¶ AN Exhortation to the Byshops to deale Brotherly with theyr Brethren ALthough both through lacke of learning and experience I be farre short in abilitie to exhort or dehort in any respect especially sythe the matter dothe concerne those that are or shoulde be bothe wel learned and experienced themselues and thereby vnderstand more then I can aduise yet being greeued in conscience and somewhat I finde in you blame worthy and seeing you bende not your knowledge to amende that in you is amisse pardon me though I presume to admonish you in brotherly sort as my slender skill will permit But iustly it may be obiected to me that ther are many farre more fitte and able then I to deale in suche a matter and syth they do not it may be thought great arrogancie in me to intermeddle in the same In deede my want of abilitie as before so againe I confesse and the great plentie of others that are farre more able I muste nedes acknowledge and withall my heart I wishe better willes in men added to their skill then the Lorde knoweth are to be found amongst vs as for arrogancie to be imputed to me in this case surely I hope there shall not for God is my witnesse I only seeke to discharge my conscience in shewing my dislike of that wherin as I thinke you deale scarse brotherly If any good fall out hereby I shall be glad and praise God for the same if none yet haue I satisfied mine owne conscience in vttering my minde Thus much for excuse nowe to the matter I vnderstand beloued in Christ of a certaine booke lately published abrode by some of our brethren the matter whereof as it is muche misliked so is the maner not well alowed of and bothe so euill taken as oure poore brethren for the same feele the paine and punishment of most hainous offenders if theyr fault be great yet they are our brethren and therfore by you ought somwhat to be regarded if it be not great as they are oure brethren you not regarding them are greatlye to be blamed And surely for my part I thinke your duety were to discouer vnto the world by the warrant of the worde howe truely or falsly they haue wrytten which if you woulde doe in symplicitie of conscience then perhaps theyr fault would not be so greeuous as you make it wherin I durste appeale vnto your owne conscience if the matter did not touch you so nearly as it doth For I pray you examine theyr case with me a little they put forth a Booke in the time of Parliament wherin they disclose the disorders of our church of Englande and humbly desire a Reformation of the same according to the rule of Gods worde is this an innouation they say there oughte to be no Lordlinesse in the ministerie Bishops liuings ought to be abated theyr great circuites cutte shorter and them selues made equall to theyr brethren is this to ouerthrowe a whole state they say the Booke of common Prayer is full of corruptions they mislike with our vnlearned ministerie they fynde fault with our disorderous Discipline and putte downe theyr opinions howe these things may be reformed is this intollerable theyr Boke standeth on many pointes needelesse heere to be rehersed and if in any parte therof they shew suche contemptuous disobedience towardes our soueraigne as some seeke to enforce none shall thynke them more worthy punishment then I but to seeke reformation of deformities in Gods church to say the Bishops shuld be vnlorded and abridged of theyr huge liuings and to craue that all deformities may be cut of and corrected by the prescripte rule of Gods holy woorde is to seeke the furtherance of Gods honor and glory and therfore great blame worthy are they that so seeke to aggrauate the matter in charging them with disobedience to hir Maiestie as thoughe to honor the almightie were to dishonor the Prince I maruell that menne of learning professing christian religion wil contrary to theyr profession deale so vnchristianlye with theyr brethren surely in my iudgemnt these be very slender arguments to say these men desyre a reformation therefore they seeke innouations as thoughe it were so straunge a matter to haue a churche reformed it is as weake an argument to say they woulde haue Bishops vnlorded theyr liuings abated the ministerie broughte to hys right course and true discipline restored therefore they would ouerthrow the whole state A third reason is vsed as fond and feeble as the rest and that is that their dealing is vntollerable surely what it is to innouate in your sense I know not but sure I am there can be no innouation found in that motion that hath any parte of Gods woorde to warrant it For that is farre more auncient then the disorders of our church or any order deuised by man and till oure disorders be remoued and Christ his auncient orders set in place till we cease to be guided and ruled by men and yeelde to be directed by the word of God I can not hope of any great good in our congregations As for ouerthrowe of the whole state truely Englande were in a straunge case if the state therof either in encrease or decay dependeth vpon the maintenance or ouerthrowe of the Bishops Lordships and liuings And as for your argument of intollerablenesse in deede in one sense it may holde true and that is in that your selues will not tollerate theyr dealings herein