THE IVDGEMENT OF A MOST REVEREND AND LEARNED MAN FROM BEYOND THE SEAS CONCERNING A THREEFOLD ORDER OF BISHOPS WITH A DECLARATION OF CERTAINE OTHER WAIGHTIE POINTS CONCERNING THE DISCIPLINE AND GOVERNEMENT OF THE CHVRCH THE IVDGMENT OF A MOST REVEREND AND LEARNED MAN FROM BEyond the seas concerning a threefolde order of Bishops with a declaration of certaine other waightie pointes concer-cerning the discipline and gouernement of the church We must needes make three bishops 1 Of God 2 Of man 3 Of the deuil A Bishop ordained of God or set vp by the law of God doth declare nothing els but their calling which by an other more speciall name are called Pastoures whome saieth Luke the holy Ghost hath appointed Etheto episcopon poykanein ten ecclesian tou theou Bishops to feede the Church of GOD. And either of these names of Pastour or of Bishop is proper to them in the newe Testament whereby the Apostle doeth distinguish them from Apostles Prophets and Euangelists which were callings to endure for a tyme Ephes 4. 11. and from Deacons 1. Tim. 3. and Phil. 1. 1. for otherwise they are euery where called Elders Paule doth call his Apostleship a Deaconship Rom. 11. 13. But they are called Bishops in regard of the sheepe committed vnto them as though a man should call them watchmen of ouerseers These now were one alone as where any church had but one Pastor or more if the Church had more then one And the meeting of them together ioyntly with their Elders whom Paule calleth gouernours of the other commoÌ„ name â—eureuses Presbyteâ—ion called was the Eldership Their duetie was to attend on the worde and praier both publikely and priuately and in common to gouerne the Church as appeareth by many places of Scripture That the same were subiect to magistrates though prophane appeareth not onely by the example of Christ the high Priest and of the Apostles but also by the expresse wordes of Paul 1. Timoth 2. and Luke 12. 13. OF THE BISHOP THAT is of man THe Bishop that is of man that is to say brought into the Church by the alone wisedome of man besides the expresse word of God is a certain power giuen to one certaine Pastour aboue his other fellowes yet limited with certain orders or rules prouided against tyranny They which did beare this office of bishop are called bishops in regard of their fellow Elders and the whole clergie as watchmen set ouer the clergie That this calling was not brought in by the word it is manifest by that that there is not to be found in the new Testament so much as one syllable whereby there may be the least surmise of any such thing For although we doubt not but all thinges ought to be done orderly in the lordes house and therfore that some one should be president in euery assembly whom Iohn in the ReuelatioÌ„ seemeth to call the Angell of the Churches And Austen calleth the moderator Proestota yet this moderator of actioÌ„s of the Church sauyng this one thing that he was the first in order in the coÌ„pany had no authority ouer his felows neither did hee exercise any higher office Therefore the author of the epistle to the Hebrewes as Hierome noteth doeth cal the whole company of the elders Egoumenous Hebr. 13. gouernours not any one certayne man Such a one was Peter many times in the very assembly of the Apostles of a great authoritie surely amongst the Apostles who were all otherwise equall and yet he himselfe one of the company of the Apostles sent by his companions to Samaria with Iohn Act. 8. 14. and in the assembly giuing an account of his ministery to those which were of the Circumcision Acts 11. 2. But if any such bishoplike authoritie of any one aboue the rest as there was afterwardes had bin then surely the apostles would haue set down their names euen at that tyme in their letters which they sent from one to another especially seeing Paule in his epistle to the Philip. doth name bishops in the plural number and Deacons or there should haue bene at least some peculiar mention made of them Which seeing it is not done it appeareth that amongest these gouerners there was none in degree aboue their companions and fellow bishops but as occasion serued the Churches were gouerned by a fellowlike equal authoritie among the fellow-elders in their elderships he onely going before the rest whose godlines and authoritie the company did most allow of Epiphanius against the Arrians defending the contrary opinion namely the bishop ordained by man as ordained by God doth bring forth three reasons to the contrary Two as it were out of the word of God the third out of the history of those tymes The first place is 1. Tim. 5. 1. Rebuke not an Elder Presbyteron me â—peplexenâ— c. whereby he gathereth that Timothie had some authoritie ouer the Elders that is the Pastors of the church of Ephesus But be it spokeÌ„ with the fauour of so woorthy a man hee should haue marked that here an elder is called he that is such by age not he that is a Pastor which is declared by the opposition next following of yong men 〈◊〉 reote … An other place is out of the same Epistle Receyue not an accusation agaynst an Elder the first of Timothie 5. 