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cause_n	authority_n	church_n	pope_n	2,238	5	6.4146	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10399	Tvventy nine lectures of the Church very necessary for the consolation and support of Gods Church, especially in these times: wherein is handled, first, in generall concerning first, the name; secondly, the titles; thirdly, the nature, fourthly, the diuision of the true Church: secondly, of the visible Church ... and lastly, the application of it to all Churches in the world so farre as they are knowne to vs. By that learned and faithfull preacher, Master Iohn Randall, Batchelor of Diuinity, pastor of Saint Andrewes Hubbart in little Eastcheape, London, and sometimes fellow of Lincolne Colledge in Oxford. Published by the coppie perfected and giuen by the author in his life time; carefully preserued and adorned with notes in the margent, by the late faithfull minister of Christ, Master William Holbrooke.	Randall, John, 1570-1622.; Holbrooke, William.	1631 (1631)	STC 20683; ESTC S115641	423,199	550

Church So that in Ioh. 21. where our Sauiour saith three times to Peter Feede my sheepe c. What a slight ground is this to build the headship of the Church vpon And if they aske then why Christ should thus presse it vpon Peter so often The Fathers answer them that it is onely a speciall charge binding to Duty not any vniuersall authority or iurisdiction pressed thrice vpon him for his former threefold deniall of Christ that so hee might be the more carefull for the time to come else the charge is alike to all the rest of the Apostles for shall wee think that any of them were not bound to feede the sheepe of Christ as well as he The Apostle giues this charge to all Ministers 1 Pet. 5.2 Feed the flocke of God c. Yea but Peter is the Rocke and vpon this Rocke Christ will build his Church Matth. 16.18 I answer if the Church were built vpon Peter then it was either built vpon his person or vpon his Confession but it was not built vpon his person for then when he died the Church must haue failed too Therfore the place must be vnderstood of Peters confession or of his faith or of that Christ which he confessed Christ built his Church on the confession of Peters faith because himself was the substance of his confession c. Peters confession of his faith is the Rocke in making knowne the Church But Christ himselfe is the Rocke as being the substance of that his confession so that the Church is not built vpon Peters person And if it had what is that to the Pope Vnlesse they can proue these two things First that Peter sate at Rome as head of the vniuersall Church secondly that hee intended to leaue his headship to the Pope of Rome and to none other which is a meere fancie and deuice of their owne braine for which they haue no colour So then Christ neuer gaue Peter much lesse the Pope this headship Secondly as Christ neuer did giue it so he saith expressely he neuer will giue it Luk. 22.25 26. Our Sauiour saith to his Disciples that it was enough for the Gentiles to be Lords and to raigne one ouer another but it shall not bee so amongst you saith he so that Christ checks them for hauing but a conceit of superiority so far is he from giuing it to any of them Further this being a great part of Christs glory as he is Mediator to be head of his Church hee will not giue it to any other Isai 48.11 My glory will I not giue to another And as Christ neuer gaue this nor meant to giue it to any other so no man is able to weeld or sway it no more than any one temporall Gouernor can rule all the Kingdomes in the world no this power is reserued onely to him that made the whole world and all things therein So that we see they ouer-reach in saying the Pope is the head of the vniuersall visible Church Secondly they ouer-reach as far in saying he is the head if you aske them what head they meane They will say onely a ministeriall head vnder Christ heere is some shew of modesty But aske them further what power they ascribe to him And then they bewray themselues for they say that the gouernment of the whole Church through the world depends on him that he hath power and authority to iudge and determine of all causes of Faith and Religion to rule Councells to order Bishops and Pastors to excommunicate and to suspend and to inflict other penalties vpon offenders yea whatsoeuer concerneth either preaching of Doctrine or the practice of Discipline in the Church of Christ the power of gouerning in all such causes they say lies in the Pope Is this to be a ministeriall head This is rather to be an absolute supreame head If by head they meant onely some chiefe Gouernour the name head in that sense might agree to some one man in respect of some one particular place for so the Scripture vseth the word in other cases in the 1 Cor. 11.3 The man is the womans head c. But neuer in this case for a man to be the head of the whole Church This transcendent power by them ascribed to the Pope is a great part of Christs owne power and can neuer agree to any man in the world for Christ is the onely Doctor of his Church Mat. 23.8 10. How then can the Pope determine all matters of faith and religion Is not this to make him a great Doctor yea the onely Doctor No say they for hee doth it but vnder Christ But he doth it of himselfe if the Pope in controuersies would take Christs booke and vse prayer to God for direction therein and in humility and sincere loue of the Truth would examine euery cause and so iudge there were some hope that he would doe many things well and that he would iudge rightly as in Christs stead and so honour his Master and