Bishop Because so the order prescribed by Gods word in the ordination of such persons is omitted and violated as it may most plainly appeare Even because all the right and voyce giving both of the Ecclesiasticall Senat and of the christian people is most wretchedly taken away from them by this meanes in this kind of Ecclesiasticall callings and with great tyrannie and abuse translated to one certayne man the Bishop The Lord God of his great mercy amend these corruptions which are yet and are defended in his Churches which surely will at length draw 〈…〉 great ruine of Gods Church and will make the holy Ministery of Gods words either mercenary or altogether contemned and base Which God turne away D. 〈◊〉 Answer to the Count. Laval quest 3. After him we will ad D. Tilenus his iudgment unto the Earle of Lavall in France Who demanding whether the calling to the Ministery be necessary and from whom Calvin had his calling Tilenus answeren First that it is necessary And then that Calvin had his calling from the Church of Geneva and from Farell his predecessor who had also his from the people of Geneva who had right and authoritie to institute and depose Ministers For so declareth S. Cyprian saying that the people obeying to the commandements of God should seperat themselues from a wicked guid Câ—pr epist 〈…〉 and not to meddle with the sacrifices of any Sacrilegious Priest considering that the sayd people haue chiefe authoritie to make choyse of worthy persons and to reiect the vnworthy This was so practised by the people of Geneva and in divers other parts of Evrope where in these latter times they did forsake those sacrilegious Priests and sacrifices of the Pope for to establish faithfull Ministers and proclamers of the Gospell To be short the Reformed Churches had their calling and sending partly from God and partly from the people and partly froÌ„ the Church of Rome From God as the chiefe cause from the people as by lawfull instruments from the Church of Rome as by a corrupt instrument God gaue the essence and the forme interior to this sending the reformed Church gaue testimonies and approbations and the exterior forme the Church of Rome hath added thereto abuses and corruptions which our suceeeding Ministers haue renounced There resteth now for further proofe of these matters before spoken of to rehearse the judgment and words of divers of our owne English writers and blessed Martirs which agree with those Fathers and lights of the Gospell in other Countries before cited And first having sufficiently spoken alreadie of Wicklife that first light of the gospell set up with us in the middest of the Antichristian darknes L. Cobham Fox pa 669 edit 1570 I will begin with the noble Martir the Lord Cobham who in defence of the sayd Wickliffe saith As for that vertuous man Wickliffe whose iugdments ye so highly disdayne I shall say heere for my part both before God and man that before I knew that despised doctrin of his I never abstained from sinne But since I learned therein to feare my Lord God it hath otherwise I trust been with me somuch grace could I never find in all your instructions And what the doctrine of Wickliffe was and how like a Lordly Prelat he lived I referre the reader to that which hath been before spoken of him pag 57. But the Lord Cobham beyng charged with the decrees of holie Church answerd I know none holier then Christ and his Apostles And as for that determination I wote it is none of theirs for it standeth not with the scriptures but manifestly against theÌ„ If it be the Churches as you say it is It hath been hers onely since she receaved the great poyson of worldly possessions not afore And a non after agayne he saith For since the venime of Iudas was shed into the Church ye never followed Christ neither haue ye stand in the perfection of Gods law Then the Archbishop asked him what he meÌ„t by that venime The Lord Cobham said your possessions and Lordships For then cried an Angell in the aire as your owne chronicles mention woe woe woe this day is venime shed into the Church of God Heere you see plainely by this noble Martirs iudgment that the Lordship of Bishops and their possessions was the very curse of God vpon the Church and the very poyson that turned her froÌ„ And in his Practise of Popish Prelats Prelats appoynted to preach Christ Pract. of prelats pa 342 may not leaue Gods word and Minister temporall offices but ought to teach the lay people the right way and to let them alone with all temporall busines And aftherward he saith They that haue the oversight of Christs flocke may be no Emperours Kings Duks Lords Knights temporall Iudges or any temporall officer or under false names haue any such dominion And a none after he saith Mathew the 20. Christ called his Disciples unto him and said Ye know that the Lords of the heathen people haue dominion over them and they that be great doe exercise power over them howbeit it shall not be so among you But whosoever wil be great among you shall be your Minister and he that will be chiefe shall be your servant even as the Sonne of man came not that meÌ„ should Minister unto him but for to Minister giue his life for the redemption of many Wherefore the officers in Christs kingdom may haue no temporall dominion or iurisdiction nor execute any temporall authoritie or law of violence nor haue any like manner among them And in his booke of Obedience he saith Let Kings take their dutie of their subiects and that necessary unto the defence of the Realme Obed. of achr pa 124. let them rule the realmes themselues with the heelp of lay men that are sage wise learned and expert Is it not a shame aboue all shames and a monstrous thing that no man should be found able to governe in a worldly kingdom saue Bishops and Prelats that haue forsaken the world and are taked out of the world and appoynted to preach the kingdome of God Christ saith that his kingdom is not of this world Ioh. 18. Lvke 12. Vnto the young man that desired him to bid his brother to giue him part of the inheritance he answered who made me a judge a devider among you No man that layeth his hand to the plough and looketh backe is apt for the kingdom of heaven Luke 9. No man can serue two Masters but he must despise the one Mat 6. To Preach Gods word is to much for halfe a man And to Minister a temporall kingdome is to much for halfe a man also Either other requyreth an whole man One therefore cannot do both well And after in the same booke he saith An other sort of the Prelats are of the Kings secret Counsell 16 pag 152. Woe unto the Realmes where they are of the Counsell as profitable are
