point how farre the auncientest and holiest men next after the Apostles are to be listened vnto heare Augustine himself How farre the ancient fathers are to be harkened vnto by the iudgemeÌ„t of Augustine where he saith That the testimonies of Cyprian and Agrippinus are not to be alledged as if it were not lawfull otherwise to thinke if they perhaps shall speake otherwise then the truth doth require And in an other place he saith That we ought not to beleeue the Catholike Doctours if they shall auouch any thing contrarie to the Canonicall scriptures and confesseth that in his owne bookes many things may be found which without rashnes may iustly be censured Teachers credit a popish snare to entangle the ignorant and a baite to drawe them from searching of the scriptures O Foxes full of all subtiltie for hence it is that you haue forbidden the scriptures to be read in the vulgar tongue and such as all Christians vnderstand The common faith of the Catholike and moreouer haue taught â—t to be sufficient to beleeue what your Church beleeueth without inquisition what it is and to credit your teachers without search of the scriptures but proâ—ided a man haue a good meaning reâ—erre himselfe to the articles of your â—aith kneele downe before a crucifix â—e apt to say an Aue Maria or a Pater â—oster O then behold a merit by and â—y atchieued Iohn 4.24 1. Cor. 16.13 Ephes 16. 1. Pet. 3.9 and Gods wrath appeaâ—ed Is this to serue God in spirit and â—n truth Is this which you teach the â—aith by which we stand which must â—eat backe the fierie darts of the enemies namely to build vpon the affiâ—nce of Bellarmine Stapleton Allablaster Indeed if you could bring the matter to this passe that in stead of Sic dicit Dominus exercituum sic dicit Dominus Deus vester Papa that is in stead of thus saith the Lord of hostes thus saith your Lord God the Pope and in stead of os Domini locutum est The next way to make all the world papistes the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Os Bellarminianum veâ— StapletonianuÌ„ dixit the mouth of Bellarmine or Stapleton hath said it then is iâ— likely that all christendoÌ„ shal be papists shortly nay Atheists perhaps for I am sure of all your teachers the Pope musâ— haue the credit And then what if his holines be as deuoutly minded as Paul thâ— third Paulus 3. who lying on his death bed said he should shortly vnderstand whether there were a God in heaueÌ„ or no wherof he had alwaies doubted or as Iohn 22. who taught that mens soules did sleepe with their bodies Iohn 22. Iohn 23. Atheists or Iohn the twentie three who taught that men died after the manner of beastes for which heresie and many more flagitious deeds he was depriued of his papall iurisdiction in Concilio Constantiensi What if the Pope were thus minded and so would proclaime it I say vndoubtedly all the world as noster magistellus Allablaster would beare vs in hand are bound to beleeue him But wee are taught to search the scriptures 1. Iohn 5. and to try the spirits both by commaundement and example by the light whereof all this your darknes hath been and shall be discouered Iohn 4. Vniuersalitie a false marke of the true Church THere are no greater deceiuers in the world then they who to discerne the true Church members whereof wee ought to be if we will be saued from the false from the which we ought to separate our selues if we will not be damned stand wholy vpon a multitude For if in worldly affaires more fooles are to be found then wise how is it then when the point concerneth supernaturall goodnes and wisedome If the aduersarie will not credit Christ himselfe speaking in plaine tearmes of the broad way which leadeth to destruction through which many passe and the narrow gate that leadeth vnto life which fewe doe finde yet perpetuall experience might better teach them then to stand vpon vniuersalitie as a marke of the true Church when the deluge came vpon the world The greater number the worser whether was paucitie or multitude a marke of the Church what was Abrahams house in comparison of the Cananites what was Israell to comprise hypocrites in the number in respect of the whole world what Church was the multitude a marke of when Christ being in the earth in his person the rulers reiected him and the multitude cryed away with him away with him crucifie him crucifie him what multitude was the number of sixescore persons when the Christian Church began To conclude when these proude boasters of their great numbers shall well haue counted what they are in comparison of the rest of the world which acknowledge not the Messias then may they proue if they will not maliciously erre that the multitude is rather to be suspected then reckoned a true note of the true Church Antiquitie of religion a vaine brag