childe in the forhead with a crosse in token that heereafter he shall not be ashamed to confesse the fayth of Christe We haue made mention before of that wycked deuorse of the worde and sacramentes We say nothing of those that are admitted to be witnesses what ill choyse there is made of them how conuenyent it were seing the children of the faythfull onely are to be baptized that the father should and might if conueniently offer present his child to be baptized making an open confession of that faith wherin he wold haue his childe baptized as is vsed in well reformed churches 9 As for Matrimonie that also hathe corruptions too many It was wonte to be compted a sacrament and therfore they vse yet a sacramental signe to which they attribute the vertue of wedlocke I meane the wedding ring which they fowly abuse and dally with all in taking it vp and laying it downe In putting it on they abuse the name of the Trinitie they make the newe marryed man according to the Popish forme to make an idol of his wife saying with this ring I thee wedde with my body I thee worshippe c. And bicause in Poperie no holy action mighte be done without a masse they enioyne the marryed persones to receiue the communion as they do theyr bishoppes and priestes when they are made c. other pâ—rtie things oute of the booke we speake not of as that women contrary to the rule of the Apostle come and are suffered to come bare headed with bagpipes and â—idlers before them to disturbe the congregation and that they must come in at the great dore of the church or else all is â—arred With diuers other heathnish toys in sondry countries as carying of wheaâ—e she affes on theyr heads and caâ—â—ing of corne with a nuÌ„ber of such like wherby they make rather a Maie game of marryage then a holy Institution of God. 10 As for confyrmation which the papists and our mâ— say was in times past Apostolical grouÌ„ding their opinion perhaps vpon some dreame of Hierome yet as they vse it by the bishop alone to theÌ„ that lack both discretion and faithe it is superstitious not agreable to the word of God but popish peuishe As though baptim were not already perfect but neded confyrmation or as though the bishop coulde giue y holy ghost 〈◊〉 They appoynt a prescript find of seruice to bury the dead And that which is the duety of euery christian they tie alone to the minister wherby prâ—ier for y dead is maintained and partly gathered out of some of the prarers where they pray y we with thys our brother all other departed in the true faith of thy holy name may haue our perfect consâ—â—â—â—ation and blisse bothe in body soule We say nothing of the threefold peale bicause that it is rather licensed by iniunction then commaunded in theyr boke nor of theyr strauÌ„ge mourning by chaunging theyr garmentes which if it be not hipocritical yet it is superstitious heathnish bicause it is vsed only of custom nor of burial sermons which are put in place of trentalles wherout spring many abuses and therfore in the best reformed churches are remoued As for the superstitions vsed bothe in countrey and citie for the place of buryall which way they must lie how they must be fetched to churche the mynister meeting them at churche stile with surplesse with a companye of greedie clarkes that a crosse whyte or blacke must be set vpon the deade corpes that breade muste be gyuen to the poore and offrings in Buryall tyme vsed and cakes sent abrode to frendes by cause these are rather vsed of custome and superstition then by the authoritie of the boke Small commaundement will serue for the accomplishyng of suche things But great charge will hardly bryng the least good thyng to passe and therefore all is let alone and the people as blinde and as ignorante as euer they were God be mercyfull vnto vs and open our eyes that we may see what that good and acceptable will of God is and be more earnest to prouoke hys glory 12 Churching of women after childbirthe smelleth of Iewish purifycation theyr other rytes customes in theyr lying in comming to churche is foolishe and superstitious as it is vsed Shee muste lie in wyth a white sheete vppon her bed and come couered wyth a vaile as ashamed of some folly Shee must offer but these are matters of custome and not in the boke But thys Psalme as is noted before is childishly abused I haue lift vp mine eyes vnto the lyâ—ls â—roÌ„ whence commeth my helpe The sunne shall not burne thâ—e by day nor the moone by nyght 13 In all theyr order or seruice there is no edification according to the rule of the Apostle but confusion they â—osse the Psalmes in most places like â—ennice balles They pray that al men may be saued that they may be deliuered from thundering tempest wheÌ„ no daÌ„ger is nigh That they sing Benedictus NuÌ„c dimittis and Magnificat we knowe not to what purpose except some of them were ready to die or excepte they would celebrate the ineâ—ory of the virgine and Iohn Baptist c. Thus they prophane the holy scriptures The people some standing some walking some talking some reading some praying by themselues â—â—teÌ„d not to the minyster He againe posteth it ouer as fast as he can galloppe For eyther he hath two places to serue or else there are some games to be playde in the afternoone as lying for the whetstone heathnishe dauncing for the ring a beare or a bull to be baited or else Iacke an apes to ride on