Gods word wee shall neither profit by it nor yeeld obedience vnto it nay it will bee a fauor of death vnto death vnto vs when wee shall be guilty of taking Gods name in vaine and refuse the word of reconciliation meanes of salvation offred S. Paul 1. Thess 2.13 reioiceth that the Thessalonians receiued the word preached not as the word of man but as it is indeed the word of God 2. Cor. 4.7 we haue this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the vertue thereof might be of God and not of ourselues And this is not only in the Prophets and Apostles who were extraordinary men directed in speciall manner by the holy Ghost but of all ordinary ministers in the Church that so long as they speak the truth of God according to the Scriptures draw soūd instructiō thence apply it to our vse this word so preached is to be esteemed as the word of God and so to be reverenced and obeyed And they that shal otherwise esteeme of it shal be guilty of taking Gods name in vaine For in old time God revealed his wil by dreames visions and sometimes by his owne voice from heavē yet after hee had ordained an ordinary ministery hee made knowne his will vnto the people by them In the 20. of Exod. ver 19. After the law was delivered with thunder lightnings and the noyze of trumpets and the smoaking of the mountaine the people were sore affraide and made request vnto Moses that they might not heare God speak but that Moses might be for thē to God deliver Gods will to them In this ordinance of God that his Ministers should declare his will vnto the people first he declareth his good will toward vs when he taketh out of men them that shal do his message in the world that shal be interpreters of his secret will that shal represent his owne person And so by experience he proveth that it is not vaine that commonly hee calleth vs his temples when out of the mouthes of men as out of his sanctuarie hee giveth answers to men Secondly this is the best and most profitable exercise to humility when hee accustometh vs to obey his word howsoever it be preached by men like vnto vs yea sometimes our inferiors in dignity Thirdly there was nothing fitter for the cherishing of mutuall charitie then that men should bee bound togither with this bond when one is made pastor to teach the rest and the people are commanded to be schollers of the same schoole to receiue all one doctrine at one mouth These points Calvin handleth so largely and so pithily that I referre them that would be farther satisfied vnto his fourth booke of Institutions and third chapter But here arise two maine doubts the one touching the doctrine the second touching the life of the Minister First as concerning the doctrine it seemeth that here is great danger if we shall take all for true Prophets and all that is delivered for Gods word For we read 1. King 18.26 and 1. King 22.6 and many other places that their were false prophets and therefore Deut. 18.20.21 the Lord is faine to teach them how to know the true Prophet from the false whether they speake his word or their owne Touching Prophets their calling was immediate and extraordinary there was no such question of Levits or Priests Ob Our Saviour Christ in the gospell Mat. 7.15 bids his disciples to beware of false Prophets and S. Paule and S. Jude make mention of false teachers c. Resp In our Saviour Christs time the extraordinary calling of Prophets was not altogither ceased And the Apostle spake not of ordinary Ministers but of such as went about like Apostles or Evangelists and such as without any setled place or ordinary calling went from place to place to sowe heresies some of which denied Christ the foundation some taught doctrines of devils and damnable heresies If they had meant ordinary ministers in an established Church they would haue easily told them a redresse by ordinary proceeding either to reclaime or depose them Ob Yet further it is obiected 1. Ioh. 4. we are commanded to try the spirits whether they be of God or no c. Resp Indeed many herevpon ignorantly presumptuously haue and doe assume vnto themselues a power and liberty to dieue into the secrets of God and to censure some to be ministers of God and sent by him some to bee no lawfull ministers but send themselues some this and that at their pleasure Whereas the Apostle giueth no such liberty but expoundeth himselfe in the wordes following that he that denieth the Lord Iesus to be come in the flesh is not of God Ob But how if vpon the right foundatiō they build wood hay stubble insteed of gold siluer and precious stones Resp God suffereth such sometimes 1 To stirre vp our care and attention to teach vs to doe as the noble Bereans did Act. 17.11 Secondly to try vs as Deut. 13.3 whether we will bee carried away with every blast of false doctrine Thirdly to try the ministers humilitie whether he will acknowledge his error when he is convinced and reforme it as S. Augustine de catechizandis rudibus declareth Quod si humanae infirmitatis intentio etiam ab ipsa rerum veritate errauer it ne forte accidat vt hinc offendatur auditor Non aliunde nobis debet videri accidisse nisi quia Deus experiri nos voluit vtrum cum mentis placiditate corrigamur ne in defensione nostri erroris maiori praecipitemur errori Fourthly to teach the minister not to trust to his wit or present faculty but by studie reading meditation prayer prepare himselfe Ob But many preach much out of humane writers ancient fathers therefore their sermons are not to be received as the word of God Resp If their sayings alleadged by the preacher be agreeable to the word of God and fitly applied they are to be receiued as the word because if it bee truth it is of him that is the truth the way and the life Heare what Saint Augustin in lib. 2. de doctrina christiana cap. 40. saith of this point Philosophietiam qui vocantur si qua forte vera fidei nostrae accommoda dixerunt non solum formidanda non sunt sed ab ijs etiam tanquam iniustis possessoribus in vsum nostrum vēdicanda c. The heathen Philosophers saith hee those things which they haue spoken truely and agreeable to our faith we ought to be so farre of from being afraid of it as that we are to challenge it from them as from vniust possessors to our owne vse as the Israelites did the vessels iewels and rayment which they borrowed from the Aegyptians c. To the same purpose S. Hierom. Vid etiam S. Hieron Tom. 2 pag 326 Basu-edit epist magno oratori Romano hanc quaest copiose disputante And now to conclude this point also If thou suspect that
