with them that refuse either to go in your apparel or otherwise to shew themselves note Sir like unto you have age sufficient and can answer for themselves Notwithstanding thus much I may say in their behalf Neither do they commend any manner of apparel as holy nor do they condemn any apparel as unholy They say not therefore that the apparel is either holy or unholy but they may truly say the same apparel on your part hath been fouly abused to filthy purposes They may justly say they would not gladly in any appearance good Doctor note this shew themselves like unto them that have so untruly and so long deceived the world And herein they are not without sundrie Authorities and examples of the godly Fathers Saint Augustine saith his mother left bringing of Wine and Cakes to the Church but only for that she was warned it was a resemblance of the superstition of the Heathens and so she left it Saint Gregory speaking of the three sprinklings or dippings into the holy Font saith thus In unâ fide nihil officit consuetudo Ecclesiae diversa Tamen quod Haereticiid fecerint negant idem esse à Catholicis faciendum The faith being one but it is not so between us and Rome the diversity of customs hurteth nothing yet forasmuch as Hereticks have thus done they say the Catholicks may in no wise do the same Tertullian reasoneth vehemently That a Christian man ought not to go with a Laurel Garland upon his head and that for none other reason but only for that the Heathen used so to go Whereupon Beatus Rhenanus giveth this note Non solùm ab his remperandum fuit quae manifestam praese ferrent impietatem sed etiam ab illis quae possent indifferentia vocari hoc est quae essent neque bona neque mala Partim pray mark Sir ne quisquam infirmior ex Christianis offenderetur partim ne ethnici did not Calvin say the Papists would grow more insolent in suis erroribus confirmarentur dum rectius putant esse quod etiam Christianos observare vident It was meet for them to refrain not only from such things as have a manifest shew of wickedness but also from such things as might be called indifferent that is to say neither good nor ill Partly left any of the weaker Christians should be offended Partly also lest the Heathens we say Papists should be encouraged in their errors thinking that thing for that the Christians themselves do it to be the better You may read more to this purpose There is one particular which we know you will very much distaste and that is the Divine Right of Episcopacy which we deny and you with great confidence assert page 51. part 1. for there mentioning one Act of Parliament you say The contrivers of that Act did intend by degrees to weaken the authority of the Episcopal order by forcing them from their strong hold of Divine institution We hope Sir you will not assume so much upon you in the Divinity school wich is given to Aristotle in the Logick that your Dixit must suffice us We might produce the unanswered Treatise of Mr. William Prinne a fast friend to Monarchy and as earnest an Antagonist to your Ius Divinum in his unbishoping of Timothy and Titus to batter your strong hold but that learned and pious Gentleman being a Lawyer and also a sufferer under your Ius Divinum is very low in your thoughts and whatever comes to you in his name bath little credit with you as being lookt upon to be either the fruit of his ignorance or desired revenge And therefore we shall oppose the judgment of a Bishop an English Bishop one whom you in your History do very much extoll for his great learning from whom you say all Controversors have furnisht themselves being a Magazin of all sorts of learning page 131. part 2. with arguments it is Reverend Iewel from this Magazin we will take some weapons and Artillery to assault and batter your strong hold Sir you are no stranger to the distinction of Episcopus praeses and Episcopus princeps the former we allow as being for order and decency in the government of the Church but Episcopus princeps which is Prelacy and not Episcopacy this as you contend for so we to this oppose the judgment of Bishop Iewel Harding page 196. of the Defence pleading against the sufficiency of the Scriptures and for the credit of Traditions among these Traditions he reckoneth the distinction of a Bishop and a Priest and saith that they that denied this distinction between a Bishop and a Priest were condemned of heresie in the Margin over against these words in the letter R. Iewel saith it is an untruth that ever any were condemned for heresie for denying this distinction of a Bishop and a Priest for if it were so saith he both St. Paul and St. Hierome and other good men are condemned of heresie Afterward page 202. of the Defence having taken notice and answered what Harding had said against the sufficiency of the Scriptures and for Traditions he comes at last to the forementioned words and saith But what meaneth Mr. Harding here to come in with the difference between Priests and Bishops Thinketh he that Priests and Bishops hold only by Tradition he meaneth not the distinction but the office Or is it so horrible an heresie as he maketh it to say that by the do you see Doctor Scriptures of God a Bishop and a Priest are all one Or knoweth he how far and unto whom he reacheth the name of an heretick Verily Chrysostom saith Inter Episcopum Presbyter um interest ferme nihil Between a Bishop and a Priest in a manner there is no difference St. Hierom saith somewhat in rougher sort Audio quendam in tantam