A Reply to an Answer Made by Doctor Whitgift, Reply · Part 44
To the next ſection contained in the. 198. 199. 200. 201. pages.
LEaſt M. Doctor (as hys common faſhyon is when the corruption of anye thyng is ſpoken agaynſt) ſay that we condemne buryall / I would hauehave hym vnderſtand / that we hold that the body muſt be honeſtly and comely buried / and that it is mete / that for that cauſe ſome reaſonable numbre of thoſe whych be the frends and neyghbors about / ſhould accompany the corps to the place of buryall. We hold it alſo lawfull to lament the dead / and if the dignity of the perſone ſo require / we thynke it not vnlawfull to vſe ſome way about ye buriall / wherby that may appeare / but yet ſo / that there be a meaſure kepte bothe in the weepyng and in the charges / conſydering that whereas immoderate eyther weepyng or pompe was neuer / no not in the tyme of the lawe allowed / nowe in the time of the goſpell / all that is not lawfull / whych was permitted in the time of the law. For vntounto the people of God vnderunder the law / weeping was by ſo much more permitted vntounto them / then vntounto vsus / by howe muche they had not ſo cleare a reuelation and plaine ſyght of the reſurrection as we hauehave / whych was y• cauſe alſo why it was lawfull for them to vſe more coſt in the embaulmyng of the dead / therby to nouryſhe and to helpe their hope touchyng the reſurrection / wherof we hauehave a greater pledge by the reſurrection of our ſauyor Chriſt / then they had. Nowe for the thyngs whych the admonition findeth fault wyth / and thereof bryngeth reaſon / M. Doctor of hys bare credite wythout any reaſon or ſcrypture / or any thyng els / commendeth them vntounto vsus / & ſayeth they be good. And thys you ſhall marke to be M. doctors ſymple ſhyft throughoute hys booke / that when he hath no coloure of ſcripture / nor of reaſon / no name nor title of doctor / thē to make vp ſome thyng / he varyeth hys affirmation by all the figures he can / as in ſaying ſimplye that it is ſo / and then in aſkyng whether it be not ſo / and after in aſkyng whether there is any other man will thynke that it is not ſo / as if the woulde make vsus beleeue / that he ſetteth vsus dyuers kindes of meates / becauſe he bryngeth the ſame in dyuers dyſhes. For beſydes theſe reaſons / he hathe no reaſon / eyther to proue that it is meete to hauehave preſcript forme of ſeruice for the dead / or that the miniſter ſhould be drawne to thys charge. Surely if the order be ſo good and conuenient / it hath met wt a very barren patron / whych can ſay nothing for it. And although there be enough ſayd by the admonition / yet becauſe thys bold and hardy ſpeache is enough to lead the ſimpler away / & to make them thinke that M. doctor hathe a good cauſe / therfore I wil alſo ſay ſomthyng of theſe rites of buryal.
And firſt of all / as thys almoſt is a generall fault in them all / yt they maintayne in the mindes of the ignorant the opinion of praying for the dead: ſo is thys alſo a nother general fault / yt theſe ceremonyes are taken vp wtout any example / either of the churches vnderunder the law / or of the pureſt churches vnderunder the goſpel / that is / of the churches in the apoſtles times. For when the ſcripture deſcrybeth the ceremonies or rites of buryall amongſte the people of God ſo dilygently / that it maketh mention of the ſmalleſt thyngs / there is no doubte but the holy Ghoſte doth therby ſhew vsus a paterne / wherevnto we ſhould alſo frame oure buryalles. And therfore for ſo much as neyther the church vnderunder the law nor vnderunder the goſpell / when it was in the greateſt puritye / dyd euer vſe any preſcript forme of ſeruice in the buryall of theyr dead / it coulde not be but daungerous / to take vp any ſuch cuſtome / & in the tyme of the lawe it was not only not vſed / but vtterly forbidden. For when the law did forbyd that the prieſt ſhould not be at the buryall / Leu. 21. 1. 11.which ought to ſay or conceiue the prayers there / it is cleare y• the Iewes might not hauehave any ſuch preſcript form. And yet they had moſt nede of it / for the cauſes of obſcure knowledge / & weaker fayth before alledged. Againe / by thys meanes a newe charge is layd vponupon the miniſter / and a taking hym away from his neceſſary dueties of feeding and gouerning the flocke / whych being ſo great as a maruellous diligence will ſcarcely ouercome / oughte not to be made greater by thys / being a thyng ſo vnneceſſary. The Admonition dothe not ſay that the Prayers whych are ſayd / are for the dead / but that they maintaine an opinion of prayer for the deade in the heartes of the ſimple / and that they declare manifeſtly enoughe / when they ſay that it may be partly gathered. &c.