of Romaine Catholickes MEn time without mind haue accustomed to commend themâ—â—lues vnder the name of antiquitie specially vnto the ignorant whose â—gnorance also they doe abuse and â—â—us it commeth to passe by Gods iust â—â—dgment that they who will not suffer â—hemselues to be taught take many â—â—mes that for latter which was forâ—er and for new which is old such are â—â—ey of whom Peter speaketh who said â—f that time when a man spake vnto â—â—eÌ„ concerning the comming of Christ 〈◊〉 iudge the world that all things were â—s they are now since the first fathers â—hich thing is false saith he 2. Pet. 3.4 for they â—â—ould know that the world was not â—reated in such sort as now it is and â—hat God hath alreadie executed an â—orrible Iudgment on the corruption â—hereof Ier. 44.17 In like sorte they reproched â—eremie that he had mard all with his â—ew preaching yea and when they â—eare Christ himselfe they say what kinde of new doctrine is this Mark 1.17 Iohn 5.39 but he bids them search the scriptures for they speak of him In like sort say these great asses that will know nothing what new doctrine is this you teach where was the new Church of yours threescore yeares ago before Luther ran out and like a fugitiue fled from his mother behold their common language We answere them that primum quodque verissimum The protestants would that the prophets Christ and his Apostles should end all controuersies And we will appeale vnto Moses Dauid the prophets apostles and auncient fathers to be tried for the antiquitie of our religion if they dare put the controuersie by them to be ended Looke what forme of seruice was in the Tabernacle and Salomons temple in their time and whether it commeth nearer our seruice or the Popes portuis they read Moses and the prophets and expounded them and doe not we so we haue nothing touching the substance of religion but we are able
he to doe it Euen the Leuites euen those which ought to haue been the mirrours of all pitie and compassion euen the priestes which God had dedicated to himselfe must be the executors of his rigor And vpō whom Euen vpon their owne kinsmen Thus the mildest man that euer was behaued himselfe against Gods enemies for he was zealous in the cause of the highest This was much but Asa Asa did as much as he For he put away the Sodomites and banished the Idolaters out of the land he remoued Maacha his mother and tooke the crowne from her head because she offered sacrifice to Priapus and gaue commandement that whosoeuer would not worship the Lord God of Israel should be slaine from the greatest to the smallest This was much but Iehu did as much as Asa For he killed all the Prophets of Baal and suffered not one of them to liue he defaced the Temple of their Gods and made a draught house of it for euer What wonderfull things did those good Kings Ezekias and Iosias in their daies The one spared not an Idolater in the land the other being but a young prince was so zealous in the behalfe of his God that he put the idolatrous priestes to death burnt their bones and sacrificed them vpon their owne Altars as the bookes of the Chronicles and Kings of Iuda do declare These are good presidents for Christian princes to follow neither was there more need at any time to draw the sword against prophaners of the Lords seruice For there is sprung vp a mightie generation of wicked and disloyall men to disturbe vs of disobedient and vntoward children to prouoke vs of deceitfull and halting hypocrites to disquiet vs of Romish Baalims stragling extrauagants to withdraw vs from the worship of our God The third Reason Papistes conuicted of high treason HIgh treasons are in their true natures offences against the highest Maiesty for treason is called crimen laesae maiestatis that is tending either to the destruction of their persons or defacement of their dignities But the papistes although they denie not the person yet debase they the authoritie of the sonne of God Therefore papistes are guiltie of highest treason How many and how horrible treasons they commit against Iesus Christ it will be too long to rehearse yet because euerie one to whose vew these my labours shal be offered may see how iustly they are conuicted I will but glance at some of the chiefest First of all therefore vnderstand you I speake to the vulgar sort which doe not so thoroughly cōceiue of these matters that the Apostolicall Church of Rome hath degraded our Lord Iesus of all his degrees Christ degraded of all his dignities by the Catholiks his dignitie royall his state propheticall and his priesthood In respect of his dignitie royall wee say that vnto him alone it appertaineth to commaund and forbid Iohn 13.13 1. Cor. 5.4 Apoc. 3.7 to iudge and absolue hauing the keyes to open to shut so that it is