〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do so aduance the sense therof that they become not coÌ„petible to mortal men especially being applied to the ordering gouerning of the churâ—h are not those names offiâ—es being simply taken without this composition seruing to builde the Ch. as S. Paule saith Ephes. 4. euen on the place that our Brethren do allege for pastors and Doctors that they are all giuen to the worke of the Ministery vnto the edifiing or building of the body of Christe c. So that indéed al these offices that Christe ordeyned are but builders of this mysticall temple vntill we all come to the vnity of faithe and of the knowledge of the sonne of God vnto a perfect man vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ And who is the principall builder of this Temple but euen hee that saide of the Temple of his owne naturall bodie to the which his mysticall bodie is compared Destroy this Temple and in three dayes I will builde it vppe againe Io. 6.21 Wheruppon saith S. Paule Heb. 9.1 c. holie bretheren pertakers of the heauenly calling consider the Apostle and heade-Priest of our coâ—fession Iesus who is faithfull to him that hath preferred him euen as Moses also in all his house For he was counted worthye of greater glorye than Moses how much greater honor than the house he hath that made it For euerye house is builded of some man but he that created all thinges is God And verilie Moses was faithfull in all his house as a seruaunt in witnesse of those thinges that were to bee spoken But Christe is in his house as a Sonne which house are wee if wee keepe firme and sure the confidence and glorye of hope vnto the ending Héere are these honorable names attributed both vnto Christe vnto Moses that as Christe was the builder of the spirituall house or temple of God so was Moses Christe as the sonne and owner Moses but as a seruaunt in Gods house and yet commeth in S. Paule 1. Cor. 3. v. 9.10 Ye are the building of God according to the grace of God that is giuen to mee I as a wise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arch-builder or chiefe builder which we commonly traÌ„slatea Maister builder haue laid the foundation another buildeth vpon it What durst S. Paule say of himself he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which tearme principally is proper vnto Christ For the worde signifieth such principallitie and chiefe degrée applied by S. Paule vnto himselfe and that in the cheefest worke of Gods Church the building of it the worke that conteyneth all Ecclesiasticall offices and whereto all do tende and that without any derogation to Iesus Christe Although Christe absolutelie simply and aboue all be the onely and proper 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of all this mysticall building And is this honorable name Elder of such honorable Eldershippe and prerogatiue aboue builder or of any such peculiar application to God the Father or to Christe the sonne that it is onely and properlye applyed to him Indéede Christe is called the olde or auncient of dayes not the elder except with addition our Elder Brother otherwise this honorable name is not so proper onelie to Christe to bée called Presbyter as to be called Sacerdos And therefore is lesse iniurious yea no iniury at all to the peculiar or to any other honorable name of our sauiour Iesus Christ to bee called Archipresbyter And yet if Presbyter had beene any name of Christe seeing that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sacerdos Pontifex yet admitted a mortal maÌ„ to be so much his figure euen of his Sacrifice that one aboue all the other sacrificing priestes was called also fummus sacerdos or Pontifex Maximus the highest sacred Minister or sacrificing prieste and chiefest Bishop without anie derogation to Christes honor yea it rather serued to his honor how much more then in this title Presbyter and Archipresbyter being names not so proper to him may a mortall man without anie dishonour to his prerogatiue reuerently be called Archipresbyter If it bee saide the highe-prieste was so called because hee prefigured Christe True it is But sith our Brethren confesse that those offices callings were likewise also for good order of discipline among them although that priesthoode both in him and in all other of that order of Aaron and Leui bee accomplished in Christe and so abolished yet as the degrees of order and differences of Ministers among them by our Brethrens owne confession was the signe also of the differences among vs So why not withall of the differences of degrees and dignities in the same And sithe our brethren alleage héereunto the Synagogues among the Iewes and their order théerein and that they had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chiefe gouernours or princes of the Synagogues which order of dignitie was not abolished by Christe and some good christians were suche among the Iewes not dissalowed but commended by S. Luke euen by that name Act. 18. ver 8. And Crispus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Arch-gouernour of the Sinagogue beleeued with all his house And although Paule after warde 1. Cor. 1.14 mencioning this Crispus tearme him not there the Arch-gouernour of the Iewes sinagogue yet as it further appeareth Act. 18. ver 17. by Sosthenes who was long before a faithfull Christian and as diuers alleage out of Eusebius lib. 1. cap. 13. he was also one of the 72 Disciples chosen of Christe So S. Luke calleth him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Arch ruler or principall of the sinagogue continuing well inough the name and office of his dignity with the sinceritie of Christs religion any order then to the contrarie notwithstanding But if our brethren aske vs what we say to the other honorable name Archiepiscopus indéede wee néede saye the lesse to this of Archipresbyter Arch-prieste or Arch elder retayning no such name among vs as wee haue of Arch-deacon and Arch-bishop but because the name of Deacon is a name much lesse proper vnto Christ Arch-deacon may bee afforded with our brethrens lesse suspition of touching Christes glory and prheminence Deacon signifiing but Minister Arch-deac can signifie but a chiefe or principall Minister and therefore may be suffered with lesse enuie and we haue heard Zanchius Bucers allowance of it As for the name of Bi. being a name of dignity and being wel vsed as S. Paule saith deseruing double honor it is not only a name pertayning to Christe which is called the Bish. of our soules but also communicated by his Apostles vnto mortall men And though the name of Archb. signifie a principall ouerseer in his dignity being simply and absolutely vnderstod of Christe aboue all other is in very déede only the true archbishop yet since the Scripture expresseth no where this name either peculiarly or at all vnto him since so many holy fathers of so great antiquity both
thee me neither yet betwixt thy heardmen and mine and he addeth this reason For we are brethren Which reason did so mooue the prudent Ioseph that after he had reuealed himselfe vnto his Brethren returning theÌ„ to fetch his father fearing least any expostulations might breede iarres among theÌ„ he gaue them this especial charge See that ye fall not out by the way Thus did these auncient holy Patriarkes esteeme of coÌ„cord among brethren shunned as a thing most vnnatural all Brethrens discord Which the godly propheticall kinges Dauid Salomon well considering the father stirring vs vp to embrace this vertue Beholde sayth he how good and comely a thing it is for Brethren to dwell in one together Liking it to the precious balme that was powred on the head of Aaron and to the sweet dewe of heauen that falleth on the mountaines to make them frutefull The sonne in detestation of the vice contrary when he had set down the 6. things that the L. hateth Hautie eies a lying tong handes that shed innocent bloud an heart imagining wicked enterprises feete that are swift in running to mischiefe and a false witnesse that speaketh lies he concludeth as with a greater vice than all these in the seuenth and complete number with this sinne which he sayth the soule of God abhorreth And him that rayseth vp contentions among his Brethren And therefore when our sauiour Christ had fore-told his Disciples all the persecutions that they should sustaine by their outward enemies against all these that they might haue brotherly loue among them selues Peace sayth hee I leaue with you my peace I giue vnto you And againe These thinges haue I spoken vnto you that my ioy which is the frute of peace might remayne with you and that my ioy might be full This is my commaundement that ye loue one another And so he knits vp his exhortation with this repetition These things haue I spoken to you that ye might haue peace in me Which bond of peace and loue in Iesus Christ one towardes another both the Apostle S. Paule the Doctor of the Gentiles and especially S. Iohn whom the Lord loued and S. Peter that so loued the Lord and S. Iames the iust in their Epistles so often and so earnestly call vpon and so vehemently disswade vs from contentions Empedocles among tâ—e heatheÌ„ Philosophers beholding the sympathie and antipathie that is in naturall creatures and being moued with the admiration therof concluded that all things were doâ—â— and vndone by concord and discord But to haue this order of nature so inuerted that those persons which are not only chained in this naturall Harmonie but also in a moâ—e heauenly concent should dissent be dissolued is farre more wonderfull thaÌ„ the composition of thinges contrary and that which is worse is much more ieopardous For as the Apostle warned the Galathians and by them vs If ye bite and deuour one another take heede least ye be consumed one of an other And since our Sâ—uiour him selfe hath so seuerely denounced that dreadfull sentence and it is a Maximie grounded on good reason Euery kingdome diuided against it selfe shall be brought to naught and euery Citie or house deuided against it selfe shall not stande no meruaâ—le if these contentions should hold on increase though our Brethren and we be moued hereat beholding this our most flourishing kingdome with these diuisions to be thus rent in sunder that almost no Citie or Towne in the same I can not say no house but is either diuided or at least disquieted by these factions Neuerthelesse this among other is our chiefest comfort against all these and other like tentations that hauing both of vs for the ground of our religion Gods euerlasting infallible truth for the which our common aduersaries do maligne and oppugne vs but can neuer expugne and ouercome vs for alwayes as Zorobabell â—ayde The truth is greater and stronger than all Howsoeuer therefore we be exercised with such plunges I meane not of the open enemies for the troubles that we receaue from them doe more corroborate vs in Gods truth but arising by the waywardnesse of our owne deare Brethren in the gospell that yet we should not be too much dismayed but stayed recomforted Sith that albeit these last dayes according to Christes and his Apostles prophecie are more contentious yet in serching the former ages we shall finde that this selfe same tryall of our faith is not now first laide vpon vs alone but that heretofore the Church of God and the most excellent Princes Prelates and people among them haue often times bought this experience very derely and with great molestations euen from their brethren No sooner had God deliuered his peculiar people from the Aegyptians bondage and idolatrie by the conduct of Moses and Aaron and giuen them lawes and orders to be gouerned by but those their guides were more molested and the people more wasted them selues by their owne mutinies than by the hande of any forraine enemies And since the comming of our sauiour Christ so soone as euer Constantine worthily surnamed the Great had extinguished all the tyrantes persecutions and procured publike peace vnto the gospell what a number of contentions straightwayes brake forth besides the conflictes with the pestiferous Heretikes among the true professors of the right faith euen for matters of discipline and orders disquieting the vnitie and concord of the Church and breeding no small griefe and stoppall to that good Princes proceedinges as we feele and lament the like in these our dayes There is great difference I graunt both in matter and manner of these contentions and in the qualities of the persons that breed these vexations euen as much as is between him that would plucke my coaâ—e from off my backe and so spoyle me and him that would pull my skinne ouer mine eares and so destroy me The controuersies between the common aduersaries and vs are pro Aris focis for matters that capitall matters of the substance life of our Christian religion not trifles as some newtrals would beare the people in hande And therefore our aduersaries in matters of religion are incensed against vs with mortall or rather with immortall hatred Whereas the controuersies betwixt vs and our Brethren are matters or rather as they call them but manners and formes of the Churches regiment Howbeit whether by sufferance or by neglect of them growen yet vnto so many heads and so sharply prosecuted not now contending so much for cappe surplesse nor for quarels at the vnlearneder sort of the poore ministers nor inuectiues against the Bishops their titles or their superiour iurisdictions only but withall calling in question all their whole authoritie their very ministery of the worde and Sacramentes and all our forme of publike prayers yea the prescription of any forme at all the alteration of all the Clergie the translation and new limitation of
