betraying the good cause yea who ought to go before all others in suffering for this reformation but hee onely that pretendeth to holde the same at a higher price and to seeke for it with a more feruent zeale than all others But we haue experience sufficient of him what great things he hath suffred and how And this we know whatsoeuer he discourseth otherwhere of his fugitiue life that although some others haue bene hanged for his heresies he hath not only bene contented to let them go without his companie but comming also to some triall of his courage before authoritie there was not onely no shew of that Heroical spirit which he woulde haue you see in his writings but contrariwise shifting answeres with subtill reseruations shamefull and disorder like giuing backe from the trueth it selfe and finally a most hypocriticall subscription least hee shoulde haue felt affliction in the least of his fingers Of any of these if you doubt I will bee readie to shewe you prooues 31 In my first answere I shewed you the right vnderstanding of that comparison of the leauen which S. Paule vseth in the 1. to the Cor. 5. cap. that you might see if that place so commonly obiected of your leader to warrant your separating from our assemblies be but rightly vnderstoode it quickeneth our care and diligent indeuours to remoue corruptions but teacheth no man to forsake his Church I gaue you to vnderstande that the comparison is there of qualitie not of quantitie I speake not of like force and like nature without regarde of like woorking I knowe we consider of the natures of things by their effects and therefore I saide also that Paule putteth vs in minde of the effect of leauen The leauen in sowring the meale wherwith it is mingled and the vngodly in corrupting those with whom they keepe companie haue herein both a like nature yea and their effectes when they doe come to passe are both alike For it is true that when the wicked drawe others after them to become also of euill conuersation that before were not so the effect is like to the sowring of the meale which before was not so but now the measure of working of the one and of the other is not the same in both subiects Which that I may helpe you the better to vnderstand consider that the matter subiect to the sowring of the leauen is meale a thing altogether and wholy disposed to receiue the impression thereof without resistance But the matter whereon the wicked doe worke in this comparison is a company consisting of two sorts of men contrarily disposed and tempered the one apt to be infected the other hauing a supernatural power to hold out their contagion So that though the sowring that the one maketh the corrupting that the other worketh be alike yet are they not equal For of the meale all is infected but not all of such a cōpanie and so is it in the comparison that I gaue you By the salt all the liquor is seasoned but so is not alwayes a wicked company by two or three righteous men cōuerted Againe the leauen in one night so wreth the meal wherwith it is mingled you dare not say that the case is the same with a whole cōgregation and yet you say more if you hold that by warrant of this scripture you must depart frō the sacrament where you see vnworthy ones admitted for so you account the whole congregation to be leauened that is vnsanctified in a moment But I must further remēber you that as in diuers places the scripture speaketh of leauen in the ill part so our Sauiour Christ propoundeth a similitude by the same in the good part Which if you applie and vrge as farre foorth as you haue done this you must say that where faith regeneration by the gospel is once begun there do al become faithful renued euen as of 3. pecks of meale all becommeth leuened Which if you doe say all the worlde will crie shame of you If you feare so to abuse this place why feare you not also in the other Moreouer whereas your leader teacheth you to applie these woordes of Saint Paule A little leauen leaueneth the whole lumpe as though the Apostle had giuen you to vnderstande thereby that one knowne and so proued a wicked man remayning vnseparated in a Church vnsanctifieth the whole and bringeth a nullity vpon it hee doeth too grossely and shamefully abuse miscary and seduce you For by leauening Paul meant corrupting them with euill manners Like as to the Galathians hee meaneth by the same speech the corrupting of that Church with false doctrine and not the disanulling of either So that if God haue yet left you the vnderstanding to make difference betweene sicke and dead and that which is vnpure and that which is not nowe at all your leader can no longer misleade you in this poynt For if hee dare auouch it that whatsoeuer congregation is corrupt either in manners or doctrine the same is not to bee reputed or ioyned with as a Church of God we can soundly and so may safely proue and denounce him for a Donatist and not worthy to liue in any land of Christian gouernement His vnsatisfied dalyance with my comparing of salt with the righteous argueth the man either so pursued by the hande of God that whilest hee controlleth all men himselfe is vtterly spoyled of vnderstanding or else of so reprobate a mynde that hee wilfully closeth his eyes and stoppeth his eares at those thinges that haue speciall force to affect the senses to the reformation of his iudgement And after that hee hath altogether thus abused you in the scope of my comparison least hee should leaue you any light at all in it hee takes it to his owne stithie and hammers it a newe for so hee presumeth it shalbe fit for the schollers of his learning The Lorde giue you eyes to see and a heart to abhorre his most dangerous and pestilent conclusion for thus hee teacheth you euen the same doctrine which right nowe I called Donatisme that like as sweete water intermingled with poyson is poysoned and turned into the nature of poyson so the notorious wicked openly mingled in one outward Church with the righteous or the righteous with them they become one wicked crewe together euen all of them poysoned and infected together As touching the author of this sentence I haue litle hope as in all the rest to preuaile ought by my answering onely for your sakes my deare brethren that haue not as yet sounded the deepenes of Satan in him I will herein also lende my labour to weigh out this matter by the waightes of the Sanctuary And although my 11. 28. Sections do sufficiently couer him with shame and confusion for this poynt yet shall this bee further also euen as the nayle of Iahel to pearce through the temples of Sisara downe into the earth First this his bold
