seruice that we offer to God by the booke of common prayer to be Therefore they giue names of reproche and disdaine vnto the booke calling it the Statute booke and stinted seruice and staruers booke and such like Against this booke they fight as against a most pregnant idole We worshippe not God aright because we worship him by this booke The worshippe of God is large faith hearing of his worde reading of the Scriptures and euerie good worke pertaineth to his worshippe All the seruice and duetie we doe to God are not done by the reading and vsing of that booke Nay all our prayers in the Church are not out of it The preachers vse the libertie of their mind and motion of Gods spirite So that all our worship and all our prayers are not done by that booke But they say that booke
and the worship done by it is idolatrous First they condemne it in generall and then in particular In generall they mislike for fiue things First because the prayers are read The reading of prayers they say can not bee with sighes and grones nor come of faith nor proceede from the motion of the spirite nor haue any feeling ioyned with it and hath no warrant by commaundement or practise from Christ and his Apostles Prayers read they say are onely for meditation and not for inuocation This is their accusation against the prayers that are read out of a booke When our Sauiour sayeth The true worshippers must worshippe the father in spirite and trueth and Paul the spirite helpeth our infirmtties then they suppose that prayers read are excluded as though they proceeded not of the spirite Prayers are not so much vsed of the people nor of any of vs as they ought to be It is the chiefe meanes to obtaine Gods fauour to keepe our selues in his feare and to worke all goodnes in vs. If prayers by the booke were no praiers we should be much more barren in this exercise then we are This were a good meanes for the deuill to bannish prayer from a great number altogether I would know in respect of the hearer what great difference it is if the prayer be read to him or pronounced out of thy heart Neyther way doth it come out of his heart as the fountaine It commeth thus to passe also with many that vtter conceiued prayers that for the most part they vse the same fourme of words the same matter in most points of their praiers Againe what would this liberty of euery mans praying publike at his owne motion hauing that office bring vpon the Churches Infinite intollerable babling in some dānable most heretical petitions in a great number But they say praiers read are not of the spirite nor with sighes nor feeling The very reading is not praying but the motion and desire to God in reading is praying This motion is not hindered but furthered by reading because it bringeth to the vnderstanding that which the heart longeth after As one candle receiueth light of another so euen in prayer the heart receiueth light and heate by meanes of the words read and heard Christ set down a fourme of words and sayd when you pray pray thus Nowe he that vseth the wordes and matter and affection prayeth thus rather then he that vseth the matter and affection onely And the words of some petitions we vse of necessitie as forgiue vs our sinnes or trespasses and therefore may well vse all Christ himselfe in the garden prayed thrise saying the same words Dauid made diuers Psalmes to be sung in Gods seruice and intitleth them to the parties that should be leaders in them The hundred thirtie and sixt psalme was cōmonly sung in time of thanksgiuing for great and extraordinarie victories first Dauid himselfe vsed it then Iehosaphat and after that Iudas Maccabeus Ioel in the publike fast telleth what the priestes should say and biddeth them pronounce these words Spare thy people Ioel 2.17 O Lorde and giue not thine heritage into reproche that the heathen shoulde rule ouer them wherefore should they say among the people where is their God Hose 14.2 Hoseah biddeth the people take vnto them words and say to the Lord Take away all iniquitie and receiue vs graciously so will we render the calues of our lippes Asshur shall not saue vs neyther will wee ride vpon horses neyther will wee say any more to the worke of our hands yee are our Gods for in thee the fatherlesse findeth mercie God prescribed a fourme of blessing to Aaron and his sonne Num. 56.23 wherewith they shoulde blesse the people commaunding them to say The Lorde blesse thee and keepe thee and so soorth Moses vsed a fourme of wordes as a prayer at the going forwarde and resting of the Arke Numb 10.35 36. and Dauid in his prayer hath the same Seeing these things are so Psal 68.2 prayers read may be vsed a man by them may perfourme vnto God spirituall and acceptable