a sermon whether the Logicall and Dialecticall frame by which men contriue their matter in such and such a forme or that by the gift of the grace of God waying and searching and fitting togither many sentences they seeke out pleasant wordes euery right writing and faithfull wordes and so vtter in their doctrine integritie grauitie and the wholesome worde which can not be reproued If you meane the former then euerie declamation and formal oration in the schooles may be called sermons for these are framed of the meere witt of man if you meane this latter then we thinke you teach contrarie to our church the holy scriptures You say our sermons are not that stronge and forcible worde They saye it is an essentiall note of the true church to haue true preaching of the worde and namelie the preaching of the pure worde of GOD and that this hath such a force as no eloquence wisedome learning pollicie and power of the worlde can match You saye the witt of man giueth our sermons the verie being They say God sent his Apostles that the Preachers are the seede sowers and the seede is the worde of God and that this is done by the gift of the grace of God Heere we beseech you to shewe the iust harmonie of your wordes and theirs and therein to teach vs by sounde demonstration that a man can preach the pure worde of God by his owne naturall witt without a gift supernaturall of the spirit to giue him vtterance and to speak the word as he ought to speake If all that a man preach be the pure worde of God what derogation is it to call such a mans sermons or preachings the strong and forcible worde In euerie being there is as you schollers teach the matter and the forme and that which ioyneth these togither is the efficient Vnto which of these will you applie the witt of man if you say to the matter then our church is against you and sayeth it is the pure worde of God if to the forme as interpretation doctrine and exhortation then the holy scriptures doe tye vnto the gift of the spirit saying That wee haue diuers giftes as the gift of prophecie teaching exhortation and no scripture is of anie priuate interpretation If you make it the efficient then the scripture saith There are diuersities of giftes but the same spirit and there are diuersities of administrations but the same Lord and there are diuersities of operations but God is the same which worketh all in all No man can preach except he bee sente When he ascended he gaue giftes vnto men Here we pray you to teach vs how your speaches consent to these testimonies of our church and holy Scripture or may you not meane that the Sermons of manie nowe a dayes who in stead of the pure word of God doe most curiouslie bring into the pulpitt Poetts Philosophers Rhetoricians Phisitians Schoolemen and whatsoeuer either by finenesse of witt or helpe of arte they thinke may appeare fine smooth to their hearers and winne praise to them selues may you not meane I say that such our sermons haue their being of the meere witt of man or doe you thinke that the sermons of our Reuerend Fathers and more stayed diuines which are verie warie that in all their sermons whatsoeuer they speake may be the true sense of holie Scriptures and according to the proportion of faith seeing they agree not with the familie of Iesus Christ that is at Rome are not therefore the strong and forcible worde of God And heere we pray you to teach vs whether that all doctrine interpretatiō and exhortation which is truelie and meerelie the natural meaning of holy scripture be not the worde of God or that the word is onelie in the letter of the text as of Hebrewe and Greeke or if you will truelie translated and which of these hath the word of God he that alleadgeth the wordes as did the Tempter or he that alleadgeth the true meaninge as did our Saviour Christ Mat. 4. 6. 10. Lastlie shew vs that if all our sermons bee of the witt of man and none the stronge and forcible worde of God whether Romish Babilon may not chalendge our church to wante one essentiall marke as preaching the pure word of God And whether it be possible for the witt of man to giue beeing vnto that which is an essential marke of the church of God and of that which hath greater strength and authoritie then all eloquence wisedome learning policie and power of the worlde And lastlie open vnto vs whether that reverend Father did well who graunteth that the worde of God is not only in writing but in preaching in Coūsels or Doctors Because Christ saith Hee that heareth you heareth mee The Church of England affirmeth that It is not lawful for anie one to take to him selfe the office of preaching publikely or administring the Sacramentes in the church except hee be first lawfullie called and sente to doe these thinges And heerevpon our Reverend Fathers doe not only not defende nor vse anie reasons at all to prooue that women may baptize and therefore would not haue the booke of cōmon prayer touching baptisme in private to be vnderstood to permitt women to baptize but also cōnstantlie affirme that God and well ordered churches forbidd Women to dispence that holy misterie But you Mai. Hoo. haue another kinde of determinatiō where you say Ministeriall power is a marke of separation because it seuereth them that haue it from other men and maketh them a speciall order consecrated vnto the seruice of the most highest in thinges wherewith others may not medle And in another place There is an errour which beguileth many who much intangle both themselues and others by not distinguishing seruices offices and orders ecclesiasticall the first of which three in parte the seconde may be executed by the laytie whereas none haue or can haue the third but the cleargie From the whiche Cleargie you separate Catechistes Exorcistes Readers and Singers c. And in another place you seeme to mainteyne defende the practise of those churches which necessitie requiring allowe baptisme in private to be administred by Women affirming elswhere That diuers reformed churches doe both allow and defende that kinde of Baptisme Heere we desire to knowe what you meane by ministeriall power whether you take it actiuelie as that euerie minister or all Ministers haue power to make an order consecrated to the seruice of God or passiuelie that by their calling they are made to haue the authoritie and power of a Minister or that you vnderstand by it the formall cause of their ministerie by which they differ from al other orders or that you meane the holy vnction and character which the church of Rome giueth in their consecration of priesthoode And this wee desire because we finde our church and Reverend Fathers speaking like
