to the Donatist hereof writeth thus Ipse Dominus c. To the seruants willing to gather the tares the Lord hiâ—selfe saith Suffer yee both to grow vntill the haruest The cause hee premiseth saying Least peraduenture while ye would collect the tares together with the same ye pull vp the wheat Wherein he sufficiently sheweth when such cause of feare is not but a certaine safetie altogither of the graine with certaine stabilitie abideth that is when as euery such one his crime is knowne to all and to all appeaereth execrable insomuch as it hath no one or not such defenders through whom a Schisme may fall out then Non dormiat seueritas disciplinae Let not disciplines seueritie sleepe Then this may well be done without spot of peace and vnitie as also without detriment to the wheate c. Wherein he concludeth a practise of disciplines seueritie when Churches peace and vnitie may be preserued but otherwise not Nor is this permission a stranger in scripture no more then the practise of excommunication For as in 1. Cor. 5. the Apostle Paul vrgeth a putting out so the Apostle Iohn Diotrephes the affector of preeminence a pratler a busie bodie and one that would neither himselfe harbour such as came from the Apostle nor yet suffer others The Apostle promiseth if hee come to lay him out in his colours intending thereby no doubt to prepare a way for his casting out but meane time hee permits him inasmuch as he bids them not deliuer him to Satan Such tares were the factious teachers in Galatia Churches ioyning Circumcision and Baptisme together c. whom the Apostle in those wordes Would to God they were cut off doth secretly permit in that he dare not as in another case giue it in command And when to the Corinthes he writes I feare when I come againe my God abase me among you and I shall bewaile many of them which haue sinned ALREADIE haue not repented of their vncleannes and fornication wantoâ—nes which they haue committed here the Apostle not wishing the Corinthes to deliuer such to Satan as in 1. Cor. 5. he willeth the incestuous to be giuen vp for whose behoofe no one with face could stand but plainly seeing yet after a sort halfe winking at those notable euils he giueth notice as Augustine also hence vrgeth that it was because of their tarish clasping condition And for no loue to the tares but for loue of Church and Common-wealthes peace it was that Dauid permitted Shimei of Beniamins quarrelling tribe fauourite to Saul as also suffered bloody Ioab to liue all his dayes for that otherwise he might haue brought all the souldiers on his necke for auenging the death of their worthy Generall Now if a Tares condition be considered can any other conclusion be vrged for it is not as many weeds who may be seuered without daunger but as it growes vnder the leaues of wheat vnseene like an hypocrite at first so it 〈◊〉 after bewraies it selfe by the fruit but then so clasping the wâ—eat by running about it as it cannot be pulled vp thâ—n but 〈◊〉 â—resent danger to the wheat And such varietie of â—aladies â—â—â—etimes fall in mans bodie whereof some may be purged â—â—d some limmes cut off without the liues destruction but some of such nature and in such pâ—rts as they cannot be remoued but with depriâ—ation of life And for this cause namely for preseruation of life and auoiding some great euil ensuing we oftentimes permit that we like not Nor is he fit to gouerne a family much lesse a Church that walketh not by this rule consideration If any now demand what if Diotrephes repent or for want of repentance he be by Iohn in after time cast out is such a one yet a Tare Two answers are hereto framed The first is yea as Simon was surnamed Leper because once a Leper so may such a one be called a Tare because once a Tare The second answer I giue thus if either of the former things fal out he may be said to haue stood for the former clasping season as a tare but now he bewraies himself not to be such EueÌ„ as the incestuous person was deliuered vp to Satan for leauen a seruant to Satan who after proued a man of true spirit holines The Parable as other Parables it must not be stretched beyond the purpose of our Sauiour made manifest by other consent of scripture and so I haue proued Augustines collection to be found irrefragable If any reply only those open wicked ones are Tares as die Tares because it is after said they shall by the Angels in the great haruest be gathered vp â—so could add because Tares are bid to grow vntil the last haruest therfore none are Tares that liue not vntill the last haruest As also by that reason we should neuer know who are Tares vntill death and so to no purpose commaunded to let them grow togither seeing after death they can no more grow togither To auoid such foolish consequents the proprietie of a Parable must therfore ay be heeded The former conclusion remembred downe fals the Libertines collection who would haue all publike wicked permitted seeing here is not speech of all euill ones but of a kind of euill-ones which cannot with kingdomes children their good be pulled vp or cut off by Magistrate or Minister Euen as in the Parable of the fiue foolish virgins he declareth not open wicked but hypocrites seeing they had their lamps and lights and went to meet the bridgroome so well as the other fiue Nor was their foolishnes