A Brief and Pithy Sum of the Christian Faith

Paul saith, the scripture is profitable to teach, to control, to amend, and to instruct in all righteousness ⟨image 4⟩that the office of salvation is little regarded: But this mingle mangle of spiritual and temporal regiment, is usurped by them, as if no Christian Magistrate ordained of God, sufficed to redress such abuses. What marvel if mans ordinances be broken, where the ordinance of God is plainly resisted. Also in the country where most need of preaching and instruction is, there be idle chaplains, which possess and withhold the Preachers livings, and most specially in the Cathedral Churches: many of the which be but only a very refuge and den of idle, ignorant, and unpreaching lubbers. Is not the ordinance of God, and good meanings of noble founders broken here? Is not his proclamation disobeyed, who proclaimed by the mouth of saint Paul, he who laboureth not, ought not to eat? Among the Jews temporal men, and those that •erued not the Altar, were not suffered to live of the altar, as they now do under the gospel. Behold y• Apostles, Timothy ⟨image 4⟩Tite, and many others. If we do allow the order of the primitive & holy apostolic church, let us follow their examples. Behold the fathers, as Origen, Cyprian, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, Chrysostom, and others, who spent the greatest part of their lives in preaching and teaching the people, as appeareth by their works, which be for the most part Sermons, Lessons, Homilies, disputations, and confutations of heresies in their times. They preached on the sundays and expounded the scriptures. And on the week days they procured their Sermons and expositions to be written. There were no pluralities of livings in those days, neither dispensations, Totquottes, nor Residences, qualifications, nor improperations. Children and boys enjoyed no Benefices in those days by no manner of means, or considerations to come. God grant us shortly to see a redress of spiritual abuses, and temporal disorders, in spiritual governors without respect of private gain. And y• ⟨image 5⟩we may say with the Prophet David the word of God is my counsellor. Exce[…] such things be amended, neither English service▪ Homilies, Ceremonies, no[…] sacraments, do make us christians. W[…] differ from the Turks but in outward rites & ceremonies, and outward profession of our faith in words.