vpon the Church of Sardis as a theife in the night and that they should not knowe vvhat hower he vvould come vpon them And to conclude that he vvould spue the luke warme Laodicians out of his mouth All vvhich greuous plagues in a short time fell vpon thos Churches of Asia And shall vvee escape if now in this great light of the Gospell vve retaine and maintayne any filthines of corruption in our Churches No God is not partiall neither vvith him is any variablenes neither shadowing by turnning Besides heer also it is vvorthly to be noted that among these seaven Churches of Asia representing all other thereis not one word spoken of an Archangel Archbishop or Lord Bishop that might over rule or governe all the rest vvhich in these our times are some of the greatest and most noisome corruptions vvhich doe overflowe all To vvhich purpose I heere set downe the vvords of M. Fox speaking of the first Primitiue Churches his vvords are these Act Mon. p 36 It is evident saith he to all men that haue eyes in their head c. that there was not then any one Mother Church aboue other Churches One Vniversall Church Militāt Invisible but the whole vniversall Church was the mother Church under which uniuersall Church in generall were comprehended all other particular Churches in speciall as sister Churches together not one greater then another but all in like equalitie c. But this ring of equalitie being broken all flewe in peeces Howbeit of this more shall be spoken God vvilling hereafter There remaineth now to speake of the third generall thing vvhich Christ heere commaundeth his servant Iohn to vvrite of namely Revel 1.19 the things that should come to passe cōcerning the Churches of God after the Apostles time to the end of the vvorld And how the Synagogue of Sathan and the vvhore of Babilon by litle and litle should creepe in and vvith her filthines endeavour to envenime the Churches till at the last she should become that glorious vvhore described in the 17. chapter clothed in scarlet and purple guilded vvith gold pretious stones and pearles and having a cup of gold in her hand full of abominations filthines of her fornication sitting upon the scarlet coullered Beast having seavē heads ten hornes and by her glorious power should banish the true Churches of God and make make them flie into the wildernes that is into secret places hidden and vnknowne vnto men But leaving the high estate of the Babilonish whore vvhich is the great Cittie that in Iohns time reigned over the Kings of the earth vvhich all men know vvas the Citie of Rome and now calleth her selfe the Catholique Church Leaving her as I haue said in her magnificence I vvill shew how by litle and litle she crept in and so at the last got vp vnto that her high estate Now this beginnyng of corruption both in doctrine and Discipline made no long delaye after the Apostles time Eusebius Hist Eccle For as Evsebius in his Ecclesiasticall History lib 3. cap 32. saith Vt vero et Apostolorum chorus c. As soone as the company of the Apostles and all that age which had received the hearing of the Lords owne liuely voyce was departed out of this world then as it were into an emptie house the wicked error of false doctrine thrust in and plunged her selfe Which thing also is euident by all Ecclesiasticall Histories as the heresie of Cerinthus sheweth about the yeare of our Lord 70. Which taught that the vvorld vvas not made of God but of Angells and that Circumcision vvas necessary to be observed and that the kingdome of Christ after the resurrection should be vpon the earth And likewise the heresy of the Ebionites about the yeare 85. Which taught that Christ vvas very man both by Father and Mother and that Moses law vvas necessary to be observed Thus daily many heresies and foule corruptions crept in so that by the time that Augustine and Epiphanius lived they vvrote speciall books against heresies to the number of an hundred severall heresies of note cōtayning all of them great corruptions some in doctrine and manners some in Discipline and orders of the Church Which corruption in Church-Discipline was often times the cause of the hereticall doctrine And heerin I purpose God assisting me cheifly at this time to insist shewing what the auncient Fathers of the Primitiue Church did practise teach in these pointes of religion now controversied among vs and likwise what the lightes of the gospell the blessed Martyrs of God from age to age since even vnto this day haue also practised and taught touching the same And this I doe the rather because many excellent men haue alreadie by manifold reasons grounded and taken out of the word of God proved that there ought to be a full reformation both in Doctrine and Discipline according to that order in the Church which Christ and his Apostles left Which must be acknowledged to be the onely sure ground of proofe for all pointes of controversie in the Church of God But because the enimyes of ful true Reformation of religion doe yet after the old fashion rest vpon custome antiquitie and auncient Fathers I haue thought good to follow this course before named that it might be plainely seene both how the cheife of the auncient Fathers and also of the principall lights set vp by the Lord in the deapth of the darknes of Antichrist with one voyce agrement taught practised and proved the same both by the scriptures and manifold reasons grounded thereon touching the matters of reformation now desired And heerin I thinke good for example before I enter into the rest to set downe out of Epiphanius the heresie of Audianus which heretickes were afterward called Anthropomorphits who being thrust out of the Church as simple men in time lacking learned teachers fell into a perswasiō and beleife that God was like vnto a man whereof they tooke the name of their heresie Erat autem vir a Mesopotamia oriundus clarus in patria sua c. Epiphanius de Heres Audianus saith Epiphanius was a man by birth of Mesopotamia a famous man in his owne Countrie for the sinceritie of his life and of faith and Zeale towards God which often beholding the things that were done in the Churches he did oppose himselfe against such evills even to the face of the Bishops and Elders and did reproue them saying These things ought not to be soe done these thinges ought not to be soe handled as a man studious of the veritie and of such thinges as are spoken by men which lead a most exacte life and are vsually spoken for loue of the truth Wherefore Audianus seeing such thinges as I haue said in the Churches he was driven to speake and confute it and kept not silence For if he saw any of the Cleargie to seeke after filthy luker whether he were Bishop or
Elder or any other he spake altogeather according to the rule of Gods law And if he saw any maÌ„ livyng in voluptuous pleasure and delicates or any man corrupting the Ecclesiasticall preaching and the lawes of the Church this man could not beare it but by wordes did reprehend it as I haue said And this was very grevous to them that were of a lewd life and for this cause he was despited with contumelies and suffered contradiction he was hated and suffered himselfe to be vexed and thrust out and tollerated shamefull ignominie continuing soe a long time in the Church among them vntill such time as certaine men violently rushing upon him droue him out for the same cause But hee would not suffer himselfe so to be driven out but rather endeavored himselfe to speake the truth and not to depart and breake the bonde of the vnion of the Catholicke Church Audianus was no Heretike nor his present company But their Successors were Anthropomorphits But when he had been often beaten both he and his companions and had suffered very greivous thinges lamenting exceedingly he tooke to himselfe the necessities of iniuries for his Councellour for he seperated himselfe from the Church and many togeather with him departed and so made a division having nothing different in the faith but did beleeue most rightly both he and all his company Thus farr Epiphanius touching the sect of these heretickes called Audiani and of the cause occasion meanes wherby it grew and thus farr was the shamfull corruptions in the order and discipline of the Church growne at that time which was about one hundred yeares before Epiphanius Neither may we thinke that the