not lawfull for any no not for the Angels themselues to make a law to bind the conscience nor to establish in any point cōcerning the substance of it the gouernment of the Church The reason is euident because we are forbidden to ad or diminish any thing from the commaundementes of the lawgiuer as also to make new ordinances Deu. 4.2.12.32 Esay 29.13 Coloss 2.8 1. Cor. 7.23 and all the commandements of man in the matter of this spirituall kingdome are once for all declared to be nullities Now these traitours incroch vpon his prerogatiues Papistes traitours against Christ his roiall dignitie Christ more be holden to Pilate then to the Papistes Math. 26. by ordering the estate of the house of this king contrarie to his owne expresse will in eclipsing some of his lawes in establishing others altogether new So that Christ may seeme to be much and more beholden to Pilate then to these kind of teachers for he writ him king of the Iewes though he knew not what he did for which cause the Pharisees were angrie with him but these write him king of the Church yet they crown him with thornes and giue him a reed in steed of a scepter As for his propheticall soueraigne authoritie by the spirit of whom all the auncient Prophets spak who afterwards plenarily in his owne person declared the will of his father hath since his ascending into heauen vntill he returne not to teach but to iudge continued to declare the same vnto the world by his faithfull Apostles how is it possible more in this point to betray him whom we are bound to heare in paine of extermination Papists traitors to Christ his Propheticall state and how then first by falsifying that which he preached both by adding to and clipping from and secondly by forbidding his word to be read vnto all nations kindreds in a knowne language fearing say they least men should become heretikes that is least light ingender darkenes and truth lying and what is this but neither to enter themselues Math. 5. The priesthood of Christ according to the scriptures nor yet to let others and to hide the light vnder a bushell The third office which is his priesthood consisteth in two principal points In our redemption in his intercession our redemption hath two parts expiation and sanctification In expiation behold foure speciall points first that the word betokeneth a full and entire paiment of all that is due vnto God Secondly that which is due is death according to the sentence giuen by God himselfe Gen. 2.17 Rom. 5.12.6 23 vnderstanding by death not onely the separation of the soule from the bodie which is called the first death Genesis 3.19 whence followeth putrefaction of the bodie in the graue but the second death also which is the frightfull yre and malediction of God reuenging with all perpetuitie sinne in the bodie and soule of the sinner which horrible state is eternall in the diuell and the damned Thirdly this expiation betokeneth not the payment for one sinner but for all sinners I meane the elect which haue been are or shall be to the ende of the world not of one sinne but of all sinnes except that against the holy ghost which is vnpardonable Fourthly this paiment was to be offered by him who in respect of himselfe should be no way bound to this malediction but a pledge suretie for others Now of sinnes or debts to be paied there be two kindes Hebr 7.22 some originall some actuall originall sinne must be considered in two diuers respectes first touching the corruption of the whole man which is as it were the essence of this sinne Secondly touching that which followeth it namely that which makes vs children of wrath worthie of the curse of God from our conception This is it we teach and build out of the word of God In this behold how many waies the papistes play the traitors
of God were vnauaileable Indeed mans reason perceiued that some meanes was needful to make attonement but what it was reason was too shallow to finde out The Platonists haue busied themselues about many clensings but to small purpose others say it must bee done by abstinence good behauiour Iupiters mysteries c. Hierocles said that religion is the studie of wisdome which consisteth in perfecting and cleansing our selues that men may be at one with God which perfection also standeth in confession of sinnes as he saith but alas whereas in religion we looke for life vpon confession followeth death Then to finde a planke to saue vs from shipwrack religion sheweth three persons in vnitie of one essence coeternal and coequall in all respects the Father as the ground and wellspring the Sonne as the euerlasting word and wisdome of the Father and the holy Ghost as the bond of loue whereby the Father and the Sonne are linked together The one of these must make attonement for God himselfe must be faine