the office and dignitie of the person vnto whome obedience is to bee giuen they are such ouerseers as watch for your soules as they that must bee readie to giue an accouÌ„t the second ab honesto it were great ingratitude by our disobedience to moue them to performe this charge with griefe of minde and not rather with ioy and comfort The third froÌ„ the effect for this in the end wil be vnprofitable for you the worst wil be yours Of these in order as they lie But first before I come to handle the particulers let this one thing not impertinently be remembred in the generall That God hath made a difference of degrees amongst his people even from the beginning and stil doth must continue amongst Christians vnder the Gospell where there hath beene and alwaies and now is superiors and inferiors some to rule and some to be ruled And this appeareth in the very frame of nature for in the order of the vniuersall all creatures are subordinate vnto their superiors vntill they come to the highest supreame power Among the elements the earth is vnder the water the water the aire the aire the element of fire and that to the orbe of the moone every planet with their orbes one vnder another and all the celestiall bodies differ one from another in glorie and dignitie which order the superior bodies by their influences and the elements by their alterations do not only bring perfection vnto the whole but is the preservation of the whole So in the heauenly company and Church there are Arch-angels Angels principalities powers dominions thrones cherubins seraphins S. Hierom in his second booke against Iovinian proueth both out of divers places of the Gospel out of many places of the old Testament this point at large how that in heaueÌ„ there shal be differences of the degrees of glory And out of the epistles of S. Paul in the similitude of the meÌ„bers of a mans body some parts are more honorable then other there is the head aboue the foot the eie more honorable theÌ„ the legge c. For saith he some meÌ„bers are so necessary as we cannot liue without them others such as though they bee cut off we maymed yet may we coÌ„tinue life And the Philosopher to proue this principle from the grouÌ„d of nature sheweth that the maÌ„ is by nature made to gouerne the womaÌ„ the wise the noble the mighty to gouerne the foolish the ignoraÌ„t the base and the weake the father the children and the master the servants Now take away this order and the frame of nature would goe to ruine to the former confused chaos take away this order and humane societie cannot be maintained nay without this the coÌ„munion of Saints cannot be maintained Against the Anabaptists and familists who would haÌ„ue all men equall and all things in coÌ„mon Yet Christ bid giue to Caesar those things which were Caesars and S. Paul bids every soule to be subiect to the higher powers for there is no power but of God and hee calleth them Gods Ministers yet at that time there was no christiaÌ„ magistrate This being granted yet here some make question whether there be any superioritie or inferioritie amongst the ministers of the Gospell whether there be subiection and obedience due to bee giuen of the one to the other In the Apostles time it is plaine there were Prophets and Apostles Pastors Teachers Priests or Elders Deacons Bishops Evangelists 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and divers others In the ages succeeding the Apostles the general consent of al antiquitie the Churches of God easterne and weasterne in all ages hitherto haue kept a difference of degrees in the Church some besides laboring in the word of God to rule and gouerne and others that also labour in the worde and are subiect and to be gouerned by others S. Hierom in his second booke against Jouinian proueth that both in the Gospell as well as in the law it is hath and must be so for saith he Yet perhaps S. Hieron haÌ„dleâ—â— this point more sparing because he should haue beene elected Bishop of Rome and by reason of his a mulators had the repulse sine causa est diuersitas nominum si non sit diuersitas meritoruÌ„ And in his commentarie vpon the 19. Chapter of Esay he maketh mentioÌ„ of fiue orders in the Church Bishops Priests Deacons Beleeuers and those that were yet catechised and not admitted to the participation of the sacraments In his epistle ad Rusticum Monachum he saith singuli ecclesiarum Episcopi singuli archipresbyteri singuli archidiaconi omnis ordo ecclesiasticus suis rectoribus nititur mentioning Bishops and Priests that had also autoritie of gouerning and Archdeacons But in his comment on the 6. of Hiemie he saith that Bishops Priests and every Ecclesiasticall order ought to feed the flock of Christ and in this dispeÌ„sation there is no difference but as it pleaseth God to giue diversitie of gifts and blessing to the outward meanes by the