O my Lord why am I busied here Thou knowst from war my heart and hands are clear And yet O Lord I pray thee teach me fight Couragiously that warfare which thy might Only can mannage sith it 's war Divine And Lord I thank thee that thou dost encline My heart and hand thereto and hast assisted My soul therein since what time I was listed Within thy Roll and in this undertaking I pray thee keâ—p my hand and mind from shaking That so the Truth with comely boldnesse I May practise preach write teach and testifie For Lord if Truth be Truth and still the same In nature worth and usefulness then blame Must be their Lot who are right bold to speak it In times of Peace and afterwards for sake it Because the times do turn O God forbid That I should for such cause let Truth lye hid In fleshly fears O God how great would le My shame when I thy glorious face shall see In that great Day the Day of final Sentence When none their loss regain can by Repentance The thoughts whereof O Lord doth give me boldness To speak for Truth though in a day of coldness Wherein the Waâ—ers are not more congeald Than mens cold Zeal hath all thy Laws repeal'd For what do they less than repeal thy Law Who of poor mortal flesh stand S O in awe As they 'l not act nor speak one word for thee But as great men do give them liberty But Lord I speak of Truth which all confess To be more worth than all that men possess But thou Lord know'st how doubtfull in this day It is become to find that blessed way Of Truth for though there 's nothing more pretended Yet surely there is nothing less befriended What one man saith is true another man Doth say is false yea even such as can Skill all the Sciences and Liberal Arts Are so divided into sects and parts That there 's no end of their most hot Divisions Yea such the multitude of their Confusions As thou Lord know'st cannot be lightly number'd And herewith Europe hath been greatly cumber'd What then shall I poor dust now signifie In Truth 's behalf will any think that I Have found this Pearl or can assign the Field Or Church which doth this precious Treasure yeeld Well whether I have found that Church or no Let him that readeth judge But this I 'll do I 'll shew the Church I 've found even the Truth Which I have fallen in love with from my youth That so if I be right another may By this means get some help into the way Of blessed Truth Or else if I be wrong throng Some one that 's right may break forth through the And sheâ— me that Old Way where Rest and Peace May be obtain'd that my own wayes may cease For is not this that which poor soules desire Where is the good Old Way others enquire Where 's blessed Sion Mother of the Saints Yea for a sight of her some hearts now faints Yea thou my soul remember canst the Dayes The Weeks the Months the Years and dolful wayes Wherein thou Pilgrim-like didst mournful walk And in thy Solitudes wouldst often talk With thy Creator by Pray'rs Vows and Tears That if he would but free thee of thy fears Which these crook'd wayes did minister to thee And of his Sion once but make thee free To set thy feet upon that holy Hill Then wouldst thou wholly yeeld up to his Will To be to do to suffer Gods good pleasure If he thereto would fill thee with his treasurâ— And now my soul what i' st wherein thy Lord Hath failed of in making good his Word In setting thy bound feet free from the band Of miry paths and in his blessed Land His dearest Church hath given thee a Station A dwelling place in his beloved Nation Yea thou a name and a rememberance Hast there obtain'd with an Inheritance So rich so full so ample every way That what it is no words can fully say Now then my soul see thou perform thy Vows Lest thy Engagements prove but empty Shows What Truth thou knowst the same communicate That others may thereof participate Remember how the Labours of the Saints In former times did much supply thy wants And so do still yea some the Seed-time knew And thou camst but to reap their Harvest true Yet thou a Seed-time with respect to those That are to follow must perhaps disclose Or at the least my Muse bring forth thy gains Which thou achieved hast by others pains That so the Sower and the Reaper may Rejoyce in mutual profiting that day Which shall in Praises to our Lord be spended And yet nor Day nor Praises shall be ended But now my Pen stay here and let us muse Upon the subject which thou must peruse Use seriousness for they are Divine things For the most part whereof thy Muse thus sings Gods precious Statutes are the chiefest Objects Implore his ayd in handling so great Projects To clear his Laws wherein men do abuse them And to declare how rightly they should use them Again there 's many things which thou here blam'st Speak of them seriously when thou them nam'st For some do deem as highly of those doings As of th' Apostles Precepts Walks or Goings Yea some are maâ—ked so they think those wayes Had their beginning in th' Apostles dayes As Pedorantisme and other things Which their procedure had from humane springs And whereas thy most weighty subject is About the Church that heavenly place of Bliss Deal clearly in this point for that indeed In this one Question lies both Fruit and Seed Defend her in thy