then in your second accusation your grounds and reasons are flat Donatisme that in your blind furie you condemne all Churches both of auncient time and in these dayes most deepely reuiling and rayling at all the most excellent instruments which God hath raised vp vnto his Church what remayneth but to warne simple men to take heed they bee not seduced by you Thus much for the second now to the third accusation The third accusation is that we haue a false Antichristian ministrie imposed c. IN your former writings where ye came to deale about our ministrie ye were in a great displeasure hauing made so great a chalenge for that I did intercept this busines frō the hands of the learned vnto whome ye say it did by many rights more neerely appertayne then vnto me I made answere to this that in very deede it is no reason that such as you should be encountred by men of great learning because in all your dooings yee are so full of false accusations so rash so presumptuously bold in powring foorth without any discretion whatsoeuer lighteth into your brayn ye are so miserably ignorant so full of foule errors being altogether vnlearned this onely excepted that yee haue scraped some things out of other mens writings which yet ye peruert that all wise men both of learned and vnlearned doo playnely see it is but mad frensie by which yee are led For let the things which I haue noted out of these your last bookes witnesse vnto all I will not say the learned for what should they spend time about them but to all the Artificers and husbandmen which haue any sound knowledge whether I haue in this charged ye with more then is true Ye would beare the Reader in hand that the learned men doo abstayne from dealing with ye because they know our cause is bad and that it is better therefore it should be raked vp then appeare the worse by the handling Ye sayd moreouer that if I haue consulted with my learned Brethren they would haue giuen me counsell not to write but to deale in the pulpit where it may bee without controulment least the fowlenes of things should appeare To one part of this I made answere that whereas yee doo imagine that all the learned are afrayd ye would be too hard for them if they should deale with yee and therefore they doo not nor dare not meddle it is nothing so But as one among the beasts ye know of whome it is sayd had gotten a Lyons skinne vpon him and went about and frayed all the simpler beasts vntill one more subtill whether he espied the long eares or whether he heard him bray which is nothing like the roaring of a Lion made answere that otherwise indeede hee should haue béene scared as well as the rest For you comming with a most terrible outcrie against our Church ye wil néeds haue vs think the Lion roareth Let not the Reader suppose that I speake this vpon mine owne conceipt for in the fourth page of the Epistle of your other booke which ye call A briefe discouery of the false Church ye haue set it downe so your selues Ye would not haue those dreadfull things which ye denounce lesse feared because they are pronounced by a frayle man but would haue vs all know that the Lyon roareth and that the Lyon roareth not in the Forrest if no pray be present Doubtles your voyce hath beene terrible and especially at the first you scared many of the simpler sorte which tooke it to bee the roaring of a Lyon But ye must vnderstand that the learned euen at the first did discerne the voyce not to be the roaring of a Lion but the braying of him that put on the Lyons skinne Therfore ye are much deceiued in thinking they all feare and tremble at it They see playnely that it is but mad frensie and so they disdayne to deale with it And for mine owne parte if I did not see what hauock the Donatists made how many the Annabaptists seduced and how weake much of our people are I should count it great folly to giue you anie answere And now whereas I did require if there bee any spark of modestie left in ye to make some colourable shew that the learned would councell not to deale in these matters which they knowe can not bee defended but by the discussing will become more odious thus ye make answere That these preachers had taken this course say you among themselues we know certaynely by a letter that two of the chiefe of them sent vnto vs denying that conference which they had before promised because we denyed their Church and ministrie After that two of them being procured to our prison denied to deale with vs concerning those exceptions we made agaynst their church and ministrie alleadging that they were forbidden by their brethren to deale with vs in those matters To be short what else can with any probabilitie be coniectured to bee the hindrance of the first company of preachers that at the first sent vnto vs to know the causes of our dislike promising to assent or to shew vnto vs the causes why they could not that they vpon the sight of that little paper wherein we set downe vnto them the causes of our separation from these parish assemblies as also what we purposed in our owne assemblies neuer as yet could be drawne to make any answere in writing or conference if not that they perceiued that they were neither able to defend their estate neither yet had fayth to leaue it for feare of persecution and danger Who can now doubt but that Master Barrow and Master Greenewood be honest simple dealing men Who can say they haue slaundred the learned or that they haue vttered any thing rashly when they now affirme