from E. C. And now followeth Throgmortons letter beeing an answere as I take it vnto Coppingers My good brother c. I reioyce that you will vouchsafe so to account of mee Your godlie conference at anie time when oportunitie shall serue I will not refuse And albeit our busines may hinder vs now to meet yet there is no time ouerpast but that it may be performed when it please God The next terme you heare I must appeare here againe vppon my band at which time you shall find that I will be glad of your christian conference or of any other brothers by whom I may be enlightened Lord deliuer mee from that pride of heart to reiect or refuse that while I liue That course you speake of intended by you I was neuer you know in particular acquainted with And therefore for mee to like or dislike a matter that I had no knowledge of had beene I take it without ground or warrant Onlie I confesse I heard some buzzes abroad of a sole and singular course that either you or some other had plotted in his head which was greatly feared and condemned of the brethren What that was as I know not so had I small reason to speake of it with preiudice Onelie I would wish you and all that beare good will to the holie cause in this perilous age of ours to take both your eyes in your handes as they saie and to be sure of your ground and warrant before you striue to put in exeecution For as I like not of coldnes of zeale vnder colour of discretion so on the other side I think that this sentence of our sauiour be ye wise as serpents was not written in vain neither and had great neede to be practised of some in this age A sanctified cause you know would alwayes haue a sanctified course Our rule and square must be the word of truth which so long as we lay before vs as our leuel we shall not lightly swarue much from the marke The Lord therefore direct vs in these feareful and miserable daies and let not our infirmities be a barre to his mercies I know my good Brother that the greatest workes of the Lord are wrought by the weakest instrumeuts least men should boast in the arme of flesh And therefore were it not for my sinnes and vnworthynes I could easilie perswade my selfe in regarde of my weaknes that the Lord might effect something by me who am priuy to mine owne wants and farre short of those good giftes it pleaseth you of your loue to loade mee with But this worke that you speake of howsoeuer the instrument bee compassed with weaknes must sure be wrought by a more sanctified heart then my selfe can yet without hypocrisie boast of And therefore though in affection and good will I ioyne yet I resigne the honor of the worke to those that the Lord hath more enabled The man you speake of if he be at Oundhell dwelleth hard by a Sister of mine and thereupon I shall haue the better occasion to see him when it please God Forget me not in your holy praiers and meditations and salute good Giles with many thankes whose debtor I am in the Lord. Blessing vpon Syon confusion vpon Babell hast this 18. of the 5. Moneth Euer yours in the Lord. CHAP. VIII Copinger to Hacket of an appearance in the Starre-chamber his letter to Vdall why Cartwright c refused to conferre with him Cartwright resolued some questions of Coppingers of eight preachers that did fast and pray for Coppingers successe AFter some few dayes that Hacket had taried in London the said Easter terme he returned home againe to Oundle hauing first promised Coppinger that he would come vp againe vnto him whensoeuer he sent for him Nowe Coppinger by his said conferences and acquaintance with Hacket was grown as he said very bold and couragious But yet shortly after vz as I thinke the seuenteenth of May he liked so well of Hackets company that he sent for him againe to come vp vnto him saying If Gods spirit direct you to come come if not stay But write with all speed and conuey your letter and inclose it in a letter to him who brought you and me acquainted that was Wigginton put not too your name for discouery c. And in the same letter hee sendeth Hacket this newes The zealous Preachers as it is thought are to be in the Star-chamber to morrow I thinke he meaneth the last day of Easter tearme last The L. by his holy spirit be with them and stay all euill that is intended against them My selfe if I can get in am moued to be there and I feare if sentence with seueritie shall be giuen I shall be forced in the name of the great and fearefull God of heauen and earth to protest against it About this time also he writ a verie couragious letter to Vdall in prison for he confesseth it was written about tenne weekes before his examination which was the nineteenth of Iuly In this letter he telleth him that notwithstanding some brethrens hard opinions of him and other discouragementes yet now the