to step in betwixt his Iustice and his mercie and as he created vs at the first so to create vs new againe and as he created vs in fauour so now to acquite vs from wrath and as he vttered his power and wisdome in making vs so now to vtter his wisdome and goodnes in repairing vs. But yet beholde a mysterie this infinite godhead is not to discharge our disobedience These speeches are vnderstoode by a communicating of properties as the like Acts 20.28 otherwise then with obedience nor our vndesert otherwise then with desert nor our pride otherwise then with lowlines neither is he to purchase grace but by punishment nor a crowne but by suffering neither life but by death Therfore would hee abase himselfe that hee might obey serue that he might deserue stoope downe beneath himselfe that hee might become lowly become weake that he might suffer become mortall that he might die Therefore was it behoouefull that our mediatour should be God and man man to be borne vnder the law God to performe the law man to serue God to set free man to humble himselfe to the vttermost God to exalt himselfe aboue all things man to suffer God to ouercome man to die and God to triumph ouer death And sythence it pleased him of his infinit goodnes to be humbled for vs himselfe no way bound needs must his obedience become a discharge for the disobedience his desert a discharge of the vndesert his sufferings a satisfaction for the stubburnnes of them that beleeue in him Now then if religion should but send vs to the true God what were that more then the sending of an offender to the Iudge or a laying of stubble to the fire considering that God is infinitly good and man infinitly euill Secondly and if in religion we should but reade the will of the creator what haue we yet found since mankinde is corrupt from his roote and rotten at the core but our owne enditements arraignements and condemnations Therefore this third note of religion by making satisfaction for sins by the death of Christ is the verie substance and in shape of it without the which it should be altogether vnprofitable Now all this serueth first to shew you the tyrannie of Sathan ouer mankinde and the horrible darkenes whereinto it is plunged being destitute of the aide of Gods word and his holy spirit Secondly how greatly we are bound to receiue our gracious calling and to promote Gods holy religion by which we are brought to that soueraigne good for the which wee were made and created and without the which hauing all things else yet are most miserable for proofe whereof hast thou the authoritie and soueraigntie of a Prince Let Princes say whether one rebellion of their subiects doe not more vexe them No welfare to be found in this world than all their honorable triumphs can reioyce them Art thou exalted to honour let honourable persons say whether they bee not spitefull or spited doing mischiefe or receiuing mischiefe ouermating or ouermated Honour is but vertues shadow a winde that makes many swell but cannot satisfie Art thou rich and wealthie Let Merchants say what wealth is worth since sea can drowne it fire consume it pyrates and robbers bereaue vs of it To loue riches is to doe as children doe which take their greatest delite in pins and checkstones or as fooles which should deeme the goodnes of an horse to consist in his strappings Art thou beautifull Let the daughters of vanitie say whether the sunne doth not tanne it or a starre doth not blemish it or sickenes doth not waste it or olde age doth not weare it Beautie is but a vaine thing and gladdeth more the beholders then the hauers Art thou strong and healthie Let al the world say whether mans bodie be not subiect to a thousand diseases fraught with frailties within wrapped in miseries without vncertaine of life sure of death Now what are all these and the rest but resemblances of the apples that grow about Sodome pleasant to the eye and prouoking to the appetite but vanishing into smoke being touched with the teeth Therefore it is onely true religion that leadeth Prince and people noble and vnnoble rich and poore to true felicitie and reuniteth them vnto God Happie be that day and blessed from aboue in the which God gaue vs this token of his fauour let that moneth be respected of God and let it be the head of the yeare let all such as loue their saluations blesse that day wherein they were redeemed from the darkenes of Sodom and of Aegypt and the day starre of righteousnesse appeared vpon them yea let it be made the beginning of the supputation of yeares as we reade that the Iewes reckened their yeares from the yeares of Iubilee and from the finding of the law in Iosiahs time for then commeth the true yeare of Iubilee the yeare of freedome and deliuerance from bondage when the Gospell which is the