flocke neuerthelesse howsoeuer you proue it true it is that if he be a Pastor he must haue a certen flocke for therein doth a Pastor differ from the reste of the degrées of mâ—nisters in Chrystes church mentioned in that fourth chapter to the Ephesians But you must learne that there be not onely Pastors in the Church but also Apostles Prophets Euangelistes Doctors Ephe. 4. 1. Cor. 12. who all are called Ministers and haue their place in the Churche of Chryst as it shall be proued if you denie it You say also that euery flocke had hys shephearde or else shepheardes And to proue that one flocke had mo shepheards you cite Acts. 14. which maketh nothing for your purpose yet I denie not but one flocke may haue mo Pastors for I sée nothing in the worde of God agaynst it To be short you say now they go fisking from place to place and couetously ioyne liuing to liuing c. And beeing but one shephearde haue many flockes If you meane by fisking from place to place suche as preache in diuers places and not in their owne cures onely your phrase of fisking is too lighte and scurrilous when you alledge any reason why men may not go from place to place to preache where they thinke it necessarie you shal either be aunswered or yeelded to In the meane time I thinke it agreable bothe to Gods worde and conscience Agaynst couetously ioyning of liuing to liuing you alledge the fifte of Esay which is farre from your purpose for the Prophet speaketh there of such as oppresse the poore and will not suffer them to haue a place to dwell in Yet I do not allowe suche as couetously ioyne liuing to liuing of what kinde or degrée of men soeuer they be But I sée no cause why one good and diligent Pastor may not rather be credited with mo flockes than a slouthfull vnskilfull or negligent with one You thinke I suppose that there be diuers parishes in Englande whiche mightâ— be ioyned in one and so committed to one man and why may they not be so in lyke maner when they be distincte For who deuided paryshes and who hath authoritie to ioyne them Dyd not Dionisius a Monke and Pope of Rome For it is thus written of him Tom. 1. conci Dionisius Monachus Papa presbiteris Ecclesâ—as diuisit caemiteria â–ª parochiasque Dioeceses constituit Dionisius a Monke and Pope deuided to Preestes Churches and Churcheyardes and appoynted parishes and dioces I speake not this to encourage any man to take more vppon him than with a good conscience he may well discharge And I woulde wishe you to abstayne from iudging to farre when you sée a man that hath mo liuings vse him selfe vprightly and carefully in them all and otherwise profitably to the whole Churche The tenth Then the ministers were preachers now bare readers And if any be so wel disposed to preach in their owne charges they may not without my Lords licence Your places of Scripture alleaged to proue that Ministers were then Preachers proue not that all were then Preachers The place in the .2 to the Philip. 20. verse is this For I haue no man like minded vvho vvil faythfully care for your matters And in the .25 verse But I suppose it necessarie to sende my brother Epaphroditus to you my companion in labour and fellovve souldiour euen your messanger and he that ministred vnto me suche things as I vvanted Coloss. 1. verse .7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our deare fellovv seruaunt vvhich is for you a faythfull minister of Chryst. Quorsum haec How proue these places that al ministers then preached That of Luke ca. 9. proueth aswel that they cured diseases as that they preached and therefore oute of that place you mighte aswell conclude that all ministers oughte to be curers of sickenesses aswell as preachers This I write onely to let you vnderstande your vanitie and ignorance in quoting so many Scriptures to so small purpose I wishe that euery minister were a preacher but that béeyng vnpossible as the state is nowe I sée not howe you can condemne reading ministers séeyng reading is necessarie in the Churche and faythe commeth aswell by readyng the Scriptures in the booke as by rehearsing of them without booke In the 31. of Deuter. it is thus written Leges verba legis huius coram omni Israel c. Thou shalt reede the vvords of this booke before al Israel c. S. Paule saith in the .15 to the Rom QuaecuÌ„que scripta sunt c. vvhatsoeuer is vvritteÌ„ c. But I neuer heard reading of the scripture reading of prayers reading of Homilies taken out of the scripture condemned but only by the authors of this boke and by the Zuinfildians You here fynde fault that if a preacher be disposed to preache in his cure he may not doe it withoute my Lordes licence Where the worde of God is professed and Christian Magistrates gouerne there it is meete that no man should take vppon him any function excepte he be by the magistrate â–ª to whome it doth apperteyne therevnto admitted And for as muche as there be alwayes in the Churche hypocrites heretikes schismatikes and other euill disposed persons whiche studie for nothyng more than to disquiet the state of the Churche and to occupie the people with their factions it is necessarie that none should be admitted to preache in any place without hée be thervnto licenced by the Bishop who ought to haue a diligent care in that matter I suppose you are not of that mynde that men maye now in this Church vnder christian magistrates preach without licence It hath always ben the opinion of wise learned and godly men that since the apostles time none were ordinarily called to the office of preaching but such as were called of God by man onely Anabaptistes and some other sect of heretikes teache the contrarie The eleuenth In those dayes knowne by voyce learning and doctrine nowe they muste be discerned from other by popish and antichristian apparell as cappe gowne tippet c. To proue that in those dayes ministers were knowne by voyce learning and doctrine you cite the ninth of the first of Samuell and the .26 of Mathew In all that ninth chapter of Samuell there is not one worde that maketh for this purpose except you meane this that when Saule asked of Samuell where the Séers house was Samuel aunswered agayne that he was the Séer Iâ— this be to be knowne by voyce learning and doctrine the ignorantest mynister that is may soone be knowne by his voyce lerning and doctrine for if you aske him where is such a man he can answere you I am he In the .26 of Mathew the first place verse .48 is this Novv he that betrayed hym had giuen them a token saying VVhosoeuer I shall kisse that is he laye holde on him The multitude that came with Iudas knewe Chryste by Iudas kissyng of hym therforâ— in those days ministers were
before the Sacraments were ministred now it is supposed to be sufficient if it be read To proue that the worde was preached before the sacrameÌ„ts were ministred you alledge the third of Mathew verse 12. VVhich hath his fanne in his hand and vvil make cleane his flovver and gather his vvheate into his garner but vvill burne vp the chaffe vvith vnquencheable fyre I vnderstand not how you can of this place conclude that there must be of necessitie preaching and not reading before the administration of the Sacraments If you say Iohn preached vnto suche as came vnto his Baptisme and readde not vnto them therefore of necessitie there must be preaching and not reading I denye the argument for it is a common rule that we may not conclude a generall doctrine of a singuler or particuler example and I am sure it is agaynst all rule of Logicke But how if it maye be proued that Iohn did baptyse some without preaching vnto them In that third chapter of Mathew verses .5 and .6 we reade that all Ierusalem and all Iâ—daea and all the region round about Iordan went out to be baptized of him and that they were baptized of him in Iordane confessing their sinnes but we reade not that he did immediatly before preache vnto them and verses .13.14.15 it is manifeste that he did baptize Christe without preaching This is but a slender proofe you vse therby to condemne the sinceritie of our sacraments and administring of them in this Churche There is no man I thinke whiche doth not allowe of preaching before the administration of the Sacraments But it is not therwith ioyned tanquam de necessitate sacramenti as of the necessitie of the sacrament neyther is there any thing here alledged for preaching before the administration of the Lords Supper In déede we reade not that Christ did preache immediatly before the distribution of the Sacrament of his body bloud to his disciples onely he told them that some of them should betray him that he had greatly desired to â—ate that passeouer with them This I write to shewe youre blynde and vnlearned collections not to disallow preaching in the administration of Sacraments But I woulde gladly learne why you doe so greately myslyke of readyng the Scriptures I hope you be not Zwingfildians Is not the worde of God as effectuall when it is read as when it is preached or is not reading preaching Isidorus sayeth that reading bringeth great profite to the hearers Tertulian sayth when wée come togither to the reading of the holy Scriptures wée féede oure faythe wyth those heauenly voyces we rayse vp oure affiaunce wée fasten our hope And againe he calleth the reading of the Scriptures the féeding of our fayth But what néede I speake anye more of a matter so manyfeste You flatly ioyne with the Papist in this For in the confutation of the Apologie of the Churche of Englande mayster Harding calleth reading of the Scriptures to the people in the Churche a spirituall dumbnesse and a thing vnprofitable c. That to reade the scriptures in the church is no newe thing but moste auncient and grounded vppon Gods worde it is manyfest by that whiche is written in the fourth of Luke where the Euangelist sayeth that Christ on the Sabboth day going into the synagoge according to his accustomed manner risse vp to reade and there was deliuered vnto him the booke of the Prophete Esaye and as soone as hée opened the Booke hée founde the place where it was written Spiritus Domini super me c. The Spirite of the Lord vpon me c. Likewyse in the thirtéenth of the Actes wée reade that Paule and other of his companie béeing in the Synagoge on the Sabboth day was sent vnto by the rulers of the Synagoge Post lectronem legis Propherarum after the readyng of the lawe and the Prophets to know if they would make any exhortation to the people Iustinus Martyr Apolog. 2. pro Christianis sayeth that in his tyme the manner was on the Sabboth daye when the people were gathered together to haue the Scriptures read in the publique congregation and in the time of publike Prayer for the space of one whole houre Origene wryting vppon Iosua Homel 15. saythe that the Bookes of the olde Testamente were deliuered by the Apostles to be read in the Churches Cyprian lib. 2. Epists 5. sayth The reader soundeth out the highe and heauenly vvords he readeth out the Gospel of Christ. c. Chrysostome vppon the Actes Hom. 19. The Minister and common Minister standeth vp and cryeth vvyth a loude voyce saying Kepe silence after that the reader beginneth the prophecie of Esay Augustin speaking to the people sayth Yee heard vvhen the Gospell vvas read yee heard erevvhile vvheÌ„ it vvas read if ye gaue eare to the reading dearely beloued vvee haue hearde in the lesson that hath ben read But of reading bothe scriptures and prayers I haue spoken before and mynde to speake something hereafter For my part I muse what you meane in this poynt so to iumpe with the Papists The seconde generall reason is this Then Sacramentes were ministred in publique assemblies nowe in priuate houses The places of Scripture wherby you proue that Sacraments were then ministred in publique assemblies be taken out of the first of S. Marke and .1 Cor. 11. which places of Scripture proue that Iohn did baptize openly that the Lords Supper was ministred in the publique congregation but neyther of them bothe conclude that these Sacraments may not also be ministred vppon any occasion in priuate houses For what sequele is there in this reason all the countrey of Iudaea and they of Ierusalem wente out vnto him and were baptised of him in the riuer of Iordan confessing their sinnes Ergo Baptisme may not be ministred vpon any occasion in priuate houses you may as well conclude that none ought to be baptized but in the riuer of Iordan and none but suche as be able to confesse their sinnes and so you shoulde seclude children from Baptisme as the Anabaptistes doe Baptisme was ministred in Cornelius house Actes 10. The place is not of the substaunce of the Sacraments To the .1 Corin. 11. it is answered before Surely this Churche of England doth not permit the sacraments to be ministred in priuate places except there be a coÌ„gregation and then not vsually but only in certaine cases The thirde generall reason is this Then by ministers onely now by midwiues and deacons equally That then the Sacraments were ministred onely by ministers you alledge the 28. of Mathew whiche place is answered before Likewise .1 Cor. 4. Let a man so thinke of vs as of the ministers of Chryst and disposers of the mysteries of God. Here is not one worde for your purpose Except you take mysteries for sacrameÌ„ts which if you do you are much deceyued for by the word mysteries here he vnderstandeth the worde of God and Gospell of Chryste as all learned writers do
interprete it We reade in the eight of the Actes that Philip béeing a Deacon did baptize we reade also that Moses wyfe did cirumcise But where dothe this Churche of England allow any woman to baptise or deacon to celebrate the Lords supper and if it did the dignitie of the Sacraments doe not depende vpon the man be he minister or not minister be he good or euill Let euery one take héede that they do not vsurpe that authoritie wherevnto they be not called Those be your general reasons which in déede bée no reasons but bare words Your particuler reasons wherby you séeme to proue that neither of the sacraments be sincerely ministred be these that followe And first concerning the Lordes supper you reason on this sort Admonition They had no introite for Celestinus a Pope broughte it in about the yere .430 But we haue borrowed a péece of one out of the Masse booke Answere What you vnderstand here by the introite certaynlie I knowe not The first thing that we say at the Communion is the Lords prayer which Celestinus did not inuente but Chryste Mathew 6. nor first vse in the celebration of the Lordes Supper but the Apostles as we reade in good Chronicles nexte vnto that is a very godly and necessarie prayer worthy to bée sayde in the celebration of suche a mysterie and therfore no matter at all who inuented it or brought it in And yet Celestinus was a godly Byshoppe and the Churche of Rome at that time had the substaunce of the Sacraments according to Gods word neither was there any superstition mixed with them notwithstanding I know not any introite of Celestinus inuention that we haue in our order of the Communion for the introite that he appointed was one of the Psalmes as Volateranus Gratianus and Polydorus Virgilius doe testifie And we have not any Psalme in the celebration of the supper if we had it were not to be reproued This I am sure of that it is not euill bycause it is in the Masse booke excepte it be repugnaunt to the worde of God For the Lordes prayer some of the Psalmes the Gospels and Epistles the Nicene creede c. be in the Masse book and yet good so is there some other good prayers in it also Admonition They read no fragments of the Epistle and Gospell we vse both Answere And what faulte can you finde in that Is not the whole Scripture and euery péece of it profiâ—able 〈◊〉 edifie can the Scripture at any tyme in the open câ—â—gregation be read oute of season béeing in a knowne toung but I thinke your quarell is at reading not agaynst the Epistle and the Gospell Alwayes in the Churche there hath bene read the scriptures in the celebration of the mysteries and I am sure the Gospell was not wont to be read from the one ende to the other at one time Well it is but your opinion without reason that the Epistle and Gospel ought not to be read at that time for you bring no proole and I thinke the contrarie First bicause they be scripture and tend to edifie secondly bicause it hath bene the maner of long time euen since Alexanders time Anno. 111. The third The Nicene creede was not read in their communion we haue it in ours The Nicene Creede and euery parte of it is grounded vppon the worde of God it was collected by that famous Councell of Nyce to confounde that deteâ—table heresie of the Arrians and therefore méete to bée read in all Christian congregations neither â—an any mislike it but Arrians and suche lyke of the which secte you giue iuste suspitions that you bee fautours Thys Créede in this forme was not framed in the Apostles tyme bycause the heresie of Arrius was not then hatched And therfore no good reason to say it was not read in the Apostles tyme at the Communion Ergo it ought not to bée read nowe But this argument is intollerable the Nicene Créede is read at the Communion therefore the Communion is not sincerely ministred All these thrée reasons bée taken ab authoritate negatiuâ— and therefore of no force excepte we will also graunte these to bée true and suche like scilicet â–ª Then they had no â—hristian Princes and therefore we may haue no christian Princes Then they had no ciuill or politike lawes Ergo we ought to haue none Then the Churche had no externall peace but was vnder persecution Ergo it should haue no peace now Then Christians had proprietie in nothing but all things were common Ergo no man may haue any thing of his owns but common to other we doe not reade expressely that children were then baptised therefore they oughte not to be baptised nowe for so do the Anabaptistes reason neither do we reade that women dyd then receyue the Supper therfore they ought not to do it nowe with infinite other as absurde as these The fourth There was then accustomed to be an examination of the communicaÌ„ts which nowe is neglected Howe proue you that there was then any examination of communicants If there had bene either commaundement or example for it in scriptures I am sure you woulde not haue lefte it vnquoted in the margent S. Paule sayth 1. Cor. 11. Probet homo scipfum Let a man examine him selfe c. But be speaketh of no other examination wherefore this reason of yours is altogither friuolous and without reason And yet I do not disalowe the examination of communicants so there be a discrete respect had of the persons places and other circumstaunces neither it is neglected in this Churche of Englande but by learned and discrete ministers with bearning and discretion vsed But note I pray you the force of his argument some ministers neglect to examine the communicants Ergo the Communion is not rightly and sincerely ministred as though the examination of the communicants were of the substance of the sacrament If you woulde reason after your accustomed manner you should rather coÌ„clude thus the Apostles were not examined when they receyued the Communion neither is it expressed in scriptures that they examined others therefore there oughte to bée no such examination this is your vsuall manner of reasoning but it is childish vnlesse it were to conclude damnation or saluation The fifth Then they ministred with common and vsuall bread nowe with wafer cakes brought in by Pope Alexander being in forme fashion substance like their God of the alter The place you alledge Act. 2. which is this And they coÌ„tinued dayly vvith one accorde in the Temple and breaking bread at home did eate their meate togither vvyth gladnesse and singlenesse of harte maketh as muche for your purpose as it maketh for the Papists halfe communion for they alledge it to proue that the supper may be ministred with bread onely But learned interpreters and especially Master Caluyne denie this place to bée mente of the ministration of the supper howsoeuer it is vnderstanded it doth not necessarily
Uniuersities and of all good learning In the margent for the .15 of Mathewe vse 23. they haue quoted the .15 of Mathew vse 13. to proue that tyrannous Lordship can not stande with Chrystes kingdome the words be these But he answered and sayd euery plant which my father hath not plaÌ„ted shall be rooted vp meaning that suche as be not by frée adoption and grace grafted in Iesus Chryst shal be rooted vp But this proueth not their proposition I do not allowe tyrannous Lordship but I disallow such vnapt reasons In the same preface speaking of byshops c. they haue added these words they were once of our minde but since their consecration they be so transubstaÌ„tiated that they are become such as you see It may be that coÌ„sideration of the time place state condition other circumstances hath altered some of them in some points as wise not wilful men in such matters by such circumstances be ofteÌ„times altered but that any one of them were euer of your minde in moste things vttered in those two treatises I can not be persuaded In the Admonition the .1 leaâ—â— For the .1 Acts. vse 12. is noted Acts. 2. vse 21. to proue that in the olde Church there was a tryall had bothe of the ministers abilitie to instruct of their godly conuersatioÌ„ also The text is this And it shal be that whosoeuer shal call on the name of the Lord shal be saued Which is farther froÌ„ the purpose a gret deale than the other place is There is also in the same leafe lefte out king Edwards priests which argueth with how little discretion and lesse aduise the first admonition was penned Speaking of learning master Nowels Cathechisme these words be added and so first they consecrate them and make them ministers theÌ„ they set theÌ„ to schole This scoffe is answered before might very wel haue bene left out And a little after where it was before then election was made by the common consent of the whole church now it is thus corrected then election was made by the elders with the common consent of the whole church which altereth the matter something but yet is not proued by the texte alledged out of the .1 of the Actes and by me answered before For Act. 14. vse 13. is quoted Act. 14. vse 23. which ouer-fight I my selfe haue corrected in my answer to the place There is also left out an albe which before was sayd to be required by the pontifical in the ordring of ministers As I said before so I say agayn that in the booke of ordring mnisters now vsed printed since An. do 1559. there is nether required albe surples vestimeÌ„t nor pastoral staff This line is also added these are required by their pontificall meaning surplesse vestiment c. which is vntrue as I haue sayd before For the .1 Ti. 1. vse 14. now it is .1 Ti. 1. vse 19. but it is not to proue any matter in controuersie onely it is vncharitably and vniustly applied For .1 Sam. 9. vse 28. is placed .1 Sam. 9. vse 18. the self same place that I haue answered before Where before it was thus written then ministers were not so tied to any forme of prayers inuented by man now these words inuented by man be left out there is added as necessitie of time required so they might poure c. I know not their meaning except they wold neither haue vs bouÌ„d to the lords prayer nor any other It was before remoue Homilies articles iniunctions a prescript order now it is that prescript order Wherby it should séeme that they haue learned to allow of a prescript order of praiers but not of that prescript order which is in the booke of publike prayers This is no dallying neither yet inconstancie For the .3 of Mat. vse 12. is placed .3 of Mat. vse 1. to proue that in the old time the worde was preached before the sacraments were ministred The place now alledged is this In those dayes Iohn the Baptist came preached in the wildernesse of Iudea This proueth that Iohn preached but it proueth not that wheÌ„soeuer Iohn did baptise thaÌ„ he did preach Oueragainst these words the Nicene crede was not read in their coÌ„munion is written in the margent note that we condeÌ„ne not the doctrine coÌ„teined therin If you condeÌ„ne not the doctrine therin what do you theÌ„ coÌ„demne or why mislike you the coÌ„munioÌ„ bicause that créede conteining true doctrine is read at the celebratioÌ„ therof It is wel that you make this protestatioÌ„ if you meane good faith Here is also added the .42 vse Act. 2. to proue that theÌ„ the sacrament was ministred with coÌ„mon vsual bread which place I haue answered before in answering to the .46 vse of that cha Wheras before it was thus interrogatories ministred to the infant godfathers and godmothers brought in by Higinus now godfathers and godmothers brought in by Higinus is left out It is happie that you are so sone persuaded to allow of godfathers godmothers I perceiue you tooke vpon you to set downe a platforme of a Church before you had well considered of it Fol. 4. For some one of the congregation is now some of the congregation wherby they séeme to allow mo godfathers than one which they did not before For the .14 of the Acts. vse 4. is noted the .15 of the Acts vse 4. to proue that the office of Seniors was to gouerne the Churche with the rest of the ministers but without reason For it is onely there written that at Ierusalem there was Apostles and Elders and that Paule and Barnabas declared vnto them what things God had done by them I denie not the thing it selfe wherof I haue sufficiently spoken before but the argument These seniors then bicause their charge was not ouermuche did execute their office in their own persoÌ„s Now these words bicause their charge was not ouermuche be left out Wherfore they haue left them out I knowe not Fol. 5. They haue left out doctors thrée times in this leafe which before they recited with Chauncelors Archedeacons officials commissaries proctors Be like they haue remembred that this word Doctor is founde in the newe Testament and especially Doctor of lawe To proue equalitie of ministers they haue added Phil. 1. vse 1. 1. Thes. 1.1 The first place is this Paule and Timotheus the seruaunts of Iesus Chryst to all Saincts in christes Iesus that are at Philippi with the Byshops and Deacons The second is this Paule and Syluanus and Timotheus vnto the church of the Thessalonians c. Truly I know not how to conclude of those places an equalitie of all ministers I would to God you would set downe your places and frame your arguments your selues Fol. 6. They haue forgotten to quote Heb. 6.1 haue lefte out the body braunch of Antichrist and for the same haue put in the tayle But these are but trifles and very slender corrections ¶
