I. Mandatum est, Non concupisces cujusquam domum, &c. BOOK Fas non est mandatum Dei violare. Fas non est mandati violatoribus auxilium præbere, aut favorem. Hæc justissimorum argumentorum pondera ita animum meum premunt terrentque, ut omnino non audeam talibus votis assentire. Proinde, per omnia sacra prece humillima peto, ut pietatem tuam exoratam habeamus, quo iis, quæ tua benignitas nobis verbi ministris jam olim contulit, uti, frui liceat quam diu hac nostra functione non indigni esse videbimur. Esto per Christum Jesum cleri tui pientissima nutrix, fautrix, et defensatrix in hoc seculo nequam, atheoque. Dignetur prudentissima tua pietas hanc meam confidentiam candide interpretari, a pio et Dei timente pectore profectam. Dominus Jesus Christus majestatem tuam per 87 multa secula servet incolumem, ad gloriam nominis ejus, et ecclesiæ sanctæ salutem. Tuæ majestati a sacris et pastor humillimus, [Number XLVIII.] Reasons drawn up by Cox, bishop of Ely, and sent to the lord treasurer: to tender the state of God's ministers. THE Jews pinched God himself, in their sacrilegious Int. epist. Rich. episc. defrauding him of his tiths and first fruits. Whereby they Elien. procured his heavy displeasure and indignation. At this Mal. iii. day some men pinch God, in withdrawing double honour from his ministers: and not onely not communicating, but 1 Tim. v. plucking from their catechizers [i. e. teachers.] They pinch God in withdrawing things from a godly use to a profane use: wherewith God was never pleased, as by stories and examples doth appear. They violate the testaments and wills of their forefathers, who were zelous and bountiful unto God's ministers, for the maintenance of God's holy gospel. They pinch the ministers against the law of nature and charity. Hoc facias alteri quod tibi vis fieri. BOOK I. 1 Cor. ix. Heb. xiii. Esay xlix. They pinch the ministers by wringing away part of their livings, against God's express commandment, Non concupisces, &c. St. Paul laboureth with many substantial reasons, to shew how bountiful the Christians ought to be towards their pas tors. Again, St. Paul willeth, that the pastors being watchmen, and must account for the souls of their flocks, so be used, that they might do their office chearfully, and not dolefully. Hoc enim non expedit vobis. Esay prophesied of kings, and queens, and godly governors, that they shall be nourses to God's flock, to tender them, and to defend them in their just doings, from malicious accusers, slanderors, and persecutors. St. Paul, tendring the state of God's ministers, and considering the malice of the wicked world, writeth thus: Take no accusation against an elder under two or three witnesses. St. Paul cannot but mean lawful witnesses. For quarellers, hateful and malicious, are excluded by all laws. It may please you at your convenient leisure to read Mr. Calvin upon this place of St. Paul, 1 Tim. v. Int. epist. Number XLIX. The substance of the complaints of the lord North against the bishop of Ely, in his letter to him. With the bishop's answers to each. FIRST, What I have done I was urged thereto by such Rich. episc. commandment as I dare not disobey. Yet have I dealt in Elien. 88 nothing against you, but received such griefs as the parties themselves do exhibit. Answer. I am fully persuaded, that her majesty would not urge you in such sort, but upon your urging and exaggerating of matters against me. And it is not true yee received onely griefs against me: but ye have sent for some to the intent ye might get matters against me. II. I wish you from the bottom of my heart to shake off the yoke of your stubbornness, &c. and to lay aside your BOOK stubborn determination. Answer. My duty to her majesty, I trust, I always shew: who I hope will not so judge of me as ye pronounce. Indeed it belongeth to her highness to judge of us both. But you, my lord, thus to judge of me, I may say, satis pro imperio. III. To whom as yet ye have done no special service. Answer. Indeed I have done no special service in embassage to any mortal king, as ye have done. But I do special service daily by ambassage for her highnes to the King of kings. And I do, and by grace will do, her majesty special service, to the uttermost of my power, whensoever I am commanded, either by word, letter, or commission. Her highnes hath many mo special services than embassage. IV. I hear say, ye have reported to your friends, that ye would leave your bishoprick to her highness, to dispose at her plesure. Answer. What I have said to her majesty, she well knoweth. I