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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bishop_n	church_n	presbyter_n	1,664	5	10.2707	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17912	A necessitie of separation from the Church of England, prooved by the nonconformists principles Specially opposed vnto Dr. Ames, his Fresh suit against humane ceremonies, in the point of separation only. Also Dr. Laiton, Mr. Dayrel, and Mr. Bradshaw, are here answered, wherein they have written against us. With a table in the later end, of the principal occurrents in this treatise. By Iohn Canne, pastor of the ancient English church, in Amsterdam.	Canne, John, d. 1667?	1634 (1634)	STC 4574; ESTC S117015	174,263	303

the grossest offence that is vntill the offender have said as much for himselfe as he possibly is able For it is an evident Character of a corrupt Ecclesiasticall Government where the parties convented may not have full liberties to speake for themselves considering that the more liberty is granted to speake in a bad cause especially before those that are in authority and of judgement the more the iniquitie of it will appeare and the more the justice of their sentence will shine Again excommunicatiō must not be used but as the last and desperate remedie even as a chirurgiō tryeth all gentle meanes before launcing searing or cutting off Indeed if the cause be great weighty and necessarie then it may not be omitted Reasons First for the glorie of God that it may appeare his house to be no cage of vncl●ane birds no stye of swine no den of theeves no stewes or brothelhouse but the holy citty the seat throne of justice the temple of the liveing God where the chast virgin worshippeth where no Cananite may be suffered 2. That the worship and service of God may be kept and preserved from pollution contempt and prophanation 3. For the good of the sinner himselfe that he may see his fault be ashamed thereof and reconcile himselfe first to God and then unto the church against whome he offended and so be saved in the day of the Lord. So long as a harlot hath freely the society of chast matrons she takes no shame of her adulterie but whē all honest women reject her then at last c. So a thiefe if he be suffered to converse still with true men to have his liberty in citty and country to the full he will not be ashamed of his robberies murders c. but c. It is just so in this cause If open sinners be suffered in the church and admitted to publike and private communion in the exercises of Religion certainly then though they declare their sin as Sodom and hide it not yet they will not be ashamed of it but rather thinke they have not sinned or it is so light and small as they need not make any matter thereof 4. The honour and the good name of the church is hereby preserved which would be lost if vile persons were left alone therein 5. That others may fcare for if this course be omitted it may be a meanes to embolden many to doe the like A member being thus justlie excommunicated he is not to partake in the spirituall good things which the Lord communicateth in his church as the Sacraments prayer c. yet he may be admitted to the hearing of the word because that is a means to humble him for his sinne and to bring him to repentance which is the end of all Ecclesiast Censures Moreover the rest of the faithfull must avoyd all kind of familiar conversation with him be it in eating drinking buying and selling yea in saluting and talking with him so farre as they are not bound unto him in any of the bands of civil right and society I adde this because excommunication unlooseth it not but such as are of the family or affinitic must performe all duties to such a one which such a relation hath made his due the husband to the wife and the wife to the husband the child to the father the servant to the master c. so an excommunicate Magistrate remaineth a Magistrate still and must of all Christians so be acknowledged Beside all lawfull contracts and promises must be kept and performed with him workes of mercie shewed to him if there be just and necessarie cause If the offender afterwards shall see his sin and desire to be taken againe into the communion of the Saints the church is to assent thereto willinglie yet so as the partie make publike repentance according to the proportion of the offence a verball profession of repentance sufficeth not For so the most holy institutions of God are exposed to the mockage of the wicked and the action of the church placed onely in an outward forme Therefore such evidences are required which in the judgement of charitie doe declare true and sincere repentance and which serve as probable witnesses of the thing Be it here speciallie noted that excommunication and the absolution or reconciliation of the excommunicate are actions common to the whole church and not of any private person or persons For howsoever the Elders for the peace profitt and good order of the church are to administer these ordinances yet the whole church must give their consent freely hereto In the Apostles time and after till the yeare 250. every man that was a member of the church had in the church his voyce in Ecclesiastical censures causes and determinations of the church Christ doth not say when there is cause of accusing or Censuring any tell the Bishops but tell the Church and accordinglie in the times of the Apostles and long after as the Epistles of Ciprian