Bishops and cleargie of that age did without cloke or colour in plaine termes defend their Lordly pride and ambition but even as they doe now vnder the pretences of vnitie conformitie and peace of the Church For who can dreame or immagine that they would say these men ought to be thrust out of the Church because they speake against our pompous proud ambitious govermeÌ„t but no doubt their pretence was the breach of vnitie conformitie and refusing to subscribe to such orders pollicy of the Church as they had devised to maintaine themselues withall and their pompous estate without the which they pretended the Church could not be well governed But this place of Epiphanius I leaue to the reader further to consider of wishing him to obserue the integritie of life the sinceritie of faith the necessity that compelled them to speake the exceeding loathnes to make any schisme or to depart from the Church that was in these men vvho were so violently thrust out and this vvas not yet 300. yeares after Christ Herevnto I may joyne the pride and ambition of Paulus Samosatenus Bishop of Antioche who also was long before the time of Epiphanius of whom Eusebius saith Cum prius egens fuerit et pauperrimus Euseb Eccles histor lib 7 caâ— 26 et neque ex parentum successione neque vllam questus occasionem habuerit honestam nunc ad summas divitias pervenerit non aliunde nisi ex sacralegiis et ex his quae per fraudem diripuit When before he was a needie fellow saith Eusebius and a very poore man and neither by succession from his parents neither had any iust meanes of gaine he got vp to very great riches none other way but by sacriledge and of that which he gat by fradulent meanes Who is so blind that seeth not this Bishop Paulus to be a-perfect patterne of the L. Bishops of our dayes who coÌ„ming for the most part of poore parentage by hooke or by crooke become Lord-Bishops abounding in riches worldly honor Which thing Polydorus Virgilius being other wise himselfe a great fautor and maintainer of Lord-Bishops yet speaking of the pride of Paulus Samosatenus he saith Vnde propter hominis arrogantiam plerique Christi religionem detestabantur Polydor Virgill lâ—b 8 ab hoc Paulo opinor nostros pontifices pomparum ordinem quem nunc ducunt accepisse Whereby saith Polydor through this mans ' arrogancie many men detested the religion of Christ Wherefore it is that Polydor concludeth with these wordes Ab hoc Paulo opinor nostros pontifices pomparum ordinem quem nunc ducunt accepisse Of this Paule I suppose our Bishops or Prelates haue taken the order of Pompe which they now carrie Thus farr and thus plaine speaketh Polydor Virgill And Eusebius in the place before of this Bishop Paulus saith Directio quoque praeeuntium et constipatio insequentium qùam plurima querebatur ita vt omnes qui videbant horrescerent et detestarentur per illius arrogantiam religionem divinam He sought also to haue troopes of men to go before him and traines of many to follow him in so much that all men which saw it did vtterly abhorre it and through his arrogancie detested the religion of God Thus you see how the Dragon that old subtile Serpent even then practised to corrupt the religion of Christ and so to bring it into vtter detestation But to returne neerer to the first originall corruptions that began immediatly after the Apstles time you shall find in all the most auncient Fathers a great libertie taken to leaue the very wordes of the Holy Ghost and insteed of them to vse such improper speaches names and words as they thought fit and convenient to expresse the same thing as to call the Ministers of the word of God and the Pastors of the Church Sacerdotes Priests the Deacons Levites the table of the Lord an Aulter the whole action of the Supper of the Lord a Sacrifice and at the last they cald it Missio and then Missa a Masse Vnproper speaches likewise they called a Diocese a Province by the name of a Church and at last the whole Vniversall multitude of ChristiaÌ„s throughout the world by the name of the Catholike Church As also their Teachers Gouernors by the name of Bishops All which are very improper speaches And thes improper speaches are as frequent and as commonly vsed among the auncient Fathers as the wordes of the Holy Ghost are vsed in the scripturs Wherin we may obserue out of what smale beginnings and litle sparks of error great flames and horrible corruptions doe growe as a line beginning from the very Center to be drawne never so litle a wrie maketh a shamfull error when it commeth to the circumference so the Fathers at the begiÌ„ning vsing these termes thought full litle that such a foule Idol as the God of the Masse such a spirituall tyrant as a Vniversall Bishop should haue growne out of them but they spake alluding vnto the Church Priests Levites Aulters Sacrifices of the law in the old Testament which were indeed figures shadowes In which mistaking Satan that old serpent had his drift to set up his Idoll in processe of time thus reasoning vpoÌ„ these termes as our Papists doe yet to
Surely this was but apoore Lord Bishop that went in such a graye coate as M. Martine his frend might be ashamed to weare it yet was he the principall preacher of the gospell in all the kingdome of Bohemia and a true and christian Bishop but how farre unlike he was unto the Lordbishops in our time every man may see even as far as a coate of course russet cloth is frō a coate of fine black velvet and yet he lived not so miserably as our Parish Ministers commonly doe for it is evident by his request that he had an honest servant or twaine And heere it is also worth the noting that the Minister should haue his whit coate which was not a surplice but a coate to be ordinarily worne as was likewise his gray coate Wherby we may evidently see that a white coloured garment was at that time amonge them a graue couler and meete for a Minister as it is a mong us stage like and meete for a player specially when a white coate is put upon a blacke gowne But this Preacher of the gospell excellent Bishop Iohn Husse in his poore estate more profited the Church of God in his time then a carte loade of the Lord Bishops in our time with all their great livings sumptuous estate And God so blessed his labours that almost the whole kingdome of Bohemia receaved the gospell and God for the mayntenance thereof sent unto them the invincible captaine Zisca Who if he now lived it is very like he should be called a Puritane for so precise he was as saith his history that he would not suffer any image or Idoll to be in the Churches Zisca Acts Mo. to pag 766. neither thought it to be borne withall that Priests should Minister with Copes or vestiments for the which cause he was much more envied amongst the States of Bohemia And a litle after upon his Tombe in his Epitaph it is thus written Eleaven times in ioyning battaile I went victor out of the feild I seemed worthily to haue defended the cause of the miserable and hungrie against the delicate fatt and glottonous Priests and for that cause to haue received helpe at the hand of God This cause is worthy to be noted for the which Zisca thought himselfe to be defended of God And after Zisca God for the maintenance of his gospell raysed up another who like a victorious Prince was called for his noble acts Procopius Magnus which feared not himselfe to come to the generall Counsell of Basill Procopius Magnus and there boldly and openly mainteyned the Gospell professed by him and his Bohemians