Concerning Kneeling in the Act of Receiving, Title page – Dedication
A PROPOSITION. CONCERNING KNEELING in the very act of receiuing Howſoever. Publiſhed to ſatisfie profeſſours, yet humblie, Submitted to the iudgment of Prophets.
Rom. 14.10.11.12.
VVhy doeſt thou condemne thy brother, For it is written I liue (ſaith the Lord) and every Knee ſhall bow vntounto me. So then, every one of vsus ſhall giuegive accountes of himſelfe vntounto God.
Cor. 10.14.22.
Flee from Idolatry, Yee cannot be partakers of the Lords table, & of the table of Deuils.
PRINTED 1605.
To my Chriſtian frend, N. grace & peace.
Howſoeuer it greiueth mee to heare of much more to ſe the troubles wherewith Sathan (knowinge his time to be ſhort) doth trouble the Church of God in all places about vnprofitable and Popiſh Cerimonies, yet (to tell you the whole troth) my greife is the leſſe when I conſider that both they them ſelues, who be moſt troubleſome, and do moſt vrge thoſe Reliques of Rome be ambitious,Rom. 16, 17, 18 Phil: 3:2, 19: Gal. 6.12. or Dumme Dogges or, non Reſident, ſeruing their bellies, and minding Earthly thinges, euen like their Predeceſſors, who vrged the Cerimonies of Mozes in the Primitiue Churches, and their proceedinges (like them ſelues) be ſo exorbitant that they cannot but proue odious to all men. VVhat a-matter is this, that after the Sacramentall Bread is miniſtred, the Cup ſhould be denied becauſe of not kneeling? If any of theis ſcrupulous Miniſters had played ſuch apart, thoughe it were with one, openly knowne to liue in ſinne notorious without repentance, whom by the 26. canon no Miniſter ſhall in any wiſe admit to the receiuing of the holy Communion, how would that Preciſian be trounced But in this Puritan Gouernement of the Church there is no fault but non conſormitie to ſuperſtitious vanities, A Bird of theit fether may Preach ſcores of Popiſh Doctrines, be ſcandalous in life, and at his laſt caſt at dice when he hath loſt all, ſay, In the Spite of God let him do now what he can, and yet hould his owne well inough, An other mans owne and ill inough I mighte well ſay if the law might hauehave due courſe well, God amend all, and reſtraine the remnant of this Rage. In meane while I reioice to heare that it is giuen to any of Gods people not only to beleiue in Chriſt but alſo to ſuffer for his ſake, hauing the ſame fight which they ſee or heare to be in their Miniſters,Phil, 1, 27: as it becommeth the Ghoſpel of Chriſt, the ſincerity wherof belongeth as well to the people as to the Miniſters of Chriſt. for howſoeuer all are not to weare the whore of Babilons Smocke, yet all are to make conſience of bowing the knee to Baal. To confirme your zeale againſt the ſuperſtition of Kneeling I hauehave longe ſought (being often ſolicited ſo to do by you) and at length found a ſhort but (in my poore iudgement at leaſt to mee) a ſufficient diſcourſe which I hauehave printed, that I may comfort not onelyonly you but many other alſo who are in doubt, with that comfort wherewith I my ſelfe am comforted of God. I ſay Comforted. For when the iudgment is ſatisfied the heart is comforted, This onelyonly I requyre of you that there be no inquiring after or geſſing at the author or publiſher. If that hurtfull curioſity were mortified learned men now fearinge that humor would be boulder to wright and publiſh their Godly iudgments, touching points in cōtrouerſy among other I heare of a more larg & learned treatiſe of this point which no doubt the authour will publiſh in time or other for him if curſous heads itching eares, and wanton tongues do not hinder. In meane while let vsus make as good vſe of this, as wee can. And the Lord give vsus vnderſtanding in all thinges
Farewell