they haue an apparant great difference as there must needs be betwixt Scripture and no Scripture yet to those that are vnable to discerne so much the matter stands ouerruled only by the authoritie of the Church For though as Maister Hooker saith the Scriptures teach vs that sauing truth which God hath discouered to the world by reuelation yet it presumeth vs taught otherwise that it selfe is diuine and sacred And therefore the reading of the Scripture in our Churches is one of the plainest euidences we haue of the Churches assent and acknowledgement that it is the Scripture And yet without any contradiction at all who so assenteth to the words of eternall life doth it in regard of his authoritie whose words they are Those with whom the Church is to deale are often heretikes and these will much sooner beleeue the Church then the Scriptures Therefore saith Saint Austine in that knowne place I had not beleeued the Scriptures if I had not beene compelled by the authoritie of the Church And howsoeuer the Church may seeme now little to need her authoritie because the greatest haruest of heresies is past yet we must not contemne her for all that because euen the weedes of heresie being growne vnto a ripenesse doe euen in their verie cutting downe scatter oftentimes those seedes which for a whilely vnseene and buried in the earth but afterwards freshly spring vp againe no lesse pernicious then at the first Therfore the Church hath and must haue to the end of the world foure singular offices towards the Scripture First to be a witnesse and keeper of them as it were a faithfull Register whose fidelitie in that behalfe vnlesse we be bastard children we haue no reason at all â—o suspect witnesses of lesse truth and authoritie hauing oftentimes the credite to be beleeued Secondly to discerne and iudge betweene false and adulterate and that which is true and perfect in this respect it hath a propertie which other assemblies want to heare and discerne the voice of her husband neither can she be thought a chast spouse who hath not the abilitie to do that But as the Goldsmith either in his ballance or with his touchstone discerneth pure gold from other mettals of lesse value yet doth not make it so dealeth the Church who hath not authoritie to make scripture that which is not but maketh a true difference from that which did only seeme Neither in this respect is the Church aboue the Scriptures but acknowledgeth in humilitie that shee is left in trust to tell her children which is her husbands voice and to point our to the world as Iohn Baptist did Christ a truth of a farre more excellent perfection then her selfe is As if I doubted of a strange coine wherein I rest satisfied in the resolution of a skilfull man but yet valuing the coine for the matter and the stampe of the coine it selfe The third office of the Church is to publish and diuulge to proclaime as a cryer the true edict of our Lord himself not daring as Chrysostom saith to adde anie thing of her owne which shee no sooner doth but the true subiects yeeld obedience not for the voice of him that proclaimeth but for the authoritie of him whose ordinances are proclaimed The last is to be an Interpreter and in that following the safest rule to make an vndiuided vnitie of the truth vncapable of contradiction to be a most faithfull expositor of his owne meaning Thus whilest the Church for that trust reposed in her dealeth faithfully in these points we are not afraid to acknowledge that wee so esteeme of the Scriptures as rightly wee are led by the authoritie of Gods Church Those that are of that iudgement that they dare giue credit without witnesse though we follow not their example in ouermuch credulitie yet we blame not their iudgmeÌ„ts in that kind Touching therfore the authoritie of the Church the scriptures though we graunt as you say that the Church is truly distinguished by the scriptures that the scriptures which is a straÌ„ge phrase warraÌ„t y e trial of Gods word that it was euer beleeued for the words sake yet without feare of vnderpropping anie popish principle as you tearme it we say that we are taught to receiue it from the authoritie of the Church we see her iudgement we heare her voice and in humilitie subscribe vnto all this euer acknowledging the Scriptures to direct the Church and yet the Church to affoord as she is bound her true testimony to the Scripture For the verse of Menander Aratus or Epimenides was and had beene euer but the saying of Poets had not the Church assured vs that it was vttered since by an instrument of the holy Ghost ARTICLE V. Of Freewill IN searching out the nature of humane reason whilest wee reach into the depth of that excellencie which man had by creation we must needs confesse that by sinne he hath lost much who now is vnable to comprehend all that hee should but wee dare not affirme that hee hath lost all who euen in this blindnesse is able to see something and in this weakenesse strong enough without the light of supernaturall Iustifying grace to tread out those paths of moral vertues which haue not only great vse in humane society but are also not altogether of a nature oppositely different from mans saluation And therefore the naturall way to find out lawes by reason guideth as it were by a direct path the will vnto that which is good which naturally hauing a freedome in herselfe