at that tyme be set ouer them in that estate 16. They still denied the Maior gaue this reason therof because the vnbeleeuers might heare the ministerie of the Church Wee graunted that the vnbeleeuers might heare the ministerie of the Church but from hence it followeth not that they had interest in the ministerie before they were members of the Church It is one thing to heare the ministerie of the Church an other thing to be a member of the Church 17. Then they brought Pauls example to proue that a ministerie might be set ouer infidells because he was said to be the teacher of the Gentiles all the Apostles willed to goe and teach all nations To this it was answered that Paul stood no minister neither tooke gouernment or chardge ouer anie heathen which were not called to the faith ioyned to the Church still putting difference betwixt teaching the heathen the truth exercising a ministerie ouer them 18. They alledged 1 Pet. 1. that the Apostle there tooke chardge care ouer strangers Yt was answered that those strangers were Iewes called to the faith dispersed through manie regions as the next verse 1 Pet. 1.2 Iames 1. sheweth 19. Paul wrote himself a father of the Corinths though ye haue manie teachers yet haue ye but one father Yt was still answered that those Corinthians were beleeuers Argument 3. There can be no communion betvvixt the beleeuers vnbeleeuers therefore the infidells can haue no communion vvith the Church in the ministerie thereof or in anie spirituall action Being demaunded by them what we meant by communion we answered such cōmunion as is spoken of Act. 2.42 in doctrine in prayer in the sacraments in mutuall communication in all Christian duties how none were receaued to this communion before they were ioyned as members vnto the Church Argument 4. There can novv be no Pastor ouer anie people by the rules of Christi testamēt but vvhere a mutuall couenant is made betvveene the Pastor the people he bounde to teach guide gouerne them they againe to obey him in the Lord But the infidells haue made no such couenant vvith the Pastor Therfore c. 20. Do. Androes said the Pastor ought not to gouerne that he himself was a Pastor yet no guyde or gouernor of the flocke and that in the Church there were gouernors ouer the Pastors as Bishops We answered that the word Bishop or Ouerseer vvas a generall name cōmon to the Pastor teacher Elders vvhich name importeth gouernment care Phil. 1.1 Act. 20.28 21. Do. Androes here said that the vvord bishop was not common vnto either the Pastor teacher or Elders but vnto other higher gouernors We answered that vnto their ministerie the name of a bishop did not indeed accord but only vnto their Lord bishops desired some proofe of this their assertion out of the word of God 22. Vnto vvhich they answered that all their ministerie vvas by positiue lavves We then said that it must needs follow that all their religion vvorship was pollitick also that ministerie vvhich Christ hath not prescribed in his Testament is antichristian At lentgh after manie bitter reprochfull speaches against vs vve returned againe to our former discourse framed this Argument vnto the rest Argument 5. The people novv are to make choice proofe of their Paestor But thei vvithout the faith cannot make choice of theyr Pastor Therfore c. Here they said that this allowre other positions were fond vaine foolish this was all the answere vve could get of them Mr. Hutchinson at the breaking vp requyred me Henry Barrow to set downe some reasons whie I refused to ioine vnto their Church that the people present might be satisfied whervppon I set him downe vnder mine hand as followeth The reasons vvhie I Henry Barrow cannot ioine with the Church of England yeilded by me the 13. of the 4. Moneth 1. The people as they stand are not called orderly to the faith but stand mingled togeather in confusion 2. The ministerie set ouer them is not the true ministerie of the gospell which Christ hath appointed to his Church in his testament 3. The administration worship of this Church is not according to the word of God 4. The ecclesiasticall gouernment Courts officers Cannons are not according to the testament of Christ but new antichristian Vntill all these points be eyther approoued by the word of God or reformed I cannot consent to ioyne vnto this Church in this estate These things I witnesse subscribe H. Barrovv I Iohn Greenwood being demaunded by M r. Hutchinson whether I would set downe myne hād vnto this or ells yeild some other cause of my dislike refused to do either of both vntill he had prooued the Church of Rome to be the true Church of Christ as he had twise promised at neither of his commings would performe A breif answeare to certayne sclaunderous Articles vngodlie calumniations sparsed abrode by the BB s theire adherēts against diuerse faithfull true Christians her