but aggrauate theyr cause to make it seme more greuous in the sight of men otherwise I see no reason how iustly theyr doing may be thought intollerable for it maye be counted tollerable that Goddes word doth allowe But whether theyr booke agree or disagree with the word of god I meane not to deale leauing that to be iudged by the learned as for me according to my greefe conceiued I minde to exhort you to Bishoply brotherly dealing with these that are althoughe you beare the titles and names of Lorde and Lordes grace felowe pastors and preachers of the eternal word of God together with you In dede my purpose tended somewhat further but that is cut off by a contrary report that I haue heard therfore leauing this as a thing needelesse to be rehearsed I proceede to the matter in hand Your brethren are in prison and haue bene these many dayes for the booke before named and which of you all since theyr emprisoning hath opened his mouth to speake one word for their deliuerie nay which of you hath not inueighed bitterly against them by worde since the publishing of that booke They haue bene delt as close prisoners a long time so that no frende no not skarce their wiues may come to them and which of you all haue sued for their further libertie nay which of you all hath not bene ready to hinder their libertie sought for by others They haue lien lōg at great charge and are very pore and needy which of you all hath opened your
pursse to releeue them if any of you haue though it be your dueties I muste needees commend him or them if none of you as it is your dueties I must nedes condemne you A lamentable case that Lording should so lead away the heartes of the learned that they forget their dueties in theyr calling for see how fouly you forget your selues Papistes lie abrode in your diocesses vntouched in contempt of the truth and her Maiesties lawes refuse to frequent diuine seruice and sermons and yet if anye honest man present them vnto you a fauorable speeche or letter of some worshipfull though not very godly in the Shire shall easely obtaine their dispatche But if any of our brethren striue or endeuoure them selues zealously to further the building of Gods temple and to procure reformation of things amisse it is easelye seene by these what helpe they shoulde haue at youre handes and if a christian brother make sute for hym fauoure is hardly obtained or not at all if it fall oute otherwise by this I shall be glad and yeelde my selfe faultie in saying thus of you Many leud light bokes and ballades flie abrode printed not only wythout reprehension but cum priuilegio the authors and printers wherof continue daily amongst vs without controlment and yet the Lord by his holy scriptures forbiddeth all filthy communication therfore wryting but if any of our brethren put in Print any booke of a godly zeale that tendeth to the furtherance of Goddes glory and sinceritie and vrgeth a reformatiō of things amisse he is newe fangled he is not frende to Cesar he is to be remoued from amongst the people Alasse deare brethren what hathe so bewitched and blineded you that you can not perceiue and see your owne euil dealing heerein if the title of Lordship cast it off if your huge liuings forsake them be not so wrapped in the desire of worldly things that you neglecte youre dueties in your vocation and calling I can not think so well of you but that I must needes say you neglect your dueties I thincke surely there is none of you but would be gladde to see reformation of things amisse for some of you I knowe haue sayde so neither can you deny but that many things are out of order in our Church of England euen many things that they make mention of in their boke what then moueth you to make their offence so greeuous in the sighte of the worlde or rather why doe you not allowe that is good in their booke seeing they seeke reformation therby of that you would gladly see reformed your selues surely I thinke to speake my conscience that there are some things in the boke which gladly you wold haue omitted that hindereth your liking of the rest that is the inueying against your Lordships and liuings for most of you would be glad to haue all remnauntes of Poperie superstition and Idolatrye vtterly remoued but none of you would willingly lose his Lordly dignitie and liuing Hinc illae lachrymae against your pore brethren hence riseth your dislike this is the cause you seke not their deliuerance libertie and release you would be glad of a reformation but you would not be reformed your selues but in these things there is but one truth or falshode If they holde the truth why thē resiste you it in these priuate respectes to please youre selues if their opinion be false shewe the reason and then will we beleeue you but wrest not the worde to satisfie your owne fansie and whether your honoures and Lordships stand or fall let not the holy scriptures lose their due dignitie and reuerence It is a lamentatable thing to beholde howe to make theyr owne matters good men wil in these dayes mangle the scriptures of God but the Lorde will not be so dallied with all howe so euer they please to dally with the simple men of the world and he wil be reuenged on you for neglecting to see