A Humble Motion, Title page – To the reader
AN HVMBLE MOTION VVITH SVBMISSION VNTOUNTO THE RIGHT HONORABLE LL. OF HIR MAIESTIES PRIVIE COVNSELL.
VVHEREIN IS LAID OPEN TO be conſidered, how neceſſarie it were for the good of this Lande, and the Queenes Majeſties ſafety, that Eccleſiaſticall diſcipline were reformed after the worde of God: And how eaſily there might be proviſion for a learned Miniſtery.
REVEL. 3.20.
Behold I ſtand at the dore and knock: if any man heare my voice and open the dore, I will come in vntounto him, and will ſuppe with him, and hee with me.
CANT. 2.15.
Take vsus the foxes, the little foxes which deſtroy the vines; for our vines hauehave ſmall grapes.
Anno 1590.
The preface of the author.
WEre it not (gentle reader) that the truth of the cauſe, & the want in the practiſe, had a long time called vntounto me, in reading of Gods book, and by experience of former time, drawing out before me, in the dayly knowledge of my conſcience, the manifold neceſſitye of Chriſts diſcipline: I would not hauehave aduentured, ſeing mine own wants, to put pen to the paper in a matter of ſo great waight. But knowing that by this my motion, ther might be occaſion to the learned & wiſe, to think vponupon very good things for the benefite of this realme, & (if need be) to ſet forth more deepe & ſetled demonſtration, with far more exceding excellency: & for that I ſee the wiles of Sathan, by works of diſgrace to hinder the good of my country: I thought it my duty to our high God, to his holy church, the Queens moſt excellent Matie, & my natiue cuntrie, by ſuch meanes as theſe troubleſome times would giuegive me leaue, vntounto my louing mother that bare me, & my tender nurſe yt fedeth me, thoſe good & honeſt fruites wherwith God hath vouchſaued me for hir vſe: beſeeching al my louing cuntrimen, charitably, ſoberly & wiſely to think & with ſanctified affections to deale in theſe matters: that the hand of our God may bee with vsus, to giuegive vsus this honor, that at the length his cauſe may hauehave fauor and preuaile to the profit & ioy of vsus & our poſteritie. And I deſire no other good wil of thee (gentle reader) whoſoeuer thou be, in the chriſtian accepting of this worke, than my very ſoule, in doing hereof, did with great care & godly louelove ſeeke the proſperous eſtate of this land, & the flouriſhing of Gods church: for whoſe peace let vsus pray night and day.
Amen.
TO THE READER.
WHEN I had read ouer this treatiſe (which by the prouidence of God light into my handes) and conſidered not onelyonly the declaration of Chriſtes diſcipline in the beginning thereof, though briefly, yet plainely ſet down, and plentifully proued by thoſe teſtimonies of Scripture, that (after many aſſaults) doth confirme the cauſe vnanſwerably but alſo the aequity, eaſines, the benefit and neceſſity thereof euen in reaſon and policy, for the ſafty of hir Maieſty, the peace of the Land, the rooting out of popery and al other vngodlines; and that by ſuch reaſons as anſwere the fooliſh obiections of ignorant politikes: and in ſuch maner layde open and vrged, as may ſatisfy al that bee not be ſotted with wilful ignorance, and ſturre the turbulent affection of none: as I took juſt occaſion to praiſe God for his labors, whoſoeuer was the penner of it: ſo did it giuegive me matter to encreaſe my perſwaſiō in that which long before I had conceaued, to wit that the Lorde meaneth certainlye either to eſtabliſh this ſame ſcepter of his ſonne Chriſt Ieſus in a glorious manner among vsus, or to make England an example of his vengeance for the reiecting of it. For firſt it is euident that God hath cleared it ſo euidently, & that by ſo dyuer and ſundry ſorts of handling the ſame, as no man of what ſtate ſoeuer (if he deſire to know it,) can want wherwith to ſatisfy his expectation. For if thou deſire to hauehave it diſputed againſt a profeſſed and bitter enemy thervnto, thou haſt the firſt and ſecond reply of T. C. againſt D. VV. If thou wouldſt heare it handled in a ſweet and pleaſant latine ſtyle, the Eccleſiaſtical diſcipline is able to content thee, if thou be vnlearned & deſire the ſame courſe in thy mother tongue, beholde the Learned diſcourſe (whiche D. Bridges aſſaying to confute hath confirmed) the ſermon vponupon Rom. 12. &c. If thou deſire to ſee it layd open and concluded in ſcholaſtical manner, the demonſtration doeth that way ſatisfy thee and laſtly, if thou wouldſt ſee it freed from the ſclander that are againſt it, anſwere the obiections that may be, and are coyned to diſgrace it, and vnderſtand how it ouerturneth not, neither (in the ſubſtance) altereth any tollerable common-wealth; but is the onelyonly ſtay and prop of eueryevery good policy: beſides the forenamed, and many other worthye writings, this preſent treatiſe profeſſeth & notablye performeth the ſame: ſo that there is no man, learned or vnlearned, feruent or myld, imployed or at leaſure, but God hath prepared ſome of theſe books (except he be as the deafe adder) eueryevery way to iuſtify the truth of his diſcipline vntounto him: which cauſeth me to