of all other nations which they conquered But this beast sendeth out her Idoles and Saintes and pettie gods and commendeth them to the worshippers promising great things if they doe it Another marke followeth that she hath in her forehead a name written A mysterie This verie name in letters was written on the Popes Myter which hee did weare vpon his head and so they vsed it for a season Their Myters were branded with this marke Mysterium But they after tooke it out and now they vse not to beare that name in their foreheads But in the forehead of the whore that is of their whorish Religion it is written still but none saue Gods elect can reade it For the poyson and infection of their Religion is secrete It hath a goodly shewe it beguileth many For they keepe the names of Scripture and Christian religion but they haue turned them into another meaning yea they commend the basest and vilest ceremonie that they vse as a great mysterie Wherefore albeit the name mysterium be taken out of the Popes miter yet it remaineth still in the forehead of his religion Iohn commeth yet neerer and pointeth out the very place vnto vs for he calleth it great Babylon for as Babylon had the Monarchie and oppressed and caried captiue Gods people so likewise did both the olde and the newe Rome the first and the latter beast and so he calleth it when he speaketh of the fall thereof It is fallen it is fallen Babylon the great citie And in many other thinges was Rome like to Babylon as in the building but especially in the Monarchie and oppression of the Saintes All this the Papistes will graunt of olde Rome but not of newe Rome But if the first beast be olde Rome and the latter reuiueth the first then the first being Rome the second must needes also be Rome and therefore while he pointeth out one he pointeth out both Some Papistes haue imagined that Antichrist should make his seate at Babylon in the East or there be borne and so the name to be taken here in his proper signification But why then doeth he call it a mysterie There is in her forehead a name written a mysterie great Babylon It is Babylon in a mysterie and not in the proper signification of the name To point out Rome by the dominion which it had by the Empire and should haue by the popedome he sayeth further The waters which thou sawest where the whore sitteth are people and multitudes and nations and tongues and afterwarde more plainely The woman which thou sawest is the great citie which reigneth ouer the kings of the earth Two or three notes yet he addeth to describe the citie and gouernment and authoritie thereof One when he sayth The beast that thou hast seene was and is not And againe The beast that was and is not and yet is The Monarchie was there vnder Augustus Tiberius and some that followed most flourishing but now in Iohns time is not and yet is for vnder Domitian it did not flourish and therefore was not in comparison of that it had bene and yet was then for it had great power But after this it should ascende out of the bottomlesse pit euen out of hell by the subtiltie of the deuill after it was quite ouerthrowne by the Goths for it was reuiued and quickned in the Pope and Rome had as much authoritie by the papacie and as much riches as euer it had by the Monarchie The other note is when he saith I will shew thee the mysterie of the woman and of the beast that beareth her which hath seuen heades and ten hornes But of the ten hornes because they are set for ten kings I will speake afterward when I shall speake of the kings that ioyne with the beast in the fight against him that rideth on the horse Therefore of the seuen heades thus he saith Here is the minde that hath wisedome The seuen heades are seuen mountaines whereon the woman sitteth they are also seuen Kings First of the mountaines then of the Kings The woman sitteth vpon seuen hils and the woman is a citie Rome then on seuen hils and the latter beast reuiueth the first No matter if this Rome stande not vpon all seuen nay if it stande vpon none of them so that it stande for that Rome that stoode vpon them hath that name and dignitie and answereth to it in idolatrous religion and cruell persecution of the Saints Then was Rome well knowen to stande on seuen hils No other citie did so no other citie bearing rule ouer Kinges doeth so It was called Septicollis of the seuen chiefe hils whereon it stoode Virgil hath relation to them when hee sayeth Septem quae vna sibi muro circumdedit arces Meaning by towres the hilles on which that stoode And Propertius sayeth Septem vrbs alta nigis toto quae praesidet orbi Romulus sette it on foure hilles which were called Palatinus Capitolinus Auentinus and Exquilinus Afterward Seruius Tullus added three which were Caelius Viminalis and Quirinalis From this time was it called Septicollis although when it was further inlarged it comprehēded mo hils And the second beast with his kingdome and dominion is most fitly described by the citie for they