that S. Paul meaneth there a full plerophorian and perswasion that that which he doth is well done I graunt it But from whence can that spring but from fayth and how can we perswade and assure our selues that we do well but whereas we haue the word of God for our warrant so that the Apostle by a metonimie Subiecti pro adiuncto doth geue to vnderstād from whence the assured persuasion doth spring Whereupon it falleth out the forasmuch as in all our actions both publyke priuate we ought to follow the direction of the word of God in matters of the church and which concerne all there may be nothing done but by the word of god Not that we say as you charge vs in these words that no ceremonie c. may be in the church except the same be expressed in the word of God but that in making orders and ceremonies of the church it is not lawfull to doe what men list but they are bound to follow the generall rules of the scripture that are geuen to be the squire whereby those should be squared out Which rules I will here set downe as those which I would haue as well al orders ceremonies of the church framed by as by the which I wil be content that all those orders ceremonies which are now in question whether they be good conuenient or no should be tried examined by And they are those rules which Paule gaue in such cases as are not particularly mētioned of in scripture The first that they offend not any especially the Church of God. The second is that which you cite also out of Paul that all be done in order and comclynes The thirde that all be done to edifying The last that they be done to the glory of God. So that you see that those things which you recken vp of the houre time day of prayer c. albeit they be not specified in the scripture yet they are not left to any to order at their pleasure or so that they be not agaynst the worde of God but euen by and according to the word of God they must be established and those alone to be taken which do agree best and nearest with these rules before recited And so it is brought to passe which you thinke a great absurdity that al things in the church should be appoynted according to the word of god Wherby it likewise appeareth that we deny not but certayne things are left to the order of the church because they are of the nature of those which are varyed by times places persons other circumstances so could not at once be set down established for euer yet so left to the order of the church as that it do nothing agaynst the rules aforsayde But how doth this follow that certaine things are left to the order of the church therfore to make a new ministerie by making an Archbishop to alter the ministerie the is appointed by making a bishop or pastor without a church or flock to make a deacon without appointing him his church wherof he is a deacon wher he might exercise his charge of prouiding for the pore to abrogate cleane both name office of the elder with other more how I say doth it follow the because the church hath power to order certaine things therfore it hath power to do so of these which God hath ordayned and established of the which there is no tyme nor place nor person nor any other circumstance which can cause any alteration or chaunge Which thing shall better appeare both in the discourse of the whole booke and especially there where you go about to shew certayne reasons why there should be other gouernmēt now then was in the tyme of the apostles But whyle you goe about to seme to say much rake vp a great nomber of thinges you haue made very euill mestin and you haue put in one thinges which are not paires nor matches Because I will not draw the reader willingly into more questions then are already put vppe I will not stand to dispute whether the Lordes day which we call Sonday being the day of the resurrection of our sauiour Christ and so the day wherein the worlde was renued as the Iewes sabboth was the day wherein the world was finished and being in all the churches in the Apostles times as it seemeth vsed for the day of the rest and seruing of God ought or may be changed or no. This one thing I may say that there was no great iudgement to make it as arbytrarie and chaungeable as the houre and the place of prayer But where was your iudgement when you wrote that the scripture hath appoynted no discipline nor correction for suche as shall contemne the common prayers and hearing the word of God VVhat churche discipline would you haue other then admonions reprehensions and if these will not profitte excommunication and are they not appoynted of our sauioure Christe There are also ciuill punishments and punishmentes of the body likewise appoynted by the word of God in diuers places in Exodus He that sacrificeth to other gods and not to the Lorde alone shall dye the death And in Deutcronomie Thou shalt burne out the euill out of the middest of thee that the rest may heare learne and not dare do the like The execution of thys law appeareth in the Chro. by king Aza who made a law that all those that did not seke the Lord shuld be kilde And thus you see the ciuill punishment of contēners of the word prayers There are other for such as neglect the worde which are according to the quantitie of the fault so that whether you meane ciuil or ecclesiasticall correction the scripture hath defined of them both I omit that there be examples of pulpits in Nehemias which the common translation calleth Ezra of chaires in S. Mathew where by the chaire of Moses our sauioure Christ meaning the doctrine of Moses doth also declare the manner which they vsed in teaching Of sitting at the communion which the Euangelist noteth to haue bene done of our Sauioure Christ with his disciples which examples are not to be lightly chaunged and vppon many occasions But this I can not omitte that you make it an indifferent thing to preache the word of God in churches or in houses that is to say priuately or publikely For what better interpretation can I haue then of your owne wordes which say by and by after of Baptisme that it is at the order of the church to make it priuate or publike For if it be in the power of the church to order that Baptisme may be ministred at the house of euery priuate person it is also in her power to ordayne that the worde be preached also priuately And then where is that which Salomon sayth that wysdom cryeth openly in the streates and at the corners of the stretes where
remeÌ„bred first that the minister liueth not any more of offerings Secondarily that the paiment of the ministers wages is not so conuenient either in the church or before all the people And thirdly y therby we fal into y fault whych we condemne in popery that is y besides the ordinary liuing apoynted for the seruice of the priests in the whoâ—e they toke for their seueral seruices of masse baptisme burying churching c. seueral rewards which thing being of the seruice boke wel abolished in certain other things I caÌ„not see what good cause there shuld be to retain it in this and certain other Now wheras m. D. saith that the place of the. 15. of the Acts alledged by the admonition maketh nothing against this he shuld haue considered that if it be a Iewish ceremony as they suppose it it is to be abolished vtterly For it being shewed there the all the ceremonial law of Moses is don away through our sauior Christ this also a part thereof must nedes be therin comprised And whereas he saith that it being nothing els but a thanks geuing for her deliuerance can not be therfore but christian very godly I answer the if there shuld be solemne and expres geuing of thanks in the church for euery benefit eyther equal or greater theÌ„ thys whych any singular person in the church dothe receiue we should not only haue no preaching of the word nor ministring of the sacrameÌ„ts but we shuld not haue so much leysure as to do any corporal or bodily worke but shuld be like vnto those heretikes which wer called of the Syriake word Messalians or continual prayers whych did nothing els but pray For the Psalme 121. spoken of in the 155. page it being shewed that it is not meete to haue any such solemne thankes geuing it is needeles to debate of the Psalme wherewyth the thankes geuing shuld be made And wheras in 101. and. 102. pages vnto the admonition obiecting that the comming in the vaile to the church more then theÌ„ at other times is a token of shame or some folly committed M. D. iestingly leaueth the matter to the womeÌ„s answer A little true knowledge of diuinity would haue taught him that the bringing in or vsurping wythout authority any ceremony in the congregation is bothe an earnester matter then may be iested at and a waightier then shoulde be permitted vnto the discretion of euery woman considering that the same hath bene so horribly abused in time of poperye The holy dayes folow of whych M. Doctor sayth that so they be not vsed superstitiously or vnprofitably they may be commauÌ„ded I haue shewed before that they were If they were so indifferent as they are made yet being kept of the papistes whych are the enemies of God they ought to be abolished And if it were as easy a matter to pull oute the superstition of the obseruing of those holydayes out of mennes heartes as it is to protest and to teache that they are not commaunded for any religion to be put in them or for any to make conscience of the obseruing of them as thoughe there weresome necessary worshyp of God in the keping of them then were they much more tollerable But when as the continuance of them doth norishe wicked superstition in the mindes of men and that the doctrine whych shuld remedy the superstition through the fewnes skarcitye of able ministers can not come to the most part of them whych are infected wyth this disease and that also where it is preached the frute therof is in part hindred whylest the common people attend oftentymes rather to that whych is done theÌ„ to that whych is taught being a thyng indifferent as it is sayd it ought to be abolyshed as that whych is not only not fittest to holde the people in the sincere worshypping of God but also as that whych keepeth them in their former blindnes and corrupt opinions whych they haue conceyued of such holy dayes And if they had bene neuer abused neyther by the Papistes nor by the Iewes as they haue bene and are daily yet suche making of holy dayes is neuer wythout some great daunger of brynging in some euill and corrupt opinions into the mindes of men I will vse an example in one and that the chefe of holy dayes most generally of longest time obserued in the church whych is the feast of Easter whych was kept of some more dayes of some fewer How many thousands are there I will not say of the ignorant papistes but of those also whych professe the gospell whych when they haue celebrated those dayes with dilygent heede taken vnto their life and wyth some earnest deuotion in praying and hearing the word of God do not by and by thinke that they haue well celebrated the feast of Easter and yet haue they thus notably deceiued them selues For S. Paul teacheth that the celebrating of the feast of the christians Easter is not as the Iewes Easter was for certen dayes but sheweth that we must keepe thys feast all the dayes of oure life in the vnleauened bread of sincerity and of truth By whych we see that the obseruing of the feast of Easter for certain dayes in the yeare doth pul out of our mindes or euer we be aware the doctrine of the gospell and causeth vs to rest in that neare consideration of our dueties for the space of a few dayes which should be extended to alour life But besides the incommodities that rise of making such holy dayes and coÌ„tinuing of those whych are so horribly abused where it is confessed that they are not necessary besides this I say the matter is not so indifferent as it is made I confes that it is in the power of the churche to appoynt so many dayes in the weeke or in the yeare in the whych the congregation shal assemble to heare the word of God and receiue the sacraments and offer vp prayers vnto God as it shall thinke good according to those rules whych are before alleaged But y it hath power to make so many holy dayes as we haue wherin no man may worke any parte of the day and wherin men are commaunded to cease from their daily vocations of plowing and exercising their handy crafts c. that I deny to be in the power of the church For proufe wherof I will take the fourth commaundement and no other interpretation of it then M. doctor alloweth of in the. 174. page whych is that God licenseth and leaueth it at the liberty of euery man to worke sixe dayes in the weeke so that he rest the seuenth daye Seeing that therefore that the Lord hath left it to all men at libertye that they myght labor if they thinke good sixe dayes I say the church nor no man can take thys liberty away from them and driue them to a necessary rest of the body And if it be lawfull to abridge the liberty of the church in
thys poynt and in stead that the Lord sayth sixe dayes thou mayst labor if thou wilt to say thou shalt not labor sixe dayes I do not see why the church may not as well wheras the Lord sayth thou shalt rest the seuenth day commaunde that thou shalt not rest the seuenth day For if the church may restraine the liberty that God hath geuen thē it may take away the yoke also that God hath put vpon them And whereas you say in the. 173. page that notwithstanding thys fourthe commaundement the Iewes had certaine other feastes whych they obserued in deede the Lord whych gaue thys generall law might make as many exceptions as he thought good and so long as he thought good But it foloweth not because the Lord did it that therfore the church may do it vnles it hath commaundemēt and authority from God so to do As when there is any generall plague or iudgement of God either vpon the churche or comming towardes it the Lorde commaundeth in suche a case that they should sanctifie a generall fast and proclaime ghnatsarah whych signifieth a prohibition or forbidding of ordinary works and is the same Hebrewe word wherwyth those feastes dayes are noted in the lawe wherin they shuld rest The reason of whych commaūdement of the Lord was that as they abstained that day as much as might be conueniently from meat so they might abstaine from their daily workes to the ende they might bestowe the whole day in hearing the word of God and humbling themselues in the congregation confessing their faultes and desiring the Lorde to turne away from hys fearce wrathe In thys case the churche hauing commaundement to make a holy day may and ought to do it as the church which was in Babilon did during the time of their captiuity but where it is destitute of a commaundement it may not presume by any decree to restraine that liberty whych the Lord hath geuen Nowe that I haue spoken generally of holy dayes I come vnto the apostles and other saints dayes whych are kept wyth vs And thoughe it were lawfull for the church to ordaine holy dayes to our sauioure Christe or to the blessed Trinity yet it is not therfore lawfull to institute holy dayes to the apostles and other saintes or to their remembrance For although I confes as muche as you say in the. 153. page that the church of England doth not meane by thys keping of holy dayes that the saintes shoulde be honoured or as you alledge in the. 175. and. 176. pages that wyth vs the saints are not prayed vnto or that it doth propoūd them as meritorious yet that is not enough For as we reason against the popish purgatorie that it is therfore naught for as much as neyther in the olde Testament nor in the newe there is any mention of prayer at any time for the dead so may it be reasoned against these holy dayes ordained for the remēbrance of the saintes that for so much as the old people dyd neuer keepe any feast or holy day for the remembrance eyther of Moses or Daniel or Iob or Abraham or Dauid or any other how holy or excellent so euer they were nor the apostles nor the churches in their time neuer instituted any eyther to kepe the remembrance of Stephen or of the virgin Mary or of Iohn Baptist or of any other notable and rare personage that the instituting and erecting of them nowe and thys attempt by the churches whych folowed whych haue not such certen and vndoubted interpreaters of the will of God as the prophets and apostles were whych lyued in those churches is not wythout some note of presumption for that it vndertaketh those thyngs whych the primitiue churche in the apostles times hauing greater giftes of the spirite of God then they that folowed them had durste not venter vpon Moreouer I haue shewed before what force the name of euery thyng hath to cause men to thynke so of euery thyng as it is named and therfore although you say in the. 175. page that in calling these holy dayes the dayes of suche or such a Sainte there is nothyng else meante but that the Scriptures whych are that day red concerne that saynte and contayne eyther hys callyng preachyng persecution martyrdom c. yet euery one doth not vnderstand so much For besides that the corrupt custome of popery hath caryed theyr mindes to an other interpretation the very name and appellation of the day teacheth otherwise For seing that the dayes dedicated to the Trinity and those that are consecrate to our sauior Christ are in that they be called Trinity day or the Natiuity day of our sauior Christ by and by taken to be instituted to the honor of our sauyor Christe and of the Trinity so lykewyse the people when it is called S. Paules day or the blessed virgin Maryes day can vnderstand nothing therby but that they are instituted to the honor of S. Paule or of the virgin Mary vnles they be otherwyse taught And if you say let them so be taught I haue answeared that the teaching in thys lande can not by any order whych is yet taken come to the moste parte of those whych haue drunke thys poyson and where it is taught it were good that the names were abolyshed that they should not helpe to vnteach that whych the preaching teacheth in thys behalfe Furthermore seeing the holy dayes be ceremonies of the church I see not why we may not heere renue Augustines complaint that the estate of the Iewes was more tollerable then oures is I speake in thys poynt of holy dayes for if their holy dayes and oures be accompted we shall be foūd to haue more then double as many holy dayes as they had And as for all the commodityes whych we receiue by them whereby M. doctor goeth about to proue the goodnes and lawfulnes of their institution as that the scriptures are there red and expounded the patience of those saintes in their persecution and Martyrdome is to the edifying of the church remembred and yearely renewed I say that we myght haue all those commodities wythout all those dangers whych I haue spoken of wythout any keping of yearely memory of those sayntes and as it falleth out in better and more profitable sorte For as I sayd before of the keping of Easter that it tyeth and as it were fettereth a meditation of the Easter to a fewe dayes whych should reache to all our age and time of oure lyfe so those celebrations of the memories of saintes and martyrs streighten our consideration of them vnto those dayes whych should continually be thought of daily as long as we liue And if that it be thoughte so good and profitable a thyng that thys remembrance of them should be vpon those dayes wherin they are supposed to haue dyed yet it foloweth not therefore that after thys remembrance is celebrated by hearing the scriptures concerning them and prayers made to folowe their
constancy that all the rest of the day should be kept holy in such sorte as men should be debarred of their bodely labors and of exercising their daily vocations Nowe where as maister Doctor citeth Augustine and Ierome to proue that in the Churches in their times there were holy dayes kepte besydes the Lordes day he myght haue also cited Ignatius and Tertullian and Cyprian whych are of greater auncienty and would haue made more for the credit of hys cause seeing he measureth all hys truthe almoste throughe the whole booke by the croked measure and yarde of time For it is not to be denyed but thys keeping of holy dayes especially of the Easter and Pentecost are very auncient and that these holy dayes for the remembrance of Martyrs were vsed of long time But these abuses were no auncienter then other were groser also then thys was as I haue before declared and were easy further to be shewed if nede required And therefore I appeale from these examples to the scriptures and to the examples of the perfectest church that euer was whych was that in the apostles times And yet also I haue to say that the obseruation of those feastes first of all was much better then of later times For Socrates confessing that neyther our sauioure Christ nor the apostles dyd decree or institute any holy dayes or lay any yoke of bondage vppon the neckes of those whych came to the preaching addeth further that they did vse first to obserue the holy dayes by custom and that as euery man was disposed at home Whych thing if it had remained in that freedome that it was done by custome and not by commaundement at the will of euery one and not by constraint it had bene much better then it is nowe and had not drawne suche daungers vpon the posteritye as did after ensue and we haue the experience of As touching M. Bucers M. Bullingers Illiricus allowance of them if they meane such a celebration of them as that in those dayes the people may be assembled and those partes of the scriptures which concerne them whose remembrance is solemnised red and expounded and yet men not debarred after from their daily works it is so much the les matter if otherwise that good leaue they giue the churches to dissent from them in that poynt I do take it graunted vnto me being by the grace of God one of the churche Althoughe as touching M. Bullenger it is to be obserued since the time that he wrote that vppon the Romaines there are about .xxxv. yeares sythens whych time although he holde still that the feastes dedicated vnto the Lord as of the Natiuity Easter and Pentecost may be kept yet he denyeth flatly that it is lawfull to keepe holy the dayes of the apostles as it appeareth in the confession of the Tigurine church ioyned wyth others As for M. Caluine as the practise of hym and the church where he lyued was and is to admit no one holy day besides the Lords day so can it not be shewed out of any parte of hys workes as I thynke that he approued those holy dayes whych are nowe in question He sayeth in deede in hys Institution that he wil not condemne those churches whych vse them No more do we the church of Englande neyther in thys nor in other things whych are meere to be reformed For it is one thing to mislike another thyng to cōdemne and it is one thing to condemne some thing in the church and an other thing to condemn the church for it And as for the places cited out of the epistles to the Galathians and Collossians there is no mention of any holy dayes eyther to saintes or to any other And it appeareth also that he defendeth not other churches but the church of Geneua and answeareth not to those whych obiect against the keping of saintes dayes or any holy dayes as they are called besides the Lords day but against those whych would not haue the Lords day kept still as a day of rest from bodely labor as it may appeare both by hys place vpon the Collossians and especially in that whych is alleaged out of hys Institutions And that he meaneth nothing les then suche holy dayes as you take vpon you to defende it may appeare first in the place of the Colossians where he sayeth that the dayes of rest whych are vsed of them are vsed for pollicy sake Nowe it is well knowne that as it is pollicy and a way to preserue the estate of things and to keepe thē in a good continuance and succes that as well the beastes as the men whych labor sixe dayes should rest the seuenth so it tendeth to no pollicy nor wealth of the people or preseruation of good order that there should be so many dayes wherin men should cease from worke being a thyng whych breedeth idlenesse and consequently pouerty besides other disorders and vices whych alwayes goe in company wyth idlenes And in the place of hys Institutions he declareth hym selfe yet more plainly when he sayeth that those odde holy dayes then are wythout superstition when they be ordained only for the obseruing of discipline and order Whereby he geueth to vnderstand that he would haue them no further holy dayes then for the time whych is bestowed in the exercise of the discipline and order of the churche and that for the rest they shoulde be altogither as other dayes free to be laboured in And so it appeareth that the holy dayes ascribed to Saintes by the seruice booke is a iust cause why a man can not safely without exception subscribe vnto the seruice Nowe wheras maister Doctor sayeth it maketh no matter whether these things be taken out of the Portuis so they be good c. I haue proued first they are not good then if they were yet being not necessary abused horribly by the papistes other being as good and better then they ought not to remaine in the church And as for Ambrose saying all truthe of whome so euer it be sayde is of the holy ghoste it I were disposed to moue questions I coulde demaund of him whych careth not of whome he haue the truthe so he haue it what our sauioure Christe meant to refuse the testimony of Deuils when they gaue a cleare testimony that he was the sonne of God and the holy one and what S. Paule ment to be angry and to take it so greuously that the Pithonisse sayd he and his companion were the seruaunts of the high God whych preached vnto them the way of saluation Heere was truthe and yet reiected and I would knowe whether maister Doctor would say that these spake by the spirite of god Thus whilest wythout all iudgement he snatcheth heere a sentence and there another out of the Doctors and that of the worste as if a man should of purpose chuse oute the drosse and leaue the siluer wythin a while he wil make no great difference not
common wealth vnto the church 181. Drunkardes whoremongers c. papistes are neither of the church nor in the church 50. M. Doctors Clemens counterfait 88. c. Communion receiued by 2. or 3. the rest of the church departing not to be suffered 147. c. Papistes ought not to bee compelled to receiue the Communion of the Lord nor to be admitted if they offer them selues 167. c. Communicants what they be which must of necessitie be examined 164. c. Wherupon the ministring of the Communion in houses to sicke parsons rose 146. c. Common bread most conuenient for the Communion 164. c. Kneeling at the Communion daungerous and not so agreeable to the action of the supper as sitting 165. c Confirmation of children ought to be taken away 199. D  Deacons ordayning with vs in part examined 39 Deacons were in euery church 190. c. Deacons office is only in prouiding for the poore of the church 190. Deacons office perpetuall 191. Deacons may not preach nor baptise 161. DecoÌ„sh is no ordinary step to the ministery 163 Deanes in times past how much they differed from ours now 96. Disciplyne and gouernment of the church â—â—â— matters of fayth and saluation 26 Discipline standeth in 3. principall partes 183. Dyonisius Areopagita no archb but bish 91. M. doctors Dyonisius a counterfait 188 E  Elders in euery congregation in the Apostles times 173. c Elders necessary in euery churche of the causes of their office 175. c. Elders in euery church alwayes necessary but especially in the time of peace vnder a christen magistrate 178. c. Eldership was kept in the church vnder christian Emperors in the time of peace 182. Eldership fel out of the church through slouthfulnes ambition of the Doctors 182. Election of the ministers ought to bee by the church 44. c Pretended differences to alter the manner of election of the mynisters vsed in the primatiue church answered 49. c Election and ordination differ 58. c Euangelists no ordinary ministers 63. c. Excommunication doth not belong to one maÌ„ but vnto the church and especially to the minister and elders therof 184. c. F  Standing lawes of fasting brought in first by the hereticke Montanus 30. Augustines and Ambroses corrupt iudgement of fasting 30. G  We haue more certaine direction by the gospel in the whole seruice of God then the Iewes had by the lawe 35. c. Greater seuerity ought to be vsed against sins and especially against idolatry vnder the gospel then vnder the law 42. c There ought to be no more standing at the reading of the gospell theÌ„ at the reading of other scriptures 203 Churche Gouernment compounded of all the good formes of gouernment 51. H  The churches authoritye in makyng of Holy dayes 151. c Of the Apostles and saints dayes 152. c. Of homilyes reading in the church 81. 196. c I.  Iames no archbyshop but a byshop by Eusebius iudgement 91. There ought to be no more curtesy at the name of Iesus then at the other names of God. 203. M  Abuses in the celebration of maryage 196. c. Metropolitane byshop what that the name implieth no supertoritye 93. Metropolitanes very pore 108. 94. Ministers lordship one ouer an other eyther in office or name forbidden 22. c In what sorte and howe farre ministers are superiors one ouer another 109. c The cause of want of ministers with vs. 40. c. Ministers reuolting to idolatrye oughte not to be receiued againe to the ministery 40. Ministers may not exercise ciuill offices 206. O  Officials iurisdiction vnlawfull 188. c. Ordination and election differ 58. c. Receiue the holy ghost an vnlawfull speache of the B. in ordaining ministers 62. c. P  Parishes not deuided by Denis the Monke but by the word of God. 69. Prayers not only in matter but also in forme ought to belike the prayers of the scripture 138 Particulare faultes in oure forme of Common prayer 136. c The name of Priest cannot agree vnto the minister of the gospell 198. Prophet no ordinary minister 63. c R  Reading is not preaching 160 Reading preaching the word compared 159 Residence or abiding in one certain place required of al ordinary ecclesiastical ministeries 60 Residence continuall and necessary of the minister in hys church 65. c S  Sacramentes oughte to be ministred after the word is preached 157. Sacramentes vnlawfully ministred in priuate houses 28. 142. c Scripture containing the direction of al things pertaining to the churche and of whatsoeuer things can fall into any part of mans life 26 Scriptures Canonicall ought only to be red in the church 196. c Singing of Psalmes in the church side by side corrupt 203. T  Theodoret a pore Metropolitane 115. Timotheus and Titus by the iudgement of the Scholiaste byshops 91. but in deede Euangelists 65 Aug. iudgement of traditions very corrupt 31 VV  Widowes in the churche to helpe the sicke and impotent in it 191 Women may not minister baptisme and howe this corruption came into the church 143. c Womens churching corrupt 150 ⧠To the Church of England and ALL THOSE THAT LOVE THE TRVETH IN IT T. C. wisheth mercy and peace from God our father and from our Lord Iesus Christ AS our men do more willingly go to warfare and fyght with greater courage agaynst straungers then agaynst theyr countreymen so it is with me in thys spirituall warfare For I would haue wyshed that thys controuersy had bene with the Papystes or with other if any can be more pestylent and professed ennemyes of the church for that should haue bene les griefe to wryte and more conuement to perswade that which I desire For as the very name of an ennemy doth kyndle the desire of fyghting and stirreth vp the care of preparing the furniture for the warre So I can not tell how it commeth to passe that the name of a brother staketh that courage and abateth that carefulnes which should be bestowed in desence of the truth But seeing the truth ought not to be forsaken for any mans cause I enforced my selfe considering that if the Lord myght lay it to my charge that I was not for certayne considerations so ready as I ought to haue bene to publyshe the truth he myght more iustly condemne me if being oppugned and slaundered by others I should not according to that measure which he hath dealte vnto me and for my small habylitie defend it and delyuer it from the euill report that some endeuor to bring vpon it And as vnto other partes of the gospell so sone as the Lord openeth a dore for them to enter in there is for the most part great resistance so in thys part concerning the gouernment and dyscipline of the church which is the order which God hath left as well to make the doctryne
tabernacles which was commaunded of the Lord to be celebrated euery yeare was not celebrated in such sort as it was commaunded in the law from the dayes of Iosua the sonne of Nun vntill the returne of the people from their captiuitie And yet were there in this space diuers bothe iudges and kings both priestes and prophets singularly zealous and learned If therfore the omitting of so necessary a thing so many hundreth yeares by suche godly zealous learned persons could not bring any prescription against the truth the lacke of this necessary discipline by the space of 30. yeares through the ouersight of a fewe if they be compared with that multitude ought not to be alledged to kepe it out of the church The dignitie also and hygh estate of those whych are not so earnest in thys cause can not hinder it if we consider the wisdome of God almost from time to time to consist and to shew it selfe most in setting forth his truth by the simpler and weaker sort by contemptible and weake instruments by things of no value to the end that when all men see the basenes and rudenes of the instrumēt they might the more wonder at the wisedome and power of the artificer which wyth so weake and foolishe instruments bringeth to passe so wise and mighty things And if men will wyth such an eye of fleshe loke vpon matters they shall condemne that excellent reformation vnder the godly king Ezechias whych the holy ghost doth so highly commend in whych it is witnessed that the Leuites whych were a degree vnder the priests were more forward and more zealous then the priests them selues Yea wherin it is witnessed that the people were yet more earnest and more willing then either the Leuites or the priestes Whych thing if euer is verified in our time For when I consider the zeale for religion whych sheweth it selfe in many as well of the nobility and gentry of this realme as of the people their care to continue it and aduaunce it their voluntary charges to maintaine it their liberality towards them which bend them selues that way as I do therby conceiue some hope of the fauourable countenaunce and continuance of Gods goodnes towards vs so I can not be but ashamed of mine owne slackenes and afraid of the displeasure of the Lord for that those whose proper worke thys is especially and whych should beare the standarde and cary the torche vnto the rest are so colde and so careles in these matters of the Lord. And I humbly craue and most earnestly desire of those whych beare the cheefe titles in the Ecclesiasticall functions that as we doe in parte correct oure negligence by the example of the forwardnes and readines of the people so they would suffer themselues to be put in remembrāce of their dueties by vs which are vnderneath them and that they would not neglect thys golden gift of Gods grace in admonishing them because the Lord doth offer it in a treene or earthen vessell but that they would first consider that as * Naaman the Syrian prince receiued great commodity by following the aduise of his maide and after of his man And * Abigael being a wise woman singuler profit by obeying the counsell of her seruaunt so they may receiue oftentimes profitable aduertisement by those whych are in lower places then they them selues be Then let them thynke that as Naaman was neuer the les noble for obeying the voyce of his seruaūts nor Abigaell neuer the les wise because she listened vnto the words of her man so it can not deminishe their true honoure nor empaire the credite of their godly and vncounterfait wisdome if they geue care vnto that which is spoken by their inferioures And last of all that as if they had not listened vnto those simple persons the one had pearished in his leprosie the other had bene slaine with her familye euen so if they shall for any worldly respect of honor riches or feare of being accounted eyther vnaduised in taking this course or light or inconstāt in forsaking it stop their cares against thys louing Admonition of the Lorde they prouoke hys anger not against their health or against their life but against their owne soules by exercising of vnlawfull authority and by taking vnto them partly such things as belong by no meanes vnto the church and partly whych are common vnto them wyth the whole church or els wyth other the ministers and gouernors of the same wherof I beseche them humbly to take the better hede for that the iudgement of the Lord wil be vpon a great part of them by so much the heauier by how much they haue not only beleued the gospel but also haue receyued this grace of God that they should suffer for it So that if they wil neither take example of diuers their superiors the nobles of this realme nor be admonished by vs of the lower sort wherin we hope better of them yet they would remember their former times and correct them selues by them selues And seing they haue ben content for the gospels sake to quit the necessary things of this life they wold not thinke much for the discipline whych is no small parte of the gospel hauing both things necessary and commodious to part from that whych is not only in them superfluous and hath nothing but a vaine ostentation whych will vanish as the shadow but also is hurtfull vnto them and pernicious vnto the churche whych thing I do morelargely and plainly lay forth in thys boke Another exception against the fauorers of this cause is taken for that they propoūd it out of time whych is that the Iewes sayd that the time was not yet come to build the Lordes house but it is knowen what the * Prophet answeared And if no time were vnseasonable in the kinde of materiall building wherin there be some times as of summer more opportune and fit then others howe can there be any vntimely building in this spirituall house where as long as it is called to day men are commaunded to further thys worke And as for those which say we come to late and that this shuld haue bene done in the beginning and cannot now be done wythout the ouerthrow of all for mending of a peece they do little consider that * S. Paul compareth that which is good in the building vnto gold and siluer and precious stones and that whych is euil layd vpon the foundation vnto stubble and hey and wode Likewise therfore as the stubble and the hey and the wode be easely by the fire consumed wythout any losse vnto the gold or siluer or precious stones so the corrupt things in this building may be easely taken away wythout any hurt or hinderance vnto that which is pure and found And if they put such confidence in thys similitude as that they wil therby wythout any testimony of the word of God stay the further building or correcting the faultes
