scope being seene let vs take also a short viewe of the handling of his matter Setting downe discipline first in two points as if he woulde begin at the two maine heades thereof he maketh the gathering of a Church one and the guiding of it the other as though you might vnderstande howe the light of the fire can be before there be fire the vse of an instrument before the instrument be fourmed and the action of a liuing thing before the same liuing thing be engendered But in these disputes of discipline the man must bee remembred that wee speake not of discipline at randon but strictly of the discipline of a church Which therfore hauing continuall relation to a Church as haue the actions of a man to a man can no more be presupposed to be the discipline of a church before the same church be then can the actiōs of any man be ascribed vnto him or reported of him before the man himselfe that should do them be begotten But if he will needes haue the gathering of a Church to bee a part of the discipline what part will he referre it vnto For hereby we shall find him as farre at oddes with himselfe as hee is with the trueth His diuision of the kingdome of Christ which hee taketh to differ nothing from the discipline as I haue declared you haue heard before What part thereof is the gathering of a Church to bee referred vnto Perhaps hee will answere the last part namely separation But alas poore man hee forgot that his owne definitions haue quite debarred him all such escape For separation sayth he of the wilfull or grieuous offender is a duetifulnesse of the Church in withholding from them the Christian Communion and felowship by pronouncing and shewing the christian Communion to be broken by their grieuous wickednesse and that with mourning fasting and prayer for them and denouncing Gods iudgements against them And this he calleth not separation from the prophane world but separation from the Church The same hee sayth of the other two partes trying out wickednesse and rebuke they be duties of the church sayth he therefore the Church is presupposed first to be say I and so he in this dissenting both from truth and from himselfe sheweth that nothing but the spirit of lies doeth lead him And why doeth hee say The Church must bee gathered of the worthie and not rather of beleeuers according to the vsuall speach of the Scriptures Forsooth he knewe that if hee granted the Church to bee gathered of beleeuers there needed no more to bee saide to his confutation He was so wise therefore for himselfe as to choose rather a worde more impertinent and lesse perspicuous both to reserue a vauntage of cauilling and to darken the light vnto his reader In the tenth of Matthew whence he fetcheth his phrase Christ giueth no commaundement to the twelue to gather Churches as lthough for that ende they shoulde enquire who was woorthie but onely that they should carie thorow the cities of Iudea the sound of the cōming of Messiah for the wakening of the people preparing their minds to receiue their saluation now comming so neare towardes them and there inquiring out of the worthy is not enioyned them for gathering of congregatious in townes and cities but for their direction touching the places where they should looke for intertainment whilest they taried in any towne or citie And therefore sayeth our Sauiour In whatsoeuer citie or towne ye shal come inquire who is worthie in it and then hee saith not gather all such together to bee a Church but there abide ye till ye go thence as appointing them in euery towne where they come to take vp their lodging in the house of him whom they heard most specially to be spoken of for an honest and religious life The rest of his quotations here are from his purpose they concerne not gathering of Churches but partly the behauiour in Churches and partly euery seuerall Christians discerning of contemners And Malachie among the rest is fowly forced when as because he sayeth The Lorde reiected their offerings because they offered the scrobled and the lame and thesicke and the blinde Browne sayth It figureth the reiecting of our Sacraments when dogs and swine do cōmunicate therein when papists Atheists drunkards Maygamsters blasphemers raylers fighters and such like are presented as sweete bread at the table of the Lord. Where he should compare the blind and lame sacrifices with the defect and defilement that may bee in the Sacraments and seruices of the Church hee to serue his owne turne compareth them with the vnworthie receyuers and disordered members of a Church which was very clenly cogging Besides that it is vntrue that euerie vnworthy receiuer by and by is a dog or a swine for the description Christ giueth of them by their properties is such as rightly agreeth with those only who with open malice and wilfull stubbornesse tread vnderfoot blaspheme godlinesse and ragingly persecute the professors of the same Such found Paule and Barnabas of the Iewes at Antioch But such therefore is not euery vnwoorthie Communicant or that doth deserue excommunication His heaping vp of Papists Atheists with the rest sheweth that his pen was in running and he must needs fill vp the nūber Finally it is false that they were no sacrifices because the Lorde reproueth the bringing of such by the people and the accepting of them by the Priest For they keeping them to the kind of cattel that God had ordeyned for his sacrifices as sheepe oxen c. it ceased not to be a sacrifice although a faultie one when they offered the lame and the blind of those because the fault was in the qualitie and not in the substance Whereas if they should haue killed a dogge or an hogge or an asse then it had beene vtterly no sacrifice His corrupt opinion in vrging the retayning of euery trespasse of our brothers till wee see him repent I haue discouered before Nowe when hee sayeth This libertie and power euery Christian must holde or else hee is the seruant of men and not of Christ And therehence argueth from the more to the lesse If a particular Christian cannot want it how shall the whole Church be without it and yet be named the Church of Christ It is manifest that hee maketh the reproouing of offending brethren to be of the essence of a Christian and so reasoneth from the deniall of the more probable to the deniall of the lesse probable But his reasoning is sophisticall and the consequence popish heresie His reason is sophistical in that he maketh it lesse probable for a church to faile in matters of discipline than for a christian in his own particular of monishing his brother when as contrariwise it is more probable because to the discipline of a Church is required a consent and consent is neuer free from the clogges crossings of cōtradictorie
the man to talke very idely Also if he do not as impertinētly cite the 11. of the Reuel v. 4.5 it is because I lacked his treatise that might make that scripture plaine easy vnto me which was promised now some 4. or 5. yeres ago in a certaine booke the title wherof is thus stoutly subscribed By me Robert Browne 13 An Apostle saith he is but one member and yet might any one Apostle or messenger of Christ forsake or cast off whole Cities or Churches that refused or withstood their message therefore I trow it must be concluded that particular members or priuate men may cast off whole Churches or spirituall bodies if their execution of discipline fayle in any part Alas alas that euer you should beare your selfe vpon such a rotten prop. Consider now againe the comparison and you will euidently see the error Apostles that is to say publike persons of an extraordinarie embassage and so of giftes and that were not by any reason of theyr calling to settle in any one congregation are compared with priuate men or particular members of no extraordinarie sending nor giftes and such as by all reason of their calling are all theyr lyfe long necessarie remoue of dwelling considered to abyde members of one congregation these persons I say of so contrarie condition which I set abroade chiefely to preuent some thyngs heereafter are compared in one action that is in forsaking But as there is no resemblance betwixt the subiects or things to be forsaken so there is no reasonable proportion betweene the causes of theyr forsaking The Apostles forsooke Churches or assemblyes that were without Christ we must forsake Churches and congregations of Christ The Apostles forsooke them for refusing the couenant offered and wee must forsake them for vnperfect obseruing of the fruites of the couenant receyned Behold the fraude and flee from it So hys instances of the Synagogs of the Iewes in Antioch Ephesus are powred out like water vpon the groūd since those were not Churches plāted in the new couenāt therfore none at al for Christiās to be mēbers of And