66 66 66 66 was made as he is, nor of his religion. Therefore he must prove, all "bishops of Lichfield were deceived, walked in blindness and igno66 rance; or else he that now is must needs be deceived and be in blindness. In Duresme have been many good fathers; but he that is now bishop can not find any one predecessor in that see, that was of his "religion, and made bishop after such sort as he was: so that he that now is must take in hand to condemn all the bishops afore him, that they were in ignorance and blindness, or else they will come to his "condemnation at the day of judgment. And this in all bishopricks in England: some can find one, and some none, that ever was of their "religion. What arrogancy may be thought in those men that will take "in hand to condemn1 so many blessed fathers all to be in blindness!" But now they say, they have found a light, and reform religion according to the primitive church. Then "seeing they reform religion so "well (as they say), it were meet, as they forsake all the religion that "their predecessors used, as mass, matins, ministration of sacraments, "that they should also forsake houses, parks, lands and revenues, that "their predecessors had, and go from place to place for God's sake "and preach," and then were some likelihood of reformation: or else it may be called rather a deformation than a reformation. "In Christ's church has ever been a succession of bishops from the apostles' time to this day, in every see. And Tertullian says: "If in any see there be a bishop that walks not in his fathers' steps, he is 66 to be counted a bastard, and no true inheritor in Christ's church.' "Saint Cyprian does say: 'They that be made bishops out of the "order of the church, and not by tradition and ordinance of the apos"tles, coming by succession from time to time, are not bishops by the "will of God,' but thieves and murderers," coming to kill the flock of Christ with heresy and lies. And "where the said preacher does af"firm greater matters than the burning of Paul's to have chanced in "time of superstition and ignorance, (as, the church of Paul's was "burnt in the first year of Stephen, and the steeple of Paul's set on "fire by lightning in the time of king Henry the VI.,) they that count "that to be the time of superstition and ignorance, when God was "served devoutly night and day, the people lived in the fear of God, every one in his vocation, without reasoning and contention of mat"ters of religion, but referred all such things to learned men in gene"ral councils and universities, there to be disputed: then was the "commandments of God and virtue expressed in living; now all is. "in talk and nothing in living: then was prayer, now is prating: then was virtue, and now is vice: then was building up of churches, houses "of religion and hospitals, where prayer was had night and day, hospitality kept and the poor relieved; now is pulling down and destroying such houses, where God should be served, hospitality kept, "and the poor relieved; by means whereof God's glory is destroyed, " and the commonwealth impoverished: then was plenty of all things, now is scarceness of all things: therefore operibus credite;" the fruit ['Old edition, contemn; but it is afterwards quoted condemn. ED.] 66 66 66 X. XI. XII. Hos. iv. Jere. viii. Jere. vii. Isai. vi. Isai. V. will shew whether then was superstition and ignorance, or now in these days. Further: where the true word of God is taught, the Holy Ghost does so work therewith, that virtue does increase: but as the prophet says, sicut populus ita et sacerdos, "as the people be, so God sends them priests." Apprehenderunt mendacium et noluerunt reverti, "the people have apprehended a lie and will not come back, but trust in lying sermons which will not profit them," as Almighty God says by his prophet Jeremy, thinking they have done well because they have done these abominations, says God by his prophet Jeremy. So as the priests be, so be the people: blinded in heresy, as God says by his prophet Esay, that their hearts do not understand, their eyes do not see, their ears be stopped for hearing the truth: so that this may well be called the time of superstition and ignorance, calling darkness light, and light darkness, that which is evil good, and good evil. And for the burning of Paul's church which he speaks of was in time of civil war, and not destroyed by the hands of God, as it was at this time, whosoever reads the chronicles shall perceive that and this be not like. Therefore beware of false prophets and preachers, which come with fair words in their mouths of the gospel, but mark the fruits that come of their preaching; how they have set the people in such case, that no prayer is used, no fasting, little almsXIII. deeds, "all liberty used;" what disobedience children be in against their parents, how untrusty servants be, what swearing and blaspheming of God is used of all people; what theft, whoredom, craft, subtlety and deceit: these be fruits that come of this new-fangled XIV. doctrine. Therefore "return back again to the steps of good fathers "afore us: be not carried away, as St Paul says, with a strange and "diverse doctrine; embrace the religion and faith taught in Christ's "church from time to time continually, and frame your living ac"cordingly; or else God's vengeance hangs over your heads, ready suddenly to fall upon you: so says the scripture, and let this token "of burning of Paul's be an example and token of a greater plague "to follow, except ye amend." (*.