4.11 And it is the dutie of Pastors to feede the flocke of God committed to their charge with all manner of spiritual pasture of their soules appointed by God 1. Cor. 4.1 And that the Sacramētes are a part of this spiritual foode it is manifest that it belongeth to the dutie of Pastors to administer the holie Sacraments and that the Sacraments appertaine to the doctrine and worde of God it is euident that whom God hath instituted to be the Minister of the word him also he hath made to bee the minister of the Sacraments and as the Sacraments are compared by the holie Ghost vnto seales and the word or promise of GOD vnto writings so it appeareth to him to deliuer the soule which deliuereth the writings For as the soule hath alwaies relation vnto the writinges so haue the Sacramentes vnto the worde of GOD. By this it appeareth that as it is the dutie of euerie pastor to administer the Sacraments of Christ so this office appertaineth to none but to those which are Ministers of the word AS all the residue héere set downe dependeth on thi◠conclusion to all which we gladly yéeld and confirme the same so this being euident that whome GOD hath instituted to be Minister of the word him also he hath made to be Ministsr of the Sacraments it followeth euidentlie on good and necessarie consequence that the Doctors so well as the Pastors beeing of God instituted to be Ministers of the worde that them also hath he made to be Ministers of the Sacraments Which Sacraments as our Brethren rightlie saie appertaine to the doctrine word of God and are a part of this spirituall foode This spirituall foode then appertaining to the doctrine and word of God belonging properlie to the Doctors it is the dutie of Pastors to feed the flock of God committed to their charge with all manner spirituall pasture of their soules appointed by God How then are not the Doctors euen by Gods appointment pastors also according as Saint Paule saith euen in this place Ephe 4.11 before discussed But not as our Brethren heere clip the sentence saying thus Seeing therefore God hath giuen some to be Pastors in his Church for though the Apostle spake before distinctlie that he gaue some to be Apostles some to be Prophets other to be Euangelists yet when he comes to the mentioning of Pastors he saith Other to be pastors doctors Knitting them ioyntly both together as appertaining both of them alike and together vnto the ordinarie Minister of the word Which though our brethren wil not confesse in plaine tearmes yet see heere when they come to the discussing of the office will they or nill they they are driuen to yeeld thereto that the Doctor and Pastors office doe concurre and that not onelie the Pastor is a Doctor or Teacher but the Doctor or Teacher is a Pastor And yet further to ouerturne their owne deuises they adde and as the Sacraments are compared by the holie Ghost vnto seales and the worde or promise of God vnto writings so it appertaineth vnto him to deliuer the seale which deliuereth the writings But the Doctor deliuereth the writings so well as doth the Pastor therefore the Doctor must deliuer the seales so well as the Pastor For saie our Breth as the seale hath alwaie relation vnto the writings so haue the Sacramēts vnto the word of God And heerevpon they make this conclusion By this it appeareth that as it is the dutie of euerie Pastor to administer the Sacramentes of Christ So this office appertaineth to none but to those which are the Ministers of the word Although this conclusion concerning the matter be true in part and we gladlie graunt it yet is it not the right and full conclusion following on the premises except it infer Doctors so well as Pastors or by the name of Pastors comprehend Doctors For the Doctor is a Minister of the word and a deliuerer of the writings so well as the Pastor therefore they should haue more fullie directlie concluded if they had said That as it is the dutie of euerie Pastor and Doctor to administer the Sacramēts of Christ so this office appertaineth to none but to those which are the Ministers of the word But now the ministration of the Sacraments requireth withal not onelie the Ministery of that part of the word which onelie and barelie teacheth the doctrine institution of the Sacraments but also and no lesse that part of doctrine which exhorteth to repentance and newnesse of life in the ministration of Baptisme and in the supper of the Lord exhorting the communicants to a preparing to iudge themselues to be in loue charitie to the worthie receiuing of the same and also in dehorting and rebuking the wicked and vnworthie approchers thereunto it appeareth therefore by these premises that not onelie the pastors may teach the doctrine besides their exhorting but also that the doctors or teachers may and must exhort and dehort persuade and dissuade rebuke comfort and applie so well as the pastors Which is quite cleane contrarie to our brethrens former principles Our sauior Christ authorizing his Apostles to baptize al nations saith Goe yee forth and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father the sonne and of the holie Ghost teaching them to obserue all things that I haue commanded you Likewise to the same effect Go ye forth into all the world and preach the Gospell to euerie creature he that shall beleeue and is baptized shall be saued c. Also instituting his holie supper he said Doe this in remembrance of me Which remembrance S. Paule declareth that it ought to bee celebrated by preaching of the Lords death So often saith hee as you shall eate of this bread and drinke of this cup you shall shew forth the Lords death vntil he come By these testimonies it is euident that the administration of the Sacraments ought be committed to none but vnto such as are Preachers of the word that are able to teach them that they baptize that are able to prech the mystery of Christs death to them whom they do deliuer the ward signe thereof We wish and indeauour so farre as conuenientlie may bee brought to passe that all were Preachers which maye administer the Sacramentes and in some respect they are Preachers While by the authoritie of theyr office they doe publikelie pronounce in the administration of the Sacramentes that godlie forme of doctrine annexed which plainelie setteth out all the institution nature vse endes and fruites of those holie mysteries with godlie and pithie exhortations dehortations and applications ioyned thervnto Besides diuerse notable Homilies and famous sermons by which they may as they sée occasion edifie the congregation at the participating of the Sacraments But if so bee that our Brethren will needes heere vnderstande by preaching the frée exposition of the worde and teaching the
graue admonition and exhortation besides a playne and cleare declaration of the holy mysteries in this sacrament to bee ioyned with the administration of it for the instruction and edification of the receiuers and participants of the same which thing that in euery place where and whensoeuer it might be done and that without any sophistication of false doctrine or any suche clogge or vaâ—iety of ceremonies as might bréede disturbance or offence and that thereby the Lords death might be frutefully shewed foorth vntill his comming there is alreadye as our brethren knowe are not able to sinde fault fault with any thing therein a godly and learned forme of administring the communion prescribed and established besides Godly and learned Homilies in that behalfe prouided to bee publikely and reuerently reade in eueryeneuer so simple and rurall a Congregation to expound the matter andedify the people when ther is no other preaching at the receiuing of the sacrament And yet we wish as well as our brethren doe if it were Gods will that euery place were so furnished that so often as this Sacrament is administred there were a Sermon preached before the receiuing of it but that there ought of nenessitye suche a Preacher to the bee onelie Minister of this Sacrament and then and there to Preacâ— thereon or else it is not at all or not rightly administred that is the point wée stand vpon Our Brethren doe first vrge the instiution and alleage out of Luke 22.19 our sauiour Christes owne words Also instituting his holy Supper hee sayde Doe this in remembraunce of mee Héere is indéede the verye Institution of Christe and a streight commaundement Doe this to witte that that hee there did And also this commaundement stretcheth to the principall ende of the dooing Doe this in remembraunce of mee So that if this which Christe heere did institute be not done or be not done in remembrance of him it is a manifest breache of Christes commandement But can not this bée done that Christe did commanded to be done and be also done in his remembraunce but that the Minister which is the Doer must néedes preache a sermon at the dooing of it yea if we shoulde goe thus exactly to worke can our Brethren prooue that Christe himselfe the cheefe of all Preachers and instructer of this holy Sacrament either at the dooing of the action or immediatly before the doing of it preached vnto the participants any sermon concerning this matter It appeareth rather the contrary both by the conference of the Textes and by the best if not all the Commentaries that we read that hee made no Sermon thereon at or presently before the Instituting and celebrating of it As for that large and moste heauenly sermon which is conteined in the 13.14.15.16 and 17. Chapters of the Gospell by Saint Iohn and the other spéeches mentioned in the other Euangelistes it is euident ynough in the Text that they were spoken after this mysticall Supper and after the grace or Hymme was sayde Although some thinke otherwise of that which Iohn noteth in the former part of the 13 Chapter howe after the Paschall supper was done and that also was done without any preaching albeit not without a shewing foorth what that Paschall Lambe did signify that then Christe arose and washed his Disciples feete Which done and sitting downe agayne hée beganne to shewe them the meaning of his dooing Nothing pertayning to the Mystery of this Sacrament as we haue séene already by our Brethr. collection on the same Pag. 28. Christe nowe on this washing taking occasion to mention who among them was vncleane entreth into the deciphering of Iudas treason which was not yet any part of his newe Sacramentall Supper that hee instituted For hee gaue not that Breade neyther at that time nor in such order nor to such ende nor by such Soppes as the Papistes vsed at their masse masking at liker to a Iudasses sop fit for such as may wel therin be called treachers that woulde presume to sacrifice Christe againe Whereas Christe in his mysticall supper gaue the breade by it self and the Wine by it selfe So that this might wel be that Iudas hauing his sop and possessed with the deuill departing immediately was gone before this holy supper began as also it may appear by Mathew and Marke that this shold be done before he instituted this sacrament Howbeit Luke placeth it otherwise which if as he sayth it were done after then is it yet more euident he had no sermon at all before he instituted this sacrament But be all this before as I haue said yet is heere nothing appertayning to the exposition exhortation or participation of this mystery So then if our brethren will so precisely vrge the wordes of Christe doe this in remembrance of me We may safely gather that if the same thing be done that Christe did that is to say in suche an holy and reuerend manner as Christes example and the holines of these mysteries teach vs those that bee his lawfull ministers of his worde and sacraments doe before theassembly of the faithfull people take the breade and when they haue giuen thankes breake it and giue it vnto the faithfull disposed to receiue it saying take and eaâ—e this is the body of our Lord Iesus Christ which was giuen for you do this in remembrance of him or other such words to this effect as we vse in the administration of the Lords supper saying the body of our Lord Iesus Christe which was giuen for thee preserue thy body and soule into euerlasting life and take and eate this in remembrance that Christe died for thee and feede on him in thy hearte by faith with thankesgiuing And likewise doe and say in the like manner as Christ did and sayde with the Cup to the which also accorde the words in our Communion booke and do all this to the ende and purpose that Christe ordeyned the same shall wee dare to say that if moreouer a sermon be not preached hereupon that nowe this sacrament is not administred as it ought to be haue we not that which both Christe did and that he did bid vs doe and in his remembrance also as he did bid vs No say our Brethren for this remembrance Saint Paule declareth that it ought to be celebrated by preaching of the Lords death yea doth he so and where hath he these wordes so often saith he as you shall eat of this breade and drinke this Cup you shall shewe foorth the Lordes death vntill he come And is here this worde preaching of the Lordes death If it be how chance our Brethren in citing the very wordes of the Text it selfe dare not so traslate it No they did better than so kéeping in the text the proper signification of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you shal shew forth or ye do shew forth or shewe yee forth the Lordes death c. True it is there is a more