mourning or whatsoeuer tendeth to his recouerie but I exclude both our priuate excommunicating of him as you doe in this replie as also our owne sundering and separating from the congregation for his cause which is the thing in question betweene vs. Whereas I say that by our proceeding by such course as I presuppose euery wise Christian to haue walked in towards the offending brethren this at the least shall come to passe by it that it bee sufficiently knowne wee hate their sinne an vpright heart must needes vnderstand by that clause at least an implying of some better benefite and fruite of our labours as in refourming or remoouing him which being most wished of vs if we enioy not yet the other neuer fayling vs when we cannot attaine to the chiefest must likewise content vs. Was there then any reason or came it from the leading of a good spirite to referre that to the partes of duetie as graunting thereby some further dueties left vndone which in open euidence pointeth at more excellent effects or fruites of our labours intended by vs. Truely I doubt whether any learned Papist woulde so foolishly haue cauilled for his credite sake The like shamlesse cauilling is also in the beginning of his 7. page 8 But he saith If the Church bee established and refuse to debarre him whome they confesse to bee so wicked and vnrefourmed all are made wicked by our complaining Nowe if hee had said If the Church be established and doe not debarre him c I had then good cause giuen to haue made here his answere as also if in stead of these words all are made wicked by our complaining he had said that Church or spirituall bodie is now thereby dissolued separated from their knitting vnto Christ For if he meane not so he can neuer conclude against me that particular mēbers may depart their assemblies and if he do meane so you shall heare what I say to it hereafter 9 In saying the action of communicating is spiritual I exclude not al kind of outward ioyning but shew the essentiall ioyning to be spiritual by faith wherein the wicked cannot come neare vs. As for the outward ioyning such as it is I haue proued it before both dutiful voide of the infection of their sin yet still he vrgeth that I warrant him to be a companion or brother in Christ by communicating with him I denie that as before If you aske howe then I should bee brought to communicate with him in any sort I answer the Church requireth my presence as a member I by the bond of coherence participate with the whole in the holy action By so doing it falleth out in consequence that I participate in the signes with that vnworthie one because hee is vnseparated Nowe if you marke I doe not partake with him at all by my verie act of communicating but onely in as much as I communicate with the Church which being simply and absolutely a duetie as before proued cannot bee controlled neither ought to bee pretermitted for that which hath no true appearance of euill in it I meane in the eyes of those that haue learned to iudge righteous iudgment And that it hath not so much as iust appearance of euill in it vnto such is shewed alreadie by the reasons giuen to prooue that there is no sinne in this manner of communicating 10 But he cryeth that in this wise I admitte a diuision in the Communion I heare his crie wishing it had more sense and lesse opportunitie An inwarde diuision he denieth not but there may be Nowe what haue I sayde whereby he shoulde finde that outward diuision he speaketh of when as I expresly acknowledge an outwarde ioyning As for the ministers part in deliuering the signes to such a one it doeth not follow because he deliuereth them vnto him that he doth it to warrant his damnation or of set purpose to further his destruction For neyther the deliuering nor the things deliuered but onely his vnworthie receiuing is cause of his owne damnation Neither is that knowledge if it be granted that the minister hath of his vnworthinesse a warrant to withholde the signes if most voyces haue helde him in for that can he not doe of himselfe onely therefore it remaineth that hee thus farre also suffer him in the Sacrament and waite for the time when the Lord shall either more fullie reueale him or graciously deliuer the Church from the contagion of him In the meane time hee teacheth him the signe not as hee is woorthie or vnwoorthie but as hee is yet vndiuided from them Hee that thinketh these thinges can neuer fall out euen where discipline is best established hee hath little experience and lesse iudgement 11 Whether I haue grieuouly abused the place to the Corinthes in that sort that I haue alleaged it let the iudgement be with the godly reader as also whether your leader hath committed that wherwith he chargeth me vpon the same chapter When he saith that Paul proueth it to be no Sacrament at all to the Corinthes and not as I suppose it to bee a Sacrament to some and not to other some The same spirite sayth likewise in another place Paule condemneth euen the Supper and saith this is not to eate the Lordes Supper His drift is to denie against mee that any can haue hope to partake and communicate comfortably and profitably with those amongst whom any knowne wicked ones are admitted in this action therefore also he saith before in his reply that if there be any open breach of the couenant by any one knowne to the rest the sacrament is of no force Againe hee hath these words The communion is not a diuision that is halfe good to the one part and halfe bad to the other part but eyther wholly good or wholly bad Let not the reader beleeue that I say or suppose it to be a Sacrament to some and not to other some I acknowledge both sorts to receiue the sacrament that is the consecrated Elements one to their comfort but the other to their condemnation And to leaue other pointes that might here be examined and to keepe to the question the strength of the two last quoted propositions standeth vpon that place to the Corinthes taken in such sense as hee deliuereth it Let vs therefore come to examine that whether it be gold or stubble He saith Paul proueth it to be no sacrament at al to the Corinthians by these two weightie arguments First that the forme and institution of the Supper was violated by them all 2 That so was the end and vse And first to answere his literall abuse of Paules wordes in the 20 verse which is this VVhen yee come together in one this is not to eate the Lordes Supper Mee thinke a learned diuine shoulde not be ignorant that this is a kinde of excessiue negation very vsuall in the scriptures and is therefore here like as in all other such