discouered to the Church vntill they had slep the sleep of all flesh good and bad and were raised againe by the shout of the Archangell so euerie Parable hath his owne propriety Here also falleth to ground all such as haue with Chrysostome and Erasmus vnderstood them to be heretikes whom the Magistrates should permit to growe vntill happily they might become wheat Yet Chrysostome addeth Non prohibet c. Our Sauiour forbiddeth not to dissipate the conuenticles of heretikes the stopping of their mouthes to cut off all libertie of speaking onely he forbids the killing of them But as he hath no warrant hence of preseruing heretikes liues so he hath warrant inough from many places for scattering the assemblies stopping their mouthes c. And surely the Magistrate can neuer be thought to be zealous for the Lord when he beares as the ordinarie States of Germanie doe a sword for their ciuill matters but none for the Lords religion To ground also here falleth the Anabaptistes doctrine of Christians vnlawfulnesse for bearing and exercising the sword against trangressors seeing say they foolishly from hence they may liue to become true Christians In a word diuers fantasies here fall downe as Dagon before the Arke nor meruell seeing tymber hay and stubble is in the Lords day appointed to burne that so gold siluer and precious stone it may be
end of the world and lo they died and ceased preaching and baptizing 1500. yeares since The Apostle charged Timothie to keepe the commaundement vnspotted till the appearance of Christ Iesus and Timothie fell on sleepe about 1500. yeares since also As in the Apostles and Timothie the whole bodie of ministery succeeding in that worke it is vnderstood so in the tares first considered amidst the wheat there is vnderstood the whole corporation of such wicked in succession vnto the worlds end A bodie of sinne or corporation of wicked Christ Iesus speaketh vnto when he thus saith to the Pharisees Fulfill the measure of your sins c. that vpon you may come all the righteous blood of Abel the righteous vnto the blood of Zecharias the sonne of Barachias whom ye slew between the Temple and the Altar From whence is apparant as all the righteous doe make but one mysticall bodie whereof Christ is the blessed hâ—ad so all the vnrighteous make their mysticall bodie of sinne whereto Sathan is an accursed head Let them grow together vntill the end If they could be withdrawne from as Moses Aaron and the other faithfull of the congregation did withdraw their tents from Korah Dathan and Abiram whose sin lay not as Bâ—ownists would haue it in a forme of outward calling diuers from the rule prescribed but first their sin lay in murmuring against the chiefe Magistrate Moses and the high Priest Aaron secondly in making a mocke of Sanctification and holinesse thirdly in rising vp rebelliously for lifting vp themselues into place aboue the holy chosen of God whereas other supreame Magistrate then Moses might not be nor any other high Priest then Aaron during their liues notwithstanding the whole people would haue giuen vnto them the best forme of outward calling they could deuise If I say the open wicked could be cald departed from as that rebellious â—rue vpon the Lords direction was departed from then we are so to do but if the case be tarish then we are to suffer such children of Belial to grow togither with the children of the kingdome vnto the very end of all things For separation in such case it is as Cyprian wel saith first a vendicating of that authoritie to our selues which the Father hath giuen to his Sonne alone and secondly it is but a proud obstinacie and sacrilegious presumption quam sibi furor prauus assumit which a wicked frenzie assumeth to it selfe Which speech of Cyprian old Augustine borroweth and oft applieth against Donatus Let them grow togither till haruest c. If tarish wicked ones shall grow vntill the vniuersall haruest of all the worlde held and kept in the ende and vp-shot of this worlde it is for those causes first for the humiliation of the wheate or children of the kingdome by hauing such Canaanitish pricks in their eies and sides able to vexe the very soule of Lot and also able to torment their soules with like sorrow as were Ezekiels people that mourned continually for the wiâ—kednesses committed in the midst of Zion Secondly they are permitted being filthy to become more filthy and beeing vnrighteous to become more vnrighteous for Iohn must herein be vnderstood to speake of the wicked in the Church such as Iudes spotted-ones in the feasts of Loue and those in Corinths Church whereof Paul saith And if any be ignorant let him be ignorant that so fulfilling and vpheaping the measure of sinne they may afterwardes haue the more notable fall breake-necke downe-fall Were it not for this haruest as the faithfull of all others were most miserable so those grapling tares triumphing ouer the Lordes people they were of all men most blessed But yea I say againe But there is a day comming a blacke day a gloomie day a day of terrour and horrour to all the children of Belial A haruest must haue reapers the reapers here be Angels The greatnesse of the Reapers it argues the greatnesse of the haruest Nor maruell that both Haruest and Reapers be great when as the great GOD is the sender forth of those Angels