erupisse vecordiam ut Diaconos Presbyteris id est Episcopis anteforret cum Apostolus perspicue doceat eosdem esse Presbyteros quos Episcopos I hear say there is one become so peevish that he setteth Deacons before Priests that is to say before Bishops whereas the Apostle plainly teacheth us that Priests and Bishops be all one St. Augustin saith Quid est Episcopus nisi primus Presbyter hoc est summus sacerdos what is a Bishop but the first Priest that is to say the highest Priest So saith St. Ambrose Episcopi Presbyteri una ordinatio uterque enim sacerdos est sed Episcopus primus est There is but one confecration of Priest and Bishop for both of them are Priests but the Bishop is the first All these and more holy Fathers saith learned Iewel together with St. Paul the Apostle for thus saying by Mr. Hardings advice must be holden for Hereticks Doth not your strong hold shake if not fall before the face of these Authorities Doctor However we will charge once more see page 100 and 101. of the Defence But Mr. Harding saith the Primates had authority over other inferiour
instruct the people The Preachers abovementioned were more particularly instructed to perswade the people from praying to Saints for the dead from adoring of Images from the use of Beads Ashes and Processions from Mass Dirges praying in unknown languages All which was done to this intent That the people in all places being prepared by little and little might with more ease and less opposition admit the total alteration which was intended in due time to be introduced You mention also certain injunctions appointed for the Bishops that they should personally preach once a quarter in their Diocess that they should cause their Chaplains to Preach that they should Ordain none but such as were learned in the Scriptures There was also a Form of Bidding-prayer prescribed or bidding of the Beads as you say it was then commonly called in page 37. You lead us next to the Parliament page 47. which took beginning the 4. of November in which you tell us of packing the Cardes by Sir Ralph Sadler that this Parliament without any sensible alteration of the Members continued till the death of the King and you say page 48. a great part of the Nobility and not a few of the chief Gentry were cordially affected to the Church of Rome In the same page you tell us that several Acts were repeal'd which touched the Subject in life or liberty for matter of conscience by which repeal you say all men had a liberty of reading Scriptures and being in a manner their own Expositors which you scruple whether it may be counted for a felicity There was an Act you say in the same page and following page against such as spake against the Sacrament of the Altar and for the receipt thereof in both kinds with these Provisoes notwithstanding If necessity did not otherwise require as in the case of suddain sickness and other such like extremities that wine could not be provided for the use of the Sacrament nor the sick man depart this life in peace without it And secondly that the permitting of this liberty to the people of England should not be construed to the condemning of any other Church in which the contrary was observed The next great business you say page 50. was the receiving of a Statute made in the 27. year of Henry 8. By which all Chanteries Colledges Free-Chappels and Hospitals were permitted to the King during his life but dying before he had taken many of them into his hands the great ones of the Court not being willing to lose so rich a booty it was set on foot again and carried in this present Parliament And you say page 51. these Chanteries consisted of Salaries allowed to one or more Priests to say daily Mass for the souls of their deceased Founders and their friends But in the same page you say That which made the greatest alteration and threatned most danger to the State Ecclesiastical was the Act for Election of Bishops and what seals and styles should be used by Spiritual persons In the compounding of which Act you say in the same page there was more danger couched then at first appeared for you say it was the intent of the Contrivers to weaken the authority of the Episcopal Order by forcing them from their strong Hold of Divine Institution and making them no other then the Kings Ministers only his Ecclesiastical Sheriffs and such use was made of this Act that the Bishops were not in a capacity of conferring Orders but as they were impowered by especial Licence the tenour whereof you mention page 52. and in the same place you say The true drift of the design of this Act was to make Deans and Chapters useless for the time to come and thereby to prepare them for dissolution The next Church-business you mention is page 55. where you tell us the first heats of the Visitation beginning to cool there were two Orders sent forth for the taking down of Images Page 57. you tell us Some godly Bishops and other learned and Religious men were busily imploy'd in the Castle of Windsor appointed by the Kings Command to consult about one uniform Order for the administring the holy Communion in the English Tongue under both kindes of Bread and Winde according to Act of Parliament before mentioned You are in the dark who the persons were but you think they were the same which made the Liturgy in this Kings time and you say being convened together taking into consideration as well the right rule of Scripture as the usage of the Primitive Church How doth this appear good Dector