Gospell if that perhaps they should preache in anye prouinces where the name of the faithe was not knowne And laying among them the firste foundation of the Gospell and committing the Churches that they had founded to some certeine chosen of them to the office of gouerning the Churche that they themselues hastened to other nations and to other prouinces and exercised the office of Euangelists so long as likewise the effect of diuine tokens and the grace of the Holie-ghoste did followe as it did the Apostles in the beginning Insomuch that at one preaching whole peoples were brought to the worship of the diuine religion and the hearers faithe was not more slowe then were the Preachers wordes But bicause it is impossible to reckon vp euerye one of them whoe were after the firste successions of the Apostles in the Churches that are through-out the worlde either the princes he meaneth the Bishops that were the cheefe Ecclesiasticall Gouernours or primates of the Churche or the Euangelists or the pastors let it suffice to haue onelie remembred those the monuments of whose faithe and preaching set downe in bookes haue come euen to vs as of Clement and Ignatius and of other of whome wee haue before made mention Thus as Ruffinus translates him saithe Eusebius there on occasion of this notable Bishop Quadratus whereby nothing withall the distinction of all these Bishops to be the cheefe rulers ouer the Pastors euen from the firste planting of the faithe and founding of the Churches throughout the worlde it plainelie appeareth that this Quadratus was long before he was Bishop a pastor of the worde bothe at Athens and at Corinthe as the Centuriographers note saying It is out of controuersie that hee was at Athens and there with singuler faithe and dexteritie deliuered the Euangelicall doctrine But whether hee were also an Athenian by countrie or in what place speciallie in the beginning whether he taught in the Churche or in the Schoole it is verie obscure That he was furnished with learning with faithe with an excellent libertie of reprehension and with all giftes that beseeme a successor of the Apostles is cleere bothe by the testimonie of Eusebius and by the things them-selues that he did Yea he was famous in the gifte of prophesie as also at the same time were Philips daughters It appeareth that before he entred into the function of a Bishop although we may not auouch that for certeintie he had offered his writing for the Christians vnto Hadrian and therevpon gotten himselfe an excellent fame By this also it is most manifest that Publius was aliue Quadratus continued vnder him and was not Bishop although he were so famous a Priest or pastorall Elder yet so long as this there nor his equall So that although a Bishop was a Priest or pastorall Elder yet was not euerie such Priest a Bishop though otherwise he were neuer so famous a Priest or Pastor But to returne to Dionysius of Corinthe in Eusebius lib. 4. cap. â—2 And this he noteth in that Epistle that Dionysius the Areopagite which being instructed of the Apostle Paule beleeued in Christe according to those things that are noted in the Acts of the Apostles was of the said Apostle ordeined Bishop at Athens And so reckoning vp other Epistles of this Dionysius and in them commending Philip Bishop of the Gortinians in Creta and Palmus a Bishop of Pontus vnto these saith he is ioyned another Epistle to the Gnosians in the which hee warneth and beseecheth Pinitus their Bishop that hee should not laye vpon the neckes of the Disciples heauye burdens nor impose a necessitie of a forced chastitie vpon his bretheren in the which the weakenesse of manie should be endangered Wherby it appeareth that he would haue enforced the Priests vnder him to haue absteined from mariage for it cannot be vnderstood that he went about to haue so enforced all the people but as the papists afterward did enforce the Priests or pastorall Elders whome he calleth his Disciples and his bretheren Which plainelie argueth though he abused the same his superioritie ouer them for had they béene his equals he could not haue doone it Nexte to whome Eusebius reckoneth Theophilus Bishop of Antioche an excellent writer Whome Maximinus succéeded the 7 saith Eusebius after the Apostles in the Sacerdotall Prieststood of the Churche of Antiochia By which tearme againe he meaneth the Bishoprike and not the Pastorall Eldership or Priesthood As shall yet more plainelie appeare euen in the next example of Irenaeus which was the moste singular instrument of God in all that age a scholler of Polycarpus Bishop of Smyrna who after comming to Lions in France where liuing with Photinus their reuerend Bishop hee was made Presbyter a Priest or pastorall Elder of that Churche And when troubles grew in the East parts about Montanus Alcibiades and Theodotus troubling the Churche with a new kinde of prophesiyng which Montanus as noteth Euseb. li. 5. cap. 16 was inflamed with too great a desire of primacie the Churche of Lions sent Ireneus to them to pacifie the same And by the waye sent him also saith Eusebius lib. 5. cap. 3. to Eleutherius Bishop of the citie of Rome warning him of the Churches peace Who also commended to the foresaid Bishop of the citie of Rome Irenaeus being then as yet a priest or Elder of the Churche of Lions Yeelding a testimonie of his life which the wordes vnder written doo declare we wish you O Father Eleutherius in all things and alwaies in the Lord well to fare We haue requested our brother and fellow Irenaeus to beare these writings vnto you whome we beseech that you will haue recommended as one that is zealous of the Testament of Christe For if wee knew that anye mans degree would get and purchase righteousnesse as in that hee is a Priest or Elder of the Churche which also this man is certeinelie we would haue commended this cheefelie in him By which testimonie it appeareth especiallie being sent in such waightie affaires that hee was a great and famous Preacher at that time and yet was no Bishop in that Churche Yea it should séeme that hee had béene a Pastorall Elder or Priest a good while before he was Bishop For Eusebius in his Chronicle maketh the persecution in France to be in the seauenth yeare of Marcus Antonius which belike lasted long and Photinus Bishop of Lions being yet aliue and the prophesiyng of Montanus his fellowes being in the eleuenth yeare he is not reckoned there as Bish. till the 3. yeare of Commodus So that he was Priest before he was Bishop about a dozen yeares by this rockoning if not more Yea the Magdeburgenses that say there are which affirme that in the 13. yeare of Marcus Antonius hee came to his Bishoprike about the yeare of our Lorde 176. But vnder Commodus hee flourished most of all The contention for Easter when it was hoattest Eusebius in his Chronicle placeth in the
Scripture Which is not ascribed so much to any other starres although they bée bigger farre than the moone is These vaine and friuolous arguments hath this French Bishop which yet both in this point and in all the French antiquities is one of the moste industrious of them all and straineth all his wits to recommend and set out this Salike Lawe wresting and writhing of the scriptures How much better in my opinion and with farre more modesty though otherwise he be also a great fauourer of the French estate aboue England doth Iacobus Meyer the Chronicler of Flaunders write of this matter Lib. 12. fol. 136 saying In the yeare of our Lorde 1335. Easter day being the 16. of Aprill the English warre began which of all other continued longest and was moste cruell And which helde out with truces betweene whiles aboue 100. yeares Which might rather be called a Domesticall sedition than a Warre The Christian common-weale is one kingdome and one house Whatsoeuer warres are made therein are made with great blemish Neither if we shoulde say the trueth they are Warres but most reprochfull seditions King Edward opposed to the Salike Law of the French the diuine Bibles which call the woman to inheritance in defect of the issue male Certaine there were in Fraunce that misliked not those argumentes of Edward Which men being put to death Edward determined to pursue his right although with long and hard warre and with most mightie force of armes to extinguish that Heathenish custome of the French The Salij are sayde while they yet liued among the Scithians to haue ordrined and kept that lawe These Salikes in the time of the decay of the Romane Empire got to themselues the surname of Frankes and began to be called Salij Francici Salike Frankons As also the Frisian Frankes the Saxon Frankes that is to saie the free Frisons the free Saxons to wit those that could bee no longer compelled to paie tributes These Salik Frāks after that they pierced first vnto the riuer of the Rhen and after that euen to the riuer of Sequana or Seine albeit that they also became Christian yet renued they and tooth and naile euen to this daie they haue held that lawe But that this is not so wee haue alreadie shewed euen by Caenalis the chiefest vrger of it Howbeit not without great detrimēt of Christian piety as me thinks And here he noteth in the margine The Lawe Salike hurtfull to the Christian common weale For if these laying aside their hatred and the superstition of that Lawe had nowe ioyned to themselues the riches of Englande thē had the French the English the Scots the Flemmish and the Burgundians growen together into one kingdome and with so mightie a power had easilie destroied that barbarousnesse of Mahomet which continued in Spaine euen almost vntill our times But after that I knowe not by what euill spirit of the French the French haue alwaies attempted to beare rule among other men all things haue bene troubled all things haue beene full of discomfort all things lamentable all thinges seditious Wee haue since that time seene peace no where no where quietnesse England was seene to offer the occasion that was most to be wished for but that Frēch blockishnesse and infelicitie could not take hold thereon being sotted by that Salike lawe And againe Fol. 148. lamenting the greate slaughter at the battaile of Chertsey where hee telleth how the French King called King Edward a Marchant of wooll and King Edward called him the Marchant and author of the Salike Lawe hee sayth The Frenth men alleadge certaine fonde causes of so great a slaughter But I thinke there ought none other to bee alleadged than wee haue before mencioned that is to witte the frinolous right of the French men which is full of controuersie vncertaine and that I may not saie false verilie most farre vnworthie of so great bloudshed I suppresse herein his vnreuerent tearmes of Queene Isabel by whom the right of this title came Onelie I note his iudgement of this pretended Salike Lawe Which sith that all the French writers so earnestlie vrge to stoppe there with the title of the Kings and Queenes of England not one-onelie then in the time of ignoraunce and superstition raigning but that also in this cléere light of the Gospell and manifestation of Gods Lawe euen these notable and excellent learned professours of the Gospell in the French refourmed Churches Caluine and Danaeus sauour yet so much of this French faction that vpon the occasion of womens publike speaking in the congregation they cannot refraine themselues from this humour of their Countrie but must also most vnnecessarilie cast forth these intemperate spéeches and disputations against the right and title of womens publike regiment and that some also among our selues snatching at their arguments with more gréedie newfanglednesse than with aduised confideration haue likewise to disturbe and indaunger our state attempted the like inuectiues I therefore thought it not amisse both for the playner manifestation of the right of that title which I haue heard many desire to bee discussed further than any yet hath done although I meddle not here with titles anie farther than defensiuely for womens right of gouernment to iustifie against all slanders the right of our Princes title for euery mans fuller satisfaction in these questiōs upon these foresaid occasions to be somwhat the larger though withal crauing pardon I confesse to be som what also the more tedious in this long processe herevpō But tedious or not the more pains was mine and they that haue lust and leasure to reade it may or may not at their owne liking I regarding chieflie the satisfying of the curious in these daies at least the staying of the simple from this curiousnesse am driuen my selfe to be rather ouer curious than ouer negligent in slubbering ouer a slight slender answere To returne nowe therefore to Danaeus further argument Of which matter also saith Danaeus procéeding on the proues of his foresayd question in his treatie on 1. Tim. 2 verse 12. folio 84. the examples are extant in Semiramis the Queene of the Assyrians Candace of the Aethiopians Act. 8. verse 27. Cleopatra of the Aegyptians vnder Augustus and Zenobia a most valyant woman vnder Adrian the Emperour To the Empire of which Zenobia many Christian Churches also did obey This argument séemeth to tende to the confirmation of that hée spake before that in Spaine England Scotland and diuerse other regions it was a right and honest matter for a woman to haue the chiefe gouernment ouer men But Danaeus dooth it so coldlie and brings out onelie héere these foure examples of Heathen women and those not of the choisest neither which among the Heathen women hee might haue founde that hée rather séemeth in so slender defending it to oppugne it But let vs take the view of these his examples that hee alleadgeth And first for Semiramis
causes or permitters of their tempestes which they complaine they haue suffered or that her Maiestie and her most honorable Counsell haue not extended their clemency vnto them as they ought to haue done in not satisfiyng the hope and expectation of these Ministers But besides that thus no lesse vndutifully then vntruly our brethren do burden her Maiesty and her most honorable Counsel not so content they charge them further and in a higher matter saying But most especially according to their holy and zealous care which ought to abouÌ„de for the cleane driuing out of the Cananits c. No â—oubt her Maiesties her most honorable counsels care is both zealous and holy because it is so it hath we trust to their habilities abounded in performing that they ought to haue done héerein and euen therfore our brethren offer thâ— another iniury Yea if the driuing out of the Cananits had bene indéede their hope and expectation it had bene satisfied long a-go What Cananits are there remayning that should haue bene driuen out that in such sortâ— as they ought to do and might haue done they haue not done it and who are these Cananits Do they meane the Papists but they are more aptlâ— compared to the Idolatrous Israelits and Iewes not to the Cananits that were méere heathen And although in some sense they may be so coÌ„pared yet were not the Cananites so vtterlye to be driuen out but that if anyâ— would become in religion true Israelits as Rahab and the Gibeonits c. they were permitted to abide notwithstanding the expresse commaundement giuen them to the contrary Whereas Christians haue no such especiall or generall charge to driue cleane out all that haue beene Papistes or superstitious or Idolatrous or Heritikes or Insidels if they were truely conuerted to the faith and religion of Iesus Christe or else how haâ— Christ translated his Church from the Iewes to the Gentiles And so God be praised for it hath he conuerted in these last daies infinite Papists to the Gospell But if they meane those that remaine Papists I doe not thinkâ— that they can shew any such to be maintained in the Ministery Although their wordes runne at large of the cleane driuing out of all Cananits or Papistes out of the realme of what state or condition soeuer they be How much better is it in my opinion and more agréeable to the mercye of the Gospell and to the clemency of her Maiesties most holy zealous care so to abound that her Maiesty hath assayed to haue woonn those Cananits to the Gospell by letting them abide so driue out from them their Cananitisme rather than to driue out al the Cananits except they obstinatly professe themselues to be Cananites to driue out such at least out of al authority and publike Ministery Ecclesiasticall or ciuill or to restraine or punish them otherwise as they deserue although dissembling Cananits can neuer sufficiently be cleane driuen out that shew such outward conformity to the Gospell that they deceaue her Maiesty her most honorable Counsell al other saue God only Quis hominuÌ„ scit quae sunt hominiâ— nisi spiritus hominis qui in eo est As for planting hedging pruning continuall preseruing of the Lords vine-yard from foxes yea little foxes we trust also as becommeth vs and as we haue found by the benefite therâ—f good cause so to thinke that her Maiesties and her most honorable couÌ„sels holy and zealous care hath not a little abounded héerein And this before we shall enter into this learned discourse is a good hearing that they acknowledge her Maiestie ought to haue with her most honorable counsell a holie and zealous care to abounde in the planting hedging pruning and continuall preseruing of the Lords vine-yarde from foxes yea little foxes For when we shal come to this learned discourse we shal there sée that our brethren so abridge restraine this their authority héere in that they their selues haue bene a great occasion if there haue bene any defect that the Lords vine-yard hath not bene planted hedged pruned continually preserued with so full effect as her Maiesties and her most honorable Counsels holy care zeale hath endeuored to bring to passe For vnder pretence of these Cananits and foxes great or little our brethren meane not indeede so much to challenge the Papists as our Bishops and Prelates to be the great foxes and other the poore ministers of gods word the little foxes and in generall al those to be Cananits bee they neuer so zealous protestantes if they acknowledge the lawes and orders of our Church of England by her Maiesty established And to shew this they mention not the open warre with the common aduersary which is the Papist but say they this ciuil warre as a man may say of the church wherein so much of that bloud whereof S. Paule speaketh is powred to the ground should by their holy and iust authority fully be ended And so say I it might haue bene ended long ago had it not bene more by the importunity of our brethren themselues who as the old saying accordeth the Foxe the first fynder haue both made continually reniued this ciuil warre more then either the Bishops or any of vs who haue bene and are conformable to the lawes nowe established or any negligence in the behalfe of her Maiestie or of her most honorable Counsel that thei should be thus wrongfully burdened to haue bene the nourishers as it were of this ciuill warre but haue still employed all their holy and iust authority to the full ending of it And sith they giue it rightly this tearme of ciuill warre which is a great deale more daungerous warre than the forren warre with the open and common aduersarie who hath raysed this so daÌ„gerous ciuill warre We that in all due obedience acknowledge the lawes and orders established of the Churche of England Or they that haue and doo impugne them and who hath contended against her Maiesties and her most honorable Counsels holy and iust authority we or they yea indéede they haue not onely not yeelded to her Maiesties supreme authority herein but they plainly deny the full ending and determining of this ciuil warre consisting in these controuersies to appertaine vnto them but onely to themselues as God willing we shall see when wee come in this learned discourse to the examining of the authority that they giue to the ciuill Christian Magistrates in these matters Now say they when as wee at this time are subiect almost vnto all the afflictions which can come vnto a church blessed of God with such a Christian and happie regiment as to the prophane scoffing of the Hâ—monits at the building of the church as at a wall which a foxe shoulde destroy to the conspiracies of the Arabies and those of Asshod to the false charges of sedition contempt of all good lawes and proceedings like to that
learned discourse following And what is it that they heere require of them not to cast it awaie Whereof meane they this Of the state of the gouernement established that it should not be cast awaie And good reason too Or do they meane it of the conference or of the obiecting the three obiections or of their answer But when they sâ—all tell vs plainer their owne meaning then may we better tell them what is our answer This in the meane season is all that they answer héere in generall to these obiections which doone they procéed to the particulers of them Wherefore for the first let vs graunt the great difference â—hich they make of yeares and learning yet the speech of Elihu giueth them sufficient aunswere that this vnderstanding is not tied to such outward respects but to the reuelation of Gods spirite and to accept in such cases the persons of men or to giue titles is but to prouoke God to destroy vs. Yea let the memorable examples of Ezechias and the Priestes of the Apostles in their counsels of Paule in his Epistles and euen of Peter in yeelding to the challenge of some not so well instructed moue them who not only not refused the Leuites and elders but accepted the people in some manner to be heard to speake and to authorise their determinations and writings At least let their own opinion that in interpreting the scriptures and deliuery of doctrine wee are equall with them perswade them not to refuse those who if they coulde straine their consciences to subscribe to the Archbishops articles they would gladly receaue them to be the Embassadours of Iesus Christ. The first obiection consisted of thrée pointes that our brethren werâ— but fewe young vnlearned to be accounted comparable to the Archbishops and Bishops To this they say wherfore for the first let vs graunt the great difference they make of yeeres and learning This is wel done of our brethren if they meane as they say that they would yeeld to the Archbishops and Bishops in these two things and for the moste parte of these our brethren they yéeld but in the thinges that otherwise are most apparant Yet say they the speech of Elihu giueth them sufficient aunswere that this vnderstanding is not tied to such outward respects but to the reuelation of Gods spirite I graunt the speech of Elihu giueth sufficient aunswere for the respect of yeares to all them that relie thereon But our Arch-bishops nor Bish. neither wee do measure the truth of the matter by the age of the men Neither we ascribe it to the title of age or dignity but acknowledge that which Elihu saith in the same chapter verse 9. Great men are not alwaies wise neither doth the aged alwaies vnderstand iudgement and yet they all the world doth knowe that wisdome in youth is but the séeldomer example as Elihu said before ver 6. I am young in yeares and yee are auncient and therefore I doubted and was afraide to shewe you my opinion For I saide the dayes shall speak and the multitude of yeares shall teach wisdom And in manie places the young are willed to reuerence their auncients and to learne wisdome of them so that they be wise and reuerend persons Notwithstanding if anie younger can make demonstration of the reuelation of Gods spirite not reuealed vnto the elder therin we confesse both Archbishops and bishops and all are to hearken and yeelde vnto those yoÌ„ger Young Samuel is to be preferred before old Helie and al the Priestes and young Daniel before all the elders of Israel and héere-of Christe also gaue example euen in his childhood And S. Paule gaue this precept that none should despise Timothy for his youth and yet was Timothy an elder in his office yea an Archbishop as God willing shal be sufficiently shewed in the debating of this learned discourse But as our Archbishops Bishops must not and I hope do not reiecte any of our brethren for their younger yeres so must these our youÌ„ger brethreÌ„ take no lesse if not much more héede that to supply their defect in yeres they presume not on pretext of Elihu to father any of their owne or other neuer so excellent mens deuises on the reuelation of Gods spirit except they can make apparant proofe thereof For so both they in preteÌ„ding it and we in beleeuing it might runne into a great daunger as did many auncient Heritikes and as do the common aduersaries to vs both besides the Anabaptistes which when they can not proue their assertions by cleare and inuincible testimonies of the Scripture they alwayes runne to this that they haue it by reuelation of Gods spirit But though our Arch-bishops and Bish. vawnt not of any speciall reuelation of Gods spirit yet I trust that in this matter as S. Paule said of his owne iudgement 1. Cor 7.40 And I think also thâ—t I haue the spirit of God so they with good testimony of conscience may say also that although all haue not like measure yet they are not destitute of Gods holy spirit Which howe farre hee hath warranted vnto them in his word for the grounde of their function I referre to the examining of this learned discourse The memorable examples that our brethren here alleage releiue theÌ„ nothing Yea let the memorable examples say they of Ezechias and the Priests of the Apostles in their counsels of Paul in his Epistles and euen of Peter in yeelding to the chalenge of some not so well instructed moue them who not onely refused the Leuites and Elders but accepted the people in some manner to speake and to authorize their determinations and writinges For proofe hereof in the example of Ezechias theâ— quote 2. Chro. 30.1.5.23 vers In the 1. verse sayth the text And Ezechias sent to all Israell and Iudah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh that they should come to the house of the Lorde at Ierusalem to keepe the passeouer vnto the L. God of Israel What is here any thing for proofe of any Priestes Leuites or pastorall Elders in office but younger in yeares or in learning inferiour to haue any controuersies reuealed by the spirite of God vnto them that were not reuealed vnto the Bishops Priests and Leuites which in learning and age were their auncientes For if they bring not their examples to this point they alledge them amisse for instances to answere the two former parts of the first obiection for the difference of yeares and learning betwéene our brethren on the one partie and the Archb. and Bishops on the other Likewise in the 5. verse And they decreed to make a proclamation through out all Israell from Beer-sheba euen to Dan thâ—t they should come and keepâ— the passeouer vnto the L. God of Israell at Ierusalem for they had not done it â— great time as it is written Likewise the 23. And the whole assembly tooke Counsell to keepe it otheâ— seuen
