to die a corporall and a spirituall death both yea death of damnation both of body soule for euer Do they thinke that their blod shall not be asked at their hands at y e gret day of the Lord. Do they thinke y t their flieng away from their flock is a mean to preserue their liues y e longer vpon earth Is not God able to strike them as well in the fields as in the city as well in the country as in the towne in one place as well as in another Is not his power eueriewhere Is not his messenger death in al places Saith he not in the booke of Deuteron that if we doe not those things which he hath commanded vs in his sacred word cursed shall wee bee at home and cursed in the fields And saith he not further that the plague and pestilence the botch bile blaine or else what deadly infection soeuer shall followe vs and lay hold vpon vs in what place soeuer we be and shall neuer depart from vs till it haue quite consumed vs from the face of the earth And doe these fugitiues that ouerrun their flocks in time of infection thinke that they shall escape the heauie wrath and vengeance of God for their tergiuersation and backsliding from their duties Doe they thinke that God cannot saue them frm corporal death but with the breach of their duties towards God Is not the Lord as well able to defend them from any deadly infection if it be his good pleasure as he was to defend Sidrach Misaach and Abednego from the flaming fire Daniell from the mouth of the lions Ionas frō the iawes of the mightie whale with manie others that trusted in him Doe they thinke that his arme is shortened or his power weakened Is he not able to deliuer his children that in dooing of their duties depend vpon his prouidence And to bee plaine with them me think that in flieng away from their flockes they shew themselues to thinke that either God is not almightie or else noc mercifull or neither For if they beléeued that he were almightie and that hee were able to saue them then they would neuer run awaie from their flocke but depending vpon his prouidence beléeue that he is as well able to deliuer them in one place as in another if it bee his good pleasure And if they beléeued that he were mercifull then would they rest vpon the same not doubting but as he is almightie and omnipotent and therefore can doe al things so he is most mercifull and therfore wil preserue al those that put their trust in him If a temporall magistrate that exerciseth but a ciuil office in the commonwealth shuld go away from his charge for feare of infection or plague wheras his present abode might do more good than his absence he greatly offendeth how much more then offendeth he that being a pastor or féeder of soules flieth away from his charge wheras his presence might doe a thousand times more good than his absence And if it please the Lord to take them away to himselfe are they not most happie Enter they not into eternal glorie And haue they not an end of all miseries and paines in this life and the perfect fruition of perpetuall ioie in the heauens Are they not blessed if when the Lord shal call them he find them so well occupied as in féeding breaking the bread of life to the pore members of Christ Iesus for whose sakes he shed his hart blood Theod. But they say we ought not to tempt God which thing they must needs doe if they shoulde tarrie when they see death before their face And they say further that it is written that we must keepe the whole from the sicke and the sicke from the whole Besids saie they Natura dedit potestatem tuendi vitam omni animanti Nature hath giuen power of defending of life to euerie liuing creture Againe euery thing fleeth from his contrarie but death is contrarie to nature for it came through the corruption of nature therfore we flie from the same by the instinct of nature These and the like fond reasons they alledge for their excuse in flieng from their flocks and charges what say you to them Amphil. I can saie little to them But onelie this that none of all these reasons doe priuiledge them to discontinue from their flockes and charges And whereas they saie that their staieng were a tempting of God it is verie vntrue it is rather a reuerent obediēce to this tripled cōmandement Pasce oues meas pasce oues meas pasce oues meas Feede my sheepe feede my sheepe feede my sheepe But indeede if it were so that a priuate man who hath no kind of function nor office neither ecclesiasticall nor temporall seeing himselfe if he staie stil in great danger of death might auoid the danger by flieng so by the grace of God prolong his life and yet will not this man if he tarie tempteth the Lord and is a murtherer of himselfe before God And to such it is said thou shalt keepe the whole from the sicke the sick from the whole This is the meaning sence of these words and not that they do priuiledge any man for not doing of his dutie But notwithstanding all that can be said in confutacion of this great