that they did for certainty know that the preachers had taken such a course among themselues and alleadge such proofe for the certaintie hereof as no man néedeth to doubt of the matter For will any man bee so impudent as to lie and to publish it to those which do know he doth Iye I haue heard Master Barrow by such as haue dealt with yee that ye make no conscience of lying and nowe it falleth out so here for one of those which came to the prison comming to the fight of your booke hath set downe in the margent that ye make a most shameles lie It may be in this ye will stand vpon your Pantoffles it is but your yea and his nay But for the letter you speake of which the other two whome ye name sent vnto ye I haue talked with them both to knowe why they denied conference and what they had written They say they denied conference with ye onely because yee denied them to be Christians to pray with them and that ye denied all the preachers in the land to bee Christians and all those which ioyne with them not hoping that ye could take any fruit by their writings
the Churches doo in some things differ about the manner of calling and ordaining ministers how you or any other by this can proue all to be void would be seene Then next the ministry of the Church of England is the ministry of reconsiliation bringing no doctrine but the doctrine of the holy Scriptures Here ye cauill foolishly that although they exercise an office yet they hauing no true calling doo it but as priuate men Luther and Caluine and all the rest which haue preached the Gospell in these times ye confesse in some small measure according to that little which they did see nothing comparable to that you haue attained haue vttered the truth but yet as priuate men Here besides your wicked barking against the ministry of all Churches which God hath ratified your ignorance is to be noted in this that you doo not know that if a man enter not rightly into a publick office yet the office it selfe is not destroyed as if a King haue but vsurped the crown yet he is a King while he be deposed It is more then foolish that ye say we haue a leiturgy or prescript forme of praier therfore we bring other doctrine besides the Scriptures Thirdly the ministry of the Church of England dooth bring men to faith there being ioyned with it the effectual power and blessing of the holy Ghost c. In answering this Master Barrow yee fall into your former stincking puddle into which yée draw many a rash ignorant man I meane ye vtterly deny with the vngodly Swinckfeldians all the whole efficacy power and blessing which God hath annexed vnto the ministry of the Gospell Here is a great patch set on to help the Papists how by this also ye say they may reason to proue their ministry and Church to be such as they that separate themselues must néeds be Schismatikes Why Master Barrow do you not know that as God made a promise to his Church to the end of the world and hath giuen gifts a ministry to continue euen to the worlds end to build it for Saint Paule saith this ministry is giuen vntill we all meete together in the vnity of faith which cannot bee vntill the last day that the whole number be accomplished Ephes 4. 13. So hee hath alwaies reserued not only some ministry in the popery but also in all times some godly ministers How little help this bringeth to the Papists or all those sound points or doctrine that remained and do remaine among them to proue that the Churches which haue forsaken them are but Schismatikes or that the Churches should not cast foorth the vsurped power of Antichrist I thinke children might be made to sée and vnderstand for although they hold sundry points of the faith yet they quite subuert the holy faith And whereas the Apostleship and ministry of Saint Paule being called into question he vseth this reason vnto those which had receaued the faith and power of the holy Ghost by his ministry If I be not an Apostle vnto others yet am I vnto you I said the same is to be made the defence of the ministry of the Churches at this day vnto all such as by the publick preaching of the word and administration of the Sacraments are called vnto an assured faith and comfort in God and vnto vnfeined repentance For let all these iudge whether there be no efficacy power in the publick administratioÌ„ of the word and Sacraments more then from the mouth of any priuat person Vnto this you answer is too foule and beastly for ye say it wâ—l fit the Papists against vs and then I say it might fit the false Apostles against S. Paule For if the Papists can or may as well say though wee bee no ministers of Christ vnto other yet vnto you that féele the comfort and power of our doctrine and ioy in it we are ministers of Christ Then might the false Apostles in like manner haue risen vp against S. Paul and spoken the same vnto those which delighted to heare them Is there no difference betwéene that power of the Gospell that assurance of faith of peace and ioy in the holy Ghost and of vnfained feare of God and repentance which it worketh and that blinde zeale and comfort which hereticks and Papists haue in false doctrine and superstition Will ye confound all When ye pronounce that there is no such faith nor repentance nor ioy in the holy Ghost nor peace of conscience wrought in the hearts of any by the ministry of our Church how far aboue the clouds doth your swelling blind pride lift vp her hands Let al such as haue felt the effectual calling of God beare witnes in