persist They affirme and that constantlie that there is a general errour and defection of the church of Rome foreshewed in the scriptures and therefore cald them Apostataes and matched them with Atheistes seeing it is nowe made manifest to the world that they are departed from the doctrine of Christ his Apostles c. you call them backe and say we gladlie acknowledge them to be of the familie of Iesus Christ and to be helde and reputed a parte of the house of God and a limme of the visible church of Christ. And therefore you are bolde to affirme that we seuer not our selues from the church we were of before In the Church we were we are so still We are here in a streight except you helpe vs out For if we beleeue you we must thinke our reverend Fathers to haue misledd vs all this while either of malice or ignorance if wee beleeue them we must thinke that Mai. Hoo. is verie arrogant and presumptuous to make him self the onelie Rabbi We pray you therefore to reconcile these two iudgemēts that men fall not away to looke back into Egypt or else explane your minde further shew vs some cleere demonstration of that you intende whether you be not sorrie that wee are departed from the vnitie of that Sea or that you thinke they erre not in matters of faith that all these great disputes about the church and bloodie dissentions and conflicts come by ouersight and too great zeale and for want of knowledge in our Reverend Fathers in all those millions of learned men that haue franklie giuen their blood for the detection and departing from that church as from Antichrist and an Apostata And heere wee pray you to shew vs out of divine trueth your rule to discerne a Congregation to bee a member of the visible Church whether whosoeuer holdeth anie one professeth trueth differing from infidelitie may be reputed a member of the visible church and whether you meane by infidelitie nothing els but that which is not taught by the gospell of Iesus Christ and they which holde anie part of that which you call supernaturall trueth that is as we take it of that trueth which men know no otherwise but by the worde of God they are not fallen into an Apostasie c. And heere we craue your iudgement of the Turke how your rule fitteth them For as wee thinke by reading his Alcoran hee holdeth some mayne pointes of christian trueth as namelie these There is one God and that he created all things without labour or wearines and that he preserueth the things created faith is giuen and augmented of God He forbiddeth the adoring of saintes and images affirmeth God to hate and abhorre the arte of Magicke and teacheth the resurrection of all men from the dead Shewe vs now whether the Turke be not of the familie of IESVS Christ. Lastlie we pray you to open vnto vs that seeing you saye the church of Rome is the house of God whether a man continuing in that house and neuer comming out to holde the true beleefe of Christ as we doe in England but renouncing and persecuting it to the death whether such a one may be saued if yea why need we seuer our selues to so great trouble from her grosse and grieuous abhominations if they bee not such as can extinguish our faith to our destruction If no why doe you not ioyne with our Reverend Fathers to abandon that house where there is no saluation Of Gods house it is said It is the grounde pillar of trueth The habitation of God by his spirit and the glorious rest of Christ. In which God loueth to dwell and wherin he hath delight and the same hee will blesse in victualles Priestes and Saintes So that such as be planted in that house shal florish in the courts of our God they shall still bring forth fruite in their age c. Shew vs wee pray you whether these thinges may bee applied to the church of Rome rightlie and essentiallie and what comfort wee may haue by departing from her communion if shee be a parte of the house of God c. and these things we pray you to averre not by humane witnesse but by that which commeth down frō heauen So did Elias Againe out of this article ariseth another noe smal scruple where our church constantlie affirmeth that The visible church is that cōgregation of faithfull people wherein the pure worde of God is preached Wherevpon the Reuerend Fathers of our church publickely teach that The true preaching of the word is an essential note of the church For which cause they interpret the parable of the seede in this sorte God is the husbandman the Preachers of the worde are the seede sowers the seede is the worde of God the grounde is the hearts of men c. And Therefore Christ did sende his Apostles to preach the Gospell that thereby they might be brought to the beleefe of the Church And To this preaching he annexed such force of his holie spirit that it had greater strength and authoritie then all the eloquence then all the wisedome then all the learning then al the pollicie and power of the worlde and that not onely in the Apostles but also in the Preachers who haue restored the pure light of the Gospell in these latter dayes euen in those countries whose Princes