ALthough both through lacke of learning and experience / I be farre short in abilitie / to ex­hort or dehort in any respect / especially sythe the matter dothe concerne those that are or shoulde be bothe wel learned and experienced themselues / and thereby vnderstand more then I can aduise: yet being greeued in conscience / and somewhat I finde in you blame worthy / and seeing you bende not your knowledge to amende that in you is a­misse: pardon me though I presume to admonish you in brotherly sort / as my slender skill will per­mit. But iustly it may be obiected to me that ther are many farre more fitte and able / then I to deale in suche a matter / and syth they do not / it may be thought great arrogancie in me to intermeddle in the same: In deede my want of abilitie / as before / so againe I confesse / and the great plentie of o­thers that are farre more able / I muste nedes ac­knowledge / and withall my heart I wishe better willes in men added to their skill / then (the Lorde knoweth) are to be found amongst vs: as for arro­gancie to be imputed to me in this case / surely I hope there shall not / for / God is my witnesse / I only seeke to discharge my conscience in shewing my dislike of that / wherin as I thinke you deale scarse brotherly. If any good fall out hereby I [Page] shall be glad / and praise God for the same / if none / yet haue I satisfied mine owne conscience in vt­tering my minde. Thus much for excuse / nowe to the matter. I vnderstand / beloued in Christ / of a certaine booke lately published abrode by some of our brethren / the matter whereof as it is muche misliked / so is the maner not well alowed of / and bothe so euill taken as oure poore brethren for the same feele the paine and punishment of most hai­nous offenders: if theyr fault be great yet they are our brethren / and therfore by you ought somwhat to be regarded / if it be not great / as they are oure brethren / you not regarding them / are greatlye to be blamed. And surely for my part I thinke your duety were to discouer vnto the world by y^e war­rant of the worde / howe truely or falsly they haue wrytten / which if you woulde doe in symplicitie of conscience / then perhaps theyr fault would not be so greeuous as you make it / wherin I durste ap­peale vnto your owne conscience if the matter did not touch you so nearly as it doth. For I pray you examine theyr case with me a little: they put forth a Booke in the time of Parliament / wherin they disclose the disorders of our church of Englande / and humbly desire a Reformation of the same ac­cording to the rule of Gods worde: is this an in­nouation? they say there oughte to be no Lordli­nesse in the ministerie: Bishops liuings ought to be abated: theyr great circuites cutte shorter: and them selues made equall to theyr brethren: is this to ouerthrowe a whole state? they say the Booke of common Prayer is full of corruptions / they mislike with our vnlearned ministerie / they fynde fault with our disorderous Discipline / and putte downe theyr opinions howe these things may be reformed: is this intollerable? theyr Boke stan­deth on many pointes needelesse heere to be reher­sed / and if in any parte therof they shew suche con­temptuous disobedience towardes our soueraigne [Page] as some seeke to enforce / none shall thynke them more worthy punishment then I: but to seeke reformation of deformities in Gods church / to say the Bishops shuld be vnlorded and abridged of theyr huge liuings / and to craue that all deformities may be cut of and corrected by the prescripte rule of Gods holy woorde / is to seeke the furtherance of Gods honor and glory / and therfore great blame worthy are they that so seeke to aggra­uate the matter / in charging them with disobedience to hir Maiestie / as thoughe to honor the almightie / were to dishonor the Prince. I maruell that menne of lear­ning professing christian religion / wil contrary to theyr profession deale so vnchristianlye with theyr brethren: surely in my iudgemnt these be very slender arguments to say / these men desyre a reformation / therefore they seeke innouations / as thoughe it were so straunge a matter to haue a churche reformed / it is as weake an argument to say they woulde haue Bishops vnlorded / theyr liuings abated / the ministerie broughte to hys right course / and true discipline restored / therefore they would ouerthrow the whole state. A third reason is v­sed / as fond and feeble as the rest: and that is / that their dealing is vntollerable / surely what it is to innouate in your sense I know not / but sure I am / there can be no innouation found in that motion that hath any parte of Gods woorde to warrant it. For that is farre more auncient then the disorders of our church / or any order deuised by man / and till oure disorders be remoued and Christ his auncient orders set in place / till we cease to be guided and ruled by men / and yeelde to be directed by the word of God / I can not hope of any great good in our congregations. As for ouerthrowe of the whole state truely Englande were