place she 'l thee defend Yea God will him protect that is her Friend Dispute for Truth then will the Truth approve thee See to thy charge my Muse it doth behove thee Bear in thy mind the dayes wherein thy thought Was no way's like to that which I am taught More by Tradition humane than by those Instructions which the Scriptures do disclose This if thou do'st remember it may serve To lay thee low and in thy self preserve A due respect to those that do not see The errour of their way But if there be Any that do malitiously oppose The Truth see thou give them the sharper blows Fear not my Muse if Truth be on thy side As he which fanned Babel well hath cry'd That Truth is strongest by it thou wilt be Made Victor unto all Eternity My Muse sith thou a Prisoner art this day Because thou canst not walk in th' Minsters way Now therefore go thee forth in form of Jayle To Dispute with the Minster do not fail If she sound Reason with the Truth produce I do conjure thee make with her a Truce But if of these thou destitute dost find her Then freely of her fallacies remind her And if she mind thee not appeal to him Whom she pretends to serve and so come in To Goal again till Liberty from Heaven Thee
my Common-Prayer-Book I allow That way in case of weakness But I show In the same place that dipping is God's way For Baptisme to be perform'd this day Jayle I do confess thou sayst so but behold When thou presumed for to be so bold To give an inch thy Doctors took an ell And now this weakness doth all strength expel Out of thy Church And God's way is rejected And as a foolish thing by thee neglected Cathedral No Alteration in these things I see Will be assented to by such as thee As if we must in these cold Climates go Into the Water when baptis'd But lo. The time requires the Conference should end Now therefore unto what remains descend CHAP. V. The Arg. The Minster's Consistory Court The Jayle to visit goes The Minster takes it in ill sort She should that place disclose Jayle MOngst other things whereby Christs Church doth shine We are to reckon Christian Discipline This Ornament thou wants Whence I conclude Christs Church consists not of thy multitude Nor yet of this thy gorgious Courtly Tent Because you all reject Christ's Government Cathederal What! dost ' come here to hold thy Visitation That thou beginst to make this exclamation Against my Court whose wayes thou cast not know Nor will I unto thee my secrets show Yet will I this my Government maintain ' Gainst which thou mayest strive but all in vain Jayl Well but before we try thy Discipline Let 's take a view of those brave men of thine Which are thy Officers let 's know their names Or Titles for behold their glorious Trains Seem to import they are no Fishers mates Nor yet like Paul Tent-makers sociates Cathederal These are their Titles and the first degree Arch-Bishops are the next Lord-Bishops be Attended with their Bishops Suffragans Arch-Deacons Deans and Chapters Courtezans With Iudges Surrogates and Proctors store Apparitors with very many more Jayle Arch-Bishops and Lord-Bishops what is this Did not our Saviour all such titles hiss Out of his Church when his Disciples would Have bin the chief that so they might have rul'd By Domination over those to whom Christ did intend they servants should become Cathederal Unless these Titles ' gainst plain Scripture be Thou canst not them condemn nor do I see Those Texts alledg'd which any whit oppose These Titles but 't is meant of such as those Which Papists give unto their Popes But I Have eft condemned that Supremacy Jayle Thy Titles are as much beyond the Line Of holy Writ and full as clandestine As those amongst the Papists for whilst they Make one great Pope now heed well what I say Thou makest many Popes for thy arch-Arch-Lords Their Fancies force upon us for God's words Cathedral I thee require some Scriptures to produce Which shews my Titles to be such abuse As they prohibit otherwise thy plea In this our contest cannot mine outweigh For all things which ' mongst Papists are esteem'd Must not unlawful for that cause be deem'd Jayle Peter an Elder Elders doth command The Churches oversight to take in hand Without becoming Lords and Paul avows He preached Christ as Lord and likewise shows He preach'd himself a servant for Christ's sake To th'Church now this against thy Lords doth make Cathedral 'T is true the letter of these Scriptures do Seem to oppose Lord-Bishops but you know The Scripture hath a secret sence and can Not easily be understood now then How canst thou tell the Lordship here is meant Of those Lord-Bishops which my Church frequent Jayl The Texts must needs be meant of some that lord it In things Temporal or as thou dost word it Of Lords Spiritual But Peter doth Allow the first yea and to speak the tâ—oth Commands the Church all such as such t' obey Ergo 't is Spirit ' Lords he thrusts away Cathedral Thy major Proposition must be true Sith needs it must be meant of one of th'two Thy minor's likewise true Peter doth call The Church t' obey Lords Magistratical That then I must deny is thy Conclusion And truly why It makes for my confusion Jayl If th' Propositions both be verified Th' Conclusion can in no wise be