extreeme contempt of their duties I haue knowne and doe know some ministers nay wolues in sheepes clothing in Dnalgne that in time of any plague pestilence or infection thogh there hath bin no gret danger at all that haue bin so far from continuing amongst their flock y t if any one of them were sicke although of neuer so cōmon or vsuall disease yet fearing to be infected with the contagion thereof they haue absented themselnes altogither from visiting y e sick according as they ought as dutie doth bind them Yea some of them suppose you of mercenaries hirelings but not of god pastors are so nice so fine so feareful of death forsoth y e in no case they cannot abide to visit the sicke neither by day nor by night But in my iudgement it is as incident to their office and dutie to visite to comfort to instruct and relieue the sicke at the houre of death as it is for them to preach the word of God to their flocke al the daies of their life And peraduenture they may doe more good in one howre at the last gaspe then they haue done all the daies of their life before For he that in his life time hath had in small estimation the blessed worde of God but following his owne humors in hope to liue long hath lead a very wicked and impenitent life nowe through the consideration and sight of death which he seeth before his eies togither with godly exhortations admonitions and consolations out of the word of God may easelie be withdrawne from his former wicked life and dieng in the faith of Iesus Christ with
contrarie vnto them and reproouing yea condemning to hell their vaine curious searching of Gods secrets and the successe of things by such fallible and vncerteine accidents Theod. Me thinke this is the next way to withdrawe men from GOD the Creator to depende and hang vpon creatures is it not Amphil. It is the onely waie For who hearing that the creatures as the sun the moone the starres the signes planets doe giue both good things and euil blessing and cursing good successe and euill successe yea life and death at their pleasure as these brainesick fooles hold they doe and that they rule gouerne and dispose al things whatsoeuer yea both the bodies soules of man for so some shame not to say who hearing this I say would not fall from God and worship the creatures that giue such blessings vnto man What can be a néerer way to withdrawe the people not onelie from God but also to hale them to idolatrie and wholy to depend vpon creatures as the heathen do to their eternall damnation for euer But say they though we giue authoritie great power great rule and gouernement to the treatures yet we giue vnto God the chéefest stroke and the chéefest rule in all things all other creatures being but the instrumentall or secundarie causes or that I may speake plainlie as it were his deputies substitutes or instrumentes whereby he ruleth and worketh all things Is this any thing else than to saie with certeine heretikes that though God made all things yet he ruleth them not nor hath no care ouer them but hath committed the rule and gouernement of them to his creatures Then which what blasphemie can be greater is not this a flatte deniall of the prouidence of God which scripture so much setteth forth and commendeth vnto vs Shall we thinke that God made all things and now as one wearie of his worke committeth the gouernmente of them to other creatures Saith not our Sauior Christ Pater et ego operamur my father worketh and I worke Meaning thereby that as he wrought in creating of all things so he worketh still in ruling them by his power gouerneing them by his wisdome and preseruing them by hys prouidence and will do to the end of the world But when they haue proued that he hath committed the rule and gouernement of his creatures to his creatures then I will saye as they say In the meane time I say holde that it derogateth greatly from the glorie and maiestie of God to saye or affirme that creatures haue the gouernement of all things committed vnto them For if there should be many kings princes and rulers in any one realme or country must not the dominion and rule of the chief prince or regent be lesser than if he ruled and gouerned alone Woe were vs if wee were at the rule and gouernement of creatures but blessed be our God who as he knoweth our frailtie hauing therefore cōpassion of our infirmities so he ruleth and gouerneth all things whether in heauen earth hell or else whersoeuer according to the good pleasure of his will In the 1. and 2. chapters of Genesis besides infinit the like places of holie scriptures we read that the sun the moone the stars with all creatures else were created made for the vse and cōmoditie of man being made subiect to him he constitute lord ouer them yet notwithstanding are they becom now his lords and he their subiect vassall and bondslaue This is preposterous geare when Gods ordinance is turned topsie turuie vpside downe It is time these