----:----------- _____ :~--- 'The Epi~le Vedicatorie. I good friends to it as you: Aud ifthe Papills cxccpt,and C.ry how can thisbe,for tlm you ! haue been perfewrcrs o! tbetr Pocfls? Let m.eanfwer once for you, who often anfwer for many dlflreffcd men: they perfecure you wnh llander, th•H f•y you pcrfccutcd them, (bur be conrent to bearc your pan in Popil111landcrs, wid1 our Prince and Star~, our Counklloms ond Clergic, our Parliaments and Lawcs, for none of rhefe hauc <fcaped rhefc v;perous tongues) fot though youlllue c:.:ecured rhc Lawes vpon fame of them, m ~our !Cll~r:lil places, yet not with !harpcneffc nor fencririe, bur with mercifnll iuOice, and th<!t •11<> nor as they were Priefls, but Plotters, PraCtilers, fi1buerrers, and fcduce": ' and as they were Pricfls, you foughr rheir reformation, not their ruine. And if rhev, who can hardly di!chargc rhen>!Ciucs from beeing Priefls of B.•al, haue had but lufli~o, and that alto tempered with Mcrcic, ir !hcwes how good regard yon hanc, and how mnch you cflceme all good and faithfull Miniflers, which arc Gods Interpreters. In a word,rt allomMinillcrs were filCh as thisrrearife defcribcrh,or came bmas neer it as the Amhor-hereof did, and if all our great ones d1d vfcand eflceme good Minirlers as you doe, we l11ould rhen loone pull the Minifleric fromvnderrhar foor e of contempr,wirh which this prophane age doth daily tread vpon it. The Church of Rom<, who arc far re wifcr illfheir kinde then the children of light, hauc taken orher and !!range courfcsto mJgn itic the Cleargie. Tjley reach, that the !late Ecclefiaflicall ,is {o fa r more excellent then the Ciuill, as the Sun·1e is t!1cn theMoone, and that nor in fpirirmllunly,(for tlut \ we dcn ie nor) bm in remponll power, pompe, and eflare: and that therefore the chcife of their Cleargic, is as fJrre oboue the mighriefl Emperour, as rhc Sunne is aboue rhe Moone; and as rhe Moone b<>rrowerh her light from the Sunne,fo cloth rhe Empcrour I his flare and power from the Pope. Th·cy reach, that rhe C leargie is a llate fo di!lin&, and fo abfolute of it fclfc, as it harh not to doe wirh the Ciuill ilatt, yea they exempt their Cleargie, from beeing any way ,fitbieCl: to the remporall MJgi!lratc. And though their crimes, be neuer fo many or r monflrous, yet the Prince or Ciuill amhoritie, harhnorhingro doe tO rake notice rherof, much lcffc to puni!h rhem :.and hereupon great volumes are wrmen,>nd many AC!s and decrees arc m.1de in their Can'on Law, De exempti omC!fYteorum. They exroll their Cleargie aboue the Ten1poraltie ,_allowing the Priefls both bread aud wi•1e in the Sa– crnmem, bur lcaui ng the L•if.id ncad alone. They make them in their Maffe, mediators b~twixr Chri!l and God the fJther, and creators oftheir Creator and Redeemer, when and as often as thcmfclucs !ill. A11d fi•,ally, they fend for rhe moll parr, all•th·eir Clcar– gic immediately to hc>ucn wirhom let, whereas all rhe Temporalric (except Mar– tyrs ) mull pa!fc by Purgatorie. Here are treat buildin gs , bur on af•ndt efound-a ti– on , goodly CJfllcs, butbuilt in the airc; if rhefc dcuifcs were of God, they would c<mainly !land, but their long tottering, threatens a fudden fJJl. . Contr.uiwife, our Chnrch, or rather the corruption of our Church, by avoyding this Scilla, haue f.dlcn into charihdis, by auoiding one extrcmitic, haue fallen into the o– ther, by raking roo tmiCh dignitie and ourhoritie from our Minitlerie, and by laying too much pouerric,conrcmpt ,·and b>tcneffe vponir. It were a worke worrh the la. bour of rhe wifcfl heads, ro our do·.vne the true meane betweene both extreames, and worth the labour Ofour Noble Kino-, to take order that the moane be kept,Withour riling to the right hJn d, or fJlli ng to rh~ left. This !hart Trcarife may happc to gitle tome I I light and dircC!ions therein , or at leafl may incourage and fli rrevp their hearts, 111 who(c hands ir is ro doe it: Vnder yomworthienameswould I hauc ttfee the world, 1 not to much for that I am bound to you both in many priuJte and particular refpe&s, !(though that bee much) as for that I knowe you both to bee of fv right and reformed 1 1a iudgemenrin this cafe, :;s you would haue none Miniflers but of fi,tfioent gtfrs, and vnb!Jmcablc liues, nor thole Miniflers pm to their penfions, or vncerratoc falart cs , but to haue cerraine and fuffictcnt matnrenance proporrwnable to thetr charge, 211d bcfecming r.hc honour of a Chriflian Church: God continue you borh !lill i:~ rhat I minde,and make many more of the fame with you, lo thou!? wee baue as flounl11tng a Church as.any Chriflendome hath feene. Goe forward 111 that and other your ~c- l liaious refolurions it is the true way to honour, both here and m a better wand: I I I I 1 I I fl~nd firmcly for 1 the rrmh and boldly anainfl the Popi!h enemies thereof, as ' " -------- hither- ' --------------- --- --.--- - ---
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