heerabouts he trauerseth much ground as if he would meete me but neuer walketh that way which it was likely I would come 14 His demaund concerning the Popish Church whether we be schismatiques for departing from that is friuolous for that is fallen from the foundation and hath no knitting with Christ hauing denyed the faith Also the decree of God touching his forsaking of her is now for a good time gone out against her as cleerely as in times past against the Israelites and the one is no more within the couenant and protection of the Lord than the other Touching that he saith that To denie Christes discipline and gouernment is to denie Christ he saith truth But concerning the question in hand he beggeth thereby that he shall neuer get For vnlesse he will say and so can proue that what congregation soeuer faileth or is restrained so as it doth not execute all ecclesiasticall censures or cleereth not the sacraments from all offences to the communicants the same denieth Christ and falleth from the foundation except I say he can proue this he hath nothing against vs towards the denying of Christ nor yet to proue that particular members may separate themselues from such a Church which he maketh you beleeue to be a matter most euident Yet I must answere him VVhether if the Church will ioyne in the Sacrament with an vnlawfull Minister a VVolfe a hireling a theefe those amongst them that knowe and can proue him such a one may withdraw themselues That the sinne corruption of the Minister is no cause for the godly to withdraw frō the Sacramēt it followeth in good proportion to be cōcluded frō that which hath bin hitherto disputed of the mēbers of a Church in generall And heere moreouer for direct confirmation the examples of Ely and his Sonnes may suffice vs with whom it was lawful for the people to sacrifice and receiue spirituall blessings by their hande though their liues were most offensiue and namely the sonnes notoriously wicked So I say of the Scribes and Pharisees whome it was lawfull to heare Nowe if hee meane by theeues such as leade not in by the doore Christ hee doeth iniurie and dealeth captiously for they that gather not vnto Christ but haue strange voyces which the sheepe acknowledge not those are rather the great antichristian deuourers which bring another foundation besides Christ Iesus and are not to be inrolled with such as teach the doctrine of faith truly But heere yet I muste insist a little because I knowe that Browne in a certaine place excepteth two thinges agaynst this example of Elie his sonnes One That the better sort of the people did withdrawe themselues from the Sacrifices because of their sinne and the other is That Elie ministred and not his sonnes when Elkanah and his wiues came to offer I answere Whereas the text doeth testifie saying Therefore the sinne of the young men was verie great before the Lorde for men abhorred the offeringes of the Lorde It giueth not the least shewe of arguing that there was nowe no offering of the Lord for the faithfull sort to come vnto for the flat contrarie is auouched nor yet that anie as in duetie did abstaine from the Sacrifices for then also by the whole course of Brownes doctrine Elkanah Hannah and Samuel in not abstaining did partake with the sinnes of the Priestes and were become wicked with them yea and so consequently their sacrifices should haue bene accursed vnto them so farre should they haue bene from bringing such a blessing as they did but when it is sayde The people abhorred the offering of the Lorde because of the sinne of the young men what is it but to aggrauate the sinne of the Priestes and shewe the extent of their iniquitie to reache euen to the making of the people thus to sinne This is confirmed by Elie his woordes when rebuking his sonnes hee sayeth thus according to Tremelius translation Doe not so my sonnes for this is no good report which I heare that you turne away the people of the Lord. And this is that sinne which the woorde often opbraydeth vnto loose professours that they make the name of God euill spoken of for their sakes Nowe that he saieth touching Elies offering the sacrifices and not his sonnes is miserablie destitute of all probabilitie For first the text sayeth Elkanah and his wife went vp out of his citie euerie yeere to worshippe and to sacrifice vnto the Lorde of hostes in Shiloh where were the two sonnes of Elie Hophni and Phinehas Priestes of the Lorde If these bee mentioned for Priestes of the Lorde in Shiloh who shoulde doubt that they offered the sacrifices of the people that thither repared for that end and so of Elkanah amongst the rest And that olde Eli
will bee loath to loose his place aboue many others hecause hee hath stood so much heretofore vpon deniall of this which I affirme thereof yet hath hee nowe to thinke that neither the auncientie of his error nor the inconuenience hee dreameth of can yeelde him strength inough to keepe it The inconuenience shall bee met withall afterward Here I will shewe the reasons of my iudgement out of the place I wrote vnto you sayth Paul in an Epistle that you shoulde not company together with fornicators This verse you see is of shedding or sorting out our company Then followeth and not altogether with the fornicators of this worlde or with the couetous or with extortioners or with idolaters for then you must goe out of the world But nowe I haue written vnto you that you company not together If any that is called a brother be a fornicator or couetous or an idolater or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner with such a one eate not In these verses wee are directed both what persons to shunne and also in what conuersation or company In appoynting the persons hee excepteth for those that were not as yet come to religion and setteth downe this rule to hold in all those that are counted brethren in the Church Of his exception hee rendreth two reasons first because the number of those that professed not Christ was then so great as they could not auoyde them and liue in the worlde Secondly because Christians are not charged with their censuring but they are reserued to Gods iudgement Why brethren are subiect to those priuate censures as I may speake he giueth this reason because we ought to looke into and iudge one of another The conuersation is set out by one kinde named for all to witte eating of meate which is alwayes a very notable marke and fruite of familiaritie I know your leader would haue you vnderstand this of eating bread at the Lordes table onely but the 10. verse deliuereth the whole text from this iniury For if the Apostle would haue had them taken his meaning in this place to be directly of their meeting companying at the Lordes Table as you take it what needed hee to haue excepted those that were out of the Church and no brethren with whō the Church neither had nor might haue company at the Lordes Table Yea how absurdly had he reasoned in saying thus for then you must go out of the world as though he should say if you altogether debar the wicked that are without the Church from your company at the Lordes table then may you as well get out of the worlde for you cannot liue in it When your leader is so grossely ouershot in such playne points it lieth you vppon carefully to consider whether the hand of God be vpon him in as heauy a iudgment as fell vpon Elymas the sorcerer for peruerting the straight wayes of the Lorde By this that is sayd I trust it is cleere ynough that the doctrine which he calleth so seditious is not mine but the Lords and therefore if it haue any such dangerous consequences as your replier reckoneth you see that his accusation must reach higher then mee But alas how doth it grieue me in your behalfe yours I meane with the rest of your company I would if it pleased God that you knewe or could discerne rightly with what sorowe I am sundry times affected for you when I consider which I doe often what numbers as I heare of you whereof many haue otherwise good partes in them are so intollerably abused and ouer caryed by that wretched man For euen in this doth it follow thinke you that if wee tye our selues to this rule of sorting our company in priuate conuersation that then the knot of marriage should bee loosed the bondes of obedience broken and outward acquaintances quite shaken of c. Is there no meane betwixt these two extremities but that we must be either vnnatural or carelesse Surely if we should take this course in all the Scriptures wee should make a strange religion by and by I meane if we receiue some generall sayings of the Scripture without their peculiar exceptions and declarations in other places As for example Thou shalt doe no manner worke on the seuenth day and thou shalt not kill what should the seruice and ceremonies