teacheth that righteousnes wherby we are righteous in Gods sight is an inherent righteousnesse which must needes be of our owne works and cannot be vnderstoode of the righteousnesse inherent only in Christs person and accounted vnto vs. Moreover hee taught the same time that neither the Galathians nor the Church of Rome did directly overthrow the foundation of iustification by Christ alone but only by consequent and therefore might well bee saved or else neither the Churches of Lutherans nor any which hold anie manner of errour could bee saved because saith he everie errour by consequent overthroweth the foundation In which discourses and such like hee bestowed his whole time more which if he had affected either the truth of God or the peace of the Church he would truely not haue done Whose example could not draw me to leaue the Scripture I tooke in hand but standing about an houre to deliver the doctrine of it in the end vpon iust occasion of the text leaving sundrie other his vnsound speeches and keeping me still to the principall I confirmed the beleeving the doctrine of iustification by Christ only to be necessarie to the iustification of all that shoulde bee saved and that the Church of Rome directlie denieth that a man is saved by Christ or by faith alone without the workes of the law Which my answere as it was most necessarie for the service of God and the church so was it without anie immodest or reprochfull speech in Mr Hooker whose vnfound and willfull dealings in a cause of so great importance to the faith of Christ and salvation of the Church notwithstanding I knew well what speech it deserved and what some zealous earnest man of the spirit of Iohn and Iames surnamed * Mark 3 17. Boanerges sonnes of thunder woulde haue saide in such a case yet I chose rather to content my selfe in exhorting him to revisite his doctrine as * 2. Sam. 7.2.3.4.5 Nathan the Prophet did the devise which without consulting with God hee had of himselfe given to David concerning the building of the Temple and with * Gal. 2.11.14 Peter the Apostle to indure to be withstoode in such a case not vnlike vnto this This in effect was that which passed betweene vs concerning this matter the invectiues I made against him wherewith I am charged which rehearsall I hope may cleare me with all that shall indifferently consider it of the blames laid vpon me for want of duty to Mr Hooker in not conferring with him whereof I haue spoken sufficiently alreadie and to the high commission in not revealing the matter to them which yet now I am further to answere My answere is that I protest no contempt nor willfull neglect of any lawfull authoritie staide me from complaining vnto them but these reasons following First I was in some hope that Mr Hooker notwithstanding he had beene overcarried with a shew of charitie to preiudice the truth yet when it should bee sufficientlie proved would haue acknowledged it or at the least induced with peace that it might be offered without either offence to him or to such as would receiue it either of which would haue taken away anie cause of iust complaint When neither of these fel out according to my expectation and desire but that he replyed to the truth and obiected against it I thought hee might haue some doubtes and scruples in himselfe which yet if they were cleared hee would either embrace some doctrine or at least suffer it to haue his course which hope of him I nourished so long as the matter was not bitterlie and immodestlie handled betweene vs. Another reason was the cause it selfe which according to the parable of the tares which are said to bee sowne amongst the wheat sprung vp first in his grasse Therefore as the servants in that place are not said to haue come to complain to the Lord till the tares came to shew their fruits in their kind so I thinking it yet but a time of discovering of it what it was desired not their sickle to cut it downe For further answer it is to be considered that the cōscience of my duty to God and to his Church did bind me at the first to deliver sound doctrine in such points as had beene otherwise vttered in the place where I had now some yeares taught the truth Otherwise the rebuke of the * 〈…〉 Prophet had fallen vpon mee for not going vp to the breach and standing in it and the * 〈…〉 perill for answering the blood of the Cittie in whose watch-tower I sate if it had bin surprised by my default Moreover my publike protestation in being vnwilling that if any were not yet satisfied some other more conveniēt way might be taken for it And lastly that J had resolued which I vttered before to some dealing with me about the matter to haue protested the next Saboth day that I would no more answere in that place any obiections to the doctrine taught by any meanes but some other way satisfie such as should require it These I trust may make it appeare that I failed not in duty to authoritie notwithstanding I did not complaine nor giue over so soone dealing in the case If I did how is he cleere which can alleage none of all these for himselfe who leaving the expounding of the Scriptures and his ordinary calling voluntarily discoursed vpō schoole points and questions neither of edification nor of truth who after all this as promising to himselfe and to vntruth a victory by my silence added yet in the next Saboth day to the maintenance of his former opinions