doe manifest they were judged by the word in an assemblie of presbyters and brethren as the incestious Corinthian which shews us that neither one man nor the Presbyters alone were judges in such causes but Church which by scriptures either cleared or censured any person accused as by the word of God he appeared either guiltie or not guiltie c. Many reasons are yeelded by the Nonconformists to prove this thing and all objections made against it soundlie answered and the testimonies of the Learned alleaged for it as the reader may see largely in their bookes named in the margent The like they speake touching the admission of any member into the communion of the church that person which is to be joyned ought publikely to com before the face of the congregation and there to be examined of his fayth knowledge c. and beeing found meet by the general consent of the people he is joyfullie received But of this more hereafter Moreover if the Ecclesiasticall officers shall refuse to doe their duety yet may the brethren notwithstanding performe Church actions and the same are to be esteemed good and lawfull To come vnto a conclusion this forme of Church government here described is vnchangeable ordinary best and perpetuall common to all true Churches and to which all states must be subject as well the rulers as they that are ruled yea and the preachers themselves as well as the poore within the Church and good reason for the same is not a thing indifferent as some thinke but a point of the Gospell yea of the substance thereof a matter of faith and of necessitie to salvation I mean in such an absolute degree of necessitie as is of any ordinarie outward meanes especially to every church and by consequence to every soule in it And therefore as no common wealth can florish or long endure without good lawes and sharpe execution of the same so neither can the church

but specially that it be sett on by one that hath authority therevnto So much more it is in the case of the Sacraments for to receive the same in a false ministery is to deny Gods ministery and to give the glory of it there where he hath not given it and to deprive our selves of this comfort that our hearts may say Gods solemne voyce speaketh his solemne hand offereth and giveth which is here the lively stay of our fayth By this it appeareth that the daunger is marvelous great to communicate in a false ministery a man would pull a sore punishment upon his head if he should have a hand to putt by a Princes lawfull officer whether Iudge Mayor Bayliefe c. and sett up a rebel in the roome thereof and come to him for justice He that receives in a false ministery denies Gods ministery sayth the former Author And so puts a traitor in his place and takes the holy things from the handes of a traitor which is a fearfull transgression and surely will procure extreame wrath without true and sound repentance From all that hath beene before spoken we may here frame this Argument None may heare or joyn in spirituall communion with that ministery which hath not a true vocation and calling by election approbation and ordination of that faithfull people where he is to administer But the present ministery of the ecclesiasticall assemblies of England hath not a true vocation and calling by election approbation and ordination of a faithfull people where they administer Therefore none may hear or joyne in spirituall communion with the present ministerie of the Ecclesiasticall assemblies of England Which of the propositions the Nonconformists will deny I know not but sure I am they are both Theirs Howbeit it may be they doe not so well weigh their owne principles as they should And hence it is that their practice is not strictly answereable to their profession and therefore doe give just occasion I speake it with greife unto the Prelates and their Parasites to insinuate against them hypocriticall ends in condemning so greivously the ministery worship government of the English Church and yet to partake in the knowne evills and abuses thereof But for my part I am otherwise minded then the Bishops in this thing and doe thinke that they doe of conscience condemne the state of that Church But doe not maturely consider the responsive conclusions which follow upon their principles For which cause I haue written of purpose this treatise to prove that they cannot justify their Tenets against that Church and stand members lawfully thereof Concerning their ministerie I have shewed before that by their owne confession it is false and so not to be joyned with And if I should here end the point I thinke every indifferent reader would sufficiently be satisfied But because I judge the same to be of importance to justifie a seperation from them and also that their ministers are of sundry sorts degrees therfore I will speake a little more thereof and prove further from their writings that every kind degree of their ministery is false and Antichristian According to the Prelates Canons their ministers are divided into 3. Heads or orders Namely Bishops Preists and deacons The first comprehends the superiour the other two the inferior ministers What the superior are few but know viz. Archbishops and Lordbishops against whose courses and callings whole books have beene written to manifest the same to be evill and vnlawfull I shall onely here breifly lay downe some of their passages touching both referring the reader for more full satisfaction to that which