excellency comprised in this compound 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 than if he had symply sayde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shewe yee and therefore our Brethen doe well translate it you shall shewe foorth And in a sort this may be called preaching And Musculus note theron is very good wherin also hee vseth this note preaching in an improper sense saying Neither must this bee ouerpassed that hee simply sayth not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is you doe declare but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is you doe cheefely or moste of all declare For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this composition hath a force of a signification to be bent thereto The Apostle deliuered vnto them not any light memory of the Lordes death in three our foure wordes by the way and sleightly but in greate earnest and publique shewing foorth to be perfourmed and to bee preached out as of a benefite incomparable to be astonished at So that here is a kind of preaching in an inproper vnderstanding comprehended as Caluine also calleth it saying Nowe Paule adioyneth what manner of memory should be celebrated to wit with giuing of thankes Not that the whole memory consisteth in the confession of the mouth For this is the cheefest thing that the vertue of the death of Christe shoulde be sealed vp in our consciences Howbeit this knowledge ought to kindle vs vnto the confession of prayse that we should preach before men that which wee thinke within before God The supper therefore is that I may so speake a certaine memoriall which ought perpetually to endure in the Church vntill the last comming of Christe instituted vnto this end that Christe might admonish vs of the benefit of his death and that we might recognize the same before men Whereupon also it hath the name of the Euchariste Therefore that thou mayest orderly celebrate the supper thou shalt remember that of thee is required the profession of thy faith Heereupon it appeareth howe impudently they mocke God that boaste they haue in their masse any kinde of Supper For what is the Masse for I speak not of the papists but of the Pseudo-Nichodemites he meaneth those that openly come to Masse for feare of persecution and thinke it is inough that they secretelye come also to the Communion and to the gospell as Nichodemus came to Christ by night for fear of the Iewes that it is stuffed with detestable superstitions they faine by the externall gesture that they allowe them What kinde a preaching of the death of Christe is this Doe they not rather forsweare the same So that this preaching which héere Caluine speaketh of is not that which is proper to a preacher and whereof Christ saide before to his Disciples as our Brethren therein vsed the worde rightly Marke 16.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Go ye forth into the whole world preach the Gospell But it is such an improper kind of peaching as belongeth in generall to all men And therefore it is far better simply to vse Pauls word who saith not neither was it his meaning yee shall preach the Lordes death but yee shall sâ—ewe forth the Lordes death till his comming Who are these that hee sayth should shewe it foorthe Doth hée speake héere vnto Preachers or not rather to all the Corinthians men and Women that shoulde bée communicanteâ— of these Mysteries So often as you who are these you You that shall eate of this Breade and drinke of this Cuppe And what shall these doe You shall shewe foorth the Lordes death vntill his comming If now hée meant Preaching by this shewing forth then must all the people men and Women bee Preachers that bée no Ministers of the Worde and Sacramentes So that héereby wée may moste playnely sée howe our Brethren to thrust in a necessity of preaching to bée alwayes had at the administration of this Sacrament spare not to wrest and abuse saynt Paules wordes to a necessary importing of that which by no direct sense they can bée drawne vnto Bullinger bréefely and as it were in a worde telleth vs in his marginall note thereon what this shewing forth meaneth Annunciare mortem Domini est laudare gratias agere domino To shewe foorth the Lordes death is to prayse and giue thankes vnto the Lord. Whereupon it is called Eucharistia a Thankesgiuing Musculus mée thinketh very well Parapharastically settes out the full meaning of these wordes This Institution of the Lordes Supper being receyued of the Lorde him-selfe haue I deliuered vnto you Whereupon yee may perceyue that yee eate not a Supper priuate of euery one of you but a common and a mysticall Supper instituted vnto the memory of our common redeemer and this can yee not bee ignorant of For so often as yee eate this breade and drinke of this Cuppe you beeing thus of mee trayned vp doe shewe foorth and preache the death of the Lorde whereof yee are partakers not some onelie seperately but all in common Whereupon yee mought inough haue beene admonished with what faith and with what concorde communicating yee ought to eate this Supper in the memory of his death This I take to bee the right sense although the vulgaâ—e translation haue these wordes in the future tence after this manner For so often as ye shal eate this Breade and shal drinke of this cuppe ye shall shew foorth the Lords death vntil he come Erasmus translateth it euen as wee read and doe expound it There are that reade the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Imparatiue moode Doe yee shew forth But this little word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is for being causall or importing a cause fauoureth not that sense They doe iudge that the Apostle in these wordes expounded and withall commaunded howe the Corinthians ought to celebrate the remembraunce of the Lorde that is to witte so that as often as they shoulde eate this Breade and drinke of this Cuppe they shoulde shewe foorth his death As though he desired also this thing to haue bin in them because that in this mysticall memorial supper they did not set foorth the Lordes death Euen as wee see the sacrificers to celebrate their Masses that they make altogether no shewing of the Lordes death For those thinges that separately or by themselues they say cannot be accounted for this shewing foorth For they say theÌ„ both being tourned away from the people and in a tongue vnknowen to the Church and vnder such a silence that they can not be perceaued no not of those that knowe the latine tongue This is a manifest breach of Christes institution and of the Apostles interpretatioÌ„ If the Lords supper were so administred in any place with vs we did not kéepe Christes institution nor did it in his remembrance nor shewed foorth his death as these Corinthians and these Papistes did not But with vs God be praysed for it it is neuer administred by anie so simple a minister but though he be not able
sacraments are the same that are the dispēsers of the word so that they execute both the parts of the ministery Otherwise it shold be cōuenient that according to the saying of the apostles act 6 they shoulde apply them-selues to praiers administring doctrine leauing the ministery of the tables Seeing that many mo may be had that can dispense the sacraments than those which can rightly cut sound doctrine in the church By which testimony of Musc by the very order prescribed euen in Geneua It plainly appeareth that not only in these reformed Churches many are admitted to minister the Sacr. that are not able to preach but that also this was the vse of the primitiue Church in the apostles times Which ouerthrows al that our breth haue hereon alleaged Neither helpeth it to say that yet stil this taketh not away but that there should be preaching vsed at the administratiō of the sacramēt thogh the minister of the sacramēt be no preacher For our breth said the administration of the sacramentes ought to be committed to none but vnto such as are preachers of the worde c. pag. 60. But for this that they say here also It is no better then sacriledge to seperate the ministratiō of preaching of the worde from the sacramentes so harde a spéeche following Musculus procéeding with the minister of this Sacrament though hée bée no preacher of the worde yet he requireth in him such a competency as hath a triple respect both to the person that he sustaineth and of the matter that he administreth and of the people to whome he communicateth After he hath shewed for the first part howe he shoulde be no lewd person but sober and vertuous comming to the secōd respect in him he saith Furthermore hee ministreth it competently if hee haue a consideration of those thinges which hee dispenseth and doe worthily frame himselfe vnto them Hee dispenseth the communicating of the bodye and bloude of Christe The breade which wee breake saith the Apostle Is it not the communicating of the body of the Lorde And the Cup of the blessing ouer which wee blesse is it not the communicating of the bloude of the Lorde 1. Cor. 10. Thus therefore shall hee competently administer this sacrament that it may be a communicating not that it shoulde be a holy priuate thing He dispenseth the remembrance of the Lorde or as Augustine in a certaine place speaketh the sacrament of memory This shall he do competently if he shall adioin vnto the mysticall communicating the shewing forth of the L. death according to the worde of the Apostle who sayth so often as ye eate this bread and drink of the Cup yee shewe foorth the Lordes death till he come For so did hee ordaine this custome in the Church of the Corinthians It is not fit that it should be a dumb communicating Either let some thing be read before the people or bee sung concerning the historye of the death of the Lorde as it is begun to be done in very many churches in our age Hee dispenseth the Euchariste he Euchariste is a giuing of thankes and a sacrifice of prayse Let him therefore haue a care that this holy communion may be closed vp with publike giuing of thanks He dispenseth the loue feast that is the banquet of brotherly loue It is meete therfore that a cleare exercise of Christian loue and mutuall communicating shoulde bee adhibited Vnto the which hee ought not onely with exhortations in the act it selfe to enstruct and accustome them but also with constitutions of a certaine order These are the principall thinges of which the dispenser of the Lordes table ought cheefely to haue a care and consideration whereby hee may apply him-selfe competently vnto this sacrament The third respect is of the people communicating which the more simple ruder they are so much the simplier must the minister speake of the mystery of the Lordes supper that he may apply him-selfe to their capacity But he must by all meanes take heede of those two vices that entrap the people to witte superstition and contempt Superstition least the people worship and adore that for the thing it selfe that is the signe thereof contempt least they sticke onely in the breade and Wine not discerning the body and bloude of the Lorde and therefore contemne it vnderstanding nothing beyond the iugdement of the eyes because by sight and taste they perceiue it to bee bread and Wine Such a point did Augustine giue warning of in his booke of Catechizing the rude in the ninth chapter where he saith thus Concerning the sacrament that they shall receiue it sufficeth for those that are more prudent to heare what that thing signifieth but with the duller sort it must with more wordes and similitudes be treated vpon least they contemne that which they see These thinges wrot he To conclude hee must take heede that hee swerue not either to the Corinthians or to the papists in this cause of the Lordes Supper And to the entent that the people not onely with the hande and mouth but with faith and heart may receiue that which is giuen let him declare all thinges that are to bee spoken in the vulgare and vsuall tongue not onely the exhortations but also the wordes of the Lordes institution the Prayers also and the thankesgiuing whereby the people may vnderstand all and in their heart assent thereto according to the Apostles admonition 1. Cor. 14. Thus wée sée how although the Minister be no preacher but beeing a discreete and vertuous man in all these foresaide respectes and obserue these exhortations which are both plentifully set out in Homilies and in the Communion Booke it selfe and the other thinges here noted in such order as the communicantes may vnderstande and beléeue the same although there bee no other sermon preached yet is the Sacrament truely and effectually administred Neyther can these thinges with the residue that he setteth downe bee vnderstood for the onelie action of a Preacher confessing and allowing that manie Ministers not Preachers may minister this Sacrament and yet in euery one that ministreth the same al these thinges are requisite For what is plainer than this argument out of Musculus sayinges Musculus thinketh and prooueth that it is not necessarie that euery one which administreth the Sacraments should be a Preacher and preach at the ministration of them But Musculus thinketh and prooueth it necessarie that all thinges ought to bee done by the minister at the Ministration of them which here he reckoneth vp Therefore Musculus thinketh and prooueth that all these thinges might bee done of one that is no preacher and without a sermon then preached of these matters If our Brethren wil denie the maior for the minor I thinke they wil not I referre them to Musculus and his reason out of Actes 6. and to the reformed Churches that hee meaneth It sufficeth for vs to prooue both by him and by