19. Whereby he gathereth that the Elders were subiect to the Bishops and tribunall seate But who will graunt hym that Timothie was Bishop of Ephesus For the history will easily reâ—ell that which the fathers doe report as certayne For no man can denie that Timothie was one that accompanied Paule and therefore no bishop assigned to any one certaine place who was sent one while to this place an other to that for the establishing of the Churches and finally that he was an Euangelist and not a bishop of any one certayne flocke I haue desired thee saieth hee to abide at Ephesus whilest I went into Macedonia And why so namely to looke to the Church which hee had begunne to establish vntill he were called for agayne which he doth in the other epistle What and did the Apostle robbe the Ephesians of their Bishop without asking their church at the least Surely when he went last to Ierusalem neuer mindyng to returne to Ephesus eyther he would haue restored Timothie vnto them or the Ephesians would haue required him agayne of the Apostle when hee put them in minde of so great danger at hand or if another were to be put into his roume hee would haue made expresse mention in that his diuine Sermon But he is sayd to haue sent for the Elders onely and to haue warned them of the duetie belongyng to them all Yet it need not seeme straunge to any that the Euangelist Timothie a man indued with so many and so great giftes remainyng at Ephesus did gouerne all thinges by his direction as one in degree aboue the Elders and by the Apostles authoritie
appointed there for a tyme. But let vs graunt Epiphanius more then this that Timothie had the authoritie of the laying on of handes out of these woordes of the Apostle Laye not handes sodainely vpon any Let vs graunt this too that these duties beloÌ„ged to the gouernors yet we deny that Timothie could haue had any authoritie therefore ouer the Elders of Ephesus except he had bin an Euangelist For Paule himselfe Tim. 4. 14. doth shew sufficiently that the laying on of the hands was done in the name of the Eldership it selfe not by the authoritie of any superior Now the reasons of the same Epiphanius are these Bishops saieth hee begette the fathers of the Church but Elders the sonnes in asmuch as bishops and not Elders ordained bishops But what is this els then to aske to haue that which is in question for it may be and ought to bee answered that the bishops tooke that authoritie vpon them without warrant of the word of God and that the rule is false which coÌ„cerning this matter doth attribute it to the Apostles which may be shewed by the ordaining of Timothie by the Eldership Againe forasmuch as election is the chiefe ground of church-offices which dependeth of the voyces of the whole company and not of the laying on of handes which made not bishops but sent them into their possession after they had made them we may more truly affirme with the Apostle that the holy Ghost by the voices of the children themselues made the fathers and not the bishops An other of his reasons is a deprauing of places alleaged out of Paul that the Church being new borne bishops could not be so established euerywhere at the first as is to be seene in the election of Deacons Whom yet can Epiphanius perswade that it was for want of fit men onely that there were many bishops in euery Church For that which not onelye Hierome but Epiphanius against the Miletians also reporteth concerning them of Alexandria that is Alexandria neuer had two bishops as the other cities vpon what ground Oupoteâ— lexandrâ— duo episâ— pous eichâ— os kai alâ— poleis the men of Alexandria did it folowed not the examples of other churches let them see to it Finally that this kind of bishop which who so beareth it is not the first in order amongst his felow elders but in degree aboue them beyng the onely man in his diocesse is not ordeined by the word of God but by custome amongst the fathers Hierome witnesseth as very many others long since haue obserued For these are his woordes in his epistle to Euagrius The Apostle saieth hee doeth teach plainely that Elders and Bishops are all one c. And where as one after was chosen to bee set ouer the rest that saith he was a remedy found out for remedy of schisme that euery one drawyng Christ vnto himselfe myght not rend the Church in sunder For at Alexandria also from the tyme of Marke the Euangelist to the tyme of Heraclea and Dionysius the Bishop the Elders placed one in a high degree or place chosen by themselues whom they called a bishop Moreouer vppon the first to Titus An Elder and a Bishop saith hee is all one and before by the instigation of the deuill there was pertakyng in religion it was sayd amongest the people I am of Paule of Apollos and of Caephas the Churches were gouerned by the common aduise of the Elders But after that euery one imagined that those whome he baptised were his owne and not Christes it was decreed throughout the whole world that one chosen of the Elders