ascension Christ had a true Church before Deacons were thought of Put case Bishops did no hurt this way yet they impose oathes upon good men to accuse themselves say they which is against the law of nature justice and religion Certainely nature is for the preservation of the whole body and head and so is justice and religion too If therefore such oathes are for the maintenance of the head and body in publicke peace and tranquility why they may not stand with nature justice and religion I cannot see If one man bee intrusted with another mans goods which perish and he pretend that it be dead or stolne then saith the law an oath of the Lord shall bee betweene them and the loser shal accept it or the wronger shal make restitution What is heere but an imposing an oath upon a man to accuse or excuse himselfe If a man trespassed against his neighbour an oath was to be layed upon him to cause him to sweare before the altar in Gods house yea and if any person were concealed from the King he tooke an oath of the kingdome and nation that they found him not as Obadiah saith to Elijah what is heere againe but an oath imposed to excuse or to accuse a mans selfe And what doe our Bishops more then thus If Iacob bound Esau by an oath to secure that which he had bought of him If Salomon bound Shimeâ— by an oath to his confinement in Ierusalem because hee knew hee had a wicked heart against governement from his grievous curse against David to secure his peace why may not our Bishops having law in their hand secure the rights of the Church and peace of the state by the like oath also How is it possible that the Church and state can ever live securely when false brethren come in privily to bring us into bondage when they creep into houses and lead captive simple women when certaine men creep in unawares whose words eate as doth a canker being closely conveyed and having secret operations upon weake spirits I say how is it possible to bee safe from thâ—se but by the oath of God to make them manifest Aâ— when treason is detected suspected presumed or fained I hope no man thinke it unfit that the king who is worth tenne thousand of us should be secured by an oath though it bee to the losse of thousands of lives so nor I thinke can they judge it unfit that the Church the spouse of Christ should be secured of her rights and peace by an oath though thousands doe suffer in goods and liberty by it But say they if Bishops may be excused in former things yet can they not in the base usage of the censure of excommunication I am yet glad that they doe so highly account of it for it is a fearefull censure indeed when men by it are separated from publike Communion and fellowship with Christ in his ordinances of salvation and so bound and held under the guilt of sinne Too many doe too highly esteeme it and because some zealous men in former times have called the Excommunication of the Pope and his clergy when it was whetted against grace and the true worship of God a woodden dagger therefore they think that they may doe the like against ours Why not say the Brownists seeing the Bishops doe ingrosse it to themselves when it is a common power to the whole Church They doe use it no otherwise than Paul who while hee kept that key in his owne hands by his owne spirit and authority cast out the incestuous person as I have said before Nay they doe not ingrosse it to themselves for they doe denounce it according to Canons and rules which are made in Synods and convocations of Bishops and Presbyters gathered by the authority of their Princes But say they they are decreed by Chancellors Commissaries and Officials By them indeed as servants to the Lawes and Canons of the Church under their jurisdiction for execution For the censures are not referred to them or any but according to Lawes and Constitutions which they are sworn to execute justly and impartially I thinke that they cannot blame this service of theirs if they consider the originall First Bishops judged ecclesiasticall causes in person under which burthen they groaned and the Church was deprived of other comforts Then when causes increased by the increase of the Church and all ordinary cases were ruled by the canons of Counsels there was lesse need of Bishops presence And when matters of Tythes Testamentary and Matrimoniall by the favour of Princes were referred to Ecclesiasticall cognisance then such assistants were ordained as by such study and industry were usefull to serve the Church under Bishops and what hurt is here Sweet servants indeed say they who having this spirituall Sword in their hands doe thus abuse it Doe we not see indulgences and pardons by their absolutions and suspensions of processes flye abroad for money in their commutations and purse penances As for Indulgences they are of two sorts Papall and Evangelicall the Pope grants them out of Papall authority by way of mitigation of these satisfactions we owe to God these we abhorre and disclaime as impious But in our Church they are granted upon repentance and promise of amendment by way of mitigation of that satisfaction wee owe to men offended by us Of these Paul doth speake sufficient to such a man is this punishment yee ought to forgive him lest he be swallowed up with too much sorrow And if this be not regulated aright the fault is in persons not in this good order It is true that this is granted when offenders doe but say to them I am sorry I repent I will doe it no more which though