The Plea of the Innocent, Chapter 1
Cap. 1.
Wherein is ſhewed, 1. That they be not Puritans in deed who now in England are ſo called: 2. That name is verie fit and proper for al Papiſts. 3 What are the cauſes that ſome of her Maieſties moſt faithfull and obedient ſubiects are termed Puritans. 4 The true ſtate of their cauſe.
WE reade in the ſtorie of the primatiue church of diuers ſorts of hereticks,What be … ritans. who for their opinions of their own Purenes contrarie to the trueth of holye Sicripure, might verie well bee called Puritans. As namely ſuch as verie proudly & odiouſlie (as Saint Auguſtine writeth) called themſelues Cathari, De haereſ, … 3.8.(which may well, out of the originall worde, bee tranſlated by the name of Puritane) for their puritie or cleanes: and theſe hee ſaith followed Nouatus, and were therefore called Nouatians. The Pelagians alſo were Puritanes,88 holding (as hee ſaieth) that the life of a iuſt man in this worlde, hath no ſinne at all, and that of them the Church is made vp in this mortall life, that it might be altogeather without ſpote or wrinckle: Of this latter ſorte were the Donatiſtes. 82There were alſo Puritanes called Iouinianiſtes, affirming that a man can not ſinne after hee hath receaued the lauacre of regeneration. Ebion alſo and diuers others,Euſ. Pamph. hiſt. lib. 3. cap 27. thought ſo well of them ſelues, that they claue to the lawe, as the Phariſees, looking to be iuſtified by their workes and not by faith onelie. All theſe and manye others hauing opinion of their owne puritie, and deſpiſing others, might iuſtlie and truelie bee called Puritanes. But ſuch miniſters and other good chriſtian men & weomen,Godly Miniſters & people in Englād no Puritans. who in this Lande, vnderunder her Maieſties moſt happie raigne (whome God continue in ſafetie with the longeſt liuer) hauehave embraced the Ghoſpell, and by it abandoned all theſe and all other hereſies and falſhoodes, and endeuour to followe the ſame Ghoſpell, with all their ſoules, and in ſimplicitie and humblenes of minde, hauehave ben deſirous that them-ſelues ſhould drawe nearer and nearer vntounto God, and that the Church of England (as it is very well, and verie much reformed out of popiſh idolatrie and ſuperſtition) might more & more growe forward vntounto ſuch perfection, as in this fraile life might bee attained: bee verie vncharitablie and vniuſtlie called by that odious & hereticall name of Puritane. For if we woulde ſearch all Englande from the tenth yeare of her Maieſties moſt gracious raigne (aboute which time this wicked ſlander did firſt beginne) vntounto this preſent time: there can not bee brought forth any one, out of thoſe, vvho faithfullie and in the feare of God hauehave ſought reformation (howe ſo euer for that cauſe they hauehave beene and are vntruly ſo called) that euer did arrogate anie ſuch thinge to themſelues,We account not our ſelus pure. as to be thought purer then other men: but alwayes they hauehave acknowledged themſelues to be great & greeuous ſinners, as well as other men: accounting their owne righteouſnes to be as a ſtayned cloth: and reioyſing of no other pureneſſe, but that which is by the bloode of Chriſt, when for his ſakes our ſinnes are forgiuen, and thorough faith in him our ſoules are purified, and his righteouſneſſe imputed vntounto vsus, by the free mercye and grace of God. Therefore except wee woulde call black, white: and bitter ſweete, there is no reaſon in the worlde to call any ſuch by the odious name of Puritanes.
