How superior powers oght to be obeyd of their subiects and wherin they may lawfully by Gods Worde be disobeyed and resisted. Wherin also is declared the cause of all this present miserie in England, and the onely way to remedy the same. By Christopher Goodman.

VVILLIAM VVHITIN∣GHAM TO ALL THEM that loue to knoWe the trueth and foloWe it: Grace and peace.

IGnorance the mother of error and professed enne∣mie to Gods Trueth, hath two daughters by whose flatteries and subtile practi¦ses she blyndeth mens eyes, obscureth the Trueth, and withdraweth vs from the way of knollage: Custome, and Negligence. Wherof the first so bewitcheth vs, that althogh we wallowe and walter in darcke blyndenes, yet as it were by dreaming we seme to walke in the bright sunne shyning: so that Custome and compagnie may farre soner drawe vs to per¦dition, then Trueth and reason bring vs to the vnderstanding of our error. The other being a domestical seruante and wel ac∣quaynted with our maners, by crafty flatte∣rie doth ouercome vs. For the fleshe is pro∣wde and swelleth against God, she glorieth in her owne wisdome, she loueth her owne consel, she deliteth in her owne imaginatiō and policie: and albeit we knowe that slothful Negligence is an impediment and blocke in our nature to stoppe vs from Trueth: yet willingly we gyue place to her

flattering persuasions, and suffre her to tray∣ne vs to wilful destruction. So that betwixt Custome and Negligence we rather holde with damnable Ignorance, and wisshe to be plonged in abominable errors, then by dili∣gent study and serching of the Trueth lear∣ne to knowe our duetie to God, ād what he requireth of vs to do towardes our neigh∣bour. Then if we wolde auoyde these euils, we must loue and embrace the cōtrary ver∣tues: and if Custome be wicked and with∣holde vs from God, we must spedely reiect her and cleaue vnto God: and if Negligence haue noseled vs in the denne of Ignorance, we must purchase by diligence to proffit in the schole of knollage. For the acheuing wherof (whē M. Christopher Goodman one of our ministers, according to the course of the text, expounded bothe faithfully and cōfortably this place of the Actes of the A∣postles,* 1.1 Iudge whether it be iuste before God to obey you rather then God) certeyne lear∣ned and godly men moste instantly, and at sondry tymes required hī to dilate more at large that his Sermon, and to suffre it to be printed, that not onely we here present, but our bretherne in England and other places might be persuaded in the trueth of that doc¦trine concerninge obedience to the magis∣trat, and so glorifie God with vs. Whiche re∣quest he admitted not easely, til at lēgth wel wayinge how many perished in their igno∣rance

for lack of meanes to attaine to the knollage of the trueth: and also conferringe his articles and chief propositions with the best learned in these partes (who approued them) he cōsented to enlarge the said Sermō and so to print it, as a token of his duetie and good affection towarde the Churche of God: and then if it were thoght good to the iudgement of the godly, to translate the same into other lāgages that the proffit ther of might be more vniuersal. Ther is no dou∣te but many ouercome with olde Custome, or yelding to negligēt Slothfulnes wil ether dispraise this proffitable worke, or neglect it. For euel Custome deliting in Ignorance wil straight way flie to her wonted argu∣mēt: What is this newe doctrine?* 1.2 and whē∣ce is it? Negligence on the other part crieth maliciously: We haue bookes ynough: what nede we yet to be set to schole? Thus Satan with double subteltie deludeth the worlde, keping his euer so fast tyed in the bandes of blynde Ignorance, that they can nether stirre hand nor fote: they are blynde and can not se what is good: and thogh it be offered, yet are they insensible and can not fele it. The trueth of Gods worde is to them moste odious: but mans dreames and deuils doctrines are in greate estimatiō and reuerence. Their false prophets and papisti∣cal priests haue so charmed them, that I∣gnorance is holden for knollage, error for