life should euen bowe down their myndes to loue the Gospell of Iesus Christe and his sincere Religion Certes to perswade one in speeche and wordes to embrace Christe to inuite him to godlinesse to open the waye to faith but in doings to driue him from Christe to giue an example of doing wickedlie to bring forth no fruites of faithe is no other thing then as much as the daie before thou buildest vppe so muche the daye following to pull downe and with Penelope to vntwiste the webbe againe whiche thou wast minded to haue gone thorough More-ouer before them whose condition is of very diuerse sorts wittes are not al like to temper the manner of teaching to the profit of ech one of them is neede of singuler prudence Heere-unto therefore appertayneth that whiche Clement writeth in his firste epistle to the brother of the Lorde They that Catechise that is to say they that instruct beginners with the worde it behoueth that they them-selues bee instructed For it is a matter of the soule And it behoueth him that teacheth and enstructeth rude soules to be such an one that he may bee able euen to proportion or fitte himselfe and directe the order of his worde according to the capacity of the hearer He therefore himselfe must especially be verye well learned and skilfull blamelesse ripe vnfearfull And S. Augustine at large teacheth how a Catechist or Teacher ought to rouse vp oftentimes his mynde to diligence and labour to breake of all irkesomnesse in the difficulties that hee meeteth with How furthermore it should be his speciall endeuour to frame his speeches according to the diuersitie of the persons And to deale otherwise with those that are of the Gentiles Otherwise with those that come to the Churche from among the Iewes Otherwise also with those that are of the citie and politike men Otherwise with those that are husbandmen and altogether vntrayned vp Otherwise with those that are Gramarians Orators or Philosophers Otherwise with those that are vnlearned otherwise with those that haue beene before accustomed to foule offences and to treate on all thinges otherwise with them that are thought to liue vn-reproueable Besides this there are many that feignedlie and not from the heart come to heare the doctrine some desire diuerse places of Scripture and obscure questions to be expounded vnto them From whose mindes except the scruple be in time remooued it is to be feared least at some time they leape back againe from their holy purpose Therefore these men which were called to the office of catechizing or teaching had not onely neede of learning but also of no meane wisedome Of whiche things Augustine teacheth in his booke of Catechizing the rude in the third the fift and in eleuen chapters following And against Faustus the Manichaean the thirtienth booke the seauenth chapter and so forth vnto the ending And out of doubt such an other was Panthenus the first Doctor of the Ecclesiasticall schoole after the Apostles Maister of the Catechismes or of these manner of Teachings in Alexandria Whome Clemens in his firste booke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of his scatterings or strawings witnesseth that he learned all of the Apostles Of whome S. Hierome writeth that he laboured muche in the Chruches with his liuelye voice Such an other was Clemens of Alexandria the successor of Panthenus in either function As also besides Hierome Eusebius witnesseth in the first booke the tenth and eleuenth chapters of the Ecclesiasticall Historie Such an other was Origen there succeeding in the thirde place Such an other was Heraclas vnto whom Origen deliuered vp the schoole Such an other was Dyonisius the Catechizer or teacher of the people of Alexandria Of whome Eusebius in his Ecclesiasticall Historie the 6. booke Chap. 16.19.22 speaketh Moreouer such an-other at Hierusalem was Cyrillus of whome mention is made before To conclude suche an other at Carthage was that godly man Deogratias whome S. Augustine greatly doth commend All this noteth Hyperius of these auncient Doctors Teachers or Catechists Whereby we may perceaue these Doctors Teachings and much more by their owne workes and treatises to be ful of exhortations applications Yea some of their Catechistical bookes are called by the name of exhortation as that of Clemens Alexandrinus his oration exhortatory to the Gentiles c. Neyther héerein did they inuade the office of other men For it speciallye appertayned to their owne office as Hypperius further noteth 499. For those which for the confession of the Christian truthe were deteyned captiues or ledde to punishment hee was woonte speaking of Origen and likewise of Cyrill with reasons brought foorthe out of the holie Scriptures to comforte them and to animate them vnto constancye and to many the children of the heathen vnto whom with the rules of Grammer hee had studiouslye beate vpon the points of religion to them was he an author to embrace Christianity c. And in the 3. Chap. what doctrine and poyntes of Religion should be taught in a Cathechisme fol 472. he saith The 4. heade is of doctrine but in the name of doctrine I take all those thinges which were proposed to them that were newly baptized and are exacted to be seuerely kept That is to witte of the newe life innocency of the regenerate For it beseemeth him that is baptized to become euen a newe man and by all meanes to die to sinne to liue afterwardes onely to righteousnesse and to shew himselfe to bee suche in all the actions of his life that it may be vnderstoode he vsed the mysteries trulie and with fruit Of the which newnesse of life after Baptisme Rom. 6. Knowe ye not that so many of vs as are baptized we are baptized into his death wee are buried together with him by baptisme into death that euen as Christ was raysed from the deade by the glory of the Father euen so we should also walke in newenesse of life For if wee bee grafted with him to the similitude of his death euen so shall we be to the similitude of his resurrection Knowing this that our olde man is crucified with him that the body of sinne might be destroyed that hence-forth we should not serue sinne c. Also to the Eph. 4. This therefore I say and testifie by the Lord that ye walke not heereafter as the residue of the Gentiles walke in the vanity of their mynde c. And a little after of the doctrine succeeding baptisme But you haue not thus learned Christe if so beye haue heard of him and haue beene taught in him euen as the truthe is in Iesus To lay aside according to the former conuersation the olde man which corrupteth according to the luste of error But be ye renewed in the spirite of your minde and put on the new man which is created according to God by righteousnesse and holinesse of truthe The like things thou readest Col. 3. 2. Pet. 2. In which the doctrine of
dignitie to his fellow Elders to whom this name Bishop should more properly belong yea and in that Citie the Bishop to haue a superioritie also ouer other Bishops to be the verie order of the Apostles and to be sufficiently testified by Saint Paules Epistle to Timothie the first Bishop there or else Polycrates would neuer haue taken these thinges vpon him nor he could euer euen for shame of all the worlde and the testimonie of his owne conscience haue auouched such precisenesse in his Epistle But sayth Eusebius Victor the Bishop of the Churche of Rome behauing himselfe more frowardly for these thinges goeth about to cutte off from the fellowship of the communion the Churches euerie where of all Asia and of the prouinces adioyning as though they declyned into Heresie and sendeth out letters wherein he separateth all without discretion from the Ecclesiasticall bonde of peace But all the Bishops liked not this but rather on the contrarie writing vnto him they commaunded him that he should doe those things that pertayned to peace and that he should studie for concorde and vnanimitie To conclude their letters also are extant in the which they rebuke Victor more sharplie as one that doth vnprofitablie regarde the benefite of the Churche For Irenaeus also with other Bishops of Fraunce ouer whome hee was chiefe doth in writing indeed confirme that the mysterie of the Lords resurrection should be celebrated on the Lordes day notwithstanding he reprooueth Victor that he had not doone well to cut off from the vnitie of the bodie so many and so great Churches of God who kept the custome deliuered to them of olde Neither onely sayth hee the controuersie is handled of the day of Easter but also of the forme of fasting For some thinke that the faste must be kept one day only some two dayes but other moe daies many also 40. dayes so that they make the day by reckoning the houres of the daye and of the night Which varietie of keeping the faste beganne not first nowe nor in our times but long before vs of those as I thinke who not holding simplie that which was deliuered in the beginning did fall afterwarde into an-other custome eyther by negligence or by lacke of knowledge And yet notwithstanding for all that all these yea though they differed amonge themselues in their obseruation haue alwayes beene and are at peace with vs. Neither hath the discorde of the faste broken the concorde of the Faith And after this he inserteth a certaine storie that for the fitnes therof ought not to be omitted To conclude saith he and all those priestes or Elders before Soter which helde the sacerdotall or sacred priesthood of the Church which you now gouerne I meane Anicetus Pius and Higinus and Telesphorus Sixtus neither did they thēselues hold it thus neither they that were about them And yet notwithstanding while they obserued it not they had peace alwaies with those Churches which kept this manner of obseruance yea euen when it seemed contrarie vnto them that other did not keepe it also in such like manner as they did Yet were they neuer repulsed from the societie of the Church or such as came from those coastes not receaued Yea rather all the Priests or Elders also that haue beene before you haue solemnely sent the Eucharist which vnder correction I take not héere in this age as manie do to be the mysteries of the holie communion it selfe but rather of an auncient custome of honour and courtesie to sende the bread and the wine as they say vnto them at their comming to the towne and the worde Eucharist may well beare it Comitas gratitudo or as Ierome calleth it gratiositas which we call thankefulnesse or courtesie to all the Priestes or Elders of other Churches not obseruing it as they did When the blessed Polycarpus came to the Citie of Rome vnder Anicetus when as they had some little iarre betweene them in manie other thinges and neuerthelesse ioyned themselues streightwaies togeather in peace they so handled the matter for this question that neither of them defended his opinion with anie obstinate contending for it For neither Anicetus could perswade Polycarpus that hee should not obserue those thinges which he had knowen that Iohn the Disciple of our Lord and the other Apostle with whome hee alwaies had beene did obserue neyther againe Polycarpus perswaded Anicetus to forsake those thinges which he sayde he had kept after the manner of his auncestors And while these thinges were thus betweene them they did communicate together Insomuch that Anicetus graunted to Polycarpus at the onelie contemplation of doing him honour to exercise the function of the sacerdotall ministerie And so in full faith and entire peace and stedfast charitie they parted a-sunder that all Churches whether they keepe the Easterday so or not so notwithstanding shoulde keepe concorde among them These thinges writeth Irenaeus performing the woorke that his name importeth to wit procuring peace to the Churches of God Neither onelie vnto Victor but also in like manner vnto diuerse Gouernours of Churches by his Epistles hee affirmeth that no dissention ought to arise in the Churches of God for this question Thus farre collected by Eusebius out of this auncient father Irenaeus All which verie fitlie serueth also vnto our question For if our question of the manner of the Churches gouernement be of necessitie we sée then howe wee should condemne all these holie Fathers manner of Ecclesiasticall Gouernement which was of one Priest or Pastorall Elder to haue an ordinarie superior gouernement and Iurisdiction ouer his fellowe ministers and the name Bishop to bee more peculier vnto him then to them For we manifestlie heereby doe sée that thus had they not onelie Victor Ierenaeus Polycrates and the Bishoppes of that age but they also that were before them both Anicetus Bishoppe of Rome with his predecessors euen vppe to the Apostles times and also Polycarpus Bishop of Smyrna that knewe Saint Iohn and some of the rest of the Apostles was conuersant with them marked their orders as héere Irenaeus noteth of this Policrates that he would not obserue anie other thing then that hee had marked to be approoued of them And therefore how-soeuer they differed in other thinges as in the obseruation of these Feastes and fasts yet neither of them differed in the superioritie of Eccl. gouernment from the orders which they had both of them receaued from the Apostles Saue that Victor began to abuse his authoritie too rigorously which not only Policrates with the Easterne Bishops being of contrarie opinion but Irenaeus and the Bishops of France also that were of Victors owne opinion doe vtterlie mislike and thus sharpely reproue in him disallow his censure For this superioritie of Victors clergie at Rome stretched not then either Eastward or westward ouer them They mislike therfore not his lawful auncient superioritie but his new insolent ouer-reaching the same So
multitude to the like gulf of mischiefs For what other thing should a B. be interpreted to be but an Ouerseer chiesly when he siateth in a higher seate in the Ch. and so looketh vpon al that the eies of all may looke on him So that héere at least the bishop is made a Praesident that sitteth though among them yet higher then all his fellowes And is this sitting higher onely to looke on them or this beholding and looking on them for no gouerning of them But let Ambrose tell his whole meaning who after he had highly commended the honor and dignity of the high calling both of Bishop and Prieste both aboue the prince and people in his spirituall function cap. 2. and shewed the daunger if their life were not aunswerable thereunto cap. 3. Therefore brethren saith he vnto the Bishops Priestes vnder him as the Roab setteth forth the Senator as the tillage the Husbandman as the Barbarian his armour as the skill of sayling the shipman and the qualitye of euerye Artificers worke declareth the Authors So nothing betokeneth a Bishop but a bishoplie worke That he might be knowne rather by his good worke than by his profession and more to be a Bishop by his wel deseruings than by the name whereby he is so called For as wee haue saide there is nothing more excellent then a Bishopp so nothing is more wretched if the Bishop be in hazard of his holy life And as it is lighter to runne on the plaine so is it more heauye when one falleth from highe dignitie For the ruine that is from an high is frushed with the more waighty fall Indeed the bishoply honor before men is renowmed but if it sustaine a fall it is a great griefe For how much the degree of a bishoppe is higher than others so much the more greeuous is the fall if that by negligence he should slippe A great height muste haue great heede The greater honor must be enuironed with the greater circumspection To whome more is of trust committed of him as it is written is more demaunded For the thinges that are mingled are with the worste And in an other place The mightie shall suffer more mighty tormentes And to him that knoweth the Lawe and doeth it not the sinne is heighnous And the seruaunt that knoweth the will of the Lorde if he shall not doo it shall bee muche beaten For it is another thing that God requireth of a bish and another that of a prieste and another that of a Deacon and another that of a Clerke and another that of a laie man either else of euery singuler man And albeit GOD shall examine in his iudgement the workes of all men yet shall more bee required for of him to whome more is committed For he shall suffer greater punishmentes to whome a cure hauing greater multitude of people to bee gouerned shal bee committed Thus muche saith Ambrose in that Chap. of this matter not onelye for the honor and charge of a bishoppe more than other but also of the seuerall and distinct degrées of bishoppe of priest of Deacon of Clerke and of the Laye people In the Chapter following hee describeth thė properties of a bishoppe out of S. Paule to Timothye And in the◠1. Chap. he inueigheth most against the Arch-bi in his time that made bishops for money and the bishops also for money made priests Deacons All which as it sheweth their abuses so it necessarilie inferreth both their degrées and also their dignities to bee different and euen confuteth that that Danaeus in the same place principally defendeth Last of all S. Ambrose commeth to this sentence by Danaeus cited For thou art called of all men a Bishop without doubting Especially when thou art esteemed by the very name if so be that the action agree to the name and the name associate it selfe vnto the action For what other thing doth he interprete Bishop but an ouer-looker vpon chiefly whē he sitteth in a higher seate and so looketh upon all men that the eyes of all men also do looke on him This is in very déede both the sentence and meaning of S. Ambrose that he is set in a higher seate than other in the Church because of his higher dignity in the Church And that his action should so aunswere to his name that as he ouerlooketh whereon he hath his name so should he ouer-rule them in the discipline of the church And therefore he is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a president or one that sitteth highest as Hierome confesseth in his epistle ad Euagrium For also at Alexandria from Marke the Euangeliste vnto Heraclas and Dionysius Bishops the Priestes doe alwaies take one chosen among them-selues whome being placed in a higher degree they called the Bishop Whereby withall it manifestly appeareth that this Bishop of man as they tearme him is of good antiquitie euen from Marke the Euangelist and so an Ecclesiasticall Bishop so that if he could pleade for his higher chayre no better title but onely so faire a prescription from S Marke mée thinketh he should be delt too hardly withall to be turned out now Neither was this first begunne at Alexandria from S. Marke There is yet a more auncient recorde than Ieromes testimonie For saith Eusebius lib 7 cap. 15. To conclude also the Chayre of Iames who was euen of our Sauiour himselfe and of the Apostles in Ierusalem elected the first Bishop in the earth whom bookes do note to be the brother of the Lord is yet to this day there kept And in the same chayre do all they sitte which vntill this present time do enioy the sacred Priesthood of that Seate It is kept therefore with great diligence as a memory of holinesse deliuered from the auncestors and is had in due reuerence either in pretence of the antiquity or of the first sanctification of the sacred Priesthoode Neither doth Eusebius write this of the common estimation of the people and his owne assertion whereof he also spake before libro secundo cap. 2◠That vnto Iames an Episcopall seate in Ierusalem was geuen of the Apostles but also cited out of Clemens which likewise he ha◠done more at large before lib. 2. cap. 1. and hee addeth for furder confirmation héereof saying But Egesippus which was straightwayes after the very first successions of the Apostles with more assured searche rehearseth of him in the fifte booke of his commentaries after these woordes Iames sayth hee the brother of the Lorde who of all men was called the Iuste receaued with the Apostles the Church who endured from the verie times of the Lorde vntill our dayes And so at large Egesippus declareth the maner of his Martyrdome and in conclusion sayth These thinges more at large but agreeable vnto Clement hath Egesippus recorded that Iames was so meruelous a man and among all men so highlie thought of in the obseruing of all righteousnesse that all that were wise among
