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A18914 A chronological discourse touching, 1 The Church. 2 Christ. 3 Anti-Christ. 4 Gog & Magog. &c. The substaunce whereof, was collected about some 10. or 11. yeares since (as may be gathered by an epistle prefixed before a tractate, called, The visible Christian) but now digested into better order; and first published, by the author himselfe, H. Cl. Clapham, Henoch. 1609 (1609) STC 5336; ESTC S108005 72,787 116

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and therefore must preuaile notwithstanding their distinction some workes be Legall some Euangelicall seeing the Free fauour of God excludeth all our workes howsoeuer tearmed for iustifiyng onely Christes merit-worke for our iustification Obiection Fayth is a worke being iustified by Fayth we are so iustified by a worke Answere It is a worke in vs but not of vs for Fayth as the Holy Ghost witnesseth is the Guift of God and so our iustification to saluation the free guift of God and not of our selues onely nor also For if we will plant our thresholds by his thresholds Ezekiel will proclaime it an abhomination And because Christ doth not onely begin the worke but also perfect it the Author to the Hebrewes calles him The Author and finisher of our Fayth The premisses considered and sound in the iudgment of a Romanist were he to die the death for his Fayth against the Turke and not to maintaine a sworne opposition against vs let me put downe the following Positions 1. First these Schismatikes be most hereticall that by reason our outward forme of Discipline likes them not do affirme as some chiefe of them haue in my hearing that the Church of England neither holdeth nor teacheth the Ghospell of Christ. And yet the same people holdeth no other Ghospel then heere they receiued except they make their Lay-eldership their Ghospell or some of their outward workes to giue beeing to the Ghospell And then they fall vpon the Rocke of Poperie which they would seeme to sayle so farre from establishing not onely a Iustification with God by Fayth onely at first but after that a second iustification with God by works also Nor indeed is it better with them if themselues will vnderstand themselues Which easily cannot be done God hauing put vpon them the spirit of slumber 2. Secondly I doe faythfully belieue that in the Romish-church since the first plantation of it there hath been and still is a true Christian people holding the maine Foundation layd in Christes blood howsoeuer sometimes they build vpon it Hay Stubble and the like euen as in the thronge of the Tares the Lord had his Wheate and Children of the Kingdome And in Babel euen after the Returnes to Iudah by Zerubbabel Ezra and Nehemiah God there had his Daniel and others also with him God forbid that their malice against vs reforming the Church should beget in vs a deniall of any Grace which God continues amonst them notwithstanding their abode in lamentable Confusion Nor is this trueth of Christianitie which I beleeue to be amongst them onely an inuisible Grace according to secret election as some Scismatikes make it but in the profession visible witnesse not onely many their Writings but also many their Sermons there at home as these can witnesse that haue trauailed amongst them not to speake any thing of such as dayly do offer vp their blood amongst them in testimony against their false Ghospell 3. Thirdly I do verily belieue that a maine cause why the Apostle handleth so largely Iustification by Fayth onely in that Epistle to the Romaines was this for that he foresaw how that Church would quickly be drawing away from that Pillar for establishing a iustification of their owne in the roome thereof That they haue made a foule departure from that Fayth of the Ghospell and that we in that poynt haue recouered our standing let themselues iudge being vnpossessed of Sophistrie reading but the first eight Chapters soberly ouer or but the first foure accordingly as they be translated in their Rhemish Testament And will they be so bewitched as to giue more credēce to the writing of any one among them then to the Apostle Paul enforming their first Christian people Let them labour to bring their opinion to the Epistle and not wrest the Epistle to their opinion holding it true Antiquitie to be one with the Apostle and that golden Epistle and not to reiect them for entertayning a Nouelty couered with colour of Antiquity He that teacheth any other Ghospell then that which S. Paul taught we are though he were an Angell from heauen to hold him accursed yea twise accursed as the same Apostle teacheth Galath 1. 8. 