Defense of the Ecclesiastical Discipline, Title page – To the reader
A DEFENCE OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL Diſcipline ordayned of God to be vſed in his Church. Againſt a Replie of Maiſter Bridges, to a briefe and plain Declaration of it, which was printed An. 1584. Which replie he termeth, A Defence of the gouernement establiſhed in the Church of Englande, for Eccleſiasticall matters.
IOB. 31.35.36.37.
❧The booke that myne aduerſarie ſhall write against me, I will beare it vponupon my ſhoulder, yea I will weare it as a crowne vponupon me. I will tell him the number of my ſteppes, and as one of authoritie I will goe vntounto him.
1. TIM. 6.13.14.15.16.
¶I charge thee in the ſight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Ieſus Christ, which vnderunder Pontius Pilate witneſſed a good confeſſion, that thou keepe theſe commaundements without ſpot, and vnrebukeable, vntill the appearing of our Lord Jeſus Christ. Which in due time he ſhall ſhewe, that is, bleſſed, and Prince onelyonly, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Who only hath immortalitie, & dwelleth in the light that none can attaine vntounto, whom neuer man ſawe, neither can ſee, vntounto whom be honour and power euerlasting, Amen.
1588.
¶ VntoUnto the Chriſtian Reader.
THERE was written (gentle Reader) manie yeares agoe, a ſhort declaration of the right and onelyonly lawfull Diſcipline, which our Sauior Christ hath ordayned for the guiding of his Church. Which declaration being not publiſhed at the time it was prepared for, hath come ſince into the handes of ſome, who conſidering the Treatiſe to be modestlie and learnedlie written, and diſcerning a fitte time and occaſion for the purpoſe, cauſed it in the yeare 84. to be printed. Since which time it hath bin read and conſidered of by many, but, either becauſe the trueth of it ſeemed cleare, or becauſe the doctrine conteyned in it was generall, without particuler application to the ſtate of our Church, or for ſome other like reſpect (as I ſuppoſe) it hath had quiet and free paſſage hitherto, without anie replication made vntounto it.
Nowe commeth out one after ſo many yeares, belike hauing thoroughlie in all the time ſtudied the matter: who replieth to this declaration, and vndertaketh to ſhewe that there is no ſuch Diſcipline appointed by our Sauior Christ, as is there declared to be ordayned by his authoritie. This Treatiſe the Author calleth, A defence of the gouernement eſtabliſhed in the Church of Englande for eccleſiaſticall matters. Which tytle, whether he were mooued to giuegive his booke as most plauſible, or as most profitable: hoping peraduenture for no ſmall recompence of ſuch a ſeruice as he taketh vponupon him to performe, or what other reaſon ſoeuer it were, becauſe I could not diſcerne anie ſufficient reaſon for it, (the booke he would confute, declaring onelyonly a generall doctrine for all Churches, and dealing litle more with this Church, then anie other, much leſſe impugning it, that it ſhould neede his defence) I hauehave thought good, rather to call his booke, A replie to the Declaration, as it is in deede, and as the nature of the writing requireth, he ſhould hauehave called it, then to keepe the name whiche hee hath giuen it. The declaration he hath diuided into manie ſmall pieces and ſections, and ſo ſetteth it downe all before him: wherin he ſeemeth to vndertake to proue, that there is not a worde in that godlie learned Treatiſe, which hee will not ſhewe to be reproueable: which howe he performeth, and what honor he is to carie out of this fielde, wherein he is entred with great triumphe, I leaue to the Christian Reader by this anſwere to conſider.
His first ſection (becauſe nothing ſhould eſcape him) is vppon theſe wordes ſet after the preface and before the first ſentence of the booke, & vponupon the toppe of euerie leafe, A learned diſcourſe of eccleſiaſticall gouernement. This Title both here and thoroughout the Replie is much iested at and played withall. For anſwere wherevnto, the Reader is to vnderstande, the right title of the booke ſet downe in the first page thereof, is, A briefe & plain declaration, &c. The other is of like the Printers, or ſome others to whoſe hande the copie might come, a thing vſuallie done, and without anie iust note of ostentation in the Author, who is ſeldome or neuer priuie to ſuch additions. But let vsus leaue the Title, and paſſe on to the Booke.