to die a corporall and a spirituall death both yea death of damnation both of body soule for euer Do they thinke that their blod shall not be asked at their hands at y e gret day of the Lord. Do they thinke y t their flieng away from their flock is a mean to preserue their liues y e longer vpon earth Is not God able to strike them as well in the fields as in the city as well in the country as in the towne in one place as well as in another Is not his power eueriewhere Is not his messenger death in al places Saith he not in the booke of Deuteron that if we doe not those things which he hath commanded vs in his sacred word cursed shall wee bee at home and cursed in the fields And saith he not further that the plague and pestilence the botch bile blaine or else what deadly infection soeuer shall followe vs and lay hold vpon vs in what place soeuer we be and shall neuer depart from vs till it haue quite consumed vs from the face of the earth And doe these fugitiues that ouerrun their flocks in time of infection thinke that they shall escape the heauie wrath and vengeance of God for their tergiuersation and backsliding from their duties Doe they thinke that God cannot saue them frm corporal death but with the breach of their duties towards God Is not the Lord as well able to defend them from any deadly infection if it be his good pleasure as he was to defend Sidrach Misaach and Abednego from the flaming fire Daniell from the mouth of the lions Ionas frō the iawes of the mightie whale with manie others that trusted in him Doe they thinke that his arme is shortened or his power weakened Is he not able to deliuer his children that in dooing of their duties depend vpon his prouidence And to bee plaine with them me think that in flieng away from their flockes they shew themselues to thinke that either God is not almightie or else noc mercifull or neither For if they beléeued that he were almightie and that hee were able to saue them then they would neuer run awaie from their flocke but depending vpon his prouidence beléeue that he is as well able to deliuer them in one place as in another if it bee his good pleasure And if they beléeued that he were mercifull then would they rest vpon the same not doubting but as he is almightie and omnipotent and therefore can doe al things so he is most mercifull and therfore wil preserue al those that put their trust in him If a temporall magistrate that exerciseth but a ciuil office in the commonwealth shuld go away from his charge for feare of infection or plague wheras his present abode might do more good than his absence he greatly offendeth how much more then offendeth he that being a pastor or féeder of soules flieth away from his charge wheras his presence might doe a thousand times more good than his absence And if it please the Lord to take them away to himselfe are they not most happie Enter they not into eternal glorie And haue they not an end of all miseries and paines in this life and the perfect fruition of perpetuall ioie in the heauens Are they not blessed if when the Lord shal call them he find them so well occupied as in féeding breaking the bread of life to the pore members of Christ Iesus for whose sakes he shed his hart blood Theod. But they say we ought not to tempt God which thing they must needs doe if they shoulde tarrie when they see death before their face And they say further that it is written that we must keepe the whole from the sicke and the sicke from the whole Besids saie they Natura dedit potestatem tuendi vitam omni animanti Nature hath giuen power of defending of life to euerie liuing creture Againe euery thing fleeth from his contrarie but death is contrarie to nature for it came through the corruption of nature therfore we flie from the same by the instinct of nature These and the like fond reasons they alledge for their excuse in flieng from their flocks and charges what say you to them Amphil. I can saie little to them But onelie this that none of all these reasons doe priuiledge them to discontinue from their flockes and charges And whereas they saie that their staieng were a tempting of God it is verie vntrue it is rather a reuerent obediēce to this tripled cōmandement Pasce oues meas pasce oues meas pasce oues meas Feede my sheepe feede my sheepe feede my sheepe But indeede if it were so that a priuate man who hath no kind of function nor office neither ecclesiasticall nor temporall seeing himselfe if he staie stil in great danger of death might auoid the danger by flieng so by the grace of God prolong his life and yet will not this man if he tarie tempteth the Lord and is a murtherer of himselfe before God And to such it is said thou shalt keepe the whole from the sicke the sick from the whole This is the meaning sence of these words and not that they do priuiledge any man for not doing of his dutie But notwithstanding all that can be said in confutacion of this great extreeme contempt