these which follow That no additament taketh away the foundation except it be a privatiue of which sort neither the workes added to Christ by the Church of Rome nor circumcision by the Galathians were as one denieth him not to be a man that saith he is a righteous man but hee that saith he is a dead man whereby it might seeme that a man might without hurt adde workes to Christ and pray also that God and S. Peter would saue him That the Galathians case is harder then the case of the Church of Rome because the Galathians ioined circumcision with Christ which God hath forbidden and abolished but that which the Church of Rome ioined with Christ were good workes which God hath commanded wherein he cōmitted a double fault one in expounding all the question of the Galathians and consequently of the Romans and other Epistles of circumcision only and the ceremonies of the law as they doe who answer for the Church of Rome in their writings contrary to the cleere meaning of the Apostle as may appeare by many strong and sufficient reasons the other in that hee said the addition of the Church of Rome was of workes commanded of God whereas the least part of the workes whereby they looked to merit was of such workes and most were of supererogation and of workes which God never
A SVPPLICATION MADE TO THE PRIVY COVNSEL BY Mr WALTER TRAVERS AT OXFORD Printed by Ioseph Barnes and are to be sold by John Barnes dwelling neere Holborne Conduit 1612. A SVPPLICATION MADE TO THE COVNSELL BY Mr WALTER TRAVERS RIGHT Honourable the manifold benefits which al the subiects within this dominion doe at this present and haue many yeares enioyed vnder her Maiesties most happy and prosperous raigne by your godly wisdome and carefull watching over this estate night day I truely and vnfainedly acknowledge from the bottome of my heart ought worthily to binde vs al to pray continually to almighty God for the continuance encrease of the life and good estate of your honours and to be readie with al good duties to satisfie serue the same to our power Besides publique benefites common vnto all I must needes and do willingly confesse my selfe to stand bound by most speciall obligation to serue and honour you more then any other for the honourable favour it hath pleased you to vouchsafe both oftentimes heretofore and also now of late in a matter more deare vnto me then anie earthly commoditie that is the vpholding and furthering of my service in the ministring of the gospell of Jesus Christ For which cause as I haue beene alwaies careful so to carry my selfe as I might by no meanes giue occasion to bee thought vnworthy of so great a benefit so do I stil next vnto her Maiesties gracious countenance hold nothing more deare and pretious vnto me then that I may alwaies remaine in your Honours favour which hath oftentimes bin helpefull and comfortable vnto me in my ministerie and to all such as reaped any fruit of my simple and faithfull labour In which dutiful regard I humblie beseech your Honours to vouchsafe to do me this grace to conceiue nothing of me otherwise thē according to the dutie wherein I ought to liue by anie information against me before your Honours haue heard my answere and been throughly informed of the matter Which although it be a thing that your wisdomes not in favor but in iustice yeeld to all men yet the state of the calling vnto the Ministrie whervnto it hath pleased God of his goodnesse to call me though vnworthiest of all is so subiect to misinformation as except wee may finde this favour with your Honours we cannot looke for anie other but that our vnindifferent parties may easilie procure vs to be hardlie esteemed of and that we shal be made like the poore fisherboates in the sea which everie swelling waue and billow raketh and runneth over Wherin my estate is yet harder then anie others of my rancke calling who are indeed to fight against flesh blood in what part soever of the Lords host and field they shall stand marshalled to serue yet manie of them deale with it naked and vnfurnished of weapons but my service was in a place where I was to encounter with it well appointed and armed with skill and with authoritie whereof as I haue alwaies thus deserved therfore haue bin carefull by all good meanes to entertain still your Honors favorable respect of me so haue I speciall cause at this present wherein misinformation to the Lord Archbishop of Canterburie other of the high commission hath bin able so farre to prevaile against me that by their letter they haue inhibited me to preach or execute anie act of Ministrie in the Temple or elsewhere having never once called me before them to vnderstand by mine answere the trueth of such things as had bin enformed against me We haue a storie in our bookes wherein the Pharises proceeding against our Saviour Christ without having heard him is reproved by an honorable Counseller as the Evangelist doth tearme him saying doth our lawe iudge a man before it heare him know what he hath done Which I do not mention to the ende that by an indirect and covert speech I might so compare those who haue without ever hearing me pronounced a heavie sentence against me for notwithstanding such proceedings I purpose by Gods grace to carrie my selfe towards them in all seeming duetie agreeable to their places much lesse do I presume to liken my cause to our Saviour Christs who hold it