Lord hath not onelie enabled him to fight but at the length in some sort to vanquish and ouercome He signifieth also vnto him that the next day there were some few that purposed to ioyne together in a holy fast in regard of the afflicted Saintes in generall c. He greatly commendeth the Ministers cause and suffringes that are in prison assuring himselfe that God will blesse all the actions in it He saith there were diuerse out of prison lying hid that in this great worke were hammering their heads bestowing their braines and spending their spirites who doe hope in short tyme to be brought forth into the sight of their and your enemies to defend the cause you stand for whose presence God assisting them will daunt the enemies more then yours for that they be men voyde of learning wisedome and gifts such as can challenge nothing to themselues but must giue all to God who in all the greatest workes that euer haue beene wrought hath vsed the weakest meanes least men should boast in the arme of flesh And therefore I beseeche you cheare vp your selues in the Lord for the day of our redemption is at hand and pray that the hand of the Lord may be strengthened in them whom he hath appointed to take part with you in this cause Here you see he was growne to a wonderfull resolution But yet there is another letter of his that wil make the same more euident and likewise lay open more plainelie some of the premises then hitherto they haue beene Hee sheweth therein that hee could be still well contented to haue some conference with Maister Charke Maister Trauers Maister Egerton Maister Gardiner Maister Philips and Maister Cooper But sayth he I make not this suite for that I would seeke to haue approbation from them or any other liuing creature but
enemies to the Gospell of Christ to her Maiestie and people that seeke to keepe Christes holy Discipline from amongst vs. This is that cause against which neuer man yet striued and prospered All the Newgates and Oldgates yea and all the Tiburns in England are too little for such rash and presumptuous he ades that will not giue God leaue to rule but will take the scepter out of his handes I do feare that many of the forwardest ennemies of reformation are not the backwardest frendes that the king of Spain hath in England at this day CHAP. VII Some of their Disciplinarian speeches concerning the Lordes of her Maiesties most honorable priuie Councell OVr Councell may truelie be saide to delight in the iniury violent oppression of Gods saincts Ministers therefore the Lord wil surely visite our Councel with an heauie plague Our Councel cannot possibly deale truely in matters of iustice betweene man and man insomuch as they bend all their forces to bereaue Iesus Christ of his gouernment The which vngodly and wicked course as they haue held on euer since the beginning of her Maiesties raigne so at this day they haue taken great boldnesse and growne more rebellious against the Lord and his cause then euer they were In so much as their honors in token of thankefulnesse to him that exalted them dare now charge the cause of reformation to be an ennemie vnto our state and such as fauor the same to be vnquiet and factious men disturbers of the common peace and quietnes and sowers of sedition among the subiects They do not ablie detect their impiety against God and their enmitie to the kingdome of his Sonne Christ they offer iniury to her Maiestie If her Maiesty giue eare to such Councellors shee may haue cause one day to lament Assuredly those that are our ennemies for the profession of the truth meaning the pretended Discipline cannot bee her Maiesties sure frendes whatsoeuer they pretend Sathan worketh the defacing of the way of truth supporteth his owne kingdome by instruments of no meane countenance Be they noble or vnnoble Councellors or inferior men I am so farre from fearing their power that the more I see them rage the greater strength I haue to stand to the truth which they raue against I do warne and admonish those Councellors with whome and against whome especially I deale in this Treatise to repent them of their great insolencie whereby they haue beene puffed vp with Senacharib to magnifie and oppose themselues against the cause and people of the Lord of Hosts as against the Religion and people of some of the Gods of the earth Otherwise they are to feare least the Lord hauing raised vp many of them out of mean places into the throne of iustice meaneth to shew his power and great name by making them examples of his fearefull wrath as he did Pharaoh who wrought his owne ouerthrow If men will wonder that we being so contemptible in the sight of the world dare yet be so bold as to controll great states and mightie men and to chalenge them of iniustice against the Sonne