me, before your honours have heard my answer, and been thoroughly informed of the matter. Which, although it be a thing that your wisdoms, not in favour, but in justice, yield to all men, yet the state of the calling into the ministry, whereunto it hath pleased God of his goodness to call me, though unworthiest of all, is so subject to misinformation, as, except we may find this favour with your honours, we cannot look for any other, but that our unindifferent parties may easily procure us to be hardly esteemed of; and that we shall be made like the poor fisher-boats in the sea, which every swelling wave and billow raketh and runneth over. Wherein my estate is yet harder than any others of my rank and calling, who are indeed to fight against flesh and blood in what part soever of the Lord's host and field they shall stand marshalled to serve, yet many of them deal with it naked, and unfurnished of weapons: but my service was in a place where I was to encounter with it, well appointed and armed with skill and with authority, whereof, as I have always thus deserved, and therefore have been careful by all good means to entertain still your honours' favourable respect of me, so have I special cause at this present, wherein misinformation to the lord archbishop of Canterbury, and other of the high commission, hath been able so far to prevail against me, that by their letter they have inhibited me to preach, or execute any act of ministry, in the Temple or elsewhere, having never once called me before them, to understand by mine answer the truth of such things as had been informed against me. We have a story in our books wherein the pharisees, proceeding against our Saviour Christ, without having heard him, are reproved by an honourable counsellor (as the evangelist doth term him), saying, " Doth our law judge a man before it hear him, and know what he hath done?” Which I do not mention, to the end that by an indirect and covert speech I might so compare those who have, without ever hearing me, pronounced a heavy sentence against me; for notwithstanding such proceedings, I purpose by God's grace to carry myself towards them in all seeming duty, agreeable to their places much less do I presume to liken my cause to our Saviour Christ's, who hold it my chiefest honour and happiness to serve him, though it be but among the hinds and hired servants that serve him in the basest corners of his house but my purpose in mentioning it is, to shew by the judgment of a prince and great man in Israel, that such proceeding standeth not with the law of God, and in a princely pattern to shew it to be a noble

:

part of an honourable counsellor, not to allow of indirect dealings, but to allow and affect such a course in justice as is agreeable to the law of God. We have also a plain rule in the word of God, not to proceed any otherwise against any elder of the church; much less against one that laboureth in the word, and in teaching. Which rule is delivered with this most earnest charge and obtestation, “I beseech and charge thee in the sight of God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou keep those [rules] without preferring one before another, doing nothing of partiality, or inclining to either part;" which apostolical and most earnest charge, I refer to your honours' wisdom how it hath been regarded in so heavy a judgment against me, without ever hearing my cause; and whether, as having God before their eyes, and the Lord Jesus, by whom all former judgments shall be tried again; and, as in the presence of the elect angels, witnesses and observers of the regiment of the church, they have proceeded thus to such a sentence. They allege indeed two reasons in their letters, whereupon they restrain my ministry; which, if they were as strong against me as they are supposed, yet I refer to your honours' wisdoms, whether the quality of such an offence as they charge me with, which is in effect but an indiscretion, deserve so grievous a punishment both to the church and me, in taking away my ministry, and that poor little commodity which it yieldeth for the necessary maintenance of my life; if so unequal a balancing of faults and punishments should have place in the commonwealth, surely we should shortly have no actions upon the case, nor of trespass, but all should be pleas of the crown, nor any man amerced, or fined, but for every light offence put to his ransom. I have credibly heard, that some of the ministry have been committed for grievous transgressions of the laws of God and men, being of no ability to do other service in the church than to read, yet hath it been thought charitable, and standing with Christian moderation and temperance, not to deprive such of ministry and beneficence, but to inflict some more tolerable punishment. Which I write, not because such, as I think, were to be favoured, but to shew how unlike their dealing is with me, being through the goodness of God not to be touched with any such blame; and one who, according to the measure of the gift of God, have laboured now some years painfully, in regard of the weak estate of my body, in preaching the gospel, and, as I hope, not altogether unprofitably, in respect of the church. But I beseech your honours to give me leave briefly to declare the parti

cular reasons of their letter, and what answer I have to make to it.

The first is, that, as they say, "I am not lawfully called to the function of the ministry, nor allowed to preach, according to the laws of the church of England."

For answer to this, I had need to divide the points. And first to make answer to the former; wherein, leaving to shew what by the Holy Scriptures is required in a lawful calling, and that all this is to be found in mine, that I be not too long for your weighty affairs, I rest.