of their duties I haue knowne and doe know some ministers nay wolues in sheepes clothing in Dnalgne that in time of any plague pestilence or infection thogh there hath bin no gret danger at all that haue bin so far from continuing amongst their flock y t if any one of them were sicke although of neuer so cōmon or vsuall disease yet fearing to be infected with the contagion thereof they haue absented themselnes altogither from visiting y e sick according as they ought as dutie doth bind them Yea some of them suppose you of mercenaries hirelings but not of god pastors are so nice so fine so feareful of death forsoth y e in no case they cannot abide to visit the sicke neither by day nor by night But in my iudgement it is as incident to their office and dutie to visite to comfort to instruct and relieue the sicke at the houre of death as it is for them to preach the word of God to their flocke al the daies of their life And peraduenture they may doe more good in one howre at the last gaspe then they haue done all the daies of their life before For he that in his life time hath had in small estimation the blessed worde of God but following his owne humors in hope to liue long hath lead a very wicked and impenitent life nowe through the consideration and sight of death which he seeth before his eies togither with godly exhortations admonitions and consolations out of the word of God may easelie be withdrawne from his former wicked life and dieng in the faith of Iesus Christ with
most necessarie in a common wealth But as the good learued and discréet phisitions and surgeons are necessarie and may doe much good so the vnlearned and naughtie as the world is to full of them may and doe much hurt dailie as experience teacheth Theod. You say truth But are all indifferently suffered to practise the same noble misteries of phisicke and surgerie without any choyse or exception at all Amphil. There is to great libertie permitted herein For now a daies euerie man tagge and ragge of what insufficiencie soeuer is suffered to exercise the misterie of phisick and surgerie and to minister both the one and the other to the diseased and infirmed persons but to their woe you may be sure Yea you shall haue some that know not a letter of the booke so farre are they from being learned or skilâ—ul in the toongs as they ought to be that shoulde practise these misteries both men and women yoong and old that presuming vpon experience forsooth for that is their greatest skill will arrogate great knowledge to themselues and more then the learnedst doctor vpon the earth will doe And yet notwithstanding can doe in manner nothing at all But if they chance at any time to doe any good as forte luscus capiat leporem somtime by chance a blind man may catch a hare it is by meere chance and not by any knowledge of theirs And yet shall this exploit of theirs be sounded foorth with a trumpet which indeede may hardly be blowne vp with an oten pipâ—â—or any praise it deserueth This bringeth the laudable sciences of phisick and surgerie into hatred obloquy contempt maketh it of no estimation in the world and vtterly discrediteth it amonst men For when as any sick infirmed or diseased either miscarieth vnder the hands of his phisition or surgean or else when the medicine or salue worketh not his effect then fall they to accuse the science it selfe and to reproch it altogither whereas in truth the whole blame consisteth in the ignorance of the practicioner himselfe Great pitie it is therefore that there is such libertie in permitting euery one that lust to prophane and to abuse these venerable sciences of phisicke and surgerie as they doe For euery man though he know not the first principles grounds or rudiments of his science y e lineaments dimensions or compositions of mans body the poores arteries temperament or constitution no nor yet so much as the naturall complexion qualitie or disposition of the same will yet notwithstanding take vpon him the habite the title y â— name and profession of a phisition or surgean This we see verified in a sort of vagarants who run stragling I wil not saie roging ouer the countries and beare men in hand of gret knowledg when as there is nothing lesse in them By which kind of theft for this coosoning shift is no better they rake in great somes of mony which when they haue got they leaue their cures in the dust I warrant you and betake them to their héeles as to their best refuge And thus be the noble sciences of phisicke and surgerie vtterly reproched the world deluded and manie a good man and woman brought to their endes before their time Theod. If phisicke be good would you not haue euery man to practise it that will without restraint Amphil. Phisicke is good and yet would I not haue euerie ignorant doult that knoweth not the vse nor benefit thereof to practise the same For that maketh it to take so little effect and so smally to be estéemed of as it it is now a daies for