of their hearers then from them selues in their own behalfe If anie yet further aske while I haue done it This is my answere if some other els had done it I hope I should haue receiued it with thankes giuing Fare ye well most louing cosen and according to your wonted kindnesse receiue this simple token of my good will The Lord blesse preserue you and youres vnto his heauenlie kingdome London the XX. of the IX Moneth Your kinsman most louing and assured in Christ Stephan Bredwell ¶ THE FIRST PART against his wicked slaunder IN your woordes E. G. to the reader I vnderstand the disease you propounde to cure and in the rest following the causes of the same the disease is the euil life or to vse your owne words the sorie life of manie which seeme Zealous professours The causes are poyson and the giuers of that poyson The poyson is A persuasion that albeit men bee Vsurers Extortioners Drunken Leacherous c as that no sparckles of vertue or grace appeare in them yet if they at anie time condemne this euill in them-selues approue the contrarie godlines belieue that their sinnes are pardoned in Christ loue these their teachers and be beneficiall vnto them and desire to heare their delectable Sermons they maie though they cease not from their former sinnes assure them-selues for all that to bee the deare children of God sanctified by Christs spirit and so elect and praedestinate to saluation as that they cannot possiblie bee damned what sinne soeuer they commit The sicknes I acknowledge 〈◊〉 too gréeuous and this poyson I confesse is as infectious as that of the Cockatrice Who bée these mercilesse murderers that dare infect the fâ—â—de of Christes flocke with this mortall poyson You say priuie libertines carnall gospellers A colde answere in sâ— hote and necessarie sute an vnprosperous cure followeth such sleight discouering of causes But whie doe you not name them vnto vs whie are you so darke in so daungerous a matter If they bee worthelie suspected as accessaries that vpon an inquirie of murder which they sawe direct the pursuers with doubtful and ambiguous notes to take the murderers then must I charge you with as great a guiltines that seeing so many soules poysoned daily with this pestilent doctrine and knowing as you seeme the dooers thereof could finde in your heart to passe them vnnamed But let vs see whom your darke description well wayed pointeâ—h vs vnto Through the pollicie of Satan you saie this poyson is profered by such men as make a great shâ—we of godlines and yet denay as you heare the power thereof and that with most goodlie and godlie wordes of righteousnes regeneration repentâ—unce sanctification mortification and what not to seduce the simple soule By this though men of your spirit like enough perceiue your meaning yet what is this to those that knowe you not and are vnacquainted with your phrases You giue slender addresse hereby to the simpler sort that I saie litle of the offence you laie before them to stumble on whilest your description giueth no speciall difference but hath al the notes pointing out the best sort of preachers If you aske mee whether those be the best preachers that make a great shewe of godlines and yet denaie the powre thereof I answere if you had left this note so to the libertie of mens iudgments and not restrained them with as you heare to applie the same to your onelie accusation and thereby to iudge I would not neither coulde I haue occompted this note in anie wise appliable to a godlie preacher But now séeing the note to stand in these wordes This poyson is profered by men that make a great show of godlines and the other wordes And yâ—â— denaie as you heare the power thereof to be but an enforsâ—â— conceipt of your owne peruerse vnderstanding wee haue good cause to crie out of you that haue giuen vs no other notes to know the poisoners by then such as maie agrée especiallie in the iudgement of the vnexercised with the truest teachers of the gospell Againe in that sentence and by that clause is daungerouslie insâ—nuated vnto the simple that euen the preachers of godliest outward shew and God onelie iudgeth the heart him-selfe with the most graue and godlie tearmes of regeneration sanctification such others doo nothing els but vnder hand and priuilie as you spake sowe those venimous séedes of poisonous doctrine aboue mentioned which as it shall appeare Christ willing to be as false as the Deuill him-selfe so layeth it open a wide gappe vnto all Atheisme on the one side and on the other side armeth the Dartes of the persecuting papists as it were with wilde fire against vs. Their father the Deuill who is a lier from the beginning hath of late yeares erected them a newe Forge in the Shop of the blasphemous Jesuites how heauie a iudgement is comne vpon you that of a christian are become a minister of matter vnto that broode to coyne new reproches and reuilings against the christians and saintes of God But saie you in sadnes E. G. that this abhominable doctrine by you mentioned is openlie taughte by men of great godlines in outward appearaunce Naie doo you saie that it is taught generally or for the most part in the Church of England speake plainelie man and be not cawtelous like the old serpent If here you woulde shrinke the want of such exceptioÌ„s in your writing your