accomplished those whom we call the Deacons giue a parte of the bread and of the cuppe alayed vnto euery one of them that are present ouer whome the thankes giuing was made and they suffer them also to carrie it to those that were absent And this foode is among vs called the Eucharist to the which none is admitted but he that beleeueth the doctrine to be true being washed with the washing for the remission of sinnes and liuing according as Christ hath taught For we receaue not these thinges as a common bread and a common cuppe but euen as by the worde of God being made fleshe Iesus Christ our Sauiour had flesh and bloud for our saluation so also by the woorde of prayer and the thanks giuing we haue learned the food being of him sanctified which being changed nourisheth our flesh and bloud to be the flesh bloud of the same Iesus Christ that was incarnate For the Apostles in their writinges that are called the Gospels haue deliuered foorth that Iesus thus commaunded them hauing taken bread and thanks being giuen he sayde doe this in the memorie of me This is my body Likewise hauing taken the cup and hauing giuen thanks he said This is my bloud and did communicate it only vnto them In these woordes wee plainely sée all the manner of the primitiue Church in the dayes of Iustine the Martyr about the hundred yeare after Christes ascention Concerning the administration of the Lordes supper without any sermon preached thereat But it followeth euen anon after of the administration also of the same with a Sermon or an Exhortation made at the participation thereof saying On the sunday are made assemblies of those that are of the Citie and of those that are of the Countrie where the writinges of the Apostles and Prophets are read before the reader then ceasing he that is placed our them maketh an exhortation prouoking them to the imitation of the thinges that are honest After this we all arise and offer vp prayers which being finished there is brought as I sayde bread wine and water Then he that is placed ouer thē so much as he is able offreth vp prayers thanksgiuings but the people singeth Amen Thereupon those things that are consecrated are distributed vnto euery one and sent vnto the absent by the Deacons The rich if it please them contribute euery one according to his will The collections are layde vp with him that is placed ouer them he succoureth the fatherlesse and widdowes and those that want by reason of sickenesse or other necessitie those also that are prisoners and trauelling strangers and in summe he is made the prouider of all the needie But these assemblies we make vpon the sunday c. Thus doe we sée at large the order of the primitiue Churche for the celebration of the Lordes supper both with-out and also with a Sermon or an Exhortation at the same If our Brethren reiect their orders because of some additions that they vsed or that the wordes of Iustine might sée me suspitious to sauour of the Popish errour of transubstantiation not onely the Magdeburgenses doe cleare the wordes of Iustine from that errour but Iustine cleareth him selfe both from that and from the errour of consubstantiation or carnall presence in the Sacrament For the former say the Magdeburgenses who not withstanding maintayne the latter The deuise of transubstantiation was also vnknowen vnto the Church of this age For although Iustine saye VVhich being changed nourisheth our flesh and bloud notwithstanding he onely looketh vnto and driueth it to that that hee may discerne or seuer this bread and this cuppe vnto the which commeth this worde of Christe from other vsuall meates and drinkes with which our bodies are nourished And as for consubstantiation this his sentence maketh lesse referring al the consecration to the spirituall and thankefull remēbrance of the death of Christ as he also doth disputing with Tripho the Iew saying this also ye know that the solemne oblation of the two goates in the time of the fast was not suffered to be done otherwhere thē at Ierusalem As neither the oblation of the meale or floure which was wont after the custome to be offered for thē that were clensed from the leprosie signifying figuratiuely the bread of the Eucharist which for the memory of his passion cleansing the soules of men from all sinne our L. Iesus Christ hath deliuered to thē that come after to the intent that in the meane time wee should giue thanks vnto God both for the world created for man with other thinges that are conteyned therein and also for the redemption wherewith he deliuered vs from sins the principalities and powers being vniuersally vanquished according to the diuine counsell Thus doth Iustine acquit himselfe sufficiently of those errors As for the water mingled with the wine and the sending these sacramentall signes vnto the absent whereof afterward came great corruption and superstitions we say as Aretius doth thereon Concerning the reason of the mingling wine and water it seemeth vnto me probable because that making the supper of the Lord in a common banquet they also dranke more largely not sipping as at this day it is the manner And therefore that the wine by it selfe being strong should the lesse hinder them water was put vnto it Which we see also at this day to be done in common banquetes that the noble wines are mingled The place 1. Cor. 11. makes mee thus to thinke where manifestly hee teacheth that the abuse of the Lordes house beganne euen then to take holde insomuch that manie were drunke in that loue feast Thus sayeth Aretius for the originall of the water mingled with the wine And as for the sending to the absent hee sayeth Fourthly a portion of the supper was also sent to them that were absent the which was doone without superstition a token of friendshippe and of vnion in doctrine and in their whole profession euen as wee haue rehearsed before out of Eusebius that it was done at Rome neither is here any mention made of any merite or of any passeport exhibited to those that were about to die To conclude sayth Aretius on this practise of the primitiue Churche next after the Apostles hereunto came mutuall exhortations to cōcord and constancie in faith and profession that this might be a certain stipulation and obligation that they should be constant in Christianitie whatsoeuer fortune at the length should happē vnto them These things in our action may almost all of them be declared First in the publike assembly which is a shewe of a publike banquet Then the like oblation is of vs obserued the wordes of the institution are recited and to God the father is pronounced prayse and glorie The mingling of wine and water we haue not for it is no part of the institution neyther haue our wines neede of mingling as the orientall wines haue neyther doe wee drinke
himself to preach nor there be any other preacher present yet the verie forme which the CoÌ„munion booke prescribeth vnto him is so plainly and pithily set downe to expresse all the institution the vse the fruites and the endes thereof with the dutie of the worthy receauers with the danger to the vnworthie so dreadfully terrifying these and so comfortably animating the other and in all pointes so liuely shewing foorth the death and passion of our Sauiour Iesus Christ that no man can iustly say but that as Christ biddeth Do this in remembrance of me we doe the same thing in remembrance of him and as S. Paule expoundeth this remembrance to be the shewing forth of the Lordes death so the Lordes death is shewed foorth both by the action of the minister and with all by the action of the faithfull people And so well shewed foorth that if the onely forme of our Communion booke be of the minister duly obserued and of the participantes religiously considered they shall no doubt though there be no other sermon preached both truly and worthily participate the holy communicating of the Lordes body and his bloud And yet commonly at the receauing of these blessed mysteries if there be no sermon preached there are other both godly and learned homilies appointed to be reade which are sermons also and serue especially for that purpose if the people be negligent in communicating or criminous in life or vnskilful in the vnderstanding of the necessary points belonging to these mysteries to encourage to perswade and to enstructe them Neither yet haue we these as so content herewith but that wee thinke it also very expedient if it may be had that at this action beside the forme prescribed a godly learned preacher were also the shewer foorth of the Lordes death and of the other mysteries conteyned in this sacrament But this so strict necessitie of our Brethren we sée is euidently here confuted and namely that they say by these testimonies it is euident that the administration of the sacramentes ought to be committed to none but vnto such as are preachers of the worde that are able to teach them that they baptize that are able to preach the mysteries of Christes death to them to whome they doe deliuer the outwarde signe thereof But by the way what meane they by these words able to teach speaking of Baptisme and able to preach speaking of the Lorde supper Is the former habilitie to teach an habilitie of the Doctors Who they say cannot exhort nor apply c. which are especiall pointes requisite in a preacher If it be then here is ministring of the sacrament without preaching Except they will say the Doctors can not minister the sacramentes But then againe must they reuoke these wordes on the other side of the leafe pag. 59. It is euident that whom God hath instituted to be minister of the worde him also hee hath made to be minister of the sacramentes These euidencies agrée not well together Especially this other for the preacher expounding this shewing foorth the Lordes death for preaching For by this construction of our Brethren as we haue alreadie séene all the people should be Preachers Where before they saide and that more truely pag. 58. no man may take vpon him any office in the Church but he that is called of God as was Aaron Hebr. 3.4 If they say they meane not here preaching in his proper sense and as it is a function peculiar to the minister of the worde and sacramentes why then doe they bring it in Or for what preaching all this while doe they pleade and alleage these testimonies For such as all the people may doe and must doe as well as they But because in all these spéeches they driue it still to this that he should be able what meane they hereby One that can preach if néede so require but neuerthelesse he alwayes doth not For it followeth not à posse ad esse If they meane so then may the sacrament be administred as with a Sermon so without a Sermon Neither is the preaching a sermon any part of the sacramentes substance nor any accident thereunto of mere necessitie