*) A CONFUTACION OF AN AD DICION, WITH AN APPOLOGYE WRITTEN AND CAST THE CAUSES OF BURNYNG PAULE'S CHURCH REUEREND BYSHOP OF DU RESME DECLARED AT PAU LE'S CROSSE 8. JU NII. 1561. Published 1583 (p.vi) be truly OUR Saviour Christ, when the devil spake the truth plainly, did not confute or gainsay it: but when he did it frowardly, Christ rebuked him sharply. As when the devil said, "Jesus of Nazareth, what have we to do with thee? art Luke iv. thou come to destroy us? I know that thou art the Holy One of God;" he did not refuse nor deny that truth which he spake but when the devil tempted him to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, he rebuked him Matt. iv. quickly, because he alleged the true scripture maliciously. So it is not sufficient to do a good deed barely, or speak the Truth must truth only, except it be done rightly, and with such circum- uttered. stances as be necessarily required to make it good: as, that it be from the heart, and for God's cause willingly, &e. In like manner, where this scavenger, sweeping the streets with his books (as a fit broom and officer thereto), has spoken the truth, not truly, because it is for an evil purpose and frowardly, I shall pass over it with silence: but where he follows his master, the father of lies, in falsifying the truth, or racking the scripture subtilly, I shall by God's grace let the world see his juggling, and by truth truly uttered disclose his shameless lying. The first examples that he brings, declaring how God does justly plague the obstinate sinners, that will not repent after many warnings given, are true all: but being alleged to bring us back to popery, and for another purpose than God our Lord has taught them, they be craftily misused, and ye see whose footsteps he followed. And as he uses them to persuade us to superstition, so they may and ought to be used specially, for maintaining true religion. The rhetoricians teach, that such kind of beginnings as may be applied to two contrary parts, are faulty. Therefore, seeing I may use the self-same reasons and words, that he has from the beginning hitherto, to train us to love and embrace our godly reformed religion, he cannot much crack of his wisely placed examples or reasons. But I will not stick with him in such small points as these, although they be false: but I will join with him in matters of weight, and those chief points of religion which he has touched, and we differ from him and his sort in them. I. Committing the rule and government of his Church to the THE first is concerning the authority and government given to bishops over God's church: wherein his words are not so untrue, as they contain a false doctrine and meaning in them. If ye think that I too boldly enter to judge his meaning, confer these words with such as follow in his own writing, wherein untruly he claims those privileges to his bishops, which neither he nor they are able to justify; and there at large ye shall easily perceive what he means by these few words here. But I will follow him where away he leads me; and because he does here but briefly touch it, I shall likewise shortly pass over it, and more throughly search it, where he does more at large press it. In the beginning of their late revived tyranny, and afore they had obtained their long desired authority to reign over kings and princes, it was my chance to talk with one of their stoutest champions, and of those that he calls the godly bishops in prison. Among sundry things that were to be redressed in talk, as he thought, he took this self-same matter first, and said it was not fit for any temporal officer to sit as judge on any priest or spiritual man, specially in any spiritual matter. For the same cause began Thomas Becket to rebel bishops against his prince, not suffering his priests to be punished the church. for their murders and robberies; and now like good children they follow his steps. I asked, Why? for the laws were then What au thority have over as they be now; and both very well, that justices in their sessions and assizes might and should inquire who then offended the civil laws and the order of religion established, whether he were priest or other. He answered, that in the 20th of the Acts of the Apostles it was plain that God had set the bishops to govern the church. I said, that was another kind of government that St Paul there grants to bishops, and differs from that which kings or princes claim and ought to have. "No," says he, "mark the words, and it is ad regendum ecclesiam, et regere regum est: therefore bishops have authority to rule as kings." "No," said I, "if ye will be judged by the word, the Greek word must be judge in this case; for in Greek it was first written and spoken: and there will appear another kind of government, far diverse from that which belongs to princes. The Greek word in that place is Touaire, which signifies to feed, as the shepherd feeds his sheep; and yet not without all government or authority, but only such a simple kind of rule and authority as shepherds have over their flock. If ye will confer one place of the scripture with another, where this word is read or found, (which is the best kind of interpreting the scripture rightly, as St Austin teaches,) and see what kind of government it signifies there, then this place shall more easily be understand." "Feed the flock that is among you," says 1 Pet. v. St Peter. "Feed my sheep," says our Saviour Christ to John xxi. Peter. Where, and in other like places also, the same Greek word, that is commonly translated in the Acts, regere, to rule, is put, and signifies (as ye see) to feed. The same word is applied also to our Saviour Christ in the gospel, where is declared Matth. ii. plainly, what kind of authority it signifies: "Thou, Bethleem, in the land of Juda, thou art not the least of the princes of Juda; for out of thee shall there come to me a prince, that shall rule, or feed, my people Israel." Also, "I am the John x. good Shepherd," says Christ; where likewise is the same Greek word placed. Then, if Christ our Lord had any temporal jurisdiction, or these other places, using the same Greek word, contain any such thing, they might have some appearance to claim their usurped authority: else, it is not probable to give the same word in that place alone that meaning, contrary to so many other places having the self-same word. |