reformation wherof I would wish that euery ignorant doult especially women that haue as much knowledg in phisick or surgery as hath Iackeanapes being but smatterers in the same noble sciences nor yet al that should be restrained from the publicke vse therof yet not from priuate exercise thereof either for their owne singuler benefit or any other of their fréends prouided that they do it gratis not making an occupation of it but rather for desire to helpe then for lucre of gaine Than woulde I wyshe that the others who shoulde exercise the vse of Phisicke and Surgerie shoulde first bee Graduates in either of the vniuersities and being graduates yet not to be admitted therefore but first to be tried and examined as well for their knowledge discresion and sufficiencie in their art profession and calling as also for their godlines christian zeale pure religion compassion and loue to their brethren and being found sufficient for the foresaid respects to be admitted and licensed vnder hand and seale authentike by those that be of authoritie And if he abuse himselfe or his facultie then out with him let him be Officiperda Iacke out of office make him a Quondam and let him go to plow and cart rather than to robbe the poore as manie of them doe yea to murther and kil them without reprehension And as I would wish none but godlie learned and such as feare God to be admitted to the exercise and practise hereof so I would wish that either they might be allowed anual stipends for their better succouring of the poore diseased or else might be constrained to take lesse of their poore patients than they doe For now they ruffle it out in silckes and veluets with their men attending vpon them whereas many a poore man GOD wot smarteth for it Yea so vnreasonable and so vnconcionable are they as some of them wil not set one foot out of his owne doores without twentie shillings fortie shillings thrée pound twentie nobles ten pound twentie pound and some more some lesse And hauing this importable fée If they minister any thing to the partie diseased than besides must they haue twenty shillings for that that stands them not in twentie pins fortie shillings twentie nobles for that that cost them not twentie pence so foreward This is a great wickednes God be mercifull vnto vs and such as the Lord will one day reuenge if they preuent not his iudgements by spéedy repentance Besids these abuses there are othersome that if they owe euill will to any man or woman being sicke or if they hope for any preferment by their deaths wil not make any conscience of it to giue them such medicines such potions and drinkes as will soone make a hand of them and this shall be done inuisible in a clowde Under the pretence of phisicke forsooth and if he die why it was not the medicine that killed him no it were Blasphemia in sanctos ruminare blasphemie to thinke it of these holie fathers but it was death that cruell tyger that spareth none And to such corruption are they grown that for mony I am persuaded they can make away with any whom they haue accesse vnto Therefore I aduise euery man to be careful to whom he committeth the cure of his bodie They are likewise in league with the apothecaries in whome there are great abuses also aswell in
themselues did who after Christ Iesus was crucified gaue themselues to their old occupations of fishing making of of nets tents pauilions and the like But vpon the other side if a man haue not this diuine calling his conscience bearing him witnesse thereof nor yet the graces gifts and ornaments of the minde fit for his calling which whosoeuer hath not it is a manifest argument that the Lorde hath not sent him for those that hee sendeth hee furnisheth with all kinde of graces and giftes necessarie for their callings this man though he be called by humane calling neuer so precisely yet he may nay hee ought to leaue his function as vnwoorthie to occupie a roome in the church of God representing as an idoll doth that thing which hee is not Besides hee that is compelled and inforced either by friendes as manie are or by pouertie as not a few bee or for anie other respect else to take that high function vpon him without the testimonie of a good conscience being not furnished with gifts and graces fit for such a calling which argueth directly that God hath not called him hee I say is so farre from being bounde neuer to leaue his function and calling that hee ought not one minute of an houre to continue in the same though he bee called by man a thousande times Therefore he that is a minister and hath charge of soules committed vnto him let him if hee bee not furnished with such gifts â—s his high calling requireth in the name of GOD make no doubt of it to giue ouer his function vnto others that are able for their giftes to discharge the same in the meane time giuing himselfe to godlie exercises of life as God may be glorified his conscience disburthened and the commonwealth