THE RASING OF THE FOVNDATIONS of Brovvnisme WHEREIN AGAINST ALL THE WRItings of the principall Masters of that sect those chiefe conclusions in the next page are amongst sundry other matters worthie the Readers knowledge purposely handled and soundly prooued ALSO THEIR CONTRARIE ARGVMENTS AND OBIECtions deliberately examined and clearly refelled by the word of God Isaiah cap. 57. ver 21. There is no peace saith my God to the wicked CONFIDITE VICI MVDV IOA IO. VHI TVA MORS VICTORIA 1 COR 15. CONFERET CAPVT TVV GEN. 3. ERO MORSVS INFERAT TVVS Oâ—… 13. IESVS CHRISTVS Imprinted at London by Iohn Windet dvvelling at Pawles wharfe at the signe of the Crosse keyes and are to be sold at the Rose in Powles churchyard 1588. The chiefe conclusions in this Booke 1 No man ought to depart the Communion for anie open vnworthie ones resorting vnto it 2 A faithful Christian may keepe himselfe free from the pollution of the knowne wicked at the Sacrament and yet not separate himselfe And how 3 Open notorious offenders not separated from a congregation of Christ doe not thereupon vnsanctifie the same so as to make it no Church of Christ 4 It may be a true Church of God that hath in it diuerse corruptions both in doctrine and practise 5 The Church of England is not more vnsound than diuerse vndoubted Churches haue beene from which no separation was counsailed 6 No man ought to separate himselfe from the Church of England for the defectes and corruptions that are therein 7 By fayth onely visible Churches haue their account and being in Christ 8 Discipline is not of the essence or being of a Church To the right worshipfull his verie louing cousin M. Thomas Hussey Esquire all encrease of Christian knowledge zeale and worship AS I haue made you a beholder vsed your name in my firste conflict with this kinde of men louing cousin so in my proceeding and to the verie ende which God shall giue wheÌ„ he seeth it good I trust I may be bold to continue the same course Wherefore now againe I returne presenting vnto you not Glouers matters in any of those points plainly and professedly which then were betweene vs but the generall and great heades of that schisme wherein he was first ouertaken and that specially betweene Browne the famous achbuylder of such ruinous foundations and me though others also are not omitted where opportunitie is offered For so haue these matters vpon the occasion of the Admonition growne somewhat large at length as now appeareth By my former writing I had stirred as it seemeth the hornets nest By this I hope I shall either driue them in again or els take away their stings so as they shall seldomer hurt any Those 8. conclusions wherewith you see I front the aduersarie are as so manie Canons to beate downe through the power of God the paper wals of his proude bulwarke The sielie defences that he maketh at euery assault entering of his breaches you shall iudge your selfe in this booke comming as it were to the very sight and view of the seueral actioÌ„s It may be you haue alredie heard somwhat of the course and behauiour of this people For though their ful swarme and store be as it is most likely in London and the partes neare adioyning yet haue they sparsed of their companies into seuerall partes of the Realme and namely into the West almost to the vttermost borders thereof For which cause mee thinkes I haue reason yet so much the more to bee confirmed in this choyce of my dedication sith so the rather as by your hand and meanes this benefit of discouering their iniquitie and making knowne their poison may more readily be communicated vnto many in those parts And as you are now in the seruice of your prince esteemed a worthy man to haue the leading training of so many to be prepared for the defence of your countrey and of this land against the bodily enemy so may that fauour be manifoldly greater which the king of kings shall in this seruice vouchsafe you by making you moreouer as an vpholder and deriuer of these defences of his truth into those weake parts of your countrey Whereinto such vndermining aduersaries haue entred caried away many soules froÌ„ the common means of their saluation namely the preaching of the Gospell which is called of the Apostle the power of God vnto Saluation to all that beleeue And thus also if in the mids of your weapons as it were you shal allot your times likewise to the preparing attaining skil weapons and strength to fight the Lords battails against your spiritual aduersaries happy happy again shal you be Your diligence watchfulnes in the seruice of your God and Queene in this life shall find rest perpetual peace quietnes herafter Yea your renoume increasing here on earth shalbe much more abundantly increased so as no earthly pen can describe it namely when the king of glory shall set a crowne vpon your head Thinke on these things most louing cousin as I doubt not you do and propound that worthy captaine Cornelius vnto your selfe as a companion to walke with or at least as an example to imitate And let that which others take for a reason to hold them backe bee a double spurre vnto you in this case Namely the generall contrarie practise of the multitude Remember that he that coulde not lie hath sayde it Narrovve is the vvay that leadeth to life and fevve there be that finde it And Striue to enter in at the narrovve gate A worde to the wise is sufficient And hereby I hope I shall but stirre vp your pure minde as the Apostle speaketh which is already forwardly running in this race Neuertheles I haue counted it my duetie alwayes and by all good occasions to put you in remembrance of these things For your wealth and good estate both of bodie and minde are of neere and deere accompt and price with me as the Lorde knoweth to whose gratious guiding and protection I most humbly commende you and all yours From London the 12. of the sixth Moneth Your worships euen in all the dueties of a louing kinsman S. B. ¶ To the Christian Reader The spirit of trueth and of wisdome in sobrietie through Christ Iesu ALthough Beloued the iudgement and practise of some men of speciall accompt in the Church of God haue to this day held this impression in me that I esteeme the captaines and antient bearers of this schisme vnworthie the honour of any set conflict and publique confutation yet is it come to passe by the prouidence of the onely wise God that I haue bene parte after parte and one occasion pulling on another drawne as it were by head and shoulders through the deepe of this businesse And the labour nowe accomplished I am so farre from repenting that I am in good assurance through the mercie God of a two-folde benefite to arise thereby the one is
