Brief Discourse of the Troubles at Frankfort, Letter 1
Here followethe the generall letter ſente from the congregation off Franckforde / to Strauſbourge / Zurick / Wezeil / Emden / &c.
Grace mercy and peace in Chriſt our Lord: &c.
We dowte not (dearely beloued) but yow hauehave harde / aſwell by letter / as by reporte / off the excellent graces and mercy whiche oure good god and heauenly father hathe ſhewed vntounto oure litle congregation in this citie off Franckford / for that he hathe not onelyonly made the Magiſtrats and commons very fauorable towards vsus and louinge / but alſo / hathe geuen them hartes / with muche compaſſion to tender vsus / in ſo muche that euerie man helpethe vsus / no man is againſte vsus / muche louelove / no grudge / glad to pleaſe / lothe to annoie vsus / yea / and to declare this good will not to be off the meane ſorte / nor ſo ſmall as oure brethern hauehave felte otherwere / they hauehave graunted that thinge / whiche amonge others and in other cities / we coulde not obtaine nor durſte allmoſte hope for. For what greater treaſure or ſweeter comforte can a Chriſtian man deſier / then to hauehave a churche wherin he maie ſerue god in puritie off faithe / and integritie off lyfe / whiche thinge yff we wiſhe for / let vsus not refuſe it / ſeinge where we woulde / we coulde not there obtaine it. And here yet it is graunted in ſo ample wiſe / that beinge ſubiecte to no blemiſhe / no / nor ſo muche as the euell off ſuſpition (frō the whiche fewe churches are free) we maie preache / miniſter / and vſe Diſcipline / to the true ſettinge forthe off gods glorie and good enſample to others. And for our partes / we hauehave not bene negligente as touchinge the execution off the ſayed benefit graunted. For the 29. of Iuly / we had (god be thanked) …. ſermons to oure ſinguler comforte / and great ioye off all godly men heere. Wherfore brethern / ſeinge your hauehave indured the paine off perſecution with vsus / we thought it likewiſe oure dewties to make your partakers off oure conſolation / that altogether we maie geue thanks to oure louinge father / Cor. 10. Phil. 2.who is more tender ouer vsus / then the mother ouer hir childe / nether ſuffreth vsus to be temped aboue that we maie beare / but euen to the iſſue off the tentation / geuethe proſperous ſucceſſe / truſtinge by gods grace / that he whiche hathe geuen yow that gifte / not onelyonly to beleue in Chriſte / but alſo to ſuffer for his ſake: will ſo directe your hartes / that no reſpecte off commoditie there / nor yet feare of burthen here maie once moue yow to ſhrink from your vocatiō / whiche is / in one faithe / one miniſtration / one tonge and one conſente / to ſerue god in his churche.
What more manifeſte ſigne / what plainer declaration / what worde more expreſſe and lyuely can we hauehave off dewtie and vocation / the… when god ſpeakethe in oure hartes by faithe / guidethe vsus owte off perille throughe his grace / and nowe laſte & of all offrethe vsus a reſtinge place of his exceading mercy. Yow remēber that before / we hauehave reaſoned together in hope to obtaine a churche / and ſhall we nowe drawe backe as vnmindfull off gods prouidence / whiche hathe procured vsus one free from all dreggs off ſuperſtitious ceremonies?
What / thinke yow / Pſal. 4….yf the Prophet Dauid had had this offre who deſired to be porter in the houſe of God / and more eſteemed one daie ſo ſpente / then a thouſande otherwaies.
Either what mente he when he ſaied: one requeſte I demaunde off the Lorde / Whiche I will ſeeke after / that is / Pſal. 27.that I maie dwell in the howſe off the lorde all the daies off my lyfe. Had Dauid no experience? or felte he not what grieff yt was to wante the congregation? And ſurely we muſte graunt that he was farre more perfect then we be: For he beinge conuerſant in this worlde / ſett his delight wholie in heauenly things. And many off vsus / (we ſpeake it to our ſhame) as if we had already forgottē the ende of our creation / are plunged in earthlye affectiōs / and worldly reſpectes / ſo that throughe oure infirmities / this excellente benefit is like to be fruſtrate. For / ſome dowte who ſhalbe preferred: others ſeeke increaſe off lerninge▪ Many followe the commoditie off lyuinge certein / looke for a newe vocation / ſo that it is a wonder to ſe the deformitie off mans affec…ions. God grante / Matth. 22.we maye lerne at their enſamples whiche beinge called to the mariage came not / what it is to eſteeme in time the worthenes off gods benefits / leaſte / by the loſſe off the ſame we after fall vntounto vnprofitable repentance / ſeekinge againe oure loſſe withe teares as the reprobate Eſau and yet neuer the neere.Mich. 3. Heb. 11. We charge no one man (brethren) nor yet meane all / and on what conſiderations theis excuſes were pretended / we ſuſpende oure Iudgmentes / referringe the ſame to our imperfection and infirmitie / wherby the aduerſary ceaſethe not to batter dailie the walles off Gods temple.
