followers that now are come to make Pastors and Doctors without any Imposition of hands for so was Fr. Iohnson and M. Greenwood made of some in London True it is that about some fiue or sixe yeares after Fr. Iohnson comming to Amsterdame had handes there imposed by the lay people his owne children they know who then writ against it contrarie to the Apostles Canon which runnes thus Without all contradiction the Lesser is blessed of the Greater And so without all contradiction the Father asked the Children blessing and so his or any the like ordination more Antichristian and more crosse to the Canon then any Ordination issuing from the Pope euer hath been I know they will for them selues plead thus In the beginning of a Church the case is changed For seeing there is no other Minister to ordaine the people may doe it as in Numb 8. The Israelites lay hands vpon the Leuites I answere 1. First it can neuer be prooued by Scripture that of Christians there ought to be such a Replantation though a Reformation 2. Second hee after so many yeares comming by his Ordination it must follow that before hee was no Pastor but a priuate man and so a prophaner of Gods ordinaunce 3. The Israelites did that they did vpon a direct precept from God so did not the Lay people in this For as the Ministerie of the New Testament begun without all Lay-ordination Christ himselfe installing the first and they installing others so neither to the Lay people was left any such necessitie seeing there should alwayes be a stretcht out line of Imposition so well as of Baptisme 4. Fourthly the Israelites doe not there Ordaine the Leuites for neither any Leuite might nor yet durst he come vnto the Alter vpon that laying on of handes Their laying on handes was but their Approbation as sometimes holding vp of hands and scrutinie of voyces be for the Ordination came after that as Peter Martyr well obserueth when as Aaron the Hy-priest takes them at the handes of the people and then with his handes shaketh them before the Lord and to the Lord giues them And thus the Separist is to seeke for a Minister notwithstanding whatsoeuer is sayd of H. l. for the lacke of that Ceremonie Vnto the sayd Laying on of handes it is not of absolute necessitie to haue moe or fewer handes And therefore it is that sometimes all the Apostles doe it as in Act. 7. for in Act. 1. we read not of the Ceremonie and yet well may be it was vsed so well as in Act. 13. 3. so sundry of them tearmed a Presbyterie in 1. Tim. 4. 14. Sometimes againe it is performed by two as in Act. 14. by Paul and Barnabas Sometimes by one there being no other to assist as by Timothy or Titus in their places The equitie whereof was deliuered by Moses when as Aaron alone Ordained the Leuites as Aaron himselfe was before ordayned of Moses And so betweene the Mother and Daughter Churches the Harmonie still holdeth For Deacons there is required in Act. 6. that 1. they be men of honest report 2. full of the Holy Ghost and of Wisedome And in 1. Tim. 3. hee presseth them two in moe particulars The very proportion of qualities considered it can neuer reasonably be thought that such diuine guifted persons should onely attende on Tables or in taking and giuing a litle Money or Meate to the poore There need no such wisedome and learning for that And when it is further remembred as afore that some of the 70. Disciples were chosen to this Deaconship and they being all of them Preachers it can neuer enter into the heart of a reasonable man to thinke that they should be pulled downe from an higher Chaire to a lower Nam qui prouehitur prouehitur a Miâ—oâ—j ad Majus Doubtlesse then they as their name signifieth did seruice not onely to the people in case of Meate and Money but also to the Bishops in the case of Doctrine and Sacrament And hereof we are further assured in that all Antiquitie puts no other kind of Deacons into our hands and for such respect doth diuers times call them Leuites And thus the old and new Testament is still more harmonious If since the Ten grieuous Persecutions the Ministers of the one and other Order haue come in the world to greater estate in outward thinges a grieuous thing to soare eyes what wonder is it when for 300. yeares after Christ the Church was vnder the gouernment of Heathen Tyrants enemies to Christianitie Soone after 300. yeares Constantine the Great became Christian by whose example and motiue many inferiour Kinges became Christians also Whereupon followed freedome of the Fayth and peace and plentie in all Churches Then our Fathers counted it an holy duetie to builde materiall Churches and to endowe the Spirituall with euery good thing wanting True it is that such temporarie blessinges haue since that time been foulely prophaned What then So hath Heauen and Earth and all their continentes shall we therefore spurne at the creature Indeed while some so spurne others sacrilegiously snatch to themselues all To the Minister it should be but an Idolathite but to my Church-robber