doe good seruice to the Church But first he takes no such course but mingles with the word and vseth his owne Canons in stead of the word and he is so farre from vsing prayer to God for direction as that he presumes the truth is tyed to his Chayre and therefore that he cannot erre in any of his Sentences likewise hee is sinisterly affected to the Truth framing it to the state and practice of his owne Church and accordingly hee iudges and pronounces Secondly if he should take the former course yet his reach is not infinite hee cannot iudge rightly in all causes of faith and religion for no one man that euer was Christ Iesus onely excepted and his Apostles that was able to iudge of all Truth Therefore euery Pope in particular must be at least as one of the Apostles nay he must be as Christ is For if the Apostles could doe it yet they had fellowes Paul as well as Peter could do this But the Pope is without any fellow yea he will take vpon him to iudge of the Apostles owne Doctrine and writings so that though he pretends to be Peters successor only yet vpon the point he takes on him to be Peters Master euen to be Christ so proues himself to be very Antichrist yea and he not onely takes vpon him Christs Office but he takes his name vpon him also hee calls himselfe the chiefe Shepheard which name is proper to Christ onely 1 Pet. 5.4 What is this but to step into the throne of Christ But they except against vs and say doe you finde fault with vs for saying the Pope is the head of the Church Why you your selues make the King supreame head of the Church I answer how do we say the King is the head of the Church as they say the Pope is No but wee say the King is the head of the Church within his iurisdiction to see Gods religion maintained Answ and to see the

fall away finally after true conuersion what peace or quietnesse can they haue to their consciences but still they will be fearing and suspecting and distasting their estate So much for the second Note The third note of obseruation is this that no particular Doct. 3 visible Church since the Apostles times but may erre and that fundamentally and obstinately and finally and generally and so cease to be a true visible Church I take my scantling since the Apostles times because the churches in their times had the Apostles to be members of them who being infallibly guided by the Spirit could not possibly so erre and therefore the churches in their times could not finally nor generally erre But the point is vndoubtedly true of all other particular churches that they may erre fundamentally obstinately finally and generally and so cease to be true visible churches examples will cleare it there is no Church but hath erred in some kinde both vnder the Law and before the Law yea and in Paradise as also in Christs time yea euen the churches whereof the Apostles were members had their errors but some churches may erre and others haue erred fundamentally and finally too Take the Church of Ephesus for an example that once was a true Church of God and called a golden Candlesticke and a Piller of Truth 1 Tim. 3. yet it erred in the Apostle Iohns time yea it is now vtterly and finaly falne away from Christ to Mahomet and is vtterly cut off from Christ the foundation but it may be said that the church of Ephesus may recouer againe and so her fall is not finall I d●ny not but that it may be recouered through Gods prouidence at the last yea but that is vncertaine and therefore for ought wee know her fall is as well finall as fundamentall and that which was her case may be the case of any other particular church and surely shall be if they walke in her steppes Reuelat. 2.5 The like wee finde in many other Primitiue Churches how many famous churches are falne away that were true visible churches in those times some to the Arians heresie some to the Donatists some to the Nouatians c. The lamentable estate of the Iewes Gods owne people proues this point without exception they are vtterly cut off from the foundation Christ Error like a gangrene sometimes ouer-growes all but some may say when may a church be said to erre thus seeing though some may erre yet happily not the rest I answer then a church may be said to erre either when an error is embraced of all in generall or specially of those that are the Pastors and guides and carry the chiefe face and port of the Church with them which error if it be generall in all or the chiefest Articles of faith and that after admonition they persist in it and condemne all other churches that hold otherwise Then is that church degenerate into a faction against the Church and except some amongst them impugne their vntruthes and these in some answerable number or of some good place and quality in the Church or in some knowne manner that notice may be publikely taken of it such a Church ceaseth to vs to be a true visible Church but if there be such opposers in these vntruthes onely and yet they hold with the factions in opinion in some other truthes fundamentall the Church for their sakes may be falsely reputed by all that know that opposition a true visible Church The reasons of the point are these The same reasons that proue that the Militant Church may erre hold directly for proofe of the first part of this obseruation that a particular church may erre and often doth erre for if it be so in them being all certainely chosen much more in these being all called but few chosen which also well considered will proue the latter part of this obseruation that is they may erre fundamentally and finally too for in euery particular visible church there are some few of Gods chosen else it can bee no