be done in the beginning where the reader shall not be able so well to vnderstand what is sayde of me vnlesse he haue M. D. booke before hym The cause of which diuersitie rose of that that I first purposed to set downe his answer before my reply as he dyd the admonition before hys answer But afterward considering that hys booke being already in the handes of men it would be double charges to bye it agayne and especially weighing with my selfe that through the slownes of the prynt for want of helpe the reply by that meanes should come forth later then was conuenient for although he myght commodyously bryng in the admonition being short yet the same coulde not be done in his booke swellyng in that sort which it doth I say these thinges consydered I changed my mynde and haue therfore set downe the causes which moued me so to doe because I know that those if any be which haue determyned to contynue theyr foreiudged opynions agaynst the cause whatsoeuer be alledged wyll hereupon take occasion to surmyse that I haue left out hys answere to the end that it myght the lesse appeare wherein I haue passed ouer any weyght of hys reasons where as had it not bene for these causes which I haue before aledged my earnest desire was to haue set hys answere before my reply whereof I call the Lord to wytnesse whom I know to be a sharpe iudge agaynst those which shall abuse hys holy name to any vntruth ¶ An answeare to the whole Epistle to the Church WHat causes eyther pulled you forward or thrust you backward to wryte or not to wryte and how in thys dispute wyth your selfe in the end you were resolued to write in thys sort I leaue it vnto the iudgement of the Lord who only knoweth the secretes of the heart and will in his good time vnseale them But if there be any place of coniecture the hatred of contention whych you set downe as the first and principall cause that beat you backe from wryting might well haue ben put as the last and least or rather none at all For if peace had bene so precious vnto you as you pretend you woulde not haue brought so many hard wordes bitter reproches enemylike speaches as it were stickes and coales to double and treble the heat of contention If the sharpnes of the Admonition misliked you and you thinke they outreached in some vehemency of words how could you more effectually haue cōfuted that then to haue in a quiet and milde spirite set them in the way which in your opinion had left it now in words condenming it and approuing it in your dedes I wil not say that you do not so much mislike thys sharpness as you are sory that you are preuented and are not the first in it But this I may well say vnto you whych he sayd Quid verba audiam cum facta videam what should I heare words when I see the dedes In the fourth reason wherby you were discouraged to wryte if by backbiters and vnlearned tongs viperous kinde of men not able to iudge of controuersies caryed away wyth affections and blinde zeale into diuers sinister iudgements and erronious opinions you meane all those that thinke not as you do in these matters I answere for my selfe and for as many as I know of them that they are they which first desire so it be truely to heare and speak◠all good of you But if that be not through your perseuerance in the maintenaunce of the corruptions of this church which you should helpe to purge then the same are they that desire that both the euill which you haue done and that which you haue yet in your hart to doe may be knowen to the lesse discredite of the truth and sinceritie which you with such might and mayne doe striue agaynst Touching our vnlearned tongues we had rather a great deale they were vnlearned then they should be as theirs * which haue taught their tunges to speake falsly And how vnlearned so euer you would make the world beleue that we and our tunges be I hope through the goodnesse of God they shall be learned enough to defend the truthe agaynst all the learning that you shall be able to assault it with If those be the * generation of Christ which you call viperous kynde of men know you that you haue not opened your mouth against earth but you haue set it agaynst heauen for all indifferent iudgement it will easely perceiue that you are as far from the spirite of * Iohn Baptist as you are nere to hys maner of speche Which you vse whether it be affection or blind zeale that we follow and are driuen by it will then appeare when the reasons of both sides being layde out shall be wayed indifferently Whereas you say that your duetie towards God and the Queene her maiesty moued you to take thys laboure in hande it will fall out vppon the discourse that as you haue not serued the Lord God in thys enterprise and worke of youres so haue you done nothing lesse then any godly duetie which you owe vnto her Maiestie so that the best that can be thought of you herein is that wherein an euill matter you coulde yelde no duetie yet now you haue done that which you thought a duetie which iudgeinent we will so long keepe of you vntill you shall by oppugning of a knowen truth declare the contrary which we hope will not be What truth it is that we impugne and you defend let it in the name of God appeare by our seuerall proufes and answeares of both sides And as for the slaunderous surmises whereby in your third and last consideration you set the Papistes of the one side of vs and the Anabaptistes of the other and vs in the middest reaching out our handes as it were to them both first it ought not to be strange vnto vs miserable sinners seeing that the Lord hym selfe without all sinne was placed in the middest of two greuous malefactors as though he had bene worse then they both Then for answere of those slaunderous speaches I will referre the Reader to those places where these generall charges are geuen out in more particular manner An answere to that which is called a briefe examination of the reasons vsed in the Admonition to the Parliament IF the scriptures had bene applyed to the mayntenaunce of the abhomination of the masse and some other of the grossest of antichristianitie you could haue sayd no more nor vsed vehementer speache then thys that they are most vntollerably abused and vnlearnedly applyed And then where is charitie which couereth the multitude of faultes especially in brethren when you do not only not couer them but also take away their garmentes whereby they are couered I will not deny but that there be some few places quoted whych might haue bene spared but there are a great number which M. Doctor tosseth throweth away
cause In the. 240. page he reasoneth thus that the surplice c. be notes and notes of good ministers therefore they be good notes of ministers which is a fallacion of compositiō when a man thinketh that whatsoeuer is sayd of a thing by it selfe may be sayd of it when it is ioyned with an other In the. 149. page he reasoneth thus those which authorised the booke of Common prayer were studious of peace building the churche therefore those which finde fault with it are pullers downe of the church and disturbers of the peace which is a fallacion of the Accident when a man thinketh that euery thing which is verified of the Subiect may be likewise verefied of that which is annexed vnto it The further confutation of which arguments I refer vnto their places There be diuers other which he hath which are so farre from iust conclusions as they haue not so muche as any colour of likelyhode of argument which I can not tell where to lodge vnles I put them in the common Inne which is that which is called the ignorance of the Elench as in the. 69. page when he concludeth thus that Cyprian speaketh not of the bishop of Rome ergo he speaketh of an archbyshop And in the. 71. page There must be superioures ergo one minister must be superiour vnto an other There must be degrees therfore there must be one archbyshop ouer a prouince And in the. 73. there was one ouer euery congregation therefore there was one ouer all the ministers in the prouince These and a number like vnto these M. Doctor hath scattered throughout his boke which as Nero sayd of his master Senecas works cleaue together like sand thus let it be sene whose arguments are most iustly concluded those of the admonition or these of M. Doctors An answere to the exhortation to the eyuill Magistrates IT is more thē I thought could haue hapned vnto you once to admit into your mynde thys opinion of Anabaptisme of your brethren which haue alwayes had it in as great detestatiō as your selfe preached against it as much as your selfe hated of the folowers fauourers of it as much as your selfe And it is yet more strange that you haue not doubted to geue out such slaunderous reports of them but dare to present such accusations to the holy and sacred seat of iustice thereby so much as in you lyeth to corrupt it to call for the sword vpon the innocent which is geuen for their mayntenance and safetie that as it is a boldnes vntollerable so could I hardly haue thought that it could haue fallen into any that had caryed but the countenaunce and name of a professor of the gospell much les of a doctor of dyuinitie Before you will ioyne with vs in this cause you wil place vs whether we wil or no in the campe of the Anabaptistes to the ende you myght thereby bothe withdraw all from ayding vs which are godly minded as for the you fearing as it semeth the insufficiencie of your pen myght haue the sword to supply your want other wayes And if we be found in theyr campe or be such disturbers of the quiet estate of the church defacers of such as be in authoritie maintayners of licenciousnes and lewde lybertie as you do seme to charge vs with we refuse not to go vnder those punishmentes that some of that wicked sect receiued for iust recompence of their demerites You say you will not accuse any I know it is for want of no good wil that you do not accuse them of whose condemnation and extreame punishment we myght be sure if your hand were as strong as your hart But you suspect the authors of the admonition and their fautors * Charitie is not suspitious Let vs therefore see whether there be iust matter to beare out and to vphold this suspition You wil beare men in hand that if we be not already full Anabaptistes yet we are in the way thither the footesteps whereby you trace vs must be considered To the first article It is all true you here alleage of the Anabaptistes God be praysed there is nothing of it true in vs If through these questions moued the church be disquieted the disquietnes riseth in that the truth and sinceritie which is offered is not receyued VVe seeke it in no tumultuous manner but by humble sute vnto them to whome the redresse of thinges pertayne and by teaching as our callinges wil suffer If all those are to be counted in the way to Anabaptisme which moue controuersies when the gospell is preached Then those that taught that the Gentilles were to be preached vnto when as the most of the beleuing Iewes which likewise preached the gospell thought otherwise are to be counted in the way to Anabaptisme Likewise those that preached that circumcision was not necessary vnto saluation when as a great number of Christians at the first thought it necessary Then maister Zuinglius Oecolampadius smelled of Anabaptisme which went about to ouerthrow dyuerse things which maister Luther helde I could goe further with thys but I content my selfe wyth these examples If any be brought in doubt or hatred of the truth hereby or any man take occasion to be contentious it is not in the nature of the doctrine which is taught but in the corruption of their myndes nor it is not offence geuen but taken nor thys doctryne can be no more charged then the rest of the gospell which is a * sworde that cutteth a citie or kingdome in sunder and setteth a * fire where there was none and putteth contention betwene the father and the sonne But what is to geue an incurable offence vnto the simple and matter to the enemie to reioyce in to all good Christyans of teares and weeping if thys be not to make the world thinke that numbers of those which professe the gospell are infected wyth the poison of Anabaptisme whych can not be touched wyth the smallest poynt of it As for the magistrate and authority we acknowledge the lawfulnes necessity and singular commodity of it we commēd it in our sermons to others we pray for them as for those of whose good or euill estate hangeth the flourishing or decay of the common wealth and church both We loue them as our fathers and mothers we feare them as our Lords and maisters and we obay thē in the Lord and for the lord If there be any thyng wherin we do not according to that which is commaunded it is because we can not be persuaded in our consciences that we may so doe wherof we are ready to render a reason out of the word of God and if that wil not serue forthwith to submit our selues to that punishment that shall be awarded against vs And herein we first cal the Lord God to witnes of our meaning and then we referre our selues to the consciences of all men in the sight of God. To the second Article There
must be placed in the church and nothing must be tollerated in the church he hath but small iudgemēt that can not tel that certaine things may be tollerated and borne with for a time which if they were to be sette in and placed could not be done without the great fault of them that shuld place them Againe are these of lyke waight except it be commaunded in the worde of God and except it be expressed in the word of God Many things are both commaunded and forbidden of which there is no expresse mention in the word which are as necessarily to be followed or auoided as those wherof expresse mētion is made Therfore vnlesse your waightes be truer if I coulde let it you should waighe none of my wordes Hereupon you conclude that their arguments taken ab authoritate negatiue proue nothing When the question is of the authoritie of a man in deede it neither holdeth affirmatiuely nor negatiuely For as it is no good argument to say it is not true because Aristotle or Plato sayde it not so is it not to saye it is true because they sayde so The reason whereof is because the infirmitie of man can neither attaine to the perfection of any thing wherby he might speake all thinges that are to be spoken of it neyther yet bee free from erroure in those thinges which he speaketh or geueth out and therfore thys argument neyther affirmatiuely nor negatiuely compelleth the hearer But only induceth hym to some liking or misliking of that for which it is brought is rather for an oratour to perswade the simpler sort thē for a disputer to enforce him that is learned But for so muche as the Lord God determyning to set before our eyes a perfecte fourme of hys church is both able to doe it and hath done it a man may reason bothe wayes necessarily The Lorde hathe commaunded it shoulde be in hy◠churche therefore it must And of the other side he hath not commaunded therefore it must not be And it is not harde to shewe that the Prophetes haue so reasoned negatiuely As when in the person of the Lord the Prophet sayth * wherof I haue not spoken and which neuer entred into my heart and as where he condemneth them * because they haue not asked counsell at the mouthe of the Lorde But you say that in matters of faythe and necessary to saluation it holdeth which thinges you oppose afterwardes and set agaynst matters of ceremonies orders discyplyne and gouernment as though matters of dysciplyne and kynde of gouernment were not matters necessary to saluation and of faythe The case which you put whether the byshop of Rome be head of the church is a matter that concerneth the gouernment and the kynde of gouernment of the church and the same is a matter that toucheth fayth and that standeth vpon our saluation Excommunication and other censures of the church which are forerunners vnto excommunication are matters of dysciplyne and the same are also of faythe and of saluation The sacramentes of the Lorde hys supper and of baptisme are ceremonies and are matters of faythe and necessary to saluation And therefore you which distinguishe betweene these and saye that the former that is matters of faythe and necessarye to saluation may not be tollerated in the church vnlesse they be expresly contayned in the worde of God or manyfestly gathered But that these later which are ceremonies order disciplyne gouernment in the church may not be receiued agaynst the word of God and consequently receiued if there be no word agaynst them although there be none for them you I say distinguishing or dyuiding after thys sorte do proue your selfe to be as euill a deuyder as you shewed your selfe before an expounder for thys is to breake in peeces and not to deuide And it is no small iniurie which you doe vnto the word of God to pinne it in so narow roume as that it should be able to direct vs but in the principall poyntes of our relygion or as though the substance of religion or some rude and vnfashioned matter of building of the church were vttered in them those things were left out that should pertayne to the fourme and fashion of it or as if there were in the scriptures onely to couer the churches nakednes and not also chaines and bracelettes and rings and other iewels to adorne hir and set hir out or that to conclude there were sufficient to quench hir thirst kil hir honger but not to minister vnto hir a more liberall and as it were a more delicious and daintie diet These things you seeme to say when you say that matter 's necessary to saluation and of fayth are contayned in the scripture especially when you appose these things to ceremonies order dysciplyne and gouernement And if you meane by matters of fayth and necessary to saluation those without which a man cannot be saued then the doctrine that teacheth there is no free will or prayer for the dead is not within your compasse For I doubt not but dyuers of the fathers of the Greke church which were great patrons of free wil at lest as their wordes pretende are saued holding the foundation of the fayth which is Christ The lyke might be sayd of a nomber of other as necessary doctrines wherein men being nusled haue notwithstanding bene saued Therefore seeing that the poynt of the question lyeth chiefely in this distinction it had bene good that you had spoken more certainely and properly of these things But to the ende it may appeare that this speach of youres doth something take vp shrinke the armes of the scripture which otherwise are so long large I saye that the word of God contayneth the direction of all things pertayning to the church yea of what soeuer things can fall into any part of mans life For so Salomon sayth in the second chapter of the Prouerbes My sonne if thou receiue my wordes and hyde my preceptes c. Then thou shalt vnderstande iustice and iudgement and equitie and euery good way S. Paul sayth that whether we eate or drynke or whatsoeuer we do we must do it to the glory of god But no man can gloryfy God in any thing but by obedience and there is no obedience but in respect of the commaundement and word of God therefore it followeth that the word of God directeth a man in all his actions And that which S. Paul sayd of meates and drinkes that they are sanctifyed vnto vs by the word of God the same is to be vnderstanded of all thinges else whatsoeuer we haue the vse of But the place of S. Paul is of all other most cleare where speaking of those things which are called indifferent in the ende he concludeth that whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne but fayth is not but in respecte of the word of God therfore whatsoeuer is not done by the word of God is sinne And if any will say
Thys is certaine that breuitie whych you pretend was in small commendation with you whych make so often repetitions stuffe in diuers sentences of Doctors and wryters to proue things that no man denyeth translate whole leaues to so small purpose vpon so light occasions make so often digressions sometimes against the vnlernednes sometimes against the malice sometimes against the intemperancie of speach of the authors of the admonition and euery hand while pulling out the sworde vpon them and throughout the whole boke sporting your selfe wyth the quotations in the margent so that if all these where taken out of your boke as winde out of a bladder we should haue had it in a narow roume whych is thus swelled into such a volume and in stead of a boke of .ij. s. we should haue had a pamfiet of two pence And whereas you say that you haue not alleaged these learned fathers for the authors of the libell but for the wise discrete humble and learned to them also I leaue it to consider vpon that whych is alledged by me First howe lyke a diuine it is to seeke for rules in the Doctors to measure the making of ceremonies by whych you mighte haue had in the scriptures there at the riuers heere at the fountaine vncerten there whych heere are certen there in parte false which are heere altogither true then to howe little purpose they serue you and last of all howe they make against you An answer to the ende of the. 29. page beginning at the. 25. at But I trust M. Caluins iudgement VVHy should you trust that M. Caluins iudgement wil weigh wyth them if they be Anabaptists as you accuse them if they be Donatists if Catharists if conspired wyth the Papistes howe can you thinke that they will so easely rest in M. Caluins iudgement whych hated and confuted all Anabaptisme Donatisme Catharisme and Papisme But it is true whych the prouerbe sayth memorem c. he that will speake an vntruthe had neede haue a good memorye and thys is the force of the truthe in the conscience of man that although he suppres it and pretend the contrary yet at vnwares it stealeth out For what greater testimonye coulde you haue geuen of them that they hate all those heresies which you lay to their charge then to say that you trust M. Caluins iudgement wil weigh wyth them Now in dede that you be not deceiued we receiue M. Caluin and weigh of him as of the notablest instrumēt that the Lord hath stirred vp for the purging of his churches and of the restoring of the plaine and sincere interpretation of the scriptures whych hath bene since the Apostles times And yet we do not so read his works that we beleeue any thyng to be true because he sayeth it but so farre as we can esteme that that whych he sayth dothe agree wyth the canonicall scriptures But what gather you out of M. Caluin First that all necessary thyngs to saluation are contained in the scripture who denyeth it In the second collection where you would geue to vnderstande that ceremonies and externall discipline are not prescribed particularly by the worde of God and therfore left to the order of the church you must vnderstande that all externall discipline is not left to the order of the churche being particularly prescribed in the scriptures no more then all ceremonies are left to the order of the church as the sacraments of baptisme and the supper of the Lord wheras vpon the indefinite speaking of M. Caluin saying ceremonies and externall discipline wythout adding all or some you goe about subtelly to make men beleeue that M. Caluin had placed the whole external discipline in the power and arbitrement of the churche For if all externall discipline were arbitrarie and in the choise of the church Excommunication also whych is a part of it might be cast away which I thinke you will not say But if that M. Caluin were aliue to heare hys sentences racked and wrythen to establishe those thyngs whych he stroue so mightely to ouerthrow and to ouerthrow those things that he laboured so sore to establishe what might he say and the iniurie which is done to him is nothing les because he is deade Concerning all the rest of your collections I haue not lightly knowne a man which taketh so much paine with so small gaine and which soweth his sede in the sea wherof there wil neuer rise encrease For I know none that euer denied those things vnles peraduenture you would make the reader beleeue that al those be contentions which moue any controuersy of things which they iudge to be amis and thē it is answered before And now I answer further that they that moue to reformation of things are no more to be blamed as authors of contention then the Phisition which geueth a purgation is to be blamed for the rumbling and stirre in the belly and other disquietnes of the body which should not haue bene if the euil humors and naughty disposition of it had not caused or procured thys purgation Wheras you conclude that these contentions woulde be sone ended if M. Caluins wordes were noted heere we will ioyne with you and will not refuse the iudgement of M. Caluin in any matter that we haue in controuersy with you Which I speake not therfore because I would call the decision of controuersies to men and their words which pertaine only to God and to his worde but because I know hys iudgement in these things to be cleane against you and especially for that you would beare men in hand that M. Caluin is on your side and against vs And as for Peter Martyr and Bucer and Musculus and Bullinger Gualter and Hemingius and the rest of the late wryters by citing of whom you wold geue to vnderstand that they are against vs in these matters there is set downe in the latter end of this boke their seuerall iudgements of the most of these things whych are in controuersy whereby it may appeare that if they haue spoken one word against vs they haue spoken two for vs And wheras they haue wrytten as it is sayde and alleaged in their priuate letters to their freendes againste some of these causes it may appeare that they haue in their workes published to the whole world that they confirme the same causes So y if they wrote any such thyngs they shall be founde not so much to haue dissented from vs as from them selues and therefore we appeale from them selues vnto them selues and from their priuate notes and letters to their publike wrytings as more autenticall You labor still in the fire that is vnprofitably to bring M. Bucer hys Epistle to proue that the church may order things wherof there is no particular and expressed commaundement for there is none denieth it neither is thys saying that all things are to be done in the churche according to the rule of the word of God any thing repugnant vnto
this that the church may ordaine certaine thyngs according to the word of God. But if this epistle and others of M. Bucers with his notes vpon the boke of Common prayer which are so often cited and certaine Epistles of M. Peter Martyr were neuer printed as I can not vnderstand they were then besides that you do vs iniurie whych go about to preiudice our cause by the testimonies of them which we can neither heare nor see being kept close in your study you also do your cause much more iniurie whilest you betray the pouerty and nakednes of it being faine to ransake rifie vp euery darke corner to finde some thing to couer it with Therefore it were good before you toke any benefite of them to let thē come forth and speake their owne testimonies in their owne language and ful out For now you geue men occasion to thinke that there are some other things in their Epistles whych you would be lothe the world should know for feare of fall of that which you would gladly keepe There is no man that fayth that it ought to be permitted to euery person in the church where he is minister to haue such order or discipline or to vse such seruice as he listeth no mā seeketh for it But to haue the order which God hath left in those things which the word precisely appoynteth and in other thyngs to vse that whych shall be according to the rules of S. Paule before recited agreed by the church and constrined by the Prince And whereas you haue euer hitherto geuen the ordering of these thyngs to the churche howe come you nowe to ascribe it to the Bishops you meane I am sure the Bishops as we call Bishops heere in England whereby you fall into the opinion of the papists vnwares which when they haue spoken many things of the churche magnifically at the last they bring it nowe to the Doctors of the church nowe to byshops As forme although I doute not but there be many good men of the Byshoppes and very learned also and therfore very meete to be admitted into that consultation wherin it shal be cōsidered what things are good in the church yet in respect of that office and calling of a bishop which they now exercise I thinke that euery godly learned minister pastor of the churche hath more interest and right in respect of his office to be at that consultation then any bishop or archbishop in the realme for as muche as he hath an ordinarie calling of God function appoynted in the scriptures which he exerciseth and the other hath not But how thys authoritie pertaining to the whole church of making of such orders may and ought to be called to a certaine number that confusion may be auoyded and wyth the consent also of the churches to auoyde tyrannie it shall appeare in a more proper place where we shall haue occasion to speake of the eldership or gouernment in euery churche and of the communion and societie or participation and entercommuning of the churches togither by councels and assemblies prouinciall or nationall Answere till the Admonition from the beginning of the 30. page VNto the places of Deuteronomic whych proue that nothyng oughte to be done in the churche but that whych God commaundeth and that nothyng should be added nor diminished First you answere that that was a precept geuen to the Iewes for that time whych had all things euen the least prescribed vnto them I see it is true whych is sayd that one absurditie graūted a hundred follow For to make good that things ought to be done besides the scripture and worde of God you are driuen to runne into parte of the error of the Manichees whych say that the olde Testament pertaineth not vnto vs nor bindeth not vs For what is it else then to say that these two places serued for the Iewes time and vnder the lawe For surely if these two places agree not vnto vs in time of the gospell I knowe none in all the olde Testament whych doe agree and I praye you what is heere sayde whych S. Iohn in the * Apocalipse saythe not where he shutteth vp the newe Testament in thys sorte I protest vnto euery mā whych heareth the prophecie of thys boke that whosoeuer addeth any thing to it the Lorde shall adde vnto him the plagues whych are wrytten in it and whosoeuer taketh away any thing from it the Lord shall take away his portion out of the boke of life and out of the things that are wrytten in it which admonition if you say pertaineth to that boke of the Apocalipse only yet you must remember that the same may be as truely sayd of any other boke of the scripture Then you are driuen to saye that the Iewes vnder the lawe had a more certaine direction and consequently a readyer waye then we haue in the time of the gospell of the whych time the Prophet sayeth that then a man shoulde not teache his neighbor they shal be so taught of God as if he should say that they that liue vnder the gospel should be all in comparison of that whych were vnder the lawe Doctors And Esay sayth that in the dayes of the gospell the people shall not stande in the outward courtes but he will bring them into the sanctuarie that is to say that they shoulde be all for their knowledge as learned as the Leuites and Priestes whych only had entraunce into it Now if the Iewes had precepts of euery the least action whych told them precisely how they should walke how is not their case in that poynt better then oures whych because we haue in many things but generall rules are to seeke oftentimes what is the will of God whych we should follow But let vs examine their lawes and compare them with oures in the matters pertaining to the church for whereas the question is of the gouernment of the church it is very impertinent that you speake of the iudicialies as though you had not yet learned to distinguishe betweene the Church and common wealth To the ordering and gouerning of the church they had only the moral and ceremoniall law we haue the same morall that they had what speciall direction therfore they enioy by the benefite of that we haue We haue no ceremonies but two the ceremonies or sacraments of Baptisme and of the Lords supper we haue as certaine a direction to celebrate them as they had to celebrate their ceremonies and fewer and les difficulties can rise of oures then of theirs and we haue more plaine and expres doctrine to decide our cōtrouersies then they had for theirs What houre had they for their ordinarie and daily sacrifices was it not left to the order of the church what places were apointed in their seuerall dwellings to heare the woorde of God preached continually when they came not to Ierusalem the word was commaunded to be preached but no mention made what