doe in the Church or the Magistrate in the common wealth if these bee not limitted and declared by other special places and exceptions And if you grant me this that places are to be compared with places and generals declared vnderstood by specials why thē shal you see this knot sone vntied or rather that ther was no knot nor difficultie as your leader hath mislead you For that those places of dissorting our selues frō the wicked make nothing against obedience to Magistrates wee haue Matt. 22.21 Rom. 13.1.2 with diuers others to declare them Againe that they debarre no dueties in marriage 1. Cor. 7.3.4.5.12.13 with many other places that you knowe doe warrant vs. The like also may bee sayde of children to parents and in the rest So that then conferring these places together we see flatly that as on the one side we are bound generally to shun priuate conuersation with vngodly ones so on the other side we must necessarily obserue withall whatsoeuer speciall dueties are to bee required at our handes by any one And thus at length it will fall out being as from both sides resolued that touching Magistrates parentes maried folkes and masters the general prohibitions of not eating nor keeping company must bee vnderstood of shunning the malice of sinne and seducing yea that our doings must be with a kind of mourning and afflictiō for their sakes but not forbidding necessary dueties which other bonds of commandements doe straitly bind vs to Touching other acquaintances and dealing with brethren those prohibitions reach not beyond their inward familiaritie delightful accompanying which is euer stained with fowle tolerations and neglect of Christian reprehensions And therefore haue we for these cases other golden rules also to guide vs by When as Saint Paul sayth If any man obey not this our saying in this letter note him haue no companie with him that hee may bee ashamed yet count him not as an enemy but admonish him as a brother Wee must so auoyde his company as hee may not finde want of loue and brotherly kindnes in vs but onely a chiefe loue of vertue that thereby he may take shame at his sinne To the same purpose sayth hee in another place Let no man deceiue you with vaine woordes for such thinges commeth the wrath of God vpon the children of disobedience Bee not therefore companions with them Likewise a litle after And haue no felowship with the vnfruitefull woorkes of darkenes but euen reproue them rather This conferring and resoluing of places together if your leader had grace to vse hauing also vngorged himselfe of
comparison seemeth to haue craued at his handes at the least some one example out of the Scriptures shewing vs when or where the spirite of God disauoweth any Church for the cause of some notorious wicked ones among them If I therefore in exemplifying against him shall bring a cloud of witnesses all of them testifiyng as with one mouth the flat contrary I hope I shall enclose the trueth of this cause more strongly then that any wylie or vndermining foxes shall bee able to enter in hereafter to violate the same And to beginne with the Churches of which wee haue the life and liuely voyce of our Sauiour Christ to testifie and after that to enquire of the Apostles it may not bee denied me but that in the Church of Ierusalem the Lorde did dwell and that there were offered the Sacrifices and performed the rites of his holy worshippe which he accepted at the handes of his seruantes in the dayes of our Sauiour his comming in the flesh Nowe in the outward body of this Church were corrupt Scribes superstitious Pharises and epicurish Sadduces this last sort denied the resurrection and the two former also corrupted many thinges in the doctrine and sur-charged the Iewish Church with importable burdens of traditions being indeed the ordinary teachers of the people but so yet the pestilent and notorious corrupters of true religion these are in your leaders comparison to be resembled by the poyson on the other side there were though of smaller nūber that in the middest of the same congregations paid their vowes vnto the Lord in the simplicitie of their heart being in the meane time openly mingled in one outward Church with such vnrighteous ones Of this sort we may reckon diuers by name as Symeon Zacharias Marie Anna Elizabeth c. Here therefore we should conclude by your leaders rule that those being the sweete water and not reseruing their worshipping of God religious seruices to separate meetings but performing them in the congregations of notorious wicked teachers very falsely instructed people were now also impoysoned become one wicked crewe together with the rest But I trust you will confesse that the scriptures are contrary so consequently therfore that your leader doth seduce you Again to be as briefe likewise as I may in the rest Our sauiour in his own words deliuered vnto Iohn that the Church at Thyatira had so that wicked Iezabel amongest them as that they were guilty of permitting her to teach seduce the seruantes of God making thē to cōmit fornication to eate meats sacrificed vnto idoles The Church at Pergamus was charged to haue amongst thē those that mainteined the doctrine of Baalam of the Nicolaitans Nowe by your leaders rule these had also so impoysoned the rest that not one amongst thē could be said to hold fast the faith nor keep the name of Christ nor serue him purely so as to be exempted frō the punishmēt that should light vpō the rest in the day that the Lord should visite but the word of the Lord saith directly to the contrary therefore your leader is found a blasphemous seducer in his cōparisō And that wee may touch likewise the Apostles testimonies When Iude acknowledgeth spots in the Church feastes are not those spots the wicked ones which he there inueigheth against If then he had approued your leaders doctrine hee would not haue written them preseruatiue instructions to keepe out their contagion for such mingling had nowe by his rule impoysoned all but it laye vpon his fidelitie to haue told them that whensoeuer it should come to passe that they so mingled they shoulde count themselues no longer Churches of God but infected and wicked companies euen all the sort of them The same doe I say of the Church wherein Diotrephes was But those Apostles writings are farre contrary hereunto Therefore your leaders comparison is abhominable I omit to speake of the Churches which Saint Iames not condemneth but expostulateth with concerning proud dispisers of the poore vnbrideled pratlers lippe Christians enuious men contentious prouokers vncleane liuers c. which were among them As also the Thessalonians who had their inordinate walkers busy bodies and such as laboured not duely in their callings Yea herein their blame being much the greater that they permitted such amongst them hauing bene admonished of that matter once before And nowe I come to the Colossian Galathian and Corinthian Churches these had in the middest of them such as seduced mightily and preuailed dangerously yea some in the fundamental points of religion and articles of our faith The Corinthians touching practise had such as stirred vp strifes emulations anger contentions commotions and tumults such as maried with infidels such as with open speaches depraued Pauls writings the sounder sort being guilty of harkening vnto and tollerating such as thus in their vanity and iniquity wrought his disgrace and in his the truths yea shall I say further not as delighting to blaze the sinnes and corruptions of these Churches but iustly indeuouring to extinguish this Church-firebrand which Satan in the throng of all our heapes of woes hath hurled amongst vs. Besides that I haue deliuered in the 11. Section it is certaine the Corinthian Church was outwardly mixt with such as by carnal eloquēce prophaned the temple of God vsed indifferent thinges with manifest offence to the weake esteemed fornication amongst indifferent thinges and committed no obscure kinde of idolatry in eating at the tables of Idoles meates sacrificed to the deuill Nowe then if these Churches by al this mixing were not become impoisoned and wicked crewes but remayned still of reuerend account among the Churches of God for the righteous sake which were not heerein impeached by the wicked then is your leaders comparison framed to the great fall of truth and himselfe prooued to be a pernitious schismatike by it But the Apostle cleereth the first in many places of those his Epistles so as I hope no man will aske me particular proofes thereof therefore the latter must necessarily be graunted of all sides And then by the way let me obserue thys one thing If a few holding the true worship of God in synceritie mixed with many bearing an outward profession with them but otherwise of verie offensiue life yea some notoriously wicked and not separated from amongst them haue beene notwithstanding rightly accounted Churches of God for faithfull men comfortably to ioyne vnto and no man exhorted to withdraw from their assemblyes then is there vtterly no cause for you and the rest to disclaime the Churches of England as you do and to separate your selues from vs for those impurities that are amongst vs therefore the fyrst being true by most of the examples aforesayd it remayneth by the latter that you labour to the Lord for mercy and so returne Lastly in my first answere touching the similitude of leauen I