and people were professed aduersaries therof vnto which accordeth the holy scriptures calling this preaching A gifte of the grace of God to admonishe euery man and to teach euery man in all wisedome that wee may present euery man perfect in Christ Jesus Which thinges maketh vs much to muse what you meane where you say Sith speach is the verie image whereby the minde and soule of the speaker conveyeth it selfe into the bosome of him that heareth We can not chuse but see great reason wherefore the worde that proceedeth from God who is in him selfe very trueth and life should be as the Apostle to the Hebrewes noteth liuelie and mightie in operation sharper then any two edged sworde Now if in this and the like places we did conceaue that our owne sermons are that strong and forcible worde should we not euen heereby imparte euen the most peculiar glorie of the worde of God vnto that which is not his worde For touching our sermons that whiche giueth them their verie being is the will of man and therefore they oftentimes accordinglie taste too much of that ouercorrupt fountaine from which they come Heere Mai. Hoo. we are hampered with your words because they seeme to vs contrarie to the iudgement of our church We therefore desire you hartilie to resolue vs what you meane in this place by sermons whether it be not all one with that our Fathers call preaching of the word consisting in teaching and exhorting by the worde of God secondlie what you meane by the being of
to holy scripture to vse plaine good and sensible termes to note out the difference of a ministers estate from other mens and yours seemeth to carie another kinde of stile more befitting the glorie of the Romish character then the simplicitie of our ministerie Our church saieth they must bee called that preach publicklie you say a Catechist or whom wee finde in aūcient time to haue bene such as Clemens and Origine in Alexandria as to whom the people came to heare the preaching of the word of God is none of the order of the Cleargie meaning as wee think without this ministeriall power We pray you thē to shew vs whether you meane by ministeriall power Cleargie or order that which our church meaneth by calling if you doe then we see not how you and they agree that you allow a Catechist which is an office to preach the worde which is not of the Ecclesiasticall order and as we say hath no calling therevnto and our church saieth that it is not lawfull c. Againe our Church saieth that it is not lawfull to administer the Sacramentes without that calling and that God and well ordered Churches forbidd Women to baptize you as wee thinke contrarie to our church maintaine such churches as allow the private baptisme by Women in case of necessitie and you saye diuers reformed churches allow and defende such baptisme Heere wee intreate you to declare the agreement of these sayings and whether because you say that the speciall order you speake of is consecrated vnto the seruice of the highest in thinges wherewith others may not medle your meaning be that lay people in case of necessitie may medle with those thinges which our church saieth is not lawfull without calling or that because you would haue the ministeriall power to be a marke and character you giue libertie to preaching baptizing as to certaine seruices and that the character and indeleble order hath nothing to it selfe peculiar but the making of the body of Christ in the Sacrament and offering him vp in sacrifice to his Father that the laitie women and catechist may not medle with that And heere wee desire to vnderstande whence you fett that worthie distinction the ignorance whereof beguileth manie and that you would declare the same by holy scripture bring vs one pregnant proofe to shew the errour of our church in affirming preaching and ministring without calling to bee vnlawfull or else declare the exception either by scripture or by some order or interpretation published by our church or some of our Reuerend Fathers which also may haue their harmonie with the sayings of the Reuerend Fathers by vs before rehearsed And lastlie whether that you in these three places are not cōtrarie to your self or that you make not a deluding proposition which contayneth a generall prohibition without limitation which yet is not generall but must haue exception And if you place Readers as distinct from cleargie what may we thinke you esteeme of our reading ministers are they no cleargie men It is an Article of our faith that The Sacramentes instituted of Christ are not onely markes of christian profession but rather certayne testimonies and effectuall signes of grace and of the good will of God towards vs by which hee doeth worke invisiblie in vs and doeth not onelie stirre vp but also confirme our faith towardes him selfe Which by the reverend Fathers of our Church is interpreted thus Sacraments are visible wordes seales of righteousnes and tokens of grace The soule of man not the creature of bread or water receaue the grace of God c. The grace of God is not in the visible signes but in the soule The substance of all Sacramentes is the worde of God which S t Paule calleth verbum reconciliationis the worde of Attonement this worde is the instrument of remissiō of sinne The Sacraments are the seales affixed vnto the same the Priest is the meane And speaking of all the faithfull to bee one bodye all endewed with one spirit they further say This marvelous coniunction and incorporation is first begonne and wrought by faith c. Afterward the same corporation is assured vnto vs and increased in our baptisme c. And for that we are verie vnperfect of our selues and therefore must dailie proceede forwarde that we may grow vnto a perfect man in Christ Therfore hath God appointed that the same incorporation should bee often renewed and confirmed in vs by the vse of the holy