this foule fault redressed But to my purpose oure brethren lie in prison where besides their bondes they lacke libertie of enioyinge the company of their frendes and haue great neede to be releeued let them in some sorte finde you carefull and mindefull of them trauaile for their deliuerie if that wil not be obtained yet endeuoure to procure them some further libertie if neither will be had forget not to releue them Their boke is out and cannot be called backe againe if it may be iustified by the word of truth take heede that by you the truthe be not betraied trie it by the touche stone examine it by the word set al affections aparte thinke it no disgrace to come downe from your Lordly dignities if the worde of the Lorde will haue it so Feede not your owne fantasies but follow the word thinke not scorne to be controlled by the same word out of whose mouth so euer it come Balaam was a Prophet of the Lord yet at one instant his Asse taught him a better lesson than he could teach him selfe I am not to teache you neither meane I so to take vppon me only I exhort you to deale Bishoply and brotherly and let no vaine loue of Lorldly dignitie make you carelesse of your brethren who wishe you good in the Lord though they would be glad you were vnlorded not for malice but because scripture alloweth no suche title to a Bishop If passionate affection shall so cary you away that because your Lordlinesse is touched you will therefore not deale so but against your brethren I knowe not what others wil conceiue therof but for my part to speake as I thinke I must nedes doubt your Lordlinesse hath made you vtterly to forget what ought to be in a Bishop If they do holde any error or behaue themselues licenciously and losely or neglected their vocation I were easily put to silence but in doctrine they are sounde in life not to be touched that euer I heard and were diligent in their calling why then should you so little esteeme them or why shoulde you not vse them as brethren let it not be truly said of you that the blasphemous swearer and the filthy adulterer may finde more fauoure among you then our christian brethren and fellowe workemen in the Lord I know for the first of these there is no lawe to touche him and for the seconde very slender punishment prouided yet for both the Lord hath left vnto vs very sharp lawes these are vnexecuted and the wicked escape many times for mony Many good lawes thankes be to God are prouided to bridle the wicked but in them oftentimes the godly are snared and by them you youre selues if not nowe yet at other times haue bene instruments to burthen your brethrens backes and that hath some of them felt in more sharpe sorte as I haue heard then I will hear speake Well let that passe and now deale more christianly for the Lordes sake with your brethren let not lawes that were purposely made for
Christ Antiquitie may deceiue vs nay we see it hathe deceiued vs I can not tell whether it wold stil deceiue it is not true to say it is old therfore it is good Sathan hath bene Lord of thys world a great while Antichrist of Rome pleadeth the continuance of many yeres I know not how many C. yeres neyther doth it follow it is new therfore it was nought it was sayd to Christ what new doctrine is thys yet it was no false doctrine so sayd the false priestes Bishops of Paules doctrine and the rest but it was not therefore naught wil you trie the old and the newe and see in deede which is the new which is the olde search the scriptures If it be found there it is olde say Bishops what they will let the Priestes call it as new as they list if it be not found there it is newe let them say what they can bring neuer so many fathers and neuer so good fathers better thē she brought I am sure they can not and yet dyd Christ preuaile and so will he still for he is the same in his worde that he was then in bodely presence the wryting of the Apostles doe paint him out truely and nothing but him If it be true that they say that this aucthoritie of Bishops churche hierarchie which they maintain come from the Pope and hath no ground but in his law and that God can not suffer to be serued according to mens pleasures in ruling of his house as though he wer such a fole that he could not set order himself or wer carelesse which is no point of wyt that he did not or that he see so little as to deuise an order which could not be for al times places so that we should haue nede of a new holy ghost for al this foloweth vpon that ground that they stand vpon away wyth that vile doctrine or what so euer ye list to terme it what incōuenience so euer wer like to ensue what antiquitie so euer be against it for you see there is a blasphemie ioyned with it which maketh our God a folish a carelesse an vncircumspect and vnprouident god Wel peraduenture they see somthing more then they say some things I am sure they would haue to be reformed which they can not bring to passe as they would therfore thinke it better with pollicie to saue the gospell then to haue it cleane shut out It is a common saying of two euils it is best to chuse the least better it is to haue a gospel of Christ ioyned with a peece of Antichriste then to haue none at all thus they persuade them selues