of God and his members who will not sticke to brag with Pilate that they haue power to crucifie Christ to absolue him they are to vnderstand that wee know of no power but from aboue and therefore of no power that is able to beare out iniustice and wrong The hils of the Robbers wee grant to bee high and vnassayleable in the sight of an eye of flesh but we haue learned of the holy man to account the habitation of the wicked to be accursed euen when hee seemeth to be best rooted for we know that the steppes of his strength shall bee restrayned and that his Counsaile shall cast him downe CHAP. VIII Some of their rayling speeches against the Magistracy in England the Iudges Lawyers and lawes both ciuill and ecclesiasticall THe Magistracy and ministery haue walked hand in hand in the contempt of true Religion and vnto both the worde of the Lorde is made a reproch Amongst those who deale in the cause of iustice there are found wicked persons euen wicked lawyers and iudges who seeme to know of no other God but their owne gaine that lay waite for the blood of Gods saints as hee that setteth snares and marke whether they can heare of any that go further in the cause of God then the corruption of our state doth permit And if they finde any such they know how to wrest against them a clause of some statute contrary not onely to the meaning thereof but euen contrary vnto all iustice and equity yea common reason it selfe and the verie groundes of all good lawes and statutes So that it is now growen and hath bene of a long time a common practice of these Godlesse men to make of the statutes ordained for the maintenance of Religion and common quietnesse a pit wherein to catch the peaceable of the land The common inditements of the Lords true and faithfull Ministers for matters of trifles as the omission of the surplisse churching of women crosse in Baptisme c. doth manifestly witnesse the iniquitie of these Atheists The lawes that maintaine the Archbishops and Bishops are no more to bee accounted of then the lawes maintaining the Stewes The humaine lawes that maintaine them are wicked and vngodly The lawes are made their common sanctuarie to defend all our wickednesse Impiety is suffered to beare sway against the maiestie of God and that by law and authority Such lawes are retayned in force as iustle and ouerthrow the royall prerogatiue of the sonne of God As great indignity is offered vnto Iesus Christ in committing his Church vnto the gouernement of the common law as can be by meane hyrelings unto a king in committing his beloued spouse vnto the direction of the mistresse of the Stewes and enforcing her to liue after the lawes of a brothel-house CHAP. IX Some of their consistoriall sayings as touching our Religion Communion booke Sacraments and Ceremonies WE striue for true religion As our lackes are there can be no right religion Many religions are mixed together of Christ and Antichrist of God and the deuill Christes Religion is fondly patched with the Popes ioyning fire and water heauen and hel together The truth in a manner doth but peepe out from behinde the screene Their prescript forme of seruice is full of corruption In all the order of their seruice there is no edification but confusion The Communion booke is an vnperfect booke culled and picked out of that popish dung hill the portuise and masse-booke and many of the contents therein be such as are against the word of God And Martin senior calleth it our sterue-vs Booke The Sacraments are wickedlie mangled and prophaned They eate not the Lords supper but play a pageant of their own to
blinde the people and keepe them still in superstition to make the seely soules beleeue that they haue an English masse and so put no difference betwixt trueth and falsehoode betwixt Christ and Anâ—ichrist betwixt God and the deuill The publike baptisme is full of childish and superstitious toyes And of our orders garments and ceremonies They are carnall beggerly Antichristian pompes rites lawes and traditions popish fooleries Romish reliques rags of Antichrist dregs and remnants of transformed Poperie Pharisaicall outward faces and vizardes remnants of Romish Antichrist of superstition and Idolatrie Knowne liueries of Antichrist accursed leauen of the blasphemous Popish Priesthoode cursed patches of Poperie and Idolatrie they are worse then Lowsie for they are sib be to the sarke of Hercules that made him teare his owne bowels asunder CHAP. X. How they charge the present gouernment with persecution THere is a persecution of poore Christians the professors of the Gospell suffred not far vnlike to the six articles Gods cause is troden vnder foote and the benefite of his Church is little regarded Poore men haue been miserably handled with reuilings depriuations