agreed on such a form and order as might comply with the intention of the King and the Act of Parliament without giving note these following words good Sir any just offence to the Romish party for they so ordered it that the whole office of the Mass should proceed as formerly in the Latine Tongue even to the very end of the Canon and the receiving of the Sacrament by the Priest himself which being passed over they began with an exhortation Dearly beloved in the Lord ye coming to this holy Communion which afterwards remained in the publick Liturgy Then followed the invitation You that do truly repent c. proceeding to the general confession distribution of the Sacrament to the people upon their knees which godly Form you say was presented to the King and published by Proclamation which Proclamation you have at large page 58 59. The next care was you say page 59. to send abroad printed copies to the several Bishops But now you come to handle the chief Key to the whole work of Reformation the Liturgy as you phrase it page 65. and the same men which drew up the Order for the holy Communion were now again imploy'd as you confess page 64. Calvin being rejected though offering his assistance The Liturgy you say is finished accepted by the King Enacted by Lords and Commons then assembled in Parliament though you say the passing of the Act gave great offence to the Romish Party not that they could except against it in regard either of the matter or manner of it but because it was communicated to the people in the vulgar Tongue page 66. Which exception you take a great deal of pains to prove to be an error You tell us page 106. That the Reformation under King Edward proceeded more vigorously then before by reviewing the Liturgy and composing of a book of Articles You say page 107. Calvin and his followers had taken some offence at some parts thereof and did excite the King and Council to a further Reformation And you say he prevaild so far in the first two years that in the Convocation there were debates about such doubts as had arisen about some things contained in the Common-prayer book but you say page 107. and 108. not one alteration made in it For though you say it was brought under a review and being so reviewed was ratified by Act of Parliament
a Reformation according to the Word of God and the Primitive practice but in all your book there are but three instances of the conformity of the Reformation to the rule of the Sacred Scriptures and they are only in point of Doctrine and not in Discipline or Worship The first instance is p. 49 of your History of Edward the sixth where having mentioned an Act of Parliament declaring that it is according to Scripture that the Sacrament be administered to all Christian people under both the kinds of Bread and Wine you spend a great many lines borrowed out of Bishop Iewel to prove that this Declaration of Parliament and the words by which it was enacted do every way agree with Christs institution no Protestant not John Calvin your great eyesore will deny you this The second instance is p. 66. where you mention the Popish exceptions against the Act confirming the Common Prayer not to be upon any other account but because it was in the vulgar tongue and then you run out into a large discourse to prove that prayer ought to be made in a tongue understood of the common people the like you do p. 157. part 2. Calvin and Cartwright that firebrand as you call him will conform Mr. Doctor to this Reformation The third instance is p. 67. where you take notice of an Act for advancing the work of Reformation which took away all Laws forbidding Ministers marriage in allowance whereof you spend many lines in this Mr. Doctor the Calvinian and Zuinglian faction concur with you These are all the Presidents of Scripture or Primitive practice you alledge in your whole book for the Reformation of the Church and in matters of this nature so evident and clear out of the word of God amongst all the Zuinglian Gospellers as you call them you shall not have one dissenter or Nonformist And because you mention a memorable challenge publishled by Bishop Iewel against the Romish Clergy who injuriously you say pag. 129. part 2. upbraided the Church of England with the imputation of Novelty and charged it with teaching such opinion as were not to be found before Luthers time the Calvinian and Zuinglian faction which you so blot with your learned pen will willingly be his seconds in this challenge Nay Sir the Zuinglian Gospellers do renew this Challenge against the sacred Hierarchy as you call it in the same terms as you deliver the stout and gallant challenge of that Learned Prelate Iewel against the Romish Clergy The Zuinglian Gospellers challenge If any learned man of our Adversaries be able to bring one sufficient sentence out of the holy Scripture or any one example of any Bishop Minister or Martyr either in the time of King Edward the sixth viz. Cranmer Latimer Ridley Hooper Farrar Philpot Bradford Taylor or any other or in the times of Queen Elizabeth out of Reverend Jewel who do directly and ex professo plead for and commend the present Liturgie in the frame of it or that Episcopacy is Jure divino or for Adoration toward the Altar Bowing at the name of Iesus signing with the sign of the Cross wearing of Caps and Surplices kneeling at the Sacrament or for the exercise of Church power by lay-Chancellors if you Reverend Sir or any other be able to produce any such authority or example contending