challenge all their priuiledges by the citie Because Peter they say was Bishoppe there thence euen from the place they deriue all their authoritie There they delight to dwell although other cities are more pleasant and commodious There the Cardinals must meete when they choose the Pope there all the counsels and conspiracies are made against Gods Church Bellarmine maketh so great account of the citie that if the Pope should be driuen thence or it be destroied yet wheresoeuer he were he should still haue the honour and dignitie and title of the Pope of Rome Thus here by the seuen hils the very place is noted As in this Chapter Rome is most expresly described so of learned men in the sixteenth it is thought almost to be named They gather themselues together in a place called in Hebrewe Armageddon Foxe and others take it to be an allusion to Megiddo and Har megiddo the riuer and hill so called where Sisera with his armie was ouerthrowne which should signifie the like euent to the battels of the beast But for as much as it may be read so in some bookes was in two wordes each of two syllables arma geddon and Sigonius saith he sawe it written Geddon harma and the letter N. is not in the name of the place where Sisera was ouercome therefore it is thought that some other thing then the allusion to Megiddo must be found in the letters the signification of the word If Iohn had meant the place Megiddo he neede not haue said it is named so in Hebrewe for the name only would haue referred vs to that place although he had left out the mention of the language The signification of Geddon harma agreeeth well to the
those things to Gods worshippe which haue bene abused by idolaters The spoiles of Egypt of Iericho the vessels of the tēple abused by the Babylonians were againe applied to Gods seruice If we vsed any thing wherein the Pope sheweth himselfe to bee the beast as his worshipping of dead Saints and images and the Masse and such like then we might be sayde to beare his image or his marke But in the prayers that wee haue there is no part no limme no clawe of that beast The people of God must not fashion themselues like the Cananites nor the heathen about them in any thing wherein they are idolatrous and impious but in that they haue as men Gods people may be like them As they are Papists we will not be like the Romanes but as they are Christians we may be like them In taking good things from them wee take not any thing that was theirs but we take to our selues that which was our owne We must not vse the Bible nor the name of God or Christ nor Baptisme if we will haue nothing that they had The fift and last thing for which in generall they cast away the booke is for that it mainteineth a reading ministery A booke of common prayer is no cause of a reading Minister The chiefest cause is that preachers will not be had nor can be made in this slender maintenance of sundry Churches the next cause is the couetousnes and wicked dealing of many godlesse patrones and a third cause is this contention and strife that is raised in the Church This hath cast out manie that were in and hath driuen backe manie that were comming on this hath caused diuerse to forsake the studie of Diuinitie and learning altogether But the booke of Common prayer is no cause of it for the preachers with vs vse it and where all are preachers there is a set forme obserued and is necessarie to bee had of all well ordered Churches These are the thinges for which they condemne the booke in generall Now in particular they trifle about many things As first about the holy dayes whereof some they call double Idoles and double feastes Hallowmas Christmas Candlemas Easter Whitsonday Trinitie sonday Then there are the Ladies dayes Saints dayes with the Eues fast and feastes and deuised worship vnto them Last of all they reckon the celebrating of dayes to Angels as Michael and the naming of manie Archangels This cauil will easily be answered For first wee make not the Calender anie parte of Gods worship Wherefore it is vaine to accuse vs of a false worship by that when wee put no parte of his worshippe in it That distinguisheth the times and directeth vs to the Psalmes and Scriptures but is no parte of Gods seruice no more then a marke by the waye to direct them which goe by is a parte of the way The names maye bee somewhat offensiue where Masse is added but in the olde tongue from whence our language came long before the corruptions of the Masse were crept in the worde signified nothing but Tide or some solemn time and the common people haue vsed to speake so and the name Missa from whence that is supposed to come is read in ancient fathers in a good and a godly meaning yea and in most Calenders those names are reformed The Saintes wee worship not nor Angels neither with prayers fastes nor any such thing But God wee worship and take occasion at such times when wee call to minde them by whome the worship of God hath bin spred throughout the