misteries wherein must bee considered that the said holie misteries doe not beginne but rather continue confirme this incorporation Heere wee demaunde howe it may appeare vnto vs that you broach not a new doctrine diuers and cōtrarie to our beleefe in Englande When you say that The Sacramentes chiefest force and virtue consisteth in this that they are heauenlie ceremonies which God hath sanctified and ordayned to be administred in his church First as markes to know when God doeth imparte the vitall or sauing grace of Christ vnto all that are capable thereof And secondlie as meanes conditionall which God requireth in them vnto whom he imparteth grace And in another place It is a braunch of beleefe that Sacramentes are in their place no lesse required then beleefe it selfe For when our Lord Saviour promiseth eternall life is it any otherwise then as hee promised restitution of health vnto Naaman the Sirian namely with this condition washe and be cleane And in another place you say that both the Worde and Sacraments haue generatiue force and virtue By which your wordes we are greatlie amazed that our Church hath left out in her creede and the Reverend Fathers haue not taught vs that which is as you say the chiefest force and virtue of the Sacraments Where finde you that God ordained the Sacramentes to tell vs when God giueth grace and that they are meanes conditionall and as necessarie as faith Teach vs we pray you by holy scripture these three chief virtues of the Sacraments The furthest that they say as we gather is to make them seales of assurance by which the spirit worketh invisiblie to strengthen our faith and they seeme to square their faith by holy scripture which propoūdeth Abraham to be an example of the true way of iustifying a paterne to all the children of God namelie that he was first iustified by faith and after receaued the Sacrament as a signe to bee a seale of the righteousnesse of his faith Shew therefore whether we ought not to goe further then our church or holy scripture vnlesse we will leaue out the cheefest virtue of the Sacramentes Moreouer they say the grace of God is not in the visible signes you say they are meanes cōdicionall they say that grace which they cal this marvelous coniunction and incorporation is first begon and wrought by faith and afterwarde is assured and increased by the Sacramentes you say
the sacraments haue the generatiue force and virtue as well as the worde They say that the substance of all Sacramentes is the worde c. and that the Sacraments are the seales affixed to the same which being borowed frō the Apostle out of the former recited place Rom. 4. doeth argue that the necessitie of the sacraments is not comparable to that of faith For by this he proueth Abraham to be iustified by faith without workes because he first was iustified by faith before he receaued the Sacrament and that the Sacrament was but a signe and seale of his faith so that he excludeth the Sacrament as it is a worke and as you call it a morall instrument of salvation from all copertenership with faith in the matter of iustification You make it a meanes condicionall and no lesse required then faith it selfe and of as absolute necessitie as that to Naaman wash and be cleane These things good Mai. Hoo. we can not reconcile and therefore we are sutors vnto you to ayde vs in the same and to make your minde to appeare not to ouerturne the fayth of our church and heerein to tell vs where you finde that the grace of God is tyed to anie time as namelie the time of the Sacramentes or whether the Sacramentes teach vs some other time and whether the cōdition of Sacraments make not for the additament of workes vnto fayth in that which the English church holdeth to bee onelie properlie of faith And lastly whether such speaches be not meerelie popish accursed mixture of humane follie giuing a further grace to the blessed Sacraments then God hath ordayned and heerein explane vnto vs whether a man dying without faith yet receaueth the Sacraments can be saued or that a man hauing faith neuer any sacrament may not be saued or whether anie cā be saued if the condition of salvation be the vpright and perfect performance of all moral dueties which God requireth expreslie in his word The Church of England affirmeth that By the malice of wicked mē which are ouer the administratiō of the Sacraments the effect of the things ordayned by Christ is not taken away or the grace of Gods giftes diminished as touching them which receaue by faith and orderlie the things offered vnto them which for the institution of Christ and his promise are effectuall although they be administred by euill men Wherevpon the Reverend Fathers define a Sacrament to bee A reverend and holy misterie ordayned of God wherein hee by his holy worde and promise doth both stirre vp practise the faith of his people and by the operation of the holy ghost increase his grace in them c. And of the intention of the church they say This is the verie dungeon of incertaintie The heart of mā is vnsearcheable if we stay vppon the intention of a mortall man we may stande in doubt of our own baptisme You seeme to speake otherwise where you say Wee must note that in as much as Sacraments are actions religious and mistical which nature they haue not vnlesse they proceed frō a serious meaning and what euerie mans priuate minde is as we can not know so neither are we bounde to examine therefore alwayes in these cases the knowen intent of the church generally doeth suffice and where the contrarie is not manifest we must presume that he which outwardlie doeth the worke hath inwardlie the purpose of the church of God Heere we desire to be instructed how these two opinions can stande togither The one which sayeth the Sacraments are effectuall through the institution of Christ and his promise the other which