by vvay of persvvasion for that partie commended to him by his neighbors to be a very honest and poore man hauing maried also the vvidovve of a Printer and hee did very well like and allovve of his placing by such as haue interest therein Neither did hee euer heare but by this Libeller vvho hath no conscience in lying that hee uer printed any such bookes This I knowe of a certaintie that Thomas Orwin himselfe hath vpon his booke oath denied that he euer printed either Iesus Psalter or Our Lady Psalter or that hee euer was any worker about them or about any the like bookes But the poysoned serpent careth not whome hee stingeth Whether Waldgraue haue printed any thing against the state or no let the bookes by him printed be iudges I doe not thinke that eyther hee or any Martinist euer heard any Papist say that there was no great iarre betweene the Papistes and the Archbishop in matters of Religion It is but the Libellers Calumniation If they did what is that to him I thinke Martin him selfe doubteth not of the Archbishops soundnesse in such matters of Religion as are in controuersie betwixt the Papists and vs. If hee doe the matter is not great The Vniuersitie of Cambridge where hee liued aboue thirtie yeeres and publiquely read the Diuinitie Lecture aboue seuen yeeres and other places where he hath since remained will testifie for him therein and condemne the Libeller for a meere Sycophant and me also of follie for answering so godlesse and lewde a person It is no disparagement to receiue testimonie of a mans aduersarie and therefore if Master Reinolds haue giuen that commendation to his booke in comparison of others it is no impeachment to the trueth thereof I haue not seene Reinolds his booke the Libell is so full of lies that an honestman cannot beleeue any thing conteined in it My Lorde of Canterburie woulde be sorie from the bottome of his heart if his perswasion and the grounds thereof were not Catholike he detesteth and abhorreth schismaticall grounds and perswasions and thereunto hee professeth himselfe an open enemie which hee woulde haue all Martinists to knowe That of the Spaniardes stealing him away c. is foolish and ridiculous I would the best Martinist in England durst say it to his face before witnesse Hee firmely beleeueth that Christ in soule descended into hell All the Martinists in Christendome are not able to proue the contrary they that indeuour it doe abuse the scriptures and fall into many absurdities Hee is likewise perswaded that there ought to be by the word of God a superioritie among the Ministers of the Church which is sufficiently prooued in his booke against T. C. and in D. Bridges booke likewise and hee is alwayes ready to iustifie it by the holy Scriptures and by the testimonie of all antiquitie Epiphanius and August account them heretikes that holde the contrary The Arguments to the contrary are vaine their answeres absurd the authorities they vse shamefully abused and the Scriptures wrested He hath shewed sufficient reason in his booke against T. C. why Ministers of the Gospell may be called Priests The ancient fathers so cal them The church of England imbraceth that name and that by the authoritie of the highest court in England And vvhy may not Presbyter be called Priest In these three points vvhereof the last is of the least moment he doth agree vvith the holy Scriptures vvith the vniuersall Church of God vvith all antiquitie and in some sort vvith the Church of Rome But he doth disagree from the Church of Rome that now is in the dregges which it hath added as that Christ should harrow hell that the Pope should be head of the vniuersall Church that hee or any other Priest shoulde haue authoritie ouer Kings and Princes to depose them to deliuer their subiects from the othe of their obedience c. These things haue neither the word of God nor the decrees of ancient Councels nor the aucthoritie of antiquitie to approoue them but directly the contrary As for the name of Priest as they take it hee doeth likewise condemne in our Ministers neyther doe themselues ascribe it to them And therefore the Libeller in these poyntes writeth like himselfe Touching Wigginton c. That which he speaketh of Wigginton is like the rest sauing for his saucie and malapert behauiour towarde the Archbishoppe wherein in trueth hee did beare with him too much Wigginton is a man well knowen vnto him and if hee knewe himselfe he woulde confesse that hee had great cause to thanke the Archbishoppe As hee was a foolish proude and vaine boy a laughing stocke for his follie to all the societie with whome hee liued so doeth hee retaine the same qualities being a man sauing that his follie pride and vanitie is much increased so that nowe hee is become ridiculous euen to his owne faction The honestest the most and the best of his parish did exhibite to the high Commissioners articles of very great moment against him the like whereof haue seldome bene seene in that Court The most and woorst of them are prooued by diuers sufficient witnesses and some of them confessed by himselfe as it appeareth in record For which enormities and for that he refused to make condigne satisfaction for the same and to conforme himselfe to the orders of the Church by lawe established he was by due order of lawe deposed from his Ministerie and depriued of his benefice and so remayneth being vnfit and vnworthie of either The tale of Atkinson is a lowde notorious and knowen lie For neither did he euer say so to the Archbishop neither woulde hee haue taken it at his handes neither was that any cause of Wiggintons depriuation but vanitie and hypocrisie causeth this man to haue so small conscience in lying according to that saying Omnis hypocrisis mendacio plena est That heathenish vntrueth vttered diuers times in this booke that the Archbishop shoulde accompt preaching of the word of God to be heresie and mortally abhorre and persecute it is rather to bee pitied then answered If man punish not such sycophants God wil do it to whose iust iudgement the reuenge of this iniurie is referred He doth bridle factious vnlearned Preachers such as the more part of that sect are vvho notwithstanding crye out for a learned Ministerie themselues being vnlearned and so vvould be accounted of all men if it were not propter studium partium I say vvith S. Hierome Nunc loquentibus pronunciantibus plenus est orbis loquuntur quae nesciunt docent quae non didicerunt magistri sunt cùm discipuli antè non fuerint The vvorld is full of them that can speake and talke but they speake the thinges they knovve not they teache the things they haue not learned they take vpon them to teach before they vvere schollers to learne Indeede our Church is too full of such talkers rather then sober teachers vvhome hee professeth himselfe greatly
bishopricks in England be worth For Mat. Paris vvriteth that in the time of king Henry the 3. the Pope had yeerely out of this Lande 60000 markes vnto which if you doe adde his like dealing in Germanie and other countreys you shall perceiue the value to be inestimable And surely I am of that hope and in my conscience I think it to be most true that all the Bishops in this land by Simoniacal practise and couetous oppression doe not gaine the hundred part thereof And if it doe rise to that value it is a great deale too much yea if it be one peny it is wicked and by no good man ought to be defended much lesse by them to bee practised I hope well of all although I wil not take vpon me to excuse all But for some I assuredly know in my conscience dare depose that since they were made Bishops they haue not wittingly gained that way one twenty shillings Therefore in equalling the bishops of Englande in the practise of Simonie vvith the Pope of Rome there must needs be great oddes in the comparison and the whole speech may well be called Hyperbole that is an vncharitable amplification surmounting all likelihood of honest and Christian trueth Obiection But somewhat to giue countenance to an euill slaunder it will be sayde that the Bishop of Rome practized Simonie by al meanes that he had our bishops by as many as they haue Answere Oh a worthie reason Is this to iustifie so shameful a slaūder of the church of God vnder a christian Princes gouernment Is that Christian Preacher and Bishop if any such be that vseth Simoniacall practise in two or three points of smal importance and litle value in grieuousnesse of offence before God and the vvorlde to be equalled to the head of Antichrist and the principall enemy of the Gospel practizing the same in a thousande of great weight and vnestimable value I cannot but wish more charitable hearts to them that will take vpon them the zeale and profession of the Gospel Let sinne be blamed euen in them that fauour the word and chiefly the Clergie but yet so as trueth will beare and modestie with Christian charitie doeth require lest in much amplifying of small offences you become instruments not onely to discredit the parties blamed but also to ouerthrowe the doctrine that they teach There ought to be great difference betweene Christian Preachers writers inueighing against Antichrist and his members enemies of the Gospell and zealous professors blaming reprouing the faults of their owne Bishop and Clergie in the estate of a Church by authoritie setled The one part is kindled with an earnest zeale detestation of the obstinate patrones of errour and idolatrie the other shoulde bee mooued onely with a charitable sorowe and griefe to see Preachers of the trueth not to declare in life that which they vtter to other in doctrine They that by humane frailtie offende in blemish of life onely are not with like bitternesse to bee hated harried rated and defaced as they that with obstinate and vnrepentant hearts offend both in life and doctrine and to the face of the worlde shewe them-selues aduersaries of the truth Christ after one maner blameth the Scribes pharises after another he reprooueth the ignorance the dulnesse the ambition and carnal affection of his owne Disciples that followed him But I pray you let vs consider the particular