Two Sermons, To the reader – Errata 2
To the Christian Reader.
ALthough I am not ignorant (good Christian Reader) how vnpleasing this Sermon will be to some, who are forestalled with preiudicate opinions, (whom I could wish, I were as sure to perswade, as I hope by euidence of truth to conuince:) notwithstanding, if I may intreat thee, to reade it without preiudice, and to iudge of it without partialitie; I doubt not, but thou wilt acknowledge with mee, that the doctrine therein contained, is not onelyonly true, but also a profitable and necessarie truth. And the rather doe I conceiue this hope, because the time hath beene, when mine affection enclined by the reuerent opinion, which I had worthily conceiued not onelyonly of Master Caluin, the author, but also of Master Beza, and many other godly and learned men, patrones and fautors of the pretended discipline, made me suspend my iudgement in this cause; vntill I had seriously entred into the studie thereof. The which for a long time I did forbear: partly because I did rightly suppose, that my paines might bee more profitably bestowed in other partes of diuinitie, and I had heard a zealous preacher reproue young Diuines in a Sermon at Cambridge, Master Greenham.who, before they had studied the grounds of theologie, would ouer-busie themselues in matters of discipline, and as hee said, before they had laide the foundation of their studie, would bee setting vp as it were the roofe: and partly because in my slender iudgement, I could not then see, what good would come either to my selfe or to the Church of God, by my paines taken in that controuersie. For I conceiued the issue of my studie would bee, either the disgrace of my ministerie among the forwarder sort▪ if I resolued, as now I knowe I should hauehave done; or the ouerthrowe of my ministerie, if I should stand for that discipline. Thus was I cō tent to remaine in suspense, whiles I tooke it to bee the best course, both for my selfe and for the Church, to bee no medler on either side. But when of late yeares the case was so altered with the time, that a necessitie was imposed, not onelyonly to resolue, but also to professe my resolution on the one part; and it was now expected, that I should informe not onelyonly my self, but some others also what way to take: I did then seriously enter into the studie of these things; Perhaps with another minde then some others hauehave done, and therefore with other successe. I considered with my selfe, that this Church of England, wherein I was called to be a minister, did hold and professe all substantial points of diuinity, as soundly as any Church in the world, none excepted neither in this age, nor in the primitiue times of the Church. And secondly, that it hath the testimonie of all other true Churches. Thirdly, that in it the means of saluation are ordinarily and plentifully to be had. And therefore to make separation from it, I tooke to be schismaticall and damanable presumption. And as touching my selfe, I considered that being in the ministerie, necessitie is laide vponupon me, and woe bee vntounto mee, if I preach not the Gospell. Wherefore I must confesse, I studied the controuersies wherein the policie of our Church is called into question, as one who meant if hee were not conuicted with euidence of truth, to bee as it were the respondent, or defendant, resoluing not to leaue my standing wherein God had placed mee, vnlesse by force of argument, I were remooued: Whereas others, hauing (as it seemeth) beene out of louelove with our Church-discipline before, and in affection wholly alienated from our Church-gouernours, hauehave studied these things as opponents and plaintiffes. And therefore hauing sought a knot as it were in euerie bulrush, and strained at euerie gnatte, they hauehave picked so many quarels against the Church, and by consequent, against their owne ministerie, as that by their oppos…ion, the Church is depriued of their ministerie, & themselues of the imployment of their gifts; They suffering the Land to swarme (euen in their owne opinion) with Papists and Atheistes, and their places either to be destitute, or to be occupied with such as they account vnprofitable ministers, rather thē they wil embrace, nay rather then they wil without preiudice and partiality read, what is truly said for the defence of our Church. But to returne to my selfe: when with this resolution (which I am perswaded ought to be in the like case) I had studied som, which are supposed to bee the chiefe treatises on both sides: I found on the one side, certaine places of Scripture drawne as it were by the necke to that side, a fewe stragling sentences quoted out of the Fathers, and as it were with oares wherried by these men (looking as one would thinke the other waie) against the full streame of Antiquitie; some pretie speeches and wittie proofes, which notwithstanding, were (as before I had obserued in the question of vsurie) meere colours, rather then sound arguments. On the other side, I found full and plentiful proofes, as in other writinges, so namely in the learned treatise of the perpetuall gouernemant of the Church, from which I receiued good satisfaction. Now, the arguments which perswaded me, I hauehave here set downe, as the shortnesse of a Sermon (though somewhat enlarged) would permitte; hoping (because I knowe nothing to the contrarie, setting not the iudgement of men, otherwise minded, but their preiudice aside) that the same argumentes which hauehave perswaded me, wil also preuaile with others to embrace this, which at the first I called a profitable and necessarie trueth. The which if it shall please God according to my hearts desire to effect, I would hope through Gods goodnesse qu…kly to see an ende of this pernicious diuision which is among vsus. For though some other particulars be cōtrouerted; yet this, of the church-gouernment, is the chiefe & principal: and so chiefe, as that somtimes I hauehave thought the rest to be but controuersies in pretēce to auoyd the enuie of this. Neither doe I doubt, but that if men