quarelling at such pointes of doctrine as they all dooe holde with swéete consent the generall accusation of the liues of the gospellers together with your wilfull departure from our Church are as a walle behinde you so as you cannot hide your heade And if you stande forth and abide by it then I aske you where is your euidence where be your proofes and witnesses Haue you no déede of theirs to shew against them Nor none to depose with you and yet would you bée belieued of your bare worde You I saie a priuate man accusinge the Church of God in a whole kingdome What saide I in a kingdome Naie throughout Christendome for in preaching the redemption by Christ they haue all troden one common path with our ministers as appâ—ereth both by their confessions commentaries and printed sermons If this sinne be not in time repented E. G. thinke not otherwise but in that great daie before the iudgement seate of the Lambe you shall pleade guiltie holding vp your hand with Satan th'accuser of Gods children But you saie If they shall blame me because I bring not their meaning in their owne woordes let them shew their meaning to be otherwise then I haue set it downe or els all that feare God and loue goodnes must needes abhorre them c. Naie rather it was your part putting on the person of an accuser to haue built herein vpon so sure a grouÌ„d of profe as that either you would haue brought forth their owne wordes or writinges saying so much exprâ—sâ—ie
works of righteousnes haue in their conference vrged you with these places of Paul which you resisting as a man voide of all vnderstanding can make no difference betwéene light and darknes life and death heauen and hell To the fourth place you bring They will aske then from whence came that will to doo well c. Prouing good the former interpretation of the seuenth to the Romans and affording neuer a word for your mōstrous accusation what should I saie but that it is truely verified of you A true witnes deliuereth soules but a deceiuer forgeth lies The fift obiection wherein you saie They make the inuer man and the spirit of Christ all one as it maketh neither too nor fro for your cause so is it a bastard perhaps of your own begetting the Preachers of the Gospell teach it not This man is desperately bent to slaunder that forgeth false obiections to féed the fire of his quarrell If anie your friends E. G. think it not likely that you forged it because you made it no more pregnant for the proofe of your cause let them know that as this argument hath not vertue enough to cleare you of iust suspition though you be suffered to enforce it as far as you can so contrariwise it being exactly weighed in the vnpartiall balance of vpright and circumspect iudgement dooth not onlie point in secret to the forgery but as in certaine cyphres also vncouer the cause and as it were the cogitation of your hart therin For whilest it proueth nothing your accusation but is onlie vsed by you as a plaine song for your furious penne to descant vpon what els appeareth it but some new affected standing wherein you would set to sale other farre fetcht wares of your pelagian heresie All which stuffe the Lord willing shalbe sorted out and examined hereafter in his fitter place Your sixt instance of there peruerting scriptures to teach that wicked doctrine you accuse them of is this That they saie the holie Ghost meaneth him onlie to be the seruant of sin and of the deuill who willingly with delight committeth sin not misliking nor striuing against it If I saie this interpretation were not aright yet it saith neuer a word ne giueth one backe nor winke to witnesse against the teachers thereof the intoilerable accusation which you as one that cannot blush haue laide against them Therefore take vnto you this saying of wise Salomon as a glasse wherein to sée your selfe if possibly anie prick of remorse maie pearse into you Foolishnes is ioy to him that is destitute of vnderstanding but a man of vnderstanding walketh vprightly And a litle before The mind of the prudent seeketh knowledge but the mouth of fooles is fedde with foolishnes What I can saie to warrant their assertion you shal heare anon after I haue once throughly shewed how honest a man you are of your word Yet or I passe let it be noted in this place that of these six witnesses which you haue indéede not orderlie produced but forcibly haled into the Court to testifie for you not one of them would doo you that fauour as to giue you a good countenance but presentlie turned their backes so soone as the matter was but repeated and in a deepe silence departed Wherefore now at length being somewhat spent of witnesses and hardly distressed in your cause you set forth your selfe to entertaine your iudges partly with the odious repetitiō of your vnproued slaunder and partly with a new craft of subtile insinuation as though our Ministers indéed by an argument of comparison did driue at some such conclusion as you haue enforced vpon them For answere whereunto I must tell you first that whilest you procéed thus you betraie the verie issue of your cause into my hands For whereas in the beginning you knew that our Preachers saide not that in expresse words which you accuse them of and yet charged them still to teach no other thing in effect you grew on then to this point that