But for that he is not onely a false prophet and a traitor to the truth that teacheth false doctrine but as well he that knoweth the truth and either for feare of death or desire of life wil not expresse the same to the world And for that not onely the author of any euill or mischiefe is giltie of offence before God But also he that might vy discouerie therof preuent the same and yet either will not or for feare of death dares not And for that as the olde prouerbe saith Qui â—acet consentire videtur he that concealeth the truth seemeth to consent to errors for these and the like causes I will laye downe vnto you some such corruptions and abuses as seeme to be inormous and stande in neede of reformation omitting in the meane time to speake perticularly of all for that they be innumerable vntill I see how these fewe will be brouked of them For it is a point of good physicke you knowe to sée how the former meate receiued into the stomacke will be digested and concocted before we receiue anye more into the same Theod. You say very well Giue me leaue then by your patience to aske you such questions as I thinke conuenient for my further instruction that by your good means I knowing the truth may praise God in you and also haue iust occasion to giue you thanks for the same Theod. Aske what you thinke good in Gods â—ame and I will doe the best that I can to resolue you in any thing that you shall demand Theod. Then this shal be my first demand Be the churches congregations assemblies there distincted into particulars as into parishes and precincts one exempt from another or are they dispersed here and there abroad without any order exemption or limitation of place at all Amphil. Euerie particular church congregation assemblie or conuenticle is diuided one from another and distincted into parishes and preâ—incts which seuerall precincts and parishes are so circumâ—ired and limited about with bounds and marks as euerie one is knowne of what parish he is and vnder whose charge he liueth So that euerie shepheard knoweth his flocke euerie pastor his shéepe And againâ— euerie flocke knoweth his shepheard and euerie shéepe his pastor verie orderlie and well in my simple iudgement Theod. Doe you allow then of this partition of churches and of one particular congregation from another Amphil. Yea trulie It is not amisse but a verie good order for thereby euerie pastor doth knowe his owne flocke euery shepheard his owne shéepe which without this diuision could not be Besides that we read that euen in the apostles daies who writ to particular churches themselues as to the Rom. Corint Thes. Phil c. in the daies of Christ in the times of the prophets before Christ churches assemblies and congregations were euer distincted one from another diuided into seueral flocks companies and charges So that although they had not the name of this word parish amongst them yet had the thing ment thereby in effect Theod. Then it followeth by your reason that there are infinite churches in Dnalgne and I haue learned out of the book of God that there is but one true church and faithful spouse of Christ vpon the earth How reconcile you these two places Amphil. Uerie well For although there be infinite particular churches congregations and assemblies in the world yet doe they all make but one true church of God which being diuided in time and place is notwithstanding one church before God being meÌ„bers of the mystical body of Christ Iesus felow members one of another so as they can neuer be diuided neither froÌ„ themselues nor froÌ„ their head Christ. Theod. Who doe you constitute the head of the vniuersall church of Christ vppon earth Christ Iesus the pope or the prince Amphil. Christ Iesus whose the bodie is must néeds â—e is the onely true head of the vniuersall church Then next vnder him euerie christian prince in his kingdom And as for the pope he is head ouer the malignant church the church of the diuel and not of Christ Iesus No he is so far from being head ouer the vniuersal church of Christ that he is no true member of the same but rather the childe of perdition the first borne of satan a diuell incarnate and that man of sin euen Antichrist himselfe that must be destroied with the breath of Gods mouth Theod. By whom be these particular churches and congregatious gouerned and ruled Amphil. By bishops pastors and other inferiour officers Theod. Do you shut out the prince then fâ—ont gouerning the church Amphil. No God forbid For take awayâ— Brachium seculare The lawfull power and gouernement of the temporal magistrate from the regiment of the church and ouerthrow the church altogither And yet notwithstanding the necessitie hereof the dooting anabaptists and brainesicke papists haue most deuilishly denied the same The anabaptists denie most absurdly the authoritie of the magistrate altogither The papists seing themselues conuinced by the manifest worde of GOD denye not their authority absolutely but that their authority extendeth to the gouernement