experience teacheth it you neede not make it so strange as though you knew not what they meant To the next section beginning in the. 38. page WHat ought to be generall if thys ought not to put the minister that hathe bene an idolater from hys mynisterie is it not a commaūdement of God and geuen not of one Leuite or two but of all those that went backe not at one tyme but at others also when the like occasion was geuen as appeareth in the booke of Kings where all the priestes of the Lord that had sacrificed in the high places were not suffered to come to the altare in Ierusalem Doth not S. Paul make smaller causes of deposing from the mynistery then idolatrie for after he hath described what manner of men the ministers should be and deacons he addeth And being tryed let them execute their functions as long as they remayne blamelesse I thinke if so be a man had bene knowne to be an adulterer although he repented him yet none that is well aduised would take him into the ministerie For if S. Paul reiect him that had ij wyues at once which was a thing that the Iewes and Gentiles thought lawfull and that was common amongst them and had preuayled throughout all the world how much les would he suffer any to be admitted to the ministerie which should be an adulterer and haue an other mans wyfe which is condemned of all that professe the name of Christ and which is not so generall a mischeefe as that was Or would he suffer him to abyde in the ministerie which should commit such wickednes during his function lykewyse of a murtherer Now the sinne of Idolatry is greater more detestable then any of them in as much as pertayning to the first table it immediatly stayneth Gods honor and breaketh duetie to him vnto whom we more owe it without all comparison then to any mortall man And if S. Paul in the choyse of the widow to attende vpon the sicke of the church which was the lowest office in the church requireth not only such a one as is at the time of the choise honest and holy but such a one as hath led her whole life in all good workes and with commendation how much more is that to be obserued in the minister or byshop of the church that he be not only at the tyme of his choyse but all other times before such a one as hath lyued without any notable and open offence of those amongst whome he had his conuersation If I should stand with you whether Peter his forswearing that he knew not Christ were a greater fault then to go from the gospell to idolatrie and there in for some long space to continue as the Leuites dyd I shoulde trouble you For if a man sodenly and at a push for feare and to saue his life say and sweare he is no christian and the same day repent him of hys fault although it be a great and haynous cryme yet it seemeth not to be so great as his is which not only denyeth Christ in words but doth it also in deedes and worshippeth Antichrist and continueth in that worship not a day but moneths and yeares But I wil answere you that euen as our sauiour Christ called S. Paule in the heate of his persecution whē he was a blasphemer vnto the Apostleship so he hauing the law in his owne handes and making no lawes for him selfe but for vs might call S. Peter also to that function which had thrise denyed him But as it is not lawfull for vs to follow the example of Christ in calling of Paul by admitting those which are new conuerted hauing a contrary precept geuen that no * new plant or greene christian should be taken to the mynisterie So is it not lawfull to follow that example of our sauiour Christ the contrary being commaunded as I haue before alledged For albeit the examples of our sauiour Christ be to be followed of vs yet if there be commaundementes generall to the contrary then we must know that it is our partes to walke in the broade and beaten way as it were the common caussie of the commaundement rather then an outpathe of the example I know Ambrose was taken newly from Paganisme to be bishop of Millaine for the great estimatiō credite he had amongst the people but besides that I haue shewed that suche thinges are vnlawfull being forbidden The errors and corrupt expounding of scriptures which are founde in his workes declare that it had bene more safe for the churche if by studie of the scriptures he hadde first bene a scholer of dyuinitie or euer he hadde beene made doctor There may be more examples shewed out of that which you call the prymitiue churche to the contrary of that which you say For when they vsed often tymes agaynste those that hadde so falne suche seueritie in deede extreme and excessiue that they were neuer after vntill their deathes admitted to the Lordes table I leaue to you to thinke whether they woulde then suffer any suche to execute the function of the ministerie Besides that S. Cyprian hath also a speciall treatise of thys that those that haue sacrificed to idolles should not be permitted any more to minister in the church But you aske what they say to M. Luther Bucer Crannier Latimer Ridley I pray you when dyd these excellent personages euer slide from the gospell vnto idolatrie which of them dyd euer say Masse after God had opened them the truth what hath so blynded you that you can not distinguishe and put a difference betweene one that hauing bene nousled from hys youthe vp in idolatrie commeth afterwardes out of it and betweene hym which hauing knowledge of the gospell afterward departeth from it and of such is the place of Ezechiel of such I say as haue gone backe and fallen away I know none that haue beene preachers of the gospell and after in the time of Queene Mary malsemongers which now are zealous godly learned preachers and if there be any suche I thincke for offence sake the Church might better be without them then haue them You say God in that place sheweth how greuous a sinne idolatrie is in the priestes especially And is it not now more greuous in the mynister of the gospell whose function is more precious and knowledge greater And if the sinne be greater should it haue now a lesse punishment then it had then how shall the fault be esteemed great or little but by the greatnes or smalnesse of the punishment you sayde before the places of Deuteronomie touching adding and diminishing nothing from that which the Lord commaundeth were for the Iewes and are not for our times And thys commaundement of God in Ezechiel you say serued for that time and not for oures You worke a sure way which to mayntayne your corruptions deny the scripture which speaketh agaynst them to be vnderstanded of those which be in our time
muste remember that S. Luke coulde not learne to speake of them that came two or three hundreth yeares after him but he borrowed thys phrase of speache of those that were before him and therfore speaketh of elections as they did So that you see thys shift will not serue Let vs therfore see your third whych is that although the Churches consent was then required yet is it not nowe and that it is no general rule no more then say you that all things should be therfore common now because they were in the Apostles time The authors of the Admonition wyth their fauourers muste be counted Anabaptists no one word being shewed whych tendeth thervnto you must accuse them whych confirme that foundation whereof they build their communitie of all things whych is one of their cheefe heresies If I shoulde saye nowe that you are like to those that rowe in a boate whych although they loke backwards yet they thrust a nother way I should speake with more likelihode thē you haue done For althoughe you make a countenaunce and speake hotely against Anabaptistes yet in deede you strengthen their handes wyth reasons But I will not say so neither doe I thinke that you fauoure that secte but only the whirlewinde and tempest of your affection bent to maintaine this estate whereby you haue so great honoure and wealth driueth you vpon these rocks to wracke your selfe on and others For I pray you what communitie is spoken of either in the second thirde or fourth of the Actes whych ought not to be in the church as long as the world standeth was there any communitie but as touching the vse and so farre for the as the pore brethren had neede of and not to take euery man a like was it not in any man his power to sell his houses or landes or not to sell them When he had solde them was it not in euery man his libertie to keepe the money to hymselfe at his pleasure and all they that were of the Church did not sell their possessions but those whose heartes the Lord touched singularly wyth the compassion of the neede of others and whome God had blessed wyth aboundance that they had to serue them selues and helpe others and therefore it is reckened as a rare example that * Barnabas the Cyprian and Leuite did sel hys possessions and brought the price to the feete of the Apostles And as for Ananias Saphira they were not punished for because they brought not the price of their possessions to the Apostles but because they lyed saying that they had brought the whole when they had brought but parte And to be shorte is there any more done there then S. Paule prescribeth to the Corinthians and in them to all churches to the worldes end After he had exhorted to liberalitie towardes the pore churche in Ierusalem not sayth he that other should be releeued and you oppressed but vpon like condition at this time your aboundance supplieth their lacke that also their aboundance maye be for youre lacke that there might be equalitie as it is wrytten he that gathered much had nothing ouer and he that gathered little had not the les Surely it were better you were no Doctor in the Churche then that the Anabaptistes should haue suche holde to bring in their communitie as you geue them In summe the Apostolike communitie or the Churches in their time was not Anabaptisticall Vnto the place of the seconde Epistle to the Corinthians and. 8. chapter you aske what maketh that to the election of the ministers but why doe not you say heere as you did in the other place that the apostle meaneth nothing els but the putting on of the handes of them whych ordained for the same worde cheirotonetheis is heere vsed that was there and this place dothe manifestly and wythout all contradiction conuince your vaine signification that you make of it in the other place and the vntruthe saying that the scripture vseth thys woorde for a solemne manner of ordering ministers by putting on of handes For heere it is sayde that he that was ioyned wyth Paule was cheirotonetheis by the church and it is manifest that the imposition of hands was not by the church people but by the elders and ministers as it appeareth in s Paule to Timothe Now to come to that which you make so light of for say you how foloweth this the church chose Luke or Barnabas to be cōpanion of Paule his iourney Ergo the churches must chuse their ministers It followeth very well for if it were thought◠meete that Saynte Paule shoulde not chuse hym selfe of hys owne authoritie a companion to helpe hym being an Apostle is there any archbyshoppe that shall dare take vppon him to make a minister of the gospell being so many degrees bothe in authoritie and in all giftes needefull to discerne and trye oute or take knowledge of a sufficient minister of the gospell inferioure to S. Paule And if S. Paule woulde haue the authoritye of the churche to ordaine the Minister that shoulde ayde hym in other places for the gathering of reliefe of the poore Churches howe muche more did he thincke it meete that the Churches shoulde chuse their owne Minister whych should gouerne them Which things may be also sayde of the election in the first of the Actes for there the Churche firste chose two whereof one shoulde be an Apostle whych shoulde not be Minister of that Church but should be sent into all the world So that alwayes the Apostles haue shunned to do any thing of their owne willes without the knowledge eyther of those churches where they instituted any gouernors or if it were for the behofe of those places where there were no churches gathered yet would they ordaine none but by the consent of some other churche whych was already established You will not deny but that in the Apostles time and S. Cyprians time in many places the consent of the people was required shewe any one place where it was not Dothe not S. Luke say that it was done churche by churche that is in euery churche And where you say it endured but to S. Cyprians time it shall appeare to all men that it endured in the churche a thousande yeare and more after hys time And it appeareth in that he vsed it not as a thing indifferent but necessary and argueth the necessitye of it of the place of the first of the Acts which is alleaged by the authors of the Admonition and so they are not their argumentes that you throwe vp so scornefully saying how followeth this and this what proueth it but Cyprians whome by their sides you thrust throughe and so vnreuerently handle But you say these examples are no generall rules Examples of all the Apostles in all churches and in all purer times vncontrolied and vnretracted eyther by any the primitiue and purer churches or by any rule of the scripture I thinke ought to stand If
that nothing in the churches be disorderly and wickedly done ought to driue that church from that election to an other whych is conuenient Nowe I will examine the reasons which you adde to proue that although in times past the church chused their ministers yet nowe it must be otherwise To the fyrst difference in the. 44. page YOu say it was in the Apostles times vnder the crosse and therfore few and so might easely knowe one an other who were fitte for the ministerie But you forget your selfe maruellously For in the Apostles times the churche I meane visible and sensible for else how could it be persecuted was sowne not only through out all Asia whych is the greatest part of the world but through a great part of Affrica and no small portion of Europe and nowe it is shut in a small corner of Europe being altogither banished out of Asia and Affrica And therfore there are not the tithe nowe of those that professed the gospell then and what a conclusion is thys the churches were few in numbre because they were vnder the crosse For to let passe bothe other scriptures and stories ecclesiastical haue you forgotten that whych is sayd in Exodus that the more the children of Israell were pressed and persecuted the more they multiplied Thē you say they kepte togither and mette often and so knowing one another were best able to iudge one of an other But heerein you speake as one that hathe small experience of persecuted churches for in the time of persecution the christians that were in one great citie were faine to gather them selues oute of all the corners and from all the endes of the Citie to one place being not able to deuide them selues into many parishes bothe for other considerations and because they were not able to maintaine many ministers and elders and Deacons wherby it may be vnderstande that by all likelyhode in one great citye they had but one congregation and therfore that must needes be scattered heere and there and so could not haue the commoditye eyther of often meeting or of knowing one an other so well as where suche a citie is deuided into many churches Those that knowe the estate of Fraunce in the time of persecution do well vnderstand that euery church almost was gathered of townes whereof some were sixe miles some seuen some more from the place of meeting and keeping their congregations And therefore coulde not meete so often nor knowe one an other so well as we by the grace of God may do whych meete oftner and in les number then they doe To the second difference To your seconde difference I answere that in deede there be hipocrites in our churches now and so were there then but moe nowe than then I graunte you that also but there is no great daunger in them as touching the election of the minister or byshop for that in suche open and publike actions that come into the eyes of all men there is no good man will doe so holily as they will doe although it be fainedly The hurt that they do is in closer and secreater matters But where you say oure churches are full of drunkardes and whoremongers besides that you vtter or euer you be aware howe euill succes the preaching of the gospell hath had heere for want of discipline and good ecclesiasticall gouernment you bewray a great ignoraunce For although there be hipocrites whych beare the face of godly men in the churche whose wickednes is onlye knowne to God and therfore can not be discouered by men yet in the churches of Christe there be no drunkardes nor whoremongers at least whych are knowne For either vpon admonition of the churche they repent and so are neyther drunkardes nor whoremongers or else they are cutte of by excommunication if they continue stubborne in their sinnes and so are none of the churche and therefore haue nothing to do in the election of the minister of the church And me thincketh you shuld not haue ben ignorāt of this that although there be * tares in the floure of the church whych are like the wheat therfore being groūd easely mete togither in the lofe yet there are no acornes whych are bread for swine And although there be * goates amongst the flocke of the churche because they haue some likelyhode wyth the sheepe feeding as they doe geuing milke as they doe yet in the church of Christe there are no swine nor hogges It pertaineth to God only to seuere the tares from the wheate and the goates from the sheepe but the churches can discerne betweene wheat and acornes betweene swine and sheepe To the thirde in the. 44. page If they had knowledge then it was because they were taughte and that they are ignorant nowe it is because they haue no good ministers to teach them and if the churches should chuse their ministers I am sure they coulde not chuse worse then for the moste parte they haue nowe being thrust vpon them To the fourth in 45. page I see that when a man is out of hys way the further he goeth the worse Before you placed in the church whoremongers and drunkards as filthy swine in the Lordes courtes nowe you bring in Papistes and Idolaters and Atheistes whych are not only filthy but also poysoned and venoumed beastes I am not ignorant of that distinction whych sayth that there be in the churche whych are not of the church and those are hypocrites as is before sayd but I woulde gladly learne of you what scripture there is to proue that Idolaters and Papistes and Atheistes are in the church when S. Paule calleth all suche wythout the churche and wyth whome the churche had nothing to doe nor they with the church You might as well haue placed in the church Wolues Tigres Lions and Beares that is Tirantes and persecutors For those ye speake of are in the iudgement of men and of the church as well shut out of it as they in the eye of the Lord they may in time be of the church and so may and are sometimes the persecutors themselues so it appeareth that the election of the church is not nor ought not to be hindered by those that haue nothing to do with it But now I heare you aske me what then shal become of the Papists and Atheists if you will not haue them be of the church I answer that they may be of in the common wealth whych neither may nor can be of nor in the churche And therfore the churche hauing nothing to doe wyth suche the magistrate ought to see that they ioyne to heare the sermons in the place where they are made whether it be in those parishes where there is a church and so preaching or where else he shall thinke best and cause them to be examined howe they profite and if they profite not to punishe them as their contempt groweth so to encrease the punishmēt vntill suche times as
oute any wythout good cause that then the Magistrates shoulde compell the churches to doe their duetye In deede the byshop of Rome gaue the election then into the Emperoure hys handes because of the lyghtnesse of the people as Platina maketh mention but that is not the matter for I do nothing else heere but shew that the elections of the ministers by the Church were vsed in the times of the Emperoures and by their consentes and seeing that Otho confessed it pertayned not vnto him it is to be doubted whether he tooke it at the Bishop his handes And if the Emperoures permitted the election of the byshop to that Citie where it made most for their suertie to haue one of their owne appoyntment as was Rome which with their byshoppes dyd often tymes put the good Emperoures to trouble it is to be thought that in other places both Cities townes they dyd not deny the elections of the ministers to the people Besides that certayne of those constitutions are not of Rome but of any citie whatsoeuer And these Emperoures were and lyued betweene 500. and odde yeares vntill the very poynt of a thousande yeares after Christ so that hyther to thys lyberty was not gone out of the Church albeit the Pope which brought in all tyranny and went about to take all libertie from the churches was now on horse backe had placed hym selfe in that Antichristian seate To the next section in the 45. THose that write the Centuries suspect thys Canon and doubt whether it be a bastarde or no considering the practise of the church But heere or euer you were aware you haue striken at your selfe For before you sayde that thys order of chusing the minister by voyces of the church was but in the Apostles tyme and duryng the time of persecution And the first time you can alledge thys libertie to be taken awaye was in the 334. yeare of our Lorde which was at the least 31. yeares after that Constantine the great began to raigne I say at the least because there be good authors that say that thys Councell of Laodicea was holden Anno. 338. after the death of Iouinian the Emperoure and so there is 35. yeares betweene the beginning of Constantines raigne and thys councel Now I thinke you will not say that the Church was vnder persecution in Cōstantines tyme And therfore you see you are greatly deceiued in your accoumpt And if it be as lawfull for vs to vse maister Caluins authoritie which both by example and wrytings hath alwayes defended our cause as it is for you to wryng him and his wordes to things which he neuer meant and the contrary wherof he continually practised then thys authoritie of youres is dashed For maister Caluin sayth where as it is sayd in that councel that the election should not be permitted to the people it meaneth nothing else but that they should make no election without hauing some ministers or men of iudgement to direct them in their election and to gather their voyces and prouyde that nothing be done tumultuously euen as Paule and Barnabas were cheefe in the election of the churches And euen the same order woulde we haue kepte in elections continually for auoyding of confusion for as we would haue the libertie of the Church preserued which Christ hath bought so dearely from all tyranny so do we agayne condemne and vtterly abhorre all barbarous confusion and disorder But if councelles be of so great authoritie to decide thys controuersy then the most famous councell of Nice will strike a great stroke with you which in an Epistle that it wryteth vnto the Church of Egipt as Theodoret maketh mention speaketh thus It is meete that you should haue power both to chuse any man and to geue their names which are worthy to be amongst the clergye and to doe all things absolutely according to the law and decrees of the churche And if it happen any to dye in the churche then those which were last taken are to be promoted to the honor of him that is dead with thys condition if they be worthy and the people chuse them and the bishop of the citie of Alexandria together geuing his consent and appoynting them An other of the famousest councelles called the councell of Constantinople which was gathered vnder Theodosius the great as it is witnessed by the * Tripartite storie in an Epistle which it wrote to Damasus the pope and Ambrose and others sayth thus We haue ordayned Nectarius the byshoppe of Constantinople with the whole consent of the counsell in the sight of the Emperour Theodosius beloued of God the whole Citie together decreeing the same Likewise he sayth that Flauian was appoynted by that synode byshop of Antioche the whole people appoynting him Likewise in the councell of Carthage where Augustine was holden about anno domini 400. in the first canon of the councell it is sayde when hee hath bene examyned in all these and founde fully instructed then let hym be ordayned Byshop by the common consent of the clarkes and the lay people and the Byshoppes of the prouince and especially eyther by the authoritie or presence of the metropolitane And in the Toletane councell as it appeareth in the 51. distinction it was thus ordayned Let not hym be counted a priest of the Churche for so they speake whome neyther the clergye nor people of that citie where he is a priest doth chuse nor the consent of the metropolitane other priests in that prouince hath sought after Moreouer concilium Cabilonense which was holden anno domini 650. in the tenth Canon hath thys If any Bishop after the death of hys predecessor be chosen of any but of the byshops in the same prouince and of the cleargie citizens let an other be chosen and if it be otherwise let that ordination be accompted of none effect All which councelles proue manifestly that as the people in their elections had the ministers rounde about or synodes counceiles directing them so there was none came to be ouer the people but by their voyces or consentes To the next section in the 45. page Thys alteration c. IN deede if you put such darke coleures vpon the Apostles church as thys is it is no maruell if it ought not to be a patrone to vs of framing and fashioning our church after it But O Lord who can paciently heare thys horrible disorder ascribed to the Apostles church which heere you attribute vnto it that euery one hand ouer head preached baptised and expounded the Scriptures VVhat a window nay what a gate is opened heere to Anabaptistes to confirme their fantasticall opynion wherin they holde that euery man whome the spirite moueth may come euen from the ploughe taile to the pulpit to preache the worde of god If you say it is Ambrose saying and not youres I answere vnlesse you allow it why bring you it and that to proue the difference betwene the Apostles times and these
red that there are now Apostles and Euangelistes and Prophetes You shall assuredly doe maruelles if you proue that as you say you will if any denye it I denye it proue you it And that you may haue some thing to doe more then peraduenture you thoughte of when you wrote these words I will shew you my reasons why I thinke there ought to be none nor can be none vnles they haue wonderfull and extraordinarie callings It must first be vnderstanded that the signification of thys worde Apostle when it is properly taken extendeth it selfe not only to all the ministers of God being sent of God but to the ambassadoure of any Prince or Noble man or that is sent of any publike authoritie and is vsed of the scripture by the trope of Synechdoche for the twelue that oure sauior Christ appoynted to go throughout all the world to preache the gospell vnto the whych number was added S. Paule and as some thinke Barnabas whych are seuered from all other ministers of the gospell by these notes First that they were immediately called of God as s. Paule to the Galathians proueth him selfe to be an apostle because he was not appoynted by men Then that they sawe Christe whych argument S. Paule vseth Am I not an Apostle haue I not seene Christe Thirdly that these had the fielde of the whole worlde to Till where as other are restrained more perticularly as to a certen ploughe lande wherein they shoulde occupye them selues Wherevppon it followeth that as we conclude against the Pope truely that he can be no successor of the Apostles not only because he neyther reacheth nor dothe as they did but because the Apostles haue no successors neither any can succeede into the office of an Apostle so maye we likewise conclude against those that would haue the Apostles nowe adayes that there can be none because there is none vnto whome all these three notes doe agree as that he is bothe sent of God immediately or that he hath seene Christ or that he is sent into all the world And althoughe some Ecclesiasticall wryters do call sometimes good ministers successors of the Apostles yet that is to be vnderstanded because they propound the same doctrine y they did not because they succeded into the same kinde of function whych they could not doe S. Paule doth vse this word Apostle sometimes in hys proper and natiue signification for hym that is publikely sent from any to other as when he speaketh of the brethren that were ioyned wyth Titus whych were sent by the churches wyth reliefe to the pore church in Ierusalem and Iewrie and where he calleth Epaphroditus an Apostle But that is wyth addition and not simply as in the first place he calleth the brethren the apostles of the Churches that is not the apostles of all Churches or sent to all churches but the apostles whych certaine churches sent with the reliefe to other certaine churches and Epaphroditus he calleth not an apostle simply but the apostle of the Philippians that is whych the Philippians sent wyth reliefe to Paule being in prison at Rome as it appeareth in the same Epistle And as for Andronicus and Iunius whych are by you recited belyke to proue that we may haue more apostles because it is sayd of S. Paule that they were famous and notable amongst the apostles it cannot be proued by any thing I see there whether they had any function Ecclesiasticall or no. For S. Paule calleth them hys kinneffolke and fellowe prisonners and dothe not say that they were his fellowe labourers and a man may be well notable and famous amongst the apostles and well knowne vnto them whych is no apostle And if the apostles would haue had this order of the apostles to continue in the church there is no doubt but that they would haue chosen one into Iames hys roume when he was slaine as they did when they supplied the place of Iudas by chusing Mathias and so euer as they had died the other would haue put other in their places So it appeareth that thys function of the apostles is ceased You aske farther that if a man should not preach before he haue a pastoral charge what they will answere vnto Phillip and Epaphroditus wherby your meaning is belike that although they be no pastors yet they may be euangelists whych goe about the countrey heere and there â–ª But this office is ceased in the church as the apostles is sauing that sometime the Lord doth raise vp some extraordinarily for the building vp of the churches whych are falne downe pulled vp by the foundations as I haue shewed somewhat before And that it is ceased it may appeare by these reasons First for because all those that the scripture calleth precisely Euangelists which are only Phillip and Timothe had their callings confirmed by miracle and so it is like that Titus and Syluanus and Apollos and if there were any other had their vocations after the same manner confirmed but there is no such miraculous confirmation nowe therfore there is no suche vocation For allbeit those that God hathe raised vp in those darke times and ouerthrowes of the church wherof meÌ„tion is made before as M. Luther c. had not their â—allings alwayes confirmed by direct and manifest miracles of hearing or raising vp from the deade yet the maruellous succes and blessing that the Lord gaue vnto their labors were sufficient seales vnto all men that althoughe they had no ordinarie calling nor by men yet they were sent of God That I speake nothing of the miraculous deliuerances that some of them had out of dangers by warning geuen of pearils by those whych were neuer seene before nor after and by such like wonderfull meanes as are to be seene in stories Nowe againe if there should be any Euangelist who should ordaine him you will say the Bishop But I say that cannot be that the greater shoulde be ordained of the les For the Euangeliste is a higher degree in the churche then is the byshop or pastor And if he be so whye hathe he not hys estimation heere in the Churche aboue the Byshop or Archbyshop eyther for the Archbyshop is but a Byshop or whye dothe not he ordaine Byshoppes as Timothe and Titus did whych were Euangelistes being one poynte of their office as * Eusebius declareth Againe if there be in euery churche a pastor as S. Paule commaundeth what should the Euangelists do for either that pastor doth his duetie and then the Euangelist is superfluous or if he do it not then he is no lawfull pastor and so ought he to be put out an other to be put in hys stead And where the pastor doing hys duety can not suffice there the scripture hath geuen him an ayde of the doctor which for because his office consisteth in teaching doctrine to thys ende y the pastor mighte not be driuen to spende so muche time in propounding the
doctrine but might haue the more time to employ in exhorting and dehorting applying of the doctrine to the times and places and persons it is manifest that he also is tied to a certaine church For howe could he be an aide vnto the pastor to whose helpe he is geuen onles he were in the same churche where the pastor is And that the Euangelistes office hath bene so taken as a function that endured but for a time it maye appeare first by that whych Eusebius wryteth speaking of Pantenus for sayeth he there were vntill that time Euangelists c. whych was about the yeare of our Lord. 162. whereby he geueth to vnderstand that about that time they ceassed and that in his time there was none when notwithstanding there were Byshops or pastors elders and Deacons And Ambrose sayth that there be no Apostles but those whych Christ himselfe dyd appoynte whereby it appeareth that of all the Ecclesiasticall functions that preache the worde there are but the pastor and Doctor only left vnto vs and the same also restrained to particulare charges Now that I haue proued that there are no Euangelists Prophets or Apostles and that the ministeries of the worde whych remaine are limited vnto certaine places I will take that whych you graunte that is that the pastor or byshop ought to haue a speciall flocke And demaund of you wherfore he should haue it is it not to attend vpon it and can he attend vpon it onles he be resident and abiding vpon it but he can not be abiding vpon it if he go from place to place to preach where he thincketh necessary therfore being pastor or bishop of a congregation allotted vnto him he maye not goe from place to place to preache where he thinketh good muche les to haue a mastership of a colledge in one corner of the land a deanrie in an other and a prebend in the third and so be absent from his pastorall charge in such places where either he preacheth not or nedeth not to preach those places being otherwise furnished wythout him For thē how is this difference kept betweene the pastor other ministers that the one is tied to a place the other is not For if you say that it is in that he shall preach more at his flocke then at other places I answer that the Euangelists and Apostles did tary longer in one place then in another taught some congregations yeres when they did not other some monethes And therefore they say nothing whych alledge for the non residence of pastors that S. Paule called Timothe Titus from Ephesus and Crete For first they were Euangelists and no pastors thē they went not of their owne heads but called of the apostle whych was a cheefe gouernor of the churche And thirdly they went not but hauing other sufficient put in their place as it appeareth in their seuerall Epistles so that if that place make any thing it maketh not to proue the non residencie but rather whether a minister may be translated from one church to an other But I will neuer wearye my penne to confute those whome their owne consciences are to strong for and confuteth euery night when they go to bed for that were nothing else but to reason with the belly that hath no eares to heare or with the backe that hathe no eyes to see Those that thinke that they hauing charges of their owne yet may goe from place to place where they thinke it necessary and that it skilleth not where they preache so they preach must consider that if they thincke that God is the author of their placing in their flockes then that either their abode there is nedeful and expedient or else that God did not see well and clearely what was meete to be done in placing them ouer that congregation and appoynting that that congregation shoulde hang and depende vppon them for their nourishment and good gouernement And you see that if I wold folow those noble metaphores of watchman shephard whych the scripture vseth to expres the office of a minister with what a large field is opened vnto me For then I could shew you how that cities beseged and flockes in danger of the wolues are * watched continually night day And that there is no citye so sore and so continually besieged nor no flockes subiect to so manifold diseases at home or hurtfull and deuouring beastes abrode that wythout any truce or intermission as are the churches the shepheards and watchmen wherof are pastors or byshops But I wil leaue that to their considerations and will shew that the partes and dueties of the minister be suche and so many in hys owne flocke the if he were as wise as Salomon was as great in coūsel as Ioseph as wel learned as s Paul as actiue as Iosue whych fought so many battels in small space yet all were little enough or too little to performe to the full that whych his charge requireth of hym Of the pastors therefore is required not only the preaching of the word and ministring of the sacraments wherof the preaching of the word and ministring of the sacrament of baptisme ought to be continually and as oft as the church may conueniently assemble the other sacrament of the Lord his supper although not so continually for that the church shall hardly haue so much leifure from their necessary affaires of this life as that they may celebrate it as often as the other yet so often as that we remēber that too rare and seldome celebrating it argueth a minde too too muche forgetfull of the vnspeakeable benefite of our redemption and argueth also that we are farre behinde the primitiue church in zeale whych did celebrate it euery Saboth I say beside the preaching of the word and ministring of the sacraments there is required of him that he shoulde admonishe priuately and house by house those that are vnder hys charge Nowe tell me howe this can be done profitably wythoute a diligent marking and loking into their manners Howe can eyther publike preachings or priuate admonitions haue their effect and working onles the worde of God be applied according to the disposition or state of that people vnto whych it is preached and vndoubtedly heereof it commeth that the word of God is no more effectuall in this realme then it is for because it is preached hand ouer head wythout knowledge and vnderstanding the estate of the people For so often times the promises and glad tidings of the gospell of oure sauioure are preached vnto those that being before secure in their sinnes are after the hearing of the promises rocked into a deade sleepe of them and they that are ouerthrowne wyth the conscience of their sinne and confounded in them selues are by the sharpnesse of the lawe and hearing of the iudgement of God broken into peeces and driuen to desperation And so likewyse the people are taught sometimes howe to lead their