in a straunge case / if the state therof / either in encrease or decay / dependeth vpon the maintenance or ouerthrowe of the Bishops Lord­ships and liuings. And as for your argument of intol­lerablenesse / in deede in one sense it may holde true / and that is in that your selues will not tollerate theyr dea­lings herein / but aggrauate theyr cause to make it seme [Page] more greuous in the sight of men / otherwise I see no reason how (iustly) theyr doing may be thought intol­lerable / for it maye be counted tollerable that Goddes word doth allowe. But whether theyr booke agree or disagree with the word of god / I meane not to deale / leauing that to be iudged by the learned / as for me / ac­cording to my greefe conceiued / I minde to exhort you to Bishoply & brotherly dealing with these y^t are (al­thoughe you beare the titles and names of Lorde and Lordes grace) felowe pastors and preachers of y^e eter­nal word of God / together w^t you. In dede my purpose tended somewhat further / but that is cut off by a con­trary report that I haue heard / & therfore leauing this as a thing needelesse to be rehearsed I proceede to the matter in hand: Your brethren are in prison and haue bene these many dayes for the booke before named / and which of you all since theyr emprisoning hath opened his mouth to speake one word for their deliuerie? nay / which of you hath not inueighed bitterly against them by worde / since the publishing of that booke? They haue bene delt as close prisoners a long time / so y^t no frende / no not skarce their wiues may come to them / and which of you all haue sued for their further liber­tie? nay which of you all hath not bene ready to hinder their libertie sought for by others? They haue lien lōg at great charge / and are very pore and needy / & which of you all hath opened your pursse to releeue them? if any of you haue (though it be your dueties) I muste needees commend him or them: if none of you / as it is your dueties / I must nedes condemne you. A lamen­table case that Lording should so lead away y^e heartes of the learned / that they forget their dueties in theyr calling: for see how fouly you forget your selues: Pa­pistes lie abrode in your diocesses vntouched / in con­tempt of the truth and her Maiesties lawes / refuse to frequent diuine seruice and sermons / and yet if anye honest man present them vnto you / a fauorable speeche or letter of some worshipfull (though not very godly) in the Shire / shall easely obtaine their dispatche. But [Page] if any of our brethren striue or endeuoure them selues zealously to further the building of Gods temple / and to procure reformation of things amisse / it is easelye seene by these / what helpe they shoulde haue at youre handes / and if a christian brother make sute for hym / fauoure is hardly obtained / or not at all / if it fall oute otherwise / by this I shall be glad and yeelde my selfe faultie in saying thus of you. Many leud light bokes and ballades flie abrode printed / not only wythout re­prehension / but cum priuilegio / the authors and prin­ters wherof continue daily amongst vs without con­trolment / and yet the Lord by his holy scriptures for­biddeth all filthy communication / & therfore wryting: but if any of our brethren put in Print any booke of a godly zeale / that tendeth to the furtherance of Goddes glory and sinceritie / and vrgeth a reformatiō of things amisse / he is newe fangled / he is not frende to Cesar / he is to be remoued from amongst the people. Alasse deare brethren what hathe so bewitched and blineded you / that you can not perceiue / and see your owne euil dealing heerein? if the title of Lordship / cast it off / if your huge liuings / forsake them: be not so wrapped in the desire of worldly things / that you neglecte youre dueties in your vocation and calling: I can not think so well of you / but that I must needes say you neglect your dueties: I thincke surely there is none of you but would be gladde to see reformation of things a­misse / for some of you I knowe haue sayde so / neither can you deny but that many things are out of order in our Church of England / euen many things that they make mention of in their boke: what then moueth you to make their offence so greeuous in the sighte of the worlde / or rather why doe you not allowe that is good in their booke / seeing they seeke reformation therby of that you would gladly see reformed your selues: sure­ly I thinke (to speake my conscience) that there are some things in the boke / which gladly you wold haue omitted / that hindereth your liking of the rest / & that is the inueying against your Lordships and liuings / [Page] for most of you would be glad to haue all remnauntes of Poperie / superstition / and Idolatrye vtterly remo­ued / but none of you would willingly lose his Lordly dignitie and liuing / Hinc illae lachrymae against your pore brethren / hence riseth your dislike / this is y^e cause you seke not their deliuerance / libertie and release / you would be glad of a reformation / but you would not be reformed