horssebacke or an enterlude to be plaide if no place else can be gotten this enterlude must be playde in the church â–ª c. Nowe the people sit and now they stand vp When the old Testament is read or the lessons they make no reuereÌ„ce but when the gospel commeth then they * al stand vp For why they thinke that to be of greatest authoritie and are ignorante that the scriptures came from one spirite When Iesus is named then of goeth the cap and downe goeth the knees wyth suche a scraping on the ground that they cannot heare a good while after so that the word is hindred but wheÌ„ any other names of God are mentioned they make no curtesie at all as though the names of God were not equal or as though all reuerence oughte to be giuen to the syllables We speake not of ringing when Mattens is done and other abuses incident Bicause we shal be answered that by the boke they are not maintayned only we desire to haue a booke to reforme it As for organes and curious singing thoughe they be proper to Popyshe dennes I meane to Cathedrall churches yet some others also must haue them The Queenes chappell and these churches whych shoulde be spectacles of christiaâ—… reformation are rather paternes
To the godly Readers Grace and peace from god c. TWo treatises yee haue heere ensuing beloued in Christ which yee must read without parcialitie or blinde affection For otherwise you shal neither see their meaning nor refraine youre selues from rashlye condemning of them withoute infre cause For certaine men there are of great countenaunce whiche will not lightly like of them bicause they principally concerne theyr persons and vaiusre dealings whose credite is greate and whose freendes are manye we meane the Lordly Lords Archbishops Bishops Suffraganes Deanes Vniuersitie Doctors and Bachelers of Diuinitie Archdeacons ChauÌ„celors and the rest of that proud generation whose kingdome must down hold they neuer so hard bicause their tyrannous Lordship can not stande with Christes kingdome And it is the speciall mischefe of our Englishe churche and the cheefe cause of backewardnesse and of all breache and dissention For they whose authoritie is forbidden by Christ will haue theyr stroke without their fellow seruauÌ„ts yea though vngratiously cruelly and Pope-like they take vpon them to beat them and that for theyr owne childishe Articles being for the most part against the manifest truthe of God First by experience theyr rigoure hathe too plainely appeared euer since their wicked raign and specially for the space of these fiue or six yeares last past together Of the enoâ—mities which with suche rigoure they maintaine these treatises doe in parte make mention iustly crauing redresse therof But the matters do require a larger discourse Only the authors of those thought it their parts to admonish you at this time of those inconveniences which men seme not to thinke vpon and which without reformation cannot but increase further dissention the one parte being proude pontifycall and tyrannous and the woorde of God for the other parte expresse manifest as if it pleased the state to examine the matters it would be euident And would to God thâ—â— free confereÌ„ce in these matters might be had For howe so euer learned and many they seeme to be they should and may in this realme finde inowe to matche them and shame them to if they hold on as they haue begon And out of this realme they haue all the best reformed churches thorowout Christendom againste them they were once of our minde but since their coÌ„secration they be so transubstanciated that they are be come such as you see But in a few words to say what we meane Ether must we haue a right ministerye of God a right gouernment of his churche according to the scriptures set vp bothe which we lacke or else there can be no right religion nor yet for contempt therof can Goddes plagues be from vs any while deferred And therfore though they lincke in togither and slaunderously charge pore men whom they haue made pore with greeuous faults calling them Puritanes worse than the Donatiâ—tes exasperating setting on such as be in authoritie against them hauing hitherto miserably handled them with reuilings depriuations imprisonments banishments suche like extremities yet is these poore mennes cause neuer the worse nor these chalengers the better nor god his hande the further of to lincke in with his againste them nor you christian bâ—ethren must neuer the rather without examination condemne them But thankfully take this tast which God by these treatises offereth you weigh them by the worde of God and do your endeuor euery one in his calling to promote his cause And let vs all with more earnest prayer then we are wonte earnestly commend it to God his blessyng and namely y it wil please him by his spirit to lighten the heart of oure most gracious soueraigne and the rest in authoritie to the benefyte of his small flocke and the ouerthrowe of theyr proude eâ—â—emies that godlinesse may by them procede in peace God his glory thorow Iesus Christ be throughly aduaunced Which we call God to witnesse is our only labor and sute And so presently we leaue you heartily beseching God to graunt it Amen ¶ An Admonition to the Parliament SEing that nothing in this mortal life is more diligently to be sought for carefully to be loked vnto than the restitution of true religion and reformation of