by faith and nothing else The first three thousand soules that Peter gayned at one Sermon are sayd to haue receyued the word and therevpon to haue beene added vnto the Church by Baptisme The whych receyuing of the word wherevpon they were baptised cannot be otherwyse vnderstood for the Lords wayes are one then the same whych Phillip demaunded as the thyng by whych alone the Eunuche could obteyne the seale of a Christian namely fayth and so is it also expounded within two verses in the same former places of the second of the Actes when the story sayth of the same assembly these wordes And they that beleeued were in one place and had all things common But nothyng can more explayne and confirme that example then another lyke vnto it of the gathering of a Church by Phillip in a Citie of Samaria where the Text expressely sayth That assoone as they beleeued Phillip which preached the things that concerned the Kingdome of God and the name of Iesus Christ they were Baptized both men and women Then Symon himselfe beleeued also and was baptized c. The same lykewise is the flat doctrine of the Apostles euery where Let the louers of truth behold and beare witnesse Christ sayth the Apostle hath redeemed vs from the cursse of the Lawe when he was made a cursse for vs for it is written Curssed is euery one that hangeth on tree that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Iesus that we might receiue the promise of the spirit through faith But the scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should be giuen to them that beleeue VVherefore the lawe was our schoolemaister to bring vs to Christ that we might be made righteous by faith for yee are all the sonnes of God by faith in Iesus Christ The same Apostle sayth VVe haue boldnesse entrance and confidence by faith in Christ And expressely That Christ dwelleth in vs by faith Now iudge whether the sunne can giue thee clearer light to reade then the playne tearmes of the Apostle doo teach thee to acknowledge our vniting vnto Christ by faith If any man desire to see more varietie of places let him looke these quotations where he shall see by the abundant testimonie of the spirit that we are all reconciled vnto God by faith accepted for our faith vnited vnto a bodie and engrafted into Christ the liuing stock by faith Thus then if matter and fourme be the essentiall causes whereof any thing consisteth and whereby the being of any thing is acknowledged I hope we haue heere with Ma. C. found out and proued the essentiall causes of a Church so as no man needeth to be perplexed in discerning the beeing thereof if he haue atteyned such a minde as can rest in the wisedome of God Heere we meete with that foolishe and vayne exception of Browne agaynst Ma. C. namely That Christ is the life and essence of the Church and not faith which is as though faith had not direct relation to Christ and Christ to faith in this consideration of a Church wherein neyther can fayth bee considered without Christ nor yet Christ as theyr head without faith And if Ma. C. hauing set downe that Christ is the foundation of the Church and that the assemblies are laid vpon him by faith should haue added in such expresse words that faith is the life of the Church were faith to be taken heere without respect of the foundation named before Or were it a harder speech then that which S. Paule vttereth when he sayth VVe stand by faith What difference is there betweene VVe liue by faith and we stand by faith But Habacuck the Prophet missed not the very words The iust shall liue by faith But yet cannot Browne abyde this that by faith only the Church is vnited vnto Christ Wherefore because Ma. C. sayth that nothing besides faith in the Sonne of God is necessary to the very being of a Church he replyeth saying That then belike children which yet through want of discretion cannot haue faith shall be without the essence and life of the Church O deepe Diuinitie worthy a Cambridge degree if I should requite him with his owne tearmes Christ hath these words He that beleeueth not is condemned And the writer to the Hebrewes VVithout faith it is impossible to please God What cause had Browne more to obiect this of childrens faith against Ma. C. his discourse of the beeing of a Church then against these generall axiomes of Scripture touching the being of a Christian or in state of saluation for it lyeth as indifferently against the one as the other And if he had whereby to be reconciled with those Scriptures so as his obiection should not lye agaynst them a little equitie would haue lead hym to haue applyed the same to Ma. C. his conclusion likewise If his knowledge be no better then he sayth he must learne that infants of parents that be within the couenant are not to be accounted without all fayth as his writing supposeth for if they be elect then haue they the spirit and so faith in power habilitie and inclination though not in outward profession and action Lyke as also at the same time they can not be denied to haue reason for as much as they haue a reasonable soule although it be but potentially and not in acte or outward gesture If they be not elect and so haue not the annoynting of the spirit nor therefore any faith in the sight of God yet receiue they so much from the faith of their parents as to be by it