9. So much of the Ghospell preached to the Fathers and exhibited to vs the manner of Dispensation being diuerse but the Thing one and the same In noua Lege vetus inclusa tenetur And Vna est veterum ac nouorum patrum fides And one within 200. yeares after Christ writes thus Vnum quidem revera salutare testamentum quod a Constitutione mundj ad nos peruenit per generationes diuersas tempora etiamsi Datione existimatum fuerit esse Diuersum Consequens●n est esse vnam jmmutabilem Salutis dationem ab vno Deo per vnum deum quae multis modis prodest Propter quam causam tollitur Maceria quae diuidebat Graecu●● a Iudae● ad hoc vt esset populus peculiaris sic ambo perueniunt ad vnam fidej vnitatem ex ambobus vnae est Electio CHAP. XV. Touching Antichrist and his Opp●sition THAT the Greeke word Antichristes doth signifie one Opposite to Christ it is out of all question But wherein he is to be opposite in Fayth or Manners wholly or in part and if in part then in what part is a mightie Question Besides that there should be such an Aduersarie is out of all question but who that Aduersarie or whether One or Many and from whence he should arise is much in question The Fathers take the word sometimes very largely as they thinke S. Iohn doth in his 1. Epistle sometimes strictly as of one and the same person as they thinke S. Paul doth in 2. Thess. 2. vnder the tearmes Man of Sinne Sonne of Perdition Sometimes they vnderstand S. Iohn to call all these Antichristes that be Heades of Heresie vnder the name of Christ teaching thinges that be contrarie to Christ. And such be the violaters of Fayth Sometimes they vnderstand these Antichristes of such as ouerturne all good manners and order And so their Pope Honorius to that purpose writ thus Cast eye vpon the Princes and Iudges behold in them is plaeced the Beastes seat then he numbers vp their wickednesses Turne to the Cleargie and thou shalt see in them the Beastes Pauilion then he numbreth vp their worldlinesse Contemplate a●so the Conuent●●les of Moncks and thou shalt see in them the Beastes Tabernacles then he fileth vp their Hypocrisies Behold also the habitations of the Nunnes and in them thou shalt see prepared the Beastes Bed-chamber then goe vp the Nuns abhominations Turne thy selfe to the rest of the people and thou shalt find in them the very Image of the Beast Thus the Maister in that Dialogue and that 's Hono●●us doth teach his Scholler affirming further that the former Many is Babilon and at warre with Ierushalem whose inhabitants be not so Many Thus vnderstood hee of that Second Beast in Reuelat●●
ostendit probat discipulum Tho. Aquinas in Lect. 4. super Galat. 3. see him also on Rom. 3. his tongue turned to English runnes thus No Workes either Ceremoniall or Morall are the cause why any man is iust before God For Workes are not the cause that man is iust but the execution and manifestation of his iustice because no man is iustified with God by his Worke but by the habite of Fayth infused Let the Romanist wrangle in the abuse of Distinction so long as they shall euen through their Church as they will haue it it hath through all ages passed for vndoubted trueth that vnto Iustification with God no one externall Worke whatsoeuer no not of Baptisme or Circumcision hath once been required for essentiall to the sauing-being of a Christian but Sola fides Fayth onely which is internall and the guift of God also But to become a Christian visible vnto others there is required such outward Workes as fruites whereby we may be well perswaded of the Fayth that is inward as the inward life of the tree which is vnseeable otherwise then in the fruites flowing from it The first fruite of which Fayth to vs-ward is a free Confession that the heart so beleeueth For sayth the Apostle with the heart man beleeueth vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth man confesseth vnto saluation The second speciall Worke is subiection to Baptisme the seale of their iustification annexed to the word of beleefe and therefore the Apostles commission ran thus First Preach and then Baptize Nor would the Eunuch so instantly haue craued Baptisme had not Philip taught the necessitie thereof True it is that it is not necessarie to saluation simply but conditionally as it may be conueniently had But Contempt or wilfull Omission is as damnable as Esaus base thought of Canaan and king Ahaz his hypocriticall shew in seeming not to stand in need of a Signe For how can a soule haue true respect to Gods Word when it shall thinke lightly or vilely of that Seale which is suffixed to that Word A third Worke flowing from true Fayth is a Desire of being further informed in the mysterie of the Gospell which the Angels themselues desire to peire into whom notwithstanding it so much concernes not And who will not desire to know the full of their Fathers Will The fourth fruite issuing from true Fayth is to Loue God aboue all and our Neighbour as our selfe and to testifie the trueth of such loue in all duties of Pietie and Iustice as from Gods word shal be manifest Such a soule so beleeuing working is to vs-ward a true visible Christian. 