you would proue it by shewing how they peruert the holie scriptures to that end Hereupon wée haue ioyned our issue hitherto your proofes haue failed and now you fall a shifting as though you would alter your issue So that A wauering minded man is vnconstant in all his waies But I am content to make no gain of this vantage my cause is full so good as that I doubt not to ouerthrow you although I yeld you all those liberties helpes that may any way lawfully be vsed of you in this case Now let vs hear you These men you say do hold That the spirit is in their belieuers though they bee wholy possessed of pride couetousnesse c. because wee see fier may bee raked vnder the ashes and the sap may be in the root of the tree and yet appeare not Which men where be they when heard you it E. G lying is no lawfull helpe I can not graunt it you Or if you heard it not perhaps you might reade it tel vs what writers do so apply that similitude for this he bringeth not a sillable to satisfie vs. O beastlie impudencie O Babilonish pride O palpable impietie But I will stay my selfe in exclaming though this man hath neither stop nor stay in lying But do you perswade your selfe E. G. there are anie so seruilely addicted to your heresie as that they shoulde easely brooke this lothsomnesse of your lying and forgerie for my part though I know as experience of all ages hath confirmed vnto vs that there is no heresie so foule or vgglie but it shal finde too manie fitte subiects to receiue it such is the iust iudgement of God vpon those that rest not them selues in his trueth yet am I in very good hope that this grosse impudencie and apparant sinne of slander which thus raigneth in you throughout all your writing will giue as cleare light as the sunne vnto the consciences of all those that haue anie feeling not onelie that your accusation is without proofe but also that your opinion of the full power of the regenerate man ouer al his waies to absteine from euil and keepe the commandements is besides the falshood of it a verie monster fearefull and venomous not to be approached of anie that would auoide the poysoning of their soules But of this more fully in his place Meane time let euerie faithful brother know this that the ministers of the Churches professing the gospel generallie throughout Christendom I speake not of anie limbes of the diuel in corners do vse this similitude of fire raked vnder the ashes and sap in the rootes of the trees onely in the case of some afflicted conscience and not otherwise As for example there be manie deare children of God that either immediatlie vpon their new begetting to the faith or shortly after in the growing vp of the same God in his wisedom so seeing it good for them are not so daungerously as grieuously for the time
not delightfull to the flesh but if by flesh he meane whole Paul as by his next words It was a messenger of Sathan sent to buffet his flesh not to tempt him to sin he must néeds doo or elshée corrupteth the text then the first part of his argument is false where he saith Sin is delightfull to the flesh For it is proued before that sin is loathsome to the regenerate man and he doth it vnwillingly whensoeuer he falleth into sin So here we see this man would sophistically beguile vs with a failation of Homonymie Concerning that he saith This prick was a messenger of Satan sent to beat or buffet his flesh not to tempt him to sin Let the Reader note first that of is here rashly put in betwixt Messenger Sathan Secondly he sheweth his accustomed sawcines in restraining to a part that which the text attributeth to the whole as where Paul saith The Angell Sathan did buffet him E. G. saith He did buffet his flesh His meaning thereby hee sheweth soone after for he would haue vs to vnderstand by this prick and buffeting of Sathan nothing but the outward humblings and afflictions of Pauls bodie which afterward indéed he reckoneth vp as things wherein he made his profit and reioycing also But what reasons bringeth hée that the place must thus be vnderstood Forsooth Because Paul reioyced and tooke pleasure in these his infirmities which hee would neuer haue done if they had been vices and such fleshly infirmities as they speake of First marke his words Such fleshly infirmities as they speake of What may he mean by this think you If you read the first page of his book where he maketh a flood of slandrous spewings to drowne if it were possible all the sincerest Preachers of the Gospell in you shall sée he would haue the simple take it thus that our Preachers doo extenuate and hide the gréeuousnes and ouglenes of the grossest sinnes in the world with the nice and soft terme of infirmities which is so open a lie as it bewrayeth there was no feare of God before his eies Now for his reason if he will thus meane by infirmities whoredom drunkennes oppression c. We are so far from vnderstanding them to be anie cause of Pauls reioycing who was far from their infection as that we denie the temptations lust and eggings of sin which héere we take for the prick in his flesh or the buffets of Sathan which are by his continuall stirring vp those lusts of concupiscence yea or yet his infirmities indéed whereby he meaneth his weake condition and necessarie subiection vnto these things to bee anie true causes of his