inward working of the spirit And further in his commentarie vpon the epistle of S. Paul to Titus he sheweth that the occasion of the difference in autority of Priests or Elders and Bishops was by reason of scismes and heresies which even in the Apostles time then began to rise which might seeme to haue beene an ordinance then in force In another place hee saith that vnlesse this order were we should haue as many ministers so many scismes In all S. Augustines workes and al the fathers before him they all mention a difference betweene Presbyterum and Episcopum both in autoritie and dignitie Bucer in his booke de animarum cura officioque ecclesiastici pastoris V. etiam S. Hier. in ep stola Euaâ—rio cum annotationibus Erasmi p. 280. excus Basiliae anno 77. commenteth thus vpon S. Hierom It is not credible that this parity betweene Episcopum and Presbyterum continued long in any one Church neither was it generally at any time obserued in all Churches for even from the times of the Apostles some one Priest or elder was chosen amongst the rest which should be in authoritie aboue the rest as a guid and gouernor to rule all the rest as he proueth out of Act. 15. that S. Iames was Bishop of Hierusalem c. And that this ordination of Bishops was perpetually obserued in all Churches may be gathered by all ecclesiasticall histories and ancient fathers as Tertullian Cyprian Irenaeus Eusebius c. The necessity hereof he amplifieth with reasoÌ„s vnanswerable To this same purpose read the Kings Maiesties Apologie p. 45. 46 at ful And in al the oecumenical counsels provinciall Synodes which were from time to time kept for the maintenance of vnity repressing of heresie Who were there to discusse determine order matters in controversie to set down the confession of faith for vnitie to make ordinances and constitutions wherevnto ministers and people were subiect were
they inferior ministers or Bishops In all this time there was no question whether the Church ought to be gouerned by Bishops and other ministers of inferior autoritie and yet superior to others If amongst vs this order of gouernment were not both ministers and ministery would grow into contempt and such anarchie here would be the overthrow of the Gospell and Church of God amongst vs. Thus much for the generall Now to speake of the particuler obedience which cōsisteth in two things first in the obedience to the word of God preached by him that watcheth for the soule Secondly of yeelding obedience vnto the autoritie of such ministers as are in preheminence as also in obeying their lawes constitutions and ordinances And first touching obedience vnto the word where we are to consider that vnlesse we reverence the man that preacheth the word at least for his calling and office sake the worde preached by him shall be to smale effect Which Saint Paul knew well when 1 Cor. 4.1 he saith let a man esteeme of vs as the ministers of God and dispensers of his misteries And Gal. 4.14.15 he glorieth that the Galatians receiued him as an Angel yea as Christ himselfe and that their loue to him was such that if it had beene possible they would haue pulled out their very eies to haue done him good this their respect of him was a glory and renowne vnto them Our Saviour Christ complaineth that the base esteeme that his country-men had of him was the occasion why he preached little wroght few miracles and his comming was so little availeable to them This made S. Paul so carefull to right his reputatiō against the practises of the false apostles who in many places standeth much both in proving the autoritie of his Apostleship and also in exalting of his gifts declaring the integritie of his conversatiō Christ to teach the honor due vnto his ministers putteth vpon them his person and saith Mat. 10 that the entertainement and respect given vnto them hee accounteth done vnto himselfe We read that the Prophets were sometimes called mē of God sometimes Prophets of the Lord and even Kings called them fathers 2. King 6.21 In like manner S. Paul in divers places calleth his auditors his sonnes and himselfe their father shewing that as hee loued them as his naturall sonnes so ought they much more to honour him as their father Hieron ad Nepotianum esto subiectus Pontifici tuo tanquam animae parentem suspice In the Revelation ministers are called Angels a high title of honor 1 Tim. 5.17 The Apostle teacheth that those elders that rule well are worthy of double honour the meanest then are worthy of honor because they are more thē themselues they are the Embassadors of Christ 2. Cor. 1.14 pro Christo legatione fungimur Now doe but consider this the place and person they do sustaine that Gods autority doth shine in thē emineently and we shal easily conclude that to deny thē the honor and respect due vnto their office and place is to clip Gods coine is treason against God himselfe In the 5. commandement the yeelding of a due honor hath the promise of a blessed long life Vid. Bueer in lib. de ordinatione ministrorum ecclesia circa initium the contrary must needs procure a wretched life and a cursed death in the 2 King 2.24 verse when certaine children mocked Elizeus God cursed them and sent a shee beare out of a wood adioining which devoured 42 of them Therefore seeing we honour our lawier that watcheth for our goods and our Phisition for the health of our bodies much more ought their feete seeme beautifull vnto vs that watch for our soules that bring vs the glad tidings of salvation The consideration of this will manifest vnto vs the wicked frowardnes of such as without all feare of God or respect of common civilitie howsoeuer they will seeme to doe it in zeale of religion