plainely set foorth by any man Prooue the necessitie of the matter and we will not greatly stick vpon your Methode And would to God that which you say here of yâ— Methode ye would say it or rather obserue it of the plaine truthe it selfe and for the matter of the regiment concerning these offices that except yee can hereafter shewe which is yet not done that we are bounde by any commaundement of Christ or his Apostles vnto this your regiment of all and onely these 4. offices ye would say likewise with vs for the Gouernement established in the Church of Englande that as wee controll not other mens gouernement by ours so we would not that other mens manner of gouerning should be preiudiciall vnto ours But if ye will not haue vs controll your Methode vtter the same also in plaine wordes Our controuersie is all of the gouernement of the Church and you tell vs what Methode ye will obserue in describing the ministerie of the Churche as by which both the distinction and communication of all offices and seruices in the Church might most plainly appeare What doe ye make all offices and seruices in the Church to be of ministers Or al the offices seruices to be of gouernors How the distinction or communication of these may plainely appeare woulde haue béene somewhat more distinctly and plainely spoken As touching the reason of your request why ye would not haue your Methode controlled nor other mens methodes preiudiciall to yours I thinke it reasonable if there were no further difference then in the sorme and order of teaching of diuerse men when in matter of substance they all agree Anâ— yet in such matters as these are and so precisely vrged an vniformitie not onely of matter but also of the Order and Methode in teaching of them might perhaps haue made the matter lesse offensiue Howbeit if they all agree in matter of substance and the matter of substaunce bee true be good be necessarie which they all agree vpon so that they séeke the truthe indéede and plainnesse in their Teaching then is as they say it is but either for lacke of wit or through too much wilfulnesse if any exclaime there is no vnitie and therefore no truthe among them But when in matter and substance they differ not onely one from an-other but from themselues also then blame not men nor impute it to them that either for lacke of wit or that through too much wilfulnesse they say there is not so much vnitie and truthe among them as in matters so earnestly vrged there ought to be But now to the particuler viewe of these 4. offices Let vs then proceede in our purpose The office of Teaching is the chiefe and principall office that is in the Church By that we are taught to knowe God and howe to serue him and what benefits to looke for at his hande without which knowledge there can be no felicitie but only destruction looked for according to the saying of the wise man where prophecying faileth there the people perish Albeit the office of teaching in these respectes as to know God and how to serue him and what benefites to looke for at his handes as the ordinary cause sine qua non without which there is no knowledge and without knowledge there can be no felicity but c. may wel be said to be the chiefe and principall office that is in the Church yet in respecte of the Ecclesiasticall gouernment which is the title of all this Learned discourse vnderstanding the same truly and plainly for the gouernment in of or ouer al Ecclesiastical causes how they should be ordeined directed or disposed I take it that this office of teachers admitting it were such a distinct office by it selfe from the office of Pastors as they woulde haue it is not the chiefe and principall office in the Church In Christe him selfe are the offices of a King of a Prieste and of a Prophete And in that he was a Prophete he was a Teacher also or Doctor Which office was so necessary to reueale the will of his heauenly father that both God the father said from heauen This is my welbeloued sonne in whome I am well pleased heare him Mat 17 And Christ of himselfe Luc. 4. did reade this sentence The spirite of the Lord is vppon mee because he hath anointed mee that I shoulde preach the Gospell to the poore c. So that where no man saw God at any time except the onely begotâ—en Sonne which is in the bosome of the Father had declared him Io 1 As he saith also Io. 17. I haue giueÌ„ vnto theÌ„ the words which thou gauest mee and they haue receaued them and beleeued them c. without the which teaching there can be no felicitie but only destruction looked for as he said before in the same prayer This is life eternall to know thee to be the onelie very God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ yet not-with-standing the chiefe and principall office of gouerning the Churche of God was neither this high and necessary office of his teaching nor yet that of his Priesthoode which was as necessary yea and higher in the actions of the office then the other But his royall and kingly office was and is the chiefe and principall office in him And much morâ— is it in the outward regiment of the Church in Ecclesiasticall causes wherein Moses was aboue Aaron Iosue Dauid Solomon c. were aboue the high-priestes them-selues And so remaines it still except ye can shew the order of these offices of the church inuerted Of which the Papistes would be glad and vrge it harde especially from Peter wrestling there-to the thréefold saying of Christ to him Ioan. 21. Feede my Lambâ—s feede my sheepe feede my sheepe Meaning not only his gouerning but his office of Teaching which was his especial feeding of them and they driue it all to gouerning aduauncing them-selues before all Christian Princes And yet we graunt that in the action of their seuerall Ecclesiasticall function or Church ministery they are aboue all Christian Princes representing God vnto them teaching and admonishing them and all other But not aboue them in gouernment of all Ecclesiasticall causes Which is the question in controuersie now betwixt vs on the one parte and the Papists and these our owne Learned discoursing Brethren seuering them-selues from vs and adhering though not to them yet to their errour by a new deuise on the other parte The Ministery is deuided into two functions they that exercise the firste are called Pastors the other are called Doctors or Teachers I pray you my Learned discoursing Maisters for my learning héere againe let me aske this When ye desired not to bee controlled for your methode differing from others did ye include this not to be controlled though ye differ from your selues also and speake yee care not what contradictions both one against an-other and against your
to yéelde to it in the ende and in a byous manner to acknowledge it that the Ecclesiasticall gouernment order for ouerseeing the Churches which they pretend is not of anie necessitie by GOD commanded nor anie perpetuall order to all ages and Churches by Christ and his Apostles prescribed Which if it be not then our Churches state is not so corrupt as they exclaime Nay let them looke then vnto it how trulie they auouch it so to bee and make such a contentious rupture in the Church for it If it be howe can they héere giue anie extraordinarie and temporall order warrant or plakarde for anie meane time to the contrarie So that both wayes our Brethren apparantlie goe about héerein both to abuse themselues and vs. But now thinking that by this Interim wrought by all these foresayd meanes they should effect many and mightie matters our Bretheren waxing bolde procéede to aunswere euen to anie mannes thoughtes that shoulde doubt so much as anie difficultie in bringing about these things If anie man saie they thinke this is ouerhard to bee brought to passe let him consider that there was neuer woorke of more difficultie than to build vp the Church of God so that the necessitie cōmoditie of the work shuld cause vs to staie nothing at the difficultie therof for with our faithfull endeauour wee shall not want the mightie assistance of God who will blesse our godlie labours with greater successe than wee can looke for How hard many of these things are we haue heard alreadie and easilie may coniecture Yea how dangerous and vnnecessarie some of them be and how some of them are alreadie in experience But nowe to our better incouragement to giue the onset on all these meanes wee must imagine that they are the building vp of the Church of God than the which nothing is more necessarie or commodious and therefore nothing should cause vs to staie at the difficultie thereof Verilie Fortis imaginatio can do much as we sée in our Brethren that imagine these presupposals and thereon dare aduenture to enterprise neuer so difficult attemptes to atchieue this their strong imagination But godlie and staied men must not run on such headstrong fantasies but vppon assured groundes Now when we should come to the ground-worke of this building and finde that which our Brethren imagine hath no better foundation on Gods word for the building vp of such a frame as they and not the word of God prescribeth withall that this their modill which they haue complotted is the manifest scattering and pulling downe of that which in the Church of God is alreadie builded and for the chiefest part is not so necessarie and in some pointes most dangerous besides the difficultie to bring the same to passe no meruaile though so many staie and dare not hazard to build on this platforme and in this manner as our Brethren call vpon vs. For as Saint Paul saith Gal. 2.18 If I build againe the things which I haue pulled downe I make my self a trāsgressor so If I pul down the things that I haue builded if they be wel builded vp I make my selfe also another trāsgressor And sith we haue alredie builded on the onlie foundation Iesus Christ and God hath alreadie blessed our building if now anie other will build thereon and turquise our building except he can bring better proofes that we build amisse and that God allowes not nor likes our building and shewe that not onelie we may more easilie and also with more beautie and profite build after another order that he wil teach vs but that we must and are bound to build on that fashion he presumeth too farre and offereth vs wrong and maye doe more hurt and hinderaunce to the building of the Church of GOD than euer for all his zeale hee shall doe good or bee able to further the same except to put it further off than alreadie it is But saie our Brethren with our faithfull endeauour wee shall not want the mightie assistance of God who will blesse our godlie labours with greater successe than we can looke for Verie true in all faithfull endeauours grounded on a good matter and proceeding by a good order GOD will blesse our godlie labours and his name bee blessed for it so he hath done notwithstanding all the stops both of our foraine enimies and of our owne brethrens domesticall impediments we haue not wanted the mightie assistaunce of God blessing our godlie labors and that with greater successe than they acknowledge or wish or we haue deserued or in these troubles wee could haue looked for So that in this behalf we may wel recomfort our selue◠with that saying of the 124. Psalme If the Lord had not bene on our side maie Israel now saie if the Lord had not beene on our side when men rose vp against vs they had swallowed vs vp quicke when their wrath was kindled against vs. And in the 127. following Except the Lord build their house the labour is in vaine that build it And since God hath thus blessed our handie workes euen beyond all that wee looked for for although wee might well looke for no lesse of the professed aduersaries of the Gospell yet who would haue looked for such vnthankfulnesse to God and such hinderance of the worke of God among our selues at our Brethrens hands the professors with vs of Christs Gospel Shal we now also looke for new deuises and with them contemne and alter all that the Lord hath alredie so mightilie blessed and looke for him also to blesse the labours of our handes in the contrarie to that we haue begun to labour and wherein we haue so prosperouslie proceeded and which God hath alreadie blessed with such mightie assistance and successe But now our Brethren supposing these thinges might bee well compassed most confidenilie they auowe and saie If God therefore will graunt that these and such like meanes may take place by the high authoritie of our dreade Soueraigne the Queenes Maiestie and continue this comfortable peace which wee inioie vnder her most gracious gouernment we dare ieopard our liues that in lesse than halfe the time that is alreadie properouslie passed of her Maiesties moste honourable and glorious raigne the necessitie of learned Pastors shall be so well supplied as we shall haue no great cause to complaine for lack of them if we may vse like diligence to continue them if not wee will spend the rest of our life in mourning expectation of the heauie vengeance of GOD which must needes fall vpon vs for this manifest contempt of his expresse commandement and neglect of increasing the glorious kingdome of our sauiour Christ. In the meane time we may boldlie saie with the Apostle Act. 20. We testifie vnto you this daie that wee are cleane from the bloud of you all for we haue not failed to shew you the whole councell of God concerning the regiment of his
