retaynid in a reformed Church saith Certe vt nulla est prorsus Christi Belial conuentio ita syncere Christiani nihil penitus ferre poterunt Antichristi Certaynlie as the are is vtterlie no agrement of Christ Belial so syncere Christians can abide nothing at all of Antichrist The examiner The fourth foundation or grounde that you lay is That you must needes cast away aÌ„d forsake all those thinges as haue ben brought into the Church besides or coÌ„trary to the Scripture This platte you enlarge with a dosen seuerall sentences all which paynes you myght well haue saued yf you had not mynded to hane ben bytyng and snappyng by the way at your superiours This trueth all faithfull Christians confirme with you That coÌ„cerning faith and doctrine concerning remission of sinnes and eternal saluation nothing ought to be taught or receyued which is contrary or not grounded in the Canonicall Scriptures 2. Tim. 3 For holy writ geuen by the inspiration of God is not only a lyght to our feete as Dauid saith Psal 119. but also so profitable that thereby the man of God maye be absolute being made perfecte vnto all good workes as Sainct Paule testifieth And though hit be most true touchyng the substance of Christian religion yet the maner and order of setting of it foorth is not particulary expressed 1. Cor. 14 but generally left to the disposition of Christes Churche from time to time accordiÌ„ng to those wordes of Saint Paule ¶ Let all thinges be donne comely and orderly wherein whatsoeuer shal be lawfully done to those purposes is not to be iudged beside the Scriptures The Aunsuuerer It wear follie to striue whith you in vaine wordes and malicious construing yow will nedes haue the victorie The scripture yow wil haue perfect onelie thouching substans of Christian religion The maner order of setting it forth is not particularie expressed But left generallie to the disposition of the church wee graunt but so that this disposition is barred in whith manye condicions that nothing superfluus or superstitious be brought in nothing offensiue be decreed all thinges be order lie and directlie apoyncted and that for edifing which condicions seing they want in your pretensed orders wee must nedes saye ar they beside the scripture The examiner As fro example Fasting is commaunded in Gods worde But what dayes we shoulde fast Aug. Epist 86 or what daâ—es we shoulde not being not there determined yf the Christian Churche decree it is not besydes the Scripture The ministring of Baptisme the Lordes super is commaunded in Gods worde But what dayes what tymes what places in what coÌ„panye with what prayers before and after yf the Christian Churche decree it is not besides the Scriptures And accordyng to this Sainct Augustine wryteth touching the receuyng of the Sacrament of the body bloud of Christ fasting in the mornyng Epist 118. Saluator ideo non praecepit quo dein ceps ordine sumeretur vt Apostolis per quos Ecclesias dispositurus erat seruaret hunc locum Our Sauiour therfore hath not coÌ„maunded in what order the Sacrament shoulde be afterwarde receyued because he myght reserue this place to his Apostoles by whom he woulde order the Churches Thus also the preachyng of the Go spell is commaunded in Gods worde but howe to do this office in Pulpit or otherwayes in morninglor after noone and so forth yf the Christian Churche decree it is not besides the scripture The lyke may be sayde concerning lawes politike of Princes affayres and traffike betwixt man man whose groundes and rules are in Gods worde and yet the particular circumstaunces in practising them beyng diuers in sundry Countreys according to the iudgement of magistrates are not besides scriptures when al those diuersities haue Gods worde for theyr generall rule and ende The aunsuerer So supersticion be awaye other condicioÌ„s obserued a lawe may be made off fasting prouided all wais that by no humaine constitution whichis besidethe word off god meÌ„s coÌ„scieÌ„cis be eÌ„taÌ„gled which werecoÌ„trarie to the word of god RemeÌ„bre what August writith of the fast of the Maniches which you maye se in the beginiÌ„g of this boke wherbie wee gather this general rule alwais iÌ„ this coÌ„trouersie to bemarkid that no Ceremonie is to be borowed of the aduersarie Homel pri ieun Iud And also coÌ„sidere the sayning of Chrysostome conserninge the fast of the Iewes Tel not me saith he they fast but shew me that they fast according to the will of god which if they do not then is their fast more wicked then anye dronkennes Likewise for ministriÌ„g the Sacraments order may be taken by the curch so it be most to edification according to the time place and compagnie Touching the tradicion of the Apostles that it is necessarie to receue the Communion ffasting if yow dare defend it by sainct Augustins authoritye yow maie wee suppose yow will not defend all the doctrine that was commonlie receiued in his time by him thaught much lesse all rites ceremonies To be short the scripture hath lefl nothing so free or in different to mans lawes but it must agree with