wil speake evil of thē that are in authoritie especially of the ministers from the highest to the lowest they wil bespurtle al with one blot or other though they bee never so sober learned reverend godly or graue yet al must be either false prophets antichristian prelats timeservers idle or evill persons yea though they preach oft if they preach not twice on the sunday they must bee damned creatures dumb dogges and what not if they bee not of their humor for to frame lies to raise slaunders to backbite or any waies to impeach any that are conformable to the gouernement of the Church they account it religion and he the most forward that herein sheweth himselfe most impudent And this is so common a vice annexed to the inbred-pride of faction that few of them that are refractorie to the gouernement established are free from but Saint James tels them they seeme to themselues to bee religeous but their ill gouerned tongue shewes their religion is vaine Another sort there are that esteeme basely of all ministers as they be ministers who though their wickednesse and contempt of God be herein farre greater thē the other yet are they herein the lesse dāgerous because they maske not in the cloke of religion but manifest their prophane hearts to all men yet it were meete that such grosse contempt should not escape vnpunished But the former sort obiect and say they giue honor to the ministerie and the ministers though they esteeme of some and not of others I should say more then others they only denie it to them that are not lawfull ministers which haue not a lawfull outward calling or want the inward calling which is gifts aptnesse to teach For the lawfulnes of the outward calling of our ministers it was not called into question either by Bucer Pet. Martyr or any of our worthy champions at the time of the restoring of the Gospell nor euer since by any godly learned nor by any other protestant Church amongst all which the glorie of our Church shineth in brightnes as the moone amongst the starres yet if there bee any that herein make scruple let him reade S. Augustine and other learned and ancient fathers against the Donatists which serueth for ful confutation of the same sect renued in our daies vnder other names To the second obiection that the minister happily is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apt to teach and therefore no lawfull minister nor worthy of the honour of a minister Wee wish with Moses and I would to God that all our ministers in England were good preachers yet wee knowe that in all ages there haue been some ministers in the Church who could preach and for sloth would not and some others that for want of gifts could not and yet were ever held for lawfull ministers In the establishing of the Gospell after the abolishing of Popery there was not a sufficient number of preachers and therefore there were many godly men chosen by godly Bishops Martyres into the
ministery that should read the Scriptures and praiers of the Church catechise according to a forme prescribed read homilies administer the sacraments haue the help of preachers monthly or quarterly or as oft as they could bee had And since then there are very many places where the stipend is not sufficient to maintaine a preacher and are of necessity served with an vnpreaching minister And yet wee doubt not but the people vnder them may performe acceptable service to God in hearing reverently the word read in ioining with him in publike prayers of the Church giving diligent care to the homilies and sermons which he readeth receiueth the sacraments and heare sermons so oft as they can haue them and bee in as good state of salvation as some people that haue diuers sermons made by extempory men which stand vpon the present assistance of the spirit dabitur in illa hora and preach their own idle humors S. August lib. 4. cap. 8. de doctrina christiana sheweth that there were in the Church in his time some ministers which had not the gift of preaching of whome hee made no question but that they were lawfull ministers he approueth their reading of homilies or pronouncing of other mens sermons to the better edifying and instructing of their people These are his words Sunt sane quidam qui bene pronunciare possunt quid autem pronuncient excogitare non possunt quod si ab alijs sumant eloquenter sapienterque conscriptum memoriaeque commendent atque ad populum proferant si eam personam gerunt non improbè faciunt And by your leaue a great parte of our curious preachers which envie so much against reading of homilies and cānot endure that a learned man should vse the helpe of his owne notes in the pulpit because they themselues can preach little worth noting which will seeme to preach all out of the Bible and their owne meditations yet will they preach other mens sermons printed and written and study little else and howsoeuer they knowe themselues to be vnlearned yet doe they account of themselues and will be accounted more then ordinary preachers I would haue them to deny ministers that haue not the gifts to make a sufficient sermon themselues to bee lawfull ministers then we should haue a great many of their preachers in the same state Let it bee proued that aptnesse to make preach sermons of themselues is the forme essence of a minister which cannot bee gathered out of St. Paul though questionlesse it is the principall qualitie in any minister Againe if such shal be denied to be ministers the congregations vnder them may as well be denied to be visible members of the Church of God then must the sacraments administred by them bee denied to bee sacraments but so doth no protestant Church esteeme of our ministers and