one chaine of ignorance and want of the knowledge of god he layeth a thousand traps for them to snare them with So that the continuall danger that the church is in dothe as it were speake vnto the pastor in the common prouerbe Sparten hen claches kosma that is looke diligently to that charge whych thou haste receiued For if the watchman shoulde forsake the Citie wherevnto he is appoynted and goe and watche in an other where he is not called althoughe he saue that if he lose the other he shall not therefore escape the punishment of betraying the other citie where he was placed watchman Touching the behalfe of God his glory if any man will say that they can not pearish which once haue beleued and therfore those may be left and others attempted I can say of those that are in ignorance and blindnes that they cānot pearish that be elected although they neuer haue the gospel preached And therfore we muste walke in those wayes that God hathe appoynted to bring them to saluation whych is to feede them continually and watche ouer them so long as they are in danger of hunger in danger of wolues in danger of the ennemyes within and without which is so long as the church is heere vpon the earth Vpon all whych things I conclude that the residence of the pastor is necessary and to dout whether the pastor ought to be resident amongst his flocke is to doubt whether the watchman should be in hys tower the eye shoulde be in the head or the soule in the body or the shepheard amongst his flocke especially where the sheepe are continually in danger of wolues as in the lande of Iewrie from whence thys similitude or manner of speache was taken where they watched their flockes night and day as I obserued before out of S. Luke If any man will herevpon conclude that they haue no space geuen them to slepe to eat to drink c. they are cauils which I wil not vouchsafe to answer Againe if he wil say that then they may not goe for the of the towne to doe their necessary busines for their families I desire them in the name of God that they abuse not his graces in deuising cloakes to couer their disorders but that they would set before them the loue of Christ whych shall be found to be so much as they shall shew themselues diligent in continuall feeding their flockes to feare the iudgement of God before whome no fained or coloured excuse will stande and so I trust they will make no longer absences then must needes And if vpon any occasion at any time they be somewhat longer that the same be not without the leaue of their churches whose they are and which they for the Lord hys sake serue and then also that in such rare and necessary absence they prouide them of some able man to teach in the meane season which the church by her gouernoures will allow of And heereupon also is ended an other question that the answerer maketh whether one may haue many flockes which is whether one shepheard may bee many shepheards one watcheman many watchmen For if his residence be necessary in one place then he ought to content him selfe with one And whereas you would haue men charitably iudge of those which take many lyuinges surely if so be that he taketh many flockes not to the intent to haue more lyuing to mayntaine an ambitious pompe or to satisfie a greedy desire of hauing more then enough but to thys end y he may bring in a more plentifull harnest vnto the Lorde it were good that he would be content to take but that lyuing of all hys flockes which he now hath of one especially where one is able to keepe and maintayne hym and hys family honestly Else let hym heare what councels others haue thought of those which haue more benefices then one In the. 15. Canon of the councell of Nice it is cōmaunded that no clearke should be placed in two Churches and he addeth the reasons whereof the first is that it is a poynt of marchaundise and of filthy gayne The seconde that no man can serue two maisters The thirde that euery one ought to * tary in that calling wherein he is called And in the seconde Tome of the Councelles Damasus in hys fourth Epistle lykeneth those that set ouer their charges vnto other vnto harlots whiche assone as they haue brought forth their children by and by geue them to be nourished of others to the intent that they might the soner fulfill their inordynare lustes Whether it were better y one dyligent pastoure should haue many flockes then a neglygent and vnskilfull pastor one is not the question for we say neither is lawfull nor ought to be done Doe you beleeue that which you sette down of Denys the monke Pope that he deuised and deuided parishes If you doe not why would you haue vs beeleeue it If the law doth condemne hym that turneth a blynde man out of the way or layeth a blocke before hym what doth it hym which would put out the eyes of them that see their way already I haue shewed and the matter is playne that the Lorde deuyded nationall churches into parishes and congregations so that if S. Paule haue not the word of parishe yet hee hath the thing And those that haue redde storyes know that dioiceris which we call a Diocese and which contayneth with vs numbers of parishes was at the first taken to be the same that parishe is and vsed a great while before Denys was borne or monkery begotten And as for Coemeteria or Churchyardes if you meane those places that lye nexte rounde about the churches as they came in with the monke they mighte well haue gone out with him for any profite eyther to the church or common wealth cometh by them But if you meane as the Greeke word which is there vsed signifieth a fitte place where the bodyes of men sleepe and are buried attending the tyme of their rising vp agayne in the last and generall day of iudgement then these churchyardes were in the time of the law and in the primitiue church and at all times when there was any outwarde pollicie of the churche and especially when the church had quietnesse and peace that it might without daunger * bury their deade in some certen conuenient place thereunto appoynted which was for feare of the infection commonly as it may be gathered in the field and out of the towne vnto the which vse custome if it myght be done conueniently it were well that we were restored both because it is more safe for the preseruation of the townes and cities in their health as also for that through the superstition whiche hath beene of being buryed rather in the church then in the churche yarde in the chauncell rather then in the church nearer the high altare then further of the remnantes whereof are in a great
things Dauid was a lawfull and godly magistrate and yet there slipt from him commaundementes whych were neither lawfull nor godly But he addeth that it is done for order and for decencie wythout superstition or suspition of it This is that whych is in controuersy and oughte to be proued and M. Doctor still taketh it as graunted and still faulteth in the petition of the principle wherwith he chargeth others The second reason is that they that weare thys apparell haue edified and do edify whych is as if a man would say the midwiues whych lied vnto Pharao did much good amongst the Israelites Ergo their lying did much good If he will say the comparison is not like because the one is not sinne in hys owne nature whereas the other is sinne then take thys One that stammereth and stutteth in his toÌ„g edifieth the people therfore stammering and stutting is good to edifie For what if the Lorde geue hys blessing vnto hys worde and to other good giftes whych he hath that preacheth and weareth a surplice c. Is it to be thought therfore that he liketh well of the wearing of that apparell This is to assigne the cause of a thing to that whych is not only not the cause thereof but some hinderance also and sâ—aking of that wherof it is supposed to be a cause For a man may rather reason that for as much as they which preache with surplice c. edify notwithstaÌ„ding that they therby driue away some and to other some giue â—â—spition of euill c. if they preached wythout wearing any suche thyng they should edify much more And yet if a man were assured to gaine a thousande by doing of that which may offend or cause to fall one brother he ought not to do it The third reason is that they which consent in wearing the surplices consent also in all other poynts of doctrine and they that do not weare it do not consent not so much as amongst them selues If this consent in the poynts of religion be in the surplice cope c. tel vs I beseche you whether in the matter or in y form or in what hid and vnknowne quality staÌ„deth it if it be in that the ministers vse all one apparell then it is maruell that this being so strong a bond to holde them togither in godly vnitie that it was neuer commauÌ„ded of Christ nor practised of prophets or apostles neuer of no other reformed churches I had thought wholy that those things which the lord appoynteth to maintaine kepe vnitie with especially the holy sacrameÌ„ts of baptisme of the lords supper had ben strong enough to haue first of all knit vs vnto the lord therfore also to his doctrine then one of vs to an other that the dissenting in such a ceremony as a surplice c. neither should nor could in those that pertaine vnto God breake the vnitie of the spirit whych is bouÌ„d wyth the bond of truth And although there be whych like not this apparell that thinke otherwise then either their brethren or then in dede they ought to do yet a man may finde greater dissent amongst those whych are vnited in surplice cope c. then there is amongst those which weare them not either with them selues or with them that weare them For how many there are that weare surplices which would be gladder to say a masse than to heare a sermon let all the world iudge And of those y do weare this apparel be otherwise wel minded to the gospel are ther not which wil wear the surplis not the cap other the wil weare both cap surplice but not the tippet yet a third sort the wil weare surplice cap tippet but not the cope It hath ben the maner alwayes of wise learned men to esteme of things by the causes not by the euent that especially in matters of religion for if they shuld be estemed of the euent who is there which wil not condemne the Israelites battell against Aye afterward against the Beniamites which notwithstanding the cause which was Gods wist and Gods commaundement iustifieth And therfore in a worde I answere the if there be such consent amongst those which like wel of this apparell and such iarres amongst those that like it not as M. doctor wold make the world beleue neither is the wearing of the surplice c. cause of the consent in them nor the not wearing cause of the disagrement in the other But as our knowledge loue is vnperfect here in this world so is our agrement consent of iudgemeÌ„t vnperfect And yet all these harde speaches of yours or vncharitable suspitions of papisme anabaptisme catharisine donatisme c. wherby you do as much as lieth in you to cut vs cleane of from you shal not be able so to estrange vs or seperate vs from you but that we wil by gods grace hold what so euer you hold well kepe that vnitie of spirit which is the bond of truth eueÌ„ with you M. doctor whom we suppose as appeareth by this your boke to haue set your selfe further from vs then numbers of those which although they be content to receiue the apparel beare with things yet wold haue ben loth to haue set downe the against the sinceritie of the gospel hinderance of reformation which you haue done The white apparell which is a note true representation of the glory purenes in the angels shuld be a lying signe preteÌ„ce of that which is not in the ministers which are miserable sinful men And our sauior Christ which was the minister of God pure from sin therfore metest to weare the marke of purenes vsed no such kinde of weede sauing only for the smal time wherin he wold geue to his disciples in the mount a tast of that glory which he shuld enioy for euer they with him where for the time his apparel appeared as white as snow And if it be mete that the ministers shuld represent the angels in their apparel it is much more mete that they shuld haue a paire of wings as the angels are described to haue to put them in remeÌ„brance of their readines quicknes to execute their office which may and ought to be in them then to weare white apparell whych is a token of purenes from sinne and infection and of a glorye whych neither they haue nor can haue nor ought so much as to desire to haue as long as they be in thys world And whereas the maintainers of this apparell haue for their greatest defence that it is a thyng meere ciuill to let passe that they confounde Ecclesiasticall orders wyth ciuill whych they can no more iustly do then to confounde the church wyth the common wealth I say to let that pas they do by thys meanes not only make it an Ecclesiastical ceremonie but also a matter of
if thou be neither Christ nor Elias nor of the Prophets why baptisest thou whych had bene no good argument if s Iohn might haue bene of some other function then of those whych were ordinarie in the churche and instituted of god And therefore S. Iohn to establish his singular and extraordinary function alledgeth the word of God wherby appeareth that as it was not lawfull to bring in any strange doctrine so was it not lawfull to teache the true doctrine vnder the name of any other function then was instituted by God. Let the whole practise of the churche vnder the lawe be loked vpon and it shall not be founde that any other Ecclesiasticall ministery was appoynted then those orders of highe priest and priests and Leuites c. whych were appoynted by the law of God if there were any raised extraordinarily the same had their calling confirmed from heauen either by signes or miracles or by plaine cleare testimonies of the mouthe of God or by extraordinarye exciting and mouings of the spirite of god So that it appeareth that the ministerie of the gospell and the functions thereof ought to be from heauen and of God and not inuented by the braine of men from heauen I say and heauenly because althoughe it be executed by earthly men the ministers also are chosen by men like vnto themselues yet because it is done by the word and institution of God that hath not only ordained that the word should be preached but hathe ordained also in what order and by whome it should be preached it may well be accounted to come from heauen and from God. Seeing therefore that these functions of the Archbishop and Archdeacon are not in the word of God it foloweth that they are of the earth so can do no good but much harme in the church And if any man will say the we do the church great iniurye because we doe tie her to a certaine nomber of orders of ministers as it were to a stake so that she may not deuise new functions I say that bothe the churche and Christ doth accuse him againe Christ estemeth him selfe to haue iniurie because that by thys meanes he is imagined not to haue bene careful and prouident enough for hys church in that he hath left the ministerie wherein doth consist the life of the church being that wherby it is begottē so raw and vnperfect that by permitting of it to the ordering of men there is a great danger of error whych he might haue set without all daunger by a word or two speaking The churche of the other side riseth against hym for that he maketh Christ les carefull for her then he was for that vnder the lawe For tell me in the whole volume of the Testament is there any kinde or degre of ministerie wherof God is not the certen and expres author was there euer any man I except Ieroboam and suche prophane men either so holy or so wise or of suche great knowledge that euer did so muche as dreame of instituting of a newe ministerie After the long wandring of the Arke in the wildernesse when it came to be placed in Ierusalem tell me if any besides the Leuites and Priestes the ordinarie ministers and the Prophets whych were immediatly stirred vp of God were found to haue ordained any office or title whych was not commaunded or whether there was at any time any thing added or enioyned to those offices of priesthode and Leuiteship whych was not by the lawe prescribed All men knowe that the Arke of Noah was a figure of the church Noah was both a wise and a godly man yet what doth the Lord leaue to his wisdom when as he appoynteth the matter the forme the length the bredth the heigth the woode the kinde and sorte of woode In the tabernacle the church is yet more expressedly shewed forth Moses that was the ouerseer of the worke was a wise and a godly man the artificers that wroughte it Bezalael and Aholiab most cunning workemen and yet obserue howe the Lorde leaueth nothing to their will but telleth not onlye of the boordes of the curtaines of the apparell but also of the barres of the rings of the strings of the hookes of the besomes of the snuffers and of the thyngs the matter and the forme Let vs come to the temple whych as it was more neare the time of Christ so it dothe more liuely expres the churche of God whych nowe is Salomon the wisest man that euer was or shall be dothe nothing in it neyther for the temple nor for the vesselles of the temple nor for the beautie of it but according to the forme that was enioyned hym as appeareth in the Kings and Chronicles And in the restoring of that temple Ezechiel is witnes howe the Angell by the commaundement of God doth parte by parte appoynt all to be done bothe in the temple and in the furniture thereof Nowe if the holy ghoste in Figures and Tropes dothe so carefully and as a man may speake curiously comprehende all things in the truthe it selfe howe muche more is it to be thought that he hath performed this If in the shadowes howe muche more in the body if he haue done this in earthly things and which are pearished how is it to be thought that he hath not performed it in heauenly and those whych abide for euer And then tell me what are those times of which it was sayd the Messias when he commeth will tell vs all Is it a like thyng that he whych did not only appoynt the temple and the tabernacle but the ornaments of them woulde not only neglecte the ornamentes of the churche but also that wythout the whych as we are borne in hand it can not long stande shall we thinke that he which remembred the barres there hathe forgotten the pillers heere or he that there remembred the pinnes did heere forget the master builders shoulde he there remember the besomes and heere forget Archbyshops if any had bene needefull there make mention of the snuffers to purge the lights and heere passe by the lightes them selues And to conclude that he shoulde make mention there of the moates and heere say nothing of the beames there recken vp the gnattes heere keepe silence of the Camels what is this else but that which Aristotle sayth ta mikra horan kai ta megala paroran that is to looke to small things and not to looke to great which if it can not fall into the Lorde let it be a shame to say that the cheefe piller and vpholder of the churche is not expressed in the scripture nor can not bee concluded of it Moreouer those ministeries without the which the churche is fully builded and brought to perfection and complete vnitie are not to be retayned in the churche but with out the ministeries of Archbishop c. the churche maye bee fully builded and broughte to perfection therefore these ministeries are not
them For so doth Cyprian cal the bishops of that prouince in his epistle his fellow bishops and in diuers places his brethren And in the sentence which he spake in the coūcel of Carthage he sayth none of vs doth take him selfe to be bishop of bishops Nowe that there was no authoritye of one byshop ouer an other and that there was none suche as when controuersies roase tooke vppon hym the compounding of them or any one to whome it appertained to see the vnitye of the church kept and to see that all other bishops and the cleargy did their duety as M. Doctor beareth vs in hand it may clearely be seene in diuers places of Cyprian and first of all in that sentence which he spake in the councel of Carthage where he proceedeth further after this sort that none of them did by any tirannicall feare binde his felowes in office or any fellow byshops to any necessity of obedience seeing that euery bishop hath for his free libertye and power hys owne iudgement or discretion as one which can not be iudged of an other as he also hym selfe can not iudge an other But sayth he we ought to tary and waite for the iudgement of our Lord Iesus Christ which only and alone hath power to set vs ouer hys church to iudge of our doing And in the same Epistle whereout the first place is taken by M. Doctor he sayth that vnto euery one a portion of the flocke is appoynted which euery one must rule and gouerne as he that shall render an accompt of hys deede vnto the lord And in an other place hee sayth we doe not vse any compulsion or vyolence ouer any nor appoynt no law to any seeing that euery one that is set ouer the church hath in the gouernment the free disposition of hys owne will whereof he shall geue an accompt vnto the lord And yet Cyprian was the byshop of the metropolitane or cheefe seate and one whome for hys learning and godlynesse the rest no doubt had in great reuerence and gaue great honor vnto And whereas it is sayde for the preseruation of vnitie one must be ouer all S. Cyprian sheweth that the vnitie of the church is conserued not by hauing one byshop ouer all But by the agreement of the byshops one with an other For so he wryteth that the church is knit and coupled together as it were with the glew of the byshops consenting one with an other and as for the compounding of controuersies it is manyfest that it was not done by one byshop in a prouince but those byshoppes whych were neere the place where the schisme or heresie sprang For speaking of the appeasing of controuersies and schismes and shewing how dyuers byshops were drawne into the heresie of Nouatus he sayth that the vertue and strength of the Christians was not so decayed or languished but that there was a portion of priestes which dyd not geue place vnto those ruines and shipwrackes of fayth And in an other place he sayth therefore most deare brother the plentifull body or company of the priests are as it were with the glew of mutuall concorde bande of vnitie ioyned together that if any of our company be author of an heresie and goe about to destroy and rent the flocke of Christ the rest should helpe and as profitable mercifull shepheards gather together the sheepe of the Lord wherby it is manifest that the appeasing composing of controuersies heresies was not then thought to be most fitte to be in one byshops hand but in as many as coulde conueniently assemble together according to the danger of the heresie which sprang or deepe roote which it had taken or was like to take And that there was in his time no such authoritie geuen as that any one might remoue the causes or controuersies which rose as now we see there is when the byshop of the diocese taketh the matters in controuersie which rise in any church within hys diocese from the minister and elders to whome the decision pertayneth and as when the archbyshop taketh it away from the byshop it may appeare in the same thirde Epistle of the first booke where he sayth after this sort It is ordayned it is equall and right that euery mans cause shoulde be there hearde where the fault was committed And a little after he sayth It is meete to handle the matter there where they may haue both accusers and witnesses of the fault whiche although it be spoken of them which fied out of Affrike vnto Rome yet the reason is generall and doth as wel serue agaynst these Ecclesiasticall persons which will take vnto them the decyding of those controuersies that were done a hundreth mile of them And whereas M. Doctor in both places of Cyprian semeth to stand much vpon the wordes One Byshop and priest the reason thereof doth appeare in an other place of Cyprian most manifestly and that it maketh no more to proue that there ought to be one archbyshop ouer a hole prouince then to say that there ought to be but one husbande proueth that therefore there should be but one husbande in euery countrey or prouince which shoulde see that all the rest of the husbandes doe their dueties to their wyues For thys was the case A Nouatian hereticke being condemned and cast out of the churches of Affrica by the consent of the byshops not able by embassage sent to them to obtayne to be receiued to their communion and fellowship agayne goeth afterwardes to Rome and being lykewise there repelled in tyme getteth hym selfe by certayne which fauoured hys heresie to be chosen byshop there at Rome Cornelius being the byshop or pastor of those which were there godly mynded whereupon it commeth that Cyprian vrgeth one byshop one priest in the church because at Rome there was two whereof one was a wolfe which ought not to haue bene there considering there was but one church which was gathered vnder the gouernmēt of Cornelius And therefore by that place of Cyprian it can not be gathered that there ought to be but one byshop in one citie if the multitude of professors require more and that all can not well gather them selues together in one congregation to be taught of one man much lesse can it serue to proue that there should be but one in a whole diocese or prouince I graunt that in later tymes and which went more from the simplicitie of the primitiue church they tooke occasion of these wordes to decree that there should be but one byshop in a citie but that can neuer be concluded of Cyprians wordes if it be vnderstanded why he vrgeth one byshop and one priest If therefore neyther word byshop nor priest do make any thing to proue an archbyshop nor thys worde church doth imply any prouince nor in these wordes one byshop one priest there is nothing lesse ment then that there should be one archbyshop ouer all the
That is true whatsoeuer is first and that is false whatsoeuer is later Ierome and you confesse that thys was first that the byshop was all one with the elder and first also by the word of God then I conclude that that is true You both doe likewise confesse that it came after that one bare rule ouer the rest then I conclude that that is false for all that is false that is later Furthermore Ierome in the same place of Titus sayth after thys sort As the elders know them selues to be subiect by a custome of the church vnto hym that is set ouer them so the byshops must know that they are greater then the elders rather by custome then by any truth of the institution of the Lord and so they ought to gouerne the church in common Now seing that Ierome confesseth that a byshop and an elder by God his institution are all one and that custome of the church hath altered thys institution for the taking away of thys custome and restoring of the Lordes institution I say as our sauiour Christ sayd why doe you breake the commaundementes of God to establishe your owne traditions for the one is the institution of God and the other the tradition of the church and if a mans testimony be so much with M. Doctor let hym heare what the same Tertullian fayth whatsoeuer sauoureth agaynst the truth shall be accompted heresie euen although it be an olde custome Now I will turne M. Doctors owne argument vpon hys head after thys sorte In the apostles tymes there were schismes and heresies but in their tymes there were no archbyshops ordayned to appease them therefore the best meanes of composing of controuersies and keping concorde is not by hauing an archbyshop to be ouer a whole prouince That there was none in the apostles tymes thus it may appeare If there were any they were eyther ordayned by the apostles and their authoritie or else without and besides their authoritie If there were any without and besides their authoritie then they are therefore to be condemned the more because in their tymes they starte vp without their warrant And if the apostles dyd ordayne them there was some vse of them to that wherunto they were ordayned but there was no vse of them to that wherunto they were ordayned therefore the apostles dyd not ordayne them The vse wherunto M. Doctor sayth they were ordayned was to compose controuersies and end schismes but to thys they were not vsed whereupon it followeth that if there were any they were vnprofitable That they were not vsed to any such ende it shall be perceiued by that which followeth At Antioche there rose a great and daungerous heresie that had in a manner infected all the churches which shaked the very foundation of the saluation of Gods children that was whether fayth were sufficient to iustifie without circumcision The matter was disputed of both sides it could not be agreed of What doe they now Doe they ordayne some Archbishop Archprophet Archapostle or any one cheefe to whome they will referre the controuersie or vppon whome they will depend nothing lesse And if they would haue had the controtrouersies ended by one what deuine was there euer or shall there be more fitter for that purpose then S. Paule which was amongst them Why doe they sende abrode for remedy when they had it at home why with great charges and long iourneys which they might haue had without charges or one foote set out of the dore what doe they then They sende Paule and Barnabas to Ierusalem as if the lesser townes should send to the churches of the vniuersities and of London to desire their helpe in the determining of the controuersie And what is Paule and Barnabas ambassage is it to desire the iudgement or minde of some one it must needes be answeared wyth S. Luke that they came to know the resolution of the churche and yet there were the apostles wherof euery one was better able both sharply to see and to iudge incorruptly wythout affection then any archbyshop that euer was If therfore in so great aboundance ouerflowing of the gifts of God and in that time when as controuersies might haue bene referred wythout daunger of error vnto one only thys ministerie of one aboue all was not thought good now when the gifts are les and the danger of error more to make an archbyshop for the deciding of controuersies and auoiding of schismes is a thing so straunge that I am not able to see the reason of it For to whych so euer of the apostles the controuersy had bene referred it is certaine that he would haue geuen a true sentence of it And if any can shew me one man in these times of whom we may be assured that he will pronounce the truth of euery question whych shall arise he shall make me somewhat more fauorable to the archbyshop then presently I am For although there were found one such as could not erre yet I could not consent that the matter should lye only vpon his hand seeing that the apostles whych could not erre in these matters would not take that vpon them and seeing that by that meanes the iudgement of the church should be contemned and further for that the iudgement of one man in a controuersy is not so strong to pull vp errors that are rooted in mennes minds as the iudgement and consent of many For that the iudgement of many is very apt either to confirme a truth or to cōfute falshode it is euident that S. Paule doth hold forth as it were a buckler against the frowardnes of certaine the authority of the church Furthermore if this distinction came vp in the apostles time and by them how commeth it to pas that they neuer mention it nay how commeth it to pas that euen S. Paule in that very Epistle where these voyces are found I hold of Paule I of Apollo I of Cephas whych are sayd to be the cause of the archbyshop ordaineth a cleane contrary to thys that M. Doctor commendeth For when two or three prophets haue expounded the scriptures he appoynteth that all the rest that are there should iudge whether they haue done well or no. And how commeth it to pas that S. Paule being at Rome in prison and loking euery day when he should geue vp hys last breath commended vnto the church a perfect and an absolute ministery standing of .v. parts wherin he maketh mention not one word of an archbyshop and sayeth further that that ministery is able to entertain the perfect vnity and knitting togither of the church Do not all these things speake or rather cry that there was not so much as a step of an archbyshop in the apostles times And if you will say that the apostles did ordaine archbyshops as you haue in dede sayd do now againe when as there is not one word in the wrytings of them I pray you tell vs how
Egipt cryed in the councell of Calcedon that he was no bishop it is to be obserued that which the Emperoures Theodosius and Valentinian wryte vnto Dioscorus bishop of Alexandria that he had commaunded Theodoret byshop of Cyrus that he should kepe hym selfe vnto hys owne church only wherby it appeareth that he medled in moe churches then was mete he should Besides that wanteth not suspition the he speaketh this of him selfe especially when he sayth the there was not in all those 800. churches one tare the is one hypocrite or euil maÌ„ Now that it may appeare what great lykelyhoode there is betwene thys Theodoret and our Lord byshops and archbyshops it is to be considered which he wryteth of hym selfe in the Epistle vnto Leo that is that he hauing bene 26. yeares byshop was knowne of all that dwelt in those partes that he had neuer house of hys owne nor field nor halfepennie not so much as a place to be buryed in but had willingly contented hym selfe with a poore estate belyke he had a very leane archbyshoppricke And if the fat morsels of our byshopprickes archbishopprickes were taken employed to their vses of maintenance of the pore of the mynisters and of the vniuersities which are the seede of the mynisterie I thincke the heate of the disputation and contention for archbyshops and bishops would be cooled Now good reader thou hearest what M. Doctor hath bene able to take together out of the olde fathers which he sayth are so playne in thys matter and yet can shew nothing to the purpose Heare also what he sayth out of the wryters of our age all which he sayth except one or two are of hys iudgement and allow well of thys distinction of degrees Maister Caluin first is cited to proue those offices of archbyshop primate patriarche the names whereof he can not abyde and as for hym he approueth only that there should be some â–ª which when difficult causes arise which can not bee ended in the particulare churches might referre the matters to sinodes and prouinciall councels and which myght do the offices which I haue spoken of before of gathering voyces c. But that he lyketh not of those dominations and large iurisdictions or at all of the byshoppes or archbyshops which we haue now it may appeare playnly enough both in that place when as he will haue hys wordes drawen to no other then the olde byshoppes shutting out thereby the byshoppes that now are as also in other places and namely vpon the Philippians where reasoning agaynst thys distinction betwene pastor and byshop and shewing that geuing the name of byshop to one man only in a church was the occasion why he afterward vsurped domynation ouer the rest he sayth after thys sort In deede I graunt sayth he as the dispositions and manners of men are order can not stande amongst the mynisters of the woorde vnlesse one be ouer the rest I meane sayth he of euery seuerall and singuler body not of a whole prouince much lesse of the whole worlde Now if you will needes haue M. Caluins archbyshop you must not haue hym neyther ouer a prouince nor diocese but only ouer one singuler and particuler congregation How much better therefore were it for you to seeke some other shelter against the storme then maister Caluins which will not suffer you by any meanes to couer your selfe vnder hys winges but thrusteth you out alwayes as soone as you enter vpon him forceably But heere I can not let passe M. Doctors ill dealing which recyting so much of maister Caluin cutteth hym of in the waste and leaueth quite out that which made agaynst hym that is which maister Caluin â—ayth in these wordes Although sayth he in thys disputacion it may not be passed ouer that this office of archbyshop or patriarke was most rarely and seldome vsed which dealing semeth to proceede of a very euill conscience Then followeth Hemingius who you say approueth these degrees of archbishop metropolitane byshop archdeacon for so you must needes meane when you say he approueth these degrees or els you say nothing for there vpon is the question Now how vntruely you speake let it be iudged by that which followeth * First he sayth that our sauiour Christ in S. Luke distinguisheth and putteth a difference betwene the office of a Prince and the office of the minister of the church leauing domynion to the Princes and taking it altogether from the mynisters Here you see not only how he is agaynst you in your exposition in the place of S. Luke which wold haue it nothing else but a prohibition of ambitioÌ„ but also how at a word he cutteth the throte of your archbyshop and byshop as it is now vsed And afterward speaking of the churches of Denmarke he sayth they haue Christ for their head for the outwarde discipline they haue magistrates to punish with the sword for to exercise the Ecclesiasticall disciplyne they haue bishops pastors doctors which may keepe men vnder with the word without vsing any corporall punishment Here is no mention of archbyshops Primates metropolitanes And although he sheweth that they kepe the distinction betwene byshops and ministers against whych there hath bene before spoken yet he sayth that the authority which they haue is as the authority of a father not as the power of a maister whych is far otherwise heere For the condition of many seruaunts vnder their maisters is much more free then the condition of a minister vnder hys byshop And afterward he sheweth wherin that authority or dignity of the byshop ouer the minister lyeth that is in exhorting of him in chiding of hym as he doth the lay people and yet he will haue also the minister although not with such authority after a modest sort to do the same vnto the byshop And so he concludeth that they retain these orders notwithstanding the anabaptists Now let the reader iudge whether Hemingius be truely or faithfully alledged or no or whether Hemingius do say that they haue in their church archbishops primates metropolitanes archdeacons or whether the byshops in the churches of Denmarke are any thing like oures For I will omit that he speaketh there against all pomp in the ministery all worldly superiority or highnes because I loue not to wryte out whole pages as M. Doctor doth out of other mens wrytings to helpe to make vp a boke M. doctor closeth vp this matter wyth M. Foxe but eyther for feare that the place should be found that there might be answer or for feare that M. Foxe should giue me the solution whych hath giuen you the obiection he wold neither quote the place of the boke nor the boke it self he hauing wrytten diuers You caÌ„ not speake so much good of M. Foxe whych I will not willingly subscribe vnto And if it be any declaration of good will and of honor that one beareth to an other to read that whych he wryteth I thinke I haue