to the whole as members do in a naturall body consider what foloweth how absurd it is that you say That a particular mēber may separate it selfe frō the whole in consideration of some vnworthy and vnclene parts Is it meete that because some yea let it be that the most of the mēbers of a body be brokē lamed or diseased the rest that are sound shuld forsake the vnitie of the body were it not to destroy the whole in stead of strengthning the whole against the infection of those parts were not that to cōspire against the whole vtterly disable it to withstand the cōtagion of the parts for take away knitting togither of the mēbers and is not then the body destroied whereas on the cōtrary if the sound mēbers continue in a bodily vnitie though some parts be long time sicke there is possibilitie of their recouery yea though they should not yet may the body liue though with some inconuenience of their maime or blemish But if you say they being corrupt not separate may else infect mee and herein seeme to ground your selfe vpon that place to the Corinthians Know you not that a little leauen leaueneth the whole lumpes I answer the Apostle doth there vrge them to the excommunicating of the incestuous person but stirreth no mā to depart from the Church no not in case of so secure a negligence as the Corinthians had committed It is one thing that we being humbled and afflicted at the dangerous examples of euil mēbers amongst vs must labour to separat thē for the better helth of the whole bodie and this in deed is the purpose of S. Paul to teach the Corinthians in that place but it is farre another thing to say as you meane That all the sounde members must separate themselues if the vnsounde remaine vnseparated and of this the Apostle there giueth no inkeling which certainely had bene necessarie if the daunger to euery particular mēber should be altogether such as you pretend For whereas you vnderstand the comparison of the leauen to be such as that the remaining of vnsounde members in the Church should be accounted of as great force to infect the whole Church as the leauen in leauening a whole lumpe you are greatly deceyued For those two things in that case are compared in likenesse of nature not in there equalitie of effecting Like as you should say the conuersation of two or three righteous men conuerteth a whole companie euen as a little salt sauoureth a whole pot full of liquor we know it were a trueth that you should speake but if I should therof gather that you make those two causes of equall force in respect of their matter to worke their effect should I not doe you great wrong No doubt I should For the liquor neuer faileth to be seasoned of the salt but it is commonly tried that the greatest number of a companie remaineth wicked still notwithstanding the righteous Such also if you marke it is the similitude of the leauen for the effect of it followeth necessarilie in the masse of meale but it is not of such necessitie that in a whole congregation all become vnsanctified for some Let the Church at Corinth be an example hereof If the whole congregation had bin infected and so vnsanctified through the remaining of that wicked man amongest them woulde the Apostle thinke you haue still intituled them The Church of God and sanctified ones in Christ Iesu there had bene no reason in it What then will some say to what ende did the Apostle put them in minde of the effect of leauen when he chalenged them for their negligence euen to the ende that they being put in minde of the resemblance that is betwene the nature of leauen the wicked in that both are disposed to infect that which is neere them might haue more care to vse all the meanes that God hath put into their hands to auoide the daunger For as the remaining with the godly tendeth to the reforming of the wicked so the remaining with the wicked tendeth to the deforming of the godly yet doeth neither of both fall out alway necessarily especially vpon a whole companie or congregation Therefore seeing a Church is as the bodie of Christ and the same bodie consisteth also of many members euerie of which is so to exercise the office of his place as that all may concurre to the conseruation and encreasing of the whole vnto a perfect body it followeth necessarily that no true member ought to separate it selfe for any cause so long as there is life in the bodie and abiding with the head For I trust you wil not say that the remaining of a knowne wicked one doth ipso facto extingish life in the bodie and separate the same from the heade Christ Neither may you thinke to auoide me by obiecting that you separate not your self from the bodie by going from one congregation to another in that euerie faithfull congregation in respect that Christ is the head thereof hath this same resemblance of a bodie For if that be a good reason then Paule saide not well to the Corinthians that to addict themselues so seuerally to diuerse teachers of the same Gospell tendeth to the parting of Christ We knowe well they all helde Christ the foundation vnder which teacher soeuer they professed it yet in that some chose Paule with neglect of the other Apostles some Apollo others Cephas and others held Christ without esteeming the meanes of teachers they were iustly charged to be in dāger of schisme whilest they so continued Howe then can they be excused that forsaking the congregation whereunto through the prouidence of God by their dwelling they are gathered and ioyned doe consort themselues with some others as the affection of their speciall liking leadeth thē Howe can they I say bee excused for beeing guiltie of parting Christ To conclude therefore for this time since it is as I hope plainly prooued First That the presence or remayning of the vnworthie in a Congregation cannot keepe backe the benefite of Christ from the faithfull of the same Secondly That particular members haue from the Lord no further power authoritie in case of offences than by admonition and that their chiefe regarde must be by vnitie to prouide for the continuance of the whole congregation which in this case is considered as the bodie of Christ. Thirdly That the practising and proceeding of particular members beyond the limittes of admonition as namely for some offences to depart from one Congregation where the reason of their dwelling requireth them to be and ioyne themselues to another breedeth schisme and diuision of Christ It followeth of the first point that you may ioyne with vs and of the two latter that you ought not to depart from vs of this Congregation vnlesse you will shewe your selfe to bee a rebellious member to the bodie and bee found guiltie of diuiding Christ Of which things now I