tyeth it to the good meaninge of the Priest or of the Church Againe the one saieth the intention of the Church is the verie dungeon of incertaintie to make vs doubt of our Baptisme the other that the Sacraments haue not the nature to be religious and misticall without a serious meaning that is the intent of the church These things we pray you to reconcile and therewithall to shew vs howe the intent of the church can giue them their nature to be actions religious misticall and yet our reverend Fathers say they bee holy misteries ordayned of God Resolue therefore whether the virtue of the sacrament depende vpon the institution and promise of God or vpon the good meaning of the Priest or of the Church or vpon both and whether they cannot haue the nature of religious actions and misticall without the intent of the Priest or of the Church and so whether the church may ordaine a misterie or that the misteries ordained of GOD haue not their nature and forme with the presupposed intent of the Church Whether God in ordayning these misteries were holpē by the serious meaning of the church or did except that they should not bee misteries without the liking and allowing of the church by their good meaning And lastlie whether your assertion be not meere poperie a humane invention and an inducement vnto that which is called fides implicita that it should suffice a man to beleeue as the church beleeueth c. And herewithall shew vs what comforte we can haue in the vse of the Sacramentes if they can not be actions religious and misticall vnlesse they proceede from the intent and purpose of the church beeing as our Reverend Fathers esteeme the verie dungeon of vncertaintie The Church of Englande professeth That Baptisme is a signe of regeneration by whiche as by an instrument they which rightlie receaue baptisme are ingrafted into the Church the promises of remission of sinnes and of our adoption to bee the children of God by the holy spirit are visibly sealed our faith is confirmed and by the force of the calling vpon the name of God grace is increased Which the Reverend Fathers of our church doe expound in this sense The children of the faithful are borne holy and notwithstanding by nature they be the children of anger yet by Gods free election they be pure holy This is Saint Paules vndoubted doctrine which notwithstāding he neuer despised the Sacraments of Christ. And that A man may stande in the state of saluation out of all daunger of damnation before he be baptized And the contrarie to this they call fearfull doctrine injurious to thousands of poore infants blasphemous against the bottomlesse mercie of a sweet and tender Father who hath saide I will be thy God and thy childes not adding anie condition of baptisme if it can not be had as it ought and heerevpon they affirme that Sacraments make not the couenantes but only seale them and that God hath not thus inthralled his grace that there is such necessitie that either women or all sortes of persons should dispense the holy misteries to the ende that no poore creature might be cast away for wante of it nor taught his church in his worde but quite contrarie as we see by
the assenting of the people with no lesse alacritie of minde then cities vnable to holde outlonger Are these anie other but bitter skornes and despitefull fictions And to omitt many things because this is a personall cause we doe most hartilie begge at your handes to aunswere vs truelie and faithfullie whether you thinke Maister Calvin to haue bene an honest truehearted christian fearing God and not an imposter and a deceaver of the people or at the least you would haue men so to esteeme of him For howe can wee otherwise coniecture in that you blame him more for the countenancing of discipline beeing established then for establishing of it affirming with no small incitements of cunning insinuations that because hee by wisedome and not by the word of God saw that discipline requisite for that people hee imployed all his witt by sifting the very vtmost sentence and sillable of holy Scripture to confirme the same and not to omit the leaste occasion in all his writinges following of extolling the vse and singular necessitie thereof If wee may thus iudge of his faithfulnesse in promoting of discipline what may wee suspect of his sincere dealing in the doctrine About rites as the ministring with common bread you acknowledge that he would not stande with the Church to make trouble for a thinge indifferent and why if he were a good man should we thinke that hee would professe it to bee trayterous cowardlines not to dye a hundred times rather then to suffer that to bee wickedly borne downe which hee very well knew to bee taken out of the word of God Can you so farre make manifest eyther by good and iust presumptions or by playne and true storie his deepe hipocrisie and arrogant pride that euen against his owne conscience hee woulde so earnestly striue and trouble the whole Church to maintaine a deuise of his owne Wee pray you therefore to shewe vs sincerelie whether such insinuations bee charitable and whether if you bee a friend to the Gospell you make not a greater rent in Gods Church by such arguments then if you medled not at all in the matter but left it to men of more stayde and sounde discretion and of a more charitable and peaceable spirite For if such bolde and bare affirmations may goe for payment why may wee not as well heare and beleeue Maister Harding which calles all the whole and pure doctrine beleeued and professed in England A wicked new deuise of Geneva We desire you therfore in the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ who shall iudge all men at his cōming and make manifest the intents thoughts of the heart to shew vnto vs without all artificiall glozing whether all this your treatise of Calvin be not polished armour and