I praye you Breethren haue a good eye to those menne, Rom. 16. verse. 17. or take heede of those menne, vvhich do breede discord and dissention amongst you, and giue occasion of offences, cō ­trary to the doctrine that you haue receyued, and eschue them.

THere is nothing more accep­table to God: there is nothing more profitable to man: there is nothing more answerable to Christian Religion and Faith: there is nothing more auaylable to vertue and good life: there is nothing more requisite and necessarie for al states, whether they be priuate or publike: there is nothyng more amiable, more delectable, more com­fortable, [Page]or more commendable in all respectes: at a worde, there is nothing that passeth all thinges more, than thys one thing, iust peace, grounded vppon the true knowledge and feare of GOD. It is not in vayne there­fore that the Apostle héere exhorteth the Romanes, and by them vs also, whiche bée nowe presente, yea, and all o­ther Christians wheresoeuer, that we shoulde beware and take héede of suche menne as doe bréede discorde and dissention amongst vs, and gyue occa­sion of offences in the Churche of God: and not only that we shoulde take héede of them, and beware of them, but also, that we shoulde eschue them, and a­uoyde them, as authoures of that e­uill, whyche of all other euilles is moste daungerous, and dothe moste shake and weaken all states of menne, or rather doth beate downe, destroy, and ouerthrowe all thyngs wheresoeuer it commeth in place, menne, houses, [Page]townes, kingdomes, countries, nations, and peoples, be they neuer so manye, be they neuer so greate and mightie. Suche a meruailous mischiefe is Discorde and Dissention, whersoeuer it taketh roote, and therefore good cause (I saye) that the Apostle shoulde earnestly admonishe vs al to shunne it, and auoyde it, and the au­thors also thereof, which doe sowe it, and bréede it. I pray you brethren (sayth hée) take héede of those men whych bréede dis­corde and dissention amongest you, and giue occasion of offences contrarie to the doctrine that you haue receiued, and es­chewe them. But what discorde, or what dissention is it that the Apostle here spea­keth of? for there be two kinds of discord, there is one kinde that is spirituall, there is another kinde that is temporall. Spiri­tual discorde is, when men are dinided a­mongst themselues, and disagrée one from another, in spirituall matters, in Ecclesi­asticall causes, in matters or causes of re­ligion and Faith. This is spirituall [Page]discorde. Temporal discord is, when men fall oute amongest themselues, and doe wrastle, or be at warre (as it were) one with another, aboute temporall matters, aboute temporall causes and quarrels, a­boute inturies or wrongs done, or offered to be done, by one man to an other, tou­ching their goods, landes, or lyfe, or some such other thing, pertaining to theyr tem­porall state: this is temporal Discorde. Whiche of these two therefore doeth the Apostle here speake of? If I shoulde tell you, that hée speaketh of spirituall discord, suche as riseth of spirituall matters, of Churche matters, or of matters concer­ning Religiō & Faith, you would answere me, y ^t my text is not for this place & time, nor pertinent to these kinde of businesses and affaires which are nowe in hand, but doeth rather belong to Schoole men and Dimnes, or some other suche Ecclesiasti­cal persons, as are to heare and determine in such cases. If I should tel you, that hée speaketh of temporall discorde, such as ri­seth [Page]of temporall causes and quarrels, or of temporall iniuries and wrongs and so forth, you woulde aunswere me, that it is superfluous at this time, and more than néedes, to speake of any such matter vnto you: for why? ye come for that purpose, it is the only or chiefe cause of your repayre hyther at this present, to heare and consi­der of such controuersies and quarrels a­mongst men, and therefore I néede not waste my winde any further therein. Ho­nourable and worshipful, which so euer of these two kindes of discorde it be that the Apostle here speaketh of, (as in déede hée maye séeme to speake of them bothe) you shal perceyue, that my text is not imperti­nent to the place and time, nor anye whyt from the matter ye haue nowe in hande. I knowe well ynoughe, that your assembly here togither, at this present Session now to be holden, is onelye or chieffic for thys cause, to ende discorde and strife, to con­serue Vnitie and peace, and to reforme in­iuries and wrongs, whereof the wante of [Page]peace & the supply of discord doth grow. I know I say y ^e this is your purpose, and the chief or only cause of your cōming hither, & yet this I know too, that my matter wil be no let vnto you, but doth and may very wel agrée with y ^e your purpose. For first if I shal say any thing, to the aleying of tē ­poral discord & dissentiō, or to y ^e furtherāce of tēporal vnitie & peace, though it be true in déed, y ^t you be come for y ^e same purpose, & do meane now to sit vpon such matters, yet my frendly admonitiō cā by no means hurt or hinder your good purpose, being to­ward y ^e self same matter you come for, nor wil be altogyther néedelesse or vnprofita­ble vnto you y ^e shal heare it, séeing the best & wisest man that is, hath néed sometimes of a friendlye and faithfull admonitor at hys elbow. On the other side, if I shal say any thing to the abandoning of spirituall discord & strife, or to the aduancement and furtheraunce of spiritual vnitie & concord, in this case am I also to be heard willing­lye of you, & though in some respect I will [Page]not deny, but y ^e this kind of discourse doeth belōg rather to schole mē & diuines, thā to you y ^e are tēporal lawiers, tēporall iudges & iustices: yet this I muste tell you notw ^t ­standing, y ^e you can not so cleane shifte off this kind of matter frō you, as thoughe it wer a méere alien to your other businesse, but you must also haue to do with it aswel as wyth other matters, & may not estrāge it frō your present affaires. For whō come you to serue, come you not to serue Christ? I think you wil not say nay. For God him self so sayth vnto you by his Prophet, Eru­dimini qui iudicatis terrā, seruite domino in ti­more: Be learned ye that are iudges of the earth, serue the Lord in fear. What Lord is it y ^e you must serue? y ^e K? y ^e Q? the prince of y ^e coūtry wher you dwel, and vnder whō you are subiects? surely this lord also must you serue I deny it not. But what Lorde doth God here wil you to serue, when hée saith vnto you, serue y ^e lord in fear. Doubt­lesse he willeth you to serue Christ, y ^e other lords L. that other maisters Maister, your [Page]Ladies Lorde and your mistresse maister, euen the Quéenes Lorde and maister, yea the Lord and maister of all Lordes, and of all kings, and of all Quéenes, and of all Princes, and of all the Monarches of the earth, or rather Lorde and Maister of all the whole earth it selfe. For so sayth God also a little before in the same Prophete: Postula à me & dabo tibi gentes in heredita­tem: &c. aske of me (sayeth God the father vnto his sonne Christ) and I wil giue thee the heathen for thine inheritaunce, and the vttermost partes of the earth for thy pos­session. Lo here is Christe made Lorde of all Lordes, and Lorde and owner of the whole earthe. The