whych handled the pen of the wryter that they came out to helpe in the battell against the enemies of god And in the boke of Samuel and of the Kings where Nayothe and Bethel Ierycho and a place beyond Iordan are specified places whych were scholes or vniuersities where the schollers of the Prophets were brought vp in the feare of God and good learning The continuaunce of whych scholes and vniuersities amongste the people of God maye be easely gathered of that whych S. Luke wryteth in the Actes where it may appeare that in Ierusalem there were certen Colledges appoynted for seuerall countrey men so that there was one Colledge to receiue the Iewes and Proselites whych came out of Cilicia an other for those that came out of Alexandria c. to study at Ierusalem And if any man be able to shew such euidence for archbyshops and archdeacons as these are for vniuersities and scholes I wil not deny but it is as lawfull to haue them as these Furthermore he sayeth that the church is not gouerned by names but by offices so is it in deede And if the office of an archbyshop or archdeacon can be shewed we will not striue for the name but for so much as all the nedefull offices of the church togither wyth their names are mentioned in the scripture it is truly sayde that bothe the offices and names of archbyshop and archdeacon being not only not contained in them but also condēned ought to be banished out of the churche Last of all he sayth that Anacletus if there be any waight in his words nameth an archb I haue before shewed what waighte there is in his woordes and I refuse not that he be weyghed wyth the byshops owne weightes whych he geueth vs in the handling of the article of the supremacye and in the. 223. and 224. pages by the whych waightes appeareth that thys Anacletus is not only lyght but a plaine counterfait The second reason whych sayeth that the churche of God vnder the lawe had all thyngs needefull appoynted by the commaundement of God the byshop sayeth he knoweth not what could be concluded of it I haue shewed before that there is nothyng les ment then that the church vnder the gospell should haue all those thyngs that that church had or shoulde haue nothing whych that had not but thys therevpon is concluded that the Lord whych was so carefull for that as not to omit the least would not be so careles for this church vnder the gospel as to omit the greatest And where he sayeth that there was then whych was called highe priest and was ouer all the rest he did well know that the cause therof was because he was a figure of Christe and dyd represent vnto the people the cheefetye and superioritye of oure sauioure Christe whych was to come and that oure sauioure Christe being come there is nowe no cause why there should be any such preheminence geuen vnto one and further that it is vnlawfull that there shoulde be any suche vnles it be lawfull to haue one head ▪ byshop ouer all the church For it is knowne that that prieste was the heade priest ouer all the whole Churche whych was during hys time vnto our sauioure Christe And as for those titles cheefe of the sinagogue cheefe of the sanctuary cheefe of the house of God I say that that maketh muche agaynst archbyshoppes and archdeacons for when as in steade of the sinagogue and of the sanctuarie and of the house of God or Temple are come particulare churches and congregations by this reason it foloweth that there shoulde be some cheefe not in euery prouince or diocese but in euery congregation and in dede so ought there to be certen cheefe in euery cōgregation whych should gouerne and rule the rest And as for the cheefe of the families of the Leuites and cheefe of the families of the priestes the same was obserued in all other tribes of Israell as a ciuile thyng And by all these princes ouer euery tribe and family as by the Prince of the whole land God did as it were by diuers liuely pictures unprint in their vnderstanding the cheefety and domination of our sauior Christ Moreouer these orders and pollicies touching the distribution of the offices of the Leuites and priests and touching the appoyntment of their gouernors were done of Dauid by the aduise of the prophets Gad Nathan whych receiued of the Lord by commaundement that whych they deluiered to Dauid And if so be that it can be shewed that archbyshops and archdeacons came into the church by any commaundement of the Lord then thys allegation hath some force but now being not only not commaunded but also as I haue shewed forbiddē euery man doth see that this reason hath no place but serueth to the vtter ouerthrow of the archbyshop and archdeacon For if Dauid being such a notable personage and as it were an angell of God durst not take vpon him to bring into the church any orders or pollicies not only not against the word of God but not without a precise word and commaundement of God who shall dare to be so bold as to take vpon him the institution of the cheefe office of the church and to alter the pollicy that God hath established by hys seruauntes the apostles And where the byshop sayth it is knowne and confessed that there wanted many things to the perfection of the church of the Iewes truely I do not know nor can not confes that that church wanted any thing to the perfection of that estate whych the Lord would haue them be in vntill the comming of our sauior Christ and if there were any thing wanting it was not for want of good lawes and pollicies wherof the question is but for want of due execution of them whych we speake not of For the two last reasons against the archbyshop and archdeacon although I be well acquainted wyth diuers that fauor this cause yet I did neuer heare them before in my life and I beleeue they cannot be proued to be hys reasons whose they are supposed to be and whych did set downe that proposition that the byshop confuteth Notwithstanding the former of these two seemeth to haue a good probability and to be grounded of that place of Logicke that sheweth that according as the subiect or substance of any thing is excellent so are those things that are annexed and adioyned vnto it But because I wold the simplest should vnderstand what is sayd or written I will willingly abstaine from such reasons the termes wherof are not easely perceiued but of those whych be learned And as for the answer whych the byshop maketh that in place of apostles prophets the gifts of tongues of healing and of gouernment are brought in vniuersities scholes byshops and archbyshops for scholes and vniuersities I haue shewed they haue bene alwayes and therfore can not come in to supply the roume of the apostles and prophets And
there shoulde be diuers pastors elders or byshops in euery congregation Sathan wrought first that there should be but one in euery churche thys was no doubt the first step Afterwardes he pushed further and stirred vp diuers not to content them selues to be byshops of one church but to desire to be byshops of a diocese whervnto although it seemeth that there was resistance in that it is sayd that it was decreed often yet in the end this wicked attempt preuailed and thys was an other step Then were there archbishops of whole prouinces whych was the third stayer vnto the seat of antichriste Afterwards they were Patriarks of one of the .iiij. corners of the whole world the whole church being assigned to the iurisdiction of fower that is to saye of the Romaine Constantinopolitane Antiochene and Alexandrine byshops And these fower stayers being layd of Sathan there was but an easy stride for the B. of Rome into that chaire of pestilence wherin he nowe sitteth Hauing now showed howe thys Lordly estate of the byshop began and vpon what a rotten ground it is builded I come to shew how farre the byshops in our time are for their pompe and outward statelines degenerated from the byshops of elder times And heere I call to remembraunce that whych was spoken of the poore estate of Basile and Theodorete and if M. Doctor will say as he doth in deede in a certaine place that thē was a time of persecution and this is a time of peace it is easely answeared that although Basill were vnder persecution yet Theodorete liued vnder good emperors But that shall appeare better by the Canons whych were rules geuen for the byshops to frame them selues by In the. 4. councell of Carthage it is decreed that the byshops should haue a little house neare vnto the church what is thys compared wyth so many faire large houses and wyth the princely palace of a byshop And in the same councel it is decreed that he shoulde haue the furniture and stuffe of hys house after the commen sorte and that hys table and diet should be pore and that he should get him estimation by faithfulnes and good conuersation And in an other councell that the byshops shoulde not giue them selues to feastes but be content wyth a little meate Let these byshops be compared wyth oures whose chambers shine wyth gilt whose walles are hanged wyth clothes of Auris whose cupbordes are loden wyth plate whose tables and diets are furnished wyth multitude and diuersity of dishes whose daily dinners are feastes Let them I say be compared together and they shall be founde so vnlike that if those olde byshops were aliue they wold not know each other For they would thinke that oures were princes and oures woulde thinke that they were some hedge priests not worthy of their acquaintance or fellowshyp In the same councell of Carthage it was decreed that no byshop sitting in any place should suffer any minister or elder to stand Nowe I will report me to themselues how thys is kept and to the pore ministers whych haue to do with them and come before them The byshops in times past had no tayle nor trayne of men after them and thought it a slaunder to the gospell to haue a number of men before and behynde them And therefore is Paulus Sam of atenus noted as one that brought relygion into hatred and as one that seemed to take delight rather to be a captaine of two hundreth then a byshoppe because he had gotten him a sort of seruing men to waight on hym An other example not vnlyke and likewyse reprehended is in Ruffine of one Gregory a byshop Now in our dayes it is thought a commendation to the byshop a credite to the gospell if a byshop haue 30. 40. 60. or moe wayting of hym some before some behynde whereof three partes of them set apart the carying of a dishe vnto the table haue no honest or profitable calling to occupy themselues in two houres of the day to the filling of the church and commōwealth also with all kynde of disorders and greater incommodities then I minde to speake of because it is not my purpose And heere I will note an other cause which brought in this pompe and princely estate of byshoppes wherin although I will say more in a worde for the pompeous estate then M. Doctor hath done in all hys treatise yet I will shew that although it were more tollerable at the first now it is by no meanes to be borne with * In the ecclesiasticall story we read that the inscriptions of dyuers epystles sent vnto byshops were timiotatois kyriois We read also of aspasticon oicon house of salutations which Ambrose byshop of Millain had As for the title of most honorable Lordes it was not so great nor so stately as the name of a Lord or knight in our country for all those that know the maner of the speach of the Grecians do well vnderstand how they vsed to call euery one of any meane countenaunce in the common wealth where he lyued kyrion that is Lorde so we see also the Euangelistes vse the worde Kyrios to note a meane person as when Mary in the. 20. of Iohn thinking that our sauiour Christ had bene the keper of the garden calleth hym Kyrion So likewise in Fraunce they call euery one that is gentilman or hath any honest place Monseur and so they will say also fainng your honour Now we know thys word Lord in our countrey is vsed otherwise to note some great personage eyther by reason of birth or by reason of some high dignitie in the common wealth which he occupyeth and therfore those titles although they were somewhat excessiue yet were they nothing so swelling and stately as oures are And as touching Ambrose house albeit the word doth not employ so great gorgeousnes nor magnificence of an house as the palaces and other magnificall buildinges of our byshoppes yet the cause whereupon thys rose doth more excuse Ambrose who being taken from great wealth and gouernment in the common wealth geuing ouer hys office dyd retayne hys house and that which hee had gotten But our byshops doe maynteyne thys pompe and excesse of the charges of the church with whose goodes a great number of idle loytering seruing men are mayntayned which ought to be bestowed vpon the ministers which want necessary finding for their families and vpon the poore and mayntenance of the vniuersities As for these riotous expences of the church goodes when many other mynisters want and of making great dynners and entertayning great Lordes and maiestrates and of the answere to them that say they do helpe the church by thys meanes I will referre the reader to that which Ierome wryteth in a certayne place where thys is handled more at large By thys which I haue cyted it appeareth what was one cause of thys excesse and stately pompe of the byshops namely that
hath prescribed but he hath prescribed no such forme of pollicy that one byshop should be ouer all the mynisters and churches in a whole diocese or one archbyshop ouer all the ministers and churches in a whole prouince therefore thys forme of pollicy which is by archbyshops and such byshops as we haue is not the meanes to knitte vs one to an other in vnitie vnder the domynion of Christ Touching the titles and names of honor which are geuen to the Ecclesiasticall persones with vs and how that princes and cyuill magistrates may and ought to haue the title which can not be geuen to the mynisters I haue spoken before and therefore of archbyshops archdeacons and the lord byshops thus farre To the next section contayned in the. 77. 78. and a peece of the. 79. page BEfore I come to speake of prayers I will treate of the faults that are committed almost thrughout the whole Leyturgy publike seruice of the church of England Whereof one is that which is often obiected by the authors of the admonition that the forme of it is taken from the church of Antichrist as the reading of the Epistles and Gospels so cutte mangled as the most of the prayers the maner of mynistring the Sacraments of Mariage of Buriall Confirmation translated as it were word for word sauing that the grosse erroures and manifest impieties be taken away For although the formes ceremonies which they vsed were not vnlawfull and that they contayned nothing which is not agreeable to the word of God which I would they dyd not yet notwithstanding neyther the worde of God nor reason nor the examples of the eldest churches both Iewishe and christian doe permitte vs to vse the same formes and ceremonies being neyther commaunded of God neyther such as there may not as good as they and rather better be established For the word of God I haue shewed before both by the example of the apostles conforming the Gentiles vnto the Iewes in their ceremonies not contrariwise the Iewes to the Gentiles by that the wisedom of God hath thought it a good way to keepe hys people from the infection of idolatry and superstition to seuere them from idolaters by outwarde ceremonies and therefore hath forbidden them to do things which are in them selues very lawfull to be done Now I will adde thys further that when as the Lord was carefull to seuere them by ceremonies from other nations yet was he not so carefull to seuere them from any as from the * Egiptiās amongst whom they liued from those nations which were next neighbors vnto them because from them was the greatest feare of infection Therefore by this constant perpetuall wisedome which God vseth to keepe his people from idolatry it followeth the the religion of God should not only in matter substance but also as far as may be informe fashion differ from the of the idolaters especially the papistes which are round about vs and amongst vs For in deede it were more safe for vs to conforme our indifferent ceremonies to the Turkes which are far of then to the papistes which are so neare Common reason also doth teach that contraries are cured by their contraryes now Christianitie and Antichristianitie the gospell and popery be contraries therefore antichristianitie must be cured not by it selfe but by that which is as much as may be contrary vnto it So that a medled mingled estate of the order of the gospell the ceremonies of popery is not the best way to banish popery And therfore as to abolishe the infection of false doctrine of the papistes it is necessary to establish a diuers doctrine to abolish the tirāny of the popish gouernment necessary to plant the discipline of Christ so to heale y infection y hath crept into mens myndes by reason of the popish order of seruice it is meete that the other order were put in the place thereof Philosophie which is nothing else but reason teacheth that if a man will draw one from vice which is an extreeme vnto vertue which is the meane that it is the best way to bring hym as far from that vice as may be and that it is safer and lesse harme for him to be led somewhat too farre then he shuld be suffered to remayne within the borders and contines of that vice wherewith he is infected As if a man would bring a droncken man to sobrietie the best and nearest way is to cary hym as farre from hys excesse in druicke as may be and if a man could not keepe a meane it were better to fault in prescribing lesse then he shoulde drincke then to faulte in geuing hym more then he ought As we see to bring a sticke which is crooked to be straight we doe not only bow it so farre vntill it come to be straight but we bende it so far vntill we make it so crooked of the other side as it was before of the first side to thys end that at the last it may stand straight and as it were in the mid way betwene both the crookes which I do not therfore speake as though we ought to abolishe one euill and hurtfull ceremony for an other but that I would shew how it is more daungerous for vs that haue bene plunged in the mire of Popery to vse the Ceremonies of it then of any other idolatrous and superstitious seruice of god Thys wisedome of not conforming it selfe vnto the ceremonies of the Idolaters in things indifferent hath the church followed in times passed Tertullian sayth O sayth he better is the relygion of the heathen for they vse no solemnitie of the Christians neyther the Lordes day neyther the Pentecoste and if they knew them they woulde haue nothing to doe with them for they would be afrayd least they should seeme Christians but we are not afrayd to be called heathen Constantine the Emperor speaking of the keeping of the feaste of Easter sayth that it is an vnworthy thing to haue any thing common with that most spitefull company of the Iewes And a little after he sayth that it is most absurd and agaynst reason that the Iewes should vaunt and glory that the Christians could not keepe those things without their doctrine And in an other place it is sayd after thys sort It is conuenient so to order the matter that we haue nothing common with that nation The Councelles although they dyd not obserue them selues alwayes in making of decrees thys rule yet haue kept thys consideration continually in making theyr lawes that they would haue the christians differ from others in their ceremonies * The councell of Laodicia which was afterward confirmed by the sixthe generall councell decreed that the Christians should not take vnleauened breade of the Iewes or communicate with their impietie * Also it was decreed in an other councell that they should not decke theyr houses with baye leaues and greene
of may be remoued from amongst vs to the end that we being nearelyer both ioyned vnto the sincerity of the gospell and the pollicy of other reformed churches may therby be ioyned nearer wyth the Lord and may be set so far from Rome that both we may comfort our selues in the hope that we shall neuer returne thether againe our aduersaries whych desire it and by this too much agreement with them and too little wyth the reformed churches hope for it may not only be deceiued of their expectation but also being out of all hope of that whych they desire may the soner yeelde themselues vnto the truth whervnto they are now disobedient And as for the papistes triumphe in thys case I shall not greatly neede to feare it considering that their discords and contentions are greater and that our strife is because we would be farther from them For the other that profes the gospell I will desire in the name of God that they abuse not my labor to other end then I bestowe it and that they keepe them selues in their callings commit the matter by prayer vnto the Lord leauing to the ministers of the word of god and to the magistrates that whych appertaineth vnto them To come therfore to touch thys matter I answer that there is fault in the matter and fault in the fourme In the matter for that there are things there that ought not to be and thyngs there are wanting in the order that shuld be Of the first sort is that we may euermore be defended from all aduersity Now for as much as there is no promise in the scripture that we should be free from all aduersity and that euermore it semeth that this prayer might haue bene better conceiued being no prayer of faith or of the whych we can assure our selues that we shall obtaine it For if it be sayd that by the worde aduersity is meant all euill we know that it hath no such signification neither in this tongue of oures neyther in other tongues whych vse the same worde in common wyth vs but that it signifieth trouble vexation and calamitye from all the whych we may not desire alwayes to be deliuered And whatsoeuer can be alledged for the defence of it yet euery one that is not contentious may see that it needeth some caution or exception In the collect vpon the twelfth sonday after Trinitie sonday and likewise in one of those whych are to be sayd after the Offertorie as it is termed is done request is made that God would geue those thyngs whych we for oure vnworthynes dare not aske whych carieth wyth it still the note of the popishe seruile feare and sauoureth not of that confidence and reuerēt familiaritie that the children of God haue thorough Christ wyth their heauenly father For as we dare not wythout our sauioure Christ aske so much as a crumme of bread so there is nothing whych in hys name we dare not aske being needefull for vs and if it be not needefull why should we aske it And if all the prayers were gathered together and referred to these two heades of Gods glory and of the thyngs whych pertaine to this present life I can make no Geometricall and exact measure but verely I beleue there shal be found more then a third part of the prayers whych are not psalmes and texts of scriptures spent in praying for and praying against the commodities and incommodities of this life whych is contrary to all the arguments or contents of the prayers of the churche whych are sette downe in the scripture and especially of our sauior Christes prayer by the whych ours ought to be directed which of .vij. petitions bestoweth one only that wayes And this these foresayd prayers do not only in generall words but by deducting the commodities and incommodities of thys life into their particulare kindes we pray for the auoiding of those dangers which are nothyng neare vs as from lightning and thundering in the midst of winter from storme and tempest when the weather is most faire and the seas most calme c. It is true that vpon some vrgent calamity a prayer may and ought to be framed whych may beg eyther the commodity for want whereof the Church is in distres or the turning away of that mischeefe whych eyther approcheth or whych is alreadye vppon it but to make those prayers whych are for the present time and daunger ordinarye and dailye prayers I can not hetherto see any either scripture or example of the primitiue churche And heere for the simples sake I will set downe after what sorte thys abuse crept into the church There was one Mamercus bishop of Vienna whych in the time of great earthquakes whych were in Fraunce instituted certaine supplications whych the Grecians we of them call the Letany whych concerned that matter there is no doubte but as other discommodities rose in other countreys they likewise had prayers accordingly Nowe Pope Gregorie eyther made himselfe or gathered the supplications that were made againste the calamities of euery countrey and made of them a great Letany or supplication as Platina calleth it and gaue it to be vsed in all churches whych thing albeit all churches might do for the time in respect of the case of the casamity whych the churches suffered yet there is no cause why it should be perpetuall that was ordained but for a time and why all landes should pray to be deliuered from the incommodities that some land hathe bene troubled wyth The like may be sayd of the gloria patri and the Athanasius Crede it was first brought into the churche to the ende that nen thereby should make an open profession in the church of the diuinitie of the sonne of God against the detestable opinion of Arius and his disciples wherwith at that time maruellously swarmed almost the whole christendome now that it hath pleased the Lord to quench that fire there is no such cause whye these things should be in the church at the least why that gloria patri should be so often repeated Moreouer to make Benedictus Magnificat and Nunc dimittis ordinarye and daily prayers seemeth to be a thing not so conuenient considering that they do no more concerne vs thē all other scriptures do and then doth the Aue Maria as they called it For although they were prayers of thanks geuing in Simeon ʒacharie and the blessed virgin Mary yet can they not be so in vs whych haue not receiued lyke benefites they may be added to the number of Psalmes and so song as they be but to make daily and ordinary prayers of them is not wythout some inconuenience and disorder And so haue I answeared vnto those thyngs whych are contained in the 202. 203. pages sauing that I must admonish the reader that wheras you will proue that we ought to haue an ordinarye prayer to be deliuered from danger of thunder lightnings c. because there are examples
of certen that haue bene killed thereby you mighte as well bryng in a prayer that men may not haue falles frō their horses may not fal into the hands of robbers may not fall into waters and a number such more sodaine deathes wherwith a greater number are taken away then by thundrings or lightnings and such like and so there should be neuer any end of begging these earthly cōmodityes whych is contrary to the forme of prayer appoynted by our sauioure Christe And wheras you alledge the petition of the Lords prayer deliuer vs from euill to proue this prayer against Thunder c. besides that all the commodities and discommodities of thys life are prayed for and prayed against in that petition whereby we desire oure daily breade it is very straunge to apply that to the thunder that is vnderstanded of the deuill as the article apo tou ponerou dothe declare And that it is a maruellous cōclusion that for so much as we ought daily and ordinarily and publikely desire to be deliuered from the Deuill Ergo we oughte daily and ordinarily and publikely desire to be deliuered from thunder It is one thing to correct Magnificat and an other thing to shew the abuse of it And therfore I see no cause why you should vse this allusion betwene Magnificat significat vnles it be for that you purposing to set out all your learning in thys boke wold not so much as forget an old rotten prouerb whych trotted amongst the monkes in their cloisters of whome I may iustly say whych Tullie sayd in a nother thyng Nec quicquam ingenium potest monasterium that is the cloister coulde neuer bring forthe any witty thing for heere although there be Rythmus yet it is sine ratione As these are diuers things more then ought to be conueniently so wante there some things in the prayers There are prayers set forthe to be sayde in the common calamities and vniuersal scourges of the realme as plague famine c. and in dede so it ought to be by the word of God ioyned wyth a publike fast commaūded not only when we are in any calamity but also when any the churches round about vs or in any countrey receiue any generall plague or greeuous chastisement at the Lordes hand But as suche prayers are needefull whereby we beg release from our distresses so there ought to be as necessary prayers of thāks geuing whē we haue receiued those things at the Lords hand whych we asked in our prayers And thus much touching the matter of the prayers eyther not altogither sound or else too much or too little Concerning the fourme there is also to be misliked A great cause wherof is the folowing of the forme vsed in Popery against whych I haue before spoken For whilest that seruice was set in many poynts as a paterne of this it cometh to pas that in stead of suche prayers as the primitiue churches haue vsed those that be reformed now vse we haue diuers short cuts shreddings whych may be better called wishes then prayers And that no man thinke that thys is some idle fancie that it is no matter of weight what forme of prayer we vse so that the prayers be good it must be vnderstanded that as it is not sufficient to preach the same doctrine whych our sauior Christ hys apostles haue preached vnles the same forme of doctrine and of teaching be likewise kept so is it not enough that the matter of our prayer be such as is in the word of God vnles that the forme also be agreeable vnto the formes of prayers in the scripture Now we haue no such formes in the scripture as that we shuld pray in .ij. or .iij. lines and thē after hauing red a while some other thing come and pray as much more and so to the .xx. and .xxx. time wyth pauses betweene If a man shoulde come to a Prince and keepe suche order in making hys petitions vnto hym that hauing very many things to demaund after he had demaunded one thing he would stay a long time and then demaunde an other and so the thirde the prince myght well thinke that eyther he came to aske before he knew what he had nede of or that he had forgotten some pece of hys sute or that he were distracted in hys vnderstanding or some other such like cause of the disorder of his supplication And therfore how much more conuenient were it that according to the manner of the reformed churches first the minister wyth an hūble and general confession of faults shuld desire the assistance of the Lord for the frutefull handling and receiuing of the word of God and then after that we haue heard the Lord speake vnto vs in hys worde by hys minister the church should likewise speake vnto the Lord and present all those petitions and sutes at once bothe for the whole churche and for the Prince and all other estates whych shall be thought needefull And if any will say that there are short prayers found in the Actes it may be answeared that S. Luke doth not expres the whole prayers at large but only set downe the summes of them and their cheefe poyntes And further it may be answeared that alwayes those praiers were continued together and not cut off and shred into diuers small peeces An other fault is that all the people are appoynted in diuers places to saye after the minister wherby not only the time is vnprofitably wasted a confused voyce of the people one speaking after an other caused but an opinion bredde in their heads that those only be their prayers whych they say and pronounce with their owne mouthes whych causeth them to geue the les heede to the rest of the prayers whych they reherse not after the minister whych notwithstanding are as well their prayers as those whych they pronounce after the minister otherwise then the order whych is left vnto the church of God dothe beare For God hath ordained the minister to thys ende that as in publike meetings he only is the mouthe of the Lorde from hym to the people euen so he ought to be only the mouthe of the people from them vnto the Lorde and that all the people shoulde attende to that whych is sayde by the minister and in the ende bothe declare their consent to that whych is sayde and there hope that it shall so be and come to pas whych is prayed by the worde Amen as S. Paule declareth in the Epistle to the Corinthians And Iustine Martyr sheweth to haue bene the custome of the churches in hys time Although these blots in the Common prayer be such as may easely enough appeare vnto any whych is not wedded to a preiudicate opinion and that there is no great difficultye in thys matter yet I knowe that thys treatise of prayer will be subiect to many reprehensions and that there will not be wanting some probable coloures also wherby