trueth, superstition for religion, disobe∣dience for obedience, the Masse for the Lor∣des Supper, Purgatorie for Christs blood, workes for faith, Belial for God, and as S. Paul saieth,* 1.3 If they bring you into slauerie, ye endure it: if they deuoure you, ye suffre it: if they spoile you of your goods, ye are con¦tent: if they preferre them selues and thrust you downe, ye forbeare it: if they smite you on the face, yet ye can susteine it. And thus the children of Satan had rather rot in their barbarous ignorance, then by submitting thē selues to the mercies of God, aspire to the perfect vnderstanding of his heauenly will reueiled vnto vs by his worde. But thou the sonne of God, shewe thy duetie and loue towarde thy merciful Father, endeuour to knowe his wil, declare thy affection towar¦des his Scriptures, be zealous of his glorie, reuerence his ministers, and receaue thank∣fully his graces geuen to his Churche by them. Proue diligently and trie by the tou∣chstone who speake the wordes of God in pure simplicitie as in Gods presēce,* 1.4 and who cehoppe and change the same, making mar∣chandise therof to traffique according to mans pleasure. Nether do we desire onely that you shulde be persuaded in this trueth because we our selues so beleue: but we ex∣hort you,* 1.5 that as the Samaritās dyd not one∣ly beleue in our Sauiour Christ because of the womās report which broght the newes,

but forasmuche as they them selues heard him, and knewe that Christ was the Sauiour of the worlde: so whē you shal wel examine these things by the rule of Gods worde, you wolde not so much by our report as by your owne iudgement and knowlage credit the trueth. Remēbring that the worthy people of Beroe were cōmēded by the holy Gost,* 1.6 be¦cause they tryed by Gods worde whether the ministers preachīg agreed with the same or no. Seing then by these examples we are bonde to seke the wil of God manifested vnto vs in his Scriptures, what excuse shal we alledge for our pretensed ignorance? Be∣holde here▪ thou hearest the Eternal spea∣king by his minister, in whose mouthe he hath put his worde, and whose lippes must kepe the Lawe ād the vnderstāding therof, as wryteth the Prophet Malachie.* 1.7 Beware ther¦fore that thou neglect not him that brīgeth the worde of God, but quickely gyue eare ād obey. For if thou desirest to knowe thy due¦tie to thy Prince, and his charge likewise ouer thee, read this book and thou shalt wel vnderstāde both: If thou wishe for Christiā libertie, come and se how it may easely be had: If thou woldest loue God aboue man, here thou shalt knowe how to obey God ra¦ther then mā. Let the Apostles of Christ here be thy schole maisters, and then the more thou learnest: the lesse occasiō shalt thou ha∣ue to repent. Obedience is necessarie where

God is glorified, but if God be dishonored thy obedience is abominable in the sight of God, be it neuer so beautiful in mans eyes. Gods worde is our guyde to leade vs in our doings: when it commandeth vs to obey God, we must disobey man in the contrary: for no man can serue two maisters: and when our heauēly maister cōmandeth obe∣dience to man, it is euer to be vnderstand, in the Lord. So that obedience to Gods La∣wes by dissobeyīg mās wicked lawes is mu¦che commendable, but to disobey God for any duetie to mā is all to gether damnable: as in the discourse of this booke thou shalt fully be asseured, if God open thyn eyes to se the trueth, ād moue thy heart to embrace it. The Spirit of God, which is the schole∣maistre to leade vs into all trueth, lighten your hartes, gyue you myndes to vnderstan∣de, and courage to execute his holy wil, to the setting forth of Christes kingdome, the proffit of his Churche and confusion of Sa∣tans power and Antichrists. Amen. From Geneua this first of Ianuarie. 1558.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Act. 4. d.
• * 1.2

  Mar. 1 c. Act. 17. c
• * 1.3

  2. Cor. 11. d
• * 1.4

  2. Cor. 2. d.
• * 1.5

  Iob. 4. f.
• * 1.6

  Act. 17. c.
• * 1.7

  Chap. 2. a