congregations nor any of any sound iudgement S. Augustine Contra Parmentanum Donatistam contra Cresconium grammaticū contra Petilianum sheweth that the dignitie of the sacraments dependeth not of the worthinesse of the minister because the sacraments are Christs and whosoever the minister be that baptiseth with water it is hee that baptiseth with the holy Ghost To conclude this point the honor due vnto a minister Vnderstanding that this doctrine touching the reading of homilies by such as are not of sufficient abilitie to frame sermons was offensiuely taken as false erronius Let such offensiue men know that herein I said nothing but that which M. Bucer in his censure vpon our booke of common prayer hath written for the substance in his 7 chapter whither I referre the equall reader espec As for the carpets let them now bite him whō after many yeeres buried was burned for despite borne vnto his doct 〈◊〉 is not to be denied vnto him that hath not gifts of himselfe sufficient to make sermons seeing that this notwithstanding he cannot be denied to be a lawfull minister howsoever those that haue greater gifts are worthy of double honour Yet herein the slacknesse of some of the gouernors of our Church cannot be excused for there are many that if they were vrged and inioined haue sufficiencie both of learning and vtterance but their carelesnesse and idlenes is such that vnlesse they bee compelled they will take no pains There are others that with good directiōs helps of their able neighbouring ministers would in short time be brought vnto a reasonable sufficiencie in preaching as I haue knowne the experience of many in divers places Now for the rest which are not able of themselues to frame sermons they might be enioined to the catechising which is appointed by autoritie and to read homilies which are set forth and enioined and to procure their weekely or monthly sermons at the least according to the iniunctions and Canons And seeing it hath beene a fault of some particuler gouernors and not the fault of the gouernment which commandeth the cōtrary to ordaine such insufficient men in places where sufficiēt main tenāce is for able preachers it were to be wished that for the time to cōe they would admit none into such places but preachers And this evil was wisely foreseen thought very necessarie to be redressed when as by our ecclesiasticall lawes they ought to be graduats and of a good age and not meere grammer schollers nor youths which are to be admitted into the ministery Moreouer our gouernors of our Churches should doe a good and necessary service to take a sure survey of those that are preachers what their sufficiency is for many out of their presumptious pride or to avoid the name of a nōpreacher though they haue no learning nor any competent vnderstanding in the scriptures will take vpon them to preach very often yea some of them twice or thrice a weeke and God knowes knowe not how nor what they preach to the great dishonor of God and reproach of preachers bringing the preaching of the word in contempt and to bee iested at These vnpreaching preachers doe more harme in the Church and more hinder the obedience vnto the Gospel then any one thing these ought to bee forbidden to preach till they bee better instructed Lastly seeing the calling of ministers is to bee reverenced they are to admonish the ministers generally and particularly that by their pietie integritie diligence and charitie they would force men to yeeld that reverence and obedience as they are bound vnto and as becommeth them Now for the reverence and obedience vnto the word of God preached by the minister For as the reverent esteeme of the ministery ministers is a great cause that the people receiue the word of God with more alacrity and to their greater profit So the message which they bring i. the word of God addeth autority and honour to the minister and causeth obedience to be yeelded vnto it For vnles we be perswaded that they are Gods ministers and that the word which they deliver is
thou hearest the preacher preach that which is neither the worde of God nor agreeable vnto it carry the point to be discussed by some ministers that be in autority if he himselfe do not satisfy thee and let the spirit of the Prophets bee subiect vnto the Prophets and if it proue to bee an error hee may either confesse his fault and renounce his error or else til such time be restrained In the meane time vnlesse thou canst proue by this meanes the doctrine deliuered false thou art bound to reverence it to receiue it to obey it as the word of God Ob The second maine obiection is the life of the minister because God sometimes suffereth some covetous Iudasses some lasciuious sonnes of Elie some prophane Epicures to be in the ministerie they thinke there is no reverence due vnto them as they are ministers of God nor obedience vnto the word delivered by them as vnto the word of God Ans This indeed is a great stumbling blocke which hath and doth cause many to fall And it were to bee wished that by the censures of the church such offences were removed either by reclaiming the offendors and bringing them into order or els by suspending them from their orders vntill they amend seeing as Hophne Phineas they make the Lords sacrifices to be abhorred Yet the Lorde suffreth such to trie vs whether we wil hereat take offence and refuse the precious pearle offered vnto vs because it is brought vnto vs in an vncleane boxe To meete with this evill our Saviour himselfe hath given vs a lesson Mat. 23. The Scribes and Pharesies sit in Moses chaire all things therefore which they shall command you to obserue obserue and do ye but according to their workes do ye