though of the more conueniencie but the remembrance shewing foorth the Lords death is one of the chiefest and the most substantiall parte of this sacrament therefore the remembrance and shewing foorth of the Lordes death and the preaching of a sermon are not all one Yea to come to the abuses that Saint Paule reprehendeth in the Corinthians to whom he wrote these wordes by our Brethren cited For as we haue heard out of Musculus that in these wordes he spake as though hee desired these thinges in them because they did not shewe forth the Lordes death in this mysticall and memoriall supper Nowe although it followe not they had no preaching vnderstanding preaching in his proper sense at the administration of the Lordes supper therefore they had no remembrance or shewing forth of the Lordes death because non sequitur à specie ad genus negatiuè yet this followeth necessarily à genere ad species they had no remembrance nor shewing foorth of the Lordes death at the administration of the Lordes supper therefore they had no preaching thereat And yet had they preaching often at other comminges together whereof Saint Paule treateth afterwarde chap. 12. and 14. But Saint Paule reproouing their abuses and héere reckoning them vppe particulerly that they had dissensions and were not in charitie when thy came together to this action ver 18. that they tooke their own suppers before ver 21. that one came hungry another came dronken ver 21. that they shewed not forth the Lordes death ver 26. that they examined not themselues ver 28. that they discerned not the Lordes body ver 29. that vpon the examination of themselues they iudged not themselues ver 31. that they tarried not one for another ver 33. to conclude and that which summarily he put first of al ver 20. that when they came together into one place they made such a super of it as whereof the Apostle sayth this is not to eaâ—e the Lords supper S. Paule now reckoning vp all these faultes among them at the administration of thâ—s sacrament and this being as our Breth say so necessarie a matter is there any probabilitie but that hee also particularly would haue reproued them for this that they had no sermon preached among them at this action Which in all these corruptions had béene very néedefull and might haue refrayned them from these abuses if their preachers had not also béene corrupted as it likely that they were which suffered among them such foule abuses But if preaching had béene so necessarie at that instant no doubt he would haue touched the neglect of that also especially mentioning the shewing foorth of the Lordes death to be principally required at their eating and drinking in the Lordes supper But the faultes of their
the word of faith that we prech With the which out of doubt baptisme is also consecrated that it may be able for to cleanse For Christ being the vine with vs with the father beeing the husbandman loued his Churche and gaue himselfe for it Reade the Apostle and see what he adioyneth that he might sanctifie it sayth hee clensing the same with the washing of water in the worde This word of faith auayleth in the Church of God so much that by the same it clenseth the beleeuer the offerer the blesser the dipper yea the infant being so little a one although he be not yet able with the heart to beleeue to righteousnesses and with the mouthe to confesse to saluation This is doone altogether by the worde whereof the Lorde sayth Yee are nowe cleansed for the woorde that I haue spoken vnto you I thought it not amisse to set downe at large the whole sentence not onely for the notablenesse thereof touching other matters but for feare of cauilling least our Brethren might say I left out the word preached here twise named But that we should plainely sée he speaketh heere of preaching it in such sense as although it comprehende the proper action of the preacher yet withall we sée it stretcheth to the publike confession of all Christians And the worde that here most especially he speaketh of that the Disciples were clensed for or through the worde that Christe spake vnto them although this sentence of Christe Io. 15.3 be a part of that notable sermon that he had after his sacramentall supper yet these wordes that he maketh relation vnto supposing they were spoken before the supper were no preaching nor any part of preaching but spoken by Christe vnto Peter when he came to him among the residue to wash his féete as appeareth in the storie hereof Ioh. 13.5 c. After that he powred water into a basyne and beganne to washe the Disciples feete and to wipe them with the towell wherewith he was gyrte then came hee to Simon Peter who sayde to him Lorde doest thou wash my feete Iesus aunswered and sayde vnto him what I doe thou knowest not nowe but thou shalt knowe it hereafter Peter sayde vnto him thou shalt neuer wash my feete Iesus aunswered him if I wash thee not thou shalt haue no part with me Simon Peter sayde vnto him Lorde not my feete onely but also the hande and the head Iesâ—â— sayde vnto him he that is washed needeth not saue to washe his feete but is cleane euerie whitte And yee are cleane but not all Shall we nowe saye heere that Christ made a Sermon Indéede if our Brethren meane the preaching of the worde in this sense that it is preaching though onely it be thus briefely spoken by the Minister to the ende the people may better vnderstande and beleeue the worde in that sense I holde well that in the Lordes supper the worde of God concerning the death of the L. should alwayes be so preached As Oleuianus also sayth on these words Rom. 10.8 This is the worde of faith the which we preach Note a difference between the true word of God which is preached to this end that faith coÌ„uersion may be in the hart the magical word which is pronounced vpon the thinges that it might worke something on the thinges that are set or grafted or else that a power should be ascribed to the syllables Example the gospell of Iohn is the worde that we preach In the beginning was the word sayth Iohn he teacheth to trust in Christ the true God he teacheth that all things are made by him The end is that I should beleeue not that I should driue away tempests The whole Masse is magicall although they recite the Gospell and mutter it vpon the hoast because it is not the worde of faith that is preached If it be not preached that it may be vnderstoode or that vertue be ascribed to the syllables the which resideth in God alone so that it is due to him alone and this is Magicall So they that saye when the woordes are pronounced ouer the breade then it is the bodie it is Magicall Christe pronounced not the woordes ouer the breade but preached his death at the table to his Disciples with the wordes and with the tokens and that they might vnderstande to what ende those tokens were instituted In baptisme the Papistes vse muche Magike Out of the 7. of Mark they say Ephata that is be opened as Christ said vnto the deafe man And by the vertue of wordes they will include the holy Ghost into the water Al these things are not the word of faith that we preach Paul knoweth no other word of faith thaÌ„ preching not murmured Here lighteth the absolution Auss an Boden euen froÌ„ the very bothome or froÌ„ the messengers made vpon the head by the vertue of the words Act. 10. to him giue all the Prophets witnes c. Peter muttreth not wordes vpon the heads of euery one of theÌ„ but preacheth of Christ the promise of the Gospell confirmed by the testimonie of al the Prophets and the holy Ghost fell vpon the hearers Thus sayth Oleuian So that preaching being vnderstood in this generall sense as not only it may signifie such a solemne sermon as Peter there made Act. 10. but also as may comprehende the words of our Sauiour Christ at the table when he instituted his mysticall supper If the worde want his preaching in this maner in our administration of the sacraments then indéed our brethren might haue some cause to say that we maintain the elements of the world dead beggerly elemeÌ„ts yea that although we haue the word it were but a magicall murmuring of it But becommeth it our Breth to bestowe these spéeches vpon the outward signes of the sacraments when they are animated and enriched with the worde of God in such order as Christ instituted theÌ„ and the Apostles practised theÌ„ Is this to separate either the word or preaching of the worde from the sacraments But our Breth only vnderstande by preaching such a further exposition exhortation vpon this matter as the learned Minister shal at his discretion amplifie set foorth the same with all And can our Breth proue that this maner of preaching the word is either any such substantial part of the sacraments or any such inseparable accident therunto that except it also be annexed the life that animateth the elements the treasure that enricheth them which is the promise word of God is separated from them Is not in baptisme the word of God it selfe being not magically murmured but clearely with vnderstanding spoken conceaued with vnderstaÌ„ding beleeuing of the hearer if he haue capacitie to heare and vnderstand and beleeue yea though he haue not as infantes haue not this life riches of the elemeÌ„t vnderstanding the word as it is ioyned with the spirit that animateth
and enricheth the word wherby the word becoÌ„meth effectual to animate enrich the element without ascribing vertue to the bare word Is it not theÌ„ of sufficient vertue to baptize clense the infant wheÌ„ besides the element of water these words In the name of the father of the sonne of the holy Ghost that Christ hath coÌ„maÌ„ded those to vse which are his ministers appointed therunto besids the promise there declared of washing away our sinnes of newnes of life and that we shal be saued which promise where Gods spirite worketh by his worde is annexed to the element is not all this sufficient and effectuall to baptise an infant except a sermon also heereof be made at his baptisme Nay though he that were to be baptized were of ripe yeares to heare vnderstand and beleeue all these thinges yet sithe that he is not to be on a suddaine baptized before he be catechized in a sufficient vnderstanding and beleeuing both of all the mysteries of that sacrament and of all the necessary articles of our Christian faith shall wee say that euen then when such a one should come to be baptized hee must haue also a sermon made vnto him at the celebrating of this sacrament or else the element of water is but a worldly a dead a beggerly element and the word neuer so plainely pronounced is but a magicall murmuring And what if there be yet besides al this a godly and learned forme also most plainely expressing all the pointes conteyned in that mysterie and that all the couenant betwixt God and vs be so fully expressed that the best preacher in the worlde cannot in effect say more and all this so clereset out that all of vnderstanding may vnderstande it shall it yet be saide that the element is héere dead and beggerly and separated from his life and spirituall riches And all this haue we besides godly learned homilies and many other sermons set out for that purpose yet all this will not serue our Breth without a sermon preached at that instant And for the supper of the L. haue not wee likewise most pithie godly exhortations before we approch vnto it with prayers and thankesgiuing and publike confessions the whole institution also layd foorth before vs when we come thereto And the wordes of Christ not vsed with a magicall murmuring nor any such vertue ascribed to the wordes but all to Christ the instituter and to the vertue of his death and passion whom and whose passion we recorde and take the elements with the word in remeÌ„brance of him of his body giuen for vs of his bloud shed for vs shew foorth his death by this action feeding by faith in our harts on his flesh and bloud as effectually truly in spirituall manner as our bodies féede on those bodily elements and that hereunto these elements are coÌ„secrated as holy liuely signes pledges to confirme our faith relyin at 〈◊〉 the promise of the same our Sauiour that by eating his fleshe drinâ—â—ng his bloud we shal haue life euerlasting And all this is clearely set out eueÌ„ as it is conteyned in the scripture gathered together in so excellent disposed a forme as all the world cannot amende nor is inferiour to any of our Brethrens formes Yea all thinges considered our forme is farre more conuenient for vs than is any of theirs to enflame confirm our faithes in our Sauiour Christ in the merites of his passion to make vs repentant of our sins to comfort vs in the forgiuenes