world The people of God haue vsed and appointed moe dayes to publike prayer and Gods seruice then the Sabbath Hester Euang. Ioan. without controlement as the feast of Purim and of Dedication Last of all those dayes except the natiuitie of our Sauiour and those that fall vsually on the Lordes day are in most places growne to be equall with the rest Our people are readie ynough to make no difference of dayes in that behalfe The next thing that commeth vnder their censure are the fastes Lent imber dayes Ashwednesday Maundie Holy thursday Goodfridaye and the rest Two thinges are regarded of the Churche in distinguishing these times from others First a time to bee obserued of all for the vse of fishe and refraining from flesh that nauigation might bee maintained and that seeing wee may haue prouision of all kinde of foode wee doe not continuallie vse onelie one to which wee are most giuen to the decaie thereof and hinderance of the other Secondly that there maie bee vsed also a moderate abstinence not to the honour of Saintes nor as though there were anie worshippe of God in it of it selfe but that our bodies maye bee kept vnder and the minde might bee made the fitter to serue the Lorde If all those dayes and others were vsed in a whole or halfe abstinence it were better for mens bodies and soules and for the commonwealth then it is The superstition and merite in such thinges is condemned but either a ciuile or holie vse to the better ordering of our bodies and affections of none that are wise can be mislyked A third matter of reprehension is as they call it a blasphemous abuse of scriptures shredding and rending them from their natural sense and true vse to bend and apply them to the Idole feastes This accusation is both foolish and impudent If they thinke as it seemes they doe that it is not lawfull to print or reade by it selfe some portion of the scripture seuered frō the rest of the whole body it is foolish for what offence can there be in making choise of some parte for instruction seeing the bodie is left whole notwithstanding And to say they are turned from their true sense it is impudent for in the same words meaning are they set downe in the Communion booke as they are in the bodie of the scripture neither doe we apply them to the feastes but to our selues to be instructed by them The fourth crime they set downe in these wordes Abominable Collectes ouer for and to the dead What can bee spoken more spitefull and shamelesse We praye neither for the dead nor to the dead wee praye for our selues at the buriall of the dead In the fist place about Baptisme and that which pertaineth to it they finde many faults They saye it is corrupted with the signe of the crosse with godfathers and godmothers with the Fonte with vnlawfull and vnpossible vowes of gossips to these they ioyne purification or churching of women with their offerings hastie baptisme by Midwiues bishopping and second baptisme by these thinges they iudge that baptisme is corrupted But why should the signe of the crosse corrupt it Is it so odious to expresse the figure of that whereon Christ dyed without opinion of adding grace without giuing any worship to it but onely for remembrance there is none impietie it it And what impossible vowe doe the godfathers and godmothers make They
seeing it is the spirit that giueth grace and breatheth where it listeth why not vpon the good heart when the word is read In the time of persecution vnder Queene Marie the reading of some fewe bookes brought many to the light and did preserue them in it Euery faithfull man hath experience how his owne reading edifieth why should not then the publike reading edifie The want of skill to preach maketh not a nullitie in him as in a child or a beast for he giueth consent to that he taketh in hand and nature it selfe excludeth such from the office Faith in deed commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God and they cannot heare without a preacher But reading is a certaine kind of preaching for if the shewing of Christ himselfe without words when Christ descended into hell was and is of many learned men called preaching and so they could vnderstaÌ„d the preaching that Peter speaketh of then why might not the reading of the word of God be called a preaching of it Act. 15.20 And Iames calleth the reading preaching Moses he saith of old time hath in euery citie them that preach him seeing he is read in the Synagogues euery Sabbath day This importeth that reading is a kind of preaching There were ministers that only read in the Synagogues of the Iewes When they were so ready to desire a stranger to speake it seemed it was not ordinary to haue an expounder in euery Synagogue They were not alwaies preachers that did baptize Christs disciples baptized Iohn 4. when as in the iudgment of many that are learned Christ had not sent forth any yet to preach I speake not this to make reading preaching in the Church equal or that reading should