Church vnto whom they administred greater titles riches and honor then T. Titus had who were the Bishops in the primitiue Church of which sort there must bee a continuall succession euen vntill the comming of the Lord Iesus yet notwithstanding if the Bishops now do execute no other office and that in no other sort then Timothie and Titus did then their titles riches and honours being but externall things lawfully giuen and lawfully receiued do not preiudice the worthines of their calling And about this the mēbers of the church of God ought not to contend For it is the zealous godly religious care in the execution of their office which doth onely dignifie the approbation of their calling And if they fail in the performāce of those godly duties to their place belonging then in the abuse of their titles riches and honors the fault consisteth And whereas many in these our times do take offence against the names titles wealthes and honors which our Bishops haue on them bestowed thinking that all such things at first proceeded from the Pope of Rome they are therin deceiued for since the time that christian Emperors kings Queens became the nursing fathers and mothers of the Church both titles riches and honors were by them bestowed vpon the Bishops in the Church who were notwithstanding obediēt subiects vnto their Emperours Kings and Queenes and were approued glorious ministers of the Gospell of Christ Iesus and all this was done before the Bishop of Rome did make himselfe the beast of Rome which now he is by vsurping vnto himselfe the sole authoritie ouer al the kingdoms in Christen dome Since which time both the Pope himselfe and all the Bishops vnder his Antichristian sea haue fled from the approued authoritie of Timothie and Titus in not being desirous to administer vnto the church but like tyrannicall Lords to rule and ouer rule the same and by their ouerruling vtterly to ouerthrow the church by extinguishing the purity of that light which shined in the same placing in stead thereof the traditions of men by their approbation of vnwritten verities And thus being desirous to raise themselues vnto a higher height then vnto them was limitted they lest to seeke the glory of God onely sought by peruerting the Scriptures to glorifie themselues aboue all the kingdoms of the earth and by this his pride the Pope hath made himself to be the open reuealed Antichrist as is before described But now my hope is that not any will continue to contend about the estate of Bishops as now they stand sith by their lawfull liberty of power they may receiue dignities on them bestowed by those vnto whō they administer which example was obserud by many christian Emperors kings many holy and reuerent Bishops long before the Pope was knowne to be that diuell which now he is And therfore let not any so contend about these things as if they thought the abuse of the Antichristian sea could extinguish or race out the lawfull liberty of power which was by the Apostles of Iesus Christ left vnto the godly Bishops in the church This may it please your Maiestie I haue aduentured to speake because I know some few vnlearned people in your land do desire to striue to much in this contention And though the authority of bishops be approued lawful yet al within the cōpas of your highnes kingdoms are your subiects and in their harts no doubt they vnfainedly desire to be so and do in their souls reioyce because they are so and your Maiestie shall find them reuerent godly wife learned men yet if there be negligent defects in any they will assuredly perceiuing that your highnes do looke into their course speedily by your directiō amend the things amisse henceforth not suffer that such vnworthy guides as are before described should by the laying on of hands be admitted to the ministry nor alow of any Nisi probatus vel Episcoporum examine vel populi testimonia Vnlesse he be allowed by the examination of the Bishops or testimonie of the people And the better to direct this course no doubt our Bishops will obserue the saying of S. Ambrose who speaketh thus in his exposition of Paules Epistle vnto Timothie Paul Chargeth Timothie before God the Father and Christ the Sonne and the elect angels Vnder this charge be commaundeth those things to be kept which pertaine to ordination in the Church least easily any man should get an Ecclesiasticall dignitie but inquisition be first had of his life and maners that a meete and approued minister or Priest may be appointed neither any to be ordayned whose faults deserue suspition for hee sinneth which or dayneth and trieth not This course obserued then shall your Maiestie ioyfully behold your Englands famous vniuersities send forth worthy men faithfully to labour in that worthiest work then should your highnes see your England furnished with the