earthe, the nations of the earth, and the Kings of the nations, they are all his, they are giuen him for his inheritaunce, they are giuen him to be his possession, and he is Lorde of them all. Wherfore whatsoeuer other Lordes you haue, whatsoeuer other maisters you haue, you must serue Christ as the chiefe Lorde, and as the graunde Lorde and ma­sters [Page]ouer al other Lords & maisters. You must serue him & his Church, & not onelye your prince & country, not only the Quéen & common wealth: & to say the truth, I do not sée how you can well serue the cōmon wealth, except you first serue the Church, nor how you can wel serue the Prince, ex­cept you first serue Christ: For Christ is a patterne vnto the prince, & the Church is a patterne vnto the common wealthe to follow. Neyther is that common wealth a good common wealth, or commendable before God, whiche doth not frame and conforme it self after the Church, nor that Prince a good or commendable Prince, which doth not frame and conforme him­selfe after Christ. So then yée must haue a chiefe care and a chief regard of Christ, and of the Church of Christ, and so conse­quentlye of all those matters and causes which be insident to Christ & his Church. And therefore as you are readie when you sée your Countrey or common wealth, the ciuill and politique bodie of the realme, [Page]to be rente and torne in péeces, one mem­ber from another by ciuil discorde and dis­sention, by warres, by strife and vari­ance, by fraude, by force, by lying in wait one for anothers goods, or landes, or life, and so forth, as you are readie in this case to loke vpon and lament the afflicted state of your countrey, and to bynde vppe the woundes of the common wealth, which it hath receyued, and to heale and make vp the hoales and breaches, y ^t rents and tea­rings, which you finde in the bodie politi­que, as you are readye to repayre and redresse wyth all spéede the wrackes and decayes that are in the tempo­ral state, I saye, as you are readie to loke vpon these temporall matters, and to con­sider throughlye of them, and are nowe come hither for that purpose. Euē so much more, and much rather, loke you vpon the lamentable sace and countenaunce of Christes decayed Church, looke vppon the déepe and wide woundes of his mysticall bodie, so soare stricken with spirituall dis­corde [Page]and dissention, sée howe Christe is wounded in his bodie, sée howe the bodye is maymed in his members, sée howe the members are rent and torne one from an­other, sée howe they are diuided amongest themselues, nay alas, how they are diuided againste themselues: sée what hoales and breaches are made in the poore Church of Christe, sée what ruine and decaye is come vpon the poore flocke of Christe, sée what numbers of poore soules are caried away by rauening wolses, to be deuoured of them, and are euen yet hanging in their chappes, and in their féeth, and being in y ^e middest of their téeth doe not féele theyr owne misery, nor sée their owne daunger: sée howe euerye thing almoste is (or if you looke not the sooner to it) shortlye will bée tourned vpside down, topsie turuie: black will be white, and white will be blacke: truth wil be error, & errour wil be truth: good will be euill, and euill will be good: right will be wrong, and wrong wyll bée right, and euery thing wil be as euery mā [Page]wil haue it. For we can not abide to draw all one way, be it neuer so godly and iust, but euery man drawes his owne waye, e­uery man followes his owne fancie, euery man likes best his own wil & wit, & no mā likes another, & so we rent the Churche, & teare the Temple of God in sunder wyth our continuall faction and discorde. O mi­serable state, y ^e vnitie of Faith is diuided into varietie of opinions, the profession of y ^e Gospel is drawn into proprietie of sects, the firme & stable worde of God is made a flexible nose of waxe, & euery man thinkes to writh it which way he wil himself. And al this (oh ye iudges & iustices) all thys is come to passe by the sléepinesse of Gods seruants, & by the watchfulnesse of Sathā & his ministers, the olde and newe secta­ries and Scismatickes, whiche are bolde to attempt any thing, which blushe not to say and affirme whatsoeuer they list (be it neuer so false) which contend stil for victo­rie though they be ouerthrowen, yea & are readie with blowes to maintain their euil quarrel if they durst, whose hāds you must [Page]holde, whose féete you muste staye, whose mouthes you must stop, whose rash & ma­lapert enterprises you muste in anye wise restraine & represse, that they fight not, y ^e they go not, y ^e they speake not any more a­gainst God & his trueth with such libertye as they haue don. This is your office, this is your charge, (oh ye Iudges & Iustices) this is your chiefe charge, & therefore this ought to be your chiefe care, this ought to be your chief trauel, to heale vp y ^e wounds of Christs mistical bodi, to stop vp y ^e holes & gappes of his broken decaied Church, to repayre & renew the peace & vnitie of hys house, to beat down & destroy al Schismes & sects with the aucthors & fautors therof, to vphold, maintain, & further, w ^t al youre diligence, w ^t al your wit & pollicie, with al your might & power, y ^e true, ancient, & ca­tholike religion of Christ. This (I saye) is your chief charge, this therfore ought to be your chief care & trauel. Wherefore bend your wits ernestly about it, put your hāds diligētly vnto it, vse your cunning wisely, [Page]exercise your aucthoritye spéedilye, let no­thing passe you that may touche you, let nothing be vndone by you, that maye lye vpon you in that behalfe. For you are not come hither to serue mā only, you are not come hither to serue your Prince, youre countrey, & common wealth only: but are come hither to serue God, you are come hi­ther to serue Christ, & you are come hither to serue the Lord in fear. This seruice god himselfe biddeth you to doe, and therefore you muste doe it, and this seruice no man nor Prince forbiddeth you to do, & therfore you may do it and néede not doubt to do it: Nay rather, if I misse not my markes, or if my memorie fayle me not, it is the very first point or part of your commission giuē you from the prince, that you should do it, or at least wise it is the first thing y ^e your selues giue in charge vnto others, to do it, & therfore I shall not néede to stande anye longer vpon this point, nor to follow it a­ny further. Only this I will say at y ^e shut­ting vp of this point, that al controuersies [Page]& quarrels are to be anoyded, that al strife & variaunce is to be cut off, that all discord & dissention is to be rooted vp euery where & in all maner of matters, but yet special­ly in spiritual matters, specially in Church matters: for that discorde is a sore discord in déede: that is a worme that perceth dée­per, that is a cancker that créepeth further into a man, euen into the innermost parts & bowels of a man, to the distruction both of boldie and soule: as for y ^e other, it annoy­eth our temporall state only, but pearceth not our soules, it hurteth vs not y ^e wayes, but rather doth vs good, if a wise man haue y ^e matter in handling. For by outward af­flictiō we are inwardly mended, & ar made better to God ward by worldly troubles if we cā vse thē wisely & beare thē patiētly.

