man, that saith, he is a Righteous man, but he that saith he is a Dead man:' whereby it might seem, that a man might, without hurt, add Works to Christ, and pray also that God and St. Peter would save him.

"That the Galatians' case is harder than the case of the Church of Rome, because the Galatians joined Circumcision with Christ, which God hath forbidden and abolished; but that which the Church of Rome joined with Christ, were good Works, which God hath commanded.' Wherein he committed a double fault: one, in expounding all the questions of the Galatians, and consequently of the Romans, and other Epistles, of Circumcision only, and the ceremonies of the Law (as they do, who answer for the Church of Rome in their writings), contrary to the clear meaning of the Apostle, as may appear by many strong and sufficient reasons; the other, in that he said, The addition of the Church of Rome was of Works commanded of God.' Whereas the least part of the Works, whereby they looked to merit, was of such Works: and most were of supererogation, and of Works which God never commanded, but was highly displeased with, as of Masses, Pilgrimages, Pardons, Pains of Purgatory, and such like. Further, That no one sequel urged by the Apostle against the Galatians for joining Circumcision with Christ, but might be as well enforced against the Lutherans; that is, that for their Ubiquity it may be as well said to them, If ye hold the Body of Christ to be in all places, you are fallen from grace, you are under the curse of the Law, saying, Cursed be he that fulfilleth not all things written in this Book,' with such like. He added yet further, That to a Bishop of the Church of Rome, to a Cardinal, yea, to the Pope himself, acknowledging Christ to be the Saviour of the world, denying other errors, and being discomforted for want of Works whereby he might be justified, he would not doubt, but use this speech; Thou holdest the Foundation of Christian Faith, though it be but by a slender thread; thou holdest Christ, though but as by the hem of his garment; why shouldst thou not hope that virtue may pass from Christ to save thee? That which thou holdest of Justification by thy Works, overthroweth indeed by consequent the Foundation of Christian Faith; but be of good cheer, thou hast not to do with a captious

sophister, but with a merciful God, who will justify thee for that thou holdest, and not take the advantage of doubtful construction to condemn thee. And if this (said he) be an error, I hold it willingly; for it is the greatest comfort I have in this world, without which I would not wish either to speak or to live.' Thus far, being not to be answered in it any more, he was bold to proceed; the absurdity of which speech I need not to stand upon. I think the like to this, and other such in this Sermon, and the rest of this matter, hath not been heard in public places within this Land since Queen Mary's days. What consequence this Doctrine may be of, if he be not by Authority ordered to revoke it, I beseech your Honours, as the truth of God and his Gospel is dear and precious unto you, according to your godly wisdoms to consider.

14. "I have been bold to offer to your Honours a long and tedious discourse of these matters; but speech being like to tapestry, which, if it be folded up, sheweth but part of that which is wrought, and being unlapt and laid open, sheweth plainly to the eye all the work that is in it; I thought it necessary to unfold this tapestry, and to hang up the whole chamber of it in your most honourable Senate, that so you may the more easily discern of all the pieces, and the sundry works and matters contained in it. Wherein my hope is, your Honours may see I have not deserved so great a punishment as is laid upon the Church for my sake, and also upon myself, in taking from me the exercise of my Ministry. Which punishment, how heavy it may seem to the Church, or fall out indeed to be, I refer it to them to judge, and spare to write what I fear; but to myself it is exceeding grievous, for that it taketh from me the exercise of my calling. Which I do not say is dear unto me, as the means of that little benefit whereby I live (although this be a lawful consideration, and to be regarded of me in due place, and of the Authority under whose protection I most willingly live, even by God's commandment both unto them and unto me); but which ought to be more precious to me than my life, for the love which I should bear to the glory and honour of Almighty God, and to the edification and salvation of his Church, for that my life cannot any other way be of like service to God, nor of such use and profit to men

ii. 17.]