of the church forsooth they vtterly denie hereby exempting themselues and plucking away their neckes from vnder the yooke of christian obedience due vnto migistrates contrarie to the expresse word of our sauiour Christ and his apostles who saith Omnis anima subdita sit potestatibus supereminentibus Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers for there is no power but of God And therefore they are to be obeyed as the ministers of God of all whatsoeuer Theod. Well than I gather thus much that euery king prince or potentate is supreame head next vnder God ouer the church of GOD dispersed through his kingdomes and dominions is not this true Amphil Uerie true And therefore that antichrist of Rome hath plaide the traitor a long while both to Christ Iesus and all christian kings in arrogating and vsurping to be supreame head ouer all the world Whereas indeed he being a greasie priest smered prelate hath no more authority than other oiled shauelings haue nor so much neither and yet that authoritie is but ouer the maligant church of antichrist and not of Christ Iesus I beseech the Lord therefore to breake of that power to grind in peces that stumbling blocke of offence and to wipe off the heads of that monstrous hidra so as neuer any mo may growe thereof againe Theod. Seeing you say that euerie prince is supreame head ouer the church of God within his dominions what authoritie therfore assign you to the prince to execute in the church Amphil. It is the office and dutie of a prince not only to see elected sent forth called good able sufficient pastours for the instruction of the church but also to see that good orders constitutions rites be established and duely performed that the worde be preached the sacraments truely ministred excommunication discipline and
contrarie vnto them and reproouing yea condemning to hell their vaine curious searching of Gods secrets and the successe of things by such fallible and vncerteine accidents Theod. Me thinke this is the next way to withdrawe men from GOD the Creator to depende and hang vpon creatures is it not Amphil. It is the onely waie For who hearing that the creatures as the sun the moone the starres the signes planets doe giue both good things and euil blessing and cursing good successe and euill successe yea life and death at their pleasure as these brainesick fooles hold they doe and that they rule gouerne and dispose al things whatsoeuer yea both the bodies soules of man for so some shame not to say who hearing this I say would not fall from God and worship the creatures that giue such blessings vnto man What can be a néerer way to withdrawe the people not onelie from God but also to hale them to idolatrie and wholy to depend vpon creatures as the heathen do to their eternall damnation for euer But say they though we giue authoritie great power great rule and gouernement to the treatures yet we giue vnto God the chéefest stroke and the chéefest rule in all things all other creatures being but the instrumentall or secundarie causes or that I may speake plainlie as it were his deputies substitutes or instrumentes whereby he ruleth and worketh all things Is this any thing else than to saie with certeine heretikes that though God made all things yet he ruleth them not nor hath no care ouer them but hath committed the rule and gouernement of them to his creatures Then which what blasphemie can be greater is not this a flatte deniall of the prouidence of God which scripture so much setteth forth and commendeth vnto vs Shall we thinke that God made all things and now as one wearie of his worke committeth the gouernmente of them to other creatures Saith not our Sauior Christ Pater et ego operamur my father worketh and I worke Meaning thereby that as he wrought in creating of all things so he worketh still in ruling them by his power gouerneing them by his wisdome and preseruing them by hys prouidence and will do to the end of the world But when they haue proued that he hath committed the rule and gouernement of his creatures to his creatures then I will saye as they say In the meane time I say holde that it derogateth greatly from the glorie and maiestie of God to saye or affirme that creatures haue the gouernement of all things committed vnto them For if there should be many kings princes and rulers in any one realme or country must not the dominion and rule of the chief prince or regent be lesser than if he ruled and gouerned alone Woe were vs if wee were at the rule and gouernement of creatures but blessed be our God who as he knoweth our frailtie hauing therefore cōpassion of our infirmities so he ruleth and gouerneth all things whether in heauen earth hell or else whersoeuer according to the good pleasure of his will In the 1. and 2. chapters of Genesis besides infinit the like places of holie scriptures we read that the sun the moone the stars with all creatures else were created made for the vse and cōmoditie of man being made subiect to him he constitute lord