your selues / but in these things / there is but one truth or falshode. If they holde the truth / why thē resiste you it in these priuate respectes to please youre selues? if their opinion be false / shewe the reason and then will we beleeue you / but wrest not the worde to satisfie your owne fansie / and whether your honoures and Lordships stand or fall / let not the holy scriptures lose their due dignitie and reuerence. It is a lamenta­table thing to beholde howe (to make theyr owne mat­ters good) men wil in these dayes mangle y^e scriptures of God / but the Lorde will not be so dallied with all / howe so euer they please to dally with the simple men of the world / and he wil be reuenged on you for negle­cting to see this foule fault redressed. But to my pur­pose oure brethren lie in prison / where besides their bondes they lacke libertie of enioyinge the company of their frendes / and haue great neede to be releeued: let them in some sorte finde you carefull and mindefull of them / trauaile for their deliuerie / if that wil not be ob­tained / yet endeuoure to procure them some further li­bertie / if neither will be had / forget not to releue them. Their boke is out and cannot be called backe againe / if it may be iustified by the word of truth / take heede y^t by you the truthe be not betraied / trie it by the touche stone / examine it by the word / set al affections aparte / thinke it no disgrace to come downe from your Lord­ly dignities / if the worde of the Lorde will haue it so. Feede not your owne fantasies / but follow the word / & thinke not scorne to be controlled by the same word / out of whose mouth so euer it come. Balaam was a Prophet of y^e Lord / yet at one instant his Asse taught him a better lesson than he could teach him selfe / I am [Page] not to teache you / neither meane I so to take vppon me / only I exhort you to deale Bishoply and brother­ly / and let no vaine loue of Lorldly dignitie make you carelesse of your brethren / who wishe you good in the Lord / though they would be glad you were vnlorded / not for malice / but because scripture alloweth no suche title to a Bishop. If passionate affection shall so cary you away / y^t because your Lordlinesse is touched / you will therefore not deale so / but against your brethren I knowe not what others wil conceiue therof / but for my part (to speake as I thinke) I must nedes doubt / your Lordlinesse hath made you vtterly to forget what ought to be in a Bishop. If they do holde any error or behaue themselues licenciously and losely / or neglected their vocation / I were easily put to silence / but in doc­trine they are sounde / in life not to be touched / that euer I heard / and were diligent in their calling: why then should you so little esteeme them / or why shoulde you not vse them as brethren / let it not be truly said of you / that the blasphemous swearer / and the filthy adulterer may finde more fauoure among you then our christian brethren / and fellowe workemen in the Lord / I know for the first of these there is no lawe to touche him / and for the seconde very slender punishment prouided / yet for both the Lord hath left vnto vs very sharp lawes / these are vnexecuted / and y^e wicked escape many times for mony. Many good lawes (thankes be to God) are prouided to bridle the wicked / but in them oftentimes the godly are snared / and by them you youre selues (if not nowe) yet at other times haue bene instruments to burthen your brethrens backes / and that hath some of them felt in more sharpe sorte (as I haue heard) then I will hear speake. Well / let that passe / and now deale more christianly for y^e Lordes sake with your brethren / let not lawes that were purposely made for the wicked / be made snares by you to catch the godly / lay aside this Lording / and shew your selues brethrē in deede / if they haue offended you / admonish them brotherly / let not y^e vsurped names and titles of Lorde & Lordes grace so [Page] puffe you vp / as you forget your selues to be pastors, preachers: y^e lord called you or y^e most of you to this of­fice to ioyne as laborers togither w^t your brethrē in his vineyarde / he neuer called you to these lordly names & dignities: the office of bishop I finde apointed by scrip­ture: the office of Lordbishop I finde no warrant for there / but in this I mean not to wade further / only I beseche you / y^t as Christ hath allotted you to be fellow ministers togither w^t them / so you wil as companions in the Lord ioyne togither to further one truth & sin­ceritie / & let these pore men tast of your christiā charity towards them / as brethren / and cease lordly to neglect them / & Lord it no longer / think it no discredit to you / or an abasing of your selues / to ioyn in equaliti w^t your brethren / but think it great presūption in you to clime higher then the lord hath appointed: remember it was not in vain said of Christ our sauiour / Principes gentiū dominantur in eas, &c: inter vos autem non erat sic, I seeke not to teach / neither take I vpon me so to do / yet despise not the admonition of your faithful brother in the Lord / who wisheth to you all such god­ly consideration of your dueties / as in no respecte you omit any parte thereof.

