Sermon 8 February 1588, Part 11
TOVCHING SCOTLAND.
VVE anſwere, that we deſire not the Elderſhipp to be planted in the Church of England,From the. 72. to the 78. page becauſe Scotland or Geneua enjoyeth the ſame, but in aſmuch as Chriſt Ieſus the head & king of his church hath commaunded it to bee therein. And therefore we admit the gouernment of no church vnderunder heauen to be the p…e of that which we deſire, but only that regiment which is ſet downe in the word of God, the perfection whereof if any Church hath attained vntounto, wee rejoice with them, and deſire to be pertakers of ſo great a bleſſing, in the Lods good time. But as for any thing that is amiſſe (if there be ought) either in Geneua or Scotlande, wee labour no more to hauehave that eſtabliſhed in England, then we doe to hauehave the great abuſes that raigned in the Church of Corinth, or Galatia to be imitated. The ſlaunder which you hauehave raiſed,Page 75. both againſt the Kings Maieſty there, in giuing out, that he is a deadly enemy vntounto the preſent gouernement eſtabliſhed in his kingdome, and watcheth but his time to ouer throw it, and alſo againſt the godly miniſters of that realm, in making them traitors vntounto their ſoueraign, Heaue to be anſwered by thēſelues: and I dout not, but you wil in time be forced to anſwere the iniury, that you hauehave offered vntounto that godly and noble King o… and alſo vntounto the whole Church, with in his dominion.
But let it bee graunted, that the true Church gouernours in Scotland, behaued themſelues rebelliouſly towards then Prince, which yet is moſt falſe, what is that to the Church gouernment which they enioly? Doe you thinke it a good ſeaſon to ſay, that the Archbiſhop is a Traitour, therefore the Archbiſhopricke is gilty of Treaſon: You can not deny, but Thomas Becke… was a traitor, ſo were diuers others that hauehave beene Archbiſhops of Canterbury, but I truſt you will not therefore attaint the Archbiſhopricke of treaſon.
Browne a knowne Sciſmatike is a man very fit to be one of your witneſſes againſt the Elderſhip.Page 75. lin. 29 His entertainment in Scotland was ſuch, as a proud vngodly man deſerued to hauehave. God giuegive him and you repentance, if it be his will, otherwiſe, you ſhall make and hard reckoning both of you, before the iudgement feate of Ieſus Chriſt, for the ſlaunders which you hauehave raiſed vp againſt the gouernement of his kingdome heere vponupon earth. Your calender deceiued you for it was not the Parliament of the yeare 88. where of hee wrote,Page 76. lin. 4. but of another held Anno 86. or before.
If any thing be written amiſſe in any of the books that you mencion,Page 78. wee hauehave nothing to doe therewith. Bring our owne aſſentions, and you ſhal be anſwered. We holde it altogether vnlawfull for Miniſters and Church officers to deale in any ciuil cauſe, much more, to depoſe Princes, and therfore our attempts that way are not to be feared. Looke you,Page 79. & your maſters vntounto thoſe thinges, who arrogat vntounto your ſelues, that preheminence, which is in deede dangerous vntounto the throne of the magiſtrate and thinke Parliaments and lawes cannot bee halfe orderly kept and enacted, without Lords ſpirituall.
Your feare,Page 80. lect. 3 that whatſoeuer hath bene done or written in forraine Countries, is laboured to hauehave execution with vsus at home, is but the ouerflowing of your gall. The diſeaſe is daungerous, and you may one day aunſwere for your diſtemp…rature in his preſence, before whome the imaginers of euill againſt their brethren, ſhall hauehave their reward.
We holde indeede,Rom. 13.2. that the Magiſtracie is gods ordinance bee he a good or a bad,Page 81. an heathen, or a Chriſtian, that is called thereunto: ſo that the right of a Chriſtian and an heathen Magiſtrate, within his dominions is the ſame. You that hold the contrary, profeſſe your ſelfe not to bee a ſubiect for conſcience ſake, as the Apoſtle commaundeth, but for ſome other reſpect. So you would bee very dutifull belike, if you were vnderunder an heathen Prince.
