Зображення сторінки
PDF
ePub

II.

Popery as wicked, how shal we say their apparel becomes BOOK saintes and professors of true holiness? S. Paule biddes us refrain from al outward shew of evill: but surely in keping this Popishe apparel, we forbear not an outward shew of much evill, if Popery be judged evil. As we wold have a divers shew of apparel to bee knowen from the commen peple, so it is necessarie in apparel to have a shewe, howe a Protestant is to bee knowen from a Papist.

It hais pleased Godd to call your Lordship to honor wurthili, Godd be praised for it: and the same Godd will preserve and increase it, if ye diligentlie endever your selfe to set furth his glorie again. For so he hais promised, Honorantes me glorificabo: qui verò contemnunt me, contemnentur. Whan Hester made curtesie to speke for Godds peple being in daunger, Mardochæus said to her, Si nunc tacueris, alia ratione liberabuntur, et tu et domus patris tui peribitis. Wherin it easily apperes by these thretnings, how grete a faute it is not to help Godds peple in their nede, or not to forther religion whan they may. But of your gudd Lordship's inclination to forther Godds cause no manne dowtes: and seeing manie gudd menne have felt and rejoyced of it, I am bolder to crave it. Whan Terentius, a gudd Christian captain, returned with grete triumph and 41 victorie, th'Emperor Valens bade him aske what he wold, and he shuld have it, for his gudd service: he having Godd afore his ees, desired nauther riches nor honor, but that those, which had aventured their lives for true religion, might have a church alowed theim to serve their Godd pureli in, and several from the Arrians. ThEmperor, being angry with his request, pulles his supplication in pieces, and bade him ask some other things. But he gathered upp the pieces of his papire, and said, I have received my reward, I wil ask nothing else. God encrease about princes the smal number of such zealous suters and promoters of religion; and than no dowte Godds glorie shal florish, whan we seke his due honor, and not our owne profett. Your honorable gentilnes toward all hais encoraged me thus boldlie to speke for this case; and I dowt not, but your ac

BOOK customed gudnes hais sundrie times spoken in it: and thogh II. ye spede not at the first, yet importunitie procures manie

things in time. Austin in myne opinion gives a gudd rule how a manne shuld behave himself in contentions of religion, to avoyde both schismes, and breaking the quietnes and peace of Christen menne; which Godd graunt might take place in this case. Quisquis quod potest arguendo corrigit, vel quod corrigere non potest, salvo pacis vinculo, excludit; vel quod, salva pace, excludere non potest tolerat, æquitate improbat. Hic est pacificus, et à maledicto alienus. Contr. epist. Par.

But how this Christian peace shuld be kept in this Church, whan so many, for so smal things, shal be thrust from their ministerie and livinges, it passes my simple witte to conceve. S. Paules rule in such things is, Omnia mihi licent, sed non omnia expediunt: omnia mihi licent, sed omnia non ædificant. Therfor in this case we must not so subtilly dispute what Christian liberty wuld suffer us to doe, but what is metest and most ædifying for Christian charitie, and promoting pure religion. But surely how Popishe apparel shuld ædifie, or set forward the Gospel of Christ Jesus, cannot be sene of the multitude. Nay, it is so much felt, how much it rejoyces the adversarie, whan they see what we borrowe of theim, and contend for therin, as thinges necessarie. The Bisshops wearing of their whyte rochetts begane first of Sisinius, an hæretique Bishop of the Novatians: and these other have the like foundation. But they have so long continued and pleased Poperie, which is beggerlie patched upp of al sorts of ceremonies, that they culd never be roted out sins, even from many professors of the truth.

Thus setting shame aside in Godds cause, and forgetting my dutie in troubling your Honour so muche, I most humblie beseche your Honor to defend this cause, thogh it be with some displeasure. Godd wil reward it.

But while I defend others, it may be said, Medice, cura teipsum. And let your doings and saings agree in your self. Surely, my gudd Lord, thogh I in this case folow S. Austins rule afore rehersed, yet shuld not any mannes doings be

II.