it is a very good commoditie The Fathers giuing they say did sinne and the Sonnes snatching all away it may be to maintaine a Hound an Whore they must be sayd to commit a vertue But while I liue let me imitate that supposed vice of my Father rather then this vncouth vertue of my Brother CHAP. ix Touching Word and Sacraments THE Word whereabout the Minister is to be imployed is that Booke called Bible of the Greeke word Biblos a Booke as being the peculiar Booke aduanced aboue all as Israel aboue the Nations This Booke is distinguished into two partes Old and New The Old part contayneth not all the wordes that God spoke to the Fathers and Prophets but the substaunce of all which he spake vnto them till the promised Messiah came The New part commonly called the New Testament it contayneth likewise a substaunce of all Gods Will deliuered thencefoorth by Christ and his Apostles or neare followers The Old part was written in Adams tongue the language of succeeding Israel The New part was written in the tongue of Iauan the fourth Sonne of Iaphet it beeing in Christes time a tongue very vniuersall This Booke being a Creature and in the handes of sinful Creatures it necessarily followeth that sometimes it is likely to vndergoe some iniurie Yet such is the watchfull prouidence of God ouer this his Booke as stil it hath been preserued to the Churches assured comfort magre euery Epimanique Tyrant and Heretique The Minister out of this Booke is to take knowledge of Gods Will for workes of holynesse and righteousnesse and afterwardes deliuer the same vnto the people specially euery such day as Saint Iohn calleth the Lordes day But because no Minister since the Canonicall writers that is since the
Iehâ—uah Aeâ—â—â—im turned Lord-god because euery of them is Iehouah that is The Being of Beinges And as euery thing hath the being from him he is called of â—satah Euerlasting father And in respect of God-head and Man-hood vnited in one for effecting our Saluation he is of Isaiah called Gnim-man-ael that is With-vs-the strong-God or The mighty God in our Nature for that the God-head as the Apostle speaketh did dwell in him somaticôs bodily essentially Vnder Isaac the onely sonne of his Father that died not typed foorth the God-head and vnder the Ramme that died the humaine Nature that was to the Altar of the Crosse affixed And this the Author to the Hebrewes intimateth when hauing spoken of this Storie he sayth of his Father From which death he receiued him kaj en parabolé euen in a parable that is in such a sort as a parable intendeth These two Natures also were vnder the Law figured by the two Goates presented onely in the Sabbaticall moneth what time the Hy-priest might onely and alone enter into the Sanctum Sanctorum the Scape-goate poynting foorth his God-head impassible and the Lot-goat with Ionah the Humaine nature which was to die for Our sinnes Veé◠ló not for him selfe So he was the Messiah that is the Christ that is the Annoynted-one of God and Iesus the Sauiour being annoynted of the Father for our saluation Yet must be obserued that something may be sayd of the Godhead that otherwise is proper to the Manhood as that in Act. 20. Feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his owne blood not that God simply considered hath any blood or can suffer but that God the Sonne shedde blood in respect of the Manhood assumed and with the Godhead vnited And hereof it is that the Syriake in that place doth read The Church of Christ not of God So that may be spoken of the Manhood that is proper to the Godhead euen as sometimes we attribute that to our body which is proper to the soule e◠è contra which falleth out to be true in the Concreat that is the two Natures considered togeather to the constituting of one person which otherwise could not be true in the Abstract that is in the Nature abstracted from his fellow This is the Christ yesterday to day and the same for euer Of Whom Sybilla long before thus prophecied in her sixt age Tunc ad Mortales vemet mortalibus ipsis in terris similis Natus patris omniepotentis Corpore vestitus votales quatur autem fert non votalesque duas binum Geniorum The time of his comming she thus telles Sed postquam Roma Aegiptum reget imperioque frenabit tum vemet c. CHAP. xiiij Touching the Ghospel of Christ. THE word Ghospell the contract of Godspell is a Saxon word valuing in our language the same which the Greeke word Euangell doth namely Glad-tydinges In large sense wee call all the Doctrine contayned in the Booke of the New Testament by the name of Ghospell because the mayne and substaunce of that Booke is doctrine of Gladtidinges otherwise who is ignoraunt that the Law is mingled with the discourse of the Ghospell not for perfecting the Ghospell for it is not of that nature but for leading people to Christ as Moses led the people to Ioshua who onely could bring them to the Land of Rest a type of heauens Eternall rest Againe the Ghospell is sometimes taken for the Storie