profited Theod. But I haue heard of some that considering the naughtinesse of their calling and their owne insufficiencie to discharge the same haue therefore left off their function giuing themselues to secular exercises and in the ende haue béene inforced to resume their former function vpon them againe and that whether they would or not How thinke you of this Amphil. I thinke truely that they who compelled them to take againe that function which they were not able to discharge and therefore lest it haue gréeuously offended therein This is as if I knowing a simple ignorant foole presumptuously to haue taken vpon him a great and waightie charge yea such a charge as all the wisedome in the world is not able thoroughly to performe and when he in taking a view of his owne insufficiencie shuld be mooued to leaue his charge to others better able to execute the same than hee I should notwithstanding not onely counsell but also compell him to resigne againe his former great charge which I knowe he is neither woorthie nor yet able euer to accomplish Thinke you not that he that compelleth him to take againe that office or calling which before he had least for his inabilitie shall not answere for the same yes truely you may be sure of it In conclusion he that is sufficiently furnished with such gifts as are necessarie for his calling withal is found able to discharge in some sort his duty ought not to leaue his function for to such a on that so doth Christ saith hee that laieth hande vppon the plough and looketh backe is not fit for the kingdome of God But againe he that hath not these gifts and graces sufficient for his calling to the discharge of his dutie ought not to occupie a place in the church of God as the pastor thereof much lesse ought he when he hath for his inabiltie leaft the same to be constraied to resume againe his former function and calling which he is not able to discharge But hereof inough Theod. Then I perceiue that any minister or ecclesiasticall person that hath not gifts sufficient to discharge his duty may with good conscience leaue their functions and giue themselues to liue by their labors as others temporall men doe may they not Amphil. Yes with a better conscience than to retaine them being not able to discharge them in any small measure For with what coÌ„science can he receiue temporall things of his flocke and is not able to giue them spirituall With what face can a shepeheard receiue of his sheepe the milke the wooll and fleece and yet will not or cannot giue to the same either meate or drinke sufficiently With what conscience can he receiue fortie pound a hundred pound or two hundred pound a yeere of his poore flocke and is not able to breake to them the breade of life in such forme and maner as he ought Nay how can he euer haue quiet conscience that knowing that the blood of all those that die ghostlie for want of instruction shal be powred vpon his head at the day of iudgment and be demanded at his handes will yet notwithstanding refeane the same charge and function to himselfe still not being able to discharge the least iote of the same Therefore would I wish euery man of what office function or calling soeuer he be if he be not able to discharge his dutie in the same to giue it ouer and not for greedinesse of a little mucke or dung of the earth For monie is no better to cast away their soules which Iesus Christ hath bought with his most precious blood Theod. Is it lawfull for a pastor or minister that hath a flocke to departe from the same In the time of plague pestilence or the like for feare of infection Amphil. Is he a good sheepeheard that when he seeth the wolues comming will take him to his heeles and runne away Or is he a sure freend that when a man hath most neede of his helpe will then get him packing not shewing any fréendship towardes him at all I thinke not And truly no more is he a good pastor or minister but rather a depastor and minisher that in time of any plague pestilence or sicknes whatsoeuer will conuey himselfe away from his flocke for feare of infection at the houre of death when the poore people haue most need of comfort aboue all other times then is he their pastor that shoulde féede them the furthest from them When they stande vppon the edge as it were of saluation or damnation then permits he the wolfe to haue the rule ouer them Our Sauiour Christ saith Bonus pastor animulam dat pro ouibus A good shepheard giueth his life for his shéepe but these felowes are so far from giuing their liues for their sheepe that they seeke to saue their owne liues with the destruction of their whole flocke This is the loue that they beare vnto their flocke this is the care they haue ouer their soules health which Christ Iesus bought so deere with the price of his blood Out vppon those shepheards that for feare of incurring of corporall death which is to the Godly an entraunce into parpetuall glorie will hazard manie a thousande