glorying no more if you remember well then the law could be truly said to be the cause of sin for that the naturall man was the more stirred vp to rebellion by it And yet it is true that Paul gloried in his infirmities not in respect that they were vncleannes in the sight of God for in that regard they humbled him and kept him from being proud of his reuelations but in respect that they were the waie that the Lord had chosen both to doo him best good and also to aduance his own power by for so he plainly expresseth it when he saith Therefore I glorie rather in my infirmities that the power of Christ might dwell in mee And the diuine answere it selfe said to him My grace is sufficient for thee for my power is made perfect through weaknes If beside this refutation of his reason some require more to the clearing of this place to our side I wil adde two or thrée arguments moe out of the text it selfe to proue Pauls infirmitie in this place to be a sinful weaknes and not the outward pouertie reproches persecutions anguishes for Christ which he afterward remembreth First because those can bee vnderstood but of a bodely or outwarde weaknes but by this is ment a spirituall or inward weaknes which I proue by the very cause of this weaknes which is the prick there mentioned which being no outward thing but inwardly fastened in the flesh for so y ◠text giueth hath his proper effect not in outward abasing of the person in the eies of men for that doo those things that come to him from without but for that it inwardly reprocheth straineth and so abaseth him in the eies of the Lord. Herehence I gather my second argument in that this weaknes was such as humbled Paul in the sight of God so as though he had the comforts of excellent reuelations yet he durst not boast himselfe by them for the priuitie of his inward vncleannes which hée knew was open vnto the eies of the Lord. Now we know there is nothing in the worlde can make vs hang downe our heads before our God but sin only for concerning all outward persecutions and anguishes wée haue a recompencing comfort and ioy in the presence of our God euen in the mids of their enduring so as in them we are more then conquerours as the same Apostle testifieth in another place Therefore it must néeds bée vnderstood a sinfull infirmitie which Paul there acknowledged in himselfe My third argument I take from that that the Apostle prayed simply for the remouing of it which because it cannot be confirmed by a like example in all the scriptures naie is plainly disallowed by the practise of the Apostles Act. 5. v. 41. And by Paul himselfe likewise in sundrie places it proueth strongly that outward afflictions maie not be vnderstood thereby but that sinful weaknes which euen then remained in him And so thus we see this place wel agréeing with the former of the 7. to the Rom. And to proue the question of the regenerate mans weaknes equally with it Againe for further proofe of that question because by the word of two or thrée witnesses a matter standeth firme there is added vnto these a third place out of the Epistle to the Galathians in these words The flesh lusteth against the spirite and the spirite against the flesh and these are between themselues contraries so as you cannot doo whatsoeuer you would E. G. fearing y ◠light of this place would faine if he could at least make our eies dimmer in séeing it and thus he answereth The flesh indeed will lust in all men against the spirit but that it shall so preuaile against the spirite in the regenerate man that he shall not be abled by the spirit to do the things he would that I deny An answere not only false but frantick False I say two waies first in that he saith The flesh will lust in all men against the spirit as though all men had the spirit Secondly in that hée benieth That it can so preuaile against the spirit in the regenerate man as though he that hath the spirit of God is not a regenerate man Surely me think this geare hangeth togither like the words of a frantike man But here
of administration which is in the efficacie of the spirite working inwardlie by the outwarde meanes of diuine pollicie as preaching of the worde ministration of Sacraments c. also this same inwarde operation is twofold as tending to the fulfilling of the decrée of election or reprobation both which againe are diuerse in infants and elder persons In infants I vnderstand the operation after this sorte when as outwardlie that is as pertaining to the iudgement of the Church they are holie through the grace of the couenant whereinto they are entred And of these so manie as are elect of God are after a secret and vnspeakable maner graffed into Christ by the spirite of God The Reprobate of them are for the guiltinesse of their natiue â— originall sinne cast off for euer being left vnto them selues Now in the elder sorte the inward operation is their vocation or calling Uocation is that whereby men are gathered vnto the Church This is accompanied wiâ—â— distribution of gifts and the kéeping and encreasing of them But this vocation we find to be twofold one common to euerie sorte wherein both reprobate and elect are brought as if they were a brotherhood to one outward societie of a church But the other is the proper calling of the elect wherby they are brought vnto election Election is a seperation of them from the world to be citizens together in Christ and of the houshold of God Their proper gifts are faith vnfained and the fruites of faith Faith vnfained is a faith whose facultie is altogether a supernaturall efficacie put into the heart to the aprehending of Christ the promise extant in him The proper action hereof or as Paule speaketh 1. Thes 1. 