church his Gospel as the only weapon to fight withal for the time of this mortal life. See John, xvii. where he defineth life everlasting to be the knowledge of God. So doth Paul (Rom. viii.) prove this kingdom to be spiritual; but that concerning the body it appeareth, that Christ defendeth not his people, because they live in such contempt and adversity, but hereafter it shall appear, as Paul saith (Col. iii.); and John (1 John, iii.), "Now we are sons, but it doth not yet appear, what we shall be." This kingdom shall be ever persecuted till the world's end. (Psalm ii. lxxi. cxv.) Isaiah the prophet described the church of this present life, saying, "The Lord shall give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction; yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner." (Is. xxx.) Thus the church shall remain, but always in affliction. I know such as favour not the truth, will interpret my words, that I condemn all princes and kings, as enemies of the Gospel, because they peaceably enjoy their kingdoms. So I wish them always to do, with hearty prayer to the glory of God. But of this one thing I will assure every prince of the world: the more sincere he is in the cause of God, the more shall be his cross.

I report me unto the King's Majesty, that dead is, which at the first brunt, as soon as he took God's cause in hand, that leopard and dragon of Rome did not only solicit the whole foreign world against him; but also he suffered such an ungodly and detestable insurrection of his Popish subjects, and such other crosses also, that never would have been moved, had he not disquieted the beast of her rest, that sat above His Majesty, and above God also, in his own realm.

They be flatterers of princes that say every thing may be ruled with ease: they consider not what an

enemy of God's order the devil is, that would not only the Gospel of truth to be oppressed, but also every prince that studieth the preferment and setting forth of God's word. The devil never ceaseth to molest and disquiet every godly politic commonwealth. Were there no Scripture divine to detect the art of the devil, Aristotle in the fifth book of his Politics were sufficient to manifest the devil's enmity against all commonwealths.

Farther, the nature of man is infirm, and far unable to sustain the office of any vocation, be it political, ecclesiastical, or domestic, without a singular aid of God. We see by Saul that noble man, who, in the beginning of his reign, did many noble acts, yet the devil got the victory in the end. His suc cessor David was likewise so entangled in the devices of the devil, that with much pain he could extricate himself from the wicked snare, that the devil once brought him into. Howbeit, God defended both him and his kingdom, so that not only the preachers, but also he himself, taught the word of God unto the people, as he had promised. (Psalm vi. 1.)

God preserveth above human reason his ministers, as he did Jacob from the hands of Esau, David from Saul, Daniel from the lions, and Paul in the ship, where no human hope of salvation was at all, but only the protection of God. These examples declare, that he doth defend his people against all the world by his mighty power.

Likewise he governeth this church with his own laws only, and would his subjects to know him, to honour him, and to obey him, as he hath commanded in his law, Paul expresseth this law (Rom. i.), “The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." And Mark, "Preach the Gos pel to every creature." (Mark, xvi.) The only law, whereunto this congregation is bound, is the Gospel,

as Christ saith (John, xiv.), "The Holy Spirit shall teach you all things, which I have said unto you." Here Christ bindeth the Apostles and all the church unto the things that he had taught them.

This commonwealth of the true church is known by these two marks; the pure preaching of the Gospel, and the right use of the sacraments. Thus proveth Paul (Eph. ii.) that the church is bound unto the word of God: "Upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets are ye built." Likewise (Isa. lix.), "My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed for ever."

Of the right use of sacraments it is taught 1 Cor. xi. Mark, xvi. Luke, xxiv. and Matt. xxviii. which teach people to know the church by these signs. The traditions of men and the succession of bishops teach wrong. Those two false opinions have given unto the succession of bishops power to interpret the Scripture, and power to make such laws in the church at it pleased them. There is no man that hath power to interpret the Scripture. God, for the preservation of his church, doth give unto certain persons the gift and knowledge to open the Scripture": but that gift is not a power bound to any order, or succession of bishops, or title of dignity. The princes of the earth do give always such power of civil justice by succession; as one is chief justice for the time of his office to do every thing appertaining unto the same; so hath always his successor the like.

God hath given the civil magistrates power and authority to make such laws for the commonwealth, as shall be agreeable with reason and not against God's law, and likewise power to interpret the same laws. But this is not to be admitted in the church, unto whom God hath given the Gospel, and inter

preted the same by his only Son, who taught the meaning and contents thereof himself.

To know God and his ire against sin, the greatness of sin, the justice given in Christ, the fear of God, the faith in his promises, the persecution of his members, the aid and help of God in adversity, the resurrection of the dead; where and what the true church is; the doctrine of everlasting life, of the two natures in Christ, of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost: these be the contents of the law whereunto God hath bound his church; and he hath commanded her to hear his Son concerning the interpretation of these points. And at the commandment of Christ the Apostles were sent to preach these verities in the Spirit of God. It is therefore necessary to retain in the church the doctrine given unto us by the Apostles, and to be the disciples of their doctrine, and not to feign interpretations of our own heads contrary unto their doctrine.

Such, as will be the members of this church, must be disciples of the Gospel, and learn, in fear and humbleness of spirit, the articles of our religion, as they be taught there, and not stand unto the judgment of any man, whatsoever he be, though he say truth. For his truth is nothing, except the authority of God's word contain the said truth.

It is a great confirmation of our faith when we see such as were godly persons before us interpret the Scripture, and use the sacraments as we do. As when the heresy of Samosatanus troubled the Christian brethren, that said, this word, "Verbum,” in John," In the beginning was the word," did not signify any person or divine substance, they were confirmed by the testimony of Irenæus, who heard Polycarp, John the Evangelist's disciple, interpret, Verbum," in the Gospel, for the Son of God, the -second Person in the Trinity. Though we be bound

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to hear the church (i. e. to say), the true and faithful preachers of God's word, as were in this case Polycarp and Irenæus; notwithstanding, our faith is not grounded upon the authority of the church, but in and upon the voice of the Gospel. We pray and invocate the Son of God, the second Person in the Trinity, because the Scripture proveth him to be God: "The Word was God;" also, My Father worketh until now, and I also work;"" Without me ye can do nothing;" likewise, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

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The adversaries of the truth defend many a false error under the name of the Holy Church; therefore these treasons and secret conspiracies must be taken heed of; and when the church is named, we ought diligently to consider, when the articles they would defend were accepted of the church, by whom, and who was the author of them; and to leave not, till the matter be brought unto the first original and most perfect church of the Apostles. If thou findest by their writings that their church used the thing that the preacher would prove, then accept it, or else not. Be not amazed, though they speak of never so many years, or name never so many doctors. Christ and his Apostles be grandfathers in age to their doctors and masters in learning. Repose thyself only on the church that they have taught thee by the Scripture. Fear neither the ordinary power or succession of bishops, nor of the greater part. For if either the authority of bishops or the greater part should have power to interpret the Scripture, the sentence of the Pharisees should have been preferred before the sentence of Zacharias, Simeon, Elizabeth, or the blessed Virgin.

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Consider, that many times the true church is but a small congregation, as Isaiah saith: Except God had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom." There