proofe of this generall accusation and odious comparison Surely they are so trifling that I am ashamed to stay vpon them and yet I must needes speake a word or two of them The Church of England retaineth a good and necessarie order that before the celebration of marriage the Banes should be asked three seuerall Sabboth dayes Obiection This order saith the aduersarie and accuser is by Dispensation abused and by our Bishops solde for money Answere The order I thinke very good and meete to bee obserued in a Christian Church and not without good cause to be altered and yet doth it not beare any necessitie in Religion and holinesse whereby mens consciences should be wrung or wrested But I will demaund of the accuser whether there be not some cases wherein the circumstances being considered this matter may bee dispensed withall among Christians And if there bee as no reasonable man can deny then I aske further whether there bee any lawe in this Church of Englande whereby with the authoritie of the Prince it is granted that a Bishoppe may in such conuenient cases dispense with this order And if there bee such lawe of the Church and of the Realme I marueile howe it can be counted Simonie or couetous selling of the libertie of the Gospell to dispense with it Obiection Yea but if the order be good why is it not kept vnuiolably if it be euill why is it solde for money Answere The order is good no man can deny it or without good cause alter it but there is no externall order so necessary but that authoritie may in some considerations lawfully dispense therewith It was a good order and cōmandement of God that none but the Priests should eat of the shew bread and yet in a case of necessitie Abimelech the hie Priest did dispense with Dauid his company in eating the same bread The external obseruation of the Sabboth day was a good order and a commandement streightly giuen by God and yet we read that the Iewes in necessitie did breake it and fought on the Sabboth day And Christ himselfe defended his Disciples that on that day did bruise Corne and eate it Therefore by lawfull authoritie such orders may bee dispensed with and not deserue iust reproofe much lesse the crime of Couetousnesse and Simonie Obiection Yea but the dispensations are solde for money for some haue for writing and other for sealing and my Lord so granting c. Answere By as good reason may they excuse any Iudge or chiefe officer in this Land of extortion and bribery because his Clearkes and vnder officers take money for the writing dispatch of Processes Writs and other like matters where of happily some small portion commeth to the Iudge or chiefe officer himselfe and the same also warranted and made good by the lawes of this Realme If either Ecclesiasticall Ministers or other officers and Magistrates shall by extortion wrest more then by order is due there lieth lawfull remedie and sharpe punishment for the same And in all societies and common weales that euer haue bene aswell among Christians as other it hath bene counted lawfull that the Ministers to higher officers aswell Ecclesiasticall as other should haue lawfull portions and fees allowed them for such things where in they trauell Therefore how this may be imputed to Bishops as Simonie and sale of Christian libertie I see not Obiection They will say Dispensations for Banes for greedinesse of money are granted more commonly then they should be Answere If that
not be saued by shame might haue his saluation wrought by reproch For a great thing it is to one that hath any feare of God to haue reproch in the face of the Church And to this interpretation the most of the ancient writers agree Obiection They will reply that at that time there were manie Presidents as it were and gouernours of the Church together with the chiefe Ministers in euery Congregation Answere I grant it was so But it doth not follow thereupon that it is a commaundement that for euer in all places and times it should be so I am not of that opinion nor euer was any of the auncient Writers no more are sundry learned men of great credite at this time Quòd vna semper debet esse oeconomia Ecclesiae that is that the externall gouernement of the Church should alwayes in all places be one and specially by a college or company of Elders When Christ said Tel the Church there was as yet no Christian church established but Christ took his speech according to the state of the Iewes Church that then was as in another place he â—aith If thy brother trespasse against thee leaue thine offering before the altar If they will gather by the former speech Tell the Church that of necessity they must haue a company of Elders as then was in the Iewes church why let them make like collection of the latter that of necessitie there must be altars in the church of Christ the absurditie whereof will bee greater then any good christian man will easily receiue Obiection They will say the Apostles afterward and the Primitiue Church did practise the same Answere That is not yet proued but let theÌ„ struggle while they lust theysh al neuer find a commandement in the scriptures charging that it shuld for euer be so It were to great a bridle of christiaÌ„ liberty in things external to cast vpoÌ„ the church of Christ So loÌ„g as the church of God was in persecutioÌ„ vnder tyrants might well seeme to be the best and fittest order of Gouernment But when God blessed his Churche with Christian Princes the Scriptures doe not take away that libertie that with the consent of their godlie magistrates they may haue that outwarde forme of iurisdiction deciding of Ecclesiasticall causes as to the state of the Countrey and people shall be most conuenient And that libertie haue diuers reformed churches since the restoring of the Gospell vsed Now as when other churches in their externall order of gouernment differ froÌ„ ours we neither do nor ought to mislike with them so if ours differ froÌ„ theirs retaining still the sinceritie of the gospel and trueth of doctrine I trust they will euen as charitably thinke of vs. If any desire further aunswere in this controuersie of church gouernment I refer them to the reply of D. Bridges vntill they haue with modestie and grauitie answered his booke It is obiected also against Bishops that they abuse Ecclesiasticall Discipline I take Ecclesiasticall Discipline to consist in reprouing correcting and excommunicating such as be offendors in the Church And I thinke their meaning is here that bishops their officers abuse Excommunication in punishing therewith those persons which obstinately with contempt refuse either to appeare when they bee called to aunswere their offences or when they appeare disobey those orders and decrees by Ecclesiasticall officers appoynted Howe this part of Church Discipline was abused by the Pope it is well knowen and that hee made Excommunication an instrument to bring the neckes of Emperors and Princes ynder his girdle and to make the whole world subiect to him For this was almost the onely meane whereby he became so dreadfull to all men and got to himself so great autoritie The perpetual course of the histories euen such as were written by his owne Parasites and chiefly of this Realme of England declare this to be most true For triall hereof reade the historie of Thomas Becket But I thinke no man is so caried with the misliking of our Bishops that he wil accuse them in this sort to abuse Excommunication seeing by their preaching they haue binprincipall instruments to ouerthrow the same in the Church of Rome They cannot say that any Bishop of this church euer since the restoring of the Gospell indeuoured to excommunicate the Prince and gouernours of purpose to make them subiect to their authoritie in the Church And happily that may bee a fault yea and a great fault that is founde with them in these daies that they do not so and constraine the prince and Rulers to doe that which by perswasion they will not doe But howe expedient this maner of Excommunication is for this time I leaue to the wise and godly to consider Sure I am that some of the most zealous churches reformed haue it not nor thinke it tollerable And yet such a maner of Excommunication it is that many striue at this day to haue brought into the Church vnder the name of Discipline But how easily it would grow to abuse and what danger it might bring in this state of time I thinke there is no wise man that doth not foresee vnlesse it be such as to bring their purpose to passe and to settle their deuise in the Church thinke no danger to be shunned As for the Excommunication practised in our Ecclesiasticall Courtes for contumacie in not appearing or not satisfying the iudgement of the Court if it had pleased the Prince and them that had autoritie to make Lawes for the gouernment to haue altered the same at the beginning and set some other order of processe in place thereof I am perswaded the Bishops and Clergy of this Realme woulde haue bin very wel contented therewith Gualter a learned man of the Church of Tygure writing vpon the first to the Corinthians hauing shewed the danger of this other Excommunication speaketh of a maner of ciuile discommuning vsed in that Church Which or the like good order deuised by some godlie persons if it might bee by authoritie placed in this Churche without danger of further innouation I thinke it woulde be gladly reciued to shunne the offence that is taken at the other and yet surely vnder correction the Law of alteration woulde breede some inconuenience But the perpetuall crying of many to haue a mutation of the whole state of the Clergie and a number of other thinges in the Church beside which must needes draw with it a great alteration in the state of the Realme also maketh the Prince and other Gouernours to bee afraide of any mutation For they knowe what daunger may come in these perillous dayes by innouations And if they shoulde once beginne things are so infinite shat they can see no ende of alterations Therefore eeing wee haue a Church setled in a tollerable maner of reformation and all trueth of doctrine freely taught and allowed by the authority of this realme yea and the aduersaries of trueth by lawe