the other doe not so they thincke it not lawful to ioyne God Belial together surely they haue some reason nay they haue greate reason for what societie hathe light wyth darknesse If all the world myght be gained with a little breache of Gods word it were not to be done better it were that the whole world should pearishe then one iote of Gods truth should be ouer slipped Pilate thought he had behaued himselfe wisely when he whipped Christe and put vpon hym a robe of scarlet thinking by that meanes making him to appeare vile to the Iewes to haue had him let goe that they might haue contented thēselues with that litle punishment so might Christ haue preached still But it is wickedly done to policie the matters of Christ after that sort Who so euer thinketh by putting a foles cote vpon Christ and clothing him with a garment which is not his owne to entertain him still thinketh he is content by such means to haue licēce to go preaching amōgst the people he deceiueth himself shal right wel vnderstand at the day of accomptes that God will not be mocked Thus in some respect you haue well to weigh the things that are put forth vnto you by the scriptures without further circumstances leaste in leauing the rule ye go out of rule But I doute not but our lords clergy wil quickly shew you whether it be wel ruled or no they haue said already in theyr sermōs to you that it is a very folish boke I trust they wil giue it vnto you in wryting that you may the better way both But before al things take hede to the word let not the shew of mā deceiue you Peraduēture some of you wil be persuaded bicause a bishop an olde mā a very learned mā saith so bicause this state hath cōtinued a great while many yeares amongst good fathers do not so that is no warrāt of the word you haue had exāples inough to shew vnto you how easie it is to be deceiued therin on the other side let not the simplicitie of men beare you away for that way also you may erre the only straight way as I haue tolde you to kepe you frō going astray is the word of god wherw t they as wel as you I trust will be cōtēt to be tried otherwise they haue no groūd against the papistes if they wil not but refuse to be iudged by the word leue thē there those pore prisoners haue the right whether they be whipped scurged or vtterly hāged assure your selues as wel of them as of your selues if they suffer with Christ they shal be glorified with Christ so shall you That we may so do god giue vs the knowledge of the truth whē we know it to stād stedfast in the truth that the loue of the world feare of mā may not more preuaile with vs then the loue of heauen and feare of god These things that I haue saide vnto you rudely I pray you take in good part good brethrē both you that are of the lerned sort you that are of the sympler I pray you lay forth the truthe as your duetie bindeth you you giue eare to the truthe Confute scismes by the scriptures iudge you thē by scriptures also as prisons be vsed so let the worde which is the armor of your warfare be practised Let not newegate be the only meanes to stay false procedings If you do so where error is redressed by the magistrate you shal be iudged because you dyd not your duety bring thē into the way if they be out or bi such good cōferēce they bring you home The which the father of al mercies graunt through his sonne Christ by our cōfortor the holy ghost FINIS 1. Cor. 12.13.14.19 15.26 Ioh. 17.22 Ioh. 15.11 13.35 Iohn 14.23.15.10.14 mat 10.35 mat 18.0 Eze. 3.17 Ioh. 6.27 Heb. 5.12 Psal. 119.105 Luk. 4.41 Tertullian lib. de spectaculis Iob. 10.12 1. re 18.17 mat 21.33 Ioh. 19.12 Acts. 4.7 1. reg 12.8 1. reg 1.21 Act. 4.19.5.30 1. re 18.22 1. reg 22.6 Iohn 3.4 Ioh. 9.30 mar 7.2.3 Ioh. 5.10 Ioh. 9.34 Ioh. 1.46 Mark. 1. Luk. 2.8 Math. 22. Mat. 28 Ioh. 20.18 Lu. 19.39 Act. 14.5 Luk. 20 20. Iohn 11 20. Mat. 10 25. Luk. 15.39 Iohn 4.20 Ioh. 14.30 Mar. 1.27 Act. 24.14 Ih. 10.1 2. Cor. 6 14. Ih. 19.1 Iohn 5.39 Act. 1.21 Rom. 8.17
Antichriste The accusation is gréeuous wherewith our cleargy is burdened they are indired as the folowers of Antichrist their mynisterie is vouched to be from the Pope theyr superioritie which they haue by order of thys realme as Lords spirituall and a necessary part of the high house of Parlament in establishyng politique lawes for the profite of the common weale besyde the iurisdiction episcopal which they haue ouer theyr diocesses is there condemned as a thing in no wise tollerable by the word of God which thing amaseth daseleth the eyes of vs the simpler and vnlearned sort that we knowe not howe to esteeme of them or of our selues if the truthe be so we ought not to hear them although they speake a truth more then the deuill was to be suffered althoughe he professed Christ If it be not so we maruell why so short piuyshe a thyng is not by them aunswered that many simple-men which will well to gods cause and are somwhat shaken with this pamflet might haue better stay that they be not caried away with it Therfore my humble sute is to the learnedder parte in the name of Christe and the behalfe of his congregation that they would aunswer it healpe vs which are vnlearned And heere in I shall in Gods name and as they will aunswere at the last day exhort