blessed number of those preaching pastors whose heauenly minds diuinely sanctified will iustifie the approbation of their calling by the inward testimony of the spirit of God Whose mouthes are touched with an hote coale taken from the fire of the Altar Whereby they are purged that the worke of God may be done by them with a pure performāce the approbatiō of whose ministry shall for euer ground it selfe vpon the foundation of that written truth contained in the holy Scriptures by the authority whereof they will like faithfull ministers truly teach the church of God arightly to vnderstand the worthines of hir peace in Iesus Christ vpon which corner stone the truth of their doctrine being established it will manifest vnto the world that they are sent of God and by the power of the holy Ghost are called to be the preaching ministers of saluation vnto all beleeuers Such as these are those of whome the Prophet Esay with admiration speaketh Oh how beautifull are the feete of those that declareth and publisheth peace that declareth good tidings and publisheth saluation saying vnto Sion thy God liueth These are the well commended watchmen which do continually with carefull diligence attend and waite vpon the Church giueth warning when the enemie approacheth neere vnto it or vnto any member of the same and so well they know all the publike and priuate enemies that they can describe the power likenesse craftes and policies by which and vnder pretext whereof The diuell with all his boares and beares and wolues and foxes seeketh to deface the beauty of the Church vtterly to destroy the same so wise these godly watch men are that they can prescribe and teach the true and perfect vse of euery powerfull meanes whereby the euent of each dangerous opposition shall soundly securely be preuented so that the church notwithstanding the force of all occasions shall at al times know how to enioy the safety of her peace These are the faithfull sheapheards who being
your royall vertuous selfe to bee their righteous king millions of thousands in your England liues whose spirites by the instinct of nature giues themselues to loue the lawfull exercise of Armes they with ioyfull willingnes will waite vpon the summons of their kinges commaund and spend their liues their lands their goods in the performance of faithfull and obedient seruice your England hath for these many yeares obserued the maner of your neighbor bordering kingdoms gouernment with what prudēt wisedom your maiesty did protect the safety of your land the continued true report of your renowned vertues fed your Englands people with delightfull ioy and to their hearts it did a comfort giue when as they thought vpon that blessed hope which built it selfe vpon the well known right of your succession though in christian policie A publike note was taken from the vulgar view yet all the world may witnes that our late Queenerenownde Elizabeth did with her Lordes and honoured Councellers long ago decree to yeeld vnto your Maiestie the proper right of your inheritance and that the people of your kingdom did expect no lesse was certainely approued by that ioyful general applause whichal your Englands subiects gaue when as they heard king Iames proclaimde to be their Soueraigne And now most mightie Prince sith that in despite of Rome the God of heauen hath established your name on earth and made you greater then euer yet was any Christian king and hath in peace confirmed the regall seate of your imperiall throne I make no doubt but your Maiestie with a Christian constancie and religious care will confirme the strength thereof by the inuisible force of a prudent wise godly gouernment which doth vnto two speciall poynts direct it selfe which is vnto the well ordering of diuine and humane things wherein the obedience vnto God belonging doth challenge to it selfe a title Capital the celestiall dignitie whereof is first before all other things in the chiefest place to be preferred Diuine regiment doeth therefore take vnto it selfe the matter of Religion onely and the ordināces to be vsed in the church which in the time of the Law were commanded by God himselfe vnto his seruant Moses and hee by the appointment of God committed the principall charge thereof vnto Aaron and his sonnes and the tribe of Leui but now in the time of the Gospell they were taught and commaunded by Iesus Christ himselfe and by him left vnto his Apostles and from them the principall charge thereof is committed vnto the Bishops and Pastors of the Church And as in the time of the Law Aaron though he were the high priest vnto God and had chiefe authoritie in diuine things yet was not he the king Prince or supreme Magistrate ouer the people of God but that supremacie of kingly honour was giuen vnto Moses who was vnto Aaron in the stead of God and