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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05090	A plaine refutation of M. G. Giffardes reprochful booke, intituled a short treatise against the Donatists of England Wherein is discouered the forgery of the whole ministrie, the confusion, false worship, and antichristian disorder of these parish assemblies, called the Church of England. Here also is prefixed a summe of the causes of our seperation ... by Henrie Barrovve. Here is furder annexed a briefe refutation of M. Giff. supposed consimilituda betwixt the Donatists and vs ... by I. Gren. Here are also inserted a fewe obseruations of M. Giff. his cauills about read prayer & deuised leitourgies.	Barrow, Henry, 1550?-1593.; Greenwood, John, d. 1593.	1591 (1591)	STC 1523; ESTC S104500	292,873	278

shew that one sheepheard at one the same time can diligently feed guide two or many flockes far distant in place Or that one candle may be put into two candlesticks and giue light vnto two seueral houses far distant asunder at one the same instant If the one be impossible so is the other Yet stand these men Bishops or Ouerseers not only to manie Churches each one of them But their Primate giueth or rather selleth licēces to other inferior Priestes some one of them to stand a Minister to two yea peraduenture to three seueral flockes This is an vsual matter and passeth by way of sta●ute lawe amongst the Chapleins Doctors of the Church of England who may haue be Non Resident some of them from two some from three Congregations or benefices especially all his Graceless Chaplaines by a singular prerogatiue But to retourne againe to our purpose these Arch and Lord Bishops cannot be said to haue this office of gouerning Elders for that they professe to be Ministers of the worde Sacramentes which duetie belongeth to the Pastors office And because they exercise absolute power ouer Pastors Churches and causes to depose excommunicate absolue and determine in their owne sole name power which no true Elder Minister or mēber of Christ may do Reasons also might be drawen from their sitting chandging aspiring to the richer higher roomes Frō their Princely Lordly flate pompe trayne reuenues pallaces wherin they liue in all wordly excesse pleasure idlenes to which thinges whilest they attend it is impossible they should faithfully execute dischardge any ministrie in the Church From y e apparāt odious sinnes of their persons liues that appeare and breake out in their conversatiō which is most vnchristian fleshly and vnholy As coueteousnes oppressiō extortion open wrong doing v●u●ie ambition pride idlenes louers of pleasure such as cannot gouerne their wiues children and families in the feare of God sobrietie or common honestie but nourish and bring them vp in pride vanitie idlenes superfluitie voluptuousnes gaining chambering and w●ntonnes yea peraduēture vnchasti●g and that not vnknowen to the inselues who also themselues are not all of them of the most chaste and temperate life some of them being giuen to wyne strikers ●orcerers blasphemers skorners and deriders of the most holie exercise of the preaching of Gods worde causing their counterfeight and natural fooles openly in their owne house at 〈…〉 feastes to make a ●ermon o● 〈◊〉 or fallie in the most high despight of God and of his blessed ordinance Not here to perticulate the sondrie heresies contrarie to the truth and blasphemies of the truth holdē amōgst them the least of which faultes publickly knowē are enough to di●able the best of them from exercising any publicke ministrie to the Lorde in his Church if we may belieue the Apostle To conclude this one reason if there were no more might shew and proue them to be no christian Bishopps in that they exercise some ciuile office or offices together with this their pretended ministrie Which is not only expresly forbidden vtterly vnlawful by the worde of God but also impossible for any man to performe both or either of both faithfully whilest he keepeth both God himself hath made two distinct and seueral offices and appoincted vnto them two distinct seueral persons for Ministers It being no more lawfull for a Bishop to execute the ciuile Magistrates office then for the ciuile Magistrate to administer the Sacraments What mōstruous parsons then are they which thus confounde commingle in their owne persons these two diuers and distinct offices and powers Might not they that assume both the swordes into their handes carry them acrosse also in their cote armour aswel as their holie Father the POPE What a monstrous confusion and perturbation make they both in Church and common wealth herebie disturbing the holie order that God himself hath set for the gouernement both of the Church and common wealth in this worlde remouing yea vtterly breaking downe therbie all the limites and bowndes which God hath set and established for all estates degrees offices callinges actions so that no man by this meanes either knoweth his duetie or orderly walketh within the bowndes of his calling wherbie it is come to passe that the whole land ouer-floweth with all impietie violence cruelitie and iniquitie as in the dayes of NOE Thus by al these reasons haue we proued and al that haue not vtterly made shipwrack of faith good cōscience or that stand not