are the bishoppes borne that are at this day throughout all the worlde The Church herselfe calleth them Fathers she her selfe begat them and shee her selfe placed them in the seates of their Fathers Therefore thou thinkest not thy self desolate because thou seest not Peter because thou seest not Paule by whome thou art borne a Fatherhood is growne to thee of thine owne Children In steede of thy Fathers are children born vnto thee whome thou shalt make Princes in all landes What can be playner spoken then these sayings of S. Augustine both that the Apostles were also Bishops and that as Cyprian saide bishops are the successors of the Apostles As for that which is héere added of Hieromes former sentence though I haue sufficientlye and at large discussed the same yet sithe this moste reuerende and Learned man also hath somewhat more to say thereto let vs likewise heare it But wee are saith hee to looke into that also that Ierome mighte seeme to be of the minde that this kind of Bishop began then when as Schismes arose vp in the Church Very true euen so saith Hierome and as we haue noted it followeth thereon that this kind of bishop began euen in the Apostles times And what heere can this moste reuerend and learned man or anie other say to denie this conclusion except he will denie Hieromes saying If he will denie it why doth he bring it for him Well what of that there is no remedie he will denie it flat yea he suspects whether Ierome were of that minde But we are saith he to looke into that also that Ierome might seeme to be of that minde that this kind of Bish. began then when as schismes arose vp in the Churches Nay neuer say for shame he might seeme to bee of that minde For if a mans minde may be knowen by his spéech he speaketh it plaine and nameth what kindes of schismes they were when the people saide I hold of Paule I of Apollo I of Cephas So that hee plainely thought it was in the Apostles times Yea and he plainly so auowched in the sentence also before alleaged out of Ierome by this Learned man himself For at Alexandria saith Hierome from the time of Marke the Euangeliste till the time of Heraclea and Dionisius Bishoppes The Elders placed one in a high degree or place chosen by them-selues whome they called the Bishoppe So that this was the plaine mynde of Ierome sithe that diuerse of the Apostles suruiued Saint Marke that the originall of this kinde of Bishoppes beganne in the Apostles daies That this is not so saith he we may gather out of Paule himself who of purpose writing to the Corinthians about the same matter dooth not only passe ouer this remedie but also as fore-seing such a matter doth in the title of the Epistle ioyne vnto himselfe Sosthenes to teache by his example how carefully this Primacy is to bee auoyded in the Assemblies of the Church who as it is euident were not onely the firste in Order next vnto Christe but also highest in degree did execute their ministery in common Heere Ierome is flatlie challenged for an vntruthe And what proofe against Ierome that this is not so Forsooth wee may gather it And is this all it may be gathered Shall we inferre a necessity on a probability Well what may wee gather out of Paule himselfe Bicause hee wrote of purpose against schismes and passeth ouer this remedy Ergo This was neuer vsed at all for any remedie against schismes in the Apostles times Let vs sée the goodnesse of this argument by the like S. Paule wrote of purpose against our naturall corruption whereby we and our infantes are all borne in sinne Against which the sacrament of our regeneration is a remedie But S. Paule passeth ouer the baptizing of Infantes Ergo it was not a remedy in S. Paules time S. Paule also in the same Epistle that he speaketh of schismes writeth of purpose against whoredome whereof diuorse is a remedy but he passeth ouer the remedy of diuorse in the cause of whoredome Ergo there was then in that case no vse at all thereof Saint Paule writeth of purpose against the abuse of the Lords supper with their drunkennesse surfetting and making no difference of it from other meate whereof it is also a remedy to haue onely the elementes of breade and wine and to remoue all other meate at such times as it is ministred but S. Paule passeth ouer the forbidding of those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or loue Feasts which were vsed to be made when they came therto Ergo The Lords supper was neuer vsed onely with bread Wine in the Apostles times but alwayes with another supper ioyned thereto On this fashion we might reason of many moe thinges But one for al Saint Paule writing of purpose against the same matter to wit against the Corinthians schismes doth passe ouer this remedy the aequalitye of all pastors in the Church Ergo In S. Paules time the pastors were not all equall If it be replyed But yet these thinges are written of in other places either by S. Paule or by some other so that those remedies notwithstanding remaine entier although they be not there touched And doth not this fully aunswere this most reuerende and Learned man if this superiority among pastors be shewed in other places as in 2. Gal. and in the Epistles to Timothie and Titus c. Yea what if in the self same place the Apostle writing of purpose to the Corinthians aboute the same matter doe sufficiently and plainely gather the superiority among the pastors Doth not S. Paule name himselfe besides Apollo and Cephas on whose names the Corinthians preâ—ended their schismes And were not all these three Elders for all 〈◊〉 were Apostles Were not Paule and Apollo of the same function that was Peter Who as this Learned man by and by his selfe confesseth called himselfe fellow Elder Ergo an Elder And was this S. Paules purpose in writing of purpose against this schisme that where the Corinthians thought too muche of these three Pastors and made schismes about their affections to them that for remedye hereof they should so abase their estimation of them that they shoulde count them but aequall to al other and all other pastors set aside their Apostleship to be aequall and all one in dignitye and authority with them No howsoeuer the order and function of the Apostleship was all one and aequall in all the Apostles and the Elder-shippe among the Elders yet neither as Apostles nor yet as Elders the persons were of like giftes nor of like dignitye and authoritie in all places and respectes among them Which superiour degrées and estimation Saint Paule appproueth and alloweth and neyther to the Corinthians nor anie where else directly nor indirectly dooth improue the same But saith this our reuerend and Learned man that S. Paule fore-seing such a matter
same Therefore we must either set on a bolde face to denie this auncient originall of it which Caluine dare not doe but in this reuerent maner acknowledgeth and yéeldeth vnto it or else we must néedes graunt that this superioritie of one Priest or Elder ouer the residue to whom more especially this title of Bishop should appertaine is a godly and necessarie order for the Churches gouernement and Apostolicall as approued euen by the Apostles We graunt that bishops since that time haue encroched especially the Popishe Bishops and most of all the Pope But what is that to our Bishops Let our Brethren yéelde theÌ„ that which héere and in manie other places Caluine graunteth that the Bishop should haue a continuing superior dignitie whether the assemblie holde or no that in the assembly of the Priestes or Pastorall Elders he should so be subiect that notwithstanding he should rule all the action and be towardes them as a Dictator or but as Vice-roy or but as a Consull towardes his Senate may rather not so much by many partes for our Bishops take not vpoÌ„ them any such superioritie ouer their Clergie but farre inferiour to all these examples let them either therfore reiect Caluine too or else with what face can they denie this lower more moderate superioritie than Caluine thus commendeth to bee exercised ouer their fellowe Ministers by our Bishops But that we may sée not onely Caluines iudgement for the beginning of these superior dignities in the primitiue Church but also what he will allowe or disallowe in the reformed Bishops of our times both for the remaynder of their Titles of Bishops and of reteyning their superior dignities with the same as he writeth any Epistles to Archb. or Bishops professing the gospell he both calleth them Reuerende Fathers Archb. and Bishops of such and such places and inciteth them to remember the place that they be called vnto And the like titles also vnto such persons vseth Beza himselfe I hope with good conscience and thinking as hee speaketh When Caluine writeth to the Bishop of London Epist. 295. to wit vnto Grindall he not only saluteth him by that name but he acknowledgeth also his superiour authoritie ouer all the Pastors there inhabiting Although saieth he most Renowmed man and Reuerende Lorde you expecte not till I giue you thankes for that duetie of godlinesse which you haue performed vnto the Churche of Christe neuer-the-lesse for that care that you haue vouchsafed to take of our countriemen which inhabite in the chiefest Citie of your Bishoprike that not onely by the benefite of the Queene they might haue libertie giuen them of inuocating God purely but also from hence to call for a Pastor except I should coâ—fesse my selfe bounden vnto you I were to be condemned both of follie and inhumanitie And sithe you haue not disdeyned voluntarilie to request and exhorte me to prouide a fitte Pastor to be chosen for them there is no neede that I should commende them to your trust and protection for whose health I see you are so carefull And verily as ye haue hetherto testified your rare and singuler studie of godlinesse in so liberallie helping them so shall it nowe pertaine to your constancie to maintaine your good deede euen to the end Thus doth Caluine acknowledge the Bishops authoritie and so coÌ„mendeth vnto him Galasius the French Churches Pastor in his Diocesse True it is that in the same Epistle he afterwarde hath these wordes also It greeueth mee greatly that all the Churches of the kingdome are not so composed as all good men would wish or at the beginning they hoped for But an vnweriable indeuour is needefull to ouer-come all stoppes But it is now expedient and verie needefull that the Queene do knowe that you so willingly forgo yea reiect froÌ„ you what soeuer sauoreth of earthly Lordship that you may haue the lawfull authoritie that that God hath giuen to exercise the spirituall office This shal be the true heigth excellencie therof Then shall it hold the highest degree vnder Christ the head if it stretch out the hand vnto lawful Pastors to execute those parts that are enioyned to you In which words if we shall marke theÌ„ wel he still alloweth the B. a superiour authoritie ouer other Pastors whoÌ„ they ordeyne and ioyne assistance vnto them And he yéeldeth in these titles Reuerende Domine â—bseruande Domine the name of Lorde except we translate it Sir still vnto them But for the matter he still acknowledgeth a superiour authoritie to be in them And as he doth this to the Bishop of our countries so to the Bishops in other countries such as professed the Gospell As Epist. 272. he not onely for fashion sake vseth this stile which if it were vnlawefull hee ought not to flatter him withall Iohn Caluine to the illustrious and Reuerende Lord Iames Ithaue Bishop of Vladislauia worthy of me to be reuerenced for his excelleÌ„t vertues but when he comes to the matter he saith This is my reason and matter of writing that the light of the Gospell being nowe risen vp among you sith that God hath opened your eies that you are throughly awakened for I heare that you haue not only tasted the true doctrine of godlines but that you are indued with that knowledge therof that shaketh off all pretext of error and ignorance But you for your prudence are not ignorant how intollerable the prophaning is of the heauenly grace wheÌ„ as of set pupose we stiffle it And although this bright dignitie in the stage of the worlde doth procure an applause or reioysing vnto you notwithstanding you must diligently take heede that the deceitefull flatteries doe not smooth you by the which snares sathan at this day draweth manie into a deadly Labyrinthe So it commeth to passe that they which exercise their cunning to seeke shiftes at length when they see their coulors vanish away they openly oppose themselues against God yea rather they breakefoorth into manifest furie Of this matter there are extant no doubt before your eyes too manie examples While some violently with sword and fire assay to extinguish the heauenly doctrine Other that they may safely lye drowned in their filthes do not onely make much of their slouth but after the fashion of beastes astonish their consciences From this pestiferous infection of the Epicures whosoeuer being in his delightes doth not earnestly and attentiuely take heed to himselfe it can hardly be brought to passe but that he shal waxe prophane casting aside the feare of God hurle himselfe into the same wantonnesse with them What therefore ought you to doe Discordes are hotte among you the one parte desireth the intier worship of God to be restored the other part stifly defendeth the wicked superstitions For you to stande in the middle whom God as it were with his hande reached out calleth to the protection of his cause it is shame and wickednesse Thinke what place you
himself to preach nor there be any other preacher present yet the verie forme which the CoÌ„munion booke prescribeth vnto him is so plainly and pithily set downe to expresse all the institution the vse the fruites and the endes thereof with the dutie of the worthy receauers with the danger to the vnworthie so dreadfully terrifying these and so comfortably animating the other and in all pointes so liuely shewing foorth the death and passion of our Sauiour Iesus Christ that no man can iustly say but that as Christ biddeth Do this in remembrance of me we doe the same thing in remembrance of him and as S. Paule expoundeth this remembrance to be the shewing forth of the Lordes death so the Lordes death is shewed foorth both by the action of the minister and with all by the action of the faithfull people And so well shewed foorth that if the onely forme of our Communion booke be of the minister duly obserued and of the participantes religiously considered they shall no doubt though there be no other sermon preached both truly and worthily participate the holy communicating of the Lordes body and his bloud And yet commonly at the receauing of these blessed mysteries if there be no sermon preached there are other both godly and learned homilies appointed to be reade which are sermons also and serue especially for that purpose if the people be negligent in communicating or criminous in life or vnskilful in the vnderstanding of the necessary points belonging to these mysteries to encourage to perswade and to enstructe them Neither yet haue we these as so content herewith but that wee thinke it also very expedient if it may be had that at this action beside the forme prescribed a godly learned preacher were also the shewer foorth of the Lordes death and of the other mysteries conteyned in this sacrament But this so strict necessitie of our Brethren we sée is euidently here confuted and namely that they say by these testimonies it is euident that the administration of the sacramentes ought to be committed to none but vnto such as are preachers of the worde that are able to teach them that they baptize that are able to preach the mysteries of Christes death to them to whome they doe deliuer the outwarde signe thereof But by the way what meane they by these words able to teach speaking of Baptisme and able to preach speaking of the Lorde supper Is the former habilitie to teach an habilitie of the Doctors Who they say cannot exhort nor apply c. which are especiall pointes requisite in a preacher If it be then here is ministring of the sacrament without preaching Except they will say the Doctors can not minister the sacramentes But then againe must they reuoke these wordes on the other side of the leafe pag. 59. It is euident that whom God hath instituted to be minister of the worde him also hee hath made to be minister of the sacramentes These euidencies agrée not well together Especially this other for the preacher expounding this shewing foorth the Lordes death for preaching For by this construction of our Brethren as we haue alreadie séene all the people should be Preachers Where before they saide and that more truely pag. 58. no man may take vpon him any office in the Church but he that is called of God as was Aaron Hebr. 3.4 If they say they meane not here preaching in his proper sense and as it is a function peculiar to the minister of the worde and sacramentes why then doe they bring it in Or for what preaching all this while doe they pleade and alleage these testimonies For such as all the people may doe and must doe as well as they But because in all these spéeches they driue it still to this that he should be able what meane they hereby One that can preach if néede so require but neuerthelesse he alwayes doth not For it followeth not à posse ad esse If they meane so then may the sacrament be administred as with a Sermon so without a Sermon Neither is the preaching a sermon any part of the sacramentes substance nor any accident thereunto of mere necessitie though of the more conueniencie but the remembrance shewing foorth the Lords death is one of the chiefest and the most substantiall parte of this sacrament therefore the remembrance and shewing foorth of the Lordes death and the preaching of a sermon are not all one Yea to come to the abuses that Saint Paule reprehendeth in the Corinthians to whom he wrote these wordes by our Brethren cited For as we haue heard out of Musculus that in these wordes he spake as though hee desired these thinges in them because they did not shewe forth the Lordes death in this mysticall and memoriall supper Nowe although it followe not they had no preaching vnderstanding preaching in his proper sense at the administration of the Lordes supper therefore they had no remembrance or shewing forth of the Lordes death because non sequitur à specie ad genus negatiuè yet this followeth necessarily à genere ad species they had no remembrance nor shewing foorth of the Lordes death at the administration of the Lordes supper therefore they had no preaching thereat And yet had they preaching often at other comminges together whereof Saint Paule treateth afterwarde chap. 12. and 14. But Saint Paule reproouing their abuses and héere reckoning them vppe particulerly that they had dissensions and were not in charitie when thy came together to this action ver 18. that they tooke their own suppers before ver 21. that one came hungry another came dronken ver 21. that they shewed not forth the Lordes death ver 26. that they examined not themselues ver 28. that they discerned not the Lordes body ver 29. that vpon the examination of themselues they iudged not themselues ver 31. that they tarried not one for another ver 33. to conclude and that which summarily he put first of al ver 20. that when they came together into one place they made such a super of it as whereof the Apostle sayth this is not to eaâ—e the Lords supper S. Paule now reckoning vp all these faultes among them at the administration of thâ—s sacrament and this being as our Breth say so necessarie a matter is there any probabilitie but that hee also particularly would haue reproued them for this that they had no sermon preached among them at this action Which in all these corruptions had béene very néedefull and might haue refrayned them from these abuses if their preachers had not also béene corrupted as it likely that they were which suffered among them such foule abuses But if preaching had béene so necessarie at that instant no doubt he would haue touched the neglect of that also especially mentioning the shewing foorth of the Lordes death to be principally required at their eating and drinking in the Lordes supper But the faultes of their
vnto vs it is altogether one with vs and wee with him c. Héere againe he maketh another kinde of preaching which he saith is the Lorde him-selfe in steede of a moste effectuall exhortation to witte the communicating of his body vnto vs. And this preaching againe God be praysed we haue in the Ministration of this sacrament Nowe héereupon hée commeth to the thirde kinde of preaching at this sacrament sayth Sect. 36. From hence is best of al confirmed that which otherwher I said that the right administration of the sacrament is contained i◠the word For what profite soeuer commeth into vs out of the supper requireth the word Whether we are to bee confirmed in fayth or to be exercised in Confession or to bee stirred vp to our duty there is need of preaching Nothing therefore can be done more preposterous in the Lordes supper then if it be turned into a mute or dumb action the which thing was done vnder the tyranny of the Pope For they wold haue all the force of the consecration to hang vppon the sacerdotall Priestes intention as though this appertayned nothing to the people to whome this mystery ought moste of all to haue bene layde open And heereupon was this error bred that they marked not those promises where-with the consecration is made not to bee directed to the elementes them-selues but vnto those that doe receiue them truely Christ speaketh not vnto the breade that it shoulde be made his body but he biddeth his Disciples eate and to them hee promiseth the communicating of his body and his bloude Neither doth Paule teache another order then that together with the breade and the Cuppe the promises shoulde bee offered to the faithfull Thus certainely it is Here it becommeth not vs to immagine any magicall incantation that it might bee enough to haue murmured vp the wordes as though they were hearde of the elementes but wee shoulde vnderstande those wordes to bee a liuely preaching that edifieth the herers that pierseth into their minds that is imprinted and sitteth in their heartes that may bring foorth an efficacie in the fulfilling of that that it promiseth By these reasons it is euident that the reseruing or laying vp of the sacrament which some vrge to be extraordinarily distributed to the sicke is vnprofitable For eyther they shall receiue it without reciting of the institution of Christ or els the Minister shall ioyne together with the signe the true explication of the mystery In silence is an abuse and vice If the promises bee rehearsed and the mistery declared so that those that are to receiue shal receiue it with fruit there is no doubt but that this is a true consecration Thus saith Caluine of this third kind of preaching Now if this be as hee saith a true consecration where the wordes are not muttered to the element but spoken to the Communicants the mystery laid forth before them and the promises recited and that wee must vnderstande those wordes of Christe to be such a liuely edifying and effectuall kinde of preaching all which are so clearely set forth whensoeuer this sacrament is of any Minister with vs celebrated can our brethren say that here wanteth the ministration of preaching the word so much as is necessary and sufficient to make a true consecration of the sacrament True it is that when Caluin comes to the ful conclusion of this treatise he reckons vp a fourth kind of preaching sect 70. Concluding thus So farre as pertaineth to the holy supper it mought thus moste decently be administred if that most often and at the leaste euery weeke it were set forth vnto the Church But the beginning should be made with publike prayers after which a sermon should be had than the Minister the bread wine being set forth on the table shoulde reherce the institution of the supper Then should he declare the promises which are left vnto vs in the same And withal he should excommunicate all those that by the Lordes forbidding are put backe Afterwarde prayer should be made that with what benignity the Lorde hath giuen vnto vs this holy nourishment he woulde also enstruct and frame vs with faith thankfulnes of mind to receiue the same And sith that we be not of our selues he wold of his mercy make vs worthy of such a banquet But here either the psalmes should be song or somewhat read and the faithfull shoulde communicate of this holy foode in such order as is seemely the ministers breaking the breade and deliuering it vnto the people The Lordes supper being done an exhortation shoulde be had for sincere faith c. Thus doth Caluin write of al the order that he wold haue obserued in the administration of the Lords supper Nowbeit he prescribeth it not to any Church but onely saith it mought be thus administred moste decently And although hee mention that a sermon should be had before it and an exhortation after it séeming to make some difference betwéene them yet whether such a sermon or exhortation may be had as if a preacher want may be of the Minister red vnto the people of anothers making that he doth not expresse Nor yet whether the preacher or reader of the same must alwayes be the partie that ministreth the sacrament So heere is also nothing set down but that we already haue in vse his wordes being thus vnderstood except the excommunicating of all those that by the Lordes forbidding are put back Neither doe wee thinke it necessary that either excommunication should be then vsed or that all those should be excommunicated that by the Lords forbidding are put back from this supper For so euery one that is not in charity with his neighbors shold forthwith be excommunicate But sith Caluin so modestly in these things onely telleth what he thinketh mought be a most comely manner of the administratiō preiudicating no other reformed churches let Geneua with good leaue of vs follow this order And let vs in Gods name follow our Communion Booke which me thinkes both conteineth the most and chéefest of all these things and in a farre more decent order for our state Yea the booke of the orders of Geneua maketh the Deacons also ministers of the cup and why not aswell of the Breade and of all both partes as well as of one and yet they wil not permit them to be Preachers Musc. in his cōmon places De coena domini vpon this title by whome the Supper of the L. shold be administred with the like modestly that Caluin saith on this wise I know that this is the custome in some churches that the ministers of the word exercise the place of the prophets doctors in the mean time they leaue the administration of the sacraments to the parish preests curates of the people as they tearm them with the deacons Notwithstanding that custome ought not to preiudicate other churches in which the dispensers of the