But nowe bicause we are to beate down-al discord & dissention, & to build vp & repaire godly vnitie & peace, y ^e we maye y ^e better aymie at this marke, whereat we must shoote, let vs sée whence this discorde and dissention commeth; and who be the [Page]chief & principal aucthours of it. You heard before y ^t there are two kinds of discord, tē ­poral discord, which riseth of tēporal mat­ters, & spirituall discorde, which cōmeth of spiritual causes. Touching y ^e former kind, youre selues which are best exercised in ci­uil affaires, cā best iudge or gesse what be y ^e causes of al sturs & troubles in the ciuill state, & who are most likely to be authors and bréeders of the same. For mine owne part, as I am now knit in one care wyth you of the cōmon wealth, & haue the lyke charge that you haue, & therfore would be glad also to furder any thing y ^e might pro­fit & aduantage y ^e same, so yet being called another way (as you know I am) and this kind of businesse being y ^e lesse parte of my calling, I professe my self to haue lesse skil in it, & therfore leaue the great & waighty consideration of those matters to your ry­per wisdome & experiēce. Only I wil giue you a short view of some of y ^e chiefe causes or causers of tēporal discord & dissention, & so will passe from that to the other pointe, which toucheth my calling more properly. [Page]Wil you heare therfore in a summe what are the causes of discord & dissention in the ciuil state? I wil tel you. The extortion y ^t is in y ^e mighty, the oppression y ^t is in the wealthy, the vnsatiable desire of hauing, & vnreasonable practise of getting, which is in both of thē, these are causes of discorde & dissention. The corruptiō of such as giue bribes, y ^e periury of those that take bribes, y ^e buying of othes in the one, the selling of cōscience y ^t is in y ^e other, & ouermuch win­king at both of them, these are causes of discord and dissention. Gréedie séeking for law against iustice, diuellish counsell giuē for mony against law, enuy in the Client, crafte in the Councellour, and a couetous hearte reygning in both of them, these are causes of discorde and dissention. The impietie of tale hearers, the impunitie of tale tellers, mallice in the one to séeke them, falsehoode and flatterie in the other to bryng them, and an euill conscience in bothe of them, these are causes of discorde and dissention. Pryde and [Page]disdaine in the higher sorte, stubbernesse & disobedience in the lower sort, lacke of loue in the one, neglect of dutie in the other, & a froward stomack in both of them, these are causes of discord and dissention. The making & repeling of many lawes, the ex­ecuting and obseruing of fewe lawes, boldnesse vnto sinne in euery state, zeale vnto godlynesse in no state, loosenesse in the people, negligence in the magistrates, a number of Iustices, and yet wante of Iustice, these are causes of discord & dissen­tion. These vices therfore, or these defects of Vertue, extortion, oppression, bryberie, periurie, enuie in the clyente, craste in the councellour, unpietie of tale hearers, im­punitie of tale bearers, pryde in one sorte, stubbernesse in an other sort, many lawes made, fewe lawes executed, the licentious life of the people, the carelesse securitie of the gouernours, with suche other like, these vices (I say) and those men that are frayghted therwith, these vices and those men in whom these vices do raigne, are y ^e [Page]very causes & causers of all discord & dissē ­tion, of al strife & variance, of all stirres & troubles, and finally, of all manner of dis­order in the common wealth whatsoeuer it be. Héere you haue a short summe of the whole, I néede say no more. Looke vppon these fewe poyntes, and mende them, and you haue mended all. Thus much briefe­ly for discord and dissention in the tempo­rall state, and in temporall causes.