ouer them yet notwithstanding are they becom now his lords and he their subiect vassall and bondslaue This is preposterous geare when Gods ordinance is turned topsie turuie vpside downe It is time these phantasticall fellowes were looked to in time that wil go about to disthronize the mightie God Iehoua of his regall throne of maiestie and glorie making an Officiperda of him a iacke out of office to pul him as it were E caelis Out of the heauens downe to the earth giuing him no power nor authoritie at all Theod. Haue the signes and planets then no power nor authoritie at all vpon things on the earth Amphil. Yes they haue their power their operation force strength and effect in those things whereto GOD hath created them as namely in the growing increasing cherishing fostering renewing comforting reuiuing of all natural things And also they haue their influence operation in mans bodie for letting of bloud receiuing of purgatiōs the like But to say that they work these effects of their own proper force strength or that they rule or dispose the spirits soules of man is vtterly false at no hand true And yet notwithstanding is far infatuat are these busie heded astronomers curious serching astrologers that they attribute euery part of mans body to one particular signe planet affirming that part of the bodie to be ruled by that signe or planet And therefore to Aries they haue assigned the gouernement of the head face To Tau the necke and throte To Gem. the shoulders the armes the hands To Leo the hart and back To Can. the brest stomake lungs To Lib. the raines and loines To Uir. the guts bellie To Scor. the prime parts bladder To Sag. the thighes To Cape the knées To Aqu. the legs To Pisc. the féet And thus haue they doe beare the world in hand that the whole bodie of man both Interne externe within without is ruled and gouerned by the xij signes by starres and planets not by God only For the cōfirmation of which fained vntruth they pretend the xij moneths in the yere to be ruled gouerned by the xi◠signes in the element and the seuen daies in the wéeke to be ruled by the seuen planets also Besides this they haue their particular houres times and seasons wherein they chiefly worke their effects and haue greatest strength So that by their reasons no moneth in the yere nor day in the weeke nor no houre in the day nor night but it is ruled and gouerned by the influence and constellation of the starres and planets and nothing is effected or brought to passe but what they will and intend Theod. Are the signes and planets liuing creatures and reasonable or insensible creatures and things without life Amphil. They are no liuing or reasonable creatures it is without all controuersie but meerely insensible and without life And being without life and reason how is it possible that they should bring life or death as these felowes hold sicknesse or health prosperitie or aduersitie heate or cold faire weather or foule beautie or deformitie long life or short or any thing else And if they be not able to giue these things how much lesse able are they then to gouerne rule and dispose all thinge in heauen earth the aire or else whersoeuer so ouerthrowe monarchies kingdoms nations countries and people and finally to work althings after their owne desire and will Will they haue dumbe and vnreasonable creatures to rule the reasonable If that were true why should God be praised either for his
ministerie to giue place to the same Amphil. Yea doubtlesse And therfore the bishops ought to seeke for the learned sort and as it were to sue and make instance to them and finding them worthy as well for their life as doctrine to call them lawfully according to the prescriptâ— Gods word so to sende them forth into the â—â—rds haruest And where the foresaide dumbe ministerie is to displace the same and place the other By this meanes the word of God should flourish ignorance manger the head of satan be abandoned the church edified and manie a one incouraged to go to their bookes whereas now they practise nothing lesse and all by reason that by their learning they haue no promotion nor preferment at all Theod. Do these preaching ministers preach onely in their owne cures flockes and charges or else indifferently abroad else where Amphil. They preach for the most part in their owne charges and cures whereouer the holie Ghost hath made them ouerseers and for which they shall render a dreadfull account at the day of iudgemennt if they doe not their dutie diligently as God hath commanded But though they preach most commonly in their owne cures yet doe they sometimes helpe their felowe brethren to breake the bread of life to their charges also Wherein me thinke they do not amisse For if a watch man appointed by a whole citie or towne to giue warning when the enimie commeth seeing an other citye or towne to be in danger giueth sufficient warning to his owne citie and goeth and warneth the other citie also and so by this meanes deliuereth them both I say that