2 A companie of such gathered togeather are a true Christian assemblie or as the Apostle sometimes calles them finding them in some house a Church of God Which caused Tertullian to conclude thus Vbi tres Ecclesia est licet Laicj Where be but three although Lay-men there is a Church 3 A company of such not only gathered togeather but also possessed of spiritual Ouerseers and Seruitours for the regiment of the whole by Doctrine and Discipline such a people be a true visible constituted Church For as the common sort of them be but as an Eare for hearing so their Ouerseers be as an Eye for seeing and the Seruitours as necessarie Hands to their Ouerseers As the Apostle then can say If all the Body were an Eye where were the hearing So I by like proportion If all were Eye and Eare where were the power of conuayance betweene them CHAP. vij Touching the Ministers of an established Church THE auncient Church of Israel had constituted vnto it two sortes of Ministers Priestes Leuites The Priestes againe were deuided into 2. sortes first in that one was to be Hy-priest not onely for a yeare as was the corruption at last but for the whole tearme of life and he onely might enter into the Sanctum sanctorum and in other businesses was principall In the second place were many other Priestes attending the dayly Sacrifice which after by Dauid were for better order distributed into 24. Classios Of the Leuites simplie so called for otherwise the Priestes were of Leuj they were deuided into two rankes each knowing what partes of the Tabernacle he was to wind vp and carry the one sort of them called Gershomites the other Merarites as all the Priestes were called Kohathites according to the Heads of the Families they came of But when Dauid prepared for a Standing house vnto the Lord he distributed them into other Orders for other purposes as in 1. Chro. 25. and this by no particular precept from the Lord otherwise then from the generall rule whereto Naturall reason leadeth namely That all in the Church should be done with comlynesse and order Another sort of Ministers God prouided for that Church and these were the Prophets and Prophetisses stirred vp out of what tribe soeuer These were not constituted to the Tabernacle or Temples businesses but raysed vp of God besides any ordinarie forme of calling specially for calling Priest and people into order when they erred from the commandement And as their calling for forme sake was extraordinarie so they were furnished with guifes extraordinarie both for knowledge and strange workes working The Ordinarie ministrie therfore constituted to the Church were Priestes Leui●es the extraordinarie ministrie tyed not directly to any one place or people they were such Prophets tearmed of elder times Seers This for that Churches ministrie ¶ The New-testaments Church hath her ministerie proportionable to her Mother Some for calling and qualification Ordinarie some againe Extraordinarie Extraordinarie were these Apostles Prophets Euangelist● all whose Outward forme of calling so well as qualification was besides the generall rule Apostles and Prophets hauing their calling immediatly from God howsoeuer the Church might adde sometimes their seale vnto it as in the sending out of Paul and Barnabas The Euangelistes had their calling immediatly from the Apostles and sometimes I doubt not from the Prophets being indeed to these that called them but as godly trustie seruantes as Elisha was to Elias Ge●èzi should haue been to E●isha The ordinarie ministerie were Bishops Deacons the first being as the Eye of the Church therfore in English called Ouer-seers the other as the Churches hands for better dispatch of some dueties therefore in English called Ministers and Seruitours And into these two sortes as Maister and Man the Apostle distributes them in 1. Tim. 3. But then these Bishops called also Elders for that ordinarily they were such for their yeares they be of two sortes one of them hauing preheminence for place and voyce as the Hy-priest ouer his brethren and for that in R●uel 2. 3. hee is styled The Angel of the congregation and very fitly for his place may be tearmed Arch-bishop which is in plaine English but chiefe Bishop or chiefe Ouerseer Obiection Christ is the onely Arch-bishop of
Prophets and Apostles hath attayned to perfect knowledge in the former sayd two Tongues as also for that in euery Minister is some remnant of naturall dulnesse of heart as was in the Emauites for vnderstanding all that is written it so comes to passe for we but see in part and prophecie in part that many times and in many thinges we sinne all the Minister aberreth from the Canon that is from the Word which is the rule of Fayth And as one Minister so euery Minister whereby it comes to passe that no one vniuersall consent could euer be had for so much as the Translation thereof The Septuagint went farre from the Hebrew as it seemeth of purpose to collogue with the Grecian-heathen in somethings specially in computation of Ages The Greeke and Latine Christians as may appeare by the Fathers sent about multitudes of Translations to the offence of many Of late time the Popes of Rome haue set foote into the worke Sixtus the Fift he mendes and marres as he could Clemens the eight he doth more Yet when all comes to all the Councell of Trident concludes that the corrupt vulgar shall onely bide authentike in Schooles and Pulpits Notwithstanding their great Arias Montanus prouoketh to the Hebrew and Greeke alleadging Ierome Augustine for like minded saying of the Latine that it is filthily corrupted Latina sacrorum Bibliorum Interpretatio faedè corrumpitur and so he boldly testifieth in an Epistle to the I●terlinear Bible printed at the