imprisonments bannishments and such like extremities Godly Ministers haue beene brought before the barres of iustice they haue beene arraigned amongst fellons and theeues they haue been imprisoned to the vttermost and defaced they are reproched shaken vp threatened many are depriued they are examined by an inquisition much like tha of Spaine O lamentable case O heynous impietie Shal they be thus marked with the blacke cole of reproach villanie O inhumaine and more then barbarous impietie Besides whorish impudencie halter axe bandes scourging and racking our Bishops haue nothing to defend themselues withall The Clinke Gatehouse White-Lion and the Fleete are their onelie arguments If I say Ieremie Ezechiel Osee Micheas and Zacharie were aliue they would be carried to the Marshall-sea the White-lyon the Kings-bench the Gate-house and other Prisons yea to New-gate In effect as Caine persecuted Abell Esau Iacob the Patriarches their brother Ioseph the Iewes Moses the Priests Ieremie Osea Amazia and Christ euen so in these dayes the Preachers are slandred and persecuted by such as would seeme pillars of true religion If this persecution be not prouided for it is the case of many a thousand in England greate trobles will come of it The land is sore troubled there is no place nor being for a faithfull Minister of the word Our bloud crieth for vengeance against the Bishops I am made like to our Sauiour Christ who hath troden this path in that as he sayth hee is troubled not for euiil but for good It fares with vs as with prisoners in Poperie God sende vs their comfort Mnisters are in worse sort suppressed now then they were by the Papists in Queene Maries time This crosse is common not onelie with him but with all that will liue godly in Christ. The cause is holy and his sufferinges acceptable I k perceiue the Lyon roareth but cannot bite further then the Lord shall permit CHAP. XI Some of their Consistorian speeches of the Clergie of England assembled as occasion hath required in the Conuocation house THey are wolues It is a Synagogue Their onely endeuour is how to preuent Christ from bearing rule in the Church by his own lawes They are knowne to bee ennemies vnto all sinceritie The whole conuocation house are in iudgement contrarie to our Sauiour Christ they are intollerable oppugners of Gods glory and vtter ennemies vnto the liberties of his Church As long as that house standeth as at this day it doth there can be no hope at al that either Gods heauenlie trueth should haue free passage or the Church her libertie in this kingdom They haue seduced and deceiued the ciuil state people in bearing them in hand that al is wel in the Church They are termed by one of the Captaines of this crue right puissant poisoned persecuting and terrible Priests Clergie maisters of the confocation house the holie league of subscription the crue of monstrous and vngodlie wretches that mingle heauen and earth together horned maisters of the conspiration house an Antichristian swinish rabble ennemies of the Gospell most couetous wretched and Popish Priests the Conuocation house of Diuels Belzabub of Canterbury the chiefe of the Diuels CHAP. XII Some of their presbiterial speeches of the Bishops of England professing the Gospell THe Bishops are the greatest and most pestilent ennemies that now our state hath are like to be the ruine of her Maiestie and the whole state Archbishops and Bishops are vnlawfull vnnaturall false and bastardlie gouernours of the Church and the ordinances of the Diuel pettie Popes pettie Antichristes like incarnat Diuels they are Bishops of the Diuell Bishops are cogging and coosening knaues They will lie like dogs Our Bishops are proud popish presumptuous prophane paltrie pestilent pernicious prelates vsurpers Impudent shamelesse and waynescot faced Bishops like beastes They are in a premunire They ought not to bee maintayned by the authority of the ciuill Magistrate in any common wealth They are in respect of their places ennemies of God The worst Puritane is an honester man then the best Lord Bishop in Christendome Their crueltie is without measure They are butchers and horseleeches it is the portion of their inheritance Their bloud-thirstie attempts These dragons Their tirannie and bloudthirstie proceedings are inexcusable In effect that they conspire to pull the Crowne from her Maiesties head Bishops callings are meere Antichristian The Bishops are robbers Wolues simoniacks persecutors sowers of sedition and discontentednes betweene her Maiesties subiectes They haue incurred the statute of premunire they are ipso facto depriuable Though they bee in the Church yet are they none of the Church The true Church of God ought to haue no more to doe with them and the Synagogue namely their Antichristian