To cōclude / in the name of god I beseche you yeld no such frutes of y^e gospel / as where you shuld be care­ful / you shew your selues carelesse of your brethrē / ne­ther post y^e matter ouer in such sort as you haue done / from one to an other / but so longe as they keepe them within the limites of the law of god: ioyne christianly & brotherly w^t them & assist them / and cease so to affect lordship & liuing as therby you be w^tdrawne from yel­ding to a knowne & manifest truth. The Lord in his rich mercy giue euery of vs grace so to auoid all snares of sathā / as wholy w^tout let or hinderance we may be dedicated vnto him / and yeeld our selues all together obedient vnto his wil / so y^t what he hathe cōmaunded we may striue to maintain / & what he hath forbiddē / we may indeuor to suppresse. Thus praying your fa­uorable acceptatiō hereof I cōmit you to y^e lord Iesus.

COnsidering the vnitie of the body of Christe which are we (bicause it is gouerned wyth one heade and one spirite / and yet notwyth­standing a diuersitie of parts and membres / for the bodye is not one member / for if they were all one member / where were the bodye)?1. Cor. 12.13.14.19. I haue to directe my talke to a whole bodye / yet so y^t eyther parte hearken to that only which is belon­ging vnto him / not snatching y^t vnto him / whiche is not proper to him / and vnto euery member seue­rally / but in suche sort / that they be not deuided or cutte a parte from the whole. There are in the Churche of Christe eyes and eares / there are also handes and feete / to eyther of these I haue a re­quest to make / for theyr profite / if they heare it / to their smart / if they reiecte it.15.26. I speake vnto them in the Lords name / and do herein but his message. I require vnderstanding eares therfore / & watch­full eyes / I demaund diligent hands / and painfull feete. It is not vnknowne (brethren) howe it hath pleased the Lorde of late to bring forthe to the eyes and hands of you all a little scroll / conteining as you know / matters concerning the true refor­ming and building of gods church / whether it tend in deede to that ende or noe / I haue not here to de­bate [Page] / but that it pretendeth / at this I haue seene some stormyng / as in y^e greif of man is easily to be perceaued: and the authors of it / as we know also / are in the place of theeues & murtherers: for them I haue noughte els to say / but that they are there iustly / if falsely and vntruly they haue gone about to spoyle and robbe vs of an vnfayned truthe / and murther oure soules wyth a corrupt and poysoned water / drawn out of a stinking puddel of the filthy dunghill of mannes braynes. For how were that to be suffered in the ciuil lawes of earthly princes / that some one of the commen sorte / or els other / should go about to disanul the order & law set out by the Prynce / Gods lieuetenaūt in earth in those cases / to place his owne deuise? muche more in the house of God / which is his churche. To me it see­meth a thing so vntollerable / y^t all the New gates and olde gates yea and all tibournes in Englande are too little for such rash and presumtious heads / that will not geue God leaue to rule / but will take the scepter out of his hande. Being more ouer and besides that / a shamefull & horrible thing to make strife and contention betweene the people of God / which are commaunded to be one as theyr heade / and his father are one.Ioh. 17.22 It was y^e laste and newest commaundement that Christe lefte vnto vs / that we should loue one a nother / euen as he loued vs / and thys he tolde vs / should be a signe wherby we should be knowen to be his disciples / if we loue one an other as he loued vs / which is not fleshlye or carnally / or for any worldly respecte / but in the consent and agreement of his commaūdement / in folowing the prescrypt of his worde / wherin con­sisteth the cause of all our loue / and cause of al ha­tred / euen of our parents / when they swarue from it:Ioh. 15.11 13.35. Iohn. 14.23.15.10.14. mat. 10.35 whych surely cannot be maintained / where new and straunge orders in Gods matters are inuen­ted / broched / and publyshed / be who so be may / the causers or founders of suche deuises. And [Page] therefore better it were for them / that a mylstone were hanged about theyr neckes / & they drouned in the myddest of the sea / then one of the least of y^e kingdome of Christe / should be offended by theyr deuises.mat. 18.0. But as I sayd / I mind not to entreate of that matter / my desire is / & that for Israels sake / I meane the children and churche of God / y^t they which are the eyes of the churche / & are oure ouer­seers to watche for our soules (for oure bloud must be required at theyr hands) wolde take this matter in hand / to debate the equitie & truth of the cause / by the scriptures and worde of God / which is the only foode of oure soules / and stay for the direction of all oure godly actions / that we the sheepe of Christ might knowe false fodder from true / corne from chaffe / Schisme from Truthe / Christ from Antichriste.Eze. 3.17. Ioh. 6.27 Heb. 5.12. Psal. 119.105. The accusation is gréeuous where­with our cleargy is burdened / they are indired as y^e folowers of Antichrist / their mynisterie is vou­ched to be from the Pope / theyr superioritie which they haue by order of thys realme / as Lords spiri­tuall / and a necessary part of y^e high house of Par­lament in establishyng politique lawes for the pro­fite of the common weale / besyde the iurisdiction episcopal / which they haue ouer theyr diocesses / is there condemned as a thing in no wise tollerable by the word of God / which thing amaseth & dase­leth the eyes of vs the simpler and vnlearned sort / that we knowe not howe to esteeme of them / or of our selues / if the truthe be so / we ought not to hear them / although they speake a truth / more then the deuill was to be suffered / althoughe he professed Christ.Luk. 4.41 If it be not so / we maruell why so short & piuyshe a thyng is not by them aunswered / that many simple-men / which will well to gods cause / and are somwhat shaken with this pamflet / might haue better stay / that they be not caried away w^t it. Therfore my humble sute is to the learnedder parte in y^e name of Christe / and the behalfe of his [Page] congregation / that they would aunswer it & healpe vs which are vnlearned. And heere in I shall in Gods name / and as they will aunswere at the last day / exhort them to vse symple & syncere dealing / and not to wring the scripture to serue their owne turne / or other mennes phantasies. For if they do / it wyl easely be spied: and beside other inconueni­ces that will insue therof / the people whome they shall deceiue thereby / shall be their condemnation at that day. Cogge not therfore / nor forste / neither bumbaste it with Rhetoricke / or mans authoritiy to make a shew / but let the word of the eternall be iudge betweene bothe / which is goulde and siluer / and which is drosse and stubble: which is corne / and which is chaffe. Call I beseeche you / to re­membrance this saying of an ācient father. quam sapiens argumentatrix sibi videtur humana igno­rantia, Tertullian lib. de spec­taculis. praesertim cum aliquid de gaudijs et fructi­bus seculi metuit amittere? Howe wyse a dysputer (sayth Tertullian) doth mannes ignorance seeme to it selfe / chiefely when it feareth to lose any plea­sure or worldly profyt. But answere I pray you the whole booke / and not by peeces / for otherwyse your doings wyll be suspected / neyther doe it in hudder mudder / or secretely / or in a tonge that the people knowe not / for then it wyll be sayde that you dare not publyshe it / but doe it openly / that all the people may see that you stand vpon a good groūd / vpon whych if you doe stand / let not your doyngs feare the lyghte.Iob. 10.12 Wee craue nothing of them / but what they are bounde vnto of duerye / they are our wachmen: wee take / yea rather they themselues take these for wolues / why then do they not chase them away? They are fast inough ye will say. It is true / but theyr tales are not? they free as fire brands from place to place / and set all the country on fyre. It is requisyte also that they be prysoned; but that wil not otherwise be / they w^t the lyke rea­son must captiuate reason / a word wil not be boūd [Page] but with a woorde / the keyes of the kingdome of heauen must come forthe heere / or els the keyes of Newgate will doe no good. And if they doe not come torche / ignorant men and symple / wyll saye that the other are to lyttle purpose brought forthe. There is a better way for Bissops / and Bishops of Christ / to confute a schisme by / thā prisons and chaynes: those were and are Antichristes bishops arguments being taken a parte: as they are the iust weapons of a lawfull and godly Maiestrate / if the other goe before. Some say they remēber wel that godly saying of that lerned mā / Augustin / I think it bee: Si terrerentur et non docerentur improba quasi dominatio videretur. If they shuld be feared & not taught / it myght seme a wicked gouernance / the [...] se [...]t not practised of the cleargy / they are glad to see theyr Prince to come wyth terrerentur, they would as fame see the Bishops come with doce­rentur. So you see what of duetie they require / and surely let me say wyth your Honors patience what I thinke / is it not a great discredyte to your Lordships that such a scalde trifeling boke can not be answered in thys season? It is very shorte / you beare vs in hande it is folyshe / ioyne the follye of it wyth the breuitye / it myght easely haue beene aun­swered ere thys; If there had beene taken almoste but for euery leafe a moneth: there are skarce so many leaues in it / as there are monthes past synce it came forthe / what remayneth then / but that I renue my sute / that herein (wyth the consyderati­on of Chryst and hys flocke) you woulde haue re­garde to your owne