of them to knit vs in loue and charitie all to God in a communion with Christ our head in the communion of saintes one to another to prouoke vs to leade a new life to offer vp to God a spirituall sacrifice of our soules and bodies besides that of our lips by praysing glorifying God for all these benefits sealed vp thus vnto vs in these mysteries of our Sauiour Christ and withall vnfolded vnto vs by this so cleare setting out of all these thinges that euery coÌ„municant may vnderstande them and be moued by them And can now our Breth say if they wil say the truth that here wants the promise and worde of God and that it is separated and not set forth that heere is but a dead beggerly element that here is but a part and that but the outwarde part of the sacrament and so no sacrament as the bodie of a man without the soule which animateth and giueth life to the body is not a man but a dead corps And dare our Brethren beyonde all this be thus bolde to demand what can it be better than sacrilege For if it be no better than sacrilege then is it no sacrament at all We dare not burden the Papists so farre for their baptizing notwithstanding all their incantations superstitious toyes and materiall additions to the element of water besides their daungerous errours about baptisme that the baptisme which their Popish and Idolatrous sacrificers ministred no what heretike soeuer he were so long as he and they obserue the forme and matter of baptisme by our Sauiour Christ prescribed we dare not say they are not baptized at all and take vpon vs to baptize them againe nor I thinke our Brethr. dare attempt it or auouch it And can they auow these spéeches then of our baptizing now that kéepeth the méere and simple institution of Christ without any of those corruptions Howe farre more modestly writeth Caluine in his 265. Epistle Rogant quidam c. There are certaine that inquire if it were lawefull for the Apostles at the houre of prayer to ascende into the temple and moreouer for Paule to performe the solemne rite of sanctificatioÌ„ why may not we also intermingle prayers with the Papistes We must first holde this that the prayers which were in vse among the Iewes were pure formed to the lawes prescription Neither yet if the Papistes did conceaue a pure forme of praying would I make any religion to enter with theÌ„ into the â—eÌ„ple But nder became not them to ioyne theÌ„selues vnto their assembly that had â—deâ—â—fied Christ I answere a godly holy action is not corrupted by the vice of the men As I am wont to say that If all the Angels were present at the Masse they are not able with their holynes to clense the filthinesse therof Nor yet again are al the deuils able with their presence to bring to passe that the holy supper when it is celebrated according to the institution of Christ should not reteyne the puritie thereof Since therfore we haue the very institution of Christ both in his supper and in our baptisme so clearly set forth as we haue séene shall the ministers insufficiency to preach the things the he after so good a forme prescribed both to him vs declareth be such a pollution that these holy sacramentes should be defiled
thereby and be counted or called beggerly elementes Is it lawfull for Caluine to say of the Iewes ceremonies that though without or against Christ they were weake and beggerly elements yet hauing the promise adioyned and referred to Christe they were to the fathers not onely healthfull exercises helpes of godlines but also effectuall instruments of grace And are ours being done according to Christs institution with Christ for Christ of lesse force now than theirs then For as for theirs neither circuÌ„cision nor the. Pascall Lambe had alwaies a sermoÌ„ preached at the ministration of theÌ„ And shall we then say that if ours want a sermon at the ministration of them ours are lesse effectual than were their sacraments Indéede we dare burden the Papists with the terme of sacrilege by Gelasius their owne Popes mouth for subtracting the L. cup and burtheÌ„ theÌ„ again so far as all these termes amount vnto for their so transforming of the L. supper that they made no supper of the L. at al therâ—of nor any sacrameÌ„t but a méere sacrilege an Idolatrous sacrifice of their owne making Both wresting the word into an absurd monstrous sense yea into a sense clene contrary to any sacramentall sense taking cleane away the element And so as we haue heard out of Augustine they ouerthrewe the nature of a sacrament For as he sayth adde the worde to the element it is made a sacrament so take the element froÌ„ the word it is made no sacrament But can our Breth say as much of vs that as the Papistes take the element froÌ„ the word when they bring in transubstantiation so we take the worde from the element when we euer haue the word the elemeÌ„t ioyned together though in their sense it be not alwaies preached And yet it is alwayes so at large expounded that I sée not what a learned preacher can say more concerning the matter substance of the sacrament or any thing necessary for the worthy receiuers saue either to their further exhortation vpon some especiall occasion or to their further resolution if any doubt arise about the true vnderstanding of it And to these purposes sermons we graunt are very profitable or some homilies read to the same purpose But to say as our Breth do that except the sacraments be administred by one that is is able to prech at the same time do preach a sermon besides all these things aforesaid or else the element is but worldly dead beggerly is separated from the word no better than sacrilege these are very presumptuous daungerous and erroneous spéeches indéede not tollerable being such as necessarily implie that the most part of vs and peraduenture of themselues also are not as yet any whit more baptized than in the Popish time we celebrated the Lords supper that is to say in plaine English not at all Which howe néere it would drawe to any true baptisme let the reader and their selues consider Our Brethrens argument is this To separate the elements in the ministration of the sacrâ—mentes from the promise and worde of God which is the life and riches to animate and enrich the sacrament is but to giue vs worldly dead and beggerly elements and is nothing else but sacrilege But to separate the ministration of preaching of the word from the sacrameÌ„ts is to separate the element in the ministratioÌ„ of the sacrameÌ„ts from the promise word of God which is the life riches to animate and enrich the sacrament therfore it is but to giue dead beggerly elements and nothing else but sacrilege to separate the preaching of the word from the sacraments The minor of this argument as we haue séene vnderstanding preaching as they vnderstand it is apparant false for although it be true in the supper of the L. where the participants haue discretion vnderstanding preaching so the the worde and promise of God be taught and set foorth in anie such sort as the congregation may be edified in the vnderstanding and beléeuing of these mysteries Neuerthelesse wée can not graunt therto so absolutely for baptisme Which it may be fully receaued for the truth and substance thereof by the infants that want discretion to vnderstand the mystery of it in what language soeuer it be spoken So that either our BrethreÌ„ must both deny theÌ„selues to be as yet baptized and yéelde to the anabaptistes in repelling infantes or deny this argument Albeit restrayning the argumeÌ„t to the other sacrament we gladly yéelde and subscribe to that part of the argument as hauing alwayes both the word and ministration of preaching of the worde when soeuer the sacramentes are with vs administred And so farre foorth we conster and allowe of that order which Caluine himselfe prescribeth in his institutions concerning the Lords supper cap. 18. sect 34. saying Hetherto we haue haue reasoned howe it serueth to our faith towardes God But when the Lorde in this sacrament reuoketh into our memorie so great a bountie of his goodnesse as we haue declared and stirreth vs vp to acknowledge the same he warneth vs with all that we should not be vnthankefull to his liberalitie so plentifully powred forth but that rather we should with prayses wherewith it is meete preach the same and celebrate it with thankesgiuing Therfore when he deliuered the institution of this sacrament to his Apostles he taught them that they should do it in memory of him which Paule interpreteth to shewe foorth the Lords death here againe is that interpretation whereof our Breth spake before but that publikely and all of them together with one voice openly to confesse that all our trust of life and saluation is placed in the death of the Lorde that we should glorifie him with our confession should exhort others by our example to giue him glorie Here again appeareth whether the scope of the sacrament aymeth to wite that it might exercise vs in the memorie of the death of Christ. For that we be bidden to shewe forth the death of the Lord vntill his comming to iudege is no other thing but that we should preach with the coÌ„fession of the mouth that which in the sacrament our faith acknowledgeth that is to wit the death of Christe to be our life This is the seconde vse of the sacrament which appertayneth to externall confession Here is in one sense as we haue also shewed before that out of Caluin a generall preaching at the ministration of this Sacrament And this preaching our brethren can not deny but we haue Now for the other kindes also of preaching more peculier to the Minister Caluine proceedes Thirdlie and that in the steede of an exhortation vnto vs the Lord him selfe woulde bee Than the which exhortation none coulde more vehemently animate and enflambe vs both vnto purity and holinesse of life and also to charity peace and consent For the Lorde doth so communicate there his body
was burned by the Romanes and they sate in Hamih But it was not lawfull De Capite agere to deale with matters of life and death except in Gazith As it is Deut. 17. And thou shalt doâ— according to the worde of the mouth that they shall shewe vnto thee out of that place And againe Thou shalt arise and go vp to that place At the last al these Iudges also were againe killed of the Romanes And these thinges verelie haue the Thalmudists who chalenge to themselues an assured knowledge of these thinges whereof Petrus Galatinus is the Authour But vnto those thinges which they haue written hauing founde them out as it were with their eyes we adioyne these thinges out of the holie Treasuries of the newe and olde Testament and besides out of the Monuments of Iosephus by the which wee shall lay foorth the institution confirmation right and power of this Councel First of al therfore it appeareth that this tribunal or iudgment seate was ordeined of God that from the iudgement of the iudges they should come to the council of the seniors and of the preestes as it is written 17. Deut. For Moses speaketh there by the praescription of God vnto the people But if so bee thou shalt perceiue a difficult and doubtful iudgement to be before thee betweene bloude and bloud cause and cause Lepry and not Lepry and thou shalt see the Iudgements of the iudges within thy gates To vâ—ry arise and goe vp vnto the place which the Lorde thy God shall choose that thou mightest there call vpon his name And thou shalt come to the priestes of the Leuiticall stocke and to him that shal be Iudge for that time and thou shalt aske it of them Who shall shewe vnto thee the trueth of the Iudgement And thou shalt do whatsâ—euer they shall say that rule the place which the Lord shall choose and they shall teach thee his Lawe and thou shalt follow their sentence Neither shalt thou swarue from it to the right hande nor to the left And whatsoâ—uer shal be proude refusing to obey the Preestes commaundement which at that time ministreth vnto the Lorde his God that man by the decree of the Iudge shall dye Out of these it appeareth that this Iudgement was committed to the king to the preestes and to the Elders of the people For they were the cheefe that ruled the place that the Lorde had chosen Iosephus therefore doth so rehearse this lawe that he maketh cheefe mention of the senate For then he wrot But if the Iudges want knowledge to pronounce of the matters brought before them let them sende the whole cause into the holie City and the Bishop and the Prophet and the Senate shall pronounce that that seemeth vnto them But afterward Moses nameth the Iudges them selues whome we haue spoken of preests saying in the 19. chapter If a lying witnesse shall stande against a man accusing him of trespasse they shall both of them stande before the Lorde and before the preestes and before the Iudges that shall bee in those dayes But Iosephus citeth it of the preestes themselues in his second booke to Appion when as he wrote The Preestes were ordeined of Moses the viewers of all thinges the Iudges of the controuersies the punishers of the condemned Moreouer Moses him-selfe in the counsell tooke knowledge or hearing of his cause that gathered stickes on the sabboth Leuit. 