you of vs or least those things which we haue written of Ecclesiasticall policie properly against that Antichristian tyrannie as necessitie required are taken by some in that sense as if euer we had meant to compel to our order those churches that thinke otherwise then we doo of it and the gouernors of them agreeing els with vs in the truth of doctrine agreeable to the word of God and that except they followed our order we accounted otherwise of them then their godlines and dignitie and mutuall brotherhood doth require c. Farre be this arrogancie from vs. Quis vllum nobis in vllam Ecclesiam imperium tribuit Who doth giue vs authority ouer anie church Far be it from vs that we should thinke so the substantiall matters be kept there ought nothing to be graunted to antiquitie nothing to custome nothing to the circumstances of places times and persons c. Againe in his booke against D. Sarauia hauing spoken of the tyrannie of Popish Bishops hee maketh this exception Neque tamen But wee doo not therefore accuse all Archbishops and Bishops now so called of tyranie For what arrogancie were that Nay so as they doo imitate the examples of the olde holy Bishops and indeuor as much as they can to reforme the house of God so miserably deformed according to the rule of Gods word why may we not acknowledge al of them now so called Archbishops and Bishops obey them and honor them with all reuerence So far we are from that which some obiect vnto vs most falsly and most impudently as though we tooke vppon vs to prescribe to anie Church in anie place our examples to be followed like vnto those vnwise men who account wel of nothing but of that which they doo themselues And to the same effect a little before If now the reformed Churches of England being vnderpropped with the authoritie of Bishoppes and Archbishops do continue as this hath happened to that Church in our memorie that she hath had men of that calling not onely most notable martyrs of God but also excellent pastors and doctors Fruatur sane ista singulari dei benificentia quae vtinam illi sit perpetua Let her truly inioy this singular blessing of God which I wish may be perpetuall vnto her Furthermore it should seeme that Zanchius as moderate and learned a man as euer fauoured the pretended Elderships was appointed some 12 or 16. yeres since to draw a confâ—ssion of religion for the Churches of France others as Melanchthon had done the Augustan confession for Germanie Accordingly hee drew it and in the same speaking of Bishops he vseth these wordes Non improbamius patres c. Wee doo not disalow the fathers in that after a diuers waie of dispensing the word and gouerning the Church they multiplied diuerse orders of Ministers seeing it was lawfull for them so to do as it is vnto vs and seeing it appeareth that they did it for honest causes appertaining at that time to the order decencie and edification of the Church And in the next article Hac ratione c. By this reason vz. that the nurseries of dissentions and of schismes may be taken away wee thinke that these thinges which were ordained before the Councell of Nice concerning Archbishops nay as touching the foure Patriarches may be excused and defended When this booke was perused and this clause found in it then forsoth a deuise was had for the staying of it vnder pretence that now it was thought more meete that there should be a harmonie made of all the confessions of diuers churches But Zanchius himselfe maketh this the chiefe cause if I vnderstand him why his booke dyd mislike some of them for that hee had written as before is mentioned of Bishops For so hee sayth Magnus quidam vir c. A certaine great man meaning Beza as it is supposed did write vnto mee of this matter as followeth Your confession was read by mee and N. others with great delight It is written most learnedly and in a most exquisite methode and if you except that which you adde towards the end touching Archbishops and the Hierarchie mihi summopere placuit it pleased mee exceedingly Vpon this occasion as it seemeth Zanchius printed his said confession with certaine annotations In the which annotations he sheweth three reasons for his allowance of Archbishops Bishops The first is grounded vpon the practise of the primitiue church presently after the Apostles times the second is for that hee thought it his dutie in the draught of his said booke to haue regard to those reformed churches which retaine both Bishops Archbishops and the third because all the reformed Churches generally although they haue chaunged the names yet in effect they doe keepe the authoritie as where they haue superintendents and generall superintendents Nay saith he where these new base Latine names are not admitted Ibi tamen solent esse aliquot primarij penes quos fere tota est authoritas