is apt to take or refuse any particular obiect whatsoeuer being presented vnto it Which though wee affirme yet we neither say that Reason can guide the will vnto all that is good for though euery good that concerneth vs hath euidence inough for it selfe yet reason is not diligent to search it out nor we say not that the will doth take or refuse any particular obiect but is apt rather noting the nature wherby it hath that power then shewing the ability wherby it hath that strength For though sinne hath giuen as the Schoolemen obserue foure wounds vnto our nature Ignorance Malice Concupisence and infirmity the first in the vnderstanding the second in the will the third in our desiring appetite the last in the Irascible yet the will is free from necessity and coaction though not from misery and infirmity For as Saint Bernard saith there is a threefold freedome from necessity from sinne from misery the first of nature the second of grace the third of glory In the first from the bondage of coaction the will is free in it owne nature and hath power ouer it selfe In the second the will is not free but freed from the bondage of sin And in the third it is freed from the seruitude of corruption Now that freedome by which the will of man is named free is the first only and therefore we dare
the happinesse of their countrey in the ashes of anothers greatnesse Thus God both in mercie and iudgement in mercie to them that die and in iudgement to those that are left behind doth before the fulnesse of yeares cut off those men whom other mens erring affections haue aduaunced too high conueying that from the presence of vnstable mindes whereunto desert and weakenesse whilest it was in our sight gaue strength that it could bewitch This oftentimes I confesse hath beene my priuate contemplation when I haue seene Parents vntimely to loose their children In whom they tooke most pride Churches those persons of greatest ornament the cōmon wealth those that were worthiest of all honor as if God had bin iealous that these would haue stolne our honor loue from him And therfore wise was the answer of that mother who in one day losing both her husband her two sonnes said I know O Lord what thou seekest my whole loue Which she thought peraduenture might haue beene lesse if those things had bin left vnto her which she found her selfe apt for to loue too much And therfore as vertuous men haue voluntarily disclosed their owne infirmities scratching as it were the face of beautie least others should too much admire them so I perswade my selfe that Maister Caluin if he now liued would much worse esteeme of your fond commendation then of those speeches which M. Hooker out of iudgement doth write of him He was doubtlesse as Bishop Iewel calleth him a reuerend Father and a worthy ornament of Gods Church and surely they do much amisse who haue sought by vniust slaunders against him a thing too vsuall to derogate from that truth whose strength was not builded vpon mans weaknesse This therefore being the practise of our aduersaries you aske M. Hooker what moued him to make choise of that worthy piller of the Church aboue all other to traduce him and to make him a spectacle before all Christians Giue me leaue to answer you for him who vndoubtedly would haue giuen a farre better answer for himselfe if he had liued There is not one word that soundeth in that whole discourse to any other end towards Maister Caluin but to shew how his great wisedome wrought vpon their weakenesse his knowledge vpon their ignorance his grauitie vpon their inconstancy his zeale vpon their disorders only to establish that gouernement which howsoeuer not necessary for other places was fit enough peraduenture for that town Neither need the present inhabitants thereof take it in euill part that the faultinesse of their people heretofore was by Maister Hooker so farre forth laid open seeing he saith no more then their owne learned guides and pastors haue thought necessarie to discouer vnto the world But what say you hath Master Caluin done against our Church that he should be singled out as an aduersarie Surely that harme though against his will which neuer will bee soundly cured so long as our Church hath any in it to spurne at the reuerend authority of Bishops For howsoeuer those Ecclesiasticall lawes established in Geneua wherein notwithstanding are some strange things might be fit enough to passe for statutes for the gouernement of a priuate Colledge or peraduture some small Vniuersity yet to make them a rule for so great so rich so learned a kingdome as this is must needes be a vaine desire of noueltie idly to attempt and a thing in nature vnpossible to performe And therefore hee cannot bee free as an occasion though no cause of all those troubles which haue disquieted our Church for these many yeares But it may bee M. Hooker spake not thus against M. Caluin of himselfe but perswaded either by our aduersaries in whose mouth he is an inuincible champion or incited vnto it by some of the Reuerend Fathers of our Church and therefore you desire him to resolue you in that point Can it possibly be that you should thinke him a man of so great simplicitie either to be moued to attempt it by the perswasion of others or hauing attempted it that he must needs disclose it are all those flatterings of the Bishops that alleaging of their authorities