priestes of God but of Antichrist Is there no more reuerence and feare of the maiestie of Gods Prince and sacred minister then by such grosse absurdities to seeke to seduce her If this be a conclusion of such necessitie then let them go further for by as good reason they may God sayeth to Aaron Thou shalt not drinke wine nor strong drinke thou nor thy sonnes that are with thee when ye goe into the Tabernacle of the Congregation least ye die Letit be a Lawe for euer throughout your generations In an other place commaundement is giuen to the Priestes That they may not eate of that which is rent of wilde beasts And in the same chapter If the Priestes daughter bee married to any of the common people shee may not eate of the hallowed offerings but if shee be a Widowe or diuorced from her husbande and haue no childe and is returned into her fathers house againe shee may eate of her fathers meate as she did in her youth but there shall no stranger eate thereof In the 21. of Leuiticus it is sayde Speake vnto the Priests the sonnes of Aaron and say Let none bee defiled by the dead among their people And a little after Let them not make baldnes vpon their head nor shaue off the lockes of their beard And againe Let him take a Virgine to wife but a widowe a diuorced woman or a polluted c. shall he not marry Now if the obseruation of the orders appoynted by God to the Priests and Leuites of the olde Law be a thing so necessary in the church of God Why then the Ministers of the Gospell may not drinke wine or strong drinke they may not suffer their daughters married forth if they come vnto their houses to eate any of the tenths and oblations whereby they liue they may not come nigh a dead body nor bury it they may marry no widowes but maydes onely And so likewise shall you bring in by as good authoritie infinite numbers mo of Leuiticall orders into the Church and make it rather like a superstitious Synagogue as the popes church was then like a sincere vndefiled Church of God as you would pretend to do But let vs descende further into this allegation and see howe they ouerthrowe themselues in their owne purpose If vpon this proofe it be so necessarie that bishops and other ministers shoulde not liue by landes then as the negatiue is necessarie in the one branch so is the affirmatiue in the other When God hath sayd Thou shalt haue no inheritance in their land he addeth Beholde I haue giuen the children of Leui all the tenth of Israel to inherite for the seruice which they doe c. Then it is of necessitie by the Lawe of God that bishops and preachers shoulde liue vpon tenths and offerings neither may this order be altered by any authoritie And here is an other errour of the Papists that tenths and offerings are in the Church Iure diuino by the lawe of God and not by any positiue Law of the Church Thus we see that these men are not able to stand to their positions but they must ioyne arme in arme with the Papists in their greatest and grossest errors And if it be of necessitie that ministers must liue by oblations and tithes and no otherwise howe can the prince by Gods Lawe take away their Landes and set them to meere pensions in money Or if princes haue libertie by the Lawe of God according to their discretions to appoynt the liuings of ministers by pensions of money contrary to the order that God hath prescribed to his priests in his Law why haue they not like authoritie by the same worde of God if they see it conuenient for the state to allot vnto them some portion of temporall Landes and much more to suffer and beare with that order being alreadie setled in the Church By this it appeareth that the assertion of the aduersaries doeth not hang together in it selfe but that the one part impugneth and ouerthroweth the other But mee thinkes these men deale not directly but seeme to hide and conceale that which maketh against them For in the same place of Iosua by which they will prooue that bishoppes and ministers may not haue any possession of Landes because hee saith To the Leuites he gaue no inheritance among them Immediatly hee addeth Sauing Cities to dwell in and the fieldes about the Cities for their beastes and cattell And in like manner The Lorde sayde to Moyses Commaunde the children of Israel that they giue vnto the Leuites of the inheritaunce of their possession Cities to dwell in And yee shall giue also vnto the Cities Suburbes hard by their Cities rounde about them the Cities they shall haue to dwell in and the Suburbes or fieldes about their cities for their cattell and all manner beastes of theirs And the Suburbes of the Cities which you shall giue to the Leuites shall reach from the wall of the Citie rounde about outward a thousande cubites c. And you shall measure on the East side two thousande cubites and on the West side two thousande cubites c. In the twentie one Chapter of Iosua The number of these Cities is mentioned And the lotte came out of the kinred of the Caathites the children of Aaron the Priest which were of the Leuites and giuen them by lot out of the tribe of Iudae Simeon and Beniamin thirteene Cities And the rest of the children of Caath had by lot of the kinreds of the tribe of Ephraim Dan and halfe the tribe of Manasses tenne cities And the children of Gerson had by lotte out of the kinred of the Cities of Isachar Aser Nepthaly and the other halfe of the tribe of Manasses in Basan thirteene cities And the children of Merari by their kinreds had out of the Tribes of Ruben Gad and Zabulon twelue cities The whole number therfore of the cities assigned to the Leuites in the lande of Iurie amounted to fortie eight Nowe I woulde demaund of indifferent Christians that vvere not obstinately set to maintaine an euill purpose Whether the state of inheritance without rent of fortie eight Cities in one Region no bigger then England with the fieldes almost a mile compasse may bee thought in trueth to bee temporall possessions or no Surely I thinke there is no man so wayward that will denie it to be most true Wherefore eyther the worde of God must bee found vntrue which is blasphemie to thinke or els that boulde assertion that is made of the contrary is found vaine and the argument to prooue it false and deceitful They that had to their portions fortie eight Cities with the fields thereof did not liue by tithes and oblations onely You see therefore good Christians howe they vnderstand the Scriptures that in such immodest and confident maner take vpon them to be masters and controllers of other and by how fleight allegations absurde arguments they seeke to
thus Princes Magistrates and noble men are euil they doe not fulfill that rule of right and perfect gouernment that the worde of God requireth therefore pull them downe set other in their places or alter their state cleane This is a seditious and perillous argument especially when common and inferior subiects not hauing authoritie shall take vpon them to bee iudges in such cases as nowe they doe against bishops With this manner of reasoning as I haue before noted the Deuill filleth the heads and hearts of his troublesome instrumentes when hee intendeth to worke mischiefe either in the Church of God or in the state of any common weale This maner of arguments they alwaies vse which for priuate respects pretend generall reformations or alterations in the state of a Church or countrey wherein they liue Let the Bishops and Cleargie of England haue such iudges and triall as the word of God requireth euer hath bin vsed in the Church of Christ yea or such as other states would thinke reasonable and indifferent for themselues in their calling and then on Gods name let them abide the hazard of the sentence eyther with them or against them and the daunger of such penaltie as in iustice and equitie may bee assigned Another daungerous Argument is this Bishops Preachers by Christ are commaunded not to be careful for the world not to hoord vp treasures in earth yea to renounce all they haue and follow Christ therfore they ought not to haue any lands or Lordships or great wealthie Liuings but to be contented with meate drinke cloth c. The hardnes of this reason will be the better vnderstanded if the like be applied to some other persons Noble men and gentlemen if they wil bee right and true Christians by Gods worde are commaunded not to be carefull for the worlde not to hoord vp riches heere on the earth yea to renounce all that they haue and followe Christ therefore they may not haue so great and ample liuings more then other but shall content themselues vvith such a moderate portion as may tollerably maynteine them in seeing the administration of iustice in their countreys and the refidue that nowe is spent in gaming and vnnecessarie pompe and vanitie of the worlde to be imployed to the maintenance of a great nomber of the Princes subiects and people of God that are not able in meane estate to liue For in such case were the noble men and Gentlemen of the Israelites called Principes familiarum the Princes and chiefe of each tribe and familie among the people of God A many of such factious and seditious arguments may in like maner be framed more meet for rebels then for good subiects or faithful christians which I doe in this place for good considerations omitte For if they shoulde bee so countenanced with particular allegations of the Scriptures and furnished with such learning and examples of histories as factious heads are able to deuise happily they would carrie as much credite and drawe as a great number of followers and mainteiners as nowe the like dealing doeth against the Clergie I will not therfore tarrie any longer in this point I haue set forth vnto you an example or two nakedly and barely to this ende onely if it might be possible to open the eyes of some which seeme in part to be blinded either with affection against bishops or with a desire to worke and bring to passe some speciall drift and purpose that they haue deuised for what cause it may be more easily by wise men coniectured then safely