Now let vs come to the other kynde of discord, whiche troubleth the Churche so much. And héere is a greate controuersie or question amongst men, whence these troubles of the Churche shoulde arise, and who are chiefe authoures of them. And the controuersie resteth speciallye be­twéene the Catholikes and vs, I meane the Papistes and vs. And héere, when I speake of Papistes, you may not take me that I meane euerye one that is not throughly resolued in euery poynte of Re­ligion. For there may be many, whose eyes God hath not yet opened, but will do [Page]when it shall please him, and yet in the meane time, are good subiectes to the Quéene, and necessarie members of the common wealth, whome we must not de­spise, but pray for. But vnder the name of Papistes, I comprehende those whyche cleaue altogither vnto the Pope and Pa­pacie, and by open worde and writing, mainteyne the vsurped authoritie of the Bishop of Rome, contrary to the word of God, and the lawes and Statutes of thys Realme. Betwéene these Papistes there­fore and vs is all the question, whiche of vs two shuld be disturbers of the Church, we or they. They lay it to our charge, and saye, that we are those that trouble the Church, and their reason is this, that be­fore we beganne to decline from the Church of Rome, and to spurne against the Popes authoritie, all was well ynough, all was quiet at home, all was peaceable abroade, there were no stirres nor trou­bles in the common wealth, there was no discord nor dissention in the Churche, but [Page]one vniforme, and generall agréemente, and consente of all men togither in mat­ters of Religion, and Faith: but after that we had once reuolted from that Ca­tholike Church, and had shaken off from vs the obedience whiche we owe to oure holy father the Pope, then beganne all this discorde and dissention, then began all these stirres and troubles, then beganne all this hurlie burlie to be in the Churche, and not only in the Church, but in all pla­ces of the worlde where the Churche is planted: then beganne men to fall togy­ther by the eares, then nation and nation beganne to be at warre one with ano­ther, yea, and nations within themselues beganne to haue ciuill warre and bloud­shead, to the great disturbance of all good policie and gouernement, as at this daye we sée is come to passe in France, in Flāders, in Scotland, & elsewhere, to the great wōder of the world, and al this by our falling frō the Church of Rome, & therfore we that are fallen from that Church, & haue swarued [Page]from it, are the only cause of al the stirres and troubles now in the Churche, and so consequentlye, of all the stirres and troubles that be in the whale worlde. This is their reason that they bryng a­gainst vs, a great reason doubtles, marke it well, this it is in fewer words. We are those that haue swarued from the Church of Rome, Ergo we are those that trouble the Church, and the whole world. Do yée not marke their argument? it is a muche like reason, as if the old scribes and Pha­rises of the Iewish Sinagog should come againe, and saye vnto Christ, that before he and his Apostles beganne to speake a­gainste them, and their authoritie, and to preach against their doctrine and traditi­ons, and so to carrie the people another way, all things were very well, all was quiet with them, there were no stirres, no troubles, no tumultes amongst the peo­ple, there was no discord nor dissention in the Churche, nor in Church matters, but all men agréed very well togither, in do­ctrine, [Page]in ceremonies, in traditions, in re­ligion, and so forth, all was hush & peace, (yea forsooth) the Diuell might sléepe qui­etly, there was none to wake him, none to trouble his Kingdome: but after that he and his Apostles had once shaken their holy Mother the sinagogue, and had dis­puted againste their abuses, and defaced their doctrine, and discouered their hipo­crisie, and so by that meanes had blemi­shed their authoritie and estimation: why now the worlde was changed, the people were not as they were wonte to be, they shewed not their accustomed obedience and reuerence to their olde holy fathers and guydes the Scribes and Pharises, but beganne to fall from them, yea, and to murmure and grudge agaynste them, as seducers and deceyuers of the people, and all thys came by hym and hys Apostles speaking againste them, therefore he and his Apostles were the onely cause of all stirres and troubles in Iewry. A muche like reason also, as if wicked Acab should [Page]come againe, and say to the good Prophet Helias, that before he beganne to open his mouth against Iezabel and hir Chap­lens, and to inueigh so vehemētly against Baal, and his sacrificing Priests, Israell was quiet ynough, there was no stirre amongst the people, but after that he had shaken that Idoll, and had shamed and confounded his Idolatrous Priests, then beganne to be some stirres amongst the people, & therefore it was he that troubled all Israell. These were the reasons which the Scribes and Pharises and wicked A­chab brought against Christ and Helias, and I pray you, are they not all one with that which our aduersaries bring against vs? You are those (say they) that speake a­gainst the Churche of Rome, and haue dis­sented from it, therfore, you are authours of all stirres and troubles in the Church, and in the whole world. May they not e­uen with the selfesame reason conclude as well against Christ, and say, that hée was Authour of all tumults in Iewry, & against Helias, that he was Authour of all trou­bles [Page]in Israell, bycause the one spake a­gainst the Scribes and Pharises, and dis­sented from their corruptions, the other a­gainst Baall & his Priestes, & would not assent to their Idolatrie. Surely y ^e reason is all one: but no man (I thinke) will say, that Christ indéede was the Authour of al tumults in Iewry, though he dissented from y ^e Iewish Sinagog: nor that Helias was y ^e Authour of all troubles in Israell though he dissented from Baals Priests. And euē so I thinke, no man will saye of vs, or at leastwise can say iustly, that we are Au­thours now of all stirres & troubles in the Church though we haue dissented, & do stil dissent from the Church of Rome. For it is not our dissenting frō the Church of Rome that bréedes these troubles in the Church, but it is the Church of Rome it selfe, which would haue al men to consent with hir a­gainst y ^e truth of y ^e Gospell, & against God himself, & al Gods forbod. I grant indéede we dissent frō y ^e Church of Rome, but why, bycause y ^e Church of Rome dissenteth from Christ and his Church. I grant also that [Page]vpon this our dissenting from them; much parts taking dothe followe, and of partes taking commeth discorde, and of discorde oft times ensueth battell and bloudshead, and much ado. But who are in the fault? we that dissent from them in their errour, or they whiche will not assent vnto vs in the truth? we tell them that they erre, and we proue out of Gods worde howe and wherein they erre, and this forsooth can not they and theirs abide, but are angrie with vs, and reply against vs, and héere of commeth all those troubles, and tragicall stirres that be now in the Churche. But in the meane time, whiche side is it that troubles the Churche? do we trouble the Churche which tell them of these things, or do they trouble the Church, whiche can not abide to heare of these things? in deede, if telling them truth, or Preaching the Gospell vnto them, doe trouble them and the world, I must needes say, that we are those men that trouble them, and that trouble the world. But yet how? not pro­perlie [Page]of our selues, nor of set purpose, but (as the Logitians saye) Peraccidens, acci­dentallye, and by occasiō, bycause they can not abide to heare the truth. For it is not the proper effecte and worke of the Gos­pell, to bring trouble with it vnto men, but rather to bring ioy and peace of con­science vnto those that heare it, and em­brace it. And if it happen to fall out other­wise, as oft times we sée it doth, the faulte is not to be imputed to the Preaching of the Gospell, nor to the Gospell it selfe, but to the euill disposition of such men, as can not brooke it, nor abide to heare it. And so we may say that Christ also troubled Iu­rie, and all the world, bycause he preached the Gospell amongst the Iewes whyche could not abide to heare