so that it being objected against them as a great crime that they had taught the invention of the begging Fryers to be Diabolicall Acts Mo. to 1. edit 2 pag 779 Then Procopius rising up sayd It is not untrue For if neither Moses neither before him the Patriarks nether after him the Prophets neither in the new law Christ nor his Apostles did institute that order who doth doubt but that it was an invention of the Devill and a worke of darknes This rule and maxime of Divinitie being true and out of all doubt as the noble Procopius affirmeth then whēce commeth Pope Cardinall Patriarke Legate and likewise Metropolitanes Primats Archbishops Diocesanes Archdeacons Deanes Commissaries Officialls and such like but out of darknes and from the Devill for neither Moses nor the Patriarks before him nor the Prophets after him neither Christ nor his Apostles after him appoynted or instituted any such orders to be in the Church And in the fruitfull exhortation which the Bohemians wrote to all Kings Princes they all likewise say And if ye knew them as we know thē ye would as diligently destroy them as we doe Acts Mo. to 1. edit 1570 pag 775. For Christ our Lord did not ordayne any such order and therfore it must needs come to passe that shortly it shall be destroyed as our Lord saith in the Gospell of S. Mathew the 15 chapter Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shal be rooted up And a non after they say As long as they haue such goods they will never cease to be at strife with Lords Citties neither will they begin to teach you the true foundation of truth For they doe as a dogge which as long as he holdeth a bone in his mouth and knaweth it so long he holdeth his peace and cannot barke Even so as long as they haue this bone of pleasant riches they will never preach the Gospell truely Thus much of these Angells Messengers of God and bright starres sent of him into Bohemia to lighten the world with all which although through the iniquitie of the time they tollerated many corruptions yet they all agreed that the Lordly estate of the Prelats was the cause of all mischeife in the Church and according to the saying of M. Fox before noted pag 5◠by the geeat encrease of regiment and riches of Bishops there ensued agayne a monstrous regiment For within short time after although there remained in Bohemia certaine sparks raked up in the Ashes of those blessed Martyrs Wicliffe Husse Ierome of Prage that monstrous regiment of the Church grew to be far worse then it was before And the great Antichrist with his spouse the great whore of Babell both in glorious reigning cruell sheeding of bloud in all the parts of Christendom made all Kings and Princes his slaues and buchers and his spirituall Lords and Archlords as his owne creaturs devised and instituted by himselfe alwayes to be the Lords of his privie Counsell to the effectuall working of all his abominations For the time was not yet come appoynted by the high providence of God Revel 16 when the viale of the wrath of God should be powered out upon the throne of the beast But after one hundered yeares according to the Prophesie of Iohn Husse Ierome of Prage God raysed up Luther in the yeare of our Lord 1516. Luther being just one hūdred yeares after the burning of the sayd Iohn Ierome in the Counsell of Constance which was in the yeare 1416. Then according to their prophesie as it is writtē great Babilon came in remembrance before God to giue unto her the cup of the wine of the fiercenes of his wrath Revelat 16 But before this great worke of God should be wrought it pleased him to giue unto her three notable preparatiues wherby her purging following might be so violent that even her bowels liver lungs heart life should at the last by continuall purging depart from her By these preparatiues I meane first the battaile between three Popes continuing almost fortie yeares fighting for the glorious throne of the Popedome whereby the whole world began to see that they were some of them knaves all And the very Counsell of Constance doth plainely affirme the same de heere S Peter prescribeth namely unto whom
at this day and holden for undoubtedly true in all the Churches of Christendome who lived in the most tumultuous time times of greatest contention that ever was in the Church even in the time of publike broyles and strife between the Arrians the Catholiques when the manner of election by the people must needs if ever be most dangerous unto the quietnes of the common wealth unto the estate of Kings and Princes Yet when Athanasius was chosen Bishop of Alexandria and the matter brought in questioÌ„ before the Emperour whether he was lawfully chosen which his enimyes denyed the Synod of Alexandria make rheir Apologie for his defence in these words Aiunt igitur post obituÌ„ Episcopi Alexandri cum paucissimi essent qui Athanasii mentionem facerent Synod Alexandr apol 2 sex vel septem Episcopos clanculum et in loco obscuro eum in presulem elegisse c. Nos autem contra cum tota civitate et universa provincia testamur omnem multitudinem populuÌ„que Catholicae Ecclesiae in vnum coactum quasi in speciem unius corporis et animae clamoribus vociferationibusque postulasse Athanasium Ecclesiae Episcopum dari They say that after the death of Bishop Alexander when there were very few which made any mention of Athanasius six or seaven Bishops privily and in an obscure place did choose him to be Bishop But we contrary wise with the whole Cittie and generally with all the Province doe testifie that the whole multitude and people of the Catholique Church beyng gathered to gether in one as it were in the forme of one body and soule with exclamations and out cryes requyred to haue Athanasius to be given unto them the Bishop of their Church If six or seaven of our Lordbishops with their traines of twentie thirtie or fortie horse apeece should meet together about an election with such of their frends as they could gather togeather in their assemblie trow you the thing might be sayd to be don obscurely and in a corner or may we thinke that those christian and most mightie Emperours had neither witte nor knowledg how to governe their coÌ„mon wealthes Or that Athansius the great and all the excellent Fathers of the Primitiue Church and Luther and Zninglius and all the lights of the Gospell set up by Gods wonderfull worke in this our age for the casting downe of Antichrist and the great whore of Babell upon all the golden Candlestickes in Germanie Helvetia Savoy France Scotland and the Lowcountryes and many other places understaÌ„d not what by the word of God ought to be done in the election of Bishops and Pastors and onely the Lord Bishops of England by their Lordly looks upon their learned bookes or by some secreat inspirations haue the contrary reveled unto them But if all the christian Emperours and all the auncient Fathers did thinke this manner of election might well stand with the godly goverment of the Common wealth and ought not to be altered and that both the election of Bishops Pastors and Ministers and excommunication also ought never to be don without consent of the people even wheÌ„ the Bishops were growne up to be litle petie Lords and the regiment of a Bishop was crept to the limits bouÌ„ds of a Dioces and over whole Cityes where by the reason of the exceeding greatnes of the multitude there must needs follow great sturres and troubles with what facility and easines might this order be brought in agayne if the Bishops