it be not enough to take off the merit of sinne before God yet is it enough to take off the censure of excommunication For this is a sure rule that that which is enough to constitute an outward member of the visible Church is enough to admit a wounded member into the outward priviledges of it And for purse penances and commutations of which you speake let it be considered that it hath some ground in the Word of God For if there may bee a commutation by the purse for murther as ye may see in the law of the owners Oxe killing a man as I have said why not for lesse matters when it is well regulated Yea but say they doe we not see more abominations yet Is not power by their dispensing of Excommunications taken from Churches to remove scandals and purge out wicked livers to the annoyance of the Kingdome of Christ Put case wee had not power to remove scandals must they therefore separate If they abstained from the approbation of sinne and labored to supply the defect of this power by holinesse of life might they not thus judge the world
kept back none of thy counsell I have not strengthened the hands of wickednesse I have loved the godly as such though I have hated their indiscretions as well as my owne J have been kinde and courteous to those that have ill rewarded me Onely this is the truth J have loved the Church of God amongst us and the whole governement ecclesiasticall and temporall If any thing have appeared harsh I have excused it aâ— I was bound I have not indured to heare publike scandalls to bee layed upon them I have opposed gainesayers with earnestnesse of spirit others will say like a man but J will say and J am sure like a minister This hath fallen upon darke melancholick high lookt and sowre natures and so hath suffered a disgust Some have beene sowred but sweetned againe with the trade of the good word of God and the practise of affability Some have beene estranged till this contracted folly hath beene digested Some have complayned of chiding when my nature can chide nothing but sinne and disorder and some have hardned themselves in error and schisme To crosse me I feare and my tenets for the Church they have revenged upon themselves What these few will gaine in the issue I doe not know This I doubt that they will repent if greatnesse of stomack will let them looke backe againe when it is too late But for you my good people in whose hearts God hath writ mee by the preaching of Christ and his truth ye have not so runne in vaine Ye will not be deluded with their pretences and sweet words Yee have heard formerly from me all these grounds and oppositions of Brownisme which here J present unto you and here have J thus addressed them for you that they may keepe you from that snare of simple ones and that they may ever lie by you when J am dead and with my Christ to keepe you upright in the waies of our blessed Church I know that some of you beare a deare and tender affection to these few seduced ones though now they will not heare you Ye have lived in the same Church together like friends ye have delighted in the same word of God prayer and sacraments yee have sweetly comforted one another in the private communion of Saints and ye see that still they seeme to live unblameable lives towards men and that they pretend to delight still in the word of Christ which is the onely rule of salvation These things will give great advantage to them to worke upon you and to you to keepe intimate familiarity with them But in the feare of God I beseech you take heede weigh well what in this discourse J say and God give you understanding in all things Jt is no small charge to unchurch a church to unminister a ministery and to unworship a worship They must be sure of their hands that they can and will answer it to Christ with confidence when they have done it To doe it with a trembling heart is to doe it against conscience To doe it with full assurance of understanding is to doe it with sure warrants and precepts of Christ If they have such against our Church I am sure we shall finde them if not let them goe if they will but follow not them in the breach To keepe you out of it I have done as J doe and to gaine them too if they will not bee resolved without grounds J am sure they shall have no iust cause to except against my dealing with them They may except against me as an English Priest and Bishops creature as I heare but shall never against my course with them I have dealt with them with matter more then with words and because they pretend to two things to the scriptures and to conscience and I know a third thing in them weakenesse Therefore have J dealt with them accordingly J have compared scripture with scripture to finde out the truth but cannot finde theirs I have dealt conscionably with them in fighting with that onely weapon against them of their owne choosing the word of Christ And because they are weake I have not shewed my selfe a man in giving them any bitter language or exasperating termes As the barking of one dogge begets the barking of another though it bee against the Moone so is it with high words and therefore it were glorious and above a man if it were layed downe on all sides and partakings But as the waves of the sea when they meete not with a rocke but with the sands they returne backe-againe with a watery flash so have J done by them that all our matters may be done in love Indeede I have taken their affected name out of their mouthes separatists and given