Chap. V. ?he HISTORY of the PURITANS. 193 preface, in which they complain of the reproaches and calumnies of their a a adverfaries; " Becaufe, fay they, we would have bithops unlorded, ac- Elizabeth, " cording to God's word, therefore 'tis faid, We feek the overthrow t " of civil magiftrates : Becaufe we fay, all bithops and minifters are . equal, and therefore may not exercife fovereignty over one another; " therefore they fay, when we have brought this in among the Whops, " we fhall be for levelling the nobility of the land. Becaufe we find " fault with the regimen of the church, as drawn from the pope, " therefore they fay, we defign the ruin of the Rate. Becaufe we fay, " the miniftry mutt not be a bare reading miniftry, but that every mi- ` nifter muff be learned, able to preach, to confute gainfayers, to corn- ,' fort, to rebuke, and to do all the duties of a fhepherd, a watchman, " and a fteward ; therefore they bear the world in hand, that we con- " ° demn the reading of the holy fcriptures in churches. Becaufe we M.S.p.izo. " are afraid of joining with the church in all her rites and ceremonies, " therefore we are branded with the odious names ofdonati/ls, anabapti/ts, " aerians, arians, hinckfeldians, puritans, &c." The confeffion itfelf is orthodox, according to the do&rinal articles of the church of England, and muff give a general fatisfaEtion to them who read it; it is written by the authors of the firfl admonition to the parlia- ment, to tellify their perfuafion in the faith, again) the uncharitablefur- miles of Dr. Whitgift, utter'd in his anfwer to their admonition, in defence both of themfelves and their fautors; and is fubfcribed JoHANNES FI EL- DUS. I have the whole before me, but (hall only tranfcribe a few paf- fages relating to the prefent controverfy. " We hold and believe, That we ought to keep inviolably that kind " of government that is left us in the gofpel. -- .That the office of a paftor is to preach the word, and adminifter the facraments, and there- " fore that bare readers, or fingle fervice Payers, are no more fit for " paftors, than women or children that can read well ; yet we deny not the reading of the fcriptures in all congregations, but this is not a part " of the minifter's office. " We think it unlawful to withdraw from a church where the word is truly preached, the facraments fincerely adminifìered, and true ec- " clefiaftical difcipline exercifed. We are not for an unfpotted church on earth, and therefore, though the church of England has many faults, " we would not willingly withdraw from it; and yet we believe that " God's children, when they are threatned with perfecution, and the " church doors are that againft them, may draw themfelves into private afTemblies, feparating from curled idolatry and peftilent popery, though the laws of princes are againft it; and whofoever refufeth to beCub- VoL. I. C c jet
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