yet there are in those places vsually certaine chiefemen that doe in a manner beare all the sway But I pray you be pleased that I may deliuer vnto you the maner of his setting down of his first reason and that in his owne words for they carry with them a notable condemnation of other mens great pride rashnes Cum haenc conscriberem fidei confessionem c. When I writ this confession of faith I writ all the thinges in it of a good conscience and as I beleeued so I freely spake the scriptures teaching men so to doe And my faith first of all and simply doth rely vpon the word of God then somewhat also vpon the common consent of the whole ancient Catholicke Church if the same bee not repugnant to the scriptures For I beleeue that what thinges were defined and receiued by the auncient Fathers assembled in the name of the Lord with a generall consent of them all and without any contradiction of the holy Scriptures the same surely although they be not of the same authoritie with holy Scriptures yet did they proceed from the holy Ghost Heereof it commeth to passe that those things which are of this nature neither would I neither dare I with a good conscience disallow them And what can be shewed more certainly out of histories out of the councels out of the writings of all the ancient fathers then that those orders of Ministers of the which we haue spoken haue bene ordained and receiued in the Church by the generall consent of all christian common-wealths And who then am I that should presume to reproue that which the whole Church hath approued This is true and religious humilitie Thus all graue and discreet godly men haue euerwritten Those that contemne all the learned Fathers that went before them doe open a windowe to their owne discredite by those that shall come after them That which this godly and great learned man ascribeth to the
now that they perceaue the verie great falsehood which they find in their owne fellowship Certaine hypocriticall Bretheren of the Laytie haue clapped them as it seemeth vppon the shoulders followed their sermons set theÌ„ at the vpper ende of their tables and sought by all their strength to procure them credit fauour with the people not that they cared either for them or for ReligioÌ„ or for Christ himselfe but hopinge that by the violent course which they saw these men run into the Bishops the rest of the Cleargie would be groweÌ„ in short time to be so odious as it would be a very small matter to disposses theÌ„ of all their liuings wherof some portioÌ„ might come to their shares Which maÌ„ner of pollicy now you may perceiue these brethreÌ„ haue espied therfore they spare not as you haue hard to set forth such hipocrits in their plainest colors very liuelie in their opinioÌ„ truly God of his infinit mercie multiplie her M. daies that she maie raigne many and manie yeares still ouer vs. If it had not beene for her most princelie and most religious care of the Church the children of Edom had long before this time greatlie indaungered it But this I will say vnto theÌ„ that if euer they obtain their desires which I know they shal neuer do in her highnes time they shal not possesse a pennie worth of the church-goods which I am perswaded will not prooue vnto them to be like the gold of Tholossa wherof none had part that euer prospered afterward I could shew some reasons of this my perswasion but I am a man not verie grateful to that sort of reformers I will therefore spare that paines and the rather because their own maisters hauâ— dealt plainlie inough with them alreadie This onelie I will adde committing it to their discretions to be considered off at their leasures There was neuer anie nation so barbarous but it thought there was a God Againe there was neuer any nation that thought there was a God but it likewise acknoledged that the same God had his priests to teach the people his will Againe there were neuer as yet to my knowledge anie men in the world but belieuing there was a God and acknowledging his Priestes they haue alwaies either in truth or at the least in shew depeÌ„ded vpon their priests instructions as touching the wil seruice of God Which points being true I would gladlie know of anie Sacrilegious Disciplinarian what sort of Priests they are whose aduise he followeth Some he must needs follow except he will professe himselfe to be in the number of those that say in their harts there is no God Doth he follow the Priests of the heatheÌ„ why they euer thought that it was vnlawfull for anie man to spoil his God Doth he follow the Popish Priests There are no men surelie that crie out more earnestly against Sacriledge Doth he follow the councell of any Priestes which haue embraced the Gospell No Priest that feareth God will teach him so Some Priests in this latter age haue beene mistaken