denied Logicians say and therefore thou art one That from both Truth and Reason's so far gone As neither will thy Lordship cause to bend Till Christ the Lord his Judgments on thee send Cathedral Leave off proud Jayl thou art not yet my Judg But thou shouldst rather know thy self my Drudg Nor will I thus permit thee at this season To charge me with the want of Truth or Reason Turn then thy course unto my Discipline And do not thus my Lordship undermine Jayl Thy Discipline we must find in thy Court To which I see poor men compell'd refort To pay their Money And I also see Thy Officers as greedy of their Fee As any Lawyers And I likewise hear These Fees do make them reel with Wine Beer Cathedral Touching my Court thou shalt instructed be Ere long what they do there I 'le warrant thee And as for those who come unwillingly They 'r such as from my Laws have trod awry And I shall let such know their punishment Must peirce their purse till they be penitent Jayl Purse-penalties the Church of Christ knows none As she is such nor can it once be shown In all the Apostolical Directions In holy Writ there should be such exactions And doubtles whilst thou thus minds earthly things Paul under a most sharp reproof thee brings Cathedral Purse-penalties alone may not excuse Those that my Laws presumptuously abuse for Heresie deserves the most severe Chastisement others for to put in fear Even Confiscation 〈…〉 This crime 〈◊〉 the holy Scripture saith Jayle This iâ— a Monstrâ—â—â— Disciplinâ— foâ— you Who Gospel Laws pretend for what you doo ' Tiâ— true by 〈◊〉 Death might be inflicted On some 〈…〉 But if the Church in 〈◊〉 Should so proceed 't would now prove Persecution Cathederal Here thou 〈…〉 But I am clear from such 〈◊〉 For I no 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 I punish such 〈…〉 That I might them reduce from Heresie Or others keep in Christian purity Jayle That thou ' it a 〈…〉 Witness in part some 〈◊〉 whom thou haâ—t slain And partly some thou doâ—t at this day keep In Prison only cause they cannot sleep With thee in 〈◊〉 but the Lâ—â—d's Preceptâ— Have chosen as a Rule unto their steps Cathederal Those I 〈◊〉 and these I have slain Are such as would in Hereâ—ie remain Yet 't is not really I but ' tâ—â— the Powerâ— Which punish 〈…〉 these Maâ—â—â— of yours 'T is true 't is I adviâ—e them thus to do it And so shall still and care not who do know it Jayle So 't is my will is all the rule indeed By which thou doâ—â— thus â—idgedly proceed For from good ground it never can be shewed That thou or other ought to have imbâ—ewed Your hands in their blood who did well behave them In all things civil but to God
in Adam all die both just and unjust so in Christ shall all both believers and unbelievers rise though unto punishment III. ARTICLE There 's one Lord Jesus Christ I do believe By whom all things their beings do receive The only natural Son of the most High Yet born of Mary in virginity And so considered is as David's Son And Off-spring for to sit upon his Throne Yet as he is the Son of God he 's Lord And Root of David and th' Eternal Word This is he whom the Father freely sent In his great Love into the World who went As freely and to death for all he gave Himself that all to life recourse might have The witness of Antiquity The World being all at peace Christ according to the precedent Prophecy was born in Bethlehem Judah being openly Man of the Virgin his Mother and secretly God of God his Father Christ Jesus the substance of Israel and the son of David God's Son of God taking on our Man without wasting Godhead ordained Faith to be a pass for man to God by his mean that was both God and Man IV. ARTICLE God's will is not that any man should perish Wherefore that dying mankind he might cherish His Son the Lord of all hath given Order The Gospel should be preached in each Border to ev'ry Creature and to every Nation To wit that God holds forth Non-imputation Of sins so that men shall not die because Christ dy'd not for them but because his Laws And Word which calls for Faith in his rich Death Men do reject and so themselves bequeath To Infidelity Hence it is clear That to all men at sometime doth appear So much of Grace as if they rightly mind it It holds forth Life to them that they find it The test of Antiquity God would have all men to be saved but if they come to him he so would it not as that he would save them against their will Christ in mercy was born for all but the unfaithfulness of Hereticks is the câ—use that he that was born to all is not born for all In respect of the greatness of the price the Blood of Christ is the Redemption of the whole World V. ARTICLE Concerning those whom Christ appoints for such As are the Pastors of the Gospel-Church I do believe that they must first be added Unto the Church as were those who were gladded With Peters words and growing in their stations In gtacious gifts and good qualifications And throughly tryed by their exereising Their gifts the holy Scripture so advising Such men the Church may chuse them ordain To minister as Pastors in Christ's Name By laying on of hands with holy prayers Assigning them to their respective cares To gather Churches or to feed and guide them But as