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
approueth the substance of the baptism when it is done but not such persons to haue done it Who notwithstanding any thing in the book are worthily punished for their so doing But sayth Hellopaeus these things say the defenders of this error ought to be vnderstood of the ordinary ministery But they treat of the case of necessity least that any should depart this life not baptized for they thought by this meanes to succour the saluation of those that shoulde bee baptised in the daunger of death least beeing preuented by death without baptisme they shoulde make wracke of their saluation but we haue taught Cap. 5. that this is no daunger neither that baptism is of an absolute necessity of saluation so that contempt be away Because the couenant of God apprehended by faith is firme by it selfe and effectuall to saluation although the seale without the fault of him that wanteth it come not thereto So that in all this hee excepteth onely the opinion of absolute necessity not of all necessity As for the place of baptising whereof our Brethren spake last besides the other circumst aunces yea for al the order also and that with a sermon preached at the ministration of this sacrament in the conclusion of the selfe same Chapter Page 171 he saith It remaineth that wee discusse the other circumstaunces where and when and how baptisme ought to be conferred we answere that thing is cheefely to be required that as all other thinges so principally the administration of the baptism shold be done decently in order as for the place althogh that it be not necessary yet it is most conuenient that it shoulde be publike as the temple or any place appointed to the publike Ministery And as concerning the time it is meete if it may so be done that it should be at an houre appointed and that suche an houre wherein the Church is full of people First that very many may profite in the enarration of this sacrameÌ„t Then that their faith may bee kindled to embrace the grace of god wheÌ„ as they see the infants approch vnto the same couenant that God hath made with their fathers Besides that it is conuenient to commend vnto God with the publike prayers the saluation of the Infant To conclude God is to bee celebrated with thankesgiuings But with what manner baptizme ought to bee conferred is not obscure to see This thing must principally bee obserued that certain ceremonies are necessary but certaine are free In the which we ought diligently to looke what is expedient and what conuenient for the regard of the times places But we haue rehearsed before those toyish additions salt oyl tapers Howsoeuer it be the dipping or sprinkling the washing the explication of the sacrament it selfe are partes necessary But that all may bee done decently they may proceede in this order First let the Infant that is to bee baptized bee offered vnto the publike assembly where the whole Church beeing witnesse and looker on offereth vnto God with their Prayers their tender Brother Secondly let the minister recite the confession of the faith that it may be known with what doctrine hee which is baptized shall be enstructed hereafter Thirdly let the institution and promises of bâ—ptism be shewed â—nd that in the vulgare tongue that of the Church it may be vnderstood Fourthly let the Infant be baptised in the name of the father and of the Sonne of the holy ghost It makes no matter be he dipped either once or twise or thrise or sprinkled with water Althogh in the old time he was wholy dipped Which also the word baptisme that is a washing signifieth But herein the custom may varie according to the diuersity of regioÌ„s the tendernes or firmnes of the infants body Fiftly to conclude godly praiers being made the infant being coÌ„mended to God may be sent home This is a true manner of administring baptisme Nowe then if this be a true manner of administring baptisme Here being no sermon prescribed but all this may bee done well ynough without a sermon and our booke prscribeth as much as all this comes too and more howe haue not we baptizme truly ministred I know that after this he presently findeth fault with demaunding of the childe whether it beleeueth renounceth Sathan the Worlde and the flesh As our Brethren also picke a quarell thereat But since he confesseth it was was taken from the custom of the auncients when they demaunded these thinges worthily of those that were of ripe yeares though hee say it was ill translated to the demaunding it also of the Infants for to what purpose shoulde those that be ignoraunt bee asked and other folkes answere the demaundes I like not of Hellopaeus misliking this custome so long as hee knoweth or may easily doe that it is but spoken by stipulation and to binde the Godfathers c. the more soleÌ„nly to see that the child in whose name they answere shoulde afterwarde performe those thinges So that this is but a comely order at which vnderstanding the meaning no good man ought to take offence Yea in my opinion if this order were altered we shoulde séeme to open a shrewde gap vnto the Anabaptists that none were then baptized but such onely as were of ripe yeares and coulde aunswere for them selues to these demaundes But since it is euident that they baptized Infantes and that they vsed this forme in baptizing of them as in Augustine is moste apparant we can not think that this custome was translated only from the baptizing of them that were of riper yeares but were they ripe or vnripe it was the vsual order of baptizing al in the ancient primitiue Church And therefore conteining nothing contrary to the Institution of baptizme but all for it and beeing done onely by the way of stipulation one in the name of another which withall more liuely answereth â—o the nature of a couenaunt and being of so great antiquity though wee grant it is not necessary to be reteined no more is it necessary to be remooued But al this is nothing to the absolute necessity of a sermon or of the publike place whereof is now the question Hellopaeus making the publike place not of necessity albeit for the ordinary course most conuenient neither for sermon mencioning any at all and therefore otherwise than for conuenient it is plain that he taketh it not to be of such necessity And afterward in the next treatise of the Lordes supper he do h notably also haÌ„dling the consecration cap. 4. pa. 209. wher he saith Yet ther remaineth one question For we say that the bread the Wine is sanctified of the Min. so far forth as he is the legate or interpreter of Gods will the word of Gods institution is as it were a certain meane to bee adhibited vnto this consecratioÌ„ Euen so Aug. said wel let the word come vnto the element it is made a sacrament that
the publique Prayers also the forme and manner of things with what authority then do our brethren take vpon them to traÌ„spose in the Church of England that which the Church of England hath disposed with what authority can they abrogate or alter the dayes and times of preaching administring the sacraments that the Church of Engl. in like maner by her authority hath disposed with what authority can they dispose assemblies commâ—â—gs together of the people to bee made in other places than to that purpose are disposed with what authority can they controul or disobey the form manner of the publike praiers vsing those thingâ— in the ordinary seruice that the church of Eng. hath disposed to be vsed yet they wil not only refuse to vse thosethings the form manner of publike prayers nor only deface reuile them as naught but set forth oppose against that which by the churches autority is disposed another forme maner of publike prayers of their own disposing Yea if wee were disposed to examine better their owne positions how standeth this with their prayer on the other side of the leafe pag. 69. saying God graunt therfore that in steed of ordinary formes of praier we may haue preaching in all places If the church haue authority to dispose for publike prayer the form manner so that al things be done comely agreeable to order but especially that in all thinges principal regard be had to edification then not only a forme of publike praiers hindreth no whit but furthereth comlines order edificatioÌ„ but also the church vsing her authority in disposing of an ordinary form of publike praiers so well as in disposing the daies times places for preaching it cannot be that preaching in all places shoulde bee had in steed of publike praiers but that both of them should stil continue in their dayes and times places forme and manner by the Churches authority disposed And what followeth hereupon but that either our brethren must denie the Church of England to be the Church and so not to haue authority of their disposing of these things or els granting it to be the Church that is to say a particuler Church for I think they wil not say that they mean this only of the vniuersal church nor yet of euerie seueral congregation for so our Bre. assertion were not true but speaking heere indefinitely that the church hath authority to dispose these thinges they mean euery whole state of any true particular Church in Christendome As the Church of England in Engl. the Scottish Church in Scotl. the Heluetian the Geneuian the French and the Dutch Church in their owne states Which being confessed our Brethren beeing neither the Church vniuersall nor the whole state of the particular Church of England but priuate members in the Church of England and though some numbers of them heere and there collected may make some seuerall congregations yet are they not of sufficient authority no not so to collect themselues or haue any autority of making any assemblings or commings together at all in any place being but priuate persons without the disposing of them that haue autoritie in the Church or of the whole estate of the church of England therunto then must they néedes confesse withall that they doe greatly offende in going about to gaine-say and ouerthrowe this authority of the whole Church of England which hath by her authority so much as in her lies disposed ordeined and established these thinges as touching the circumstaunces for order and comelinesse sake but cheefely for edification as the dayes and times of preaching and administring the sacramentes the places meete for the same and for publike prayers also for the form and manner of vsing those things that all thinges be done comely and agreeable to order but especially that in all things principal regard bee had to aedification Nowe when the Church of Englande hath by her authority and by the authority of the supreme gouernor of her vnder Christe and of all the gouernors ecclesiasticall or politicall of her whole estate thus disposed these thinges Is it lawfull for any priuate persons bee they learned or vnleâ—rned be they few or many in the same Church to resist this autority whether this be to resist euen God or no and whether that which Saint Paule wrot to the Romaines Chapter 13. charging them beeing Christians to obey their Ciuill Magistrates though euil and Heathen in ciuill and indifferent matters do not much more binde euery particular priuate Christian all Christian subiects to obey their Christian Magistrates and all good Christian both Ecclâ—siastical and politike gouernors the whol particular estate autority of their own church wherof they are but priuate members I refer it to euery indifferent readers iudgement to our Bre. own answere on better aduisement of these thinges If our Bre. deny that they haue euer done or yet doe resist the Church of Englands authoritie in disposing these things what was all this that was last spoken of against the ordinary form of publike praier diuine seruice besides the authority it selfe of the ecclesiasticall gouernors and many other things of circumstances for dayes times places and administrations of Sacraments that they so vehemently impugne If they say that herein yet they doe not resist nor speake against the Church of Engl. for her authority to dispose these things but resist and speak against her onely for this that the she hath abused her authority and that she hath encroched further than shee hath lawfull authority to warrant her doing for that her authority as touching these circumstaunces is but for order and comelinesse sake and cheefely for edification and that it is to bée restrained with this limittation So that all thinges bee done comely and agreeable to order but especially that in all thinges principall regarde bee had to edification which S. Paule so often and so precisely vrgeth in the 14. Chapter of the Cor. Neither do we desire to haue the Churches authoritie in these circumstances to bee enlarged one inche further And euen so God bee praysed hath the Church of Englande had and especiall consideration of al these 3. points of comlinesse of order and of edification If they thinke not so acknowledging her to bee a true Church except they can proue it better than hitherto they haue done and yet should they prooue the same also if they coulde with more modesty and humility than they attempt to doe they both offer too great an iniury to their true and louing Mother the Church of England whose Children if any children of the Church they be and bewray too great a partiality to their owne opion And more séemely of the twain it might be thought to all good men that as they confesse their Mother hath authoritie giuen vnto her by their Faâ—her of disposing these circumstances to these ends and
