Sermon 8 February 1588, Title page – To the reader
A BRIEFE DISCOVERY OF THE VNTRVTHES AND SLANDERS (AGAINST THE TRVE GOuernement of the Church of Chriſt) contained in a Sermon, preached the 8. of Februarie 1588. by D. Bancroft, and ſince that time, ſet forth in Print, with additions by the ſaid Authour.
THIS SHORT ANSVVER MAY SERVE FOR THE CLEARING OF the truth, vntill a larger confutation of the Sermon be publiſhed.
2. PET. 2.1.2.3. But there were falſe Prophetes alſo among the people▪ euen as there ſhall be falſe Teachers among you, which priuilie ſhall bring in damnab…e hereſies, euen denying the Lord that hath bought th…m, & bring vponupon themſelues ſwift dānation. And many ſhall follow their damnable wai…, by whom the way of truth ſhall be euell ſpoken of. And through couetouſnes, ſhall they with fained words, make marchandiſe of you, whoſe judgment long agon, is not farre of.
TO THE GODLIE INDIFFERENT Reader, judgement to diſcerne, and zeale to imbrace the truth.
THinke it no wonderful caſe beloued, to ſee the church of England ſo out of order at this day as our confuſions are altogether more in number, then the ha res of our head. For thoſe that will needes bee our Paſtors and ſpirituall fathers, are become beaſtes as the Prophet Ierem▪ ſaith, and hauehave not ſought the Lord. And therfore what maruell is it, though we the poore ſheepe bee miſerablie diſperſed not knowing whether to turne vsus for any ſuccour. Our guides hauehave not onelyonly miſled vsus, but they are become wolues in ſtead of ſhepheards. So that we dare not ſhew our ſelues, for feare of their teeth, to ſeke any paſture but the bare feeding which they hauehave laid before vsus. And if we ſh…ld …pen our mouths, to ſue for the true ſhepheards and ouerſeers indeed vntounto whoſe direction, we ought to be committed: The rage of theſe wolues is ſuch (thou ſeeſt) as this endeuor would almoſt be the price of our life. For if this requeſt were once granted, they ful wel perceiue, that they ſhould not hauehave ſo much as a place of a doore keeper within the ſheepefold of the Lord. And therefore, they eueryevery way labour, to keepe vsus in bondage. They hide the truth, & will not ſuffer others to ſee the ſame. If the Lord in mercy, doe open the eies of any man, hee muſt not for his life, make it known that he hath ſeene the light, much leſſe, walke in the ſame, and wiſh others to follow him.
They ſeeme at this day, to hauehave greater liberty, to wound the church, then any they had ſince the beginning of her Majeſties raign, and therfore ought the godly to enarme themſelues againſt them, now more then before. They make vſe of the time, and the oportunity which they hauehave gotten, to keepe the truth and the church in their bondage. VVonder not at it: for this is the very houre and power of darkenes, wherein they hauehave liberty to do no more yet, then the right hand of our God hath determined long before and when he hath accompliſhed his work, in mount Sion and Ieruſalem, then let them, and whoſoeuer fauour any of the ofspring of Romiſh Babell their mother, take heed vntounto themſelues. In the beginning of her Majeſties raign, was the mouth of gods ſaints in England, filled with laughter, but a…aſſe▪ theſe men labour to blot out all that ioy with the teares, if not with the bloud of the church. And in the meane time, her Majeſty wee are aſſured, is ignorant of the right caſe of the murthering concluſions, ſet vp againſt vsus by theſe Tyrants. Oh that it pleaſed the Lorde, that our courſe might bee examined by her highnes, and that ſhe would not ſuffer both our judges and our accuſers, to condemne vsus for thoſe thinges, whereof▪ they ſhall neuer bee able to conuince vsus with any colour. If we muſt needs be perſecuted, yea, and die (for I ſee that the Prelates, and their complices meane no otherwiſe to be ſatisfied, then with the blotting out of our names from among men) would to God yet, wee might die by her hand, that is, beeing conuicted by her godlie lawes, to deſerue that which we are like to ſuffer For otherwiſe, I perſwade my ſelfe, we ſhould not be indamaged by her Majeſty except we were found to bee gilty of puniſhment, by the voyce of her good lawes. The enemies hauehave long ſince endeuoured, to prooue vsus to be dangerous ſubjects and yet to this day, we are ready to defie them vntounto their faces, and to maintaine our innocency both by the law of God, and the laws of this kingdome. Againſt which, Tertullus, the greateſt Atheiſt, & cunningeſt lawier of all their crew was neuer able to prooue, that we hauehave any waies offended How violently they wreſt the lawes againſt vsus, their ſoules (which I wiſh not) ſhall find it.