banish preaching or preaching exclude reading The expounding of scripture and applying of it to the present state by the working of Gods spirit in the mouth of a man called for that purpose is most excellent necessary for al Churches our Lawes and gouernment do require it Otherwise as some conclude let all be readers banish preachers quite heare only the reader if there be no excellency nor necessitie of the preacher aboue the reader Therfore let the preacher by voice by inuention froÌ„ the spirit and his own heart haue the first place and as the case standeth with vs the reader must not haue no place at all They may be weake ministers or ministers of necessitie or assisting ministers although they be not the chiefe nor most perfect and sufficient Thus much of that matter The fift defect they find in the ministery is in the dueties which are put vpon them or taken from them Burying of the dead ioyning of man wife in marriage making of funerall sermons going about the bounds of parishes all these in their opinions are no works of the Minister of the Gospell And againe whereas they ought to gouerne in their congregations together with others all gouernmeÌ„t is taken from vs. besides wheras no Minister should be aboue a Pastor Byshop are aboue vs therefore say they are we no Pastours nor Ministers of the Gospel Publike prayer doth aptly agree and is a duety of our calling This is not wickedly ioyne with buriall and marriage considering our owne frailtie which are alwaies neere death and the difficulties in mariage which God onely helpeth God himselfe ioyned the fiâ—â—â— mariage why may not his Ministers now doe it in his name seeing yet they which are married are ioyned together by God The word may be preached in season and out of season and no time amisse when the people come together and are fit to be taught What time better to comfort them that mourne or to rebuke the sinner or to put vs in mind of our frailtie then at the buriall of the dead The going about the bounds and limits of parishes pertaineth to his own maintenance and the common quiet therefore the doing of these things hath nothing contrary to his duty seeing they hinder not that which is principal but rather further it And as for the gouernmeÌ„t it is not mete for al so much neither as they do chaleÌ„ge was neuer in the church permitted to euery particular pastor To admonish to suspeÌ„d to rebuke is granted to vs and more is not necessary the labor of preaching is inough Pastours haue had superiours ouer them in the churches First Apostles then Byshops and so is it at this day Neyther is there any disorder in it In a moderate subiection the minister may better performe his duty more safely His pouerty and meanes cannot sustaine the burthen of publike gouernment any further theÌ„ for teaching exhorting rebuking suspeÌ„ding or withholding the vnworthie from the Sacraments In the sixt place they will perswade that we are no ministers because many remaine ignoraÌ„t vnder vs the sinnes of men are not cut off but abouÌ„d notwithstanding al we do This should argue Gods curse vpon vs and vpon our ministerie If none did profite by vs we might mistrust our selues but of many we may say Yee are our Epistle yee beare witnesse of the fruite which we bring Yea this continuall peace all this time is especially vnder God and our most gracious Queene to be ascribed to the preaching of the word of God among vs. That sects and poperie spread not ouer all it is to be imputed much vnto publike preaching There is no place in this land but the word of God worketh in the hearts of some to their conuersion The seuenth crime is against our maintenance We liue by set stipends by tenths and we depend vpon noble men and such as are able to pleasure vs we preach for gaine we hunt after liuings and ioyne diuerse together An vnlawfull maintenance if this were granted so to be maketh not an vnlawful ministerie If for gaine we should peruert the truth then we should degenerate from our office why should set stipeÌ„ds hurt our ministery Is an vncertaine liuing meeter then a certaine Tenths do not reuiue the ceremonial law we take not them in that sence The Emperours had them afterward bestowed theÌ„ vpon the Churches We chalenge them not by the law of Moses but by the gift of the prince And the Barrowists theÌ„selues confesse that as they were giuen by princes so they may be taken away by them To adhere to them that are great so that we helpe them in truth do not for theÌ„ peruert the truth hath no dispraise but coÌ„meÌ„dation In a good Christian gouernment if we be linked one to another by many dueties it is the safer and if the liuings be of the prince and lawes then may the prince lawes vnite or seuer them in some moderate sort so that the dueties to the people be perfourmed These are the chiefe crimes which they lay against vs. In all this there is nothing of false doctrine in any matter of saluation in any article of our faith but all is of things that are cleane
