The second and last part of Reasons for refusall of subscription to the Booke of common prayer vnder the hands of certaine ministers of Deuon. and Cornwall, as they were exhibited by them to the right Reuerend Father in God William Cotton Doctor of Diuinitie, and Lord Bishop of Exceter. As also an appendix, or compendious briefe of all other exceptions taken by others against the bookes of communion, homilies, and ordination, word for word, as it came to the hands of an honorable personage. VVith an ansvvere to both at seuerall times returned them in publike conference, and in diuerse sermons vpon occasion preached in the cathedrall church of Exceter by Thomas Hutton Bachiler of Diuinitie, and fellow of S. Iohns Colledge in Oxon.

For the Church to be free from all aduersitie is against the manifest word of God.

It is not against the manifest word of God that the Church sometimes haue rest & breathing after a sore trauell: many exam∣ples thereof are, before, & since y^t daies of Solamon, Iosias, In whose raigne Israel had great peace, & plenty, & such prosperity the Lord promised by the mouth of his Prophet, as old men & old women should dwell in y^t stréets of Ierusalem,* 1.1 & euery man with his staffe in his hand for very age, & the stréets of y^e citty shalbe full of boies

and girles,* 1.2 who shall liue securely and without trouble at all (I meane outward) For we know, it cannot come to passe that many olde men be seene in any place spent for very age: that they must be faine to beare themselues vp with a staffe, vnlesse there be peace and rest on all sides from the enemie. Which gratious fauour hath stretched out to the daies of the Gospell both in the raigne of Constantine, Theodosi∣us, Honorius, and other good Emperors. Of Constantine, whose gouernment was so happy that be b••d the whole Ro∣maine world in subiection vnder him, most victorious in his wars, euery where throughout prosperous in subduing of tyrants, of a very great age ere he died, and blest with sonnes, whom he left Emperors after him. But what speake we of times past. Haue we not examples in our owne age? The kingdome wherein we liue vnder that forme of Religion, which by law was established in the daies of our late Queen of famous memorie, blessed with a peace and prosperitie both extraordinary, and of many yeares continuance (a strong euidence that God was therewith well pleased.) Which mercie in this kinde long may we pray for, and he grant to the ioy of our King, Quéene, and their royall progenie, and the comfort of vs all his loyall Subiects. They who with it not (as holding it vnlawfull) shew themselues vnthankfull to God, vnnaturall to their Countrey, yea and contrary to the manifest Scripture: which promiseth what euer a righteous man ta∣keth in hand shall prosper: verified in Ioseph, who was a man that prospered; in Ezechia that prospered in all his works, and in the resolution that Ichosuphat made the people, beléeue the Prophets and yée shall prosper. If any reply these thrée sen∣tences last quoted meane by prosperitie, the fauour & mer∣cies of God, as that then onely it is well with a man, when God sheweth himselfe gratious. We confesse their exposition is a truth, and our Church in her prayer desireth so to be vnder∣stood. For that which the wicked name aduersitie she calleth not so, nor what they hold for prosperitie doth she alwaies ac∣count so, hauing well learned by comparing the Scriptures that there is no prosperitie to the mercies of God, and when that wanteth, the mercies of God are wanting. He that hideth his

sinnes shall not prosper, but he that confesseth & forsaketh them,* 1.3 shall haue mercy, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 repentance had a reward, and that re∣ward were prosperitie, and the mercies of God were that pro∣speritie: yet so far forth as the righteous & prophane necessarily communicate in the meaning of the same language, freedome from infirmitie, sicknesse, persecution, troubles, bondage, ex••e, deration, & a thousand the like is to be desired in our pray∣ers, or else it would goe ill with vs, that any aduersitie should befall vs, and we not haue recourse vnto prayer against it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Zachar. 8.4.
• * 1.2

  Qui victurisūt securè, & sine aliqua molestia (externa dico) Nā scimus hoc non posse accide re, vt multi senes aliquo in loco cernantur quasi ferè exa∣nimes atar ita vt baculo se se sustineant, nisi vndique pax, et quies sit ab bostibus. Cal. Ibid. Vniuersum Rō. orbem tenuit in gerendis bellis victoriosissi∣mus per omnia prospe••atus est. filios ••••per••tes reliqu••••. Aug. de Ciuit, dei lib. 5. c. 25. Proclamation for Authori∣sing an vnifor∣mitie of the booke of Cō∣mon prayer. Giuen at West¦minster the 5. of March. 1. an. Reg. Iacobi Psalm, 1.3. Genes. 39.2. 2. Chro. 32.30 2. Chro. 20.20. Nunquam benè esse hominibus, nisiquatenus benignum se do¦minus illi••exhi∣bet Caluin. in Genes. 39.2.
• * 1.3

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