it, and bycause he sent his Apostles abroade into the worlde to preache the same amongst the Gen­tiles, whyche lykewise could not abide to heare it. For the preaching of the Gospell whiche is called of Saincte Paule Sermo crucis, the Preaching of Christ crucifyed, [Page]was vnto the Iewes a stumbling blocke or offence, and vnto the Gréekes or Gen­tiles it was foolishnesse, and a very vnsa­uerie thing. It was offensiue to y ^e Iewes, and vnsaucrie to the Gentiles, and there­fore they coulde not abide to heare it, and if they heard it at any time (as sometimes they did against their will) it séemed vnto them not onely to bée méere discorde and dissention, but also it séemed to be a very sword vnto them, and a kinde of warre a­gainst their state, as in déede after a sorte it was. For the Preaching of the Gospell was a spirituall discorde and dissention againste their worldlie vnitie, the prea­ching of the Gospell was a spirituall warre againste their carnall peace: the preaching of the Gospell was a spirituall sword against their humane doctrine and traditions, it was a sworde to cutte away their blindnesse and ignorance: to cutte a­way their hypocrisie and dissimulation: to cutte away their errour, superstition, and idolatrie: to cutte away their vaine wor­shipping [Page]of God, & false worshipping of I­dols. It was a sword to rippe thē vp, & lay thē open to y ^e world, that all mē might sée them, & discerne them of what spirit they were, how cōtrary to y ^e spirit of God, & of Christ. And as y ^e Preaching of the Gospel was then vnto y ^e Iewes & Gentiles, euen so is it still at this day to all carnall and worldly minded men, y ^e can not abide to heare it, it is a kind of warre vnto them, & a very sword to their heartes. And in this respect is it, & to this sense, that our sauiour Christ, though he were y ^e Prince of peace, yet thus saith of himself in y ^e Gospell: Non veni in mundum vt pacem afferam. &c. I am not come (sayeth he) into the Worlde to bring peace with me to the worlde, but ra­ther to send a sword into it. Meaning ther­by, y ^e he came not to rocke men asléepe, & to crie peace peace, where was no peace: he came not to crie peace vnto mē in their wickednes: he came not to crie peace vnto thē in their blindnes, in their ignorāce, in their errour, in their superstitiō, in their i­dolatrie. &c: [Page]he came not thus to rocke men asséepe, nor to crye peace to the worlde in these things, wherein could be no peace, but hée came rather with a sword into the worlde to sight against these things, and to fighte against y ^e worlde, bycause of these things, he came to sight (as Saina Paule sayth) against rule and power, against worldly rulers of the darkenesse of this worlde, and againste spirituall craftinesse in hea­uenly things, that is to saye, againste the Diuell, and his subtill illusions: againste these things came he to fight, and not only to fight himselfe against these things, but also to muster his Souldioures and Cap­taines, his Apostles, his Euangelists, hys Prophets, his Martirs, and all other good Ministers and members of his Churche, he came to muster them (I say) and to put them in readines, that they togither with him, yea, and after him also, when he was gone, might be ready to make warre, and to fight, not againste God and his people, but against the hipocriticall Scribes and [Page]Pharises, and the whole Iewishe Sina­gog, which seduced Gods people, agaynst the arrogante and vayneglorious Philo­sophers, whiche seduced the Heathen and Gentiles, againste Antechrist and his mi­nisters, whiche seduced the whole worlde: againste these (I say) and such other lyke, came he and his Apostles to fighte. But with what sworde? not with a temporall sworde, not with that sworde whiche the Pope giueth so liuely in his Scutchion, where he crosseth the key with the sword, and ioyneth them togither in his armes, signifying thereby, that not onely spiri­tuall iurisdiction is committed vnto him, but also that he hathe the power of the temporall sworde in his hande. Chryste and his Apostles came not to fight wyth thys sworde, nor with fire, nor with fag­got, nor with hatchet, nor with halter, wherewith the Pope hathe murthered a great number of the good Saincts and ser­uants of God, nor to make any ciuill war or tumults amongst the nations, whereof [Page]the Pope hath alway bin a great author: Christe (I say) and his Apostles came not to fight with any such sword, nor after a­ny such sorte, but he came to fight with a spirituall sworde, with preaching of the Gospell, and with the word of God, which of Sainct Paule is called the sword of the spirit, Take vnto you (saith he) the sword of the spirite, whiche is the worde of God. This therefore is the sword that Chryste brought into the world, this is the sworde that he fought withall against the world. So then you sée now, that Christ also him selfe troubled the worlde after a sorte, but yet you heare how he troubled it, you sée that he vsed the sworde, and foughte wyth the sworde, but you heare what sworde it was that he fought withal: you sée that he himselfe broughte discorde and dissention with him into the world, but you beare a­gainste whome, and againste what hée brought it. And euē so we likewise, whom they accuse, to be troublers of the worlde, we confesse of our selues indéede, that we [Page]trouble the worlde after a sorte, but yet so as Christ troubled it: we consesse that we vse the sword, and fight with it, but such a sword as Christ himselfe vsed and fought withall: we confesse that we bring discord and dissention amongst men, but yet a­gainst such as we shoulde bring it, and a­gainst such as we ought to bring it. We bring not discord and dissention againste God, nor against Christ, nor againste the Gospell, nor against the word of God, nor againste the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets, we bring no suche discord & dis­sention into the worlde, but we bring dis­cord & dissention against palpable blind­nesse & ignorance: we bring discorde & dis­sention againste errour, superstition, and Idolatrie: we bring discord and dissention against mens doctrines & traditiōs which are cōtrary to gods word: we bring discord & dissentiō against Papistrie & Atheisme: we bring discord & dissention against An­techrist and his Kingdome: we bring dis­cord & dissentiō against y ^e diuelish vnitie of [Page]Gods conspired eminies whiche disagrée from vs in the truth, but cā agrée amōgst themselues too well in all falschoode and wickednesse, if it may serue to their owne filthy gaine and aduantage. Against these is it that we bring discord and dissention, if it may be called discord that is againste the eninnies of God. But in déede, it is no discord at all, or at leastwise, no such kind of discorde, as the Apostle héere giueth vs warning to beware of and auoyde, and therefore consequently, the discord which we are charged with, being eyther no dis­corde at all, or no suche discord as is héere reproued by the Apostle, it must néedes followe, that eyther we are no authoures at all of discorde (as they accuse vs) or if we be authoures of discorde, it is of suche as is good and commendable, and so yet we are good authoures and commendable authours of good & cōmendable discorde, & authors of such discord, as is necessary for the Church to haue, and of such discord, as without which y ^e doctrine of y ^e Gospel can [Page]not take place, or if it do, cannot long hold and cōtinue. For, if there be no dissenting from falshoode and lyes, whiche haue béen, and are, and will be to the worldes ende, so long as the Diuell hath to do with the world, if there be no dissenting (I say) frō them, doubtlesse the trueth of the Gospell can neuer take sure roote, nor be through­ly setled, but will be soone ouer-growne, or rather ouerthrowne and weyed downe with the stinking wéedes of mants witte, which the Diuell doth still heepe occupy­ed, with odde toyes and deuises of their owne, contrarie to the word of God, on­ly to shake or shadowe the trueth withall. So then oure Discorde you see is no dis­corde, or if it be, it is good and necessarre Discorde: and thus are we deliuered of that infamie and slaunder whiche they bring vppon vs, and are not to be char­ged in déede with those sturs and troubles of the Church, whych they name vs to bée Fathers of.