in so doing hée doth well and according to charitie And yet notwithstanding diuers new phangled felows sprong vp of late as the Brownists and there adherents haue spoken verie blasphemouslie hereof teaching in their railing pamphletes that those who are lecturers or preach els wher than in their owne cures are accursed before god Than the which what can be more absurdlie or vntruely spoken For if they grant as they cannot deny that the word of God is good then cannot the declaration of that which is good in one place be hurtfull in another And read we not that the apostles themselues went from place to place preaching the word to euerie congregation Christ Iesus did the same also taught vs that he came not to preach to one citie onely but to many Theod. Doe the reading ministers onely continue and read altogither in their owne charges or not Amphil. The reading ministers after they be hired of the parishes for they are mercenaries they read commonly in their owne charges and cures except which is a horrible abuse that they haue two or three cures to serue all vpon one day and peraduenture two or three myles distant one from another Which maketh them to gallop it ouer as fast as they can and to chop it vp with all possible expedition though none vnderstand them and as fewe be edified by them Theod. Be these reading ministers well prouided for so as they want nothing or not Amphil. No truly For if the other preaching ministers bee not well prouided for as in truth they be not then how can the other be well maintained And therfore they haue som of them ten pound a yeere which is the most some eight pound some sixe pound some fiue pound some foure pound some fortie shillings yea and table themselues also of the same And sometimes failing of this too they runne roging like vagarents vp downe the countries like maisterlesse men to seeke their maintenance Whereby some fall to one mischiefe some to another to the great slander of the Gospell of Iesus Christ and scandall of the godlie And yet part of these reading misters be too well prouided for for some of them haue two or three yea foure or fiue benefices apeece being resident but at one of them at once and peraduenture at neuer a one but roist it out elsewhere purchasing a dispensation for their discontinuance and then may no man say Domine cur ita facis Sir why doe you so For hee hath plenarie power and authoritie granted him so to doe Theod. That is an horrible abuse that one man should haue two or thrée or halfe a dozen benefices apéece as some haue may anie man haue so many liuings at one time by the lawe of God and good conscience Amphil. As it is not lawfull for anie man to haue or enioie two wiues at once so is it not lawfull for any man how excellent soeuer to haue mo benefices mo flockes cures or charges in his handes than one at once Nay I am fullie persuaded that it is more tollerable and yet it is a damnable thing for a man to haue two wiues or mo than for a man to haue two benefices at once or mo For by possibilitie a man might discharge the dutie of a good husband to two or thrée wiues yet to haue mo than one is the breach of Gods commandements but no man though he were as learned as Saint Paule or the apostles themselues to whome were giuen supernaturall and extraordinarie giftes and graces is able sufficientlie to discharge his dutie in the instruction of one church or congregation much lesse of thrée or foure or halfe a dozen as some haue And as one father cannot bee manie fathers one pastor manie pastours nor one man diuerse men so one sheepeheard or pastour cannot nor ought not to haue diners charges and flocks at once Is it possible for any shepheard though he were neuer so cunning a man to kéepe two or thrée flocks or mo at once and so féed them wel and in due season dooing the dutie of a good shepheard in euerie respect they being distant from him ten twentie fortie sixtie an hundred two hundred or thrée hundred miles Much lesse is there any man able to discharge the dutie of a good pastor ouer so manie flockâ— churches and congregations so farre distant in place wheras the simplest flocke that is reâ—â—â—reth a whole and perfect man not a péece of a man Therfore I aduise al benefice mongers y â— haue mo charges then one to take héede to theÌ„selues and to leaue them in time for the blood of al those within their cures or charges that die ghostlie for want of the truth of Gods word preached vnto them shall be powred vpon their their heads at the day of iudgement and be required at their hands Theod. If they haue so many benefices a peece and some so farre distant from another then it is not possible that they can be resident vpon them all at once But the matter is in dispute whether they may not as well be absent or present what is your iudgment of that Amphil. To doubt whether the pastor ought to be resident with his flocke is to doubt whether the soule should be in the bodie the eie in the head or the watchman in his tower For this I am fully