owne making Last of all in his lawes and by his flatterers hee hath beene called God in plaine termes and he hath suffered it There it is written Dominus Deus noster Papa our Lord God the Pope and againe Tues omnia super omnia Thou art all and aboue all Howe can any creature shewe him selfe as God in Gods temple more presumptuously then by these meanes or more directly for otherwise in flat termes to proclaime himselfe as God to be honoured with diuine honour it is too grosse and it is not such a craftie mysterie as should deceaue a meane man much lesse bring into danger Gods elect To these things agree the words of Daniel which many take as spoken of purpose of Antichrist or at least they are applied to him by the Fathers The king shal do what him list he shal exalt himselfe and magnifie himself against all that is called God and shall speake marueilous things against the God of gods and shall prosper till the wrath be accomplished for the determination is made neither shall he regarde the God of his Fathers nor care for any God for he shall magnifie himselfe aboue all Peter and Iude speake of their pride in lifting themselues aboue Magistrates saying that they should despise gouernment and speake euill of them that are in authoritie These are the markes of this beast other might be added out of Daniel Paul Peter as that they shal worship God with gold and siluer for all their religion stoode in outward worldly ostentation that they should forbid mariage and meates as they make great holines in single life accoūt mariage vncleane and the eating of flesh at certaine times they vtterly condemne as vnholie That likewise they should be rich and mighty and should make merchandise of all things yea of mens soules for they as in way of religion solde wood stones incense oile and all things if they had dedicated them once to some holie vse they were costly merchandise although otherwise the vilest things that might be All these markes agree most fitly to the Romish Antichrist to none other The Pope therefore is the beast which being aided by the kings of the earth fighteth against Iesus Christ. As for the marks which the Papistes make of Antichrist they touch him not they come not neere him They imagine he should be of the tribe of Dan because that tribe is not reckoned among the tribes of which many are marked to be saued A weake foundation the tribe is there omitted therfore Antichrist shal come of that tribe Thus they ground their religion of that which the Scripture hath not said And as for Enoch and Elias to come and preach against him in their owne persons which they say they haue not done against the Pope and therefore he is not that beast that is a thing imagined as the other for no Scripture hath saide that they two shoulde come but they ground it on this that Christ sayth Elias should come and restore all things which was fulfilled at his first comming and that two witnesses are promised to be sent against Antichrist which are vnderstood by many to be Iohn Husse and Hierom of Prage both burned at the Councel of Constance or as others expound it of a sufficient number to cōuince the errors of Antichrist for the scripture maketh 2. witnesses a sufficient trial And this age hath sent out many witnesses against him That also which they say is not yet fulfilled yet must be before the comming of Antichrist is false which is that the gospell must first be publikely preached receaued in all kingdomes of the world but it is not any where saide that this should be before the comming of Antichrist Christ sayth that the Gospell should be preached through the worlde before the ende should come And it is one thing for the Gospell to be preached and another thing to bee receaued It hath bene preached that is by some meanes made knowne to all nations but it hath not bene publikely receaued of al nations by common cōsent Another thing that cōmeth neere this is that which S. Paul saith that there must be an apostasie first A falling away frō the faith not frō the Empire of Rome is meant by it For Paul saith vsing that word to Timothie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some shal fal from the faith the word is not vsed otherwise in scripture And the Apostle seemeth so to expounde it afterward himselfe when he saieth because men receaued not the loue of the truth that they might be saued for if they receaued not the loue of the truth it seemed they had the truth but loued it not therefore were thus punished Wherefore there must be a falling away from the faith from the loue of the trueth and strong delusion to beleeue lies where Antichrist is These thinges came to passe in poperie So much therfore as is said concerning the gospel to be receaued or forsakē before or in the kingdom of Antichrist is fulfilled in thē Yet they say the Pope is free from one especial notable marke of the beast What is that Iohn saith he that denieth that Iesus is Christ the same is