honoures and creadyte / that it be not further spred / and sayd you could not answer it? They doe not satisfye them selues wyth polly­tyque reasons / in that that some say euen frō your L. that it is a subuersyon of a state / it is a greate troublyng of a gouernaunce. They say the questi­on is not / whether it be troublesome to bryng that in whych they woulde / but whether it be a truthe [Page] that those men say or no? If that be once resolued / then haue they to stay them selues: They are rea­dye enough to obiect the difficulty of Elyas tyme / howe hard a thyng it was in the eares of the kyng & people to speake to thē of y^e worship of one god / which were nowe dotyng worshyppers of theyr Balims:1. re. 18.17. what an impossible thing it was to bring in the true priesthode of Moses amongst a sorte of Idolaters whych hadde caste Moses oute of the temple.mat. 21.33. Ioh. 19.12 Acts. 4.7. They haue the example of Christ and his Apostles at the fyngers ende / and that the priestes then sayde / by what authority dost thou this. And agayne to Pilate / if thou let hym go thou arte not Cesar hys frende. In hys good and iuste purpose they could accuse hym of treason / of a conspiracye / and for theyr owne partes aske hym by what au­thority / and so is it nowe say they wyth oure By­shops / they goe not to the scryptures as Chryste wylleth in the person of the scrybes / but they crye out agaynst these pore men they are not y^e Quenes freendes / they make a trouble in a state / these and suche lyke are theyr wordes / your honoures haue to consyder vpon the mater accordyngly. And thus muche to your honoures wyshyng youre sauetye / if it so please God wythout any shakyng / and that your thrones may stande for euer / if they be from God / whych these men seeme to call in doute / and I trust your Lordships wil shew in vaine / & how vaynely they stande. Nowe to you my brethren / whych are of the inferioure sort / I haue to desyre you to cleaue to the truthe / and be not moued for what so euer. If thys be truth whych our honou­rable cleargy doe nowe maintayne / cast away that peeuyshe and fonde booke / let not a leafe of paper scrabled / and blyndly by stealthe Prynted / more preuayle wyth you / then an order so long mayn­tayned by auncyent canons and ciuill lawe / let not one or two priuate men of no accompt or counte­nance / more persuade wyth you then multytudes [Page] of good place / and doers in the behalfe of your ver­tuous Prynce and Countrey. Let not the iudge­ment of yong menne preuaile agaynste the graye heades of olde fathers: for so may you quickly fall from a truthe / and goe astray when you thyncke you goe strayghte.1. reg. 12.8 Set before you the example of Rehoboam / who if he had folowed the aduyse of hys olde counsellers / and not the rashe and greene heades of yong men / hys kyngdome had not bene so soone rent from hym.1. reg. 1.21. Act. 4.19.5.30. But if on the contrary syde / the truthe goe on theyr syde / if by good and dilygent conference of the scryptures / you maye see that they are in the ryght way / thē what other counsell should I gyue you / but if Baall be God / folowe hym: if the Lord be God / follow hym / bet­ter it is to obay God than mā. Better it is to goe strayghte wyth Elias and Christ / then to goe a whoryng wyth all the Baalites / Scribes / and Pharisies: a multitude may as easly erre as one / it was so then / it is so nowe / foure hundreth and fiftie Prophets of Baal for one Elias / foure hū ­dred false Prophets agaynste one Micheas:1. re. 18.22. 1. reg. 22.6 the most part of the world nowe Mahometistes and Papistes: and surely it was truely sayd of hym / who so euer he were Nihil omnino agimus qui nos per multitudinis exempla defendimus. We doe nothing at al / which defend our selues by example of the multytude: Not alwayes the best learned were the wisest in Gods matters: example of Ni­codemus / who vnderstode not what it was to be born agayn:Iohn. 3.4. Ioh. 9.30. mar. 7.2.3. Not alwayes the wysest fauor wise­dome moste / but rather resyst it / and striue more for the washyng of hands and pottes then they do for the kyngdome of God. Masters of religyon are not alwayes the most zealous in settyng forth a truthe / sometymes they can say to the pore lame man / Sabbathum est, Ioh. 5.10. it is the sabboth day / non li­cet tibi tollere grabbatum: it is not lawful for thee to take vp thy bedde: and if the blynde wyll stand [Page] and dispute wyth thē / and say that Christe is not homo peccator a synfull man / althoughe to theyr thinkyng / Sabbathum non seruat, Ioh. 9.34. he keepeth not the Sabbothe / he shall be excommunicate. The vnlearned sometyme are so allowed of God for theyr good and godly endeuors / that he maketh them scholemaysters of the learned and great doc­tor. Looke vppon pore Philip howe he instructed Nathanaell Inuenim sillum, Ioh. 1.46. we haue founde him of whome Moses wrote / and the Prophets euen Iesus the sonne of Iosephe / that man of Naza­reth. And lette not the vilenesse of Nazareth anye thyng amase vs / such false preiudicies