shoulde bee set aboue the rest vnto whome all the care of the church might appertayne to the takyng away of the seedes of contentions And a little after As the Elders knowe that they ate subiect by the custome of the Churche to the Bishop that is set ouer them so let the Bishops knowe that they are greater then the Elders rather by custome then by any vertue of the Lordes appoyntment Yea and Augustine also in his 19. epistle saieth that according to the titles of honor which the vse of the Church hath gotten the office of a bishop is greater then the office of an Elder Chrysostome also witnesseth vpon the first to Timothie and the 3. chapter That the Bishops differ from the Elders onely in ordinatioÌ„ that is as Theophilact speaketh more plainly in the onely ceremonie of consecration Theodoret writing vpon the same place saith That in olde tyme they called the same men Elders and Bishops as though forsooth the thing it selfe had then bene onely called by another name and goeth about to prooue that because Paule calleth Epaphroditus the Apostle of the Philippians This is of no weight at all The names which are giuen of fellow labourer and fellow souldiour do declare that he was no bishop in this kind of bishop but an Euangelist tied to no one citie much lesse to a diocesse of the number of those whome the Apostles did keepe to send to and fro at the motioÌ„ of the spirit of God The councell of Nice also disputing about the degrees of bishops alleageth ancient customes whereof we minde to speake anon And where as Cyprian not in one place calleth the bishops successors of the Apostles whose authoritie is from God and if we take it so as though by the very commandement of God these bishops are the same that in tyme past the Apostles the thing it selfe doth refute that seeyng there was alwayes a certain portion assigned to euery bishop But the Apostles by the direction of the spirite rite of God though not confusedlie did exercise their ministery throughout the whole worlde But if this be true there should haue beene more bishops in the Church of Rome it selfe namely Peter and Paul which yet afterwards was counted peculiar to one And surely ther cannot be mo the cheefe in one and the same company at one time And whereas the name of Byshops is sayd of the Apostleship Acte 1. 20. It maketh nothing to the matter except a man by a like reason woulde haue the Deacons to haue bin Apostles because Paul calleth his Apostleship a Deaconship or ministery But we are to looke Didâ—â—nian into that also that Hierome mighte seeme to be of the mind that this kinde of Byshop begun theÌ„ when as schismes arose vp in the Church That this is not so we may gather out of Paul him self who of purpose writing to the Corinthians about the same matter doth not onely passe ouer this remedy but also as foreseeing such a matter doth in the title of the epistle ioyne vnto him selfe Sosthenes to teach by his example how carefully this Primacie is to be auoyded in assemblies of the Church who it is euident were not onely the first in order next vnto Christ but also highest in degree did execute their ministerie in common Wherefore no not the same Paule alone would excommunicate the incestuous persons by his
with all the ancient good lawes prouidyng for the resisting of the gouernyng by some few had bene in their former force agayne But besides that the state of the world being quite changed experience of so many ages doeth teach vs too well that vnlesse this roote also be plucked vp it wil come to passe that the same fruite will sprout and bud forth again Finally seing the Lord hath so oftē decided this cōtrouersie of superiority among his own disciples that he shut it cleane out seing the rule both for doctrine good order of the Church is to bee sought for out of the very writings of the apostles it is manifested the churches thē prospered whē all this authoritie of one man ouer the rest yet was not but as that grew vp so al things fell to decay Finally seeyng where the remnants of this gouernment by a few are not cleane taken away the woorke of the Lord is openly hindered Our iudgement is that after the chasing away of this deuise of man the churches shall be wel prouided for if they may be repaired according to the writynges of the Apostles And the reformation as it semeth to vs consisteth herein that first the whole kingdome is to bee deuided into regions Agayne the regions into parishes either of Cities or countrey townes that in places most fit and of greatest assembly be placed pastors beyng lawfully propounded by the company of their owne elders to the kinges christiā maiestie or the deputies therof and allowed of all Lastly beyng receyued of their own people ouer whō they are to be set they be placed promulgation hauing gone before and that in euery parish the pastour may haue with hym fit men to assist him who also may beyng watchfull salue vp the offences not so waighty leauyng the other of greater importance to the whole eldership Also that eldership made of the pastors of parishes