for such who for a while abide them In humane Schools only to be instructed In humane Arts and so to be inducted Without Repentance and Baptism succeeding With growth in Grace unto a Parish feediâ—n Or rather to feed on their large Revenue Than to gain souls to Truth there to continue Such I do say no Teachers ought to be But should be taught the Christian A. B. C. The rest of Antiquity Eusebius all edging the Epistle of Alexander Bp of Jernsalem against Demetrius saith Thou saist it was never seen that the lay and secular people should dispute of the Faith in the presence of the Bishops I marvel what moved thee to affirm a Lie so evident inasmuch that as often as there is found any man that is sufficient and apt to give good counsel and to instruct the people the Bishops have accustomed to desire him to do it as the Bishop of Mâ—oâ— did Enelpius c. And there is no doubt but that the other Bishops may do the like in their Diocesses when they find any one which is a man fit to profit the people Ye drive them from God's Word and will let no man come thereto till he have been two years Master of Arts. First you nurse them up in Sophistry and in bene fundantum and there corrupt their judgments then they begin not at the Scripture but each one chuseth himself a Doctor severally c. VI. ARTICLE Touching the way of man's Justification Before the Lord in order to Salvation I say it is by Faith in Christ our Lord That is with heart believing that sweet word Which shews to man in Christ there is remission Of sins for all through faith through contrition For which great cause Christ worthily bespeaketh Their chief affections and their fouls so breaketh Wholly to yeeld to Christs most just Commands And to deny all Self which Christ withstands And eke with godly sorrow do commit Themselves to Christ's Grace to depend on it Such like believing men are justifi'd Their Faith will Righteousness be found when try'd The test of Antiquity The Medicine of the Soul is the only propitiation for the sins of all that is to believe in Christ How virtuous soever the antient righteous persons have been they were not saved but by Faith It is manifest that such as have Faith in Christ shall not be saved unless they have the Life of Faith VII ARTICLE There is but only one most holy Spirit Which God doth give such richly to inherit As do obey his Voice that they thereby May have the Grace themselves to mortify And be enabled in the Truth to stand Immovably thout which no mortal hand Can do the work of God and that we may Honour the Father and the Son each day Who is the Author and the Consummator Of all our Faith And John that Revelator Doth say this Father Son and holy Spirit Are One and so the Name of God they merit The fruits which follow this great gifts reception Is growth in ev'ry grace and sins rejection Wherefore we say these have it not received Who are of Love that Spirit fruit bereaved Or destitute so as they such deny A quiet life that would live peaceably The test of Antiquity That Spirit being the Fathers and the Sons is properly in Scripture called the Holy Spirit It is neither Father nor Son but personally distinct from both and this Trinity is one God Behold the sign and token whereby ye shall know those that are of God from the evil and wicked Those are the wicked which do kill and lead into captivity the which all those that are of God have not done nor do O Lord God these are the chiefest and first that persecuted thee whom men see to love the highest seats and rooms in thy Church and which bear the greatest rule They have taken the Ark of Zion they have occupied and used the Castle and have afterward frankly and by power set all the City on fire Their conversation is miserable The subversion of thy People is pitiful Now holy Orders are given for occasion of most
further to confer with her be given An Introduction shewing the occasion of the Dialogue Ensuing UPon a time I had in me a moâ—ion To take some cognizance of that Devotion Which in Old Lincoln's great Cathederal Is used in the way Prelatical Which I confess did outwardly appear Right glorious for to please both Eye and Ear. But when I call'd to mind the greatest end Of Divine Worship which is to amend Mans pravity by good edification I found that Worship a meer desolation One thing to me prodigious did appear Above the rest 't was two men which did wear Great Linnen Coats and one had on his back A Red Cloath ty'd as some men tye their Pack These did themselves divide from all the rest And walked Eastward bowing down their brest At certain places and obedience yeelded Vnto a cover'd Board which there was builded Where on a Cushon each man kneeled down And when their Arms on other two were thrown They seem'd to pray having their eyes cast down Upon two Printed Books where having shown Their skill in Reading he on th'right hand rose And turning West he did his Book unclose And therein read a Chapter which Paul wrote In th'second of the Corinths which I quote The rather for because methinks it might Have given these two Readers much more Light Than to have worship'd Wood or Cloth utensels Or ty'd themselves in Pray'rs to what mens pensels Had measur'd out This read some other