may shutte vp the kyngdome of heauen agaynste vs / we can not say that no good can come oute of pore mēnes studyes / if we do so / we shoulde speake folyshly as they did in those dayes / can there any goodnesse come from Nazareth. God is not in deede bounde to Nazareth:Mark. 1. Luk. 2.8. Math. 22. Mat. 28 Ioh. 20.18 no more is he debarred from doing good by Nazareth: he is not bounde to any poore simple man: no more is he cut of frō shewing y^e vi­sion of Angels vnto shepherds / & hymself to wo­men / but slender messengers to the syghte of the worlde / to enforme the worlde and wittie of the byrth and resurrection of Chryst. It saythe of­tentymes also / that the wyse and myghtye men of y^e world wil say to Christ / of & agaynst the crying out of his pore disciples) chyde thē:Lu. 19.39. But if they do you know what Christ sayd at y^e tyme / & he sayth so now to: I tell you / if these hold theyr peaces / the stones shall straight way cry out: his disciples may holde theyr peace / I say the Bishops maye hold theyr peace / and I say because Christ sayde / stones / these stones may speake: There may be a foule glose made vpon a good matter / an euyll fa­uoured cloke put vppon a faire body: The truthe may be accused of sedition / of trouble / of breaking of states / Act. 14.5. if it be so / it is no newe thyng / if ye bee once assured of an vndouted truthe / if it be not [Page] foule wythin / & faire wythout / if it be gold & syluer / and not stubble grounded vpon the true foundation Iesus Christ care you not / for that Christ called his truth a sword / a fyre / and he himselfe long agoe was spyted at for y^e / & accused to.Luk. 20 20. Iohn. 11 20. Mat. 10 25. Non est seruus supra ma­gistrum, there is no seruaūt aboue his master / if they called the master of the house Belzebub / how much more them of his houshold? the more y^e men are cried out vpon for callyng for the practise of Gods word / if it shuld destroy al policies in the world / (although they y^t say so / say nothing / for the cōtrary is true / the practisyng of Gods word / & walking in hys religion vprightly / is the establishing and strengthenyng of kyngdoms) the more I say they are cried out vpon / the more they ought to goe forwards / as wel as the blynde man dyd / when whole multytudes bad hym hold hys peace: they may not cease I say / althoughe whole multytudes cry out agaynst them / & say hold your peace / holde your peace / if they will be restored to theyr syght / & be delyuered frō blindenesse to cry / & to cry out a loud:Luk. 15.39. Thou sonne of Dauid haue mercy on me: These pore men may cry out / yea ought to cry out / if they see vs in blindnesse / O sonne of Da­uid haue mercy on them / and so they deserue our fa­uoure & frendship / rather then prysons & Newgate: if we be blinde / I say if we be / for y^t wil be discussed I trust by the learned. And if they hold theyr peace / we haue to thynke we are in blyndnesse / & that they cry wel / sonne of Dauid haue mercye vppon vs. In dede if theyr boke be true (and that I may speake as one of you / simple & vnlearned / I shall thinke it to be true / vntil I see it cōfuted by the scriptures) thē wil I also as wel as you / as well as they / cry out in des­pyte of all y^e multitude / because I haue a greater de­syre to be restored to syght / thē feare to dysplease thē / O sonne of Dauid haue mercy vppon vs: And if all Ierusalem shuld be displeased because I say / blessed is he that commeth in the name of the lord / yet wold I alone cry out / blessed is he y^e commeth in the name [Page] of the Lord / were it as new and as strange as it was then / seeme it neuer so great a monster to cal the Sa­maritanes from worshipping in the mountaine Ga­razim / or the Iewes from the setled place Hierusa­lem / from an olde and auncient custome / which hath possessyon many hundreth yeres / yet had I rather be with Christe / than wyth the woman of Samarie / vntil she come to Christ.Iohn. 4.20. Antiquitie may deceiue vs, nay we see it hathe deceiued vs / I can not tell whe­ther it wold stil deceiue: it is not true to say / it is old / therfore it is good:Ioh. 14.30. Sathan hath bene Lord of thys world a great while: Antichrist of Rome pleadeth y^e continuance of many yeres (I know not) how many C. yeres / neyther doth it follow it is new / therfore it was nought:Mar. 1.27. it was sayd to Christ / what new doc­trine is thys: yet it was no false doctrine: so sayd the false priestes & Bishops of Paules doctrine and the rest / but it was not therefore naught:Act. 24.14. wil you trie y^e old and the newe / and see in deede which is the new / which is the olde / search y^e scriptures. If it be found there / it is olde / say Bishops what they will / let the Priestes call it as new as they list: if it be not found there / it is newe / let them say what they can / & bring neuer so many fathers / and neuer so good fathers: better thē she brought / I am sure they can not / and yet dyd Christ preuaile / and so will he still: for he is the same in his worde / that he was then in bodely