both of citie cuntry and a sufficient number of men approoued for their godlines wisedom lawfully also chosen as is aforesayd bee placed in most fitte places who assemblyng at a certaine tyme and place may determine of the Church-affayres of their owne gouernment accordyng to the prescript lawes first set downe in a generall councell and afterward confirmed by the authoritie of the soueraigne maiestie In this company let there be chosen by common voyces one first in order not superior in authoritie who shall be thought most fit and that without making choyse of any certaine place but for a certaine tyme. After the expiryng whereof either let another bee chosen or els the same man is to be established agayne for another tyme by a new consent whose office is to make report of the common affaires to the company to demaund their iudgements and to giue sentence by the iudgement of the eldership hauing no authority giuē him ouer his felows to whō rather he is most subiect In this assembly let nothyng be debated of besides maters of consciēce that by the word of god the lawes of church discipline established drawen out of the worde of God not one whit medling with the authority of the ciuil magistrate And let the soueraign maiesty the lawfull magistrate thereby appointed be keepers of this order the punisher of those that seditiously rage against it But if any shal imagin that this sodain abolishing of both these bishops will minister occasion of new stirres although we see not with what consciēce the bish may so chalenge to themselues the goods of the church or els call thēselues bishops liue like princes of this world yet for to keep the cōmon peace the soueraigne maiesty may leaue vnto thē which are now bishops their reuenues whole for their lyfe tyme so they trouble not the well made order of the Church with prouiding there be none chosen into their place when they bee dead As for the frowardnes of the people it may be kept downe better a great deale by other reynes then by the authoritie of a false named bishop as by preaching of the word of God by censures of the church and the authoritie of the magistrate of the cuntry agaynst the open troubles of the publike state either ecclesiastical or ciuil The Churches may very wel be visited at set times without any great cost and bishoplike pride by thē whō euery eldership hath chosen vnder the K. maiesties authority which wil not be alwais necessary if the elders do rightly execute their office This sitting of the bish with the authority of the voice in the publike estates of the kingdom came in with a manifest abuse cōtrary to the word therfore in our mind is to be vtterly abolished For the bish hath nothing to do in ordring of meer ciuil affairs yet forasmuch as in such assemblies especially some things many times happen belonging to the establishing of the estate order of the churches the kepers wherof the godly magistrates ought to be not the ouer turners as we are taught by the exāple of holy kings It is very necessary that as often as the meetinges of the land are proclaymed intelligence thereof be giuen to the chiefe elders who may bee present in the behalfe of their seignories yet not sittyng as iudges but dealing about matters of the church onely with the estates of the land as their elderships haue giuen them in charge except the states thinke good vpon extraordinary occasion that they aske counsell of God about some other affaires also If also the kinges Maiestie thinke good to admit into counsell amongest the pastors or elders one who shall bee thought to be wise and experienced in things he may admit him though not as a pastor or elder yet as a citizen And it were iniurious to remooue from their office in the Church the pastours and much lesse the Elders and Deacons otherwise laymen frō that degree which they hold as citizens either in the common wealth or in the assemblies But the kings maiesty and all the Princes Lordes are to be exceedyng wary that they make not courtlike gouernours of their pastors to the great endamagyng of the Church as we haue a faire example in Eusebius of Nicomedia in the court of Constantine As for the right of the patronage least some man should say that it was gotten for himselfe Our iudgement is that it may be concealed but not without some conditiōs namely that he which shall be chosen by the free voyces of the eldership should bee offred by the Patrone to the kings maiestie beyng also to set vpon his charge after the consenting of his flocke The second question After that religion is reformed it hath bene a receiued custome that the bishops and of the ministers pastors elders so many as should be sent of the bishops should assemble themselues that they together with the chiefe Barons and nobles which professe the true religion might make enquirie after the doctrine and maners of euery one