this matter In the fourth I alleadged that the Martyrs which suffered in the dayes of Quéene Marie were moued and brought to fayth repentance at the preaching of Master Latimer Taylor Hoper Bradford and others Your replie is that this reason standeth vpon popish and Annabaptisticall grounds For popisâ—â—â— don alleadge 〈…〉 as many martyrs his predecessors Let me then aske this question when it is confessed that they were holy martyrs died for the true faith will it not follow if the Pope could prooue that the Church of Rome had held still that holy fayth that it should bee the true Church We hold the same fayth with the holy Martyrs The motions ye say at our preachings are but the illusioÌ„s of Sathan and this is the cause that you account the reason to be Annabaptisticall God is highly to be blessed who hath so ratified the effectual power of the ministrie of his word in the hearts of many thousands both in this land and in other countries with such assurance and constancie of faith that the whole power of SathaÌ„ out of the mouthes of papists Annabaptists Schismatiks and frantick persons is not able to bring it into doubt Lastly I did aduise men to be somewhat moued with the iudgement of other Churches This you say is an old popish reason M. Barrow it is not popish at all vnto such as shall consider that the Churches with these principal instruments which God rayseth vp as lights doo discusse matters by the Scriptures men are to seeke for the truth at their handes But I must tell yee it is the trick of all ranck heretikes and schismaticks to despise the iudgement of the Churches Shall we think that a few ignorant rash men haue receiued such light from God as al the most noble instruments raysed vp haue not Thus ye haue answered no one reason which I brought but only with vaine yea more then vayne cauills The foule reproachfull speeches which yee vse to deface all the ministers of Christs Gospell both of other Churches of the Church of England are so many and that in sundry places of your bookes but specially in your Discouery from pag. 140. vnto pag. 187. that hee that will search all that is written of the Catharists the Donatists Annabaptists and sundry
vpon ye to abandon and forsake as vtterly separated from the faith and from the Communion of Christ all the assemblies of the Church of England and all the particular members of the same theÌ„ a thicke couering of darkenes which the bright countenance of the great Iudge will pearce through and scatter Ye lye in prison not as Christs poore afflicted seruants but for this grieuous and outragious sinne which no flesh is able to defend or mitigate and for sundry other abuses as shall appear by your bookes I saide that the fearefull end of one Boltom about twentie yeares past would not be forgotten You haue heard as you say pag. 208 that he reuolted and became a conformable member of our Church and so fel into that fearefull estate Seeke better information Master Barrow seeing the example may touch ye for the trueth is he did for the same causes that you doo vtterly coudemne the whole Church of England and was with sundry other separated from it And as it is constantly affirmed he was an elder in their secret Church and ofterward falling into deepe dispaire he could not be recouered but did hang himselfe The matâ—er which pressed him so sore was this that bee had iudged and condemned men better then himselfe Looke yee therefore vnto it in time and seeke repentance before the terror of God breake forth vpon ye and that it be to late for it is euident vnto all that haue any true light in them that your offence herein can haue no excuse or colour beare not your selues vpon other things in your bookes for it shallâ—ppeare that where yee thinke your selues most deuine there Satan hath most deepely deluded yee glorie not of any sufferings vnles yee will haue those also to glorie which are bound in bedliâ—â— Hauing thus finished about wilfull obstinacie we come now to the fower principall accusations which ye bring against our Church The first is that we worship God after a false manner our worship being made of the inuention of man euen of that man of sinne erronious and imposed vpon vs. And here came the booke of common praier into question I did drawe your accusation into a Sillogisme and you accuse me to be so full of legiet dâ— main that ye had neede to looke to my fingers for ye say I haue left out certaine of your words as namely these wilfully obstinate and imposed Touthing these words wilfully obstinate looke Master Barrow in the fourth and fift pages of my booke and see whether I did not answer them where you haue expressely set them downe looke also vpon your own booke now printed and you shall finde that both in the accusation you haue omitted these words wilfully abstinate and also passed by mine answer vnto them Now when these two that is the omitting the words and passing by the answer vnto them doo concurre here is a great shew of legier du maine on your part and yet you would lay it vpon me that haue not giuen the least suspitioÌ„ therof And for the word imposed you say I leaue it out and put c. in the place thereof I doo indeede setdowne c for these words erronious and imposed vpon them but doo I leaue them out in handling the matter Looke in the tenth page and see whether I doo not charge ye with an Annabaptisticall freedome which ye are not able to auoyde for this worde imposed Master Barrow looke vppon them learne