Common Places, Letters · Letter 38 – Letter 39
To the ſame man into Englande. 40.
TWo letters at once (my moſt deare brother in Chriſt & right reuerend Lorde) the one dated in the monethmonth of October and the other in December, I receiued together namelie, the 24. day of Ianuarie. Wherefore you ſée howe ſlacklie they are brought to my handes. VntoUnto your demaunds I hauehave anſwered now twiſe before: Howbeit if the letters be intercepted, or that they be verie ſlowlie deliuered, I am not to be accuſed of negligence, but rather the ill ſucceſſe of our letters is to be lamented than we to be condemned as though we hauehave intermitted our dutie of writing. But ſetting complaint aſide I come to the matters themſelues whereof you demaunde. Firſt I exhort you that you withdrawe not your ſelfe from the function offered, ſince there is ſo great a want there of miniſters. Wherefore if you which be as it were the pillers ſhal refuſe Eccleſiaſticall offices, both the Churches ſhalbe deſtitute of Paſtors, and you ſhall alſo giuegive place vntounto Woolues and Antichriſts. You liuing without function, ſhall not amende thoſe things which you miſlike, nay rather you ſhall ſcarſely retaine thoſe things which be granted. But if you ſit, you ſit in ye places of gouernment of the Church, there is a hope that you may amende many things, although not al. You ſay they hauehave taken away ye lands, but conſider yt you hauehave not alienated them. That the taking away of Eccleſiaſticall lands muſt not diſcourage miniſters from theſe function. Matt. 6. 26.Theſe things were done without you priuilie, therefore there is no blame héere to be laide vppon you. In the meane time what ſtipende is left for the Curats of Churches? They muſt be fedde of Biſhops. Héere muſt we put our truſt in God, who will ſhewe ſome way and meanes for the ſuſtaining of them. He feedeth the foules of heauen, and clotheth the lilies in the fielde: neither doeth he forſake any man rightly walking in his vocation. But yee muſt take heede leaſt yee be iudged of them which ſéeke occaſions, that you hauehave regarde vntounto commodities and riches, Of ye ſquare Cap & outward garment of a Byſhop.As touching the ſquare cappe and the rochet, I thinke wee are not much to diſpute ſéeing it is without ſuperſtition, and eſpecially in that kingdome, it may hauehave a ciuill reſpect. Concerning garments which they call holie, I confeſſe that the caſe is nowe hard, and which troubleth my ſelfe not a litle: ſo as I maruel that they be thus earneſtlie retained. For I would wiſh that all things ſhoulde be doone in the plaineſt ſort. Whereas yet I thinke that if betweene the Churches of Saxonie and our Churches there might be obtained an vnitie, as touching the principall points of doctrine, there would be no ſeparation of theſe kinde of garments: For although we woulde not allowe of them, yet woulde wee beare with them, reioyſing with our ſelues yt we hauehave made them of no force. Wherfore theſe garments you may vſe either in preaching or in miniſtering of the Lords ſupper, yet ſo, as you ſhould continue ſpeaking and teaching againſt the vſe of them. But I would neuer counſell you that either when you ſhould preach or miniſter the ſupper of the Lorde, you ſhould hauehave the image of the crucifix vponupon the table. As touching the correcting of Papiſts for thinges that be paſt, the ſame hath beene ſundrie times diſcontinued for peace ſake: foreign in the Churchand that in the Church there hath beene ſomtimes foreign, that is a forgetting of iniuries or as it were a law of forgetting, and that heretikes hauehave béene receiued with their former honours and degrees, ſo they woulde ſubſcribe vntounto ſounde religion. This muſt bee foreſeene of you, that hereafter they commit nothing againſt the religion now receiued. But as for them which are preſented vntounto you by patrons, by reaſon of aduouſons, they ought not to be inſtituted by you, vnleſſe they will ſubſcribe to the religion which is now in force: which if they will not doe, I thinke it is free for you to reiect thē. As touching vnleuened bread vſed at ye holy ſupper you your ſelfe know yt al our Churches do not contend nay rather they do al vſe it eueryevery where. And wheras you write ye manie are offēded with ye forme of Biſhops apparell & with the holie veſtmēts as they call them: I beleeue it wel. But therein ſhal you auoid blame, if you wil ſhew in your ſermons that thoſe do diſpleaſe you alſo, & doe indeuor as much as you can, that they may at the length be taken awaie. Of walkings in the Rogation wéeke.But as concerning thoſe proceſſions in the Rogatiō weeke, which ſeeme to hauehave flowed from the *Ambaualibus.gangings or walkings about of the Ethnicks, I know not wel what counſel to giuegive. This I ſaie, that all ſuperſtitions muſt in any wiſe be auoided. But and if in thoſe walkes, onelyonly prayers bee made to God, that for his merciemercy ſake, he will both graunt vsus liberallie newe fruites, and alſo good vſe of them: and that therewithall thankes bee giuen for the foode of the yeare paſt, ſuperſtitions perhaps will ſeeme to be auoided. Albeit euen againſt ſuch a kinde of Rite both the Magiſtrate & the people muſt be taught: And you muſt trauell all that you may to hauehave them ridde awaie as rellicks of the Amorrhits. Theſe were the things my brother that I had preſentlie to write. I beſéech God to perſwade you how, or to tell you what is better. Of all this matter I conferred with maſter Bullinger who giueth his conſent and ſendeth you heartie ſalutations. Alſo my wife with Iulius and Anna would hauehave me ſend our commendations to you and all yours. From Zuricke in the Calends of Februarie, 1560.