Gods churche it shall be your partes dearly beloued in this present ParliameÌ„t assembled as muche as in you lyeth to promote the same and to employ your whole labour and studie not onely in abandoning al popish remnaÌ„ts both in ceremonies and regiment but also in bringing in and placing in Gods church those things only which the Lord himselfe in his word commâ—undeth Because it is not enoughe to take paines in taking away euil but also to be ocupied in placing good in the stead thereof Now because many men see not al things and the world in this respect is maruelously blinded it hath â—ea thought good to proferre to youre godly consyderations a true platforme of a church reformed to the end that it being laide before your eyes to beholde the great vnlikenes betwixt it this our english churche you may learnâ— either with perfect hatred to detest the â—â—e and with singular loue to embrace and carefull endeuor to plant the other or els to be without excuse before the maiestie of our God who for y 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 â–ª Not that you should either wilfully withstand or vngraciously tread the same vnder your fete for God doth not disclose his will to any such ende but that you should yet now a the length with all your mayne and might endeuor that Châ—iste whose easie yoke lyght burthen we haue of long time caste off from vs might rule and raigne in hys church by the scepter of hys word onely May it therfore please your wisedomes to vnderstand that we in England are so far off from hauing a church rightly reformed according to the prescripte of Gods woorde that as yet we are scarse come to the outward face of the same For to speak of that wherin the best consent whervpon al good wryters accord The outward markes wherby a true christian church is knowne are preaching of the woorde purely ministring of the sacraments sincerely and Ecclesiasticall discipline which consisteth in admonition and correction of faults seuerely Touching the fyrst namely the ministerie of the word although it must be confessed that the substance of doctrine by manye deliuered is sound and good yet here in it faileth that neyther the ministers therof are according to gods word proued elected called or ordained nor the functioÌ„ in such sort so narowly loked vnto as of right it oughte and is of necessyrie required For whereas in the olde churche a trial was had both of their abilitie to instruct and of their godly conuersation also nowe by the
in the Lorde who at length would giue some occasion whereby all things shoulde be restored to better Nowe because I heare my Father youre godlinesse to be especially praised among the rest as also the godlinesse of oure father D. Pilkington who would not as yet tourne oute anye you for oure olde frendshippes sake seeme to be admonished that you goe forwarde constantly in the same godlynesse And that you remember that euerye one oâ— vs hathe sinnes â—nowe in him selfe so that there is no neede that he communicate wyâ—h other mennes offences Christ is the husbande of hys owne churche and a moste sharpe reuenger and will not suffer the wronge that is done to his faythfull seruauntes to escape vnpunished To this Christ one day shall an accounte of thys our function and office be made not to a Queene nor to the Pope nor to them whiche challendge to themselues Papisticall or Pontifycall authoritie in the Churche Take in good parte according to youre accustomed gentlenesse these things written in deede vpon the sodaine without studie but not withoute a care of brotherly loue As concerning our matters I haue wrytten more in those letters which you shal receiue from the Marte D. Bullinger saluteth you moste hartely My Wife also hath her hartie commendacions to you and to your wife Fare you well at Tigurin the .11 of September Anno. 1566. Rodolphe Gualter Minister of the Churche of God at Tigurin To the reuerend father in Christ E. G. Bishop of L. T. B. wisheth grace and health from the Lord. REuerende father besides that your letters came very late to my handes it is come to passe for wante of messengers that I also haue beene faine to come a day after the faire in answering But I yeelde you most heartie thanckes both for your most courteous letters and also for your small gift as you list to terme it which notwithstanding I wil gladly keepe as a moste excellent and acceptable pledge of youres And as for those Annotations of mine I wil then take them to be suche as you reporte them to be when they shall haue throughly bene corrected by the benefite of you and other learned men As concerning our mattâ—rs all things are yet well and quiet among vs through the singular mercie and goodnesse of almightie God whereas else this Churche mighte well crie out that saying of Dauids They haue hated me withoute cause But it is well with vs that we be ill spoken of and falsly accused for Christes names sake In which behalfe it is an honoure to suffer any thing Some that is to wit the papists and Vbiquitaries are they which maintaine the Christe is euery wher by the bodely presence of his manhoode Vbibiquitaries not only iÌ„ lame vs but also banne vs as wicked folkes and heretickes and other some namely suche as are ashamed to haue theyr loosenesse restrained by oure discipline suche as it is finde faulte with vs and abhorre vs as ouer sâ—uere But I hope the