glad tidings of saluation commeth vnto vs. Furthermore Temporall blessings haue accompanied religion that nothing might bee wanting to make vs with ioye to receiue Gods holy religion beholde since the Church hath begun to flourish and to spread her boughes throughout the whole land the common wealth hath neuer been endowed with more ornaments of â—eace neuer lesse vexed with incombeâ—ances of warre neuer like adorned with â—ountifull blessings Why when our â—eighbour nations haue been infested â—ith martiall horror clattering of arâ—our thundering of shot when infants haue been drawne out of their mothers wombes By looking a broad better behold your blessings at home and dragged from their nurses breasts when their wiues and daughters haue been rauished their countries wasted their cities sacked their houses fired their temples defaced with many more such spectacles of dread and horrour yet England hath remained still victorious without contention and thou famous London her Queene citie confident without trouble so that
How the papistes play the traitors against the priesthood of Christ For first demaund of them how the fruites of this originall rancour are washed away they wil tel you by the sufferings of Iesus Christ Wish themselues further to declare their meaning then the diuell sheweth his hornes that before appeared like an Angell and there ariseth by and by a smokie distinction out of the bottomlesse pit Popish distinction of sinnes mortall and veniall of sinnes some mortall some veniall whereby the glorie o◠Christ his passion is darkened For veniall sinnes say they deserue but temporall punishment whereof a man by some displeasance of them is washed with an holy water sprinckle or a Bishops blessing or with saying à mea culpa or by some petite penance c. Thus these Catholicke physitions in steed of vsing one purgatiue remedie without which euerie sinne becommeth deadly cast mens soules into a lethargie depriued of all true sense and motion as the emperiall Practickes vse the medicine which they call Narcoticall that is to say Popish distinction of sinnes going before Baptisme and after such as benumme and dead the diseased vntill they become past feeling They haue a second distinction of sinnes going before baptisme and of sinnes committed after as also between the guilt and the paine satisfactorie Popish distinction betwixt guilt plaine satisfactorie and all to this end to derogate from Christes worke of our redemption and to make that which proceedeth from vs of some worthinesse and merit How sinnes going before Baptisme are pardoned according to the schoole of Rome and how after which they call a worke of condignitie As for sinnes going before Baptisme they grant that they are pardoned throughly in regard of the guilt and the paine and that by some meanes of the vertue of the sacred water with the action it selfe of Baptisme But as for the sinnes committed after baptisme the guilt and trespasse is pardoned the paine satisfactorie remaines to be paid partly in this life partly after death but in a coyne which hath the Popes image and superscription In this life by pater nosters Note well aues pilgrimages fastings foundations and other paines imposed in eare confession after death he must pay the remainder in purgatorie Yea but he that is there they say can merit no longer what shall become of the poore soule then Why he must be fetcht out of the fire by praiers and good works of the liuing And what good works are those Masses Requiems Dirges holy water and such great deuotions But how many shall fetch them out They cannot tell that yet they haue taxed seuerall mortall sinnes at a certaine number of daies and yeares But what if he be come out alreadie Tush that is not the losse of a requiem or masse It shall be set vpon the tale of another score to be allowed other But who hath the bestowing of them For sooth the merchant royall of pardōs the Pope holy father Cold comfort for poore papistes But what shall become of the poore that is able to giue nothing to haue these great deuotions after his death Mary he were best to merit well in his life for no peny no Pater noster vnlesse it please the Merchant to bestow an almes of his ouerplusse Then if all this be sound wherto serueth the satisfaction of Christ O sir wot you not why to make all these afore named pretie trinkets auaileable and to send you for a season into purgatorie where as you should haue gone into hell for euer O treason Besides the spirit of lying hath so controuled and countermaunded the obligation once made for all by Iesus Christ that he hath borne men in hand that the same must euery day be really and actually reiterated And whereas the supper of the Lord was ordained True vse of the Lords Supper first that we should be