sincerely affected were rightly perswaded of the gouernmēt, that either they wold not so stand vponupon matters of ceremony, & such like of small importance, as that for them they would maintain this rent in the bodie of Christ or suffer either themselues to be depriued of the imployments of their talents, or the Church of their ministerie: or if anie out of tendernesse of conscience should make scruple of these things, that they would fauourably be respected. So that by the acknowledgment of this one truth our differences would be compounded, our breaches healed, our diuided minds reunited, with one heart and voice to glorifie God in the edification of his Church, propagation of the Gospell confusion of Poperie and Atheisme. Whereas now this opposition, whiles it is continued, greatly dishonoureth God and his true religion which we professe, hindereth the proceedings of the Gospel, aduantageth Poperie & Atheisme scandalizeth the people whom we ought to edifie, and not onelyonly the backwarder sort; who hereby take occasion to be of no religion, but also the forwarder sort, and that many waies, as I wil particularly shew. For they (I speak not of all) are hereby occasioned, 1. To despise the solemn worship & seruice of God, and whatsoeuer good thing else is set forth by Authoritie: and 2 Wheras they would seeme aboue all things to esteeme the ministery of the word, as that precious treasure for which they would (with him in the Gospell) forgoe all things; they not onelyonly vilifie and disgrace the ministerie, which is to bee had (I mean of those who are conformable, though no way inferiour, but in many graces, by many degrees superiour to many of those whom they admire:) but also encourage by all meanes their admired ministers to stand out, as though they had rather want the foode of their soules, and that which they acknowledge to be the power of god to saluation, thē not to enioy their fācies, for which they hauehave no ground. 3. To place the height of religion in disconformitie, turning zeal into faction, godly conferēces to bitter inuectiues against Bishops, & odious censures of such as they cal formalists; the study of the scriptures & the substance of diuinity, to disputatiō of discipline & ceremonies, & being ignorant in the Catechisme to professe skil in those things: Combining themselues in a diuided brothe hood, as though none were to be accounted Christiās or brethren in Christ, but such as stand for the pretended discipline; to whom also they cōfine their charitie. 4. To be dāgerously vnthankfull vntounto God for the continuance of the Gospell together with outward peace and prosperitie vnderunder the happie gouernment of our gratious and dread soueraigne. For whereas before the end of the blessed raigne of Queene Elizabeth, all good Christians would hauehave acknowledged thēselues infinitely bound to Almightie God in al duties of thankfulnes, if they might hauehave been assured of the continuance of these things after her decease (which was the time that we feared & our enemies expected:) yet now when the Lord hath granted whatsoeuer almost we could desire, we take on, as if we had nothing; and like weyward children when we hauehave what is fit for vsus, if we cannot also hauehave what we fancy besides, we are ready to cast away that, which, through Gods vnspeakable goodnes, we may to our soules health enioy. Yea so strangely doe some dote vponupon their owne deuises, that they protest to all the world,Christian & modest offer of disput. vnlesse their assertions (diuerse euen the principall whereof were neuer heard of in the Church of God within 1600. and some odde yeares after Christ) bee graunted, they see not how our separation from the Church of Rome can bee iustified. Nay they protest, that if they be in an errour and the Bishops hauehave the truth, the Pope and Church of Rome hauehave had great wrong and indignitie offered vntounto them, in that they are reiected: and that all the protestant Churches are schismaticall in forsaking vnity and communion with them; And therfore in their wisdoms make this offer to the Priests and Iesuites, that if from them they can receiue satisfaction concerning their propositions, they will be reconciled to the See of Rome. So that now it must be thought that we separated from the church of Rome, not for their abominable idolatries & heathenish superstitiōs, nor for their capital heresies subuerting the foundation of religiō, nor because the church of Rome is the whore of Babylon, the See of Antichrist, the mother of all fornications and abominations, being also embrued, and as it were died red with the blood of the Saints, & of the Martyrs of Iesu; frō which we are cōmanded to separate in these respects: but because forsooth among them, eueryevery particular parish is not held to be an entire body by it selfe, furnished with sufficient power & authority, for the gouernment of it selfe in all causes ecclesiasticall; because eueryevery parish among thē hath not power immediatly vnderunder Christ, to elect and ordaine, depriue and depose their Ministers, and to execute all other ecclesiast▪ censures: because the Pastor of eueryevery particular cōgregation, is not among thē the highest ordinary ecclesiasticall officer, but aboue him they hauehave diocesan and provinciall church-officers, & such like; for it shall suffice to hauehave mentioned those, which as they concerne the cause in hand, so they are the principal. In respect wherof, seeing they holde separation is to be made from the church of Rome, they plainly bewray themselues what manner of persons they be, who for the same causes may separate not onelyonly from our Church, but those of Scotland, and Geneua, and all others, where these vndigested deuises were neuer heard of. Fiftly, to growe wanton in religion through a kinde of spirituall pride, not caring for the heauenly food of their soules, vnlesse they may hauehave their own sawee, & preferring the circūstances of religiō & ceremonies, before the substance. We wil not heare a sermon forsooth made at a funerall, bee