day will come that we shall iustifie oure case in bothe the poynts of this accusation before the iudgement seat of the sonne of god For as touching oure doctrine we are out of doubte it agreeth with Gods word and I think it wil not be hard for vs to shew y the simplicitie of the ceremonies of this church wherof we repent vs not at all and the whole order of oure Discipline are drawne out of the same fountaine allbeit that we willingly acknowledge our selues to be farre off from that which ought to haue bene established ere this Moreouer what heauing and craftie dealing there hathe beene a late at Augusta agaynste all the Churches of these partes and consequently also againste youre Churches and the Churches of Fraunce all which we thincke to agree with vs in all poyntes of doctrine I suppose it hathe bene reported vnto you already Which exceeding great mischeefe was such as though it should not touch you at all yet ought it of right to moue you also for the defacing of so many and so great Churches This therefore was the cause that the last winter al the Churches of these our quarters only Basill excepted bicause that they a little afore had by themselues set forthe a lyke confession in all poyntes in effecte of matter did giue our consent to the common confession written by our brethren of Zurike which great consent we hope wil yeeld most plentifull frute of concord Afterwarde all the French Churches folowed this president by putting forth a record of their agreing with vs now if it may please the Lord to graunt thus muche more that your the Scottish churches might also testifie your agreeing with this common confession of oures by some publike wryting no doubt but it would greatly auaile to the hindering or rather to the vtter ouerthrowing of theyr deuices which inforce our condemnation vppon trust of multitude rather than of reasons and also woulde stirre vp manye men to trie oute the true religion who are nowe borne in hande that oure Churches are at debate among themselues with innumerable discordes that I may say nothing of manye weake ones whom it is not to be doubted of should be very muche strengthened by the consent of manye nations Considering therefore reuerende Father that this thing is very profytable for the Churche of GOD and righte agreeable to the charge of youre selfe and your reuerende fellowe offycers I thincke it a worthy matter for you not only to take care of but also to preferre by all meanes to the Queenes Maiestie which charge I hartely desyre you yea and for Christes owne sake beseeche you that you will not refuse to goe throughe wyth for the Churche of god But for as muche as I am once entred into this matter I beseeche you of your gentlenesse Reuerend Father that you will gently and patiently suffer me to proceede a little further in a matter not altogither vnlike this syth no ambition as God helpe me but only good will towardes the Englishe churches dothe moue me thereunto There is a report brought vnto vs and the same is confyrmed by certaine mennes letters both out of Fraunce and out of Germany that in your countrie many Ministers of gods worde who otherwise wer faultlesse as well in life as in doctrine were put out of offyce by the Queenes maiestie euen with the consent of you Bishops bicause they reâ—used to subscribe to some certaine Ceremonies The summe of which Iniunctions is reported to haue bene thys That they should admit againe not only the garmeÌ„ts which were the Priestes badges in poperie but also certaine ceremonies which haue bene growne oute of kinde long agoe into moste fylthie superstitions as crossing and kneeling at the Communicating of the Lordes supper and other things of the same stampe It is reported moreouer which is muche greuouser that Women are permitted to minister Baptisme that there is authoritâ—e giuen to the Prince to bring in 〈◊〉 Ceremonies vppon them And fynally
of the present world For I esteeme the sinnes of those fathers as vertues in comparison of theyr vnlearned heedelesse and ambitious successors For by what other termes should I call them who besides that they haue made as great adoe aboute ceremonies only as aboute the whole summe of Religion wheruppon hathe insued that horrible disfyguring of all the parts of doctrine seme to haue had the ouer ruling of Goddes house to none other intent but to ouerthrowe it quite being already decayed They that could not away wyth the plaine fashions of the Apostles haue added a thousand ceremonies to the baptim of the new instructed It lyked some to haue them anoynted as though they should haue gone to wrestling some to haue them plucked out of Sathans power by certain coniurings and breathings as folk passing out of the diuels dominion into the kingdome of god Some to haue waxe candles giuen them lighted as to folâ— conueyed out of darknesse into light some to be clad in whyte rayment as fâ—lâ—e that had put of the old man and put on the newe and other some to haue milke and honey giuen them to taste aforehand as folke comming by a newe kinde of life All which things if I listed to go through with what ende should there be of theyr masking toyes rather then christen ceremonies But say they so it behoued the heathen to be allured vnto Christ As who would say that Christ and the Apostles after Christe coulde not haue prouided these things For surely as for those that