I thus answer. My calling to the ministry was such as, in the calling of any thereunto, is appointed to be used by the orders agreed upon in the national synods of the Low Countries, for the direction and guidance of their churches; which orders are the same with those whereby the French and Scottish churches are governed; whereof I have shewed such sufficient testimonial to my lord the archbishop of Canterbury, as is requisite in such a matter: whereby it must needs fall out, if any man be lawfully called to the ministry in those churches, then is my calling, being the same with theirs, also lawful. But I suppose, notwithstanding they use this general speech, they mean only, my calling is not sufficient to deal in the ministry within this land, because I was not made minister according to that order, which in this case is ordained by our laws. Whereunto I beseech your honours to consider thoroughly of mine answer, because exception now again is taken to my ministry, whereas, having been heretofore called in question for it, I so answered the matter, as I continued in my ministry; and, for any thing I discerned, looked to hear that no more would be objected unto me. The communion of saints (which every Christian man professeth to believe) is such, as that the acts which are done in any true church of Christ's according to his word, are held as lawful, being done in one church as in another. Which, as it holdeth in other acts of ministry, as baptism, marriage, and such-like, so doth it in the calling to the ministry; by reason whereof, all churches do acknowledge and receive him for a minister of the word, who hath been lawfully called thereunto in any church of the same profession. A doctor created in any university of Christendom, is acknowledged sufficiently qualified to teach in any country. The church of Rome itself, and the canon law holdeth it, that being ordered in Spain, they may execute that that belongeth to their order in Italy, or in any other place. And the curhches of the gospel never made any question of it;

which if they shall now begin to make doubt of, and deny such to be lawfully called to the ministry, as are called by another order than our own; then may it well be looked for, that other churches will do the like: and if a minister called in the Low Countries be not lawfully called in England, then may they say to our preachers which are there, that being made of another order than theirs, they cannot suffer them to execute any act of ministry amongst them; which in the end must needs breed a schism, and dangerous divisions in the churches. Farther, I have heard of those that are learned in the laws of this land, that by express statute to that purpose, anno 13, upon subscription to the articles agreed upon, anno 62, that they who pretend to have been ordered by another order than that which is now established, are of like capacity to enjoy any place of ministry within the land, as they which have been ordered according to that which is now by law in this established. Which comprehending manifestly all, even such as were made priests according to the order of the church of Rome, it must needs be, that the law of a Christian land, professing the gospel, should be as favourable for a minister of the word, as for a popish priest; which also was so found in Mr. Whittingham's case, who, notwithstanding such replies against him, enjoyed still the benefit he had by his ministry, and might have done until this day, if God had spared him life so long; which, if it be understood so, and practised in others, why should the change of the person alter the right which the law giveth to all others?

The place of ministry whereunto I was called, was not presentative and if it had been so, surely they would never have presented any man whom they never knew; and the order of this church is agreeable herein to the word of God, and the ancient and best canons, that no man should be made a minister sine titulo: therefore having none, I could not by the orders of this church have entered into the ministry, before I had a charge to tend upon. When I was at Antwerp, and to take a place of ministry among the people of that nation, I see no cause why I should have returned again over the seas for orders here; nor how I could have done it, without disallowing the orders of the churches provided in the country where I was to live. Whereby I hope it appeareth, that my calling to the ministry is lawful, and maketh me, by our law, of capacity to enjoy any benefit or commodity, that any other, by reason of his ministry, may enjoy. But my cause is yet more easy, who reaped no benefit of my ministry by law, receiving only a benevolence and voluntary contribution;

and the ministry I dealt with being preaching only, which every deacon here may do being licensed, and certain that are neither ministers nor deacons. Thus I answer the former of these two points, whereof, if there be yet any doubt, I humbly desire, for a final end thereof, that some competent judges in law may determine of it; whereunto I refer and submit myself with all reverence and duty.

The second is, "That I preached without licence." Whereunto, this is my answer; I have not presumed, upon the calling I had to the ministry abroad, to preach or deal with any part of the ministry within this church, without the consent and allowance of such as were to allow me unto it. My allowance was from the bishop of London, testified by his two several letters to the Inner Temple, who, without such testimony, would by no means rest satisfied in it which letters being by me produced, I refer it to your honours' wisdom, whether I have taken upon me to preach, without being allowed (as they charge) according to the orders of the realm. Thus having answered the second point also, I have done with the objection, " Of dealing without calling or licence."

The other reason they allege is, concerning a late action, wherein I had to deal with Mr. Hooker, master of the Temple. In the handling of which cause, they charge me with an indiscretion, and want of duty, "in that I inveighed (as they say) against certain points of doctrine taught by him, as erroneous, not conferring with him, nor complaining of it to them." My answer hereunto standeth, in declaring to your honours the whole course and carriage of that cause, and the degrees of proceeding in it, which I will do as briefly as I can, and according to the truth, God be my witness, as near as my best memory, and notes of remembrance, may serve me thereunto. After that I have taken away that which seemed to have moved them to think me not charitably minded to Mr. Hooker; which is, because he was brought into Mr. Alvey's place, wherein this church desired that I might have succeeded: which place, if I would have made suit to have obtained, or if I had ambitiously affected and sought, I would not have refused to have satisfied, by subscription, such as the matter then seemed to depend upon: whereas contrariwise, notwithstanding I would not hinder the church to do that they thought to be most for their edification and comfort, yet did I, neither by speech nor letter, make suit to any for the obtaining of it, following herein that resolution, which I judge to be most agreeable to the word and will of God; that is, that labouring