Miniſters wee ſay, are not to deale in ciuill cauſes,Page 82. lin. 27 and therefore in that point wee aſcribe vntounto the Magiſtrate, both Poteſtatē juris & facti: that is, power to make lawes, & to execute them. If there ariſe anie difficultie (as often as it commeth to paſſe) of that which is agreable vntounto the law of God, in matters that are controverted, then indeed it is the Miniſters dutie to enforme the Magiſtrate of the mind of the Lord: wherein hee doth nothing els, but (reſpondere de jure) ſhewe what the will of God is, that the magiſtrat may (ſtatuere de facto) pronounce ſentence accordingly.
For Eccleſiaſticall matters, it is the word of God onelyonly, that therein hath (poteſtatē juris) the power to determin, what is acceptable in the ſight of God, & the Miniſter ought to hauehave the knowledge thereof, that he may declare the ſame, both vntounto Magiſtrate and people. The Church officers alſo are appointed of God, to execute all eccleſiaſtical maters. And if you ſhould attribute this power vntounto the magiſtrate, the imagiſtrate might iuſtly account of you as you are. For will you hauehave the Magiſtrate to preach the word, adminiſter the Sacramentes, take the charge of watching ouer the maners of the people, and diſtributing to the pore within his pariſh? or will you hauehave him to viſite the ſicke, comfort the weake, ordaine miniſters, diſcuſſe controuerſies in religion, & exerciſe the church cenſures, by excommunications, &c. And yet theſe are the only maters which wee account eccleſiaſticall, & wherein alone we hold it lawfull for church officers to deale, other puniſhments of malefactors as impriſoning, fining, or any mulct yt toucheth the life, body or goodes of men, are only to be reterced to the Magiſtrates, who beare the ſword for that purpoſe. Our Biſhops vſurping this ſword, doe ſhewe that they and their fathers houſe, and not wee doe labour to bring and maintaine confuſion in church & common wealth.
You exhortation both vntounto people and magiſtrates,Page. 85. that the one ſhoulde avoide, and the other puniſh heretical ſpirits, we imbrace withal our harts. Being ready to ſhewe, as our writings hauehave done at large, that your errors, corruptions, idlenes pride, ambition, ſlaunders, and vntruthes, vttered againſt the truth, hath not only (as dayly experience teacheth vsus) begotten and nouriſhed the lamentable ignorance, which eueryevery where raigneth in this land, but alſoe called for the wrath of God to fal vppon vsus, becauſe ſuch vnruly and wicked ſpirits as you, are tollerated in the holy miniſterye amongeſt vsus.Page …6. You are now come to the gathering vppe of your ſtanders and vntruche, into an heape in the concluſion of your ſermon, leſt the readers and auditors ſhoulde forget, that you are an impudent ſlaunderer. And therefore that you may incenſe the magiſtrates againſt vsus in one place, eſpecially you rake thē vp after this manner.
Hir Majeſtie is depraued, hir authority is impugned, and greate dangers are threatned.Page 57 to 19… M Doct. think… belike that wee are maintainers of the hierarchy Ciuil gouerment is called into queſtion: princes pretogatiues are curiouſly ſcanned; the intereſt of the people in kingdomes is greatly aduaunced, & al gouernment generally is pinched at & comemened: The Church is condemned, the auncient fathers are deſpiſed, your preachers are defaced, and yet theſe men are tollerated.
Whereunto I anſwere with the wiſe man, that the lying tonge ſlayeth the ſoule,Pron. 12.6. and that the very wordes of the wicked lye in wayte for blood, but the mouth of the righteous wil deliuer them. And ſo wee doubt not, whenſoeuer wee are araigned for any of theſe heauy accuſations, but that wee ſhalbee deliuered from this bloody tonge. The reader knoeth that (as a noble Emperour ſpake in the like caſe) if it be ſufficient to accuſe, no man can be innocent. Nowe if he hath theſe aduantages againſt any of vsus, let him ſet down his particulars, and name the man, or his writings, and he ſhalbe anſwered. Otherwiſe we make no other account of ſuch Epiſtrophaes & homoioteleutaes,page 88. line 4. then of the barking and dogge Rethorick, of ſome profane Lucian or god leſſe Porphirie. It is no news for vsus to hauehave our legs & thighs deſired to be broken.Ioke. 19.30. The reader is to remember, that this was the Iewes requeſts vntounto Pilate concerning our Sauiour Chriſt▪ and therefore wee are not to thinke it ſtrange, that M. Bancroft is guided by their ſpirit whoſe place he ſupplieth. But this wee are to knowe, that neither he not his maſters ſhal do any thing againſt vsus, but that which the Lord our duplicate page duplicate page God hath long ſince determined, and therewith by his grace,Act. 4.1…. wee hope to be right wel contented.