modestie and blush if not for conscience yet that these things must now lie open to the view of the world And for the booke of common Praier although the question betwéene vs was not whether there bee faultes in it but whether it â—e as you tearme it a great pregnant Idoll full of heresies blasphemies a bominations whether there be any heresies in it And whether the best part of it be none other but a peece of swines flesh an abomination to the Lord Yet you charge me as flying the trial by the word of God when I stand to iustifie by the word of God that in deede there is neither Idolatrie heresie nor blasphemie in it much lesse that it is full of them or the best part an abhomination For in mine answers and defence I doo not vndertake to cleare it of all faults hauing no occasion to meddle in that controuersie but to shew that there are no such faultes but that both the faithfull people of God haue and mayerre in also euen christian gouernours and teachers which are to reforme the church that if any doo see and be perswaded that they be corruptions and faultes yet not of that qualitie or degree as that they may for the same separate themselues from the fellowship of those which art otherwise minded this is the thing which I haue taken vpon mee to defend And if you Master Barrow wil not become a ranke heretick as if it please God you shall not to maintaine this opinion that we may not ioyne in that worship where wee finde any imperfections and errors holden and not reformed why doo you with wonderment crie out that this so large an exception of imperfections is the odde and onely exception that euer you heard of And doo you in very deede Master Barrow thinke that no such exception is to bee made but that where any error doth appeare in the worship a man is to separate himselfe Nay you will say when it is reproued and continued in and not reformed then a man is to forsake that Church as vtterly fallen from the couenant of God For they be obstinate and denie reformation Tell me then what if those that be to reforme be perswaded it is no error What if a great part of the multitude be so perswaded that it is no fault and so bee of diuerse mindes Will you deeme that you haue more skill to conuince them then the Apostles had Or will you refuse to ioyne as the Apostles did ioyne with the Church in Ierusalem that held and continued in a grosse error Doo you not see how by this your doctrine you open the doore as wide vnto all Schismaticks as euer did the Donatists or the Annabaptists seeing there will euer be errors and some that cannot be made to see them Will you not see how you contrarie Saint Paule directly who in whole chapters almost as I haue noted before dooth labour nothing else but to perswade the Christians that held diuers opinions touching some things in Gods worship yet to ioyne together Rom. 14. and 15. what a multitude of words with your accustomed reuilings and slanders haue you here heaped vp But I will deale onely with that which is not answered alreadie You charged our Church with Romish fasts I charged you with falâ—e accusing because the Church of Rome most wickedly against the Crosse of Christ placeth the worship of God and the merite of eternall life in fasting which doctrine our Church vtterly condemneth You labour to shew faultes in
remembrance the Collect wherein the Priest by the authoritie committed vnto him doth absolue the sick of all his sinnes Indeed you tolde vs that this is most high blasphemie and that nothing can be more popish But learne you Master Barrow by the Scripture and remember that God hath giuen a power to the ministrie of the Gospell to forgiue sinnes The power indeede is but ministeriall and so the booke it selfe declareth where it sayth He hath giuen power and commandement to his ministers to declare and pronounce to his people being penitent the absolution and remission of their sinnes Other power in the minister to forgiue sinnes then this the booke alloweth none How the Pope doth challenge this power to himselfe as head and how from him it must be deriued vnto all Ministers how farre also he hath extended it and how horribly and blasphemously he hath abused it I will not stand to shewe Then next you say I must not forget the two Collects sayd ouer our dead brother The one in which we say that God of his mercie hath taken away the soule of our brother c. This is not ment but where the partie dieth in the profession of the faith and repentance nor yet absolutely to pronounce him saued but in a charitable manner of speach to iudge of him as he professed I doo not take it the meaning of the booke that it should be vttered of such as make no profession of the holy faith for why then should he be called a brother or vpon whome God doth shewe his fearefull iudgement if it be otherwise it may be a fault but not blasphemie The other is that we pray for the soule of our brother departed where we say that wee with this our brother and all other departed in the true faith may haue our perfect consummation and blisse both in body and soule Prayer for the dead is a grosse error but yet not simply in it selfe an heresie or blasphemie and our Church dooth vtterly condemne it as a grosse error And therefore Master Barrow you do still but belye the booke which directeth herein to pray onely for our selues liuing and not for the dead For if the mention of receiuing blisse with that brother departed were to pray for him then should it be meant that wée would