charges of the K. of Spaine the very best worke that euer he atchiued with gold of the Indies If any one denie Subscription because in his iudgement it is not all one with the Originall for our Church presseth no Subscription absolute as to euery particular for she beleeueth and teacheth that the best Church that euer was is or shal be hath doth and shall erre then hearken what absurdities follow 1. Such a one so intendeth a perfection and absolute puritie in mans labours heere and so becommeth plainely an hereticall Puritan● 2. Then such a one condemnes or at least calleth into question the credite of Christ and his Apostles in the vse of the Septuagint who otherwise specially to the Iewes could haue followed the Hebrew straightly not any Translation Melanchton in his Preface to the Septuagint commendes it to the Church by reason the Apostle Paul quotes diuers Scriptures directly from it And vpon this ground among others Franc. Iohnson being aduised by one that talked with him thereabouts in the Clincke at London did presse the vse of our singing Psalmes neglected before of his people for Apocrypha wherevpon his Congregation publikely in their meetinges vsed them till they could haue them translated into verse by some of their Teachers Which of some of them after was attempted but with what barbarous successe I am not ignoraunt M. Tho. Settle in Norffolke can with me witnesse this so well as some resident now in London 3. Then also followeth that no Subscription at all is to be made to any thing which the wisest and godlyest can doe in that kinde seeing a plea may be had a-against all as sauouring of mans weakenesse in this life vnseperable And then the next turne will be to turne not so good as Turke but plaine Atheist 4. Then will follow that neither such an excepter against such Subscription can presse his people to receaue for trueth any his Prayers sermons or prescription of Orders seeing he also is a man and subiect to errour so well as others 5. Then will follow that neuer we can haue assuraunce of Fayth till either God speake thereof vnto vs audibly from Heauen or stirre vp some miraculous Ministers that may draw vs a new Bible in our owne Language For if they should draw it into another language then we are as farre off as we were All these be ineuitable Consequentes and fruites good inough beseeming rending Wolues clad in Sheepes skinnes vnder a pretext of synceritie labouring to bring in a farre more palpable darknesse then euer the Romanist did in his intricate Latine seruice ¶ For the Sacramentes peculiar vnto the New testament as for Imposition of handes it hath in common with the Old And let it be thought off as it shall sure I am that the base esteeme of it doth cause the Ministers to be the more basely esteemed the sayd Sacraments be two Baptisme and the Lordes Supper Baptisme commeth in place of Circumcision and both of them the Seale of that Righteousnesse which is by Fayth and therefore the second as communicable to Infants as the first and through the mercie of our Lord to old young farre more easie The Lordes Supper commeth in roome of the Pas-ouer and exhibiteth accordingly Christ Iesus crucified for feeding of our soules As the Fathers vnder the Law were made partakers of him by Fayth so are wee As herein they were led thereto by Externall signes so are we And as we read not of any one amongst them no not in the Idolatrous times that euer dreamed of eating the Promised seed corporally so it should be a Christians shame to seeke vnion with Christ in such a Caniball manner farre dissenting from the nature of Fayth Such a fleshly eating if euer it had been fitting had rather been adapted to their times wherein as Children they were informed by most palpaple rudiments we being called much rather to worship God in Spirit and spiritually And so the Old and New Testament doe as Mother and Daughter kisse each other Let Schismatikes be ashamed to put them asunder ¶ Touching the Number let the Learned take these testimonies August Ep. 108. Sacramentis numero paucissimis obseruatione facillimis significatione prestantiss societatem noui populi Christus colligauit Rupert l. 3. de Sapientia c 1. Sunt duo Sacramenta maxima Baptisma scilicet viuifica corporis sanguinis eius Mensa Beda in c. 19. Iohn ex Augustino Aperuit latus vt illic quod ammodo ostium vitae panderetur vnde sacramenta ecclesiae manaucrunt Cardinal Bess. de sac cucharis Haec duo Sacramenta in Euangelio manifeste tradita legimus The like hath Alexander ab Ales part 4. quest 8. artic 2. and he auerres it Ex fluxione sanguinis aquae And from 1. Ioh. 5. Tres perhibent c. ¶ Touching Baptisme we haue litle controuersie therefore this Naz. orat 3. in sanctum lauacrum Omni aetati Baptisma conuenit Chrysostomo coniunct in Math. 4. hom 5. Constat in nobis quinque baptismata esse vnum in verbo Secundum ●n Aqua Tertium autem in spiritu Quartum in igne Quintum in Morte Dominus postquam ●aptizatus est in verbo factus est sub lege A Iohanne autem in Aqua a Patre vero in Spiritu ●unc a spiritu ducitur in desertum vt baptizetur in igne tentationis postmodum baptizandus in Morte A certaine Rom●sh-priest in