any Princes somewhat giuen to learning and to godlinesse they deride them Verily this Woman behaued not herself after this manner And therefore as Christe hath forespoken it in the last day he shall iudge them She came to tempt Solomon but not with a pernitious temptation Yea rather with a holie and an honest temptation wherewith shee desired to be enstructed of those things whereof she was ignorant Aenigmata hard sentences properly are called very obscure allegories which are rare in vse the which in dayly speeche doe well-neere alwayes come in vse which are easie But in this place by harde sentences we vnderstande doubtfull and difficult questions which mightily occupy the minde not about light businesse or euery kinde of matters but about great and graue pointes appertaining both to eternall life and also to the ciuile gouernment The Hebrue Worde as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to sharpen from whence the Noune beeing deducted betokeneth an oration or obscure question To the exposition whereof it behooueth to apply the sharpenesse of the witte It is likely that the Queene had aâ— home Philosophers Magitians and wise men which concerning humaine and naturall matters coulde haue easily aunswered her But concerning Diuine and supernaturall matters sithe that in them there is neede of the spirite and of diuine reuelation they were not able to satisfie her VVhereupon shee trauailed her selfe vnto Hierusalem in the which Citye GOD had placed not onely the Castle of Wisdome and pure religion but also Solomon of all Kings the moste wise Thus at large writeth Peter Martyr in the commendation of this noble Queene Whereby it appeareth that not onely shee was for worldly estate a mighty Queene not vnder her husband in that respect but aboue him and hee had shee any but her deputie vnder her in her absence albeit shée was inferior to him in the bandes of matrimony and inferior in sexe to all the men in her Monarchie but also that for religion though her people were Idolaters yet was shée a professor of the onely true and liuing God and euen one of Gods elected if we may aduenture to iudge so farre on such excellent fruits and not only a figure of bringing the Gentiles to the knowledge of God but a verie mirror and Patern for al Christians specially Christian Princes to set before them And if she be such a spectable to all Christian Princes and shall bee also a iudge to a great many of them mought not shée or such another as shee haue beene the Queene or chéefe gouernor also euen ouer the people of God and would she not haue gouerned them farre better than many or most of their kings did And verily Solomon doth no lesse estéeme of this moste excellent Lady that came thus vnto him then the goodnesse of the cause that mooued her did deserue Did he repell her out of his kingdome as a Monster For so vnaduisedly Caluine said all prudent men haue alwayes repudiated or put back the gouernment of Women as it were of a Monster Or did he mislike any whit of her the more for her supreme GouernmeÌ„t ouer men We find no such matter But that hee receiued her with all honour and heard her speake vnto him whatsoeuer she had in her hart and Solomon declared vnto her all her questions not one word was hidden from the king that he declared not vnto her And had hee misliked her estate that she being but a woman shold rule meÌ„ shold busy her head about such high questions and meddle with the administration of a common-weal and be the cheefe gouernor of a kingdome if he had thought this to bee directly or indirectly against Gods Lawe or against the Lawe of nature since she came especially to heare Gods Law and to conferre about such matters no doubt he would neuer haue concealed that matter aboue all other but haue reproued her or haue gently perswaded her at least take it how she would haue truly enformed her of the vnlawfulnes and vndecency of her calling Which thing sith he did it not yet neither he nor shee dissembled or flattered the one with the other I cannot tel what other men wil iuge quot capita tot sententiae so many heads so many wittes surely my dull wit cannot conceiue but that it is a mighty argument to confirm the supreme gouernment of a woman Neither ground I mine argument so much on Solomons doings or approbations but that the holy ghost also hath so farre allowed thereof that he hath consecrated the same both to perpetuall memory and to profitable example and therefore cannot this gouernment bee debarred euen from the people of God Especially being also approued and recommended to al Christians by our L and Sauiour Iesus Christ. Mat. 12.24 Luk. 11.31 in plaine tearmes calling her the Queene of the south not the monster or vsurper of the south Countries And here because our question of womens publike gouernment arose on womens publike speaking let vs sée also how this most excellent Qu. behaued herself in her publiâ—e speaking For after she had propounded al her questions was satisfied in his answeres to them after she had beholden al his wisdome his house that he had builded the meat of his table and the sitting of his seruants the order of his ministers their apparel his drinking vessels his burnt offerings which hee offered in the house of the L she was exceedingly astonished and said vnto him It was a true word that I heard in mine owne land of thy sayings and of thy wisdom Howbeit I beleeued not this report till I came and had seene it with mine eyes But loe the one halfe was not tolde mee For thou haste more VVisdom and prosperity than I haue heard by report Happy are thy men happy are these thy seruaunts which stande euer before thee and heare thy VVisedome Blessed bee the Lorde thy God which loueth thee to set thee on the Throne of Israel Because the Lorde loued Israel for euer made thee the king to doe equitie and righteousnesse These wordes though she spake especially to him yet as shee spake them publiquely in the audience of his subiectes for so her wordes import happy are these thy seruauntes that stande before thee and heare thy wisedome So therein shee conteineth notable matter And being before so publike a person both a king and a Prophet and before the assembly of his Court and of her troupe shee breaketh foorth into the function of a greate Prophetesse The Queen saith Peter Martyr on these foresayde wordes being no lesse Godly than prudent placeth the cheefest good neyther in power nor in riches nor in pleasure but in the knowledge of God which shoulde be had in his Worde and not onely by the contemplation of naturall thinges The Sonne of God brought foorthe this selfe same sentence but somewhat more augmented and more clearely expounded Blessed
No man may take vpon him any honoure in the Churche of God but hee that is called of God as was Aaron Insomuch that Christe him-selfe did not giue himselfe to be an high Priest but he that said vnto him Thou art my sonne this day haue I begotten thee Hee saith in another place Thou art a preest for euer after the order of Melchizedech Nowe seeing these rules are so general that the Sonne of God him-selfe was not exempted from them but shewed foorth the decree wherein he was authorised by what rule can any man retaine that authority in the church of God which is not called thereto by the word of God All this againe being graunted vnto beateth more our Brethren the Learned Discoursers that it doth our Bishops Our Brethren take vpon them more in these their pretended reformations than eyther they haue hetherto done or I think euer wil be able to shew their warrant and calling authorizing them thereunto by the worde of God Likewise we can alleage againe against the supremacy of the Pope to proue that Peter was not superior to the other Apostles that which our sauiour Christe saith to his Apostles Luke 22.26 And Math. 20.25 Marke 10.42 It shall not bee so among you but hee that is greatest amongst you shal be as the yongest and he that ruleth as he that serueth And Mat. 23.8 You haue but one Master which is Christ and all you are all brethren If these places prooue that the Pope ought not to bee aboue other Ministers of the Church why doe they not likewise prooue that the Ministers are equall among them-selues And for the moste part all those arguments and authorities of Scripture that are vsed to confute the vsurped authority of the Pope are of as great force against all other vsurped authorities of one pastor ouer another These sentences of our sauiour Christe hauing béene before alleaged by our Brethren page 28. 29. haue beene already sufficiently aunswered that they neither forbid the titles nor the authority that we acknowledge in our Bishops by the confession of the best writers euen among our Brethren themselues Which sentences as they are rightly alleaged against the supremacy of the Pope to prooue that Peter was not such a superior to the other Apostles as the Papistes doe pretend so are they not rightly alleaged to prooue that he haâ— neuer any kinde of superiority but no such kinde of superiority as the pope falsely claymeth in the name of Peter For not onely all the auncient Fathers and all the best writers acknowledge as we haue séene some superiority in Peter such as contrarieth not these sentences but also S. Paule is moste plaine herein that S. Peter had a kinde of superiority if not to all yet to many of the other Apostles And for these sentences as we haue already at large considered the peyse of them so the first sentence heere cited alloweth in playne words both a Ruler among them and a greatest so that hee bee in humilitie and seruiceablenesse as courteous and diligent as if he were yongest or as hee that serueth The other place here cited You haue but one Master which is Christe and al you are Brethren prooueth clearely that the Pope ought not to claime that mastership which he requireth but it proueth not that were he otherwise a true a true faithfull Bishop hee might haue no Mastership at all for than our Brethren might not be called Masters neither as we and that worthily call M. Caluine M. Beza c. Masters But this sentence is against the Pope not against them because the pope not they woulde intrude him-selfe into that absolute and supreme Mastership and Lordship Which properly and onely belongeth to our Lorde and Master Iesus Christ. But our brethren demaund why doe they not likewise prooue that the Ministers are equall among themselues And so they do in respect of the supreme Mastership of Christe and in respect simply of their Ministery but the reason why they proue not such an equality as our brethren surmise is because they are spoken absolutely against all kinde of superiority and Mastership among them And therefore where they say that for the most part al those arguments and authorities of scripture that are vsed to confute the vsurped authoritie of the pope are of as great force against all other vsurped authorities of one pastor ouer another Although this be but a loose consequent yet we may well graunt this conclusion for vsurped authorities But till our Brethren can prooue some such among vs as are vsurped al these sentences argumeÌ„ts and authorities are but vsurped and wrested against their authority which is lawfull Therefore while we entreate of the authority of the Pastors we must take heede that we open not a Windowe to popish tyranny in steede of Pastorall authority and that wee enlarge not the bounds of authority without the boundes of the scripture We also like well the caueat of this conclusion Woulde God our brethren would in-déede take heede vnto it For if it be not taken heede vnto in time their Pastorall authoriâ—â— wâ—ll so enlarge the boundes thereof that it will not onely tyrannize ouer the authority of the Doctors whom they cleane debarre from all publike exhortation reprehension conselation and application and ouer all their Seniory of newe Gouernors as wee shall God willing see in this Discourse but ouer all the Church And it beginneth pretily well to abbridge the Christian Princes and ciuill Magistrates supreme authority in ecclesiasticall causes as in part wee haue already seene and al without the bounds of the scripture But this their Pastorall authority by that time their gouerning Seniory were euery where setled and established and had enlarged her boundes in euerye Congregation woulde bee méetely well repressed as we haue séene in the forme of prayers printed at Geneua And thus woulde one enlarge it self â—uer another which might open not a windowe but the broad gates to a worse than Popish tyrannie and still all without the boundes of the Scripture Wherefore while we search the scripture the onely rule whereby the Church of God ought to be gouerned we finde that in regiment gouernance of the Church the pastor B. or elder hath none authority by himselfe seperated from other For in the Church there ought to be no Monarchie or sole absolute gouernment but that is referred particularly to our sauiour Christe onely â—2 Tim. 6.7 Iude. 4. Christe sayth search the scriptures for in them ye reckon vnto your selues that ye haue eternall life and they bear witnesse of me Iohn 5.39 In searching the scripture we finde this rule where the Apostle warneth Timothy But abide thou in those thinges which thou haste learned and which are of trust committed vnto thee Knowing of whome thou hast learned them and that thou hast from a childe knowne the holy
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