Parish then doe I answere as before I did which was this in effect That wee may and ought to communicate and not goe away or with-drawe our selues from the Lordes Table though wee see some that wee knowe to bee notorious offenders at the same time partake in the signes with vs. This was prooued by the argument a little aboue rehearsed namely because those wicked can-not hinder the celebrating of the remembrance of Christ nor the communicating of his body and blood to vs that come with faith My reason for that is this If the presence of the wicked should hinder vs that must it doe either simply in it selfe or else in respect of vs that knowe them to be wicked but neither of those waies can wee bee hindered by them and therefore not at all That the presence of the wicked in it selfe hindereth not I shewed in a worde as a thing which needed no great proofe And that it hindereth not in respect of vs that knowe them if wee haue borne our selues wisely and charitably towardes them by processe of admonition which I vnderstoode to bee such as our Sauiour appoynteth I proue first by a perpetuall Cannon out of Ezechiel Secondly from the boundes and limittes of a particular members duetie in this behalfe And heere in deede wee growe to the issue of that whole controuersie I say a particular member ought to admonishe and at length to tell the Church but not to with-drawe him-selfe though the Church shoulde not separate the same vnworthy one You I perceyue holde the contrary namely that a particular member ought to with-drawe and go away from the congregation in such a case Howe this poynt is debated commeth hereafter to bee spoken of Here I will stay a litle to take away what hee bringeth of any shewe against so much of myne as I lately rehearsed 6 Touching my distribution of presence simply and in respect of our knowledge by which I proue the vnworthy cannot hinder the effectuall communicating of the worthy let the godly wise iudge whether I haue altered or shifted away the question or hee rather bearing therein a brand of Gods iudgement vnderstoode not what hee read If you doubt what I meane by the presence of the wicked I vnderstande not their presence as by-standers or lookers on but as receiuers at the same time of the Sacramental signes of the body blood of Christ and this my example of Iudas coulde not but teach you Your leader confesseth that Iudas eate the Passeouer but was not at the newe institution of the communion If it did much concerne the businesse in hande I woulde nothing feare to haue him my aduersarie in it but that part of my diuision as I did not there so I will not here insist vpon because it is of both sides confessed that the presence of the wicked in it self hindereth nothing The other part is that their presence hindereth not in respect of our knowledge of them Your answere is it hindereth in respect of our knowing and communicating with them as though I also had not graunted a kinde of outwarde ioyning and communicating Your replier sayth this is sinne but he bringeth not one argument to proue it In deede if I shoulde so ioyne with an vnworthy one in the Sacrament as approuing him thereby to be a liuely and sound member of the body I shoulde sinne in calling euill good otherwise it can be no sinne vnto mee to mee I say that haue performed those dueties of reforming or remoouing him which Christ commaundeth and so I woulde haue you vnderstand mee in all places Which if you doe as you had no other cause if you had weyed my whole answere together you shall finde a large acquittance for the cauilles at the place of Ezechiel and many other debtes which your replier demaundeth at my handes Nowe for proofe that this communicating is no sinne vnto mee at all I will shewe you first that it is not the sinne of allowing him for a sounde member that is vnsound and secondly that there is no other sinne in it For the first I reason thus If I approue him for a sounde member neither in the sight of GOD nor to his owne conscience neither in the knowledge and iudgement of the Church then can it no waye bee sayde I approue him But I doe it not by any those wayes and there-fore not at all That I doe it not in the sight of God it is manifest for he beholdeth the heart therfore knoweth that I do not so allow him Again that I do it not neither to his own conscience or in the knowledge and iudgement of the Church my former proceeding by the commaunded course of admonition hath abundantly cleered it If you inferre that in this sort also I may goe to Masse if I will you are wyde For the question is of the behauiour of a member in that body wherof it is a member and not in a strange body whereof it is no member And so it followeth not that because I holde my selfe bound to keepe the vnitie of that liuing body whereof I am a member euen with some inconuenience of sicknesse and vnsound partes that therefore I may as well ioyne my selfe to a strange body and so become a member of Satan Yet this is your great leaders Sophistrie If you yet insist vrging me with the outward action communicating I answere I doe that not as a thing of mine owne head or which I might at my choyse refraine but as a duetie necessarily enioyned me of God by his prouidence through my being and placing there and iustly required of mee by the Church or spirituall body through that same inforcing lawe of the coherence and being together of the partes and members which is the expresse ordinance of God as amongest other places the fourth of the Epistle to the Ephesians from the first verse to the ende of the sixteene and Philippians 2.4 Hebrewes 10.25 Iud. 19. doe notoriously proue it So that vnlesse I holde the congregation whereof I am nowe disanulled and become no Church of Christ for the not separating an vnworthy member which is Anabaptisticall heresie I cannot voluntarily either absent my selfe from their assemblies to holy exercises or yet depart away being come together without breach of the bonde of peace sundring the cement of loue empairing the growth of the body of Christ and incurring the guilt of schisme and diuision And thus much for the former of my two poyntes namely that my communicating in such sort as is saide is not the sinne of calling euill good or an vn-sounde member sounde Nowe that I sinne not at all in it I proue it as in my former answere because I haue perfourmed the duties of a priuate man or particular member and beyond which I am commanded nothing of the Lord nothing I say in this course of duetie for I exclude not hereby our prayers
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