phantasticall fellowes were looked to in time that wil go about to disthronize the mightie God Iehoua of his regall throne of maiestie and glorie making an Officiperda of him a iacke out of office to pul him as it were E caelis Out of the heauens downe to the earth giuing him no power nor authoritie at all Theod. Haue the signes and planets then no power nor authoritie at all vpon things on the earth Amphil. Yes they haue their power their operation force strength and effect in those things whereto GOD hath created them as namely in the growing increasing cherishing fostering renewing comforting reuiuing of all natural things And also they haue their influence operation in mans bodie for letting of bloud receiuing of purgatiōs the like But to say that they work these effects of their own proper force strength or that they rule or dispose the spirits soules of man is vtterly false at no hand true And yet notwithstanding is far infatuat are these busie heded astronomers curious serching astrologers that they attribute euery part of mans body to one particular signe planet affirming that part of the bodie to be ruled by that signe or planet And therefore to Aries they haue assigned the gouernement of the head face To Tau the necke and throte To Gem. the shoulders the armes the hands To Leo the hart and back To Can. the brest stomake lungs To Lib. the raines and loines To Uir. the guts bellie To Scor. the prime parts bladder To Sag. the thighes To Cape the knées To Aqu. the legs To Pisc. the féet And thus haue they doe beare the world in hand that the whole bodie of man both Interne externe within without is ruled and gouerned by the xij signes by starres and planets not by God only For the cōfirmation of which fained vntruth they pretend the xij moneths in the yere to be ruled gouerned by the xi◠signes in the element and the seuen daies in the wéeke to be ruled by the seuen planets also Besides this they haue their particular houres times and seasons wherein they chiefly worke their effects and haue greatest strength So that by their reasons no moneth in the yere nor day in the weeke nor no houre in the day nor night but it is ruled and gouerned by the influence and constellation of the starres and planets and nothing is effected or brought to passe but what they will and intend Theod. Are the signes and planets liuing creatures and reasonable or insensible creatures and things without life Amphil. They are no liuing or reasonable creatures it is without all controuersie but meerely insensible and without life And being without life and reason how is it possible that they should bring life or death as these felowes hold sicknesse or health prosperitie or aduersitie heate or cold faire weather or foule beautie or deformitie long life or short or any thing else And if they be not able to giue these things how much lesse able are they then to gouerne rule and dispose all thinge in heauen earth the aire or else whersoeuer so ouerthrowe monarchies kingdoms nations countries and people and finally to work althings after their owne desire and will Will they haue dumbe and vnreasonable creatures to rule the reasonable If that were true why should God be praised either for his
themselues did who after Christ Iesus was crucified gaue themselues to their old occupations of fishing making of of nets tents pauilions and the like But vpon the other side if a man haue not this diuine calling his conscience bearing him witnesse thereof nor yet the graces gifts and ornaments of the minde fit for his calling which whosoeuer hath not it is a manifest argument that the Lorde hath not sent him for those that hee sendeth hee furnisheth with all kinde of graces and giftes necessarie for their callings this man though he be called by humane calling neuer so precisely yet he may nay hee ought to leaue his function as vnwoorthie to occupie a roome in the church of God representing as an idoll doth that thing which hee is not Besides hee that is compelled and inforced either by friendes as manie are or by pouertie as not a few bee or for anie other respect else to take that high function vpon him without the testimonie of a good conscience being not furnished with gifts and graces fit for such a calling which argueth directly that God hath not called him hee I say is so farre from being bounde neuer to leaue his function and calling that hee ought not one minute of an houre to continue in the same though he bee called by man a thousande times Therefore he that is a minister and hath charge of soules committed vnto him let him if hee bee not furnished with such gifts â—s his high calling requireth in the name of GOD make no doubt of it to giue ouer his function vnto others that are able for their giftes to discharge the same in the meane time giuing himselfe to godlie exercises of life as God may be glorified his conscience disburthened and the commonwealth profited Theod. But