of Christ penned by S. Mathew S. Marke S. Luke S. Iohn whereupon they be called The foure Euangelistes as hauing in a speciall sort dilated vpon Christ the subiect of the Glad-tydinges But in this dispute I take it in that strict essentiall sense that S. Paul doth when he sayth to the Galatians The Scripture foreseeing that God would iustifie the Gentiles through Fayth preached before the Ghospell vnto Abraham saying In thee shall all the Gentiles be blessed afterwardes declaring by what meanes namely by a Seede not seeds which is Christ. This Ghospell is the same to Adam before and to vs after neither is there any other name then the name Iesus by which we are to be saued nor any other meanes whereby to be vnited with Iesus then by Fayth For as S. Peter could say touching the Cripple healed at the gate of the Temple that Iesus whom ye haue crucified His name hath made this man sound euen so I may as truly say that by Fayth onely in Christ we are to be saued Externall discipline may alter with time and place as all externall workes may but the Euangell Ghospell Gladtydings is still one the same that is Beleeue and liue whereas the Law sayth Doe and liue And in not doing all the things of the Law a soule becomes subiect to all the Curses in the Law By Doing then no flesh can be iustified but by Beleefe in Christ Iesus any soule may be iustified The Law therfore but sendes to Christ and Christ castes none away that comes so vnto him The Law indeed was written in Adams heart teaching him to Doe and liue and he might haue done his workes and liued but conspiring with the Diuell against the holy rule of the Law the Law is so against Man execrating and cursing him whereby man is enforced to fly from himselfe to another and that is to Christ who with his armes readie to imbrace vs cryeth out Come vnto mee all you that be weary and laden and I will ease you Nor doth our wilfull Banckrupt estate lessen the debt owing to God for though we be vnable to satisfie the Law it is iust with him to call for satisfying the Law and to clap vs vp in Hell for Non-satisfaction Able we were set out of his handes the fault therefore in our selues and therewith let euery mouth be stopped But ô the free-mercie of God! that when we are become wilfully banckrupt he should prouide a meanes first for satisfying our debt secondly for raising vs vp to greater Glory The Satisfaction is the Death of Christ and our Exaltation is his Humiliation for hee became poore to make many rich Thus not our worke but his worke not our satisfaction but his satisfaction not our merit but his merit is cause and sole cause of our true happinesse Which is cause not onely that Augustine speaking of Grace as opposite to morall workes doth say Grace is no Grace except it be gratis which speach excludeth all merit of our part be our workes otherwise neuer so glorious but also enforceth Bellarmine after all his windinges and turninges to conclude the case of Iustification thus Notwithstanding namely all he had opposed before by reason of the vncertainty of our owne Righteousnesse and the danger of vaine glory meaning in a mans owne workes the safest of all is to repose our whole trust not in our owne workes but in the onely mercy and goodnesse of God So great is this trueth
phrase the Brownist vnderstandeth ordinarily a Society of People Really Sanctified for the whole testified in obedience to the whole of Gods will reuealed Such a Communion can they finde me one In Adams few it was not so In Noahs Eight it was not so With Rebeccaâ—s Twins it was not so With Israels Conuention it was not so With Iudahs assemblies it was not so With Christs Twelue it was not so With Corinths Church it was not so Fiue of Asiaes seauen Churches were not so And as for 〈◊〉 Philadelphia they be praised for the Generall of their obedience not for euery particular for In many things as the Holy Ghost witnesseth we sinne all That the Catholike Wheate-field or Church euen Christs possession through the World For by World there is intended the Earths Largenes as in Psa. 2. 8. that in it should be Weedes yea inseperable Weedes our Sauiour teacheth in Math. 13. from which parable may be obserued 1 That it is the Kingdome of Heauen neuer taken in the ill part as some times the word World is which is there compared 2 That the seed of the Kingdome is sowen through the World 3 That in the midst of that good seed the Tares be sowen and not without the Church as some Schismatikes would 4 That such euill is sowne when Christs seruants are a sleepe into the midst of Gods temple the aduersary so got 5 The Seruants awaking see these personall Euils keeping-vnder the personall Good And therefore the euill ones visible euen as visible as the Wheate and not onely Hypocrites as some badly haue taught 6 A purgation of all such Visible euill cannot with the Churches good be made till the Lord in the worlds end do come vnto iudgment And therefore meane time to be permitted which without rending the