as you do professedly for these things the Zuinglian Gospellers will be then content to yield and subscribe These are the things M. Doctor which administer trouble to the Church of God at this day Satisfie but our consciences that these things ought to be continued in the Church we have done We beseech you read this passage of Reverend Iewel in a Sermon preached by him in St. Maries in Oxford it is in the beginning of the Book called his Defence of the Apology pag. 6. This only saith he will I speak and that in a word They which brought in Transubstantiation Masses calling upon Saints sole life Purtory Images Vows trifles follies bables into the Church of God have delivered new things and which the Scriptures never heard of whatsoever they Crie or Crake they bring not a jot out of the Word of God And these as I have said are the things wherewith the Church of God is disquieted at this day upon these lieth the watch and ward of the Church These they honour instead of the Scriptures and force them on the people instead of the word of God upon these men suppose their salvation and the summ of Religion to be grounded And that which is much more grievous notwithstanding at this present by the great goodness of God religion is restored note Mr. Doctor almost not to the lustre you Mr. Doctor imagine to her former dignity and light yet poor and pitifull fouls they set great store by these things they to them again and teach them do you see Mr. Doctor as though without them the Church could not be in safety O if the Word of God might be heard among so many clamours and in so great a Hurly burly if we would suffer God himself to sit as Judge in his own case the matter would be passed over with less tumult a great deal and more easily might we agree about the whole matter Wherefore if all the worship of God all godliness all religion be to be sought out of the word of God if the institutions of men have miserably perverted all things in all times let us my Brethren beware Doctor unto whom the office of teaching is allotted Consider how dangerous a thing it is to speak more and let all who will be and will have themselves accounted to be Christians remember how dangerous a thing it is to believe more You say Mr. Doctor pag. 130 131. Reverend Iewel in his learned writings is a magazin of all sorts of learning and that all our Controversors have since he wrote furnisht themselves with Arguments and authorities from him If you have been so well acquainted with his writings as you pretend to in your history you would not have presented the Churches reformation to be so glorious and splendid as you have done and would have pitcht it on a better bottom then the authority of two acts of Parliaments the members whereof you have rendred in your history to be too much swayed in their votings and actings by wordly Popish and politick respects We do highly reverence the memory of our first Reformers but is it meet to Idolize them why should not the Parliaments of succeding times do the work of the Lords house according to the light and temper of their generation as well as they did in theirs and why should not the present Bishops who according to the character of his most Excellent Majesty our Gracious Soveraign are known to be men of great sufficiency for Learning prompt them and put them on such a work Is it not a dishonour to the Church of England after so many years standing to be fed with the
dish and spoon and suck-bottle provided for her infancy And must it be still with us in matters Ecclesiastical as Spain would have it to be in Civils to be wards to the Church of Rome that we may not espouse a thorough-Reformation for fear of the Popes curse and the Spaniards rage For this Mr. Doctor all along your history was the compass our first Pilots steered by pag. 58. part 1. and in pag. 103. part 2. You say Queen Elizabeth resolved to proceed to a Reformation as the times should serve so also pag. 116. Do you not tell us pag. 12 13. That though the Letters written by Prince Edward to his father may be used as good evidences of his great proficiency with reference to the times in which he lived Yet in our days in which either the wits of men are sooner ripe or the method of teaching more exact and facile they would be found to contain nothing which is more then ordinary And speaking of Doctor Ridley one of the greatest of them pag. 53. you say he was a man of great learning as the times then were And shall our ripe witted times and more exact methods every way bow down to their dull forms and paterns Our heavenly Master the only Arch-bishop of our souls had intrusted them with two talents and they take it so traded faithfully and gained other two talents and shall not we who have five talents committed to us labour to be faithfull in a like proportion We have justly separated from the Church of Rome and have departed from her because she hath departed from the Word of God what she had remaining according to the Scriptures in doctrine or worship the Protestant Churches have retained and embraced not because it was reserved by her but because they saw it founded on the Word of God And Mr. Doctor England hath been numbred among the Protestant Churches and your title page tells of a history of the Reformation of the Church of England a Reformation of what but of the Idolatries Errors Heresies Superstitions and Corruptions it should be so which the pride avarice ambition of many of the blind Ring-leaders in the Romish