3. the worke of it is to take hold of Christ and to receiue him applyed vnto vs whereby he not onely dwelleh in our heartes as it is in Ephes 3. 17. but is also put vpon vs as a worthie clothing like as the Apostle speaketh Gal. 2. 27. The fruites of this faith are those which Christ worketh in his elect dwelling in them by faith The chiefe heades of which are reconciliation and sanctification and so the fruites that respect or follow either of them Fruites respecting reconciliation are the fruites of the spirite which spring from the certaine applying of the same reconciliation And those are either respecting iustification or adoption Those of iustification are such as like verie effects of a true cause so do they declare the same iustification for certaine to be applyed vnto vs such as are they which of the Apostle are set downe in their order namely an entrance into the fauor wherein we stand The loue of God towarde vs poured out in our heartes that is by the excellent working of the holie Ghost pleÌ„tifully imprinted in the sense of our soule The peace of our conscience before God spirituall gladnesse and glorying in these benefits Now the fruites respecting adoption are those which do confirme the same yet more certainely vnto vs. To wit the spirite of Adoption hope The spirite of adoption which is here a figuratiue speach the cause being put for the effect is that working of the spirite of Christ which witnesseth vnto our spirite that we are the sonnes of God Wherehence ariseth that boldnesse that we call God our father And haue the certaintie of the inheritance so as with a pledge or earnest pennie confirmed vnto vs here till we be brought to the full libertie to the prayse of his glorie Hope which is the other fruite respecting adoption is whereby from the certaintie of faith we expect with patience all those thinges which are to be fulfilled This patience or waiting is the waiting of the setled or quieted soule for the full redemption from all euils which redemption also I haue largelier spoken of heretofore In this order are the fruits respecting reconciliation Those that respect our sanctification is the gift of right repentance infused in our heartes by faith where the right season of the practising faculties of holie life speciallie towardes God and men is called charitie by a figuratiue phrase ascribing the whole vnto a part And the action of this loue is a laboring in euery good worke Which I belieue euery Christian man so far forth as his life is lent vnto him is bound vnto not that good workes are anie causes of righteousnes for the Apostle flatly calleth them the fruites of righteousnesse nor yet that wee can deserue any thing by them as the filthie Papist speaketh but for others most excellent and necessarie vses which the holy Ghost setteth down vnto vs in sundry places and that both in regard of God and of man Of God in shewing forth his vertuous power thereby to the prayse and glorie of his holy name In regard of man according to the saying of James 2. 18. Shew mee thy faith by thy workes Which this way haue vse both in respect of our selues and of others For to our selues they bring a double benefit for the present life in getting a good testimonie and approbation of others that feare y â— Lord and in assuring more and more our own consciences of the certaintie of our election Also towardes other men our good works haue notable vse whether they be now of the number of the faithful congregation with vs or els euen without the same Of those that are within the Church they bee beneficiall both to the weake and the strong to the weake to confirme and build them vp more To the strong in reioycing them and gladding of their heartes And as for those that are without this our holie conuersation shall either win them if they pertaine to the Lords election being as it were a hand of conduct vnto them in the day of their visitation to bring them to the Gospel of Christ or els stop their mouthes so as they hauing no iust occasion by vs to blaspheme the trueth may be also ashamed when they come to speak euil of our professioÌ„ Thus I hope your consciences beare me witnesse that I soundly belieue in Christ both touching his priestly and kingly office and haue good workes in pretious account in their proper place yet had I neuer other teachers for the matter then such as that wilfull man whom you would follow hath coÌ„demned and by writing laboured to make odious both to friends and enimies So that it is more then probable that the cause of the poyson which he speaketh of euery where so virulently is not at all in our teachers but in such vncircumcised hearers as E.G. was who for lacke of an vnderstanding heart and humble spirite turned that into venome which another man receiueth the permanent foode of life by Neither is it maruel that one and the same cause should haue so contrarie effectes through the onely diuersitie of