is published at large by them As for their Bishops if they be as the Nonconformists report of them surely they are not fitt for Church or common wealth for they oppose say they with tooth and nayle every thing that is good They have had their hand in all the great evils that hath befallen their Church and state never any good thing prospered that they put their hand too the King state stood never in need but they allwayes deceived thē if oppertunity serve they will make peace with their head he meanes the Pope if it be with the losse of all their heads if they continue their places And hence it is that all the professed enimies of state and Church make vse of them to effect their evill ends as David sayd of Goliahs sword there is none to that fo sayth the Pope Spaniard and Arminian for overturning of a state and making havock of a Church there is none to a Bishop give them that To the same purpose others They are the greatest and most pestilent enimies that the state hath and are likely to be the ruin thereof Take them for better who will they are no other then a remnant of Antichrists brood a viperous generatiō Caterpillers Moaths Canker wormes sonnes of that monstrous Giant the man of sinne men of bloods base fellowes murderous tyrants vsurpers time servers cages of vncleane birds vnnaturall false and bastardly governors Lordly Epicures proud Popish presumtious perfidious Prophane Paltry and pernitious Prelates open enimies to the sincere preaching of the gospell the scepter of Christs Kingdom and the glory of the Land men contented to be bawdes vnto all kind of sinnes and therefore all the professed and notorious Atheists Papists blashemers adulterers drunkards and most infamous persons in the Kingdom are with them they have further with them the counsell of Achitophel the courting of Shebna the roaring and brawling of Goliah the cruell pride and vanity of Hamon the flattery of Amaziah the falshood of Samaiah and the bloody cunning of Doeg these wax worse and worse and growe to a height of iniquity greiving at the encrease of good men and persecute nothing more then holinesse they care not for King country nor their own souls but for a Bishoprick And therefore if they can by flatteries invectives whisperings or other evill courses keepe the King and counsel so ignorant and blind as to be firme on their side they care for no more to be short the best of them in some sort are the worst because they hold vp the reputation of that vnlawfull office and make way for more wicked successours and their traditions Much more then this yea and worse too is sayd of their Bb. but I passe it over as blushing to speake it Only I here thinke of that saying in the Proverbes when the wicked beareth rule the people mourn It was just so with the Israelites when Pharaoh sett cruell tas kemaisters over them And it seemes their case is much like unto it indeed some difference there is for the Egyptian Lords onely beate the Lords people But their Prelates say they imprison and kill them also I should wonder at such horrible injuries committed in any common wealth but that the scripture sayth the Kings of the earth shall give their strenght and power

intention to honor God is not good vnlesse it be an intentiō to honour him by yeelding that obedience which he commaundeth now seeing these refuse to keepe strictly his order and ordinances they take not the right course to honour him And in this respect can have little assurance to receive glory and honour of him Therefore it is better a man never preach then doe any evil in preaching Object 3. But they hope to doe much good by staying in their places Ans 1. The least sin may not be committed if one were sure the whole world might be saved thereby 2 It is a great dishonour to God to doe any sin to a good end as though he could not provide for mens soules without sining against him and serving the devil 3. Although we invent a 1000. wayes yet we have no reason to thinke that we shall profit others but onely by those meanes and instruments which he hath appointed for his worke For with those his blessing is joyned but if we passe the bounds sett by God himselfe and institute of our own head meanes and instruments to doe good by not onely may we feare the want of his blessing but the fearefull exspectation both of temporall and eternall judgments Object 4. But the people doe much desire that they would retaine their office Ans Beit so yet seeing God commaunds them to leave it they ought to obey him rather then men If one had borne armes a while against his prince yet should he doe wel to lay them downe though his father mother and a thousand more should counsel him to the contrarie I leave the application of it to others It was worthily answered by Gideon when the Kingdome with the Alteration of the Government which God had sett over his people was presented vnto him I will not rule over you c. The Lord shall rule over you to weet according to such order as he hath appointed Such a holy answere should they give the people We will not stand over you by an Antichristian authority but exhort you to forsake the false wayes of the world and to make a covenant with God that so Christs Iesus may raigne as King Preist and Prophet over you 2. Let it be considered that every one shall beare his owne barden Though Adam took the womās counsel she the devils to sin against God yet they both in their owne persons caried the just punishment