by me laid downe in writing For the further examining of this matter that it may be the better vnderstanded whether ecclesiastical men may with safe cōsciences enioy the state of their liuings by lands or no Let vs briefly consider the condition of the Church how Ministers haue bin mainteined from the beginning euen to this day And here I must protest that the Histories and writers especially such as bee of credite are so imperfect in this point as the trueth must bee gathered by coniecture of certaine braunches rather then by any discourse in their writing For the space of the first three hundred yeeres after Christ it is wel known to all such as haue looked into the Ecclesiasticall Histories that it was almost in continuall persecution vnder heathen tyrantes which with all indeuour sought meanes to oppresse Christian Religion and the true professours therof Wherefore in all that time it was not possible for the church to haue any setled state by Lands or certaine reuenevv to maintaine the Ministers thereof but they were sustained onely by the liberal contribution of godly persons collected at certaine times for that and other like Christian vses For Saint Cyprian signifieth that to certaine persons appointed to the office of readers he distributed the measure of gifts distributiōs as were assigned to the Priests The Canons attributed to the Apostles make mention of oblations and first fruites to be brought home to the house of the bishop beside such things as were offered in the Church Origen somwhat more straightly seemeth to require the tenthes and first fruites of such increase as Christians haue by the blessing of God his words be these It is comely and profitable that the first fruites shoulde be offered to the Priestes of the Gospel also for so the Lorde disposed that he that preacheth the Gospell should liue by the Gospel And as this is good and comely so contrariwise it is euill and vncomely that one that worshippeth God and cōmeth into the Church knowing that the Priests attend on the Altar and serue the worde of God and ministery of the Church shoulde not offer vnto the Priestes the firstlings of those fruites that God giueth by bringing foorth his sunne and seasonable showres vpon them For such a soule seemeth not to to me to haue any remembrance of God or to thinke that it is God that giueth those fruites It may appeare also that euen in this time the Church had certaine houses allotted to their Bishops For when Paulus Samosatenus after his deposition would not depart out of the house that belonged to the Church it was appoynted by the authoritie of the Emperour Aurelius that he should bee remoued from it and the house assigned vnto him to whom the bishops of Italie did agree in doctrine Origen also mentioneth certaine rentes and reuenues due to the Church Many of vs sayth hee haue neede of this warning that wee bee both faithfull and also wise ad dispensandos Ecclesiae redditus to bestowe the rents of the Church And one Petrus de Natalibus writeth that in the time of Vrbane bishop of Rome about 226. yeres after Christ the Church first began to possesse landes tovvard the finding of the Ministers Certaine it is that many godly disposed persons notvvithstāding they vvere letted by the crueltie of tyrantes euen in that time gaue large and
before So sayth Demosthenes this King Philip vnder pretence of friendship seeking his owne benefite would haue you to deliuer vp your Orators which from time to time call vpon you and giue you warning of his subtile and craftie deuises to the ende that when you haue so done ere you bee ware he may bring you and your citie vnder his tyrannie And this saying of Demosthenes proued after verie true indeede Euen so good Christians the subtile serpent Sathan prince of darkenesse seeking to bring the Church of England vnder his kingdome againe from which by the mightie hand of God it hath beene deliuered indeuoureth cunningly to perswade the shepheardes that is the chiefe Gouernours of this realme to put away their barking dogges that is to put downe the state of Bishops and other chiefe of the Cleargie to take away their landes and liuings and set them to their pensions the sooner by that meanes to worke his purpose And heere in he turneth himselfe into an Angel of light and pretendeth great holines and the authoritie of Gods word and the holy Scriptures For such a subtile Protheus he is that he can turne himselfe into all maner of shapes to bring forward his deuise The craftie enemie of the Church of GOD doeth well knowe the frailetie and corruption of mennes nature that they will not of them-selues easily bende to that is good vnlesse they bee allured vnto it by the hope of benefite Hee vnderstandeth that Honos alit artes and if he shall by any cunning bee able to pull away the reward of learning hee right well seeth that hee shall haue farre fewer dogges to barke at him and almost none that shall haue teeth to bite those hell houndes that hee will sende to deuoure and destroy the flocke of Christ Happily there may bee some young Spanielles that will quest lauishly ynough but hee will not feare them because hee knoweth they will haue no teeth to bite If the state of the Cleargie shall bee made contemptible and the best reward of learning a meane pension hee foreseeth that neither yong flourishing wittes will easily incline them-selues to godly learning neither wil their parents and friendes suffer them to make that the ende of their trauaile To bring this to passe hee worketh his deuises by sundry kindes of men first by such as be Papists in heart and yet can clap their handes and set forwarde this purpose because they see it the next way either to ouerthrowe the course of the Gospell or by great and needelesse alteration to hazard and indanger the state of the common weale The second sort are certaine worldly godlesse Epicures which can pretend religion and yet passe not which end thereof goe forwarde so they may bee partakers of that spoyle which in this alteration is hoped for The thirde sorte in some respect the best but of all other most dangerous because they giue the opportunity and countenance to the residue and make their indeuours seeme zealous and godly These bee such which in doctrine agree with the present state and shewe themselues to haue a desire of a perfection in all things and in some respect in deede haue no euill meaning but through inordinate zeale are so caried that they see not howe great dangers by such deuises they drawe into the Church and state of this Realme Howe great perils euen small mutations haue brought to Common-weales the knowledge of Histories and the obseruation of times will easily teach vs. Obiection But in this place mee thinketh I heare some crie out with earnest affection against me and say that I shew my selfe to bee a carnall man and in this matter of the Church vse carnall and fleshly reasons out of humaine policie and doe not stay my conscience vpon Gods word the holy Scriptures where unto only in the gouernment of the Church wee shoulde cleaue though all reason and policie seeme contrary Answere If I doe stay my selfe and grounde my conscience vpon humane policie in any matter of faith and religion I must needes confesse my selfe to be worthie great blame But if in some things perteining to the externall fourme of gouernement or the outwarde state of the Church I haue respect to Christian policie not contrary to Gods word I see no iust cause why I shoulde be misliked if in consideration of the corrupt affection of mans nature I wish the state of a Christian Church common weale to bee such that yong and towardly wittes not yet mortified by Gods spirit may bee allured with the hope of benefite to the studie of learning and principally of the holy Scriptures leauing the secret direction of their minde to God I trust no man can with good reason reprooue this my desire and in the course of my writing no man shall iustly say that either I doe staye mine owne conscience or will other men to grounde theirs vpon reason and policie onely without the word of God For neither will the feare of God suffer mee so to deale in matter of such weight neither doe I see that by such meanes I can further the cause that I write of Many Pamphlets haue bene of late yeres partly written and partly printed against the whole gouernment of the Church by Bishops and those in sundrie sortes according to the nature and disposition of the Authors but in all great protestation of euident and strong proofe out of the Scriptures and other writers But especially there is one which I haue seene the writer whereof maketh this solemne protestation following That as he looketh to be acceptable to the Lorde at the iudgemēt of the immaculate lambe in his accusation that he maketh against the Clergie of this Realme hee will not cleaue to his owne iudgement nor will followe his owne braine nor wil of himself inuent ought nor vntruly blame ought but will faithfully and vntruly sincerely and incorruptly rehearse the holy Scriptures and the sentences actes and deedes of other learned men which determine and agree vpon those things that he layeth downe against them You may well vnderstand therefore that such an accusation will not bee answered and shifted away with humane reason onely The matter must haue more pith and substance in it But howsoeuer that accusation will bee answered I woulde the authour had perfourmed his protestation as faithfully as to carry some credite and fauour he layde it out solemnely Then shoulde not his writing containe so manie vncharitable and contemptuous speeches so many slaunderous vntruethes so many wrested Scriptures so many false conclusions so many impertinent allegations as he doth vse The purpose to perswade so great and dangerous a mutation in a common weale should haue carryed with it not onely more trueth and comlinesse of speech but also more weight of matter sound substance of proofe But such is the libertie of this time and such is the manner of them that to slaunder and deface other passe not what they speake or write I will