example and to follow it or that for as much as he breaketh the law which is not subiect vnto it and which he made not for hym selfe that therefore we may breake the law whereunto we be subiect and to whom it is geuen But we must goe in the broade hygh way of the commaundement and of the ordinary vsage of God in gouerning hys church and not in the biepath of certayne singulare examples which haue beene in diuers ages And as often as God hath vsed thys extraordinary meanes of the ministery of women so often also hath he confirmed their calling eyther by miracle or some wonderfull issue or with some other singulare note and marke wherby he hath made their calling otherwyse straunge and monstruous most certayne and vndoubted to all men There is greater difficultie then M. Doctor mentioneth in the wordes of S. Paule where he sayth a woman praying or Prophesying ought to be vailed and haue her head couered in which words it seemeth that the Apostle lycenceth a woman to prophecie so that shee do it with her head couered But to hym that shall diligently consyder the place it shall appeare that the women of Corinth dyd passe the boundes of modesty and of shamefastnesse two wayes whereof one was that they came into the congregation contrary to the custome of those countreys with theyr heades faces vncouered an other was that they also tooke vpon them to speake in the congregation both which faultes S. Paule condemned but in their seuerall and proper places Although therfore speaking agaynst the abuse of vncouering theyr head he doth not condemne their boldnesse in teaching yet he dyd not therefore approue it the confutation whereof he reserued to a more commodious place But sayeth hee if women do baptise it is in priuate houses I haue shewed before that they may not baptise at all therefore not in priuate houses besides that that I haue in the Reply vnto the section in the one and twenty page shewed how it is not lawfull neyther to preach the word nor to minister the Sacramentes in priuate corners for the which matter of not ministring the Sacramentes in priuate houses to the authors of the Admonition citing the eleuenth Chapter of the first Epistle vnto the Corrinthians M. Doctor answeareth that he reproueth the prophanation of the supper by banketting and contempt of their brethren and exhorteth to tary one for an other But what is thys to the purpose we aske not M. Doctor the interpretation of thys place as we doe not of all the rest which he interpreateth where there is no occasyon in the world to interpreate them being of them selues very cleare and the interpretation which is brought neuer almost making ▪ any thing for the solution of that which is obiected which I desire the Reader to marke throughout hys whole booke For what if S. Paule reproue the prophanation of the supper of the Lord doth it follow therefore that he doth not geue to vnderstand that the Sacrament should be administred in a common assembly What if hee exhorte to tary one for an other therefore dothe he not dehorte from celebrating of the sacrament in a priuate house And surely me thincke you can not be so ignoraunt as you make your selfe that you should not vnderstande their argument and therefore I thinke you do rather dissemble it as you doe in diuers other places For all men may easely perceyue that as S. Paule opposeth the supper of the Lord to the common supper hys banket to the common banket so he opposeth there manifestly the church and congregation vnto the pryuate house and declareth that as the common supper or banket ought to be kept at theyr houses so the Lordes supper and hys banket ought to be celebrated in the congregation To the Admonition obiecting in the ninetie and two page that Iohn baptised openly amongst the congregation he answeareth and sayth that it may bee as well concluded that we should baptise only in the riuer of Iordane and none but those that be of age By which saying he geueth to vnderstand that to baptise in the church hath no greater necessitie thē the baptising in Iordane nor it skilleth no more whether baptisme be mynistred in the publike assembly thē it is necessary or skilleth whether we be baptised in the riuer of Iordane that the baptisme of yong infantes hath no better groundes then priuate baptisme hath The later whereof both being absurde is too too iniurious vnto the baptisme of yong infantes For as of our sauioure Christes preachinges in publyke places and refusing pryuate places we doe gather that the preaching of the woorde ought to bee publike euen so of S. Iohns preaching and baptising in open meetings wee conclude that bothe preaching and baptysing oughte to bee in publike assemblies And although to some one action there concurre dyuers things which partly are not to be followed at all partly are indifferent to be followed or not followed yet neyther the vnlawfulnesse of the one to be followed nor the indifferency of the other can hynder but there are other some things in the same action necessary to bee followed Which may be considered both of the place of the Actes touching the election where I haue proued some things there mentioned to be necessary to be done in elections although other some be not conuenient nor fit for vs to follow And I haue shewed it also by M. Caluine which Maister Doctor alleageth for hym selfe and by Cyprian whose authoritie he woulde be loth to reiect I am sure least he should lose the opynion of hys studiousnesse of the olde wryters which he hunteth so dyligently after in thys booke and wherof he maketh the authors of the Admonition so great contemners And it is not harde to shew the same in .xx. places more as in S. Mathew and S. Luke where as there are dyuers things not to be followed of the mynisters now other things indifferent to be followed so are there also other things that be as well commaunded to all the mynisters that now are as they were then eyther to the 12. or 70. disciples And other reason he addeth there that S. Peter baptised in Cornelius house But M. Doctor maketh not the best choyse of hys argumentes for S. Paules baptysing in the house of the gayler had bene more fit for hym For vnto hys place it may be easely answeared that Cornelyus hauing so great a family as it is lyke he had and besides that dyuers souldiours vnderneath hym and further hys freendes and hys acquaintance which he had called had a competent number and as many as woulde make a congregation and as coulde commodiously be preached vnto in one place But the answere to both these examples and other suche lyke as that S. Paule baptysed the house of Stephana is easie For there being persecutions at that tyme so that it was not safe neyther for the mynister nor for
extremity for the doing whereof the orders that God hath set that it should be done in the congregation by the mynister of the gospell are broken Yes verely And I will further say that although that the infants which dye without baptisme should be assuredly damned which is most false yet ought not the orders which God hath set in his church to be broken after thys sort For as the saluation of men ought to be deare vnto vs so the glory of God which consisteth in that hys orders be kept ought to bee much more deare that if at any tyme the controuersy could be betwene hys glory and our saluation our saluation ought to fall that hys glory may stand Now in the 187. page M. Doctor answeareth heereunto that thys implyeth no more that the saluation is tyed to the sacramentes then when it is taught that infants must be baptysed and not tary vntill they come to the age of discretion Which how truely it is spoken when as the one hath ground of the scripture the other hath none the one approued by the continuall and almost the generall practise of the church the other vsed in the corrupt and rotten estate thereof let all men iudge Therefore for so much as the mynistery of the worde and sacramentes goe together that the mynistery of the word may not be committed vnto women and for that thys euill custome hath rysen fyrst of a false vnderstanding of the scripture and then of a false conclusion of that vntrue vnderstanding which is that they can not be saued which are not baptised and for that the authors them selues of that error did neuer seeke no remedy of the mischeefe in womens or priuate baptim And last of all for that if there were any remedy agaynst that mischefe in such kynde of baptisme yet it ought not to be vsed being agaynst the institution of God hys glory I conclude that the priuate baptisme and by women is vtterly vnlawfull There followeth the priuate communion which is found fault with both for the place wherein it is mynistred for the small number of communicants which are admitted by the bocke of seruice Touching the place before is spoken sufficiently it reasteth to consider of the number But before I come to that I will speake some thing of the causes beginning of receiuing in houses of the mynistring of the Communion vnto sicke folkes It is not to be denyed but that thys abuse is very auncient and was in Iustin Martyrs tyme in Tertullians and Cyprians tyme euen as also there were other abuses crept into the supper of the Lord and that very grose as the mingling of water with wine and therein also a necessitie and great mystery placed as it may appeare both by Iustine Martyr and Cyprian Which I therefore by the way doe admonish the reader of that the antiquity of thys abuse of pryuate communion bee not preiudiciall to the truthe no more then the mingling of water with that opynion of necessitie that those fathers had of it is or oughte to bee preiudiciall to that that wee vse in mynistring the cuppe with pure wine according to the instytution I say therefore that thys abuse was auncient and rose vpon these causes First of all in the prymitiue church the dyscipline of the churche was so seuere and so extreame that if any which professed the truth and were of the body of the church did through infirmitie deny the truth ioyned hym self vnto the idolatrous seruice although he repenting came againe vnto the church yet was he not receiued to the communion of the Lords supper any more And yet lying in extremitie of sickenes and redy to depart thys lyfe if hee dyd require the communion in token that the church had forgeuen the faulte and was reconcyled altogether vnto that person that had so fallen they graunted that he might be partaker of it as may appeare by the story of Serapion Another cause was that which was before alleaged which is the false opynion which they had conceiued that all those were condemned that receiued not the supper of the Lord therfore when as those that were as they called thē cathecumeni which is yong nouices in relygion neuer admitted to the supper or yong children fell sicke daungerously they mynistred the supper of the Lord vnto them least they should want their voyage victuall as they termed it which abuse notwithstanding was neither so auncient as the other nor so generall And there wanted not good men which declared their mislyking and dyd decree agaynst both the abuses agaynst all maner communicating in priuate houses As in the councell of * Laodicea it was ordayned that neyther byshop nor elder shuld make any oblation that was mynister any communion in houses Besides therfore that I haue before shewed the vnlawfulnesse generally of mynistring the sacrament in priuate places seeing that the custome of mynistring thys supper vnto the sicke rose vpon corrupt causes and rotten foundations considering also God be praysed in these times there are none dryuen by feare to renounce the truth whereupon any such excommunication should ensue which in the extremitie of sicknesse should be mitigated after thys sort for no man now that is in extreame sicknesse is cast downe or else assaulted with thys temptation that he is cut of from the church I say these things considered it followeth that thys mynistring of communion in priuate houses to the sicke is vnlawfull as that which rose vpon euil groundes if it were lawfull yet that now in these times of peace when the sicke are not excommunicated there is no vse of it And so it appeareth how little the custome of the olde church doth helpe M. Doctor in thys poynt And as for that he sayth Peter Martyr Bucer doe allow the communion exhibited to the sicke persons when he sheweth that he shal haue answer For wher he saith he hath declared it in an other treatise either the Printer hath left out the treatise or M. Doc. wonderfully forgetteth hym selfe or else he meaneth some odde thing that he hath written layd vp in some corner of his study For surely there is no such saying in all hys boke before nor yet after so far as I can finde Now remayneth to be spoken of the number of communicants that there is fault in the appoynting of the seruice booke not only for that it admitteth in the tyme of plage that one with the mynister may celebrate the supper of the Lord in the house but for that it ordayneth a communion in the church when of a great number which assemble there it admitteth three or fower the abuse and inconuenience whereof may thus bee considered The holy sacrament of the supper of the Lorde is not only a seale and confirmation of the promises of God vnto vs but also a profession of our coniunction as well with Christ our sauiour and with
God as also as S. Paule teacheth a declaration and profession that wee are at one with oure brethren so that it is fyrst a sacrament of the knitting of all the body generally and of euery member particularly with the heade and then of the members of the body one with an other Now therefore seeing that euery particular church and body of Gods people is a representation and as it were a liuely portraiture of the whole church and body of Christ it followeth that that which we can not doe with all the church scattered throughout the whole world for the distances of places whereby we are seuered we ought to doe with that church whereunto God hath raunged vs as much as possibly or conueniently may be The departing therefore of the rest of the church from those three or fower is an open profession that they haue no communion fellowshippe nor vnitie with them that doe communicate and lykewise of those three or foure that they haue none with the rest that ioyne not them selues thereunto when as both by the many grapes making one cuppe and cornes making one loafe that whole church being many parsons are called as to the vnitie which they haue one with an other and altogether amongst them selues so to the declaration and profession of it by receiuing one with an other and altogether amongst them selues And as if so be that we do not celebrate as we may possibly and conueniently the supper of the Lord we thereby vtter our want of loue towardes the Lord which hath redeemed vs so if we doe not communicate together with the churche so farre forth as we may do conueniently we betray the want of our loue that we haue one towardes an other And therefore S. Paul dryuing heereunto willeth that one shoulde tary for an other reprehending that when one preuenteth and commeth before an other saying that that is to take euery man hys owne supper and not to celebrate the Lords supper Not that so many men or women as there came so many tables were for that had not bene possible in so great assemblyes but that they sorted them selues into certayne companyes and that they came scattering one after an other and that in stead of making one supper of the Lord they dyd make dyuers These things being considered the reason which the Admonition vseth in the 185. page where thys matter is spoken of which is drinke you all of thys is not so rydiculous as M. Doctor maketh it For although that it doe neyther proue that 12. or 20. or any other definite number must of necessitie receyue yet it proueth that as all they which were present dyd communicate And so as many as in the church are fit to receiue the sacraments or may conueniently receiue them together shoulde follow that example in celebrating the supper together And it is probably to be thought that if our sauiour Christ had not bene restrayned by the law of God touching the passeouer vnto hys owne family and to as many onely as would serue to eate vppe a Lambe by them selues that he would haue celebrated hys supper amongst other of hys disciples and professoures of hys doctryne But for so muche as it was meete that hee shoulde celebrate hys supper there and then where and when hee dyd celebrate hys passeouer for the cause before by me alleaged it pleased hym to keepe hys first supper with the fewer for that the law of communication vnto the passeouer which was ioyned wyth the supper woulde not admit any greater number of communicants then was sufficient to eate vp the passeouer And althoughe it be cleare and playne that when it is sayde drincke ye all of thys and tary one for an other these sayinges are ment of that particulare congregation or assembly which assemble themselues together to be taught by one mouth of the mynister yet I haue therefore put thys caution as muche as may be possyble least any man shoulde cauill as though I would haue no communion vntill all the godly through the world should meete together Likewise I haue put thys caution as much as may be conueniently for although it be possible that a perticulare church may communicate at one table in one day and together yet maye the same be inconuenient for dyuers causes As if the number should be very great so that to haue them all communicate together it would require suche a long tyme as the tarying out of the whole action would hazarde eyther the lyfe or at least the health of dyuers there Agayne for as much as other some being at the churche it is meete that other should be at home vppon occasyon of infantes and suche lyke thinges as require the presence of some to tary at home In these cases and suche lyke the inconueniences doe delyuer vs from the gilte of vncharitablenes and forsaking the fellowship of the church for that wee doe not heere seuere oure selues but are by good and iust causes seuered which gilte wee shall neuer escape if beside suche necessarye causes wee pretende those that are not or hauing not so muche as a pretence yet notwythstanding seperate our selues as the dayly practise thorough out the church doth shew But it may be obiected that in thys poynt the booke of Common prayer is not in fault which doth not only not forbid that all the church should receiue together but also by a good godly exhortation moueth those that be present that they should not departe but communicate altogether It is true that it doth not forbid and that there is godly exhortation for that purpose but that I say is not enough for neither should it suffer that three or foure should haue a communion by them selues so many being in the church meete to receiue and to whom the supper of the Lord doth of right appertaine it ought to prouide that those whych woulde wythdrawe them selues shoulde be by Ecclesiasticall discipline at all times and now also vnder a godly Prince by ciuill punishment brought to communicate wyth their brethren And thys is the law of God and thys is now and hath bene heeretofore the practise of churches reformed All men vnderstand that the passeouer was a figure of the Lords supper and that there should be as straight bonds to binde men to celebrate the remembrance of our spirituall deliuerance as there was to remember the deliuerance out of Egipt But whosoeuer did not then communicate with the rest at that time when the passeouer was eaten was excommunicated as it may appeare in the boke of Numbers where he sayeth that whosoeuer did not communicate being cleane his soule should be cut off from amongst the people of god Therfore thys neglect or contempt rather of the Lordes supper ought to be punished wyth no les punishment especially when as after the church hath proceeded in that order whych our sauior Christ appoynteth of admonishing they be not sory for their fault and promise
amendement And that this was the custome of the churches it may appeare by the. 9. of those canons whych are fathered of the apostles wher it is decreed that all the faithfull that entred into the congregation and heard the scriptures red and dyd not tary out the prayers the holy Communion should be as those whych were causers of disorders in the church seperated from the church or as it is translated of an other depriued of the Communion Also in the councell of Braccara it was decreed that if any entring into the church of God heard the Scriptures and afterward of wantonnes or losenes wythdrewe hym selfe from the communion of the sacrament and so brake the rule of discipline in the reuerende sacraments should be put out of the church till such time as he had by good frutes declared hys repentaunce But heere also may rise an other doubt of the former wordes of Moses in the boke of Numbers for seing that he maketh thys exception if they be cleane it may be sayd that those that depart do not fele themselues mete to receiue and therfore depart the other .iij. or .iiij. or moe feele themselues meete and disposed for that purpose whervpon it may seeme that it is neither reason to compell those to come which feele not themselues meete nor to reiect them that feele that good disposition and preparation in themselues For answer whervnto we must vnderstand that the vncleannes whych Moyses speaketh of was such as men could not easely auoid and whervnto they might fall sometimes by necessary duety as by handling their dead whych they were by the rule of charitye bound to burye sometimes by touching at vnwares a deade body or by sitting in the place where some vncleane body had sitten or by touching such things whych the law iudged vncleane which thing cannot be alleaged in those that are now of the church For as many as be of it and wythall of suche discretion as are able to proue and examine themselues can haue no excuse at all if they may be at the church to withdraw themselues from the holy supper of the lord For if they will say that they be not meete it may be answered vnto them that it is their owne fault and further if they be not meete to receiue the holy sacrament of the supper they are not meete to heare the woord of God they are not meete to be partakers of the prayers of the church and if they be for one they are also for the other For with that boldnes and wyth that duetye or lawfulnes I speake of those whych are of the church and of discretion to examine themselues I say wyth what lawfulnes they may offer themselues to the prayers and to the hearing of the word of God they may also offer themselues vnto the Lordes supper And to whomsoeuer of thē the Lord wil communicate himselfe by preaching the word vnto the same he wil not refuse to communicate himselfe by receiuing of the sacramēts For whosoeuer is of Gods housholde and familye he neede not be afraide to come to the Lords table nor dout but that the Lord will fede him there and whatsoeuer he be that is a membre of the body of Christ may be assured that he receiueth life frō Christ the head as well by the arteries condints of the supper of the Lord as by the preaching of the word of god So that it must needes folow that the not receiuing of those whych depart out of the church whē there is any communion celebrated procedeth either of vaine and superstitious feare growing of grose ignorance of themselues and of the holy sacraments or else of an intollerable negligence or rather contempt of the whych neither the one nor the other shuld be either borne wyth or nourished either by permitting .iij. or .iiij. to communicate alone or els in letting them whych depart go so easely away with so great a fault whych ought to be seuerely punished And vpon thys either contempt or superstitious feare drawne from the papists Lenton preparation of 40. dayes eareshrift displing c. it commeth to pas that men receyuing the supper of the Lord but seldome when they fall sicke must haue the supper ministred vnto them in their houses whych otherwise being once euery weke receiued before should not brede any such vnquietnes in thē when they can not come to receiue it Although as I haue before shewed if they had neuer receiued it before yet that priuate receiuing were not at any hand to be suffered And thus hauing declared what I thinke to be faulty in the communion boke in thys poynt and the reasons why and wyth all answeared to that whych eyther M. doctor alleageth in thys place of the. 80. and. 81. and likewise in the. 152. 185. pages touching thys matter I come now vnto that whych is called the Iewishe purifying by the admonition and by the seruice boke afore time the purification of women Now to the churching of women in the which title yet kept there seemeth to be hid a great part of the Iewish purification For lyke as in the old law shee that had brought forthe a childe was holden vncleane vntill suche time as shee came to the temple to shew her selfe after shee had brought forthe a man or a woman so thys terme of churching of her canseme to import nothing els thē a banishment as it were a certen excommunication from the church during the space that is betwene the time of her deliuery of her comming vnto y church For what doth els thys churching implie but a restoring her vnto y church whych cā not be without some bar or shutting forth presupposed It is also called the thanks giuing but the principall title whych is the directory of this part of the Liturgie placed in the top of the leafe as the whych the translator best liked of is churching of women To pas by the that it wil haue thē come as nigh the communion table as may be as they came before to y high altare because I had spoken once generally against such ceremonies y of all other is most Iewish approcheth nerest vnto the Iewish purification y she is commaūded to offer accustomed offrings Wherin besides that the very word offring caryeth with it a strong sent suspitiō of a sacrifice especially being vttered simply without any addition it can not be without danger that the boke maketh the custome of the popish church whych was so corrupt to be the rule measure of this offring And although the meaning of the boke is not the it shuld be any offring for sin yet this manner of speaking may be a stūbling stock in the way of y ignorant simple the wicked obstinate therby are confirmed hardned in their corruptions The best which can be answered in this case is the it is for the relief of the minister but thē it shuld be
and that the mynister made prayers and thankes geuing in the hearing of the people which is that which the Euangelistes call the blessing and hath bene of later tymes called the consecration and after that the people were partakers of them that then thys being done the deacons dyd cary of that which was left vnto those which were not present for that corruption of sending the communion vnto the houses was then in the churche agaynst which I haue before spoken now if to cary to a priuate house the breade and wyne which was blessed or set a part by prayers by obeying the institution of Christ by the mynister be to mynister the sacrament of the supper then Serapions boye of whome mention is made by Eusebius mynistred the sacrament For Serapion being sicke as I haue before shewed and sending hys boye to the mynister for the sacrament receiued the same at the handes of hys boye for that the mynister being sicke could not come hym selfe so by M. Doctors reason Serapions boye mynistred the sacrament And a man would not thinke that one that hath bene the Quenes Maiesties publike professor of diuinitie in Cambridge should not know to distinguish put a difference betwene mynistring the sacrament helping to distribute the bread and the cup of the sacrament And if M. Doctor could not learne thys in bokes yet he might haue eyther sene it or at least heard tell of it in all the reformed churches almost where the Deacons doe assist the mynister in helping of hym to distribute the cuppe and in some places also the bread for the quicker and spedyer dispatch of the people being so many in number that if they should all receiue the bread and the cuppe at the mynisters hand they should not make an end in eight houres which by that assistance may be finished in two which is tha◠that M. Caluin sayth For he sayth the Deacons dyd reach the cup maketh no mention of the bread And if thys be to mynister the sacrament then they that cut the loafe in peeces they that fetch the wine for the supper they that poure it forth from greater vessels into glasses and cuppes or whosoeuer aydeth any thing in thys action doe mynister the sacrament then the which thing there can be nothing more ridyculous In the ende M. Doctor to shut vp thys matter sayth that it is the first steppe to the mynistery and so ioyned of S. Paule in the third chapter and first Epistle to Timothe But what a reason is thys to be a Deacon is the first step to the mynistery therefore the Deacon may preach and mynister the sacraments when as the contrary rather followeth For if it be a step to the mynistery then it is not the mynistery but differeth from it and so ought not to doe the things that belong to the mynister But I deny that it is or ought to be alwayes a steppe to the mynistery I knew that it hath bene the vse of long tyme I know also that there be very many which interpreate the place of S. Paule where he speaking of the Deacons that behaue them selues well that they get them selues a good bathmon that is a degree to be a mynister or a byshop But I will shew a manifest reason why it can not so be vnderstanded which is for that as the functions of a Deacon or a mynister are dyuers so are the giftes also wherby those functions are executed likewyse dyuers And therefore there may be some men for their wisedome and grauitie discretion and faythfulnesse and whatsoeuer other giftes are required in hym that shoulde doe thys office of prouyding for the poore and to be a good Deacon which notwithstanding for some impediment in hys tongue or for want of vtterance shall neuer be able as long as he lyueth to be a good mynister of the word and therefore the giftes being dyuers wherewith those offices must be executed although it is neyther vnlawfull nor vnmeete to make of a Deacon a mynister if he haue giftes for that purpose yet I deny that S. Paule appoynteth that the Deaconship shoulde be as it were the seede or frie of the mynisters or that he meaneth by those words that the Deaconship is a steppe to the pastorshyp Which may yet also further appeare by the phrase of speach which the Apostle vseth For he doth not say that they that do the office of Deaconship well shall come to or get a good standing but he sayth that in so doing they doe gette themselues a good standing that is they get themselues authoritie estimation in the church whereby they may be both the bolder to doe their office and whereby they may doe it with more frute Whereas when they liue naughtely they neyther dare doe oftentimes that which they should doe nor yet that which they doe well taketh so good effect because of the discredite which commeth by their euill behauiour And so I conclude that M. Doctor hath brought hetherto nothing to proue why either Deacōs ought or else haue wont eyther to preach or to mynister the sacramentes And albeit M. Doctor be not able to shew it yet I confes that it hath bene in tymes past permitted vnto them in some churches to baptise in other some to preach and baptise and sometymes also to mynister the supper but I say also that thys was a corruption and vsed at those tymes when there were many other grose vntollerable abuses from the which I doe appeale vnto that which was first that is the institution of the Apostles which lymitted and bounded euery function within hys seuerall limites and borders which it ought not to passe Vnto the three next sections contayned in the. 94. 95. and a peece of the. 96. pages touching that which is called the introite and fragments of the Epistles and Gospels and the rehersall of the Nicene Crede I haue declared before the causes of our mislyking neyther meane I to stand to refute the slaunderous surmises which M. D. rayseth of the authors of the Admonition wherby he would bring thē into the suspitiō of Arrianisme to whom all those that feare God beare witnes y they are most far from He him selfe notwithstanding once again in the last of these three sections 96. page doth lay the manyfest foundations of that part of Anabaptisme which standeth in hauing al things common saying directly agaynst S. Peter that in the tyme of the Apostles Christians had proprietie in nothing And further geuing great cause of triumph of the one syde to the Catabaptistes and such as deny the baptisme of yong infants in matching that with those things which the church may although not without incommoditie yet without impietie be without and of the other syde vnto the papistes whilest he sayth that we reade not of any women which receiued the Lords supper in the Apostles tyme For thys is that they alledge to proue theyr vnwritten verityes when as
it is easely answeared both to the papistes and M. Doctor that for so much as the Apostle doth witnes that the churches of Corinth consysting of meÌ„ and women dyd receyue that therefore women also dyd receiue and were pertakers of the Lords table Thus it is manyfest that M. Doctor only to displease the authors of the Admonition sticketh not to pleasure iij. notable heretickes Anabaptists Catabaptists and Papists To the next section contayned in the. 96. and a peece of the. 97. page MAister Doctor asketh how it is proued that there was any examination of the communicantes After thys sorte all thinges necessarye were vsed in the churches of God in the Apostles times but examynation of those whose knowledge of the mistery of the gospell was not knowne or doubted of was a necessary thing therfore it was vsed in the churches of God which were in the Apostles tyme Then he sayeth he is sure there is neither commaundement nor example in all the scripture In the booke of the Chronicles he might haue red that the Leuites were there commaunded to prepare the people vnto the receyuing of the passeouer in place whereof we haue the Lordes supper Now examination being a part of the preparation it followeth that heere is coÌ„maundement of the examination And how holdeth thys argument S. Paule commaundeth that euery man should proue hym selfe Ergo there is no commaundement that the mynister should proue and examine them so I may say that euery man is a spirituall king to gouerne hym selfe therefore he may not be gouerned of others The authors of the Admonition doe not meane that euery one shoulde be examyned as those whose vnderstanding in the gospell is well knowen or which doe examyne them selues and so they interpreate them selues in the. 108. page To the next section in the 97. 98. and in a peece of the. 99. pages I Haue spoken of thys bread before in generall and if Maister Doctor dyd not disagree wyth hym selfe we are heere well agreed For first he sayth it skilleth not what bread we haue and by and by he sayth that he wysheth it were common bread and assigneth a great cause which the booke of seruice lykewise assigneth which is to auoyde superstition And it is certaynely known by experience that in dyuers places the ignoraunt people y haue beene mysled in popery haue knocked and kneeled vnto it and helde vp theyr handes whilest the mynister hath geuen it not those only which haue receyued it but those which haue bene in the churche and looked on I speake of that whiche I knowe and haue sene wyth my eyes An other reason is alleaged by Mayster Bucer which is that there being some thicker substance of breade and such as should moue and stirre vp the tast better the consyderation of the mynde which is conueyed by the senses might be also the more effectuall and so the fruite of receyuing greater By the way note that eyther Bucers censures vppon the booke of seruice be falsely ascribed vnto hym or be corrupted or else were not euen in hys owne tyme heere thought good substantiall and suffycient when there is some cause by Acte of Parliament afterwarde found I meane in the second booke of kyng Edward to mislyke wafer cakes and to chaunge them into common bread How so euer it be that circumstance would be well marked that it was one thyng to talke of a wafer cake in the vse of the supper in kyng Edward dayes before they were iustly abolyshed an other thyng now being reuoked after they were remoued Besides that we be called by the example of our sauioure Christe to vse in the supper vsuall and common bread for what time our sauioure Christ celebrated hys supper there was no other breade to be gotten but vnleauened breade there being a straight charge geuen by the lawe that there should be then no leauened bread And it is not to be doubted but that if there had bene then when he celebrated hys supper as at other times nothyng but leauened breade he woulde not haue caused vnleauened bread to haue bene made for that purpose of celebrating hys supper But thys is a grosse ouersyght of M. Doctor both in thys section and that whych goeth before that he hathe not learned to make a difference betwene that whych is not sincerely done and that whych is not at all done For in the former section he triumpheth vpon the admonition because they conclude that for as muche as there is no examination therefore it is not rightly and sincerely ministred For sayeth he the examination of the communicants is not of the substance of the sacrament and in thys section he sayeth that for as muche as it is not of the substance of the sacrament whether there be leauened or vnleauened bread therfore it is not sufficiently proued that the sacrament is not sincerely ministred But he ought to haue vnderstanded that if either the matter of the sacrament as bread and wine or the forme of it whych is the institution whych thyngs are only substantiall partes were wanting that then there should haue bene no sacrament ministred at all but they being retayned and yet other things vsed whych are not conuenient the Sacrament is ministred but not sincerely For example in the popishe baptisme there was the substance of baptisme but there being vsed spyttle and creame and candels and such beggerly trumpery it was not sincerely ministred therefore it is one thyng to minister sincerely and an other thyng to minister so that that whych is of the substance shoulde be wanting But of thys distinction I haue spokeÌ„ in an other place wherinto although M. doctor falleth in the next section and in other places yet thys shall be an answere for all The meaning of the Admonition in saying their God of the altar is plain enough that it is vnderstanded of the papists but that M. Doctor doth set him selfe to draw the authors of it into hatred and he can not be ignorant that when a man speaketh of thyngs whych are notoriously knowne he often vseth the or that or their wythout naming the thyngs whych he speaketh of To the next section contained in the. 99. and a peece of the. 100. page ALthough it be not of necessity that we shuld receyue the communion sitting yet there is the same cause of abolyshing kneeling that there is of remouing the wafer cake and if there be danger of superstition in one as M. Doctor confesseth why is there not danger in the other And if there be men that take occasion to fall at the one and that by superstition howe commeth it to passe that M. Doctor in the. 180. page sayeth that neyther gospeller nor papistes obstinate nor simple can superstitiously offend in this kneelyng when as the kneeling caryeth a greater shewe of worshyp and Imprinteth in the mindes of the ignorant a stronger opinion and a deeper print of adoration then the syght of a rounde â—ake And