were reduced unto the pristinat estate appoynted unto them by the word of God and by the holy scriptures namely to be the Bishop or Pastor of one congregation onely Upon which poynt I will set downe breifly the words of that excellenr light Francis Lambard joyned by God with Luther in Germanie touching the limits of a Bishops regiment F. Lambard together with the right of election of the Pastors and excommunicatioÌ„ of the offendors and of Zuinglius the first light set up by God among all the golden caÌ„dlesticks of Helvetia This noble and famous Francis Lambard in the preface of his booke intituled The sum of Christianitie translated into English and dedicated unto the most Noble Queene Anne mother to our late Soveraigne Queene Elizabeth In his Epistle to the Noble Prince of Lausanna he saith Nor you shall not marvaile that I sayd there be many Bishops of one Citie for verely every Citie hath so many Bishops as it hath true Evangelists or Preachers for every Preacher of the truth I say of the truth that doth not preach lyes decrees inventions dreames lawes and counsells of men but the most pure and simple word of God is a true Bishop although he be not called so of many the Church of God hath no other Bishops but these And a non after he saith For verely every Parish ought to haue his proper Bishop the which should be chosen of the people and confirmed by the Comminalty of the Church of every place and to doe this thing they haue no need of letters rings seales tokens and such other of this kind very much used cleane contrarie to the word of God And so long they should be accounted for Bishops as the preach most purely the Gospell of the kingdome of God From the which if they swarue one iote teach strang doctrine they ought to be deposed and put out of theÌ„ by whom they were elect and chosen that is to say of the comminalty of the Church a forenamed and other more fit for the purpose to be elect And in the fift chapter in the sayd booke of the Summe of Christianity he hath these words It is the most greevous crime by no meanes to be suffered that many childreÌ„ of perdition do depriue the people of God of their right iust title that is to choose them a Pastor And afterward he saith All Canon of the world caÌ„not lawfully choose one Bishop of the Church of Iâ—suâ— Christ And agayne he sayth Deacons of the Church be those that the faithfull choose for to gather and distribute to the poore the almes of the faithfull And a non after The Church of God hath no Ministers besides these Bishops and Deacons Zuinglius Artic 8 explanat Now to the words of Zuinglius he in a certaine place sayth thus A multis iam seculis ad nostra usque tempora quae sit Ecclesia certamen fuit ortum nimirum ex regnandi cupiditate Nam hoc sibi quidam arrogarunt ut se dicerent esse Ecclesiam c. There hath been contention what a Church is from these many ages untill our times which verily hath risen from the desire of bearing rule For some men haue arrogated this unto themselues to say that they are the Church that all thinges might be ordered by their hand But omitting the devises of men wheroÌ„ som in this cause doe rest we will write of the Church out of the holy scriptures and the minde of
Moreover I counsell you that in any wise ye bring in Discipline into your Churches so soone as possible ye can for if it be not receaved at the beginnyng when men are very desirous of the Gospell it will not soone be admitted afterward when as it hapneth some coldnes shall creepe in And how vainly you shall labour with out it very many Churches may be an example unto you who since they would not at their very first reformation take upon them this healthfull yoke could never afterward as touching manners and life be brought into order by any iust rule whereof it happeneth which I speake with greife that all things in a manner haue small assurance and and doe threaten ruine on every side Therefore it is a greivous loss and a certayne destruction of Churches to want the strenght of Discipline Neither can it be truely and soundly sayd that they haue and do professe the Gospell which either be without Discipline or do contemne it or be not delighted therwith Certainly since in the Evangelists and in the Apostolike Epistles it is taught with so great diligence it must be confessed not to be the least part of Christian religion Whereby it commeth to passe that the Gospell seemes to be despised of them which haue banished froÌ„ themselues so notable a portion thereof But under what devise or couller it is reiected at this day in many places is worth the hearing They say that there is a danger least under the colour of Discipline the Ministers of the Church should take upon them tyrannie should correct reproue and excommunicate for no iust causes but at their owne pleasure c. Neither do these good men perceiue that there needeth not be any feare of the Ministers where the rule of the Gospell as touching brotherly correction is observed For this charge is not to be committed to the authority and will of one man but in the shutting out from brotherly societie them which will not be amended a consent of the Church must be had by whose authority if it be don no man can iustly coÌ„playne of the tyrannie of one or of a few Marke how this Divine lecturer which hath so good testimonie of his sincere judgment great modestie and mildnes and of incomparable learnyng would haue the Discipline receaved wheresoever any reformation of religion is made and saith plainly it is a great part of christiaÌ„ religion and a notable portion of the Gospell and that they which refuse or reject it may be counted enimyes and not lovers of the Gospell And that the charge of excommunication is not to be committed to one man or to a few but to the whole Church And as for the rites and Ceremonyes and administration of the Sacraments he setteth downe these three caveats to be observed in the using of them First that they be most plaine and simple Secondly that they be most removed from the superstitious trifles of the Papists Thirdly that the manner of using them come nearest to the purenes that Christ and his Apostles used Certainly if M. Martyr were now in Oxford and with all his sinceritie and modesty and learning should mayntaine this most playnenes in the MinistratioÌ„ most furdest removed from Popish Ceremonyes and trifles and cry out for the purenes that Christ and his Apostles used he should be turned out for a wrangler or a Puritane if he had no more hurt But let us heere what M. Martyr saith further upon these poynts In his Common places speaking of the goverment of the Church he saith If thou respect Christ it shall be called a Monarchie part 4 cha 5 sect 9 Com. in 1. Cor. 5 13. For he is our King who with his owne bloud hath purchased the Church unto himselfe He is now gone into heaven yet doth he governe this Kingdom of his indeed not with visible presence but by the spirit and word of the holy scriptures And there be in the Church which doe execute the office for him Bishops Elders Doctors and others bearing rule in respect of whom it may be iustly called a goverment of many c. But because in the Church there be matters of very great waight and importance referred unto the people as it appeareth in the Acts of the Apostles therfore it hath a consideration of publicke goverment But of the most waight are accounted excommunication absolution choosing of Ministers and such like so as it is concluded that no man can