But I say vnto you marke it well as it lyeth you vppon for in your standing vppon this poynt that particular members of a Church may depart or refraine from the Lordes table if vnworthy ones remaine there vnseparated it doeth necessarily fall out thereupon that eyther you holde that particular members may forsake a Church of God which now I perceiue your leader renoūceth or else that the couenant of a Church is broken before God by the failing of any necessary poynt in practise Which implying the couenant to bee helde by woorkes is the high way to Popery This thing haue I noted once or twise before And here nowe also the thirde time the reader may see that I am not ouer hastie to take him at such aduantage But withal I trust there appeareth good hope of victory to this side when as the aduersary after much labour to keepe the aduantage thereof hath nowe flatly forsaken one of his holdes and that which remaineth for him to flee vnto is able to kill him with the stench thereof though no man should pursue him any further 24 He foloweth the comparisō of mēbers of a natural body with the members of a Church And first hee saith that as euery particular mēber of a body may shake of the rotten and yet not forsake the bodie so may euerie particular member of a Church This is plaine beggerie for no particular member of a bodie can doe that of it selfe and if it could his conclusion therby should make but for sole excommunication His seconde comparison is thus propounded applied As the members of a natural bodie refuse to vse the seruice of the rotten ones so ought the members of a spirituall bodie refuse to communicate in the sacraments with such Euery man that considereth what I haue said seeth that he fighteth here with his shadow and not with me for I imploy no such members in any seruice But to cleare his eyes it may bee God shall make this a medicine when he shal giue him to meditate that it is quite contrarie to his ordinance in the naturall bodie for the whole members to forsake their places or to refuse to nourish themselues in the vnitie of their bodie because of some rotten ones that doe indaunger them Neither haue his other comparings any more worthie thing against me though too much to bewray his owne vnlearnednesse For whereas he esteemeth that euerie member of a natural bodie withholdeth and keepeth away blood and nourishment from the rotten it is manifest that hee is as ignorant in naturall things as in diuine For blood commeth plentifully inough to rotten members so long as they are vnseparated onely it nourisheth them not as of olde but is peruerted by them to the increase of their rottennesse Let him follow this veine no longer if hee haue any wit in his head 25 After this he beareth you in hand that hee fully satisfieth a question which I should be readie to make in these or such like wordes VVhat if the Church or the rest of the bodie will not withdrawe themselues from that dead and rotten member neither will cast it off what shall one member doe To this he answereth First That if one member doe cast it off the rest will not be angrie Which is the same begging he vsed euen now Secondly that it is a token the rest of the members are not so liuely c. which is a verie colde answer If he had saide it is a token the rest of the members are dead with it so as you may safely depart from them hee had satisfied the question This he would haue you to vnderstand but he durst not vtter it For it is the fashion of an heretique to keepe more poison in his heart than he vttereth with his mouth 26 The first part of his next point is beggerly That a member cannot forsake one congregation of Christ goe to another without guilt of schisme and forsaking the bodie of Christ I prooued in my first answere which yet remayneth vntouched by him His obiection that one Congregation is not the whole Church of Christ c. is an vnlearned cauill For euery particular Church touching the knitting together of the members partaking with Christ the head through that same bodily vnitie is in the same sort to bee considered as the whole Church and we can no more forsake a particular Church and yet bee of the whole than can a finger forsake his hand and yet be of the bodie Take heede therefore vnto your selfe braunches broken off doe shortly wither and after that become fit for nothing but for the fire 27 His obiection of forsaking the Popish Church I haue answered before The next is a pretie dialogue of woordes which because hee made it for his owne recreation I will not hinder him His oppositions are but his owne vnprooued and vnsauerie suppositions How truly he chargeth me therein with diuerse iniquities let the godlie consider my writing and so iudge Whereas he soweth the seedes of newe questions to drawe in other discourses I am not one for his toothe to nourishe them 28 He would make you beleeue that hee prooueth our Church a monstrous and false bodie so that you may hold it safe to forsake vs and this he will do out of mine own words because forsooth I confesse it may haue vnsound corrupt members vnseparated yea which we are not able to separate By which reason if you haue a fellō on your finger which causeth mortification therein if either you wil not or cannot get it cut off you are therby a monstrous false body But here ought to be no question of deformitie but of the being of a church Then he chargeth me to say that it may be a church of God though it haue the discipline and gouernement of Antichrist in stead of Christs and that I confesse we haue offices rites orders c. after the popish institution I know what I haue said he is readie to snatch before any thing fal to the ground But nowe vpon good cause of the question this I answere freely It may be a true Church of God though therein diuerse rites be corruptly instituted and the censures and offices popishly caried and ordered If you doubt that I will prooue it thus VVhatsoeuer hath the essentiall partes of a Church of God the same must needes be confessed to be a Church of God But a Church of such gouernement and orders may haue the essentiall parts of a Church of God Therefore a Church of such gouernement and orders may be a true Church of God The first part no man that hath vnderstanding can doubt of The seconde is also manifest thus that whereas there are but two essentiall partes of any thing to witte matter and fourme the matter of a Church is Christ the heade-corner stone and a people who are as liuing stones to bee layde vpon him the fourme is the comming vnto
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