true church Now these few dying still the Truth and the Church where God in his Iudgement forsakes decayes more and more loosing one truth after another and one faithfull person after another till at last few or none are left not enough in number at least in port and place to beare the name of such a visible church Secondly God tyes himselfe and his grace and saluation to no one particular place and therefore hee may take it from one particular church and giue it to another that may bring forth better ffruits The first vse is for instruction to all particular Churches to teach them to walke warily and carefully examining themselues by the Word whether their courses be agreeable thereunto and praying for the Spirit to enlighten them and let them take heede of the doctrines and inuentions of men if any error arise presently let them oppose and suppresse it If any doubt let them goe vnto the Law and to the Testimony If there be any difficulty let vs pray for the Spirit hee is the best expounder and God hath promised to giue the Spirit to them that aske him so though wee may erre yet wee shall not erre finally and generally Let not any Church presume of it selfe though it be neuer so pure for as good Churches as they haue falne and they may yea and without great heed they are in as great danger of corruption and so proceeding of a finall fall and desolation Neither let any man do at on the Church be it neuer so glorious as if it were an infallible Oracle and the ground of our faith and saluation rather search the Scriptures if the Doctrine of a Church be agreeable vnto them imbrace it and build on it not so much because of the Church which may erre and haply will deny that afterward which it once affirmed but because of the Scripture which is alwaies constant to it selfe and vnchangeable If the Scribes and Pharises teach out of Moses chaire that which is Moses Doctrine beleeue them else beleeue them not The second vse is for confutation of the Papists that say their Church cannot erre for howsoeuer they propound it as for the Church in generall that that cannot erre yet indeede they plead onely for their owne Church for they say that other Churches may erre but we say that their church may erre and that fundamentally and finally too and surely it is not far from it yea the Papists themselues in this confute themselues For first they confesse themselues that they may erre for so say some of them that they erre by excommunication when they doe it without sufficent cause others of themselues say that they erre in canonizing of Saints when they canonize some for Saints in heauen which are diuells in hell Secondly they confesse that Councels may erre too and thirdly that their Popes may erre too and lastly that their people may erre and therefore that the whole Church

as sometime they did then is their Doctrine vayne and to be reiected Marke 7 7 8. so that it is plaine that the Church is to bee beleeued and obeyed so long as they goe according to Gods Word but when they swerue from that they are no more to be beleeued Esa 8.20 to the Law and to the Testimony if they speake not according to this Word it is because there is no light in them except they speake according to the Scripture they are but darke and blind guides no light in them at all and that which is pretended to the contrary Matth. 18.17 is directly vnderstood of Church Censures which yet are not simply authenticall in themselues but as they are proceeded in Christs name Ver. 20. that is according to his order else there is no danger in it Iohn 9.34 Their last Position is this Position 3 which is directly against this obseruation namely That the authority of the Scripture depends vpon the authority of the Church In which grosse assertion they first dishonour God exceedingly as who should say man is to bee beleeued before God at least that God should not be beleeued but because of man Besides whence had the Scripture its authority in the writers of it from God or man Surely from God he is the author himselfe of Scripture 2. Timothy 3.16 euery Scripture is giuen by Inspiration from God then it must haue its authority from God who is the author of it Againe who giues vs faith the Church No it is the worke of God Iohn 6.29 Therefore that wee beleeue the Scripture to be Scripture or any booke of it to be Scripture it is wholly from God himselfe who workes Faith in vs to beleeue it Well Ob say they it is of God indeed that the Scriptures haue their authority but yet by meanes of the Church Answ I Answere It is true as the Church is the propounding witnesse thereof but not as enduing it with authority for that is from God alone and it is a great dishonour to him to giue any part of it to any other Secondly as it dishonours God so it disgraceth the Scriptures making them inferior to the Church whereas indeed they are the cause of the Church and subiecting them to the arbitrement of man whereas all our faith and discerning and thoughts are to be framed by direction from Scripture Ob. But they except and say It is no disgrace to the Scriptures that the Church is thus aduanced no more then it was to Christ that his Apostles gaue witnesse to him Answer I Answer yes for they make the Church aboue the Scripture in this case but the Apostles were witnesses of Christ as his vnderlings and Disciples They reply But the Protestants doe magnifie euery one himselfe as much as we doe the Church Answer I Answer No for euery one of vs beleeue that we are in the right because we goe by the right rule of the Scripture and the Spirit and so farre as the Church goes by that rule we will follow her as soone yea sooner