Maiesties loyall and louinge Subiectes to cullour theire owne vngodly tyrannicall dealing with them to bring them into hatred both with Prince and people Article 1. They hold that the Lords praier or anie sell prayer is blasphemy they neuer vse anie prayer for the Queene as supreame head vnder Christ of the Church of England Ansvveare WE hold that the Lords praier so commonly called is sacred Canonicall scripture cōteyning a most absolute perfect rule grownd worke wherby all faith full prayers ought to be framed gyuen by owr Sauyour Christ for the instruction and confirmatiō of his Disciples that theire prayers might be according to the will glory of God But that the very forme of words as they are in theis petitions were gyuē instituted as a sett stinted prayer or that owre Sauiour Christ his Apostles haue euer vsed yt in that maner we finde not in the scriptures where we see theire prayers according to theire present occasions c. set downe in other words no mention made of such prescript lymited saying of this as they requyre enioyne Moreouer if they were as ignorant what belongeth to true prayer or of the true vse of this forme for prayer as they seeme yet euen theyre owne practize in theire pulpyts Liturgies doth excuse vs thus far forth condemne them For her Maiestie we praye both publiquely pryuatly day night at all tymes places according to owre duties as becommeth vs and godwilling wyll not cease so to do whilst owre lyues shall last Article 2. That all set prayers or stinted prayers or read seruice are but meere bablinge in Gods sight plaine Idolatrie TO this we answeare that we are taught in the Scriptures That God is a Spirit wilbe worshipped in Spirit truth we finde further in the Script in owr selues That God gyveth to
of the Saints by their open force pryuie sclaunders Article 11. They refuse to take an oth to be examined WE refuse not reuerently to sweare by the holye name of God before a lawfull Magestrat vppon iust occasion according to the worde of God But we haue iust cause to refuse that vngodly rash and vnlawfull oth by or with their booke c. offred enforced by theis BBs at their pleasure vppon euery occasion to euery one that commeth before them after the manner of the Spanish Inquisition expreslye contrarie to the word of God the Lawes of this land derrogatorie to her Ma ts prerogatiue royall her Crowne dignitie Article 12. They vvill not marrie amongst vs in our Churches but resort to the Fleet to other places to be married by one Greenwood Barrow WE finde not in the scriptures the gyuing ioyning in matrimonie to be an action of the Church neither to be restrayned or to beloÌ„g to the ministers or Pastors office Wherfore seing the actioÌ„ is meerely Ciuile wee see not whie we may not after the examples of the godly in the scriptures marrye in all places at all tymes in the Lord by the direction or consent of Parents vnlesse it be by their owne manifest defaults before faithfull witnesses c. Neither haue the men whome you here vntruly sclander taken vppon them to marry anie or executed that office otherwise then togeather with other faithfull to wytnesse the same and to praise God for yt 3 Thou dost loue Euill more then good Lies more then to speake the truthe Selah 4 Thou louest all vvordes that may destroy o deciptfull tongue 5 So shall God destroy thee foreuer he shal take thee and pluck thee out cut of thie Tabernacle and root thee out of the land of the liuing Selah Let the lying lips be made dumbe vvhich cruelly pryuely and spitefully speake against the Righteous Psal. 31.18 YEt as greate paynes as these men haue takeÌ„ by theyr close imprisoning opeÌ„ rayling and pryuie sclaundering to convince owr errors instruct owr Consciences they haue left out not acquainted you all this while with the greatest heresie we hold that is that her Maiestie hath as good right to the personages gleabe lands Bishopricks Prebendaries and all other cathedrall collegiat Church lyuings as her Ma ts Father of most famouse memorie king Henry the Eight had to the Abbies and that it shalbe as greatly to the glorie of God the good of Christs Church the benefit of her Maiestie the whole land to dissolue theis now as the dissolucon of the Abbies was in the tyme of her Maiesties Father The Abbies theis had both one originall they sprang all from one fountayne Now the scripture saith one fountayne sendeth not out bitter sweete water men gather not grapes of thistles As for Tythes they belonged to the Leuiticall priesthode and to the seruice of that Temple and therfore ought now to be abolished Set stipends haue no stay to leane vppon in the scriptures except MICHA his Priest help to prop them vpp Owr sauioure Christ his Apostles perswaded to sufficiencie but appointe not neither will them to condicoÌ„n for anie certentye this is the matter that boyleth in thier stomacks