a sharper rasor prepared for the vse and helpe of the enemies of the Gospell and that it may not rather bee called a preiudiciall commentarie and a Popish paraphrase then a storie true plaine and without partialitie and that men haue not iust cause to thinke the better of Maister Calvin and the cause of discipline when they see so litle plaine and faithfull dealing in your writing Reade therefore his preface before his comment on the Psalmes and Beza his storie of his life and the French or any other stories or monuments of faithfull honest Christians and then aunswere faithfully the trueth and shewe your honest meaning Our reverend Fathers converting their studies frō schoole authors vnto the holy scriptures and causing others to do the like brought many to be well seene in divinite and themselues and others well affected in Religion and therefore constantlie affirme that The heauenly doctrine of our Sauiour Christ was so buried in the darkenesse of schoole-learning that no man tasted the sweetnes of it which to be true that worthy man Martin Luther through Gods goodnes to his Church finding by great experience in him selfe and others is bolde to say Theologia illa scholastica exulem nobis fecit veram sincer am theologiam That schoole diuinitie hath banished from vs the true sincere divinitie And againe Totus Aristoteles ad Theologiam est tenebra ad lucem All Aristotle vnto divinitie is darkenes vnto light Now in all your bookes although we finde manie good things many truethes and fine pointes bravelie handled yet in all your discourse for the most parte Aristotle the patriarch of Philosophers with divers other humane writers and the ingenuous schoolemen almost in all pointes haue some finger Reason is highlie sett vp against holie scripture and reading against preaching the church of Rome favourablie admitted to bee of the house of God Calvin with the reformed churches full of faults most of all they which indeuoured to be most removed from conformitie with the church of Rome Almost all the principall pointes of our English creede greatlie shaken and contradicted If you doe not sincerelie plainelie and truelie aunswere all these our necessarie doubtes and demandes what shall we haue cause to thinke of these your tedious and laborious writinges Shall wee doe you wronge to suspect you as a privie and subtill enemie to the whole state of the Englishe Church and that would haue men to deeme her Maiestie to haue done ill in abolishing the Romish religion and banishing the Popes authoritie and that you would bee glad to see the backesliding of all reformed churches to bee made conformable to that wicked synagogue of Rome and shame and reproche to all faithfull Ministers whom GOD hath raysed vp to reveale and beate downe Antichrist and that you esteeme the preaching and writing of all the Reverend Fathers of our Church and the bookes of holy scripture to bee at the least of no greater moment then Aristotle and the Schoolemen Or else doe you meane to bring in a confusion of all thinges to reconcile heauen and earth and to make all religions equall Will you bring vs to Atheisme or to Poperie or to prepare a plott for an Interim that our streetes may runne with blood when all religious shalbee tollerated and one shall bearde and provoke another Are there not examples sufficient of vnspeakeable massacres abroade vnlesse wee should fett the same home to our countrie reioycing vnder the blessed vnitie of the Gospell of peace Thinke you that the longe experience of Gods protection in these golden dayes of quiet concorde the religious and peaceable heart of our deare soueraigne Ladie and Queene ELIZABETH for whose ioyful preservation all good and christian minded English men doe vnceasantlie pray and the thousandes of faithfull subiectes who haue learned Christ vnder the shadowe of her most happie and honorable reigne would euer giue you thankes for such great service or euer agree vnto such abhominations if they should once beginne to espie such stratagemicall operations to appeare in their effectes and to shewe them selues directlie and openlie We beseech you therefore in the Name of IESVS Christ and as you will aunswere
faith professed by the English church is this There is one true and living God c. And Although we acknowledge the three persons to be God and Lord yet the Godhead of the Father and the Sonne is all one c. Here we craue of you Maister Hoo. to explaine your owne meaninge where you saye The Father alone is originallie that Deitie which Christ originallie is not Howe the Godhead of the Father and of the Sonne be all one and yet originallie not the same Deitie And then teach vs how farre this differeth from the heresie of Arius who sayeth of God the Sonne There was when he was not who yet graunteth that he was before all creatures of thinges which were not Whether such wordes weaken not the eternitie of the Sonne in the opiniō of the simple or at the least make the Sōne inferior to the Father in respect of the Godhead or els teach the ignorant there be many Gods Another foundation of our beleef The Sonne is the Worde of the Father from euerlasting begotten of the Father c. and the holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Sonne Where we holde the coeternitie of the Sonne with the Father by expresse litterall mētion in the Scriptures found in these wordes The Lord hath possessed me in the beginning of his way c. And agayne In the beginning was the Worde and the Worde was with God and the Worde was God c. And againe Glorifie mee thou Father with thine own selfe with the glorie which I had with thee before the world was And we holde the proceeding of the holy Ghost from the Father and the Sonne by like expresse wordes of holy scripture namelie When the Comforter shall come whom I will send vnto you from the Father euen the spirit of