Courts them with the Synagogue of Sathan Be packing Bishops you striue in vaine you are laid open already Friers and Monkes were not so bad Of all the Bishops that euer were in the See of the Archbishop of Canterburie there was neuer any did so much hurt to the Church of God as hee hath done No Bishop that euer had such an aspiring and ambitious minde as hee no not Cardinall Wolsey None so proud as he No not Stephen Gardiner of Winchester None so tirannicall as he no not Bonner He sits vpon his cogging stoole which may truelie be called the chaire of pestilence His mouth is full of cursing against God and his Saintes His feete are swift to shed bloud there is none of Gods children but had as leeue see a Serpent as meete him It grieueth them to see so wicked an ennemie of God and his Church Belsebub of Canterbury The Canterburie Caiphas Esau. a
make good lawes and not see them executed is but labour lost And therefore it should seeme that these wise Law-makers were presently after as carefull to put the sayde orders in practise as they were before to resolue vpon them as it may appeare by a letter written to Master Field from Antwerpe the 25. of Iune 1583. by one Cholmeley in answere of a former Letter sent vnto him from the said Field For thus Cholmeley writeth Laetor intùs in corde de meliori successu rerum vestrarum quòd cum de conuentibus vestris audiam tum de Disciplinae Ecclesiasticae formali 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 multò lubentissimè Dicam quòd verum est serò nimis incepistis quisquis iam tandem vel incipere recusauerit vel a tam praeclaro incepto desistat peccatum suum feret paenitendumest de priori lentitudine I am glad with all my heart for the better successe of your affaires not onely in that I heare of your assemblies but most willingly of all in respect of your effectuall practising of the Ecclesiasticall Discipline I will tell you that which is true you haue begun this course too too late Whosoeuer shall now either refuse to begin or shall desist from so notable an enterprise he shall beare his owne sin You ought to repent you for your former slownes And afterward thus out of the same Letter to incourage Maister Field and the brethren In nulla re terreamini ab ijs quise opponunt quod illis quidem est exitij indicium vobis autem salutis idque a Deo In nothing feare your aduersaries which is to them a token of perdition but to you of saluation and that from God In Iuly the next yeare vz. 1584. some of the Scottish Ministers afore spoken of went to the Act in Oxford where Maister Gelibrand with his brethren gaue them great entertainement At that time there was a notable question propounded amongst their fauourers there by the sayde Ministers as is manifest by these wordes Here haue beene a good company of godly brethren this Act. Maister Fen Wilcox Axton the Scottish ministers and wee haue had some meeting and conference to our great comfort that are here One point which then was moued I would wish to be throughly debated among you and them concerning the proceeding of the Minister in his duety without the assistance or tarrying for the Magistrate c. What was resolued amongst the brethren of London about this matter at that time I know not Marry this I finde that presently thereupon they grewe more violent and prepared themselues to proceede more resolutely in the challenging of their Discipline as it is plaine by the dealing both of them and of their fauourers that yeare in Nouember and December after at the Parliament 27. of her Maiesty And besides let the sayd Maister Gelibrands words in a Letter to Field dated the 12. of Ianuary after vz. 1584. bee considered For as it seemeth to me they either tend to sedition or to the admitting in Oxford of the foresayd Decrees or Discipline Sure I am that they can hardly for ought I see receiue any good construction Thus he writeth I haue already entred into the matters whereof you write and dealt with three or foure of seuerall Colleges concerning those among whom they liue I finde that men are very dangerous in this point generally fauoring reformation but when it commeth to the particular point some haue not yet considered of these things for which others in the Church are so much troubled others are afraid to testifie any thing with their hands least it breed danger before the time And after many fauour the cause of reformation but they are not Ministers but young students of whome there is good hope if it be not cut off by violent dealing before the time As I heare by you so I meane to goe forward where there is any hope and to learne the number and to certifie you thereof Furthermore at the time of the Parliament last mentioned I finde that there was a nationall Synode helde likewise in London by