rules and principles of their worldly artes But Beza for one tree hath got himselfe three namely speculations customes and inspirations and the ceremoniall worship In stead of philosophy which Paule calleth vayne deceipt he nameth curious speculations as if one should aske a Hatchet and he should giue him the helue Paule would roote out all their philosophie and Beza but some part c. A man would thinke there needeth no great labour to prooue out of these words that Browne holdeth both lodgick and all philosophy to be forbidden in the Scriptures but heare him further for soone after he taketh vpon him out of Timothy and Iob to reiect euery part of lodgick by name and therevpon follow these words But what say they is there no vse of lodgick what say you then to a thing and the cause thereof for the effect is knowne by the cause and the cause by the effect so they giue vs four sorts of causes but we returne them vpon them as the spillings of their drunkennes Againe They demaund heere whether definitions be vnlawfull we answere that to name the kinds and sorts of things and to name their natures is not vnlawfull but their idle arte of defining is vnlawfull and to thrust their definitions as misteries into our bosomes or to tearme the naming of things or their natures whereby they are called by the words of their vaine arte is wholly vnlawfull It is manifest that when he wrote these things he dissembled not as now he doth to professe the condemning of lodgick else let euen his next words following the last rehearsed wherein he pretendeth to answere an obiection against him be called to witnesse If they aske sayth he why me then vse the names and haue laboured also so much in defining we tell them that we returne their owne weapons vpon them not that we care for such weapons but because they feare them so much we haue tryed if they may dismay them in their folly and turne them to the truth Heere by the manner of his answere you see is nothing lesse then a denyall of condemning the arte which is now all the refuge the snared Foxe can finde If he could haue enioyed his supposed rest within the harbour of that answere there should his Ship haue remayned still but when he perceiued by the admonition that there was a rocke for his estimation to perish vpon because this cannot be denyed that whatsoeuer things are vnlawfull Christians ought not vse he rather chose this shamelesse denying of that which cannot be denied then that he would giue glory vnto God in acknowledging his fault and forsaking his errour wherein let all true Israelites iudge whether it appeare that the loue of himselfe and prayse of men be more pretious in his eyes then the loue of God and prayse of his glorious name To the 104.105.106 12 The second point wherin the admonition proueth his vnconstancy is this that he once held it a tempting of God for any that followed his course to tarry in England and since againe both himselfe is returned dwelleth heere heareth our Sermons and hath by priuate writings counsailed others so to doe These contrarie courses I say considered with this that notwithstanding hys later practise the man remayneth of the same iudgement against the English assemblyes which he helde before when he passed the Seas and called hys chickens after hym let the godly iudge whether his footesteppes may sauoure of the guiding of Gods spirite and so argue that same assurance in the conscience which the Apostle Paule calleth for in all our actions yea or no. Hys aunswere for thys is lyke the former euen with a cauterized conscience denying that which he knoweth to be true The bare quotations in the admonition made him bold but he ought to haue remembred that there might come a day wherein they should be enlarged and set downe to his shame Now that he prouoked to flee out of England let these his words be first considered Therefore thus saith the Lord I feed not my flocke at Paules Crosse in London or S. Maryes in Cambridge or in your English parishes O yee my sheepe goe yee not thither as though there were my folde and there I rested and fed my flocke for there be Shepheards and flocks also that follow them whith are not of Christ for they hold of Antichrist Also he sayth If in all England or in some more famous places of England whether great Cities or Vniuersities or the Court it selfe we see not the Kingdome of God maintained but persecuted and the true worship of God refused a false worship and idoll seruice wilfully suffered and many Popish abhominations vpheld and established from thence the Lord doth take away his kingdome as it is written The kingdome of God shall be taken from you and giuen to a nation which shall bring foorth the fruites thereof Yea none may continue to preach the truth vnto those when once they haue boldly testified it and they put it from them c. Afterward he sheweth his meaning more cleerely thus In Aegipt the whole Church was in bondage and it wholly departed yet did Pharao giue leaue there to worship God rightly but answere was made it is not meete so to doe in this place for loe can we sacrifice the abhomination of the Aegyptians before their eyes and they not stone vs so also in England though the Magistrates should giue vs leaue to worship God rightly yet the true worship and reformation of the Church is abhomination to the Bishops and other wicked Preachers and people and what stirrings and hurly burlyes would they make but they say we must abide such troubles In deede we must heare them when we cannot auoyde them and in auoyding them we must take heed to hold still a good conscience but we tempt God as did many of the Iewes if when we may go out of Aegipt and auoide such troubles we will not or murmure against it Yet if this be not playne ynough that he vnderstandeth England for Aegipt let him remember where he confesseth He was accused of false doctrine by his owne company because he sayd that England was as Aegipt both for the outward bondage and oppression of the Church by Popish forcing lawes and penalties and for all kinde of wickednesse and because he sayd they did sinne which had a full purpose to dwell still in England when the Lord did call them away and they had libertie to depart Now when he accompteth them called away his owne penne also hath instructed vs namely in these his words following Yea though the Magistrate giue them leaue there to dwell as they liked yet the lawes and disorders abiding still the same they could not there tarrie Also in another place but if it be sayd what if some desire the truth must they also be forsaken I aunswere that if they desire the Kingdome and sell not all they haue to buy it and