it or of the like vnto it but that the thing it selfe which they their selues woulde applie the wordes of Christe vnto were most different and cleane contrarie from the Seniors which vnder the name thereof they woulde erect nor their selues could pretend whatsoeuer they entend to haue the like erected which if they should they could not without the great alteration manifest danger of all Christian Princes estates and gouernments and of all their Lawes Policies and Common-weales what shall we then thiâ—â—e not so much of the great ouershooting of our Brethren as of the full stay â—nd resolution of our selues from all these deuices and casting thus about to séeke some ground and warrant for these Seniors And first for Christes wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tel the Church Héere he plainlie speaketh of the Church but of no Synedrion or Sanedrin nor anie of the auncient Fathers that I can finde dâ—â— so expound his wordes or gather any such meaning of them Chrysostome saith Tel the Church that is to say the Bishops and Presidents but of Sanedrim or Consistorie he maketh no mention Neither said he saith Chrysostome vnto the Bishop binde this man with bondes but if thou shalt binde him Hierome vpon these wordes But if he wil not heare the Church saith Hee giueth power vnto the Apostles that they which are condemned of such might knowe that the sentence of man is confirmed by the sentence of God Hilarie indéede maketh an allusion of this word the Church vnto the comming of Christe but not to anie Sanedrin or Senate but rather contrarie in ascribing the keyes to the Apostles Theophilact expoundeth it as dooth Chrysostome and as for the Churches excommunication he thinketh Christe speaketh not of it but onely saith If thou saith he being offended holdest him which hath done thee iniurie as a Publicane and Heathen hee shall bee so holden also in heauen but if thou losest him that is if thou forgiuest him it shall be also forgiuen him in heauen For not onely those thinges that the Priestes doo lose are losed but whatsoeuer we also being iniured shall either binde or lose the same shall be also bound or losed So that he applieth this either to the Priests action or to the priuate partie iniured The olde Glosse expoundeth it thus Tell the Church that is the whole Church that he may sustein the greater shame As for the late Writers Vatablus expoundeth these wordes Tell the Church that is the assemblie or publike Congregation or the multitude And so saith Aretius The third degree hath a prouocation to the whole Church that is vnto the assemblie of the faithfull whereof ye are members But the Church is the assemblie of the faithfull wherin the word of Christ and the Sacraments are rightlie administred This forme afterward the Apostles followed 1. Cor. 5.2 Cor. 2. But neither of those Epistles neither that matter was written to any chosen Consistorie but to the whole multitude Munsterus saith Dic Ecclesiae Let his frowardnesse be shewed to the Church And if he shal not heare the Church being warned of manie let him be holden of them as an Ethnicke and a a Publicane And whatsoeuer they shall so binde shall be holden bound in heauen that is whome they hauing so warned shall haue cast out of their companie they also shall bee holden cast out before the Father and againe whom they shall lose and receiue being penitent into their Companie that shal be ratified with the Father Of this power of binding and losing that is of thrusting out of the Church and receauing into the same we haue said somwhat before ca. 16. Where also he sayd But for that which followeth of the keies it hath this sense By the kingdome of heauen is vnderstood the Church of Christ and this is opened by the key of Gods word But the kingdom of heauen is opened to the beleeuers that is forgiuenes of sinnes and eternall life is promised by the word of God And this is to forgiue sinnes as contrariwise to them that beleeue not the key of heauen is shut by the word that is remission of sinnes is denounced So that all this excomm is referred to the denouncing of the Minister of the word and this execution of thrusting out to the Church And so saith Bucer But and if he shall contemne this let the frowardnesse of this man sinning and not willing to repent be shewed to the Church that hee may the third time be admonished of the whole companie among whom he is conuersant But Caluine expoundeth these words Tell the Church farre otherwise Quaeritur quid per nomen Ecclesia intelligat c. It is demanded saith he what he meaneth by the name of the Church For Paule commandeth it not of any chosen nuÌ„ber but of the whole assembly of the faithfull to excommunicate the incestuous Corinthian 1. Cor. 5. b. 6. And therefore it may probably seeme that the iudgement heere is referred to the whole people But because as yet there was no Church which had giuen her name to Christ nor any such manner appointed but the L. himselfe speaketh according to the vsuall and receaued custome there is no doubt but that he alludeth to the order of the olde Church Euen as also in other places he applieth his speach vnto the knowen custome When as he commaundeth the gift which we will offer to be left at the altare vntill we shall be reconciled with our offended brother Mat. 5. d. 23. There is no doubt but that out of the present and legall forme of the worship of God he woulde teach vs that wee can not orderly pray nor offer any thing vnto God so long as wee are at discorde with our bretheren So now therfore he looked vpon the accustomed discipline of the Iewes because it shoulde haue bene absurde to haue proposed the iudgement to the Church which as yet was no Church Furthermore where the power of excommunication appertained to the Iewes that were Seniors which sustained the person of the whole Church aptly dooth Christ say that those which sinned shoulde then at the length be publikely brought footh vnto the Church if proudly they contemne the priuate admonitions or that they elude them skoffingly We knowe that from the time the Iewes returned from their exile in Babylon the censure or controllment of manners and of doctrine was committed vnto a chosen Councill which they called sinhedrim in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Counsel Session or Assemblie of Senators or Iudges This gouernment was lawfull and approoued of GOD and this was a bridle to retaine in dooing their duetie the frowarde and such as woulde not bee taught If anie shall except that in the Age of Christe all thinges were corrupted and peruerted insomuch that nothing ought lesse to haue bene accounted the iudgement of the Church than that tyrannie the aunswere is easie although the manner were
themselues and whosoâ—uer of their familiars or neighboures or by other meanes they haue ioyned to them which haue giuen their name to Christe that diligentlie and freelie they admonishe them And when anie shall proudly contemne their admonitions they shoulde declare the contemners of the admonition vnto the Churche which they haue among themselues either of the companie of their neighbourhoode or otherwise of familiarity or to conclude by reason of kinred or family Which Church if they shall continue to contemne shall declare the matter to the common Ministers of the whole Church that they also in the name of the whol church may warne theÌ„ And if they shal go on to contemne the word of the Lord they shal also excommunicate them or else the selfe same Church in which they are peculiarly known and familier shall then not admit them to the holy communion vntill the Lord shall restore vnto vs a iust policy in the Church and a true censure But howsoeuer all thinges are yet mixed together and perturbed notwithstanding if the Ministers of the Worde will with a good fidelity imploy themselues in their office they shall easilie restore the moste part of the Christian Censure without any disturbance or cutting in sunder of the Church which a faythfull Minister of Christe will by no meanes bring in who knoweth that to him all power is giuen in the Church to aedification not to destruction and that it is more appertaining to his office from euery place to gather them togither vnto the kingdome of God yea the blinde the deafe the weak than to driue them out of it Of the true moderation of the ecclesiasticall censure S. Augustine wrot many thinges against the Donatistes But the cheefest place of this matter is in his thirde booke against the Epistle of Permenian Wherein this man of God moste prudently gaue charge of the correction and excommunication of the euill persons that seeme to be in the Church This place cheefelie at this time were of vs with singuler deligence to bee reade and throughly weighed Thus writeth also Bucer on thiâ— matter where he complayneth most of the lacke of this Discipline and where hee somewhat agréeth with Caluine in alleaging this reason That when Christ spake those words there was no face of a Church that professed his name And yet doth he so litle gather hereupon this vnnecessary consequence that Christe alluded to any Seniory among the Iewes to be reuiued among the Christians when they shoulde haue Discipline in the Church that hee acknowledgeth by the name of the Church nothing else but as the name importeth the whole congregation Neither yet that the whole congregation shoulde excommunicate otherwise than not to permitte the man to receiue the Communion but the common Ministers of the church onely to denounce the excommunication And leaste we shoulde vnderstand thereby any Seniorie not teaching the worde he declareth withall that they be the onely Ministers of the Worde and that to them and to their office the exercise of the power of binding and losing is â—omâ—itted though the power in generall by the churches But Caluin sayth that in the name of the Church the Lord did speak as though it were of the vsuall and receiued manner if he so did then he spake of the present state either of the true Church among those few that professed his name or of the Iewes Synagoue But Caluin saith after that it was not the counsell of Christ to send his disciples to the Synagogue But to allude vnto the old order of the church and not to the present order had not beene to speake according to the vsuall and receiued manner why shoulde we not therefore rather thinkâ— that Christ spake of such order as should be afterward vsed in the Church among the Christians eyther for such states and times as the church was in or to continue then of such order as eyther in the olde time had bene or at that present was in the Synagogue among the Iewes But now if wee should graunt to Caluine and to our Brethren that Christe alluded in these wordes vnto the assembly of Elders that was among the Iewes is this ynough also to inferre that the Law or rule that Christe prescribeth must stretch to the establishment and continuance of the same order or to the erection and Institution of a like order as that was whereunto in these wordes he alluded if this be a good argument let vs see the force of it euen in the present example whereof Caluin himselfe giueth an instance There is no doubt saith he but that Christe alludeth vnto the order of the church euen as also in other places he fitteth his speach vnto the knowne custome when hee biddeth that the gift which we will offer shoulde bee left at the Altar Math. 5. d. 23. There is no doubt but that hee woulde teach vs out of the present and legall forme of the worship of God that wee can not orderly pray nor offer any thing to God so long as we are at strife with our Brethren These words are indéede apparant to be an allusion of these tearmes Altar gift and offering to the present and legall forme nor can be vnderstoode otherwise as the word church may whith is more properly vsed among vs christians than euer it was among the Iewes Whereas the wordes Altar gift and offering were more proper to the Iewes than vnto vs. But doth it followe that because Christe in setting downe this rule of reconciliation alludeth for the plainer vnderstanding of the people to such speeches of Altar gift and offering as were then more vsually receiued and knowne among theÌ„ that therefore he ment withal to establish and cary away in his rule the same maner of Gods worship at an Alter by a gift and offering as was then vsed receiued known among them If it do not in this present instance that Caluine himselfe bringeth in as it is most clear it doth not can Caluine then or any of our learned Br. or al the world infer that if Christ did allude in the term of Church to an Eldershippe or consistory among the Iewes in prescribing his rule of Reconciliation or excommunication that therefore hee continued or renued or constituted the same or the like order among the Christians Or if he looked vpon their Discipline that therefore he ordeined the like to continue for euer did Christe establish euery thing that he onelie speak of or but looked vpon But saith Caluine It should haue bene absurd to haue propounded the iudgement to the church which as yet was no church Although this againe be not altogether so that there was no church yet what if ther had bin none theÌ„ had Christ in these wordes no further respect but to the present time if he had not how shall any perpetual rule be grounded hereon And if he respected a perpetuall order of his church why shoulde we rather vnderstande it