their right one unto them Brownists and this J have done out of conscience I finde by experience that the word Separation doth winne to their cause For when people of strong affections and weaker Iudgements doe reade of the necessity of separation in the scriptures and can not discerne how we have made separation from heathenisme and when we have beene thrust out of Rome because wee were unwilling to bee so bad as shee have maintayned our just standing from her in a divided way they have beene willing to hearken to a separating plott Therefore Browne being the leader amongst us to this breach if now time hath not made it worse then he intended it J can not nickname but inconscience call the childe after the fathers name Jt was Christs course ye are of your father the Devill his children ye are and so must I. Jt is true also that afterwards yee may finde some opinions gone against that are held by some that keepe Communion with our Church as of a true Church But I am sure they are the Brownists opinions also to whom I speake All that I can say therefore for that is this Jt may bee that some of you know or have heard of that Noble Moralizers fable of Amphiolus who when hee was in all his military accoutraments to give combate as hee thought to Argalus a Knight of the Sunne This mans wife dressed her selfe in her husbands armour and gave her husbands enemy meeting Amphiolus encounters valiantly gave a wound in the necke closeth overthrowes and gives a mortall wound in the body But when hee opened the armour viewes his Conquest and saw it was faire Parthenia Argalus his wife he could have no comfort of the day it became not a man so to ruine a woman Such is my case heere J say as a father of old I dare not write against a Bishop of my communion the love of brotherly peace is glorious in the Church even among men that otherwise differ in opinion But if they put on the armes of an enemy because they will bee so with whom I fight for truth I cannot helpe it if they meete with a blow though I glory not in it yea am sorry that there should be any such cause I
by authority iâ— the face of the Church who of conscience ought to consent and beare witnesse to the doome First the act of an Apostle Deliver such an one unto Satan it may be that he might have power over his body to torment him as appeares in the Stories of Ananias Sapphira Elimas Alexander Secondly the act of a Bishop put away from amongst you that wicked person that being suspended from the preservatives of his soule in the visible communion of Saints he might have a way to bring him to godly sorrow And thirdly the act of every godly Pastour to mourne that if any be called a brother and bee a fornicator or covetous or an Idolater or a rayler or a drunkard or an extortioner with such an one eate not that is be so farre from countenancing of him in his sinne that yee take him not into unnecessary familiarity Now how from hence can be picked a popular government of the Church God knoweth I cannot yet reach But yet say the Brownists you may reach thus much to confound you that if Paul would not have you eate with such wicked brothers much lesse would he have you to receive the Sacrament with them for he hath more care of his owne supper than of ours This is certaine that God hath a greater care of his own Supper than of ours and therefore though he be willing that all should come both good and bad yet if they come and stay bad and hee come to try them they shall bee bound hand and foot and cast into hell It is certaine also that wee must have a great care of the Supper of the Lord as we can in our places private persons by private communion of Saints Presbyters by publike preaching by Word and Doctrine and by private exhortations as they can and Church-Officers by presentments and punishments fit But it doth not therefore follow because wee may not eate with them that is converse familiarly and unnecessarily with them that therefor we may not eate the Lords Supper with the Saints because wicked persons are there Their wickednesse we countenance when we keepe company with them our goodnes they countenance when they come into publike communion with us we have no need of their eating with us they shew their need of their eating with us in the Sacrament when we have no power to keepe them backe Yet say they still wee have power to keepe them backe for Paul speaking of the incestuous person saith sufficient to such a man is this punishment which was inflicted of many therefore the whole Church had power and used it against him It is true it was inflicted by many assessors and conseÌ„ters to his doom but not as prime executors of that doome The Apostle saith that the Saints shall judge the world by way of life witnesse consent and approbation yet is it not Christ that is the Judge of wicked and good So though this punishment was inflicted upon him by many by way of consent and approbation yet was it primely inflicted by Paul and his authority in those that declared it Thus have I satisfied my selfe if not others in this point concerning the power of governement which lies not in all the congregation for execution and prime officiating but in the chiefe governours who beare the place of Paul and the other Apostles SECT 13. Brownists exceptions against the persons governing in our Church and against the exercise of their governement PVt case that the power of governement were not in every particular congregation yet our governours