use not to report such matters abroad. V. I know well how ye are horsed and manned. Answer. I thank God I have horse, and hable men in livery and wages, well neer fourty, and horse to serve them; as may appear. As for reteyners, I have no rout of them to brag on. VI. My lord, it will be no plesure for you to have her majesty and her council to know how wretchedly ye live within and without your house. Answer. I am open to all the world, how I deal within and without: whereof I have no cause to be ashamed. Malice set apart, I will be judge by noblemen, gentlemen, and other honest men. Wretchedly is no meet term for your lordship. VII. How extremely covetous. Answer. Covetousnes lyeth hidden in the heart, which cannot be seen. And this is sore and extremely judged of you. Mine account made, it shall easily appear how covetous I am, if ye be not mine auditor. I. BOOK I. VIII. How marvaillous a dairy man, how rich a fermour, how great an owner. Answer. As for dairy man, I have made answer; a few things I have gotten for my children, to the value of 40%. If ye envy that, I cannot do withal. To other things which ye charge me with, I have fully answered. IX. Imposts which ye raise on God's ministers. Answer. This is utterly false. I never raised peny of any minister: but I have been forced by process out of the exchequer to pay unto the queen's majesty a great sum of mony for issues, for not payment of the subsidy; due before I came unto the bishoprick by divers poor ministers in the diocess of Ely, in the 4th and 5th years of Philip and Mary. Which issues I shall never recover again. Onely I have a Constat for the subsidy, which I paid out of my purse to be levied of the best benefices in the same dioces, according to the law. And to this hour I cannot get one peny of it. Nevertheless of very pity I bestow yearly upon divers poor vicars: on some, four nobles; and upon some, fourty shillings, in respect of their great penury. X. Ye enrich the evil, and discourage the good. Answer. Surely this is untrue, and spoken of an uncharitable affection. I maintain no evil to my knowledge. I might return that fault to you. 89 XI. If my learned counsil deceive me not, I will draw you into a premunire, by 6 or 7 several points. Answer. Let all men judge, whether this your dealing tend not to the utter undoing of me and mine. Ubi supra. Number L. More objections to the said bishop by the said lord, in another letter to him: with the bishop's answers. I. I HAVE been a poor justice these eighteen years, and I never granted the good abearing; and seldom have heard it granted. Howbeit your lordship maketh it a common bond in the isle. It is ungodly and uncharitable. Neither like a bishop nor a Christian, to bind any man to BOOK impossible bands. Answer of the bishop. The law bindeth no man to impossibilities. And the justices and judges are not antichristians. It is a necessary band to restrain troublesome and evil doers, slaunderers and raylers: and, by the judgment of good lawyers, a most necessary band in this licentious world. II. When I hear the bishop of Ely hath forgiven any man, I will say, Nunc dimittis. Answer. To say the truth, I have forgiven more these sixteen years, than I can presently tell of. I doubt not, but I am able to make a book of a great sum. III. I mervail your lordship shameth not to throw this in my dish, especially [viz. dismissing a popish recusant] yee did as much for Cook at Mr. Hutton's request. Answer. At your request, and at Mr. Hutton's request, I gave time to Parris and Cook, to win them to God's true religion. Cook yieldeth himself to me; offering that he would come to the church. But Parris could never be brought to that point. And how your lordship hath earnestly travailed with me and divers others for him a great many years, I am sory to see it. You say, my favour came not gratis. Indeed you brought me 107. from himself towards the amendment of Somersham bank. Which is to be employed to that use. If ye give more to that use, it shall be well employed. But the fault [of letting an obstinate recusant loose] thereby nothing excused. IV. Your lordship doth untruly and dishonestly charge me, that I devise ways and means to practise the utter undoing of you and yours. Answer. In your letter the 20th of November you wrote, that ye are to search all injuries that I have done: and so charge me with a number of matters. And that ye have found 6 or 7 points of a premunire. Is not this to seek the undoing of me and mine? V. Many grievous facts committed by you and yours, I. |