trueth which proceedeth of the Father c. Shew we pray you your full meaning where you say The coeternitie of the Sonne of God with his Father and the proceeding of the spirit from the Father and the Sonne are in scripture no where to be found by expresse litterall mention Whether there bee not expresse litterall mention of these two pointes in the former alleadged places and whether such maner of speeches may not worke a scruple in the weak christian to doubt of these articles or at the least so vnderproppe the popish traditions that menne may the rather fauour their allegations when they see vs fayne to borrow of them The Church of Englande professeth Holye Scripture contayneth all things which are necessarie to saluation so that whatsoeuer is neither read in it neither can be proued thereby is not to be exacted of any man that it should bee beleeued as an article of faith or should be thought to be required vnto the necessitie of saluation You on the other side saye In actions of this kinde speaking of direct immediate and proper necessitie final to saluation our chiefest direction is from scripture and agayne The insufficiencie of the light of nature is by the light of scripture fullie and perfectlie supplied And in another place It sufficeth that nature and scripture doe serue in such full sorte that they both iointlie and not seuerallie eyther of them be so compleate that vnto euerlasting felicitie we need not the knowledge of anie thing more then these two c. Where you seeme vnto vs that although you exclude traditions as a part of supernaturall trueth yet you infer that the light of nature teacheth some knowledge naturall whiche is necessarie to saluation and that the Scripture is a supplement and making perfect of that knowledge Which being cōpared vnto pag. 127. where you affirme that the wante of moral vertues exclude from saluation And pag. 82. where you make faith hope charitie to be taught only by supernatural trueth It seemeth to vs that naturall light teaching morall virtues teacheth thinges necessarie to saluation whiche yet is not perfect without that which supernaturall knowledge in holy Scripture reveileth Heere wee pray you to explane your owne meaning whether you thinke that there be anie naturall light teaching knowledge of things necessarie to saluation which knowledge is not contayned in holy scripture if you thinke no How then say you before Not the scripture severallie but nature and scripture iointlie be compleate vnto euerlasting felicitie If you say yea how then agree you with the beleef of our Church which affirmeth that holy scripture contayneth all thinges necessarie to salvation And here we pray you to shew vs whether nature reach anie thing touchinge Christ whether without or beside him any thing be necessarie whether that in him we be not copleate Lastlie whether you meane that the knowledge of humane wisedome concerning God haue anie thinge not expressed in Scripture or that morall virtues are any where rightlie taught but in holy scriptu or that whersoeuer they be taught they be of such necessitie that the wante of them exclude from salvation and what scripture approueth such a saying or that cases and matters of salvation bee determinable by any other lawe then of holy scripture And then tell vs howe you vnderstande these places following and howe they agree with this your position of the light of nature and morall virtues A man is iustified by faith without the workes of the law Neither is there salvation in anie other For there is no other name which is giuen vnder heauen amongst men by which we must be saued The naturall man perceaueth not the thinges of the spirit of God for they are foolishnes vnto him c. Except a man be borne againe hee can not see the kingdome of God The Reverend Fathers of our church to avouch our forsaking of the Antichristian sinagogue of Rome cleauing to the scriptures of God doe so farre make the iudgement of the scriptures aboue the Church that with the auncient Fathers they say In time of dissention it is most behoofefull for the people to haue recourse vnto the scriptures and that wee may in no wise beleeue the Churches them selues vnlesse they say and doe such thinges as bee agreeable to the Scriptures The triall of scriptures is necessarie to discerne the true church from all false congregations which all boast of the spirit of trueth as much as the true church And Only scriptures are a sufficient warrand to euery Christian to trie what is the word of God and what is the worde of man c. But you Maist. Hoo. doe saye It is not the worde of God which doeth or possiblie can assure vs that we doe well to thinke it is his worde And againe By experience we all know that the first outwarde motiue leading men so to esteeme of the scripture is the authoritie of Gods Church And a litle before Scripture teacheth vs that sauing trueth which God hath discouered to
base and meane persons that on them onely so mightie a man should spend his sharpe arrowes and coales of Iuniper but you will passe ouer the Seas and search the sepulchers of the straungers and finding no man aliue worthie your combat you call Maister Calvin out of his sweete bedd of rest and him that is entred into peace you chalendge againe into the fielde Will no man fitt you but he that was as you brauely affirme incōparably the wisest mā that euer the French church did enioy since the hower it did enioy him to whom thousands were debters and who for his exceeding paynes in composinge the institutions of Christian Religion exposition of holy scripture gayned the advantage of preiudice against all gainsayers following him and of glorie aboue all that consented to him How vnlike are you vnto that great mightie Goliah who defied the whole Host of God and made challenge of a man out of them all he was so proude that he demanded