But if anie did euer teach so he may perceaue by that which I haue said that they haue repented them of it For nowe they tell all who will be their schollers that they may not indeuour to alienate the church-liuinges from the ministerie Or if they will needes vnder pretence of zeale and shewe of religion seeke to deuoure Christes patrimony then they doe vtterfly disclaime renounce them from being of their Disciples any loÌ„ger Then Zuickius assureth them that they are but hypocriticall christians Caluin compareth them be they the Magistrates of Geneua or of anie other countrie to cruel tyraunts and saith they are the Popes successors in theft and robberie Beza is resolute that God will be reuenged of such persons telleth theÌ„ they are new theeues that haue entred in place of the old theeues Viretus maketh them wors then friers monks resembleth them to white diuels Trauers saith in effect that they are christs mortall enemies and would crucifie him againe for his coate if they might laie their hands on him Cartwright calleth them cormorants and likeneth them to Iudas the Traitor certifying them that in spoiling of the Church they purchase to themselues a field of blood The whole comminaltie of England complaineth and crieth against theÌ„ that they hate Christ that they defraud God of his glorie that they are all the sort of them no better then Achan Nabuchadnezar Baltasar Ananias or Saphira that the punishment which did light vpon these church robbers shall light vppon them either in this life or in the world to come and that they are to be reckoned amongst those vniust persons that shall neuer enter into the kingdome of heauen So as this is the point which as I said I doe commit vnto the inward cogitations of all prophane Church-robbers vz. to thinke with themselues what God they serue and what Priests they are that teach them suche lewd doctrine or if none teach them so whether in taking so execrable a course of their own heads they condemne not themselues in their own consciences There is here no refuge for anie such persons that I knowe of or anie replie to be made against the premises Except they will saie that Barrowes God is their God that Greenwood is their Priest and that they are all of them deuoted to Greenwood and Barrow Greenwood is but a simple fellow Barrow is the man And will sacrilegious persons become Barrowists I easilie belieue it Like will to like When Barrow by roisting and gaming had wasted himselfe and was â—unne so far into manie a mans debt that he durst not shew his head abroad he bent his wits another waie to mischiefe and is now become a Iulianist deuising by all the meanes he can possiblie imagine his hypocrisie railing lying and all manner of falshood euen as Iulian the Apostata did how all the preferments which yet remaine for learning Benefices Tithes GlebelaÌ„d Cathedrall Churches Bishops liuings Colledges Vniuersities and all might be vtterlie spoiled and made a pray for Bancrouts Cormorants such like Atheists Well to conclude come the spoile of the church hereafter when for our sinnes it shall manie mischiefes and great confusion will follow it The Church-liuings will serue but a few mens turnes The particular parishes in England may whistle after their parts of that praie and so may our new maisterships Eldership There are examples in the world where al the Church-liuings are consumed by a few and the parishes stand burdened as they were before Mary if they should be then so ouerburdened with so manie new paimeÌ„ts as I spake of in the last chapter they would neuer be able to endure it And therfore it is verie high time that our zealous Disciplinarians should inueigh against Church-robbers and that the coÌ„mon people should likewise remember the points of Sacriledge and sacrilegious persons which they haue published to the world
thinketh all them bewitched and aduersaries to the trueth that do impugne it He supposeth the present estate of the Church of England wanting that Allobrogicall deuise though reformed as it is to be as yet vnder the yoake of a wicked and vnlawfull gouernment as it were vnder that Iewish captiuitie of the Church vnder the Babilonians And therefore the better to incourage such factious persons as do gape for a change out of Gods blessing into the warme sunne hee taketh vpon him to be their Prophet and as it were another Esay sayth For Syons sake I will not hold my peace and for Hierusalems sake I will not rest vntill the righteousnesse thereof breake forth as the light and saluation thereof as a burning lampe that is in effect vntill the said glorious kingdome of this Geneuian Eldership be enthronized in this land and do carrie the scepter ouer euery parish in England There is also another sorte of Schismatickes amongest vs who although they condemne T.C. for