if kneeling be so void of all fault as M. Doctor wold make vs beleue howe came it to passe that in King Edwardes dayes there was a protestation added in the boke of prayer to cleare that gesture from adoration An other reason why kneeling should be taken away is for that sitting agreeth better wyth the action of the supper whervnto M. Doctor taketh exception bothe in thys place and where he speaketh againe of it that for so much as thys sacrament is a sacrament of thankes geuing and thankes geuing a prayer therfore kneeling to be most fit as that whych we vse ordinarily when we pray But he shuld haue remembred that that thanks geuing may wel come after we haue receyued the sacrament and that whilest we receyue the bread and wine of the sacramēt we are not then most fit to speake they being in our mouths and during the time we receyue them our minde is occupied in consydering the inestimable benefite whych the Lorde hathe bestowed vpon vs and to meditate of the frute whych we receiue thereby by the Analogie and comparison betwene the bodely nourishment and the spirituall that by these considerations our minds may be more enflamed and sette on fire and our mouthes may be filled wyth the praise of God after we haue receyued And further if thys be a good reason that therefore it is meete we shoulde kneele at the supper for as muche as we geue thanks then it foloweth that when so euer we haue supped or dined it is meete that we should kneele when as yet we do say grace sitting And by thys he accuseth our sauioure Christe and hys Apostles as those whych did not vse the whych was most fitte for in hys iudgement he sayeth kneeling is the fittest site or position of the body which can be and if our sauioure Christ had bene of that iudgement vndoubtedly he wold haue also kneeled and caused hys Apostles so to do In the. 181. page vnto the admonition saying that sitting is most fitte because it betokeneth rest and accomplishment of the ceremonies in our sauioure Christe M. doctor sayth it is a papisticall reason and triumpheth ouer the authors of the admonition because they allegory when as notwythstanding the surplice before crossing and rings c. afterwards are defended by nothing but wyth vain allegories whych haue nothing so good groūds as thys hath But let it be that thys is not so sound a reason as in deede for my part I wil not defend it and the authors them selues haue corrected it yet M. doctor might haue dealt easlier with all then to callit a papisticall reason which is far from popery and the reason of two notable learned zealous men Iohannes Alasco and of M. Hooper in hys commentary vpon the Prophet Ionas For the rest whych he hath heere or in the. 180. and. 181. page it is either answered before as that the danger of adoration may be taken away or hath no matter worthy the answearing I only admonish the reader that sitting at the communion is not holdē to be necessary but only that I thinke that kneling is very dāgerous for the causes before aledged Vnto the .iij. next sections contained in the .100 and .101 page I haue spoken already when as I shewed the generall faultes of the seruice boke only that is to be noted that M. doctor stil priuely pincheth or euer he be aware at our sauior Christes action in the first of these sections when as he commendeth rather thys forme of speaking take thou then that whych our sauior Christ vsed in saying take yee And if it be a good argument to proue that therfore we must rather say take thou then take yee because the sacrament is an application of the benefites of Christ then for as much as preaching is the applying of the benefites of Christ it behoueth that the preacher should direct hys admonitions particularly one after an other vnto all those whych heare hys sermon whych is a thyng absurde And therefore besides that it is good to leaue the popish forme in those thyngs whych we may so conueniently do it is best to come as neare y maner of celebration of the supper whych our sauyor Christ vsed as may be To the next section contained in the. 102. page When as many receiue they know not what some other wythout any examination eyther of them selues or by others how they come wyth what faith in Christ wyth what loue towardes their brethren I see not against what rule of our sauioure Christe it is or what rashe iudgement to say that they come rather of custome then of conscience when neyther they speake generally of all nor singularly of any one particulare person To the next section contained in the. 102. and a peece of the. 103. page IF the place of the. 5. to the Corinths do forbid that we should haue any familiarity wyth notorious offenders it doth much more forbid that they should be receyued to the communion And therfore papists being such as which are notoriously knowne to hold hereticall opinions ought not to be admitted much les compelled to the supper For seeing that our sauioure Christe did institute hys supper amongst hys disciples and those only whych were as S. Paule speaketh wythin it is euident that the papistes being wythout and foreiners and straungers from the church of God ought not to be receiued if they woulde offer them selues and that minister that shall geue the supper of the Lord to hym whych is knowne to be a papist and whych hath neuer made any cleare renouncing of popery with which he hath ben defiled doth prophane the table of the Lord doth geue the meat that is prepared for the children to dogges and he bryngeth into the pasture whych is prouided for the sheepe swine and vncleane beasts contrary to the faith and trust that ought to be in a stewarde of the Lordes house as he is For albeit that I doubt not but many of those whych are now papists pertaine to the election of God whych God also in hys good time will call to the knowledge of hys truthe yet notwythstanding they ought to be vnto the minister and vnto the church touching the ministring of the sacramentes as straungers and as vncleane beastes And as for the papists howsoeuer they receiue it whether as their popish breaden God as some doe or as common and ordinary bread as other some do or as a thing they know not what as some other they do nothing els but eat and drinke their owne condemnation the waight wherof they shall one day assuredly feele vnles they do repeat them of such horrible prophaning of the Lords most holy mysteries And if thys be to gratify the papists to shewe that they ought not to be compelled to receiue the supper of the Lorde as long as they continue in their popery I am well content to shewe them thys pleasure so that bothe they and you forget not
plainly by Ierome whych folowed Ambrose immediatlye who in hys third chapter vpon Esay sayeth that they had also the presbyterie or eldershyp in the church The same myght be shewed by diuers other testimonies whych I omit because that it may appeare by the former treatise touchyng the election of the mynister that thys order of eldershyp continued in the church diuers hundreth yeares after Ambrose tyme euen as long almoste as there was any sound part of the church from the head to the heele Nowe I haue shewed the ignorance it remayneth to shewe howe that eyther M. Doctor was maruellously hym selfe abused or else desyreth to abuse other For if wheras he toke halfe Ambrose sentence he had taken the other halfe wyth hym and had not sodenly stopped hys breath that he should speake no more in steade of a false wytnes agaynst the eldershyp he should haue brought forthe as cleare and as flat a witnes for the proofe of them as a man coulde desire out of an auncient wryter The whole sentence is thys speakyng of thys offyce of the elders although not vpon so good occasyon thus he sayeth Whervpon the sinagoge and after the church had elders wythout whose counsell nothyng was done in the church whych Elders I know not by what neglygence they are worne out onles it be through the slouthfulnes of the doctors or rather throughe theyr pryde whylest they only would seeme to be somewhat Now that I haue shewed the place I wyll say no more I wyl leaue it to M. Doctor to thinke of it in his chamber by hym selfe and so will conclude this question that for so much as thys order is such as wythout whych the principall offices of charity can not be exercysed and that it is that which is commauÌ„ded by the scryptures approued and receyued by all the churches in the Apostles tymes and many hundreth yeares after in the most flouryshing churches bothe in tyme of peace in tyme of persecution and that there are greater causes why it should be in the tyme of peace then in tyme of persecution why rather vnder a christian prince then vnder a tyrant why rather now then in the apostles times that in consyderation of these things the eldershyp is necessary and such an order as the church ought not to be wythout And so also is answeared the third question that for so much as they were church offycers and ouer the people in matters pertayning to God such as watched ouer the soules of men that therfore although they were not pastors to preach the word yet were they no lay men as they terme them but ecclesiasticall persons The rest comprehended in these sections is answeared before being matter whych pertayned vnto the archbyshop Nowe I returne backe agayne to Excommunicacion whych M. Doctor thynketh to be the only disciplyne in the church but he shuld vnderstand that besyde that parte of priuate disciplyne whych is ordinarily and dayly to be exercised by euery one of the pastors elders as Admonition and reprehension there are .iij. princypal parts whych are exercised of them ioyntly and together wherof the first is the election or choyse and the abdication or putting out of Ecclesiasticall officers The second is in excommunication of the stubburne or absolution of the repeÌ„tant The third is the decision of all such matters as doe ryse in the church eyther touchyng corrupt manners or peruerse doctryne As touchyng the election and consequently the throwing out it hath bene shewed before that together wyth the churche the eldershyp hathe the principall sway For the decision of controuersyes wheÌ„ they ryse it may appeare in the. 15. of the Acts that the Presbyterie or Eldershyp of the churche hath to determine of that also Nowe it remayneth heere that whereas M. Doctor sayeth that the Excommunication and consequently the absolution or restoryng to the church agayne doth pertayne only to the minister that I shewe that the Presbyterye or eldership and the whole church also hath interest in the Excommunication and consequently in the absolution or restoryng vnto the churche But heere by the way it is to be noted that in saying that it belongeth to the minister he confesseth the dysorder in our church wherin this power is taken away from the minister and geuen to the byshop and hys offycers Nowe that thys charge of excommunication belongeth not vnto one or to the minyster but cheefely to the eldershyp and pastor it appeareth by that whych the authors of the admonition alledge out of S. Mathewe whych place I haue proued before to be necessarily vnderstaÌ„ded of the elders of the church It is most absurdly sayd of M. doctor in the. 135. page that by the church is vnderstanded eyther my Lordes grace or the byshop of the diocese or the Chancellor or Commissarye And that when a man complayneth vnto one of these he may be well sayd to complayne vnto the church whych is the more vntollerable for that being so straunge a saying and suche as may astonyshe all that heare it he neyther confirmeth it by any reason or lyke phrase of scrypture or by the authority of any godly or approued wryter olde or newe whych notwythstanding he seeketh for so diligently and turneth the commentaries in hys study so painefully when he can haue but one against twentye and but a sillable where he can not haue a sentence It may be the clearlyer vnderstanded that the presbyterie or eldership had the cheefe stroke in this excoÌ„munication if it be obserued that thys was the pollicy and discipline of the Iewes and of the smagogue from whence our sauyoure Christ toke this and translated it vnto this church that when any man had don any thing that they held for a fault that then the same was punished and censured by the Elders of the church according to the quality of the faulte as it maye appeare in S. Mathewe For althoughe it be of some and those very learned expounded of the ciuill iudgement yet for so muche as the Iewes had nothyng to do wyth ciuill iudgements the same being altogyther in the hands of the Romaines and that the word sanâ—drim corrupted of the Greeke worde synedrion whych S. Mathewe vseth is knowen by those that haue skill in the Rabbins and especially the Iewes Talmud to signifye the ecclesiasticall gouernors there can be no doubt but he meaneth the ecclesiasticall censures And if the fault were iudged very great then the sentence of Excommunication was awarded by the same elders as appeareth in S. Iohn And thys was the cause why our sauioure Christe spake so shortly of thys matter in the. 18. of S. Mathew wythout noting the circumstances more at large for that he spake of a thyng whych was well knowne and vsed amongst the Iewes whome he spake vnto And that this was the meaning of our sauioure Christe in those wordes it may appeare by the practise whych is set forthe in the Epistles
for the excommunication By whych testimonies besydes the institution of God the practise of the churches in the apostles times appeareth manifestly what hath ben the vse of the churches touchyng excommunication as long as there was any purity in the church And it is to be obserued heere that bothe in thys parte of the discipline and also in all other partes of it as I haue shewed as in harder and difficulter causes thyngs were referred vnto the Synodes prouincial nationall or generall as the case required so if the elders of any church shall determine any thing contrary to the worde of God or inconueniently in any matter that falleth into their determination the partyes whych are greeued may haue recourse for remedy vnto the elders and pastoures of dyuers churches that is to say vnto Synodes of shires or dioceses or prouinces or nations of as great or of as small compasse as shall be thought conuenient by the church according to the difficulty or waight of the matters whych are in controuersy Whych meetings ought to be as often as can be conueniently not only for the decision of suche difficultyes whych the seuerall presbyteries can not so well iudge of but also to the ende that common counsell myght be taken for the best remeady of the vices or incommodities whych eyther the churches be in or in daunger to be in And as those thyngs whych can not be decided by the Eldershyp of the churches are to be reserued vnto the knowledge of some Synode of a shire or diocese so those whych for their hardnesse can not be there decided must be brought into the Synodes of larger compasse as I haue shewed to haue bene done in the apostles times and in the churches whych followed them long after These thyngs standing in thys sorte all those Courtes of byshoppes and archbyshoppes must needes fall whych were by Antichrist erected against thys lawfull iurisdiction of Eldership as the courte of faculties and those whych are holden by chauncellors commissaries officials and suche lyke the describyng of the corruptions wherof would require a whole boke of whych I will note the principall heads and summes First for the they enter into an offyce whych pertaineth not vnto them but to euery particulare church and especially to the eldershyp or gouernoures of the church and therfore although they should do nothing but that whych were good lawfull and godly yet can they not approue their labors vnto men much les to God puttyng their sickle in an other mannes harnest For neyther by the truthe of the worde of God dothe that appertayne vnto them neyther by M. Doctors owne iudgement if hys yea were yea and hys nay nay consydering that he sayd before that thys iurisdiction belongeth to the ministers And although it should pertaine vnto the Byshop as he is called to whom notwythstanding it dothe not appertaine yet were it not lawfull for hym to translate thys office vnto an other and to appoynt one to doe it when he lysteth no more then he can appoynt them to doe hys other offyces of ministring as preaching the worde and ministring the sacraments An other thyng is that in these courts whych they cal spiritual they take the knowledge of matters which are meere ciuil therby not only peruerting the order whych God hath appoynted in seuering the ciuill causes from the ecclesiasticall but iustling also wyth the ciuill magistrate and thrusting hym from the iurisdiction whych appertaineth vnto hym as the causes of the contracts of mariage of diuorces of willes testaments with diuers suche other like things For although it appertaine to the church and the gouernors therof to shew out of the word of God whych is a lawfull contract or iust cause of diuorce and so forthe yet the iudiciall determination and definitiue sentences of all these do appertaine vnto the ciuill magistrate Heerevnto may be added that all their punishments almost are penalties of mony whych can by no meanes appertaine to the church but is a thyng meerely ciuill Thirdly as they handle matters whych do not appertain vnto the Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction so those whych do appertaine vnto the church they do turne from their lawfull institution vnto other ends not sufferable whych M. doctor hym selfe doth confesse in excommunicating for money c. Last of all they take vpon them those thyngs whych are neyther lawful for ciuill nor ecclesiasticall iurisdiction nor simply for any man to doe of whych sorte diuers are reckened vp by the admonition and same confessed by M. Doctor I will not heere speake of the vnfitnes of those whych are chefe offycers in these courts that the most of them are eyther papists or bribers or drunkardes I know what I wryte or epicures and such as liue of benefices and prebends in England or in Ireland doing nothing of those things whych appertaine vnto them and of other suche naughty persons whych are not only not meete to be gouernors in the church but whych in any reformed church shoulde not be so much as of the church I speake not of all I doubt not but there be some do the whych they do of conscience and with minde to healpe forwarde the Churche whych I trust will when the Lorde shall giue them more knowledge keepe them selues in their vocations and being men for their giftes apte and able either to serue the Church or the common wealth in some other calling will rather occupye theyr gifts there then where they haue no grounde to assure them selues that they doe please god Now I will take a short suruey of that whych M. doctor alleageth to proue his offices of master of faculties chancellors c. First he sayth in the 117 page out of the Ancyran councel that there were vicars of bishops wher although y name be not foūd of chācclors c. yet there is sayth he the office What vicar s Paules B. may haue and in what case I haue shewed before where I haue proued the necessary residence of euery pastor in his flock But I will note heere how M. Doctor both goe about to abuse hys reader in these vicares And first where there were three editions of which one only maketh mention of these vicares he tooke that left the other which is to be obserued for that thys varietie of editions rose of the diuers vnderstanding of the greke word chorepiscopos which may be taken eyther for hym that is byshop for an other and in hys place or for hym that is byshop in the country that is in some towne which is no citie so that chorepiscopus was opposed vnto the byshop which was of some citie And if it be so taken then here is no proofe for the vicarse of byshoppes But howsoeuer it be it shall appeare that the names of chauncelors and chorepiscopos doe not so much differ as the offices and functions of them For it appeareth in the same Councell and Canon that they were like the. 70. disciples
that they had also some care to prouide for the poore and that they were such as dyd mynister the sacramentes And in an other Councell they haue authoritie geuen them to make subdeacons exorcists and readers I know thys was a corruption of the mynistery but yet all men see how Maister Doctor looketh as it were a farre of vpon things and therefore taketh a man for a molehill when he would make vs beleeue that these were chauncelors c. In the. 125. page to the admonition desyring that these may be remoued and the eldershyp establyshed according to Gods order M. Doctor aunswereth that that were to place in stede of wise and discrete men vnlearned ignorant and vnapt to rule Let Maister Doctor take heede least in alowing so well of the popishe ceremonies not only as tollerable but as fitte and then acquainting hym selfe with the papistes maner of speaking in saying that the people be ignoraunt and vnlearned he fal or ouer he be aware into some worse thing Moses in Deuteronomie and Salomon in hys prouerbes place the principall wisedome in keeking Gods commaundementes and in fearing god And Dauid sayeth that the secretes and the priuy councell of the Lord is knowen to those which feare hym and I haue shewed out of S. Paule that he geueth to the spirituall man great discretion and iudgement of things If therefore there be in euery church which feare God and keepe hys commaundementes there are both wise and learned discrete men and therefore not to be spoken of so contemptuously as M. Doctor speaketh And God be praysed there are numbers in the church that are hable to be teachers vnto most of the chauncelors in any matter perteyning to the church and are hable to geue a ryper iudgement in any ecclesiastical matter then the most part of them can And besides that the choysest are to be taken to thys office thys ought not to be forgotten that seeing good successe of thinges depend vppon the blessing of God and that blessing followeth the church when the Lordes order is kept simple men which carry no great countenaunce or shew will vndoubtedly doe more good vnto the church hauing a lawfull calling then those of great port whiche haue no such calling In the. 228. page he thinketh the Archbyshoppes Courte necessary but bringeth no reason and further confesseth hym selfe ignoraunt of the estate of it and therefore I know not from whence that good opynion of hys shoulde come onlesse it be from thence that he lyketh of all things be they neuer so euill whych the admonition missyketh The rest which M. D. hath of thys matter is nothing else but great and high wordes And as for the Canon law it is knowen what a stroke it beareth with vs and that a few cases excepted it remayneth in her former effect To the sections beginning in the. 118. page and holding on vntill the. 123. page It was before shewed that of the gouernoures of the church there were some whose charge pertayned vnto the whole church of the which we haue spoken some other whose charges extend but to a part of the church that is vnto the poore and these are the deacons And as in the former part I shewed there were two kindes so in this latter part the same is to be noted that of those whose charge was ouer the poore some had charge ouer all the poore of the church as those which are called deacons some had charge ouer the poore straungers and those poore which were sicke only and those S. Paule calleth in one place Dyaconisses and in an other place widdowes For the deacons dyd distribute vnto the necessyties as well of the poore straungers and the sicke poore as vnto the other poore of the church And the widdowes did employ their laboures to the washing of the feete of the straungers and attending vppon the poore which were sicke and had no frendes to keepe them First I will speake of the deacons whereas M. Doctor cryeth out of daiying with the scriptures for alledging the. 8. verse of the twelfth vnto the Romaines to proue deacons affirming that there is no worde of them Truely I can fynde no wordes to set forth thys so grosse ignorance And had it not bene enough for M. Doctor to haue vttered thys ignorance but he must also with an outery proclayme it and as it were spred the banner of it What doe these wordes note he that distributeth in simplicitie but the office of the deaconshyp For in that place S. Paule reckeneth vp all the ordinary and perpetuall offices of the church as the office of the doctor of the pastor of the deacon of the elder and leaueth not out so muche as the widdow which he comprehendeth in these wordes shewing mercy If the authors of the Admonition doe daily with the scriptures in thys place surely Maister Caluin M Beza M. Bucer Peter Martyr c. doe dally with them And shall all these be esteemed to play with the scriptures and M. Doctor only to handle them seriously And as M. Doctors ignorance appeareth in thys place so hys mynde not desirous of the truth but secking to cauill doth as manifestly shew it selfe For all men see that the admonition alledgeth not the place to the Tessalonians to proue the office of deacons but to shew that idle vagavondes might not haue any of that reliefe which belongeth vnto those which bee poore in deede which thing appeareth both by the placing of the quotation ouer agaynst that allegation by the letter which directeth therunto And whereas M. Doctor sayth that the office of the deacons is not only to prouide for the poore but also to preach and mynister the sacramentes I haue shewed before that it doth not appertayne vnto them to doe eyther the one or the other For the proofe whereof thys place of the Romaines quoted by the admonition is very fit most proper For S. Paule speaketh there agaynst those which not contenting themselues with their owne vocatiōs dyd breake into that which appertayned vnto others as if the hand should take vpon it the office of the eye or of some other member of the body therfore S. Paule doth as it were bound point the limites of euery office in the church so placeth the deacons office only in the preuysion for the poore Thys one thing I will adde to that matter that if the apostles whiche hadde suche excellent and passing gyftes dyd fynde them selues preaching of the woorde and attending to prayer not able to prouyde for the poore but thought it necessarye to dyscharge them selues of that offyce to the ende they myght doe the other effectually and fruitefully hee that shall doe both now must eyther doe none well and profitably or else hee must haue greater giftes then the Apostles had The seconde poynt is touching that there were deacons in euery churche which is well proued of the admonition both by the place of the
those lawes of discipline whiche hee hath prescribed And whereas M. Doctor woulde bring vs into a foolish paradise of oure selues as though we neede not to learne any thing at the churches of Fraunce Scotland he should haue vnderstanded that as we haue bene vnto them in example haue prouoked them to follow vs so the Lord will haue vs also profite and be prouoked by their example and so be mutuall helpes one to an other and stirre vp our selues with the admonition that our sauiour Christ stirred vp hys apostles that oftentimes those that are first are not forwardest but are ouerrun of others that come after And whereas he would priuely pinch at the reformation there for so much as the Lord hath humbled the one and exerciseth the other by cyuill warres and troubles he should haue in steade of rocking vs a sleepe in our securitie put vs in remembraunce of Gods scourges which hang ouer vs and of Gods great pacience that still taryeth for our repentaunce and that if hee haue punyshed that people of hys which haue suffered so much for the profession of the Gospell and which went with so strayght a foote in it with an vniuersall hazarde of their goodes and lyues that wee shall not escape vnlesse wee repent spedely of our coldnes and halting in relygion and vnwillingnes I will not say to hazarde to put our lyues in daunger but not to leese some of our wealth and honor for the obtayning of a through reformation of the churche and aduauncement of the glory of the Lord. Finally he would rather haue put vs in remembrance of the sermon which our sauiour Christ maketh where he sheweth that those cyties are not alwares the greatest sinners or those whome God is most angry with which haue the heauiest iudgementes executed vpon them but that thereby the Lord calleth vs to repentance otherwyse that we shall lykewise pearish Thys had bene more fit forourestate to haue bene sayd then to haue after a sort insulted vpon the afflicted daubed vp our eyes that we should not see our mysery and our nakednes In all the rest M. Doctor hath nothing but wordes of reproch agaynst the authors of the Admonition and calling still as hys manner is for more punishment for them which I will not bestow the answere of The reply vnto the section in the. 146. 147. 148. pages Sed etiam quodam in loco facetus esse voluisti Deus bone quam te illud non decet Heere M. Doctor was disposed to make hym selfe and hys reader mery but it is with the bagpipe or countrey mirth not with the Harpe or Lute which the learned were wont to handle For he hath packed vp together the olde tale of the curst wyfe and of the theefe that toke away the priestes purse very familiar homely geare It might peraduenture make M. Doctor hop about the house but the learned the wyse can not daunce by thys instrument It pleaseth M. Doctor to compare those which be put out of their lyuings without iust cause to heretickes curst wiues and to theeues but all men do vnderstand how rightly What hys troubles be within and in hys conscience the Lord God and hee knoweth best but as for the outwarde persecution which he suffereth it is not such as he neede thus to stoupe or to grone and to blow vnderneath it as though he had some great burthen vpon hys shoulders And if he complayne of the persecution of the tong to let passe hys immoderate heate of speach which he vseth with those that he hath to doe with all the tong which is more intemperate then hys is in all hys booke shall hardly be founde And although it be vnreasonable enough that he should not geue men leaue to complayne of their troubles when he gloryeth in troubling them yet that of all is most vntollerable that besides the iniury which he doth thē he is angry the they wil not lay hands of thē selues by casting thē selues out of their lyuings or euer they bee cast out by hym Tullie maketh mētiō of one C. Funbria which whē he had caused Q. Sceloua a singular in ā to be wounded saw that he dyed not of it conuēted hym before the iudges being asked what he had to accuse hym of answeared for that he dyd not suffer the whole weapon wherewith he was stricken to enter into hys body euen so M. Doctor contenteth not hym selfe only to doe iniuries vnto men but accuseth them also that they wil not do it vnto thē selues or that they would not willingly suffer hys weapons enter so farre as he would haue them What conscience is there that bindeth a man to depart from hys lyuing in that place where he lyketh not of all the orders which are there vsed is it not enough to abstayne from thē if there be any euill in them or to declare the vnlawfulnes of them if hys calling do suffer hym when as the reformation is not in hys power And if eyther of this abstayning or declaration of thys vnlawfulnes of them troubles be moued there is no more cause why they should geue place then the other which lyke of those disorders yea there is lesse cause for that they are not the causes of trouble but the other and for that by their departure out of theyr places roume is made for those whiche will lyke of those disorders which the other mislyked which is to the hurt of that company or congregation in such places And as for M. Doctors easynes to depart from hys lyuing rather then he would cause any trouble hee geueth men great cause to doubt of which hauing dyuers great lyuinges and amongst them a benefice is very loth to goe from troubling of others to doe hys duety at any of them It is true that the church of England may haue an order whereunto it may iustly require the subscription of the mynisters in Englande And so is it likewyse vntrue that we desire that euery one should haue hys own fansy and lyue as hym listeth for we also desire an vniforme order but such and in such sort as we haue before declared As for the olde accusation of Anabaptisme and confusion it is answeared before therefore according to my promise I will leaue your wordes and if you haue any matter I will speake to that Vnto the. 149. and. 150. pages THe Admonition hath no such thing as M. Doctor chargeth the authors thereof with that they dyd euer allow of the booke of seruice It sayeth they bare with it and vsed it so farre as they might and therefore now when it came to the approuing of it by subscription they refused there is no man which can not vnderstand that it is one thing to beare with a thing and an other to approue it and therefore to beare and to vse it so farre as might be may we ll agree with their refusall of subscription so that M. Doctors note is