and people are the matter that must be reaped This Haruest is represented vnto Iohn in Patmos vnder the reaping of Grapes with a sharpe sickle and there by the ministerie of an Angell commanded so to by another Angell which had authoritie ouer fire As it is very true that Christ hath all absolute power giuen him ouer fire water and euery creature so I well like the iudgement of such as teach that the elements are committed by the Lord vnto the Angels for vsing the same against the wicked and in the behoofe of his children Touching whose ministration Peter Martyr hath this Redeo itaque ad ipsos Angelos c. I returne vnto the Angels themselues by whose ministerie also I affirme that God gouerneth physicall or naturall things For by their meanes vndoubtedly the celestiall Orbes are turned about and admirable thinges be produced in Nature For which cause it is elegantly written That God himselfe is carried by the Cherubims Here saith our Sauiour the Sonne of man shal send forth his Angels how doth this agree with that of Paul The Lord himselfe shall descend from heauen with a showte with the voyce of the Archangell and with the trumpet of God By which showte our Sauiour afterwards in the Gospell saith all the wise and foolish Virgins shal awake and be gathered to iudgement Touching the sending forth of Angels or as Iohn hath in his Reuelation an Angell as also touching those tearmes a Showte the voyce of a Trumpe I take them to bee borrowed phrases adapted to haruest and sleepe For a haruest there must be Gatherers for raising people out of sleepe there must be some showte or loud voyce euen so for gathering this spirituall haruest and for awaking the spirituall sleepers in the earths bowels there must be a Gathering and a Noise but touching the forme of all this in proprietie I take it we now are vncapable Yet as in another place Lazarus his soule is by Angels ministerie conuayed into Abrahams bosome and well inough also may be iudged on the other side that the Gluttons soule was conuayed into hell according to that speech vnto another Miser Thou foole this night They shall take away thy soule so it may well be that by the ministerie of Angels the soules vnited to their bodies for ful doome they shall be presented vnto iudgement But yet this ministerie a power in mediatly deriued from the Archangell Christ Iesus according to that in Iohns Gospel chap. 5.28 The houre shall come in the which all that are in the graues shall heare his voyce that is as before the voyce of the Sonne of man that is of Christ Iesus in our nature appearing Now must Cerinthus if before death he repented not now must he come forth and make his answere for teaching that Iesus was not borne of Marie otherwise then by knowing
Ioseph her husband carnally That he was not Christ but that Christ came vpon him in the forme of a Doue And that Iesus suffered but Christ fled away c. Against whose abominable opinion touching Iesus his onely being man Iohn is said to haue written his Euangell which indeed affordeth arguments specially for proofe of his Diuinitie Now must the Nicolaitans that died such come forth answere for their communitie of women As also the Carpocratians for denying saluation to the flesh with others their followers holding it of the diuell giuing it vp to all filthinesse as it were therby to be aueÌ„ged on the body their soules prison Now the Ophitai who taught the Serpent which deceiued Eue was Christ who by that meanes made a way for reuealing himselfe after to mankind And for this cause worshipped the serpent for Christ c. vpon which the Church gaue them that name Ophitai or Serpentinists Now must they come forth and know to their shame that they worshipped the diuel of hell in stead of Christ. The Montanists who held Montanus for the holy Ghost condemned mariage for filthinesse c. now those blasphemous filthy tongues must come out and bee tormented with Diues tongue in hell fire The Arians who taught that there was a time wherein God was not a Father nor the Sonne a Sonne that the Sonne was not of one substance with the Father but of another nature a creature and meere man tearmed God onely in regard of office as Magistrates be c. Now must they stand forth before that God who will to them indeed proue no Father but a consuming fire The Macedonians who taught the holy Ghost not to be God but a seruant trudging about the businesse of the Father and the Son those now must to iudgement And wel shal they know that so they taught because they had not the holy Ghost The Anthropo-morphits so called for attributing to God in proprietie the very shape and proportion of Man they shal in this great day well vnderstand that they spoke and conceiued of spirituall things but carnally as bare naturall men Now the followers of Apollinaris they must answere for teaching Christ to assâ—me onely a liuing bodie without a reasonable soule substituting the Diuinitie in place of a soule making a confusion of Diuinitie and humanitie as if Christ were neither God nor man but a third thing mingled euen as wine and water mingled is no more wine nor water but a mixture or mingle mangle Pelagius faction holding man naturally to haue in his power to will and do well they now shal find that they both are supernaturall and diuine gifts Now the sect of Eutyches who