Well, then what shall we saye to the [Page]matter? sturres & troubles there are in y ^e Church, great discord and dissention there is amongest vs, whence shall we searche for the cause hereof? or whome shall wée make to be authours of it, that the worlde may knowe them and eschewe them? we wil go no further, but to the rule that the Apostle here setteth downe, for tryall of the matter:

I praye you brethren (sayeth he) haue an eye vnto those men, whiche cause Discorde and dissention amongst you, and giue occasion of offences contrane to the doctrine that you haue receyued, and eschewe them. Here is the rule sette downe.

Now therfore let vs looke about, and sée whether we can espye where anye dis­corde is raysed, or where anye occasion of offence is giuen, againste the doctrine which we haue receyned of the Apostles. And if we finde any matter that bréedeth anye suche Discorde, or anye manne, that [Page]ministreth anye suche matter to bréede Discorde withall againste the doctrine of the Apostles, lette vs be bolde to saye that the same matter bréeding suche Dis­corde, and the same man ministring such matter, are the verye causes and causers of al sturres and troubles that be nowe in the Churche.

And here wil it please oure gen­tle friendes the Catholickes to giue vs leaue nowe another whyle, to be bolde with them, as they haue bene with vs, and to tel them in their eare, that al this matter will lighte vppon their owne neckes? I wil not holde you long, the time is some what paste, and I desire of my self to bée shorte, and I wyll be the shorter, bycause I goe not nowe aboute so muche to proue matters vnto you whyche you knowe not, as to moue you to the dili­gente consideration of those thinges whyche bée alreadye knowen vnto you and there fore néede no proufe. For I [Page]will referre it to your own knowlege and conscience, (if you know any thing at all, or haue heard any thing of God, and of his word) I wil referre it to your own know­ledge, whether it be not mamfestly true that I wil say of them. And this it is that I saye, that they and their matters, that is to say: they, and the doctrine which they teach: they, and the bookes whiche they write, do bréede and ingender discord and dissention, doe bréede and ingender occasi­ons of offences against the doctrine of the Aposeles, and therefore they and theyr matters do cause all those sturs and trou­bles that be nowe in the Church, and are the very thinges in déede whiche the Apo­stle here in this place exhorteth vs to be­ware of, and to eschewe. And now iudge your selues whether this be not true that I saye, For (as I tolde you) I will saye nothing but within youre owne kenning. Haue they not I pray you brought an in­finite number of traditiōs into the Chur­che of Christe, cleane contrarie to the do­ctrine [Page]of Christe, and of his Apostles? of whose deuice was priuate Masse, and the propiciatorie sacrifice of y ^e same? of whose deuice was inuocatiō of saincts? of whose deuice was adoration of Images? who broughte in Purgatorie, prayer for the deade, Pilgrimage, or Peregrmation to dumbe stockes or stones, auriculer Con­fession, Church chastitie, Monkish vows, and a thousand such other, if it were wor­thie the time to reherse them? Of al whi­che notwithstanding, there is not so much as one, that is once named or spoken of by the Apostles, much lesse commaunded or commended vnto vs by any doctrine of theirs. And yet all these thinges doe they teache, all these things doe they preache, and write great volumes of them, and by preaching and writing doe maintaine them to the vttermoste, thoughe directly againste the doctrine of the Apostles. Whiche thing, as it is a snare to the sim­ple, and doth meruailously intangle theyr consciences, that they cannot tell whych [Page]waye to turne them, so it is a greate of­fence vnto the godly to sée it, and in déede can not abyde it, but reproue them for it: and hereof cōmes the Discorde and dissention that is betwéene vs and them, and all the whole sturres and troubles that are in the Churche. But now iudge you (as I saye) who be the authours of al this, whether we which professe the Gos­pell and cleaue to the onlye written word of GOD, and receyue and allowe the dactrine of the Apostles, or they, which besides the Gospell, and besides Gods worde, and cleane againste the Apostles doctrine, doe bring fancies and deuices of their owne, and stablishe the same moste diuellishly in the Church of Christ, to the great hurte of the simple (as I sayde be­fore) and the grieuous offence of all that bée godlye. Sure I am, that by the rule here of Saint Paul, you must néeds iudge them to bée the authours and workers of all this Discorde and dissention, and of all stirs and troubles that are in the Church. [Page]I will omitte to shewe you that they are authours also of all other troubles a­broade in the worlde, of Discorde and dis­sention betwéene Princes, of ciuil warres and tumults, of bloudshed and murther, of priuie mutinies and open insurrections a­gainst the state: although I mighte lay before your eyes manifolde examples and manifest proues hereof, euen amongest our selues here in England of late dayes, both by theyr Bulles whyche they sente hyther to discharge menne of they loyal­tie and obedience vnto theyr soueraigne, and also by moste spitefull and contu­melious bookes, whyche SAVNDERS and suche others his companions haue written and sente ouer into the Realme moste traytorouslye, to stirre vppe the Quéenes subiectes, and euen with open wordes to animate them to rebell a­gainst hir owne person. Oh, these be fitte guydes to gouerne the Church. But I wyll omitte (I saye) to speake of these things vnto you, I wyll referre you ouer [Page]to the Cronographers whiche haue noted the facts and gests of euery age and tune, and specially to those which haue written of the practises of Popishe Prelates, ei­ther by Ecciesiasticall historie or other­wise: althoughe what néede you to séeke any further for the things whiche you are der youre owne eyes, and whiche you are already by dayly experience welacquain­ted with, and too well in déede, if it were Gods will. Let them goe, you sée well y­noughe what they are.