As touchinge the pointe off prefermente / we are perſwaded throughly that it hathe this meaninge / that eueryevery mā thought of himſelf modeſtlie / humblie ſubmittinge himſelf to all mē vnablinge no man / for ſo muche as your knowe that he whiche ſeketh ambition / glory / aduantage or ſuche like / is not moued withe gods ſpirite as witneſſe the inſtructions that Chriſt… …ur Maiſter gaue to his diſciples / who laboring of like diſ…e were admoniſhed that he whiche did excell amonge thē / ſhoulde abaſe himſelf to his inferior whiche malady S. Paul perceauinge to infecte like a canker / moſte diligently framethe his ſtyle / Philip. 1. Col. 1.that he might not ſeeme to preferr hī ſelffe to others in the courſe of his miniſtery. And as for lernīge / as we wiſhe to all men moſte abūdantly: ſo we moſte erneſtly require / that cōparinge the congregations neceſſitie with your owne priuate cōmoditie / your woulde rather for Chriſts ſake choſe the better: yea / and we aſſure your one good aduertiſemente / that thorowe / gods grace / when we ſhalbe aſſēbled together / ſuche order wilbe taken / that / beſides thoſe thinges whiche oure natiō ſhalbe able to furniſhe / we hauehave the citie moſte forwarde to procure others. Yff anye woulde pretende the hardnes off the countrie and charges / oure experience ma…e ſufficiently ſatiffie them / who hauinge traveiled throwgh moſte places / where the goſpell is preached / hauehave not founde ſo manie commodites nor leſſe charges.
Reſtethe the tyme off callinge / whiche we referre to your conſciences / beſechinge your for Chriſtes ſake to deſcende into your ſelues withowt all parcialitie / wayinge the grauitie off the matter whiche is goddes / and the ſelie excuſe whiche the fleſhe miniſtrethe. Conſider what god woulde ſaie / I hauehave prepared a plentifull and ripe harueſte whiche ſtandethe in a redines and waitethe for the mower and I hauehave appointed thee thy taxe. I hauehave geuen inſtrumentes / and all things fit for the labor / yff thow forſlowe it / the croppe is in daunger: yff thow loke for oft warning thow declareſt great negligence.
This ſpeache (Dearly beloved) or very like / god vſed to Noah. Abraham / Ieremiah / &c. and they thought their vocation ſtronge. But yow through Goddes benefit / do not onelyonly heare god thus perſwadinge in your hartes / but alſo hauehave bene by externe callinge confirmed / and accordinge therunto hauehave walked to the great glorie off God and profit off the cōgregation. We truſte therfore (brethern) and in Ieſus Chriſte require it / that your woulde hyde your talent no longer but hauinge newe occaſion to imploye it / your woulde put it forthe for your Maiſter his aduantage and your owne diſcharge. For iff your feele in your hartes comforte as wee doo whiche are here aſſembled to heare the worde of god preached and the Sacramente miniſtred / we aſſure yow / yow ſhould ſenſiblie perceaue that which the Prophet ſpeakethe in theis termes: as the harte chaſed pantethe for gredines off waters:Pſal. 42. euen ſo / (o lorde) my ſoule ſeekethe after thee. My ſoule burnethe for thirſte in ſeekinge the Lorde and ſaithe: Alas when ſhall I be able to appeere before the face off the lyuinge god? what thinge then ought we to hauehave in greater recommendation / then the order and policie whiche god hathe eſtabliſhed in his churche? that we maie be taught by his worde / tha… we maie worſhippe him and call vponupon his name with one accorde / that we maie hauehave the true vſe off his Sacraments to helpe vsus to the ſame? For theis be the means wherby we muſte be confirmed in the faithe / in the feare off God / in holynes off conuerſation / in the contempte of the worlde / and in the louelove off life euerlaſtinge. And for this conſideration S.Epheſ. 4. Paule ſaithe not that this order whiche the Lorde hathe ſet in his churche ſhulde onelyonly be for the rude and ſymple / but makethe it common to all / exceptinge no man. For he hathe ordeined (ſaithe he) ſome to be Apoſtles / ſome / prophetes / ſome Euangeliſtes / others / to be teachers and inſtructors / to confirme the godly and to labor to finiſhe the buildinge off Chriſtes body till we be all brought to one conſente in faithe to the knowledge off the ſonne off god / to a perfect man / and finally / to the iuſte meaſure off a ripe Chriſtian age. Let vsus all marke / that he ſaithe not / that god hathe left the ſcriptures onelyonly / that eueryevery one ſhulde reade it / but alſo / that he hathe erected a policie and order / that their ſhulde be ſome to teache / and not for one daye / but all the time off our lyffe euen to the deathe for that is the tyme off our perfection. Wherfore brethren / let vsus ſubmit our ſelues / and leaue off farther to tempte God / ſeinge / that yff we wilbe off the body off Chriſt / we muſt obeie to this generall rule. Let no reſpecte off worldly policie ſtaie vsus. Let no perſwaſion blinde vsus. But let vsus fulfyll in oure ſelues that whiche Eſaias forwarnethe that goddes children ſhalbe as pigions / whiche flee by flocks in to their douehouſe / whiche is the place where the worde of god is preached / the ſacraments miniſtred / and praier vſed.