by any means. For which cause, as I discern how dear any [my] Ministry ought to be unto me, so it is my hearty desire, and most humble request unto God, to your Honours, and to all the Authority I live under, to whom any dealing herein belongeth, that I may spend my life (according to [Phil. his example, who in a word of like sound, of fuller sense, comparing by it the bestowing of his Life to the offering poured out) upon the sacrifice of the Faith of God's people, and especially of this Church, whereupon I have already poured out a great part thereof in the same Calling, from which I stand now restrained. And if your Honours shall find it so, that I have not deserved so great a punishment, but rather performed the duty which a good and faithful servant ought, in such a case, to do to his Lord and the people he putteth him in trust withal carefully to keep; I am a most humble suitor by these presents to your Honours, that, by your godly wisdom, some good course may be taken for the restoring of me to my Ministry and place again. Which so great a favour, shall bind me yet in a greater obligation of duty (which is already so great, as it seemed nothing could be added unto it to make it greater) to honour God daily for the continuance and increase of your good estate, and to be ready, with all the poor means God hath given me, to do your Honours that faithful service I may possibly perform. But if, notwithstanding my cause be never so good, your Honours can by no means pacify such as are offended, nor restore me again, then am I to rest in the good pleasure of God; and to commend to your Honours' protection, under her Majesty's, my private life, while it shall be led in duty; and the Church, to Him, who hath redeemed to himself a people with his precious blood, and is making ready to come to judge both the quick and the dead, to give to every one according as he hath done in this life, be it good or evil; to the wicked and unbeliever, justice unto death; but to the faithful, and such as love his truth, mercy and grace to life everlasting.

"Your Honours' most bounden, and

"Most humble Suppliant,

"WALTER TRAVERS,

"MINISTER of the Word of God."

ANSWER*

TO THE

"SUPPLICATION.”

TO MY LORD OF CANTERBURY HIS GRACE.

1. My duty in my most humble wise remembered: May ît please your Grace to understand, that whereas there hath been a late controversy raised in the Temple, and pursued by Mr. TRAVERS, upon conceit taken at some words by me uttered, with a most simple and harmless meaning; in the heat of which pursuit, after three public invectives, silence being enjoined him by Authority, he hath hereupon, for defence of his proceedings, both presented the Right Honourable Lords, and others of her Majesty's Privy Council, with a Writing, and also caused or suffered the same to be copied out, and spread through the hands of so many, that well nigh all sorts of men have it in their bosoms; the matters wherewith I am therein charged, being of such quality as they are, and myself being better known to your Grace than to any other of their Honours besides, I have chosen to offer to your Grace's hands a plain declaration of my innocency in all those things wherewith I am so hardly and so heavily charged: lest, if I still remain silent, that which I do for quietness' sake, be taken as an argument, that I lack what to speak truly and justly in mine own defence.

2. First, because Mr. Travers thinketh it is expedient to breed an opinion in men's minds, That the root of all inconvenient events which are now sprung out, is the surly and unpeaceable disposition of the man with whom he hath to do; therefore, the first in the rank of accusations laid against me, is, my inconformity, which have so little inclined to so many and so earnest exhortations and conferences, as myself (he saith) can witness,† to have been spent upon me, for my better fashioning unto good correspondence and agreement. ↑ [See sup. p. 343.]

* [Printed at Oxford, 1612. 4to.] VOL. III.

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3. Indeed, when at the first, by means of special wellwillers, without any suit of mine, as they very well know (although I do not think it had been a mortal sin, in a reasonable sort, to have shewed a moderate desire that way), yet when by their endeavour without instigation of mine, some Reverend and Honourable, favourably affecting me, had procured her Majesty's grant of the place; at the very point of my entering thereinto, the evening before I was first to preach, he came, and two other gentlemen joined with him the effect of his conference then was, That he thought it his duty to advise me, not to enter with a strong hand, but to change my purpose of preaching there the next day, and to stay till he had given notice of me to the congregation, that so their allowance might seal my Calling." The effect of my answer was, "That, as in a place where such order is, I would not break it; so here, where it never was, I might not, of mine own head, take upon me to begin it:" but liking very well the motion, for the opinion which I had of his good meaning who made it, requested him not to mislike my answer, though it were not correspondent to his mind.

4. When this had so displeased some, that whatsoever was afterwards done or spoken by me, it offended their taste, angry informations were daily sent out, intelligence given far and wide, what a dangerous enemy was crept in; the worst that jealousy could imagine was spoken and written to so many, that at the length some knowing me well, and perceiving how injurious the reports were, which grew daily more and more unto my discredit, wrought means to bring Mr. Travers and me to a second conference. Wherein, when a common friend unto us both had quietly requested him to utter those things wherewith he found himself any way grieved, he first renewed the memory of my entering into this Charge, by virtue only of an human creature (for so the want of that formality of popular allowance was then censured), and unto this was annexed a catalogue, partly of causeless surmises, as, "That I had conspired against him, and that I sought superiority over him;" and partly of faults, which to note, I should have thought it a greater offence than to commit, if I did account them faults,

A mere formality it had been to me in that place; where, as no man had ever used it before me, so it could neither further me if I did use it, nor hinder me if I did not.