not for they say and do not S. Augustine in his 46. tract vpon S. Iohn writeth thus Habet ovile domini praepositos filios mercenarios Sed mercenarij etiam necessarij sunt multi quippe in ecclesia commoda terren a sectantes Christum tamen praedicant per eos vox Christi auditur sequuntur oves non mercenarium sed vocem pastoris per mercenarium Sedēdo enim cathedrā Mosi legem Dei docent ergo per illos Deus docet c. The sheepfold of Christ hath set over it sonnes hirelings And yet the hirelings also are necessary for there are manie in the church which follow after worldly commodities and yet preach Christ and by them is the voice of Christ heard the sheepe followe not the hireling but the voice of the sheepheard by the hireling for sitting in Moses chaire they teach the law of God therefore by them God teacheth And he alleadgeth S. Paul Phil. 1.15 sōe preach Christ of envy and contention some of a willing minde some of despight thinking to adde affliction to his bonds but howsoeuer hee was glad that Christ was preached and Phil 2.21 c. multis itaque prosunt dicendo quae non faciunt sed longe pluribus prodessent faciendo quae dicunt they doe much good vnto many in saying that which they do not but much more should they do by doing that which they say And in his second booke contra Cresconium Grammaticum he answereth an obiection made by the Donatists out of the 50. Psalme What hast thou to doe to preach my lawes c. He expoundeth it thus frustra hoc fit quantum ad te attinet non tibi prodest hoc tibi ad iudicium damnationis non ad meritum salutis valebit In vaine thou doest it as concerning thy selfe this shall availe thee nothing this shall not bee any meanes to saue thee but to condemne thee but they that shall heare the worde at such a mans mouth beleue it and obey it though he be damned yet they shall be saued because they followed the counsell of our Saviour Christ Mat. 23. that which they say doe but after their workes doe not c. Ob They that are evill men and vnsanctified cannot convert soules Resp Some I knowe and those of the precisest sort both of ministers and people haue held that a formalist for so they tearme al those that in the feare of God obedience vnto the Prince conforme thēselues vnto the laws prescribed cannot convert soules though he be never so learned or vpright in his conversation they haue that gift themselues S. Augustin contra epist Parmeniani lib. 2. cap. 11. Carnales homines non posse spiritales filios procreare Ioh. 3. quod natum est ex carne caro est quod natum ex spiritu spiritus est Carnall men cannot beget spirituall children because the Evangelist saith that which is borne of the flesh is fleshly Quasi nos dicamus per seipsum quemlibet hominem spiritales filios generare non pro Evangelium in cuius praedicatione spiritus sanctus operatur 1. Cor. 4. ego vos genui per Euangelium Euangelium autem fur quoque Iudas sine detrimento fidelium praedicauit As if so be we may say that any man of himselfe can beget spirituall children and not by the Gospell in the preaching whereof the holy Ghost worketh As S. Paul saith 1. Cor. 4. I haue begotten you by the Gospell and the theefe Iudas preached the Gospell without any detriment to the faithfull By this that hath been said in answere vnto the second obiection here ariseth this conclusion That evil and wicked men being ministers of the Gospell are to bee heard 2. That the word of God preached by them is to be receiued and obeyed as Gods word and may bee profitable to our saluation 3. That they notwithstanding are to be reverenced for the calling place sake And thus much for the first branch of obedience in hearing Now for obedience vnto ecclesiasticall lawes and constitutions D. H. Zanchie sheweth how that many not knowing the difference betweene humane traditions and ecclesiasticall constitutions brand them both with one blacke marke The necessitie of these he proueth at large by vnanswerable arguments to bee such as without the which concord peace and vnitie order nor decency can be obserued nor the Church of God consist or be nor any publike worship of God bee preserued and maintained Yet the necessity of these or those in particuler is not such as that they are accounted necessary to salvation or that of themselues they bind the conscience with a religious observation of them So in the preface to the booke of commō prayer where reasons are giuen of the abolishing of some ceremonies and the retaining of others is declared the selfe same thing and that many of these in our Church may vpon iust causes which the Church state shall thinke good be changed or altered therefore are not held equall in autority to the word of God And we knowe there is as great diversitie in the mindes of men as is in their visages therefore if some orders should not be set down
There are others which are different in several places countries as that some fast on the satterdaies some do not some receiue the cōmuniō every day some satterdaies sondaies only some on sondaies only some at set times Totū hoc genus habet liberas observationes nec est disciplina ulla in his rebus melior gravi prudentique viro quam ut eo modo agat quo agere viderit ecclesiam adquamcunque forte devenerit Quod enim neque contra fidē neque contra bonos more 's iniungitur indifferenter est habendū pro eorum inter quos vivitur societate seruandum est All things of this kinde are free to be observed as the particuler churches shall thinke good neither is there in these things any better rule to a graue prudent man thē that he behaue himselfe so as the church doth vnto which hee shall happyly come For that which is enioined if it be nether against faith nor manners