them to vse symple syncere dealing and not to wring the scripture to serue their owne turne or other mennes phantasies For if they do it wyl easely be spied and beside other inconuenices that will insue therof the people whome they shall deceiue thereby shall be their condemnation at that day Cogge not therfore nor forste neither bumbaste it with Rhetoricke or mans authoritiy to make a shew but let the word of the eternall be iudge betweene bothe which is goulde and siluer and which is drosse and stubble which is corne and which is chaffe Call I beseeche you to remembrance this saying of an aÌ„cient father quam sapiens argumentatrix sibi videtur humana ignorantia praesertim cum aliquid de gaudijs et fructibus seculi metuit amittere Howe wyse a dysputer sayth Tertullian doth mannes ignorance seeme to it selfe chiefely when it feareth to lose any pleasure or worldly profyt But answere I pray you the whole booke and not by peeces for otherwyse your doings wyll be suspected neyther doe it in hudder mudder or secretely or in a tonge that the people knowe not for then it wyll be sayde that you dare not publyshe it but doe it openly that all the people may see that you stand vpon a good grouÌ„d vpon whych if you doe stand let not your doyngs feare the lyghte Wee craue nothing of them but what they are bounde vnto of duerye they are our wachmen wee take yea rather they themselues take these for wolues why then do they not chase them away They are fast inough ye will say It is true but theyr tales are not they free as fire brands from place to place and set all the country on fyre It is requisyte also that they be prysoned but that wil not otherwise be they with the lyke reason must captiuate reason a word wil not be bouÌ„d but with a woorde the keyes of the kingdome of heauen must come forthe heere or els the keyes of Newgate will doe no good And if they doe not come torche ignorant men and symple wyll saye that the other are to lyttle purpose brought forthe There is a better way for Bissops and Bishops of Christ to confute a schisme by thaÌ„ prisons and chaynes those were and are Antichristes bishops arguments being taken a parte as they are the iust weapons of a lawfull and godly Maiestrate if the other goe before Some say they remeÌ„ber wel that godly saying of that lerned maÌ„ Augustin I think it bee Si terrerentur et non docerentur improba quasi dominatio videretur If they shuld be feared not taught it myght seme a wicked gouernance theâ— seâ—t not practised of the cleargy they are glad to see theyr Prince to come wyth terrerentur they would as fame see the Bishops come with docerentur So you see what of duetie they require and surely let me say wyth your Honors patience what I thinke is it not a great discredyte to your Lordships that such a scalde trifeling boke can not be answered in thys season It is very shorte you beare vs in hande it is folyshe ioyne the follye of it wyth the breuitye it myght easely haue beene aunswered ere thys If there had beene taken almoste but for euery leafe a moneth there are skarce so many leaues in it as there are monthes past synce it came forthe what remayneth then but that I renue my sute that herein wyth the consyderation of Chryst and hys flocke you woulde haue regarde to your owne honoures and creadyte that it be not further spred and sayd you could not answer it They doe not satisfye them selues wyth pollytyque reasons in that that some say euen froÌ„ your L. that it is a subuersyon of a state it is a greate troublyng of a gouernaunce They say the question is not whether it be troublesome to bryng that in whych they woulde but whether it be a truthe that those men say or no If that be once resolued then haue they to stay them selues They are readye enough to obiect the difficulty of Elyas tyme howe hard a thyng it was in the eares of the kyng people to speake to theÌ„ of the worship of one god which were nowe dotyng worshyppers of theyr Balims what an impossible thing it was to bring in the true priesthode of Moses amongst a sorte of Idolaters whych hadde caste Moses oute of the temple They haue the example of Christ and his Apostles at the fyngers ende and that the priestes then sayde by what authority dost thou this And agayne to Pilate if thou let hym go thou arte not Cesar hys frende In hys good and iuste purpose they could accuse hym of treason of a conspiracye and for theyr owne partes aske hym by what authority and so is it nowe say they wyth oure Byshops they goe not to the scryptures as Chryste wylleth in the person of the scrybes but they crye out agaynst these pore men they are not the Quenes freendes they make a trouble in a state these and suche lyke are theyr wordes your honoures haue to consyder vpon the mater accordyngly And thus muche to your honoures wyshyng youre sauetye if it so please God wythout any shakyng and that your thrones may stande for euer if they be from God whych these men seeme to call in doute and I trust your Lordships wil shew in vaine how vaynely they stande Nowe to you my brethren whych are of the inferioure sort I haue to desyre you to cleaue to the truthe and be not moued for what so euer If thys be truth whych our honourable cleargy doe nowe maintayne