held that Christ assumed no nature of ours the Anabaptists doctrine in these dayes they shall in this day learne that that body and soule shall be damned the first fruites whereof were not first assumed by Christ Iesus The Mono-thelites so tearmed for teaching that Christ Iesus had onely one will they in this day shall be taught to their shame that Christ had two wils vnconfounded the one peculiar vnto his Godhead which was as the nature was Infinite the other peculiar to his manhood and as it was finit The first Will strong as God the second infirme as man but infirmity without sinne In a word all the wicked tares or other weeds they must now be seuered from the Lord his wheat and that which more is they must be collected and bound vp in sheaues Not in one sheaue but sundrie according to the measure of their euils One faction in one sheafe another faction in another sheafe but all prepared for one hell for one fire euerlastingly burning Yet though but one hell one fire of wrath scripture seemeth to imply by vniuersall consent of the Church that the measure of torment shal be diuersly proportioned according to the proportion and qualitie of sinne in the subiect Nor dislike I a certaine Ancient his iudgement touching this namely that as in creatures all apt to burne yet some feede the fire more then the other as for example oylie and gummie timber more then fewell of a diuers nature euen so of sinners damned all capable to burne but the same fire and torment more enlarged by the subiect it worketh vpon as his sinne shall be more large and notable Sin be it more or lesse is so considered as the subiect whereon the burning wrath of God shal haue matter to feed vpon for euer And this is the way whereby the iustice of God against sinne it shall be declared a Iustice for euer In this day the Originists who haue taught that diuell and all shall once come out of that fire and be saued they shall find that sinne in the damned neuer dies nay I rather thinke that it is encreased if so sinne can be enlarged in hell seeing sinne vnmortified is budding bringing forth more euil in thought word worke and so consequently the gnawing worme neuer to die that fire neuer to be put out And as the tares the most politicall wicked together with the whole corporation of Satan they thus shal find in the end their glorie turned into shame their temporarie heauen into an eternall hell So the Lord his wheat or children of the kingdome for though the other were in it yet they were not of it they are in this great day gathered into the Lords barne Though they grew together here they must be seuered there The wicked shall not stand in the assembly of the righteous nor after that day shall the soule of any righteous Lot be combred and galled with Sodome The Iebusits gall vs heere but they drinke gall and wormewood for it there We contentedly suffer here but it is appointed that we shall be glorified there Into the Lords barne Abrahams bosome Paradise heauens glory we shall all be receiued and there for eternitie placed But as there is more or lesse measure of torment for the wicked so shall there not be a diuersitie of glorification in Christ Iesus his members The vniuersall streame of antiquity concluding affirmatiuely I dare not ioyne with them that conclude negatiuely Besides the scriptures they vrge to this purpose I cannot see them otherwise applied then aptly and fitly For our Sauiours words in Iohn In my fathers house are many dwelling Mansions if it were not so I would haue told ye I go to prepare a place for you Where they reply that these seuerall mansions are to be vnderstood here in the Church I answer that cannot be for the sundrie mansions must be considered in the place whither Iesus was repairing namely in heauens glory and not in the earth whence he was departing Which better appeareth in that after he preoccupates this questioÌ„ of the Apostles What shall become of vs meane time whereto he answereth their thought saying Though I go to prepare a place for you I
will come againe And where the auncients do alleadge that of Paul There is another glorie of the Sunne and another glory of the Moone and another glory of the Stars for one Starre differs from another in glory So also in the resurrection of the dead If any here reply that this is to be vnderstood of the first resurrection which is here from sinne he speakes openly against the generall and scope of the Chapter which was to teach the resurrection of our bodies not soules against some that in the Church denied it Againe if they say that the comparison is between earthly and heauenly bodies in this place it is apparantly false for here he concludes Looke what difference in the glorie of Starres though all glorious euen such difference in the resurrection of bodies though all glorious for before the resurrection no bodie is glorious And surely were it we considered but the state of a bodie where we see all the members excellent yet a difference of excellency and yet the difference no cause of emulation in the bodie because ech member hath that which is fitting his own place as also if we consider that all the beauteous order of God it lieth in distinctions it must help to perswade that in his mysticall bodie there be an Identitie or One-nes touching the generall Eternall life yet