ended in this to accuse them as Authors of doing that which your conscience maketh you accuse to be euill done Could you perswade yourselfe that those reuerend Fathers whose authorities you alleage in the praise of Caluin would be drawne to substistute another to dispraise him whom themselues commended Is it not a thing differing from sense void of reason contrary to religion And if that be a fault that M. Hooker is commended by our aduersaries in no construction it can be concluded to bee his fault This peraduenture may commend them who are ready to approue learning iudgement and moderation euen in those who are aduersaries but no way can touch those whom they thus commend Vnlesse wee make the conclusion to light heauily vpon the best both for place wisedome and learning that our Church hath Haue not in all ages the Heathen thus commended the Christians and did not Libanius thus thinke Gregorie most worthy to succeed him if he had not been a Christian Can we in reason denie Iulian his learning because an Apostata or Bellarmine and others because they haue written against vs No we willingly giue thē that due that belongs vnto them and hold it not vnmeete to receiue euen from their mouthes without suspition of trechery that commendations which are but the recompence of a iust desert The termes of hostility are too violent and vnreasonable which denie vs thus far to communicate with our verie enemies But you say this was pride in M. Hooker to contemne all those of our owne Church as too weake to encounter with him and therefore he must raise Maister Caluin out of his sweet bed of rest to contend against him And here you vncharitably make a comparison betwixt Golias and Maister Hooker only you say vnlike in this that Golias was content to chalenge one liuing and present in the army demanded but chose not sought for one that was aliue and vaunted not ouer the dead in all which respects by your censure Maister Hooker is more presumptuous To speake the least which is fit to be answered in this place surely hee which will take vpon him to defend that there is no ouersight in this accusation must beware left by such defences he leaue not an opinion dwelling in the minds of men that he is more stiffe to maintaine what he hath spoken then carefull to speake nothing but that which iustly may be maintained that he hath not shunned to encounter those euen the best of that faction in our land your selues can witnesse that he nameth M. Caluin onely to this end to shew the authour of that Discipline which he was to handle you must needes confesse that he rather reprooued another state then discouered the violent and vncharitable proceedings to establish it at home it was his wisdome for we know
of mans hart yet in his mercy he hath not left him altogether destitute of a better guide The first seruing to teach him that there is a God the latter what that God is and how he will bee worshipped by man This light wee call the scripture which God hath not vouchsafed to all but to those only whome he gathereth more neerely and familiarly to him selfe and vouchsafeth that honor to be called his Church that as men through infirmity seeing weakely prouide vnto themselues the helpe of a better sight so what man cannot reade by the dimnes of his seeing out of the creatures he may more apparantly reade them in the holy scriptures For as there is no saluation without religion no religion without faith so there is no faith without a promise nor promise without a word for God desirous to make an vnion betwixt vs and himselfe hath so linked his word and his Church that neither can stand where both are not The Church for her part in her choice allowance testifying as well that it is the scripture as the scripture from an absolute authority doth assure vs that it is the Church For as those who are conuerted haue no reason to beleeue that to be the Church where there is no scripture so those who are not conuerted haue no great reason to admit that for scripture for which they haue not the Churches warrant So that in my opinion the contention is vnnaturall and vnfit to make a variance by comparison betwixt those two who are in reason and nature to support each other It was a memorable attonement that Abraham made with Lotte let there be no strife I pray thee betweene thee and me neither betweene thy heardsmen and my heardsmen for we be brethren so vndoubtedly may the Church and the scripture say it is then to be feared that those who treacherously make this contentious comparison betwixt both are in very deede true friends to neither For though we dislike of them by whome too much heeretofore hath bin attributed to the Church yet we are loth to grow to an error on the contrary hand and to derogate too much from the Church of God by which remoouall of one extremity with another the worlde seeking to procure a remedy hath purchased a meere exchang of the euill which before was felt We and our aduersaries confesse that the scriptures in themselues haue great authority inward witnes from that spirit which is the author of all truth and outward arguments strong motiues of beleefe which cleaueth firmely to the word it selfe For what doctrine was euer deliuered with greater maiesty What stile euer had such simplicity purity diuinity What history or memoriall of learning is of like antiquity what oracles foretold