these brethren according to their former decisions and Synodicall Discipline This appeareth by three letters The first was from eleuen ministers of Essex to Field wherin they desire to be certified whether the brethren meant to be exercised in prayer and fasting and vpon what day The seconde was from nine of the saide Ministers to Fielde and Charke wherein they writ thus We haue elected two Godly and faithfull brethren Maister Wright and Maister Gifford to ioyne with you in that businesse The third was from Gelibrand to Field Wherein he excuseth himselfe of a great ouersight in these words Touching my departure from that holy assembly without leaue c. I craue pardon both of you them c. And thus sayth he commending this holy cause to the Lord himselfe and your godly counsaile to the President thereof I take my leaue CHAP. V. Their Booke of Discipline is reuiewed it was after sent abroad about 1587. it was put in practise in Northamptonshire and many other places NOtwithstanding that the booke of Discipline was abroad as it hath beene noted in the third chapter and that the brethren had framed themselues as they might vnto the rules thereof yet there were found some imperfections in it which in the Synode mentioned in the former chapter as I take it were referred to Maister Trauers to bee corrected and ordered by him as his leysure will permitte Which appeareth by a letter of Maister Fields to Maister Trauers in these words Concerning our other busines I would wish that the Discipline were read ouer with as much speed as could be and that some good directions were giuen for the brethren abroad who are earnest to enter some good course for the furtherance of the L cause And after in the same place I finde many abroade very willing to ioyne with the best to put in practise that which shall bee agreed vpon by the brethren If it might please the brethren therefore that those or the like instructions which wee had with a perfect coppie of the Discipline might be sent I would wholly imploy my selfe in that seruice Another also vpon the longer stay thereof I pray you hasten the forme of Discipline and send it And the same man againe I pray you remember the forme of Discipline which Master Trauers promised to make perfect and send it me when it is finished We will put it in practise and trie mens minds therein as we may According to these requests the draught of Discipline was at the last finished and then sent abroade to be approued generally by all the brotherhood as may thus appear The discipline we haue receiued and we giue you and the brethren hartie thanks for it As yet we are not resolued in all points of it hauing had but small time to peruse it nor the commoditie of often meeting
and all in effect that was laid to their charges was discouered His Letters were intercepted wherein he writeth after this sort Reuerend and beloued this day Aprill the 7. I haue beene againe before the Commissioners After much adoo I obtained to see and peruse the Articles against mee but briefly and in their presence onely they are many 36. 37. besides those vnder mine owne hand and very large some twelue some twenty lines long consisting of many branches As far as I could for the time conceaue and remember they may be referred to these two heads some concerning may selfe together with others and some touching my selfe alone The former sort are touching Classes and Synodes wherein there are mentioned particular places London Oxford Cambridge times Act Commencement Sturbridge fayre Tearme persons Cartwright Perkins Trauers Charke Egerton Barbon Stone Snape Knewstub Allin Dike diuers others c. and some things dealt in and agreed vpon c. By all which besides many other thinges specified it is most euident that they haue manifest and certaine knowledge not onely of generals but also of specials and particulars Beloued I haue twise appeared before the high Commissioners the first time the issue was prison the second close prison This is my state now the causes of both and the proceedings in both you stall receaue of Maister Knightlye the former more large in a Dialogue the latter more briefly in a Letter both vnperfect both vnperused reade them and returne them with what speede you may for I haue now no coppy of them let them be wisely kept lest they breede more anger I haue procured another coppy to be sent to Master Stone that in both places you might be forewarned forearmed Touching the conferences those of our Countrey are yet more particularly discouered persons besides those there named Kinge of Coleworth Prowdloe of Weeden c. Spicer of Cogenho Edwardes of Cortenhall c. places Sharpes house at Fawseley Snapes chamber at Northampton c. Si quis coniecturae sit locus I would iudge Iohn Iohnson to haue beene the