seruice The second thing for which they mislike the booke is because it is prescribed and imposed and vsed continually This cutteth off the libertie of the Church they say and bringeth it into bondage this is tedious to men and Penrie is not ashamed to say it is lothsome to God to be serued so oft as it were with one dish The libertie that these men chalenge is such as that they will be bound to nothing especially in religion in things indifferent neither by prince nor by any law of man be it neuer so good godly the thing is misliked because it is prescribed and imposed vpon vs. Doth the very imposing and bond by law make it vnholy Then acknowledge not the Trinitie nor receiue the canonicall Scripture nor seeke to knowe Gods commandements nor Christian faith For these things by law are imposed vpō vs. But this diminisheth not our liberty nor taketh away our willing seruing of God in these things imposed but rather maketh vs more willing And as for tediousnesse to the Lord because these prayers are old and vsuall it is not to be feared For in his seruice he requireth not newe words but a newe heart The worshippe and prayer is newe to God so oft as our heart is renewed with zeale and true repentance and good affection to it For the prayer to God is not the outward word but the inward desire and affection The third thing in generall for which they condemne the booke is for that it is mans inuention Whatsoeuer man deuiseth that they count vncleane and not to be vsed in prayer When mens traditions and inuentions are reprooued in Gods seruice by scripture hitherto by all godly writers those things haue bene vnderstood which are contrary to Gods word Things agreeable are not so accounted mens inuentions that they should be condemned For if simply to come from the wit and braine of man be naught thē were preaching to be banished and then euen conceiued prayers must be excluded and so much more because they be new inuentions euery day and this if it be any it is but one It is not a deuise of man therefore to be reiected which is agreeable to the word of God as those things in this booke are whereby we worship God The fourth generall cause of reiecting the booke is for that it is in many points taken out of the Popes portesse Therefore Barrowe calleth it a great colloppe or a pigge of that mezeled hogge In this behalfe another of them sayeth wee beare the image of the beast for that we vse some part of his forme of liturgie It is certaine that a great part of the publike prayer in that booke which the Romanes vse was practised in the Church before the beast came in that chaire And often times Gods people haue eyther taken or resumed
this partelie the Gospell is called the Gospell of the kingdome These are the principall thinges pertaining to Christes kingdome heere in earth and these by his grace and goodnes wee haue among vs. Nowe they haue a third branch of a kingly reigne which is a forme of outwarde gouernement the ende and scope whereof is that order should bee kept sinne shoulde bee punished and corrected among Gods people by ecclesiasticall punishments and censures This they saye wee want and therefore doe not acknowledge Christ our king They imagine that Christ hath set a forme externall by which euery congregation shoulde bee framed in this behalfe as that there must bee besides the teachers in euerie congregation a certaine number of Elders which must electe depose ordeine make orders and decrees reprooue suspende and excommunicate when they see good This is the kingdome which they striue for if this bee not in euery parish Christ they saye can not bee our king we haue cast him off Christ is our king not onelie by his necessarie to saluation directlie commaunded as the Priestes did in the dayes of Malachie If wee reiected gouernement and refused all correction and punishmēt for sinne we reiected an expresse commaundement of Christ our king But in reiecting the censures of ten or sixe or any such number in euerie congregation wee doe not repugne anie open or knowen commaundement of Christ our king Wherefore notwithstanding the gouernement which wee haue and the excluding of that gouernement which they would obtrude wee haue Christ to bee our king and hee acknowledgeth vs his people subiectes and armie Nowe wee must see what it is that maketh them to thinke that we denie the priesthoode of our Sauiour Iesus Christ and so make that he is no priest to vs. If hee be no priest for vs then hath hee not sacrificed and satisfied for our sinnes then hath hee not neither doth make intercession for vs. Hee that denieth the priesthoode of Iesus Christ loseth these his benefites He is a priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech and all must come vnto God by him Now then wherein doe wee deny his priesthoode Because saye they we sacrilegiously prophane his name with our idolatrie and because we prostitute his blood and make him a priest and sacrifice to infidels and most wicked offenders His priesthoode were denyed if we trusted in anie but in his sacrifice for the forgiuenes of our sinnes or if wee made prayers to God in anie mediators name but his But they saye wee denie his priesthoode because wee make prayer vnto him out of a booke for this they call idolatrie But by that booke wee praye to God the father in his name for thinges agreeable to his will with faith and from the heart Therefore there is no idolatrie in that nor any thing that derogateth from his priesthoode The second thing wherein wee denie his priesthoode is they saye because wee prostitute the blood of Christ and make him a priest and sacrifice to infidels and the most wicked offenders In baptisme they say it is prostituted because wee giue the Sacrament to the whole nation in the Supper because wicked impenitent persons are receaued of vs to it and generally in both because at the first by proclamation of the prince and vpon the sudaine from idolatrie and poperie streight after the reigne of Queene Marie all were receaued to the Sacrament and that people is yet retained But for the infantes to bee baptised although the parentes were wicked there is good warrant First for that their auncetors were receaued into the couenant and the sinne of the father shall bee vpon himselfe and is personall and necessarily the punishment passeth not God himselfe sayeth the sonne shall not beare the iniquitie of the father Another reason is because there is hope of the childe that hee shall bee brought vp to knowe God and beleeue in Iesus Christ and last of all for that there is none baptized but some doe vndertake for him that it shall be performed they marueile that a whole nation shoulde bee baptised and yet Christ hath saide Go teach all nations baptising them And as touching the whole multitude receaued after the ende of the reigne of Queene Marie First it can not bee saide but they had teaching in the dayes of the most worthie king Edwarde although they fell from it Secondly they came not as meere strangers to Christian Religion but as men from an aberration in Christian Religion which they might easilie correct if they were not wilfull And what shoulde that preiudice the Church nowe If they had not bene taught then yet nowe they haue bene taught aboue these thirtie yeres Last of all in such maner Gods people haue bene reduced to Gods worshippe againe from idolatrie vnder Iosias and Ezechias Kings of Iudah Nowe concerning the Sacrament of the Supper we doe not prostitute it to infidels We cannot count any in this land infidels whome we know and receiue to the Sacrament of the Supper All make profession of faith all acknowledge Christ God and redeemer and hope for saluation in him if they haue not this we may and ought reiect them If any neglect his duety it is no preiudice nor cause to condemne the rest So likewise knowen wicked offenders if they be impenitent are remooued and if it were so that some such as are not to be made partakers doe communicate is that a denying of his sacrifice and priesthoode to the rest It is euill applyed to such but it is not thereby plucked from the rest It is applyed to him that hath no benefite but he is not depriued to whom the benefite belongeth The places of Scripture by which they woulde prooue that we denie Christs priesthoode for giuing the Sacrament to such as we receiue are these Ezec. 44.7 first the complaint of God in Ezechiel Yee haue brought into my Sanctuarie strangers vncircūcised in heart vncircūcised in flesh to be in my Sāctuary to pollute my house when ye offer my bread God reproueth thē for making such priests as were vncircūcised in flesh strangers euen heathens idolaters for to be in the sāctuary there to minister was to be a priest Such we make not this pertaineth nothing to the receiuing of any among vs to the sacramēt To this they ioine another complaint of Ieremie Lam. 1.10 The enemie hath stretched out his hand vpon all her pleasant things for she hath seene the heathen enter into her sanctuarie whom thou diddest cōmand that they should not enter into thy Church This is spoken of the enemies which should possesse al they had be Lords ouer them spoile their Sanctuarie by violence These were heathen idolaters the Babylonians Such should not enter into the Church We receiue none such as professe themselues to be idolaters as beleeue not in Christ and are open persecuters of his people Thus it is apparant we do not prostitute the blood of Christ to