bee holden and kept by workes His onely answere to the purpose for this is That hee calleth not discipline the couenant but sayth that the couenant is kept by discipline Which is altogether as much as I lay to his charge howsouer hee catcheth at a feather to mainteine some quarelling as appeareth by my maner of setting downe the trueth opposed to his falshoode within fiue lines following For there I say Not by workes but by faith is the couenant kept on our part Nowe since he confesseth as much as I meant to charge him with and that which I charge him with is popish heresie it followeth that Browne teacheth popish heresie yet hee contendeth earnestly Num. 69. That hee speaketh in no place of keeping the couenāt by faith or by works But if he be so mad that he vnderstandeth not practise to be workes then is he too mad to bee talked withall And is not I pray you the keeping or executing of discipline the practise and workes of the Church From this maner iustifying or condemning the Churche by workes Glouer turned it to the iustification of particular Christians by woorkes Howe thinne the sheeres were that wente betweene these two let all sounde Christians iudge To the 72. 73. He accounteth discipline the groundworke of the Church sayth the Admonition Browne sayth He vseth no such worde as groundworke Let the reader iudge These bee his wordes in the place that I quoted Hauing discoursed after his wilde maner against all sorts of the ordinarie ministerie in England sayth hee The Popes olde house was destroyed in England and they are called to builde it anewe And by and by after Let vs welcome wise gentlemen they tooke in hand to build the Lords house and now mo then twentie yeeres are past in studying for the groundworke If his hand had not bene so hastie to write but his head more considerate to reade the leafe that was quoted perhaps he woulde not haue denied the word for feare of the reproch of impudencie yet suspecting such a thing might bee founde in him he addeth Neuerthelesse whosoeuer denieth that the discipline that is the power and authoritie of Christ is essentiall to the Church and auoucheth that it is but an accident or hang-by the same is an heretike and blasphemer of Christ Scilice◠si sanum haberes sinciput A Church which consisteth of beleeuing people builded so by fayth vppon Iesus Christ the heade corner stone is in a two folde condition to be considered the first is the verie knitting vnto Christ wherein alone standeth the life and beeing of a Church and in nothing else For it is hee saith the Apostle that giueth saluation to the bodie he maketh it through his paied raunsome and imputed righteousnesse iustified holy and vnblameable without spot or wrinkle The second is in that by this vnion with Christ all things of his mediation so of his kingly office are in a measure cōmunicated therunto so as it now practiseth obedience holy behauior vnto the Lord these cōditions are no other then such as wee may beholde in euery particular christian For first apprehending Christ by faith he becōmeth one with him Next is begun by cōmunication a change of the inherent qualities to a practise of holy life Now I would knowe of that great diuine whether a man be iustified and so a Christian in the apprehending of Christ or else in the renuing of his inherent qualities If he say By renuing he knoweth his companions If hee graunt it by apprehending then his groundwoorke hath fayled him And like as euerie one particularly is iustifyed for a Christian through their onely vniting with Christ by fayth euen so are manie together iustified for a Church of Christ through such vnion with him onely And then if this vnion giue it the forme of a Church it muste necessarilie bee a Church before it practise discipline because our discipline in question hath no place but in an vnited bodie or congregation Nowe nothing can bee but in respect that it hath all the essentiall partes of beeing Whence must needes followe that the Church hauing first a beeing before it exercise discipline consisteth of all the essentiall partes before it exercise discipline and so discipline muste bee founde no essentiall part at all Plentifull confirmation hereof haue wee in the Scriptures from the practise of the Lordes chiefe instrumentes in the planting and refourming of his Churches Those three thousand soules that were gayned at one prosperous preaching of Peter may not bee denyed the name of a Church of GOD sith of those things that are there recorded to bee done of them some are onely proper to a Church and haue no place at all in other meetings For these being nowe baptized are saide to haue continued in the dayly exercise of the worde prayer thankesgiuing breaking of breade and communicating of their substance Nowe if the censuring discipline in question had bene essentiall to their beeing of a Church so as without it they coulde not haue done those thinges which onely perteyned to a Church as the Apostle woulde first haue bene mindfull to establish the same so the holy Ghost would not haue failed the setting downe thereof especially addressing himselfe in that storie to describe the memorable beginnings and framings of the Churches as a patterne in such cases vnto all ages ensuing Therefore whereas the holie Ghost voucheth it a Church apt to exercise the word and Sacraments whose very being it defineth by the onely ioynt and willing receiuing of Christ Iesus preached vnto them for the remission of sinnes without any mention making of the discipline we speake of it is plaine inough that he accounteth not of discipline as a thing without which those conuerts could not be made a visible Church The like is of the congregation in Samaria Act. 8.5.6 and 12. called a Church of God cap. 9.31 The maner of Paule Barnabas and others in the planting of the Churches at Antioch Iconium and Lystra doe yet further enlighten this that I haue said in the other For first they gathered congregations vnto Christ by the preaching of the Gospel in those cities after that as they found them growne to a fitnesse at other returnes vnto them they furnished thē with Elders orderly elected among them This their order I say declareth that the erecting of discipline and ordeyning of Elders therefore doth not make a Church of Christ for that if the Apostles had so iudged they would neuer haue deferred the establishing of it to times after the gathering and planting of them Yet further to confirme this thing Paule writing thus to Titus for this cause left I thee in Creta that thou shouldest redresse the things remayning and appoynt Elders in euerie Citie as I commaunded thee teacheth vs both that the Apostles gathered Churches without this discipline and also helde them in the
assumption His proposition carrying the force of a conuexiue falsely inferreth the feyning of a counterfait Christ and a counterfaite Church vpon the deniall of his power and authoritie to be of the essence of a Church For they do not thereby as hee beareth men in hand separate Christ and his Church from his power and gouernement Men of meane vnderstanding knowe that there are propper accidents to thinges which cannot be separated from them and yet are not of their essence For example heate cannot bee separated from the fire nor mouing from the sunne yet are neither of those properties any part of their essence nor doeth hee that saith heate is not of the essence of fire nor motion of the essence of the sunne deny therefore the fire to be hote or the sunne to haue his motion And concerning these offices in question touching which Browne so arrogantly challengeth M.C. to answere whether they be of the essence of the Church I would the reader should aske of him or his friends if he thinke it good whether the kingdome Priesthood of the sonne of God and man the word incarnate be partes of his essence or accidentes vnto him rather and so whether hee that shall say they are not of his essence doeth thereby dispoyle him of his offices I feare not vnlesse you take him in some desperate fit hee will answere no. Why then if a thing may truely be remoued from the essence and neuerthelesse necessarily admitted in the