Antichrist And againe euery spirit which confesseth not that Iesus is come in the flesh is not of God but this is the spirite of Antichrist And Peter agreeably saith they shal deny the Lorde that bought them And Iude in like maner they deny God the only Lord our Lord Iesus Christ And somwhat like it by way of affirmation is that of Daniel he shall honour the God whom his fathers knew not This marke they say of denying Christ the Popes haue not If they haue not this marke also thē they haue none of the rest Large bookes are writtē of this to shew how they deny Christ They deny him to be the king ouer his Church for the Pope maketh himselfe the king But saith Bellarmine he acknowledgeth himself Christes deputie But it is certaine that Christ neuer cōmanded any such deputie nor vicar if he wil be Christs deputie against the pleasure wil of Christ or if he were deputed yet rule otherwise then Christ would haue him only according to his own affection humor doth he not thrust Christ out of his kingdome As though one might not cal himselfe a deputie yet draw all to himselfe so doth the Pope howbeit Christ neuer ordained such a deputie Therefore while he will be as Christ and for Christ he is made against him and is Antichrist Furthermore he doeth not suffer Christ to be the onely and sufficient Prophet to his Church which hath reuealed fully the will of the father to it for partly he shutteth vp his Testament and will not haue the people reade it and partly hee ordayneth other lawes as necessarie to saluation as the lawes of Christ by his decrees partly he interpreteth the wordes of Christ not according to Christs meaning
and the worship done by it is idolatrous First they condemne it in generall and then in particular In generall they mislike for fiue things First because the prayers are read The reading of prayers they say can not bee with sighes and grones nor come of faith nor proceede from the motion of the spirite nor haue any feeling ioyned with it and hath no warrant by commaundement or practise from Christ and his Apostles Prayers read they say are onely for meditation and not for inuocation This is their accusation against the prayers that are read out of a booke When our Sauiour sayeth The true worshippers must worshippe the father in spirite and trueth and Paul the spirite helpeth our infirmtties then they suppose that prayers read are excluded as though they proceeded not of the spirite Prayers are not so much vsed of the people nor of any of vs as they ought to be It is the chiefe meanes to obtaine Gods fauour to keepe our selues in his feare and to worke all goodnes in vs. If prayers by the booke were no praiers we should be much more barren in this exercise then we are This were a good meanes for the deuill to bannish prayer from a great number altogether I would know in respect of the hearer what great difference it is if the prayer be read to him or pronounced out of thy heart Neyther way doth it come out of his heart as the fountaine It commeth thus to passe also with many that vtter conceiued prayers that for the most part they vse the same fourme of words the same matter in most points of their praiers Againe what would this liberty of euery mans praying publike at his owne motion hauing that office bring vpon the Churches Infinite intollerable babling in some dānable most heretical petitions in a great number But they say praiers read are not of the spirite nor with sighes nor feeling The very reading is not praying but the motion and desire to God in reading is praying This motion is not hindered but furthered by reading because it bringeth to the vnderstanding that which the heart longeth after As one candle receiueth light of another so euen in prayer the heart receiueth light and heate by meanes of the words read and heard Christ set down a fourme of words and sayd when you pray pray thus Nowe he that vseth the wordes and matter and affection prayeth thus rather then he that vseth the matter and affection onely And the words of some petitions we vse of necessitie as forgiue vs our sinnes or trespasses and therefore may well vse all Christ himselfe in the garden prayed thrise saying the same words Dauid made diuers Psalmes to be sung in Gods seruice and intitleth them to the parties that should be leaders in them The hundred thirtie and sixt psalme was cōmonly sung in time of thanksgiuing for great and extraordinarie victories first Dauid himselfe vsed it then Iehosaphat and after that Iudas Maccabeus Ioel in the publike fast telleth what the priestes should say and biddeth them pronounce these words Spare thy people Ioel 2.17 O Lorde and giue not thine heritage into reproche that the heathen shoulde rule ouer them wherefore should they say among the people where is their God Hose 14.2 Hoseah biddeth the people take vnto them words and say to the Lord Take away all iniquitie and receiue vs graciously so will we render the calues of our lippes Asshur shall not