and states of the Church of Christ one onely forme of outward gouernment Secondly that they will note and name some certaine particular Churches either in the Apostles time or afterward wherein the whole gouernement of the Church was practised onelie by Doctours Pastours Elders and Deacons â—nd none other and that in an equalitie without superioritie in one aboue an other If this bee done soundly and truely without any wresting or double vnderstanding of the places of Scripture I protest they will shake that opinion that nowe I haue of this present gouernement of the Church of Englande Yet vnder correction I will not say that I know but I am surely perswaded that they will neuer be able to doe it Moreouer I woulde wish them vnfaignedly to declare whether all the Churches at this day reformed in Europe where the light of the Gospell was first restored and specially of Saxonie and High Almaine haue this gouernement which by these men is nowe required and none other If they haue it is a good preiudice for their cause if they haue not it is hard that the example of two or three Churches shoulde ouerrule all the residue in which the light of the Gospell beganne before them And it may bee well sayde Did the Gospell beginne first with you Wee may not pull downe one Rome and set vp an other Surely as graue learned meÌ„ as most that haue written in this time euidently affirme the contrarie do make good proofe of this proposition That one forme of Church-gouernment is not necessarie in al times and places of the Church that their Senate or Segniorie is not conuenient vnder a Christian Magistrate In Denmarke they haue bishoppes both in name and office as it appeareth in certaine Epistles of Hemingius written to some of them In which hee sayth They are greatly troubled vvith continuall visitation of their Churches In Saxony they haue Archbishoppes and bishoppes in office but not in name For proofe heereof I alleadge the testimonies of that learned man Zanchius in the Annotations vpon certaine parts of his confession In the Church of the Protestants saith he in deede they haue bishops and Archbishops which chaunging the good Greeke names into ill Latine names they call Superintendents and generall Superintendents c. The same Zanchius in the same his confession hath these words By the same reason those thingâ— that were ordained in the church touching Archbishops yea and the foure patriarchs before the Counsell of Nice may bee excused and defended These vvordes and some other were misliked by one famous learned man who wrote to Zanchius of the same But Zanchius was so farre from altering his iudgement that in the foresaid Annotations hee writeth a large defence of it out of Bucer in Epist ad Ephes vvhich is also found in a little Treatise vvhich the same Bucer hath vvritten De vi vsu Ministerij And Zanchius in the same place shewed the reason why hee is so grounded in that opinion I beleeue saith hee that those things which were concluded and determined by the Godly Fathers assembled in the name of the Lorde with common consent and without contradiction to the Scriptures proceede from the holie spirite of GOD and therefore I dare not inconscience improoue them And what is more certaine by the Histories Councels and writings of the Fathers then that those orders of the Ministers of which wee haue spoken haue bene receiued and allowed by the common consent of Christedome And I pray who am I that I should reprooue those thinges which the whole church hath allowed Neither durst all they that bee of our time hee meaneth the learned men of Germany reprooue the same In the foresaide place of his Annotations when he hath spoken of the gouernement of the churches of Saxony he addeth touching other places Euen there where they haue neither the good Greeke names nor the euill Latine termes yet haue they certaine chiefe men in whose handes well neere is all authoritie Seeing then we agree in the things why should we haue controuersie about the names and titles This man vndoubtedly knewe the gouernement of all the Churches in Germany For hee had beene a reader and teacher in diuers of them He had bin in Geneua he taught at Argentine eleuen yerees after at Clauenna foure yeres Again after that at Heidelberge ten yeeres And lastly by Cassimire appointed at his town at Newstade where yet he liueth an olde man if God of late hath not taken him out of this world Those places of high Almaine wherein most zealous preachers and learned men haue remained with whome in doctrine wee most nighly agree haue not one maner of gouernment nor formes of Discipline In Tygâ—â—e it is wel knowen they haue no Senate of Elders nor thinke it tollerable vnder a Christian Magistrate nor the Discipline by Excommunication which they more mislike I thinke it be not much differing at Berne one of the gretest Churches as I gather by Aretius in sundry places At Geneua and some other places especially such as haue had their beginning from thence they haue a gouernmeÌ„t not much vnlike that platforme which is desired to be with vs and is nowe in Scotland I might say the like for some ceremonies outward orders In Saxony and at Basile they kneele at the Lords Supper At Tygure they sit and it is brought to them In other places they go and receiue it for the more expedition as they passe The like libertie and diuersitie vse they in some other externall things which I am not willing for some causes to lay downe in writing All those Churches in which the gospell in these dayes after great darkenesse was first renewed and the learned men whome God sent to instruct them I doubt not but haue beene directed by the spirite of God to retain this liberty that in external gouernment other outward orders they might choose such as they thought in wisdome and godlinesse to bee most conuenient for the state of their Country and disposition of the people Why then shoulde this libertie that other Countries hauevsed vnder any colour bee wrested from vs I thinke it therefore great presumption and boldenesse that some of our nation and those whatsoeuer they thinke of themselues not of the greatest wisedome and skill shoulde take vpon them to controll the whole Realme and to binde both prince people in necessity of conscience to alter the present state and to tie themselues to a certaine platforme deuised by some of our neighbours which in the iudgement of manie wise and godly persons is most vnfit for the state of a kingdome or to bee exercised vnder a Christian Prince that defendeth the Gospell as in part experience already hath taught in some I pray God they looke not further and haue not a deeper reach then good subiectes that loue their Prince and countrey should haue Lastly I would wish them leauing the long discourses where unto
are more easily wroght by ambitious persons to giue their consent to vnwoorthy men as may appeare in all those offices of gaine or dignity that at this day remaine in the choice of the multitude yea though they be learned Men doe knowe by experience that parishes vpon some priuate respect do send their Letters of earnest commendations for very vnfit and vnable persons whereby it may bee gathered what they would do if the whole choise were in their handes especially being so backwardly affected toward the trueth of religion as a great part of men are They will aunswere perhappes that they shall bee ouerseene by the Pastours neere about them in a particular Synode and forced both to be quiet and also to make more fitte elections But vvho seeth not vvhat matter of trouble this vvil be vvhen vpon the occasion almost of euery election they must haue a particular Synode And if the parish vvil not be ruled as surely many vvil not then must they bee excommunicated and appeale made vnto the Prince and Magistrate And that vvhich passeth novv with quietnesse and vvith a little amendment may bee vvell vsed shal be continuall occasion of broile and trouble whereto this nation is more inclined vpon light causes then any other Moreouer that vvhich is most of all pretended for this manner of common Election that they may knovee their minister and thereby haue the better liking of him can not possibly bee brought to passe vnlesse they vvill imagine that euery parish shall haue within it selfe a Schoole or Colledge where those shall bee brought vp that shall bee preferred to the ministerie among them But howe possible that is to bring to passe among vs let anie man iudge If their ministers shall come vnto them from the Vniuersities or other schooles they shall haue as little acquaintance with them as now they haue and farre greater occasion of partiall sutes then nowe there is So that inconueniences by this meanes shall bee increased and not remedied That euery parish in Englande may haue a learned and discreete minister howsoeuer they dreame of perfection no man is able in these dayes to deuise how to bring it to passe and specially when by this change of the clergie the great rewards of learning shall be taken away men thereby discouraged to bring vp their children in the studie of good Letters Furthermore who seeth not howe small continuance there shall bee in the Vniuersities to make men of any profound knowledge whē the very necessity of places shall drawe men away before they come to any ripenesse the effect whereof is partly perceiued at this day already much more would be if their deuise should take place Touching the inconuenience of Discipline by excommunication onely which they so much crie for how it will be of most men contemned and of how smal force it wil be to bring to effect any good amendment of life some learned men of this age in their workes set foorth to the vvorlde haue at large declared I let passe that experience teacheth that men of stubburnnesse vvil not shunne the company of them that be excommunicated and then must they bee excommunicated for keeping of company vvith them and so will it fall out that more vvill be excommunicated then in Communion whereof vvhat deformities and inconueniences vvil arise Saint Augustine doeth reach vs. The loosenesse of these dayes