and Martirs at their end for eyther all or the most parte of them haue sealed this boke with their bloud But by the way this is to be noted that you confesse your selues to haue allowed that by vsing of it which you say is against the worde of God. The vnperfectnesse of this booke 〈◊〉 suche things in the same as be culled and picked out of that popish dunghill the masse booke wyth the contents therin that be against the worde of God shal apeare I am sure in your seuerall reasons for it is not sufficiente for you barely to say so withoute wit learning or reason This you know right well that in so saying you make the Papists leape for ioy bycause they haue gotten suche companions to assault this booke whilest they rest them and lye as it were in slepe O that the wise men of thys Realme suche I meane as be in authoritie sée not thys Popish practise and séeke not with more earnestnesse to preuent it Will ye suffer the Papists to gather strength and to multiplie by tollerating suche libellers vnder the pretence of reformation to discredit so muche as lyeth in them yea to ouerthrowe the whole state and substance of religion in this Church be not secure but watche and remēber the beginning and encrease of the Anabaptists of late in Germany which I haue described in my preface to this booke You saye that you can not but muche maruell at the craftye wylynesse of those menne whose partes it had bene firste to haue proued eache and euery contente therein to bee agreeable to Gods woorde c. Nay surely but it were youre partes rather to proue that there is some thing therein contrary or not agréeable to Gods worde For suche as bée learned and knowe the manner of reasoning saye that the Opponente muste proue or improue and not the Aunswerer They stande to the defence and mayntenaunce of the Booke you séeke to ouerthrowe it it is youre partes therefore to iustifie youre assertions by reasons and argumentes Nowe to your reasons Admonition The first is this They shoulde firste proue by the worde of God that a readyng Seruice going before and with the administration of the Sacraments is according to the worde of God that priuate communiō priuate baptisme baptisme ministred by women holydaies ascribed to saints prescript seruices for them kneeling at Communion wafer cakes for their bread whē they minister it surplesse and cope to do it in churching of women comming in vayles abusing the Psalme to hir I haue lifted vp mine eyes vnto the hilles c. and suche other foolish thinges are agreable to the written worde of the almightie Answere I do not well vnderstand your meaning woulde you haue vs to proue that to reade prayers before and with the administration of the sacraments is according to the word of god In déede in the booke of seruice there is first appointed to be read some one or two profitable sentences mouing either to prayer or to repentance after followeth a generall confession then the Lords prayer and certaine Psalmes nexte certaine Chapiters out of the olde and newe testamente c. Last of all the administration of the Sacramente If you aske me of the sentences they be Scripture If of the Lords prayer Psalmes and chapiters they be scripture also If of the Sacrament of the supper it is according to Scripture Math. 26. Mar. 14. Luc. 22. 1. Cor. 11. If of the other prayers annexed they be likewise according to the scripture for they be made to God in Christes name for suche things as we néede or as we desire according to that saying of christ Quicquid petieritis c. VVhatsoeuer you aske my father in my name c. And again Petite dabitur vobu Aske and it shal be giuen vnto you Math. 7. and. Iacob 1. If any of you lacke wisdome let him aske it c. 1. Ti. 2. with other infinite places besides If you would haue vs to proue that to reade prayers or scripture in the Churche is according to the worde of God whiche you séeme to denie then we say vnto you that if there were any pietie in you any religiō any learning you would make no such vaine and godlesse doubts Was there euer any from the beginning of the worlde to thys daye the Zwinfildians onely excepted that mysliked reading of prayers and Scriptures in the Church but you But touching reading in the Churche I haue spoken before in the former treatise and minde to speake something of it hereafter as occcasion shal be ministred If you meane by priuate communion the communion ministred to one alone there is no suche allowed in the booke of common prayers but if you call it priuate bycause it is ministred sometime in priuate houses to sicke persons Then haue we the example of Christ who ministred the supper in a priuate house and inner parlor Marc. 14. Luc. 22. Math. 26. We haue also the example of the Apostles them selues who did minister the Supper in priuate houses especially if that place bée vnderstanded of the supper whiche is in the seconde of the Actes and before alleadged of you to proue that common and vsuall bread oughte to be in the supper Likewise of the primatiue Churche as appeareth in the seconde Apologie of Iustinus Martyr Tertul. de corona militis and others If you meane by priuate baptisme baptisme ministred in priuate houses and families you haue therof example in the Scriptures Acts. 10. other priuate baptisme allowed in the church of Englande I know none Master Bucer in his censure vppon the Communion booke speaking of the order appoynted in the same for priuate baptisme writeth thus In this constitution all things are godly appoynted I would to God they were so obserued and especially this that the baptisme of Infants be not deferred for therby is a doore opened vnto the diuell to bring in a contempt of baptisme and so of oure whole redemption and Communion of Chryste which through the sect of Anabaptists hath too muche preuayled with many For women to baptise we haue no rule that I knowe in the whole Communion booke but in scripture we haue an example of Moses wife that did circumcise and circumcision is correspondent to baptisme But I know no generall doctrine can be grounded of a singuler example and therfore most of your arguments be very féeble Holy dayes ascribed to Sainctes wherein not the Saincts but God is honored and the people edified by reading and hearing suche stories and places of scripture as pertayne to the martyrdome calling and function of suche Saincts or any other thing mentioned of them in scripture muste néedes be according to Gods worde For to honor God to worship him to be edifyed by the stories and examples of Saincts out of the scripture can not be but consonant to the scripture The proscript seruice for them is all taken out of Gods word and not one péece thereof but it
againste interpreting of the Scriptures or preaching for I knowe they be both necessary but agaynst suche as be enimies to the reading of them The places in the .56 of Esay and in the eleuenth of Zacharie tende to the same purpose they all speake against ignorant foolishe slouthfull gouernours and Pastours there is nothing in them that condemneth or disalloweth reading of the Scriptures or reading of prayers No more is there in the fiftéenth of Matthew nor 1. Timo. 3. reade the places and you shall soone sée with howe little iudgement they be quoted against suche Ministers as vse to reade the Scriptures and prayers to the people If you had sayde agaynste dumbe and vnlearned ministers viewe these places you had sayde some thing For reading ministers that is for reading the Scriptures publiquely in the Church by ministers view you these places 1. Tim. 4. Till I come giue attendance to reading to exhortation to doctrine In the which wordes as Musculus sayth Exprimit ordinem ecclesiasticum quo primum ex sacris scripturis aliquid legebatur deinde exhortatio doctrina subijciebatur He expresseth the Ecclesiasticall order wherein first there is some thing read oute of the Scriptures then followeth exhortation and doctrine Luke 4. Where we learne that Christe béeing at Nazareth as his custome was went into the Synagoge on the Sabboth day and stoode vp to reade c. Act. 15. it is thus written For Moyses of olde tyme hath in euery citie them that preache him seeing hee is read in the Synagoges euery Sabboth day Where he also séemeth to call reading preaching According to these examples and places of â—cripture the Churche of Christe euen from the beginnyng hath alwayes vsed to haue the Scripture publiquely read in the Churche as a thing moste profitable as it is before by me declared And yet you say Reading is not feeding but it is as euil as playing vpoÌ„ a stage and worse to for players yet learn their parts without booke and these a mainy of them can scarcely reade within booke That reading is feeding Musculus gyueth these reasons First bicause it maketh the people expert and cunning in the scriptures so that they can not be so easily deceiued with false teachers And therfore Iosephus lib. 2. contra Appi. speaking of this commoditie of hauing the scriptures read sayth on this sort In vnaquaque septimana ad legem audiendaÌ„ coÌ„ueniunt vniuersi NostroruÌ„ quilibet de legibus interrogatus facilius quam nomen suuÌ„ recitat Vniuersas quippe mox à primo sensu discentes in animo velut inscriptas habemus Euery weeke al the people come together to heare the lawe Euery one of vs demaunded any question of the lawe can answere as readily as hee can tell his owne name For we learning the law euen from our youth haue it as it were written in our memorie Secondely the publique Reading of the Scripture is good for suche as can not reade them selues to such lykewise as can reade but yet haue not the bookes of the holie Scripture at home in their houses Thirdly it maketh the people better to vnderstande the Sermons preached vnto them bicause through the continuall hearing of the Scriptures read they be acquainted with the wordes and phrases of the same Last of all it may be that some men be more edified by the simple reading of the scriptures than by sermons But both of reading the Scriptures and the profitablenesse therof I haue spoken before in the former treatise I can not but maruell what these men meane not onely in spyte and malice to ioyne with the Papistes against the Communion Booke but agaynst the publike reading of the Scriptures in the Churche also Saying that Reading is no feeding but it is as euill as playing on a stage and worse too than the which no Papist coulde haue spoken more spitefully If there be any ministers that can scarsly reade I defende them not neyther doth the Booke of coÌ„mon prayer allowe of them these be but Papisticall cauillations against the puritie of our seruice and Sacraments As for that which foloweth These are emptie feeders c. And the places of scripture quoted in the margent may be aptly spoken and alledged agaynst wicked ignorant and dumbe Pastors not against vertuous godly learned preaching or as you terme them reading ministers And therfore I leaue them to you and to the Papists better to be considered of Admonition By this booke bare reading is good tilling and single seruice saying is excellent building and he is shepherde good inough that can as Popishe Priestes coulde out of their Portuis saye fayrely their diuine seruice Naye some in the fulnesse of their blasphemie haue sayde it that muche preaching bringeth the woorde of God into contempt and that foure preachers were inough for all London so farre are they from thinking it necessarie and seeking that euery congregation shoulde haue a faythfull pastor Paule was not so wise as these politike men when he sayd we can not beleeue except we heare and we can not heare without a preacher c. Seeing we may heare by reading and so beleeue without a preacher foolishly he spake when he sayde he muste be apt to teach sith euery man of the basest sorte of the people is admitted to this function of suche as Ieroboam did sometimes make his priests We wil say no more in this matter but desire you to consider with vs what small profite and edification this seely reading hath broughte to vs this thirteene yeres paste excepte perhaps by some Circumcelion or newe Apostle we haue had nowe and then a fleing sermon surely our sinnes are growen ripe our ignorance is equall with the ignoraunce of our leaders we are lost they can not find vs we are sicke they can not heale vs we are hungrie they can not finde vs except they leade vs by other mens lights and heale vs by saying a prescript forme of seruice or else feede vs with homilies that are to homely to be set in place of Gods scriptures But dronken they are and shewe their owne shame that striue so eagerly to defende their dooings that they will not onely not acknowledge their imperfections but will enforce men to allowe them Answere Here is muche a doe about bare reading and single seruice saying by like you lacke matter to make out your Uolume when you iterate one thing so often I tell you agayne no honest godly or learned man euer hitherto did or will disalowe reading of the scriptures in the Churche or a prescript order of common prayers Shewe any learned mans iudgement to the contrarie shewe the example of any Christian Churche of antiquitie or of any late reformed Church wherein there is not bothe reading of the Scriptures in the publike congregation and a prescript order of common prayers nay shew any one sillable in the Scriptures to the contrarie As for your places alledged out of the. 1. Corinth 3.
be not present Well men may sée whervnto this geare tendeth if they be not blinde Benedictus also Nuns dimittis and Magnificat be great motes in your eyes but you shewe no reason worthy to be answered onely in derision you say except some of them were ready to dye or would celebrate the memorie of the Uirgin or Iohn Baptist. As thoughe these Hymmes or Psalmes were not profitable for all men as the rest of the holy Scripture is but these especially bicause they conteyne the mysterie of our saluation and the prayse of God for the same By this your reason we may not vse any of the Psalmes vntil we be in like case as Dauid was or other when they were first made But I thinke nowe the time is come when those shall correct magnificat qui nesciunt quid significat Truely this your dooing is a méere prophanation of holy scriptures Admonition The thirtenth In all their order of seruice there is no edification according to the rule of the Apostle but confusion They tosse the Psalmes in most places like tennise balles the people some standing some walking some talking some reading some praying by theÌ„selues attende not to the minister He againe posteth it ouer as faste as he can gallop for either he hath two places to serue or else there are some games to be played in the after noone as lying for the Whetstone heathenishe dauncing for the ring a Beare or a Bull to be bayted or else Iacke an apes to ryde on horse backe or an Enterlude to bee playde and if no place else can bee gotten it muste bee doone in the church c. Now the people sit now they stand vp wheÌ„ the old testameÌ„t is read or the lessons they make no reuerence but when the Gospell commeth then they all stande vp For why they think that to be of greatest authoritie and are ignorant that the scriptures came from one spirite When Iesus is named then off goeth the cappe and downe goeth the knees with suche a scraping on the grounde that they can not heare a good while after so that the word is hindred but when any other names of God are mentioned they make no curtesie at all as though the names of God were not equall or as though all reuerence oughte to be giuen to the sillables We speake not of ringing when Mattens is done and other abuses incident bicause we shal be answered that by the booke they are not mainteined only we desire to haue a booke to refourme it As for Organes and curious singing though they be proper to popishe dennes I meane to Cathedral churches yet some others also muste haue them The Queenes Chappell and these Churches must be paternes and presidents to the people of all superstitions Answere This is a slaunderous vntruth And the .1 Cor. 14. abused to confirme it Whatsoeuer S. Paule requireth in that place is vsed in that booke of Seruice for first the whole seruice is in a tong knowne as S. Paule there requireth that the people may vnderstande and say Amen Then are the Scriptures read the Sacramentes ministred according to Christes owne institution those that be godly disposed persons knowe what a manifeste vntruth this is that you here vtter But madde men women and children must haue their wordes If by tossing of Psalmes you meane the singing of them alternatim then doe you disallowe that whiche is both commendable and of great antiquitie as it appereth in an Epistle that Basilius Magnus did write to the ministers in Neocesaria where he sheweth the selfe same order of singing Psalmes to be then vsed in the churche that we vse at this day If by tossing of Psalmes lyke tennyse balles you meane the ouer hastie reading or singing of them it is in déede to be mislyked but it is no parte of the booke and therfore no cause why you should absteyn from subscribing to it Walking talking reading priuate praying of the people in time of Common prayers seruing of two cures games played in the afternoone on the Sabboth daye as lying for the whetstone c. be faults worthy of punishment where they be vsed but they are not within the contentes of the boke they are here recited out of place to no purpose This is very malicious and vndiscrete dealing to burden the common order with suche faultes whiche by the malice of men are growen in vse and are of all good men mislyked So you might haue burdened Saint Paule and other preachers with the faults of the Churches of Corinth and Galathians and the residue of the Apostles with the superstitions of the Iewes conuerted in the primitiue Churche and all good rulers with such faultes as corruption of time breedeth Standing or sitting at this time or that time is indifferent and therfore may both be well vsed and abused also Kneeling at the name of Iesus is of the lyke nature ringing when matâ—ins is doone as you tearme it curious singing organs â–ª c. All these be without the booke and therfore without discretion alledged as a reason why you wil not subscribe to the book Here it pleaseth you to call Cathedrall Churches Popish dennes As hap is your words ar no slander But this brag I will make of Cathedral Churches and such as be now in them I wil offer vnto you a doze in cathedral Churches in EnglaÌ„d which I my selfe do know the worst wherof in learning shal encounter with al Papists Puritans Anabaptists and what other sects soeuer in England for the defence of religion now professed eyther by worde or writing Without arrogancie be it spoken I thinke there was neuer time wherein these churches were better furnished with wyse learned and godly men than they be at this day I speake not this bostingly but to Gods glorie the honour of the Prince the comfort of the godly and the shame of slandrous Papists and disdainful schismatiks Your slaÌ„drous spéech of the Quéenes Maiesties chappel which you also say to be a pattern and president to the people of all superstitions is rather seuerely to be punished than with wordes to be confuted Admonition The fouretéenth Their pontificall whiche is annexed to the booke of Common prayer and whervnto subscribing to the Articles we must subscribe also wherby they consecrate Bishops make ministers and Deacons is nothing else but a thing worde for worde drawne out of the Popes pontificall wherin he sheweth himselfe to be Antichrist most liuely And as the names of Archebishops Archdeacons lorde Bishops Chancelours c. are drawen out of the Popes shop together with their offices So the gouernement whiche they vse by the lyfe of the Pope which is the Canon law is Antichristian and diuellish and contrarye to the Scriptures And as safely may we by the warrante of Gods word subscribe to allow the dominion of the Pope vniuersally to raigne ouer the Churche of God as of an Archbishop ouer an whole prouince or a Lordbishop
state That Bishoppes haue authoritie to admit ministers which is here denyed it is playne by that whiche is written 1. Timo. 5. Manus cito ne cus imponas Lay thy hands rashly on none These words Ambrose Chrisostome and al learned writers for the moste part do say to be an admonitioÌ„ to Timothie that he ought to be circumspect in appoynting of ministers And to Titus ca. 1. Paule sayth that he left him at Creta vt constitnat oppidatim presbiteros that he should appoynt ministers in euery tovvne This Hierome and others do expounde of the authoritie that Titus had in placing ministers in euery Churche It is the generall consent of all the learned fathers that it perteineth to the office of a Bishop to order and elect ministers of the word In this saith Hierome in Epist. ad EuagriuÌ„ A Bishop doth excel al other ministers in that the ordring and appoynting of ministers doth properly pertayne vnto him And yet these men say that the right of ordring ministers doth at no hand apperteyne to a byshop But for the order and maner of making ministers peruse the booke made for that purpose and as I sayd before so I say agayne if thou hast any iudgement thou canst not but like it and allowe of it The seuenth Then none admitted to the ministerie but a place was voyde aforehande to which he should be called but nowe byshops to whome the righte of ordering Ministers doth at no hande appertayne doe make 60.80 or 100. at a clap and sende them abroade into the countrey like masterlesse men To proue this you cite in the margent the first of the Actes where it is declared howe Mathias was chosen into the place of Iudas to make vp the number of the twelue Apostles Surely this is but a slender reason Mathias was chosen into the place of Iudas Ergo no man muste bée admitted into the ministerie excepte a place beforehande be voyde to the which he shoulde be called Euery meane Sophister will laughe at the childishnesse of this argument Mathias was chosen to be an Apostle and not to any certayne cure and therefore this example proueth nothing If you had used mo reasons I woulde haue answered them What certayne cure had Paule Barnabas Philippe Epaphroditus Andronicus Iunius and yet they were not of the twelue Apostles It is a straunge doctrine to teache that a man may not preache oute of hys owne cure It is more straunge to say that it is not lawfull for him to preache excepte he haue some Pastorall cure béeyng of hym selfe able to lyue and not mynding to bée burdensome to the Churche If you séeke for any texte in Scripture to confirme this doctrine you can fynde none if you séeke for examples to the contrarie you shall fynde plentie That the ordering of Ministers dothe appertayne to Byshops properly which you here vtterly denie I haue proued before they be best able to iudge of mens abilitie to that function It is their especiall charge to sée that there be méete ministers in the Churche and therefore good reason that they should haue the chiefe stroke in ordering of them and yet in that businesse they trust not them selues alone they haue other godly and learned ministers to assist them in examining suche as are to be admitted they also require a testimoniall of life and conuersation from that place wherein those that are to be Ministers haue bene latest and longest remayning If suche numbers as you say be admitted at one time and sent abroade like masterlesse men that is the faulte of the person not of the lawe neither is it a sufficient cause to debarre any learned godly and méete man from the ministerie able to liue of him selfe or hauing any other Ecclesiasticall liuing as Prebende fellowship in some colledge of either Uniuersitie or such lyke though he haue no pastorall charge and cure neither shall you euer be able to proue but that a man disposed and able to â—o good in the Churche of Chryst may be admitted into the ministerie although he haue no Ecclesiasticall liuing at all I mislike runnagates and masterlesse men and suche as are compelled to séeke vp and downe to get them seruices aswell as you and I hope the redresse thereof is already determined The eyght Then after iust triall and vocation they were admitted to their functioÌ„ by laying on of the hands of the company of the eldership onely Nowe there is neither of these being looked vnto required an Albe a surplesse a vestiment a pastorall staffe beside that ridiculous and as they vse it to their newe creatures blasphemous saying receyue the holy Ghost Of triall vocation I haue spoken before To proue laying on of hands c. is alledged the first of Timothie the fourth chapter this is but a ceremonie and it is now vsed For the Byshop and other learned and graue ministers there present do lay their hands vpon suche as are admitted into the mynisterie Nowe if you would knowe what is here mente by Seniors you may learne if you please of Oecumenius a learned and olde writer who expoundeth this place of Timothie on this sort 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By Seniors he meaneth Byshops and so sayth Chrysostome in like maner In the booke nowe allowed of making Deacons and Ministers and consecrating of Byshops there is neither required Albe Surplesse Uestiment nor pastorall staffe reade the Booke from the begynning to the ending And therefore this is a false and vntrue reporte To vse these wordes receiue the holy ghost in ordering of ministers which Chryst him selfe vsed in appoynting his Apostles is no more ridiculous and blasphemous than it is to vse the words that he vsed in the supper But it is blasphemie thus outragiously to speake of the words of Chryst. The Byshop by speaking these wordes dothe not take vpon him to giue the holy ghost no more than he dothe to remitte synnes when he pronounceth the remyssion of synnes but by speaking these wordes of Chryst receyue the holy ghost whose sinnes soeuer ye remitte they are remitted c. he doth shewe the principall duetie of a minister and assureth him of the assistaunce of Gods holy spirite if he labour in the same accordingly You call them his new creatures these be but words of scurrilitie to be hissed at not to be answered The ninth Then euery pastor had his flock euery flock his shepherd or else shepherds Now they do not onely runne fisking froÌ„ place to place a miserable disorder in Gods church but courtously ioyne liuing to liuing making shipwracke of their owne consciences and beeing but one shepherde nay would to God they were shepheards and not wolues haue many flocks To proue this you alledge the twentith of the Actes the .4 to the Ephe. the .1 to Titus the .5 chapter of the .1 of Peter which places declare that there were Pastors which had flocks but they proue not that euery Pastor had a