make the apostles authors of these toyes they are not once worthe the disprouing howe aunciente so euer they bee I pray you what a thing is this that whereas it is the propertie of christian religion to do nothing in huddermudder for it is a trick of Sathans to shunne the light yet notwithstaÌ„ding many of those auncientest thought it good to hide the holy misteries of the christians as if they had bene the misteries of Ceres inso muche as they admitted not the newly instructed to the syght of them yea as for that whole action wherin looke whatsoeuer thing was fygured vnder a fewe plaine tokens the Lorde himselfe bothe willed and commauÌ„ded the same to be openly preached and published by his word alowed and expouÌ„ded in such a tongue as all men vnderstode according as he himself was wont to do they transformed it into certaine secrete conceites and into certain ceremonies scarcely vnderstode of many of the priestes themselues But farre greater was the negligence of the bishops that succeeded who conueyed that thing to the Chrysten mennes infants which was ordained for theyr sakes that passed out of Painimrie into Christianitie after traynement in the fyrst principles of Religion being already men growne If any man doâ—te whether this be so or no I pray you let him consyder the maner of baptim according as the papists kepe it and yet still by tradition from furthest antiquity sauing that they haue added a few things of theyr owne and held stil the straunge language whiche at that time was common in the West and the South For there they that are to be baptized are bidden not onely to render a reason of theyr faythe but also come to be baptized Which thing althoughe manie among whome Austin himselfe is one haue gone aboute to excuse by some qualifycation saying that the Godfathers and Godmothers are demaunded and doe make answer in the childrens names yet notwithstanding who seeth not that this is but a weake deuice to cloke the thing by some coloure which was crept in by abuse for I beseeche you if baptim may not be ministred without present vnder taking for the faith of the partie that is to be baptized for except that be graunted wherfore I pray you is the childe that comes to christening demaunded of his faythe to what purpose is baptim hastened and why rather do we not delay baptim vntill such time as those that are to be baptized maye be able to professe theyr owne faythe as the Catabaptistes do which God forbid And I am oute of doubte that thys negligence of the Bishops whome it behooued of necessytie to haue putte a difference betweene the christenyng of babes and the chrystening of men growne as in respecte of some outwarde ceremonies hathe caused many to delaye the christening of theyr children the longer howe be it that they dyd not well in so doing Notwithstanding that the sayde error was not espied in olde time no not euen of inanye Byshops euen thys one thing declareth That Nazyanzene being a Bishoppes sonne was aboue twentie yeres old ere he was christened Muche lesse had thys opinion taken roote of the necessitie of Chrystening vnto saluation whiche opinion the Byshoppes of Africke broughte in afterwarde in resysting Pelagius And the cause whye I make mention of these matters is for that among other things it is sayde that in youre Countrye the little Babe that is to be Christened is demaunded of his faythe by the Minister And I woulde gladlye learne of you reuerende Father vppon what probable reason or vppon what reson that pertaineth to the edifying of Goddes Church the same custome is grounded As for the signingâ— of folke with the crosse althoughe it be very auncient yet surely I see not what profyte it can bryng and all be it the same is wonderfully and altogither ouer reachingly commended speciallye by Chrysostome as a certaine summe of the christen Religion yet notwithstanding in as muche as it is not grounded vppon the authoritie of Gods woorde or vppon any example of the Apostles for I make no reckening of vnauthorised stuffe that is to say forasmuche as it is vtterly destitute of Gods woorde and pertaineth not in anye wise vnto comlynesse but to be shorte hathe bene the fyrste opener of the gappe vnto that mooste abhominable superstition and worshipping of the crosse the horriblest of all Idolatries I can lesse fynde in my hearte that it shoulde be nombred among those things indifferent than the brasen serpent of Ezechias whose example it would become all christian Princes to folow chefely in this case that is to say in ouerthrowing the Idols of crosses and crucifixes But whereas childrenne that are to be christened are offered in the open congregation of the church rather in honest than in costly apparell where as there is vsed a certaine conuenient forme of prayer and exposition of baptim wheras the godfathers and godmothers are present to take charge of the holy bringing vp of the child and finally wheras the children be sprinkled with cleare water taken reuerently in cleane handes according to the forme appointed by Christe considering that these rites be simple honest and in no wise magicall and finally suche as can not giue any occasion of superstition who is he that dares condemne them except he wil be reproued by the expresse words of Paule who giueth commaundement that in the Lords house all things should be done fitly and orderly Furthermore