vowed bond seruantes to their apostaticall throne must confesse That these Arch Lord Bishops are no true christian Bishops according to the Gospel of CHRIST neither haue or exercise any lawful office or ministri of or in the Church of CHRIST If then they be not members of that body belōging to that heade CHRIST IESVS it must needes followe that they their offices ministrie are false antichristiā belonging to an other head an other bodie euē Antichrist and that whoore the false Church his spouse If their inordinate power and irregular ministrie be found contrarie to al the rules and ordinances of Christes Testament then can yt not be of God belong vnto or vsed in Christes Church or be blessed to the gouernement or saluation of his people Then must it needes be the power and throne of Sathan giuen to the Beast accursed giuen to seduce and to drawe all the children of wrath to distruction Neither shal Mr. Giffard or all the false Prophets belonging to their throne be able to tourne away or withstand those iudgments and plagues which are powred out of the Lordes viall vpon the throne of the Beaste or with their soft tongues to licke whole the woundes of the Beaste that are giuen with that two edged sword that procedeth out of CHRISTES mouth It shal not help them though they raile and blaspheme and gnawe their tongues for grief For their kingdom shal wax darke and Antichrist shal cōsume be abolished as he is reueiled euē by y e same light the Lord himself hath spoken yt How weake nowe sclender are Mr. Giffards defences for these his Lordes the Bishops That the Bishops haue not their caling consecration or power from the Pope but from their Church That they haue by oath renownced the Popes vsurped power and tyrannie That they do not maintaine or defend the religion and lawes of Antichrist but professe and aduance the gospel of Christ and by the liuely word cut downe all idolaitre heresies abhominations That they vsurpe not a Lordship ouer the faith and consciences of men but their peculiar power is onlie in the administration of external discipline Therfore we vvith manifest and vvicked sclander call the Bishops Antichristian If you demande the proofe of al this wee refer you to Mr. Giffards bare affirmation without anie one reason in his learned answeare to the Brownistes Page 75. If he were himself

witnesseth Then it taketh awaie or extinguisheth all those mutuall and contynuall dueties beneuolence loue care labour c betwixt the flocke and the ministerie The flocke therbie not knowing or hauing meanes to doe their duetie vnto their ministerie The Ministers therbie so hindered incombred and with-drawen as they either slack or neglect their dutyes to the flocke By this corrupt custome also sondrie intollerable inconueniences grieuous mischieues doe ensue This setting out land or certaine rates by way of lawe or bargaine in euerie parrish or Congregation to the Minister doth hinder the Church from the choice vse of such other Ministers as Christ in his Testament hath ordained to the gouernement and seruice of his Church the parrish or Congregation neither indevouring to haue more neither indeed suffred to haue more or by this meanes able or willing to keep more This setting out landes tithes c to the Minister by way of lawe doth alwaies presuppose of necessity a true established Church and true Minister in those parrishes vnto the worldes end those landes and tithes being appropriate bounde thervnto and hauing none other owners Which cōfirmeth and establisheth those grosse popish errors of a personal and continuall succession of Ministers and local contynuance of a visible Churche Againe when this liuing is thus by lawe giuen to a Priest for terme of his life be he neuer so vnable vnworthie or negligent the parrish is so long bounde vnto him and can by no meanes get rid of him yea be he neuer so bad his faultes errors neuer so fowle they cannot without or vntil their Lord Bishop wil geat rid of him they must mainetaine him and receiue his Ministry whether they wil or no. Furder these annual liuinges by lawe and set stipendes by rate presuppose alwaies one permanent and certaine estate both of the Parrishoners Ministers The one euen euerie person euer to be able to pay so much The other neuer to need more or lesse Yea that alwaies to the worldes end all the Parsons al the Parrishoners of that towne shal neuer need or be able to giue more or lesse whether the Lorde send scarcity of plētie dearth or cheapnes sicknes or health losse or aduātage childrē or no chardge c. Againe such vnreasonable inequalitie is vsed in the distribution of these liuinges the Parson of some one litle Hamblet where are not twētie houses hauing one hundreth or two hundreth-pounds by yeere to liue on an other of a much greater towne not hauing twentie poundes yea peradventure ten poundes by yeere for that chardge he hath to liue vpon And this for euer without regarde of the needes or laboure of them it being alike to them their successors whosoeuer To conclude the tithes set stipēdes of these Parrish Priestes being of the goods of the prophane most wicked and vngodly euen of al their parrish indifferently yet are more odious vnmeet for anie christian Ministers who are not to stande hierdes to such dogges swine to administer to them the gospel and