likewise page 80. that the Ministers are equall among themselues May they not bée assembled and ioyned in a companie among themselues and is there no assemblyes or companyes of Pastors but onely Synodes or Counselles Is there not some dayly standing and continuall assemblies and companies of Pastors as in Colledges and in Cathedrall and collegiate Churches or are these no longer to be called a company then they company in one place together And how then is there not a dayly standing and continuing dignity and superiority of this preeminence and prerogatiue in some one Pastor ouer all the rest of his fellow Pastors and so not all of equall dignitie and authoritie yea his continuing this prerogatiue as our Brethren héere confesse must néedes be or else take away this standing and continuing prerogatiue or preeminence of some one from among those companies of the Pastors such as are besides the Prouosts Wardens Presidents and maisters of Colledges the Byshops in their Cathedrall Churches and the Deanes in their Chapters and quite disorder yea cleane dissolue all those companies whereby great confusion is like to follow as they say or rather to vse their former words it must needes follow of necessitie and who are the authors of this so great confusion Now when they haue made this frée confession for a good beginning and that we should looke for their like procéeding and so might hope that we should soone come for effect of matter though we differed in tearmes to some more effectuall agréement in these controuersies they suddenly start backe after their former manner and as though they were afrayde that they had alreadie confessed somewhat too much they begin with restraints and limitations to pinch and in effect to denie that which they haue before confessed But this preeminence say they is onely of order and not of authoritie What meane they héere by this that it is of order and onely of order for we would not haue it though they would offer it to be a preeminence of disorder They sayd before that it was to order and dispose the same to witte the assemblie or companie Is this onely to set them in their seates rowes and fourmes one before or aboue another behinde or beneath and themselues highest or do they meane by this preeminence of order that he hath a dignitie aboue all other in the companie for I thinke not that they meane héere the common distinction of the power of order and power of iurisdiction which were to giue them more than we striue for or then we graunt to any Byshop or Archbyshop who are distinguished by no preeminence of order but are all of one and the same order of the presbyterie priesthood or pastorall Eldership euen with the poorest and simplest Pastor in the Church Howbeit in the authoritie of dignitie euen in the same order of the Pastorship they haue not equall iurisdiction And therefore except that warily we vnderstande these wordes our Brethren in séeking this starting-hole to shunne the Bishops lawfull preeminence of authoritie do vnawares giue more indéede in giuing some one aboue the rest a preeminence of order than if they sayd in playne words that they gaue hym a preeminence of authoritie and so strayning a gnatte swallow a camell And yet how hath not this some one aboue the rest preeminence of authoritie if his preeminence be authorized yea what lawfull preeminence can it be if it be not of authoritie and of good authoritie too But now to specifie these their doubtfull spéeches they adde these instances as to propound matters to be decided to gather the reasons and consent of the rest and so to conclude and is this all or is the ordering and disposing of the assemblie before mentioned eyther to be added vnto these or conteyned in these but take these or any other wherein this some one Pastor hath preeminence aboue the rest do not these argue a greater authoritie to do these things then any other in the company haue if we should consider but these thrée things as first to propound matters to be decided if it perteyneth and that of necessitie to the prerogatiue of some one and so it be not lawfull to euerie one although he be one of the Synode assemblie or companie how then can any other orderly besides him or without his leaue or assignement thereunto propound any cases or controuersies eyther of the doubts of doctrine or regiment of the Church to be decided is not this a very great authoritie neyther is it a meane authoritie to gather the reasons and consent of the rest which some Emperors themselues haue done in generall Counsels Albeit Bezaes words in his Confess cap. 5. artic 29. séeme to giue more not onely in gathering the company together so that he must haue authority before the Synod begin but also in that he saith Collegas mittat in suffragia he should send his colleagues to the giuing or taking of the voyces and not himselfe to do it as the scrutators do But specially this third point that his preeminence reacheth also to conclude which comprehendeth the determining iudging and ending of the matter And all this authority or as they call it preeminence and prerogatiue they confirme by this present example as we see say they in this place Iames did And not onely in this place but they confirme it further saying of whome also wee reade that he had thys preeminene Actes 21.18 c. and we may gather the same Galath 2.9.12 All this is verie true as we haue séene before and withall it cléerely prooueth that Iames hauing still this preeminence at all the times mentioned in all these places his preeminence endured not onely the time of a Synode and so ceased but was permanent in hym whether they had any Synode or had none For what mention of any Synode at Ierusalem is there at that time when as Sainct Paule saith Gal. 2. ver 9. Iames with Cephas and Iohn gaue him their hands which as Caluine vpon the 1. verse of the same Chapter Gal. 2. sayth was at Paules second comming to Ierusalem mentioned Actes 11. verse 30. rather than at the assemblie Actes 15. Scarcely can any man auouch for certeintie sayth he whether he vnderstandeth that voyage whereof Luke maketh mention Actes 15.2 yea rather the context of the hystorie leadeth vs vnto the contrarie part for it is there recorded that Paule came to Ierusalem foure times of his first comming we haue alreadie spoken he meaneth Gal. 1. verse 18. 19. where Caluine also sayd of hym Qui Ecclesiae Hierosolymitanae praefuerit which gouerned the Church at Ierusalem His second comming was when as he with Barnabas caried the almes collected in the Greeke and Asian Churches according as is conteyned in the ende of the twelfth Chapter where Luke speaketh of Barnabas and Paules returne from Ierusalem to Antiochia whereof that I should vnderstand this present place
all thinges tyrannie be auoyded This preheminence and prerogatiue which they call of order can not be but of authoritie is the preheminenence and prerogatiue of the prolocutor in the conuocation or of the speaker or L. Chauncellor in the parliament of no authoritie This therefore is but méere dalliaunce of nice tearmes to say he hath preheminence and prerogatiue of order not of authoritie For what authoritie so euer it be or how farre so euer it stretcheth or is abbridged yet such as it is authoritie it is As for the tempering of this prerogatiue that in all thinges tyrannie be auoyded we like well of it And it is the thing that Beza before excepted But what meane they hereby Should it by and by be tyrannie if it be authoritie Is there no differâ—nce with our Brethren iâ— this preheminence betwéene authoritie and tyrannie Yea rather if it be of authoritie it is not of tyrannie Which say they meaning tyrannie wee see by experience easilie creepeth in vppon proude natures to whome if you graunt an ynche they will bee readie to take an ell according to the prouerbe This prouerbe indéede is so true that wee smartly abie the experience thereof At the first our Brethren striued for apparell and when some fauourable forbearance of them was for quietnesse sake winked at herein did they stay there No. But from thence they haue procéeded so farre as that nowe not onely the authoritie of the Bishoppes but the whole Communion booke must be turned out Not onely the exection of Consistorie Gouernors in euerie congregation must be brought in but the Princes supremacie must nowe giue place vnto them Yea of an inch that they desired before what a number of elles doe they nowe challenge and shall wee conclude as they doe that this is the tyrannie which easilie creepeth in vpon proude natures No I will not conclude so peremptorilie for charitie and reuerence sake against our Brethren but I conclude thus farre that this their incroching from one matter to another and to so important and daungerous matters is not good nor indéede sufferable And it is more than high time that it were by all godly and Christian meanes repressed But let vs returne to the authoritie of the Synode which consisteth in deciding and determining such matters as can not otherwise in particular Churches bee concluded eyther because they concerne the common state of all Churches or because they lacke sufficient authoritie in some one Churche First therefore the lawefull Synode hath to consider if anie controuersie of doctrine doo arise that it be determined by the woorde of GOD For in the controuersie of byndinge the Gentiles to the obseruation of the ceremoniall lawe was a matter of faythe and doctrine For the authoritie of the Synode vnderstanding the same to bee a synodall assemblie of pastorall Elders we graunt it consisteth especially in deciding and determining such Ecclesiasticall matters as can not otherwise in particular Churches be concluded And among other we allowe also of these reasons eyther because they concerne the common state of all Churches or of all Churches of that Diocesse Prouince or Realme or because they lacke sufficient authoritie and perhaps sufficient knoweledge in some one Churche to decide and determine them And thereupon wee also conclude that when the Synode hath in such godly manner 〈◊〉 is aforesaiâ—â— decided determined and concluded such matters that then it is not lawefull for â—â—y particular Churche of that Diocesse Prouince or Reâ—lme and much lesse to anie particular Ministers or Pastors and least of al to any of the people and lay men to call those matters so decided determined and concluded a fresh in question Of which thing if our Brethren shall well bethinke them it will I hope dissuaâ—e them from the renewing of â—any of those selfe same controuersies that in our lawfull Synodes hauing had sufficient authoritie thereunto haue béene alreadie after the foresaide godly manner decided determined and concluded Or if any of these controuersies haue not yet so expressely béene procéeded vppon they may at all times by Gods grace be so decided and determined to the tryall whereof wee are alwaies as readie as our Brethren if they wâ—uld then hâ—ld themselues sufficiently contented with the sufficient authoritie of the lawfull Synodes deciding determing and concluding of them And hereupon we ioyne againe with them in condition of this their owne conclusion That first therefore the lawfull Synode hath to consider if any controuersie of doctrine doe aâ—se that it be determined by the worde of God Iâ— this most willingly wee subscribe But where they adde For in the controuersie of binding the Gentiles to the obseruation of the ceremoniell lawe was a matter of faith and doctrine as we also graunt this that in that controuersie was a matter of faith and doctrine and a doctrine is also to be learned in all the ceremonies so with all we may not graunt that all the obseruations of the ceremoniall lawe were properly matters of faith and doctrine except we should confounde ceremonies and faith shadowes and substance thinges transitorie and permanent altogether Secondly it hath to determine of the vse of the ceremonie not of will without reason or grounde of scripture but vppon necessarie causes of auoyding offence and similitude of superstition of bearing with the weake of order and comelinesse and aedification So did the synode of the Apostles and Elders commaund for a time abstinencie from meate offred to Idols otherwise lâ—wefull in it selfe for offences sake and for auoyding of all pollution of Idolatrie Act. 6.20.29 And forbearing the weakenesse of the Iewes in abstinencie from eating of bloude and of strangled which was forbidden by God before Moses time to teach that childishe age of Gods people to abstaine from crueltie as in Gen. 9.4 such ceremoniall constitutions are but temporall and so long are to bee retayned as the cause continueth for which they were made So that if the weakenesse cease or be turned to obstinacie they are no loâ—ger to be retayned For this seconde point of the Synodes â—uthoritie we likewise graunt as much that it hath to determine of the vse of ceâ—emonies not of will without reason or grounde of scripture Neither haue done or doe our Synodes determine any vse of ceremonies to be vsed among vs of will without reason or without grounde of scripture but eyther they haue good ground of scripture or good reason or both for them But say they it must also be vpon necessarie causes of auoyding offence and similitude of superstition So farre as the causes shall be founde indéede to be necessarie causes they say well I conâ—esse But here againe we may not debarre the authoritie of Synodes determination of the vse of ceremonies for the auoyding of euery particular persons taking offence or miâ—taking the similitude of superstition They adde also of bearing