sacraments are the same that are the dispēsers of the word so that they execute both the parts of the ministery Otherwise it shold be cōuenient that according to the saying of the apostles act 6 they shoulde apply them-selues to praiers administring doctrine leauing the ministery of the tables Seeing that many mo may be had that can dispense the sacraments than those which can rightly cut sound doctrine in the church By which testimony of Musc by the very order prescribed euen in Geneua It plainly appeareth that not only in these reformed Churches many are admitted to minister the Sacr. that are not able to preach but that also this was the vse of the primitiue Church in the apostles times Which ouerthrows al that our breth haue hereon alleaged Neither helpeth it to say that yet stil this taketh not away but that there should be preaching vsed at the administratiō of the sacramēt thogh the minister of the sacramēt be no preacher For our breth said the administration of the sacramentes ought to be committed to none but vnto such as are preachers of the worde c. pag. 60. But for this that they say here also It is no better then sacriledge to seperate the ministratiō of preaching of the worde from the sacramentes so harde a spéeche following Musculus procéeding with the minister of this Sacrament though hée bée no preacher of the worde yet he requireth in him such a competency as hath a triple respect both to the person that he sustaineth and of the matter that he administreth and of the people to whome he communicateth After he hath shewed for the first part howe he shoulde be no lewd person but sober and vertuous comming to the secōd respect in him he saith Furthermore hee ministreth it competently if hee haue a consideration of those thinges which hee dispenseth and doe worthily frame himselfe vnto them Hee dispenseth the communicating of the bodye and bloude of Christe The breade which wee breake saith the Apostle Is it not the communicating of the body of the Lorde And the Cup of the blessing ouer which wee blesse is it not the communicating of the bloude of the Lorde 1. Cor. 10. Thus therefore shall hee competently administer this sacrament that it may be a communicating not that it shoulde be a holy priuate thing He dispenseth the remembrance of the Lorde or as Augustine in a certaine place speaketh the sacrament of memory This shall he do competently if he shall adioin vnto the mysticall communicating the shewing forth of the L. death according to the worde of the Apostle who sayth so often as ye eate this bread and drink of the Cup yee shewe foorth the Lordes death till he come For so did hee ordaine this custome in the Church of the Corinthians It is not fit that it should be a dumb communicating Either let some thing be read before the people or bee sung concerning the historye of the death of the Lorde as it is begun to be done in very many churches in our age Hee dispenseth the Euchariste he Euchariste is a giuing of thankes and a sacrifice of prayse Let him therefore haue a care that this holy communion may be closed vp with publike giuing of thanks He dispenseth the loue feast that is the banquet of brotherly loue It is meete therfore that a cleare exercise of Christian loue and mutuall communicating shoulde bee adhibited Vnto the which hee ought not onely with exhortations in the act it selfe to enstruct and accustome them but also with constitutions of a certaine order These are the principall thinges of which the dispenser of the Lordes table ought cheefely to haue a care and consideration whereby hee may apply him-selfe competently vnto this sacrament The third respect is of the people communicating which the more simple ruder they are so much the simplier must the minister speake of the mystery of the Lordes supper that he may apply him-selfe to their capacity But he must by all meanes take heede of those two vices that entrap the people to witte superstition and contempt Superstition least the people worship and adore that for the thing it selfe that is the signe thereof contempt least they sticke onely in the breade and Wine not discerning the body and bloude of the Lorde and therefore contemne it vnderstanding nothing beyond the iugdement of the eyes because by sight and taste they perceiue it to bee bread and Wine Such a point did Augustine giue warning of in his booke of Catechizing the rude in the ninth chapter where he saith thus Concerning the sacrament that they shall receiue it sufficeth for those that are more prudent to heare what that thing signifieth but with the duller sort it must with more wordes and similitudes be treated vpon least they contemne that which they see These thinges wrot he To conclude hee must take heede that hee swerue not either to the Corinthians or to the papists in this cause of the Lordes Supper And to the entent that the people not onely with the hande and mouth but with faith and heart may receiue that which is giuen let him declare all thinges that are to bee spoken in the vulgare and vsuall tongue not onely the exhortations but also the wordes of the Lordes institution the Prayers also and the thankesgiuing whereby the people may vnderstand all and in their heart assent thereto according to the Apostles admonition 1. Cor. 14. Thus wée sée how although the Minister be no preacher but beeing a discreete and vertuous man in all these foresaide respectes and obserue these exhortations which are both plentifully set out in Homilies and in the Communion Booke it selfe and the other thinges here noted in such order as the communicantes may vnderstande and beléeue the same although there bee no other sermon preached yet is the Sacrament truely and effectually administred Neyther can these thinges with the residue that he setteth downe bee vnderstood for the onelie action of a Preacher confessing and allowing that manie Ministers not Preachers may minister this Sacrament and yet in euery one that ministreth the same al these thinges are requisite For what is plainer than this argument out of Musculus sayinges Musculus thinketh and prooueth that it is not necessarie that euery one which administreth the Sacraments should be a Preacher and preach at the ministration of them But Musculus thinketh and prooueth it necessarie that all thinges ought to bee done by the minister at the Ministration of them which here he reckoneth vp Therefore Musculus thinketh and prooueth that all these thinges might bee done of one that is no preacher and without a sermon then preached of these matters If our Brethren wil denie the maior for the minor I thinke they wil not I referre them to Musculus and his reason out of Actes 6. and to the reformed Churches that hee meaneth It sufficeth for vs to prooue both by him and by
but horrible confusion And yet can they giue their consent to choose suche persons without horrible or any confusion And how is it sayd to be their authoritie in such matters wherof they thēselues cannot performe the hearing determining without horrible confusion And is the authoritie then not the Gouernors but the peoples authoritie And the Gouernors do but represent the people whom they gouerne And are chosen onely as the peoples or the whole congregations debities or executioners to do that for them that they can not performe thēselues without horrible confusion And is this the peoples only remedy to repose such confidence in other that they cōmit all their authoritie vnto the authoritie of these Gouernours And may not these committies themselues vpon such confidence committed vnto them committe as horrible confusions and bréede as foule dissensious and disorders as may the people themselues Are not all these pointes besides a number mo and perhaps more horrible that experience would teach vs confused and intricate And hereto also say our Breth may be referred that which is said of election of Pastors that the Apostles Paule and Barnabas did ordeine by election of the congregatiō Elders vnto many Churches Act. 14.23 because the name of Elders is cōmon both to Pastors Gouernors and is vsed in the scripture to cōprehend both at once as it appeareth manifestly by S. Paule 1. Tim. 5.17 Those Elders that gouerne well are woorthie of double honour especially those that labour in the worde and doctrine Of which testimonie we learne these three thinges first that there be Elders in the Church which meddle not with teaching but are occupied altogether in gouerning Secondly that the Elders which labour in teaching otherwise called Pastors are ioyned also in gouernment with them which teach not And thirdly that the name of Elder comprehendeth both sortes of Elders And especially in the place before alleaged for election there is great reason to lead vs to thinke that the Elders for gouernment are as well vnderstoode as the other for doctrine because it is written in the same place that after they had ordeyned them Elders in euerie congregation by election as hauing set the Churches in perfect order which could not be except they had established discipline as well as doctrine they committed them to the Lorde in whom they beleeued To confirme that which our Brethren haue so boldly affirmed that there ought to be in euerie Churche a Consistorie or Segnorie of Elders or Gouernors which ought to haue the hearing examination and determining of all matters pertayning to discipline and gouernement of that congregation they alleage here againe the example of the scripture Act. 14.23 which they haue before twise or thrise alleaged and is sufficiently aunswered vnto But their proofe for the election of these Consistorie gouernours standeth vpon no certaine grounde by our Brethrens own confession For they say not hereto also must be referred that which is saide of election of Pastors c. but hereto also may be referred c. So that this example relying at the most but on coniecture of probabilitie can make no sounde plea of argument that so it must be alleaged Neuerthelesse vpon good hope to proue it our Brethren will assay to bestow an argument on it And if they reason at all thus they reason The name of Elders is common to both to Pastors and Gouernors and is vsed to comprehende both at once But Paule and Barnabas did ordaine by election of the congregation Elders vnto many Churches Therefore by these Elders that Paule and Barnabas did ordaine vnto many Churches is comprehended Pastors and Gouernours both at once This conclusion in sensu coniuncto may be graunted For what doth this conclusion let but that these Elders were Pastors and Gouernors too both at once being Gouernors in that they were Pastors If they mean it of distinct persons and offices then if the maior of this argument meane that the name of Elders is so common to both that is to say to Pastors and gouernors as distinct persons that it is vsed alwaies to comprehend both at once I denie the Maior The scripture is most manifest to the contrarie and their selues also Otherwise graunting the Maior that it is so vsed nowe and then to shewe that it is so vsed in this place heere cited by our Brethren in their Minor howe will they prooue it Which if they doe not where is the argument But what néede we séeke further confutation of their Minor than their owne Learned discourse heereon Haue not their selues alleaged this example for Pastors Page 33. treating there onely of the Pastors proper dutie and ioyning this place Act. 14.23 vnto the conciliation of these 1. Pet. 5. and Tit. 1.5 Yea what other are their owne wordes here present Do they not say And hereto also may be referred that which is sayde of election of Pastors And whereas the text sayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they restrayne here the woorde Presbyters Priestes or Elders vnto the Pastors So that by their owne exposition they doe but hale and draw this place to proue such gouernors as are not Pastors I speak not this that I vtterly denie there were any such Elders in the Apostles times as were chiefly gouernours little dealing with the publike ministerie of the worde in such places as they wanted Magistrates that were Christians but that these Gouernours as wee haue séene at large out of Gualter vpon 1. Cor. 12. and out of Gellius Snecanus on 1. Cor. 6. were rather as Magistrats among thē in those times which persons hauing receaued of the spirite of God the gifte of gouernement the name of Elders I graunt accordeth also well vnto them And so both in the olde Testament and in the newe the Ciuill gouernors are called Elders But these were not Eccl. Elders And that this place Act. 14.23 is to be referred to no other Elders then Pastors the testimonie also of Caluine euen where he acknowledgeth that there were such Elders as medled not with the ministerie of the worde doth manifestly herein cōfute our Breth When they had created Elders Hereupon sayth Caluine it appeareth that it sufficeth not for men to haue been once indued with the doctrin of godlines to hold a summe of the faith except they make continuall encreasementes Therefore Christ not only sent the Apostles that should spread abroad the Gospel but also he commanded that Pastors should be ordeyned that the preaching of the Gospel should be perpetuall and in daily vse This order set of Christ do Paule and Barnabas obserue when they assigne Pastors to euery Church least that after their departure the doctrine should cease and become silent Whereupon this place teacheth that the Churche can not want the ordinarie ministerie neither can they bee accounted Christians before God saue those that willingly are disciples all the race of their life I
were with the whiche his Chilyde that was borne was slayne His conscience misgaue this guiltinesse of his crimes long agoe For this cause hee made sure reckoning that hee shoulde not onelye bee called oute of the Presbyterye but also excommunicated and the Brethren vrging it the Daye of his triall approched in the which before as his cause should be handled if that the persecution had not come before it Which hee taking holde of with a certaine kinde of vowe that hee might escape and saue his condemnation committed and intermixed all these thinges as hee which was to bee cast out of the Church and excluded preuented the iudgement of the preestes by his voluntary departing as though to haue preuented the sentence were to haue escaped the punishment By this inuectiue of Cyprian it is not onely moste apparant that this Elder Nouatus was a Minister of the word and sacraments but that also these consistories or colleges of Elders in such great cities as Rome Carthage that with the Bishops were assistants in the gouernmēt of the Ecclesiasticall Discipline were not of such Elders as medled not with the worde but were of such Presbyters Preestes or Elders as were also called sacerdotes Which in the Epistle before this that Beza next citeth is called of Cyprian the corpse of the Preestes Lib. 3. epist. 13. Where after againe he hath inueighed against this Nouatus whome there hee calleth Nouatian he saith for therefore moste deere Brother the corpse of the Preestes is aboundant coupled together with the glue of mutuall concord and bonde of vnity that if any of our college shall attempt to make an heresie and to rende and waste the flocke of Christe the other shoulde helpe and as profitable and mercifull pastors shoulde gather together into the folde the Lordes sheepe And thus by the occasion of this one Scismaticall Elder wee finde not onely a profitable warning for vs all to take héede of making schisme in the Church vnder pretence of greater purity and innouating newe orders of more seuere Discipline but also which is the point we now relie vpon that these Colleges of Elders whose counselles the Bishops vsed in the Gouernment of the churches discipline were colleges of pastorall Elders But to search it yet further with Beza let vs procéede vnto his next quotation Epist. 14. euen the next Epistle to that we last cited although wée haue partly séene the same already for the superiority of Bishops ouer pastorall Elders Wherein Cyprian writeth to the Elders and Deacons as before The occasion was because they admitted some to the supper of the Lord and to the peace of the Church who had fallen in the time of persecution and had not before their receiuing publikely confessed their offence and declared their vnfeyned repentaunce Whereupon sayth Cyprian I haue long helde my patience most deare Bre. as though our shamefaste silence should gaine quietnes But when the immoderate and cutted presumption of some endeuoreth by their rashnes to disturbe both the honour of the Martyrs and the shamefastnesse of the confessors and the tranquillitie of the whole people I must not holde my peace anie longer least too much silence growe to the daunger both of the people together and of our selues For what daunger of offending the Lord ought we not to feare when as some of the Elders neither mindefull of the Gospell nor of their place neither thinking of the iudgment of the Lorde to come nor of the Bishop that now is placed ouer them claime all to themselues with the contumely and contempt of their gouernor Which thing was neuer done at all vnder our auncestors Yea would to God they claimed not all thinges to them with the ouerthrowe of our Brethrens saluation I can winke at and beare the contumely of our Bishopricke as I haue alwayes winked at it and throughly borne it But there is now no place of winking at it when as our Bretherhood is beguiled by certaine of you who while without the reason of restoring them to saluation are desirous to be plausible they doe rather hinder such as are fallen For that it is a most hainous offence which persecution compelled to be committed euen they also doe knowe that haue committed it when as the Lorde and our iudge hath sayde He that shall confesse me before men I will acknowledge him also before my father which is in heauen But he that shall denie me I will also denie him And againe All sinnes shal be forgiuen to the sonnes of men yea blasphemie but he that shall blaspheme against the holy Ghost shall haue no forgiuenesse but is guiltie of aeternall sinne Againe the blessed Apostle sayde ye can not drinke the cup of the Lorde and the cup of Diuels ye can not communicate at the table of the Lord and at the table of Diuels Hee that concealeth these thinges from our Brethren beguileth the misers as though that they which truely repenting them might satisfie vnto God the father for mercie by their praiers workes shold be seduced that they might perish the more And those that might erect themselues might the more fall For when in lesser sinnes the sinners declare themselues penitent at a iust time and come to the confession of their sinnes according to the order of discipline and by the laying on of the Bishops and the Clergies handes they receaue the right of communicating they are now in the rawe time of the persecution yet continuing the peace of the Church it selfe being not yet restored admitted to the communicating and their name is offered vp and hauing not done their penitence their confession of their sinnes being not yet finished nor the hand either of the Bishop or of the Clergie being as yet layde vpon them the sacrament of thankesgiuing is giuen vnto them When as it is written He that shal eate the bread or drinke the cup of the Lord vnworthily shal be guiltie of the bodie and bloud of the Lorde But now are not they guiltie that knowe not the lawe of the Scripture but they are guiltie that are the Gouernours and doe not declare these thinges vnto their Bretheren that they beeing instructed of their Gouernours might doe all thinges with the feare of God and with the obseruation giuen and prescribed of him Moreouer they cause the blessed Martyrs to be enuied and set at strife the glorious seruauntes of God with the Prieste of God that when as they that are mindefull of our lawe shall haue directed their letters to me and shall haue requested that the desires of euerie one may be examined and the peace to bee giuen when as our mother her selfe shall haue first by the Lordes mercie receiued peace and that the diuine protection shall haue brought you againe vnto the Churche these men taking awaye the honour which the blessed Martyrs which the Confessors keepe vnto vs contemning the lawe and obseruation of the