But seeyng the prince himselfe is a louer of the true religion it is a question whether there may be such an assembly with out the consent or commandement of the prince Whether the ministers alone may meete as often as they will Last of all whether the nobles and other godly men elders which are yeerely chosen with vs out of the people and nobilitie together may lawfully or expediently come without the cōmandement of the king to such assemblies Which assembly of the nobles and people seemeth to some altogether needles vnder a godly prince either because it hath not long since ben receyued by a meere custome without any law and that vnder a prince who then resisted the religion whereby such assemblies myght haue the greater authoritie or els because it may seeme dangerous if so many nobles assemble so oftē without the consent of the king they may somtimes consult of some thing els besides religion Others thinke that this assemblie is in no case to bee refused but rather that it is very needefull that the Nobles and other religious men be present as helpers to their ministers in the assembly bearyng witnesse of their lyfe and the peoples behauiour otherwyse it will after come to passe that if an impious prince raign afterward that neither ministers may safely assemble neyther can the determination be put in execution without the consent helpe ayde of the nobles To the second question Councels are necessarye in the Church for many causes both to the retayning of agreement and also to the seeking of remedies by common aduise for the daungers which fall out And last of all to take order for those that rest not in the iudgement of perticular seignories if they thinke they haue any iniurie done them And these Councels are eyther of a whole nation or of some one Region or Prouince or Diocesse as they haue begun to speake after the description of the Prouinces of Rome deuided into many Seigniories It is necessary that the Councels of the prouinces be deuided for many causes except there be other vrgent causes they would be appoynted rather euery halfe yeere then quarterly least in discoursing of matters they spende the tyme in vayne And it will bee best for the auoyding of ambition that the Councell be not alwayes assembled in the same place of euery prouince but as soone as one halfe yeeres Synode is discussed it may be determined by cōmon consent where shal be the place of the next followyng It will be very well that two of euery seignorie of the prouince chosen by common voyces and sent with some commission be present at these councels one a pastor and the other an Elder or a Deacon Neyther would we haue any strife about sitting who should sitte first or last but euery one to sit as it shall fall out without any contention and the iudgement to bee giuen as any one shall sit Now he that shal gouern the whole action who was chosen for this one thing by common consent of voyce the chiefe pastor of the place beyng in the beginning President which office shall end when the Councell shall be ended There are no matters in question to bee propounded to these Councels to take knowledge of but such as are more spiritual belong to that prouince where they are to be decided without appeale by the word of God the rules there set downe without any brabling or disturbance of the company Yet if any great priuate controuersie shall fall out in the prouinciall Synode where some may thinke that he hath cause to complayne of iniury done vnto him he may put vp his complaint to be decided in a generall councel whē it shal be thought good to assemble it Furthermore it is chiefly required that if all the lawes of the Church be established of the kings christian maiesty it foloweth that the Councels are to be assembled by his commandement and direction and not otherwise Neither yet is there a new commission euery tyme to be sought for of the king for that purpose seeyng his maiesty hath once established a law touching the set tymes of ordinary Synodes But yet if there arise iust cause of suspition of hādling in these metings other matters besides meere ecclesiasticall it shall be safe for the kings maiesty to send one of his subiects whō he will to disgrace by his presence the meeting of the Synodes where yet he is not to be as a iudge except some thing fall out where it is necessary that the authoritie of the ciuill magistrate be put betweene A generall councel of the land is not to be assembled but vpon great causes which seeyng they agree not with set tymes it followeth that they are not to bee standing neither but as often as some thing shall seeme to fall out of so great waight either in doctrine or in gouernment of the church as cannot well be decided but in a generall meeting that prouince is to be carefull to put other prouinces in mind concerning that matter in these halfe yeeres Synodes that with the consent of all or the greater part they go vnto the kings maiesty who as being a christiā prince is to desire nothing more then the peace of the churches ought without any stay or doubting at the suite of the Churches to appoint a place and tyme for a general meeting as the need of the churches shal require And the same order may seeme to be kept in the generall