requireth Discipline of sharper lavves by punishment of body and danger of goods which they doe and vvill more feare then they vvill excommunication And God bee thanked if men would be contented with any moderation we haue a very good manner of discipline by the ecclesiasticall commission vvhich hath done and doeth daily much good would do more if it were more cōmon men would take more pains in it But this is that which they be most grieued with because they are not doers in it themselues The deciding of matters in controuersie by the Pastours and Elders of the Church beside that it will interrupt the course of the lawes of the realme it will be great occasion of partiall and affectionate dealing and thereby of further strife and discorde and a matter of schismes and diuisions as is to bee perceiued aboundantly in the Ecclesiasticall Writers For some will incline to the one part and the residue shall be wrought to fauour the other which hath beene the principal roote of al schismes in the Church yea and thereby of many heresies Wee must not onely looke in these corrupt times howe vprightly men should deale but cōsider by present experience of sundrie persons and places howe affectionately they do deale in some like matters and thereby gather what they will doe when they haue greater authoritie This order was good where the church was in persecution vnder tyrants but where the assistance may be had of a Christian Prince or Magistrate it is neither necessarie nor so conuenient as it may be otherwise Surely common election of ministers and this deciding of matters in controuersie by a multitude will breede greater strife and contention then without danger will bee appeased Furthermore their whole drift as it may seeme is to bring the gouernement of the Church to a Democracie or Aristocracie The principles and reasons whereof if they bee made once by experience familiar in the mindes of the common people and that they haue the sense and feeling of them It is greatly to bee feared that they will very easily transferre the same to the Gouernement o of the common weale For by the same reasons◠they shall be induced to thinke that they haue iniurie if they haue not as much to do in ciuill matters as they haue in matters of the Church seeyng they also touch their commoditie and benefite temporally as the other doeth spiritually And what heereof may follow I leaue to the iudgement of other The way hereof is alreadie troden foorth vnto them by some that haue written and spoken in that matter Which speeches I woulde bee loath to touch particularly because I thinke diuers of them not to haue any meaning to indure that sequell But men must consider not onely what they meane presently themselues but what other may gather vpon them hereafter Cyprian Hillarie and other ancient writers did not meane so ill in some things that they left written as some Heretikes following did father vpon them vsing their sayinges as the groundes of their false and erronious doctrines The Preachers of the Gospell in Germanie at the beginning were farre from the meaning to mooue the people to rebell against their Gouernours but some part of doctrine vndiscreetely vttered by diuers of them speaking against some abuses gaue a great occasion thereof to the griefe of all good men in such sort as they were not able by any perswasion to quiet them vntill it had cost a hundred thousand of them their liues The loosenesse and boldnesse of this time in many may iustly cause some feare that
ascension of Christ whē God sent his Apostles and other holy men to preach the Gospell of our saluation in Christ and the same was among men vnthankfully receiued God did cast sundry plagues punishments vpon them as dearth and scarcitie famine hunger the pestilence and sundry other diseases warre tumult earthquakes and great deluges in sundry places The causes of al this very slāderously blasphemously they imputed to Christian Religion and therby raised those dreadfull persecutiōs which at that time were exercised against the Christians This errour was the cause that Saint Augustine wrote his notable worke De ciuitate Dei and that Orosius by the counsell both of Saint Hierome and Saint Augustine vvrote his historie vvherein he ansvvereth this false argument and shevveth that God in all times had sent the like plagues for the sinnes and offences of mankinde and for the reiecting of his vvorde and trueth In the fourtie foure Chapter of Ieremie The Ievves deceiue themselues with the like argument to confirme their conceiued superstition and idolatrie But we will do say they whatsoeuer thing commeth out of our owne mouth as to burne incense to the Queene of Heauen to powre out drinke offerings vnto her as we haue done both we and our Fathers our Kings our Princes in the Cities of Iudah and in the streetes of Hierusalem for then had we plentie of victuals were well and felt no euill But since wee left off to burne incense to the Queene of Heauen and to powre out drinke offerings vnto her we haue had scarcenesse of all things haue bene consumed by the sword and by the famine In these vvordes you see to the hardening of their owne hearts they attribute the good giftes of God to their idolatrie and their dearth and trouble to the preaching of Ieremie and other Prophets vvhich indeede were not the true causes thereof In like maner reason rebellious subiects in common vveales when they seeke to make odious the Princes gouernors vnder whom they liue vniustly imputing to them the causes of such things wherwith they finde thēselues grieued So reasoned the rebels in the time of King Richard the second against the King against the Counsell and chiefe Nobilitie of the Realme against the Lavvyers and all other States of learning therefore had resolution among them to haue destroyed and ouerthrovven them all and to haue suffered none other to liue in this Realme with them but the Gray Friers onely Seeing therefore this manner of reasoning is so perillous it behooueth all them that feare God and loue the trueth and will not vvillingly be caried into errour to take diligent heed that they be not abused herewith And so I pray God they may doe vvhich at this time so earnestly seeke to make odious the state of the Clergie of England imputing to them the causes of those things vvhich they most detest and abhorre For if they vvill see the trueth and iudge but indifferently they shall finde that there is no such vnlearned Ministerie as they complaine of neyther such vvant of preaching as may iustly prouoke the wrath of God to send such plagues punishments vpon vs as they recite This I dare iustifie that since Englande had first the name of a Christian Church there was neuer so much preaching of the vvorde of God neuer so many in number neuer so sufficient and able persons to teach and set forth the same as be at this day hovvsoeuer they be defamed and defaced There bee I confesse many vnlearned and vnsufficient Ministers but yet I take it to bee captious and odious in respect of them to name the whole Ministerie vnlearned or ignorant For the simplicitie and charitie of Christian iudgement doth giue the name of any Societie according to the better part and not according to the vvorse There were in the Church of Corinth many euill persons aswel in corruption of doctrine as wickednesse of life and yet Saint Paul noteth that Church to bee a reuerend and holy congregation The Church of Christ militant heere in earth hath alwayes a great number of euill mixed vvith them that be good oftentimes the worse part the greater yet were it reprochfull and slaunderous to call the Church vvicked In like sort may it vvell bee thought vncharitable to call the ministerie of the Church of England ignorant when that thenkes be to God there bee so many learued and sufficient preachers in this lande as neuer vvere before in any age or time and the same adorned with Gods excellent good giftes and comparable to any other Church refourmed in Europe If men would cast so curious and captious eyes vpon the Ministers of other countreyes and note the blemishes and imperfections in them as they doe in our owne I am perswaded vnder correction they would not thinke so meanely of the state of the Ministerie of England as they doe But this is the generall disease of vs Englishmen to haue in admiration the persons and states of other foreine countreyes and loath their owne bee they neuer so commendable or good I speake not this to note with reproch any refourmed Church in forreine countries or to diminish the commendations of those excellent giftes which it hath pleased God plentifully to powre downe vpon them as the first renuers and restorers of the Gospel in this latter age to whome in that respect we ovve great loue and reuerence But yet they see and acknowledge that they haue imperfections and cannot haue churches in this world without blemishes Notwithstanding it is not free among them no not for the best learned or of greatest authority in publike speech or vvriting to vtter those things vvhich may tend to the generall reproche of their Church or common weale as it is commonly vsed vvith vs at this day Or if they doe they are sharpely dealt vvithall for the same For as vvise gouernours they see that such doings is the very seede of dissention discorde and faction the very pestilence of all Churches common vveales and societies Wherefore in most Churches they doe tollerate some imperfections setled by order at the beginning least by change of lavves there shoulde bee greater inconuenience Obiection Yea but all their Ministers are learned and able to teach Answere Of that I doubt in some places by good testimony I know it not to be true That is easie to be had in a free Citie that hath no more congregations but those that be within the Citie or within a fevve villages about vvhich is not possible in so great a kingdome as this is replenished with so many Villages almost in euery place as scantly you haue two miles vvithout a Towne or Village inhabited And yet that men doe not conceiue euill opinion of the Bishops for that which cannot bee remedied it behooueth the vvise and godly to consider that the state of this Church is such as of necessitie there must bee some of very meane abilitie in