my chiefest honor happines to serue him though it be but among the hindes and hired servants that serue him in the basest corners of his house But my purpose in mentioning it is to shew by the iudgement of a Prince and great man in Israell that such proceeding standeth not with the lawe of God and in a princely patterne to shew it to be a noble part of an honorable Counseller not to allow of indirect dealings but to allow and affect such a course in iustice as is agreeable to the law of God Wee haue also a plaine rule in the word of God not to proceed any otherwise against any elder of the Church much lesse against one that laboureth in the word and in teaching which rule is delivered with this most earnest charge and obtestation I beseech and charge thee in the sight of God and the Lord Iesus Christ and the elect Angels 1. Tim. 5. vers 19.21 that thou keepe those rules without preferring one before another doing nothing of partialitie or enclining to either part which Apostolicall and most earnest charge I referre it to your Honours wisdome how it hath beene regarded in so heavie a iudgement against me without ever hearing my cause and whether as having God before their eies and the Lord Iesus by whom all former iudgements shall bee tried againe and as in the presence of the elect Angels witnesses and observers of the regiment of the Church they haue proceeded thus to such a sentence They alleage indeed two reasons in their letters wherevpon they restraine my ministery which if they were as strong against me as they are supposed yet I referre to your Honors wisdomes whether the qualitie of such an offence as they charge me with which is in effect but an indiscretion deserue so greivous a punishment both to the Church and me in taking away my ministery and that poore little commoditie which it yeeldeth for the necessarie maintenance of my life if so vnequall a ballancing of faults and punishments should haue place in the commonwealth surely wee should shortly haue no actions vpon the case nor of trespasse but all should be pleaes of the Crowne nor any man amerced or fined but for every light offence put to his ransome I haue credibly heard that some of the ministery haue beene committed of grievous transgressions of the lawes of God and men being of no abilitie to do other service in the Church then to read yet hath it bin thought charitable and standing with Christian moderation and temperancie not to depriue such of ministery and beneficency but to inflict some more tolerable punishmēt Which I write not because such as I think were to be favored but to shew how vnlike
their dealing is with me being through the goodnesse of God not to be touched with any such blame and one who according to the measure of the guift of God haue laboured now some yeares painefully in regard of the weake estate of my body in preaching the Gospell and as I hope not altogether vnprofitably in respect of the Church But J beseech your Honours to giue me leaue breifly to declare the particular reasons of their letters and what answer I haue to make vnto it The first is that as they say I am not lawfully called to the function of the ministery nor allowed to preach according to the lawes of this Church of England For answer to this I had need to divide the points first to make answer to the former wherein leauing to shew what by the holy Scriptures is required in a lawfull calling and that all that is to be found in mine that I bee not too long for your other waightie affaires I rest I this answer my calling to the ministery was such as in the calling of any therevnto is appointed to bee vsed by the orders agreed vpon in the Nationall Synods of the lowe Countries for the direction and guidance of their Churches which orders are the same with those whereby the French Scottish Churches are governed whereof I haue shewed such sufficient testimoniall to my L. the Archbishop of Canterburie as is requisite in such a matter whereby it must needs fall out if any man be lawfully called to the ministery in those Churches then is my calling being the same with theirs also lawfull But I suppose notwithstanding they vse this generall speech they meane only my calling is not sufficient to deale in the ministery within this land because I was not made minister according to that order which in this cause is ordained by our laws Whervnto I beseech your Honours to consider throughly of mine answer because exception now againe is taken to my ministery whereas hauing beene heretofore called in question for it I so answered the matter as I continued my ministery and for any thing I discerned looked to heare that no more obiected vnto me The communion of Saints which every Christian man professeth to beleeue is such as that the acts which are done in any true Church of Christs according to his word are held as lawfull being done in one Church as in another Which as it holdeth in other acts of ministery as baptisme marriage and such like so doth it in the calling to the ministery by reason whereof all Churches doe acknowledge and receaue him for a minister of the word who hath beene lawfully called therevnto in any Church of the same professiō A Doctor created in any Vniversitie of Christendome is acknowledged sufficiently qualified to teach in any country The Church of Rome it selfe and the Canon law holdeth it that being ordered