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BOOK Holy Ghost. For where they are contracted with unfeigned love, joyned with devout prayer; with a hope and desire to win the unbelieving part to the religion; (an evident fruit of a good faith ;) the office of a Christian friend shall be rather to say to the man, if he be a brother, O man, what knowest thou, if thou shalt save this woman? and if she be a sister, O woman, what knowest thou, if thou shalt save this man? than to slander and condemn it. This doctrine is out of holy writ.

Another both out of the same, and out of all other stories from the beginning to this day, I will deliver by diligent observation, that where the wife is a sister, there is less peril of her revolt, and more hope of the husband's conversion than the contrary. For as every wife retaineth still a natural kind of rhetoric and insinuation, from her mother Eve, towards her husband; so every husband abideth firm in the old credulity of his father Adam towards his wife.

I conclude, that at mariages in form beforesaid made, by the words of the angel to Tobias, the Devil hath no power to be present. And where Christ is a guest, there is feare of nothing all is honorable and complete.

MSS. Grin

dal. ep. Lond.

Number XVII.

Whether a protestant prince may tolerate mass. Both the argument and the answer.

IT is against the law of God. It is not to be doubted, but that the usage of the private popish mass, (wherein the use of the sacrament is turned to a sacrifice for sins, and intercession is made to saints, with other things derogatory to this first institution of Christ,) is to be rooted out of the church, as a great evil. Whereupon this followeth, that as it is evil to continue it, so it is not good to suffer it to be used, where it is not. And according to the rule of the civil law, Agentes et consentientes pari pœna plectuntur. And altho' such things that be sometimes evil, and sometimes may be good, are thus suffered, where the end is

I.

either good, or intended for good: yet where a thing is BOOK merely evil of it self, it is a rule, Non est faciendum malum, ut inde veniat bonum.

The answer hereunto.

Cecil.

If a man that alloweth the mass to be good, and one that doth think it to be indifferent, (that is to say, good, where there is a good intent in the sayer or hearer, and evil where there is an evil,) should make answer hereunto, many things would be alledged for the toleration thereof at the least, *howsoever the reasons might appear to tend to the allow-Added by ance thereof. But seing the mass, as the Roman church now secretary abuseth it, cannot by scriptures be defended, it must be considered, not whether it be evil, but whether a good Christian may permit another Christian that believeth the mass to be the service of Almighty God, and not to contain any offence against God, to use to himself, with this meaning, that the party may also be instructed in time coming, to understand the error thereof. For which purpose it is good to use some examples of like nature; how they have been permitted by Christ himself, and his apostles.

For whether it will serve or no for any argument, that the prince here suffereth the ambassadors of France and Spain to use the mass and as in other princes countries of the Roman religion, the protestants which do condemn the mass are suffered to use their own religion, and a partaking, in their own formes, of sacraments; it may be doubted : because it is an argument to establish man's conscience, to follow no examples, but such as are contained in the scrip

tures.

Therefore these few out of the scripture shall suffice. 34 Christ himself kept company and dined with them, who Luke vii. esteemed their own traditions more than the commandments

of God. Christ also was so often in the company of sinners, Chap. xvii. as he was called a Samaritane. And yet the Samaritanes were not of the Jews religion.

The meats which the infidels dedicated to idols (whereof St. Paul thus writeth, Quæ immolant, dæmoniis immolant, non Deo) was permitted to the Christians that lived among

BOOK the Corinthians, with safety of conscience. As appeareth

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1 Cor. x.

chap. x. Corinth. prima, in this sort: Quod siquis infidelium vos vocat, et vultis ire, quicquid apponitur vobis, edite, nihil interrogantes propter conscientiam. Whereby also appeareth, that Christians were not prohibited the conversing with infidels.

Secondly, It is certain that Christ by his authority confirmed the New Testament, and abolished the Old; as St. Paul writeth to the Hebrews: Hoc, quod dicit novum, antiquavit prius. And the use thereof was not the service of God. And if the Jews took it to be still as needful, as the papists now do the mass, nevertheless St. Paul, &c.

And here this paper ends abruptly.

MSS. Burg.

Number XVIII.

Another discourse upon the same argument.