church cannot be seuered That for the estate of the Church Catholique That a Particular Church is no more priuiledged then the Totall or vniuersall must necessarily follow for that Sathan as an enuious man sowes his Tares Ana méson tou sitou euen through the middest of that Wheate his malice being no lesse against the partes then the whole as may appeare in Reuel 12. where not preuailing against that Woman hee goes and warres with the remnant of her seed And no maruaile it be so seeing euery particular person still sinneth whereupon still that petition is in force Forgiue vs our trespasses In which respect also it is that in Leuiticus is appoynted sacrifice both for the whole Congregation erring and for the partes of that whole as Priest Prince People So Gregories Decretall concludes Iudicium Dâ—â—veritatâ— quae non fallit nec fallituâ— sâ—â—peâ— iâ—nititur Iudicium autem Ecclesiae 〈◊〉 Opinionem sequitur quam fallere saepe contingit fallj â— propter quod contingit interdum vt qui ligatus est apud Deum apud Ecclesiam siâ— soâ—utus qui liber est apud Deum ecclesiastica sit sententia innodatus Particular Congregations are therefore called Communions of Saints or Holy-ones not because they all Really and indeed be such but for that they be called to be such as also haue vndergone the outward Signes and Meanes of sanctitie or holines Heereupon Israel became an Holy-nation though not al of them indeed holy So Israel after the Schisme from Iudah is called Gods sonne and Gods people and yet the most of them turners aside to grosse Idolatry which of all sinnes diuorceth froÌ„ God So the Corinths are Saints by calling yet amongst theÌ„ grieuous kinds of sinners both against Faith and good Manners This I speake not as the Schismatique raileth for iustifiing faults but for iustifying the Churches true-being notwithstanding such faults Let the Schismatique looke into himselfe let him search into the meanders and turninges of his heart and then let me see if he can say vnto God My heart is cleane there is no spot in mee If he be of the minde whereof one in Lyn-regis was that Dauid did lie of himselfe when he sayd to the Lord I was borne in iniquitie c. then I will say to sir Schismatique as I sayd to him I am too lowe to talk with one that is so hie Or as Constantine the great vnto the Nouatian Bishop Acesius Prouide thee a Ladde◠ô pure Puritane and thy selfe aione climbe vp into heauen CHAP. v. Touching the Churches Visibilitie in the earth OVR Sauiour saying that vpon that Rocke which Peter then preached and that was Christ himselfe hee would builde his Church against which Hel-gates should not preuaile cannot be vnderstood that hee speakes of this or that particular Church but of the Catholique body whereto himselfe is the Head For the Church of Rome it was chased away from that seat many yeares togeather by the Gothes and Vandales witnesse the Stories which cannot be gainesayd And no maruaile for from that place not onely proceeded the power whereby Christ was crucified but also whereby the great persecutions flowed for the extirpation of Christianitie Vpon which foresight no doubt S. Iohn hath left that Citie vnder the deepest curse in his Booke of Reuelation For the 7. Churches of Asia-minor which S. Iohn saw to be as Starres in Christes right hand a priuiledge neuer giuen to Rome they quickly vanished Which among other reasons doubtles was for keeping vs from tying faith to any particular place or person And if God spared not his owne peculiar people the Iewes but rooted them out for their sinnes sake what reason is there that he should spare any wilde branches inserted in the place of that naturall Oliue That promise therefore in Math. 16. must euen by euidence of Consequent be vnderstood of the Catholique Church which howsoeuer it might be beat downe in some part yet should continue in some other Euen as the Moone whereto she is compared might to some part of the Earth be eclipsed when to some other part she shyned brightly This I note against the Romanist which would not only tye the Church to some one place but also conclude that the Church hath beene to this part of the world alwayes visibly glorious Besides I conclude the Euer-visibilitie of the Church though in such defectiue manner for conuincing of some who haue not knowne how to answere the Romanist otherwise then by denying all visibilitie through some misunderstanding of some Scriptures in 2. Thess. 2. as also in the Reuelation Whereas indeed a great departure was to be made from the Fayth but yet meane time it should not cease to be Gods Temple though the Aduersarie vsurped a chiefe place in it for as S. Iohn foresaw some Trees should keepe greene in the Lordes court hauing the sauing Seale of Gods Grace printed vpon them And were it not so how should sauing Grace be conueyed vnto vs without new Apostles furnished extraordinarily from heauen And how should we come by Gods Booke contayning his written will if the Lord reserued not a Remnant