Councels which is in the prouincial whether before the kings maiesty himselfe as in some general councels the emperors of Rome haue bene present or before the honorable lordes of the kings maiestie And last of all whatsoeuer shal be alowed by the common consent of the Synode shall be confirmed by the kinges maiesties expresse authoritie after the example of the godly Emperours The third question Whether the king or the bishops are to call the assembly of the Church and as concernyng what matters they may make lawes To the third question Wee haue aunswered the first part of this question already To the second we answere First it is not lawful no not for the angels themselues to make any lawes for the consciēce but the church is to be vpholden by those which the Lord hath enacted seeyng we are now to looke for no newe reuelation the whole counsell of God touchyng our saluation being fully perfectly made manifest Our iudgement also is that the discipline or good order is to bee sought for out of the word of God and to be kept inuiolable as the second part of christian doctrine Yet there remayneth two things wherof there may yea and there ought to be lawes set downe in the Church For first of all where as euery thyng is not expressely and in so many wordes set downe in the writings of the Prophetes and Apostles therefore in controuersies both concerning doctrine and the substaunce of Church discipline the Councell ought to
comprehend the decidyng of them in vnfallible and plaine heads as by certayne rules like as it was done profitably in those right approoued Councels both Oecumenie perticulars against the blasphemy of the heretikes and the malipertnesse of the disordered And where as there come many questions in the seignories especially when there is dealing about mariages though there cannot be certaine rules set downe touching them out of the worde of God yet so neere as may be rules drawn out of the comparing of the scriptures are to be set downe after which they may be decided yet is neither any thing takē from the word of God by the puttyng to of this so it be rightly done But this is rather an interpretation of the worde of God a declaring how one foloweth vpon another Agayne where the substance both of doctrine and ecclesiasticall discipline abideth whole and vnchangeable yet must the outward circumstances of the order needs be changed for the same reason of the person places abideth not alwayes For we see the Apostles loue feastes taken away the decrees touching bloud and that which was strangled The gouernors of the church are to prouide also that all may haue intelligence at what tyme place it is expedient for any thing to be done in the Church yet so as the doctrine it selfe vnder which we also comprehend the ordaining of the sacramēts abide whole as God hath set it downe Further that in setting down the lawes of this order there be set down nothing foolish or vnprofitable much lesse any of the old customes retained which either is already stained with superstition or which may easily make a way to superstition Lastly that in all these there be a great regard of simplicitie and that the church be not loaded with a multitude of rules And for the auoyding of the diuersitie of rites it is necessary that these Canons as in olde tyme they called them be set downe in their generall counsels that any thing in the same land may be chaunged according to the tyme. But whatsoeuer shall be set downe in those counsels is to be established by the authoritie of the kings Christian maiestie as next after God the keper and defender of the churches The fourth question Whether the papistes are to be excommunicate as Apostates or vtter fallers away or to be punished with some smaller punishment To the fourth question We see not what sword of excommunication may be drawen out against those men who though they were set into the church by no vaine baptisme yet neuer entred into the fellowship of the pure church Yea the doores are alwayes to stand opē that they may come to heare the word of God and they are carefully to be allured thether if at any tyme as the Apostle saith they may repent and get out of the snare of the deuill of whom they are holden captiue But if any shal be thought to sinne in an open contempt our iudgement is that it ought wholy to bee put ouer to the christiā magistrate We thinke that it beseemeth a Christian magistrate to deale much by lenitie in the matter of religiō towards his subiects not being troublesome sectaries such as of knowledge blaspheme The fift question For what cause may any be excommunicated As put case one kill a man saying he did it by chaunce or of some necessitie for his owne safetie and is redy to be iudged about that matter not yet accused either of the king or of the neighbours of him that is killed Whether may the Church make inquirie of the fact whether it wer done of trecherie or by chance or of necessity compell the manslear to professe repentance openly in the church or to excommunicate him if he refuse To the fift