be but very sclender proofes that the names and offices of Archebishops Lord Bishops c. be plainly forbidden by the word of God. Surelie you had thought that no man wold euer haue taken paines to examine your margent I am of Hemingius opinion in this pointe that I thinke this your assertiō smelleth of plaine Anabaptisme and surely if you had once made an equalitie such as you phansie among the Clergie it would not be long or you attempted the same amōg the laytie let thē take héede Tūc tua res agitur c. The fouretenth Then ministers were not so tyed to any forme of prayers inuented by man but as the spirit moued them so they poured forth hartye supplications to the Lorde Now they are bounde of necessitie to a prescripte order of seruice and boke of common prayer in whiche a great number of things contrarie to gods word are conteined as baptisme by women priuate communiōs iewish purifiengs obseruing of holydayes c. patched if not altogether yet the greatest pece out of the popes portuis To proue that ministers were not so tyed to any forme of prayer inuented by man but that as the spirite moued them c. you quote Rom. 8. and the 1. Timo. 1. In the eight to the Romaines the words be these Likevvise also the spirite helpeth our infirmities for vve knovve not vvhat to pray as we ought but the spirite it self maketh request for vs vvith sighes vvhiche cannot be expressed This place speaketh nothing against any prescripte forme of prayer for then it shoulde dissalowe the Lords prayer but it teacheth vs that it is the spirite of God that sturreth vs vp to pray and maketh vs earnestly poure out our supplications vnto god And this the spirite worketh aswell by prescripte prayers as by prayers sodenly inuented The wordes to Timo. Epist. 1 ca. 1. vers 2. are farre fetched and nothing to the purpose the words be these vnto Timothie my naturall sonne in the faith grace ▪ mercy and peace from God our father and from Christ Iesu our lord What maketh these words against any prescripte forme of prayers peraduenture you would haue alledged the firste to Timo. 2. I exhorte therefore that first of all supplications c. which maketh directly against you If you meane by prayers inuented by man such prayers as man inuenteth against the word of God as prayer for the dead prayer vnto saincts and such like then it is true that you say But if you meane suche prayers as by godly men be framed according to the holy scriptures whether they be for matters perteyning to the life to come or to this life then you shewe your ignoraunce for it is manifest that there hath bene always in the Church of Christ a prescripte forme of publique praier as it appeareth in Iustinus Martir Apolo 2. pro christianis and other auncient fathers neither did euer any learned or godly man or reformed Church finde faulte herewith or not greatly commend the same excepte only the secte of Anabaptists Damasus was a good Byshop and therefore no good thing by him appointed to be disalowed but he did not first ordeyne a prescripte forme of publike prayers he only added something therevnto as Gloria patri c to the ende of euerie psalme And decréed that psalmes shoulde be song aswell in the night time as in the day time in euerie Churche but they were song in the Church before and as I haue said there was a prescript forme of prayer in Iustinus Martirs time who was long before Damasus Gregorie added the Letanie onley I muse what you meane to write so manifest vntruthes You note not here neither ar you able any prayer in the whole Communion booke wherin there is any thing not agréeable to gods word We may say as Sainct Augustin sayth in his 121. epistle writtē ad Probam viduam Et siper omnia precationum sanctarū verba discurras quātū existimo nihilmuenies quod nō ista Dominica cōtineat cōcludat oratio Vnde liberū est alijs atque alijs verbis eadem tamen in orando dicere sed non debet esse liberum alia dicere And if thou runnest thorough all the vvordes of the holy prayers I suppose thou shalte finde nothing vvhiche the Lordes prayer doth not conteine and comprehende therefore vve may in other vvords speake the same things in our prayers but vve may not speake contrarie things But you say A number of things cōtrary vnto gods worde are conteyned in this boke as baptisme by women priuate communions Iewish purifiengs obseruing of holydayes c. patched if not altogither yet the greatest peece out of the Popes portuis Here is not one prayer in all the whole cōmuniō booke found fault with and yet your quarrell is against a prescripte forme of prayers inuented by man. You maruellously forget your selfe and confusedly go from matter to matter without any consideration Digressing therefore from prayers conteyned in the communion booke you come to other matters in the same against gods word as you say and first you alledge baptising by women I deny baptising by womē to be expressed in that booke and whē you haue proued it to be necessarilye gathered out of the same then shal you heare my iudgemente thereof Your places of scripture alledged against it are not of sufficiente force to proue your purpose Christe in the 28. of Mathewe saide to his Disciples goe and teache all nations baptising them in the name of the father c. Ergo women may not baptise I say this argumente followeth not no more than this doth Ergo pastors may not baptise for it is manifest that an Apostle is distinct from a pastor The second place you doe alledge is .1 Cor. 14. where Paule sayeth it is a shame for women to speake in the congregation Paule sayeth not that it is a shame for womē to speake at home in priuate houses for women may instructe their families yea and they may speake also in the congregation in time of necessitie if there be none els there that can or will preach Christ and hereof we haue examples If women do baptise they baptise in priuate houses not in the congregation Surely you are able to marre a good matter for lacke of skilfull handling You say in your margent that Victor An. 198. did first appoint that women might baptise By this ye adde more credite to the cause than you are aware of For Victor was a godly bishop and a martir and the Church at that time was in great puritie not being long after the Apostles time But truly I can finde no such thing in all his decrées only this he saith that such as be cōuerted of the Gentiles to the faith of Christ in time of necessitie or at the pointe of death may be baptised at any time in any place whether it be in the Sea or in a riuer or in a pond or in a well so
not wasted vpon loyterers and idle vagabounds Nowe it is the first steppe to the ministerie nay rather a mere order of priesthoode Answere In the whole .xij. chapiter of the Epistle to the Romanes there is not one worde to proue the office of a Deacon to consist in gathering almes and distributing the same neither yet dothe he speake there of the office of a Deacon no more dothe he in the thirde Chapiter of the seconde Epistle to the Thessalo Lorde God what meane you thus to play with the scriptures It is true that in the primatiue Churche the office of a Deacon was to collecte and prouide for the poore but not onely for it was also their office to preache and to baptise for Stephen and Philippe béeing Deacons dyd preache the Gospell Act. 6.7.8 And Philip dyd baptyse the Eunuche Act. 8. Iustinus Martyr one of the moste auncient writers in his seconde Apologie sayth that in the administration of the Supper deacons did distribute the bread and the wine to the people The same doth master Caluine affirme of deacons in his Instit. ca. 19. It may well be compted the first steppe to the ministerie as it hath bene from the Apostles time and S. Paule ioyneth them togither 1. Tim. 3. Admonition For they may baptise in the presence of a Bishop or priest or in their absence if necessitie so require minister the other sacrament likewise reade the holy scriptures and homilies in the congregation instruct the youth in the Cathechisme and also preache if he be commaunded by the Byshop Answere I know not what you meane by your Ponti tit in the margent of your booke but if you meane the booke entituled the forme and maner of making and consecrating Byshops c. now allowed in this Church of Englande then do you vntruely reporte it for there is no mention of baptising in the presence of a Byshop or Priest neither yet of ministring the other sacrament in their absence if necessitie require onely the booke sayth that a deacon may baptise or preach if he be thervnto admitted by the Byshop and that he may so do by the worde of God I haue proued before As for reading the holy scriptures and Homilies in the congregation also for instructing the youth in the Cathechisme who doubteth but that a deacon may do them Admonition Agayne in the olde Churche euery congregation had their Deacons Answere O how aptely you haue alledged the Scriptures to proue that euery congregation had their deacons In the first to the Philip. these be the words Paule and Timotheus c. to all the Saincts which are at Philippi with the Bishops and Deacons Paule and Timotheus salute the Byshops Deacons which were at Philippi Therfore in those dayes euery congregation had their Deacons a straunge kind of reasoning you might well haue thus concluded Ergo at Philippi there was Deacons But surely this argument is too muche out of square there was Deacons at Philippi therfore euery congregation had their Deacons In the .13 of S. Iohn verse .27 these be the wordes And after the soppe Sathan entred into him then sayde Iesus vnto him that thou doste do quickly After supper Sathan entred into Iudas and Iesus sayde vnto him that thou doste do quickly Therefore euery congregation had their Deacons No maruell though your margent be pestred with Scriptures when you take libertie to make ex quolibet quidlibet Peraduēture you meane that Iudas was a Deacon as he was not but an Apostle bicause he carried the bagge and that some of the Apostles thought that Christ had bid him giue somwhat to the poore belike whosoeuer giueth a peny to the poore at his masters commaundement is with you a Deacon In the sixt of the Acts we learne that there were chosen seauen Deacons but there is not one worde to proue that euery congregation had their Deacons In the third of the first to Timothie S. Paule sheweth what qualities and conditions a Deacon ought to haue but not one worde of deacons béeing in euery congregation This is great audacitie thus manifestly to wring the scriptures without all colour or shew of reason Admonition Now they are tyed to Cathedrall Churches only what do they there gather the almes and distribute it to the poore nay that is the least peece or rather no parte of their function What then to sing a Gospell when the Bishop ministreth the Communion If this be not a peruerting of this office and charge let euery one iudge Answere I am sure you are not offended that there be Deacons in Cathedrall Churches For if they ought to be in euery congregatiō they ought to be there also and yet I know no such order now in Cathedrall Churches that they be more bounde to Deacons in the respecte of reading the Gospell thā other Churches be But admitte they were it is no peruerting of the office of a Deacon being incident to his office aswell to reade the Scriptures in the congregation and to exhorte as to giue almes and distribute to the poore For the state of the Churche is not nowe as it was in the Apostles tyme neyther is that parte of the office of a Deacon so necessary nowe as it was then being lawes and orders otherwise to prouide for the poore than there either was then or coulde haue bene Admonition And yet least the reformers of our time shold seeme vtterly to take out of gods Church thys necessarie function they appointe something to it concerning the pore and that is to search for the sicke needy and impotent people of the parrish and to intimate their estates names and places where they dwell to the Curate that by his exhortation they may be releeued by the parrish or other conuenient almes And thys you see is the nighest parte of his office and yet you must vnderstande it to be in suche places where there is a Curate and Deacō euery parrishe cannot be at that cost to haue both nay no parrish so farre as can be gathered at thys present hath Answere And what faulte can you finde herewith is not thys greatly to be commended If euery parrishs cannot be at the cost to haue both Curate and Deacon why do you require them both in euery parrish Why do you not thinke well of suche lawes as appoint collectours for the poore which may aswell prouide for them and better too than could the Deacon who must be susteyned himselfe with that which the poore should haue Admonition Now then ▪ if you will restore the Churche to his ancient officers this you must do In stead of an Archbyshop or Lorde Byshop you must make equalitie of ministers Answere I haue proued before that aswell the name as office of an Archbishop is both most auncient and also most necessarie in the Church of Christ and that this equalitie of ministers which you require is both flatly against the scriptures and all aunciente authoritie of councells and learned
An Answere to the seconde parte of the Libell called An admonition to the Parliament and entituled A view of Popishe abuses yet remayning in the English Church for the which godlie ministers haue refused to subscribe Admonition WHere as immediatly after the laste parliament holden at Westmynster begon in Anno. 1570. and ended in Anno 1571. the ministers of gods holy word and Sacraments were called before hir maiesties high Cōmissioners and enforced to subscribe vnto the articles if they would kepe their places and liuings and some for refusing to subscribe were vnbrotherly and vncharitably entreated and from their offices and places remoued May it please therefore this honorable and high Court of Parliament in cōsideration of the premises to take a view of such causes as then did withholde and now doth the foresaide Ministers from subscribing and consenting vnto those foresaide articles by way of purgation to discharge them selues of all disobedience towardes the Church of God and their soueraigne and by way of most humble entreatie for the remouing away and vtter abolishing of all suche corruptions and abuses as withhelde them through whiche this long time brethren haue bene at vnnaturall warre and strife among them selues to the hinderance of the Gospell to the ioy of the wicked and to the griefe and dismay of all those that professe Christes religion and laboure to attaine Christian reformation Answere You complayne much of vnbrotherly vncharitable entreating of you of remouing you from your offices and places Surely in this point I must compare you to certayne heretikes that were in Augustines time who most bitterly by sundry meanes afflicting and molesting the true ministers of the Churche yet for all that cried out that they were extreamly dealte with and cruelly persecuted by them or else vnto a shrewd and vngratious wife which beating hir husbande by hir clamorous cōplaints maketh hir neighbours beleue that hir husband beateth hir or to him that is mētioned in Erasmus colloquies that did steale and runne away with the Priests purse and yet cried alwaies as he ranne stay the thiefe stay the thiefe and thus crying escaped and yet he was the thiefe him selfe You are as gentlie entreated as may be no kinde of brotherly perswasion omitted towardes you most of you as yet kepe your liuings though some one or two be displaced you are offered all kind of friendlinesse if you could be contente to conforme your selues yea but to be quiet and holde your peace you on the contrary side most vnchristianly and most vnbrotherly both publikely and priuately raile on those that shew this humanitie towards you slaunder them by all meanes you can and most vntruly report of them séeking by all meanes their discredit Againe they as their allegiance to the Prince dutie to lawes requireth yea and as some of them by oth are bounde do execute that discipline whiche the Prince the lawe and their oth requireth You contrary to al obedience duty and oth openly violate break those lawes orders and statutes which you ought to obey and to the which some of you by oth is bounde If your doings procéede in dede from a good conscience then leaue that liuing and place whiche bindeth you to those things that be against your conscience for why shold you striue with the disquietnesse both of your selues and others to kepe that liuing which by laws you cannot excepte you offende against your cōscience or what honestie is there to sweare to statutes and lawes and when you haue so done cōtrarie to your oth to breake thē and yet still to remaine vnder them and enioy that place which requireth obedience and subiectiō to them For my parte I thinke it much better by remouing you from your liuings to offende you than by suffering you to enioy them to offend the prince the lawe conscience and god And before God I speake it if I were persuaded as you séeme to be I would rather quietly forsake all the liuinges I haue than be an occasion of strife and contention in the Church a cause of stumbling to the weake reioysing to the wicked I know God would prouide for me if I did it bona conscientia yea surely I would rather die than be an author of schismes a disturber of the common peace and quietnesse of the Churche and state There is no reformed Churche that I can heare tell of but it hath a certayne prescripte and determinate order aswell touching ceremonies and discipline as doctrine to the which all those are constrayned to giue their consent that will liue vnder the protection of it and why then may not this Churche of England haue so in like manner Is it méete that euery man should haue his owne phansie or liue as him list Truly I know not whervnto these your doings can tende but either to Anabaptisme or to méere confusion But nowe to the reasons that moue you not to subscribe to those articles ministred vnto you by hir Maiesties highe Commissioners The first article First that the booke cōmonly called the boke of common prayers for the Church of Englād authorised by parliamente and all and euery contents therin be suche as are not repugnant to the word of God. Admonition Albeit right honorable and dearely beloued we haue at all times borne with that whiche we could not amend in this booke and haue vsed the same in our ministerie so farre forth as we might reuerencing those times and those persons in whiche and by whome it was first authorised being studious of peace and of the building vp of Christes Church yet now being compelled by subscription to allow the same and to confesse it not to be against the worde of God in any point but tollerable we must nedes say as followeth that this booke is an vnperfecte booke culled and picked out of the popish dunghill the masse booke full of all abhominations for some and many of the contents therin be such as are against the worde of God as by his grace shal be proued vnto you And by the way we cannot but muche maruell at the craftie wilinesse of those men whose partes it had bene first to haue proued each and euery cōtente therin to be agreable to the word of god seing that they force mē by subscription to consente vnto it or else sende them packing from their callings Answere And what reason can you giue why you should not aswell allowe of it by subscription as you saye that you haue hitherto done by vsing of it in your ministerie Will you speake on thing and do another will you not subscribe to that whiche you publiquely vse and giue your cōsent vnto If those persons by whome this booke was first authorised were studious of peace and of bulding vp of Christes Church as you say they were then you that séeke to deface it are disturbers of peace and destroyers of the Church of Christ. They were singuler learned men zelous in Gods religion blamelesse in life
vntrustye dispensers of Gods secretes euil deuiders of the word weake to withstand the aduersarie not able to confute And to conclude so farre from making the man of God perfecte to all good workes that rather the quite contrary may be confirmed Answere Of the prescript forme of seruice and of such corruptions as hitherto you haue found in it I haue spoken before sufficiently so haue I also done of the ministerie and of reading so that I muste referre you to the former treatise for these matters lest I should be too tedious and offende as ofte in diuers tymes iterating the same thing as you doe This I must néedes say that you make here a childish digression farre from the purpose that you haue taken in hande for the communion booke medleth not with the ordering of ministers although somtimes the Booke of ordering ministers be bounde with the same neyther are these thinges that you here speake of there to be founde And therfore no cause why you should absteyn from subscribing to that booke But now to your painted margent You say by the word of God the ministerie is an office of preaching we make it an office of reding To proue it to be an office of preaching you note in youre margente Matth. 26. But I thinke your meaning is the .28 and Marke 16. Where Chryste sayeth to hys Disciples Go therfore and teache all nations c. What if a man shoulde say vnto you that this commission was giuen onely to the Apostles For he sayeth Go into the whole worlde where as you teache nowe that no man may come into the ministerie except he first haue a flocke and then muste he kéepe him with his flocke and goe no further If this doctrine be true then can not this place serue your turne For as the office of Apostle is ceased by your doctrine so is this commission also except you will haue the one part to stand that is Goe and preach and this to be abrogated In vniuersum mundum into the whole worlde But wher doth the booke make the ministerie an office of reading only or what contrarietie is there betwixte reading and preaching nay what difference is there betwixte them if a man shoulde write his sermon and reade it in the booke to his flocke dothe he not preache Is ther no Sermons but such as be sayd without booke I thinke to preache the Gospell is to teache and instructe the people in faithe and good manners be it by writing reading or speaking without book And I am sure the spirite of God doth worke as effectually by the one of these wayes as it doth by the other Did not Sainâ—te Paule preache to the Romaynes when he writte to them was not the reading of Deuteronomie to the people a preaching 2. Reg. 23. Will you so scornefullye and so contemptuously speake of the Reading of Scripture being a thing so fruitfull and necessarie But to come to the Booke not of Common prayer mentioned in the Article but of ordering Deacons and Ministers wherevnto this dothe appertayne whyche you fynde faulte with the saying of the Bishop to him that is to be made minister is this Take thou authoritie to preache the word of God and to minister the holy Sacramentes in the congregation where thou shalte be so appoynted What faulte fynde you in these wordes Doth he giue him authoritie to reade or to preache I take vpon me the defence of the booke not of euery mans doings But this you say is spoken in mockerie bicause they may not preache excepte they haue newe licences Surely I thinke no man is admitted into the ministerie but he is permitted to preache in his owne cure without further licence excepte it be vpon some euill vsage of himselfe afterwardes eyther in lyfe or doctrine It maye be that a man be admitted minister and afterward fall into errour or heresies as did Iudas and Nicolaus the Deacon it is méete that suche should be restrained from preaching notwithstanding their former licence In all reformed Churches I am sure this order is obserued That none ought publiquely to preache withoute licence in a Church established and hauing Christian magistrates I haue shewed before In the Scriptures you say there is attributed vnto the ministers of God the knowledge of the heauenly misteries and for proofe hereof you cite the .1 Cor. 4. which is néedelesse for it is manyfeste And yet all haue not knowledge of them alike no there is greate diuersitie among them touchyng knowledge of these mysteries and yet he that knoweth least may be profitable in the churche according to his talent You goe on and say that therfore as the greatest token of their loue they are enioyned to feede Gods lambes and you alledge the .21 of Iohn the wordes of Christ to Peter Feede my lambes c. al this is true and féeding is not onely publique preaching but reading also of the Scriptures and priuately exhorting and that according to the gifte and grace giuen of God to euery man. And yet you say with these suche are admitted and accepted as onely are bare readers that is onely able to saye Seruice and to minister a Sacrament I saye this is the faulte of the man not of the booke for the Booke alloweth none suche But what is this to your purpose what kynde of reason is this Some Byshoppes admit some vnméete ministers therfore you wil not subscribe to the Communion booke or there be some ministers that can not preache therfore there is some thing in the Communion booke repugnant to the worde of god It appeareth you had but small regarde to that whiche you tooke in hande to proue or that you can fynde little matter in the booke of seruice to carpe at when you fall into suche friuolous digressions For reading Ministers you bidde vs viewe these places Mala. 2.7 Esay 56.10 Zacha. 11.15 Math. 15.14 1. Timoth. 3.3 The Prophet Malachie in the second Chapter and seuenth vse sayeth on this sorte For the Preestes lippes should preserue knowledge and they should seeke the law at his mouthe for hee is the messenger of the Lorde of hostes In whiche wordes the Prophete dothe signifye that the Préestes ought to bée learned in the lawe and able to instruct whiche no man denyeth and if there be any crepte into the ministerie whiche are not able so to doe it is to be ascribed either to the negligence of the Bishoppe and suche as haue to doe therein or to the necessitie of the tyme But here is nothing spoken agaynste reading for any thing that I can gather and if any man shoulde come vnto mée and demaunde of me any question touching the lawe of God I thinke I should better satisfie him if I did reade the wordes of the lawe vnto him than if I shoulde make a long tedious discourse of myne owne to little or no purpose It is the word it selfe that perceth and moueth the conscience I speake not this
hath brought to vs these thirtene years past c. And what can you tell howe much it hath profited I thinke very much but the lesse bycause of your cōtentiousnesse For by the factiōs that you haue stirred many be brought into a doubte of religion many cleane driuen backe and no doubte the frutes of the Gospell would haue muche more appeared if you had not made this schisme in the Churche a perpetuall companion but yet a deadly enimie to the Gospell I know not what you meane by your Circumceliō or newe Apostle If you meane such as preach in diuers places as they be called or as they sée occasion I sée not with what honest zeale or godly affection you can call them in derision Circumcelions or newe Apostles Some such haue done more good with their flying sermons as you terme them than you haue done with your rayling libels But as I said in the beginning I will not aunswere wordes but matter although I am constrained to do otherwise you are so full of words and barren of matter Admonition The second reason In this booke also it is appointed that after the creede if there be no sermon an homely must followe either already set out or herafter to be set out This is scarce plaine dealing that they would haue vs to consent vnto that which we neuer sawe whiche is to be set out hereafter we hauing had such cause alreadye to distrust them by that whiche is already set out being corrupt and strange to mainteine an vnlearned reading ministrie And sith it is plaine that mens works oughte to be kepte in and nothing else but the voyce of God and holy scriptures in which only are conteined al fulnesse and sufficiencie to decide controuersies must sounde in hys Churche for the very name Apocrypha testifieth that they ought rather to be kepte close than to be vttered Answere Your seconde reason in fewe wordes is this In the booke of common prayer it is appointed that after the creede if there be no sermon an Homily must followe either already set out or hereafter to be set out but you knowe not what wil hereafter be set out therefore you will not subscribe You haue no cause to suspecte any thing touching religion set out by publique authoritie for so is the booke or hereafter to be set out by cōmon authoritie Hitherto you are not able to cōuince any homily set out by cōmon authoritie of any error and therefore you ought not to be suspicious of any that is to come If any Homily shall hereafter be sette out wherein you mislike any thing you néede not to reade it the boke doth not appoint you this or that Homily to read but some one which you like best But what néede you to be scrupulous in thys matter if you be disposed to preach then néede you reade no Homily at all therefore this is no reason This assertion that in the holy scriptures is cōteyned al fulnesse to decide controuersies if you meane controuersies in matters of fayth and in matters touching saluation is very true but you haue vsed little discretion in quoting some places to proue the same I finde no faulte with you for citing the sixte verse of the 2. Timo. 3. for the 16. verse that is but a small ouersight and it may bée in the Printer But howe doe you conclude this assertion of the words of Peter 2. epist. ca. 1. verse 20. which be these so that ye first knovve that no prophecie of the scripture is of any priuate motion For this place only proueth that the scriptures be not of men but of the holy Ghost it speaketh nothing of the sufficiencie of the Scripture That place also 1. Cor. 1. is not fitly applyed to this purpose there is scripture sufficient directly to proue the sufficiencie of scripture so that you shoulde not haue néeded to giue the aduersarie occasion to carpe at the vnaptnesse of these places for that purpose Homelies contayning doctrine agréeable to the scriptures be of the same nature that sermons be Wherfore if it be not lawfull in the Church to reade homilies neither is it lawfull to preach Sermons The reason is all one neyther is there any difference but that Homilies be read in the booke Sermons sayde without the booke Homilies are pithie learned and sound sermons oftētimes be words without matter vnlearned erronious But of reading Homilies in the church I haue somthing spoken before now it shal be sufficient only to set down Master Bucers iudgemente of this matter in his notes vppon the Communion booke which is this It is better that vvhere there lacks to expound the scriptures vnto the people there shoulde be Godly and learned Homilies readde vnto them rather than they shoulde haue no exhortation at all in the administration of the supper And a little after there be too fevve Homilies and too fevve points of religion taught in them vvhen therefore the Lord shall blesse this kingdome vvith some excellent preachers lette them be commaunded to make moe Homilies of the principall points of religion vvhich may be readde to the people by those pastors that cannot make better themselues Admonition In this booke days are ascribed vnto saints and kepte holy with fastes on their euens and prescripte seruice appointed for them whiche beside that they are of many superstitiously kept and obserued and also contrarie to the cōmaundement of God Sixe dayes thou shalt laboure and therefore we for the superstition that is put in them dare not subscribe to allowe them Answere This is contained in your first reason and there aunswered Your collection hangeth not togither for howe followeth this these holydayes be superstitiously obserued of some therefore you may not allow them Why shoulde other mens superstition hinder you from lawfully vsing a lawfull thing The Saboth day is superstitiously vsed of some so is the church so is the Créed the Lords prayer and many things else and yet I hope you will subscribe to them You heape vp a number of places in the margent to proue that which no man doubteth of that is this portiō of the commaundement Sixe daies shalt thou labour c. The meaning of which wordes is this that seing God hath permitted vnto vs sixe days to do our owne works in we ought the seuenth day wholy to serue him This is no restraint for any man from seruing of God any day in the wéeke else For the Iewes had diuers other feasts whiche they by Gods appointmente obserued notwithstanding these wordes Sixe dayes c. Euery man hath not bodily laboure to doo but may serue God aswell in these sixe dayes as in the seuenth And certenly he doth not by any means break this commaundement which abstayneth in any of these six dayes from bodily laboure to serue god For this is the commaundement Remēber that thou kepe holy the Saboth day as for this Sixe dayes thou shalt vvorke is no commaundemente