sacramentes for their goods and hire It was not lawfull for the Priest vnder the lawe to receiue the offring of anie stranger from the faith such might not enter into or offer in the Temple Neither nowe vnder the Gospel maie the vnbelieuing haue anie fellowship with the Church or communicate in or intermeddle with anie actiōs of the Church But this contributiō is an action of the Church a communion dutie of the Sainctes How execrable thē is this their sacriledge coueteousnes that thus make marchādize of y ● holie thinges of God and let out themselues to hire euen to the prophane for filthie lucre The true Ministers of Christ may not be suspected much lesse openly ●aynted of such peremptorie faultes as these which disable him from all ministrie in the Churche and are euerie-where set downe as vndoubted markes of a false Prophet By al which then as by al other arguments of their antichristian office entrāce and administration we may still and yet more strongly concl●de them not to be the Ministers of Christ. Seing neither the office they execute their entrance vnto their office their administration in their office nor yet their maintenance can be ioyned vnto the Church Ministrie or Gospel of CHRIST THere yet remaine a few base stragling offices of their Church vzt Their Church-wardēs Questmē Parish Clark These are al lay mē as they call thē yet intermeddle they with ecclesiastical affaires their offices perticularly I can neither describe nor yet wel distinguish The Church-wardēs are as yt seemeth an other kinde of Deacons They gather and keepe the Church stocke and treasurie and also the penalties of such as come not to their diuine seruice and also distribute the same vnto the poore the reparations of the Church c they keep one of the keyes of the towne cheste The Quest-men are liker vnto Elders these I suppose they looke to the order and gouernement of the Church as wel Priest as People That the Priest vse his ministerial vestures vessels and trincketts reade his seruice homelies iniunctions orderlie That the people do not bargaine talke or walcke in the Church and Church yarde during the tyme of diuine seruice They also must looke to the ale-houses that there be no tipling or playing during the said tyme and who be absent from their Parrish Church and present such defaltes at Masse Commissaries Courte accordinglie The Parrish Clarck he is the Priestes Accol●●th to help him to say his Mattens and Euen-songe with his due versicles Resp●nse to help him at his Sacraments Marriages Church-goings Visitations Dirges Rogations at all assayes He ringeth their bells to and after their seruice their knells and soule-peales he keepeth the Church doore keye he sweepeth and ●rimmeth the Church he nurtureth the boyes and dogges that they be not to lowde at seruice tyme yea he may doe yet manie things more if he haue the Bishops letter as in tyme of neede to christen children and to reade diuine seruice in the absence of the Priest c. To stand to shewe the forgerie seuerall defaultes or dissimilitude of these offices from the Deacon or Elders that God hath appoyneted were tedious and needlesse they hauing neither mention nor vse in Christes Testament and Church Thus now haue we summarily pervsed al this rable of the Ministery of the Church of England and haue not founde anie one of them right or almost in anie one poyncte according to the rules of Christes Testament they are all strangers there they belonge not to Christes bodie his Church neither are they knit as members vnto that heade But out of the smoke of the bottomlesse pit they came when that fallen Starre Antichrist had the key thereof giuē him to his bodie his kingdome the false Church they haue alwaies belonged alwaies serued to him in his seuerall shapes they haue alwaies bene knit as the members to the heade from him

right deare and faithful seruant of CHRIST yet Sathan sifted him and he fell Yea we had thought that our Sauiour onlie had receiued this strength and defence against al temptations to sinne assaults c. And that al mortal men had bene dailye subiect to sinne temptation c that our reioycing might be of God and not of our selues and Gods glorie be shewed and perfected through our weaknes If these vanuties of the Bissops were true then might it indeed rightly be called a Confirmation for then such as had that were sure and sure there then to those should be no more vse of CHRISTES merites suffrings or mediation or of Gods mercye But because al men are cōtinuallie prone vnto and euen enclosed and compassed about with sinne whilest they dwel in this mortal flesh and haue continual neede of Gods mercy and vse of CHRISTS merites suffrings and mediation Yea because we see wel nigh al those whom the Bisshops haue thus confirmed to be confirmed in al sinne and wickednes and euen the Bisshops themselues the aucthors of this deuise from whom al this vertue and holines should flowe fourth vnto others to be them-selues the verie synkes draynes of al abhomination corruption idolatrie superstitiō blasphemie and open transgression of al Gods lawes We are confident in the truth and power of our Lorde IES●S CHRIST to witnesse against these abhominable ordinances of Antichrist and against the Church of England for receiuing the same and maintayning the most impious