are not to bee allowed yea to be banished the church say they They are farre from the sweete moderate spirit of Melancthon one of the blessed reformers who so the Pope of Rome himselfe would have admitted of the Gospel of Christ in truth would have permitted his superiority over Bishops by humane right for the peace and common tranquility of christians under him But nothing will serve these people but the damnation of the Pope and the shame and confusion of all Bishops one and the other And there are three things principally in them at which they except and against which they stumble 1 Their name 2 Their degree 3 Their jurisdiction Why say they should they appropriate to themselvs this name of Bishops which belongs to all other Pastours as well as to them There is good cause for there are two sorts of Bishops first ordinary Bishops such as were all the Elders of Ephesus These must not bee blinde watch-men for if they see not they cannot oversee They must not sleepe and bee secure they must have a great care to keepe safe those that are committed to them that the enemy come not and sowe tares Secondly there are extraordinary Bishops such as have precedence jurisdiction not onely over the flock but over the elders and presbyters which are called Angels such were Timothy and Titus the first ordained Bishops of the churches of Ephesus and Creta as appeares in the postscript of those epistles Which though haply they are no part of the canonicall scriptures yet are they authenticall records of matters of fact to help our understandings in the needfull stories of thâ—se times without which we may think amisse From these they justly assume those names which have beene given to men of their order ever since the Apostles dayes But put case they could not make such aclaime if there be the office shall we quarrell about the names The first man that ever found fault with the name would fame have been a Bishop himselfe but when he found himselfe crossed he comforted himself with this that yet as he was a Presbyter he was equall with them But let no good Christians be unquiet for names if there may bee an agreement in things named The Apostles were called Deacons in Gods language yea and Christ himselfe who came to that end Christ is called the Arch-bishop and the Apostle of our soules The Apostles are called Elders and Elders were called Apostles and Bishops are called Angels What matters it then for names if wee can agree in other things But say they wee doe not agree in other things for these Bishops are in a degree above Presbyters and so there is an unequall ministery in the Church of Christ which should not bee Now surely they have had this from the Apostles dayes yea the scripture mentioneth a superiority in the ministery of the Church first Apostles secondarily prophets thirdly teachers And this is a sure rule that such a ministery as is most like the ministerie ordained by Christ it not being denyed unto us expressely or by consequent and another commanded may be lawfully maintained by us as Christs ministery But such is an unequall ministery in degree as Prophets Apostles Evangelists Pastours and Doctours one above another in larger authority gifts for those that were called
servant therefore neither the Apostles nor their successors must as Lords rule over the flocke of Christ or over one another Stay heere Christ affoords no such conclusion Hee is pleased to oppose not Kings and Bishops which are in excellent subordination either to other but Gentiles and Christians and he doth not abolish magistracy from Christianity for then his Apostles were ill schollars who taught that higher powers are ordained of God and that they must be obeyed by all under them neither would he abolish an inequality of ministery in the Church for hee himselfe I hope had superiority over his disciples ye cal me master and Lord and ye say well for so I am yea and hee himselfe made first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly teachers which implies an order degree and subordination either to other neither doth hee heere forbid that his disciples should bee utterly excluded from dealing in any matter of right in the Common wealth for then they could easily have replied Lord wee desire not to meddle in secular affaires but to have superiority over one another in the Church But hee labours to prevent the wicked customes of heathen kings in Christian Common-wealthes and Churches that is their ruling by their owne lusts and wills and their ruling for their owne ends without respect to the peoples goods This is to play the Lords to domineere over the people as if they were their vassals and themselves had all Lordship paramount that could bee imagined Now can any man not soaked in malice or prejudice say that our Bishops rule thus like heathens with force and crueltie when they governe according to the lawes and Canons of Church and Common-wealth Is not this to rule with the consent of the people in the lawes of the Common-wealth and with the consent of the presbyterie in the Canons of the Church Yea but now for the exercise of this governement of the Church it is say the Brownists fearefully abused by the Bishops in three particulars 1 In shouldering out such officers in the Church as Christ hath ordained 2 In imposing oathes upon good men to accuse themselves 3 And in base usage of the high censure of excommunication Put case all these were true were this a sufficient cause of separation