saue vs neyther will wee ride vpon horses neyther will wee say any more to the worke of our hands yee are our Gods for in thee the fatherlesse findeth mercie God prescribed a fourme of blessing to Aaron and his sonne Num. 56.23 wherewith they shoulde blesse the people commaunding them to say The Lorde blesse thee and keepe thee and so soorth Moses vsed a fourme of wordes as a prayer at the going forwarde and resting of the Arke Numb 10.35 36. and Dauid in his prayer hath the same Seeing these things are so Psal 68.2 prayers read may be vsed a man by them may perfourme vnto God spirituall and acceptable seruice The second thing for which they mislike the booke is because it is prescribed and imposed and vsed continually This cutteth off the libertie of the Church they say and bringeth it into bondage this is tedious to men and Penrie is not ashamed to say it is lothsome to God to be serued so oft as it were with one dish The libertie that these men chalenge is such as that they will be bound to nothing especially in religion in things indifferent neither by prince nor by any law of man be it neuer so good godly the thing is misliked because it is prescribed and imposed vpon vs. Doth the very imposing and bond by law make it vnholy Then acknowledge not the Trinitie nor receiue the canonicall Scripture nor seeke to knowe Gods commandements nor Christian faith For these things by law are imposed vpō vs. But this diminisheth not our liberty nor taketh away our willing seruing of God in these things imposed but rather maketh vs more willing And as for tediousnesse to the Lord because these prayers are old and vsuall it is not to be feared For in his seruice he requireth not newe words but a newe heart The worshippe and prayer is newe to God so oft as our heart is renewed with zeale and true repentance and good affection to it For the prayer to God is not the outward word but the inward desire and affection The third thing in generall for which they condemne the booke is for that it is mans inuention Whatsoeuer man deuiseth that they count vncleane and not to be vsed in prayer When mens traditions and inuentions are reprooued in Gods seruice by scripture hitherto by all godly writers those things haue bene vnderstood which are contrary to Gods word Things agreeable are not so accounted mens inuentions that they should be condemned For if simply to come from the wit and braine of man be naught thē were preaching to be banished and then euen conceiued prayers must be excluded and so much more because they be new inuentions euery day and this if it be any it is but one It is not a deuise of man therefore to be reiected which is agreeable to the word of God as those things in this booke are whereby we worship God The fourth generall cause of reiecting the booke is for that it is in many points taken out of the Popes portesse Therefore Barrowe calleth it a great colloppe or a pigge of that mezeled hogge In this behalfe another of them sayeth wee beare the image of the beast for that we vse some part of his forme of liturgie It is certaine that a great part of the publike prayer in that booke which the Romanes vse was practised in the Church before the beast came in that chaire And often times Gods people haue eyther taken or resumed
such as they name if any mā do the Church gouernment doth not allow it againe that this is not a denying of Christs priesthood sacrifice the putting of another thing in stead thereof as the papists did but rather a misse applying of it where it should not be applied Wherefore wee doe not deny his priesthood As concerning the propheticall office of Christ that by vs is not obscured and diminished but magnified and highly aduanced His word onely hath soueraigne authoritie it is published and it is receiued in our Churches Let them shewe wherein we derogate from his prophecie The first accusation is a slander as that we adde to the word that we vse humane traditions we obtrude things contrary to the word and that we oppugne and reiect the manifest trueth These things must be answered in the particulars We adde nothing as necessarie to saluation we teach nothing contrary and we imbrace all the knowne and euident trueth But that is not an addition or a knowen trueth or a thing contrary to the word which they imagine to be so But as I sayd these things are answered in the particulars The next accusation is that we giue not obedience to the word of Christ but vse it as a mantel to couer our sinne rather then as a rule to direct our life We cannot say that all doe obey the Gospell in heart and some in hypocrisie vse it as a cloake for sinne This frustrateth his prophecie with those persons so that they haue no benefite by it But his prophecie hardeneth and not onely softeneth and there be in the Church such as waxe worse and worse as well as those which waxe better and better And Christ is a Prophet vnto both Neither the lawes nor the publike teaching doe mind or propound