A confession of faith made by common consent of divers reformed churches beyond the…A confession of fayth made by common consent of diuers reformed churches beyonde the…

But now because that neither the ¹offences, wherewith the wrath of GOD is many times provoked, nor the heresies whereby the true doctrine is oppressed, can be taken away in due time, except a true and lawful order of Ecclesiastical discipline be appointed: therefore I do require this of you, by the name of the soon of GOD: I crave this thing, I say of you, that you do not reject this discipline, as any invention of man, but that you would establish it with all diligence, and earnest affection, and keep and retain it, being ones established, ²as the ordinance of GOD: without the which, the whole building must come to ruin of necessity. For what? Is not this the other half of the word of God? Surely he that denieth this, denieth the Sun to shine at the midday. And I pray you, what common wealth, what city, what house, or family, shall not straight ways, be ⟨image 41⟩dissolved, unless it be knit together with ³the bonds of Laws and Order. What? Shall we suffer the Church of Christ, that teacheth all holiness and honesty, to be transformed into a school of wickedness, and licentious life? But if we take away this discipline, that we speak of, if every one be permitted to preach publicly, if there be no examination of the doctrine and manners of the Pastors, if every man be received without difference unto the Sacraments, if it be not lawful to reprove those that sin with the offence of others, and severely to correct those that resist stubbornly, and also in the end (if need be) by the example of the Apostle, to thrust such forth of the flock, lest they infect others: and also unless there be provision for the poor, and almoses be distributed by the order appointed by the holy ghost: unless finally all things be rightly and orderly done, in the house of God, what will the Church be straight ways for the most part, but an assembly of men, given to liberty and all licentious life? But will some say, these ⁴are the duties of Magistrates. As though we ⟨image 42⟩we would have temporal and earthly things, such as are only for this world to come into question by any means, in the Ecclesiastical Consistory, or that we would exempt, either Pastors them selves, or any others from the authority or commandment of the Civil Magistrates, as those do, whom men call Catholics.