But nowe there be other sects besides these whiche doe verye muche trouble and disturbe the Churche, and ciuill state, as Anabaptistes, Libertines, and such other like, which wold haue no common wealth at al, but yet all thinges common, whi­the woulde haue no Rule nor Maiestracie amongest the people, but yet woulde rule and raigne aboue Magistrates, whyche woulde haue no lawes, but yet woulddo what wrong they liste contrarie to lawe, of which sorte are those that sticke not to [Page]teache out of open Pulpits, & to beare mē fondly in hande, that it can not be found within the two claspes of the Bible, that Christian men may goe to lawe, or sue one an other. And what else is this I praye you, but to ouerturne all policie and gouernement, and to haue no common wealth at all? For if we maye not vse the lawes, we must haue no laws, if no laws, then no Magistrates, if no Magistrates, then no obedience, if no obedience, then no order, if no order, then (as I saide) no common wealth at all, but euerie manne maye liue after his owne common wil, as he liste hymselfe, and as his owne spirite shall moue him, whyche is the stincking opinion and derie sinke in déede of al Ana­baptistrie. Such men therfore must be loo­ked vpon. And I am afraid least the Puri­tans also (as you call them) an other sects lately sprung vppe amongest vs, doe smell shrewdly of this ill fauored smoake. Of whome, and of others I thoughte [Page]to haue spoken more, but the time cuttes me off. And of some of these sects, there be amongst your selues that knows some­what more than I doe, and therefore you shall not neede mine instruction therein. I will therefore drawe nowe to an end. You haue hearde sufficiently (as I trust) whēce all Discorde and dissention commeth, and who be the Authours of all stirres and troubles both in ciuill matters touching the ciuill state: And also in matters of the Church, touching the state Ecclesiastical. The former kinde I deliuered vnto you in a summe, and gaue you only a short viewe of it, but yet such as doeth imply in it selfe a sufficiente consideration of youre whole charge in that behalfe. The other kinde I handled somewhat more at length, and declared vnto you plainlye and perticular­ly who be the chiefe Authours of Discord and dissention, and of all sturres and tro­bles in the Church, namely, the Papistes, the Anabaptistes, the Lybertines, the [Page]Puritanes, and suche other like sectes, the seuerall discourses whereof, I thinke I shall not néede to recommende vnto youre memories by anye new repeticion neither doth the time suffer it.

This only nowe resteth (O ye iudges and Iustices and the residue that are here assembled togither to this present Session) y ^e you haue a good care, as I doubt not but you haue, for y ^e spéedie redresse of al things that are amisse, but specially of discord and dissention, whiche wheresoeuer it be there can be nothing but amisse. For it is the roote of all euill, and the spring of all mis­chiefe. Wherefore apply your selues, (I beséeche you) euerye manne in youre or­der and degrée, to the appeasing of con­trouersies and strife, laboure what you can to alley Discorde and Dis­sention in all manner of matters and amongest all manner of states, Dis­corde and Dissention amongest Tem­porall menne, Discorde and dissention [Page]amongest Spirituall menne, discorde in youre policie, discorde in oure ministerie, discorde in the common wealth, discorde in the Churche, and speciallye the discord that is in the Church. For y ^e other tēdeth to the annoyance of your temporal state, but this extēdeth to y ^e losse of eternall life, there is a greate oddes therfore betwene these twoo, both are to be regarded, but yet the one is to be preferred aboue the other, so muche as Golde is to be pre­ferred aboue Siluer, so much as the soule aboue the bodie, as Heauen aboue Earth, as euerlasting thinges aboue thinges mo­mentanie and corruptible. Wherefore haue a care in Gods name for youre ciuill state, and for the common wealth, and for youre Countrey, but haue a speciall care for your Spirituall state, whiche is the health of youre soules, and for youre Spirituall common wealth, whiche is the Churche of Christe, and for youre Spiri­tuall Countrie whiche is Heauen aboue. For you are but Pilgrims here in Earth, [Page]& strangers in this vale of duste and claye, neither haue you any permanent house or citie here in this worlde, as the Apostle sayth: but your citie is the Celestiall Ie­rusalem on high, and there must you build your habitation, there muste you builde your houses, if you thinke to dwel and in­habite for euer. Despise not youre houses here on earth, nor your goodes, nor youre landes, nor youre liuing, nor your life, for these are the tēporal giftes of God, yea, & good giftes of God to, if they be not ill v­sed: Despise them not therefore (I saye) builde these thinges vnto youre selues, in the name of God, builde you houses, build you cities here on earth, builde goodes, builde landes, builde liuings vnto youre selues, builde your temporal state here, yea, and builde ciuill peace and vnitie a­mongst your selues for the conseruati­on and continuaunce of youre temporall state, no manne sayes you nay, they are thinges lawfull to be done, yea, and they are well done of you, so that you do them [Page]iustlye and truely and in the feare of God and without iniury or wrong vnto others: but yet lette your chiefe buylding be in heauen and of heauenlye things, buylde vpon the true religion of GOD, buyld vpon the broken bodie of Christe, buylde vpon the peace and vnitie of his Church, buylde vppon youre selues into his Churche and into his bodye, whereof youre selues are members, as well and as muche as anye others, who so e­uer they be that beare the greatest names and titles of the Church, buylde these thynges (I saye) and laye youre heades and handes togyther vnfay­nedlye to plucke vppe by the rootes all Discorde and Dissention, whyche is a lette vnto thys buylding. And for as muche as the effecte canne neuer cease excepte the cause be firste taken awaye, firste therefore take awaye the causes of Discorde and Dissention out of bothe states ciuill and Ecclesiasticall, and the [Page]thing it selfe will soone vanishe