a false Prophet and all his platforme as a meere forgerie yet doe they ioyne with him in slaundering not onely of our church most hainously but furthermore also of all the rest of the Churches in Christendome as hauing conspired together euer since the Apostles times to shut Christ out of his owne kingdome and to runne headlong into a voluntary bondage of greater blindnesse then was euer in Egipt In respect of the which our miserable estate forsooth in England grounding themselues vpon Cartwrightes propositions as they professe vz that seeing our Church our gouernement our ministerie our seruice our Sacramentes are thus and thus as he writeth of them therefore they will not pray with vs they will not communicate with vs they will not submit themselues to our Church or to the gouernment of it they will not baptise their children with vs they will haue nothing to doe with vs but in effect as though we were prophane persons Ethnickes or publicanes do abandon our societies And these men come in with another a far more royall kingdome then Cartwrig hts But it consisteth partly of his sayde officers and partly of some other of their owne that is of all the people whome they greatly magnifie not seeing their owne confusion Which forme or deuise they haue in suche admiration for their conceaued purity of it as that all the parishes in England they say must be first disparished and all the people of the land first sanctified and made a chosen people vnto the Lord before the same may be planted amongst vs. And therefore one of them whether Barrow Greenwood Harrison Glouer or which of their schollers I doe not nowe remember but one of them I am assured doth so greatly dislike the thraldome in his conceit of the Church of England at this day and so thirsteth to drinke the waters which they haue drawn out of their own cisternes that as rauished in spirit and for the comfort of his companions he protesteth that for Syons sake hee will not hold his peace nor for Ierusalems sake take any rest vntill the righteousnesse therof breake forth as the light and saluatiō therof as a burning lampe that is in effect vntill all the parishes in England bee purified after their fashion then an Eldership abridged by a popular authoritie bee placed in them But of all the cryers that I haue read of hee shall weare the garland for crying that presumed of late to printe a petition directed to her Maiestie but published and spread abroad amongst her subiectes for what other purpose I know not then to withdrawe them from their duetiful allegiaunce liking of her gouernment when thereby they should be informed sufficiently as he deemed of such notorious abuses as he falsly pretendeth and that notwithstanding her highnesse being acquainted with them yet she cared not for the reformation of them They say the man hath beene of a crased iudgement and I easiely belieue it partly for that he hath so giddily and so vntruely sought to disgrace asmuch as in him lieth the present gouernement of the Church and partly in respect of his desperate boldnesse that after so many rebukes giuen to such franticke fellowes in the like cases he durst presume againe to offer to the worlde such a fardell of malitious collections and vntruthes and yet thinke them fitte matters to be dedicated to her Maiestie But the thinge that most astonisheth me is this in that he saith thus I do not now write eyther to pull downe Bishoprickes or erect presbyteries With whome the truth is I will not determine For I knowe not c. And yet he taketh the said sentence out of Esay somewhat turkised for his poesie aswell as the rest And to the condemnation of the present gouernment and iustificatiō of the disturbers of it if he vnderstand himselfe he plainly professeth that although he knoweth not which part hath the truth yet for Syons sake he will not cease nor for Ierusalems sake hold his tounge till he hath aduanced his owne conceite and depraued that which hee knoweth not asmuch as possibly he is able And thus you see what loue on all sides is pretended to Syon and how the prophets wordes are wrested by euery one of them to serue their owne turnes But they who haue iudgement will not be much moued with such pretences It hath beene an ancient practise of the aduersaries of the Church of God then especially to be complotting of some mischiefe both against Syon and Ierusalem when in outward shew they haue pretended most of all to bee desirous to repayre them and to seeke their glory There are some men spoken of in the scriptures who vaunt that because their tongues are their owne they will speake what they list To whom also these men that professe they will not holde their peace may be more fitly compared then with the holy prophet Esay Or I doubt it that if a man shoulde iudge of many of them