To the ſame man into England. 41.
TO the letters which you wrote vntounto me the 6. of Ianuarie I anſwered not before, becauſe I receiued them in the Calends of March, neither hauehave we any ſtore of conuenient cariers at Tigure. Now muſt you perſwade your ſelfe of this, that thoſe things which gréeue you and ſuch as you be do alſo very much gréeue me & my brethren. To anſwere againe vntounto your queſtions I thinke it not much néedeful, becauſe I thinke that all my letters came vntounto you: whereunto I hauehave anſwered as I coulde, not perhaps ſo much as ye matter required, or ſomuch as you your ſelfe deſired: yet I ſaid that which ſéemed then to ſerue to the purpoſe. That which you feare, wee cannot turne away from you otherwiſe than by prayers, which (beléeue me) we carefullie doe and will doe. Finallie to come to your laſt queſtion: The Image of the Crucifix.namely, to hauehave the ſigne of the crucifix vponupon the holie table while the Lords ſupper is miniſtred, I do not account it among things indifferent: neither would I aduiſe any man to diſtribute the ſacraments with that rite. Howbeit you that are in the verie conflict, looke not for counſell from hence, for we bée farre from you: conſult vppon your owne grounde, a vocation is not lightly to be caſt off nor yet to be taken in hand with iniury of the truth. To be briefe, the worſhipping of images muſt in no wiſe be ſuffered, neither doth maſter Bullinger nor I account ſuch for indifferent thinges: nay rather we refuſe them as thinges forbidden. Howebeit except you be compelled to theſe things doe not you refuſe the miniſterie which is fréelie offered to you. As concerning the writing of letters to the Quéene about this matter, this much vnderſtande, that I am nowe ſo ouerwhelmed with buſineſſe, as though I hauehave neuer ſo much minde to doe it, yet I cannot. For theſe two moneths together I alone teach in the ſchoole: and I iudge that the cauſe is not to bee committed vntounto letters. And beſides this I thinke that my letters will be of no great weight. Truely I hauehave written twiſe publiklie and priuately, neither coulde I vnderſtand whether the things that I wrote were well accepted. Furthermore, if it be the determination of your men as it is reported that they will imbraſe the confeſſion made at Auguſta, and that they couet the league of the Proteſtants, you your ſelfe may conſider of what credite my letters and the letters of ſuch as I am will be accounted. That one thing which I can, I will not faile to doe: namely to praie, that your kingdome and Church, together with your moſt mightie Quéene, may moſt happilie liue in Chriſt. Notwithſtanding, as you willed me, I hauehave delt in the cauſe with maſter Bernardine. Hee is ſicklie, both by reaſon of age and through the diſeaſes that come vponupon olde men: yet he refuſed not the labour of writing but promiſeth to doe it when he ſhalbe able. I doubt not of Bullinger but that hee will write, for he is verie well incouraged in this matter. Although he hauehave read your letters, hee hath not yet ſhewed me any thing whereof I may giuegive you to vnderſtand. Fare you well. Bullinger, all the fellow miniſters, my wife, and Iulius with his wife ſalute you. A ſonne was borne vntounto me the 2. of March and died the 10. day of March. Salute in my name all your friends, and ceaſe not to louelove your Martyr. The 20. of March, 1560.