2. But the Papiſtes indeed being the true followers and ſchollers of the Cathari, Nouatus, Papiſtes are in deed Puritanes.Pelagius, and of the Ebionites, Donatistes and of all ſuch like Puritane heretickes, maye iuſtlie & very fitlie be called Puritanes. For they hold that in their regenerate men after Baptiſme,Concil. Trid. leſs. 6. & ſeſ. 5 there is nothing that maye bee ſaide to hauehave the reaſon of ſinne, and that they are able to fulfill all the commaundements of God: and they affirme that they hauehave an inherent righteouſneſſe which they keepe as a pure and immaculate robe, to the obtayning of ſaluation: and that they are righteous, iuſtified, & deſerue ſaluation by their workes: that they hauehave among them deuout and holye men, (whome they call religious) Moncks,Teſt. Rhem vponupon Luc. 10. Friers, Nunnes, Ieſuits & Seminaries,Ven. 42. and 2 cor 2. verſ 10. and ca. 8. verſ. 14. Wil. Allen of pardons. cap. 11. and 1…. vvho in their religious order liue (as they ſay) a Seraphicall and angelicall life, & being virgins, voide of all ſeculare affayres, as pure and chaſte votaries, in contemplation ſeruing God day & night, are able to merit not only for them ſelues, but alſo for others: and of the ſuperaboundancie of their vvorkes of Supererogation they maye communicate to others, and the Pope maye by indulgence, applie their merites for the reliefe of others out of purgatorie, and ſuch like. Theſe vndoubtedlie may & are properlie to be called Puritanes, becauſe they indeed arrogate vntounto them ſelues puritie and holines, and deſpiſe all others: vvhichwhich the true children of God (though thus belyed & ſlaundered) dare not in any caſe to doe; but contrarilie they crie out vvith the Pſalmiſt vntounto God: Enter not into iudgement. Pſal. 143, 2. Luc. 18.13.And vvith the Publicane: HaueHave merciemercy vppon mee a ſinner.
3 But the cauſe originall and order, whereby theſe reproachful termes vvere giuen to good Chriſtians,Howe the name of putitanes came vp in England I finde to bee this: In the beginning of her Maieſties moſt happie raigne (whome I humblie pray our God to prolong as long as Sun and Moone endure) the Ghoſpell being publiſhed, and Preachers ordained to teach the people: Manie people vvithin a vvhile feeling ſome taſte of the heauenlye comfort, began to delight in hearing of Sermons, ſinging of Pſalmes, in reading and godlie talke of holye Scriptures vvhichwhich they vvere taught. And therevvithal did ſomwhat refrain prophane and vnprofitable cuſtomes, and ſometime they admoniſhed their neighbours, if they did ſweare, & pray them to goe with them to the Sermon. The greater ſort of the people, beeing olde barrels vvhichwhich coulde holde no newe vvine, addicted partlie to Poperie & partlie to licentiouſneſſe, hauing many of them no other God, but their bellie, vvoulde deride and ſcoffe at them, and called them holye brethren and holye ſiſterne: ſaying, Hee is one of the pure and vnſpotted brethren. Godlie excerciſe ſcorned by the wicked.Diuers Miniſters alſo entring vpō that waightie charge, when they (beeing learned) came to the practiſe of the communion booke, founde them ſelues troubled in ſome things, & ſome certaine ceremonies were a ſcruple vntounto thē. And as it is ſaide in the preface of the ſaide booke, it was not thought fit at the firſt to take away all thoſe things, which ſeemed to be ſuperſtitious, but to take the middle waye to abandon ſome and to retaine ſome: So by this occaſion the Papiſtes & other people not well affected to religion and godlines, after a while began to find holes in the Miniſters coates,Papiſtes and Atheiſts pick quarrels with good men. and deuiſed diuers wayes of moleſtation & troubled them, not a little. They open their cauſe to the reuerend Biſhopes of thoſe times, and found great kindnes at their hands at the firſt, & they were a good and comfortable ſhadow vntounto them for a ſeaſon. But about the tenth year of her Maieſties raigne, the Papiſts as men which began to ſhake of the feare, wherewith the mightie God, protecting & bleſsing her Maieſties moſt godlie and Chriſtian proceedings, had ſtrocken them, the Papiſtes (I ſay) began to come foorth of their dennes, and as it is well knowne to the ſtate, practiſed diuers treacherous attemptes; but amōg other, they preferred ſuch greeuous accuſations againſte the godlie and faithfull Miniſters; that then and from thence forth, they were left naked, & a great ſtorme fell vponupon them; and ſo it continued now and then ſharper, & ſome time their was a calme, & men breathed & returned to the Lords worke. About anno 1571.Subſcription came foorth firſt Anno 1571. (as I take it) Subſcription was firſt enforced vponupon the miniſtrie, for which cauſe in that time certaine men wrote and admonition to the parlament, opening diuers things worthie reformatiō. Wherupon aroſe greate volumes of prouing, and defending, which are famouſlie knowne to all men, that vnderſtand of theſe cauſe. But how fleſh and blood did in theſe writings ouer-ſway the Chriſtian moderation and mildnes, which brethren ſhuld hauehave ben verie careful of, in contending for trueth, by the hote purſuite of either ſide, I reioyce not to rehearſe, and I am ſorie as ofte as I thinke vppon the lamentable effectes & hurte of the Church in thoſe times: How be it, our mercifull God, whoſe vnchaungeable louelove, doeth ſwallow vp manye of our infirmities and follies, graunted vntounto vsus in the midſt of theſe fierie contentions, a goodlie ſpace of quietneſſe about the time that the reuerend father Maiſter Grindall was Archbiſhoppe of Canturburie. In which time in al the ſouth partes of Englande, there was greate concorde among the Miniſters, and they ioyned in great louelove and ioy one with another in the Lords worke. So that in the ſpace of 4. or 5. yeares (as I remember) there were infinit ſoules brought to the knowledge of Chriſt: & the people reioyſed for the conſolation, ſeing & beholding how greatly they were bound to praiſe God, for her Maieſties moſt chriſtian gouernement, vnderunder whoſe moſte godly proceedings, they had ſucked and taſted the ſweet and vndeceaueble milke of Gods trueth, euen the holye faith of Gods elect, the doctrine of ſaluation. It was a goldē time, full of godly fruit, great honour to the Ghoſpell, greate louelove and kinde fellowſhip among all the Miniſters, preaching the faith, & the people vnited in the true feare of God and cheerefull reuerence to her Maieſtie. But this life not affoording conſtant proſperitie to heauenly louelove and growth of godlines.