there must be distinction or difference touching the measure of glorification Where the aduerse minded do alledge that Parable of the workmen brought into the vineyard some at the third houre some at the sixt some at the ninth some at the eleuenth agreeing so giuing to euery man a penie and so hence affirme that no one differs in the measure of glory all obtaining but one and the same price a peny I answer a Parable being a figuratiue doctrine it must be expounded by that which is lesse figuratiue or plainly proper The Apostle hauing taught the Corinths so plainly of a difference not between corruptible and incorruptible bodies but between glorie and glorie of bodies risen it shall be preposterous after so plain assertion to conclude the contrary from a darke phrase Secondly Augustine Chrysostome and a thousands besides them haue deliuered a better sense of the peny that is how it importeth onely Eternall life Which eternall life though one yet vttering it selfe in more or lesse glorie according to the place ech member then enioyeth in this mystical glorious bodie Some here bring forth fruit an hundred fold some sixtie some thirtie Vnto those of fruits an hundred fold Ambrose referreth the glory of the Sun vnto those of 60 the glorie of the Moone and vnto those that bring forth fruits thirtie fold he sweetly referreth the glory as of commoÌ„ stars And surely as the contrarie perswasion doth effect in men a remisnes and slouthfulnes in the Lords worke so the beliefe of this doctrine is as a goad in our sides for stirring vs forward in the works of the vineyard for out of the vineyard or Churches fellowship no promise of peny or eternall life Which point remembred as it will cause his people to maintaine Churches vnitie so the tares also remembred hauing place in the Church yet finally damned it may force vs to make our election sure by good works Not to make it sure vnto God by good works but vnto our selues as a certaine Romanist well granteth These be his words Per illa verba 2. Pet. 1.10 haberi non potest c. By those words of Peter 2. Ep. 1.10 it cannot be vnderstood that election should be because of workes following but that by perseuerance in good workes Predestination which is immoueable it may be showen certaine to vs by a coniecturall certaintie As for all time spent out of the Church or euilly spent within the Church what shall we count it but time lost A certaine heathen could wel say There is no cause why thou shouldest thinke any old because of his gray haires or wrinckles He hath not for that loued long but been long For I pray thee thinkest thou that he hath sailed much who after his putting forth of the hauen is by a sore tempest driuen here and there and by force of winds diuersly rushing is all that while but come round about Such a one hath not sailed much but hath been tossed much Nor let vs thinke such vnfruitfull and time onely lost but which more is a building vp of fagots for our owne burning the breeding of a viper in our bosome the laying of sondry stepping stones to eternal damnation Wheras in holy expence of time we gaine more and more assurance by those fruits of faith that our life is laid vp and hid in Christ vntill his appearance With whose appearance as our glory shall begin so neuer shall it end though wicked Chiliasts haue pronounced it to be but of a thousand yeares durance but as verily as we are by the holy Ghost ioyned to the Sonne and the Sonne to the Father so verily we cannot be any more pulled from the possessed glory then the spirit can be rent from the Sonne and the Sonne from the Father and the father from himselfe To which glorious Trinitie in Vnitie all kingdome power and glorie be giuen for euer Amen Theodoret on Ezek. chap. last An ende being put heere vnto my speech we desire such as shall reade this booke if so they find any thing herein interpreted by vs worthy the traâ—ell they therefore would praise the Lord of All. But if the gayne answere not the Expectation or that they find not fruit answereable to the labour that then they would pardon the imbecillitie of Nature but yet would embrace the minds alacritie recompensing our labours with their prayers begging of the Sauiour of All remission of our sinnes with whom togither with the Father and the holy Ghost be glorie for euer and infinitly euer Amen a 2. Sam. 2â— 16.17 b Pythag. in his golden Epiks the very exordium c Hesiod in his opera and Die d Psal. 82.1.6.7 e Iohn 10.34.35 f Mat. 13 24. c. A notable Motiue to the publication hereof A ground of the Authors aberration The authors voyages yet he could be resolued The time when and Bishop by whom he was ordained to Presbyteral function A meanes for his setling and reducement Pastors and Doctors their late description of offices too to fantastical and new Their Lay-Elders as fond An inartificiall diuision in the Demonstration of Diâ—â— Their Deacâ—â— mutilation Widowes too childishly câ—ncluded from Rom. 12.8 How the former affected do cary themselues towards the Author reclaimed How the former affected do cary themselues towards the Author reclaimed An equall petition for reading the sequell a Math. 8.21 b Isa. 9.6 c Pro. 8. 9. Psa. 104.24 d Vers. 14. c. e Prou. 25.11 f Hosius de expresso verbo Dei g Eccle. 12.9.10 h Zuingl on his 52 art i Mat. 12.43.44.45 k So the