made partakers of that mysticall vnion of Iesus Christ together with all his merits vnto eternall life and secondly to celebrate with solemne thankesgiuing his onely and holy sacrifice once for all made they insteed of this haue thrust in their Masse wherein they say their priestes make a full satisfacton both for the quick and dead Popish priests do more by their Masse then Christ by his merits if you list to beleeue them which Masse of theirs is of greater efficacy then the first oblatiō which the sacrificer himselfe offered vpon the crosse seeing in his as they say the paine satisfactorie is reserued still to be paied but theirs maketh an entire satisfaction O intollerable treason Alas O Lord how long wilt thou beare it The second point of our redemption is sanctification The protestāts doctrine concerning sanctification It is also called regeneratiō or new birth because by it we become new mē as touching the qualities of the soule For as man made not himselfe at the first but the power of God the creator no more is man able to make himselfe a new creature but this is by the power of him who is made vnto vs sanctification 1. Cor. 1.30 For the bringing of this to passe we teach that the corruption of nature in the first Adam is abolished in the flesh of the high priest the second Adam in whom wee being vnited by faith fulfill the law by meerely free imputation 1. Cor. 1.30 Secondly the Lord Iesus Christ drawing vs vnto him by his holy spirit formeth in vs both to will and to doe Ephe. 1.18 Psal 51.12 2. Cor. 5.17 Act. 26.18 Ephes 5.8 enlightening the eies of our vnderstanding framing a cleane heart within vs making vs from the head to the foot new creatures bringing vs out of darkenes into light and from death vnto life Altogether the Catholicke Sophistes contradict this truth Ephes 2 1.5 The sophists absurdities touching new birth teaching that our nature is not wholly slaued vnto sinne but onely feebled by the fall of the first man And so they make our nature but like a lame man and the grace of God as a paire of crutches to establish their owne merits Againe they say that originall sin is really abolished by the water of outward baptisme with the words and the Chrisme c. as much say they of actuall sinnes going before baptisme Note well and loth them in those that are of ripe discretion before they be baptised prouided alway that they be not in mortall sinne Thus first they see not our originall malady Secondly they sophisticate the remedie both in making a miserable mingle-mangle of mans pure naturals Gods supernaturall grace Thirdly in giuing power to a sound of words sprinkling of water And lastly in substituting their own toies in the place of the Lord Iesus Fie on thē presumptuous traitors Protestants doctrine touching Christ his intercession There is yet his intercession which is so called because the vertue and power of his sacrifice is alwaies before God Secondly
are altered religion mournes because her best seruants want their wages For they neuer gaue so fast as now they take away Sublatis studiorum praemijs ipsa studiae pereunt saith Cornelius Tacitus and substraction is become a great part of patrons study The conclusiō like to follow such polling premisses is the decay of learning piety religiō the bringing in of al Atheisme error Barbarisme For they which would study diuinitie aboue all when they see that the Church hath scarce the fauour of an ordinarie ward yea when they behold the contempt the beggerlines vexatiō and miserable want of the ministery are glad to fall to phisicke or law or some other trade Gen. 48 7 What shall I say of you You are worse thē Pharao for he had a care of his priests howsoeuer the world went with the rest You are not so kind to ministers of the gospel as Iesabel that painted harlot 1. King 18.19 These shall rise in iudgement against you Iud. 17. was to the prophets of the groues for she fed foure hundred at her table you are not half so religious as Micha was superstitious for he maintained his priests You shew that you haue lesse loue to religion then they papists haue to superstition The kite is your cognisance who being greedy and rauenous yet mounteth aloft as though he would touch the gliding clouds but yet when he flieth a matchlesse pitch he hath his eies fixed below on the earth spying and prying for a carrion carcasse euen so you soare aloft in your contemplation and in a certain counterfeit sanctimony seeme to be raised and carried aboue the clouds yet so long as you can find in your harts to play the part-stake patrons to spoile the Church to seeke to enrich your selues by such robberies they are no better it is an infallible signe that you are worldlings and earthly minded seeking your owne gaine and priuate profit For Gods loue let