those generalle condicions before rehersed such like The Examiner And blessed be God our times are here suche Deut. 24 that no man in our Churches presumeth to adde to Gods word as acknowledging the perfitnes therof to our saluation And that our gouernours in the feare of God Rom. 15 eschewe Saules disobedience and by righteous clemencie flee the tirannie of Reboam and through the direction of Gods spirite walke zelously in the pathes of Godly Ezechias in all those thinges whiche they finde wrytteÌ„ in the boke of godes lawe to appertayne to his true seruice aÌ„d worship not so much weyghiÌ„g the displeasures of worldly potentates as the curses that the most mightie God powreth vpon all suche as truely and sincerely regarde not his religioÌ„ and glory The Aunsuuerer Wee giue thankes to god for our good gouerners desiering him to encresse in them those god qualities which yow commend the perfect obediens of Dauid to hate the verie name of Idolls the righteous clemencie of Salamon to maintaine the godlie and punish the wicked the godlie zeale of Ezechias to breake the brasen serpeÌ„t and doe all thing accordiÌ„g to the precise rulees of godes word The examiner And blessed be the name of the Lorde for euer that hath stirred vp such Bishops and preachers among vs whiche neyther haue nor do flatter Princes to set vp their pleasures aboue the will and commaundement of God though some surmise the coÌ„trary As Audiani Epi. lib. 3 Tom prim certaine sectaries lay de to the Fathers charge of Nicaene couÌ„ sell that they tooke an order in the troublesome dissention for keping Easter day to please and flatter Constantine the Emperour whereas they did it vpon iust consideration and to auoyde scisme The aunsuuerer God be praysed for allgood Bishoppes and preachers
malice and vncharitablenes interpret all things as yow thinke best yow say wee declare not what fault wee fynd with the rulle of aduertissemeÌ„ts and yet the 14. lyne after you confesse that wee call it the inuention of man like to their wisdom that will haue imagis to exercise our streÌ„ghe The prudence that you teach the Ministers in making protestacion wherby others may lerne the difference yow speke of Deceyued wise Origen Venite saith he accipite non froÌ„des simulachrorum sed frondes domini So our paractysers of pollycie say come weer this not for anye religion but for auncient order and decencye Yf you obiect the place and seruice are not alike wee aunswer that the Collers and pretencis are like The examiner You shoulde haue done the dueties of discrete preachers yf you had vttered this your vnlikely likelihood to them that stande in so fonde defence of images whereof what the doctrine of this Realme is it is publikely declared And as for these orders all obedient men well vnderstande that they are not geuen to trye any mans perfection â— Cor. 14 â— Petr. 2. Mat. 16. â— Actes 15. Neither do they passe the wisdome of God whiche in the Scriptures willeth all thinges to be done decently and orderly whiche graunteth the godly magistrate aucthoritie of making ecclesiasticall lawcs whiche hath geuen also power to the Churche whiche promiseth his spirite to Sinodes yea for ordeyning rites and maners The Aunsvverer Yf your count this a fond defense of imagis why doe you not shew how the coÌ„parison is vnlike yow saye they are not geuin to trie mens perfections yf there be no feare of offens what nedith protestation yf there be feare of offens whie are they comanded yow saye they passe not the compase of gods wisdom because the Scripture willith all thinges be done decentlie orderlie But this is not proued yf these thinges are decentlie orderlie not whot soever is said to be decent is comelie nor whatsoeuer is commauÌ„ded as good order is good order In dede whe confesse the magistrat ought to set forth Ecclesiasticall lawes but vnelie out of gods word ffor neyther the magistrat nor the church hath any poure but to edifie Wher yow promise the spirit of god to Sindoes for ordeyniuge rites and manners wee trust yow meane not soe but that Sinodes may ere in ordeyning rites and manners yf they trust to their owne wisdone and not to the worde of god The Examiner But to beate downe this pollicie of mans braine you say very litle nay nothing at all to the purpose that in thinges neither commaunded nor forbidden we must not folowe our owne phantasies lest we heare Mat. 15. In vaine do they worship me teaching doctrines the preceptes of men Hom. 52 in Mat. These preceptes of men wherewith the Prophete and the Apostle saye God is not worshipped were such as Chrysostome wryteth which the seniours had made newe other wayes then Moises commaunded and preferved them in Gods seruice before the lawe of the Lord and added them to Gods worde as iudgeing ir otherwayes vnpersect for the faâ—uation of Gods people On this maner no man at this time vrgeth these orders The Aunsuurerer How can yow avoid the saing of our fauiour Christ whome it pleasith you to call the Apostel aÌ„d of the prophet Esay In vayne do they worshp me teaching for