question No man earnestly repenting is to be excommunicate but after repentaunce rather ought to bee receiued And the cause of excommunication ought to be most waighty a publike offence seing that onely the extremitie of the diseases must haue extreme remedies Yet may such men after the thing be knowen be suspended from receiuyng the Lordes supper they were woont to cal such mē restrained for whom this is thought to be a necessary remedy that for the great nes of their offence they may be an example to others or that their repentāce doth stand in need of triall As for the present question If the magistrate put in minde of his duety doe winke at such faults and yet it be probable that none is rashly accused Wee thinke that the Eldership may call him forth and there as the matter shal require to exhort him to the acknowledging of the offence which if ye shall deny he is to be left to the iudgement of God neither are the Elders to proceede any further in the hearing of witnesses The sixt question Where as in the former age much wealth hath bene giuen by princes and many other to the bishops monasteries c. vnder the name of almes so great riches seeme rather to hurt the bishops then to do them good and monasteries in the church and common wealth are vnprofitable what yet should become of such goods which were once consecrate to the church For seeing the Bishops and ministers haue sufficient of their tithes whereof they may liue well and honestly can the prince with the consent of the states of the kingdome turne the residue eyther to his priuate vse or the good of the commō wealth especially seeyng such goods do consist not onely in tithes but of possessions both in the country the city Which question seeing it seemeth to bee rather ciuil then ecclesiasticall I purposed not to trouble you in this point But whereas many both learned godly amōgst vs are of this minde that those thinges which haue bene once vowed to holy vses cannot be giuen to prophane vses though they be publike I could not but mention the matter vnto you To the sixt question Cōcerning the goods of the church First of all we suppose great heed ought to be taken that none do staine himself with handling the church goods For if God hath taken reuenge of such sacrileges euen amongst the very idolaters what trow we will his iudgement be against thē which haue spoiled his churches and haue prophaned the thinges which were set a parte for his true worship Moreouer it is euident that this turneth greatly to the reproch of the name of God and of his holy gospel as thogh forsooth papistry hath ben abandoned not for the loue of the truth but to rob the church of her goods and as though new theeues haue entered in the roume of the olde Nowe euen as aboundaunce doth ouerwhelme the Church so it is to be feared least she be brought into great straights by want whilest many now a daies are no lesse sparyng and niggardly in vpholding the true ministerie then heretofore kinges and princes themselues haue beene ouerlauishyng we thinke it needefull to keepe a meane in this poynte which so wee take will be the best if first a view be taken of the daily expences which are necessary to be made then if somwhat be laid vp for many thinges extraordinary wheras no iust reckoning can be made and both of these be accounted not sparingly or slenderly but bountifully and liberally seeyng that the Church by the goodnes of God hath plenty Therfore that number is to bee made of parishes and pastors which may very well suffise the people and euery one is to haue an honest liuing allowed Order also is to be taken for the elders who are to assist the pastors that they may conueniently discharge their duety It would be also iniurious that the widowes and childrē of the pastors which are dead should be brought to beggery who in a care of their calling were constrained to lay aside the care of prouiding for their familie Schooles also and vniuersities seing they are the Seminary of the church are not the least part of the care thereof Care also is to bee had of almes houses hospitals of churches that they be kept in reparations and new builded if need require Last of all as I say before seeyng the churches haue plenty order must be taken what shal be brought into the Church treasury yeerely from whēce may be fetched that which may suffise in tyme of warre or famine least then it be to seeke when it should be in a readinesse When all these things shall faithfully frankly be brought by supputation into one summe still yeerely Good and sufficient men are to take order for their collecting such a way as shall be without trouble or strife That which shall be found to be ouerplus is not to be lauished out with other publike reuenues but to be layed vp by it selfe for these are of an other nature though not alwayes gottē after the honestest sort by the couetous priests and we thinke that it may be taken bestowed for the seruice of the kingdome when the publike necessitie thereof doth require it especially if the people be so much the more eased