15. For so saith Philo. 3. De vita Mosu They tooke the man brought him to the Prince about whome in the Counsell sat the Preestes but all the multitude was present on the Sabboth day to heare them But Moses not knowing what punishment the maÌ„ deserued asked counsel of God who answered that he should be stoned to death By this it appeareth that all the parties that sat in this Sanedrin except the Kings and the Princes persons were Teachers of the Lawe and and word of God Yea in al the other inferior Seniories they were noble men that onely were ioyned to the Teachers But as Moses ordeined this tribunall so afterward Iosaphat King of Iuda ordeined as he also confirmed the iudgements in the cities For thus it is written in the seconde of Paral. He appointed also in Ierusalem Leuites and Preestes and Patriarches out of Israel that they should iudge the cause of the Lord to the inhabiters thereof and commanded them saying thus shal ye do in the feare of the Lord faithfully and with a perfect heart Euery cause that shall come vnto you of your Brethren which dwell in their cities betweene kindred kindred wheresoeuer the Question of the Lawe of the ceremonies of the iustification in the Greek translation it is of the precept commandement iustifications and iudgements He declared vnto them that they should not offend against the L. And leaste wrath should come vpon you and vpon your Brethren Doing thus therefore yee shall not sinne But Anainas your B. shal gouern in those things which pertain to God Zabadias the sonne of Israel which is Capten in the tribe of Iuda shall bee ouer those workes which pertaine to the offices of the king The Masters in Greeke the Scribes The Leuites shall be before them Into this counsell therefore as it appeareth there entred the king with the Princes of the people and the 70. seniors of the people and the Bishop with the princes of the preestes the scribes that is the doctors of the Lawe as is easy to see out of the Gospels where the iudgement made on Christ is treated vpon Wherefore Ioseph of Arimathia a senator or noble decurion the same man being a partaker of the councell for it is written that he gaue not his assent with the other to the condemnation of Christ. But I call them the Princes of the Preestes which in 24. formes of the Preestes euery one of them ruled in euery one of their turnes but the Scribes I call them that were the doctors of the Lawe whome Iosephus called Propheâ—s Afterward the Councell in the transmigration of Babilon being destroyed when the Iewes being returned into their countrie the residue of their institutions were restored the power of Iudging in the Councel was also giuen vnto the preestes Which thing Ezechiel cap. 44. did fore-warne by the commaundement of Goâ— saying The Preestes shall teach my people what difference there is betweene holy and prophane and they shal Iudge vnto them betweene impure and pure and they shall endeuour them-selues that they may iudge about the iudgement of bloud and they shall iustify my iustifications and iudge my iudgements and they shall keepe my lawes and my preceps in all my feast dayes that is they shall take notice of causes of religion and of capitall matters that is of life and death and they shall iustify men that is absolue them and iudge men that is condemne them euen as I haue prescribed in the Lawe to be done where I
haue declared who are worthy of pardon and who of punishment But some there are that thinke this counsell to haue beene chosen out of the family of Dauid and that they were afterward taken away of Herod the King Which if it bee so whether the wordes of the Psalme sung as S. Athanasius witnesseth in the restoring of the City of Ierusalem may be referred thereunto because there that is in Ierusalem sate the seates vnto iudgement the seates vpon the house of Dauid that is the seate out of the house of Dauid But eyther the King or the Bishop called this counsel according as the crime brought before them eyther touched the City or Religion But the order of executing the matter was almoste in this manner He that desired to put vp the name of another for the moste part came eyther to the king or to the Bishop or to the Princes and declared the guilty party Which done they sent Ministers to take the man And if the matter required they added a band also receiued from the gouernour of the Temple And hauing brought him they kept him for the moste part eyther in prison or in souldiers custody vntill iudgement passed on him The whole Councell beeing afterward called together they gaue them-selues to the vnderstanding of the matter As for the crime and the punishment was of the accusant called vpon in these wordes The Iudgement of death is due to this man because hee hath done this or that But the Defendant repelled it with these wordes The Iudgement of death is not due to this man because hee hath not done it or because hee hath doone it righteously But when the cause hath beene throughly pleaded vpon then were the suffrages or voyces giuen of the iudges and either hee was condemned or absolued according to the number of the sentences But when the matter was brought to the Romaynes the onely condemnation was left to the Councell but the the punishment was taken away but permitted vnto the Roman procurator Which hapned in the iudgement of Christe For the Councell condemned Christe and adiudged him to death But the people being stirred vp of the Councell demaunded of Pilate the Procurator that he might be crucified he gaue iudgement that it should so be done The forme of laying the accusation or of repelling the crime as in the 26 of Hieremie the preestes and the prophetes spake vnto the princes of Iuda saying the iudgement of death is vnto this man because he hath prophecied against this City And the princes sayde vnto the preestes the iudgement of death is not vnto this man because he hath spoken vnto vs in the name of the Lorde our God A forme of the condemnation is in S. Math. 26. Beholde now yee haue heard blasphemie what seemeth it to you and they answering sayde he is guilty of death the which thing Marke saith Who all of them condemned him to bee guilty of death but these things which we haue spoken shall all be more cleare knowne if euery one of the iudementes made after this order whereof record is left in writing shall be shewed foorth And here he proceedeth to the manifolde testimonies and examples hereof in the Scripture and in Iosephus but especially in the newe testament By al which it appeareth for this Senate or council of the 70 Seniors which after the Iewes mixture with the Graecians of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was corruptly called Sanedrin what persons they were except the King and the Princes all of them either preestes or teachers of the Lawes of God And how they sat but in one and the heade Citie assistant with the King and the princes in al matters of plea and controuersie of Lands goods of warre and peace of life and death c. Nor the King coulde rule these matters without them and that their autority herein grewe not so much by the late corruptions as it was rather thereby abridged in the age of Christe by the Romaynes and by Herod If nowe our Learned discoursing Brethren shall reiect all these so industrious collections of Sigonius as an aduersary what proofes reasons and authorities soeuer he auouch let vs then sée howe farre foorth Bertram also doth confirme it For besides that which wee haue alleaged out of him for the original and the first practise thereof before the gouernment of the Kings after the negligence of Saule speaking of Dauid chap. 10. Page 56. he saith Moreouer Dauid restored the municipall iudgementes altogether into their auncient order Howbeit but about the last times of his reigne because that being hindred with warres and diuers businesses hee was content with those Iudgementes which for a greate part beeing decayed perseuered but litle constantly in euery of the Cities and tribes euen from the times of Iosue vntill then But yet so that the more waighty causes especially the appeales were referred to him as it appeareth out of 2. Sam. 15.2 But at the length he also restored this part of the common weale so that vnto the Leuites reckoned vp he established to be firm their changable and vncerteine offices both in the holy or Ecclesiasticall policy and also in the ciuill In the ciuill policie hee is saide to haue appointed out of the Leuites 6000. Iudges and praefectes or Gouernors Out of the Leuites the Iudges and praefectes were assumed for this reason That first there shoulde bee certayne out of the Leuites which should bee assistors or sitters together with the ordinary and municipall iudges that were called seniors Who some-times also De plane vt Vulgo loquuntur Iudicarent de rebus leuioribus shoulde Iudge after a playne sorte as is the common saying of the lighter matters such as were the pecuniarie either they alone or taking some one vnto them of the Seniors of the place or City And moreouer that there should also be some other which should execute the matters adiudged Or else that which is indeed the more likely they that were the Assisors of the ordinarie Iudges who also their selues tooke notice of the pecuniarie matters iudged them and executed the matter it selfe that they had iudged He ordained therefore that Chanenias and his sonnes or his posterity should be designed for iudges and Prefects for the outward worke that is to saie for the outward holie offices that we necessarie for the making of sacrifices in the house of the Lord or Tabernacle in Israel that is among the Israelites that dwelt on this side Iordan except the Tribes of Iuda Beniamin and Simeon The number of these is nor prescribed He also ordained out of the Hebronites Hasabias and his brethren that they should gouerne the Western coasts side-long or on the side of Iordan that is on the hether-hand Iordan as well in the businesse of the Lord as in the seruice or ministerie or obeisance of the king In French Pour le seruice du Roy that is in the
principalitie there seeme to bee extant in Ieremie most cleere examples So that except these Elders which our Brethren pleade for to bée renued after the example and patterne of the ancient laws of the Iewes would take this Princelie Empire and authoritie vpon them their appealing to these auncient lawes orders make nothing for them But yet to see their authoritie better let Bertram procéede with his examples though some of them we haue heard before in Sigonius The first example is extant Iere. 26. Chap. where after that Ieremie was coÌ„demned of the Priests Prophets that is of the ecclesiastical CoÌ„session or Consistorie of them that professed the knowledge interpretatioÌ„ of the diuine letters or of diuinitie as we terme it as though the knowledge of doctrine pertained vnto them whervpon they also which of Ieremie are called Prophets of Ionathas the Paraphrast are expounded Scribes and also was condemned of the whole people that is of the ordinarie aduocates of the people the Iudges or Seniors to wit the Chiliarkes Centurions c. Which represented the whole people insomuch that verse 9. the whole people is gathered to the congregation or concioÌ„ And in the 17. verse mencioned is made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Caal That is of the gathering together or of the vniuersall concion it selfe or certainlie the verie people their selues that heard Ieremy being called together to beare witnesse against him to subscribe to the sentence pronounced against him and to command it to be executed as it appeareth in the end of the Chapter that the same was declared to the Princes of Iuda that were assembled at the kings pallace to wit to the ciuil Consistorie of three score and ten Elders these kinde of Princes came to the Temple where they are sayd to haue sitten at the tribunal or iudgement seate at the new gate of the Temple and the people being admitted thereto according ao the manner to wit that we haue now declared they heard the Prophet absolued him also euen as though in that their