be excommunicated with out the consent of the Church And a non after he saith Cyprian writteth unto Cornelius the Bishop of Rome that he laboured much with the people that they which are fallen might haue pardon Which if it might haue been given by himselfe there had been no need that he should so greatly haue travelled in perswading of the people And Augustin against the Donatists sheweth the same when he saith we must then cease to excommunicate if the whole people shall be infected with one and the selfe same vice For it will not sayth he consent to excommunication but will defend and mainteine him whom thou shalt excommunicate Wherefore this right perteineth to the Church neither ought to be taken from the same against which opinion they cheifely are which would haue the same to be committed to one Bishop or Pope And in the 5 section a litle before he giveth this definition of excommunication Excommunicatio est c Excommunication is the casting out of a notorious wicked man from the fellowship of the faithfull by the iudgment of them that be cheife and the whole Church consenting by the authoritie of Christ and rule of the holy scriptures to the salvation of him that is cast out and of the people of God And after he had confirmed the same by divers places of scripture he sayth Seeing it is the Gospell of Christ as touching all the parts it ought to be receaved of the Church and credit every wher to be given unto it So as they are to be wondred at which would professe the Gospell and yet do exclude this particle And touching the magnificence of Bishops and their stately using of Civill affaires In the same part and 20 chapter Section 16 he sayth But why in times past in the old testament were both Principalitie and Priesthood ioyned together This may be declared the cause Namely that in those persons Christ was shadowed â—n 2 Kings 11 initio to whom was due both the true Priesthood Soveraigne Kingdom But after his commyng upon the earth we haue no other Priest but himselfe our onely mediator and redemer Vndoubtedly those Ministers of the Church which are instituted by him are appoynted to preach the Gospell of the sonne of God and to administer the Sacraments wherefore it is meete they should abstayne from outward principalitie administration of civill affaires Since they haue ben so instructed by Christ For he saide unto his Apostles The Princes of the Nations haue dominion over them
with you And touching the election of Bishops and Ministers this bright starre fixed in the right hand of Christ sayth Decad 5 sermon 4 Titus 1. 1 Tim. 5. They which think that all power of ordayning Ministers is in the Bishops Diocesans or Archbishops hands doe use these places of the scripture For this cause I left thee in Creta sayth Paule to Titus that thou shouldest ordaine Elders in every Citie And agayne Lay hands soddainly on no man But we say that the Apostles did not exercise tyranny in the Churches and that they themselues a lone did not execute all things about election or ordination other men in the Church beyng excluded For the Apostles of Christ ordeyned Bishops or Elders in the Church but not without communicating their Counsell with the Churches yea and not without having the consent and approbation of the people And a litle after he saith So undoubtedly Titus though it were sayd unto him Ordayne Elders in every Citie yet he understod that hereby nothing was permitted to him which he might doe privatly as he thought good not having the advise and consent of the Churches Wherefore they sinne not at all that shaking of the yoke and tyrannie of the Bishops of Rome for good and reasonable causes to recover that auncient right graunted by Christ to the Churches And as for Archdeacons he coupleth them with the filthy vermine of Monks Decad 5 sermon 3 saying And when wealth increased there were Archdeacons also created that is to say overseers of all the goods of the Church They as yet were not mingled with the order of Ministers or Bishops and of those that taught but they remayned as stewards or factors of the goods of the Church As neither the Monks at the begining executed the office of a Priest or Minister in the church For they were counted as lay men not as Clearks and were under the charge of the Pastors But these unfortunat birds never left soaring untill in these last times they haue climed into the top of the Temple Archdeacōs and haue set themselues upon Bishops and Pastors heads And touching the Leviticall apparell and the Lordly estate of Ministers he precisely cōcludeth thus The misticall attire and garments of the Priesthood he neyther did commend to his Apostles nor leaue to his Church Decad 3 sermon 18 but tooke them away with all the Ceremonyes that are called the middle wall betwixt the Iewes and the Gentiles The Lord himselfe and his Apostle Paul will haue the Pastors of his people clad with righteousnes and honestie and doe precisely remoue the Ministers of the Church from superioritie and secular affaires Now if the Lord himselfe and his Apostle do precisely remoue the Ministers of the Church from superioritie and secular affaires I wish it might also be remembred precisely followed which the Kings Majestie saith in his first booke to his Sonne our Noble Prince for saith our gratious King Basilic dorō 1 part In any thing that is expresly commanded or prohibited in the booke of God you cannot be over precise Decad 5 sermon 4 And for a full conclusion in this matter M. Bullinger saith That order or function instituted by Christ in the Church sufficeth even at this day to gather governe and preserue the Church on earth yea without these orders which in these last ages new inventions hath instituted For that doth the thing it selfe witnes and the absolute perfection of the Primitiue Church a voucheth it And therefore at the last he useth this exclamation Oh happie had we been Sermon 3. if this order of Pastors had not been changed but that auncient simplicitie of Ministers that faith humility and dilligence had remained uncorrupted But in processe of time all things of auncient soundnes humilitie and simplicitie vanished away whilest some things are turned upside downe some things either of their owne accord were out of use or else are taken away by deceit some things are added to c. The authors desire Whereunto I will ad the exclamation of myne owne soule saying Oh happy should we bee if it might please his gratious Majestie to restore unto his poore subjects of England the auncient orders of the Ecclesiasticall Ministers set downe by Christ and his Apostles without any other orders which mans invention hath instituted for that order and function sufficeth even at this day to gather governe and preserue the Churches of God upon earth without any of these orders and such like which mans invention hath brought in namly Archbishops Diocesan Lords Archdeacons Deanes Commissaries Officialls which are brought in by mans invention not once mentioned in the scripture And so I will proceed to M. Musculus set up also as an excellent light of God among the golden Candlesticks Musculus of Tigurie and the Swicers I haue already shewed out of Musculus that in playne wordes he sayth That the device of men pag 14.15 that Bishops should be greater then other Ministers was such a mischeife to the Church that we may thank the custome thereof for all the wealth pride and tirannie of our Princely and riding Bishops and for the corruptions of all Churches