in Spaine they may execute that belongeth to their order in Italie or in any other place And the Churches of the gospell never made any question of it Which if they shall now begin to make doubt of and denie such to be lawfully called to the ministery as are called by another order then our owne then may it wel be looked for that other Churches will doe the like if a minister called in the low Countries be not lawfully called in England thē may they say to our preachers which are there that being made by another order thē theirs they cānot suffer them to execute any act of ministerie amongst them which in the ende must needes breed a schisme dangerous division in the Churches Further I haue heard of those that are learned in the lawes of this land that by expresse Statute to that purpose Anno 13. vpon subscription of the Articles agreed vpon Anno 62. that they who pretend to haue beene ordered by another order then that which is now established are of like capacitie to enioy any place of ministery within the land as they that haue bin ordered according to that is now by law in this case established Which comprehēding manifestly all even such as were made Priests according to the order of the Church of Rome it must needs be that the law of a Christian land professing the Gospell should be as favorable for a mimister of the worde as for a Popish Priest which also was so found in Mr Whittingames case who notwithstanding such replies against him enioyed still the benefit he had by his ministerie and might haue done vntill this day if God had spared him life so long which if it be vnderstood so and practised in others why should the change of the person alter the right which the law giveth to all other The place of ministery wherevnto I was called was not presentatiue and if it had beene so surely they would never haue presented anie man whō they never knew and the order of this Church is agree able herein to the word of God and the ancient best Canons that no man should be made minister sine titulo therefore having none I could not by the orders of this Church haue entred into the ministery before I had charge to tend vpon When I was at Anwerp and to take a place of ministerie among the people of that nation I see no cause whie I should haue returned againe over the seas for orders here nor how I could haue done it without disallowing the orders of the Churches provided in the country where I was to liue Whereby J hope it appeareth that my calling to the ministery is lawfull and maketh me by our law of capacitie to enioy any benefit or commoditie that any other by reasō of his ministery may enioie But my cause is yet more easie who reaped no benefit of my ministery by law receaving only a benevolence and voluntary contribution and the ministery I dealt with being preaching only which everie Deacon here may doe being licensed and certaine that are neither Ministers nor Deacons thus J answer the former of these two points whereof if there be yet any doubt J humbly desire for a finall ende thereof that some competent iudges in law may determine of it wherevnto J referre submit my selfe with all reverence and dutie The second is that I preached without license where vnto this is my answere I haue not presumed vpon the calling I had to the ministery abroad to preach or deal with any part of the ministry within this Church with out the consent and allowance of such as were to allow me vnto it my allowance was from the Bishop of London testified by his two severall letters to the inner Temple who without such testimony would by no meanes rest satisfied in it which letters being by mee produced J referre it to your Honours wisdome whether I haue taken vpon me to preach without being allowed as they charge according to the orders of the Realme Thus having answered the second point also J haue done with the
obiection of dealing without calling or license The other reason they alleage is concerning a late action wherein J had to deale with Mr Hooker Master of the Temple in the handling of which cause they charge me with an indiscretion and want of dutie in that I inveighed as they say against certaine points of doctrine taught by him as erroneous not conferring with him nor complaining of it to them My answere herevnto standeth in declaring to your Honours the whole course and carriage of that cause the degrees of proceeding in it which J will doe as briefly as I can and according to the truth God be my witnes as neere as my best memorie and notes of remembrance may serue me therevnto After that I haue taken away that which seemeth to haue moved them to thinke me not charitably minded to Mr Hooker which is because hee was brought into M. Alveyes place wherin this Church desired that J might haue succeeded which place if J would haue made sute to haue obtained or if J had ambitiously affected and sought J would not haue refused to haue satisfied by subscription such as the matter then seemed to depend vpon whereas contrariewise notwithstanding J would not hinder the Church to doe that they thought to be most for their edification and comfort yet did J neither by speech nor letter make sute to any for the obtaining of it following herein that resolution which J iudge to bee most agreeable to the word and will of God that is that labouring and suing for places and charges in the Church is not lawfull