After the ſaid Archbiſhops deceaſe, there came foorth a newe and freſh aſſault of ſubſcription, vniuerſallie impoſed,Anno Dom. 1584. the wofull year of ſubſcription. and againe enforced vppon all the Miniſters in three articles.
Firſt of the Queenes Maieſties Soueraigne authoritie ouer all perſons, &c. Seconde, that the booke of common prayer and of or dayninge Biſhoppes, Prieſtes and Deacons, containe in it nothing contrarie to the woorde of God, &c. Thirde, to allowe and approue all the articles of religion agreed vponupon by the Archbiſhops and Biſhops, &c. 1562. and to beleeue all therein contayned to bee agreeable to God. When in the viſitations and publike meetinges the Miniſters were called to ſubſcribe: they offered very freely and willingly to ſubſcribe the firſt article of her Maieſties moſt lawfull authoritie. And for the other two they refuſed to doe anye further, thē by law they were bound, & name lie according to the ſtatute made for that purpoſe anno 13. Herevpon manie in diuers Shires were ſuſpended from the execution of their Miniſterie, and ſome depriued. And great diuiſion aroſe in the Church, the one ſuing for reformation and to be eaſed of ſuch burdens, and the other vrging verie ſtraightly the former things, & puniſhing ſuch as woulde not be conformable. Then came there forth a newe cloude of writing and mennes affections waxing vvhote & drawing to the worſe, it was a verye common name to all theſe Miniſters to be called Puritanes: As men which made conſcience of many things, which the reuerend Fathers, and many learned men affirmed to be lawfull.
In all this time there was much preaching in the Vniuerſities, aboute nonreſidents and vnpreaching miniſters: and there ſhould you ſee a plain diuiſion, one ſorte called youths, and the other ſorte which tooke not ſuch libertie, were called Preciſians. And this is growne both in the Vniuerſitie & in the countrie town and citie, that who ſo feareth an oth, or is an ordinary reſorter to ſermons, earneſt againſt exceſſe, ryot, poperie, or any diſorder, they are called in the vniuerſitie preciſians, and in other places Puritans.
4 And thus as faithfully as I can, I hauehave ſhewed how this name came vp, and whereupon honeſt & godly men hauehave beene and ar called puritans or preciſians: here it foloweth to bee conſidered out theſe thinges, what is their offence, and the ſtate of their cauſe:For fower thinges men are called puritanes. which may be referred to foure heads: 1 ſcruple in the vſe of certaine ceremonies: 2 ſcruple in ſubſcribing beyond the ſtate: 3 ſeeking for reformation of ſome ceremonies and of ſome parte of the eccleſiaſticall diſcipline. 4 the people do heare ſermons, talke of the Scriptures, ſinge Pſalmes together in priuate houſes, &c. Nowe whether for theſe cauſes they be iuſtlie called puritans & troublers of the ſtate, &c. it remaineth to be examined and diſcuſſed. For the plaine opening whereof, I will firſt ſhewe ſuch honeſt reaſons as make for their lawfull excuſe, proouing manifeſtlie that they are to be holden as good and faithfull ſubiectes, honeſt Chriſtians, and godlie miniſters. Secondlie I will open the vanitie of the principall imputations which are vrged againſt them; and thirdlie, propound ſome other ſuch conſiderations, as are neceſſarilie annexed to both.