by the course which they haue taken or if they of themselues would resorte indeede to their owne coulours they might soone appeare to be so far from bearing any true affection to Syon as that we should rather finde them in the tentes of the Edomites cryinge in their heartes against the good estate of the Church of Christ now in England as the Edomites did in the day of Ierusalem Downe with it downe with it euen to the ground But because T.C. and his followers for with the rest I will not further meddle haue such a conceite as that the light and saluation of Ierusalem cannot well breake foorth vntill his pretended Eldership may bee generally admitted of in England I will leaue their harts to God and deliuer vnto you historically how this platforme was deuised and grew to bee so much in request which will be the contentes of the two next chapters following CHAP. II. How by whome and where the platforme of Presbytery Discipline was first
some Prophets some Euangelistes some Pastors and Doctors for the repayring of the Saintes for the worke and the Ministerie and for the edification of the body of Christ. And againe vppon these wordes A Bishop must be vnreproueable c. hee meeteth with the common obiection for the equalitie of Ministers because euery Minister is called a Bishope sometimes in the Scriptures and sayth that the word Bishoppe notwithstanding it be oftentimes vsed by S. Paule for euery pastor of the church of God who haue a kinde of ouersight ouer theyr seuerall charges and so may suo modo after a sort bee called Superintendents and Bishops c. yet heere it signifieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Primarios illos ecclesiarum pastores c. Those chiefe pastors to whom the ouersight of the liues and manners of the other ministers is committed whom according to the force of the Greeke appellation we in these dayes do call Superintendents Hitherto then it appeareth as I take it what is both the practise of the reformed Churches in Germany and the iudgemēt also of the chiefe learned men there since Melanchthon Bucers times concerning Bishops or Superintendents with their preheminence charge and authoritie Some there are indeed beyond the seas who followinge the immoderate proude and slaunderous humor that Melanchthon Camerarius spake of before haue vttered their great mislike of the Germaine Superintendents and that with lesse modestie a great deale then doth well become them In reproofe of one of them Gerlachius a learned man of Tubing writeth in this sort Licet titulos ordinum c. Although thou beholdest with disdaine as it were from aboue the titles of orders after the fashion of hypocrites and of the Anabaptistes yet with a vaine perswasion of knowledge foolish arrogancye whereby thou contemnest our countrymen in respect of thy selfe and dost chalenge especiall knowledge to thee and thy fellowes onely Plus turges quà m omnes Doctores et Superintendentes nostri Thou swellest more with pride then all our Doctors and Superintendents And what commeth into thy minde that thou shouldest cauill at the degrees of ministers as though it were not lawfull to ordayne such degrees for the building and gouernment of the Church Did not God himselfe in the old Testament appoint a chiefe Bishop Priests and Leuits And in the new Testament gaue hee not some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists and some Pastors and Doctors Had not the primatiue church accordingly Bishops Priestes and Deacons And againe a little after in the same booke whilest thou a proude man girdest so often at the title of Superintendent I affirme that thou reprehendest the Apostle Paule himselfe who hath giuen this name to a distinct order of ministers of the church And our Auncestors following this Apostle haue thought it meete that for the edifying of the church and for orders sake there should be certaine Superintendentes that is ouerseers not onely of the flocke but of the nisters in like manner Thus farre Gerlachius who if hee were in England knewe into what an extremitie the like persons are growen vnto in the same case amongst vs It would peraduenture moue him For nowe there is no remedye with our ministers of that consorte but they must all bee equall They cannot endure it no the meanest of them to haue anye of their owne coate their Superior They are fallen into the contradiction of Chors and doe tell both Moyses and Aaron that they take to much vpon them All Pastores saye they are and ought to be of equall authoritie in their seuerall Parishes and no one to haue power ouer another Euery parish Priest with them must bee a Bishop and haue as full iurisdiction in his Parochiall dioces as it is lawful for any Bishop in the world either to haue or to execute For orders sake they are content that in their Classicall