doctrine the preceptes of meÌ„ because the seniors had preferred them in gods seruice before gods lawe yt maye be doubted whether they were so impudent to saye so But this is owt of doubt that they were as your are more zelus in observing them then in keping gods lawe more severe in punishing the trangression of them then the breking of gods lawe Remember that before you graunted that the Ceremonies now reteymid haue soÌ„times bene obserued as the seruice of god and thefore in such realmes wher poperie doth still florish as much as euer it did in england thes be yet inforced as god his feruis In vaine therfore do yow vrge thes doctrines of the preceptes of men vsed vrged of others as gods seruice euen such as Chrysost mentionith what pharisaicall opinion the papists haue had and haue yet of this attire apperith in the constitutions giuen to england the pontifical Hugo Cardinalis Albert Magnus Durand Synod Seronensis c. Wich opinions yet are not bloted out of the harts of papists The examiner Contra Crescen lib. 3. cap. 51. Ser 24. dewer A post Epi. 48. That holsome lawes of godly magistrates whiche seruing God as S. Augustine affirmeth they make not onlie for humaine societie but also for Gods religion which further more he truely tearmeth Clensing instrumentes of the Lordes barren floure profitable terrours commodious admonitions healthsom boundes medicine rigt phisical That these I say are not to be thought the preceptes of maÌ„ it needeth not to call together here all the auncient felowship of fathers Doctror Bucer vpoÌ„ this place may teache you the same who most godly pronounceth thus Quiequid homo statuerit quod quomodoeunque ad vsum proximoruÌ„ faciat c. whatsoeuer man shall decree whiche by any meanes may make to the vse of his neighboures for that the same is deriued from the rule of charitie as be lawes ciuill domestical statutes ceremonies and rites whiche Christian men vse thereby to reache or heare Goddes worde more commodiouslie or to praye and about the Lordes Supper and Baptisme yea what soeuer shal be a furtheraunce to passe our life here more profitablie and decently That thing ought not to be esteemed as a tradition or precept of man though by men it be commaunded but as the traditioÌ„ or precept of god Thus farre Doctour Bucer Instit lib. 4 cap. 10 par 30. with whom Maister Caluine very wel agreeth saying ¶ That which is part of decencie commended vnto vs by the Apostle though it be prescribed by man is Gods tradition and not mans as kneclyng at solemne prayers and suche lyke So then if you woulde haue rested vppon the censures of these godly learned meÌ„ you shoulde not haue needed thus vnwisely to haue skoffed at this wisdome of man containing her selfe within the limittes of the wisdome of God as is before proued and might be iustified by infinite playes of Germane wryters and by their letters of late sent into the Realme to diuers godly butfor prolixie The aunsuurerer That good lawes ordeynid by men accordig to gods worde ether to set forth the glorie of god or the profit of our neybour were mans tradicions no man affirmeth but that these lawes of apparel serue to the woeship of god profit of men as yet restith to be proued for Caluine whose authoritie yow alledge in the deuision next before vtterlie denieth this popish apparell to be decent therfore it ser tuith neither for the glorie of god nor profit of our neighor And in the same place wich you alleg he protestithe in
these rits are nether clere liuelie nor albe to edifie ergo they ought not to be in the Church But it is yow that do his worthie bishope Iniury to helpe Harding his aduersarie with an auÌ„swere who for breking the bred in 3. peecis may auÌ„swere whatsoeuer yow aunswer or can aunswer for surplesis the one being as indifferent as the other But what this lernid Bishops iudgement is of all relickes of Papistrie maye apere in his aunswer to the fourth diuisioÌ„ in 4. page of the same Boke wher he yeldith fower resons why he refused to call it passione Sondaye not because he was ashamed of the passion but because it was taken of the papists to be called soe His wordes are these neither do wee refuse your fantasies because they be cat holike as yow surmise but because they be your own deuised by your selfe of late dais many of them contrary to gods holie worde are not catholike Now let all men iudge whether it be a greater matter to call passioÌ„ Sondaye then to weare the apparell that is vrged We are suar so to call it is of it selfe but a thing indifferent of small importauÌ„ce Thus ye se still how our rule out of Tertulian holdeth The examiner In the fourth and last place yow consider what shall happen to your selues yf you receiue these rites as you maye wel do with the rest of your brethren who fight in the lordes warfare a good fight hauing faith and a good conscience You shal be thought you saye to bring the people into Egipt againe The wearing of this apparell which as you often testifie is in his owne nature indifferent can not be likened to the bondage of Egipt