those thinges do appertaine onely to him and the generall Councell And here we beséech our Brethren confessing thus much against the pope as it becommeth good subiectes to their prince to aduise theÌ„selues withall of their former vnaduised spéeches pag. 9 10.84.85.117.1â—8.119 in which places besides their hard termes of Christian princes doe they not giue vnder the name of the Church her authoritie the knowing the hearing the examining the determining the iudging and the punishing of all matters and causes pertayning to discipline gouernment of the Church either to their pastors and teachers or to the Seignories of their gouernors And what differeth this from forbidding princes to meddle with reformation of Eccl. matters or to make lawes pertayning to causes of religion aunswering them that those thinges do appertayne only to them and to their consistories and to their particulaâ— Synodes or generall Councell But when he say they meaning the pope coÌ„meth to debate any thing with his Clergie theÌ„ all lawes and knowledge are inclosed in the closet of his breast And is this any more than to say not onely to the Prince but also to their owne consistorie gouernors of whom their Synodes consist as well as of themselues pag. 117. who should be able to knowe what order comlines aedification requireth according to Gods word but they that be teachers preachers of the same vnto all others For it is absurde that they should be taught by such in these small thinges as ought to learne the truth of in all matters This authoritie therfore can not be graunted vnto any ciuill Christian Magistrate that without consent of the learned Pastors and Elders yea against their consent of whom as in some respect he is a feeling member he may lawfully make ceremoniall constitutions whereby the Church must bee gouerned in meere Eccl. matters Sith therfore they turne al this against the Prince is not this as much as when they come to debate any thing with their Clergie Gouernors that theÌ„ all lawes knowledge is inclosed in the closet of their breasts both from the Prince and from their owne Clergie and Eccl. Gouernors Is not this as much as when they holde their generall Counsels or Prouinciall that all the authoritie must come from them For except they doe allow it it is nothing And how farre differs this froÌ„ the Popes conceit that they also are growen so wise that neither with counsell nor without the Councel they can erre or think amisse in Eccl matters Had they a generall Councell of all those that they call the faithfull ministers that composed this Learned discourse of Eccl. gouernment Well yet there is here some good hope that when our Brethr. shall haue better bethought theÌ„ of these things which they mislike in the Pope debarring the right interest of Christian Princes the verie vggly sight thereof will be as a glasse vnto theÌ„ to sée mislike their owne spéeches and doings in taking vpon them though not the verie same yet so like presumption and vsurpation especially so many and so little states as they are farre inferiour to the Pope and at the verie first péeping out of them yea before they are come to that they would haue thus to insult not onely on the Bishops and to come and set out lawes before themselues are called vnto such authoritie but also thus to blemish and deface the Christian Princes authoritie to abase and debarre it to examine and determine yea to encroch vpon the right and interest in these matters of all Christian Princes and of their owne most godly and gracious Soueraigne But since the sight of their own description of the Popes presumptioÌ„ vsurpation doth begin here to make them stoupe somwhat to the Princes supremacy let them now in good time likewise remember their own sayings pag. 77. 78. where speaking also of the Pope whose intollerable presumption say they as we haue long since banished out of this land so wee wish that no steppe of such pride and arrogancie might bee left behinde him namely that no Elder or Minister of the Churche marke these your owne wordes well good Brethren and turne them not so off against our Bishops that ye forget your selues should chalenge vnto himselfe or accept it if it were offered vnto him any other authoritie than that is allowed by the spirit of God but chiefely to beware that he vsurpe no authoritie which is forbidden by the word of God For wherefore do we detest the Pope and his vsurped supremacie but bycause he arrogateth the same vnto himselfe not onely without the warrant of Gods word but also cleane contrarie to the same Now if the same reasons and authorities that haue banished the Pope do serue to condemne all other vsurped authoritie that is practised in the Church why should not all such vsurped authoritie be banished as well as the Pope we can alleage against the Pope and rightly that which S. Iohn Baptist did aunswere to his disciples No man can take vnto himselfe any thing except it be giuen him from heauen Ioh. 3.27 and that saying of the Apostle to the Hebrewes No man can take vpon him any honor in the Church of God but he that is called of God as was Aaron in somuch that Christ himselfe did not giue himselfe to be an high Priest but he that sayd vnto him Thou art my Sonne this day haue I begotten thee He sayth in another place Thou art a Priest for euer after the order of Melchizedech Now seeing these rules are so generall that the Sonne of God himselfe was not exempted from them but shewed foorth the decree wherin he was authorized by what rule can any man reteyne that authoritie in the Church of God that is not called therunto by the word of God All these words haue our Brethren alleaged triumphantly against the Bishops whose authoritie we haue séene to be throughly grounded on the word of God But for their Consistorie Gouernors to whome they giue such great authoritie we haue as yet after all this shuffling coniecturing pulling and haling of the Scripture of the auncient Fathers and of the old Churches practise to found it vpon we could not yet finde vpon better view therof so much as one good and substantiall proofe or authoritie for it or the example but of one such man And as for their Pastors if none be Pastors but such as are ordeyned after the forme by themselues set downe Pag. 125. saying this is the right election and ordeyning of Pastors grounded vpon the word of God when we come to search better in the word of God we finde not one Pastor so elected and ordeyned And as for their selues these faithfull Ministers none of them neyther that I can learne of were so elected and ordeyned and so they haue eyther no right calling nor authoritie at all but are méere intruders yea méere lay men or else that authoritie that they
ministerie of the preaching of the same shall vnderstand to be prositable for aedifying of the Church of Christe and the aduauncement of the glory of God If any shall offend against the Lawes whether he be a Preacher or hearer besides the Ecclesiasticall censure which hee shoulde not escape he is also to be punished in body by the ciuill Magistrate They haue not yet eyther by these or by ought else before spoken made it appeare howe farre it is lawfull for Princes to intermedle with causes ecclesiasticall And howe their supreme authoritie therein which is farre higher then onely intermedling stretcheth As for the things which heere as a recapitulation they set downe are nothing so much as they graunted before For although they say that it is the cheefest point of their duetie to haue especiall regard that God may bee glorified in their Dominion yet that doth not shewe what especiall authoritie they haue therein and how farre foorth they haue it If they say that they do this in the conclusion following these wordes And therefore they ought to make ciuill Lawes to binde the people vnto the Confession of the true fayth and the right administring and receiuing of the Sacraments and to all Eccl. orders What haue they graunted heere to her Maiestie but the onely making of ciuill Lawes and thus the conclusion when all comes to al is not so much as that they graunted before or at leaste made vs a shewe thereof And yet they made to great daintie in the graunt thereof with so many exceptions which graunt notwithstanding we gladly accepted at their handes and made much of it that it is not onely lawfull but also necessarie for princes if they will doe their duetie to looke to the reformation of religion and to make lawes of Ecclesiasticall matters so that we confounde not the offices of the Prince and the Pastor Heere euerie man that meaneth no subtiltie woulde straight haue thought that as the pastor hath some part of looking to the reformation of religion and of making Lawes of matters Ecclesiasticall pertayning to the office of a pastor distinct from the office of a prince so the prince also hath some parts of looking to the reformation of religion of making lawes of matters Eccl. pertaining to the office of a prince distinct from the office of a pastor And that although the partes of eyther of their offices be distinct yet in the verie looking to that reformation of Religion and to the verie making of those Lawes of matters Ecclesiasticall they both of them dointermeddle which is the terme that their selues euen héere do vse But see nowe what a fayre gift our Brethren haue héere graunted It is lawfull and necessarie for Princes to make Lawes of matters Ecclesiasticall What Lawes Forsooth they ought to make ciuill lawes to bind the people vnto the confession of true faith and the right administring of the Sacraments and to all Ecclesiasticall orders Yea forsooth in this last and third point lieth chiefely the question of making lawes But haue they any stroke in making lawes of any those Eccl. orders No but onely that they being instructed by the word of God through the ministery of the preaching of the same shall vnderstand to be profitable to the edifyeng of the Church and the aduancement of the glorie of God should bynde the people to them What should they make ciuill lawes to bynde the people to them before that they be made lawes and orders Ecclesiasticall or howe can they be made lawes and orders Ecclesiasticall doth the scripture make all the lawes and orders Ecclesiasticall that are made or is the ministerie of the preaching of the same a sufficient instruction for the Prince to take them for Ecclesiasticall lawes bycause they put him to vnderstand that they be profytable for edifying the Church of Christ and aduancement of the glorie of God so that what they shall say as profitable héereunto that is a lawe or he must so take it or else still I demaund who had the authoritie to make those lawes and orders Ecclesiasticall except they shall say they were all made before there were any christian Princes which was theyr former refuge Albeit Moses Iosue Dauid Salomon c. will ouer-reach that shift for they had a stroke euen in the verie making of Ecclesiasticall lawes and orders them selues and not onely in the making of ciuill lawes for Ecclesiasticall lawes and orders to bynde the people vnto them and so had also dyuers Christian Princes since Christes time many of whose lawes are Ecclesiasticall lawes themselues and Canons of the Church in the Canon lawe and not onely ciuill lawes made to binde the people to keepe the Canon lawes or Ecclesiasticall orders and such also are diuers lawes of the auncient Bryttish and English Kings in this Realme and the Epistle of Eleutherius himselfe if it be his giueth Lucius no lesse authoritie But is this all that our Brethren will allow to Christian Princes and no further authoritie than this yes If any shall offend against the lawes whether he be Preacher or hearer beside the Ecclesiastical censure which he should not escape he is also to be punished in body by the ciuill Magistrate And is this againe all that we shall get more than before we got for the supreme authoritie of the Christian Prince in Ecclesiasticall matters and what more is héere graunted to the Prince than the verie Papists yea than the Pope himselfe as proude and iniurious to Princes as he is will graunt vnto them to make ciuill lawes for the defence of the lawes Ecclesiasticall that he and his Cleargy onely do make making the Princes to be the onely punishers and as it were their executioners of iustice vpon them that shall offend against their lawes This they can well allow and like that Princes should haue authority to punish the offender in body besides the Ecclesiasticall censure which the offender shall not escape at their hands and for this cause they call the Emperour the Churches aduocate and the Pope himselfe yéelded this title to King Henry the eyght to be called the defender of the faith and will our Brethren yéeld no better supremacy nor greater authority to christian Princes and so to her Maiesty than the Papists and the very Pope wil offer to yéeld her so that her Maiesty will but make ciuill lawes to bynde the people to their lawes and Ecclesiasticall orders that the Pope and his Cleargie shall make and that if any shall offend in body against his lawes whether he be Preacher or hearer besides the Ecclesiasticall censure which he should not escape he is also to be punished in body by the ciuill Magistrate all this doth the Pope offer to all the Princes in theyr dominions that haue not cast off the yoke of his subiection but liue in greatest seruitude vnder him and yet our new Pastors make all this mincing to graunt but thus