Lord which the same Martyrs and Confessors commande to be holden doe communicate with those that are fallen and offer and deliuer the Sacrament of thankesgiuing before the feare of persecution be extinguished before our returne before almost the very departure it self of the Martyrs Whē as the Martyrs yea if so be through the heate of glorie not so much looking vpon the scripture should desire any thing more than they ought contrarie to the lawe of God they ought to be admonished of the Elders and Deacons suggesting or declaring it as it hath alwayes in times past been done Thus doth Cyprian most clearely shewe that these Elders whom also hee calleth by the name of Gouernours Not onely with the Bishoppe layde their handes on the penitent but administred the supper of the Lorde vnto them Which thing they dooing with-out the offenders due acknowledgement of their faultes nor they preaching the lawe of God and repentaunce to them as they ought to haue doone and laying their handes on the penitent or euer their Bishop was returned as Cyprian rebuketh them for these presumptions so by this he declareth that these Gouernours Consistoriall were suche Elders as we call Priestes that is Ministers of the worde and sacramentes and not such Elders as medled only with gouerning and not teaching as our Brethren and Beza do pretende And because Beza quoteth yet an other testimonie out of Cyprian to wit the 15. Epistle for proofe of these Elders it behooueth vs to sée that also least we should leaue any thing out that our Brethren affirme And so farre for my part to my pore skill as I finde ought in them although I growe ouer tedious thereby Yet I more couet the full boulting out of the truth and through satisfying the desire euen of the most scrupulous curious reader in so hoate and great controuersies especially as this is of this Eldership than I feare the glutting of thē that care not much for these questions or wil be easily though with reason answered The 15. Epistle is written to his brethren the martyrs and confessors in his Churche who hauing written to their Byshop Cyprian for the orderly admitting into the communion of the church such as had fallen he returneth this answere to them The carefulnesse of our place and the feare of the Lorde compelleth me most valiant most blessed martyrs to admonish you by our letters that of whome the faith of the L. is so deuoutly and so stoutly conserued of the same also the lawe and discipline of the Lorde may be reserued For sithe all the souldiours of Christe ought to keepe the preceptes of their Emperour then muche more conuenient is it that you should more obey his preceptes which are made vnto other an example both of vertue of the feare of God And verily I beleeued that the Elders Deacons which are there present warned and enstructed you most fully concerning the lawe of the Gospell euen as also in times past it hath alwayes beene done vnder our auncestors that the Deacons resorting vnto the prison should with their counsels and with the preceptes of the scriptures ouerrule the desires of the Martyrs But now I knowe with most great griefe of minde that not onely the commaundementes of God are there not declared but as yet they are rather hindred in so much that euen those thinges also which of your selues are warily doone both concerning God and honourably concerning the sacred Priest of God are againe vndone by certaine of the Elders Who neither thinking on the feare of God nor of the Bishoppes honour when as you directed vnto me your letters by the which your requestes were to be examined and that you craued I would giue peace vnto certaine that were fallen at suche time as the persecution beeing finished wee should beginne to come together in one with the Clergie and be recollected they contrarie to the lawe of the Gospell and to your honourable petition before the accomplishment of their penitence before the confession made of the moste greeuous and extreeme trespasse before the hande of the Bishoppe and the Clergie layde vppon them for their poenitence durst offer he meaneth prayers and thankesgiuing for them and giue them the sacrament of thankesgiuing that is durst prophane the holie bodie of the Lorde And verily to them that were fallen pardon in this point might be graunted Who beeing dead would not make haste to bee quickned Who would not hasten to come to his health But it is the dutie of the Gouernours to keepe the commaundement and both to instructe them that either hasten or bee ignoraunt leaste that they which ought to be the Pastors of the sheepe should become their butchers For to graunt those things that should turne to ones destruction is to deceaue him neither is the fallen reared vppon that fashion but by the displeasing of God he is rather pushed downe to his ruine Let them learne therefore euen of you that which they ought to teache you c. What can be plainer spoken than these spéeches to declare that these Elders which Cyprian writeth of were such Gouernours that both the ministration of the worde and sacraments pertayned to them and were such as in plaine termes he calleth Pastors and that they ought to teach Thus haue we séene howe all these Epistles which Beza citeth for a college of gouerning Elders not medling with teaching of the worde to haue béene no such kinde of Elders as he and our Brethren do imagine but cleane contrarie And though his quotation procéedeth further in a generalitie alys deinceps and in other Epistles following yet in none of his Epistles eyther following or going before can I finde that he mentioneth any such Elders as he and our Brethren do conceaue In the 16. Epistle speaking of the Presbyters Priests or Elders he sayth whom our Elders and Deacons ought to haue warned that they might nourish the sheepe committed to them and by their diuine maistership instruct thē vnto the way that is to be prayed for In the 17. Epistle hee saieth I maruell most deare Brethren writing to the Elders and Deacons that vnto many my Epistles which I haue often sent vnto you you haue written nothing againe When as eyther the Profite or the necessitie of our brotherhoode should verily be thus gouerned if that we being of you instructed may file our counsell for the ordring of matters Not-with-standing because I see I haue not habilitie as yet to come vnto you and nowe the sommer is begunne which time afflicteth men with continuall and greeuous infirmities I thinke good to helpe our Brethren as those that haue receaued libelles from the Martyrs that if they be preuented with any hurt or daunger of infirmitie they should not expect our presence But that before any Elder beeing present or if an Elder shall not be founde and their ende beginne to vrge them they may declare the
confession of their trespasse before a Deacon also that hee laying his hande vpon them for their repentance they may come vnto the Lorde with the peace which the Martyrs in their letters giuen vnto vs haue desired The other part of the people that is fallen nourish ye thē with your presence and refresh them with your comforte that they fall not away from the faith and mercie of the Lorde c. In the next Epistle writing again to the Elders and Deacons hauing receaued letters from them of the same matter he sayth I haue receaued your letters most deere Brethren in the which yee haue written that your wholsome counsell vnto our Brethren is not wanting that setting aside this rash haste making they should giue vnto God a religious pacience that when by the mercie of God we shall come together we may treate of all kindes according to the Ecclesiasticall discipline Especially when as it is written Remember from whence thou hast fallen and repent But he repenteth that is meeke and patient to the commaundements of God and obedient to the Priestes of God and winneth the Lorde with his seruiceablenes and workers Howbeit because you haue signified that certaine are immoderate and doe vrge hastely to receaue the communion and you haue desired a forme to be giuen of me vnto you for this matter knowe ye that I haue fully written for this matter in the last letters that I wrote vnto you And so telleth them as before how they should lay their handes on them and absolue them In the next Epistle writing yet further vnto them on this matter he sayth But I haue read also the letters of all the Confessors which they would haue made knowen by me to al my colleagues and the peace that they haue giuen to come vnto them of which matters so that a reason be apparant before vs what they haue done after the fault committed which thing sithe it tendeth to the counsel and sentence of vs all I dare not iudge it before hande and claime to me onely a matter common And therefore let them stande on the Epistles which I last made an example wherof I haue also sent alreadie to my colleagues he meaneth by this worde Colleagues not the Elders of his Colledge for he wrote to thē but other his fellowe Bishops who haue written that that which wee haue decreed liketh them c. Here with some thinges he will not medle alone but with his Colleagues And yet this decrée he made alone and in his absence as appeareth by the two former Epistles In the 22. Epistle writing to the Elders and Deacons he sayth Least any thing should be hiddē from your conscience most deere Brethren what is written to me I haue sent you a copie of eyther Epistle and I beleeue that which I haue written again to you misliketh you not But this also I ought by my letters to declare vnto you that vppon vrgent cause I sent letters to the Clergie being in the citie and because I should write by Clerkes albeit I know that many of ours are absent and as for those fewe which are there do scarce suffice vnto the daily ministerie of the worke it was necessarie to constitute some newe which shoulde bee sent wit yee therefore that I haue made Saturus a reader and Optatus the Confessor a Sub-deacon Whom we had made a good while since by the last cōmon Clergie Counsell When on Easter day we gaue once and twice the reading or the lesson eyther vnto Saturus or to Optatus With the Priestes or Elders Doctors and Readers we constituted a Doctor of the hearers by the name of Doctors he meaneth the Catechisers as wee shewed of Pantenus Clemens Origene c. examining whether all thinges agreed vnto them that ought to bee in those that are appointed for the Clergie I haue therefore done no new thing in your absence but that which began long a-go by the common counsell of vs all is promoted or aduaunced further necesitie vrging it Thus again doth he in his absēce promote to higher orders in the Clergie as néede required those whom before by their Counsell he had begunne to choose into the Clergie But still for these Priestes or Elders they were in the nūber of the Clergie such as we haue before shewed being Pastors whom he placeth before the Doctors or Catechisers In the 24. Epistle allowing in his absence a portion of his own stipende to helpe the poore persecuted amongest them hee calleth Rogatian compresbyterum his fellowe Elder Not that he had like authoritie to him as Bishop but that he was of the same Priesthoode or Eldership of the worde and Sacraments that Cyprian was And the next Epistle he directeth vnto nine other Bishops whome hée calleth Coepiscopis his fellowe Bishops item Compresbyteris Diaconis in metallo constitutis martyribus c. and also to his fellowe Elders and to the Deacons placed in the mines the Martyrs of God the Father Almightie and of Iesus Christ the Lorde God our Sauiour c. And thus calling the one companie his fellowe Bishops being none of them Bishop of Carthage where he only was the B. though absent yet was not Carthage being so great a citie destitute of Pastors and calling the other sort Compresbyteros and placing these Elders betwéene Bishops Deacons and withal distinguishing them from both of these and giuing them the terme that S. Peter doth of Compresbyter fellow Elder which S. Peter ascribeth to the Pastors it is most manifest that he meaneth only by those Elders suche as were ministers of the word and Sacraments but not Bishops In the next and last booke of his Epistles he speaketh little of them and writeth seldome to them In the 4. Epistle writing to two Elders that had beene constant in persecution he citeth vnto thē as part of their dutie this sentence of Christ Mat. 28. Goe and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy Ghoste teaching them to obserue whatsoeuer I haue commanded you c. when ye shall shew forth these precepts you haue kept the diuine and heauenly commandements To conclude the last of all his Epistles is not the least to cōfirme this matter what was the dignitie and office of these Elders that were assistantes to the B. in such great Cathedrall Churches such famous Cities as was Carthage Cyprian to the Elders and to the Deacons to all the people his most deere and best beloued Brethren greeting Most dere Brethr. I haue to signifie vnto you that which I haue thought appertayneth to the common reioysing and to the greatest glory of our church For knowe ye being admonished instructed by the diuine fauour that the Elder Numidicus is to be enrolled in the number of the Elders of Carthage and that he sit in the clergie being famous with
in Basil His booke De Institutione Monachorum translated by Ruffinus an Elder also of Aquilegia but withal a teacher of the word liuing in Hieromes time dooth sufficientlie declare Where Cap. 16. and treating of a gouernor of the Church he maketh the Monke for he procéedeth dialogue wise to aske this question Monachus What ought hee to thinke of himselfe which is a gouernor And what manner of man ought he to be towards them whom he commandeth and gouerneth Basilius Verilie before God euen as the minister of Christ the stewarde of the ministeries or rather the mysteries of God fearing least that besides the will of God or besides that which is euidently commanded in the holie Scriptures he either speak any thing or coÌ„mand any thing or bee found as a false witnes of Christ or a sacrilegious person or a bringer in of anie thing that is strange froÌ„ the doctrine of God yea or leuing out or going beyoÌ„d any of those things that are acceptable vnto God But to the brethren he ought to be as it were a nurse that cherisheth her litle ones And he must be ready according to the will of God according as is expedient for euery one to coÌ„municate with them not onely the Gospell but his life also Being mindfull of the commandement of the Lord and our God saying I giue you a new commandement that ye loue together as I haue loued you No man hath a greater loue than this that hee should giue his life for his friends Wherby it appeareth that Basil acknowledgeth no other Eccl. gouernors of the Church but such Elders as were ministers of the worde Sacraments And this also be saith of those that were the correcters or their breca 17. Mo. How shal we O Father reproue ameÌ„d him that offeÌ„deth Ba. As it is written the Lord speaking it If thy broâ—her shal sinne against thee go and reproue him betweene thee and him alone If he shall heare thee thou hast won thy brother But if he will not heare thee take with thee another or two that in the mouth of two or three witnesses euerie word may stand But if so hebe will not heare them tell the Church And if he wil not heare the Church let him be to thee as an Ethnike or publicane If perhaps this rebuking which is made of many may fall out vnto him for his health And as the Apostle sayd reproue beseech comfort in all patience and doctrine And againe if anie man obey not the worde note him by an Epistle and keepe not fellowship with him Without doubt he meaneth for the participation of the table Thus writeth Basil of his dutie especially to whome the reprouing of faultes doth belong that he should not onlie be a priuate admonisher but such a publike reprouer also as occasion requireth and that with doctrine as Saint Paule prescribeth to a Pastor And if our Brethren will vnderstâ—â—â— these wordes Dic Ecclesia tell the Church to be the onelie of Elders then let those Elders be such reprouers as heere Basil applyeth the Apostles sentence vnto that they teach doctrine with their reprehensions So that if they bee not with all teachers of doctrine they cannot be the Churches officers for publike Ecclesiasticall reprehension And as we sée Basils iudgement sufficiently by these his writings so for his owne estate and his life set out by Gregorie Nazianzen that was also an Elder vnder Basil is apparant in Gregories Monodia who hauing before declared the parentage the youth the studie of Basil at length he commeth to this Eldership and sayth Illum verò dei dispensatio peâ— Sacerdotij gradus illustrem ac notum oâ—nibus fecit ac inter Presbyteros constituit non c. As for him the dispensation of GOD made him famous and knowen by the degrees of the sacred Priesthoode and placed him among the Elders howbeit not by and by and besides order but by little and little proceeding and beeing promoted by degrees and courses In which wordes he manifestlie sheweth that to heâ— preferred from one degree to another till he come to a gouerning Presbyter Priest or Elder was not to come to bée one that medled not with teaching but to bee Sacerdos to wit a Minister of the sacred worde of God and of his Sacramentes For sayth Gregorie I praise not them that without order are by and by promoted in the Church I rather commend the Mariners custome For they make not their gouernour at the first dash and on a sodaine but first they exercise and trie him by all the offices of a Seaman They will before see howe hee can rowe and then placing him in the fore-parte of the shippe to knowe and perfectlie to learne the windes acquainting himselfe cunninglie to shunne the cliffes and rockes Last of all hauing bene exercised in all the offices they place him in the hinder parte of the shippe and giue him the stearne in his hande and make him gouernour Likewise also in the discipline of warre first hee is made a souldier then a wiffler to set them in their rankes and lastly he is made a Captaine The same is the manner both of the Phisition and of the Painter the one that before hee make his profession hee haue conned manie rules and haue seene and had in handling manye diseases the other to know how to mixe and temper his coulours before and then to drawe his lines and last of all to giue perfect figures vnto his coullors But we see which is a ridiculous matter or rather a lamentable how a Bishop is made with tumult and confusion hee speaketh of that time when the Bishops were choosen by the election and voyces of the people as the Ecclesâ—â—â—â—icall Histories are full of such tuâ—â—â—ts coâ—â—â—â—â—ous neyther in order nor directly but by viciousnes and crafte not hee that is worthie but he that is mightier For he is not promoted that is exercised before but he that is ignorant and rude of the Churches affayres in so much that he commeth fresh from the seculer life as the Giantes at Thebes for as the Poetes feigne when Cadmus at Thebes in Boeocia had sowed the teeth of Dragons suddenly there sprange vp Giantes armed downe to the nauell and so making battell one with an other were slaine the same daye And euen so we make Prelates of one dayes breede And wee hauing not learned what they be doe beleeue that they be wise men which were fortified before with no degree with no vertue with no eloquence hauing susteyned no trauayle for righteousnesse nor any thing at all for the Churche For hee which onely meditateth diuine matters and subdueth his bodie to the spirite that hereafter he may be fitte for a place in heauen is gladly content to holde a lowe and inferiour place among men But he that is ignoraunt and without learning beeing puffed vp and loftie is aduaunced aboue his betters nor is mooued with the
Ambrose and the other allegations of Beza out of Cyprian and a number of other Fathers and histories for the search of these Elders Which not yet finding I haue returned to the Scripture to search what places anie other of our Bre namelie Beza Caluine and Danaeus which chieflie write vpon this matter haue alleaged And not yet finding anie sufficient proofe of theÌ„ till some other of our Brethren shall bring better proofe or proue these places better I am now come againe where we began to the 14. of the Acts verse 23. because our Bre. here will further yet againe reuiew the same And especiallie in the place before alleaged for election there is great reason to leade vs to thinke that the Elders for gouernment are as well vnderstood as the other for doctrine because it is written in the same place That after they had ordained them Elders in euerie congregation by election as hauing set the Churches in perfect order which coulde not bee except they had established discipline so well as doctrine they committed them to the Lord in whom they beleeued This great reason is nothing but our Brethrens ouer great presupposall that except there were such Elders ordained there were no perfecte order set nor discipline established in the churches Which great reason lieth all on the great and common fallation Peâ—itio principij reasoning on that as on a great and graunted principle which is a greate and principall question They might wel haue set the churches in perfect order haue established discipline in them without ordaining anie Consistorie or Segnorie of such Elders or gouernours as meddle not with teaching For what would it haue hurt the perfection of order establishment of discipline in the churches if all the Elders that they ordained had bene teachers to as Caluine sayth they were Albeit Saint Luke in that place mencioneth not of anie perfection of orders or of discipline established at all But onelie sayth the text in this 23. verse here mencioned And ordaining with the handes Elders vnto them Church by Church making praiers with fastings they commended them vnto the Lord on whome they beleeued Did Saint Paule in all the Churches where hee went preaching yea though some of them were famous Churches and in some of them he laie long as at Corinth set the churches in perfect order and established discipline in them as well as doctrine How then doth he write unto the Corinthians of so many things that as it plainlie appeareth by his reprouing teaching and ordering of them wer not before set in such order nor established No nor yet all things as concerning the perfection of order and establishment of discipline were contained in his Epistles afterwards written vnto them but that he saith he would â—et an order of other things at his comming to them 1. Cor. 11.34 which we expound not with the aduersaries of the Gospel for matter of doctrine but for order and discipline And therefore it is not so great a reason as shoulde leade our Brethren to thinke that Paule and Barnabas tarrying so small a while in euerie place that then they went vnto did set such perfect orders and establish discipline in those meaner churches But since our Br. here doe vrge this place no further than that there is great reason to leade vs so to thinke and we sée also some reason to leade vs to thinke the contrarie whether theers or ours bee greater yea whether theirs bee anie great or small and whether Caluine himselfe be not of force to ouer-rule this so slender a reason of theirs saying Not of some among them but of all of them I interprete Elders in this place to bee those to whome the office of teaching was inioyned Which interpretation if it be true then whether by anie reason they could be such Elders as were gouernours onelie and not teachers I referre to the readers yea to our Brethrens owne indifferent iudgement and proceede to their second point of moderating these Elders The second point for moderation of the Elders authoritie in such sort that their sentence may be the sentence of the Church is this that wheÌ„ the Consistorie hath trauailed in examining of causes pertayning to Ecclesiasticall discipline and agreed what iudgement ought to passe vppon the matters they propounde it to the whole multitude that it maye bee confirmed by their consent This second point draweth somewhat neerer to a moderation of the Elders authoritie than the former did But how agreeth this with the former moderation of them For before although they should be elected and chosen by the consent of the whole congregation yet the whole church was to repose such confidence in them that they coÌ„mit vnto them their authoritie not onely in hearing and examining but also in determining of all matters pertaining to discipline and gouernment in that congregation If therefore these Elders shall haue authoritie to doe all this how is it here sayd that when the consistorie hath trauailed in examining of causes pertaining to Ecclesiasticall discipline and agreed what iudgement ought to passe vpon the matters they propounde it to the whole multitude that it may be confirmed by their coÌ„sent If the whole multitude haue before hand committed vnto them their authoritie to determine all matters why shoulde they bee brought to the whole multitude backe againe to haue that confirmed that before was determined and that by their owne authoritie was committed vnto these Elders to determine And what authoritie haue they reserued and lefte vnto themselues herein to confirme by their consent after these committies haue determined the matter For what if the whole multitude shall dissent Haue they all or some or the greater part of them a negatiue voice to dash all that these Elders haue before determined And how is not this then a plaine Popular state when in all matters none excepted not onely pertaining to discipline but also to gouernment the chiefe last authoritie consisteth in the coÌ„firmatioÌ„ no not yet of the prince but of the whole multitude We feared before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the dominion of a few persons in this Seniorie And therefore our Brethren to moderate reduce them ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the gouernment of the best men which our brethren call men of godlinesse and wisedome they haue now so moderated the matter that they haue brought all ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the popular regiment not onelie of the common people but of the whole multitude And all vnder pretence that the Bishops before did some things more than they should separated from other by themselues in the Ecclesiastical discipline And now they haue so excluded this separate gouernment of the Bishops that withall they haue cleane cut off the Monarchie and supreme gouernment of the Prince and all yea of these Seniors determination and all and giuen all matters pertaining to the discipline and gouernment of