awaye. Remoue from the common wealthe, ex­tortion, oppression, briberie, periu­rie, with suche other like vices, and punishe those persons that offende ther­in, according to the lawes and sta­tures of this Realme, and you shall sée all Discorde and dissention in the ciuill state will soone come to an ende. Remove from the Church Papistry, Anabastistry, Atheisme, Puritanisme, with suche other Hereticall sectes, and punishe those per­sons that offende therein according to the lawes and statutes of the realme, and you shall sée all Discorde and dissention in the Churche and in Churche matters wyll soone come to an ende. And bycause euerye man hath his office and authoritie from GOD by measure and limitation, some more, some lesse, some one way, some another waye, lette euerye manne haue a speciall eye vnto that charge whyche is principallye incidente to hys [Page]his office and callyng, lette hym en­quire that should enquyre, let him present that shoulde present, lette him speake that shoulde speake, let him heare that shoulde heare, let him iudge that shoulde iudge, lette him execute, that shoulde execute, and so forth, lette euerye manne doe that whiche speciallys apperteyneth to his office, and lette him doe it in the feare of GOD and wyth an vpright heart, diligentlye and faithfullye, and we shal sée all that is amisse will soone be amen­ded. But I feare there is many a one comes hither pro forma tantùm (as they say) for fashion sake only, and to fil vp the Ses­sions, but howe to discharge their consci­ence is the furthest part of their thought, yea they thinke not once of it at al. Do ye not thinke that you might finde manye nestes of shrewd stinging waspes lurking in corners aboute you, if you would séeke for them. Naye rather do not wée thinke that you knowe alreadie where they are if you woulde vtter them? Ah [Page]remember whome you come here to serue? not man only, from whose eyes you maye hide many things, but God, who séeth into the secretes of youre heartes, and from whome you can conceale nothing. Looke therefore well aboute you, dallie not with God, he will not be playde withall, goe through with the matters yée take in hand, and hault not for any respect, eyther of pleasing, or displeasing of man, but stu­die to please God by your true and faith­full seruice at this time, as you wil thinke to cléere your selues in that day, when you shall stande before the tribunall seate of Christe, to render accompte of youre do­ings. Looke therefore more narrowly to Gods matters, and to Gods causes, search out, presente, and punish such ercesses and defaultes, as be committed againste the stablishmente of Gods true Religion, and the quiet state of his Church. Iwis Iwis there are many curst Calues of Bason a­broade, whiche since they suckte the Bull that came from Rome, haue giuen ouer all [Page]obedience and allegiance both to God and the Quéene. For before that time, they coulde be contente to come to the Churche and to heare Sermons, and to receyue the Sacramentes, and to vse common Prayer with the rest of the congregation of Christe, and so forthe. They were conformable in all respectes, and contente to doe anye thing that be­séemed good Christians to doe, but since they suckte that madde Bull, they are become euen as braynesicke Calues, frowarde, stubborne, disobediente in worde and déede, not to be ledde nor or­dered by any reason, and I would it were no worse. And yet these forsooth can not be séen nor heard of when time of refor­mation is: they can not be heard of at the quarter Sessions, nor nowe at these ge­nerall Sessions, nor when anye commis­sion is sitte vpon for the redresse of suche matters, they can not bée espyed, or heard of at any suche tyme: but when the Ses­sions are past, we can both heare and sée [Page]that they haue their open méetings and solemne feastings togither, sometimes at one house, sometimes at another house amongst themselues with all fréedome, and libertie, yea, with all ioylitie and lu­stinesse, talking and iesting at their plea­sures, of the state and of Religion, and so forth, whatsoeuer they list, to no good end I warrante you, nor withoute vnhap­pie meaning: As of late you hadde some experience of it Westwarde, I pray God ere it bée long, we haue not lyke experience héere Eastwarde, and all through oure owne siacknesse and negligence, in looking to these mat­ters.

Well, nowe I conclude: Scrue GOD, serue hys Churche, and haue an eye to those men that bée enimies and disturbers of it, and so seruing God and his Churche, you shall scrue youre Prince and Countrey neuer a whitte the lesse, but rather you shall serue them a greate deale more, and [Page]a great deale the better. For to serue God and his Churche, is the very head and be­ginning of youre whole seruice that you now come for, and without that, whatsoe­uer otherwise you doe, it is but headlesse seruice, yea, it is no seruice, neyther can you serue youre Prince and Countrey at all, except you first serue the Church. And your selues as you are Christian men, are this Churche, and the Quéene as she is a Christian Quéene, is the head of thys Church nexte vnder Christe. And therfore maruell not, that I say vnto you, you can not serue youre Prince and Countrey, ex­cept you first serue the Churche, whereof she is the head, and you the members.

The God of all grace and of all mer­cies, so dispose our heartes, so direct oure counsels, so gouerne oure actions, so fur­ther oure attemptes, so blesse and prosper all our doings at this time, and finallye, so finishe the good worke that we haue nowe taken in hand, and begun in his name, that we maye iustly and truly serue him, that [Page]we may iustly & truly serue his Churche, that we maye serue the Quéene, that we may serue the common wealthe, that we maye serue one anothers furne in suche singlenesse of heart, and true brotherly af­fection, that there maye be long peace a­mongst vs, and one godly vnitie and vni­formitie both of Religion and life, to the glory of his holy name, and the common comfort and ioy of vs all. God our hea­uenly father graunt this mercy vnto vs for his sonne our sauiour Ie­sus Christes sake, to whome with the father and the holy Ghost be all ho­nour & glory now and for euer. AMEN.