but chose not he sought for one that was aliue and vaunted not him selfe ouer one that was dead And heere wee most instantlie beseech you whether your weapons be the wordes of righteousnesse and the faithfull penne of trueth Where learned you and howe proove you that Mai. Calvin was the founder of discipline And herein declare vnto vs what moued that Reverend and learned man Mai. D. Whitgeeft to spende so manie leaues to shewe that the partes of Discipline might be altered by the civill Magistrate as seruing more fitlie for the Apostles time and the time of persecution then for vs hauing the Magistrate to friende and liuing in peace and quietnes If Maister Caluin as the true storie reporteth obtayned the consent of the townes men of Geneva not onelie by demonstration out of the holy scriptures but also by shewing the minde of verie learned men of his age out of their writings as of Oecolampadius Swinglius Suychius Philip Bucer Capito and Miconius who was the founder of the discipline Where had these notable men their iudgement Did he teach them or write before them Was it not one founder euen the Lorde Christe the author and builder of his Church who raised vp diuers men in diuers places and taught them by the same spirit out of the same holie scripture the same doctrine and commaundement of trueth and righteousnes Shew vs also we pray you before our God which searcheth the heart whether we haue not iust cause to iudge that in penning this storie you make of Calvin your purpose were not to deceaue your reader by an artificiall entwining of some part of the trueth with the hollow glittering threed of your owne wittie coniectures and peremptorie censures as namelie when you beginne to tell of the repentance of the people of Genevah irefullie champing vpon the bitt you suddenlie fall into a discourse of the rising vp of those reformed churches you besprinckle them with likelihood of desire of glorie of their owne enterprises you blame thē that in that troublesome time they wanted common cōference and that afterwardes least they should derogate from their credite they became euer after resolute to maintayne that whiche they had done and so leauing the churches all bespotted with leuitie and selfepride and eased of all conscience and honestie you closelie thrust in Calvin with this worde therefore that he and his associates as parteners of the same selfe weening stiffelie refusing to administer the holie Communion were banished the towne After speaking of his restoring and reestablishing of Discipline you haue in one place Many things might lead them c. And in other place He rightelie considered c. This devise I see not howe the wisest c. And again This sorte it may be c. Therefore we pray you to teach vs how such might lead may bees such entring into his thought and crosse commending that for his divise which he simply propounded as out of the Scriptures of God may not drop into your readers heart such vnheeded impressions as may make him highly admire R. H. great grauitie and iudicious wisedome and J. Caluins carnall pollicie fine hipocrisie and peremptorie follie We beseech you also helpe vs in these things following First the true storie saith Many being at the first gently admonished for many vnworthy acts and for old enmitie among the chiefe families and the stubberne being more sharpely reproued the citie was diuided by the faction of certayne priuate men Farellus and Calvin with Coraldus openly protested that they could not orderly celebrate the Lordes Supper vnto men so much at discorde At which time also betwixt the Church at Barne and Genevah was difference in certayne rites which while they were aboute to sett in order by a Synod summoned for that purpose the chief Magistrates for that yeare of Genevah being the Captaynes of the factions and discorde assembling the people brought the matter to this ende that these three faithfull seruants of God were commanded to depart the towne within two dayes And when these Officers like vnto filthy froth were cast out the one accused of seditiō going about to escape through a window falling downe headlong by the pease of his bodie was so hurte that within few dayes hee dyed another for murther was put to death and the two other being accused for ill gouern ment in a certaine embassage forsooke the cuntrie and were condemned being absent the Citie then began to seeke againe for their Farellus and Calvin You say when these things began to bee put in vre the people began to repent them of that they had done the rather for that they grew by meanes of this innovation into dislike with some Churches neere about them c. and so Calvin and his associates as is afore said were banished and that after the places of one or two of their Ministers beeing fallen voyde they are importunate to obtayne Calvin agayne and that they were content the other two should enioy their exile The contradiction of these two stories we pray you to reconcile eyther by the 24. epist. which you cite or by anie true narration whatsoeuer First shew vs that the dislike of other churches was for discipline and that for that dislike the towne was the rather mooued against Calvin And whether rather these churches did not make intercession by the decree of a Synode for Calvin to the Genevians Secondlie whether those Sindickes being wicked and taken away by the righteous iudgments of almightie God the people were not made free from the former factions and whether that thervpon the Lord moouing their mindes they remembred not the iniuries done to those two good Pastors And shewe vs by cleare demonstration they sought not as well for Farellus as for Calvin And heere also without your helpe wee knowe not what construction to make of your descanting on the Ministers assuring Calvin of their allegeance his returning as it had bene another Tullie and