Subiect howe followeth it that they that deny the kingly power or authoritie of Christ to bee of the essence of a Church doe there-fore make or feyne a Church that is without it This being voyded let vs nowe trye whether Christs power authoritie and office of gouerning bee of the very essence of a Church as hee woulde haue it This shall we soundly try out by examining by the word of God what are the essentiall causes of that which is truly may be called the Church of God And first for the matter of a Church I suppose it will-be readily yeelded vnto to bee Christ the head corner stone and Christians who are as liuely stones to bee builded vppon him to a spirituall house For so the Apostles Peter Paul playnely declared according to which proportion hee is likewise called the head and we that beleeue in him the members as Saint Paul sayth that vnder the feete of Christ God hath subiected all thinges and hath appoynted him ouer all thinges to bee the head to the Church which is his body euen the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all thinges To the same end Christ compared him-selfe to a vine and those that beleeue in him to the braunches of the vine Like whereunto is that of the Oliue and the braunches grafted therein as Saint Paul deliuereth it The matter of a Church wee haue Let vs nowe see what may be the fourme Neither will it bee hard to find that if wee consider that the setting together of prepared stones maketh the building the vniting of the head with the members fourmeth the body and the continuance together of the stocke with the braunches giueth the being of a tree For so is it likewise agreeable to all reason that the vniting and knitting together of Christ and Christians bee graunted the formall cause of a Church Nowe this vnition is by two meanes the one eternall the other seruing but for this life The eternall vnition is by the holy Ghost whereby we are flesh of his flesh bone of his bones and made finally complete and perfect in one God through that one and only mediator betweene God and man Iesus Christ This is peculiar and proper to the Catholique Church which is the whole company of the elect of God and doth not pertaine to the members of a particular Church as they are only considered members of any particular Church but as they are also in that regard members of the Catholique The tēporal vnition which as I sayd serueth for this life is by faith which shall cease in the day of the reuelation of the Saincts of God when we shall be possessed of the full fruition of all those things we hoped for as the holie word doth testifie for mortalitie shall be swallowed vp of life perswasion of possession and faith of the fulnesse of the spirit and perfect being in God through Christ Meane time faith is as the engrafting of the braunches into the stock whereby they are vpholden whilest that by the sappe and spirit of life proceeding therefrom they be growne and established And as the braunch to be ingrafted needeth those his enwrappings and bindings to support and defend it against sundrie inconueniences till it be able to be without them and afterward they are of no vse vnto it so doth faith support and desend the tender conscience against all the stormes of temptations till there be that perfect growth in Christ that is vtterly freed from them at which time in like sort faith doth cease But heere withall thys faith must be vnderstood to admit a twofold consideration the one in respect of Gods the other in respect of mans beholding and iudging thereof In regard of God that onely is acknowledged which is vnfeigned and sealed vp with his holie spirit of promise But in regard of man a feigned faith may also stand in the reckoning sith man cannot iudge of the heart but must therfore accept rest in the sound confession of the mouth and so according to this latter consideration hath the Reader the right vnderstanding of faith in this question concerning the fourming of visible Churches for man to discerne of ioyne with them Now that faith doth engraffe and vnite vs vnto Christ and so is the proper fourme of particular visible Churches I needed not at all stand heere to prooue if there were not in this man against whom I deale a iust suspition of fundamentall Apostacie heerein For if he had beene indeede perswaded thereof to this day we should neuer by him haue beene thus brought to the proofe of the being of our Church as now he hath prouoked vs. Therefore although this cause hath beene alreadie so handled by the worthie seruants of God against the common Aduersarye as that he whosoeuer at this day shall call it into question is more worthie the sharpest discipline then any disputation Yet for to stop importunate mouthes whatsoeuer and to make cleere to the world the confutation of Brownes false conclusion heere in hand it is requisite that after the large labour of others I also point at some profes for this purpose shewing that visible Churches in as much as they stand in the accompt of visible Churches are vnited vnto Christ by faith only First let all the planting of Churches thoroughout the story of the Actes be considered and see if the holy Ghost do not euery where testify this vniting vnto Christ
mens sinnes to promise life and to rebuke and giue ouer to execration bee taken from Christ or the Church of Christ what remaineth but an Idoll or counterfait Christ an Idol or counterfait Church Here both he proceedeth in his double faced fallation last noted conueying him-selfe by the word power from Christes office to his deuine essence whereby he accomplisheth all thinges in his gouernement whether by the meane and ministerie of men or otherwise as I obserued before in the distribution of his gouernement and also heapeth vppon it an impudent petition of the principle as if the discipline being remooued from the Church foorth-with the woorde shoulde bee without Christes power to bind and loose to remitte or retaine mens sinnes which is not so much to extoll the worthy discipline as he pretended as it is eyther to clogge and chaine vp Christes diuine power thereunto or else to make discipline the diuine force and efficacious power of Christ himselfe which is his essence Whether soeuer of which as one must needes bee graunted not Master Cart-wright but Browne shall bee found the absurd blasphemer in this case The bulwarke of his cause is beaten downe there is not a weapon left him of any strength vnbroken if this be well weyed which is by me deliuered And if the reader consider that although the discipline bee a kind of the authoritie of Christ yet is it not all nor the principall of his authoritie and that although hee vse it many times as a chariot for his holy worde to ride vppon to subdue rebellious spirites yet hee vseth it neither most chiefely nor most ordinarily but the simple preaching of the worde is his continuall scepter and sword wherby hee saueth his people and conquereth his enemies beateth downe euery strong holde pearseth to the diuision of the soule and Spirite and of the ioyntes and marrowe and iudgeth the very cogitations and conceiptes of the heart This I say if the reader consider seeing there are no greater effectes in the whole kingdome of Christ then these which hee executeth by his worde yea when it is not assisted by the discipline for the woorde may stande without the discipline so cannot the discipline without the woorde hee will not only stay him-selfe as in a refreshing shadowe of Christes gracious gouernement where hee seeth the worde deliuered and taught but also acknowledge and testifie that it is a most malicious deuise of Satan practised by such instruments as Browne vnder a quarell for the holy discipline to drawe thousandes of soules from the most ordinary and mighty meanes of Christes gouernment and administration of his kingdome that so lying scattered from the folde they might bee out of all hope of ordinary rescue when the deuourer shoulde find them Let not Browne nowe hence-foorth aske what part of discipline may bee wanting and the Church notwithstanding haue the essence and name of a Church For although Mast Cart. not framing him-selfe to Brownes sense and writings as with whome hee medled not in his letter vseth the woorde discipline in a larger sense as comprehending all the behauiour concerning a Church in outward dueties and so amongest the rest the dayly planting and building by the calling and offering of the woorde by the ministers and the hearing receiuing and obeying of a people yet Browne can-not thinke to vse the worde in that sense sith his owne writings haue bounded him and set him in a scanter compasse namely within the politicall guiding of a Church which I haue lately before spoken of as generally all his writinges and namely his most vnlearned