For the mournyng apparell / the admonition ſayeth not ſimply it is euill becauſe it is done of cuſtome / but proueth that it is hypocritical oftētimes / for that it proceedeth not from any ſadnes of minde / whych it dothe pretende / but worne only of cuſtome / there being vnderunder a mourning gowne of tentimes a mery heart. And conſidering that where there is ſorow in deede for the dead / there it is very hard for a man to kepe a meaſure that he do not lament too much: We ought not to vſe thoſe meanes whereby we myght be further prouoked to ſorow / and ſo go a great way beyonde the meaſure / whych the apoſtle apoynteth in mournyng / no 1. Theſ. 4. 13. Math. 9. 23.more then it was well done of the Iewes in the goſpell to prouoke weping & ſorowe for their deade by ſome dolfull noiſe or ſounde of inſtrument / or then it was lawfull for Mary Lazarus ſiſter to goe to her brothers graue / thereby to ſet the Iohn. 11. 31.print of her ſorow deper in her minde. Seing therefore if there be no ſorowe / it is hypocritical to pretend it / and if there be / it is very dangerous to prouoke it / or to cary the notes of remēbrance of it / it appeareth that this vſe of mourning apparel were much better layed away then kept. And here M. doctor threps a litle kindnes of the authors of the admonition / & ſayth that they know it is very ancient / whom before he denyeth to hauehave any knowledge of antiquity. In dede it is very ancient / but M. doctor is afraid to ſhew the ancienty of it / for Cyp. and Aug. inueigh Cypr. 4. ſerm. de mortalitate. Aug. lib. 2. de conſolar. mortuorum.vehemently agaynſt it / condemnyng it as vnlawfull and vndecent.
Nowe touching the funerall ſermons M. doctor taketh on / & tryumpheth maruellouſly / as though he had already gotten the victorye: but he that girdeth hys harnes / ſhould not boaſt as he that putteth it of. There is more matter then peraduenture M. doctor is aware of / & that whych is ſet downe / he anſweareth not: as that it noryſheth an opinion that the dead are the better for it / whych doth appeare in ye there are none more deſirous of funerall ſermons / then the papiſts / whych although they can not abide the doctrine whych is preached / yet they wil hauehave ſuche ſermons / and thoſe whych will very ſeldome / or not at all / be at other ſermons / will not commonly miſſe one of theſe. Furthermore / for ſo much as the minyſter is driuen oftentimes by this meanes to preach vponupon a ſodaine / the word of God therby is negligently handled / eſpecially of thoſe whoſe gyftes are not ſo great / as that they can prouide in ſo ſmall time / and by thys neglygent handlyng of the word of God / it is brought into contempt.
Moreouer / conſydering that theſe funerall ſermons are at the requeſt of rych men / and thoſe whych are in authoritye / and are very ſeldome at the buryall of the pore / there is brought into the church (contrary to the word of God) an acceptation of perſons / which ought not to be. For although the miniſter may giuegive to one more honor then to an other / accordyng as the callyng or degree requireth / yet in hys myniſtery / & that whych pertaineth vntounto hys office / he ought to ſhew hymſelfe indifferent / and therfore preach as wel at the death of the pore / as of the rych: and becauſe he can not well do both / it is moſt conuenient to leaue both. If ſo be that M. doctor wyl ſay / that it is good that notable and famous men ſhuld hauehave their commendation / to the ende that bothe the goodnes of God towardes them / myght be the better knowne / and others the ſoner drawne to followe theyr example: I graunt it is ſo / and the ſcrypture dothe bothe approue it / and ſheweth what meane is beſt to doe that by. For ſo we read that Ieremy the prophet commended that godly and zealous prince Ioſias / in wryting verſes of hys deathe. 2. Chro. 35. 25He could hauehave as eaſely preached / but thys he thought the beſt way. So did alſo Dauid wryte verſes at the death of Saul / and Ionathan and Abner / in whych 2. Sa. 1. 17. &c. 2. Sa. 3. 