then any particular man Thirdly this weakens and indeed ouerthrowes Religion setting it vpon man a ground weakeand insufficient whereas Religion must stand vpon Diuine authority else it is not sound Fourthly it spoiles the faithfull of their surest comfort which is this that God is the author of their faith and not man Fifthly it bereaues the Church of her maine hould and defence against the aduersary for whiles she saith the Religion which she professeth is true because shee saith so her selfe she layes her selfe open to the scoffes insultations of the aduersary For by that reason euery Religion wil be a true Religion seeing the professors thereof will say It is true as well and as confidently as the Church whereas if she say her Religion is true because God saith so in his word and so prooues it this is sufficient to stop their mouthes or else to leaue them without excuse Vse 2 The second vse is for Instruction teaching vs how to carry both our selues towards the Church and towards the Scriptures that is with an euen hand as our Sauiour said of tribute money giue vnto Caesar that which is Caesars and vnto God that which is Gods So must we giue vnto the Church that which is the Churches and vnto the Scripture that which is the Scriptures First esteeme of the Scripture as Gods owne Word 2 Pet. 1.21 22. able to make vs wise to saluation and perfect to euery good worke 2 Tim. 3.15 16 17 Secondly esteeme of the Churh as the Piller that is as the keeper and vphoulder of the truth 1. Tim. 3.16 not that light but a witnesse of that light Iohn 1.8 she is to inquire search propound expound pronounce teach approue iudge according to Scriptures themselues and not otherwise she is as the woman of Samariah that propounded the Messiah to the men of the city and brought them to him but when they heard him they say now we beleeue not for thy saying but we haue heard him our selues and know that this is indeed that Christ Iohn 4.42 So the Church propounds and brings vs to the Scripture but when we looke into it and heare it speake then we beleeue But ye will say how then do we know which is Scripture or how shall we know that the contents therein are true and of God I Answer First wee shall know it from the Scripture it selfe as the Sunne is knowne by his owne light so the Scriptures are knowne by their owne light God speaking and shining in the Scripture Doe wee then beleeue the Scriptures because the Church saith they are Scripture No but because the Scriptures themselues say so 2 Tim. 3.16 Secondly we shall know them by the Spirit working in vs together with the Word and perswading vs that they are true 1 Iohn 5.6 Thirdly they are made knowne to vs by the miracles whereby they were first confirmed Iohn 20.30 31. Fourthly wee know them by the testimony of the Church that is that congregation that truly professeth the sauing faith of Christ So that first not euery company that professe themselues to be the Church but professing the sauing faith are to be beleeued And secondly not whatsoeuer the Church saith is to bee beleeued but that which she saith by the euidence of the Scripture it selfe and interpretation of the Spirit And thirdly that which is so beleeued is not chiefely to bee beleeued because she saith so but in a second place aftre the Word and Spirit And fourthly not formally or essentially but instrumentally as an outward instrument onely Fifthly and that which shee doth say so shee speakes not infallibly but with some faylings errors and imperfections mans corruption still bewraying its selfe euen when he is much inlightned Sixthly that which she speakes without error is not absolutely to be beleeued because the Church saith it but conditionally because shee speakes according

Lord will be altogether with vs to saue and defend vs and altogether against our enemies to confound and destroy them The three and twentieth LECTVRE of the CHVRCH HAuing propounded nine seuerall heads to be spoken to concerning the visible Church wee haue through Gods assistance spoken of seuen of them It remaines therefore now that wee come to the eighth namely the power and authority of the Church A point which was named and pointed at before amongst the Priuileges of the Church For surely the power that God hath endued the Church withal is none of her smallest priuileges if it be not one of her greatest as the greatest priuilege of a King is his Kingly power and authority then wee pointed at it but wee respited the full handling of it to this place partly because in the beginning wee propounded it as one of the principall heads in this question but especially because it is both large and waighty large and so requires waighty and so deserues worthily to be handled in a seuerall Title by it selfe it hath also some affinity neernesse with the fifth head namely the Gouernment of the Church for many of the same things that are incident to the Gouernment of the Church are also incident to the authority of it and such things wee will onely touch as wee meete with them referring you for further knowledge of them to those places that already they haue beene handled in But there are somethings belonging to the power of the Church which could not so fitly be reduced to the gouernment of the Church and these are the points which God willing here wee will speake vnto The power and authority of the Church I call it power and authority for in effect they are both one It is true that they are sometimes distinguished and then this is the difference power signifies an ability to doe a thing and authority a warrant from God to exercise that ability but here they signifie one and the