thereof 3. The people vnderstand not so generally the vnlawfullnes of their ministerie as the others doe for if they did I thinke they would as much perswade them yea more to leave it by repentance then they ever vrged them to retaine the same Object 5. many of them have good gifts great learning and able to preach the word profitably therefore in this respect they may be true ministers Answ 1. Be a man never so godly never so learned indued with never so many lively faculties of the ministery yet he is no minister indeed vnlesse he have the ordinance of God vpon him by a true outward calling He which vnderstands wel the office of a justice and could sufficiently execute the place yet is he not a lawfull justice of peace except he be rightly called thervnto even so c. 2. If gifts onely make men ministers then many of the Popish Preists are true Pastors For they as the Nonconformists acknowledge have great learning and gifts very great knowledge and skill in the arts and in languages are of excellent vtterance exp●rt and ready in holy Scriptures can speake and write truely agreeing with the Scriptures of sundry of the se●rets of the Kingdome of heaven as of God his nature persons attributes of Christ Iesus his incarnation his birth life preachings sufferings coming to judgment of the resurrection of the life to come with many other of this kind The like may be said of many Lawyers Phisitians c. These by the former reason are ministers also Object 6. many are converted by their doctrine therefore it seemes they are true ministers Answ 1. men in no office may and often doe turne their neighbours from much euill If this be not so to what purpose should privat persons exhort instruct and reprove any vpon any occasiō whatsoever 2. Good Prophets have seene little fruit to follow their labour Therefore if this had argued a true note of their calling they might have been judged false 3. If fruit be a signe of a true minister Then are many of the Bishops in England and Rome too true ministers For without doubt some of both have been instruments vnder God of mens conversion 4. It hath been the manner alwayes of wise and learned men to esteeme of things by the causes and not by the event and that specially in matters of Religion for if they should be esteemed of the event who would not commend the midwives lying vnto Pharoah for much good followed amongst the Israelites But what if the Lord give his blessing vnto his word is it to be thought therfore that he liketh wel of a false calling nothing lesse but rather a man might reason thus for as much as those which preach in an vnlawfull office doe somtime edifie their hearers surely then such would doe much more good if they stood in a right and true calling 5. To convert is not the most proper worke of a Pastor but to feed Christ sheepe with sound and wholesome doctrine and therefore if it should come to passe that he never converted any yet his ministery neverthelesse would still be true and lawfull Object 7. Many worthy men did never leave their ministerie in England and yet dyed comfortablie Ans 1. Without doubt they never saw fully the vnlawfullnesse of it 2. Men must doe as they are further inlightened and guided by the spirit of God who from step to step leads his people 3. Many of the fathers vnder the law had many wives at once the which thing if any now should practice he could not exspect the mercy which they obtained because they did it ignorantly 4. No mans ●xamplie must be further followed then the same agrees with the Scripture for where David Peter c. doe differ from the truth therein we ought to differ from them 5. Had they duly considered the conclusions of their owne grounds layd downe against the abuses of their Church I am perswaded they would have changed their course Object 8. But many have their gifts tried by some godly ministers and so have their consent and allowance and this gives them they thinke the true substance of a true calling Ans 1. These must consider that it is against rule to make that which is in question the ground of the thing in dispute For we doe deny that those here intimated are true ministers and therefore their consent and allowance is nothing to make the thing warrantable 2. If they were ministers yet is their officiall power confined

within the freedom of their owne church and so have no authority delegated to them from Christ to give the substance of the ministers calling to another people For to doe thus were to be like unto the Pope and Prelates the which practice in them they doe abhorre 3. It is a fearefull mocking of God and a high prophanation of his ordinance When men will take a holy worke in hand pretend they doe it and yet doe nothing touching the true substance thereof A man which hath but a little path to keepe and great sea lying on both sides of him would surely be drowned if he should turne out of his way but a little either to the one hand or other the like may be said of Gods pathes and institutions if a man keepe not full in the way doe not every thing according to the patterne It is all one whether turning on the left hand he embrace the idolatry of the Bishops or turning on the other hand follow the new devises of mens foolish braines for utter destruction certainly followes them both Now for conclusion if these lines by Gods providence shall come to any of your hands which stand at this present ministers in the church of England my desire truly is that