accepted of the visible Church for a holie seede and partakers of the promises because they iudging but as men haue no cause at all to doubt thereof This man vrgeth out of Habacuck that The iust shall liue by his owne faith but there was no cause for it is not sayd that infants shall be saued or liue in the sight of God by their parents faith but onely that by it they are of men to be reputed within the couenant and of the visible Church Yet he standeth to it that Not by the faith of the parents but by the promise made to the righteous and their seede the children are reckoned in the Church O trifeler how are the parents within couenant and partakers of the promises but by faith And how doo the promised blessings descend vnto the children but in regard that their parents beleeued Wherefore this foundation will stand vnmoued against all Papists and Apostates that particular visible Churches are vnited vnto their head Christ by faith and by faith do they stand And certainely it is strange how this should be doubted of by any that esteeme themselues iustified by faith sith one member hath not a seuerall lawe of life by it selfe but looke by what lawe and tenure one by himselfe enioyeth
that preiudice whereby now his taste is made so vnsincere in al things you may see that as in these poynts there is no such danger as he talked of so neither in the great question betwixt vs of ioyning with the Church at the Lords Table where the vnworthy ones are For the keeping of the bond of vnity in the Church hath an expresse lawe and charge which no generall wordes of other places much lesse preposterous zeale can dispence withall or take away 19 It seemeth to mee by a speech in his 7. Page that he secretly giueth you this answere for that namely if the Church at any time separate not the vnworthy or cannot doe it it is thereby fallen from the couenant of life and ceaseth to bee a Church of Christ so that you may safely goe from them I will not yet say much of this matter I had rather the author woulde recant it if it might please God then that I or any other should stand to cōfute so grosse an error for if he hold that obedience and holy life are causes of our iustification and whereby we enioy the couenant of life and not tokens or fruites only his case is worse then that hee can truely enioy the name of a Christian 20 The rest of his 11.12 and 13. pages shall receiue this answere it seemeth the author of them was not wel in his wittes but malice had made him as those in Bedlem that talke quite out of order and sense For I pray you taketh hee not vppon him there to proue out of your quotations that wee are warranted and commanded to depart from the communion where the vnworthy is not separated for I had denied that those Scriptures intended any such thing Nowe that wherein he occupieth him-selfe in stead thereof is to prooue not without some prophane abuse of the Scriptures by a sort of foolish syllogismes that haue neuer a true assumption that I am herein an heretique the question in the meane time which should bring forth that consequence lying altogether vnprooued the gaine that hee shall get by it is that hee lost the vantage of so much time and hath put himselfe for a laughing stocke to all that shall read his writing I speake not of his inward and higher reckonings I pray God bee mercifull vnto him in them for his Christs sake As for me I will not answere a foole according to his foolishnes Yet there is one thing which in the middest of his rage against me hee vttereth whereof I must admonish you The Sacrament of the Lordes Supper saith he is a Sacrament of order or orderly communion and addeth that order or orderly communion is the very fourme matter manner or essence and nature thereof As he lighteth here vppon popish phrases so you are to feare him in substaunce his diuinitie is sicke to the death when he thus defineth the Sacrament of the Lords Supper The outward matter of this Sacrament is bread and wyne the four me is the blessing and separating of them to that vse with their distributing to the members of the Church Orderly communicating is a fruit or effect of gouernement and a beautifull ornament to the Sacrament but nothing either of matter or fourme and therefore not of the essence of the Sacrament Of his learned vse of logicke termes I will here say nothing for shame I had much rather to couer his nakednes altogether if the trueth would suffer it Thus much for refutation of his defence of your quotations Now I will come to his cauilles at the reasons where-with I prooue that particular members ought to deale no further in this case then by processe of admonition Which wordes if you vnderstand rightly and as the question in controuersie will guide you like as afore I haue declared you shall see his first argument full of vaine words wherein he saith there is more required of particular members then admonition and reckoneth vp mourning lamentation prayers c. which thing are nothing at all in question betwixt vs. For onely this is betwixt you and mee and which hee bringeth here in the last place you say particular members may depart from the Lordes Table for the presence of the wicked thereat I reason against you negatiuely and shewe what dueties are required of one toward another by order of discipline and beyond