The courſe which they hauehave taken to confute vsus by writing, hath beene ſo gainles vntounto them▪ that we neuer ſaw their third anſwer in the cauſe. They hauehave indeed, like men being driuen vntounto a hole, ſometimes made an irruption vponupon vsus, as they do daily in their Sermons, but when it coms to paſſe, that they muſt either ſtand vntounto their cauſe, or ſuffer the ouerthrow, wee ſee not one of them, that wil abide the third encounter. And yet they ceaſe not, daily, to diſcouer themſelues, although they bring no other furniture with them then that which hath bene battered and made vnſeruiceable long ſince. M. Bancroft hath beene one of the laſt aduerſaries that wee hauehave ſeene, and yet hath he furniſhed himſelfe with no new artillery, but onelyonly was content to borrow thoſe, wherewith the Archbiſhop loſt the field. For he hath nothing in a maner againſt vsus in his whole Sermon, but ſuch thinges as hauehave bin anſwered long ago by M. Cartwright, yea, his ſlaunders, and all for the moſt part (though he bee skilfull that way himſelfe) he hath borrowed either of D. VVhitgift, or of Doctor Coſins, in his anſwere to the Abſtract, & therefore hauehave bene already confuted. In conſideration whereof, I had thought him not worth the anſwering, were it not that I did ſee, the Lord to require at our handes, the juſtifiyng of his truth, as often as the ſame is called into queſtion, or any waies vnworthily handled.
There hauehave bene others I ſuppoſe, that hauehave taken more paines with this inuectiue Sermon of his, I hauehave therefore left place vntounto them, whoſoeuer they are, to publiſh that wherein they hauehave more fully and more largely diſcouered, the euill and vnreaſonable dealing of the Chaplaine. I hauehave examined few or none of the teſtimonies of men brought in by him, the aduantages which that way might be had againſt him, I hauehave not taken, both becauſe I ſaw it not very material, that he ſhould be conuinced, to abuſe the writings of men, who is not aſhamed to offer iniurie vntounto the holy ſcriptures of God, and alſo for as much, as it may be, others will indite him for that falſe dealing of his. If his cauſe be good, & he able to defend it with truth & vpright dealing, I hauehave ſhewed him the way to atchieue his purpoſe: And that is, neither to father vponupon vsus ſuch thinges as we neuer maintained, nor yet to bring the teſtimonies of men to oppugn our concluſions, whoſe grounds he is not able to ſhake: but to ſet downe that which we holde indeed, and with reaſons rather to anſwere our premiſses, then with authorities to ſtrike at our concluſions. The contrary dealing, may colour and white line the breaches of his cauſe for a time, but in the end, it will prooue to be the ruine thereof. Vnconſcionable and ſophiſtical dealing, can neuer be able to ſtand any long time. He and his Maſters, would gladly beare the Magiſtrat in hand, that we deny the congregations in England, where the word is truly preached, and the ſacraments rightly adminiſtred, to be the viſible churches of God, wheras the truth is, that the Biſhops and not we, doe maintaine this error. Let the reader judge, whether I truly accuſe them by this which followeth.
