These be passing weyghtie arguments to ouerthrowe the booke, and come from a* 1.1 déepe and profounde iudgemente: If I shoulde vse the lyke, you woulde wype them away with scoffing. The booke appoynteth, that the persons to be married shall come into the body of the Churche with their f〈1 line〉〈1 line〉iendes and neighbours there to be married: and what faulte can you finde in this? Is not the middest of the Churche the moste méete place for suche a matter? The booke speaketh neyther of the comming backe of the minister, nor his going forwarde, these be but your iestes: and yet muste he goe both backwarde and forwarde, if he wil eyther come into the Church, or go out of it. For baptisme, ye booke appoynteth no place, but bicause there is no iust cause knowne why the fon〈1 line〉〈1 line〉e should be remoued, therefore the minister dothe stande where that is placed, whiche is somewhere in one place, somewhere in another, for I know diuers plac〈1 line〉〈1 line〉s where it is in the middest of the Churche, some place where it is in the ne∣thermost parte, I knowe no place where it standeth at the Churche doore. And ther∣fore in saying that for baptisme the minister goeth to the Churche doore, you doe but coun∣terfeyte.
No man denieth but that bothe praying and preaching. &c. ought to be in that place where it may be best heard of all: and therefore the booke dothe prudently leaue it to the discretion of the Bishop. But the middest is not the fittest place for that pur∣pose: He that standeth in the middest of the Churche hathe some behynde him, some before him, and some of eche syde of him, those whiche be behinde, or on the sides, can not so well heare, as those that be before, as experience teacheth in Ser∣mons at the Spittle, at the Crosse in Paules, and other places. Wherefore in my opinion that place in the Churche is moste fittest, bothe for praying and preaching, where the minister may haue the people before him, except the Churche be so great, and the people so many, that he cannot be heard of them, then there ought to be some regarde thereof.
S. Luke telleth what S. Peter dyd in the congregation, he dothe not prescribe any general rule: Euery circumstance that is tolde in the scriptures, is not streight∣way to be made an inuiolable rule of all men to be followed. The place is not ma∣terial, so that it be suche as the people may well heare and vnderstande that whiche is read and preached.
Concerning the lessons whiche are to be read, the booke prescribeth no place, only it willeth the minister to stande and to turne him so, as he may best be heard of all suche as be present. And are you offended at that? neyther doth y• booke appoynt any certein place for the Le〈1 line〉〈1 line〉anie to be sayde in, and therfore you do but dally and trifle.