presence / the wryting of the Apostles doe paint him out truely / and nothing but him. If it be true y^t they say / that this aucthoritie of Bishops / & churche hie­rarchie which they maintain / come from the Pope / and hath no ground but in his law / and that God can not suffer to be serued according to mens pleasures in ruling of his house / as though he wer such a fole y^t he could not set order himself or wer carelesse (which is no point of wyt) y^t he did not: or y^t he see so little / as to deuise an order which could not be for al times & places / so that we should haue nede of a new holy ghost / (for al this foloweth vpon that ground y^t they stand vpon) away wyth that vile doctrine / or what [Page] so euer ye list to terme it / what incōuenience so euer wer like to ensue / what antiquitie so euer be against it / for you see there is a blasphemie ioyned with it / which maketh our God a folish / a carelesse / an vncircumspect / and vnprouident god. Wel / peraduenture they see somthing more then they say / & some things I am sure they would haue to be reformed / which they can not bring to passe as they would / & therfore thinke it better with pollicie to saue the gospell / then to haue it cleane shut out: It is a common saying of two euils it is best to chuse the least:Ih. 10.1 better it is to haue a gospel of Christ ioyned with a peece of Anti­christe / then to haue none at all: thus they persuade them selues / the other doe not so / they thincke it not lawful to ioyne God & Belial together: surely they haue some reason / nay they haue greate reason / for what societie hathe light wyth darknesse.2. Cor. 6 14. If all the world myght be gained w^t a little breache of Gods word / it were not to be done / better it were that the whole world should pearishe / then one iote of Gods truth should be ouer slipped:Ih. 19.1. Pilate thought he had behaued himselfe wisely when he whipped Christe / and put vpon hym a robe of scarlet / thinking by that meanes / making him to appeare vile to y^e Iewes / to haue had him let goe / that they might haue conten­ted thēselues with that litle punishment / & so might Christ haue preached still. But it is wickedly done to policie the matters of Christ after that sort. Who so euer thinketh by putting a foles cote vpon Christ and clothing him with a garment which is not his owne / to entertain him still / & thinketh he is content by such means to haue licēce to go preaching amōgst the people / he deceiueth himself / & shal right wel vn­derstand at the day of accomptes / that God will not be mocked. Thus in some respect you haue well to weigh the things that are put forth vnto you / by the scriptures / without further circumstances / leaste in leauing the rule / ye go out of rule. But I doute not but our lords & clergy wil quickly shew you whether [Page] it be wel ruled or no / they haue said already in theyr sermōs to you / y^t it is a very folish boke / I trust they wil giue it vnto you in wryting / y^t you may y^e better way both. But before al things take hede to y^e word let not y^e shew of mā deceiue you: Peraduēture some of you wil be persuaded / bicause a bishop an olde mā / a very learned mā saith so / bicause this state hath cō ­tinued a great while many yeares amongst good fa­thers:Iohn. 5.39. Act. 1.21 do not so / y^t is no warrāt of y^e word / you haue had exāples inough to shew vnto you / how easie it is to be deceiued therin / on y^e other side let not y^e simpli­citie of men beare you away / for y^t way also you may erre: the only straight way (as I haue tolde you) to kepe you frō going astray / is y^e word of god / wherw^t they as wel as you / I trust / will be cōtēt to be tried / otherwise they haue no groūd against the papistes: if they wil not / but refuse to be iudged by y^e word / leue thē there / those pore prisoners haue y^e right / whether they be whipped & scurged / or vtterly hāged / & assure your selues as wel of them as of your selues / if they suffer w^t Christ / they shalbe glorified w^t Christ / & so shall you.Rom. 8.17. That we may so do / god giue vs y^e know­ledge of the truth / & whē we know it to stād stedfast in y^e truth / y^t the loue of the world / & feare of mā may not more preuaile w^t vs then the loue of heauen and feare of god. These things y^t I haue saide vnto you rudely / I pray you take in good part (good brethrē) both you y^t are of y^e lerned sort / & you y^t are of y^e sym­pler / I pray you lay forth the truthe / as your duetie bindeth you / & you giue eare to the truthe. Confute scismes by y^e scriptures / & iudge you thē by scriptures also / as prisons be vsed / so let the worde which is the armor of your warfare be practised: Let not newe­gate be the only meanes to stay false procedings: If you do so / where error is redressed by y^e magistrate / you shalbe iudged because you dyd not your duety / & bring thē into y^e way if they be out / or bi such good cō ­ferēce they bring you home. The which y^e father of al mercies graunt through his sonne Christ by our cō ­fortor the holy ghost.