prouinciall or Nationall assemblies some one minister bee chosen from amongst thēselues to be the moderator for the propounding of matters gathering of voices c. But his office preheminence is to continew no longer then whilest those assemblies last Otherwise or for any further authoritie either of Bishops or Archbishops whether they haue abolished popery reformed religiō maintained the gospell abandoned superstitiō or whatsoeuer they haue done or yealded vnto they holde it altogether vnlawfull do raile against them all against their callings and against all that defend them and that with more then heathenish scurrilitie Cartwright is the chiefe man that began this course in Englande and you shall see howe pretily his schollers follow him Archbishops Bishops sayth he are new ministeries neuer ordayned by God The first step to this kind of Bishopricke beganne at Alexandria and not at Syon The name and office of an Archbishop is vnlawfull his function is of the earth and so can do no good but much harme in the church he is a knobbe or some lumpe of flesh which being no member of the body doth burthen it and disgrace it Whereupon foorth come his schollers crying out amaine that Archbishops Bishops are superfluous members of the body of Christ and that they mayme and deforme his body making it by that meanes a monster That they are vnlawfull false bastardly gouernors of the church That they are the ordinances of the Diuell That they are in respect of theyr places enemies of God that they are petye Popes pety Antichristes Bishops of the Diuell and incarnate Diuels that none euer defended this gouernmēt of our Bishops but Papists and such as were infected with Popish errours That the Lawes that mayntaine the Archbishops and Bishops are no more to bee accounted of then the Lawes that mayntaine Steves and that the true church of God ought to haue no more to do with them and their Synagogues then with the Synagogue of Sathan All which Consistorian and modest assertions aswell for the equalitie of Ministers as against the calling of Bishops being ioyned together are wholy opposite to all that which hitherto I haue writt̄e touching this matter Euen as though they should haue cast downe their gauntlets proclaymed an vtter defiance to all the Churches that euer were established in the world for much aboue three thousande yeares the Churches whilest the law continued the churches in Christs time the Churches in his Apostles times the Churches throughout all christendome for a thousand fiue hundred yeares against all the generall Councels all the auncient fathers all ecclesiasticall histories against al the chiefe reformers of religon in this latter age against all the learned mens iudgements before mentioned and against all the reformed churches whersoeuer in christ̄edome that eyther haue BB. or Superint̄edents God forgiue th̄e this great sin of pride presumption deliuer th̄e out of the number of those of wh̄o it is said that their mouthes speake proud things that they dispise gouernment that they
well or euill wherefore they esteeme all those to bee enemies that in reason demaunde restitution of them and declare that it belongeth not vnto them but that they haue stollen it awaye from the Church Likewise afterwardes I doubt not but if they were called to account for the bestowing of such goods and if it were taken out of their handes as it was taken from Priestes and Monkes and giuen to such as should better bestowe it they would take pepper in the nose fall to playing the Diuels part Lastlye I put the case sayth he that a whorehunter or baude steale an honest mans wife and the husbande commeth and demandeth this wise of this russiaÌ„ that hath stollen her away and reuileth this Russian or Baude for the wronge that he hath done him and goeth to lawe with him whereby there ariseth great strife I would aske of thee who were in the fault Eyther the husband who hath had this wronge or the Rauisher who hath played him this wicked pranke And the answere is thus framed The whorehunter or baude hath as much reason to complaine and bee angrie as hath a theife or robber which is called to account of thefts and robberies which hee hath committed and which is called to iudgement for the same But I will come from Geneua into England that you maie perceiue what our chiefe disciplinarie Reformers do thinke of this matter It is no better then sacrilege and spoiling of God saie the Authours of the second Admonition 157 7 2 to keepe backe any way the prouision which hath beene made for the ministery And the curse of God threatened by Malachie to those that spoyled the Leuites then belongeth will light vppon our spoylers now and vppon them in whose bandes it is to redresse it if they do it not The Author of the booke de disciplina ecclesiastica speaking