haue bin effected with such certainty What miracles more powerfull to confirme the truth What enemies euer preuailed lesse or laboured more violently to roote it out To conclude what witnesses haue dyed with more innocency or lesse feare then those that haue sealed the holinesse of this truth This the scripture is in it selfe but men who are of lesse learning then these reformers are do not vnworthily make question how that which ought thus highly to be esteemed for it selfe commeth to be accounted of thus honorably by vs for the weakenes of mans iudgement doth not euer value things by that worth which they doe deserue For vndoubtedly out of that error hath proceeded your suspition of him whose inward worthines must now be content to receiue testimony from a witnes by many thousand degrees inferiour to himselfe To them of Samaria the woman gaue testimony of our sauiour Christ not that she was better but better knowne for witnesses of lesse credit then those of whome they beare witnesse but of some more knowledge then those to whome they beare witnes haue euer bin reputed to giue a kind of warrant and authority vnto that they proue Seeing then the Church which consisteth of many doth outwardly testifie what euery man inwardly should be to swarue vnnecessarilie from the iudgement of the whole Church experience as yet hath neuer found it safe For that which by her ecclesiasticall authority she shal probably thinke define to be true or good must in congruity of reason ouerrule all other inferiour Iudgements whatsoeuer And to them that out of a singularity of their owne aske vs why we thus hang ou◠iudgements on the Churches sleeue wee answere with Salomon Two are better then one for euen in matters of lesse moment it was neuer thought safe to neglect the iudgement of many and rashly to follow the fancy and opinion of some few If the Fathers of our Church had had no greater reasō to auouch their forsaking of the Antichristian Synagogue as you call it then this point wee might iustly haue wished to haue bin recōciled to the fellowship society of their church For this point as it seemeth rightly vnderstood affordeth little difference betwixt them and vs and therfore there was no mention of it in the last councell their Church had And Bellarmine himselfe doth apparantly complaine that we wrong them in this point for doubtles it is a tolerable opinion of the Church of Rome if they go no further as some of them do not to affirme that the scriptures are holy and diuine in themselues but so esteemed by vs for the authority of the Church for there is no man doubteth but that it belongeth to the Church if we vnderstand as we ought those truely who are the Church to approue the scriptures to acknowledg to receiue to publish to commend vnto hir Children And this witnes ought to be receiued of all as true yet wee doe not beleeue the scriptures for this only for there is the testimony of the Holy-ghost without which the commendation of the Church were of little value That the scriptures are true to vs wee haue it from the Church but that wee beleeue them as true we haue it from the Holy-ghost We confesse it is an excellent office of the Church to beare witnes to the scriptures but we say not that otherwise we would not beleeue them We graunt that the scriptures rightly vsed are the iudge of controuersies that they are the triall of the Church that they are in themselues a sufficient witnes for what they are but yet for all this wee are not afraid with Master Hooker to confesse that it is not the word of God which doth or possibly can assure vs that we do well to thinke it is the word of God For by experience we all know that the first outward motion leading men so to esteeme of the scripture is the authority of Gods Church which teacheth vs to receiue Markes Gospell who was not an Apostle and refuse the Gospell of Thomas who was an Apostle to retain S. Lukes gospel who saw not Christ and to reiect the Gospell of Nicodemus that sawe him For though in themselues
Ecclesiasticall work is for the maner of performaÌ„ce ordered by diuers ecclesiastical lawes prouiding that as the sacrament it self is a gift of no mean worth so the ministerie thereof might in all circumstances appeare to bee a function of no small regarde The ministerie of the things diuine is a function which as God did himselfe institute so neither may men vndertake the same but by authority and power giuen them in lawfull manner That God which is no way deficient or wanting vnto man in necessaries and hath therfore giuen vs the light of his heauenly truth because without that inestimable benefit we must needes haue wandred in darknesse to our endles perdition and who hath in the like aboundance of mercies ordeined certaine to attend vpon the due execution of requisite parts and offices therein prescribed for the good of the whole world which men therunto assigned doe hold their authority from him whether they be such as himselfe immediately or else the Church in his name inuesteth it being neither possible for all nor for euery man without distinction conuenient to take vpon him a charge of so great importance and therfore very fitly the Church of England affirmeth that it is not lawfull for any one to take to himselfe the office of preaching publikely or administring the Sacraments in the Church except he be first lawfully