same thing and the reason is plaine because the Church of all other sorts doth absolutely deny her selfe to haue any power to do ought but that which she hath authority and warrant from God to doe The points that I will speake of concerning this matter are these First that the Church of God hath power and authority belonging to it Secondly what manner of power and authority this is And thirdly what it is that shee hath power in First that there is power and authority belonging to the Church for howsoeuer she be weak in outward forces and contemptible in the eyes of the world and for the most part spurn'd out ouer-borne and troden vnder foote by the Potentates of the earth and for the mannaging of any temporall administration or state able to doe little and warranted to doe lesse yet if she be taken within her owne element that is in Church affaires she is armed with much power and great authority euery State and society hath power and authority annexed to it whereby it is vpholden the Church then being the worthiest State and happiest Society that is hath it Reas 1 much more for there are many offices and duties of diuers kindes and sorts daily and necessarily to be performed in the Church wel-doers must be encouraged sinne must be punished lawes must be executed orders must be obserued and obedience must be practised these and such like must be daily performed in the Church Now without power nothing can be done and without authority nothing must be done And therefore the Church must haue power and authority Againe the Reas 2 greatest and waightiest workes that are done in the world are done in the Church the conscience commanded soules conuerted comforted and saued Gods owne life wrought into the hearts of men Christ and his Kingdome of grace that is highly aduanced Satans kingdome and his power quailed and subdued therefore the Church must needes haue great power to effect such great workes Lastly shee must haue this power Reas 3 and authority that shee may be able to hold vp her head against her aduersaries that doe commonly and ordinarily except against her saying By what authority doe you these things as they did to our Sauiour Matth. 22.23 and to Moses Exod. 2.14 Who made thee a man of authority c. so that except shee be furnished with sufficient authority there is no hope that they or their proceedings should finde any acceptance the people were astonished at Christs Doctrine because he taught with authority and not as the Scribes Mat. 7. Mar. 1.27 hee commands euen the foule spirits with authority and they obey him as who should say if he had not commanded them with authority they would neuer haue obeyed him they would know good cause why first This serues first to incourage the Church to the doing of Vse 1 her duty in excecuting Gods Lawes and in aduancing his ordinances seeing shee hath power sufficient in her owne hands to strengthen and countenance her preceedings and to make them effectuall It would neuer grieue a man to bestow time and labour in good endeauours though with much danger and with many opdositions when hee knowes before-hand that he hath power and authority enough to be beare him out in it therefore this should encourage the Church in her duty heerein And also this serues to reproue those that Vse 2 lightly esteeme of the Church and of that which shee doth as if they were nothing worth but let such know that the Church is a powerfull worker and that that Doctrine which she teacheth is a word of great power able to saue or to destroy and the Censures that she passeth are Censures of power able to kill or giue life and whosoueuer withstandeth these shall finde them matters of power to their destruction in hell if they be obstinate but whosoeuer obeyes them shall finde power enough in them to bring them to God and to his Kingdome So much for that first point The second point is what manner of power this is for this wee must looke well into lest mistaking wee goe too farre or come too short each being a dangerous error you shall vnderstand therefore that this power is not humane but diuine Secondly not temporall but spirituall Thirdly that though it be spirituall yet it is bounded and limited First it is not humane that is it is not of men though they be men that exercise it and howsoeuer where it is publikely practised it is vsually and needfully ratified at least permitted by the authority of the temporall State yet it hath not his power from men but it is diuine and hath his power directly from God himselfe the first beginnings of this power is from him as wee may see Matth. 10.1 to 5. where our Sauiour calls his Disciples and giue them power to preach to cast out diuels and to heale the sicke c. and the promise of more power is also from God as his

in the like case but if men were neuer before baptized then though they bee of yeares of discretion yet they are to receiue Baptisme But whether hath the Church power to compell men to be members No surely faith cannot be forced vpon any yet if the Magistrate be Christian he by his authority may and must compell men to come to the outward meanes else wee deny him the priuiledge of his authority and of our subiection So did Iosiah cause all that were found in Ierusalem and Beniamin to stand to the couenant 2 Chron. 