things They also read and then a Black man brings Them off their stage bearing a silver Mace Before these white men to their former place Now when these Obsequies and Postulations Were finished then many made Orations Around the Quire but what was said or sung If I should say I know I should but wrong My self and them for there was such confusion Of Voices that wer 't Truth or wer't Delusion Nor hurt nor profit did thereof ensue To me sith what they said I no whit knew Yet these strang sights do cause me stil to wonder Why Prelates do against the Papists thunder So much because of Image-adoration For if that Wood or Stone built in the fashion Of Tables may adored be by Saints What lets the same when some like Men it prints Especially if Christ his form it beareth As reverend as a Table it appeareth Now having these mens doings thus far viewed I left them all within their stalls impued And having heard that some in Prison lay Because they could not close with that fine way of Worship I therefore anon repaired To see how these distressed persons fared And being come unto their lodging place I found the Prisoners with erected face To Heaven with their knees prostrate before The mighty God whom they did there adore With Pray'r and Praises which I understood And so far fervent that I gain'd some good By this Devotion for my cogitations Provoked were to heav'nly meditations And Christian conference with those distressed About the end reserv'd for all the Blessed These things I thought upon when home returned And in the sence thereof I partly mourned And partly did rejoyce I also thought How these things might into some form be brought For others and my own edification In Truth to stand and to have Preservation Somewhat by this means from the several snares Which do or may lye hid in Forms of Pray'rs And sith the Prison and the Minster were The places wherein I these Prayers did hear I therefore have the Conference compiled Between these two And now to be reviled For this my work it is my expectation From all such persons as in this our Nation Are preresolv'd to follow Mans Invention But hap as'twill that shall be no prevention To me from speaking Truth and more than that To speak if I do know 't my soul doth hate But now of time I 'll make no more expence But let the Goal begin the Conference The CONFERENCE CHAP. I. The Argument About Antiquity The Jayle doth first Dispute The Minster makes Repply The Jayle doth her Confute Jayle I Greet thee well thou great Cathederal Now shining in thy Form Prelatical Whilst others lye within my Cells because They can't conform to thy Prelatick Laws Whose case yet seemeth just and good to me Although 't is true they do dissent from thee Cathedral Is this a Jayle-like-greeting what 's the cause Thou thus declin'st thy work to take a pause About Religion and I further strange To hear the Jayle once intimate a Change 'Twixt her and me who wont with one consent All talk that 's too religious to prevent Jayle 'T is I even I thy old deluded Friend Which us'd to keep in hold whom thou didst send Without a due inquiry of their câ—use And now behold such as do keep God's Laws Thou hast again committed unto me And let'st the breakers of his Law go free Cathederal Fy my Old Friend It grieves me thus to hear Thee side with those who do against me bear So great an opposition that if they Should freely speak perhaps my glorious way Might get a blot now therefore I advise thee Be gon lest I for this attempt chastise thee Jayle Perswade me not for I 'm concern'd to know The Truth from Falshood full as much as thou Now therefore give me leave with thee to reason About Religion whil'st we have a season Wherein to do it for the day 's at hand We must give an account how here we stand Cathederal Thou reason 'bout Religion When didst thou Take thy degrees the Liberal Arts to know Thou art prophane and I a Holy Place Nor can I with thee reason ' thout disgrace Sith therefore thus I may my self abuse I think it best thy offer to refuse Jayle Religion is not ty'd to Humane Learning For this is plain to all men of discerning That God hath chose the foolish and the poor Of this world rich in Faith Yea furthermore It seem'd well-pleasing to the Lord that Babes Should see true Light whilest th'wise lie in dark shades Cathederal 'T is true the Scripture speaks of such a thing When first the Gospel-Light began to spring But since that time 't is said th'unlearned do The Scriptures wrest unto their overthrow And this O Jayle is like to be thy fate Unless thou keep thee to thy former state Jayle Th'unlearned and th'unstable ones which do The Scriptures wrest unto their overthrow Are Learned Jews and famous Athens Scholars And not the poor who are our Saviours followers Th' first Churches were unlearned yet had skiil In holy Writ to know Gods holy Will Cathederal My other reason may suffice though this Should fail the Disputation to dismiss Defile not then my place by thy intrusion Nor think thou here to vent thy new Delusion for each must know their place and keep the same Or else receive their due deserved blame Jayle I do presume no holiness can be A good pretence this Conference to flee Nor yet can I thy place more holy