will by no meanes be digested this is hit that toucheth to the quicke and maketh all the syluer saints in this land aswell tything priests as hyred lecturers thus to bestur them least their portions should be reproued They would gladly haue their portions improued the one sorte in seeking to haue personages impropriat restored th'other sort in suing to haue the Bishoppricks reformed by coÌ„uerting their lyuings from them to their seruants the preachers Both labour in vayne DAGON of the Philistims caÌ„not stad before nor with the Arke of God the head the hands are cut of the stump must follow after The stone that was cut without hands hath smytten broken their Image euen that stone which these euill buylders refused wherat they stumble and are offended is appointed the cheife of the corner his poore saints whome they so despise persecute shall bring yt forth with shouting ioye and crying GRACE GRACE vnto yt maugre all their turning of Deuices yea euen the Children in the street shall welcome Christ into his Church saying HOSANNA to the Sonne of Dauid wheÌ„ he shall take vengeance of his enemyes of all such as would not that he should reigne ouer them That nation kingdome which will not serue hym shal perish and those nations shalbe vtterly destroyed for all the kingdoms of the world are owr Lords his CHRISTS he shal raigne for euermore There is no connsell nor strength nor pollycy against the Lord. Bevvise therfore novv ye kinges be learned al ye Iudges of the earth Serue the Lord in feare and reioyce in trembling Kisse the Sonne least he be angry and ye perish in the vvay vvhen his vvrath shall sodenly burne blessed are all that trust in hym EXPECT theyr other Conferences with all possible speed FINIS Faults escaped in the printing for thruth reade truth for wne reade owne page 3. for aimisse reade amisse pa. 4. for them reade then pa. 11. for babtised reade baptised pa. 12. for note reade noted pa. 13. These speches vvere at the beginning of our conference vvhich my memorie serueth not place aright a Iohn 4. b Rom. 8.26 c 1. Io. 2.27 d 1. Cor. 3.11.12 â— Matt. 15.9 Coll. 2.20 Gall. 5.1 Reue. 10.4 1. Thes. 5.19 a Ephes. 1.22.23 b 1. Pet. 2.13 c Deu. 18.15 Matt. 17.5 Acts. 3.22 d Heb. 3.6 e 1. Cor. 2.16 f Gal. 3.15 g Deu. 4.2 Reu. 22.18.19 a 1. Pet. 2.5 Reu. 1.6 1. Thes. 2.15.16 Mat. 23.13 a 2. Thes. 2.10.11.12 Reu. 13.13.14 Ren. 19.20 a Ios. 6.26 Iere. 51.9.26 b Ier. 50.15 16. Reu. 18.6 c Luke 17.20 d zach 4.6 Isay. 40.10 Iere 17.5 e Mat. 3.3.8 f Luke 9.59 c. g Luke 14.18 c. h 1. Cor. 14.38 Reu. 22.11 i Mat. 15.12 c. Gal. 1.10 a 1. Cor. 5.12 b Act. 2.41 42. 2. Cor. 6.17 c Rom. 16.17 1. Tim. 6.3.5 Titê° 3.5 2. Tim. 3.5 2. Thes. 3.14 d Mat. 18.17 2 Cor. 2.7.10 e 1 Cor. 5.4 f Iosu. 7.12 22.16.17.18 1 Cor. 5.6 Heb. 12.29 2 Pet. 2.4.5 a Deu. 6.15 Ier. 4.2 Heb. 6.16 b Amos. 5.14 Zeph. 1.5 Matt. 5.34.35.36.37 Mat. 23.16 c. a Ruth 4.9.10.11.12 Iohn 2.1.2 b Heb. 13.4 1. Cor. 7.9 1. Tim. 4.3 Psal. 52. a Iam. 3.11.12 Mat. 7.16 b Nom. 8.18.24 Heb. 7.12 c Iudg. 17. entier Iudg. 18.19.20 Iude. 11. d Mat. 10.8 9.10 1. Tim. 6.8 e 2 Cor. 2.17 1. Thess. 2.5 1. Pet. 2.8 zach 4.7 Mat. 21.16 Luk. 19.27 Isay. 60.12 Reuel 12.15
all his Children and hath gyuen to vs his holy Spirit to help owr infirmities to teach vs to pray according to his will in his worde we are also there taught That we neede no man to teach vs but as the same anoyntinge teacheth vs of all things moreouer we finde not anie such deuised prayers or stinted seruice perscribed to the Church by those excellēt perfect workemen Thappostles neyther yet anie Commaundment or authoritie gyuē by thē vnto the church to make bring in ympose or receiue anie such stinted deuised Apochripha seruice where only the worde of God the graces of Gods spirit ought to be heard For these causes we esteeme refuse all such deuised Liturgies as superfluous will not worshipp inuentiōs traditions of men besids contrary to Gods reuealed worde to the graces of Gods Spirite to owr Christian libertie Wherfore we wonder at the ignorance of theise blynde Pharesies which knowing neither the right ende vse nor meanes of prayer thēselues yet dare in this maner teach correct quench the Spirit of God in others by ymposing the chaffe leauen of their own lypps vppon the whole Church yea as a sacryfice vppon God himself will he nyl he Article 3. They teache their is no head or Supreame gouernor of the Church of Christ And that the Queene hath none authoritie in the Church to make lawes Ecclesiasticall WE hold Christ to be the only heade of his Church the greatest Princes in the world to be but members of his Church We hold her Maiestie to be supreame gouernor of al persons estats causes whatsoeuer with in her Dominiōs We renounce the Pope all popishe iurisdictions ouer eyther Conscience Queene or Contrye and we acknowledg no other Prince potentate or power