33. &che commendeth their gyfts and graces whych the Lord had beſtowed vponupon thē. There were in deede of ancient time funerall orations / as appeareth in Gregory Nazianzen / but they ſauoured of the manner of Athens / where he was brought vp: where alſo thys cuſtome of funerall orations was vſed / as may be ſeene in the ſecond boke of Thucydydes ſtory by an oration of Pericles. And althoughe thys cuſtome was not in Nazianzeus time / ſo corrupt as afterwardes: yet the departing from the examples of the purer churches / gaue occaſion of further corruption whych enſued. And to ſay the truth / it was better vſed amongſt the Athenians / then amongſt the chriſtians. For there it was merely ciuill / and the oration at the death of ſome notable perſonage / made / not by a miniſter / but by an Orator appoynted therfore: whych I thinke may well be done. And if M. doctor will ſay / that there myght be ſermones / although they be not mentioned neyther in the old teſtament nor in the new: I hauehave anſwered before / that ſeeing the holy ghoſt doth deſcribe ſo dilygently the leaſt circumſtances of burial / he would not hauehave omitted that / being the greateſt. And let it be obſerued / that thys deuiſe of mannes braine bryngeth forth the ſame frute that other do / ye is / dryueth quite away a neceſſary duety of the miniſter / whych is / to comfort wyth the worde of God / the parties whych be greued at the death of their frends / that conſideryng the ſore is perticular / he apply vntounto it a perticular plaiſter whych is very ſeldome or neuer done / and yet a neceſſary duety / as of a good chriſtian / ſo eſpecially of the miniſter / whych can beſt do it / and to whome it moſt appertaineth. And whereas M. doctor aſketh / when there is a better time to ſpeake of death and of mortality then at buryall / ſurely if it had ben ſo fit / the Prophets and apoſtles would neuer hauehave loſt that oportunity / or let pas that occaſion of aduancing and making effectuall their preaching. What if it be anſwered / that for as muche as oure lyfe is a continuall meditation of death / it is not ſalfe to vſe thys cuſtome / for that it tyeth our cogitation to ſo ſhort a tyme as the tyme of buryall is / which ought to be extended to the whole courſe of our lyfe. But I anſwere / that it may be well done wythout any ſuch funerall ſermons when the miniſter taketh occaſion of ye death of any whych is lately departed / to ſpeake of the vanity of ye life of man. Whether M. doctor lyketh the reformation or no / ſo it is in the church where M. Caluin was paſtor / & hath ben for theſe many yeres. And although the Engliſhe church in Geneua had that in the boke of common prayer / yet (as I hauehave heard of thoſe whych were there preſent) it was not ſo vſed. And if it had bene / yet therby it is not proued that M. Caluin allowed of it. For wyth thyngs wherin ther was no great and manifeſt diſorder / M. Caluin dyd beare that whych he lyked not of. And there being no papiſts in all the city / and al being wel inſtructed / there was no ſuch danger in a funerall ſermon there / as is here amongſt vsus / where there is many papiſts / and mo ignorant. I will ſay nothyng of the great abuſe of thoſe / whych hauing otherwyſe to lyue on of the church / take nobles for eueryevery ſuch ſermon / and ſometime a mourning gowne / whych cauſeth the papiſtes to open their mouthes wide / and to ſay / that the marchandiſe of ſermons is much dearer then of the maſſe: for that they might hauehave for a grote or ſix pence / and the ſermon they cannot hauehave vnderunder a roūder ſum. That muſt be remembred whych I had almoſt forgotten / howe vntruely and ſlaunderouſly M. doctor ſayth / that the authors of the admonition do compare ye ſermon wyth a trentall or a maſſe. For whē I ſay in ſtead of the maſſe we hauehave the holy Communion / doe I compare / or lyken the communion to the maſſe? and yet this is M. doctors charitable collection / which gathereth thyngs whych no man letteth fall. Touching the place of buryall / I hauehave ſpoken before. And although it be not to be miſlyked / that there ſhould be a cōmon place to bury in / yet the places whych M. doctor poynteth vsus vntounto / proue the cleane contrary. For by the ſtory of Abrahams place of buryall / it appeareth that the manner was that eueryevery one was buryed in hys owne ſeuerall groūd / as may appeare alſo by that that the euangeliſt ſayth / that there was a field bought Math. 27. 7.to bury the ſtrangers in / whych had no place of their owne / whych was alſo vſed ſometimes in the churches vnderunder the goſpell / as appeareth by the ſtory of Theodoret / whych I hauehave before recited / & in the later end of a funeral oratien / which Gregory Nazianzene made of the death of hys brother Ceſarius. And ſo by this reaſon M. doctor wold hauehave eueryevery one buryed in hys owne poſſeſſion.