finishing of the ceremoniall law you do but delude the readers and abuse the Scriptures for there is no suche matter to be founde in them If you alledge them to proue that Christe is the full finishing of the Ceremoniall lawe you take vpon you to proue that which no man deâ—teth of is very far froÌ„ your purpose You note also the .20 of Exodus Thou shalt not bow downe to them nor worship them to proue that we may not knéele at the Communion but how fitly euery child may iudge for what sequele is there in this argument God in the second commaundement forbiddeth worshipping of Images therfore we may not receyue the Communion knéeling Admonition The fift As for the halfe communion whiche is yet appointed like to the commemoration of the Masse we saye little of it sauing that wee may note howe neare the translatour bounde him selfe to the massebooke that woulde not omit it Wee speake not of the name of Prieste wherwith he defaceth the minister of Christe bicause the priest that translated it would perhaps fayne haue the minister of Christ to be ioyned with him seing the office of priesthoode is ended christ being the last priest that euer was To call vs therfore priests as touching our office is eyther to call back agayn the olde priesthode of the lawe whiche is to denie Christe to be comen or else to keepe a memorie of the Popish priesthod of abhomination stil amongst vs As for the first it is by â–ª Christe abolished and for the seconde it is of Antichriste and therefore wee haue nothyng to doe with it Suche ought to haue no place in our Church neyther are they ministers of Christe sente to preach his Gospell but priestes of the Pope to sacrifice for the quicke and the dead that is to tread vnder their feete the bloud of Christe Suche oughte not to haue place amongest vs as the scriptures manifestly teache Besides that we neuer reade in the newe Testament that thys worde Priest as touching office is vsed in the good parte Answere I know not what you meane by the halfe communion I finde no such worde in the CoÌ„munion booke If you meane the communion in one kinde you speake vntruely and slaunderously of the booke and of this whole Church If you meane the scriptures and prayers appoinpointed to be read when there is no communion then do you vniustly liken them to the coÌ„memoration of the Masse being most fruteful scriptures godly prayers The name of Priest néede not be so odious vnto you as you would séeme to make it I suppose it commeth of this worde Presbyter and not of Sacerdos and then the matter is not great The Priest or priests that translated this book be not so scornefully to be taunted I thinke some of them haue ended their lyues in the fyre and all of them singuler both in lyfe religion and learning Speake not so contemptuously of so worthie men vtter not youre hautie stomackes with so spitefull wordes towardes youre superiours and betters least you proue your selues to be in the number of those of whome Saincte Paule speaketh 2. Tim. 3. vse 2.3.4.5 and Iudas in his epistle vse 8. It is true that the presthod of the old law is abolished but the place of Scripture noted in your margent proueth it not For Hebrues 5. Paule doth shew why the highe Prieste was ordeyned and what were his offices But hée speaketh nothing of the abolishing of the Priesthoode I muse what you meane thus vnnecessarily to paynte youre margent and that with so little iudgemente and lesse discretion The ninth to the Hebrues is some thing to the purpose but néedlesse Touching popish Priests as you call them whether they ought to haue any place in our Church or no I haue spoken before where I haue also answered your marginall notes concerning that matter You farre ouershotte your selfe in my opinion when you set it downe that you neuer read in the newe Testament this worde Priest touching office to be vsed in good parte What say you to the fourth to the Hebrues vse 14. Seeing then that we haue a greate high priest which is entred into heauen Iesus Christe c. And vse 15. For we haue not a hye priest whiche can not be touched with the feeling of oure infirmities but. c. And chap. 5. vse 6. Thou art a priest for euer c. And Apocalips 5. 1. Peter 2. But what shoulde I trouble you with a tedious heaping vp of Scriptures Shew me one place in this Epistle yea in the whole newe Testament where this worde priest is taken in euill parte touching office Truly eyther you are farre deceyued or else my vnderstanding fayleth mée I condemne that office and institution of sacrificing for the quicke and the deade with you and I knowe it is condemned in the scriptures manyfestely and namely in the ninthe and tenthe to the Hebrues Admonition Sixthly in this booke three or foure are allowed for a fit number to receyue the Communion and the Prieste alone together with one more or with the sicke man alone may in tyme of necessitie that is when there is any common plague or in tyme of other visitation minister it to the sicke man and if he require it it may not bee denyed This is not I am sure lyke in effecte to a priuate Masse that Scripture drinke ye all of this maketh not against this and priuate Communion is not agaynst the Scriptures Answere How vntruly these meÌ„ charge the church wyth priuate coÌ„munions I haue shewed before The place of scripture here alledged to proue the thrée or foure be not a sufficient number to coÌ„municate is this drinke ye all of this Matth. 26. Mark. 14. Which may as well be applyed to proue that ten twentie fortie is no sufficient number I know not what your meaning is except you thinke no number sufficient vnlesse all do communicate together bicause Chryst sayde Drinke ye all This texte proueth that all ought to be partakers of the Lordes cup but it dothe not determine any certaine number of communicantes I knowe there be some of the olde fathers as Basilius Magnus whiche woulde not haue fewer communicants than twelue But of the number of Communicantes there is nothing determined in Scripture neyther is it materiall so that there be a number that it may be a communion Admonition The seuenth And as for priuate baptisme that will abyde the touchstone Go ye sayth Christ and teache baptizing them c. Now teaching is diuorced from communions and sacraments They may go alone without doctrine Women that may not speake in a congregation maye yet in tyme of necessitie minister the sacrament of Baptisme and that in a priuate house And yet this is not to tye necessitie of saluation to the sacramentes nor to nousell men vp in that opinion This is agreable with the scriptures and therfore when they bring the baptised child they are
ring whiche you call a sacramentall signe and vntruly say that we attribute the vertue of wedlocke therevnto I knowe it is not materiall whether the ring be vsed or no for it is not of the substance of matrimonie neither yet a sacramentall signe no more than sitting at Communion is but only a ceremonie of the which Master Bucer writing his iudgement vppon the first Communion booke set out in the time of King Edward saith on this sort Subijeitur alius ritus vt annulum c. There is another rite and ceremonie vsed that the bridegroome should lay vpon the booke the ring or any other signe or token of vvedlocke be it golde or siluer vvhich he vvill giue to his vvife and from thence the minister taking it doth deliuer it to the bridegrome and he deliuereth the same to the bride vvith a prescript forme of vvords conteyned in the booke this ceremonie is very profitable if the people be made to vnderstande vvhat is therby signified as that the ring and other things first laide vppon the booke and aftervvard by the minister giuen to the bridegrome to be deliuered to the bride do signifie that we ought to offer all that vve haue to God before vve vse thē and to acknovvledge that vve do receiue them at his hand to be vsed to his glory The putting of the ring vppon the fourth finger of the vvomans lefte hande to the vvhich as it is saide there commeth a synevve or string from the harte doth signifie that the harte of the vvife ought to be vnited to hir husband and the roundnesse of the ring doth signifie that the vvife ought to be ioyned to hir husband vvith a perpetuall bande of loue as the ring it selfe is vvithoute ende Hitherto Master Bucer The seconde thing you reproue is bycause saye you we make the married man according to the papisticall forme to make an Idoll of hys wife saying with my body I thee worship c. And yet S. Peter .1 epist. cap. 3. speaking to the husbands saith Likewise ye husbandes dwell with them as men of knowledge giuing honor vnto the woman c. S. Peter wold haue the man to giue honor vnto his wife yet his meaning is not that a mā shold make an Idol of his wife Last of al you like not that the married persons shoulde be enioyned to receiue the Cōmunion Truly I maruell what you meane so wickedly to reuile so godly and so holy a lawe Well I will onely set downe Master Bucers iudgemente of this thing also in the booke before of me recited his wordes be these Est illud admodum pie ordinatum vt noui coninges vna quoque de mensa Domini communicent nam non nisi in Christo Domino debent christiani inter se matrimonio iungi That is also godly ordeyned that the newe married folkes should receiue the Communion for Christians ought not to be ioyned by matrimonie but in Christ the Lorde Other pettie things you say out of the boke which you call in the margent abuses accidentall as women to come bareheaded bagpipes fidlers comming in at the greate dore c. you will not speake of Truly neither will I speake of them bycause being out of that booke and meare trifles they are not within my compasse But in the meane time this is a sore reason The ring is vsed in matrimonie the man saith to his wife with my body I thee worship the newe married persons receiue the Communion togither therefore you will not subscribe to the booke of common prayers But this argumēt cannot be aunswered women come to the Churche bareheaded with bagpipes and fidlers at the great dore of the Churche and these things bee not in the booke therefore you will not subscribe to the booke Admonition The tenth As for cōfirmatiō as they vse it by the Byshop alone to thē that lacke both discretion and faith it is superstitious and not agreable to the worde of God but popishe and peeuishe We speake not of other toyes vsed in it and howe farre it differeth and is degenerated from the first institution they themselues that are learned can witnesse Answere Confirmation as it is nowe vsed is most profitable without all manner of superstition most agreable to the word of God and in all points differing from the Papisticall manner of confirming children But arrogancie maketh you so péeuish that you can like nothing be it neuer so good Admonition The eleuenth They appointe a prescript kinde of seruice to burye the deade and that whiche is the duty of euery christian they tie alone to the minister whereby prayer for the dead is mainteyned and partly gathered out of some of the prayers where they praye that we wyth this our brother and all other departed in the true faith of thy holy name may haue our perfecte consummation and blisse both in body and soule We say nothing of the threefoulde peale bycause that it is rather licensed by iniunction than commaunded in the booke nor of theyr straunge mourning by chaunging their garments which if it be not hipocriticall yet it is superstitious and heathenishe bycause it is vsed only of custome nor of burial sermōs which are put in place of trentalls whereout spring many abuses and therfore in the best reformed Churches are remoued As for the superstitiōs vsed both in countrey and City for the place of buriall whiche way they must lie howe they must be fetched to Church the minister meeting them at church stile with surplesse with a company of greedy Clarks that a crosse white or blacke must be set vppon the dead corps that bread must be giuen to the poore offrings in buriall time vsed cakes sent abrode to frēds bycause these are rather vsed of custome and superstition than by the authoritie of the boke Small commaundement will serue for the accomplishing of suche things But great charge wil hardly bring the least good thing to passe and therefore all is let alone and the people as blinde and as ignorante as euer they were God be mercifull vnto vs. Answere It is true that we haue a prescript kind of seruice to bury the dead and that we appointe that office to the minister and what haue you in the whole scripture against this or who euer hath found faulte with either of these two things I meane prescript seruice to bury the dead the minister to execute that office but you alone or when was it euer heretofore reproued by any but euen by your selues now of late You say that therby prayer for the dead is mainteyned as may partly be gathered out of some of the prayers where wee praye that we with thys our brother other departed in the true faith of thy holy name c. You know full wel what our doctrine is cōcerning prayer for the dead you ought not thus boldly to vtter a manifest vntruthe for in so doing you do but bewray your sinister
in the Churche or common weale But where read you that Eugenius did first inuent them Admonition The sixtenth In that the Lorde byshoppes their suffraganes Archdeacons Chauncelors officials proctors doctors summers and suche rauening rablers take vpon theÌ„ which is most horrible the rule of Gods Church spoyling the pastor of his lawfull iurisdiction ouer hys own flock giuen by the word thrusting away most sacrilegiously that order which Christe hath left to his Church and which the primatiue church hath vsed they shew they hold the doctrine with vs but in vnrighteousnesse with an outwarde shew of godlinesse but hauing denied the power therof entring not in by christ but by a Popishe and vnlawfull vocation We speake not how they make ministers by them selues alone and of their sole authoritie and that in secret places of their election and probation that it is of him to whom by no righte it belongeth And that when they haue made them either they may carry in their Colledge and lead the liues of loytring losels as long as they liue or else gad abroad with the Byshops buls like to Circumceâ—ions to preach in other mens charges where they list or else get benefices by friendship or money or flattery where they can catch theÌ„ or to coÌ„clude if al these faile that they may go vp down like beggers and fal to many follies or else as many haue done set vp billes at Paules or at the Royall exchaunge in such publike places to see if they can heare of some good masters to entertayne them into seruice Surely by the Cannon law by which the byshops reigne rule they ought to keepe those ministers which they make as loÌ„g as they haue no liuings places We know three or foure byshops in this Realme would haue kepte suche houses as neuer none did in this land if this rule had bene obserued They clapt theÌ„ out so fast by hundreds they made them pay well for their orders and surely to speak truth they were worthy for the bishops what oddes soever there were of their giftes yet in their letters gaue them all a like commeÌ„dation They put on their surplesses or else subscribed like honest men Fye vpon these stinking abominations Answere In all these wordes there is not one thing touched which is conteyned in the Communion booke therfore I might passe this parte ouer with silence noting onely your vnorderly and vndiscrete dealing who going about to deface the booke of Common prayer wander you know not whither and spende your labour in writing agaynst such things as be not in that booke once meÌ„tioned But yet something I must say to certayne things by you in this parte written without al modestie discretion or reason And first you shewe your selfe greatly offended that the pastor is spoyled of his lawful iurisdiction ouer his stocke and therfore you burst out into these wordes of heate rauening rablers horrible sacrilegiously and suche like It had bene well if you had tolde vs what that lawfull iurisdiction of the pastor ouer his stock giuen by the word had bene for the places of scripture which you quote for that purpose doe not playnly inough set out that matter In the 18. of Mathewe vse 17. after certaine admonitions in priuate offences Christ sayth Dic ecclesiae tell the Churche In which place as I tolde you before the Churche doth signifie suche as haue authoritie in the Churche or else publike reprehension in the open congregation by suche as be called thervnto It giueth not any pecâ—lier iurisdiction to the pastor for any thing that I can learne And in the same cha 18. vse where christ saith VVhat soeuer ye binde on earth shall be bound in heauen c. according to your iudgement vttered before it is mente of the whole Church not of the pastor only You haue before denied that one man can excommunicate and therefore this place maketh nothing for your assertion In the .11 of the Actes vse 30. mention is made howe the Disciples which were at Antiochia dyd according to their abilitie sende succoure to their brethren which dwelte in Iudea and that they sente it to the elders by the handes of Barnabas and Saule But what is this to the iurisdiction of the pastour This declareth that the disciples of Antiochia trusted the elders whiche were in Iudea with the distribution of their almes The .15 of the Actes in the places by you noted sheweth how Paule and Barnabas were sente to the Apostles and Elders which were at Ierusalem about the deciding of a certain question moued by certain of the sect of the Phariseys touching circumcision This declareth the vse of Councels and openeth the next and readyest way to determine controuersies but it speaketh nothing of the iurisdiction of the pastour The .xii. to the Rom. vse 7.8 hath bene sundry tymes by you alledged to no purpose at all euen as it is nowe in lyke manner The Apostle there willeth euery man that hath an office to attende vpon his office c. But he speaketh not of any peculiar iurisdiction of the pastor ouer his flocke In the first to the Phil. vs. 1. Paule and Timothie salute the Bishops and Deacons which be at Philippi How gather you therof any iurisdiction perteyning to the pastor The .1 Cor. 12. vse 28. The Apostle sayth that God hath placed in his Churche first Apostles secondely Prophetes thirdly teachers c. What is this to youre purpose or what iurisdiction of Pastors doe you gather hereof you may here learn that there is in the church diuers degrées of persons 1. Thessa. 5. Paule exhorteth them to knowe and loue suche as laboure among them he describeth no peculiar kynde of iurisdiction 1. Timo. 4. vse 14. Saint Paule willeth Timothie not to despise the gifte giuen vnto him by prophecie with the laying on of the hands of the companie of the eldership in the .1 Timo. 5. vse 17. he sayth The elders that rule well are worthie of double honour c. Which place commeth the nearest to youre purpose for here is mention made of ruling and of ministers but yet it is not declared what kind of rule this was except you will expounde it by the wordes following specially they whiche labour in worde and doctrine And this kinde of rule remayneth to the pastor still Thus you see with how little discretion lesse learning you heape vp scriptures in your margent only to deceyue the simple and ignorante who are by you too muche deluded beléeuyng what so euer you speake or wryte without any further examination If they would marke these words of yours wel they might soone vnderstand that you séek as great iurisdiction ouer them as any of those persons whome you haue here named You saye they hold the doctrine with you but in vnrighteousnesse with an outward shew of godlinesse but hauing denyed the power thereof entryng not in by Christ but by a Popish and vnlaufull
and they bée quoted to proue a matter not doubted of among vs. In the former edition and fourthe reason it is thus written In this booke we are enioyned to receiue the Communion kneeling whiche beside that it hath in it a shewe of papistrie dothe not so well expresse the mysterie of this holy supper For as in the olde Testament eating the Paschall Lamb standing signified a readinesse to passe euen so in receiuing it nowe sitting according to the example of Christe we signifie a rest that is a full finishing thorough Christe of all the ceremonial lawe and a perfect worke of redemption wrought that giueth rest for euer and so we auoyde also the daunger of Idolatrie In the seconde Edition these wordes be thus altered In this booke we are enioyned to receiue the Communiō kneeling which beside that it hath in it a shewe of popish Idolatrie dothe not so wel expresse a supper neither agreeth it so wel with the institution of Christ as sitting dothe not that we make sitting a thing of necessitie belonging vnto the Sacrament neither affirm we that it maye not be receiued otherwise but that it is more neare the institution and also a meane to auoyde the daunger of Idolatrie Here is the signification of sitting whiche they before made cleane dashed out as a thing vnaduisedly before put in It is also here graunted that the Communion may be receiued otherwise than sitting with other circumstances whereof they haue nowe better considered Surely this is a great alteration vppon suche a sodeine And I would hardly haue bene persuaded that these men woulde so sone haue discredited themselues by their inconstancie But peraduenture the selfe same had not the correction of the booke which were the first penners of it and therefore how they will like of this correctiō it may be doubted But although the woordes in the text be altered yet the quotations in the margent remayne still Belike they are to be applied as it pleaseth the platformers In the same leafe and fifth reason to these wordes Besides that we neuer read in the new Testamente that this worde Priest as touching office is vsed in the good parte In the second editiō is added except it speake of the Leuiticall priesthood or of the priesthood of christ Here as I thinke they haue forgotten that which Peter speaketh to all Christians in his 1. epistle cap. 2. ver 5. And ye as liuelye stones be made a spirituall house and holy preesthood to offer vp spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ. And vers 9. But ye are a chosen generation a royall priesthood c. And Apoca. 1. And made vs kinges and preestes vnto god c. I willed them before to shew me one place in the whole new Testamēt where this woord Priest as touching the office is taken in euill parte I may be deceiued but I desire to learne Fol. 4. All this is added in the seuenth reason But some will say that the baptisme of women is not cōmaunded by law if it be not why do you suffer it wherefore are the children so baptized accordingly cōmon experience teacheth that it is vsed almost in all places and few speake against it this I am sure of that when it was put in the booke that was the meaning of the most part that were thē present so it was to be vnderstand as common practise without cōtrolement doth playnely declare All these be but coniectures Diuers things he suffered in many places vsed without controlement which notwithstanding by no law be cōmaunded What the meaning was of those that penned the booke I know not neither as I thinke do you And surely for cōmon practise I can say little but for mine owne experience this I dare affirme that I haue not knowne one child so baptised in places where I haue had to do no not synce the beginning of the Quenes Maiesties reigne I speake not of the thing it selfe but onely of your coniectures I thinke if the circumstances of the booke be well considered it will appeare that the meaning is that priuate baptisme is rather to be ministred by some minister which in the time of necessitie may soonest be come by than by any woman But in this point I submit my iudgement to suche as better knowe the meaning of the booke being penners thereof than I do In the same leafe and nynth reason speaking of certen things vsed aboute mariage they adde these woordes With diuers other heathenishe toyes in sundry cuntryes as carying of wheat sheafes on their heads casting of corne with a number of such like whereby they make rather a maygame of mariage than a holie institution of god These be but toyes in déede vsed I know not where not conteyned in any part of the booke of cōmon prayers therefore without my compas of defence They lacke matter when they stuffe their booke with such vayne friuolous trifles Fol. 5. In the 10. reason to these woords as for confirmation is added which the papistes our men say was in tymes past Apostolicall grounding their opinion perhappes vppon some dreame of Hierome And in the same place these woordes be left out We speake not of other toyes vsed in it and how farre it differeth and is degenerated from the first institution they them selues that are learned can witnesse And in the place hereof this is inserted as though baptisme were not alreadie perfecte but needed confirmation or as though the Byshop could giue the holy ghost You your selfe in effecte haue confessed in your firste edition that confirmation of children is very auncient and that it hath bene well instituted for there you say that now it differeth and is degenerat from the first institution But vpon better aduisement you haue left out these wordes in your second edition as you haue also left out thèse with other toyes vsed in it whereby you confesse contrarie to your former sentence that the confirmation of children now vsed is without any toyes Howsoeuer it pleaseth you to accompt Hieromes iudgement touching the antiquitis of confirmation a dreame yet his dreame may be of as much credit with wise men as your bare denial of the same The wordes that you haue added in the seconde place might well haue bene spared for you knowe that confirmation now vsed in this Church is not to make baptisme perfect but partly to trie howe the Godfathers and Godmothers haue performed that which was enioyned them when the children were baptised partly that the children themselues nowe being at the yeares of discretion and hauing learned what their Godfathers and Godmothers promised for them in baptisme may with their owne mouth and with their owne consente openly before the Churche ratifie and confirme the same and also promise that by the grace of God they wil euermore endeuor thēselues faithfully to obserue and kéepe such things as they by their owne mouth and confession haue assented vnto And