iudgement they had condemned corrected Iohakim the king himselfe which had most cruelly murthered Vrias the Prophet Héere againe is a liuelie paterne of the great authoritie in cases of lyfe and death for matter of religion that the Consistorie of the Elders hadde Which here notablie and sincerelie by reason of some good men among them acquitted Ieremie according to the auncient manner of Gods law This then is the authoritie that Caluine and our Brethren pretend Christ translated to his Church stretching so farre as not onelye to the acquitting of the Prophets but to the condemning and correcting euen of kings and Princes The second example is Chap. the 36. where Baruch hauing recited before the people the writing that he had writâ—en out after Ieremies mediting thereof he is called to for the Kinges pallace vnto these kind of Princes before whom he readeth a fresh that same writing When it was read they laie it vp in the chamber of the Scribe or Chauncellour as the Geneua Bible translates it they inquiring how it was written doe admonish Baruch to hide himselfe together with the Prophet The Princes goe to the king they report to him the summe of the writing The King himselfe commaunds the writing to be brought to him And when hee had heard three leaues thereof he cut out the writing with a Scribes penknife And when he was besought of three of them onelie that he would not burne the booke hee ceased not to burne it as a matter that did not displease the residue of the Princes who also euen for that point are noted of the Prophet that they trembled not nor yet rent theyr garments at the reading of that writing Heere againe we sée their great authoritie in this matter of doctrine and how the king at their silence or consent of the writing presumed to cut out the leaues and burne them in spite as a thing that no whit displeased the greatest parte of these Consistorie Princes although that some fewe among them intreated him to the contrarie The third example is extant Ierem. 37. and 38. where it is sayde that Ierusalem hauing beene besieged of the Chaldees Ieremie was apprehended of Ierias a certaine watchmaÌ„ at the gate of Beniamin as though he were a runne-awaie and being brought to these kind of Princes who â—ere verie much chafed against the Prophet hauing beaten him they cast him into a most filthie prison Sedechias which was the next King â—â—ccéeding secretly called for Ieremie out of that filthie prisoÌ„ he so feared those Princes and remoueth him into a more gentle custodie where he continued dutifullie Whereupon it commeth to passe that those Princes goe about to wring from the king the sentence of deaeh against the Prophet to wit that the king should consent vnto his death Pretending that hee discouraged the peoples mindes and that hee studied not for their benefit The King answered that Ieremie was in their handes neyther that the king might preuaile against them in anie thing as though he confessed that he was farre their inferiour Which he sheweth inough when afterwards he saith that he is afraide least those Princes should inquire what speeches hee had with the Prophet too and fro wherevppon also he faineth a lie as though hee had beene to giue an account to them of the thinges that hee had done By these meanes it is brought to passe that the order of the iudgementes thus restored endured vntill the times of the Babylonicall captiuitie This was the state of that Consistorie of the Iewes which of all other our Brethren haue picked out and vrge so earnestlie to haue it set vp amongest vs pretending that Christe restored it and translated it from them to his Church and all by the vertue of these wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tell the Church as forcible wordes in their imagination to make this Metamorphosis of the state of all Christian Kings and kingdomes as euer the Papistes pleaded for those wordes of Christ Hoc est Corpus meum they for their Transubstantiation in the Sacrament and these for this translatioÌ„ in the Regiment Pretending as Bertram sheweth herevpon that the state was not onelie Monarchicall but chiefly Aristocraticall the gouernment of the best men to the which purpose he alleadgeth these examples Although God wot these three last examples in this state that he calleth restored were of men for the most parte of them whome he might haue lesse praised if it had pleased him these enimies of Ieremie and too much ouer-rulers of the Prince And also it was in part Democraticall or the gouernment of the people Whereto he alleadgeth 1. Samuel 14.38 c. How the people deliuered Ionathas from his Fathers iudgement And 1. Chron. 13. verse 1.2 4. How 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chol Caal Israel al the coÌ„gregation of Israel and all the whole people gathered themselues together and that Dauid demaunded
except that before he had by repentance purged him-selfe of those manifolde faultes that were reported of him It is sayde therefore that hee gladly receiued that which was appoynted to them by the Proestos or Bishoppe approouing that hee had a godly feare and a Fayth of Religion moste full of workes The like wee reade of the moste Noble Emperour Theodosius in the Ecclesiasticall Historie of Theodoretus Lib. 5. Cap. 17 Where hauing declared in the former Chapter howe Theodosius had in his fury caused his Souldiers to make a Massacre of 7000. people in the City of Thessalonica for the reuenge of an insurrection there made wherein some of the Emperours Iustices were stoned to death hee sheweth how the Emperour afterwarde beeing come to Millaine when hee woulde haue entred into the Churche after his wonted manner Ambrose forbad him laying the heighnousnesse of his fault before him and willing him to depart and submit him-selfe to this bonde of Excommunication that hee inflicted on him With these wordes sayth Theodoretus the Emperour being moued who being brought vp in the holy doctrine knewe what were the offices of the Sacerdotall preestes what were the offices of the Emperours hee returned with sighes and teares into the Court c. For the which fact although perhappes somewhat more rough than needed vnto so penitent a Prince not onely Ambrose but also Theodosius is of all writers highly commended Generally whatsoeuer Heretikes or other malefactors in any of the generall or prouinciall Councilles bee condemned by the Censure of Excommunication it was done by such Bishops Preestes or Elders as were Ministers of the Worde of God Neither doe any of the Fathers ascribe the denuntiation of this spirituall Censure in the proper sence thereof to any other than to a Bishop or to a minister of the Worde We haue seene in Cyprian howe although hee promised that hee would doe nothing in receiuing those that were fallen from the fayth into the lapse of Idolatry and so became abstenti that is Excommunicated to bee admitted on their repentaunce to the communion and peace of the church without the consent of his College of Elders which as withall wee haue founde were all ministers of the Word and Sacraments Which Iunius him-selfe in his Booke called Ecclesiasticus Capitulo 3 treating on these Seniors confesseth to be Corpus Collegium sacerdotum A body or corporation and College of Sacerdotall Preestes Yea in that case although hee promiseth not to receyue them without the consent also of the Deacons and of the people yet the action of Excommunication and absoluing of them hee still maketh it proper tohim selfe being the Bishop and to such onely as were ministers of the Worde Hierome vpon that saying of Christe to Peter Math. 16 I will giue thee the Keyes of the kingdome of Heauen and whatsoeuer c. This place sayth hee the Bishops and the Preestes not vnderstanding take vpon them some-what of the Pharisées pride to thinke that eyther they may condemne the innocent or loose the offenders When as with God not the sentence of the sacerdotall Preestes but the life of the guilty is sought out Wee reade in Leuiticus of the Lepers where they are bidden to shewe them selues to the Preestes And if they haue the Leprie then of the sacerdotall Preestes they are made vncleane Not that the sacerdotall preestes make them Lepers and vncleane but that they haue the knowledge of him that is a Leper and of him that is not a Leper And that they may discerne who is cleane or who is vncleane In such sorte therefore as the sacerdotall Preeste maketh the Leper clean or vncleane so here also eyther the Bishop and the preeste or Elder bindeth or looseth not those that are eyther innocent or offenders but according to his office when hee shall haue hearde the diuersities of the sinnes he knoweth who is to bee bound or who is to be loosed Saint Augustine being complained vnto that Auxilius being a young Bishop had made such a rash Excommunication as Hierome here spake of writeth vnto him in this manner Augustine to his moste dearely beloued Lorde and worshipfull or reuerend brother and fellow sacerdotall Preeste Auxilius Our renowned Sonne Classicianus hath greeuously by Letters complayned vnto mee that he hath susteined of your holinesse the iniury of accursing Declaring that he came to the church accompanied with the appearaunce of a fewe persons conuenient for his power and dealt with you that you shoulde not against his health or safety fauour them who by periuring themselues on the Gospell sought ayde for violating of their fayth euen in the house of fayth Whome notwithstanding considering what ill they had done he saith that they were not taken thence by violence but went out of their owne accorde And heereupon your honour is so offended with him that by the making of your Ecclesiasticall actes hee with all his house is striken with the sentence of the Curse Which Letters I hauing read beeing not a little mooued with thoughtes tossing me with great vexation of heart I coulde not hide it from your louingnesse that if you haue your opinion of this matter tried out by sure reasons or testimonies of the Scriptures you woulde vouchsafe also to teach vs how the childe may rightly be accursed for the Fathers sinne or the wife for the Husbandes or the seruaunt for the Lordes or anie in the house also not yet borne if it shoulde be borne in the same time that the whole house is bound with the curse so that it coulde not in the daunger of death be helped by the washing of regeneration For this is not a corporall punishment wherewith we reade that some dispisers of God were slayne together with all theirs which were not partakers of the same vngodlinesse Then in-deede to the terror of the liuing the mortall bodies were slayne which at sometime veâ—ily should haue died But the spirituall punishment whereby that iâ— done which is written VVhatsoeuer thinges thou shalt binde in earth shall bee bound also in Heauen bindeth the soules Of whome it is written The soule of the Father is mine and the soule of the Sonne is mine The soule that shall sinne the same shall dye You haue peraduenture hearde that some sacerdotall preestes of greate name haue accursed some body with their house But if perhaps they were demaunded they might bee found not able to render a reason of the same As for me If any body should demaund of me whether it were well done I finde not what I shold answere him I neuer durst do this thing when I haue bin mooued most greeuously about the wicked deedes of some moste cruelly committed against the Church But if the Lord haue reuealed to you how it may iustly be done I despise neuer a whit your yong age rudimeÌ„ts or but yong beginnings of the Eccl. honor Beholde I am at hand I an old man of my yong