therefore next vnder God Aaron and his sonnes were accounted subiects vnto Moses So in the time of the Gospell though Bishops and Pastors haue the chiefe authoritie to deale with the administration of diuine and holy things yet they nor any of them are the kings princes or supreme Magistrates ouer the people of God and Church of Iesus Christ. But that supremacie of kingly honour is giuen vnto Kings and Princes in their seuarall kingdomes who are vnto Bishops and Pastors in the stead of God And therefore all Bishops and Pastors are to be accounted subiects vnto their seuerall Kings and Princes And as Moses in the diuine ordinances concerning the law of God did commaund nothing vnto Aaron and the tribe of Leui but that he had expresly receyued from the mouth of God So Kings and Princes in the diuine ordinance of the Gospel of Iesus Christ are not to commaund vnto their Bishops and Pastors any other thing then can bee expressely warranted by the doctrine of Christ himselfe or his Apostles Lastly as in the time of the Law the Kings and Princes of Israel and their Priests and Leuits did bring on them and their posterity the eternall curse of God when they fled from the obedience of the Law written by Moses in the old testament of God Euen so in the time of Gospel shall Kings Princes with their Bishops Pastors bring vpō themselues their posteritie the eternall curse of God when they shall flie from the obedience of the Gospel written by the Apostles and Euangelifts and left vnto vs in the new Testament of Iesus Christ in which is contained the freedome libertie and iustification of our best esteemed and most blessed peace And from the obedience therevnto hath proceeded the long continuance of Englands peacefull quietnes and by the meanes thereof most mightie soueraigne your royall person and your Scotlands kingdome from euery threatned danger haue vntill this time most safely beene preserued And for from hence must spring the firme continuance of your royall state and kingdomes blessednesse your righteous soule no doubt will most desire that things diuine be chiefly lookde vnto and because there neuer was a church so rightly ordered but that some errors were therein remaining the reformation whereof did belong vnto the kings vnto whose charge the gouernment thereof in their seuerall kingdoms was principally committed it now therefore remaineth euident that your religious vnderstanding wise diuine and sanctifyed heart will in the beginning of your most happie raigne looke first amiddest your Englandes kingdome with godly care to beautifie the Spouses of Iesus Christ. My Soueraigne Lorde I doubt not but your highnesse will be pleased to obserue the order giuen vnto your princely son the happie comfort of your Englands hope and account it for your greatest honour to see the Church of God well gouerned I am a souldier my most mighty king and my dutie is when iust cause requires to fight for God and for his Church and for you my soueraigne next vnder God within the compasse of your kingdomes confines the onely supreme heade and gouernour Be then most mightie Prince vnder your captaine Christ a glorious instrument as to that ende you were ordained and aboue all things chiefly see his Church to be well ordered O then let your Maiestie vouchsafe with Salomon To walke downe into the Garden of Nuts The Sinagogues congregations in England and see the fruit of the valley see if the Vine buddeth and looke if the Pomegranets flourish Beholde what profite hath proceeded from the doctrine of the Law the Prophets and in many Congregations see nothing that your highnesse can take knowledge of but onely ignorance disobedience and rebellion The fearefull daunger of whose desperate estate is principally occasioned by the want of Pastors able to teach them to vnderstand that peace in whome the lawe and the Prophets is fulfilled and then from the loue of those vngodly guides which taketh vp the place bequeathed to better men let your diuine and heauenly soule as
swiftly flie as did the Princes of Salomon in their Chariots and them remouing commaund that in their place be set the siluer-sounding voyce of godly reuerend learned wise and preaching Ministers who by the power of their ministerie may cause the true vnderstanding of the peace of Iesus Christ to shew it selfe vnto the ignorant people of your land and that the onely light procuring beames of the most glorious Gospell may with a sweete reflexion beautifully shine and goldlike richly gilde all your poore and desolate darke and desart townes and villages that thereby all your English people may with ioy behold the beautie of Zion and glorie of Ierusalem shining in the Church This defect in Englands ministrie hath long go beene seene but not amended and our late godly Queene was in her time a straunger vnto