this reason is alledged among other euen in the boke of Common prayers And that it is not to make baptisme perfect the boke of common prayers it selfe declareth in these words And that no man shall thinke any detriment shall come to children by deferring of their confirmation he shall know for truth that it is certaine by Gods vvorde that children being baptised haue all things necessarie for their saluation and be vndoubtedly saued You adde as though the Byshop coulde giue the holy Ghost the Byshop may vse the ceremonie vsed by the Apostles that is imposition of handes may safely say this godly prayer conteyned in the boke Defend O Lord this child vvith thy heauenly grace that he may continue thine for euer and dayly encrease in thy holy spirite more and more vntill he come vnto thy euerlasting kingdome Amen And other such godly praiers ther conteyned Of any other kinde of giuing the holy ghost there is no mention in that booke and therefore these additions myght very wel haue bene left out of your libell But of the Bishops benedictiō by laying on of his hands heare Master Caluines iudgement in his Instit. cap. 19. secti 4. Talem manuum impositionem quae simpliciter loco benedictionis fiat lando et restitutam hodie in purum vsum vilim Such imposition of handes as is simplie made in the steade of blessing I do commend and vvish that it vvere restored at this day to the pure vse There shall you also reade the very self same for me manner of confirmation allowed which is now vsed in this Church of England To the ende of the eleuenth reason these wordes be added and open our eyes that we may see what that good and acceptable will of God is and be more earnest to prouoke his glorie to the which I only answere Amen In the ende of the twelfth there is something left out which they haue placed in the 13. reason but it is answered before Fol. 6. There is nothing added or altered worth the noting only in the fiftenth reason where they sayde before that we honored Byshoppes by the titles of Kings nowe they haue recanted that and condemned themselues of an vntruth for they haue left out that title In the ende of that fiftéenth article or reason this is added and whiche of them haue not preached against the Popes two swords nowe whether they vse them not thēselues Touching the Popes two swords we are of the same minde stil for the Pope contrary to the worde of God taketh from Princes vnto him selfe that authoritie whiche is due vnto them by the worde of God and woulde haue them to receiue that authoritie from him whiche he hath no power to gyue the Pope also requireth the full authoritie of a ciuill magistrate and exempteth him selfe from all subiectiō which is flat contrary to the word of God our Byshops in this Church do not challenge as of their owne right any such ciuill authoritie but only according to their duty execute that that by the Prince lawes of this Realme for iust considerations is layde vpō them Neither do they medle in all ciuill causes or exercise all ciuill iurisdiction but such only as helpeth to discipline and to the good gouernment of this church and state Wherefore we may safely preache against the Popes two swords and yet lawfully defende that iurisdiction and authoritie that any bishop hath in this Church for any thing that I knowe Fol. 7. Wheras before it was thus in the margent and. 19. reason to proue that the regiment of the church shoulde be spirituall reade Eph. 1.23 1. Thess. 5.13.1 Ti. 5.2 Heb. 10.30 now it is thus altered to proue that the regiment of the church should be spirituall read Caluine in his cōmentaries vpon these places Eph. 1.23 1. Thes. 5. 13.1 Ti. 5.2 Heb. 10.30 Belike bicause the scriptures thēselues do not sufficiētly proue your assertiō therfore you would haue vs to leaue them to reast vpon Caluines interpretation which is nothing else but to prefer mans iudgemēt before the word of god or to giue master Caluine authoritie to conclude that which is not determined by the scripture If this be not your meaning why flye you frō those places themselues to master Caluines interpretatiō vpon them But what if you now abuse master Caluines cōmentaries vpon these places as you did before the places themselues In his commentaries vpon Ephe. 1. vse 23. This is all that he sayth touching this matter Nam vtcunque Christus omnia perficiat nutu virtuteque sua tamē specialiter loquitur hic Paulus de spirituali ecclesiae gubernatione Quanquam nihil interea impedit quo minus de vniuersali mundi gubernatione accipias For howsoeuer Christ maketh perfecte all things with his becke and by his power yet Paule speaketh here especially of the spiritual gouernemēt of the church Although that in the meane time it is no hinderance why thou mayest not also vnderstād it of the vniuersall gouernement of the world These words serue litle for your purpose There is no man that doubteth but that Christe doth spiritually gouerne his Churche and raigne in the hartes of the faithfull by hys sprite But your meaning is that the gouernement of the Churche is only spirituall which you can no more gather of these wordes of Caluine than you may that the gouernemente of the whole world ought only to be spirituall The same Caluine writing vppon .1 Thessa. 5 vers 12. for the which you haue noted the .13 saith on this sorte Hoc additum videtur ad notandum spirituale regimen tametsi enim Reges quoque magistratus Dei ordinatione prosunt quia tamen ecclesiae gubernationem dominus peculiariter vult suam agnosci ideo nominatim praeesse in Domino dicuntur qui Christi nomine mandato ecclesiam gubernant This seemes to be added to note the spirituall regiment For although kings also and Magistrates do gouerne by the ordinance of God yet bycause the Lorde would haue the gouernemente of the Churche knowne peculierly to be his therefore namely they are saide to rule in the Lorde whiche gouerne the Churche in the name of Christe and by hys commaundemente Hitherto Caluine also affirmeth that whiche no man denieth that God doth by the ministerie of his worde spiritually gouerne his Church But this taketh not away the ciuill Magistrate neyther yet ciuill lawes made by the Magistrate externally also to gouerne the Churche In his Commentaries 1. Ti. 5. verse 2. he speaketh not one word of this matter for any thing that I can perceiue Vppon the place to the Hebrewes he onely sheweth that God dothe gouerne hys Churche the whiche I thinke no man is so wicked as to denye You muste more plainly sette it downe what your meaning in this matter is before you can be fully aunswered For to proue that God dothe spiritually gouerne his Churche is néedlesse being denied of none either Papiste or Protestant
pag. 1. These be the words In those days knowne by voyce learning and doctrine now they must be discerned from other by Popishe and Antichristian apparel as cap gowne tippet c. And in the second part speaking of the apparell prescribed to ministers they say on this sorte There is no order in it but confusion no comlynesse but deformitie no obedience but disobedience both against God and the Prince Are you not then ashamed to say that this article they will haue the minister discerned from others by no kynde of apparell and the apparell appoynted they terme Antichristian and the apparell appoynted by the Prince disobedience against the Prince is falsifyed Fol. 4. lin â— pag. 2. They will haue all Archebishops Bishops Archdecons c. together with their offices iurisdictions Courts and liuings cleane taken awaye and with speede remoued You say that this is falsifyed in part bicause there is left out Lords grace Iustice of peace QuoruÌ„ c. Surely the article is truly collected in euery poynte and playnly affirmed in the .2 leaf of the first part of that Admonition As for your giuing words that follow they bée but wynd I warrant you the confutation will abide the light and the author will shew his face whyche you are ashamed to doe 9. Lin. 9. The article is truly collected Looke in the first part of that Admonition fol. 2. pag. 2. fol. 3. And in the second part of that Admo fol. 1. pag. 2. fol. 5. pag. 1. 17. Lin. 12. The collection is true for their wordes bée these They simply as they receyued it from the Lord we sinfully mixed with mans inuentioÌ„s deuises And therfore you vntruly say that it is falsified 19. Lin. 16. They will haue no godfathers nor godmothers You say that this article is also vtterly falsified what meane you so to forget your selfe Is it not thus written in the first part of the first Admonition fol. 3. pag. 2. and as for baptisme it was inough with them if they had water and the partie to be baptised fayth the minister to preach the worde and minister the sacraments Now we muste haue surplesse deuised by Pope Adrian Interrogatories ministred to the infant godfathers and godmothers brought in by Higinus c. Howe say you Are not godfathers and godmothrs here disallowed Wherfore be they else in this place recited or why are they here ascribed to Pope Higinus Wil you nowe allow any thing in the Churche inuented by the Pope â— In déede in the seconde edition of this firste Admonition these words godfathers godmothers broughte in by Higinus be cleane left out as I haue before noted Wherfore either you haue not read the diuersitie of their editions or else you are very impudent 22. Fol. 8. in fine I maruell why you say that this collection is falsified Looke fol. vlt. pag. 2. of the firste parte of the Admonition Out of the second treatise called A view of Popishe abuses remayning Fol. 10.10 pa. 1. lin 33. Reading of seruice or homilies in the Churche is as euill as playing on a stage and worse too You saye that this is falsified Lord God what meane you In the seconde leafe of that booke these be their direct words Reading is not feeding but it is as euill as playing vpon a stage and worse too To the same effecte they speake diuers times and so do the Authours of the seconde Admonition Surely eyther they are ashamed of their doings or else you haue not with diligence read their bookes Thus breefly to haue answered to your vniust accusation of falsly collecting certaine articles out of the Booke entituled An admonition c. shal be sufficient Other articles which you say be gathered out of the same booke and confesse to be true I haue omitted bicause they bée sufficiently answered by me in the confutation and your confirmation of them is vsuall and childishe I woulde wishe that suche as be wyse men and in authoritie would diligently consider that whiche you aunswere to the article Fol. 14. as you quote it touching the gouernement of the Churche and the authoritie of Princes and their lawes and likewyse that which is written concerning the same matters in the second Admonition I wil make them neyther better nor worse but wish the magistrates well to marke your iudgements opinions in these matters and to foresée the worst The Lord blesse this realme of Englande with the continuance of his Gospel long life of the Quéenes maiestie peace bothe foreyne and domesticall Amen Bulling aduers Anabap fol. 1. Idem fol. 1.11.18.87.102.244 Fol. 9 18. Fol. 9.18.77 Fol. 1. Fol. 10. Fol. 11.17 Fol. 11. Fol 10.214 Fol 19. Fol. 19.95.242 Fol 178. Fol. 11.242 Fol. 11. Fol. 17.77 Fol. 18. Fo. 78.244 Fol. 78. Fol. 79. Fol 85. Fol. 88. Fol. 95. Fol. 11. Fol. 11. a â— Thess 5.21 Iam. 1.19 20. Iam. 2 1. b Math. 15.23 Luc. 16.15 c Math. 20.25.26 Math. 23.8.9.10 Marc. 10.42.43 Luc 22.15 c. d Math. 24.48.49 e Math. 9.37.38 Ephesi 4.11.12 f Mat. 18.15.16.17 g pro. 29 18. Amoâ— 8.11.12 c. Ma. 21.23 c 1. Cor. 11.30 h Mat. 10.16.26 i Esai 59.1 k Exod. 23.1.2 Math. 7.1.2 Iam. 4.11.12 l 1. Cor. 5.20 1. Cor. 7.27 m Psalm 50.15 Math. 7.7 1. Tim. 2.1.2 a 2. Reg. 23. 2. Chro. 17. 2. Chro. 29.30.31 Psal. 132.2.3.4 Mat. 21.12 Iohan. 2.15 b Deute 4.2 Deut. 12.32 c Psal. 37.27 Rom. 12.9 d 1. Cor. 2.14 e Psalm 31.6 Psal. 13 9.22 f Iohan. 15.21 g 1. Tim 3.8 h Math. 7.6 i Math. 11.31 1. Corin. 11. l Acts. 1.12 Acts. 6.3 1. Tim. 3.2.7.8 Tit. 1.6 m 1. Reg. 12.31 n Rom. 2.14 o Hebr. 5.4 Ezech. 44.10 12.13 Ierem. 23. p 1. Tim. 4.11 q Ministers of London enioyned to learne maister Novvels Catechisme r Act. 1.26 s Act. 6.2.3 t Act. 14.13 2. Cor. 8.19 u Acts. 1.25 w 1. Tim 4.14 x Act 20.28 Ephe. 4.11 Tit. 1.5 1. â—â—t 5.2 y 14.23 z Esaie 5.8 〈…〉 * Philip. 2.20 25. Colos. 1.7 Luke 9.2 a 1. Samuel 9.28 Mat 26.48 Mat. 26.73 b Iohan 6.38 Iohan. 12.49 1 Cor. 11.23 c 1. Timo. 3.1 d Philip. 4.11 2 Cor. 6.4.8.10 f Mat. 23.11.12 Luc 22.25 1. Cor 4.14 1. Petr. 5.2.3 g Rom. 8.26 1. Timo. 1.2 h Damasus the first inuenter of this stuffe well furthered by Gregorie the seuenth i Math. 28.19 1. Cor. 14.35 The first appointer herof was Victor 1. Anno. 198. k 1. Cor. 11 18. l Act. 15.10 m Exod. 20.9 n 1. Pet. 5.2 o 1. Tim. 4.2 p Phili. 2.20.21 q Act 1.26 6.2.3.14.13 r 1. Pâ—t 5.2 s Act. 20.28 t Math. 3.12 u Marc. 1.5 1 Cor. 11.18 w 28.19 1. Cor. 4.1 a Act. 2.46 Act. 20.7 c Mat. 26 20. Mar 14.18 Luc 22 14. Iohn 13.28 e Mat. 26 26. Mar. 14.22 1. Co. 11.24 f Telesphorus in Anno. 130. g 1 Corin. 5 11. h 1. Cor. 11.23 i Act. 8.35.36.37 Act. 10.47
¶ An answere to a certen Libel intituled An admonition to the Parliament By IOHN VVHITGIFTE D. of Diuinitie 1. COR. 8.2 If any man thinke that he knoweth any thing he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to knowe 1. COR. 11.16 If any man be contentious we haue no suche custome neyther the Churches of God. GALA 5.26 Let vs not be desirous of vayne glorie prouoking one another enuying one another ¶ Imprinted at London by Henrie Bynneman for Humfrey Toy Anno. 1572. ¶ To his louing Nurie the Christian Church of England I. VV. a member and minister of the same vvisheth peace in Christ and continuance of his glorious gospell euen to the vvorlds ende THere bee diuers thinges especially fiue that wheÌ„ I first tooke this labour in hande had almost vtterly dissuaded me from the same First bycause I doe with all my hart hate contention and strife and especially in matters of religion among such as professe the selfe same Gospell Secondly for that I feared gretly least some slander might redounde to the Gospell by this open contention séeing that God is not the authour of contention or confusion but of peace Thirdly I doubted whether this kinde of dealing by writing might minister matter to the common aduersaries of the Gospell to reioyce and glorie and to flatter them selues the more in their damnable errors Fourthly I greatly suspected the slanderous reportes of the backbiter and of the vnlearned tonâ—ue â–ª the 〈◊〉 bycause he loueth to speake euill and heare euill of all those that be not in all pointes inclinable to his phansie whereof I haue great experience being my selfe most vniustlye slandered by that viperous kinds of men the other bycause they be not able to iudge of controuersies according to learning and knowledge and therefore are ruled by affection carried hedlong with blind zeale into diuers sinister iudgementes erronious opinions Lastlye bycause I knowe sundrie in all respectes worthie men much more able to deale in suche matters than I am But when I considered my dutie towardes God to his Churche and to our most gracious Lady and soueraigne Elizabeth hir Maiestie by whose ministerie God hath giuen his Gospell frée passage vnto us the first stoppe and hinderaunce was answered For I thought that that dutie ought not to be omitted for any such cause séeing God and not man shall be my Iudge and also that not he which defendeth the truthe and confuseth errours but he that impugneth the truthe and spreddeth sectes is the authour of contention Likewise when I remembred the it was no new thing to haue contentions sectes schismes in the Churche of Christ especially when it enioyeth externall peace and that we had manifest examples therof from time to time first in Peter Paule ad Gala. 2. Paule Barnabas Acto 15 then in the Churche of the Corinthians 1. Cor. 1. and .3 Afterwardes betwixt the orientall Church occidentall Church touching Easter such like matters Betwixt the Bishops of Aphrica and the Bishops of Italie for rebaptising of heretikes sundrie times yea vsuallie in the external peace of the church as may be more at large séene in Eusebius Lib. 4. eccle histo ca. 6. lib. 5. ca. 24.25.26 li. 8. c. Likewise in Ruffinus li. 1. ca. 1. In Zozom Li. 6. ca. 4. In Basilius magnus epist. 61. ad fratres Episcopas in accidente epist. 69. and in sundrie other auncient and learned histories and writers For the second point I was satisfied for I thought that that could be no slander to this Church which by the malice of Sathan hath bene practised in all Churches euen synce the ascention of Christ. Thirdly when I perceiued the these men against whome I nowe write did agree with the aduersaries in defacing the state of religion the order of coÌ„mon prayers the ministerie the sacramentes the kind of gouermeÌ„t c. vsed and allowed in this realme of England and that in as opprobrious spitefull manner as the aduersaries do likewise that they séeke to ouerthrow the selfe same pillers of this Church with the aduersaries although not by the selfe same meanes I thought that the confutation and ouerthrowe of the one should be the confutation ouerthrow of the other and therefore the aduersaries to haue small cause in déed of reioycing Against backbiters slanderers and vnlearned tongs I shall by Gods grace arme my selfe with pacience for their taulke is no sufficient cause for a man to absteyne from dooing his dutie To conclude I although the vnworthiest and vnméetest of a great nuÌ„ber was bold to take vpon me this enterprise partly to shew that the booke called the Admonition is not such but that it may easily be answered and especially to satisfie mine owne coÌ„science for I coÌ„sidered that if no man had taken vpon him the enuie of the coÌ„mon sort in withstanding the enterprises procéedings of the Anabaptists wheÌ„ they began in Germanie Anabaptisme had ouerrunne those Churches vtterly destroyed them These were the reasons that satisfied the former obiections and especiallye moued me to take vppon me this labour wherewith if I can also satisfie others I haue my desire if not yet haue I done my dutie and satisfied mine owne conscience And for asmuche as the matter toucheth the state of the whole Church of England I thought it most méete to dedicate this my booke rather vnto the same generally than to any one particuler member thereof protesting that if I haue affirmed any thing therein that by learning and good reasons may be proued erronious I will reforme the same for I wholly submit it to the rule of Gods worde and the iudgement of those that he learned discrete wise The Lord blesse the o deare spouse of Christ with the continuance of his Gospell of the Quenes Maiestie and of godlye peace and quietnesse Amen A briefe examination of the reasons vsed in the booke called an Admonition to the Parliamente FIrst in that booke the scripture is most vntollerably abused and vnlearnedly applyed quoted only in their margent to delude both such as for lacke of learning can not and suche as either for slouthfulnesse or some preiudicate opinion will not examine the same as I haue particulerly declared in my aunswere following Secondly their proofes consist especially of these arguments The first is ab eo quod est secundum quid ad id quod simplicitorest as such and such things were not in the Apostles time Ergo they ought not to be nowe Whiche kinde of argumente is very deceiptfull and the mother and welspring of many both olde and newe schismes of old as of them that called them selues Apostolicos and of the Aërians of new as of Anabaptists who considering neither the diuersitie of times concerning the externall ecclesiastical pollicie nor the true libertie of the christian religion in externe rytes and ceremonies in matters neither commaunded nor forbidden in Gods lawe nor the authoritie of Christian magistrates in
the Christian congregation concerning the same haue boldely enterprised to stirre vp many and heynous errours For if these reasons should take place the Apostles vsed it not Ergo it is not lawfull for vs to vse it or this either they did it Ergo we must needes do it then no Christians may haue any place to abide in they maye haue no Christian Princes no ministration of sacraments in Churches and suche like for the Apostles had no place to abide in they had no Christian Princes to gouerne them no churches to minister sacraments in c. Likewise we must haue al things common we must departe with al our possessions when we be conuerted to the Gospell baptise abroade in the fields minister the communion in priuate houses only be alwayes vnder the crosse and vnder Tyrants and such like For the Apostles had al thinges common departed from their possessions baptized abroade in fieldes ministred the communion in priuate houses were alwayes vnder persecutors and Tyrants c. 2. Another kind of argumente is much like vnto this and is taken ab authoritate negatinè which in matters of saluation and damnation holdeth when we reason ab authoritate scripturae from the authoritie of the scripture but not else For this argument it is not commaunded in the scripture to be done nor there expressed Ergo it ought not to be done is so far out of the way and so erronious that it is not tollerable for it taketh away the most parte of all due circumstances without the which either after one manner or other the very institutions of Christ cannot be obserued For how is it possible to receiue the holy Communion but either sitting standing knéelling walking or lying either at one time or other in the morning or at night before meate or after meate clothed or naked in this place or in that place c. and yet none of these circumstances are in scripture commaunded or by necessary collection may thereof be gathered the same is to be said of the obseruatioÌ„ of times of common prayers and other conuenient and necessarie orders in the Church If this argumente were good then all good lawes and ordinances made for the aduancing of true religion and establishing of good orders were to be abolished whiche were the very roote and welspring of stubbornesse obstinacie sedition disobedience and confusion 3. The third kind of argument is called petitio principij whiche is when a man frameth vnto himselfe principles of his owne deuise grounded neither vpon authoritie neither yet upon substantial reason and then vpon the same will conclude his purpose which is vit â—â—sissimum genâ—â— argumentands a very erronious kynde of reasoning as these men doo in vsing these two false principles the one when they say that to be inuented by an Antichristian Pope which was not so inuented the other when they say that nothing may be vsed in the Church of Christ which was inuented by the Pope or vsed in the Popes Churche which can not be true as in sundrie places of the boke I haue declared The selfe same reasons moued the Aërians to forsake the order of the Churche and to commaunde their Disciples to do the contrarie of that that the Church did We borrow good lawes of the Gentiles and we vse the Churches Belles Pulpits and many other things vsed of Papists c. 4. The fourthe kynde of reason is of negatiues by comparison as this Priestes and Ministers are to be known by their doctrine not by their apparel Ergo they ought not to haue distinct apparell from other men This argumente followeth not for negatives by comparison are not simplie to be vnderstanded but by the way coÌ„parison And therefore of the former sentence thus we may conclude that the apparell is not to be estéemed as a note of difference in comparison to learning doctrine and yet a note As when Paule sayth that Chryst sente him not to baptise but to preache the Gospell 1 Cor. 1. And God by his Prophete I wil have mercy and not sacrifice Ose. 6. and Mat. 9. 5. The fift is ab eo quod est non causam vt causam ponere vvhen that is taken for the cause of any thing vvhich is not the cause as when they condemne the booke of common prayer and a prescript forme of seruice bycause as they say it mainteineth an vnlerned or as they term it a reading ministerie wheÌ„ as the boke is not the cause of it neither yet a prescripte forme of prayer but either the parties themselues that be vnlearned or they that do admitte them or else both This kind of argument is vsuall in the Admonition There be other vnlearned and vnskilfull reasons vsed in this booke whiche may easily be discerned euen of children and therefore I here omit them Thus much I thought good generally to write which being duly considered the booke it selfe needeth no other kinde of confutation To the Christian Reader I Am not ignorant to what dangers especially of vncharitable slanderous tongs I haue made my selfe subiecte by taking vpon me this worke notwithstanding my reaconing is made and I have armed my selfe against the worst being taught so to do by the opprobrious speach of diuers who as busy bodies intermedling in other mens matters more than it becommeth them do therof iudge most vnchristianly and reporte most vntruly beleuing as partial Iudges whatsoeuer is reported howsoeuer falsely and vniustly But as I with all my harte for my parte forgiue them and wish vnto them more Christian hartes indifferent eares and charitable mouthes So do I exhorte thée Christian reader to abstaine from all suche rancor and other partiall and sinister affections in reading of this my booke And thinke of me as of one that to speake the truth to testifie his conscience to mainteyne the peace and quietnesse of the Churche to withstande erronious opinions or contentious doctrine will neither spare his laboure nor his fame and yet not so stiffely addicted to his owne opinion but that he can be contented to submitte hym selfe to better authoritie and reasons than he him selfe hath And I besée thée receyue this admonition at my hande Trie before thou trust beleue not lightly euery reporte as thou hast two eares so vse them both condemne no maÌ„ before he be heard abstaine from speaking euill of any wheÌ„ he is not present to make thée answere for that is a great iniurie respect not the person but the cause and let not euery pretenced zeale carrie thée headlong thou knowest not whether and suspende thy iudgement of this booke vntill thou hast aduisedly and indifferently redde the same Correction of faultes escaped in this booke In the ende of the Epistle dedicatorie for O deare spouse reade O deare spouse of Christ Folio 23. line 8. for est reade sunt Fol. 32. lin 34. for the trusteth reade he trusteth Fol. 33. lin 24. for are not come read are not scarce come Fol. 42. lin 20.