a prejudice to others that wold come to a better perfection. BOOK Thogh thinges may be born with for Christian libertie sake for a tyme, in hope to wynne the weake: yet, whan libertie is turned to necessitie, it is evil, and no longer libertie: and that that was for wynning the weak, sufferd for a tyme, is becomen the confirming of the froward in their obstinatnes. Paul used circumcision for a time as of libertie, but whan it was urged of necessitie, he wold not bend unto it. Bucer, whan hee was asked why he did not weare quadrato pileo, made answer, Quia caput non est quadratum. Wherein surely hee noted wel the comelynes of apparel to be, whan it was fashioned like the bodie, and grete folie, whan a square cappe was set on a round head. Godd be merciful to us, and graunte us uprightlie to seke his honor with al earnestnes and simplicitie. The Lord long preserve your Lordship to the comforth of his afflicted Church, and graunt that in this olde age of the world we may serve the Lord of hostes in singlenes of hert, and root out al stumbling blockes in religion; that Christes glorie may nakedlie shyne of it selfe, without al mannes traditions or inventions, as in the beginning, whan it was purest, and al such devices unknowen, but invented of late to bleare the ees of thignorant with an outward shew of holines. So craving pardon for my boldnes in so long a tale, I humbly take my leave, and commend 42 your Honor to him that gives al honor, and to whom al

[blocks in formation]

The Archbishop to the Bishop of London; upon the Queen's letter for providing for conformity.

Parker's

AFTER my harty commendation to your good Lord-Archbishop ship; wheras the Queen, the 28th day of this present month, Reg. p. 243. addressed unto me her letters very seriously, and at good

II.

BOOK length discoursed in her godly zeal, much desirous to se unity, quietnes, and concord among the public Ministers of her realm, and the people of the same; and also declaring on the contrary part, that diversity, variety, and contention hath been very discomfortable and heavy unto her Highnes: which diversity being not redrest, must bring danger of ruine to her people and country: the inconvenience wherof her Highnes, foreseeing at the beginning of her reign, did therefore provide laws and ordinances to stay and knit her people in unity, without diversityes of opinions or novelties of rites and maners, breeding but strife and contention: and that now of late, for lack of regard of us, the Bishops, notwithstanding the earnest weight of orders charged upon us by her Highnes, and the states of the realm for due execution, sundry varieties and novelties in opinion and in external ceremonies and rites, by a few people delighting in singularities and changes, be crept in, by whom Christian charity, the band of good religion, is impaired and defaced, to the great dishonour of Almighty God: and furthermore, where her Highnes hath oft heard, to her great grief, sundry reports hereof, in which consideration yet her Majesty of her gracious affection standeth in some mistrust, that the adversaries of truth might of their evil disposition increase the said reports; notwithstanding her Highnes of late perceiving certainly, that the same disorders began rather to increas than to diminish: and further, her Highnes, in consideration of her authority given her of God for defence of concord and truth in this Church of England, professing that she cannot endure or suffer any longer these evils to procede and encrease in her realm, hath certainly determined to have al such diversities and novelties against the laws, good usages, and ordinances of the realm, to be expelled, and to have uniformity throughout the whole realm, to the honour of God, to the unity of the people, and to avoid the slanders that are spred hereof in foreign countries:

Wherupon her Majesty hath straitly charged me, according to such herupon and authority as I have under her, to have consideration of the same in such form as by her said

II.

letters is expressed : and to understand of every person, hav- BOOK ing any jurisdiction ecclesiastical, as wel in both the Universities, as in other places exempt whatsoever, what varieties be used either in doctrin, or in ceremonies and rites of the Church, or in the maners, usages, and behaviours of the Clergy themselves, and to seek the reformation of the same.

And further, her commandment is, that none hereafter be admitted to any office or room ecclesiastical, but such as shal be disposed to follow common order, and shal also before their admittance orderly and formally promise to use themselves in true unity and concord; and to keep such order and uniformity in al the external rites and ceremonies, both for the Church and their own persons, as by laws, good usages, and orders, already are provided.

Moreover, her Majesty expresseth her pleasure to be, none such as maintain disordered dissension to remain in authority, whereby her sovereign authority might be made frustrate, and might be thought to bear the sword in vain.

Finally, her Majesty straitly chargeth me to inform her 43 Highnes of al such as be not reformable, and to refer them to her further order: or else, for lack of my diligence herein, her Highnes shal be compelled to provide further remedy, by some other sharp proceedings, as shal percase not be easie for them to bear. In which case her Highnes also saith, that she shal impute to me the cause thereof.

These things thus considered, for the performing my duty to Almighty God, in declaration of mine obedience and alegiance to her princely authority, and to avoyd her heavy indignation, I do by these my letters desire your Lordship, and in her name straitly charge you, to expend and execute the premisses; and also to signify the same with charge to the rest of our brethren in my province, that they inviolably see the laws and ordinances already established to be without delay and colour executed in their particular jurisdictions, with proceeding against the offenders by censures of the Church, &c. And such as be incorrigible, to send up hither the causes and demerits of those persons, and they the said Bishops to charge their inferiors, having any juris

« НазадПродовжити »