remoouing offences and of purging the filthes which corrupt Godlinesse and obscure the maiesty of God If nowe the authoritie of the Prince stretcheth it selfe to all these thinges in the name of nourishing the Churche which is farre aboue all bodilie nourishment or mayntenaunce of liuing then is not the Christian princes authority abased any whit thereby in the making of Ecclesiasticall Lawes for these Eccl. matters but much more confirmed and encreased so that the prophetes meaning was not as our Br. heere say the prophet meaneth that kinges and Queenes shall bee so carefull for the preseruation of the Church that they shall think no seruice too base for them so they may profite the Churche of Christe withall For it is no proâ—iâ—â— at all vnto the Churche for princes to abase them-selues as they haue done vnto the Pope and his Ministers who no lesse shamefully abused 〈◊〉 prophesy than the Princes simplie in beleeuing of them did thinke indeede no seruice too base for them that they might as they thought profit the Church of Christe withall But the prophetes meaning was rather of twayne besides the comforting of the Church to foretell not onely the Princes honorable reuerencing of the Church but also that by their exaltation greate authoritie aboue it they shoulde becom of persecutors as it were euen parents to it But now if this testimonie wil not serue to make Princes stoupe vnto their bent they haue another at hand Vnto this honorable subiection say they the holy Ghost exhorteth princes in the 2. psalme after that they haue tried that they preuayl nothing in striuing against the kingdome of Christe Be nowe therefore wise O yee kinges bee learned that Iudge the earth serue the Lord with feare and reioyce to him with trembling declaring that it is a ioyful seruice to be obedient to Christ yea to serue God is indeede to reigne Our Brethren where they shoulde yet nâ—wâ— at length according to their promise wâ—en all their other tetrarcheâ— were serâ—ied haue declared vnto vs howe farre the Princes authoritie in the gouernment of Eccl. matters stretcheth they are nowe altogether fallen from describing vnto vs the Princes authoritie of which God wot wee haue hearde full litle yet to the descriptâ—â—n all of the Princes subiection For although they commende it with the name of honourable yet still it is but subiection that they speake of not authoritie Albeit I graunt this is moste true that it is a ioyfull seruice to bee obedient to Christe yea to serue God is indeede to reigne better than to reigne in any worldly kingdome without Gods seruice and therefore the holy ghoste â—oth well therein exhort those Princes which haue tried that they preuayl nothing in striuing against the kingdome of Christ to be wise and learned and to serue the Lorde But let our Br. withall remember this that they abuse not this exhortation of the holy ghost spoken to those Princes that resisted Christs kingdome by applying it here altogether to the Princes that we speak of that only are true Christian Princes haue already subiected their kingdoms to Christs kingdom For nowe we enquire of godly Princes what auth they haue by Christ allowed theÌ„ in the gouerning of his kingdoÌ„ Otherwise if they apply this sentence thus as though her Maiestie in not submitting herself and her auth to these their decrees orders did as yet resist the kingdome of Christe they offer her Maiestie no small 〈◊〉 nor she may well abase her authoritie so farre nor any other Christian Prince that hath subiected his kingdome to the obedience of the kingdome of Christe as her Maiestie God bee praysed hath doâ—nâ— Not but that I graunt there is still an vse of this exhortation euen to all Princes neuer so godly to continue in this Wisedome learning and seruice of the Lorde But her Maiestie God be praysed being wise and Learned indeede hath Learned and found out a great diffâ—rencâ— betwéen thâ— seruing of the Lorde himselfe and the seruing of the seruaunts of the Lorde For although there bee a seruice that the Prince oweth to them also in respect that they in their diuine seruice of Gods worde and Sacraments represent God yet the Princes being also the seruaunts of God as they again represent him in their seruice so their seruice is such a high and supreme gouernment as set the verie action of the spiritual seruanâ—s diuine seruice aside they are all inferiour to the Princes seruice and in some respects not onely Subiects but seruaunts also to their Princes and not the Princes seruaunts vnto them Yea euen in those diuine seruices which the Ministers Stewards or seruants of God professe the Christian Princes being also the Ministers and seruaunts of God haue an higher seruice ministerie and Stewardship in the general ouer-sight of those particular ouer-seers to ouer-see and ouer-rule them to doe their dueties and with their aduise and counsell deuising and determining what is fittest to make lawes and orders with them and aboue them not onely to rule all his temporall subiects but all his Eccl. subiects too and euen him selfe in all due subiection to those his Lawes orders that he hath made And that this seruice of the Prince to God stretcheth hereunto and to the Prince especially aboue all other we haue heard how S. Augustine expoundeth this testimonie And yet because our Br. lead vs heere vnto it let vs again mark it a little better whether it more infirme and abase or confirm and augment the princes authoritie in making decrees lawes of Ecclesiasticall matters S. Aug. in his 50. Epistle ad Bonifacium vpon this verse And nowe yee Kings vnderstand c. Howe then saith he doe kinges serue the Lorde in feare but in forbidding with a religious seueritie and in punishing those thinges which are done contrary to the commaundementes of the Lorde For hee serueth otherwise in that hee is a man and otherwise in that he is a King For in that he is a man hee serueth in liuing faythfully But in that hee is also a King hee serueth in the enacting with a conuenient vigour Lawes that commaunde righteous matters and forbidde the contrary Euen as Ezechias serued in destroying the groues and Temples of the Idolles and those high places that were builded contrary to the commaundement of God Euen as Iosias serued he also doing the same things Euen as the King of the Niniuites serued in compelling the whole Citie to appease God Euen as Darius serued in giuing it into Daniels power to breake the Idoll and in casting the enemies to the Lyons Euen as Nabuchodonozor serued of whom we haue already spoken in forbidding by a terrible Lawe all that were placed in his kingdome from blaspheming God In this therfore kings doe serue the Lord when they doe those thinges to serue him that none but Kinges can doe If this seruice then be the onely prerogatiue of
say wee are not able so much as to knowe them No nor yet their owne Consistorie gouernors able to knowe them but onely the teachers and preachers of the same to all others And what will they then allowe to vs If the Parliament heare this man speake thus may they not thinke that man speaketh reasons and that there was little reason in troubling them continually with those matters in the Parliament house whereof they may not according to the libertie of that most honorable assemblie speake their mynds in reuerent maner pro contra freely and no man debarred of his speech or iudgement or els the house would better aduise themselues how they permitted such fellowes to come among them or to bring in such billes or bookes among them of which they must be restrained of their libertie both of speech and iudgement Yea what if now another waxing bolder in the Parliament house would tell these faithfull ministers that the matters conteyned in this learned discourse being Ecclesiasticall matters were to be consulted vpon and determined by those that were the Bishops Pastors of the Realme and Church of England and that they had a Conuocation Synodall assemblie among themselues and that they must go to them and be tryed by theÌ„ and bee as well content to submit themselues to the determination of the Bishops and Pastors lawfully and orderly there assembled as they would to haue it tryed in the ParliameÌ„t if they were all such Eccl. persons as were the other And that if they would flee froÌ„ their owne coate Eccl. company to such as were but ciuill and politick persons saue that they were ChristiaÌ„s as other of the people were they should giue an ill example preiudice their matters and make themselues and their bookes to be more mistrusted as not daring to abide the censure of the chifest professors of those matters Tractent fabrilia fabri Ecclesiasticall matters to be tryed by Ecclesiasticall persons And that this is according to their owne â—ositions For who should be able to knowe at least wise who ought better to knowe what order comelinesse and edification requireth according to Gods worde than they that be teachers and preachers of the same vnto all others For it is absurd that they should be taught by such in these small things and much lesse in greater things as ought to learne the trueth of them in all matters And therfore go to theÌ„ and let theÌ„ determine those controuersies If our Bretheren shall heare this tale and their owne words thus duelie returned on themselues may they not then thinke they haue well helped themselues by putting vp these matters to the Parliament And if the Parliament should aunswer them thus should they not aunswer theÌ„ aright But if now they had rather reuoke some of their positions giue the ParliameÌ„t authority to deale herein than to haue them be determined by the Bishops what on the other side would they haue the Parliament do without the authoritie of the Prince Yea how chaunce they put not vp their bookes writings first to her Maiestie mooue her first for if they accounted her Maiestie indeed the supreme gouernor of all persons in al her dominions in all causes so wel Eccl. as temporall would they haue the Parliament decree those things without her Maiestie Or the Parliament wherof her Maiestie is the supreme gouernor to determine these things without any debating of them Or if they should be debated vpoÌ„ who should rather do it theÌ„ the Clergie And haue not al that haue bin assembled together alreadie both the Bishops the whole Conuocation consulted debated and determined alreadie on the matter And if they would haue her Maiestie the Parliament to deale further therein haue they not done that also Hath not her Maiestie ratefied and authorized al their articles that the Conuocation agreed vpon And hath not the whole Parliament also approued allowed so ratefied and confirmed al the Communion booke besides the acknowledgement of her Maiesties supremacie all the articles agréed and decréed vpon all or the most or chéefest of the lawes and orders Eccl. now standing in force and established amongst vs And would they haue them reuoke cancell all that they haue doone in these matters or what else would they haue the Parliament herein to doo If they offer to dispute of these matters either before the whole Parliament or before anie by the Parliament deputed to heare the disputation betwéene vs of these controuersies doo they hope to dispute better and with more deliberat iudgement of that they shall saie ex tempore than that they haue with aduisement written or can write thereon or that we can dispute woorse or not so well as they persuade themselues they can Or doo they thinke as Aeschines said Quid si ipsam belluam andissetis they shall better persuade and mooue the hearers of them more by their liuelie spéeches than by their learned writings and so win it that waies Verelie wée refuse no waie what it shall please our most gratious souereigne and hir most honorable counsell or the high court of Parliament to appoint if that would serue the turne for anie further triall of renewing neuer so often these matters by disputing and calling them in question againe and againe for God be praised in so good a cause we néed not feare the euent they that could so win the garland let them weare it But we maie easilie sée before the disputation shall begin that all this would not serue their turne in these controuersies which the word of God hath not expreslie decided but in generalitie referred to these thrée heads comlinesse order aedification Who shall iudge and determine of our disputation they haue before hand debarred the prince and all that are not teachers and preachers and both the parties in controuersie are teachers and preachers and they saie it were no reason that we being the parties in controuersie on the one side though we be teachers and preachers should be determiners iudges what is comlinesse order and edifieng in these things and maie not we saie the same to them againe that they being also parties in controuersie on the other side though they be teachers and preachers it is no reason that they should be determiners and iudges what is comlinesse order and aedifieng in these things and when shall then these matters be iudged and determined Except we would yéeld to them or they would yéeld to vs or both to some other as to hir maiesty and the ParliameÌ„t But if they shall so doo they should conuince themselues before hand that the forme is vntrue and false which they haue alredie before hand not onlie auowed to be true but so determined alredie and so before hand peremptorily prescribed both to vs and to the Parliament to the Quéens maiestie also that we must all yéeld of