not worth the noting The Apostles dyd beare with the infirmitie of the Iewes addicted to the obseruation of the ceremoniall law yet they neuer alowed that infirmitie and they were so farre from approuing it by subscribing that they wrote agaynst it Those sayth M. D. which authorized thys booke were studious of peace and of building of Christes church therefore they that speake agaynst it which hee calleth defacing are disturbers of the peace and destroyers of the church So I will reason Gedeon was studious of peace and of building of the churche therefore they whiche spake agaynst the Ephod which he made were disturbers of the peace and destroyers of the church We speake agaynst images in churches and consubstantiation in the sacramentes and such lyke which Luther being studious of peace and of the building of the church dyd holde and yet we are not therfore disturbers of peace or destroyers of the church Although they were excellent personnages yet their knowledge was in part although they brought many things to our light yet they being sent out in the morning or euer the sunne of the gospell was rysen so hygh might ouersee many things which those that are not so sharpe of fight as they were may see for because that which they want in the sharpnes of sight they haue by the benefite and clearenesse of the sun and of the light They sealed not the booke of seruice with their bloud as M. Doctor sayeth for some that suffred for the truth declared openly theyr myslyking of certayne thinges in it and as for the other they coulde neuer dye for that booke more then for the lyturgie vsed in the Frenche churche or at Geneua For they receiued not the sentence of condemnation because they approued that booke but because they improued the articles drawne out of the masse booke And if they had dyed for that booke as in deede they dyed for the booke of God yet the authoritie of theyr martyrdome coulde not take away from vs thys lyberty that we haue to enquire of the cause of theyr death Iustin and Cyprian were godly martyrs yet a man may not say that they sealed their errors which they wrote with theyr bloud or with thys glory of their martyrdome preiudice those which speake or wryte agaynst their erroures for thys is to oppose the bloud of men to the bloud of the sonne of god For the papistes triumph I haue answeared before and I will not striue about the Goates wolle who is the opponent who the respondent in thys difference From the. 151. page vnto the. 171. page all is answeared where these things which are heere ioyned are seuerally handled now vnto that in the. 171. and. 172. pages I answere the although it be meete that as we hope that the homylies which are made already be godly so those that shall be made hereafter shall be lykewise yet considering the mutabilitie of men and that oftentymes to the worse it is not meete nay it is merely vnlawfull to subscribe to a blancke seeing that wee can not witnesse or allow of those things which we haue not sene nor heard The place vnto the Corinthes is the same vnto the Romanes and M. Doctor approuing one hath no cause to fynde fault with the other For the homylies first of all I haue shewed how absurde a saying and how vnlyke a dyuine it is to match reading of homylies with preaching of sermons For if the reading of the holy scriptures is nothing so fruitefull as the preaching of them muche lesse is the reading of homylies to be for their frute matched with preaching of sermons There remayneth that I shew briefely that neyther the homylies nor the Apochripha are at all to be red in the churche Wherein first it is good to consider the order which the Lorde kept with hys people in tymes past when he commaunded that no vessell nor no instrument eyther beesome or flesh hooke or pan c. shuld come into the temple but those only which were sanctifyed sette apart for that vse And in the booke of Numbers he will haue no other trumpets blowne to cal the people together but those only which were set apart for y purpose What should the meaning of thys law be The matter of other common vessels trumpets was the same oftentimes which theirs was the same forme also the other beesomes and hookes and trumpets hable to serue for the vses of sweeping and sounding c. as well as those of the temple and as those which were set aparte wherfore mought not these then as well be vsed in the temple as others Forsothe because the Lord would by these rudiments and pedagogie teache that he would haue nothing brought into the church but that which he had appoynted no not althoughe they seemed in the iudgement of men as good as those things which God him selfe had placed there Which thing is much more to be obserued in this matter seeing that the homilies red be they neuer so learned and pithye neyther the Apochrypha are to be compared either in goodnes within thēselues eyther in frute or in effect towardes the hearer wyth the authenticall scriptures of god Now if a man will say that the Homilies do explane lay open the scriptures I answer that the word of God also is plain and easy to be vnderstanded and such as giueth vnderstanding to idiotes to the simple And if there be hardnes in them yet the promise of the assistance of Gods spirite that God hath giuen to the reading of the scriptures in the church whych he hath not giuen to homilies or to the Apochrypha will be able to weigh wyth the hardnes and to ouercome it so that there shall easely appeare greater profit to come vnto the church by reading of the scriptures then by reading of homilies Besides thys the pollicy of the church of God in times past is to be folowed herein that for the expounding of darker places places of more easines ought to be ioyned together as in the persecutiō of Antiochus wher they could not haue the commodity of preaching the Iewes dyd appoynt at their meetings alwayes a peece of the law to be red with all a peece of the prophets whych expounded y peece of the lawe rather then to bring in interpretations of men to be red And because I am entred into that matter heere cometh to be considered the practise also of the church both before our sauior Christes comming and after that when the churches met together there is nothing mentioned but the reading of the scriptures for so is the Lyturgie described in the Actes And it is not to be thought but that they had those whych made expositiōs of the law and the prophets And besydes that they had Onkelos the Calday paraphrast bothe Galatine Rabby Moses surnamed Maymon write that Ionathan an nother of the Calday paraphrasts floryshed in oure sauyor Christes tyme whose
to be dennes of loyterors and idle persones whylest there are nouryshed there some whych serue for no profitable vse in the church their offyces being suche as bryng no commoditye but rather hurte of whych numbre certen are whych the Admonition speaketh of in the. 224. page some other which hauing charges in other places vnder the coloure of their prebendes there absent them selues from them and that whych they spoyle and rauen in other places there they spend and make good cheare wyth and therfore not wythout good cause called dennes Finally there being nothyng there whych might not be much better applied and to the greater commodity of the churche whylest they myght be turned into colledges where yong men myght be brought vp in good learning made fitte for the seruice of the church and common wealthe the vniuersities being not able to receyue that numbre of scholers wherwyth their neede may be supplyed And where M. Doctor sayth that that whych is spoken of the Queenes maiestyes chappell is worthy rather to be punyshed then confuted if so be that these be abuses the example of them in her maiesties chappell can not be but most daungerous whych wyth all humble submission and reuerence I beseeche her maiesty duely to consider And as for the reasons which M. doctor bringeth to establishe them in the 225. page as that they are necessary whych he doth barely say and that s Aug. alloweth of a Deane and that the authors of the Admonition are instruments of those whych desire the spoile of them and that a man may as well speake against vniuersities colledges as against them I haue answeared before sauing that it is to be feared that colledges in vniuersities if M. doctor may worke y which he goeth about wil shortly be in little better case then those cathedral churches whych not only by hys own example but wyth might and maine and al endeuor possyble goeth about to fill and fraught them wyth Non residences and suche as haue charges of churches in other places whych do no good in the vniuersitye and partly are such as can do none only are pernicious examples of riotous feasting and making greate cheare wyth the prayes and spoyles whych they bryng out of the country to the great hurt of the vniuersity presently and vtter ruine of it hereafter onles spedy remedy be therfore prouided And wher he sayth it is not material although these deanes vicedeanes canons peticanōs prebēdaries c. come from the pope it is as if he shoulde saye that it skilleth not although they come out of the bottomles pit For whatsoeuer commeth from the Pope which is Antichrist commeth first from the deuill and where he addeth thys condition if it be good c. in deede if of the egges of a cockatrice can be made holesome meate to feede with or of a spiders webbe any cloth to couer with all then also may the things that come from the Pope and the Deuill be good profitable and necessary vnto the church And where he sayeth that collegiate churches are of great auncientie he proueth not the auncientie of the cathedrall churches onles he proue that cathedrall and collegiate be all one But I will not sticke wyth hym for so small a matter if our controuersy were of the names of these churches and not of the matter I could be content to graunt hys cause in this poynt as good as antiquitie without the word of God which is nothing but rottennes could make it But for so much as those auncient collegiate churches were no more lyke vnto these which we haue now then things most vnlyke our cathedrall churches haue not so much as thys olde worne cloke of antiquity to hide theyr nakednes and to keepe out the shoure For the collegiate churches in times past were a senate Ecclesiasticall standing of godly learned mynisters elders which gouerned and watched ouer that flocke which was in the citie or towne where suche churches were and for that in suche great cities and townes commonly there were the most learned pastors and auncientes therefore the townes and villages rounde about in hard and difficult causes came and had their resolutions of theyr doubtes at theyr handes euen as also the Lord commaunded in Deuteronomie that when there was any great matter in the countrey which the Leuites in matters pertayning to God and the Iudges in matters pertayning to the common wealth could not discusse that then they should come to Ierusalem where there was a great numbre of Priestes Leuites and learned Iudges of whome they should haue their questions dissolued and thys was the first vse of collegiate churches Afterward the honor which the smaller churches gaue vnto them in asking them counsell they tooke vnto them selues and that which they had by the curtesy and good will proceeding of a reuerent estimation of them they dyd not only take vnto them of right but also possessed them of all authority of hearing and determyning any matters at all And in the ende they came to thys which they are now which is a company that haue strange names and strange offyces vnhearde of of all the purer churches of whome the greatest good that wee can hope of is that they doe no harme For although there be dyuers which doe good yet in respect that they bee Deanes Prebendaries Canons Petycanons c. for my part I see no profite but hurte come to the church by them And where hee sayeth they are rewardes of learning in deede then they should be if they were conuerted vnto the mayntenance and bringing vp of scholers where now for the most part they serue for fat morsels to fill if it might be the gredy appetites of those which otherwyse haue enough to lyue with and for holes and dennes to keepe them in which eyther are vnworthy to be kept at the charge of the church or else whose presence is necessary and duetifull in other places and for the most part vnprofitable there Last of all whereas M. Doctor sayeth that we haue not to follow other churches but rather other churches to follow vs I haue answeared before thys only I adde y they were not counted only false Prophets which taught corrupt doctryne but those which made the people of God beleeue that they were happy when they were not and that their estate was very good when it was corrupt Of the which kynde of false prophecie Ieremy especially doth complayne And therefore onles M. Doctor amend hys speach leaue thys crying peace peace all is wel when there are so many things out of order and that not by the iudgement of the admonition fauorers therof only but euē of al which are not willingly blind I say if he do not amend these speches the crime of false prophesy will sit closer vnto him thē he shal be euer able to shake of in the terrible day of the lord The next section I haue answeared in the treatise
not be husbandmen crafts mē c. yet may haue ciuil offices I thinke far otherwise that although neither be lawfull yet the one were more tollerable then the other For seing after the ministery of the word there is no calling vnder the sunne weightyer and which requireth greater exercise of the mynde then the office of the magistrate it is agaynst all reason to lay this heauy burthen vpon a man that is already loden and hath as much as he is able to beare It were more equall if they will needes adde vnto the weyght of thys burthen to lay some lyghter charge of exercising handy craft then to breake hys backe with the charge of a cyuill magistrate And whereas in the pollicy of M. Doctor it semeth a furtherance to the gospell to ioyne these together which was also the pollicy of the Idolaters as I haue before declared in the wisedome of God it hath semed farre otherwyse which I doubt not dyd therfore separate the ministery from thys pompe whiche is commendable in the cyuill magistrate least the efficacy and power of the simplicitie of the word of God and of the mynistery should be obscured whilest men would attribute the conuersion of soules vnto the gospell dew vnto the worde and to the spirite of God to these gloryous shewes And least whylest the mynyster haue the woorde in one hande and the sword in the other men should not be able to iudge so well in their consciences of the mighty operation of the worde of God in them For they might doubt with them selues whether the feare out ward shew of the mynister caryed some stroke with them in beleuing the word But M. Doctor sayeth that cyuill offices are not to be counted worldly affayres but heauenly and spirituall it is so and yet when they are compared with the ecclesiasticall offices they may be called secular offices for so muche as they together with the care of relygion procure and prouide for the things wherby we may quietly and commodiously lyue here where the ecclesiasticall offices are immediatly and only bent to procure the glory of God and the saluation of men and in that signification of heauenly spirituall which you take marchandyse husbandry and the handy craft be heauenly and spyrituall although not in the same degree All lawfull callinges came from God returne to hym agayne that is he is both author of them and they ought to be referred to hys glory so that if the mynister may exercise all thinges which be heauenly and spirituall you may as well bring hym downe to the plough as promote hym to the courte And whereas M. Doctor sayth that the office of a commissyoner is ecclesiasticall because it handleth ecclesiasticall causes I meruayle that he is so ignorant that he can not put a difference betweene geuing iudyciall sentences and appoynting bodely punishmentes which are meere cyuill and betweene the vnderstanding the truth of euery such cause according as the worde of God defyneth of it which is a thing common as wel vnto the magistrate as vnto the minister and wherein the mynister because he ought to be most ready ought if neede be consulted with An other of Maister Doctors reasons is that as kinges doe serue Christ by making lawes for hym so byshoppes doe serue Christ by executing lawes for him As though it pertayned not vnto the magistrates to execute lawes aswell as to make them and as if the magistrate were not therefore called a speaking law because by executing them he doth cause the lawes after a fashion to speake Thys is to deuide the stake of the magistrate betwene hym and the byshop yea to geue the byshoppe the best part of it For wee know that with vs the people be at making of the lawes which may not meddle with the execution of them And if M. Doctor say that he meaneth not hereby to shut the prince from executing the lawes then as hys similytude when it is at the best proueth nothing so by thys meanes it haltes downe ryght and is no simylitude As for Elie and Samuell they are extraordinary examples which may thereby appeare for that both these offices first meting in Melchisedech afterward in Moses were by the commaundement of God seuered when as the Lord toke from Moses being so wise godly a man the priesthode gaue it to Aaron and to hys successors And so for so much as when the Lord would polishe hys church make it famous renoumed in the world he gaue thys order It appeareth that he wold haue this to be a perpetuall rule vnto his church And by so much it is the clearer for that the Lord did not tary vntil Moses death but toke the priesthode away frō Moses which was a man as able to execute both as eyther Elie or Samuell And thys may be also easely seene for that in a maner alwayes where there was any good and stayed estate of the churche these offices were mynistred by seuerall persons and then met were mingled when the estates were very ruinous and myserable And if thys be a good reason to proue that mynisters may exercise ciuill offices it is as good a reason to proue that princes may preach and mynister the sacramentes For if the mynisters may exercise ciuill offices because Elie and Samuell being mynisters did so the Princes and Iudges may preach the word and mynister the sacramentes because Elie and Samuell being princes and iudges dyd so And so we see how M. Doctor going about to defende one confusion bringeth in an other As for Elias killing the false prophetes and our sauiour Christes whipping out of the temple it is strange that Maister Doctor will alledge them as thinges to be followed when he may as well teach that we may cal for fire from heauen as Elias dyd and being demaunded answere nothing as our sauiour dyd as to follow these actions which are most singular and extraordinary And if these one or two examples be enough to breake the order that God hath set by thys a man may proue that the mynisters may be fyshers and tent makers because Peter and Paule being mynisters dyd fyshe and make tents And truely these are not so extraordinary and from the generall rule as the other be And it was permitted in a councell that rather then a mynister should haue two benefices he might labor with hys handes to supply hys want withall When S. Paule willed Tim. that he should not receiue an accusation agaynst an elder vnder two or three witnesses he dyd commit nothing les then any ciuill office vnto hym And M. Doctor hym selfe hath alledged it before as a thing incident to the office of a byshop and therefore he doth forget hymselfe maruellously now that maketh thys a ciuill office And doth M. Doctor thincke that S. Paule made magistrates Or is he of that iudgement that the church in the tyme of persecution may make ciuill officers
doctor would proue that the authors of the admonition affirme it For sayth he by the rule of Philosophie Quod vix fit non fit that which is skarce done is not done I say this is secrete for it was neuer taughte neither in Academia nor in Stoa nor Lyceo I haue red Quod fere fit non fit that whych is almost done is not done But I neuer remembre any such rule as M. Doctor speaketh of And besides that in our tonge those thyngs whych 〈◊〉 sayde to be skarce are notwythstanding oftentimes supposed to be As when a â—an saith that there is skarce a man aliue c. the scripture also vseth that phrase of speache of thyngs whych are as when it sayth the iust man shal skarce be saued it doth not meane that iust men shall not be saued The rest of that I haue answeared And wheras he sayth that it is all one to say that the election of the minister must be made by the church and to say it must be made by the people It is a great ouersyghte to make the parte and whole all one seeing the people be but one parte of the churche and the minister and the other gouernoures are allbeit not the greatest yet the principallest part I graunt that sometimes a part is taken for the whole and so we do call sometimes the gouernors of the churche the churche and sometimes the people But where the question is of the proprietye of these speaches the churche and the people there all men that haue any iudgement can easely put a difference The rest of those articles are answeared in the discourse of the booke Besydes that the faultes whych are found wyth the vntrue gathering of them are not taken away by M. Doctor but only in confident and bolde asseuerations And if I should say any thyng I should but repeate their wordes In the viewe of the second admonition M. Doctor dothe as it seemeth of purpose cull out those thyngs whych he hath spoken on before and in repeatyng of them referreth hys reader vnto hys boke Diuers other matters there are of great weight whych he speaketh not of if he doe approue them it had bene well he had signified hys liking if he do not that he had confuted them And if he trauailed so heauely of brynging forth of thys booke that it was as heauy a burden vnto him as Salomon sayth a fond word is vnto an vnwise man he might haue taken day to answere it Nowe by this slender answearing of it or rather not answearing at all but only asking howe thys and that is proued where as being proued it is vnreproued of hym he doth his cause more harme then he is aware of For vnles hys proufes be ioyned wyth his expulsions imprisonments and with all that racket whych he maketh in Cambridge to the vttermost of that his authority will stretch vnto he may be well assured that their driuing out will draw in the truth and their imprisonment will set the truth at greater libertye and therby proue it selfe to be neither Papistry nor Anabaptistry Donatistry Catharisme nor any other heresy whych are by due correction repressed But as for the truthe of God the more it is laden the straighter it standeth and the more it is kept vnder the more it enforceth it selfe to rise and will vndoubtedly gette vp howe great so euer the stone be whych is layd vpon it And albeit he had no leasure to answere the matters whych required his answere yet he carpeth at by matters and asketh who are meant by the politicke Macheuils What if they meane master doctor and suche other whych vnder the pretence of pollicy would ouerthrowe the churche and that by those thyngs whych haue skarce a shewe of pollicy and in deede ouerturne the pollicy and gouernmeÌ„t of the lord And I pray you tell me M. doctor who be those superyors whych do contemne hate discourage and frumpe those whych execute the lawes of the realme of the which you speake in the. 88. page And where you adde by and by that they enuy all men of great authority witte and pollicy I haue answeared thys speache before And truely I thincke there is not in Meshecke so slaunderous a tonge to be found as thys is nor the Iuniper coales are not comparable wyth it After he accuseth the admonition as if it condemned scholes and vniuersities wyth all manner degrees when it doth but inueigh against degrees giuen of custome rather then of ryghte rather by money then by merite of learning and when titles of doctorshyp be geuen to those whych haue not the offyce of a Doctor and oftentimes to those which can not do the office if they had it and when men do seeke vaine glory in them and suche lyke For the repetition of Gloria patri c. I haue spoken sufficiently before but what spirite is it that calleth this translation of the word battologefete vse not vaine repetitions a wycked wresting of S. Mathewes place in hys .vj. chapter What rasor is thys that cutteth so sharpe knoweth he against whome and against the excellent learning and singuler piety of howe many he speaketh For thys is the translation of those learned and godlye men whych translated the Bible whych is commoÌ„ly called the Geneua Bible and is thys a wycked wresting Admit it were not translated exactly to the word of the Euangelist is it therfore a wresting and a wicked wresting What I wil not say wicked but false conclusion or doctrine can be grounded of this translation And they that translate it thus haue not only the authority of the Lexicons to confirme their traÌ„slation whych shew that thys word was taken vp in reproche of a folysh Pocte called Battus whych vsed to repeat one thing many times but they haue also the circumstance of the place to warrant it For the reason whych our sauior Christ vseth to draw men from this fault leadeth to thys translation and can not stand with that sense which M. doctor setteth downe For how haÌ„g these togither you shall not babble many wordes wythout faithe c. because your heauenly father knoweth what you haue nede of before you aske It is vnlike first that our sauyor Christ wold speake thus babble not many words without fayth c. when as rather he would haue forbidden them to speake any one word without fayth c. For if he should speake thus he shuld seeme to haue alowed a prayer without fayth so that it were not coÌ„ceiued in many words And againe if as M. doctor sayth this had bene the proposition whych our sauyor Christ disswaded from y they should not babble many words wythout faith c. he would neuer haue added thys reason for your heauenly father knoweth c. for neyther is he father vnto any such And he woulde rather haue sayd as S. Iames sayeth that they should be sure to receiue nothyng because they aske not in faythe Nowe as thys
reason can not stand wyth M. Doctors interpretation so doth it wel agree with the translation of the Geneua Bible For what could be more fitly sayd to driue the disciples from thys vain repetition then to say that the heauenly father knoweth c. and that it is not wyth the Lord as it is wyth men that muste haue a thyng oftentimes spoken or euer they can vnderstand it Furthermore what a reason is thys VVe must repeat the Lordes prayer oftentimes therfore we must repeate it oftentimes in halfe an houre and one in the necke of an other And if s Paules place to the Thessalonians pray continually be referred vnto the saying of the Lordes prayer as M. doctor would beare vs in hande then it is not lawfull for vs to vse any other words then those whych our sauyor Christ vsed But I could neuer yet learne that those wordes binde vs of necessity any more vnto the repetition of the Lordes prayer word for word then vnto the repetition of any other godly prayer in the scripture And I would be lothe to saye that it were simply necessary to vse that iust nombre of wordes and neyther more nor les at any time much les oftentimes in so small a space For our sauyor Christe doth not there geue a prescript forme of prayer whervnto he bindeth vs but geueth vs a rule and squire to frame all our prayers by as I haue before declared I knowe it is necessary to pray and to pray often I knowe also that in so fewe words it is impossible for any man to frame so pithy a prayer And I confes that the churche doth well in concluding theyr prayers wyth the Lordes prayer but I stande vpon thys that there is no necessitye layde vpon vs to vse these verye wordes and no more and especially that the place of S. Paule to the Thessalonians dothe least of all proue it As for M. Doctors outcryes he hathe so often worn our eares wyth them and that wythout cause that I thinke by this time no man regardeth them A short Replie vnto M. Doctors briefe answere whych he maketh to certaine godly Admonitions and Exhortations whych he calleth pamphletes VVHere the sayeth the authors of the admonition are not punyshed or theyr boke misliked for that it telleth of the faults in the church or of the synnes of men but for that it maintaineth false doctrine and for that they preferred a libell For the doctrine it appeareth by that whych is sayd what it is And if he wold define what a libell were it were easy to answere vnto the other poynt If he meane because it was preferred wythout any name vnto it howe will he answer vnto the example of the wryter of the Epistle vnto the Hebrues which was a singuler instrument and did not subscribe hys Epistle wherein notwithstanding he sharply rebuketh diuers faultes amongst them And yet the wryter to the Hebrues was not the minister of Sathan And if he call it a libel because it vseth some sharper speaches surely all men see that hys boke deserueth then to be called a Satyre hauing for tarte wordes bitter and for one twentie But in what respecte so euer he call it a libell he accuseth not so much the authors of the admonition for preferring of it as diuers of the honourable house of Parliament whych dyd alowe it Where as maister Doctor compareth vs wyth the Phariseis and sayeth we doe all to be seene of men and that we hold downe our heades in the streates and straine at a gnatte swalowing downe a Camell because they are in all mennes knowledge I will leaue it to them to iudge of the truthe of those thyngs Where he sayeth we seldome or neuer laughe it is not therefore that we thincke that it is not lawfull to laughe but that the considerations of the calamities of other churches and of the ruines of oures wyth the heauy iudgements of the Lord whych hang ouer vs ought to turne oure laughing into weeping besides that a man may laugh although he shew not his tethe And so Ierome in effecte answeareth in an epistle whych he wrote where vpon occasion that certaine vsed the same accusation that M. doctor doeth he sayeth because we do not laugh wyth open mouth therfore we are counted sad And where he sayeth we separate oure selues from all congregations and are enemies to Prince and that we wold seeme to be holyer then other these and such lyke slaunders are answeared before And if there be any that refuse to salute godly preachers or spitte in any mannes face or wishe the plague of God to lyght vpon them or say that they be damned we defende not nor allowe of anye suche behauyor And it is vnreasonable that the fault of one should be imputed to so many and to those whych do as much mislyke of it as M. doctor hymselfe And what needed M. Doctor to byd the authors of these exhortations to holde their handes where doe they in a word offer to strike belike hys tonge is hys owne and therfore he speaketh whatsoeuer he lysteth After M. Doctor confuteth hys owne shadowe For the exhortation doth not require that the name of a brother shuld deliuer the authors of the admonition from punishment if they deserued it but desireth that it myghte worke some moderation of the rigoure of it and compassion to minister to their necessities in prison He sayeth that the authors of the Admonition take not them for theyr brethren yes verely although vnbrotherly handled for fathers to and so both loue them and reuerence them vntil whych we hope wil not be they shall manifestly for the vpholding of their owne kingdome and profite refuse to haue Christe raigne ouer vs in whome thys fatherhoods and brotherhoode doth consiste I knowe not whether they haue bene conferred wyth or no but I thynke the first reason whych they had to perswade them was that they shoulde goe to Newgate whych is that which the Exhortation complaineth of after that they are first punished before they be taught And in thys behalfe M. doctor hath no cause to complaine as he doth For if he list he may learn or euer he go to prison And as for the truth of the cause and wresting and mangling of the scriptures in most places where they are sayd to mangle and wrest and how he hath answered the request of the exhortation whych is to confute the admonition by the scriptures how truely aptly learnedly M. doctor hath behaued himself in citing of the olde Councels Fathers I leaue it to be estemed partly of that which I haue sayd and partly by the deeper consideration of those which because they can better iudge may see further into M. Doctors faultes and rapsodies then I can Although the truth is that I haue because I woulde not make a long booke by heaping of one reprehension vpon an other contented my selfe rather to trip as it were and to passe ouer with
and grauitie that the order which the Apostle there vseth is still to be obserued M. Bucer of the kingdome of Christ in the. 1. booke and. 9. chap. sayeth that S. Paule accuseth the Corinthians for that the whole church dyd not cast out of their company the incestuous person 6. That Chauncelors Commissaries Officials c. vsurpe authority in the Church which belongeth not to them M. Caluin in hys Institutions 4. boke 11. chap. 7. sect speaketh agaynst the office of Officials and alledgeth diuers reasons agaynst them as that they exercise that part of the Byshops charge and that they handle matters whiche pertayne not to the spirituall iurisdiction M. Beza in hys boke of Diuorces prouing that the iudiciall deciding of matrimonyall causes appertayneth vnto the cyuill magistrate sayeth that officials proctors and promoters and in a word all the swinish filth now of long time hath wasted the church Peter Martyr vpon the. 13. chap. to the Romaines speaking agaynst the ciuill iurisdiction of byshops doth by the same reason condemne it in their deputies the officials 7. That the mynisters of the worde ought not to exercise any ciuill offices and iurisdiction M. Caluin in hys Institutions 4. boke 11. chap. 9. sect bringeth dyuers reasons to proue that byshops may neyther vsurpe nor take being geuen them eyther the right of the sword or the knowledge of ciuill causes M. Beza in hys Confessions chap. 5. sect 32. sayth that the Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction is to be distinguished from the ciuill and that although the byshops in the times of Christian Emperoures were troubled with the hearing of cyuill causes yet they dyd not that by any iudiciall power which they exercised but by a frendly entreaty of the parties which were at discorde and sayeth notwithstanding that herein the Emperors dyd geue too much to the ambytion of certayne byshoppes whereupon by little and by litle afterwarde all thinges were confounded And in the. 42. section sayeth that those corporall punyshmentes which the Apostles exercised were peculier and extraordinary Peter Martyr vpon the. 13. to the Romaines speaking of thys meeting of both Ecclesiasticall and ciuill iurisdiction in one man sayeth that when both the ciuill Ecclesiasticall functions do so meete that one hindreth the other so that he which exerciseth the one can not mynister the other M. Bucer vpon the. 5. of Mathew sayeth that there is no man so wise holy which is able to exercise both the ciuill the Ecclesiasticall power and that therfore he which will exercise the one must leaue the other 8. That the sacraments ought not to be priuately administred nor by women The forsayd confession .c. 20. holdeth that baptisme ought not to be mynistred by women or midwiues to the which also may be ioyned the Liturgy of the English church at Geneua which cōdemneth the mynistring of either of the sacraments in priuate houses or by women Peter Martyr vpon the. 11. chap. of the. 1. ep to the Corinthes in describing the corruptions of the Lordes supper noteth thys to be one that the church dyd not communicate altogether which corruption as it was in dyuers places in times past so he complayneth that it is now M. Bucer in hys first booke of the kingdome of Christ and. 7. chap. proueth out of the. 10. to the Corinth that the whole church should receiue the supper of the Lord together and that the vse of the church of God in thys behalfe ought with great and dyligent endeuour to be restored vnto the churches that it is a contempt of the mysteries not to be partakers when they are called M. Beza agaynst Westphalus sheweth that it is not decent that baptisme be mynistred but in the church that at standing houres and by the mynisters and further that vppon no necessitie as it is called it ought to be mynistred in priuate houses And that if it might be mynistred in priuate houses yet no otherwyse then by mynisters M. Caluin in hys institutions 4. booke chap. 15. sect 20. 21. proueth that baptisme ought not to be mynistred by priuate men or by any women 9. The iudgement of those late wryters touching ceremonies and apparell whose secret Epistles M. Doctor alledgeth appeareth by these places folowing cited but of their workes Printed and published by them selues Wherof also some are alledged by the answerer to the examiner where are diuers other places to thys purpose wherunto I referre the Reader M. Bucer vpon the. 18. of Math. sayth that they say nothing which doe alwayes obiect that greater things must be vrged then the reformation of ceremonies therby defending the reliques of Antichrist forasmuch as ceremonies are testimonies of religion And that as there is no agreement betwene Christ and Belial so those which are sincere Christians can abyde nothing of Antichrist Peter Martyr vpon the .10 c. of the .2 booke of the kings sayeth that the Lutheranes must take heede least whilest they cut of many popishe errors they follow Iehu by retayning also many popish things For they defend still the reall presence in the breade of the supper and images and vestmentes c. and sayth that relygion must be wholy reformed to the quicke Bullinger in hys Decades 5. booke and. 9. sermon sayth that our sauior Christ the Apostles vsed their accustomed apparell in the supper and that although in times past the ministers put on a kynde of cloke vppon their common apparell yet that was done neither by the example of Christ nor of hys Apostles but by the tradition of man and that in the ende after the example of the priestes apparell in the olde law it was cast vpon the mynisters at the ministration of the supper But sayeth he we haue learned long agoe not only that all Leuiticall ceremonies are abrogated but also that they ought to bee brought agayne into the church of no man And therefore seing we are in the light of the gospell and not vnder the shadow of the law we doe worthely reiect that massing Leuiticall apparell Gualter vpon the. 21. of the Actes among others bringeth thys for one reason to improue Paules shauing of hys head for that the gospell had beene preached .xx. yeares and that therefore the infirmitie of the Iewes ought not to haue beene borne with And after hee sayeth that that teacheth how much the supersticious masters of ceremonyes hurte the gospell which nourishe the weakenes of fayth by the long keeping of ceremonyes and by their long bearing hynder the doinges of those mynisters which are more feruent FINIS Prouer. 8. 15. 2. Chap. 34. 60. chap. 12. 3. Deut. 25. 2. Samu. 7. 2. Psal 132. Esra 3. 3. 10. Agg. 1. 14. 2. kin 22. 23. 2. kin 18. 2. Chr. 17. 8 Chap. 17. 18 1. Cor. 1. 27. 28 2. Chro. 29. 34 2. Chr. 30. 17. 2. Kin. 5. 4. 14 1. Sam. 25. 18 1. Agg. 234. 1. Cor. 3. 12. 13 2. Cor. 6. 15. Cap. 2. 42. 43. Rom. 12. 18. 2. Cor. 10.