Clergy had brought into it There are yet such things remaining in the worship and appendents to it in the Church of England for with the doctrine we meddle not the blood of the Martyrs shed in the defence of it alone by the Word of God hath washed away the Romish filth cast into it which are visibly seen and practised in the Romish Churches We have before named them but that you may know where our shoe wrings us and what are our just scruples We tell you again that the English Liturgy is tantum non the Romish Mass. Do not you tell us pag. 76. that King Edward tells his Popish Rebells It is indeed saith he somewhat altered and pag. 66. That the Translation of the Mass which used to be served up in Latine into English was the cause why the Romish party were offended with the Act confirming the Common-prayer book We say also The Ius divinum of Episcopacy i. e. Prelacy Bowing toward the Altar Bowing at the name of Jesus signing with the sign of the Cross holy Vestments Kneeling at the Sacrament these are found most evidently in the tents of Popery How come they then to be found in the Protestant Church of England Hath she received them from Scripture Where is any thing there that gives the least shadow Shew us good Dr. And therefore these are some dreggs of that disease and some reliques of those abominations which England was overwhelmed with in the times of Papacy which through a strong Zeal to these in some State-policy in others and a fear of giving offence to the Romish party at home and abroad in others of our State and Church Physicians have not to this day been purged out but suffered to remain But you will say it may be Mr. Doctor that the Apostles rule Let all things be done decently and in order will warrant all these things tending to decency and good order This is a rule of Natures teaching for the Apostle tells the Corinthians to whom he spake 1 Cor. 11. 13 14. Jugde in your selves Is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered doth not nature it self teach you that if a man have long Hair it is a shame unto him And in chap. 14. of the same Epistle where these words are ver 40. he taxeth some for over-priding themselves in their gifts not aiming at the Edification of the Church ver 5. and saith he ver 23. If the whole Church be come together in some place and all speak with tongues and there come in some that are unlearned or unbelievers will not they say that ye are mad And in ver 29 30. That the Prophets should speak but one at a time and the rest should hold their peace while any one speaketh And in ver 34 35. he gives order That women should not speak in the Church and saith It is a shame that is it is not decent as the speaking of many at once was not orderly for women to speak in the Church And then he concludes with a general rule founded in nature Let all things be done decently and in order ver 40. What is here Mr. Doctor to warrant any such things as are before mentioned which neither nature nor reason direct to but are taken up by the will and pleasure of men and receive their legitimacy not by any connaturalness to the worship of God but by forinsecall Canons and Constitutions Let us put the case thus Mr. Doctor Suppose you or some of the Prebends of Westminster should forsake your Cloyster and go down into the Countrey to some one of your Parsonages and coming among an ignorant and unlearned people should officiate the Liturgy after the Roman order and so turn the Common-Prayer into the Mass again Or suppose you should preach to them in Hebrew Greek or Latine which they understand not or suppose while you are preaching in the Abbey another of your fellow-Prebends puffed up with his knowledge and gifts should at the same time take upon him to stand up and speak together with you Or that women should usurp authority to speak or teach thinking they can speak more to the edification of the people then you or any of your Brethren in these cases this rule of the Apostle is to be prest and observed Let all things be done decently and in order for to remedy such unnaturall disorders and confusions the Apostle left it and your Zuinglian Gospellers are as much as your self for this decency in the church But you will reply Mr. Doctor These things though they be indifferent yet the Church having judged them meet and expedient to be used in the worship of God it becomes every man to observe them though they have not any express warrant in the Word there is nothing
other Honourable and Worshipful that are here that have or may have access unto her to put her in remembrance that her Grace will be mindful of the house of God and redress the greediness both of corrupt Patrons and of such who ingross and gather into their hands many livings being themselves the remnant do you see Doctor of the ignorant and persecuting Babylon and yet leave to take charge over the people blind Sir Johns not only lack Latin but lack honesty and lack conscience and lack Religion It would be a great furtherance to the Church of God Doctor commend the care of this to the Con vocation and a wonderful way to increase Schools and the Universities Now I come saith he to the manner of the building And what better way can be devised to restore Christs Church Doctor tell the Convocation so then that we see used by Christ himself when in any matter he was opposed by the Pharisees he calleth them back to the Scriptures so Iosias so Ezechias so Iosaphat reformed the Temple of God when it was polluted according