was Christ no master when his purse-bearer betrayed him and the rest of his servants runne away from him Is his â—eamelesse coate to bee rent in sunder because some of those about him have cast some spots upon it Because they may if they will accuse themselves will they therefore accuse Christ as if his bounty in our Church were not worth the injoyment Because one thing is not well used in the punishment of vice shall all things be neglected and spuâ—ned at that are amongst us for the maintenance of vertue yea shall the holy spirit of God assistant in the meanes of salvation amongst us be belyed as if all the grace they have gotten amongst us were no grace till they had discarded us as some of them doe But let us take a viewe of the particulars and see whether it be so or no and how far First they say that Bishops justle out Christs officers out of the Church And who are these They tell us first of Elders lay governing Elders who should have power in the censures of the church and all matters of order Indeed they had wont to tell us of these much But since Master Smith once of their Church hath pulled downe that tottering wall by proving that there can bee but one sort of Elders proved from the scripture that is Pastours whose governing duty is to feede the flocke of God and that the Apostle to Timothy doth not import a distribution of officers but commendation of severall workes in one office teaching that Elders are to be honoured for two workes well-ruling and laborious teaching as he proves by severall texts compared And since they weigh that a true Church may stand without them because otherwise the first Church of Christians from the death of Christ till these supposed Elders are ordained were not a true Church And especially since they have brought in their new parish discipline whereby all power of governement is in the whole congregation they are not backeward to confesse that a true Church may be without them and that they doe not much stand upon that exception against us as once a Pastour of that Church confessed to mee Therefore neede not I use more words about that But yet they claime their Doctours and Deacons which they say the Bishops have banished out of the Church Indeed wee reade of Doctors to teach the word of God and if in every congregation if maintenance were answerable there were one in whom were the word of knowledge and another in whom were the word of wisdome if these gifts meete not in one man wee would not mislike it But that this must be so as a distinct office and officer in the church this we deny For teaching and preaching may meete in the same officer whether Pastour of charge or Doctour of the chaire Christ went about teaching and preaching the Gospel Paul and Barnabas continued teaching and preaching Timothy must teach and preach And these the Apostle doth not make severall offices he disjoines them not but couples them together Pastors and teachers to signifie that though they bee divers gifts yet they may be and are often coupled in one man And for Deacons which is a name given to ministers and to Christ himselfe wee reade indeed of certaine men not called Deacons there whose worke was to minister to the necessity of the saints that the Apostles be not driven to leave the word of God and serve tables but have not we such who take care for the poore that the worke of the Lord by us be not hindred Are not our Church-wardens and overseers the same for substance of office if they would be also alwaies the same for conscience But say they wee have not the Deacons of Christ I am sure we have Deacons for the assistance of the worke of the ministery who serve it for a better degree if they perofrme it wisely But that Deacons should be such brethren who doe alwaies attend the businesse of the poore and not belong to ministeriall order is without ground mark their qualification which needed not for such a worke men full of the holy Ghost mark their ordination which was with imposition of hands a ceremony ministerial marke their practise Stephen preached and Philip preached and baptized too marke their description they must be proved and found fit and if they performe their office well they shall purchase to themselves a good degree to ascend higher to be Presbyters yea and to be Bishops also And are not our Deacons such were they not yet can wee not bee denied to be a true Church seeing after the
and continue in our fellowship with glorious comfort Put case we had no power to purge wicked livers must they presently say Depart from me I am holier than thou They should beare onely their owne burthens in sinne and one anothers burthen by compassion toleration charity and meeknesse By rash separation the correction of the wicked is not furthered but hindred for when they see themselves contemned they are put further from the Kingdome of Heaven and made sevenfold the child of Hell more to the hazzard of all But the truth is we have excellent power for both these workes Though not in all the members of every particular congregation as they meane for then no man could perish in the gaine-saying of Core whose mutiny was because he could not be equall to Aaron whom God appointed his superiour yet have wee it in every Diocesse where lawes are made not by one but many for the ruling of all under them And if persons were not sometimes in fault more then offices who yet seeme worse through the impetuous carriages of those that speake evill of governement