definitions and diuisions Numb 48. doe testifie Where defining the kingdome of Christ to bee his office of gouernement whereby hee vseth the obedience of his people to keepe his lawes and commaundementes to their saluation and well-fare hee deuideth the same in ouerseeing and trying out of wickednesse rebuke and suparation By which place vnlesse we will imagine of a discipline that hath larger limittes then the kingdome of Christ wee see what Browne vnderstandeth by discipline Within the polliticall guiding of a Church therefore must he bee contented to bee restrained in all this disputation of discipline And as for his busie hunting after Contradiction in M.C. his woordes in saying discipline is not of the essence of a Church and yet for want of all discipline to take away the essence and name of a Church his labour is vtterly lost as I haue prooued before in speaking of proper accidents And though in wordes hee vrge the shewe of a contradiction without discipline there may bee a Church and without discipline there can bee no Church Yet is it an empty barrell without liquour For when the reader shall haue added the word some to the former and the worde all to the latter that the first may bee read thus without some discipline there may bee a Church and the other thus without al discipline there can be no Church he shal plainly discerne that Browne did but dreame of a contradictiō After those his shiftings turnings to auoid the euidence of M C. reasons to hoodewinke his reader from the sight of thē hee setteth on as though hee would proue the contrary of M.C. conclusion namely that discipline is of the essence of a Church Wherein when he hath spent three or foure pages with many vaine and abused quotations of scripture after his wonted manner the whole course of his arguing comes all to this that the woorde of God giues the Church authoritie to obserue the behauiours of the seuerall members and to binde and loose remitte and retaine sinnes by ecclesiasticall censures and so exercise the keyes of the kingdome of heauen Therefore such iurisdiction is of the essence of a Church A worthy Captaine of so vnworthy a schisme Set this in a due fourme and I thinke him-selfe if it were possible woulde blush for shame to see it It is thus Whatsoeuer the worde of God commandeth to bee vsed of the Church that same is of the essence of the Church But the woord commandeth the discipline to bee vsed of the Church Therefore is the discipline of the essence of the Church If this bee the good reasoning let vs see whither it will bring vs. Whatsoeuer the word of God cōmandeth to be vsed of the Church the same is of the essence of the Church But the word commandeth good works to bee vsed of the Church Therfore good works are of the essence of the Church Likewise Whatsoeuer the word of God commandeth faith to bring forth the same is of the essence of faith But the word of God commaundeth that faith bring forth good workes Therfore good works are all of the essence of faith And thus it will come to passe that euery commaundement being made of the essence of a Church and of a particular Christian as a member euery transgression likewise shall ouerthrowe the Church and the state of a Christian His
iudgements which a particular Christian being lesse subiect vnto it is therefore lesse likelie equall or probable that hee should faile And for more proofe experience teacheth this euerie where For in Churches where the discipline of Christ is either not wholy or not soundly established you shal alwayes find some particular members diligent and sound in their duties this way And I referre to the reader the consideration of many particular members of the English assemblies in this behalfe I said there was popish heresie in the consequence and the reader shall testifie no lesse when he considereth that if the reproouing offending brethren bee of the essence of a Christian and no man can denie the doing thereof to be a worke it foloweth that works are of the essence of a Christian and consequently of a church as I haue iustly charged him other where Behold stil whitherto his incōsiderate course doth carie him If his disciples abhorre this and graunt that a particular man ceaseth not to be a Christian for his default in this dutie euen so must he grant by the same necessitie that a Church ceaseth not to be a Church for her defaults in discipline It is true that such a christian is a weake christiā according to the proportion of his wants and errours and such a Church is a diseased Church and that according to the measure of her imperfections but yet still a Christian and yet still a Church for the essentiall causes aforesaid He sayth Euery particular christian is a king and Priest vnto God This is true But to what ende are we kings sayth he forsooth to holde the scepter of Gods worde to iudge the offenders and for nothing else No. For so it is in his wise definitions also Well if this be all when his disciples and he haue best learned to be this kinde of kings as they haue too well learned this lesson alredie what can they be found but those hypocrits which spy motes in other mens eyes but marke not the beames in their owne and by that name shalbe commanded of the iust iudge with shame at length to looke into themselues which before were wholy occupied in the beholding others But whosoeuer will not wilfully close their eyes if they shall suffer themselues to be remembred that the most immediate neere and principall end except Gods glory which is the principall end of al ends of christians being kings vnto God is to mortifie our own affections and euill lusts and to subdue sinne in our selues they will leaue with worthie detestation so loose a teacher and be skilfull to espie this grosse sophisme which almost euerie where he committeth vnder colour of some part of a thing denying the same thing wholy And thus it fareth with him almost in euerie sentence of the page we haue in hande If a particular Christian doe not vpholde his libertie and power in iudging and rebuking particular offenders he is vtterly without the Kingdome and Priesthoode of Christ In like maner sayth he if the Church doe not openlie rebuke and excommunicate it hath no interest in the Priesthood and Kingdome of Christ and so is none of his Church Againe If it cannot excommunicate it hath not the Keyes of the kingdome of heauen to binde and loose reteyne or remitte sinnes and to shut the gates of heauen against anie Which is as much to say as a Christian must shewe the effectes of Christes Kingdome in all thinges or else in none And a Church if it hath it not in all respectes it hath it in no respect And thus belike because Browne is not yet so madde as that hee will suffer no clothes vpon him wee shoulde not beleeue diuerse of his great friendes who say he is madde or out of his wittes whereby they seeke to excuse his dealings The Church hath as I sayde before the woorde of God which because it openeth comfort in Christ to the penitent and shutteth it vp from the obstinate is therefore called the Keyes of the kingdome of heauen as also the power of God vnto saluation to euery one that beleeueth called also in another place the sauour of life to life in those that are saued and the sauour of death vnto death in those that perish These Keyes are diuersly administred or dispensed as generally particularly openly priuately by the seuerall members or by a ioynt number of the Church and so either simplie or else ioyned with some personall restraint as suspension or excommunication Nowe where the Keyes are not all manner of wayes thus dispensed doeth it followe that there they are not dispensed at all Hee needeth not tell vs that the Church hath libertie and right by the woorde to vse them all and so stande harping vpon this ill tuned string that it hath power to iudge those that are within when as this in the meane time which shoulde haue gained his cause lieth vnprooued namely if the Church vse not all her right shee vseth none and if shee exercise not her power of iudging euerie way then doeth shee not exercise it any way This I say beeing prooued had put life into his cause which nowe remayning vnprooued maketh his impudent conclusion wherein he boasted to haue prooued this ridiculous That which hee calleth a fonde answere of M. Cartwright was because it was fondly vnderstood of him The point is explained by me before The rest of his 37. page being chiefly of the Corinthians discipline and abuses in the Sacrament I haue made breathlesse in my discourse of Communicating Thou hast heard beloued what this great maister can say to prooue discipline of the essence of a Church Let vs nowe heare him returning to the rest of his obiections and cauils at M. Cartwright his letter touching this point M. Cartwright hauing truly said that Church assemblies are builded by faith onely vpon Christ the foundation the which faith so being whatsoeuer sayeth hee is wanting of that which is commaunded or remayning of that which is forbidden is not able to put that assemblie from the right and title of so being the Church of Christ For that fayth can admit no such thing as giueth an vtter ouerthrowe and turning vpside downe of the trueth Hereunto hee addeth By this title of the faithfull the Apostle in his Epistles noteth out the Churches of God beeing all one with him to say To the faithfull or to the Saintes as to the Churches of such a place VVhat soeuer wanteth vnto this or is more than ynough it wanteth or aboundeth to the disgrace and vncomelinesse or to the hazarde of the continuance and not to the present ouerthrowe of the Church And although besides fayth in the sonne of God there may be manie thinges necessarie for euerie assemblie yet bee they necessarie to the comely and stable beeing and not simplie to the being of the Church This sounde and sober doctrine of prudent distinguishing discerning things differing in their proper kindes