men may not flatter and deceiue themselues I let them vnderstande that the Scriptures in no place teach them that the offences and faultes of the Ministers are alwayes the onely cause why the word of God doth not take place in mens hearts It is more commonly and almost alvvaies imputed to the waywardnesse vnthankefulnesse and obstinacy of the people that heare it Therefore it vvere good for alsortes of men of what calling soeuer to looke into their owne bosomes carefully to consider whether the fault thereof be not in themselues For they knowe right vvell that the master may bee learned and diligent and yet the scholler not thriue by reason of his owne dulnesse The Physition may bee honest and skilfull and the obstinate Patient make light of his vvholesome counsaile The seede may be good and the seede sower a paineful and skilfull husbandman and yet the fruite not to bee ansvverable to his trauell because of the naughtinesse and barrennesse of the ground This our Sauiour Christ teacheth vs in the parable of the Seede-sovver Matth. 13. The Sower sayth he went foorth to sowe his seede and some fell in the high way that is to say into the heartes of them that vvere continually trampled vvith vvicked and vngodly cogitations so that the seede coulde not sinke into their hearts but by those birds of the deuill vvas caried avvay vvithout fruite Some fell into stonie ground that is into such hearts as wanted the good iuice and moysture of Gods holy spirite and therefore when the heate of persecution ariseth or some great temptation assaulteth them their zeale is withered and they reuolt from the trueth Some fell into busshie ground that is into the mindes of them that were troubled with the cares of the worlde with the loue of riches and with the pleasures of this life which wholly choked vp the good seede of the Gospell of Christ so that it could not in any wise prosper and bring foorth fruite Heere you may perceiue that for one fourth part of good grounde that yeeldeth fruite of the doctrine of God there are three greater partes of euill ground wherein it nothing at all prospereth But in these our dayes amongst vs we haue a fourth sort of men which obstinatly at al refuse to heare the word of God and do shut vp their eares not onely against preaching but against priuate exhortation also If there were lesse store of these euill groundes in this land at this day vndoubtedly wee should see more successe of the Gospell and more ample fruite of our teaching then novve wee doe It were good for men to looke that these quarrellings at other mens liues bee not one of the coardes of vanitie that Esay speaketh of Woe be to them saith God by his holy Prophet that drawe on iniquitie with coardes of vanitie and sinne as it were with a Cart-rope that is Woe bee to them that imagine excuses and coulours to nouzell and mainetaine them selues in contempt of Gods vvorde and vvant of repentaunce Let men take heede of such dealing that such Coardes of vanitie pull not on iniquitie so fast that it draw them to the vtter contempt of God and his trueth Example where of is seene at this day in too many to the griefe of all good mens hearts For the schoole of Epicure and the Atheists is mightily increased in these days The like effect Esay noteth to haue fallen out among the Iewes at that time For this he maketh them to say in derision of the preaching of the Prophets Let God make speede and hasten his worke that wee may see it Let the counsell of the holy one of Israel drawe neere and come that wee may knowe it And in like manner dealeth the wicked in Ieremie Chapter 5. They haue denied the Lorde and sayde It is not hee Tush the Sword and the plague shall not come vpon vs neither shall we see it The threatnings of the Prophets are but wind the true word of God is not in them They vtter their owne fantasies and these things shall come vnto themselues Euen with like contempt and derision many at this day abuse the Preachers of Gods worde When we lay before them the terrible threatnings of Gods wrath and indignation if they reuolt from the trueth of the Gospell or suffer the same to bee betrayed into the hands of the enemie saying that God wil for sake them that he wil take his defence from them that he will set his face against them that he will bring strangers vpon them to destroy their countrey and possesse their great landes and goodly buildings Oh say they These Preachers make great outcries they put strange expectations into the peoples heads they are vndiscreete they medle with matters which doe not appertaine vnto them if matters goe amisse the greatest fault is in them selues But I haue sufficiently spoken of this maner of intertaining of Ministers alreadie shall speake of the same hereafter The second and in deede a chiefe cause of backsliding and reuolting is the schisme faction and dissention vvhich for the space of these fifteene or sixteene yeeres hath exceedingly growen betweene the Ministers and Preachers of England For the like hath in all ages bene a cause to many of falling both from the trueth of God and to wickednesse of life Basile speaking hereof saith Ob haecrident increduli fluctuant qui modicae sunt fidei ambigua est fides ipsa The effects of this schisme hath bene as in part I haue declared in other partes of this treatise First that not only in sermons publikely but also in common table talke priuately yea and in writing and treatises spredde abroade into all mens handes wickedly vehement and bitter inuectiues haue beene made against the Bishoppes and other Preachers of the Church of England to the discredite not only of their persons but also of the doctrine which they haue taught Yea the whole state and gouernment of this church the Liturgie and booke of Common prayer and the administration of the Sacraments established by Lavve and authoritie the externall rites and ceremonies layde downe onely for order sake haue beene publikely misliked depraued and condemned as directly contrary and repugnant to the worde of God Men haue not onely deliuered foorth these inuectiues against the whole state of our Church and all the partes thereof but in the face of the vvorlde against Lavve against authoritie haue taken vpon them to alter all thinges according to their ovvne pleasure Which dealing you may bee sure cannot bee vvithout great offence of an infinite nomber as the worlde euidently seeth it hath beene Moreouer many persons both vndiscreete and vnlearned because they will not bee accompted Dumbe dogs haue taken vpon them to preach without license or triall and entring into discussing of matters nowe in controuersie betweene vs and the aduersarie haue handled them so coldly nakedly and vnperfectly that many haue beene grieued to heare them some brought in
proprietie possessions of lands goods as I haue before saide bringeth in a Platonicall community I say not that they which vse these places do meane it but surely that inconuenience danger followeth vpon it Therefore they that haue any feare of God ought to take heed that their immoderat stomack affectioÌ„s against bishops other ministers do not ouermuch blind them carry them away either to the affirming or to the maintening of corrupt and dangerous doctrines both to the Church and commonwealth If this their doctrine spread in libels shall once become familiar vnto the commoÌ„ people of this Realme it may happily breed such a scab and dangerous sore as all the cunning in this land will scant be able to heale it God send grace that heede may be taken thereof in time They wil say I know That this is but a shift of Logike that the false sophisters the bishops do vse to turne the matter from themselues when they say that this doctrine of Christ pertaineth to al Christians aswell as to them will aske me how they will auoid those plain euident words that Christ speaketh to his Apostles and disciples only when he sendeth them abroad two and two to preach the kingdome of God This say they doth belong to Ministers and Preachers only As ye go preach saying that the kingdome of heauen is at hand heale the sicke clense the lepers raise the dead cast out deuils freely ye haue receiued and freely giue you Possesse not golde nor siluer nor money in your purses nor scrip toward your iourney neither two coates neither shooes nor yet a staffe For the workman is worthy of his meate These words I must confesse do not appertaine generally to al christians no more do they generally to al ministers preachers of al times places Is it euil in it selfe to haue golde or siluer or to haue a staffe on the way to walke with or to weare shoes to saue his feet in iourneying I think there is no christian that will so iudge Christ himselfe had a purse wherein Iudas caryed mony for his prouision he suffered certaine rich women to go with him to minister to him to his disciples Peter also bare a sworde ware sandalles on his feete when the Angell bade him put on his sandalles And Paul writing to Timothie willeth him to bring his cloake with him although vndoubtedly hee had an other garment before We must consider then what it is that Christ in this place meaneth seeing neither himselfe nor his Apostles did obserue it according to the strictnesse of the letter There be some that say these precepts be personall and for a time onely not generall or perpetual for that which goeth before may seeme to take away the continuaÌ„ce of these precepts Go not in the way of the Gentiles but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Which precept the Apostles at this time obserued but afterward they preached the gospel vnto al the nations of the earth so doe they thinke that Christ for the time of this message only commanded them to possesse no gold nor siluer c. from thenceforth that this commandement was abrogated This interpretation I cannot reiect as euill or not pertinent to the meaning of Christ There bee also some hypocrites Pope-holy persons which wil