which wee haue no commandement from God whereby I exclude not those thinges which are not at all in question but that which you hold in question against mee If you had brought mee to a reasonable aduersary wee should neuer haue spent time in such friuolous cauillings 22 Well at length I trowe hee falleth close to the question and will proue euen out of those places that I alledge for the vnitie and knitting together of this body that same separation of the members which is here in controuersie And thus he disputeth What places enforce an outwarde vniting in the Sacrament with the members of Christs body only the same inforce a deuyding or refraining in the Sacraments from those that outwardly are manifest to bee no members of his body But all these places enforce such an outward vniting with members onely Therefore they inforce a refrayning and diuiding in the Sacrament from open wretches which are knowne to be no members I may graunt you this argument in some sort and yet you are as neere your purpose as you were at the first For if hee vnderstand by deuiding and reframing the action of the whole body of the Church then is it that which they ought ioyntly to execute against the vnworthy and that is nothing to the question but if hee meane this those places which command an vniting in the Sacrament with the members of Christs body only do by the same reason command particular mēbers to refraine or depart if any open vnworthy do cōmunicate which had bene rightly to the purpose then his proposition is apparantly false And I reason against him from the same places thus If the members of a Church or spirituall body haue no further promise of life and continuaunce in Christ then as they like the members of a naturall body continue in the vnitie of the same Church or Spirituall body then it followeth necessarylie that what members so euer separate themselues from their spirituall body or Church the same doe separate them-selues from the life of Christ thereby But the first is true and infallibly prooued by those places I quoted whereas vnitie and holding together of the members is made the essentiall fourme of the body Therefore the latter followeth thereof 23 I say that as corrupt and vnworthy members can be no cause why those that are whole should forsake the body so no open grosse communicantes can bee any cause why wee that are faith-full shoulde forsake the Church Your leader makes you beleeue that you hold not this question I thinke in deede he knoweth not what hee holdeth
Church in Christ by faith but striuing for other groundes and essentiall causes thereof which the Lorde neuer acknowledged is in a heauie though iust iudgement compassed about with a strong delusion so as hee hath not abstained from defiling the verie couenant of life to his owne and all that follow after him most certaine destruction if the balme of Gods grace bee not sent in time to heale them For in the forepart of his answere to maister Cartwright he miserablie confoundeth the couenant of the lawe with the couenant of the Gospel Whereof the first hath the condition of workes a part the other is made simplie without condition of workes if we beleeue only He abuseth to his purpose a number of places all which proue that the establishment of the couenāt of grace hath necessarily good works ioyned withall as effects or fruits but not as causes and so any part of the couenant as he grossely supposeth Some sentences of his I will set downe for those that haue not his bookes It is written sayeth hee walke before me and be thou vpright and I will make my couenant betweene me and thee As who say one condition and part of the couenant is our vpright and good profession And this profession he telleth you what he meaneth by in another place where he sayth Our profession and submission to his lawes and gouernement is the keeping of our couenant by leading a godly and Christian life Nowe in the same place he defineth the couenant on our behalfe to be our agreement and partaking of conditions with God That he shall be our God so long as wee keepe vnder his gouernement and obey his lawes and no longer As for fayth the couenant thus beeing corrupted howe should it escape the defilement of his fingers Therfore in a certaine place he defineth faith to be a conscience of our redemption and happinesse in Christ whereby wee wholy yeelde vp our selues vnto him in newnesse of life And vpon this he addeth So fayth cannot bee except wee bee so renued that no open grosse wickednesse bee in vs. Where indeede appeareth to bee the fountaine of all his grosse reasoning when he denieth the profession to bee good where it is not altogether good without mixture of corruption The opening of which things together in this place the like whereof I haue also pointed at otherwher I doe not for the disgrace of the man though that withal if he amend not shall iustly accompanie it but directly to disgrace falshood and lay open the way of vnrighteousnesse with the issue thereof vnto his folowers The cōmoditie of it I hope shall be great in two principall respects One that the same path of death which he hath beaten vnto them may be shunned of of al that loue the way of life And the other that no man hereafter maruell seeing this contrarietie in points of foundation that Bro. quarelleth