is to be held indifferent ought to be observed according as they do in place where wee liue Then he sheweth that his mother cōming vnto him to Millain shee found that the church there did not fast on the satterdaies shee began to be troubled and to doubt what shee might doe Then saith he for her sake I went vnto S. Ambrose and asked his councell touching this matter he answered me that hee could teach me nothing but that thus he did himselfe and if he knewe better he would rather obserue it When as I thought that hee would haue yeelded me no other reason but his owne authority he proceeded and saide vnto me when I come to the church of Rome I fast on the satterday and when I am here I doe not Sic etiam tu ad quam forte ecclesiam veneris eius morem serua si cuiquam non vis esse scandalum nec quenquam tibi So thou also vnto whatsoever church thou cōmest follow the orders thereof if thou wouldest not scandalize any nor haue any to offend thee When I had tolde this to my mother shee was satisfied Ego vero de hac sententia etiam atque etiam cogitans ita semper habui tanquam eā coelesti oraculo susceperim sensi enim saepe dolens gemens multas infirmorum perturbationes fieri per quorundam fratrum contentiosam obstinationem superstitiosam timiditatem qui in rebus huiusmodi quae neque scripturae sanctae autoritate neque universalis ecclesiae traditione neque vitae corrigende vtilitate ad certum possunt terminum pervenire tantum quia subest qualiscunque ratiocinatio cogitantis aut quia in sua patria sic ipse consuevit aut quia ibi vidit ubi peregrinationē suam quo remotiorem à suis eo doctiorem putat tam litigiosas excitant quaestiones ut nisi quod ipsi faciunt nihil rectum existimant I often revolving in my minde this saying of S. Ambrose haue alwaies accompted of it as if so be I had received it by an oracle from heaven For with sorrow griefe I haue oftentimes found that many weake on s haue beene sore troubled through the contentious obstinacy and superstitious feare of certaine brethren who in those things which neither by the autoritie of the holy scripture nor by the generall tradition of the Church nor for the vtilitie of amendmēt of life can be brought to any certaine ende only because some make some curious scruple in their mind either because they haue vsed otherwise in their own country or because they haue seene another maner vsed in places where they haue travelled which by how much the more it bee remote by so much the more they doe esteeme it doe stirre vp such contentious questions that they thinke nothing right but what they doe thē selues And epist 86. to the same effect In his rebus in quibus nihil certi statuit scriptura diuina mos populi Dei vel instituta maiorū pro lege tenenda sunt Here S. Austine teacheth a farre better lesson touching offence observance of orders of the Church thē many amongst vs wil learne Ob There are that holde some of the ceremonies of the Church lawful but deny obediēce to some other as some approue of kneeling at the communiō but deny the rest sōe allow wearing the surplis burial of the dead yea the ring in marriage too but not the crosse in baptisme c. Ans This very argument is that which convinceth themselues for a man may reason thus against them Those ceremonies which the falsly named Puritans hold to be lawfull may and ought to bee vsed of every one according to their place in the Church But the Puritans so called doe allow all the ceremonies established in the Church The assumption of this argument is proued by induction of particuler examples amongst themselues who some allowing one some another they do vnwittingly in their diuersities allow al and yet all agree in the generall point of disobedience to the ceremonies of the Church There are some out of pride betake themselues to this disobedience for singularities sake and many seeing that in this florishing time they had neither learning pietie nor any tolerable gifts to commend themselues thinke by their refractarinesse to grow into note for the people desire novelty and no novelty pleaseth them better then that which tendeth to disobedience and let any one put on this person he pleaseth the people becommeth famous must needs be learned holy haue al vertues in him Some also by this meanes haue enriched themselues and made a gaine of the time haue suffered a little losse to haue a tenfold greater gaine in collections contributions insomuch that some of thē being before poore pedants are now becōe rich vserers And though some haue lost much yet many others haue gained much more Now when the reward of disobedience shal be greater then the recōpense of obedience disobedience being it selfe so pleasing a humor it must needs oversway many The learneder sort I perswade my selfe doe especially deny their obedience vnto the orders of the Church because they themselues haue formerly spoken and preached against them cannot now without offense to their people whome formerly they haue so instructed practise the contrary else some of them haue professed that to preach the Gospell in an vnknowne place they could bee contented to vse them There is another sort which are neither hot nor colde yeeld obedience and yeeld not obedience humor al parties and stand in the middle betweene two opinions That if the gouernement of the Church should be altered according to the practises of many men they might say they were ever of that minde and therefore seldome or never vsed the ceremonies but whē they were vrged nay spake against them privately and publikely as far as they durst yea humored and most esteemed such men as did wholy deny the lawfulnes of them and if the state