for we receiue not Philip for a Christian Emperour and long time after there were Christian Emperours euen as long as any puritie continued in Religion vntill both Emperours and Synodes were thrust out of all lawfull authoritie which they ought to haue in the Church by the tyranny of Antichriste I graunt the Synodall authoritie to bee graunted to the church by our Sauiour Christe to be practized by his Apostles and to bee continued by their successors three hundred yeares not before there were any Christian Emperours but before there were any such Christian Emperors as onelie proclaimed the maintenaunce and profession of the Christian faith as Constantine his successors did For Constantius Chlorus the Father of this Constantine the great is commended by Eusebius lib. 8. cap. 14. in these wordes Not long after Constantius the Emperor passing all others throughout his life in clemencie and goodnesse towardes his subiectes singularly affected towardes Gods worde ended according to the Lawe of nature the common race of his mortall life Leauing behinde him his naturall sonne Constantinus Emperour and Caesar to supplie his room And was first related of them meaning the Heathen into the number of the Gods Enioying after his death all imperiall honor and dignitie due to his person In his life hee was moste benigne and of most bountifull soueraignty among all the Emperours who alone of all the Emperors in our time gouerned most gratiously and honourablie during the whole tearme of his reigne shewing humanity and bountifulnesse vnto all men no partaker by anie meanes with any presumptuous sedition raysed agaynst vs hee garded the Godly about him in securitie without sentence of gilt and without all contumelye hee destroyed no Churches hee practized no impietye that mighte bee preiudiciall to oure Religion He obtayned a blessed life and an end thrise happy He being Emperour alone ended this life both gloriously and peaceably in the presence of his naturall sonne and successour who also was moste prudent and Religious His Sonne Constantinus beeing proclaymed full Emperour and Caesar by the armie and long before by God him selfe the vniuersall King became a follower of his Fathers pietie in Christian religion All this his commendation writeth Eusebius who was also liuing in his dayes And to confirme this he telleth also lib. 1. De vita Constantini cap. 11 Howe he fayned that he woulde put all the Christians which would professe their religion out of their offices and preferre the Paganes But when they which were Godlie Christians gaue vp their offices and chose rather to leaue their honors then to leaue their profession of the Christian fayth hee embrased them and those which offered to deny Christe to kéepe their dignities hee vtterly remooued from his person affirming that they woulde neuer be faithfull to the Prince which were vnfaithfull to God Whereby it appeareth that he was a true and Godly Christian Emperor Whereupon Eusebius concludeth that not onely he himself but his subiects also did enioy by him a pleasaunt conuersation in holinesse and deuotion towardes God Hee banished out of his Court Idolaters and dissemblers in religion and hee receiued and iudged those moste worthie to bee about an Emperour which confessed Gods trueth commaunding such to haue the guard both of his person and Dominion Hee serued and worshipped the onely true God Hee condemned the multitude of the Gods that the wicked had Hee fortified his house with the prayers of holy and faythfull men and hee did so consecrate his pallace to the seruice of God that his housholde was a congregation within his pallace hauing Gods Ministers and whatsoeuer is requisite for a Christian Congregation And although our Brethren peremptorily doe say wee receyue not Philip for a Christian Emperour yet wee haue hearde howe Eusebius telleth that though at the first hee was not of the Church of Christe so receyued by reason of his notorious sinnes neuerthelesse on his repentaunce and confession hee was at length receyued into the assemblie of the Christians at Rome euen as a Christian and of consequent as a Christian Emperour except the Christians woulde haue denied him to bee Emperour because hee was become a Christian. In-déede hée coulde not such was the iniquitie of the time then make open profession of his Christianitie or if he began it he was too soone cut off But this impediment was no debarre vnto his right if hee had had such time and occasion as had Constantine But had there bene no Christian Emperors before Constantine the great yet were there in other Countries mo Christian Princes besides those that were the Emperours of Rome yea to goe no further than this our owne Countrie was not here King Lucius a Christian besides other Christian Princes after him To which Lucius also as wee finde in aunciâ—nt recordâ— thereof a letter was written by Eleutherius Bishop of Rome anno Dom. 202. in these wordes following You required that we should sende you the Romane and Emperiall lawes that you might vse them in your kingdome of Brytannie But those lawes we may disprooue and not the lawes of God You haue of late through the goodnesse of GOD receaued in your kingdome the fayth and lawe of Christe you haue there in your kingdome both the Testamentes out of them by the grace of God and the aduice of your Realme take you a lawe and thereby Gouerne patiently your kingdome You are in your kingdome the Vicar of God according to the saying of the kingly Prophet The earth is the Lordes and his fulnesse is the whole worlde and all the dwellers therein And againe thou hast loued righteousnesse and hated iniquitie wherefore GOD euen thy God hath annoynted thee with the oyle of gladnesse abâ—ue thy fellowes They are the kinges children Christian Nations and people of your kingdome that liue and consist vnder your protection peace and kingdome according to the scripture euâ—n as the Henne gathereth her chickensvnder her winges The people and Nations of the kingdome of Brytannie is yours Such as are deuided you shoulde gather them together vnto the lawes of Christe vnto his holie â—hurch vnto peace and concorde And you should cherish mayntaine protect gouerne and defend them from the iniurious from the malitious and from the enemies of them VVoe to that kingdome whose king as a chilâ—e and the Princes eaâ—e early in the mourning I do not call the king a child for his youth and minoritie but for his follie iniquitie and madnesse according to the kingly Prophet the bloudthirstie and deceitfull men shall not liue out halfe their dayes By eating we shall vnderstande gluttonie by gluttonie luxurie by luxurie all silth wickednesse and mischiefe as sayth king Salomon wisdome will not enter into a malitious soule nor inhabite in a bodie thrall to sinne A King hath his name of gouerning and not of his kingdome So long shall you be a King as you rule well Otherwise you shall not so be
the Church those that are not of necessitie yet because this error might growe in them if the vniformitie of all ceremonies were vrged too precisely Howbeit all this hindereth not but that for the ordinarie and generall vse the vniformitie of them may still remayne specially being so vsed that testification at all times or often may be made against all absolute necessities and all superstitions or any other abuses of them Which indéede is the more néedefull because this errour of simple necessitie is not alwayes onely of simple persons but euen of learned men As we reade of S. Peter how stiffely for a while he helde the necessitie of the Iewish ceremonies after their date was out And how the multitude euen of the faithfull Iewes were so affected stil vnto them that S. Paule was faine for that time to yéelde to the conformitie of them And this is not the smallest errour among the most learned of the Papistes at this day Yea by their leaue also I thinke these our Learned discoursers doe chiefely stumble at the like stone Not only about the Iewes Iudicialles but for their Sanedrin and these consistorie Elders if there were euer any such as they pretende but can prooue none and for some partes of discipline and ceremonies too vrging these thinges as necessarie that are not necessarie Might not a man be so bolde for all these things as to send home these spéeches to the authors of them Yea Christian libertie in them sometimes is necessarie to be testified because there are many so simple that they know not the difference betweene those thinges that are necessarie in the Church and those that are not of necessitie when as we sée so notable learned men euen in their Learned Discourses so foulely ouershoot themselues in not considering throughly of this difference betweene thinges necessarie in the Church and not of necessitie But to come now to the particular ceremonies wherin our Brethren would haue this varietie admitted There bee say they that thinke a Crosse or Font as they call it is as necessarie in Baptisme as water For my part I haue not heard of any such that thinke so nor I euer read of any the grossest Papist that so writeth They rather erre on the other side in standing too much on the necessitie of water when they make 〈◊〉 the necessitie euen of saluation I graunt they put too great a confidence in the signe of the Crosse and many haue done and doe abuse it with foule superstition and Idolatrie But yet all this debarreth not but that there was in the primitiue Church before those abuses came and since those abuses God be praysed haue béene remoued from among vs there may likewise remayne some good vse therof being only vsed as a signe or token without any opinion of vertue in the same For we doe not detest the signe it selfe as did Iulian the Apostata though wee honor it not as Iulian vpbrayded falsely to the Christians that they did As for the font for so we call it in-deede and may well ynough with out any suspition of the terme in my opinion is the fittest of any ordinarie place for the baptizing of our infantes Nowe if these caeremonies doe admit varietie as times persons and occasions serue to be diuerse then are they not of them-selues meere superstitious nor yet vtterly to bee left off no though they haue beene as hath the signe of the Crosse shamefully abused but these caeremonies being so vsed as they are nowe ordeined to be vsed and that with libertie of exception against the abuses and testification of the right vse of them they may be vsed still euen by our Brethrens confession well ynough so that wee will graunt them that they may admit varietie and we are content to graunt it if they woulde in-deede as heere in worde they say but admit it sometimes and leaue of the signe of the Crosse in Baptisme nowe and then onelie to remoue the errour of necessitie from the simple so that they leaue it not of in contempt nor vsually or that the infant sometimes as times persons and occasions serue to be diuerse be not baptized in the font but in a basyn so they do not vpon this permission of varietie sometimes in the end growe from some-times to all times and make a necessitie on the contrarie that it must not bee baptized in the font and the signe of the Crosse must not be vsed at all because both the font and the Crosse haue beene abused If they woulde not as some doe encroch vpon this liberty of varietie but vse it with discretion when diuersitie onely of time 〈◊〉 persons and occasion serued there is none of our Brethren that might incurre displeasure much lesse displacing by so doing And that kneeling say they at the Communion is more necessary than preaching of the Lordes death If kneeling at prayer and thankesgiuing be a good caeremony it may be well appointed to be vsed also at the Communion when besides our recording of the Lordes death we pray vnto him that wee may receiue those his heauenly mysteries worthily and giue him thankes both for the same his precious death and for the institution of this memoriall thereof and al the other his benefits whervpon the name of Eucharist or thanksgiuing is one of the proper names of this Sacrament But to say that some thinke kneeling at the communion is more necessarie than preaching of the Lordes death is hardly and doubtfully spoken If they meane by preaching that which Christ sayth so often as yee shall do these ye shall shewe foorth the Lordes death I graunt in that sense preaching is simply necessarie and so farre more necessarie than is kneeling which is but necessarie conditionally and that not in the proper sense of necessitie but of conueniencie But if they meane by preaching the frée Discourse by the Pastor at large and at his voluntarie treating on the Lordes death besides the ordinarie fourme in the booke prescribed then is not preaching at the Communion for any necessitie thereof any more necessarie than is kneeling and in some respect not so necessarie neither in that an order thereof may bee easilier appointed to the Communicants and obserued of them than a Sermon at the ministration of the Communion to be alwayes so preached by the Pastor As for kneeling is indéede but an outwarde ceremonie nor anie thing comparable to preaching in the dignitie of the action howbeit it is a reuerent externall action and so beeing easie for the most part of all the communicantes to be perfourmed it may well admitte a ceremoniall constitution and decree for the publike and vniforme obseruation of the same Whereupon me thinketh Caluine also writeth very well euen among those his testimonies that I last cited but I there passed it ouer and reserued his obseruation of kneeling with his other particular examples for this place