with and separateth from the Church of England as of which he is in no wise worthy to be a member And now to cōclude in that he saith Faith cannot be except we be so renued that no open grosse wickednesse appeare in vs from his owne mouth this sentence must proceed against him that he is no Christian Doe you aske howe I can proue it Let the same his assertion be the proposition therhence I assume thus Browne hath open grosse wickednesse in him nowe the conclusion followeth Therefore Browne hath not fayth You will aske proofe of my assumption I giue it you thus Rayling reuiling and slaundering publikely sparsed abrode in writings agianst any is open grosse wickednesse but Browne hath committed these things witnesse this his libell against me omitting all his other writings at this time wherein I yeelde the iudgement to all that haue seene it whether they haue found the like vnscholerlike scolding such base reuiling so peremptorie without all proofe accusing and vnchristian beyond all charitie slandering both me and manie in the writings of any the vilest heretikes in our memorie To those that haue not seene it let these few places in stead of his multitude testifie His reuiling phrases are such as these but infinitely repeated num 53. O blind Pharisee or rather O froward heretike num 54. Thou blind Pharise num 60. O false tongued man shall not God plucke thee out of the land of the liuing num 78. Nay thine and thy partners hypocrisie ioyned with enuie outrage and crueltie shall be better knowne Thou teachest F. thy fogging Phisike and hee teacheth thee his lying diuinitie num 79. The wretch careth not what he forgeth against vs. And by and by after O caitife thou wouldest fayne heare of it that wee were all hanged num 103. Thou vnpitifull and gracelesse writer and falsifier c. These may giue a glimpse of his rayling Nowe for his slandering num 34. The hypocrisie of rayling F. and Bredwell with their partners is hidden in rich mens houses sometimes in deceytful fastings as though we should haue present reformation and somtimes in delicate feastings in bribes gifts shew of almes to the poore when all goeth into their owne bellies or purses num 75. If all were such persecuting wretches as Bredwell is they were not onely infidels denying the fayth but also woorse than infidels because they yet suffered the beleeuers to dwell in the same house with them but Bredwell and his partners would not suffer them to dwell in the same Citie with them no not in the same Countrey no not vpon the face of the earth num 77. Nay false hypocrite this word onely is thine owne addition c. It is thy maner and thy partners to force to threaten to make stirrings and hurlie burlies and to driue man and wife asunder Thine and their outrage cannot be satisfied with bloud Thine and their raylings slaunders and false accusations haue brought diuerse of vs to death some by the Gibbet some by long imprisonment some by flight and pursuit some by extreame care death and sickenesse some by seas some by necessitie and want some by chaunging aire dwelling and place The bloud of all these shall bee vpon thine and thy partners heades Three other places to wit num 115.116 117. Whether they conteyne grosse blasphemie not only agaynst men but against GOD and his worde I referre it to the consciences of all that haue seene them for I thinke it nor good for some respects to set them downe and appeale to the searcher of the hearts and reines for iudgement These things considered I trust I may with the Christian readers consent conclude that there is open grosse wickednesse found in this man from whence by his owne rule it followeth that he hath not fayth and so consequently is no Christian From the 74. to the 78. 8 So farre saith the Admonition he proceedeth in seducing that he saith the wife ought to go away from her husband if he will not go with her in the
grace of God I will prooue After that he saith There is a vaine arte of lodgicke a false deceitful and contentious sophistrie and yet a lawful and artificial vse of reason This is absurd to confound an arte and the abuse of an arte together and he might aswell call heresie diuinitie as sophistrie lodgicke But hee proceedeth thus wherefore Browne condemneth not reason which they call lodgicke but the arte of lodgicke that is their euill order and false manner of vsing or rather abusing reason Doe we call Lodgicke reason beware beloued his fowling net of many meanings The worde Lodgicke is deriued from two Greeke wores which together signifie To vse reason and so the learned vnderstand by the worde lodgicke the rule of disputing or reasoning not reason it selfe but the regular vse thereof not the actual nor habituall knowledge which is in euery man according to greater or lesser aptnes and clearnes but a ruled course of long obserued precepts for the helpe of all And this artificiall rule of reasonīg foloweth expresseth as in a sensible image the vniuersal force of the naturall as of the first paterne or sampler diligētly obserued according to the motions insited in humane wits expressed by the vse of excellēt men For the same vniuersal force particular formes of natural reasoning drawn frō the vse of al chief wits stil able to be cōfirmed by the testimony of al monumēts of wisdom sacred or prophane