this be reformed that we may know you by another cognisance The last and best sort of patrons are such as account them worthie of double honour which rule well The best sort of patrones 1. Tim. 5.17 that hold the labourer worthie of his hire that no man goeth to warfare on his owne charges 1. Cor 1 from the 5 verse to the 15 that husbandmen should eate of the fruit of such vineyardes as they themselues planted that sheppeheards should eat of the milke of their owne flockes that sowers of spirituall things which are the greater are well worthy to reape carnal things which are the lesser that they which serue at the altar are worthie to liue by the altar These for their cognisance may fitly giue some rare bird I had almost said the blacke Swan but it shall be the Eagle for she mounteth on hie and falleth not on the ground but to seeke her necessarie food and being satisfied straightway soareth aloft euē so the minds of these are occupied in heauen all superfluous cares being cast apart they indeed wish the prosperity of Ierusalem the happy florishing state of the Church O Lord almightie encrease the number of these and in thy mercy conuert or in iustice confound such Church-robbers as sauor nothing but their own gain as daily indeuour to take away the reward of knowledge are the death of thousand thousands of souls stir vp O Lord thy faithful seruant our dread soueraigne that with Nehemiah she may thrust out all such Eliashibs as abuse the Church in this manner Nehem. 13.14 and euerie Tobiah linked in affinity with them that thy seruants may haue their own portions and that thou maist not be mocked so we thy workmanship and sheep of thy pasture for so great a mercy shal praise thee fer euer Amen CHAPTER 12. The dutie of Christian Magistrates as well Soueraigne as others in hunting and taking the two-legged Foxes THere be two sorts of men which say that the charge of Religion belongeth not to the office of the magistrate First they which vnder pretence of their annointed cleargie and priuiledged priesthood cannot abide to haue their abuses reformed Secondly they which eyther are infected with some heresie or else are willing to dally with heretikes The first sort doe onely require of the magistrate to maintaine and defend their degrees The second sort holdeth that the magistrate ought onely to meddle with the maintenance of publike peace and not to regard what others beleeue or not beleeue But the true Church teacheth that the charge of publike religion doth not in part Charge of religion belongeth to the Magistrate but principally and most of all belong vnto the magistrate which thing the holy scripture approueth Moses the first generall magistrate of the Israelites God gaue the order of religion to Moses not to Aaron who did not represent the person of a priest which was put vnto Aaron but of the superiour power like vnto the authoritie of a king did giue the order of al religion vnto the people appointed vnto Aaron the order of the priests what they should do what they should not do Wherby it appeareth that the care of the order of religiō doth rather belong vnto the superior magistrat then vnto the degree of priesthood I know they will say that Moses did dispose all these things at Gods commaundement It is true but I will be answered againe why God gaue not the commaundement for order of religion vnto Aaron whom he had consecrated to be a priest rather then vnto Moses So then this rather sheweth that the charge of the institution and gouernance belonges vnto the magistrate but the institution charge and ministration belongs vnto the priests Againe after the death of Moses the charge of religion belonged not to Eleasar the Priest but to Iehosua the magistrate who was of the tribe of Ephraim Iosua 5 and not of Leui by whose commaundement the children of Israell were the second time circumcised the Ark of God carried by the priests the altars builded the people sanctified and the rest of the lawes fulfilled which Moses prescribed Againe Iehosua charged them to feare the Lord Iosua 8 and to serue him with an vpright and faithfull heart Iehosua charged them to rid out of the way all straunge gods Iehosua renewed the couenant betweene God and his people and compiled the words of the couenant into the booke of Gods law True it is that the office of magistracie and priesthood both were ioyned together in the person of Samuel 1. Sam. 1. but yet he being at that time the chiefe man in Israell iudged and determined as a magistrate taught and sacrificed as a priest Dauid a patterne for good magistrats The ordering of religion by Dauid and vnto whom Christian rulers ought to haue an eie for godlinesse 2. Sam. 6 had the authority of disposing setting forth true religion 1. Chro. 16 1. Cho. 22.23.24.25 he