also pray for the soules of Abraham Isaack and Iaakob of the Prophets and Apostles because they are included in these words with all other departed in the true faith In the third place you are so kinde that as you say to helpe my memorie a little further you will mee to consider better of that glorious Anthem which wee say at our Communion that we with Angels and Archangels and all the companie of heauen lawd and magnifie c. Here you will not demaund how wee remaining in the flesh can haue such familiar conuersation with those heauenly Souldiers that together with them wee can praise God You will not demaund that is you doo in a fine retoricall sort demaund it but the finenes of this retoricke will not couer the sottishnes of your ignorance For albeit men in earth haue not familiar conuersation with Angels yet they prayse God together with them in as much as both men and Angels do lawd and magnifie him And therefore the Prophet Psal 103. calling vppon all things to prayse the Lord ioyneth the Angels saying Praise the Lord ye Angels which are strong in power Reade also for this the first chapter of the Reuel verl 12 13 14. Then you will not presse vs with papisticall speculations of making degrees of Angels and Archangels c. In very deede you cannot but with falsehood presse our Church with that But you demaund how many Archangels we reade of and finde in the Scriptures and whether wee knowe of any more heads of Angels then Christ himselfe We knowe and constantly professe that there is but one head of Angels which is Christ And we condemne the popish curiositie in searching into the degrees and orders of Angels which is not learned out of the holy Scriptures but from that counterfeit Dionisius Areopagita And if that Michael the Archangel which stroue with the diuell about the body of Moses and durst not giue rayling sentence were Christ yet S. Paule speaketh of an Archangell besides Christ when he sayth The Lord himself shal come downe from heauen with the voyce of the Archangell and with the trumpe of God 1. Thess 4. vers 16. What blasphemie then Master Barrow is there in the booke which speaketh but as the Scripture and you may see plainly that to be a chiefe Angell or an Archangell is not to be the head of Angels The sainctifying the floud Iordain and all other waters to the mysticall washing away of sinne is none other way to be taken then to say that bread and wine are sainctified to represent the body and bloud of Christ All the creatures of God are sainctified to our vse as the blessed Apostle speaketh Touching Michael and all Angels we do not worship Angels nor yet make Christ a creature You say that in the Letanie there is prayer for all that trauaile by sea or by land for all that be sicke for all sicke persons therefore we pray for Gods enemies for the breach of all order and destruction both of Church and common wealth This is but a vayne collection when prayer is intended for such as are prayed for that they may be turned from their euill Also when this word all is vsed it goeth with this restraint all that belong vnto God for so is Saint Paule to be also restrayued vnto all sorts of men which belong vnto God when he willeth to pray for al men 1. Tim. 2. You demaund where wee learne to pray agaynst lightning and thunder tempest plague famine battaile c. when there is no present feare or danger thereof Then it seemeth by your words that wée may intreate the Lord to turne away none of his grieuous and feareful plagues but when they be vpon vs We sée there are euer anon some which are stricken with thunder and when the clap is past it is too late to pray for them Againe the praiers of the Church are for all the true members thereof wheresoeuer and if wee our selues bee not in this present neede yet others are and wée may be if God turne not a way his displeasure these praiers are not to restraine the Lord the vse of his creatures or that he should not by them destroy his enemies these bee no sound collections Unles you will argue thus the Lord afflicteth his Church by persecutions by famine and pestilence c. for their good and for the glory of his owne name therefore the church ought not to pray to be deliuered from those things Wée are willed to be alwaies ready for death and suddaine death cannot preuent any one of the faithfull I doo confesse But yet wée estéeme it a great comfort a great blessing for
death which is expressely commaunded for I trust Master Barrow ye will not deny Christian Kings to be one part of the seruants of the master of the house Then whereas you reason thus the power of excommunication which is giuen to the Church and which the Church is commaunded to execute may not be ouerthrowne but if Christ will to let the tares grow in the Church he forbiddeth to execute that power and soâ—t is ouerthrowne therefore he doth not speake of open wickednes in the Church but in the world I will reason agaynst your exposition thus The power which God hath giuen vnto the ciuill Magistrates to put murtherers and other wicked malefactors to death is not to be ouerthrowne but if Christ will men to let the wicked ones in the world alone will haue theÌ„ grow to the haruest least in plucking them vp they destroy the wheate hee taketh away that power from the Magistrates Therefore this parable must not bée taken of the good and the bad together in the world And mark how he sayth not let them alone because it belongeth not vnto ye but let them alone least ye pluck vp the