that which is written in this booke is nothing else but Scripture it selfe They haue delt very subtilly to cote the places onely and not to set them downe in playne words for by this meanes they thinke that of the moste parte it shall neuer be vnderstanded howe vnaptly and to what small purpose they be alleaged This name Puritane is very aptely giuen to these men not bicause they be pure no more than were the Heretikes called Cathari but bicause they think them selues to be mundiores cateris more pure than others as Cathari dyd and seperate them selues from all other Churches and congregations as spotted and defyled Bicause also they suppose the Church which they haue deuised to be without all impuritie An answere to the admonition Admonition SEing that nothing in this mortall life is more diligently to be sought for and carefully to be looked vnto than the restitution of true religion reformation of Gods church it shall be your partes dearly beloued in this present Parliament assembled as muche as in you lieth to promote the same and to employ your whole labour and studie not onely in abandoning all Popish remnants bothe in ceremonies regiment but also in bringing in and placing in Gods churche those things onely which the Lord himselfe in his word cōmandeth Because it is not enough to take paynes in taking away euil but also to be occupied in placing good in the stead therof Now because many men see not all things and the worlde in this respect is maruellously blinded it hath bene thoughte good to prosfer to your godly considerations a true platforme of a Churche reformed to the ende that it beeing layd before your eyes to beholde the great vnlikenesse betweene it this our English church you may learne either with perfect hatred to detest the one and with singular loue to embrace and carefull endeuour to plant the other or else to be without excuse before the maiestie of oure God who for the discharge of our conscience and manifestation of his truth hath by vs reuealed vnto you at this present the sinceritie and simplicitie of his Gospell Not that you should either wilfully with stande or vngratiously tread the same vnder your feete for God doth not disclose his wyll to any suche end but that you should yet now at the length with al your mayne and might endeuour that Chryst whose easie yoke and lyghte burthen we haue of long time cast of from vs mighte rule and reigne in his Church by the scepter of his worde onely Aunswere I Will not aunswere words but matter nor bare affirmations or negations but reasons and therfore in as few words as I can I will comprehende many lines But before I enter into their reasons I thinke it not amisse to examine that assertion which is the chiefe and principall grounde so farre as I can gather of their Booke that is that those things onely are to bée placed in the Churche which the Lorde him selfe in his worde commaundeth As though they shoulde say nothing is to be tollerated in the Churche of Chryste touching either doctrine order ceremonies discipline or gouernement except it he expressed in the worde of god And therfore the most of their argumentes in this booke be taken ab authoritate negatiuè which by the rules of Logique proue nothing at all It is moste true that nothing ought to be tolerated in the Churche as necessarie vnto saluation or as an article of faith except it be expresly conteined in the worde of God or may manifestly therof be gathered and therfore we vtterly condemne reiect Transubstantiation the sacrifice of the Masse the authoritie of the bishop of Rome woorshipping of Images c. And in this case an argumente taken Ab authoritate Scripturae negatiuè is most strong As for example It is not to be found in Scripture that the Bishop of Rome ought to be the head of the Church and therfore it is not necessarie to saluation to beléeue that he ought to be the head of the Churche c. It is also true that nothing in ceremonies order discipline or gouernement in the Churche is to be suffered béeing against the worde of God And therfore wee reiect all ceremonies wherein there is any opinion to saluation woorshipping of God or merite As créeping to the crosse holy breade holy water holy candle c. But that no ceremonie order discipline or kynde of gouernement may be in the Churche except the same be expressed in the worde of God is a great absurditie and bréedeth many inconueniences The Scripture hath not prescribed any place or time wherin or when the Lords Supper shoulde be celebrated neyther yet in what manner The Scripture hath not appoynted what tyme or where the congregation shall méete for common prayer and for the hearing of the worde of God neyther yet any discipline for the correcting of suche as shall contemne the same The scripture hath not appoynted what daye in the wéeke should be moste méete for the Sabboth day whether Saterday whiche is the Iewes Sabboth or the day now obserued which was appointed by the church The Scripture hath not determined what forme is to be vsed in Matrimonie what woordes what prayers what exhortations The Scripture speaketh not one woorde of standing sitting or knéelyng at the Communion of méetyng in Churches fieldes or houses to heare the word of God of preaching in pulpets chaires or otherwise of baptizing in fontes in basons or riuers openly or priuatly at home or in the churche euery day in the wéeke or on the Sabboth day only And yet no man as I suppose is so simple to thinke that the Church hathe no authoritie to take order in these matters I pray you what mente Sainct Paule in the .1 Corinth 14. after he had prescribed certayne orders vnto them to bée obserued in the Churche thus generally to conclude Omnia decenter ordine fiant Lette all things be doone decently and in order Dothe hée not there giue vnto them authoritie to make orders in the Churche so that all thynges hée doone in order and decently The best interpreters doo vnderstande this as a general rule giuen vnto the churche to examine hir traditions and constitutions by And therefore without all doubte their iudgemente is that the Churche hath authoritie in external things to make orders and appoynte lawes not expressed in the woorde of GOD so that thys rule of the Apostle bée obserued Nowe if eyther godly Councels or auncient fathers were any thing at all regarded of these men as they be not suche is their arrogancie this controuersie mighte soone be decided For the most auncient fathers and best learned as Iustinus Martyr Irenaeus Tertulian Cypriā and other do expresly declare that euen from the Apostles tyme the Churche hath always had authoritie in suche matters and hath obserued diuers orders ceremonies not once mencioned in the worde of God.
that they make a confession of their faith He maketh no mention at all of any baptising by womeÌ„ and therfore you haue done your cause great iniurie The seconde thing you mislike is priuate communions And you quote the 1. Cor. 11. In which chapter sainct Paule reproueth the prophanation of the supper among the Corinthians by banquetting and contempte of their brethren and he exhorteth one of them to tarrie for another But how can you applie thys to your purpose I knowe not what you meane by priuate Communion If you meane the receyuing of one alone there is none such allowed in the booke If you meane bicause it is ministred sometime vpon occasion in priuate houses I sée not howe you can call it priuate in respecte of the place if the number of communicants be sufficient You muste explicate your selfe before I can tell what you meane There is nothing in the Communion booke touching the Communion contrarie to that place of S. Paule by you quoted to my knowledge The CoÌ„munion exhibited to sicke persons is allowed both of Peter Martir and Bucer as in the other treatise I haue declared and consonant to the custome of Christes Churche euen from the Apostles time as it is to be séene in olde writers The third is the Iewish purifyings as you terme it you cite for that purpose Act. 15. where Peter speaking agaynst certayne of the Pharisies which beléeued and taught that it was néedeful for the Gentiles which were conuerted to be circumcised and to obserue Moses law saith on this sort Novv therfore vvhy tempt ye God to lay a yoke on the disciples necks c. how any thing here conteyned prohibiteth womeÌ„ after they be deliuered froÌ„ the great daunger and paynes of childe bearing to giue in the congregation thankes for their deliueraunce let the godly Reader iudge Surely this is no Iewishe purifying but christian giuing of thaÌ„ks most consonant agreable to the word of god But hereof also something more is to be spoken in another place Fourthly you mislike obseruing of holy dayes And you alledge Exod. 20. Sixe dayes shalte thou labour and do all thy vvorke To obserue any day superstitiously or to spende any day vnprofitably is flat agaynst not this coÌ„mandement onely but others also in the holy Scriptures And I woulde to God it were better looked vnto But to abstayne any day from bodily labour that we may labour spiritually in hearing the worde of God magnifying his name and practising the workes of charitie is not either agaynst this or any other commaundement For I thinke the meaning of this commaundement is not so to tye men to bodily labour that they may not intermit the same to labour spiritually For then how could we preachers and students excuse our selues howe mighte the people lawfully come to oure Sermons and Lectures in any of the sixe dayes But of this thing also occasion wyll bée ministred to speake more héereafter In the ende you adde patched if not altogither yet the greatest peece oute of the Popes portuis To this I aunswere briefly it maketh no matter of whom it was inuented in what booke it is conteyned so that it be good and profitable and consonant to Gods worde Well sayth Ambrose Omne verum a quocunque dicitur à spiritu sancto est All truthe of vvhomsoeuer it is spoken is of the holy ghost The fiftenth and sixtenth Then feeding the flocke diligently nowe teaching quarterly then preaching in season out of season now once in a moneth is thought sufficient if twice it is iudged a worke of supererogation These be but words of pleasure God be thaÌ„ked there be ministers such as you mislike of which féede their flocks diligently and preach in time and out of time according both to S. Peters and S. Paules meaning But you must vnderstande that he doth not alwayes féede the beste nor take the greatest paynes whiche preacheth moste often but he that preacheth moste learnedly moste pithely moste orderly most discretely most to edifying It may be that â—e which preacheth but once in the moneth taketh more paynes for his sermon hath more pithe and learning in his sermon edifyeth more by his sermon than you do for all your sermons in all your sermons or by all the sermons that you make in the whole yeare be they neuer so many For what is it to preache euery day and to spende the time with words onely or with bitter inuectiues agaynst certayne trifles and agaynst superiours Suche sermons doe not edifie but destroy doe not worke in the hearts of the hearers faythe and charitie but eyther contempte of religion or else contempte of superiours contempt of good orders yea hatred malice vndiscrete wrath coloured with a pretence of zeale Truely suche sermons seldome or neuer worke any good effecte many women in London coulde on that sorte occupie the time Wherefore I am fullie persuaded that he commeth nearer to the fulfylling of the mynde of the Apostle which diligently studying and labouring continually for knowledge dothe orderly learnedly and effectually preache once in the moneth than suche as backbiting at other mennes tables running all the day long vppe and downe the stréetes seldome or neuer studying doe negligently vnorderly verbally if I may so terme it preache euery day twice And yet I knowe the oftner a man dothe preache the former circumstances béeing considered the better it is But of euery one it will be required according to his talent and not he that speaketh moste but laboureth most to speake not he that preacheth moste often but that preacheth moste paynefully truely and diligently shall in that day bée best accepted That learned and auncient father master Whithead hath sundrie times lamented in my hearing and I think there be other of his friendes hatâ— heard the same the loose friuolous and vnprofitable preaching of diuers Ministers in London And I woulde to God it were better looked vnto then I thinke verily we should haue lesse contention and more religion The seuententh and eyghtenth Then nothing taught but gods word now princes plesures mens deuises popishe ceremonies Antichristian rites in publike pulpits defended Then they sought them now they seeke theirs It had bene wel to haue let vs vnderstand what those princes pleasures be what mens deuises what popishe ceremonies what Antichristian rites for now you haue but slandered both the Prince and the whole state of religion in this Church by publike authoritie established wherefore vntill you shewe some particulers this shall be my answere that Spiritus Dei neque est mendax neque mordax The spirite of God is neither a lyer nor a slaunderer It is but your pleasure thus generally to say That then pastors sought their flockes nowe they seeke theirs For it is well knowen that there be pastors which séeke their flocks and not theirs Hitherto thanks be vnto God in all this discourse there is not one péece of false doctrine of any substaunce
proue that the sacrament was then ministred in common and vsuall bread for there is no mention made of the kinde of bread The place alledged out of the twentith of the Actes speaketh of bread but not of any one certaine kinde of bread The truth is that it skills not what kinde of bread is vsed leuened or vnleuened so it be breade although it were to be wished for the auoyding of superstition that common and vsuall bread were vsed and also that the forme were altered and the quantitie encreased But these things are not de substantia sacramenti and therefore not sufficiente to proue that the supper is not sincerely ministred If any thinke better of one kinde of bread than of another in the ministration of the sacrament it is their error and derogateth nothing from the order of administratiō Master Caluine in his Institutions cap. 19. sect 72. touching this matter writeth on this sorte Caeterum in manū accipiant fideles necne inter se diuidant an singuli quod sibi datum fuerit edant calicem in Diaconi manu reponant an proximo tradāt panis sit fermentatus an azymus vinum rubrum an album nihil refert haec indifferentia sunt in ecclesia libertate posita But whether the faithfull take it in their hands or no whether they deuide it among them selues or euerie one eate that whiche is giuen vnto them whether they giue the cup to the deacon or deliuer it to him that is nexte whether the bread be leuened or vnleuened the wine red or white it makes no matter These be indifferent things and put in the libertie of the Church Master Bucer likewise in his censure vppon the booke of common prayers is of the same iudgement his wordes be these The thirde chapter is of the substance forme and breaking of bread which all do vvell ynough agree vvith the institution of Christ vvhome it is manifest to haue vsed vnleuened bread and easie to be broken for he brake it and gaue to his disciples peeces of the bread broken Touching the forme and figure vvhether it vvere rounde or square there is nothing declared of the Euangelistes And bycause thys bread is vsed only for a signe and not for corporall norishmente I see not what can be reprehended in this description of the bread vvhiche is in this booke excepte some would peraduenture haue it thicker that it may the more fully represent the forme of true bread Alexander liued Anno. 111. and was a good and godlie Byshop It is reported in some writers that he appointed vnleauened breade to be vsed in the Eucharist bycause that Christ himselfe vsed the same according to the lawe written Exod. 12. Deute 16. But that he brought in wafer cakes or appointed any certayne forme of bread you cannot proue neyther doth any credible authour write it These words that you vse like the God of the alter be slaunderous and false we are as far frō thinking the bread to be our God as you and teache as sounde doctrine touching this sacramente And therefore you shew of what spirit you be The sixth They receyued it sitting we kneeling according to Honorius decree The places of Scripture that you quote in the margēt to proue sitting at the Communion declare that Christe and his disciples sat at the table but that proueth nothing For you might aswell haue sayde they receiued after supper we before dinner they at night we in the morning they after meate we before meate they in a priuate house we in the open Church they being al men in number .xii. we togither with women not strictly obseruing the number of twelue or any other number aboue thrée or foure This your argument toucheth them as well as it doth vs whiche receyue it standing or walking But to sitte stand knéele or walke be not of the substaunce of the sacrament and therefore no impediments why it may not be sincerely ministred It behoueth humble and méeke spirits in such indifferente matters to submitte them selues to the order of the Church appointed by lawfull authoritie and not to make schismes and contentions in the Church for the satisfying of their owne fansies Touching knéeling at the Communion it forceth not who did first appointe it although I can finde no suche decrée made by Honorius it is the méetest manner of receiuing this sacrament in mine opinion being commōly vsed in praying and gyuing of thanks both which are annexed to this sacramente and are to be required in the Communicants therfore I think this to be a good reason the méetest gesture for praying and thanks gyuing is knéeling but those that receiue the Eucharist pray and giue thāks Ergo the metest gesture for them is knéeling The onely perill is adoration whiche may aswell bée committed sitting or standing But wherefore then serueth preaching there is as muche daunger of contempte the one way as there is of adoration the other waye In such matters Christian magistrates haue authoritie to appointe what they thinke most cōuenient and the same must be obserued of those that be pacifici and not contentiosi But of sitting and knéeling at the Communiō more is to be spoken hereafter in the seconde parte The seuenth Then it was deliuered generally and indefinitely Take ye and eate ye we perticulerly and singulerly take thou eate thou Here is a high matter in a lowe house he that saith take ye and eate ye doth he not also say in effecte take thou and eate thou Doth not the plurall number include the singuler Christ Matth. 6. saith ad hunc igitur modum orate vos praye ye on this manner May we not therefore say pray thou on thys manner if we speake to one singuler person So speaking to all his Apostles he saith Ite in vniuer sum mundum Goe ye into all the vvorlde We vse the plurall number when we speake to many ioyntly we vse the singuler number when we speake to one seuerally and forasmuche as euerie one that receiueth this sacramente hath to applie vnto hym selfe the benefits of Christes death and passion therefore it is cōuenient to be sayd to euery one Take thou eate thou But this obiection is so ridiculous that it is more worthy to be hissed at than to be confuted The eight They vsed no other words but such as Christ lefte we borrowe from Papists the body of our Lorde Iesus Christe whiche was giuen for thee c. From whencesoeuer these words were borrowed they were well borrowed for it is a godly prayer and an apte applycation of that sacrament and putteth the communicants in minde of the effecte of Christes passion exhibited vnto them by that sacrament and sealed with the same if it be worthily receiued It maketh no matter from whome we receiue any thing so it be godly profitable and consonant to the scriptures But I pray you tell vs what Pope inuented these words The body of our Lorde Iesus Christ. c. The
is moste consonant vnto the same If there be any that is repugnant set it downe that we may vnderstande it I tolde you before that touching the dayes and tymes and other ceremonies the Churche hath authoritie to determine what is moste conuenient as it hath done from time to time S. Augustine in his Epistle ad Ianua in the place before of me recited saith that the passion of Christ his resurrection his ascention and the day of the comming of the holy ghost which we commonly call Whitsontide is celebrated not by any commaundement vvritten but by the determination of the Churche And it is the iudgement of all learned writers that the Church hath authoritie in these things so that nothing be done against the worde of god But of this I haue spoken partly before intende to speake more largely therof in the place folowing where you agayne make mention of it Of kneeling at the Cōmunion I haue also spoken before and declared my iudgement therof There is more scripture for it than there is either for standing sitting or walking but in all these things as I haue declared the Church hath authoritie to iudge what is fittest Of wafer cakes ministring in surplesse or cope and churching of women I haue spoken before wafer cakes be bread surplesse and cope by those that haue authoritie in the Churche are thought to perteine to comelynesse and decencie Churching of women is to giue thanks for their deliueraunce Breade to be vsed in the Communion comelynesse and decencie giuing of thanks for deliueraunce out of perill and daunger be agréeable to Gods worde therefore all these things be agréeable to Gods worde The forme of bread whether it ought to be cake breade or loafe breade euery particuler thing that perteyneth to decencie or comelinesse at what time in what place with what wordes we oughte to giue thanks is not particulerly written in scripture no more than it is that you were baptised And therefore as I haue proued before in suche cases the Church hath to determine and appoynt an order That women shoulde come in vayles is not conteyned in the booke no more in déede is the wafer cake and therefore you might well haue lefte these two out of your reason béeing thrust in without all reason The .121 Psalme for I thinke your printer was ouerséene in that quotation I haue lifted vp myne eyes c. teacheth that all helpe commeth from God and that the faythfull ought onely to looke for helpe at his handes and therfore a most méete Psalme to be sayd at suche time as we béeing deliuered from any perill come to giue thanks to God. What meane you to adde and suche other foolishe things what foolishnesse I beséeche you can you finde in this so godly a Psalme O where are your wits nay where is your reuerence you ought to giue to the holy scriptures Admonition But their craft is playn wherin they deceiue them selues standing so much vpon this word repugnāt as though nothing were repugnant or agaynst the worde of God but that which is expressely forbidden by playne commaundement they know well inough and would confesse if either they were not blinded or else their hearts hardned that in the circumstances each content wherwith we iustly finde faulte and they to contētiously for the loue of their liuings maynteine smelling of their olde popish priesthoode is agaynst the worde of God. Answere If they were disposed to be craftie I thinke they might soone deceiue you for any great circumspection or discretion that appeareth to be in you by this booke You finde great fault that we stand so much vpon this worde repugnant as though nothing were repugnant or against the worde of God but that which is expressely forbidden by playne commaundement and herein you say we deceyue our selues But you do not tell vs how we are deceyued neyther do you let vs vnderstande what you thinke this worde repugnant doth signifie This is but slender dealing to finde a faulte and not to correcte it you should yet haue tolde vs your opinion of the signification of this worde séeing so great a matter doth depende vpon it True it is that this worde repugnant or agaynst the worde of God is to be contrary to that which in the worde is commaunded or forbidden not onely in manifest words but also in sense and vnderstanding except you vnderstande this worde repugnant on this sorte you will bring in many poynts of daungerous doctrine For we read in the Acts. 2. and .4 that the Apostles had al things common and yet Christians haue not all things common Those that were then conuerted to the Gospell solde all they had and layde it at the Apostles féete Act. 4. now it is farre otherwise Then Chryste ministred his supper at night after supper we in the morning before dinner he in a priuate house we in the publike Church he to men onely we to women also with a great many of such apparant cōtrarieties which be none in déed bicause they be not agaynst any thing commaunded or forbidden to be done or not to be done either in expresse words or in true sense And therfore you are gretly deceiued when you think that we are persuaded that those things which you finde fault with be agaynst the worde of God. As for this your saying If either they were not blynded or else their hartes hardened I praye God it be not moste aptly spoken of youre selues but I will not take vpon me to iudge those secretes that be only knowne to God and your selues Admonition For besides that this prescripte forme of seruice as they call it is full of corruptions it maynteyneth an vnlauful ministerie vnable to execute that office By the worde of God it is an office of preaching they make it an office of reading Christ saide goe preache they in mockerie giue them the Bible and authoritie to preach and yet suffer them not except that they haue newe licences So that they make the chiefest part preaching but an accessarie that is as a thing with out which their office may and doth cōsist In the scriptures ther is attributed vnto the ministers of God the knowledge of heuenly mysteries and therfore as the greatest token of their loue they are enioyned to feede Gods lambs and yet with these such are admitted and accepted as onelye are bare readers that is able to say seruice and minister a sacrament And that this is not the feeding that Christ spake of the Scriptures are playne Reading is not feeding but it is as euill as playing vpon a stage and woorse too for players yet learne theyr partes without booke and these a maynie of them can scarcely reade within booke These are emptie feeders darke eyes ill workemen to hasten in the Lordes harueste messangers that can not call Prophetes that can not declare the wil of the Lord vnsauerie salt blind guydes sleepie watchemen