The viſible church of God whereſoeuer it bee▪ hath the power of binding …nd looſing annexed vntounto it, as our ſauiour Chriſt teacheth vsus. Mathew 18. which authority is ſo eſſentially tied vntounto the viſible church, that whereſoeuer this power is to bee found, there the church of Chriſt is alſo viſible,Our Bb. are ſciſmatickes and deny the aſſemblie of England to be viſible church of God. booke of Martins page 5. 6. and whereſoeuer there is a viſible church, there this authority cannot bee denied to be. The which point that reuerend father, M. Iohn Fox teacheth more at large. Now the reader cannot be ignorant that our Biſhops wil neuer grant that the viſible congregations in England, ought to hauehave this power of binding and looſing, for then ſhould they manifeſt themſelues to bee profeſſed tyrants. The crime therefore of Sciſme and Donatiſme, which M. Bancroft and the Prelates would faſten vponupon vsus, doth juſtly cl…aue vntounto them ſelues. And if any of our poore brethren be caried away, to thinke otherwiſe of the congregations of England, which inioy the woorde truly preached, and the right vſe of the Sacrament…: VVe ceaſe not to pray that the Lord would reforme their iudgements. But woe bee vntounto our Biſhops, which are the cauſe of this their ſtumbling, and maintainers of their error. For the pore brethren doe holde nothing in this point, but that which the learned fathers, as M. Bancroft calleth them hauehave decreed. And you ſhall ſee in this Treatiſe, that he ſeeth no reaſon, why Popery being now abolliſhed,Sermon pag. 3, wee ſhould not reply vppon the determinations of theſe fathers, as other men in time paſt of a: great iudgement as we are, hauehave done. Let our Biſhops then, and their vpholders, whiſper into the eare of the Magiſtrate what they will, it ſhall bee prooued in the end, that they are the ſciſmatickes and not we. It ſhall appear that they are growing to make a body of their owne, wherewith the church of God in a while (if they hold on their courſe) can hauehave no mote to do, then in times paſt in had with the ſciſmaticall Donatiſts.
The deuill indeede hath within this twelmoneth, ſhewed himſelfe to bee grieuouſly wounded in their perſons, becauſe he hath raged ſo mightily, as theſe 32. yeares his furie was neuer ſeene ſo great againſt the truth as at this preſent. That vile and ſcurrilous Palmphlet,An almond a Patrot. latey ſuffered to come abroad by their priuity (if not allowance) and in their defence doth euidently ſhew, that ſathan feeleth the power and ſway which he was wont to bear by vertue of the hierarchie, to be greatly weakned. And becauſe he feareth that his time vnderunder their gouernment cannot be long therefore he meaneth now to infect the aire at once, with all his contagions. The ſtrength which they get by ſuch leud and filthie ſtuffe, & the diſcredit which thereby they worke either vntounto the cauſe, or the men and women whome they ſuffer to bee ſo vnworthilie traduced, is not other then it were to bee wiſhed (that ſeeing they will needs be filthy) they would publiſh ſuch another booke eueryevery day: That then it might appeare indeede whoſe ſonnes they are. And this is all the confutation that I thinke, ſo godles, & leud a ſcrole to deſerue.
For thy ſelfe good reader, thou ſeeſt the time of triall to be now at hand, euen at the doore. If thou meaneſt to be partaker of Chriſtes kingdome after this life: take heede, that neither the feare of men, nor the louelove of the world draw thee to ſhrinke from any part of that truth, which the Lorde hath reueiled in his word. The Lord ſaith, that whoſoeuer ſhall be aſhamed of him or his worde, that is, any part of his truth before men,Luk. 9.26. of him ſhall the ſonne of man be aſhamed, when he commeth in his glory. VVell, I thinke it now no time to dally with the Lord and his word, but let vsus craue ſtrength at his hand, that we ſtand vnrebukeable, vntounto the day of his appearance.