this I say doth arte hauing drawen the same to certaine ordered heads propoūd as the image of nature to be imitated in disputing that so a man beholding in this artificial glasse as it were the face of his antient estate before the finful deprauatiō which brought in not only that same disorder corruptīg of our affections but also this confuse cloudines of our vnderstāding which we see in euery one more or lesse cleared according as they haue more or lesse laboured in reforming it either by the obseruatiōs of all times which stande in arte or els by their owne proper obseruations which consist in the rawe experience of their owne short liues might striue on still to take away the spottes remaining eche succeding generation enioying herein the benefit of the formers labours Wherehence we see both the common meanes which the Lorde hath vsed to bring this age present the ripenes that it sheweth this way as also howe it cōmeth to passe that arte which was at first but natures scholler becommeth at length after a sort her scholemistresse Now then let not this lodgickebiter beguile you beloued with any shifting sophistrie which is indeede all the arte he hath by confounding reason lodgicke together which can neuer be taken one for the other in a proper kind of speaking no more then the image of a man can in proper speach be called a man But let vs further marke his words Browne saith he condemneth not reason which they cal Lodgicke but the arte of lodgicke c. I did neuer charge him to condemne reason but the artificial vse of reason called lodgicke nowe if his answere be any thing to me at al it must needes be that one of these two is meant in this his Apollo-like answere namely that he condēneth not natural reasoning but artificial reasoning or els that he condēneth not all lodgicke or artificial reasoning but only our lodgicke artificial frames of reasoning Let him choose which he wil and his owne answere ouerthroweth him for if he be thereby vnderstoode to condemne artificiall reasoning he is contrary to himselfe hauing said a litle before that there is a lawful and artificial vse of reasoning if he say he condēneth but only our frame arte of reasoning he giueth me ynough to prooue my cause against him for if he auouch our lodgicke as it standeth in vse at this day to be vnlawful he auoucheth the thing that I charge him withall then I say why hath he vsed it him selfe yea why doeth his answere afterward deny syllogisticall reasoning to be simply vnlawful why also hath he vsed the very tearms both of our lodgicke rhetoricke which otherwhere so Momus-like he scoffeth at the example of Paules fighting with beastes at Ephesus is by him abused sith Paule therein vsed no course that was vnlawfull and condemned by the word of God but Browne vseth our Lodgicke which himselfe hath sayd to be forbidden in Gods Word and therefore vnlawfull His quarrelling at my words simply forbidden sheweth his vnlearnednesse for that is to be called simply forbidden which not in regard of circumstances but in regard of the thing it selfe is sayd to be forbidden and therefore though he haue not the word simply yet he hath the force thereof in his speech so long as he condemneth the arte in selfe and euery part thereof But why beloued doth he stiffely auouch that He hath not sayd Lodgicke is an vnlawfull arte a heathenish foppery c beleeue me it is not because he trusteth to the goodnesse of his cause for the places that I quoted are more plaine then that any doubting can be left but in that he hath either gotten some Giges ring to cloake his adulterating of the Scriptures or else a bodie of such cameleonish substance as hath sundrie colours at sundrie beholdings For let the word Lodgicke be taken as I haue now shewed it ought to be and the Sunne is not clearer in his full shine and light then that this my accusation of Brownes condemning Lodgicke is playne and manifest I wyll poynt a place or two for those that haue not his bookes Did euer any godly sayth he professe their Lodgicke before Christ came in the flesh or since his comming till the comming vp of Antichrist was it studied and learned was it then nothing needfull and is it now so needfull Doth not Paule speake of Lodgicke in that place where he writeth of spoiling by Philosophie and vayne deceipt Afterwards dealing with the obiections made against that sense of Paules writing to the Colossians he handleth the reuerend Beza like as a scurrilous iester rather then as a modest diuine should do and that because he acknowledgeth not Lodgicke to be forbidden in that place of the Apostle these be his owne words let the Reader iudge So doth he in that place to the Colossians not as Beza would interpret it of the three sorts of corruptions the first of speculations the second of he himselfe cannot tell what saue that he sayth it standeth vpon custome and fayned inspirations the third was of ioyning the Lawe worship with the Gospell Thus he would poynt at Paules meaning and doth driue another way For Paule nameth the vanitie and deceiptfulnes of Philosophie and sheweth that that is after mans traditions or the rules and principles of this world and not after Christ and so he doth strike at that strong tree of vanitie which is Philosophie and the roote thereof which is mans traditions or the