of Bishops liuings c. saith thus of many in these daies who vnder a pretence of zeale do cry out for reformation Haec oratiâ— gratissima est nonnullis qui suam causam agi putant et iampridem haereditatem istam spe deuorarunt These wordes c. are most acceptable to some who thinke they tende to theyr profitte and haue alreadye in hope deuoured this inheritaunce For they thinking that wee seeke onlie that Bishops might be spoyled doe expect thereby the like praye that they got by the ruines of Monasteries For as for religion they care not what become of it modò ipsi praedari possint so they may waxe welthyer by sacrilege robbery and would not sticke if it were possible to crucifie Christ againe vt tunicam eius sortirentur et vestimenta diuiderent c. But this our age hath many such Souldiers many such Dionysians who thinke that a golden gowne is not fit for God neyther in summer nor winter and yet that it will serue them well at all times and seasons Againe They had rather all religion were banished that al opinion of worshiping fearing God were abolished that all fayth in Christ hope and looking for euerlasting life were forgotten amongst men then to maintaine it with anye pennye of theirs Yea further they will not only giue nothing to the maintenance of the ministery but most vniustly scrape vnto theÌ„selues that which was liberally giuen by others spoyle the Church robbing her of her goods c. But they must eyther restore it againe that the church may be prouided-for of worthy teachers or else make themselues guiltye of the losse and destruction of so many soules as by theyr meanes are destitute of a preacher and shall perish in their ignorance And againe Let good princes not only not spoyle the ministerie themselues or suffer it to be robbed of others but liberally according to the commaundement of our Sauiour Christ see it maintayned and prouided for through their Kingdomes nor suffer that which was once giuen to this end to be prodigally spent wasted in aulicos luxus atque delicias nor bestowed vppon Noblemens seruaunts nor other innumerable sortes of so vngâ—dly and intollerable abuses by sacrilege the church robbery c. M. Cartwright also in his last booke very well allowing of the former mans iudgement and vtterly misliking of such greedy cormorants for so he termeth them as gape after the pray at large before mentioned writeth in this sort Our meaning is not that these goodes should be turned from the possession of the Church to the filling of the bottomlesse sackes of their greedy appetites which yawne after this pray and wold therby to their perpetuall shame purchase theÌ„selues a field of blood There was a booke published in the parliament time 1585. intituled A lamentable complaint of the Cominaltie Wherein the authors haue at large handled this matter Know ye not say they That the vniust shall not inherit the kingdome of God What greater iniustice then to defraude God of his glory the ministers of theyr right c. How can wee saie that wee loue Christ No not so much as Antichrist loueth the Diuell For Antichrist is bountifull to maintaine his seruice if the like liberality were vsed amongst vs without all doubt a great number would be stayed from passing the Seas to Roome or Rhemes to become Iesuits We read Leuit. 27. That nothing seperate from common vse may be sould c. because it was holy vnto the Lorde The which Law is not ceremoniall but iudicial the equitie therof endureth to the Church for euer the violation of the same lawe hath beene horriblye punished in former dayes as appeareth by the examples of Achan Nabuchadnezar Balthazar Ananias and Saphira c. And the like iustice no man can escape either in this world or in the world to come that committeth the like offence Vppon that place of Mal. where it is sayd That the spoyling of the Priestes was the spoyling of god Thus also they write Hath not the whole nation of England spoyled the Lord in like manner and rather more Surely this is written for our learning that we might know that things consecrated to God for the seruice of his church belong vnto him for euer A number moe of such speaches I could alledge out of their writings But these may serue to let you know that whatsoeuer in times past any of their sort did seeme to yealde vnto for a time touching the alienation of Church-liuings yet this was alwaies their purpose to get them againe into their owne handes in the end It had beene a happie matter for the Church if this lesson had been euer obserued Thou shalt not do euill that good may come of it Things had not theÌ„ growen to such extremities as they are brought vnto in many places When the Sea maketh a breach it is hardly stopped and a dore once opened to such impietie will be hardly shut againe And yet you see they do what they can to shut it