thus layde downe by this reuerende man beeing wrangled at in other things as you haue heard there remayneth that which Browne sayeth agaynst his reason of entituling the Church with those tearmes the faithfull and of the Saints The Apostle indeede almoste in all his writings to the churches saluteth them by the title of Saints or faithfull as namely at Corinth Ephesus Philippi and Colosse in the steade of calling them Churches of those places as putting them in remembrance of that whereby they stoode and had their being of a Church Like as also writing to Timothie and Titus hee calleth them his naturall sonnes in the fayth and according to the fayth as noting by that without anie addition of other woordes though Browne sayeth it coulde not bee shewed their state and beeing in Christ Whereas if discipline and iudging offendours had beene of the essence of a Church and of a Christian Saint Paule woulde rather haue vsed these or such like titles To the Saintes and displinate ones at Corinth Ephesus Philippi and Colosse and to Timothie and Titus my naturall sonnes in the Discipline or according to the Discipline and iudging offenders So when the Eunuch comming by the water said See here is water what doth let me to be baptized Philip should not haue answered him If thou beleeuest with all thine heart thou mayest but rather If I may see thee disciplinate or indued with the power of Christ to iudge and rebuke particular offenders then mayest thou bee baptized That the woorde Saintes and faithfull are Synonyma and signifie all one and no differing thing in those places it is easily proued by that the Apostle saluting the faithfull at Philippi doeth it by the title of Saintes onely without the addition of the woorde faythfull In like sort directing his second Epistle not onely to the church at Corinth but to the rest of beleeuers also in all that prouince hee vseth the woorde Saintes alone to signifie them Whereas if Saint Paul had meant any higher thing by the woorde Saintes then hee doeth by faythfull in other places the Corinthians should not haue tolde to whom his direction should haue perteined since they being men coulde iudge no further than of the outwarde profession This is made yet more then manifest by comparing the direction of the first Epistle herewith for there placing his titles iust oppositely and calling the Churche at Corinth Saintes and the rest of professours by the title of those that call on the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ hee sheweth his flat iudgement to stande for the indifferent vse of those woordes which confuteth the errour of Browne imagining the woorde Saintes to implie actuall holinesse and not the profession of fayth whereby and that onely euery one that holdeth it are in all humane iudgement esteemed to stande vnder the sweete harbour of Christes imputation And when I thus speake of esteeming Christians onely by their profession of the true fayth I woulde not bee so vnderstoode as this garish fellowe taketh maister Cartwright pages 6. and 7. but of such a profession as sheweth at leaste some good notes of gladnesse and willingnesse to the woorde and meanes of fayth though they be not atteined neither to so high a pitch of knowledge nor so set a course of holy practise as either to subdue thēselues in all outward actions or censure offending brethren in their particular trespasses Therefore when hee demaundeth howe they that shewe forth a wicked and vnholy profession shall still bee called the Saintes and Church of God His answere is ready The Apostle called the Church at Corinth Saints notwithstanding their manifold vnholy practises wherewith the ioynt assemblies were to bee charged generally and also the particular members seuerally in regarde of their present standing in the faith of Christ who not onely taketh away the imputation of our sinnes our sinnes I meane of the elect onely in the sight of God and of all such professours as I haue spoken of as touching the iudgement and estimation of man but also by dayly degrees carieth vs finally to the toppe of inherent perfection For the hope whereof and this present profession whence that probably so ariseth vntill apparant appostacy breake forth all the members of a Church are to bee reckoned Saintes and sanctified ones in Christ like as Paul entituleth the Church of Corinth This man saith though Paul wrote his Epistle to the Church Saints at Corinth yet doth he not thereby call the incestuous person or other grosse sinners mēbers or parts of that Church In all poynts of the question of a Church I see that a strange blindnes hath possessed him in the steede of more then an ordinary knowledge which hee pretendeth For if the incestuous person were not a member of the church at Corinth why did they separate him Doth not separation or sundring necessarily argue a vnion or being together The distinction of Saint Iohn serueth not in this case for hee speaketh of Aposttaes from the catholique faith not of moral offenders that are to be reconciled to their places And when he saith they went out from vs but they were not of vs hee signifieth that they were not of the catholique Church which is the number of the elect which distinction of catholique particular Churches if Browne would obserue in any measure it woulde no lesse auaile to the comfort of his owne confused conscience then to the wel regarded peace of our Church For a particular Church being a conuenient number of such as doe in one vniforme agreed course of the outward ioynt worship of God professe that righteousnesse which is by the faith of Iesus Christ consisteth both of the elect and reprobate vnfeigned counterfeit Christians being therfore rightly resembled by that net cast into the sea that gathereth all kinds of things And so as touching the eye of man all are to be accounted members of that Church which ioyne together thus in one profession And if open offences breake out in any then appeareth diseased or rotting members but yet members till they be separated I meane still as in the eye and iudgement of man according as it behooueth vs to speake in all this question of the state and condition of particular Churches The rest of his 41. page against M.C. was matter of his owne finding like a bad husband that loues to make long haruest of a litle corne M. C. to prooue that there may be sundry thinges necessary to the comely and stable being and yet not simply to the being of a Church giueth two instances from the people of Israel which neglected for the space of 40. yeeres the holy Sacrament of circumcision and the Passeouer also as it seemeth one onely time excepted and yet ceased not therefore to be the Church of God and to haue the Sanctuarie amongest them Browne saith this matter is shamefully abused but we shall see anon where the shame resteth
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