you will be pleased ingeniously to consider the things here written and specially how the Nonconformists such as you cannot but much reverence and love for their learning and graces have by invincible reasons and arguments proved clearely your offices to be false vnlawfull Antichristian Now if you cannot justifie your standing before men ah how doe ye think that ye shall be able to stand comfortably before the holy God if you stand longer therein The Lord give you eyes to see how exceedingly you have broken the sacred order of the Gospell and hearts tender against every sinne that the evill may be put away And thinke not scorne I pray you to take any fruitfull counsell of me but harken to the Lord that it may goe well with you And looke as the men which had maried them wives of the Heathen did put them quite away at Nehemiahs commaund Even so seeing you have taken upon you a strange ministery put it away at Gods commaund and doe not continue one houre in it If you say what shall we doe for the hundred talents how shall we our wives and children be releeved if we leave our benefices our stipends freinds benefactors I answer you as the man of God did Amasiah the Lord is able to give you more then this Christ sayth as you know well he that will forsake father and mother house and land for his name sake shall receive a hundred fould in this world beside the possession of life and glory hereafter Truly there is a great reward in this promise me thinks you should value it to be much more worth then all the personages vicarages Lecture-profitts c. in England Mind well therefore good freinds what a large offer the Lord makes tobuy ●ou out of your vnsanctifyed places whereas he might cast you forth headlong and inflict upon you many visible and sencible punishments as he did on Corah vzziah vzza c. for their usurpation and intrusion But he offers you a hundredfould profitt which is a great matter indeed and therefore ye are alltogether unwise if ye doe refuse it I may say to you as David to the men of Iudah Why are ye the last to bring home the King Surely ye are too flow in helping forward Christ to his Kingdom You doe indeed complaine that the office of Christ as he is King is no wise acknowledged vnder the jurifdiction of your Bishops in many places of the Land But are not you in part the cause thereof in walking hand in hand with the rebellious Prelates to support that divised ministery which they have received from the Pope and doe thrust upon the people Thinke therefore oh what a blow it would give to Antichrists Kingdome and how it would even shake and overthrow the very foundation of his house if such as you would breake the bonds of iniquitie draw your necks out from the Bishops yoke and bring your learning and other good gifts as the people did the Lords Vessells which had beene a long time kept in Babilon to the building and beautifying of Sion This would make your faces to shine and make your names to florish in all ages after as those doe in our generation which according to that light received did powre out their vtals upon the seat of the beast to the great discovering of his lies and beastly vanities Ye know that some who were sometime cheif among you have layd downe their ministery as unlawfull For it beeing a dependent office of the Hierarchie they found it by scripture unwarrantably to be used for the edifying of the body of Christ If you have these for an example you shall doe wel otherwise if either for cafe profit credit liberty or other worldly respects you retaine still this ●iverie of Antichrist and Popes creature you will loose that honour and reward which the other if they make straight pathes for their feet shall vndoubtedly obtaine notwithstanding as Mordecay sayd to Esther enlargement and deliverance shall arise to the Iewes from another place For God surely will fulfil his word in abolishing vtterly that great scarlet whoore and all the accursed offices and ministeries which she hath devised in spight of all humane policie and power to the contrarie and establish one day his owne ordinances more largely and perfectly to the singular joy and comfort of all true beleevers both Iewes and Gentiles Moreover let it be considered whether those ministers which have taken orders and offices of the Prelats and stand by their power and authoritie are not in this transgressors against the King and the Lawes Yea and might be legally executed for treason and felony if the King and state were not pleased to interpret the statute contrary to the very letter form and truth of the same The words of the statute Eliz. 27. 2. are these It shall not be lawfull for any Seminary Preis● or other Preist or Ecclestastic all person whatsoever made or ordained without or within any of her Majesties dominions by any authoritie derived chalenged or pretended from the sea of Rome by or of what name title or degree soever the same shall be called or knowne to be or remaine in any part of her highnesse dominions And every person so offending shall be judged a traitor shall suffer as in case of high treason And every person which shall wittingly and willingly receive releive comfort and or maintaine any such Preist or Ecclesiasticall person shall be judged a felon without benefit of Clergie and suffer death loose and forfeit as in case of felony CHAP. II. IN this Chapter we will speake of the outward worship vsed in the assemblies of England the summe whereof as the