vse 5. 1. Corin. 3. vse 9. The one to proue that by the booke bare reading is good tilling the other that by the same booke single seruice saying is excellent building c. they shew your intollerable audacitie I will terme it no worse in abusing the Scriptures In that place to the Corinth the Apostle sayth thus VVho is Paule then who is Apollos But the ministers by whom ye beleeued and as the Lorde gaue to euery man. Howe can you gather hereof that by the Cōmunion booke bare reading is good tylling or how can you hereof conclude that which I thinke you meane that the sole and onely reading of the Scriptures is not tylling or that the Scriptures may not be read in the open congregation by the minister What sequele call you this Paule and Apollos be the ministers by whom you beléeued as the Lord gaue to euery man Therefore the reading of the scriptures edifie not or it is not lawful for them to be red in the church by the minister You come too soone from the vniuersitie to haue any great skill in logike but belyke bicause there is mention made of tilling in the next verse of that chapter therfore you quote it in the margent missing onely the line for this is your vsuall maner if you haue but one worde in a text which you vse in your booke you quote the place as though it made for your purpose This is neither playne nor wise dealing In the ninth verse of that chapiter these be the words For we togither are Gods labourers ye are Gods husbandrie and Gods buylding Howe do you apply these wordes or howe do they proue that by the booke of common prayers single seruice saying is excellente buylding that he is a shepheard good inough that can as a Popish Priest could out of their portuis say fayrely their diuine seruice nay how can you possibly collecte any thing out of this texte agaynst a prescripte order and forme of prayers If you be past shame before man yet remember that God will call you to a reckning for thus shamefully abusing his holy scriptures But now I remember this worde building is in this text and that is inough for you If any haue misliked often preaching or haue sayde that much preaching bringeth the word of God into contempte or that foure preachers were inough for all London they are to be blamed and that iustly and not the booke for it willeth no man to say so But if any hathe sayde that some of those which vse to preache often by their loose negligent verball and vnlearned sermons haue brought the worde of God into contempt or that foure godly learned pithie diligent and discrete preachers mighte doe more good in London than fortie contentious vnlearned verball and rashe preachers they haue sayde truely and their saying might wel be iustified Howbeit take héede that you slaunder no man or vniustly séeke the discredite of any whilst you séeke to vtter your malice agaynst that godly booke None that fauoureth Gods word as I thinke denieth that hearing the word of God is the vsuall and ordinary meanes wherby God vseth to work fayth in vs And that therfore preachers be necessarie But the place of Sainct Paule Rom. 10. by you alledged derogateth nothing from the reading of the Scriptures And I thinke no learned man will denie but that fayth commeth also by hearing the scriptures read The examples of suche as haue bene conuerted by reading of the scriptures and hearing of them read be infinite I knowe not whervnto this your bitternesse against reading of the scripture tendeth except it be to confirme another opinion of the Papists touching the obscuritie and darknesse of the Scripture or diuers senses and vnderstanding of the same If you ioyne with them in that also then I haue to say vnto you with S. Augustine In hijs quae aperte in scripturis posim sunt inueniuntur illa omnia quae continent fidem moresque viuendi In those things that be playne and manifest in the scriptures are al such things conteyned which pertayne to fayth and good manners And with Hierome in Psalme 86. Sicut scripserunt Apostoli sic ipse dominus hoc est per Euangelia sua locutus est vt non pauci intelligerent sed vt omnes Plato scripsit in scriptura sed non scripsit populo sed paucis vix enim intelligunt tres homines Isti vero hoc est principes ecclesiae principes Christinō scripserunt paucis sed vniuerso populo As the Apostles writ so did the Lorde that is he spake by his Gospels not that a few but that all might vnderstande Plato writ but he writ to few not to the people for scarse three do vnderstande him these that is the Apostles writ not to few but to the whole people But I thinke you doubte not of this matter If the reading of Scriptures edifie not what néeded Chrysostome writing vpon the .3 to the Col. so earnestly exhorte the people to get them Bybles or at the least the newe Testament to be as it were a continuall master vnto them to instruct them ▪ What néeded the same Chrysostome Hom. 3. de Lazaro with suche vehement words haue moued the people to reade the scriptures declaring not only the cōmoditie of them but the easinesse also to be vnderstood Is not thys saying bothe auncient and true That when we reade the Scriptures God talketh with vs VVhen wee praye then we talke with God In the one and thirtie Chapter of Deuteronomie it is thus written Thou shalte reade this lawe before all Israell that they maye heare it that they maye heare and that they maye learne and feare the Lorde your GOD. But touching this matter I referre you to that whiche I haue spoken before in the former parte of youre admonition And also I beséeche you take paines to peruse the .15 article of that notable Iewel worthy Byshop late of Salisburye wherein he of purpose entreateth of this matter against Master Harding Foolishly he spake you say when he said c. No surely but you do folishly gather the reding is vnprofitable bycause Sainte Paule saide that a Byshop must be apte to teache for your argument is this in effecte a Byshop must be apte to teache therefore the scriptures néede not to be redde to the people which is a non sequitur Your place of the 2. Chronicles 13. I haue touched before where it was alledged to the same purpose I haue shewed how vnaptly you vse it For Ieroboam was reproued for making suche préests as were not of the tribe of Leui to the whiche tribe only the préesthood was then tyed now it forceth not of what stocke or tribe he is that is admitted to the ministerie so that other qualities required of a minister be in him You will say no more in this matter but desire vs to consider with you what small profite and edification this silly reading
but tendeth rather to the constitution of the Saboth than to the prohibiting of rest in any other day appointed to the seruice of God And it is as muche as if he shoulde say sixe dayes thou maist worke and so do some translate the Hebrew worde The place alledged out of the first of Esay is far from the purpose there is not one worde there spoken of any holy dayes dedicated to Saintes but only the Lorde signifieth that their sacrifices and feaste dayes were not acceptable to him bycause they were done in hipocrisie and without faithe so that he reproueth modum not factuÌ„ their manner of sacrifising that is their hipocriticall kinde of worshipping him In the 2. Esdras 1. in the place by you quoted I sée not one word that may serue for your purpose the words you quote be these I haue led you thorovve the Sea and haue giuen you a sure vvay since the beginning I gaue you Moses for a guide and Aaron for a preest In the 14. to the Rom. the Apostle speaketh nothing of our holydaies but of such as were obserued among the Iewes and abrogated by the comming of christ And yet in that place the Apostle exhorteth that we which be strong shoulde not dispise them that are weake nor condemne them though they vse not the christian libertie in dayes and meates That in the fourth to the Galath Ye obserue dayes monthâ—s and times and yeares c. Saincte Augustine ad Ianuarium epistola 119 â–ª expoundeth on this sort Eos inculpat qui dicunt non proficiscar quia posterus dies est aut quia luna sic firtur vel proficiscar vt prospera cedant quia itaâ—se habet positio syderum non agam hoc mense commertium quia illa stella mihi agit mensem vel agam quia suscepit mensem I knowe there be other that do otherwise expounde that place and that truly euen as they do also that in the 14. to the Rom. of certaine Iewish feasts as Sabboths new moones the feasts of Tabernacles the yeare of Iubilie and such like abrogated by the Gospell and yet superstitiously obserued of some But these places can by no meanes be vnderstood of the dayes obserued by vs and called by the names of Saincts dayes for they were ordeyned since the writing of this epistle And that you maye vnderstande the difference betwixte the festiuall dayes obserued of the Papists and the dayes allowed nowe in this Churche it is to be considered First that their Saincts dayes were appointed for the honoring and worshipping of the Sainctes by whose names they were called ours be ordeyned for the honoring of God for publique prayer and edifieng the people by reading the scriptures and preaching neyther are they called by the name of any Saincte in any other respecte than that the scriptures which that day are read in the Church be concerning that Saincte and contayne either his calling preaching persecution martirdome or such like 2. The Papistes in their Sainctes dayes prayed vnto the Sainctes we onely praye vnto God in Christes name 3. They hadde all thinges done in a straunge toung wythoute any edifieng at all Wée haue the prayers and the Scriptures readde in a tongue knowne whyche cannot bée withoute great commoditie to the hearers 4. To be shorte they in obseruing their dayes thinkâ— they merite thereby something at Gods hands we in obseruing our dayes are taught farre otherwise The Church euen from the beginning hath obserued such feasts as it may appeare in good writers Ierome writing vppon the fourth Chapiter to the Galathians saith on this sorte If it be not lawfull to obserue dayes monethes times and yeares we also fall into the like faulte which obserue the passion of Christ the Saboth day and the time of lent the feastes of Easter and of Penthecost and other times appointed to Martirs according to the manner and custome of euery nation to the whiche he that will aunswere simply will say that our obseruing of dayes is not the same with the Iewishe obseruing for we do not celebrate the feast of vnleauened or sweete breade but of the resurrection and death of Christ c. and leaste the confused gathering together of the people should dyminishe the faith in Christe therefore certaine dayes are appointed that we mighte all meete togither in one place not bycause those daies be more holy but to the intente that in what day soeuer we meete we may reioyce to see one another c. Augustine in like manner li. 18. de ciuitate dei cap. 27. saith that we honor the memories of Martirs as of holy men such as haue striuen for the truth eueÌ„ to death c. The same Augustine in his booke contra Adamantum Manachiâ—i discip cap. 16. expounding the wordes of the Apostle ye obserue dayes yeares and tymes writeth thus But one maye thynke that he speaketh of the Sabaothe doe not we saye that those tymes oughte not to bee obserued but the thinges rather that are signified by them for they did obserue them seruilely not vnderstaÌ„ding what they did signifie and prefigurate this is that that the Apostle reproueth in them and in al those that serue the creature rather than the Creator for we also solemnely celebrate the Sabboth day and Easter and all other festiuall dayes of Christians but bicause we vnderstande whervnto they do appertayne we obserue not the times but those things which are signified by the times c. Other reformed Churches also haue dayes ascribed to Saincts aswell as we as it may appeare by these words of Bullinger writing vpon the .14 to the Rom. In the auncient writers as Eusebius and Augustine thou mayst find certayn memorials apoynted to certayn holy men but after another manner not muche differing from ours whiche we as yet retayne in our Churche of Tigurie for we celebrate the Natiuitie of Christ his circumcision resurrection and ascention the comming of the holy ghost the feasts also of the virgin Mary Iohn Baptist Magdalene Steuen and the other Apostles yet not condemning those which obserue none but onely the Sabboth day For perusing old monuments we finde that this hath alwayes bene left free to the churches that euery one should follow that in these things that should be best and most conuenient Caluine in like maner writing vpon the fourth to the Galath dothe not disalow this kinde of obseruing dayes his words be these VVhen as holynesse is attributed to dayes when as one day is discerned from another for religion sake when dayes are made a peece of diuine worship then dayes are wickedly obserued c. But when we haue a difference of dayes laying no burden of necessitie on mens consciences we make no differeÌ„ce of days as though one were more holy than another we put no religion in them nor worshipping of God but only we obserue them for order and concorde sake so that the obseruing of dayes with vs is free and without all superstition And agayne
ouer a dioces which conteyneth many shires and parishes For the dominion that they exercise the Archbishop aboue them and they aboue the rest of their brethren is vnlawfull and expresly forbidden by the worde of God. Answere Now that you haue spitte out all your poyson againste the Communion booke and poured downe all youre reasons you come to the Pontificall as you terme it that is the booke conteyning the order and manner of making of ministers c. this booke you saye is worde for worde drawen out of the Popes pontifical c. Surely if those things whiche were good in the Popes pontificall and either conteyned in the scripture or well vsed before in the auncient Church or wel prescribed by general councels be also in our Pontificall our pontifical is neuer the worse for hauing of them for if the thing it self be good profitable it forceth not from whom it was takē or of whō it was vsed so that now it be rightly vsed But it is most false vntrue that the booke of ordring ministers Deacons c. now vsed is word for word drawn out of the Popes pontifical being almost in no point correspōdent to the same as you might haue séene if you had cōpared them together But ignorāce rashnesse dryues you into many errors Both of the names and also of the offices of Archebishops Archedeacons Lorde-bishops ▪ c. I haue spoken before sufficiētly and fully answered these places quoted in this margent sauing the .2 to the Galathi the .5 to the Hebrews Ezech. 34. 2. Cor. 1. for these places haue ben foūd out since and thought méete nowe to be alledged but how discretely by emmination it will appeare The words of the Apostle to the Gala. 2. vse 6. be these And of them whiche seemed to be greate I was not taught what they were in tyme passed it maketh no matter to mee God accepteth no mans persone neuerthelesse they that are the chiefe did communicate nothing wyth me The Apostle in these wordes doth declare that he receyued not the gospell whiche he preached of men no not of the Apostles but of Iesus Christe and that the Gospell preached by him ought to be no lesse credited than the Gospel preached by them So that in those wordes he declareth that the truth of the doctrine doth not depende of anie mannes person He speaketh nothing agaynst superioritie quoad ordinem concerning order but dothe rather acknowledge it for he sayth they that are the chiefe c. But it is true that master Caluin noteth on this place Hic non est certamē ambitionis quia nequaquam de personis agitur The cōtention is not for ambition for it is not vnderstanded of the persons Nowe I pray you consider this argumente Paule receyued the Gospell that he preached not of the Apostles but of Christ or the Gospel preached by Paule is equiualent with the Gospell preached by other of the Apostles therfore the names of Archebishoppes Archdeacons ▪ c. are drawne out of the Popes shop together with their offices or this Paule sayth that they that were the chiefe did communicate nothing with him Ergo the names and offices of Archbishops bee taken out of the Popes shop The wordes in the .5 to the Herues .4 vse be these And no man taketh this honour to himselfe but he that is called of God as was Aaron The Apostle here sheweth that Christe was a laufull Priest bicause he was therevnto called by God as Aaron was What is this to Archbishops c. This place teacheth that no man oughte to intrude himself to any function except he be thervnto called by god But what maketh this agaynst any lawfull function or authoritie or what conclusion call you this Christ did not take vnto him that office whervnto he was not called or no mā must take vpon him that whervnto he is not called Ergo Archebishops c. and their offices came out of the Popes shop You shuld fyrst proue that whiche ought to be your minor In the .16 of Luke vse 25. it is thus written but Abraham sayd sonne remember that thou in thy lyfe tyme receauedst thy pleasures and lykewise Lazarus paynes now therfore is he comforted and thou art tormented The riche glutton in his lyfe receyued pleasure and therfore was after in hell tormented Lazarus receyued paynes and after was comforted Therfore Archbishops c. and their offices come out of the Popes shop These fellowes neither care for maior minor nor conclusion so they say some thing and vaynly paynt their margent with shamefully abusing the Scriptures The wordes of Ezech. chap. 34. vse 4. bée these The weake haue ye not strengthened the sick haue ye not healed neyther haue you bounde vp the broken c. In the whiche place the Prophet speaketh against suche Kings magistrates and rulers as despise the people of God and vse themselues cruelly towardes them this doth as well condemne kings and magistrates as it dothe Archbishoppes although in déede it condemneth no office or superioritie but the abuse of the same that is the man abusing the office and not the office it selfe In the .2 Cor. 1. vse 24. the Apostle speaketh thus vnto them Not that we haue dominion ouer your faith but wee are helpers of your ioye for by faith you stande S. Paule here sayth that he hath no authoritie to alter true religion or to rule ouer their consciences but howe proueth this that Archebishops c. came out of the Popes shop Paule saith that he had no power ouer the consciences of the Corinthians therfore Archebishops c. and their offices were drawne out of the Popes shop If you had ben more studious when you were a Sophister if euer you were any you would haue learned better to frame an Argument and haue had better iudgemēt in the sequele of the same If you had not troubled your margent with these quotations you had lesse vttered your follie So muche of the Cannon lawe as is contrarye to the Scriptures is Antichristian and diuellish but there bee diuers Canons in it very good and profitable which may well be reteyned Good lawes may be borrowed euen of Turkes heathenish idolaters and why not of Papists also I haue tolde you before that the thing it selfe is to be considered not the inuentor if it be good and profitable it may be vsed whosoeuer did inuent it In that you say That you maye as safely by the warrant of Gods worde subscribe to allow the dominion of the Pope vniuersally to reign ouer the church of God as of an Archbishop ouer an whole prouince c. You expresse but youre heate I suppose you thinke not so can the Pope as well gouerne the whole Church as the Archbishop one prouince and a lord Bishop one dioces Is one king as well able to gouerne the whole world as he may be to gouern one kingdome or bicause you can rule one parrishe well can you therfore in
like manner well gouerne twentie parishes Surely an Archbishop may well gouerne one prouince but the Pope can neuer well gouerne the whole church And yet an Archbishop hath not the the charge of gouernement ouer the whole prouince generally but onely in certain cases exempted therfore may do it more easily You borowed these arguments from the very Papists who by the selfe same reasons go about to proue the Popes supremacie for thus they argue Among the Israelites ther was one high Priest whiche had authoritie ouer the rest therfore ther must be one high Priest which is the Pope ouer the whole Churche of christ Master Caluin in his Institutions chap. 8. doth answere this reason on this sort Quod in vna natione fuit vtile id in vniuersum orbem extendere nulla ratio cogit imo gentis vnius totius orbis longe diuersa erit ratio That whiche is profitable in one nation can not by any reason bee extended to the whole worlde for there is great difference betwixt the whole worlde and one nation And a little after Perinde enim est ac si quis contendat totum mundum à praefecto vno debere regi quia ager vnus non plur◠praefectos habeat It is euen as though a man should affirme that the whole worlde may be gouerned of one kyng bicause one fielde or towne hath but one ruler or maister An other of their reasons is this Peter was the chiefe among the Apostles therfore there ought to be one chief ouer the whole Churche The same maister Caluine in the book and chapter before rehersed maketh this one answere to that Argumente Vnus inter Apostolos summus fuit nempe quia pauci erant numero Si vnus duodecim hominibus praefuit an propterea sequetur vnum debere centum milibus hominum praefici There was one chief among the Apostles bicause they were but few in number but if one man rule ouer twelue shall it therefore followe that one maye rule ouer a hundred thousande And a little after Quod inter paucos valet non protinus traehendum est ad vniuersum orbem terrarum ad quem regendum nemo vnus sufficit That which is of force among few maye not by and by bee drawen to the whole worlde the whiche no one man can gouerne ▪ Euery hyue of Bées hath one chéefe master Bée euery companie of Cranes hath one principall guyde must there be therfore but one Bée one Crane to direct al the Bées and the cranes that be in the whole worlde you see therfore how weake this reason is The rest of this reason I haue answered before Admonition The fiftéenth Agayne in that they are honoured with the titles of kings and great rulers as Lorde Lordes grace Metropolitane primate of all England Honor. c. it is agaynste the worde of god Moreouer in that they haue ciuile offices ioyned to the Ecclesiasticall it is agaynst the worde of god As for an Archbishop to be a Lorde president a Lord Bishop to be a Countie Palatine a prelate of the Garter who hath much to doe at Saint Georges feast when the Bible is caried before the Procession in the Crosses place a Iustice of peace or Iustice of Quorum an high Cōmissioner c. And therfore they haue their prisones as Clinkes Gatehouses Colehouses towres and Castles which is also against the Scriptures This is not to haue keyes but swordes and playn tokens they ar that they exercise that which they would so fayne seeme to want I meane dominion ouer their brethren Answere All this is without the booke and therfore I néede not to answere it no more than you néede to absteyn frō subscribing to the booke for things not cōteyned in the booke But I meane a little to examine your places of scripture to sée if you haue any better lucke in applying of them than hitherto you haue had in others To proue that it is agaynst the worde of God to honor Byshops with titles of great rulers as Lorde Lords grace Metropolitane primate of all Englande honor c. for I doe not remember that we call them kings you first quote Math. 23. which place is very ofte by you iterated and sufficiently by me answered before In the .13 of Iohn which you vse also for the same purpose Chryst after he had washed his disciples feete tooke an occasion thervpon to exhorte them to humilitie which vertue is very necessarie in all degrées of men aswell in rulers and Magistrates as in inferiours And therefore that place requireth humilitie in all especially in the ministers of the worde but it disaloweth superioritie in none When Chryst addeth and sayth the seruaunt is not greater than his master c. he armeth them agaynst persecutions and willeth them to looke for afflictions for in the .15 chapter he addeth to the same words If they haue persecuted me they vvill persecute you also And to this are Archbyshops and Lordbyshops aswell subiect as other men examples whereof we haue of our owne as Cranmer Ridley Hooper c. That in the .5 chapter of S. Iohn is not spoken to the Apostles but to the whole company of Iewes in reproofe of their vayne glory for so is that place to be vnderstoode else it were altogither vnlawfull for any man to receyue honor yea euen for Princes them selues To the like purpose tende the words of the Apostle 2. Cor. 10. vse 16.17.18 Surely bothe the names of Archbyshops Lordebyshops c. and their offices may aswell stande with these places of the scripture as the names offices of kings nobles and any other persons in estimation or dignitie In déede the mother of all heresies and sectes that is vayne glory and arrogancie in all these places is vtterly condemned But I pray you dothe Christ condemne superioritie in all those whom he exhorteth to humilitie is not humilitie aswell required in Princes and great rulers as it is in meaner persons yes surely and a great deale more Wherfore Christ in suppressing ambition pride arrogancie and exhorting to humilitie doth not condemne superioritie neither yet titles of reuerence but requireth humblenesse of spirite lowlinesse of mynd in al degrées of persons especially in superiors whō this vertue dothe moste adorne the mightiest and noblest Prince in the worlde may come nearer this admonition of Christ than the poorest slaue It is therfore the affection of the minde that Christ here condemneth not superioritie not titles of honor and dignitie yea he reproueth in this place such hautie proude stomakes as yours be which contemne and disdayne those whom they ought both in words and déedes both in titles and subiections to reuerence To proue that ciuill offices ioyned to the ecclesiasticall is agaynst the worde of God first you note Luke 9. v. 60.61 where it is thus written And Iesus sayde vnto him let the dead bury their dead but goe thou and preache the kingdome of
vocation This is but your veyne of rayling and your vsuall manner of extolling your selues and condemning other But as I sayde before your wordes be no sclaunder neyther will I in words contend with you but therin giue you the vpper hande only I must still let you vnderstand of your foolish applying of scriptures For wherfore haue you here quoted the tenth of Iohn vse 1. Belike bycause Christ sayth there That he whiche doth not enter in by the dore into the sheepfolde but climbeth vp an other way is a theefe and a robber therfore all such as bée placed in this Churche of England your selues excepted enter in by a popish and vnlauful vocation You had gone orderly to worke if you had firste proued that we haue not come into the shéepfold by christ If you thus omitte the proofe of your minor you may conclude what you wil and quote scriptures at your pleasure But wyse and lerned men will lament your follie and laughe at your vnskilfulnesse Of making of ministers I haue spoken before and answered the places Actes 6.14 20. sufficiently As for the other two places Ro. 12. vse 6.7.8 and .1 Cor. 9. vse 16.17 I muse why you note them they nothing at all perteyning to the making of ministers they something touche their office yet not that directly But you must be borne with least you shoulde haue séemed to youre disciples to haue sayd nothing Some of those ministers you say may tarie in their Colledge and leade the liues of loytering losels as long as they liue If you knew any suche loytering losels in any Colledge I trust you would make them knowne to other also If you knowe none suche then are you a slaunderer of Colledges and suche as be in them It were to be wished in my opinion that there were many preachers in Colledges of greater continuance than I knowe any Then should not yong factious vnruly and vndiscrete persons so greately trouble with their contentions and sects bothe vniuersities and the whole realme also I knowe no Bishops that giue out Bulles but if such preachers as remayne in Colledges or elsewhere béeing thervnto licenced by the Bishop or other that haue authoritie doe take paynes to preach where they sée occasion they are greatly to be commended and I pray God encrease the nūber of such Circumcetiōs But since this your opinion hath bene broched it hath not only driuen many frō the ministerie but also caused diuers to loyter and cease from preaching And certainely if it be not in tyme prouided for that one braunch of your doctrine wil spoyle this Churche of England bothe of preachers and preachings The rest that you write in this parte I hope is more slaunderously of you spoken than truely notwithstanding I thinke there hathe bene some ouersighte in some men whiche I trust is and will be amended if not then I wishe that Cannon of the lawe to be put in practise that suche as admit them should also prouyde for them When you say that the Bishoppes of thys Realme reigne and rule by the Canon lawe you forgette your selfe you know it is otherwise Their chiefe authoritie they haue by Gods lawe the reste by the lawes of the Realme and of the Prince but these wordes are but wordes of course with you Admonition The seuentéenth We should be too long to tell youre honoures of Cathedrall Churches the dennes aforsayd of al loytering lubbers where master Deane master Vicedeane master Canons or master Prebendaries the greater master Petie canons or Canons the lesser master Chauncelor of the Churche master Treasorer otherwyse called Iudas the purse bearer the chief Chaunter Singing men speciall fauourers of religion squeaking Queristers Organ players Gospellers Pistellers Pentioners Readers Vergers c. liue in greate idlenesse and haue their abiding If you woulde knowe whence all these came we can easyly answere you that they came from the Pope as oute of the Troian horses belly to the distruction of Gods kingdome The Churche of God neuer knewe them neither doth any reformed church in the worlde know them Answere Here you speak both without the book of Cōmon prayers and scriptures also for neither are cathedral churches conteyned in that booke neyther haue you any scripture to proue that which you so impudently affirme God be thanked it is well knowne to those that be not with malice blinded that Cathedrall Churches be furnished with godly zelous and learned men And that they be the chiefe and principall ornaments of this Realme and next to the vniuersities chiefest mainteyners of godlinesse religion and learning there be some desire the spoyle of them whose instrumentes you be But I hope both their mouthes and yours also shal be firste stopped with earth Master Deane master vicedeane master Cānons c. as much as they loyter may thinke themselues fitte to be compared with such as you are in any respects The rest of your rayling words I leaue to the Authoure You say all these come from the Pope c. It is not materiall frō whence they come so they be good profitable and necessarie for the mainteyning of religion lerning wise and learned men But I pray you from what Pope came they or in what time did the Pope inuent them I told you before that such places and Colledges were in Augustines time and that he both hath the name of master Deane and alloweth of his office If you had redde any aunciente learned authours as your writings declare you haue not then shoulde you finde that Collegiate Churches be of great antiquitie euen since the yeare of our Lorde .235 But what can you speake against Cathedrall Churches which you may not aswell speake against the Colledges in the vniuersities They were not in the Apostles time neyther yet in the primatiue Church must they therefore nowe be dissolued your meaning is belike to bring al to cōfusion and barbarisme You say no reformed church in the worlde knoweth them wherin I thinke you speak more than you knowe Can you name any reformed Church that hath plucked them downe Peraduenture in dyuers places where the Gospell is now preached they had neuer suche rewardes for learning But what haue we to do in suche cases with other reformed Churches we haue to consider what is most méete for this Churche and state and not to follow other as though we were children I sée no cause why other reformed Churches should not rather followe vs than we them seing in no respecte we be inferior to them Well to conclude your wordes be but vayne and your proofes none at all And therefore I doubte not but Cathedrall churches shall be able to withstand both your opprobrious speaches and the gréedinesse of all their aduersaries so long as it shall please God to blesse thys land with so vertuous and learned a Quéene and so wise and discréete counsellours Admonition The eightéenth And birds of the same fether are couetous patrones of benefices persons vicars