this corruption that which in the Church did chiefly holde the too long continuance of some things amisse was the worde Improprio from whence Impropriations were deriued which were they backe returnd vnto their proper forme your Maiesty should quickely see a glorious Ministrie and till in this poynt reformation bee that men of godly knowledge and honest life may go before the flocke vnto their charge committed and by example teach the true performance of a Christian doctrine your Englands people will neglect the duties due vnto their faythe 's profession For though I know good workes can claime no merit yet as faith onely doth iustifie vs before the God of heauen so good works should serue to iustifie the soundnesse of our faith on earth agaynst all tongues that would desire to frame obiections against the puritie thereof And vndoubtedly most mightie Soueraigne in your Englande there is nothing of more strength that giues a powerfull libertie vnto the exercises of sin then the vilde example of vngodly Ministers Begin therefore most mighty Prince at the first with them and purge the Sanctuarie let it please your highnes not to suffer prophane and irreligious men in the place of Ministers to haue to deale with the administration of diuine and holy things nor once with their vncleane handes to touch the seales and Sacraments of our saluation For indeed they are no other then wormeaten trees clouds without raine dumbe dogges foxes wolues deceiuers destroiers which haue thrust thēselues into the church by some vnlawfull means their owne consciences can beare them witnes that in them their resteth no sufficient power to teach the church the way vnto the bridegromes loue for they rather make deuorcement betwixt the bridegroome his spouse they haue no right no vnderstanding no knowledge nor wisdoms skil to marry them togither in the vnitie of peace themselues are of all others merely strangers thereunto they are in deed the vngodly number of those intrusiue flocks which proudly and vniustly haue made themselues to seeme as if they were the brides companions but did the Church arightly know them as they are she would not then of thē enquire the way which leads vnto the place where her souls beloued feedeth nor would she endure any longer to be led by their deceiuing dissembling and destroying painted ignorance she would not assuredly be as one that turnes her selfe aside vnto the wickednes of their vngodly cōpany But whither am I led with such like words as these to speake against their grosse impieties Strange thing it is that such should be the watchmē in the house of God that better knoweth what an Alehouse meaneth and more delighteth to watch whole nights at dice and cardes then to spend one houre in the studie of diuine and heauenly things a paire of true rūning bowles are more esteemd with them then all those truth teaching bookes which should be the weapons for men of their profession Come honest neighbors and my good friends in such like wordes consisteth all the smoothnesse of their eloquence Let vs in a merry humor go drinke halfe a doozen pots of Beare this is the pith of their perswasion at the signe of the Cocke or some other place directly knowne vnto them There is say they as good heart-warming liquor as a man would desire to drinke and in this is comprehended the whole argument of their diuinitie Whereupon being once at their place appointed togither met they set them downe and fall to reasoning and all their bare-barly proofs being brought in pots they vse of them so many that at last growing all togither reasonlesse they are plainly ouerthrowne in the dust by the force of their owne argument in as modest order as I can most mightie soueraigne I haue described the manner of their immodest brutishnesse I will forbeare to speake of worse vncleannesse done by many of them But it would make a Christian heart to rend it selfe with griefe in the consideration of that iniurious wrong which is done by them vnto the church of god but now in the loue your Maiestie beareth vnto Iesus Christ let thē all be turned out that they may learne to vse their seuerall occupations find some means to liue without feeding vpon the soules of men For my owne part mighty soueraigne I affect not Browne Barrow Penry nor the schismes by them inuented I am a Protestant pro Deostans and do in my heart accord vnto your Englands gouernment by our late godly Queene established and doe account that the reuerend Bishops in your land are worthy instruments for the glorie of God and benefite of his Church so farre forth as they will with a religious care striue in their places to beautifie the Spouse of Christ by a conscionable and religious gouernment to which ende they are vndoubtedly ordained and there authorities approued lawfull for the Apostle Peter which