it neuer so profitable, and by our good wil we would heare none that is conformable, be hee neuer so learned and godly a preacher: of if we doe, (we hearing with preiuiudice, & making the word vneffectual vntounto vsus) we say his gifts be decayed, & his preaching to be without power: we heare & not heare with admirable acceptation of persons, as if we had neuer learned to acknowledge Gods ordinance, or to look higher then to the speaker. Moreouer, if lawe did not compell vsus, wee had rather be at no publique prayers, then at those which by authoritie are appointed; or if we be present, we will behaue our selues as absent, not vouchsafing to ioyne with the congregatiō. We had rather not hauehave our child baptized (if we might choose) then that the crosse in baptisme should be vsed. We had rather not receiue the Communion, then receiue kneeling &c. Which things, when I consider how fewe among the people (in comparison) de care for religion, & of those few, how many are (I am sory to speake it) schismatically disposed, doe make my heart to sorow, and my bowels to yearne in commiseration so thē. Neither can I choose, but in an earnest desire of the peace of our church (whereby these inconveniences might be remedied) to intreat, & euen in the bowles of Christ, to beseech my brethren of the Ministery, that as they tender the glorie of God, in the propagation of the Gospel, or the salvation of the people which Christ hath redeemed with his precious blood: or if these considerations wil not preuaile, as they hope to answer these thinges at the day of the Lord, they would at length seeke the peace of Sion, & be as desirous to find arguments to revntie themselues vntounto vsus, as they hauehave bin ouer-busie in seeking reasons to disioyne themselues frō vsus. Or if they will not be at so much paines, yet at the least, that they would weigh in the ballance of an vpright & vnpartiall iudgement, those proofes which heere are briefely set downe. And if they finde them to ouer-weigh the reasons of the contrary part, they wold giuegive glory to God, by acknowledging ingenuously so profitable, & as these times are, so necessary a truth. Neither shall they need to feare discredit, if vponupon better information they shal reforme their iudgements. Wherein all moderate men will hold them excused: remembring first, the common condition of humane frailty, which is subiect to ouer sight; frō which the most zealous men are so far frō being exempted, as that many times they are more subiect there-vntounto then others of milder temper; men of greatest zeale being not alwaies, nor for the most part, of soundest iudgement. Secondly, the reuerent opinion which worthily they hauehave conceiued of Calvin & Beza, & other worthy Diuines, whom they hauing found so admirably sound & orthodoxal in the substantiall points of religion; it is no maruel, though without any great search they relied vponupon their credit for matters of lesse importance. Thirdly, the good effects which (as they hauehave beene enformed) the new discipline hath brought forth, and the manifold corruptions which they hauehave taken notice of in the gouernmēt of our church, being the personal defaults not so much of the Bb. themselues, as of their officers. And yet what are these to those horible cōfusions, which if the discipline of the newest edition should be established, wold inevitably follow? Namely, if eueryevery parish Bishop should, as they teach, bee the supreme or highest ecclesiasticall officer: that eueryevery parish (where plurality of voices must cary all things, & the greater part ouersway the better) should within it selfe hauehave authority immediatly deriued from Christ, to elect, ordaine, depose and depriue their Minister, and to exercise all other ecclesiasticall censures; that eueryevery parish should be an entire body within it selfe, hauing neither subordinatiō, nor (for ought that I see in the new plotforme) consociation with others.
And is it possible, that these things should not onelie bee broached of godly learned Ministers, but also with such vehemency be vrged, that separation is to be made frō all those churches which admit not these new & vndigested fancies? Or shal we not rather think, that Brownists, or some not far from Brownisme, hauehave abused their names? which if it bee so, why do not the rest disavow these new-found assertions, & protest against such schismaticall nouelties? Why are the people suffered to receiue thē as oracles? why is this advantage giuen to Papists as though the ministers among vsus, who would be thought to seeke reformation, did acknowledge no greater cause of separation from the church of Rome, then these matters of the new-found parish-discipline, which no reformed Church in the world doth obserue?
But if in the partial ballance of their forestalled iudgmēt these argumēts shal seem light in cōparison of their own; my desire is, that their answers may be distinctly applied to eueryevery argumēt in order, & that their proofs may be produced: which (they must remember) had need to be very pregnant & demonstratiue, which are to perswade, both the abolishing of that gouernment which euen from th' apostles times hath been perpetually obserued in the church, & setting vp of another which was neuer heard of till now of late. And if for ought that I hauehave heere said, or can say, the newest things wil proue the truest, (which yet neuer hapned) I will then acknowledge my error. OnelyOnly I desire christian and modest dealing: not as in that which is called the christian and modest offer, which notwithstanding that title, is ful of odious censures, proud & scornful speeches, vnchristian & vnmodest provocations, with great bitternes galling those whom they hauehave made their opposites. In expectation whereof, I commend thee to the Grace of God, vnfainedly protesting, that what I hauehave heere either in this Praeface or in the Sermon deliuered, is that which in my conscience I am verilie perswaded to be the truth.
Thine in the Lord, G. D.
Pag. 97. lin. 13. read, Presbyteries.