blasphemous doctrines that ensue therof as is aboue proued TO the blasphemous Collects in your Sacraments Booke you wishe we were as weary in lying and sclandering as we should be to seeke finde out one such You haue in remem●rance the Collects wherin the Priest by th'aucthoritie committed vnto him doth absolue the sicke of al his sinnes You must not forget your two Cellects said ouer your deade brother The one wherin you praise God for receiuing to mercye his soule liued he or died he neuer so prophane blasphemouse and impenitent a wretch The other wherin you praye for him that you with him may haue a perfect consummatiō blisse both in bodie and soule Nowe to helpe your memorie a little furder we woulde desire you to consider better of that glorious Antheame you singe or saye in your publique Communion wherin with Angells Arch-Angells and al the companie of heauen you laude magnifie c Wherin we wil not demaunde of you howe whilest you remaine in the flesh you can haue such familiar conversation with those heauenlie souldiours and elect spirits of the faithful deceased that you together with them can praise laude God Nether wil we presse you with the papistical and curious speculations in making digrees of Angells Arch-Angells c. But we would here knowe of you howe manie Arch-Angells you reade of finde in the Scriptures And whether you knowe anie more heades of Angells then Christ himself Exept peradvēture your Church haue some especial prerogatiue frō the Apostatical Sea to make Arch-Bisshops and Arch-Angells Your Collect also in baptisme of Sanctifijng the floud Iordan and al other waters to the mistical washing away of sinne some saye sauoreth greatly of Poperye and retayneth the people in a superstitious opinion That the water vsed in baptisme hath holines some especial vertue in yt ab●●e common water especially whē yt is thus blessed by the Priest and 〈◊〉 out of the hallowed Fonte c. But we wil not presse you herewit● nether yet stand to examine your Collect vpon your St. Michael all Angells-Day how you make Michael a creature and Canonize him amonge the Popes Saincts and worship him amongst together with all Angels This shalbe no blasphemie no Poperie in your Church Nether will we stand to vnrip your popish patched Letanie Or shew by what POPE and whie euery part therof was deuised and added And wherfore yt is good As for the quick the deade For al that trauaile by sea or by land For all weomen labouring with childe For all sicke persons and younge children all prisoners and captiues For Bishops Curates For lightnings and tempestes For plague pestilence and famine For battaile and murder and for sodeyne death c. All which things and what ells that you will request at his handes CHRIST cannot but graunt you when you so beconiure him By the mysterie of his holie incarnation by his holie natiuitie and circumcision by his baptisme fasting and temptation by his agonie and bloudie sweate by his Crosse and passion by his pretious death and buriall by his glorious resurrection and assention and by the comming of the Holy Ghost And sweetlie you entreat him by them all seuerally and ioyntely to deliuer you from the euils aboue-said and also from fornication and al other deadly sinnes In which Sofrage we wil not obserue y t you hold some sinnes deadlie and others not deseruing death because you peraduenture can shift it off with learning howsoeuer yt standeth in the Popes booke or they that made it thought of it Onely we obserue that this your holy Letanie is a most rare and especiall confection soueraigne good for all thinges at all times but especially in the morning and therfore it is so oftē enioyned to be songe or said in your Church euerie weeke at their mattens Yet was there by what aduenture we knowe not an vnsauorie vnhappie Sofrage stollen into your Letanie in Kinge EDVVARDS tyme Against the tyrannie of the Bisshop of Rome and all his detestable enormities Which Sofrage because it was nether so Canonical or holie nether agreed vnto the rest could not be songe with thē in tune Or because it was ouer rough doctrine for sondrie of their weake bretherē that then loued yet loue the POPE anie thing that commeth from him with all their hearte Or ells that which is more likelie ouer plaine doctrine to make the people abhor all their Romish wares marchantmen The worthy Bishops most vigilant Pastors Gouernours of your Church to auoide these inconveniences of their pontificall aucthoritie dismissed yt thrust it quite out of their L●tanie and vtterlie abrogated and razed it out of their Authenticall Leitourgie Wherin nowe it hath bene by these learned men corrected and this perrilous Sofrage thrust out it is impossible to finde ether heresie or blasphemie But cā there be more horrible execrable blasphemie then thus to coniure exercise Christ by his natiuity circumcisiō baptisme fasting by his agonie his sweate his crosse his death his buryal c what Coniurers or Enchaunters can exceede this where haue they learned thus to praye thus to dismember distort Christ or thus idolatrouslie to applie and abuse these outwarde thinges which he did or were donne vnto him in the fleshe Why might they not aswel beseech him by his growing in age his walking fleeping weeping c by his crowne of thornes the spondge nayles speare No meruaile