Further whereas at the sute of the Church some of your Honours entertained the cause and brought it to a neare issue that there seemed nothing to remaine but the commendation of my Lord the Archbishop of Canterburie when as he could not bee satisfied but by my subscribing to his late articles and that my answere agreeing to subscribe according to any law and to the statute provided in that case but praying to be respited for subscribing to any other which J could not in conscience doe either for the Temple which otherwise he said he would not commend mee to nor for any other place in the Church did so little please my Lord Archbishop as he resolued that otherwise J should not bee commended to it J had vtterly here no cause of offence against Mr Hooker whom J did in no sort esteeme to haue prevented or vnderminded mee but that God disposed of me as it pleased him by such meanes and occasions as I haue declared Moreover as J had taken no cause of offence at Mr Hooker for being preferred so there were many witnesses that J was glad that the place was given him hoping to liue in all godly peace and comfort with him both for acquaintance good will which hath beene betweene vs and for some kinde of affinitie in the marriage of his neerest kinred mine since his comming J haue so carefully endevoured to entertaine all good correspondence agreement with him as I thinke he himselfe will beare mee witnesse of many earnest disputations and conferences with him about the matter the rather because that contrary to my expectation hee enclined from the beginning but smally therevnto but ioined rather with such as had alwaies opposed themselues to any good order in this charge and made themselues to be brought indisposed to his present state and proceedings For both knowing that Gods commandement charged me with such dutie and discerning how much our peace might further the good service of God and his Church and the mutuall comfort of vs both J had resolued constantly to seeke for peace and though it should fly from me as J saw it did by meanes of some who little desired to see the good of our Church yet according to the rule of Gods word to follow after it Which being so as hereof J take God to witnesse who searcheth the heart and reines and by his sonne will iudge the world both the quicke and dead I hope no charitable iudgement can suppose mee to haue stood evill affected towardes him for his place or desirous to fall into anie controversie with him Which my resolution I pursued that whereas I discovered sundry vnfound matters in his doctrine as manie of his sermons tasted of some sower leaven or other yet thus I carried my selfe towards him Matters of smaller weight and so covertlie discovered that no great offence to the Church was to be feared in them I wholly passed by as one that discerned nothing of them or had been vnfurnished of replies For other of greater moment and so openlie delivered as there was iust cause of feare least the truth and church of God should be preiudiced and perilled by it and such as the conscience of my dutie calling would not suffer mee altogither to passe over this was my course to deliver when I should haue iust cause by my texte the truth of such doctrine as hee had otherwise taught in generall speeches without touch of his person in anie sort and further at cōvenient oportunity to confer with him in such points According to which determination whereas he had taught certaine things concerning predestination otherwise then the word of God doth as it is vnderstood by all churches professing the gospell and not vnlike that wherwith Coranus some times troubled his church I both delivered the truth of such points in a generall doctrine without anie touch of him in particular and conferred with him also privatlie vpon such articles In which conference I remember when I vrged the consent of all churches and good writers against him that I knew and desired if it were otherwise what authors hee had seene of such doctrine he answered me that his best author was his owne reason which I wished him to take heed of as a matter stāding with christian modestie wisedome in a doctrine not received by the church not to trust to his own iudgment so far as to publish it before he had cōferred with others of his profession labouring by dailie praier and studie to know the will of God as he did to see how they vnderstood such doctrine notwithstanding hee with wavering replying that hee woulde some other time deale more largelie in the matter I wished him praied him not so to doe for the peace of the church which by such meanes might be hazarded seeing he could not but thinke that men who make anie conscience of their ministrie will iudge it a necessarie duty in them to teach the truth and to convince the contrarie Another time vpon like occasion of this doctrine of his that the assurance of that we beleeue by the word is not so certaine as of that wee perceiue by sense I both taught the doctrine otherwise namely the assurance of faith to be greater which assureth both of things aboue and contrarie to all sense and humane vnderstanding and dealt with him also privatlie vpon that