man because to my remembrance persons and thinges of his time beeing mentioned hee onely is not named Whosoeuer and howsoeuer wee see the Lord calleth vs to be more resolute They will not they cannot be any longer concealed now whether it were better and more safe that one man with the consent of the rest should boldly freely and wisely confesse and lay open c. or that some weake or wicked man shoulde without consent and in euill sort acknowledge c. Iudge you the thing they ayme-at is A conuenticle It must come to tryall In the cause of murther c. it is wont to be enquired whether the party fled vpon it consider and apply to this matter and the Lord giue vs wisedome in all things It were good you sent to T. C. with speede CHAP. IX Cartwright is called for by authority a Synode is held in London it is there resolued that he shall refuse to be examined vppon his othe AFterwarde the same yeare before mentioned 1590. in September as I take it Maister Cartwright vpon occasion was sent for by the sayd Commissioners Now about a weeke or a fortnight before Cartwright was committed sayth Maister Stone whereas the question mentioned by Snape to Barbon the brethren which as it seemeth troubled them all vz. whether it were not fit that one man with the consent of the rest should boldly freely and wisely confesse and lay open c. came to be disputed in London There was a Synode or meeting held at Maister Gardiners by these brethren Maister Cartwright Maister Charke Maister Trauerse Maister Egerton Maister Cardiner Maister Barbon Maister Barber maister Oxenbridge maister Gelibrand master Culuerwel my selfe and certaine other Ministers and they did then and there debate and consider amongst themselues whether it were fit or conuenient that the said maister Cartwright after his commitment to prison should discouer or reueale all or any the matters which passed in conference and disputation in any of their former assemblies or not What the resolution hereof was whether through the examiners ouersight or Maister Stones peruersenesse I know not but it is not set downe Howbeit the effects which followed do make it manifest For maister Cartwright about the time before limited being conuented and moued in the Consistory at Paules by the Bishop of London the then two Lordes chiefe Iustices maister Iustice Gawdy maister Sergeant Puckering now Lord Keeper of the great Scale of England maister Attorney Generall now Lorde Chiefe Iustice of England and diuers others her Maiesties Commissioners then present to take his oth to answere to certaine Interrogatories yet notwithstanding that the chiefe points of them were then deliuered in generall tearmes vnto him that the said both honourable and graue persons did euery man seuerally assure him vpon their credits that by the lawes of the Realme he was bound to take his oath therevpon to answere as he was required he desired to be borne withall and said that hee thought he was not bound by the lawes of God so to do CHAP. X. Further proofe for their practise of their Discipline collected out of the rules of their subscribed booke IF hitherto as yet the point I haue in hand be not sufficiently prooued vz. that our English reformers haue attempted after the Scottish Ministers fashion to bring into the Church of England their pretended Disciplinarian gouernement of themselues and by their owne authority without any further staying as they had done for the ciuill Magistrate albeit they pretende now the contrary then it is fit that I produce some further matter to this purpose Amongst sundry things in the said booke of Discipline let these few be well considered of weighed It is there sayd Presbyterium in singulis ecclesiis constituendum est there ought to be erected in euery Church a Presbyterie Now if they had meant as it is pretended not to haue put their book or at the least some chiefe parts thereof in practise vntill it should haue beene established by Act of Parliament they would haue sayde for constituendum est there ought to bee erected constituatur let there bee erected in euery parish a Presbyterie Againe in all their assemblies prescribed in the booke this was one point to be still inquired of vtrum disciplina vigeat whether the Discipline had any life in it or were esteemed or continued which question had beene friuolous and very vnmeete to haue beene continued as prescribed by Law if the Discipline it selfe had beene allowed by Act of Parliament before that question should haue beene moued Furthermore saith the booke in funeribus desuescendum est commodè ab habendis concionibus quod periculum sit ne superstitionem quorundam foueant aut vanitati inseruiant The Preachers must leaue-of by little and little as they may conueniently to preach at burials least thereby they