gather vntounto my ſelf a comfortable perſwaſion, that theſe ſeueral guiftes, beſtowed vponupon diuers men, and manifeſted vntounto the Church in ſo diuers a manner, and al to one end; are not in vaine: But for the great good and comfort of thoſe that ſhal ſtriue for this cauſe in this age, and for their certane direction that ſhall reap the benefite of it, in the ages to come. But (alas) if we diligently wey on the other ſide, how this glorious and heauenly offer of the Lord vntounto vsus hath beene and is reiectcd, and ſhamfully diſgraced by al eſtates and conditions. How greate ones caſt of the yoak & break the bands: yea, & how that many who ſhould hauehave commended the ſame vntounto the prince with Helkijah, hauehave imploied al their wit and learning to traduce it with Amaſiah yea and ſpent al their time in converting, ſclaundering, diſplacing & impryſoning thoſe that hauehave bene but ſuſpected to fauor this truth: & laſtlye when the increaſe of Gods diſhonour that ary ſeth from hence is dulie weyed, it giueth vsus rather cauſe to feare, that God hath cleared his own light thus manifeſtly vntounto vsus, rather to make vsus the more without excuſe, than to make vsus pertakers of ſo heauē ly a condition. For we ſee how it commeth, that our great Cleargye mayſters ſpend al their time, in vexing of Gods people, and ſet themſelues to diſgrace all that fauor this way: the miniſters of God that ſhould be alwayes buſied in ſtudying Gods word, and teaching their people, ar conſtrained to ſpēd the moſt of their tyme, in ſeeking to be quite of thoſe intollerable moleſtations wherwith they ar daily vexed: the nobles & gentlemē take occaſion hereby to doe what they liſt: and the people ſeing the miniſters in ſuch disgrace, care not a button for their doctrine, ſo that if any of them bee reproued for their ſinnes, they can be thus reuenged, complain of him to the Biſhop that he is a miſlyker of the ſtate of L. Biſhops: and they are ſo jealous of their honor, that they admit the information of knowne Papiſtes, or any other notorious wicked wretches, & wil (yea do vſually) giuegive more countenance to the verieſt varlet in the Land that commeth with ſuch a complaint; than to the moſt learned miniſter in al their dioceſe, if he be thought to lyke of the diſcipline, and (which is the greater argument of Gods vengeance not far off) ignorance and contempt of Gods word, and al kinde of ſinne aboundeth in eueryevery place, and in al eſtates and conditions: ſo that as the conſideration of Gods mercies towards vsus in offering vsus this bleſſing, giueth vsus ſome cauſe to truſt that he wil perfect his good worke begun in this Land: ſo the regard of the encreaſe of al kindes of monſtrous tranſgreſſions doth juſtly occaſion vsus to fear that the land hath prepared (whiche without ſpeedy reformation we ſhal ſhortly feele) ſuch a ſcourge as ſhal mak vsus more wondered at for our puniſhment, then wee hauehave bene admired for our peace: yet may none of theſe things diſcourage the ſeekers of this holye Reformation, for if they look to be crowned, they muſt ſtryue to the end. And let the aduerſaries of the ſame know, that it may be their wickedneſſe ſhal being thus much to paſſe, as to keep it from vsus for a tyme: but if they think either to weary the defenders, or leſſen their nomber, or ouerthrow the cauſe: the miſtres of fooles, their owne experience doth ſhew them that they deceaue themſelues. For is not the cauſe far more cleared, and the nū ber of them that fauor and ſeeke to aduance it, ſince they hauehave waged war againſt it vnderunder their laſt general, mightely multiplied aboue that which was to be ſene before? Yes doutles, & ſo it muſt be ſtil: for it being a portion of the Goſpel, muſt needs be of the nature of the Goſpel, even to ſpring wher it is cut down, and to ſpread where it is troden vponupon: and though the louelove of Egipt cauſe this generation never to know what ſo heauenly a conditiō meaneth, yea and Moſes his ill managing of the matter be the cauſe that he ſhal onelyonly ſee it: yet certainly the dayes wil come, when our poſterity ſhal no more be gainſaid for deſiring & practiſing Chriſts diſcipline, (for which we ar ſo many wayes abuſed) then we ar for profeſſing of the doctrine, for which our fathers ſhed their blood. Let this be the concluſion of al, thogh the Lord do not vouchſafe this generation an honor ſo excellent, yet take thou heed that thou be no meanes of keeping it back: for if thou be a miniſter, & giuegive thy hart, hand or countenance againſt it; if a magiſtrate, & do any way diſcountenance it, if a priuat perſon, & ceaſe to pray for it or liue a life vnworthy of it: thou ſhalt anſwere at the day of judgement, & be cō uicted as an enemye to the kingdome of Chriſt Ieſus, and an occaſion that in thy time be raigned not over that generation: & therefore by this book & ſuch others informe thy ſelfe in the trueth of it: & when thou knoweſt it, be in louelove with it & ſo labour by al the meanes of thy calling to aduaunce it: ſo ſhalt thou be comforted whether with it, or without it.