wheate What then shall we neither take it of the Church nor of the world because of an absurditie which seemeth to followe on either side Of the world indeed it cannot bee taken as I haue shewed before because he sayth not the world is like but the kingdome of heauen is like but of the Church it is sayd that as the good seede and the bad are sowen and grow together vntill haruest in the mans field so the good and bad men are mixed in the Church so long as it remayneth in the world How then for these words let them alone let them growe vnto the haruest It is plaine if we will auoyd absurdities on both sides that our Sauiour doth not here meddle either with the Ciuill or Ecclesiasticall power but as it is the manner in parables to vtter some sayings which are onely to shew some poynt of doctrine not to be taken stricktly according to the letter As for example when our Sauiour would shew in that place Luk. 16. which is partly a parable that such as cannot be brought to repentance by hearing Moses and the Prophets will not repent if one should rise from the dead to bring in this doctrine the damned soule is sayd to intreate Abraham that hee would send Lazarus vnto his fathers house to warne his brethren least they should come into that place Shall we think that damned soules haue such a care that others may repent and be saued Nay as I sayd it is onely to bring in a doctrine What is the doctrine then which our Sauiour doth bring in by these words let them alone let them grow together vnto the haruest This it is that when the Christian Princes haue done what they can in reforming the Church and put the wicked malefactors to death and when the censures ecclesiasticall bee most diligently and wisely executed yet will there bee heapes of vngodly ones in the Church and that seeing it cannot be auoyded men are not to make Schismes and so to rend vp the wheate but meekly to expect the haruest when the full separation shall be made Be not therefore Master Barrow so absurd as by an imagined absurditie to ouerthrowe the doctrine of a parable so cleerely expressed The next place to prooue that the open wicked shall alwayes be mixed with the good in the Church is the parable of the draw â—et out of the same chapter You say this is graunted to be vnderstood of the planted Church Who are they which graunted this Indeed the Donatists granted this and it is some gentlenes that you will graunt so much For if in this parable the kingdome of heauen be the visible Church which is compared to the net which draweth together good and bad why is not the kingdome of heauen in the former parable also the Church and so the estate therof likened while it is in the field vnto the wheat and the tares growing together You say the euil fishes are not open sinners but hypocrites and so sayd the Donatists And I meruaile you shewe no reason for it seeing the diuell did suggest this friuolous shewe of reason vnto the Donatists that hypocrites are very fitly resembled by fishes in the net vnder the water which the fisher men cannot see vntill the net bee drawne to land This I haue answered in my former booke There is no doubt but that close hypocrites which outwardly appeare holy are one great part of those euill fishes which the net of the Gospell draweth together but to exclude all the rest there is no reason The place in Math. 3. He shall purge his floar and gather the wheate into his barne but hee will burne the chaffe with vnquenchable fire dooth manifestly shewe that as the corne and chaffe for a time lye vppon the floar so the good and the bad lye mingled together in the visible Church Here you make an exposition of your owne and then take on grieuously that Christs Church should be compared to such a floar as the chaffe and the corne lye together And aske what the Church then differeth from the world It is certaine that both the ciuill and ecclesiasticall power ought to bee imployed with all diligence and care that may bee to purge the Church that albeit the floar cannot be cleane rid of the chaffe yet it may bee rid so farre as men are able That is not the question but when these dueties of men haue been neglected and that there he heapes of chaffe in which the graynes of corne doo lye couered whether it bee not still the visible Church It is a most cléere case that in the Church of Israel which at that time was the visible Church there were very great heapes of chaffe and very fewe graynes of good corne in comparison of the whole multitude Iohn Baptist threatneth eternall iudgement vnto those hypocrites wicked and faithlesse people shewing that the place they held in the Church for a time should nothing helpe seeing the Lord will fanne them out like chaffe which for a time lyeth with the corne but defileth not the corne nor cannot turne it into chaffe You thinke you haue great hold that hee speaketh of separating the chaffe from the corne but answere this one question was it not his floar that is his visible Church out of which he would purge the chaffe Doth he make it his floar by purging it or was it his floar before it was purged The words are cléere hee shall purge his floar c. whether the open wicked pollute the holy things of God or the conscience of the faithfull which doo communicate with them I referre the reader to those things which I haue noted betwéene the ancient Churches and the Donatists where euery thing hath been as strongly vrged by those Donatists as you are able or any of your sect Seeing