12. eph 4.1.2.3 c. to the 17. Col. 2.19 Rom. 12.4.5.6.7.8 Pag. 15. Sect. 8. 19. Pag. 16. 1. Cor. 12.27 Sect. 14. That it may be a true Church of God though diuersly corrupted in doctrine and maners 1. Pet. 2.4.5.6 1. Cor. 15. ca 6.12.13.14.15.16 c. Col. 2.11.16.18 Gal. ca. 2. ca. 3. ca. 4. Act. 10.11 cap. 1. Cor. 11.20 c Philip. 1.15.16 Cap. 2.20.21 3. Iohn 9.10 Discipline as much depraued in the Church where Diotrephes was as in the Churches of England The Church of England hath the essentiall parts of a church of God Pag. 17. In the defence of the Admonition to the followers of Browne sect 7. The Church of England not without the discipline but doth administer the same in a corrupt course See the defence of my Admonition Sect. 13. The comparison of leauen with the wicked in a congregation discussed Matt. 13.33 Chap. 5. â— Browne in â—lat Donatisme Wicked members of a Church vnseperated doe not vnsactifie the whole Mat. 3.20 ca. 15.3.4 Luk. 11.4.6 Mat. 7.29 mar 1 21.22 maâ— 21.15.33 c. to the 45 cap. 22.34 35. cap. 23.2.3 c. Luk. 1.8 Cap. 2 22.37.41 Reue. 2.20 Reue. 2.14.15 Ver. 13.16.19.24 Iude ver 12. 3. Iob. 9.10 Iam. 1.2.3.4 chapters 1. Thes 3.10.11 Ver. 10. Col. 2.16.18 Gal. 3.4.5 1. Cor. 15.12 2. Cor. 12.20 chap. 13.2 2. Cor. 6.14.15.16 Chap. 10.2.7.10.11.12 Chap. 11.3.4.19.20 chap. 11.15 1. Cor 12.13.14 cap. 6.12.13.14.15.16 c. ca. 8. 1. Cor cap. 10.7.14 15.16.17.18.19 20 21. That no man ought to depart from the church of England for the wants or corruptions therein Pag. 18. â— Cor. 5.2 Verse 1. Eccles 7.28.6 petition Rom. 1.23.24 2. Thess 2.11 2. Tim. 3.13 Browne the fountaine of Glouers heresies Browne the father of a twofold schisme Browne dangerously corrupt in matter of iustification A regenerate man hath no part of him vnder condemnation B. holdeth a Christian iustified but by his renouation Rom. 3.22.24 ca. 4.23.24.25 ga 1.4 ca. 3 11.12.13.22.2 cor 5.19.21 eph 1.3.4.5 6. Heb. 1.3 c. B. holdeth that there is some part in a Christian that sinneth not B. gaue Glouer his hold The first corruption wherewith the admonition charged B. proued Answ to M.C. Pag. 38. Pro. 10.12 1. Pet. 4.8 Pag. 39. Read his declar of the ioyning together of certaine persons toward the latter end The second corruption wherewith the admon chargeth B. proued Num. 55. Title against parish prea and hyred lect c. Answ to M.C. Pag. 17. Answere to M. C. pag. 28. See my second answere to the question of coÌ„municating with the vnworthie The third corruption wherewith the Adm. chargeth Br. prooued Answere to M. C. pag. 30. Sect. 21i The fourth corruption wherewith the Adm. chargeth Br. prooued Browne holdeth the keping of discipline the keeping of our couenant with God And B. is not much behind him in other places as shall be shewed The 5 corruption wherewith the Ad chargeth B. proued Harrison calleth it the chiefe corner stone vpon the 122 Psalme Tit. against Parish Priests hired lect c. last leafe b 1. Pet. 2.4.5.7.9 c Ephes 5.23 d Ephes 5.24.26.27 1. Cor. 1.30 Psal 36 7.8 Cant. 2.3 Isai 4.3 4. e Ephes 4.16 Col. 2.19 1. Ioh. 1.3 Rom. 8.32 Apoc. 3.20.21 Psal 36.8.9.10 f 1. Cor. 6.17 g 1. Pet. 2.4.5.7.9 Ephe. 5.1 2. Col. 3.0.10 1. Thes 1.6 Psal 17.15 The Archpapists and counsell of Trent hold so Discipline is not of the essence of a Church Act. 2.41.42.44.45.46.47 Act. 2.38.41 Act. 11.20.21.26 Act. 13·43 48 Cap. 14.1.21.22.23 Tit. 1.5 2. Chro. 3.4.18 2. Chro. 19.8.11 2. Chro. 15.17 2. Chro. 15.8.9 c. 2. Chro. 17.5.6.7.8.9 2. Chr. 19.5.11 Answ to M.C. Pag. 33.34.25.36 In the place last quoted and his 72. section against my admonition Brownes greatest argument to proue disc to be of the essence of a Church Here is Harison also vppon 122. Psal answered for this matter 1. Cor. 5.4 ca. 4.18.19 2. cor 10.4.8 cap. 13.4 Psal 110.2 Mat. 28.18 Pag. 35. This hath bene done once or twise before Yet I must craue the readers patience thus farre The matter of a Church 1. Pet. 2.4 5. Eph. 2.20.21.22 Eph. 1.22.23 cap. 4.15.16 Col. 1.18.22.23 ca. 2.19 Ioh. 15.5 Rom. 11. The fourme of a Church Eph. 5.30.31.32 Gal. 5.2.5 Ioh. 17.21.23 Rom. 8.23.24 1. Cor. 13.8.12.13 Hebr 11.1 1. Cor. 15.53 Iohn 17.23 2. Cor. 5.4 a Rom. 11.20.21 Visible Churches are vnited vnto Christ by faith only Act. 2.41 Act. 8.36.37 Act. 2.44 Act. 8.12.13 See also Act. 3.15.16.20.25.26 cap. 4.4.10.11.12 cap. 10.38.42.43 cap. 11.20.21.23.24.26 ca. 13.39 Galath 3.13 Verse 14. Verse 22. Verse 24. Verse 26. (a) Eph. 3 12.1â— (b) Ro. 3.21.22.24.25 ca. 5.1.2.10.11 Ephes 4.12.13.15 Coloss 1.21.22.23 cap. 2.5.6.7.12.13.14.15 1. Thess 1.2.3.7.8 1. Tim. 1.4 Hebr. 3.6 cap. 4.2.6 cap. 11.1 Rom. 11.20.23 Iohn 1.12 Pag. 35. Rom. 11.20 Habac. 2.4 Pag. 34. Iohn 3.18 Hâ—br 11.6 All infants are not without faith as Browne supposeth (b) Luke 1.15 Iere. 1.5 Habac. 2. Answer to M. C. Pag. 35. (a) Psalm 45. and 68.19 Luke 3.17 Psalme 110. Prou. 15.3 Matth. 28.18 Ioh. 17.2 1. Cor. 15.24.25 Rom. 9.17.18.19.20.21.22.23 Philip. 1.28.29 2 Thess 1.9.7 cap 2.10.11.12 The bounds of Christes power and gouernment not considered of Browne Harrison also beguileth with the same fallation Psal 122. and is heere therefore aunswered (d) Iesa 11.2 Psal 45.8 Ioh. 3.34 cap. 1.16 1. Cor. 1.30 Coloss 2.3 Ephes 4.7 1. Pet. 2.5.9 Reuel 1.6 ca. 5.10 Christ executeth his gouernment in his Church partly by the secret hand of his power partly by the outward hand of his members (a) 2. Cor. 2.15.16 (b) 2. Tim. 3.16.17 (c) 2. Cor. 2.15.16 VVhat must be vnderstood by the word Discipline in all the controuersie betweene the Brownists and vs. Browne greatly abuseth his disciples with this sophism So likewise Harrison vpon the 122. Psalm 1. Cor. 5.4 Math. 28.19.20 Luke 24.49 Acts 1.5.8 Math. 18.19.20 Answ to M.C. Pag. 34. 2. Cor. 1.21 2. cor 10.4 Heb. 1.3 cap. 4.12 Esa 11.4 Iohnas 3.5.6 2. Sam. 12.7.13 Act. 24.25 ca. 26. â—8 ca. 2.3.8 Answ to M.C. Pag 36 38. Pag. 35·36 Pag. 37.38.39.40 Other fourmes of Brownes reasoning to proue disc of the essence of a Church Pag. 37. Brownes writings hold not together Num. 48. B. subtil phrase worthie to be obserued Mala 1.13 Matth. 7.6 Act. 13.45.46 Pag 38 Browne maketh good workes the essence of a Christian Pag. 39. Numb 55. Matth. 7.3.5 By the keies B. vnderstandeth nothing but the censures of the Church so do Harâ— soâ—…ereth is their answere Matth. 16.19 Rom. 1.16 1. Cor. 1.18 2. Cor. 2.15.16 Pag. 40. The wordes Saints and faithfull synonymies in Pauls epistles 1. Tim. 1.2 Tit. 1.4 Act. 8.36 37. Philip. 1.1 Pag. 41. 1. Cor. ca. 11. ca. 5 largely set downe in the latter discourse of communicating 1. Iob. 2.29 The Definition of a particular Church Act. 2.38.41 ca. 8.5.6.8.12.13 comp with cap. 9.31 Rom. 1.17 cap. 3.21.22 Philip. 3.9 Math. 13.4 Pag. 42. Exod. 12.25 cap. 13.5 The keeping of the Passeouer a long time neglected by the people of Israel Exod. 12.14 Verse 17. Verse 24. After Tremelius translation Num. 9.1.2.3 Deut. 16.5.6 Circumcision a long time neglected by the people of Israel Iosh 5.7 Ver. 9. Exod. 4.24.25 If a church may be without a Sacrament then much more without this discipline Discipline to a Church as a wal to a Citie or a hedge to a vineyarde Pag. 43.44.45 Ephe. 2.19 Nehem. 2.3.5 Ezra 3. Pol. Arist lib. 1. Zecha 2 4â— Esay 5. The Church of EnglaÌ„d by these writings not iustified in any of her corruptions Here is also Harison answered for that he sayth to this purpose vpon the 122. Psalme Iere. 7.4 Esay 66.6.7 Esay 58.1 Matth. 13.6 Reuel 2.6 Reuel 3.2.3.18 Psal 144.4.5 Prou. 27.6 Luk. 10.33.34 The Church of England should be reprooued but not forsakeÌ„ Gen 38.8.9.10 Pag. 7.8.9.10.11 Rom. 5.20 Gal. 3. 4. cap. Browne dangerously erreth touching the couenant Def. uam 38. Brownes faith In his declararation of the gathering togither of certaine persons etc. By Brownes Faith himselfe is prooued no Christian The 6. corruption wherewith the Admonchargeth Bro. prooued Tit. against par preach hired c. â—itl against par pr. hyred lect c. Browne proued to be a committer of the same things he condemneth and is contrary to him selfe in all those poyntes wherewith the admonition chargeth him Brownes first contradiction prooued Lodgicke and the originall thereof briefly poynted out In his booke of Lâ—ef Diuis Ans to M.C. pag. 44.56.57 in his couf with M.E. and M.P. in his repl to the quest of communio and in his Answ to my Admonition Cap. 2.8 Brownes second contradiction proued Rom. 14.5.23 Titl against disordred preaching at Paules c. England by Brownes writings is Aegipt but by his practise Ierusalem In the same title Decl. of gathering and ioyning together of certaine persons c. Title against disordred preaching at Paules Crosse c. Brownes third contradiction proued Math. 23.4 Luke 11.46 Browne a subscriber and yet a detester of the Church of England Title against parish preachers and hired lect c. Titl against disordred preaching at Paules Crosse c. Title against disordr pr. at Paules Crosse c. Luke 12.14 Luke 22.25 2. Tim. 2.4 Reu. 13.15 Answer to M.C. Page 16.17 1. Cor. 5.2 1. Cor. 6.1 Iohn 10. 2. Cor. 11.20 Called S. Toolies in Southwarke Browne stripped of all excuse In his reply to my answere to the question of communicating * He supposed he had spoken it to our minister Numb 20. Numb 28. Numb 77. Numb 3. Numb 77. Or Olaues How Browne sometimes heareth our Sermons Psal 139.21.22 Numb 105. Title against parish preachers and hired lect c. Titl against disordr preach at Paules crosse c. M. Edmondes Brown the patternâ— of a notorious ill conscience Iude vers 8. Clemens Stro. lib. 7. Barnar ser 66. in Cant. cantic Def. 51.53