euerie particular congregation to the assemblie of the common people yea to the finall consent and confirmation of the whole multitude of the congregation It is much to debase the authoritie and gouernment of these matters to the popular state But I feare verie much a worse estate and more horriblie confused For why may we not here again feare as horrible confusion in the whole multitudes dissent or confirmation of that which these Seniors haue determined as our Brethren before feared it in hearing and determining such matters But to put vs out of this feare and to confirme this confirmation of the whole multitude that the people can confirme this themselues without anie horrible confusion our brethren alleage vs an example Whereof Saint Paule speaketh touching the execution of excommunication because the fact was manifest VVhen you are gathered together with my spirite in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ and with the power of our Lord Iesus Christ to deliuer such a one vnto Sathan Although this example is but of one matter wheras the question is of al matters for so sayd our Brethren before that there ought to be in euerie Church a Consistorie or Segnorie of Elders or gouernours which ought to haue the hearing examination and determining of al matters pertaining to discipline and gouernment of that congregation and so this example touching the execution of excommunication reacheth not home yet is this example so little to the present purpose that it is rather cleane contrarie Which example if it should directlie proâ—e that which our Br. affirmed for so their wordes would séeme to inferre saying Whereof S. Paule speaketh touching the execution of excommunication they should proue this that when the Consistory hath trauailed in examining of causes pertaining to Ecclesiastical discipline agreed what iudgemeÌ„t ought to passe vpon the matters they propound it to the whole multitude that it may be confirmed by their consent So that this example of some matter at the least heard examined and determined by the Consistory by them propounded to the whole multitude to be confirmed by their consent might drawe neerer to their purpose But can they shew vs anie such example whereof Saint Paul speaketh As for this touching the execution of excommunication Who did execute the same and excommunicate this incestuous person Did not S. Paule himselfe by the power of our Lord Iesus Christ giuen vnto him What doe they make Saint Paule an Elder not teaching And did he it not first alone At leastwise without anie Consistorie of the church of Corinth ioyned with him As he himselfe saith ver 3. For I verilie being absent in bodie but present in spirit haue alreadie iudged as present him that hath so done this thing In which words he plainly declareth that he had passed the sentence of excoÌ„munication vpon him before he wrote to theÌ„ therof Neither doth it appeare that anie of their CoÌ„sistorie ioyned with him in pronouncing that his iudgement on him Yea he saith that although he was in bodie absent from them yet because hee was in spirit as present with them his iudgement should stand as effectual as though he had ben bodily present at the denouncing of his sentence And who were these that he writeth thus vnto what he had done Was it to a Consistorie among the Corinthians to make relation vnto them of his doing and then they to take vpon them the hearing examining determining of the matter and then to propouÌ„d it to the whole multitude This had bene yet somewhat néerer to our Brethrens moderation But here is no such order Paule first doth the déede and that imediatlie both in his absence and vnwitting to them of his proceeding Which done he writeth not thereof to anie Consistorie or Segnorie of Elders or Gouernours ouer them nor in anie place of either of his Epistles to them he maketh anie mencion or inkling of anie such among them nor yet Saint Luke that mencioneth Act. 18. verse 11. how he tarried a yéere and a halfe teaching the word of God and planting a Church among them But he writeth of this matter as of the residue to them to whom he writeth the whole Epistle indefinitlie to the Church of God beeing at Corinthus sanctified in Christ Iesu called Saintes with all that cal vpon the name of our Lord Iesu Christ in all places both their Lord and ours 1. Cor. 1.2 So that hee writeth to the wholde multitude But did he write vnto them thereof to haue his dooing so confirmed by their consent that if they woulde not haue consented to this his manner of excommunicating the person before hand by himselfe alone but that he shoulde first haue made them priuie thereto or euer he proceeded so farre that then vppon this their dissenting though not for the person matter yet for the manner of his proceeding his iudgement should haue ben frustrate reuersed No but his signification thereof vnto them was rather to commaund theÌ„ to obey his sentence and to put the same in execution as our Brethren saie well herein touching the execution of excommunication for when they were gathered together as Saint Paule had and that some Pastor or Minister among them did before the whole multitude pronounce this sentence which Saint Paule had giuen forth against the incestuous person they al approued it so confirmed S. Paules former sentence of excommunication But our Breth adde this parenthesis because the fact was manifest wherefore they adde this they doe not shew But the more manifest the fact was the lesse neede had the Apostle to haue proceeded so far if in a manifest fact an Ecclesiasticall iudge may not proceeâ—e separatlie his selfe to the sentence of excoÌ„munication without the consent of a Segnory of that Congregation But although the fact heere was manifest yet the wickednesse of the fact was not manifest inough vnto them At leastwise not this manner of the punishment for it vntill Saint Paule did thus reproue them of it and thus proceede against it But had it ben neuer so manifest what doth that giue him authoritie to deale so farre therin separatly by himselfe without and before anie authoritie of theirs ioyned with him but onely to make them afterward to put that in execution that he had before ouerruled iudicially concluded vpoÌ„ Since therfore this was a good excommunication that all they coulde not reverse this sentence as otherwise passed than it ought to haue bene because they ioyned not in the doing of it but onelie in the obedience of putting the same in execution as he commanded them and withall since this was not written as an information to any Senate Consistorie or Segnorie of Seniors or of gouerning Elders among them but written as a charge to the whole multitude What is this for the proofe of anie such Elders Either else to inferre that no excommunication in a manifest or not manifest fact can
the Lawe written or as we might call them Masters of the Rolles which were after called Scribes were instituted of Moses in the Wildernesse first by the authoritie of Iethro his Father in lawe and afterward by commaundement of God For when Moses the first yeere in the Wildernesse sate to heare causes hee was warned by Iethro his Father in lawe that he should spare that labour and appoint wise men skilfull and prudent to iudge in his steede and reserue to himselfe onelie the vnderstanding of matters that were of more importance He therfore appointed them the Princes of whome after shall be spoken Tribunes Centurions Gouernors of fiftie Gouernors of ten or as the Greeke setts them out Chiliarks Hecatontarks Pentecontarks Decadarks to bee introducers of the causes to the Iudges or preferred them to be Grammatoisagogeos the Chauncelors or the Primitories or the enterers in writing of the actions Exod. 18. And choosing valiant men out of all Israel he appointed them Princes of the people Tribunes and Centurions and Captaines ouer fiftie and Captaines ouer ten which should iudge the people at all times Wherefore after the 40. yeare rehearsing to the people the actes that he had done he alleadgeth in the first of Deuteronomie I said vnto you I am not able alone to sustaine your businesses and burden and brawlings giue ye out of your selues wise men and skilfull and whose conuersation is approued in your Tribes that I might place them to be Princes Then ye aunsâ—ered me It is a good thing that thou wilt doo And I tooke wise men and noble out of your Tribes and appointed them to be Princes Tribunes and Centurions and Rulers ouer fiftie and Rulers of tenne which should teach you all things And I commaunded them saying Heare yee them and iudge ye that which is righteous whether he be a citizen or bee bee a straunger let there be no difference of persons Ye shall as well heare the small as the great neither shal ye accept the person of anie whosoeuer because it is the iudgment of God But if anie thing shall seeme difficult vnto you referre that to me and I will heare it But the Graecians haue it more plaine and more apte to vnfolde the manner of these Iudgements And I appointed them to rule ouer you Chiliarkes or Rulers of thousands Hecatontarks or Rulers of hundreds Pentecontarks Quinquegenariens or Rulers of fiftie Deacharks or Rulers of tenne and Grammatoisagogists or the enterers in writing or inrollers of the pleas vnto your Iudges For in steede of that which the latine interpreter translateth which should teach you al thinges the greeke rehearseth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the informers in writing vnto your Iudges the text it selfe is and Gouernors to your tribes Afterward the law of God came hereunto wherein concerning these iudges it was enacted chap. 16 in these wordes Thou shalt ordeine vnto thee Iudges and Maisters in all thy Cities which the Lorde God shall giue to thee according to the Tribes And they shall iudge the people with righteous iudgement neither shall they wrest the iudgement neither shall they acknowledge the person of anie neither shall they take giftes And in this place for Maisters the Greeke setteth out Grammatoisagogeos the informers in writing or of the Lawe written This Law Iosephus so rehearseth that he sheweth the Iudges were also chosen by lot Let those also which by lotte haue come foorth to iudge be in chiefest honor in the cities let no reproches be spoken in their presence Let the iudges haue the right of pronouncing that which they thinke except that anie shall shew that they haue receiued rewards to iudge or shall alleadge anie other cause of wrong iudgement But as Moses ordained them so afterward king Iosophat confirmed them in the kingdome of Iuda as is declared in the 19. Chap. of the second booke of Chronicles Hee ordained Iudges of the lande in all the dedefenced Cities throughout all places And commaunding the Iudges hee sayde Take heede what yee doo for yee exercise not the iudgement of man but of the Lorde And whatsoeuer you shall iudge shall redound vppon your selues Let the feare of the Lorde bee with you and doo all thinges with diligence VVith our Lord GOD there is no iniquitie nor accepting of persons not desire of rewards After this the iudgements beeing disturbed in the lande of Babylon the Iewes when they returned into their Countrie as they did other matters so they restored these Which thing that it shoulde come to passe Esaie Chap. had forewarned when as hee vttered these speeches of God And I will restore thy Iudges as they were before And after that the king Artaxerxes commaunded that it should be so done For so he wrote in the sixt of Esdras Ordeine thou Iudges and Scribes that they might iudge all the people For he called them Scribes whome wee haue named Grammatoisagogeos the informers of the writings or written Lawe Wherevpon that they were restored the Psalmist reioyced as saith Saint Athanasius which when the citie of Ierusalem was reedified and the iudgementes restored euen as it was foretolde of the Lorde breaking foorth for ioy he song in the Psalme 121. I was gladde in those things that were spoken to me wee will goe into the house of the Lorde our feete standing in thy Courts O Hierusalem Ierusalem which is built as a Citie whose participation is in it selfe For thether the Tribes ascended The Tribes of the Lorde the testimonie of Israel to confesse the name of the Lorde because they set the seates there in iudgement or into iudgement as the Greeke hath it the seates vppon the house of Dauid And so afterwarde euen vntill the laste times of the Iewes But these Iudges seeme to haue bene chosen out of the bodie of the Senators of euerie citie Euen as from the first times also among the Romanes the iudgements were executed of the Senators The Lawe it selfe in many places teacheth it Deut. 19. If the smiter shall flie into one of the foresayde Cities the Senate of that Citie shall sende and take him out of the place of refuge And in 21. VVhen a corps is founde and the slaier shall not be knowen the Senate of the Citie shall go out and measure from that place c. Whervppon Ruth 4. â—ooz taking ten men of the Seniors of the Citie of Bethleem sayd vnto them Sit yee heere and be witnesses The people that was in the gate and the Seniors answered we are witnesses and before them hee tooke the possession of Elimelech Moreouer Philo in lib. de Iudice gathereth out of the Law four conditions of good Iudges c. Furthermore that the Iudgements were exercised in the gate of the Cities that was called the gate of Iudgement the Lawe Deuteronomi 21. declareth c. and 25. and also Iosue 8. c. and Ruth 4. c. Prouerbes 22. and 31. and Psalme 126. c. These Iudgements were made
in this manner Hee that desired to commence an action against another resorted to one of the Princes of of the Iudges which were called Grammato-isagogei the Scribes or informers of the writtes or writings and shewed foorth his cause and requested of him that hee woulde bring it in vnto the Iudges But if he receiued the controuersy for hee might also reiect it hee brought in the same at a day appoynted before the Iudges Whereupon he receaued the name Introductoris of an introducer c. But the Thalmudistes haue shewed that the matter was handled on this wife They that demaunded the Lawe came to the Iudges of their Citie who if they heard them not they went to them of the next Citie But and if so bee that neither yet they hearkened vnto them then they went vnto the Iudges of Hierusalem which sate in two gates After whom from them if that yet they obtained not their purpose they fledde to the Councell the which they called Sanhedrin Their wordes such as are rehearsed by Petrus Galatinus a man in time past an Hebrue are these In the beginning there was no controuersie in Israel but the house of the Iudgement of the threescore and tenne Iudges sate in diuers places For one of the houses sate in the gate of the Mount that is of the Temple but another in the gate of the Porch As for the other houses of the three and twentie Iudges fate in euerie of the Cities of of Israel But when anie thing was to be demaunded it was demaunded of the house of Iudgement which was in the selfe same Citie If they heard it Dicebant they declared it or gaue sentence thereon but if not they came to that order that was in the next Citie Who if they heard it they declared it vnto them or gaue sentence If not they went to that order which was in the gate of the Porche of the Lordes house and saide Sic exposui sit socij mei exposuerunt sic docui sic socij mei docuerunt Thus haue I shewed it and thus haue my fellowes shewed it thus haue I taught and thus haue my fellowes taught it Who if they heard it they declared it vnto them If not then both these and those went to the Consistorie Gazith wherein the Sanedrin sate from the morning till the euening But in the Sabbothes and first daies they sate in the wall Thus farre the Thalmudistes And thus farre also Sigonius for the iudgements of the Seniors in euerie Citie Whereby agayne wee perceiue the authority that these Seniors had The next and seuenth chapter is all of this Senat that Caluine and our Brethren say Christ alluded vnto and hath translated vnto vs. But the Consistorie Gazith saith Sigonius which the Graecians haue named 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Chayre the Latines Councell the Thalmudists Sanhedrin was the ample or honourable Tribunall or iudgement seate of all the Iudges both in number and in dignitie in that Citie which the Lorde hath chosen and decreed to be the head both of holinesse and of the Empire that is first in Silo and afterward at Ierusalem or else first in the Tribe of Ephraim and afterwarde in the Tribe of Iuda In that Councell it was established that those thinges which could not bee defined of the Iudges of euerie of their Cities varying in their sentences concerning the Lawe or concerning the fact shoulde in conclusion be referred heerevnto But nowe beeing about to treate of this Tribunall I will first shewe foorth all those thinges that are declared of the Thalmudists And then I will adde what I my selfe haue founde by reading in the holie Writers Thus therefore haue they in diuers places In the time of Moses by the commaundement of God seuentie Elders of auncient yeeres and tried in knowledge were chosen out which shoulde bee Coadiutors of Moses himselfe in the gouernment of the people vnto whome it pertained both to declare all the difficulties of the Lawe and to define them and also in weightie matters and harde causes to giue iudgement Of whome is written that in the Deuteronomie If thou shalt perceiue that a difficult and doubtfull iudgement is before thee arise and goe vp to the place which the Lorde thy God shal haue chosen and there shalt thou call vpon his name As for these they were called by the tearme Sanhedrin and they sate in the Consistorie Gazith to iudge the iudgements of the liues and they were called Meokekim that is Scribes or Lawe-makers because that whatsoeuer they deliuered and wrote was holden of others as a Lawe The College of whome represented the Scepter giuen of the holie Ghost to the house of Iacob And the scepter it selfe depended on theÌ„ Wherevpon not onelie they that were resiant vnder the kings and Captaines or Dukes exercised the power of iudging but also while there was no king nor Duke extant among the Iews neuerthelesse the authoritie of them endured But ther wer 4. maners of putting to death deliuered to them To stone them to burne them to wound them to death and to strangle them Whereupon their vse was that when they hadde destroyed anie bodies life that is when they had iudged anie to bee slaine all that day they tasted nothing Moreouer the Iudgementes concerning money or goods mooueable were made by three Iudges the Iudgements of the liues by three and twentie But none iudged the Scepter or a false Prophet or the high Priest but the house of the 70. Iudges Neither did they goe foorth to warre except according to the mouth or sentence of the house of the Iudgement of the 70. Iudges Nec addebant Ciuitaâ—â— neither encreased they the citie or indenized anie nor the salaries or stipends of the Temple except by them Neither made they the Sanhedriâ—th that is the meetings or Sessions of the Iudges for the Tribes but by them The great Colledge was of 71. Iudges the lesse of 23. But the 70. Seniours were those of whome it is said Num. 11. Gather to me three-score and tenne Elders and Moses one Their lesser Sanedrion assemblie or meeting of them could not be ordeined but of the assemblie or meeting of the 70. that were the greater For those 70. Iudges ordeined the assemblies of the other Iudges which in other Cities places rouÌ„d about gouerned the people howbeit on this condition that euerie Assemblie of whatsoeuer Region it were shoulde bee vnder the Assemblie in Ierusalem and in the place called Gazith But the Iudges were chosen with the imposition of handes insomuch that fiue were necessarie for the dooing of that office But these Sanhedrins Herode the King tooke away Other after that were substituted but without the power of blood or of life and death whereupon they aunswered Pilate It is not lawfull for vs to kill anie man From thence foorth for their false iudging of Christe they were expulsed out of the Consistorie Gazith fortie yeeres before the Temple
was burned by the Romanes and they sate in Hamih But it was not lawfull De Capite agere to deale with matters of life and death except in Gazith As it is Deut. 17. And thou shalt doâ— according to the worde of the mouth that they shall shewe vnto thee out of that place And againe Thou shalt arise and go vp to that place At the last al these Iudges also were againe killed of the Romanes And these thinges verelie haue the Thalmudists who chalenge to themselues an assured knowledge of these thinges whereof Petrus Galatinus is the Authour But vnto those thinges which they haue written hauing founde them out as it were with their eyes we adioyne these thinges out of the holie Treasuries of the newe and olde Testament and besides out of the Monuments of Iosephus by the which wee shall lay foorth the institution confirmation right and power of this Councel First of al therfore it appeareth that this tribunal or iudgment seate was ordeined of God that from the iudgement of the iudges they should come to the council of the seniors and of the preestes as it is written 17. Deut. For Moses speaketh there by the praescription of God vnto the people But if so bee thou shalt perceiue a difficult and doubtful iudgement to be before thee betweene bloude and bloud cause and cause Lepry and not Lepry and thou shalt see the Iudgements of the iudges within thy gates To vâ—ry arise and goe vp vnto the place which the Lorde thy God shall choose that thou mightest there call vpon his name And thou shalt come to the priestes of the Leuiticall stocke and to him that shal be Iudge for that time and thou shalt aske it of them Who shall shewe vnto thee the trueth of the Iudgement And thou shalt do whatsâ—euer they shall say that rule the place which the Lord shall choose and they shall teach thee his Lawe and thou shalt follow their sentence Neither shalt thou swarue from it to the right hande nor to the left And whatsoâ—uer shal be proude refusing to obey the Preestes commaundement which at that time ministreth vnto the Lorde his God that man by the decree of the Iudge shall dye Out of these it appeareth that this Iudgement was committed to the king to the preestes and to the Elders of the people For they were the cheefe that ruled the place that the Lorde had chosen Iosephus therefore doth so rehearse this lawe that he maketh cheefe mention of the senate For then he wrot But if the Iudges want knowledge to pronounce of the matters brought before them let them sende the whole cause into the holie City and the Bishop and the Prophet and the Senate shall pronounce that that seemeth vnto them But afterward Moses nameth the Iudges them selues whome we haue spoken of preests saying in the 19. chapter If a lying witnesse shall stande against a man accusing him of trespasse they shall both of them stande before the Lorde and before the preestes and before the Iudges that shall bee in those dayes But Iosephus citeth it of the preestes themselues in his second booke to Appion when as he wrote The Preestes were ordeined of Moses the viewers of all thinges the Iudges of the controuersies the punishers of the condemned Moreouer Moses him-selfe in the counsell tooke knowledge or hearing of his cause that gathered stickes on the sabboth Leuit. 15. For so saith Philo. 3. De vita Mosu They tooke the man brought him to the Prince about whome in the Counsell sat the Preestes but all the multitude was present on the Sabboth day to heare them But Moses not knowing what punishment the maÌ„ deserued asked counsel of God who answered that he should be stoned to death By this it appeareth that all the parties that sat in this Sanedrin except the Kings and the Princes persons were Teachers of the Lawe and and word of God Yea in al the other inferior Seniories they were noble men that onely were ioyned to the Teachers But as Moses ordeined this tribunall so afterward Iosaphat King of Iuda ordeined as he also confirmed the iudgements in the cities For thus it is written in the seconde of Paral. He appointed also in Ierusalem Leuites and Preestes and Patriarches out of Israel that they should iudge the cause of the Lord to the inhabiters thereof and commanded them saying thus shal ye do in the feare of the Lord faithfully and with a perfect heart Euery cause that shall come vnto you of your Brethren which dwell in their cities betweene kindred kindred wheresoeuer the Question of the Lawe of the ceremonies of the iustification in the Greek translation it is of the precept commandement iustifications and iudgements He declared vnto them that they should not offend against the L. And leaste wrath should come vpon you and vpon your Brethren Doing thus therefore yee shall not sinne But Anainas your B. shal gouern in those things which pertain to God Zabadias the sonne of Israel which is Capten in the tribe of Iuda shall bee ouer those workes which pertaine to the offices of the king The Masters in Greeke the Scribes The Leuites shall be before them Into this counsell therefore as it appeareth there entred the king with the Princes of the people and the 70. seniors of the people and the Bishop with the princes of the preestes the scribes that is the doctors of the Lawe as is easy to see out of the Gospels where the iudgement made on Christ is treated vpon Wherefore Ioseph of Arimathia a senator or noble decurion the same man being a partaker of the councell for it is written that he gaue not his assent with the other to the condemnation of Christ. But I call them the Princes of the Preestes which in 24. formes of the Preestes euery one of them ruled in euery one of their turnes but the Scribes I call them that were the doctors of the Lawe whome Iosephus called Propheâ—s Afterward the Councell in the transmigration of Babilon being destroyed when the Iewes being returned into their countrie the residue of their institutions were restored the power of Iudging in the Councel was also giuen vnto the preestes Which thing Ezechiel cap. 44. did fore-warne by the commaundement of Goâ— saying The Preestes shall teach my people what difference there is betweene holy and prophane and they shal Iudge vnto them betweene impure and pure and they shall endeuour them-selues that they may iudge about the iudgement of bloud and they shall iustify my iustifications and iudge my iudgements and they shall keepe my lawes and my preceps in all my feast dayes that is they shall take notice of causes of religion and of capitall matters that is of life and death and they shall iustify men that is absolue them and iudge men that is condemne them euen as I haue prescribed in the Lawe to be done where I