vertue thereof then shoulde not our wordes and workes be deuorced but Christe shoulde bee suffered to reigne a true ministerie according to the worde instituted discipline exercised Sacramentes purely and sincerely ministred this is that we striue for and about which we haue suffered not as euill doers but for resisting poperie and refusing to bee stoong with the tayle of Antichristian infection ready to render a reason of our fayth to the stopping of all our enimies mouthes Wee therefore for the Churche of Gods sake whiche ought to be moste deare vnto you beseeche you for our Soueraignes sake vppon whom we pray that all Gods blessing may be poured abundantly wee pray you to consider of these abuses to reforme Gods Churche according to youre dueties and callings that as with one mouth we confesse one Christe so with one consente this raigne of Antichriste may bee turned oute headlong from amongest vs and Christe our Lord may reigne by his worde ouer vs So your seates shal be established and setled in great assurance you shall not neede to feare youre enemies for God will turne awaye his threatned plagues from vs whiche hee in mercie do for his Christes sake Amen Answere It is very well that you so lyke of the Articles but yet it pleaseth you not to subscribe vnto them You saye bycause of a poynt or two whiche are eyther too sparely or else to darkly set downe but in déede your meaning is to subscribe to nothing whiche by authoritie you are required to doe and that argueth an arrogante mynde and a disposition that loueth alwaye to bée singuler You note in the margent that the right gouernement of the Churche can neuer be separated from the doctrine But by your owne confession we haue the doctrine Ergo of necessitie we also haue the ryght gouernemente Here in few woords you haue caste downe whatsoeuer you séemed before to buyld so do commonly vnskilfull buylders I woulde to God that for so much as contrarie to your former assertion you nowe confesse that wée haue the veritie of doctrine you coulde be contente to saye downe great heart and submitte youre selues to the Quéenes Maiestie and hir lawes accordyng to your duetie then no doubt Christe shoulde withoute resistance reigne in this Churche and the frutes of the Gospell would much more appeare You bragge muche of youre suffering You are little beholden to youre neyghbours when you are thus constrayned to prayse your selues But I pray you whether dothe he persecute that modestely and soberly defendeth the truth or he that vnlawfully reuengeth himself withrayling and backbyting you loue very well to haue the worlde knowe howe greately you be persecuted And therfore if one of you here in Cambridge be punished but twentie pens for his open contempte of statutes to the which he is sworne in poste hast it is caried into al quarters and especially to London where great complaynte is made of this gréeuous persecution when as you your disciples ceasse not as I sayde moste falsly and slaunderously to reporte of suche as executyng good lawes discharge theyr conscience to GOD and their duetie towardes the Prince Wée therfore exhorte you if there be any feare of God before your eyes any reuerence towardes the Prince any desire of promoting the Gospell any louing affection towardes the Church of Christ to submit your selues according to youre duties to godly orders to leaue of contentiousnesse to ioyne with vs in preaching of the worde of God and beating downe the kyngdom of Antichrist that this your diuision procure not Gods wrath to be poured vppon vs. Additions detractions and alterations in this second part of the Admonition Folio 1. THere is added portuis For where before they sayd that our booke of Common prayers was culled and picked out of that popish dunghil the Masseboke nowe vpon better aduisement they saye that it was culled out of the portuis and massebooke It derogated nothing from the booke of Common prayers bicause some thing therin is in the portuis and massebook no more thā it derogateth from the Scriptures that some portion of them as the whole Psalmes and certain other portions of the Epistles Gospels and other Scripture be in the same neyther are they allowed bicause they be in the portuis and massebooke but bicause they be eyther scripture or most agréeable thervnto They also adde in the first reason that the cōming of women in vailes to be churched is not commaunded by law but yet the abuse to be great by reasō that superstition is growen therby in the heartes of many other are iudged that vse it not This is an argumēt of their former rashnes but not worthy any answer especially being cōfessed to be without the booke For the .120 psalm is now quoted the .121 psalm which I haue also corrected before Folio 2. For the .26 of Mat. is noted the .28 And this also I corrected in answering that place For the first to Timo. 3. vse 3. nowe they haue quoted 1. Ti. 3. vse 6. against reading ministers where S. Paule woulde not haue a minister to be a yong scholer but he speaketh nothing against reading Where it was before and minister a sacrament now is added according to their appoyntmente to what purpose I know not It was before reading is not feeding nowe it is thus amended for bare reading of the word and single seruice saying is bare feeding wherby they nowe confesse that reading is féeding althoughe it be as they saye but bare féeding Wée were in good case if the platforme of oure Churche depended vppon these men which alter their iudgements so sodeynly It is a true saying Conueniet nulli qui secum disside◠ipse Howe can he agree with other that doth not agree with himself There is also added in the same lease these woordes are not the people wel nodified think you when the homilie of sweeping the church is read vnto them Surely such slouting termes are vsed of none but of nodies in déede and suche as are more méete to be fooles in playes where they may iest than to be platformers of Churches in whom wisedome learning grauitie and godlynesse is to be required I know no Homilie entituled of sweeping the Churche one there is of repairing keeping cleane of churches whether it edifie or no I referre to the wise and discrete reader to iudge when he hath perused it Fol. 3. Before it was in the seconde reason for the verye name Apocrypha testifieth that they oughte rather to be kept close thā to be vttered Now it is for the very name Apocrypha testifieth that they were read in secret and not openly This is some correction of their former rashnesse But of this matter that is of reading Homilies in the Churche I haue spoken before I omitte .2 Timothie 3. verse .6 whyche is nowe verse .16 and .2 Peter 1. verse .20 whyche is now vers .19.20.21 For these bée not matters of any greate importaunce
obijciunt obstacula atque remorae ab illis quoque exortae qui maximè Euangelici volunt videri Verum per initia reformationis Ecclesiae nostrae eadem nos exercuit molestia Erant enim quibus nihil in reformando satis purum videbatur vnde ab Ecclesia sese segregabant conuenticula peculiaria constituehant quae mox consequibantur schismata sectae variae quae iucnudum spectaculum exhibebant hostibus nostris papistiois Sed innotuit tandem ipsorum Hypocrisis ataxta suaque sponte diffluxêre Liberabit hac molestia vos haud dubie clemens misericors Dominus c. The same in Englishe FIrst of all we reioyce with you for the wonderfull felicitie of your moste gracious Queene in quieting of troubles in ouerthrowing of hir enimies in keeping of hir subiects in obedience and for hir wyse and couragious sifting out of the mischeeuously vvrapped practizes of traytors And vve do earnestly pray vnto God that he wil not only continue these so great graces in hir but also increase them and that he will defende hir from all euill This virgin Prince beloued of God in the iudgement of all good men excelleth all the men Princes that novv reigne in the vvorlde in vvisedome in modestie in mercy in iustice in dexteritie and maruellous happinesse in all hir affayres so that vndoubtedly the godly of al nations do comfort them selues and are confirmed in the true religion for that they do euidently see Christe the Lorde so mightily to fauour his seruaunt and to preserue hir in glory and all maner vertue before Heroicall and diuine Princes But vve are not a lyttle sory that in your spreading of the truthe and enlarging of the limittes of Christes church so many stops and stayes are cast agaynst you and they springing from them that vvill seeme moste Euangelicall For in the beginning of the reformation of our Churche the same grieues occupied vs for there vvere some vnto vvhom in reforming nothing might seeme sufficiently pure in so muche that they separated them selues from the churche and appoynted priuate conuenticles the vvhich there did presently follovv schismes and diuers sectes and they were a pleasaunt spectacle to our enimies the Papistes But at the length their hypocrisie and disorder dyd appeare and they vanished of their ovvne accorde The mercifull and gracious Lorde shall deliuer you also no doubt from this trouble c. A briefe answere to certain Pamphlets spred abroade of late I HAVE of late receyued thre litle Pamphlets the first as it were a preface to the other two the seconde entituled An exhortation to the Bishops to deale brotherly with their brethren The thirde An exhortation to the Bishops and theyr cleargie to answere a little Booke that came foorth the last Parliament and to other brethren to iudge of it by Gods worde vntill they see it aunswered and not be caried awaye with any respect of men The Preface consisteth of these poynts especially first by diuers examples it is there declared that the wicked and vngodly of this world coulde neuer away with such as woulde reproue them for their manyfest sinnes and vngodlynesse Secondly that this is the cause why these two Treatises which wer lately written and imprinted in the last Parliament time c. were of so many mysliked and the authors thereof so cruelly entreated and straightly imprisoned c. Thirdly it rayleth on the Bishops and suche as be in authoritie comparing them to false prophets and to Phariseys c. Laste of all it concludeth wyth threatenyng that if they goe forewarde in their sinnes their doings shall bée with more bitternesse of woordes and playnenesse of speache throwne into their faces The first is néedlesse for who knoweth not that from tyme to tyme it hath ben the maner of such as wer desperatly wicked not to suffer their sins opeÌ„ly to be reproued The seconde is false vncharitable and slaunderous for the cause why the bookes bée not estéemed especially of the wise and learned is the vntrue doctrine conteyned in them maynteyned with vntrue and vnapt allegations of the Scriptures and interlaced with opprobrious termes and rayling speaches tendyng to the disquietnesse of the Churche and ouerthrow of true religion The authors therof to be imprisoned not for telling any man of his sinnes but for writing Libels agaynste this whole Churche of Englande agaynst the booke of Common-prayers agaynste the ministerie agaynst the Sacramentes fynally agaynst the whole forme and gouernement of the Churche by the whole consent of this realme established according to the rule of Gods word And with what face can you say that they be imprisoned for telling men of their sins â–ª where euer read you or herd you that any of the Prophets or apostles told meÌ„ of their sins by liâ—els Surely that kinde of dealing is not for the Apostles of Christ but for the ministers of Sathan The thirde commeth of the same spirite that the seconde dothe that is of the spirite of arrogancie and malice for it compareth godly wyse zealous and learned Bishops to idolatrous Priests and â—o Phariseys but in déede the conditions and qualities of the Phariseys doo moste aptely agrée wyth the authours of these Libelles and theyr adherentes for the Phariseyes didde all that they did to bée séene of men and soughte the commendation of the common people as appeareth Matthew 6. and .23 and so doo they The Phariseys when they fasted disfygured theyr faces and these walkyng in the streates hang downe their heades looke austerely and in companie sighe muche and seldome or neuer laughe the Phariseys strayned out a gnat and swallowed down a Camell And these men thinke it an heynous offence to weare a cap or a surplesse but in slaundring and back-biting their brethren in rayling on them by Libelles in contemning of superiors and discrediting suche as be in authoritie to be shorte in disquieting the Churche and state they haue no conscience The Phariseys separated themselues from the common sorte of men as more holy and contemned the poore Publicanes as sinners And therfore some learned interpreters thinke that they bée called Pharisaei quasi segregati quod vitae sanctimonia a vielgi moribus vita separati essent noÌ„ aliter atque monachi quos Chartusianos vocant They be called Phariseis as separated and deuided from the coÌ„mon sort in holynesse of lyfe muche like vnto the Monks which be called Carthusians And Iosephus sayth that they were called Phariseys bycause they séemed to bée more holy than other and more cunnyngly to expounde the lawe Also hée sayeth this to bée one propertie of theirs that what so euer theyr owne reason persuadeth them Id sequuntur pertinaciter that they stubbornely followe Agayne hée sayth that they bée astutum hominum genus arrogans interdum Regibus quoquâ— infestum c. A suttle kynde of men arrogante and sometymes ennimies to Kinges and rulers These men separate them selues also from the congregation
and wyll communicate wyth vs neyther in prayers hearing the worde nor sacramentes they confemne and despise all those that bée not of their secte as polluted and not worthye to be saluted or kepte company with and therfore some of them méeting their olde acquayntance béeyng godlie Preachers haue not onely refused to salute them but spitte in theyr faces wishyng the plague of God to lyghte vpon them and saying that they were damned and that God had taken his spirite from them and all this bycause they did weare a cap wherefore when they talke of Phariseys they plucke themselues by the noses But Lorde what a straunge tyme is this when suche as they bee dare thus boldly publishe libelles agaynst their superiors for maynteyning and executing good and godly lawes The conclusion of this Preface is a stoute presumptuous and malaperte threatning in my opinion not to be suffered but howe soeuer your penne and toung walketh yet I pray you holde your handes or else c. In this portion entituled An exhortation to the Bishoppes to deale brotherly with theyr brethren There is no greate matter conteyned worthye of answering onely the authour dothe excuse himselfe for takyng vppon hym that exhortation and moueth the Byshoppes to deale brotherly with the authors of the Admonition Fyrst bicause they be their brethren Secondly bicause they oughte firste to haue discouered vnto the worlde by the worde of God howe truely or falsly they haue written Thirdly bicause they do but disclose the disorders of our Churche of Englande and humbly desire a reformation of the same according to the rule of Gods word c. Fourthly that Papistes lye abroade in their dioces vntouched c. Fifthly that many leude light bookes and balades flie abroade printed not onely without reprehension but Cum priuilegio Lykewyse in the same booke the Author séemeth to iustifie the Admonition and to condemne the Lordship and authoritie of Byshops ascribing thervnto the stay and hinderance of their pretenced reformation charging them after a sort with mangling the Scriptures of God and with snaring the godlie with suche lawes as were purposely made for the wicked These be the principall contentes of that booke The first reason that is that they be their brethren might aswell be alledged for the impuritie of Anabaptists Arrians and such like who pretende the synceritie of Gods woorde and would be counted brethren Yea it might aswell be alledged for many other male faâ—tours who be also brethren and yet must not therefore escape vnpunished for their offences Shall not the Prince and the magistrate execute lawes vppon such as breake them bycause they be their brethren in Christ beware of such doctrine let not affectioÌ„ in priuate mens causes carry you headlong into publique errours But I thinke you are in this point deceiued for how so euer we accoÌ„pt them our brethren yet they accoÌ„pt not vs their brethren neither wil they acknowledge vs so to be as some of theÌ„ bothe in open speach and manifest signes haue declared And therefore when the Bishops deale with them they deale with such as disdayne to be called their brethren To their seconde reason I answere that I thinke they haue bene talked with and herd what they haue to say for them selues but their hawtie mindes and good opinion conceiued of them selues will not suffer them to sée their errours In this reason you alledge nothing for them but that which may also be alledged for the Papistes or any other sect of heretikes But it is an olde saying Turpe est doctori c. How happeneth if that they them selues haue first defamed not the Bishops onely but also this whole Churche of England with publique libelles before they haue vsed brotherlie and priuate conference This is to spye a mote in another mans eye c. How true the third reason is may appeare in my answere to their AdmonitioÌ„ But how true so euer it were yet their disordered disclosing by vnlawfull meanes that is by libelling deserueth as much punishement as hitherto they haue had for the truth nedeth no such vngodly meanes of disclosing If Papists go abrode vnpunished when by lawe they may be touched surely it is a great faulte and can not be excused and I pray God it may be better looked to But this is no good and sufficient reason for the impunitie of other Bicause some Papists be not punished shall therefore no disordered persons be punished Or bycause some in authoritie winke at some Papists shall therefore no lawes be executed towards any offendours Surely touching malice against the forme and state of this our Church I sée no great differeÌ„ce betwixte them and the Papists and I thinke verily they both conspire togither The same answere I make to your fifte reason shall no booke be suppressed bycause some be not It is a fault I confesse to suffer leude ballets and bookes touching manners But it were a greater faulte to suffer bookes and libells disturbing the peace of the Church and defacing true religion Concerning the titles and offices of Byshops I haue spoken sufficiently before In mangling wresting of the scriptures none offend so muche as do the Authours of the Admonition who in that pointe are comparable to the Papistes as may bée séene by the learned and diligent reader If they whome they terme godly do willingly offend against suche lawes as were made for the wicked they are to be punished according to the lawes neyther are they to be spared bicause they pretende godlinesse For there is no godlinesse in breaking of lawes The thirde scroule called An exhortation to the Bishops and their clergie to aunswere a litle boke c is satisfied I trust for I haue as it is there required aunswered the shorte and peuish pamphlet as they terme it I haue disclosed their double and corrupte dealing their wringing of the scriptures to serue their turne and haue declared the true sense and meaning of them I haue not bumbasted it with rethoricke but in plaine and simple manner vttered my iudgement according to the true meaning and sense of the scriptures Notwithstanding I haue in sundrie points declared the vse of the Churche of Christ in times past and do vse the testimonie of auncient councells and learned fathers whiche these vnlearned men vnlearnedly contemne a thing not hearde of in any age or Church nor allowed of any learned man but only of certaine heretiques and especially Anabaptists To be shorte I haue not answered the booke by péeces but wholy How be it I must desire them to pardon me for not making more spéede wyth mine Answere their friuolous quotations so troubled me and my other businesse that I could no sooner make an ende of it In all the rest of that deriding Pamphlet there is nothing of any moment worth the answering Therefore as they alledge this portion of a sentence taken out of Saincte Augustine in his epistle ad Vincen. Si terrerentur non docerentur
before in the confutation of the first Admonition spoken sufficiently of al these matters therfore I will only note one or two things in this parte to let you vnderstand that these platformers builde not vppon that foundation that they woulde haue others so strictly bounde vnto For let them tell me vppon what scripture this is grouÌ„ded Let no one minister medle in any cure saue his owne but as he is appointed by common consente of the nexte conference or counsells prouinciall or nationall or further if it may fall out so generall of all Churches reformed Or this That the ministers muste be equall and that some must be gouerned by all and not al by some Or that the pastor or teacher in euery congregation ought to be the principall of the consistorie of their congregation Or that Many parishes may be ioyned in one and haue one pastor and yet that it is vnlawfull for one pastor to haue many parishes Or that In the meane whyle till preachers increase to furnishe the places vnfurnished vpon coÌ„ference among the learned some discrete man be appoynted to make some entiet prayer c. Or that it is euill so ofte to repeate Glory be to the father c. Lorde haue mercy vpon vs c. or the Lordes prayer For the text which they alledge for the same Math. 6. is wickedly wrested and corruptly alledged for the words of Christe be not as they translate them When you pray 〈…〉 that is many words without fayth and the inwarde affection of the minde is forbidden Paule 1. Thessa. 5. saith Pray continually And Christ Math. 6. sayth Pray on this maner Our father c. So that of necessitie we muste oftentimes repeate the Lordes prayer if we will beléeue Christe and his Apostle Paule But Lorde what strange doctrine is this to call Glory bee to the father c. Lorde haue mercy vpon vs c. Our father c popishe Surely these men as I suppose be not well in their wittes These and a number of other phansies they haue in this booke which they can not grounde vpon any scripâ—ures but by wringing and wresting of them and in déede their séeeking is to haue all thinges framed according to their fansies that they may be accompted planters and platformers of Churches I omitte this that the Author boasteth that he and many others will set them selues agaynst vs as the professed enimies of the church of Christ For the matter is not great neither shall theâ— in that poynt deale any otherwise with vs than 〈◊〉 Anabaptistes Arrianâ— and other Heretikes haue 〈◊〉 with other Churches This shall be sufficient for an answere to that booke bicause all other matters of substaunce are by me answered before in the former confutation Articles collected out of the former Admonition and vntruely sayd of the fautors of that Admonition to be falsified TO the end of the second AdmonitioÌ„ there is ioyned A reprofe of certen Articles collected as it is thought by the byshops for so they say out of a little booke entituled An admonition to the Parliament c. But as I think it may rather be termed a recantation or if you will a reformatioÌ„ or mitigation of certen articles in that first admonition rashly set downe and without learning or discretion printed 1. Fol. 3. li. 1. pa. 2. First they holde and affirme that we in EnglaÌ„d are not yet come to the outward face of a Church agreable to gods word Here you find fault that this word scarce is left out In déede this worde scarce was written in the margent of diuers copies of the first admonition whether it were so in al or no I know not no more do I whether any suche collection as you pretend was made But what néed you so much sticke in words when the thing is manyfest For in effect they denie as much as that propositioÌ„ importeth they wholly coÌ„demne the ministerie the ceremonies and the gouernement of this Church They say the sacrameÌ„ts be ful of corruptioÌ„s and in their second AdmonitioÌ„ fol. 42. they say that the sacraments are wickedly mangled prophaned they vtterly condemne our order maner of coÌ„mon prayer yea in effect our doctrine also for in their secoÌ„d AdmonitioÌ„ fol. 7. they say that although some truth be taught by some preachers yet no precher may with out daÌ„ger of the lawes vtter all truth coÌ„prised in the booke of god What can be spoken more sleÌ„derly of the doctrine preached in this church A man may truly speake as much of the Romish church for some truthe is taught by some Papistes yea some truth is taught by some Iew and Turke When therfore you say that in this Churche neither the worde is truely preached nor the Sacraments sincerely ministred nor yet Ecclesiasticall discipline which thrée in the first Admonition Fol. 3. is sayde to be the outwarde markes wherby a true christian Churche is knowne and also condemne our ministerie as Popish and vnlawfull with the whole gouernement of our Church as you do in playne termes may it not be truely sayde that you affirme vs in Englande as yet not to be come to the outwarde face of a Churche agreable to Gods worde Furthermore what doth this word scarce helpe the matter doth it not import as muche It is a rule in Philosophie quod vix fit non fit that vvhich is scarâ—e done is not done 2 They will haue the ministers to be called allowed and placed by the people You say that this article is falsified and yet their words in that place of their admonitioÌ„ be these Then election was made by the common consent of the whole Churche And a little after Then no minister placed in any congregation without the coÌ„sent of the people Wherfore the collection is very true and they belike ashamed of their doings and therfore they haue corrected these assertions in their second edition of their first admonitioÌ„ on this sort Then election was made by the elders with the common consent of the whole Churche Surely these men be past shame else would they not denie their owne written assertions 4. Lin. 9. They holde that a byshop at no hand hath authoritie to ordeyne ministers This article you confesse to be truely gathered but now you make this glose not alone and yet in their Admonition it is in flat termes that the ordering of ministers doth at no hande appertaine to bishops 6. Lin. 28. They wil haue the ministers at their owne pleasure to preache without licence This is true by your owne coÌ„fession for you will haue no other licence but your calling to the ministerie which must bee as you say by the congregation Here you shut out both the Princes licence and the Bishops 7. Lin. 13 fol. 17. lin 6. pa. 1. Whatsoeuer is set downe in this article is manyfestly affirmed in the Admonition and your Answere to it is friuolous and nothing to the purpose For in the first parte of the Admonition fol. 2.