To conclude therfore (dearely beloued) let eueryevery man call his conſcience to counſaile / and beſides theſe ſweete allurements / let vsus learne to preuent our aduerſaries / who ſekinge euer to obſcure goddes glorie / maye eaſelie cauell at this diſſipation. And woulde to god the ſlaunder were not allready to our great grieff in ſundry places ſcattered in ſo muche / that in Englande / manie take occaſion to remaine in their filthe. And ſome thinke they maye diſſemble / vntill a churche o… confirmed / perceauinge that this our ſcatteringe / augmentethe the griefe of perſecution / and ſo throughe our negligēce we leeſe them for whom Chriſte died. Conſider brethren / it is gods cauſe / he requirethe yow / it is your dewtie / neceſſitie vrgethe / time willethe / your father ſpeakethe / children muſte obeie / oure enemies are diligente and the aduerſary is at hande.
Almightie god graunt for his ſonnes ſake that we maie rightly ponder the ma…ter / followe oure callinge / ſerue …he turne / heare the ſpeaker / walke in obedience and reſiſt oure enemies. We deſier yow all take this in good parte / ſeinge we hauehave written nothinge but what charitie did indite and that whiche we truſte / and wiſhe yow woulde hauehave don to vsus in caſe like.
From Franckford this 2. off Auguſt. 1554. Your louynge brethern.
Iohn Stanton.
Iohn Makebray
VVilliam VVilliams.
VVilliam VVittingham.
VVilliam Hammon.
Thomas VVood.
Mighell Gill.
SHortlye after / the lerned men off Strauſbrough anſwered to this generall letter before mentioned in this ſorte: That they had conſidered the contentes theroff and perceiued that the effecte was no other but to hauehave one or two take the chieff charge and gouernaunce off the congregation. And that in caſe they might get. D. poinet. Maiſter Scory. D. Bale or D. Cox / or two off them / they ſhulde be well furniſhed / yff not / they woulde appointe one at Strauſbrough and an other ſhuld come from Zurick to ſerue the turne at whiche tyme maſter Grindall wrote to maſter Scory at Emden perſwadinge him to be Superintendent off this churche off Frankf. who (in 2. ſeuerall letters to his priuate frinds / offred his ſeruiſe to the congregation / but before the receipte theroff the congregation had writtē their letters to maiſter Knox at Geneua to maſter Haddon at Strauſb. and maſter Leuer at Zurick / whom they had elected for their miniſters and aduertiſed maſter Scory by a generall letter off the ſame.
Nowe / when the anſwere that came from Strauſbrough was read / and compared withe the letter written vntounto them / it did not in anie pointe anſwere it▪ For the congregation wrote not particulerly for anie certeine nomber / but generally wiſhinge all mens preſence / nether did they require to hauehave anye ſuperintendent to take the chieff charge and gouernement / for the choiſe and election theroff (yff ſuche a one had bene neceſſary) ought to hauehave byn reſerued to the congregation / whiche fully determined at that tyme to hauehave the churche gouerned by 2 or 3. graue / godly and lerned Miniſters off like authoritie / as is accuſtomed in the beſte reformed churches.
The …1. off October the Students off Zurick wrote alſo an anſwere to the generall letters afore ſaied in this wiſe.