receaued c. And afterward comming to the Ministers he saith the Ministers of excommunication were the Priestes and the churche approuing it Deut. 27. the Leuites shall pronounce and say vnto all the men of Israel with a high voyce accursed is the man that maketh a graâ—en and â— moultâ—n Image the abhomination of the Lorde the worke of the artificers and setteth it in a secrete place And all the people shall aunswere Amen In the seconde booke of Esdras chap. 13. Eliasis the preest separateth the straungers from Israell And likewise for the other Key of losing The key absoluing is a power ordeyned of God and committed to the Preestes and Prophetes of pronouncing to sinners beeing penitent the remission of sinnes for the Womans and Abrahams seede and the sonne of Dauid that is for the Messias c. The author and the Ministers are these Eyther God him-selfe immediatly hath denounced the forgiuenesse of sinnes as Genesis 3. When hee setteth foorthe the promise of the VVomans seede hee doth nothing else buâ— thaâ—â—ee mought absolue Adam and Eue from their sinne c. Or else by the Patriarkes So Genesis 30. God sayth â—o Abimelech of Abraham c. Or else by the Prophetes The seconde of Kings 12. Nathan said to Dauid the Lord hath translated thy sinne c. or else by the Preesâ—â— which offering sacrificeâ— expiatory for the people for their sinns afterward blessed them which what was it â—â—so 〈◊〉 a denunciation of the forgiuenes of their sinnes Leui. 4.5.6 9. Leuit. 19. And the Priest shall pray for him and for his sinne and it shall bee forgiuen him and his sinne remitted and Num. 6. Speake to Aaron to his sonnes thus shall ye blesse the children of Israel say vnto themâ— the Lord blesse thee and keepe thee the Lord shew his face vnto thee and haue mercie vpon thee This waâ— the state of Excommunication and absolution in the old Testament denounced by the â—outh of the Minister of the worde For to whom the Absoluing belonged the Excommunicating belonged also The steps whereof sayth Aretius are in the newe Testament Ioh. 9.12 16. For although that Discipline was administred then of wicked men notwithstanding it is for an argument of the antiquitie And in the olde time the Institution was honest and profitable This corruption Christe corrected when he drewe backe this Discipline to his Church Math. 16.18 Ioh. 20. The Apostles also vsed it laudably as it is 1. Cor. 5.1 Tim. 5. Whereby also it appeareth that 〈◊〉 the wicked Iewes vsed it in Christes time Christe reducing into his church the olde Instituâ—ion of God for Excommunicating and absoluing he committed this spirituall censure to such onely as were spirituall Ministers of the Worde Howsoeuer the other that were not Ministers did allowe and approoue the same And this sentence Math. 18. Being ouer ruled by the other before Math. 16. 〈◊〉 Iohn 20. comming after and put in practise by these examples 1. Cor. 5. And 1 Tim. 5. â—here S. Paul being a Minister of the Worde pronounceth the sentence and the Iudgement If the vse of the other Apostles bee to be leueled by these examples it is cleare that in the Apostles times though the Church 〈◊〉 thereunto the action was 〈◊〉 by such onely as were Ministers of the Worde of God What the practise was of Excommunication in the Primitiue church succéeding the Apostles partly appeareth by that we hâ—â—e cited out of Tertullian saying There are also exhortations chasticementes and the Diuine censure For iudgement is there giuen with great wâ—ight as among those which are certayne that God beholdeth them And it is the cheefe fore-iudgement of the iudgment to come if any shall so offend If any be banished from the communicating of prayer and of the meeting together and of all the holy partaking euery of the approoued Elders haue the Gouernment Here is Excommunication mentioned and the Gouernment to appertayne to euery of the approoued Elders But in adding withall the publique prayers and Exhortations that he â—nneâ—eth to the gouernmeÌ„t of these Elders it is apparant that he meant none other but such as were Ministers of the Worde Which we haue also shewed yet more playâ—â— in his booke De Coronae militis where after he hath spoken of Baptisme receiued Sub antistitis vnder the Bishops and Prelates speaking of the Lordes supper he sayth Nec de aliorum manu quam Praesidentium sumimus Neyther receiue we it at the handes of any other than of the gouernors So that he maketh these Seniors and Gouernours to bee all one with the prelates and Ministers of the Worde and sacraments Eusebius lib. 5. cap. 24. telleth howe Victor Bishop of Rome Excommunicated the Churches of the East For keeping their manner of celebrating Easter day Wherein although he greatly abused this power of binding yet if he had rightly with discretion vsed it within his boundes Irenaeus nor any other did reprooue him but only for his rash ouer-reaching himselfe in the same For sayth Eusebius Irenaeus also writing with the other Bishops of Fraunce ouer whome hee had the gouernment for he was Archbishop of Lions Anno Domini 169. doth in-deede confirme it that the Mystery of the Lordes resurrection shoulde bee celebrated on the sunday Notwithstanding hee reprooueth Victor that hee did not well to cut off from the Vnity of the body so many and so great Churches of God that kept the custome deliuered to them of the auncient time And to shew this better that when he vsed this power better he was not misliked for the vse thereof Eusebius sayth afterward in the last chap. of the fift booke But howe can they lay a slaunder vnto Victor concerning this sith they knewe that Victor expelled from the communion of the Church Theodorus the tanner which was the prince Father of this their impiety which durst first at Rome auouche that Christ was but onely a man For if Victor as they say did so beleeue how did he cast out of the Church Theodorus the inuentor of this blasphemy So that Eusebius approueth this doing of Victor for his Excommunication of this heretike I heere passe ouer all the Canons and decrees mentioned in the councelles in the names of the Apostles and of diuers auncient Bishops because their credite may be called in question though diuers of them mentioning the Excommunications made onelie by Bishops and sacerdotall preestes be no doubt of great antiquity Onely I note that which Eusebius recordeth of the Emperor Philip. Of this man saith he It is reported vnto vs that he was a Christian. And on Easter day to wit euen in the Vigilles when he woulde haue beene present amongest them and communicated in the mysteries hee was of the Bishop of the place not suffered before he had confessed his sinnes and stoode among the penitent persons Neither by any meanes coulde hee haue leaue to receiue the mysteries
except that before he had by repentance purged him-selfe of those manifolde faultes that were reported of him It is sayde therefore that hee gladly receiued that which was appoynted to them by the Proestos or Bishoppe approouing that hee had a godly feare and a Fayth of Religion moste full of workes The like wee reade of the moste Noble Emperour Theodosius in the Ecclesiasticall Historie of Theodoretus Lib. 5. Cap. 17 Where hauing declared in the former Chapter howe Theodosius had in his fury caused his Souldiers to make a Massacre of 7000. people in the City of Thessalonica for the reuenge of an insurrection there made wherein some of the Emperours Iustices were stoned to death hee sheweth how the Emperour afterwarde beeing come to Millaine when hee woulde haue entred into the Churche after his wonted manner Ambrose forbad him laying the heighnousnesse of his fault before him and willing him to depart and submit him-selfe to this bonde of Excommunication that hee inflicted on him With these wordes sayth Theodoretus the Emperour being moued who being brought vp in the holy doctrine knewe what were the offices of the Sacerdotall preestes what were the offices of the Emperours hee returned with sighes and teares into the Court c. For the which fact although perhappes somewhat more rough than needed vnto so penitent a Prince not onely Ambrose but also Theodosius is of all writers highly commended Generally whatsoeuer Heretikes or other malefactors in any of the generall or prouinciall Councilles bee condemned by the Censure of Excommunication it was done by such Bishops Preestes or Elders as were Ministers of the Worde of God Neither doe any of the Fathers ascribe the denuntiation of this spirituall Censure in the proper sence thereof to any other than to a Bishop or to a minister of the Worde We haue seene in Cyprian howe although hee promised that hee would doe nothing in receiuing those that were fallen from the fayth into the lapse of Idolatry and so became abstenti that is Excommunicated to bee admitted on their repentaunce to the communion and peace of the church without the consent of his College of Elders which as withall wee haue founde were all ministers of the Word and Sacraments Which Iunius him-selfe in his Booke called Ecclesiasticus Capitulo 3 treating on these Seniors confesseth to be Corpus Collegium sacerdotum A body or corporation and College of Sacerdotall Preestes Yea in that case although hee promiseth not to receyue them without the consent also of the Deacons and of the people yet the action of Excommunication and absoluing of them hee still maketh it proper tohim selfe being the Bishop and to such onely as were ministers of the Worde Hierome vpon that saying of Christe to Peter Math. 16 I will giue thee the Keyes of the kingdome of Heauen and whatsoeuer c. This place sayth hee the Bishops and the Preestes not vnderstanding take vpon them some-what of the Pharisées pride to thinke that eyther they may condemne the innocent or loose the offenders When as with God not the sentence of the sacerdotall Preestes but the life of the guilty is sought out Wee reade in Leuiticus of the Lepers where they are bidden to shewe them selues to the Preestes And if they haue the Leprie then of the sacerdotall Preestes they are made vncleane Not that the sacerdotall preestes make them Lepers and vncleane but that they haue the knowledge of him that is a Leper and of him that is not a Leper And that they may discerne who is cleane or who is vncleane In such sorte therefore as the sacerdotall Preeste maketh the Leper clean or vncleane so here also eyther the Bishop and the preeste or Elder bindeth or looseth not those that are eyther innocent or offenders but according to his office when hee shall haue hearde the diuersities of the sinnes he knoweth who is to bee bound or who is to be loosed Saint Augustine being complained vnto that Auxilius being a young Bishop had made such a rash Excommunication as Hierome here spake of writeth vnto him in this manner Augustine to his moste dearely beloued Lorde and worshipfull or reuerend brother and fellow sacerdotall Preeste Auxilius Our renowned Sonne Classicianus hath greeuously by Letters complayned vnto mee that he hath susteined of your holinesse the iniury of accursing Declaring that he came to the church accompanied with the appearaunce of a fewe persons conuenient for his power and dealt with you that you shoulde not against his health or safety fauour them who by periuring themselues on the Gospell sought ayde for violating of their fayth euen in the house of fayth Whome notwithstanding considering what ill they had done he saith that they were not taken thence by violence but went out of their owne accorde And heereupon your honour is so offended with him that by the making of your Ecclesiasticall actes hee with all his house is striken with the sentence of the Curse Which Letters I hauing read beeing not a little mooued with thoughtes tossing me with great vexation of heart I coulde not hide it from your louingnesse that if you haue your opinion of this matter tried out by sure reasons or testimonies of the Scriptures you woulde vouchsafe also to teach vs how the childe may rightly be accursed for the Fathers sinne or the wife for the Husbandes or the seruaunt for the Lordes or anie in the house also not yet borne if it shoulde be borne in the same time that the whole house is bound with the curse so that it coulde not in the daunger of death be helped by the washing of regeneration For this is not a corporall punishment wherewith we reade that some dispisers of God were slayne together with all theirs which were not partakers of the same vngodlinesse Then in-deede to the terror of the liuing the mortall bodies were slayne which at sometime veâ—ily should haue died But the spirituall punishment whereby that iâ— done which is written VVhatsoeuer thinges thou shalt binde in earth shall bee bound also in Heauen bindeth the soules Of whome it is written The soule of the Father is mine and the soule of the Sonne is mine The soule that shall sinne the same shall dye You haue peraduenture hearde that some sacerdotall preestes of greate name haue accursed some body with their house But if perhaps they were demaunded they might bee found not able to render a reason of the same As for me If any body should demaund of me whether it were well done I finde not what I shold answere him I neuer durst do this thing when I haue bin mooued most greeuously about the wicked deedes of some moste cruelly committed against the Church But if the Lord haue reuealed to you how it may iustly be done I despise neuer a whit your yong age rudimeÌ„ts or but yong beginnings of the Eccl. honor Beholde I am at hand I an old man of my yong
may be lesse blemished the society of men also lesse ill reported This other power in the primitiue church was more necessary when the Ethnike magistrates gouerned the cities For there when by the ciuil iudgement punishment should haue bin giuen vpon the blasphemers on others openly violating the commandements of God the church necessarily executed iudgment on the corrupted meÌ„bers without seditioÌ„ that is without bodily force Excluding the wicked with the only word yet receiuing them again if they were conuerted But now after that they also which are the magistrates haue embraced the name of Christ it is beâ—ter more meet for the coÌ„mon profit to bring them vnder the ciuil punishment that manifestly lead a wicked life Especially when as the magistrate by name is charged that he taketh away the authors of offences to th end that the name of god be lesse il spokeÌ„ of Thus also the offices remain distinct that by the churches power secret manifest sins be reproued by the only word of God but they that suffer not theÌ„selues to be ruled by the doctrine may be punished by the ciuile Iurisdiction Verelie this were a mâ—â—t beautifull harmonie of the two powers if it were kept but in this extreame confusion of all things and heedlesnesse of Princes there is not so much as hope of ordeining this harmonie This onelie thing remaineth that the King of Kinges come and purge his Church for euer from all offences Thus complaineth Melancthon and distinguisheth of these powers But he would so little haue the Eccl. iurisdiction of excommunication to be vsed by gouerning Seniors that were not teachers that he woulde either haue them teachers or else their iurisdiction to be but ciuile and the meere punishment of the Christian Magistrate Aretius in his Common-place thereon saith Excommunication is an exclusion of some bodie that professeth our Religion out of the coÌ„panie of the faithfull in holie and prophane matters beeing made in the name and power of Christe by the ordinarie Ministers of the Churche the residue of the Church consenting and being made for the cause of amending the sinner and of deliuering the Church from the contagion of the sinne And afterwarde proouing the parts of this definition coÌ„ming to the 5. part By whom it ought to be administred he saith We aunswere out of the definition By the ordinarie Ministers the residue of the Church consenting We would haue the Ministers ordinarie because except their vocation bee lawfull the discipline of the manners shall be frustrate For Christe hath deliuered the same to the Apostles and for that cause to their lawfull successors and therefore they labour heere in vaine whom the lawfull succession doth remooue And furthermore that the discipline be administred of the Ministers as Ministers that is that they vse the same by Ministerie or seruice not by Empire or rule In which matter how greatlie in Poperie they offended is not here to the purpose to declare We adde The residue of the Church consenting least the Minister would exercise dominion of his own wil. Christe Mat. 18. biddeth Tell the Church not the Ministerie onelie And Paule would not the incestuous man to be excluded by his authoritie alone but the Church of Corinth being gathered together 1. Cor. 5. Cyprian declareth it to the people if anie were to be receaued doing the same no doubt in those that were to be excommunicated Epist. 16. li. 3. You being present and iudging all shall be excommunicated So in another place for those that were falne hee entreateth the people that the peace might be giuen them Tertul. Apolog. cap. 39. saith Euerie of the approoued Seniors doo gouerne hauing gotten a iust honour not with money but with testimonie for no matter of God consisteth on price c. Héere Aretius maketh excommunication to bee necessarilie made by â—he ordinarie Ministers And that we might know whâ— these are he addeth that Christie deliuered it to the Apostles and to the successors of the Apostles And therefore those that labour heere to haue other Ministers than Teachers labour in vaine because they are remooued from the lawfull succession and their discipline is all frustrate This being set set downe for the Minister where he addeth the residue of the Churches consent and thereto applieth this testimonie of Christe Mat. 18. Tell the Church not the Minister onelie he maketh no especiall Senate of ecclesiast Seniors but putteth altogether in this general name the residue of the church Neither giueth he them herein a ioynt Ministerie with the Ministers that the excommunication should be made by all the residue but that it should be done by their consent So that if our Br. fearing coÌ„fusion in the peoples consent would haue a Segniorie to represent them and to whom their consent should be compromitted yet beyonde consent they haue nothing to doo more than the residue of the Church and people haue whom as they say they represent except they will be Comministers of the word and successors of the Apostles And this dooth the verie example 1. Cor. 5. héere also alleadged excellentlie we ll declare Wher Paul was the Minister and the Iudg and the People gaue their coÌ„sent to his Iudgement Howbeit if they had not consented that had not defeated the vertue and power of S. Paules Censure as we haue alreadie at large séene And likewise the dealing of Cyprian in receauing of them that were excommunicated The words of Cyprian in this alleadged 16. epist. li. 3. writing to the people in his absence from them are these That you doo mourne bewaile the falls of our brethren of my selfe withall I know it and doo bewaile it and I suffer and feele that which the blessed Apostle saith VVho is weakened faith he and I am not weakned who is offended and I am not burned And againe he put in his Epistle saying If one member suffer the other members also suffer with it and if one member reioyce the other members also reioyce wish it I haue compassion therefore mourne together with our brethren that haue falne and ouerthrowen themselues in the trouble of persecution and trayling with them part of our bowels they haue with their wouÌ„ds brought vnto vs sharp greef To whom God by his diuine mercy is able to giue remedy While notwithstanding they should not think that any should be done hastily vnaduisedly out of hand least if the peace should be vsurped rashly the ofâ—ence of Gods indignation should more greeuously be prouoked The blessed martyrs haue written letters to vs concerning some beseeching that their desires maybe examined when as we shal begin to returne to the church peace beeing before of the Lorde giuen to vs all All their desires were examined you being present and Iudges Thus writeth Cyprian not that the persons were Excommunicated they being the Iudges of their Excommunication but as they were ipso facto Excommunicated