this that the word of God should be disobeied or that any should make it a couer for sinne The fault of some persons may not be imputed to the whole Church nor to the lawes and gouernment Another thing whereby we weaken or quite frustrate they say the prophecie of Christ amongst vs is because we seeke not a true ministerie but mainteine a false of which sort they say the whole ministerie of the land is which are permitted to teach in the publike places to whom eare is giuen Such are their words This accusation is very large and grieuous No true ministers in the whole land All false ministers Why do they so account vs Is it because we teach false doctrine or haue corrupted the faith or do teach heresies No such thing They obiect none of these against vs. Then I hope we may answere them the easier and be heard the more willingly purging our selues They cannot obiect vnto vs heresie nor false doctrine nor teaching of any thing that destroyeth the grounds of saluation What be the things then which they say make vs a false ministerie I will recite vnto you all which they lay against vs I will dissemble nothing the crimes then are these First they say we haue not the names of Ministers of the gospel but are called Priests Parsons Vicars and Curates It is not in our power what other men will call vs. Some of these names are giuen of the maintenaunce whereby we liue and pertaine not to our callings we delight to be counted the Ministers of the Gospell But this about the names is a vaine cauill Secondly they condemne our preparation to the ministerie which is by studie and bringing vp in the Vniuersities Schooles and Vniuersities they cannot whollie condēne The Church of the Iewes had the schooles of the Prophets and euer among Christians they haue bene esteemed as the best nurses of the ministerie They condemne them for the study of humaine learning and for certaine vices among some persons If for the faults of some of the persons that professe any kind of life the trade it self be to be condemned then no course of life must be taken in the world The studie of Logike Rhetorike Philosophie and the Mathematicals is so necessarie that without them we should be barbarous and but by the helpe of them neuer can any perfection by ordinary meanes be attained in Phisike Lawe or Diuinitie There are none but madde men which can condemne Vniuersities Thirdly they mislike our entrance into the ministerie none of vs is chosen by a whole congregation nor ordayned by laying on of the hands of the Eldershippe nor iust tryall made of giftes and conuersation But we are ordained by one man the Byshoppe and are thrust vpon the places where we take charge whether the people will or no. The ordaining of a minister by one or fewe is not against the word of God Paul and Barnabas appointed Elders by the laying on of hands at Antioch And Titus was left in Creta to ordaine Elders in euery citie Wherefore it wanteth not the word of God that Pastours are ordayned by one that hath skill yet that one with vs doth it not alone Cyprian and other ancient fathers acknowledge themselues to haue aucthoritie to doe the like If they be not examined and tryed as they ought the fault is in the Byshoppe That they are preferred by one to their charge that is not against the word seeing there is nothing in the word that commandeth or cōmendeth the election by the multitude or inioineth it to be perpetuall The fourth accusation is against the vnlearned vnpreaching ministers which is a crime that they make to touch al. for so much as they are no ministers at all that cannot preach therefore they thēselues to be condēned then all the rest eyther by silence or by consent or by preaching in their charges or by defending them to be ministers are also guilty And the whole people are wrapped they say by them in the same sentence of dānation for either keeping vnder thē or suffering thē And hereupō they make that they are no sacraments no praiers no word of promise and saluation that is vttered by them but that all their actions are voyd and frustrate This being so great a matter would be examined by it selfe at large But in a word to touch it The reader bringeth the word of reconciliation and forgiuenesse of sinnes in Christ sheweth the way of repentaunce and amendement of life mininistreth the Sacramentes and prayers in a publike function layde vpon him by the Church therefore he is a minister and a man may safely heare him and receiue the sacrament at his hand Hee nourisheth fayth by reading therefore he may beget it for wherewith it is nourished therewith it is begotten By the same meanes wherewith our best preachers haue bin both at the planting of the Gospell after the darkenes of Poperie in this land and are made now dayly and continued in their sufficiencie by the same meanes may the people come to faith and be continued in it And who seeth not that reading both begetteth and chiefly confirmeth and nourisheth many preachers And