called to doe thâ—se things For God who hath reserued euen from the first beginning of the world vntill the end therof a Church vnto himselfe vpon earth against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile hath likewise appointed a perpetuall ministery for the seruice therein which though for outward calling hath not bin euer the same yet continually it was limited in those bounds as a thing most vnmeet and vnlawfull for any man to vndertake that was not called For as it is Gods infinite mercie when he could either saue vs without the ministry of any or by the ministry of Angels yet then to honor man with this dignity to make him a coadiutor dispenser and cohelper in so great a worke so it is his wisdome to appoint both for the auoiding of confusion and vnfitnesse such persons as are truly allotted to so honorable an office which neither before vnder or after the law was euer lawfull without any calling to vndertake The enemies to this religious order of the Church haue bin certaine louers of confusion which vnder pretence of the calling of the spirit haue ouerboldly intruded themselues into those holy functions for which lawfully they had neuer warrant Such were the Enthusiasts Anabaptists Schwenkfeldians who being enemies to all order vnder pretence of a calling from the Holy-ghost which others wanted haue made a passage contrary to that restraint of the Apostle Let no man take vpon him that honor to himselfe but he that is called of God without expectation of lawfull warrant to those duties that in the Church are greatest for in the time before the law it was not permitted to take the office of priesthood vnlesse he either were or had the prerogatiue of the eldest brother This was for the sinne of Ruben deriued to the tribe of Louie first for their zeale in that great idolatry and was after confirmed vnto him in the sedition of Corah and yet not to all of that family either to serue in that tabernacle or to teach throughout all Israel Neither were all ages equally fit vnto this calling it being neither lawfull before fiue and twenty nor after fifty to be admitted to it As also those that were admitted had a speciall consecration for a personall difference from the rest of that family to let them vnderstand that although they and only they of that tribe were to be imployed in those functions yet it was not lawfull to vndertake it without a calling this afterward wheÌ„ better notes of eminencie gaue that allowance which before birth did was with greater reuerence to be expected and to be obserued with a greater care by those whom the Church had inuested with authority to call vnto that charge To these persons because God imparted power ouer his mysticall bodie which is the society of soules and ouer that naturall which is himselfe for the knitting of both in one a worke which antiquity doth call the making of Christs body the same power is in such not amisse both tearmed a kind of marke or Character and acknowledged to be indeleble For 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 high in things wherewith others may not meddle Their difference therfore from other men is in that they are a distinct order and I call it indeleble because they which haue once receiued this power as Maister Hooker saith may not thinke to put it off and on like a cloake as the weather serueth to take it reiect and resume it as oft as themselues liste of which prophane and impious contempt these latter times haue yeelded as of all other kinds of iniquity and apostasie strange examples But let them know which put their hands to this plough that once consecrated vnto God they are made his peculiar inheritance for euer Suspensions may stoppe and degradations vtterly cutte off the vse or exercise of power giuen but voluntarily it is not in the power of man to separate and pull asunder what God by his authority coupleth Neither neede there a reordinatioÌ„ for such as were consecrated by the Church in corrupter times for out of men indued with gifts of the spirit the Church chose her ministers vnto whom was giuen ecclesiasticall power by ordination which they could neither assume or reiect at their owne pleasure Of these without doubt the Apostolick Churches did acknowledge but three degrees at the first Apostles in stead whereof are now Bishops Presbyters and Deacons for there is an error as Maister Hooker saith which beguileth many who much entangle both themselues and others by not distinguishing seruices offices and orders Ecclesiasticall the first of which three and in part the second may be executed by the laity whereas none haue or can haue the third namely order but the clergie Catechists Exorcists Readers Singers and the rest of like sort if the nature only of their labour and paines be considered may in that respect seeme clergie men euen as the fathers for that cause tearme them vsually Clerks as also in regard of the end whereunto they were trained vp which was to enter into orders when yeeres and experience should make them able notwithstanding in as much as they no way differed from others of the laity longer then during that work of seruice which at any time they might giue ouer beeing thereunto but admitted not tyed by irreuocable ordination we finde them alwaies exactly seuered from that body whereof those three before rehearsed orders alone are naturall parts