which if the aūcient Fathers did now see The Devils invention they would no doubt acknowledg it not to be the device of the holy Ghost as it was pretended But of the Devill himselfe to take away the true Ministery of the Church of God set downe by Christ and his Apostles Now further in his booke of Common places Tit. Of the Ministery of the word of God he saith It is not meete that a Bishop do convert the power of his Ministery to other Churches but to Minister faithfully in the same wherein he is elected and confirmed like as it was not convenient for the Apostle to convert his Apostleship to a Bishopricke and to be restrained to one Church onely As also it is unto Iames. The like is to be said of Titus Tim. Mark Evāgelists Chry. Tit. 1. which is falsly attributed unto the Apostle Peter Wherefore let the Bishops looke to themselues which wheras they doe not lawfully Minister in one Church yet they do extend their power not to a few Churches but unto whole Provinces also Let them read Chrysostome upon the Epistle to Titus the first chapter By Cities he sayth Indeed he would not haue a whol Iland committed unto one man but every man to haue his charge and care alone And a non after he saith Yea the impudencie and state of Bishops is become so great that a nomber of Bishoppricks be swallowed up in the gurmandise of som one Metropolitan Bishop such as there be many now a dayes And the Bishop of Rome even like the Devill paynted with his wide mouth devoureth up all the Bishopricks and Churches of the world And a litle before he saith They that boast themselues to be the successors of the Apostles ought not to extoll themselues
he would not medle with it not because the thing it selfe was evill or that it was evill don to appoynt those which were indifferent But to shew that he was come and sent of God his Father for greater thinges he left that office unto Cesar and to his officers And was content with that his Father had committed unto him And the same Commission he had in that behalfe he gaue to his Apostles Now one word of Marlorat Agayne saith he what are these reverend Cardinalls Marlorat exp one the Revel cap 17 3 Archbishops Archprelats Patriarks Primats Presidents Deanes Cannons Archpriests Archdeacons Abbots Priors or Masters Cōmendators For like as Antichrist hath his names of blasphemy even so they that be in office under him and are bound unto him by oth haue also names by themselues which the scriptures know not of In deed the Primitiue Church had Ministers Stewards Elders or Overseers Apostles Prophets Evangelists Shepheards and Teachers as you may perceaue by these places 1. Cor 4.1.12.4.5.6.7.8 And Ephe 4.11 But all these were names of service and labour and noe stiles of pride And upon the 9 chapter he hath these words For the tayles of Antichrist are Bishops Officials Commissaries Deanes Registers Chancelours Proctors and Somners which are like unto venemous serpents Now somwhat also touching these matters of Religion and Hierarchie of the Church Beza as they call it out of M. Beza whom M. Peter Martyr and many other learned men not without cause do so greatlie admire for his sinceritie in judgment and excellent gifts as you may read in many of their epistles and workes But I will heere set downe the testimonie of that singular divine and most noble patrone of the Gospell among our English writers D. Fulke who against Gregorie Martin that conning Papist and false accuser defendeth Calvin Beza and Viret by these words The bookes saith D. Fulke of Calvin Beza Uiret keep themselues within the compasse of the holy scriptures Fulk 7. in epist ad Ro◠and hold no blasphemous or other erronious opinions that derogate any thing from the glorie of God or be hurtfull to the salvation of men as your slaunderous and malitious pen supposeth Now therefore let us heare what Beza saith whose books keep themselues within the compasse of holy scriptures and hold no erronious opinions as D. Fulk testifieth First touching the election of Ministers upon this place of the Acts. Acts 1. ◠2 3 And when they had ordained them Elders by election in every Church and fasted they commended them to the Lord in whom they believed where upon in his Annotation he hath these words Paulum ac Barnaham sciamus nihil privato arbitrio gessisse t. Let us know that Paul Barnabas did execute nothing upon their owne private choyse nor exercised any tyrannie in the Church and to be short they did not any such manner of thing as do now a dayes the Romish Pope and his serving men which they call Ordinaries Some had rather referre this unto the laying on of hands which also is necessary and catching this pretence they say that our vocation is voyd because the Ordinaries and defiled with infinit superstitions But som man will say these be auncien things I grant they be auncient but much more auncient is the simplicitie of the Apostles under which simplicity the Church florished And for the signe of the Crosse he saith Whatsoever use was made thereof in the old time it is now but an execrable superstition And touching the questions in baptisme he answereth Itaque sicut Chrisma et exorcismus quantumvis vetusta c. Therefore like as the Chrisme and exorcisme or coniuration although they be very auncient by very good right are abolished so we would wish this interogatiō being not onely vayne but also flolish were left out And towards the latter end of the same Epistle he saith Aiunt quoque excommunicationes et absolutiones in curiis quibusdam Episcopalibus in Anglia fieri non ex presbyterii quod nullū ibi sit sentētiâ etc. They say also that in England excommunications absolutions are done in certaine Episcopall courts and not by the iudgment of the Presbyterie which is not there to be had Whereunto we answer that it seemeth to us almost uncredible to see such an abuse of most perverse manner and example yet to be used in that kingdome where the puritie of doctrine doth florish for it is out of doubt that the right use of excommunication before the Papisticall tyrannie was never in the power of one man but perteyned to the right of the Presbyterie not utterly excluding the peoples consent Heereunto I will agayne anex the testimonie and defence of D. Fulke against the Papists and other which with such contempt reject the sincere judgment and excellent learnyng of M. Beza Whatsoever account you make of M. Beza he shall notwithstanding saith D. Fulke with all godly learned men be accounted as he deserveth Fulke def of the English tran cap 5. One who hath more profited the Church of God with his sincere translation and learned Annotations then all the Popish Seminaries and Seminarists shal be able to hinder it Iangle of grosse and flase Translations as long as you will Thus passing over allmost infinite other lights of the Gospell both of the most auncient and late writers abroad which speake to the very same effect in these poynts of religion with us in question Onely I will set downe further the wordes of Danaeus and Tilenus two famous learned men among the reformed Churches of France which are exceeding many in number and almost excellent in reformation of Christian religion Who according to the judgment of them all Danaeus in Tim. 5.22 doe speake thus of the Election and Ordination of Ministers Ex his omnbus apparet quam nulla sit c. By all this it appeareth that the calling of those Ministers of Gods word or Pastors of the Church is none or not lawfull which are made and chosen by the authoritie letters seales commandement and iudgment of the King onely or Queene or Patron or Bishop or Archbishop That which is yet done agrevous thing in those Churches even in the middest of England which haue notwithstanding and doe follow the pure word of God It is marvaill that the Englishmen otherwise wise wittie and very godly should yet wittinglie and willingly be blind in the acknowledging and tollerating of these relicks of Popish Idolatry and tyrannie Therefore they iudge excellently which condemne or takyng away and would haue taken away out of a Church reformed according to Gods word * Omnem il laem chartulariam et Episcopaticā curionum et pastorū c. all this way of makyng Curates and Pastors of the Church by Bishops and their letters of Orders and the calling of the Ministers of the heavenly word their approbation and their entrance by the onely consent and letters of the