to the pattern of the Scri ptures Wherefore the foundation of this building whereupon all the whole work must rest must be Christ and his holy World Whatsoever we see that they have done which were our latter Fathers before us that have destroyed Christs Church let us remember to do the contrary note Sir Their founda tion is ignorance let our foundation be Christ and the knowledge of Gods ' Word They build Gods Word upon the Church let us as Paul doth teach us build the Church on Gods Word Let us remember whatever they do or have done to do the contrary Consider this last passage Mr. Doctor you have little reason to find such fault with Sir Stephen as you call him page 93. part 1. or with other Reformers since who were desirous to be as contrary to Rome as the Word would warrant them if it were a peccancy of humour a right learned Prelate would not have advised to it This pretious Iewel sparkles once more concluding his Sermon with a sharp reproof and moving exhortation We are in love saith he with our own corruption and as the people saith we rejoyce when we have done wickedly we cannot abide to have our faults touched our pride is grown up as high as heaven and our covetousness is sunk as deep as hell our poor weak brethren be offended and think that these be the very fruits of Christs Gospel yet we can in no wise suffer to be reproved we say to the Preacher Peace and talk not to us in the Name of the Lord tell not us of the Scriptures tell not us of Christ of Peter and Paul We bid him speak us fair and bless those things that be accursed by Gods own mouth We say he is too busie he medleth with that he knoweth not Yes yes man he knoweth it well enough he knoweth that pride is pride that sin is sin and thou and thine own conscience knoweth it too if thou wouldst be known of it and this is extream misery that we are so far plunged in sin that we can neither abide our own faults nor yet the amending of them Are these the fruits of Gods Gospel Are these the fruits of the innocent blood that we see shed before our eyes Are these our tears for the sins we have committed Are these the thanks we render unto God for giving unto us so great blessings But what said I blessings would God we were so blessed that we might consider our blessedeness Many already bewray the weakness of their stomacks they brook not the Gospel yea they seem already weary of these Preachers they call them Pulpit-men of the Spirit and I know not what as though they themselves had nothing to do with Gods Spirit Ah merciful God and so this blessed Bishop goeth on most excellently and seasonably for our times In the following Sermon upon these words Psal. 69. 9. The zeal of thine house c. he hath these words All men ought to be patient and gentle in matters pertain ing to themselves but in Gods cause no man must yield or be patient where all along he presseth for a learned and Preaching ministry but not a word for the Common-Prayer He directs his speech to Queen Elizabeth Oh that your Grace did behold the miserable disorder of Gods Church where is your glorious reformation your goodly building Mr. Doctor or that you might foresee the calamities that will follow It is a part of your Kingdom and such a part as is the principal prop and stay of the rest I will say to your Majesty as Cyrillus sometimes said to the godly Emperor Theodosius and Valentinian Ab eâ quae erga deum est pietate reipublicae vestrae status pendet the good estate and welfare of your Commonwealth hangeth upon true godliness you are our Governor you are the nurse of Gods Church we must open this grief before you God knoweth if it may be redressed it hath grown so long and is run so far but if it may be redressed there is no other besides your Highness that can redress it I hope I speak truly that which I speak without flattery that God hath endued your Grace with such a measure of learning and knowledge as no other Christian Prince He hath given you peace happiness the love and true hearts of your Subjects Oh turn and employ these to the glory of God that God may confirm in your Grace the thing which he hath begun Let us follow him to his next Sermon on these words Mat. 9. 37 38. The harvest is great but the labourers are few c. He saith not the harvest is great and there are but few Scribes but few Pharisees but few Sadduces but few Priests but few Levites Their number was almost infinite I say not there be but few Cardinals few Bishops few Priests that should be Preachers not Common-prayer-book men Sir few Archdeacons few Chancellors few Deans few Prebendaries few Vicars few Parish Priests for the number of these is almost infinite Cardinals have Pillars and Poleaxes carried before them in token that they be Pillars and Stayes of the Church and Poleaxes to beat down all evil doctrine And what shall I speak of Bishops their cloven Miter signifieth the perfect knowledge of the Old Te stament and the New their Crosier staffe signifieth their diligence in attending the flock of Christ. Their purple Boots and Sandals signifie that they should be ever Booted and ready to go abroad thorow thick and thin to teach the Gospel not a word of the Liturgy or ordering of Churches or Ceremonies O lift up your eyes and consider how the hearts of your poor brethren lie wast without instruction had they not the Common-prayer without knowledge without the food of life without the comfort of Gods word such a misery as never was seen among the heathens where is your Primitive lustre