commanded but was highly displeased with as of Masses Pilgrimages pardons paines of Purgatory and such like further that no one sequell vrged by the Apostle against the Galathians for ioining circumcision with Christ but might be aswell enforced against the Lutherans that is that for their vbiquitie it may be aswell said to them if yee hold the body of Christ to be in all places you are fallen frō grace you are vnder the curse of the law saying cursed be he that fulfilleth not all things written in this booke with such like he added yet further that to a Bishop of the Church of Rome to a Cardinall yea to the Pope himselfe acknowledging Christ to bee the saviour of the world denying other errours being discomforted for want of workes whereby he might be iustified he would not doubt but vse this speech Thou holdest the foundation of Christian faith though it bee but by a slender thread thou holdest Christ though but as by the hem of his garment why shouldst thou not hope that vertue may passe from Christ to saue thee That which thou holdest of iustification by thy workes overthroweth indeed by consequent the foundation of Christian faith but be of good cheere thou hast not to doe with a captious Sophister but with a mercifull God who will iustifie thee for that thou holdest and not take the advantage of doubtfull construction to cōdemne thee And if this hee said bee an errour I hold it willingly for it is the greatest comfort I haue in this world without which I would not wish either to speak or to liue Thus far being not to bee answered in it any more he was bold to proceed the absurditie of which speech I need not to stand vpon I thinke the like to this and other such in this sermon and the rest of this matter hath not beene heard in publique places within this land since Queene Maries daies What consequēce this doctrine may be of if he bee not by authoritie ordered to revoke it I beseech your HH as the truth of God his gospell is deere and pretious vnto you according to your godly wisdomes to consider I haue beene bold to offer to your HH a long and tedious discourse of these matters But speech being like to tapestrie which if it be folded vp sheweth but part of that which is wrought and being vnlapt laid open sheweth plainely to the eye all the worke that is in it I thought it necessarie to vnfold this tapestrie to hang vp the whole chamber of it in your most Honorable senate that so you may the more easily discerne of all the peeces and the sundry workes and matters contained in it Wherin my hope is your HH may see J haue not deserved so great a punishment as is laid vpon the Church for my sake and also vpon my selfe in taking from me the exercise of my ministery which punishment how heavie it may seeme to the Church or fall out indeed to be J referre it to them to iudge spare to write what I feare but to my selfe it is exceeding grievous for that it taketh from mee the exercise of my calling Which I doe not say is deare vnto mee as the meanes of that little benefit whereby I liue although this be a lawfull consideration and to bee regarded of me in due place and of the authority vnder whose protection I most willingly liue even by Gods commandement both vnto them and vnto me but which ought to bee more pretious to me then my life for the loue which J should beare to the glory and honour of Almightie God and to the edification and salvation of his Church for that my life cannot any other way be of like service to God nor of such vse and profit to men by any meanes for which cause as J discerne how deare any ministery ought to be vnto me so it is my harty desire and most humble request vnto God to your HH and to all the authoritie I liue vnder to whom any dealing herein belongeth that I may spend my life according to his example who in a word of like sound of fuller sense * comparing by it the bestowing of his life to the offering powred out vpon the sacrifice of the faith of Gods people and especially of this Church wherevpon I haue already powred out a great part thereof in the same calling from which I stand nowe restrained And if your HH shall finde it so that J haue not deserved so great a punishment but rather performed the duty which a good and faithful servant ought in such a case to do to his Lord the people he putteth him in trust withall carefully to keepe I am a most humble suiter by these presents to your HH that by your godly wisdome some good course may be taken for the restoring of me to my ministery and place againe Which so great a favour shall bind me yet in a greater obligation of dutie which is already so great as it seemed nothing could be added vnto it to make it greater to honour God daily for the continuance and increase of your good estate and to be ready with all the poore meanes God hath given me to doe your HH that faithfull service I may possibly performe but if notwithstanding my cause be never so good your HH can by no meanes pacifie such as are offended nor restore me againe then am I to rest in the good pleasure of God and to commend to your HH protection vnder her Maiesties my privat life while it shall be led in dutie and the Church to him who hath redeemed to himselfe a people with his pretious blood is making ready to cōe to iudge both the quick the dead to giue to every one according as hee hath done in this life bee it good or evill to the wicked and vnbeleever iustice vnto death but to the faithfull and such as loue his truth mercy and grace to life everlasting Your Honours most bounden and most humble suppliant Walter Travers Minister of the word of God