In ſtead of arming his hearers with reaſons out of the word againſt vsus, whome he accounteth ſect. maſters and falſe Prophets, hee commeth off, after his wonted manner, with idem peridem, leauing his auditors in as great doubt as they were before: And ſaith, that the doctrine of the Church of England is pure and holy:Page 89. lin. 27 the gouernement thereof, both in reſpect of her Maieſtie, and of our Biſhops is lawfull and godly: the booke of Common praier, containeth nothing in it contrary to the word.
Her Majeſties gouernement, he knoweth well enough we call not in queſtion. He and his patrons, hauehave corrupted the doctrine of our church, & as for the hierarchy & cōmon booke, when he hath made vp yt holes which I hauehave alredy ſhewed to be in both (beſides the vncureable woundes yt other men hauehave diſcouered) he may build ſomthing vponupon his concluſion, which if he doe not, his maner of diſputation, in crauing and begging the matter in cōtrouerſie will in a while growe to bee a common prouerbe. If we were ſuch vnreaſonable men, as we would find ſalt with matters that are blameleſſe: his exhortation, that priuate men would take heede,page 8…. 89. and the Magiſtrate take puniſhment of vsus, would carry vvith it ſome vvaight. But in aſmuch as both the Magiſtrate and people ſee, that vvee hauehave cauſe to ſpeake, and perceiue that out aduerſaries can doe litle, if they cannot ſet a faire face vponupon a crackt cauſe, wee feare not any great hurt, that his tongue can worke vntounto vsus.
And the very ſame account doe we make of his ſpeach, where hee ſaith,Page 94. that wee vſe the ſame argumentes for the ſoueraigntie, of our Presbiteries againſt the Prince, in cauſes Eccleſiaſticall, that the Pope doth for his principallitie in the ſame, and we anſwere as the Papiſts do him.This is VVhitgifts quarel, and anſwered long ſince. But theſe thinges (as hee ſaith) hee cannot ſtand to prooue at this time, onelyonly hee thought it neceſſary to aduertiſe his hearers of it, that they might the better beware of ſuch kind of ſpirits. Take his aduantage who liſt.
We care not how little a doo we hauehave at the Arches,Anſwere. and therefore we meane not to take any great aduauntage againſt your tongue, any further then your bluſhing may be for the clearing of the truth. The reader will thinke you worthy to be marked in the forhead, according vntounto the Romaine lawe, except you prooue this which you hauehave ſo confidently ſet downe. Though, as it ſhould ſeeme, you hauehave a commiſſion, to vſe your tongue and pen at your pleaſure, yet you cannot blot out the light of mens reading & knowledge. We are known to be ſo out of amitie (in this caſe eſpecially) with all Romaniſts, and you truly accounted to be ſo neerly allied vntounto them, that wee deſire no other weapons to ſtrike downe the hierachie, then M. Luther, and M. Caluine hauehave vſe to ouerthrowe the Romaine chaire and her miniſters.
How often ſhall it be tould you,Page 95. that we would hauehave no ciuill matters handled in any eccleſiaſticall meeting? and therfore, that we admit not anything in our aſſemblies, to be decreed againſt the conſtitutions of Princes, any further then Princes may account the truth of the word to bee againſt their ſtatutes. We are as far from making our owne wils,Page. 96. 97. to be the rules of other mens liues, or from affirming that what wee ſpeake is the very word of God, as you are from being aſhamed to lie in the face of the ſunne: you hauehave taken great paines in ſowing the ſeed of moſt groſſe vntruthes: repent betimes, leaſt in the Lords iuſt iudgement, you reape the fruits of your lying tongue.