forreigne or Domestical Ecclesiasticall or Ciuill to haue anie superiour or equall authoritie within her Maiesties Dominions We hold Christ to be the only Lawgyuer in his Church and that he hath already beinge the Sonne as faithfull in his howse as his seruant MOSES in his Tabernacle established sufficient Lawes for the gouerment of his Church vnto the worlds end in his last will Testament which no Prince nor all the Princes in the world nor the whole Church may alter add vnto or take from vppon the paynes contayned in the Scriptures But both Prince people ought with all their endeuour as farr as the Lorde hath gyuen them knowledge meanes to put the same in execution Article 4. They teache that a lay man may beget faith And that vve haue no neede of publique administration WE know not what you meane by your old popish termes of lay men we holde al true beleyuers Ecclesiasticall spirituall yea and that anie such beleyuer may beget faith and for euident proofe thereof referr you to these places of scripture Luke 10.1 c. Luke 8.39 Acts. 8.4 Acts 11.19 c. Acts. 18.26 1 Corin. 14. entier 1 Corinth 7.16 Phil. 2.15.16 1 Pet. 3.2 1 Pet. 4.10 2 Tim. 2.2 1 Thessa. 5.11 c. Iam. 5.19.20 which shall eyther instruct of cōuince your herein Yet hold we the publique administracōn of the word by PASTORS TEACHERS and the PROPHETS in the church by far without all comparyson more excellent more blessed more to be desired and iudg your synne and iniquitie by so much the more heynouse and euen come to the full in that you so bitterly with all your gall and spyte resist the holy ghost by hindring vs his seruants from proceeding to so heauenly gracious a meanes of owr saluation and earnestly with all your forces oppose your selues against God in that you will neither enter your selues into his kingdome nor suffer such as would Article 5. They condemne all comming to Churche all preaching all Institution of Sacraments and say that all the Ministers are sent by God in his anger to deceaue the people THe Lord condemneth and we according to his Commaundement shunne all false Churches false deceitfull preaching and false Institutions of Sacraments and we belieue as the Lord hath said that all false Ministers are sent of God in his wrath to deceaue the people of which sorte we protest your publique parrish assemblies as they stand in this Confusion disorder and Idolatrie your publique preaching Sacraments and ministrie to be and are ready by the manifest euidence of Gods vndoubted word to approue the same to your faces it anie Christian audience or indifferent tryall might be granted Article 6. They affirme that the people must reforme the Church and not tarye for the Magistrate And that the Primatiue Churche sued not to Courts or Parliaments nor vvayted vppon Princes pleasures But vve make Christ to attend vppon Princes to be Subiect to their lavves and gouernment WE goe not about to reforme your Romish Bisshopricks Deanes officers Aduocates Courts Cannons neither your popish Priests halfe-Priests Ministers all which come out of the bottomlesse pytt But we leaue those merchantmen their wares with the curse of God vppon them vntill they repent We are also taught in the word that the kingdome of God commeth not by obseruation neither is brought in by the arme of flesh but by the spirit of God and by the power of his worde working in the harts of all Christs faithfull seruants true repentance from deade workes and all things that displease the Lord euen as sone as they are reproued vnto them by his worde as also a true conuersion of theire harts and soules vnto the Lord with an earnest loue continuall zeale and ready desire to put in practise what soeuer the Lord sheweth them to be his will in his worde without all delaye or excuse whosoeuer forbyd or Commaunde the contrary We are to obey God rather then men and if anie man be ignorant let him be ignorant stil We are not to stay from doing the Lords Commaundement vppon the pleasure or offence of anie Article 7. That the Booke of common prayer is a pregnant I dole and full of abhominations a peice of Svvynes flesh and abhomination to the Lorde WE haue shewed in owr answeare to your second Article what we thinke of all Apocrypha deuised Liturgies when they are brought into emposed vppon the Church But seinge you are so zealous for the syluer shryne of your DIANA and wayle for your Portuise we affirme it to be as you report a PREGNANT IDOLE which hath in it an infinite sorte of Idols is full of abhominations bytter fruite As may appeare by the double Idols of your solempne double feasts of your hollomass Christmass Candlemass Easter Whitsontyde Trynitie sonday c. Your Lady dayes Saints dayes with the Eaues feasts fasts and deuised worshipp vnto them which fill a great part of your booke Also your lents Rogacōns ash-wensdayes with the bitter cursings