ver 5. c. Commaunded all the iudgements or questions of the Lawe of the commandement of the ceremonies c. to be referred to the Leuites and Preestes Leaste any might except that Moses constitution dealt on sacrifices not on iudgements Secondly from the punishment of King Saule sacrificing against the commaundement of God 1. Sam. 15. And of king Ozias striken with lepry because hee vsurped the preestes office 2. Patal 26 verse 16 c. The extraordinary examples of Melchisedech Samuel and Heli are not to be drawne into vse contrary to the Lawe Thirdly from the office vse of the Preestes and Leuites denouncing the blessinges to the keepers of Gods commaundementes and the cursings to the not keepers Deut. 27 28 Fourthly from the speciall power and ministery of binding and loosing which Christe committed not to the ciuill Magistrate but to the Ministers of the worde in the newe Testament Math. 16. Who also commaunded significantly that they that are not obedient shoulde be shewed to the Church that is to the Presbytery not to the Magistrate Math 18. So that euen here where he expoundeth the Church for a Presbytery Yet he maketh this Presbytery to be onely of those that are the Ministers of the Word Fiftly out of Paule 1. Cor. 5. ver 4 12 Which so farre as pertaineth to the present businesse of all other moste euidently teacheth by two arguments that the presbytery was different from the iudgement of thinges that pertaine to the vse of this life First from the order of the time For that the vse of comming together and of iudging was recâ—yued in the Corinthian Church before the Epistle of Paule was written it is apparant out of his owne words You being gathered â—ogether in the name of the Lord. Againe Do ye not iudge of those things that are within But speaking afterward chap. 6. of priuate controuersies hee saith Appoint you arbiters Not ye haue appoinâ—ed in the preterperfect tense Moreouer of the diuersitie of the spiritual things and ciuile controuersies for when he forbiddeth them to go to the Magistrate in those things that pertein to this life how would he haue granted it in spiritual things That assemblie was a singular ornament of the Church but this iudgement of corporal things is turned to a reproch vnto the Corinthians Insomuch that he adiudgeth each one of the basest to be meere inough thereunto Besides that â— Cor. 10 refelling the slanders of the aduersaries for the seueritie of his former Epistle for his rebuking the fornicator he distinguisheth the Ministery of the word and the reuengement with carnall weapons against the disobedient Thus dooth he stil continue in proouing this Segniorie to be meere spirituall their authoritie wholie to consist in the Ministerie of the worde Sixtlie out of 1. Tim. 5.19 20. whereupon it manifestlie appeereth that euen then there was an order alreadie appointed at Ephesus ouer which Timothie was the Gouernor But that these 2. ver the 19. and the 20. Against an Elder receaue no accusation except in the mouth of 2. or 3. witnesses and them that sinne reprooue openlie that the other may feare are spoken of such Elders as are pastorall Elders we haue at large before prooued eueÌ„ by the confession of Caluin Beza therfore this place not onlie maketh nothing for not teaching Elders but also prooueth a manifest standing appointed superioritie in the Apostles times among the pastoral Elders as we haue seene Seuenthlie vnto these approcheth the vse of the Apostolicall Church which coÌ„tinued many yeres sound without the help of Kings Princes Yea in the more purer Primitiue Church vnder the ChristiaÌ„ Emperoâ—s the vse of the keies remained apperteining to the Ministers of the word and Elders of the Church distinct from the ciuile Magistrate Heere Snecanus telleth not howe the Church flourished without the helpe of Christian Princes which he shewed before was one of the Anabaptists chiefe arguments but that the vse of the keyes was not helped by them but perteined onelie to the Ministers of the word not to Elders not teachers To coÌ„clude the thinges aforesaid are coÌ„firmed by the distinct properties of their gouernmeÌ„t For the ciuil Magistrate punisheth crimes with external punishmeÌ„ts onlie as with fines of monie imprisonmeÌ„ts c Insomuch that oftentimes it punisheth also the verie poenitent by reason of their ciuile transgressions not correcting in the mean ewhile the impoenitent which do not publikely disturb the peace It stoppeth indeed now and then an euil that it creepe not further abroad but the euil lurking within it helpeth not But the discipline eccl executeth her power against sinners by the word of God alone and by the instrument of the voice and acknowledgeth none among the citizens and members of Christ but those that repent them And is so farre off from compelling anie against their will that it accepteth the repentaunce of none vnlesse it be voluntarie And indeuoreth chieflie in this that offences might be remoued the repentance of minde performed before God and those that are fallen to be reconciled vnto their neighbor to the Church Finallie that the holie things may not be polluted being cast to dogs swine This double limitation is reciprocallie to be obserued for as it is not lawfull for them that attend on the Church in spirituall things to arrogate any thing to themselues of the ciuil power so also is it not lawful for the ciuil Magistrate to passe his bounds The Magistrate is indeed the keeper of either table and ordeined of God the chiefest member of Christ. Howbeit the administration of things in those matters that directlie respect the conscience do not therfore perteine vnto him For it belongeth to God to prescribe in the church how the coÌ„sciences should conuert themselues by repentance it belongeth not to the Magistrate to whoÌ„ it belongeth to teach to administer the sacraments it is their parts also to take notice and to iudge by the word of them that are the despisers of the doctrine and of the sacrament so farre as perteineth to the coÌ„trouersie of the law or right although the execution of the fact in politike matters do apperteine to the ciuil Magistrate What can bâ— plainer spoken than this to prooue that these Seniors either must not deal with this spiritual discipline of excom or they must be such Presbyters Priests or Elders as be Ministers of the word and sacraments Danaeus in his Christian Introduction 3. part in his treatise De potestate Ecclesiae cap. 48. concerning the author of the power of the keies saith on this wise Moreouer this thing it self is able to establish ratifie this power of the Church against the slanders of al men as though this power were a certeine tyrannie besides the word of God vsurped of the Pastors of the Church In which words he plainlie maketh this power to belong by the institution of God to the
that the Apostles desired not such thinges of the kinges of the earth they consider not that then it was another time and that all things are to be done in their times For what Emperour did then beleeue in Christ that might serue him in making lawes for pietie against impietie where as yet that propheticall saying was fulfilled why did the Gentiles frette and the people imagine vaine thinges the kinges of the eartâ— stoode vppe and the Princes came together against the Lorde and against his Christ. But as yet that was not done â—hich in the same Psalme is sayde a little after and now yee kiâ—ges vnderstande bee yee wise that iudge the earth serue the Lorde with feare and reioyce vnto him with trembling Howe then doe kinges serue the Lorde with feare but in forbidding with a religious seueritie and in punishing those thinges that are doone contrarie to the commaundementes of the Lorde For hee serueth otherwise for that he is a man and otherwise for that hee is a king For that he is a man he serueth in liuing faythfully But for that he is also a king he serueth in enacting with a conuenient vigor lawes that commaunde iust thinges and forbid the contrarie Euen as Ezechias serued in destroying the groaues and temples of the Idolles and those high places that were builded contrarie to the commaundements of God Euen as Iosias serued he also dooing the same things Euen as the king of the Niniuits serued in compelling the whole Citie to pacifie God Euen as Darius serued in giuing it vnto Daniel into his power to breake the Idoll and in casting his enemies to the Lyons Euen as Nabuchodonozer serued of whom wee haue alreadi spoken in forbidding by a terrible lawe all that were placed in his kingdome from blaspheming God In this therfore kings do serue the Lord so farre forth as they be kinges when they do those things to serue him that none but kinges can doe Sith kinges therefore did not as yet serue the L. in the Apostles times but as yet did imagine vaine thinges against God and against his Christ that all the foretellings of the Prophets should be fulfilled impieties could not then indeede be forbidden by lawes but rather be exercised For so was the order of the times rowled about that both the Iewes killed the preachers of Christe thinking they did a dutie to God as Christ foretold and the Gentiles fretted against Christ and the Martyrs patience ouercame them all But when thaâ— began to bee fulfilled which was written and all the kinges of the earth shall worship him and all Nations shall serue him what man that is sober in his wit can say to kinges Haue not you care in your kingdome of whom the Church of your Lord is holden or is oppugned It perteineth not in your kingdome vnto you who will bee eyther religious or sacrilegious vnto whom it cannot be sayde it pertayneth not vnto you in your kingdome who will be shamefast who will be vnshamefast For when free choyse is giuen of God vnto a man why shoulde adulteries bee punished by lawes and sacrileges be suffered Is it a lighter matter for the soule not to keepe her fayth to God than for a woman not to keepe her faith to her husbande Thus doth Augustine proue that this authoritie of the Christian Magistrates and Monarkes in making constitutions lawes for Eccl. matters as wel as for temporall though it were not accomplished in the Apostles time yet it was prefigured prophecied and promised that it should be afterward fulfilled and in conuenient time it was performed Therefore it remayneth that it be shewed by them that defend that this absolute authoritie is in the ciuill Magistrate by what spirite or reuelation or scripture if there be any that we knowe not for wee would be glad to learne how this authoritie was translated from the Church in which it was once lawfully vested vnto the ciuill Christian Magistrate I knowe none of vs that defendeth that an absolute authoritie is in the ciuill Magistrate And therefore it remayneth not in vs to shewe any thing for that which we defende not If wee defende it let them name the man and shewe the place and let the partie defende himselfe as he can And I would learne of them also by what spirite or reuelation or scripture if there be any that wee knowe not they can so vntruelie burden their so gratious Soueraigne to take vpon her an absolute authoritie Or to sclaunder vs their Brethren that we defend that this absolute authoritie is in the ciuill Magistrate They say they would be glad to learne how this authoritie was translated from the Church in which it was lawfully vested vnto the ciuill Christian Magistrate And can they proue then that the Church was euer lawfully vested with this absolute authoritie For my part I am of contrarie opinion nor euer yet learned for all the Papists harpe much vpon some what the like string that the Churche of God euer had or tooke vpon her any absolute authoritie in any Eccl. matters whatsoeuer and much lesse do I learne that it was translated from the Church vnto the ciuill Christian Magistrates Howbeit I trust they will giue vs leaue to learne thus much as euen Beza himselfe out of the worde of God shall teach vs to be a lawefull authoritie and a needefull of the ciuill Christian Magistrate ioyned with the Synode in these matters Beza in the 5. Chapter of his christian confession in the 15. article afore cited for the Princes calling the generall councels or synodes for making the Presidents or Gouernors of the same first he alleâ—geth some obiections to the contrarie that the Princes gouernment is different from the Ministers of the word And that it is for many causes a most perilous thing to throwe the councels vnder the authoritie of Princes For that thereby the ambition of them that would gratifie Princes is so kindled and on the contrarie the simplicitie of many terrified with the vnwonted presence of the Princes not to speak of that which would God were not true that there haue alwayes bene but fewe Princes that haue bin indued with so much both learning and godlinesse as is necessarily required for the moderating of such actions or that thinke they ought seriously to consider of these matters When as rather by a certaine calamitie of the world as it were fatall they vse to be intentiue either to euery bodie or to hearken rather to the euill than to the good Notwithstanding all these obiections to the contrarie Beza sayth but it seemeth not verie difficult to aunswere these arguments First I iudge that heede must be taken that wee so discerne not the Princes of this worlde from the ministers of the worde that wee shoulde also separate them as though they were prophane Which was the first stâ—ppe whereby the
Who sayth hereon Lib. 4. Instit. cap. 10. sect 29. in these wordes Of the former kind that is to say of those ceremoniall constitutions that are for comelines Paule hath examples as that no prophane banquetes be mixed together with the holy supper of the Lord. That women except they couer their heads come not forth into a publike place and many other thinges are had in 〈◊〉 vse That wee pray kneeling and bare headed that wee administer the Sacramentes of the Lorde not vncleanely but with some dignitie that in burying the dead wee giue thereto a certaine honestie and such other thinges as pertayne thereto In the other kinde that is to say for order there are houres designed to the publike prayers to the sermons and to the mysticall actions In the sermons themselues there is quiet and silence and places appoynted thereunto the tunes or singing together of the hymnes and daies prefixed for celebrating of the L. supper that which Paule forbiddeth that women teach not in the Church and if there be any such like thinges But chiefely those that conserue discipline as the Catechizing the Eccl. Censures excommunication fastes the thinges that may be referred to that cataloge Thus may we referre all the Eccl. constitutions which we receaue for good and wholesome vnto two heads for the one sort of them haue respect to rites and ceremonies the other to discipline and peace Howebeit because here is daunger least of the one parte the false Bishops shoulde snatch a pretence hereupon to excuse their wicked and tyrannicall lawes he speaketh of those Popish Bishops whome he before described and on the other part least there should be anie too much fearefull which being warned by the former euils would leaue no place at all to lawes bee they neuer so holy it is a thing woorth the labour here to testifie that to conclude I doe allowe those humane constitutions which are founded on the authoritie of God and which are taken out of the scripture and so are wholly diuine Let the example be in the kneeling which is made while the solemne praiers are had The question is whether it be an humane tradition that is lawefull for euerie one to refuse or neglect I saye it is suche an humane tradition as that with all it is a diuine tradition It is of God in respect it is a part of that comelinesse the care and conseruation whereof is commended vnto vs by the Apostle But it is of man in respect that it designeth out in specialtie that which generally was ordeined rather than expounded By this one example wee may esteeme what wee ought to thinke of this whole kinde to witte because the Lorde hath faythfully comprehended with his holie eyes and clearely declared both the whole summe of true righteousnesse and all the partes of the worship of his godhead and whatsoeuer was necessarie to saluation in these he onely is our Master that must be heard but because in externall Discipline and Ceremonies he would not particularly prescribe what we should followe neither iudged he one forme to be conuenient for all ages of the worlde we must here flee vnto the generall rules that he gaue that what thinges so euer the necessitie of the Churche shal require to be commaunded for order and comelinesse may be driuen to them Thus among other these ceremoniall constitutions writeth Caluine of kneeling at the times of solemne prayers which are then most requisite while wee are participating the heauenly mysteries of the Lordes supper And therefore kneeling though it be not necessarie with any simple necessitie in it selfe yet as it is a reuerent and diuine ceremonie it is necessarie as conuenient at the times of solemne prayer and thankesgiuing and of consequence at the communion both for order and comelinesse of the bodies gesture and for testification and edification also of the mindes deuotion But least a surplusse here should be left out that a surplusse say they in common prayer is more necessarie than a deuoute minde I do not thinke that any man is or euer was of that opinion For were he neuer so blinde a Papist yet till he chiefely stoode on his blinde deuotion And I appeale euen to our Brethrens consciences whether they thinke indéede as I beleeue they doe not that any man is of that minde But what shall the reader and and all the people thinke of this that the surplusse being here one of the ceremonies brought in for instance to admitte varietie as times persons and occasions serue to bee diuerse and so of consequence may well be vsed yea and by the correlation of this rule should be vsed ordinarily though it admitte sometimes such occasion of leauing it off And this also is become one of the desires in this Learned Discourse of all the faithfull ministers that seeke the reformation of the Church of Englande that the surplusse may be accounted but as a ceremonie that admitteth such varietie And yet we sée there are many amongst them so deuoted against a surplusse that rather than they will weare it at any time they will forsake all the ministerie and make great sturre and trouble about it notwithstanding the iudgement of all the reuerende and learned men that haue testified as euen heere their selues also are faine to doe the indifference of it and of the vse thereof But our Brethren not thinking of this contradiction betwéene their owne writing and their doing but thinking if at least wise they so thinke indeed that there be but what number they tell not that thinke these ceremonies are more necessarie than they be let vs nowe see what reason moueth our Brethren to thinke that there be such as do thinke so And great occasion say they offered to the ignorant so to thinke when they see them that preach most diligently praye most feruently and minister the Sacraments most reuerently according to Christes institution to bee displaced of all ministerie for a crosse or a font or a surplusse or some such other trifle Euery thing here that misliketh our Brethr. is but a trifle with them And thus they pretende vnto the world that they be displaced but for trifles But what soeuer these are is all the communion booke and publike prescribed forme of diuine seruice but a trifle too And is the ciuill Christian Magistrates authoritie and so the Queenes Maiesties supreme gouernement in all Ecclesiasticall causes so well as temporall and of consequence in all these and other causes in controuersie betweene vs but a trifle with our Brethren too and is all the superior authoritie of the Bishops all the controuersies about Discipline and the Ecclesiasticall Regiment of their tetrarchie for Doctors Pastors Gouernors and Deacons offices which they contende for and all the other particular matters in question both in this Learned Discourse and in all their other treatises which they still set foorth nothing but trifles For these
not diuers of the Corinthians departe or fall from the true vse of these graces of the holye Ghoste As wee maye also say of Demas and others And euen of the apparant reprobate sayth Sainct Paule Hebrewes 6. vers 4. For it is impossible that they which were once lighttened and haue tasted of the heaueâ—lye gifte and were made pertakers of the holye Ghoste and haue tasted of the good woorde of God and of the powers of the worlde to come if they shoulde fall awaye shoulde bee renewed agayne by repentance seeing that they crucifie agayne to themselues the sonne of God and make a mocke of him So then vnderstanding these woordes euen for those that are not of the number of Gods elected neuertheles they may be such as God hath imparted great graces of the holy ghoste vnto and yet they departe and fall from grace But now which is the better and playner sence because the Article mencioneth rysing againe vnderstanding these wordes for the Elect of God so far as man can gather by outwarde tokens yet may the Elect departe from grace though not wholly and finnally as doe the reprobate For example Dauid and Peter departed from grace and fell into grieuous sinnes yet not so but that some sparkes of grace though ouerwhelmed for the time still remaine in Gods elected till God by his spirite reclaime them to repentance Sainct Paule writing to the Gallathians to whom as to gods elected chap. 1.3 he wisheth grace and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Iesus christ saith vnto them vers 6. I maruel that ye are so soone remoued away vnto another Gospel froÌ„ him that had called you into the grace of christe and chap. 3.1 c. O foolish Galathians who hath bewitched you that yee shoulde not obey the truth to whome Iesus christ before was described in your sight and among you crucified This onely would I learne of you receaued ye the spirite by the workes of the lawe or by the hearing of faith Preached are ye so foolish that after yee haue begun in the spirite ye would now be made perfect by the flesh haue ye suffred so many thinges in vaine c. Had not these lost the grace of God and S. Paule reclaimed them to repentance And so christ saith to the Angell or B. of the church of Ephesus apoc 2. I know thy workes thy labour thy patience and how thou canst not forbeare them which are euil hast examined them which say they are apostles are not and hast found them lyers thou hast suffred hast patience and for my name sake hast laboured and hast not fainted Héere are the great graces reckoned vp But what followeth Neuertheles I haue somwhat against thee bicause thou hast left thy first loue remember therfore from whence thou art fallen repent do the first works or else I will come against thee shortly wil remoue thy candlestick out of his place except thou repeÌ„t And is not this euen as much as here is said in this article after we haue receaued the holy ghost wee maye depart from grace giuen and fall into sin and by the grace of God we may arise againe and amend our liues And therfore there is no error nor anye suspicion of error in this saying nor as though it were doubtfully spoken any néede of further explication except our Bre. would euen seke to pick quarrels at words to make theÌ„ séeme suspitious that are sound plaine enough or except they be of a contrary opinion to this article thinking that if they once haue receaued the holy ghost his grace they be so pure sure euer after that they can neuer sin at least they can neuer fal into any notorious sin But although I pray both for them vs that we may not depart from grace by falling into any such grieuous notorious sin yet much more that we fall not into that presumptuous sin that we should be so puffed vp in coâ—â—â—it of our puritie as to think we cannot depart froÌ„ grace fall into sin notorious sin also For so our Bre. should themselues maintaine a most grosse and palpable yea a most dangerous error condeÌ„ned heresie For although we must not wauer in doubt betwixt feare hope distrust faith for our saluatioÌ„ but haue a firme hope ful confideÌ„ce in yeâ—ternal good purpose promises mercies of god in christ as the very first words of the article of predestination election witnesseth that we are of thâ— nuÌ„ber of his Elected to saluation whereof god hath vouchsafed vs good tokeÌ„s besides the pledge of his spirite certifieng our spirit that we are the sons of God and if sonnes heyres c. yet except the spirite helpe our infirmityes we should quickly fall into great temptations and enormities And therfore we are willed for our parte to woorke our saluation with feare and trembling to pray that we enter not into temptation and euer to checke our presumption with these such like sentences If we shal say we haue no sins we deceaue our selues and there is no truth in vs yea that the iuste falleth seuen times a day and yet riseth againe c. But I hope our brethreÌ„ are not sotted in this grosse error of the anabaptists neyther wee God be praysed do allowe of the other grosse errours oâ—â—he papists that the elected can finally vtterly depart froÌ„ grace But firmum stat fundamentum deus nouit qui sunt sui Neyther is there any error in any of these our articles nor any of the other articles of the booke And therefore I meruaile that they say diuers godlye and learned Preachers offered to speake against diuers grosse and palpable errours that had escaped the Bishops decrees If there were anye so grosse that they were palpable and so many too that there were diuers of them and that naming for example these two matters they conclude with this generalitie saying and such like matters though we haue cléered our selues sufficiently heerein and are by the grace of God ready to enter eyther into the apologie of our selues or to make the acknowledgement of all those diuers errors and disclaime them when they shal be specified and so proued yet is not this well done of our bretheren to burthen vs with any especially with grosse and palpable errors and those diuers and not so much as name them that we might see them and forsake theÌ„ For this leaueth in the readers mind a shrewde suspition of further errours in these articles But we craue in the feare of God and in the testimony of a good conscience all mens good opinion in this behalfe towardes vs till our bretheren or any other be he Papist Anabaptist or whosoeuer shall burthen vs expresly with this or that error by name and then if we cannot throughlye cleere our selues let them condemne vs but till then christian charity ought to hold vs