him and beeing builded vppon him by faith It is certaine there may be other wants and deformities where these essentiall partes are Now those deformities and wantes may bee both in pointes of doctrine and practise as may plainely bee prooued by examples of the Churches of God established in all ages For the leauen of euill and daungerous pointes of doctrine let the Churches of the Corinthes about the resurrection also counting fornication among indifferent thinges and the Colossians aboute ceremoniall obseruation of dayes and abstinence of meates and worshipping of Angels testifie Yea let the Churches of Galatia generallye infected with daungerous doctrine bee witnesse Wantes in pointes of knowledge and doctrine appeared manifestly to be in the Apostles the Church at Ierusalem touching the vocation of the Gentiles As for practise in gouerning and ordering the Churches if we search the times we shall easily find both deformities disabilities or wantes yea euen in the holsome censures of the Church which are here in question The Corinthians vnreuerent and scandalous yea almost prophane comming to the Lordes table is an example of a foule and corrupt behauiour of a Church Of wants and disabilities in the practise of Church gouernment let vs marke whether they may not be found euen in some Church which that most painefull Apostle Saint Paule laboured so plentifully to make perfect consider I say diligently and you shall finde that same famous Church of Rome where not long after Paule died for the testimonie of Christ so weake and defectiue in duties of gouernment as that they could not separate from them such as preached Christ contentiously and with so spitefull minds against Paule as tended to the cutting off of so good and faithfull a guide from amongest them You will not say they deserued it not nor yet that the better sort woulde not doe it for then also their faulte was worse You cannot say they knewe it not or it was secrete for Paule was in prison so as the knowledge therof coulde not come to him but by the information of brethren yea it is manifest by the same Epistle that the greater number of that Church did corruptly demeane and carrie themselues in the same Againe that pestilent chaire of ambitious vsurpation ouer the assemblies was crept into the Church whereof Saint Iohn maketh mention in these wordes I wrote vnto the Church but Diotrephes who seeketh the preheminēce among them receyueth vs not wherefore if I come I wil declare his deedes which he doeth pratling against vs with ambitious wordes and not therewith content neither himselfe receyueth the brethren but forbiddeth them that would and casteth them out of the Church First here is as much deprauation of discipline as Browne can tell vs of Secondly it is plaine that the same Church remained then vnable to remedie it which the Apostle signifieth by purposing a time to come rebuke him which needed not if the Church according to his demerite could haue chastened him Thirdly hee yet intituleth them the Church whereby all men may see the Apostle was farre frō Brownes mind For he neither insinuateth that the Church was now disanulled by such corruption nor giueth any caueat for men to withdraw or withhold themselues from ioyning with the same which certainly had bene necessarie both for that time present and all posterities ensuing Consider likewise what I haue before obserued vpon the 11. to the Cor. in the 11. sect So that turne you which way you will this shall bee sufficiently proued alwayes that a Church that is to say an assembly consisting of the essentiall partes of a Church of God may bee chargeable of diuerse other wantes and deformities both in doctrine gouernment which being so the other bulwarke also which your leader had builded for you to perswade you boldly to go from vs is beaten downe to the ground namely that the failing of any necessarie point in the publique practise of gouernement breaketh the couenant of a Church Yeld your selfe therfore for here must you needes be taken 22 But nowe let vs come to applie this same generall question to our particular congregation which if it bee tried in the essentiall parts aforsaid shall vndoubtedly be found a Church of God howsoeuer in some other things impure and defectiue He excepteth but against his owne knowledge cōscience that we haue no power nor order in vse to separate the vnworthy First this is no way of the essence of a Church as I shall proue Also I haue saide before that we both may and doe discerne of the Communicants and debarre the vnworthie And I brought places of his owne writings that testifie the same If hee doubt whether wee doe it let him inquire If the reader woulde see where the lawe doeth warrant it let him reade at the beginning of the ministration of the Communion in the Church bookes there shall he see it His sophisticall fetch in making this discipline all one with Christs power gouernment is bowlted out in another place To holde the church of Englande to bee without Christs discipline is they vnaduisednes of him that putteth all vpon the spurre and neuer looketh at his way To discerne the worthy and vnworthy in the assemblies to admonish the inordinate to suspend finally excommunicate the vnruly ones which is the discipline wherof our question is all men know the church of England by law professeth and dayly practiseth therefore it cannot bee said to be without the very discipline of Christ this very discipline I say as touching all the parts and duties of censuring although not ordered administred by such a course as the worde appointeth Which if he consider better hee may more truely hereafter affirme that the church of England administreth the discipline corruptly then that it wanteth the same that the outward forme and ordering of the discipline is popish but not the substāce so How much we labor according to our places to recouer that libertie the word giueth to euery cōgregation for executing the discipline as it is vnpossible for you to report of it that come not among vs so it is a shame for him to define of it that otherwise knoweth vs not 30 But then he woulde haue vs crie out by name against those that restraine vs yea though it cost vs our liues I answer All men in this cannot be tied to one rule for the maner of proceeding neither in any other case of suffering for the truth but euery one is to be left brotherly stirrings vp excepted to the particular preparations and thrusting forth of the spirit Your leader therefore hauing such a particular feeling of so great a charge and bond of duty to venture his liuing life in this case and specially holding the discipline so deare aboue vs as he pretendeth cannot keepe backe himselfe in this case but with ranke cowardlinesse and being guiltie of