haue these precepts perpetuall and build thereon friery monkish superstitioÌ„ They wil not touch any money They wil weare no whole shooes They wil not haue a staffe to walk with thinking that they shew themselues the holy seruants of God therein To this interpretation very nighly commeth that which these men vse to proue that bishops preachers may haue no lands nor possessioÌ„s nor riches no nor money further then will barely prouide theÌ„ meat and drinke and cloth whatsoeuer is aboue to be of superfluitie Some other thinke that Christ in those words onely compareth the Ambassadors of other princes with his as if hee had saide I send you foorth to preach the kingdome of God and the state of an ambassade or message doeth require that I should deliuer vnto you money and all other like things conuenient for this voyage as Princes vse to their ambassadours but deceyue not your selues the maner of this message is diuers from such messages as ciuill princes vse In ciuill ambassades great furniture I know is thought conuenient but this message of mine is such as nedeth no such matter to set it out For the maiestie of the thing it selfe the myracles that you shal worke shall sufficiently giue authoritie vnto it This interpretation also I thinke not amisse but in my opinion that by the iudgement of some other learned men also the true simple meaning of Christ was to teach his Apostles to put their trust whole confidence vpon the prouidence of God only for the better persuasion would haue them at this time to make trial therof and by experience to learne that though they haue nothing in the sight of the world to feede theÌ„ to helpe or to defend them yet that he will so prouide for them if they continue in their vocation calling faithfully that they shal want nothing yea that the fowles of the aire shall rather feed them theÌ„ that they should lacke sustenance That this was Christes meaning it may appeare in S. Luke where he saith to his Apostles When I sent you forth without wallet or scrippe or shooes lacked you any thing and they said No. Then said he vnto them But now he that hath a wallet let him take it vp and he that hath none let him sell his coate and buy a sword The Apostles vndoubtedly had great need of this instruction and to be taught to put their whole trust in the prouidence of God and to depende vpon that onely For he did see that in the execution of their office they shoulde be cast into all the difficulties of this worlde which either Sathan or his ministers were able to raise against them This lesson is very necessary also for all other christians but principally for the ministers preachers of the Gospel whensoeuer God for the profession teaching of his trueth shall cast them into the like difficulties For if they do not rest vpon that onely they shall finde lands possessions power authoritie kinred friendship all other helps of this world to be but as a broken staffe to leane vnto But what maketh this against that that ministers of the Church in the calme times of quietnesse may â—nioy the benefites and liberalitie of good and graâ—ious Princes whom he hath appointed as fosterers and nourishers of his Church and people wherein soeuer those benefites of their liberalitie shalbe imployed be it lands possessions goods money or any other maner of prouision For further proofe of this matter against the wealthy state of the Clergy the example of S. Peter also is
repressed they thinke it better to beare with some imperfections then by attempting great alterations in so dangerous a time to hazard the state both of the Church and of the Realme And the like toleration in some meane things I vnderstand vpon like consideration hath bin vsed in other churches reformed beyond the Seas Obiection An other crime is obiected not onely against ishops but against all other of the Clergie that is Ambition and greedie seeking after liuings and promotions If a benefice fall voyde say they then rideth hee then writeth hee then laboureth hee then inquireth he who can doe most with the Patrone And if hee be a Lay-man then at the least a reasonable composition will serue And if the Bishop haue the gift then Master Chancellor or Master Steward or my Lords Secretarie or my Mistresse his wife must helpe to worke the maâ—ter Answere Doe you not see how this malicious spirite passeth ouer all the good giftes that God hath in these dayes bestowed on a number of learned men to the great ornament of this land and of purpose onely to deface the Church taketh holde of those imperfections and blemishes which the corruption of mans nature specially in so perillous times and so large a Church must needes worke in a number Well writeth Basile Quemadmodum vultures c. As vultures or carren Rauens flie away to stinking carcasses and passe ouer many sweet medowes and many sweete sauouring places And as the flies shun the whole and sounde places of the body and rest only vpon scabs and soares out of which they suck matter to norish them euen so the enuious malitious and backbiting spirite passeth ouer all the ornaments worthy commendations of the liues of meÌ„ carpeth biteth at those things that he findeth worthy blame This Realme of England neuer had so many learned men nor of so excellent gift in deliuering the word of God It is the greatest ornament that euer this church had For my part surely I do reuerence and maruell at the singular gifts of God that I see in many But these things bee wincked at and passed with silence and the ambitious doings of some few brought in as matter to discredite the whole number of Preachers Diogenes seeing the cleanly furniture of Plato his house got vp vpon his bed and trampled on it with his dirtie feete saying Calco fastum Platonis that is I contemne tread vnder my feet the pride of Plato True it is quoth Plato sed alio fastu with another pride worse then mine So these men in rebuking ambitioÌ„ reach at an higher authoritie and power then any bishop in England hath or will vse Ambition I knowe and confesse is very wicked hath euer beene a perillous instrument of the deuil to make mischief By this he drew our first pareÌ„ts to the disobedience of the commandement of God perswading them not to be conteÌ„t with that happy state that God had placed them in By this he incensed Corah Dathan and Abiram with other to rebel against Moses and Aaron By this he thought to ouercome Christ when hee sawe he could not preuaile by other meanes By this he hath always raysed discorde dissention rebellion warre and tumult not onely to the troubling and disquieting but to the shaking and ouerthrowing almost of all common weales that euer haue beene and thereby also hath wrought the murther and destruction of an infinite number of the creatures of God By this he hath froÌ„ time to time raised many schismes heresies in the Church of Christ By this vndoubtedly I thinke he worketh no small euill nowe at this day in this our Church of England But what then Doe they thinke that if the bishoppes landes and the rich liuings of the Cleargie be taken away that they shall extinguish Ambition in the heartes of the ministers Was there no Ambition in the Church before that bishops had lands or before preachers had so large liuings No man can so thinke but they that are ignorant of the ecclesiasticall histories What was the first root of the troublesome schisme of the Donatists Whereof sprang first the heresies of the Nouatians at Rome What gaue the first occasion of the pestilent heresie of the Arians What maintayned and continued it was it not Ambition and seeking of preheminence But what shoulde I number vp any more examples Fewe schismes and heresies in the Church but had their beginning out of this roote And many knowe that a repulse of a dignitie desired was the first cause that our schisme brake forth hath so eagerly continued Surely though I confesse that I see and knowe in our church more corruption that way then I am gladde to beholde and so much especially in some kinde of Ministers as I praie GOD by some sharpe order may bee diminished yet this I dare stande to iustifie that all the enemies of the bishoppes and better sorte of the cleargie shall neuer be able to proue notwithstanding the daunger of this corrupt time that there is at this day in this Realme such heauing and shoouing such canuasing and working for bishoprikes and other Ecclesiasticall liuings as I will declare vnto them to haue beene in the ancient time aboue a thousand yeeres since in the best state that euer was in the church from the Apostles age vnto this time That there is no Ambition vsed among vs as I haue saide I dare not affirme but surely if there bee any there can be no Ambition on the one part but there must bee corruption on the other therfore let them looke vnto themselues that haue authoritie to bestow the liuings The best sorte of the ecclesiastical liuings are in the disposition of the princes authoritie And those honorable that haue to doe therein and are counsailers to her Maiestie be not so vnwise but they can espy Ambition in him that sueth and laboureth for them And if they do perceiue it they are very greatly to blame if they suffer it to escape without open shame or other notable punishment and thereby bring suspition eyther vpon themselues or vpon those that be about them As for the corruption in bestowing other meaner liuings the chiefe fault thereof is in patrones themselues For it is the vsuall manner of the most part of theÌ„ I speake of too good experieÌ„ce though they may haue good store of able meÌ„ in the Vniuersities yet if an ambitious or greedie minister come not vnto them to sue for the benefice if there bee an vnsufficient man or a corrupt person within two shires of them whom they thinke they can draw to any composition for their owne benefit they wil by one meanes or other finde him out And if the bishop shall make curtesie to admitte him some such shift shall be found by the lawe either by Quare impedit or otherwise that whether the bishop will or no he shalbe shifted into the benefice I know some bishops vnto whom such sutes against