IF the meat which was of the infidels dedicated to idols might be used and suffered of the Christian Corinthians with a safe conscience; then the mass which the papists use may be now used and suffered of the right Christians with a safe conscience. But the meat dedicated by the infidels unto idols might be used and suffered of the Christian Corinthians with a safe conscience. Ergo, the papistical mass be now used and suffered of the right Christians with a safe conscience.

may

The minor is proved from the 2 Cor. x. Siquis infidelium vos vocat, &c. and ye are minded to go; eat whatsoever is set before you, asking no question for conscience sake.

Here we be taught two lessons. First, That that which is offered to idols is not unlawful by it self, but in that it is offered to the Devil, and not unto God. The second, That tho' it be offered unto the Devil, and not to God, and so most wicked; yet for all that, this abhominable abuse and idolatry mar not the liberty and the indifference of the meat, so ungodly abused, but that it may always be eaten lawfully, where no offence is given to the weak. Where

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upon we may wel gather, that the wicked abuse of the mass BOOK taketh not away the free and indifferent using of the same without the abuse.

Christ by his death confirmed the New Testament; and so the Old was no longer his Testament. And Paul saith, Hebr. viii. Quod dicit novum, antiquavit prius. Nor the service thereof was no longer God's service; nor the using thereof was no longer profitable: nor was it no more to be used for religion and God's honour, than the mass, or any thing devised by man. And yet notwithstanding all this, the Jews still accounted it so needful, that they thought they could not be saved without it, nor please God without it. And Paul knew all this to be true, and yet he suffered Timothy to be circumcised: he kept himself the feast of Pentecost at Jerusalem: he went into the temple: he cleansed himself: he vowed: he shaved his head with the Jews. He was, as himself writeth of himself, Judæis factus tanquam Judæus. And commanded, that none should condemn the Jews, which for conscience and religion durst not eat that that was forbidden by the abolished law of Moses. Nor would not for devotion break the holy days commanded by the same law.

How then can we rightly condemn them, which for igno-35 rance use the mass with such holiness and opinion, as the papists? For as they judge it necessary for salvation, and for worshiping of God, so did the Jews judge the abolished law of Moses to be. And as the mass is but the ordinance of man, no more was the Levitical and ceremonial law, being before taken away by Christ. And afterwards used was, I say, not God's law, but man's mere ordinance, &c. And therefore as the superstitious users of the abolished law of Moses were born withal, so ought we to do with the superstitious users of the mass. For where like cause of bearing is given, there we ought to bear alike.

BOOK

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MSS. Guil.

Petyt, ar

Number XIX.

An extract out of the Admonition to the Parliament: containing such slanderous and unseemly termes, as there, by the authors thereof, against the orders of the church of England, and the state of the realm, that now is, are uttered.

Out of the preface to the Admonition.

WEE mean the lordly lords, archbishops, bishops, sufframig. Folio gans, deans, doctors, archdeacons, chancellors, and the rest of that proud generation: whose kingdom must down; hold they never so hard. Because their tyrannous lordships cannot stand with Christ his kingdom.

1. pag. line 11.

L. 21.

L. 25.

L. ult.

F. 1. p. 2. 1. 1.

F. 4. p. 1. 1.17.

L.31.

Ungraciously, cruelly, and pope-like, they take upon them to beat them: and that for their own childish articles: being for the most part against the manifest truth of God.

Their rigor hath too plainly appeared ever since their wicked reign.

That one part being proud, pontifical, and tyrannous.
Out of the Admonition.

Wee in England are so far from having a church right reformed, according to the prescript of God's word, that as yet we are not come to the outward face of the same.

Besides, that ridiculous, and (as they use it to their own creatures) blasphemous saying, Receive yee the Holy Ghost.

Now they must be discovered from others by popish P. 2.1.21. and antichristian apparel, as cap, gown, tippet....... Now princes plesures, mens devices, popish ceremonies, and antichristian rites, in public pulpits, are defended.

F. 5. p. 1.

1.16.

F. 7. p. 2. 1. 15.

Remove homilies, articles, injunctions, a prescript order of service, made out of the mass-book. Take away the lordship, the loitering, the pomps, the idlenes, and livings of the bishops.

If he come not at the whistle of him, who hath by God's word no authority to call: we mean chancellors, officialls, doctors, and all that rabble.