shall continue the present gouernement ceremonies giue no way to y Aug. ipsa mutaâ—tio consuâ—tudinis etiam quae adtuvat vtilitate novitate perturbat Formalists innovations then they may say they hold with the doctrine discipline and ceremonies of the Church they haue subscribed vnto them and yeelded obedience to the Church These men are vile formalists that turne religion into policie either condemne theÌ„selues in those things they know or knowingly coÌ„firme sooth others in their errors and disobedience These meÌ„ neither deserue nor haue loue of Prince Magistrate nor people neither is any trust reposed in them for they cannot haue good consciences which will stretch every way and howsoever some for their owne purpose seem to flatter them yet they are truely esteemed of none Yet God forbid that we should deny but there are some which deny obedieÌ„ce for their coÌ„science sake not rightly informed in the word of God who if they could haue beene perswaded otherwise would never haue vndergone such evident losse and trouble yet let such labour to knowe that it is not good to leaue preaching of the word a matter of substance which is commanded vnder a Woe for matters of circumstance ceremonies and in question And to consider the benefit of vnity peace The reason that the people alleadge why they will not be brought to conforme themselues in their places nor like such ministers as are conformable is because they haue beene otherwise taught and they were good men that so taught vs say they And one holdes of Paul another of Apollo Novelty and singularity doe so affect them that they scorne to doe as the Church state do they say the smale number is in the right The way that fewest approue and most condemne that is the true way So did the Donatists plead in S. Augustines time and because some of them were then punished for their outrageous faults they grounded herevpon that they were the persecuted Church they suffered for righteousnesse and yet the louing cariage and mildnesse of the Church then towards them and their proud spitefull and seditious practises against the Church did evidently testifie who were Christs disciples and who not who had the spirit of loue and vnity and who of pride hatred and contention And I pray God we may once cleerely perceiue that this is the practise of SataÌ„ as Bucer saith to bring vs to a verball profession and by questions of genealogies and matters of smaller moment to tread S. Iames his religion vnder foot when we shall haue religion all in opinions and little or never a whit in good workes as is now come to passe And all this while the Papists haue gotten greate advantage and by whose meanes the Brownists increase it is more then evident and God grant we may knowe how God delighteth in loue and vnity and how Church nor state can longe consist where divisions are fostered Now because all publique disorders disobedience arise out of particuler houses parishes and that wee are met togither here at the Visitation for reformation of such things as are amisse The churchwardens sworne meÌ„ are to take heed that they performe obedience in presenting faults according to their oath Ob But some obiect say they holde not our spiritual iudges nor their courtes lawfull neither will they present for faults such matters as they hold to bee no faults i. disobedience vnto Church orders Ans To answere thee why didst thou sweare to answere by oath particulerly to these and these things and by thy mentall reservation doest thus hypocritically wickedly dispense with thy oath Hast thou learned divinity of the Priscillianist or of the treacherous equivocating Papist Ob Some will presume they neede not present according to oath because little or nothing is meÌ„ded but a little purse punishment Ans May not the superiour Magistrate repriue a fellon and the supreme pardon at his pleasure yet thou must bee accessary if thou do not apprehend indite such offenders And learne this withall That Magistrates especially of estate do must do many things whereof we cannot tell the reason and they may seeme to vs to doe ill when they do best and it is not fit for vs to take accompt of them but to looke to our owne duties know they are more wise then we And if in our busines little be mended that thou canst see imagine or hope that it is better then thou canst see and performe thou thy oath which is alwaies sacred Others dispense with their oathes for feare others spare their friends and familiars others because they would not be accompted troublesome and others also because they would themselues be borne with another time Every Minister should herein do wel to admonish his people of the great waight of an oath and if these and like vnder officers would present and indite according as they are bound theÌ„ need there not be such exclaming against superiorpowers for the raigning of all abuses seeing the principall cause ariseth from ourselues And thus much for the first point of obedience and for this time FINIS To the Reader I Knowe that it will be expected at this autors hands that he should haue haÌ„dled these points more fully exactly haue set theÌ„ downe in more plausible polished words sentences But vnderstand that his study about this was begun and ended within the coÌ„passe of one onely weeke besides it was to be no larger then could be deliuered in an houres space and it was purposed only for the supply of that place at that time without any intent at all of further publishing till their inordinate dealing extorted it out of his hands and now is set downe as neere as may be in the same words His intent was good in Gods feare to perswade them to obedience and vnity which God grant that they and we all may follow Amen