I haue heard of some that considering the naughtinesse of their calling and their owne insufficiencie to discharge the same haue therefore left off their function giuing themselues to secular exercises and in the ende haue béene inforced to resume their former function vpon them againe and that whether they would or not How thinke you of this Amphil. I thinke truely that they who compelled them to take againe that function which they were not able to discharge and therefore lest it haue gréeuously offended therein This is as if I knowing a simple ignorant foole presumptuously to haue taken vpon him a great and waightie charge yea such a charge as all the wisedome in the world is not able thoroughly to performe and when he in taking a view of his owne insufficiencie shuld be mooued to leaue his charge to others better able to execute the same than hee I should notwithstanding not onely counsell but also compell him to resigne againe his former great charge which I knowe he is neither woorthie nor yet able euer to accomplish Thinke you not that he that compelleth him to take againe that office or calling which before he had least for his inabilitie shall not answere for the same yes truely you may be sure of it In conclusion he that is sufficiently furnished with such gifts as are necessarie for his calling withal is found able to discharge in some sort his duty ought not to leaue his function for to such a on that so doth Christ saith hee that laieth hande vppon the plough and looketh backe is not fit for the kingdome of God But againe he that hath not these gifts and graces sufficient for his calling to the discharge of his dutie ought not to occupie a place in the church of God as the pastor thereof much lesse ought he when he hath for his inabiltie leaft the same to be constraied to resume againe his former function and calling which he is not able to discharge But hereof inough Theod. Then I perceiue that any minister or ecclesiasticall person that hath not gifts sufficient to discharge his duty may with good conscience leaue their functions and giue themselues to liue by their labors as others temporall men doe may they not Amphil. Yes with a better conscience than to retaine them being not able to discharge them in any small measure For with what coÌ„science can he receiue temporall things of his flocke and is not able to giue them spirituall With what face can a shepeheard receiue of his sheepe the milke the wooll and fleece and yet will not or cannot giue to the same either meate or drinke sufficiently With what conscience can he receiue fortie pound a hundred pound or two hundred pound a yeere of his poore flocke and is not able to breake to them the breade of life in such forme and maner as he ought Nay how can he euer haue quiet conscience that knowing that the blood of all those that die ghostlie for want of instruction shal be powred vpon his head at the day of iudgment and be demanded at his handes will yet notwithstanding refeane the same charge and function to himselfe still not being able to discharge the least iote of the same Therefore would I wish euery man of what office function or calling soeuer he be if he be not able to discharge his dutie in the same to giue it ouer and not for greedinesse of a little mucke or dung of the earth For monie is no better to cast away their soules which Iesus Christ hath bought with his most precious blood Theod. Is it lawfull for a pastor or minister that hath a flocke to departe from the same In the time of plague pestilence or the like for feare of infection Amphil. Is he a good sheepeheard that when he seeth the wolues comming will take him to his heeles and runne away Or is he a sure freend that when a man hath most neede of his helpe will then get him packing not shewing any fréendship towardes him at all I thinke not And truly no more is he a good pastor or minister but rather a depastor and minisher that in time of any plague pestilence or sicknes whatsoeuer will conuey himselfe away from his flocke for feare of infection at the houre of death when the poore people haue most need of comfort aboue all other times then is he their pastor that shoulde féede them the furthest from them When they stande vppon the edge as it were of saluation or damnation then permits he the wolfe to haue the rule ouer them Our Sauiour Christ saith Bonus pastor animulam dat pro ouibus A good shepheard giueth his life for his shéepe but these felowes are so far from giuing their liues for their sheepe that they seeke to saue their owne liues with the destruction of their whole flocke This is the loue that they beare vnto their flocke this is the care they haue ouer their soules health which Christ Iesus bought so deere with the price of his blood Out vppon those shepheards that for feare of incurring of corporall death which is to the Godly an entraunce into parpetuall glorie will hazard manie a thousande