and thinke it as easie to rule multitudes as a few in a Parlour wee might be easily as happy in our power as all the Churches under Heaven Then I pray tell me say they the reason of two things why ungodly men are not cast out and why your excommunication is thundred against good men meaning Solution 1 themselves The reason of the first is because good Canons are not observed Were Bishops never so good and their officers never so carefull under them yet if Church-wardens that should upon the oath of God present scandals thinke thus I shall be accounted a troubler of my neighbours our presentments come to nothing but to make the court rich to present the poore brings but charge to the parish meaning his owne purse no man can observe all the Canons or it is better to punish them before the civill magistrate out of prejudice to courts of spirituall judicature then is it impossible be the governement never so good that wicked men should bee cast out But if Church-wardens be as the house of Cloe to Paul to give true information and to open the eyes of the not-seeing judge they shall soone heere as of that incestuous person Cast them out But the truth is this question neede not be moved by them seeing they see more cast out in our Churches then in the Churches of Corinth whereof choise of wicked members we heare onely of excommunicating onely one beast To the second quaere I answere because it Solution 2 may fall out so in all the societies in the world that a good man may not be a good citizen nor a good member of a visible Church If then they are cast out it is not for goodnesse but because they are not good enough There is a double goodnesse a certaine goodnesse and a controversal goodnesse which is so judged of some good men but not so of others as good as they No good man is cast out by us for certaine goodnesse but for controversal which ends in stirres and tumults and then I would they were cut off that trouble you saith Paul Againe there is a double goodnesse in the thing it selfe and in the carriage of it as Iobs cause was good yet he carried it badly and therefore before God received him to his favour he was driven to abhorre himselfe and repent in dust and ashes No man by us is cast out for any good thing but for his undiscreet and bad carriage of it A man doth not onely love the meate but the dressing of it so doth God the manner as well as the matter and so doth the Church If therefore the carriage of goodnesse end in faction and turbulency the actours happly may bee justly cast out for a time to make them more humbly wise Yea but say they such good men as were persecuted for our consciences by the Bishops and their instruments with their curses and prisons when wicked men are spared It may fall out so justly in three cases when wicked men confesse their faults and they deny them when there is publicke cognisance by a cleare and open law against their faults and not against the other And thirdly when one disturbs the publike peace of the church more then the other For as it is well said in a Common-wealth some smaller offence hath heavier punishment as breaking open a poore Cottage where no goods are lost or person hurt then the stealing of some cattell which haply are more worth because the publike tranquility and peace of subjects is more hurt so also is it justly in the Church when publike peace is in hazard But is the sinne of separation so great that it should be punished more then blasphemy perjury whoring drunkennesse say they All these and other sinnes are detestable and by all lawes fall under great censures and finde not the spirit of meeknesse but the rod when the sleepy consciences of Officers will present them in due course of Law Yet the sinne of separation is very great It makes men throw durt in their mothers face and defile their fathers and brethren It stands and pleads it own justification in despight of government whereas the other are selfe condemned wretches It sowreth many quickly under shew of holinesse whereas the other are abhorred by a naturall conscience It begets divisions which breed thoughts of heart and proud contentions whereas none will contend in defence of the other yea it shakes the hearts of men in Religion making them to doubt whether any Religion be good For while they see these that are reputed good men to be so divided the adversary triumphs the scoffer mockes but the serious Christian that knowes he must have a Religion to bring him to heaven knowes not which way to take His body is in one Church his soule in another his opinion in neither but as the wind of affection and the tide of well pleasing persons carry him whereas the other move him not one fooâ— in Religion For Religion gives holy and good principles If they be not sucked into make men better it is not because Religion is naught but because those that professe it are too bad as they will know in the day of our Lord Iesus Weigh but this throughly and you will not blame Bishops for the punishment of the vaine sinne of separation But put case say they that they did well in all their former use of excommunication yet when they make it base and vile in excommunicating for triviall and unworthy causes as fees and small portions of money to be paid by them that are not able to pay in this they sinne against the Kingdome of Christ Indeed if it be so through Bishops faults now verily there is a fault I know no Bishop in our Church but would willingly redresse it If