commandeth that men of their calling should not rule as Lords ouer Gods heritage doeth not say neyther shall you accept of any such titles nor indure to be called Lordes ouer the flocke of Christ no though the Church of God shal in the loue and reuerence that they beare vnto you for their masters sake cal you their Lords their gouernors and teachers in diuine and heauenly things Surely out of the Apostle Peters words to me appeareth no such kinde of doctrine For I haue reason to resolue that the Apostle could not teach it to be a thing vnlawfull for himselfe or any other of the apostles or minister after thē to receiue liuing or honor at their handes vnto whom they should administer in the Lord. For the Apostle Paule in his Epistle to the Corint and 9. chapter doth plainly approue the lawfulnes thereof And howsoeuer he did forbeare to exercise his power for the good of the Church then being in her infant age yet notwithstanding it appeareth euidently that hee left that libertie of power to bee vsed in the Church And therefore if the Bishoppes since the time of the Apostles haue by their lawfull libertie of power wherof Paul speaketh receiued as giuen vnto them by the
did vnto them procure The name of iudifferenttolleration could not be endured in the dayes of Qu. Elizabeth The papists in the time of our late Qu. were alwayes ouerthrowne in the least occation of their hope The hope of the papists the effects therof The God of heauen our godly king on earth doe despise the secret imaginations of the Papists 1. Sam. chap. 15. ver 32. 33. The sword of iustice cannot take to strike a course againgst the enemie of God Parsons and Sanders on the behalfe of the Papists haue in their printed books affirmed that ourlate Queen was a cruell tyrant they affirm that Q Mary was more merciful to the protestants then E. vnto their named Catholikes The Papistes haue intituled the infant of Spaine vnto the crown of England The secret intention of the Papistes is meerely trecherous both vnto the king and publike state All well affected people do reioyce in the establishing of our now renowned king The well ordering of diuine things is chiefely to be respected in a kingdomes gouernment Aaronthough he were the high Priest vn to God yet was he subiect vnto Moses vnto whom was reserued the supremacy of kingly honou for he was vnto Aaron in the stead of God Exod. 4. ver 6. Kings princes in cause diuine should not command vnto their subiects thinges contrary vnto the word of God Disobedience vnto the word of God bringeth confusion vpon prince and people The peace of Englands happinnesse hath beene continued by the ministrie of the Gospel Kings princes in their seuerall kingdomes haue authoritie to reforme those things that are amisse in the Church of God Salomons song ca. 6. ver 10. 11. Improptiatiōs are the hinderance of a learned ministery Faith doth onely iustifie before God but good works doth iustifie our faith before men Iude. v. 12. 13. Isa. 56. v. 10. 11 Eze. cap. 13. 4. Ier. c. 23. v. 1. 2 A description of vngodly ministers The author doth professe himselfe to be no Brownest 1. Pet. ca. 5. v. 3 Oecumenius in t. a. Tim. cap. 1. 2. idem in 4. * 5. Pri matii praefatio in 1. ad Tit. 1. Tim. 6. 14 S. Ambrose in 1. ad Tim. c. 3. That the members of the church should not contend about the titles of bishops The maner how and cause why the Pope refused to bee ruled by the word of God Eusebeus lib. 7 cap 3 he deriueth the successiōs of Bishops in the 4. principall churches of the world Ierusalem Antioch Rome Alexandria from the Apostles age vnto the counsell of Nice A. 320 The reason why the author hopeth that the defects in the Church wil be amended 1. Con Carth. 3. cap. 22. S. Ambrose in 1. ad Tim. ca. 6 A description of godly ministers Esay cap. 62 v 6. 7. A godly reuerent wise and learned ministry is the beauty of the church A well minded Souldier neuer wisheth warre vnto his countries preiudice nor peace vnto his kinges dishonor A discription of our Englands peace An admonision vnto England generaly The happy estate of Eng. if her people shall obey the lawes of God English men haue beene admired and feared for their deeds in warre Warre is the shield of iustice ought not to be vsed but when iustice puts it on Peace ought to be the mother and the nurse vnto the child of warre and so bring vp wars children vnderh as that they might be able to defend their mothers right when iust occasion cals for them Tac liber 6. The state of Holland from Rome and Spaine deliuered God hath iustified their proceedinees with coutinuall blessings The Romanes taught their children how to fight and did euery 101. yeares with great solemnity record the actions by their people done in haughty deedes of armes Horace Certus vndenos decies per Annos Orbis vt cantus referat quaeludos