34.32 As they haue power to admit into the Church so they haue power to repell and keepe out and this wee finde to be plaine Acts 8.36.37 See heere is water saith the Eunuch what doth let mee to be baptised Philip said vnto him if thou beleeuest with all thine heart thou may'st c. as who should say where faith is wanting it is a sufficient let to keepe from baptisme and so from being admitted into the Church But what shall children doe then I answer they if they be the seed of the faithfull are pre-supposed to be within the couenant and so they are to be reputed as Gen. 17.7 God saith to Abraham I will establish my Couenant betweene mee and ther and thy seede after thee and Acts 3.29 The promise is made to you and to your children saith the Apostle and so in the 1 Cor. 7.14 The vnbeleeuing wife is sanctified by the beleeuing husband c. else were your children vncleane but now are they holy and therefore where children are tendred by faithfull parents to the Church they must admit them so far as they haue power and that is to baptisme Marke 10.13.14 as it was with circumcision in the time of the Law the children of the faithfull all that were males were circumcised so it is in Baptisme which succeedes in the roome of that all the children of beleeuing parents are to be made partakers of it So you see the Church hath power ouer persons that are not come in and that either to admit or repell them Secondly they haue power ouer persons as they are come in already and that either to keepe them in or to cast them out to keepe them in as in Reu. 3.11 Our Sauiour saith to the Angell of the Church of Philadelphia Hold fast that thou hast that no man take thy Crowne from thee and what was the Angels Crowne but the faithfull in that Church So the Apostle Paul calls the Thesalonians his Crowne and how must hee hold them fast and keepe them in By confirming exhorting reprouing comforting and instructing them bearing with their weaknesse admitting them to the Lords Table and vpon their repentance loosing them from their sinnes So the Church hath power to cast out for their obstinacy in sinne and so to binde them in the chaines of euerlasting damnation that the Church hath this power it is plaine for the Word of God is powerfull each way It is the sauour of life vnto life vnto some to other It is the sauour of death vnto death so the Censures of the Church are wonderfull powerfull Iohn 20.23 whose sinnes yee remit they are remitted and whose sinnes soeuer yee retaine they are retained saith our Sauiour to his Disciples And so we see how the Church did cast out the Incestuous man in 1 Cor. 5.4 5. and how they receiued him in againe in the 2 Cor. 2.7 8. The next point is the power that the Church hath ouer members as officers and herein the Church hath power to choose or refuse to place or displace to choose and place Acts 6.5 and the saying pleased the multitude and they choose Stephen c. to refuse and displace as in Acts 8.21 Peter refused Simon Magus when he would haue bought gifts of the holy Ghost for money and in the 1 Tim. 5.11 refuse younger widdowes c. and in the 1 Kings 2.27 to the 35. we may read how Salomon displaced and cast out Abiather from the Priests office But of this I haue spoken sufficiently before the matter of Church gouernment and therefore as I promised I will referre you thither Now in the second place the Church hath power ouer things and these things are of diuers kindes some are matters of substance some of circumstance the Churches power in matters of stubstance is eyther touching the Scripture it sefe or in things besides the Scripture as touching the Scripture and that is eyther touching the credit and authority of Scripture or the sense of it first of the credit and authority of Scripture which is called into question and much disparaged not onely by those that are without but euen of those that professe themselues to be within and to be members of the Church which should most lighly esteeme it some of of her champions as they pretend challenge at least an equall yea indeed a superiour authority to the Church aboue the Scripture and therefore the point to be discused here is whether the authority of the Church be greater then the authority of the Scripture It is not denyed but that the Church hath some authority concerning Scripture as wee shall heare afterward but that it hath authority equall with or aboue Scripture is not to be granted I will draw this point into an obseruation Doctr. which shall be this That howsoeuer the Church of God is endued with great power and authority from aboue yet the authority of the Church is not greater then the authority of the Scripture no it is not equall with it but the authority of the Scripture is greater and higher then the authority of the Church here are two parts of this obseruation First that the authority of the Church is not greater then of the Scripture secondly that the authority of Scripture is greater then of the Church the same places that proue one proue both Ioh. 4.39 The woman of Samariah hauing had conference with our Sauiour and beleeuing him to be the Messiah she went and told it in the Citty and it is said in the 39. verse that many of the Samaritans beleeued in Christ for the saying of the woman but it is said in the 41. verse that many moe beleeued because of Christs owne words The voyce of the woman what is it but the voyce of the Church shee beleeuing in Christ her selfe propounds him vnto others which is the Office of the Church in this case well the people beleeued for her saying but doe they rest vpon that as the chiefest authority of their faith No for verse 41. many moe beleeued for his owne word and verse 42. they that did beleeue for the saying of the woman acknowledge a greater and surer cause of their faith disclayming the former as insufficient now say they wee beleeue not for thy saying for wee haue heard him our selues and know that this indeede is that Christ the Sauiour of the world and is not Christs voyce to