to the institution of Christ and his Apostles If he haue bread wine a table and a faire table cloth let him not be solicitous nor carefull for the rest seeing they be not thinges brought in by Christ but by Popes unto whom if the Kings Maiestie and honorable Counsell haue good conscience they must be restored agayne And great shame it is for a Noble King Emperour or Magistrat contrary to Gods word to detaine and keepe from the Divell or his minster any of their goods or treasure As the Candles vestiments crosses Altars for if they be kept in the Church as thinges indifferent at length they wil be mainteyned as things necessary If a Preacher now I will not say before a King but before a Lord Bishop should so plainely affirme that vestiments surplices and crossing are of the Divell he should be sure himselfe with his wife children not only to be turned out of doores like dogs but also from preaching of the Gospell of Christ As many excellent Preachers haue been of late yeares though many hundred dumme dogges haue and doe keepe their place within this Realme of England And of the Ceremony of kneeling at the Communion he saith ib. post The outward behaviour and gesture of the receiver should want all kind of Superstition shew or inclination of Idolatrie Wherefore seeing kneeling is a shew and external signe of the honoring worshiping and heretofore hath grevous and damnable Idolatrie ben committed by the honoring of the Sacraments I could wish it were commanded by the Magistrates that the communicators receavers should do it standing or sitting but sitting in my opinion were best And afterward he proveth the same by the example of Christ who together with his Apostles receaved it sitting And agayne in his third Sermon before the King Sermon 3 he saith Yet doe I much marvail that in the same booke it is appoynted that he that will be admitted to the ministerie of Gods word or his Sacrments must com in white vestimēts which seemeth to repugne plainely with the former doctrine that confessed the onely word of God to be sufficient And certainely I am sure they haue not in the word of God that thus a Minister should be apparelled nor yet in the Primitiue best Church And in his first Sermon upon Ionas Sermon 1 he saith This is the note and marke to know the Bishops and Ministers of God from the Ministers of the Divel by the preaching tongue of the Gospell and not by the shining clipping vestiments and outward apparell And in his Epistle to the Kings Majestie Epistle to King Edw. he saith And a thowsand times the rather shall your Maiestie restore agayne the true ministerie of the Church in case ye remoue and take away all the monuments tokens and leavings of papistrie For as long as any of them remaine there remaineth also occasion of relapse unto the abolished superstition of Antichrist And to the poynt matter of Excommunication in his Apologie against them that accused him to be a mainteiner of such as cursed Q. Mary which Apologie was set forth and allowed according to the order appoynted in Queene Elizabeths Injūctions 1562. If they knew Gods lawes saith M. Hooper as they doe not indeed they should see and finde that no ordinary excommunication should be used by the Bishop alone but by the Bishop and all the whole parish c. Also when the incestious man was excommunicated S. Paul alone did not excommunicat him but Saint Paules consent and the whole Church with him A declara of the 8 com And to the Lordships of Bishops upon the eight commandement these be his words They know that the Primitiue Church had no such Bishops as be now a dayes as examples testifie untill the time of Silvester the first A litle and a litle riches crept so into the Church that men sought more her then the wealth of the people And so increased within few yeares that Bishops were made Prinees and Princes were made servants So that they haue set them up with their almes and liberalitie in so high honor that they cannot pluck them down agayne with all the force they haue what blindnes is there be fall in the world that cannot see this palpallie that our Mother the holy Church had at the beginning such Bishops as did preach many godly sermons in less time then our Bishops horses be a brideling c The Magistrats that suffer the abuse of these goods be culpable of the fault And anō after he saith They should be reasonably provided for and the rest and over plus taken from them and put to some other godly use Looke upon the Apostles cheifly and upon all their successors for the space of 400. yeares And then thou shalt see good Bishops and such as diligently applyed that painfull office of a Bishop to the glory of God and honor of the Realmes they dwelt in Though they had not so much upon their heads as our Bishops haue yet had they more within their heads as the Scriptures and histories testifie for they applyed all the wit they had unto the vocation and ministery of the Church wherunto they were called Our Bishops haue so much wit that they can rule and serue as they say in both states viz. In the Church and also in the civill pollicie when one of them is more then one is able to satisfie let him doe alwayes his best diligence If he be so necessary for the Court that in civill causes amd giving of good counsell he cannot be spared Pope and all the Popish apparell before his death And first in his letter to M. Grindall he saith We Pastors many of us were to cold and bare to much alas with the wicked world Ridley Acts Mo pag 1902. edit 1570. our Magistrats did abuse to their owne worldly gayne both Gods Gospell and the Ministers of the same And anon after hc sheweth how earnestly he maketh his prayer for them that were banished for the word of God for all those Churches which haue forsaken the kingdome of Antichrist professed openly the puritie of the Gospell of Iesus Christ Where marke that he prayeth for them that professe not onely the Gospell but even the puritie of the Gospell In his Epistle to M. Hooper himselfe Epistle Rid. to Hooper he acknowledgeth his former fault with these wordes Howsoever in times past in smaler matters and circumstances of religion your wisedome and my simplicitie I confesse haue in some things varied c. Now I say c. I loue you and the truth for the truth sake which abideth in us But most plainely he acknowledgeth his fault when it pleased God to draw him neerer unto himself by scourging him with the same whippe wherewith he had whipped his fellow Elder M. Hooper Act. Mon pag 1677 edit 1570 as he himselfe calleth him in his Epistle For when M. Ridley was commanded to