whiche is slauerie to sinne errour and superstition The substaunce of popishe religion may well be compared to those cheynes for that many are sure tyed there with ignoraunce and blyndnes from the which you may still go forwarde to Gods prayse and your owne discharge by discrete and diligent teachyng to loose Gods people sitting in darkenes and in the shadowe of death as mani a godly man doth yet still folowyng the worthy examples of wyse preachers aforetime who in such like thinges contented them selues with the maner of the region where they preached Aug. Epi. 117. and neuer willed them to lay aside their Heathenis he apparell De ciui dei lib. 19 cap. 19. no more then almightie God commaunded his people to caste away from theÌ„ the Aegiptians clothes when he deliuered them thence and preached vnto them newe lawes and ordinaunces Exo. 12. Though Moyses suffered the people so redemed from captiuitie to vse the Aeigptians apparell yet no man thought that he woulde euer bring theÌ„ into Egipt againe Thus then by doctrine yf you labour still to pull some out of captiuitie and darknes 1. Tim. 4 and go before your flocke on that maner as S. Paul speaketh you should be a paterne in worde in coÌ„uersation in loue in spirite in faith and purenes you nede not to deeme of your selues worse then all godly men will iudge of you that is that you be workemen that nede not to be ashamed rightly diuiding the worde of God 2. Tim. 2 Mat. 24. aÌ„d geuyng Gods houshold meate in due seasonÌ„ You know howe you must instruct in meekenes an obedience all men 2. Tim. 2 prouing yf God at any tyme will geue them repentaunce Rom. 2. that they may vnderstande the trueth and that they may come to amendement out of the snares of the deuill And also you knowe 2. Pet. 2. that wherein you teache other men you must specially teache your selues so doyng you shall not leade your flocke to Egipt gaiane For they turne to Egypt Hebr. 6. who wallowe againe in the myre of their sinnes and errours who after they were once lightened and had tasted of the heaueÌ„ly gift and were made partakers of the holy ghost make a mocke of the sonne of God as it is wrytten to the Hebreues whose case is veâ—ie lamentable The aunsuuerer The bondag of Egypt is slauerie to superstition the substans of popish religion is the verie bondag superstitius ceremonies are the Cheins wherbie wee wer tyede to it Yow cauill vaynelie of the Egyptian garments none of the Israelites wer EgyptiaÌ„s priests that wore Idolatrus garments yovv say vvell that vvherein vvee teach other men vvee must teach our selues Wee teach other men to abhorre all popishe Ceremonies therfore wee must not Imbrace these onre selues Matth. Illirycus a lernid maÌ„ writing against Adiap horistas or indifferent men altogether agreing with vs and ouerthrowing yow callith the ceremonies garlike onnians of Egypt The examiner You haue taught you say as Tertullian did That nothing must be taken froÌ„ the Idoll-Tertullian in that place speaketh of that thing De corona milit whiche was first inuented A canditatis diaboli of the Deuils professours or of them that were meer Idolatours then he speaketh of that thing which was Dicatum ipsis a primordio dedicated to set foorth the worship done to idols froÌ„ the beginning which two conditioÌ„s you finde not in these matters nowe talked of For they were brought into the Churche by them that professed the same God and Christe that we do neither were they appointed to serue any sauiÌ„g the true God synce the coÌ„miÌ„g of the sonne of God And therfore you misreport this authoritie and such like Tertulian dissenteth very muche from your opinion in the wearyng of abused apparell as it appeareth where he handeleth somewhat this matter saying De idolol Fyrst the causes must be considered for the which a man doth any seruice or duetie Then he graunteth that the purple robe whiche was vsed of idolatrous priestes myght be worne De cor mil. if it where a token of byrth of kynne or of order Moreouer in that place whence you fetche your auctoritie he thynketh that somethynges inuented and abused of Idolatours may serue both to our vse and the seruice of God yf they haue any profite helpe or comfort for the lyfe of man as at large is there set out where he inueyeth sharpely against the Garlande being theÌ„ worne both of idolatours among Christian men without all kynde of commoditie also of the Idoll it selfe which was decked therwith Wherefore yf you had meant plainely you myght haue translated these wordes In habitu idoli in the habite of the idoll and not in the habite of an idolatour as you haue done The aunsuuerer Wee must thinke you handle the coÌ„trouersie with litle conscieÌ„s when yow wold wrest Tertulian out of our hands who most planielie directllie handlith oure verie caseâ— as Petir Martir in a maner confessith yow do not gretlie denie Wee saye that papists are the diuills professours that they first dedicated them to the seruice of theire Idolls for they neuer did good seruis in the Church of Christ Wee agree with Tertullian