heathen of the land gathered in the name of Christ whome they truely worship and readily obey as their onely king priest and prophet ioyned together as members of one bodie ordered and gouerned by such officers and lawes as Christ in his last will and testament hath thereunto ordained all and each of them standing in and for their Christian libertie to practise whatsoeuer God hath commanded and is reuealed to them in his holy worde executing the Lordes iudgementes against all transgression and disobedience which ariseth amongst them and cutting it off accordingly by the power which their Lord and king Christ Iesus hath committed vnto them This is the Church this is the armie of Christ in their account and such they will not acknowledge vs to be Our parishes which they call perishes they examine by all the parts of this description and wil not allowe to any parish any one of these thinges Ten partes are found in it Let vs see how they examine our Churches by them First they say the Church consisteth of a faithfull people None are accounted of thē to bee of the Church but such as are regenerate haue the spirit and are indued with knowledge and haue receaued the gift of a sauing faith But it is certaine that many are in the visible church that haue not these things For first the kingdome of God is like a net that gathereth together good bad the bad are not regenerate neither haue these things by thē named And as many followed Christ when he walked vpō earth were his disciples which followed not for regeneration but for that he fed their bodies so is it in the Church now And what shal we say of the tares the Christ cōmandeth to be suffered til the haruest least the wheate be plucked vp with thē They are not only hypocrites which are like the good for the tares are not like the wheate but the open wicked mightie which if the Church would goe about to roote out from among them they would indanger the whole as by experience hath oft bin feene When Paul saieth All men haue not faith he speaketh not onely of them that are without but euen of them that are within the Church And to the Corinthians hee sayth Some haue not the knowledge of God I speake this to your shame Wherefore euen in the Church of Corinth the people whereof are called faithfull and Saintes there were some that had no knowledge of God And why may not that befall the Churches of Christ which befell the Israelites Vnto vs was the Gospell preached as vnto them but the worde that they heard profited not them because it was not mixed with faith in those that heard it As wee are like them in hearing so why may not some among vs be like them in not beleeuing And yet as they were so may we be reckoned of the outwarde Church They see that the Church in the time of the Prophets had many which were neither regenerate nor faithfull such as had neither the spirrte nor knowledge But they would make vs differ from them in a straiter couenant of separation For they say the carnal propagation from Abraham and outward circumcision was inough to keepe them in the Church but nothing keepeth vs in it that is outward not baptisme nor any outwarde thing but onely grace and faith and the spirite If any man haue not these and be not so esteemed hee is not to bee accounted so much as of the visible Church And this they grounde of the practise of the Iewes which as they saye separated none from their Synagogues for sinne But this is false Them that confessed Christ they put out of their Synagogues althogh vniustly for diuers kindes of sinnes they had diuerse sacrifices which must bee offered by them before there coulde bee any attonement for them So the Iewes separated some for sinnes and yet wicked persons were stil of their outward Church As for the places that they alleage to proue that all in the Church must be faithfull and haue the spirite petaine eyther to the elect onely and such as are called according to purpose as when it is saide to so many as receaued him he gaue power to bee made the sonnes of God And againe I will write my lawes in their hearts or else declare what euery one ought to be and not what euery one is or shal be as when Paul sayeth In Christ neither circūcision auaileth any thing nor vncircumcision but a newe creature or else speake of outward profession shewe of faith as whē the Corinthians are called faithfull and such as S. Iames speaketh of in his second chapter or last of all because some haue these in trueth they are ascribed to the rest because they make one outward body with thē are denominated of the best as when Paul saith Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified As Augustine sayeth that a heape wherein lyeth more chaffe thē wheate is yet called a heape of wheate and not of chaffe because it is a heape for the wheates sake So although there be wicked vnfaithfull men in the Church yet the Church is called faithful because it is a Church for the faithful godly not for the wicked Wherefore it is not necessarie that the visible Church should consist onelie of a faithfull and a regenerate people such as haue the knowledge and the spirite of God the outward profession of these thinges and the Sacraments and the shadow as it were of the good keepeth thē in the visible Church although such men are in it only for their further damnation except they repent Thus much of that they say the Church must be a cōpanie of faithful people The second note which they make is a separation frō the heathen of the land These heathens they tearme by many other names calling them vngodly prophane and atheists and the other common sort of them take all such as come to Church with vs to bee no better the other that will seeme to speake with more iudgement make such to be prophane which are without the Church or returne to their former filthines or haue done any thing that may shewe them to bee without the couenant of Gods grace and free promise Euery man that hath not knowledge to render a distinct account of his faith in all necessary branches they esteeme prophane thus they minse it but their writings and doings shewe that all are prophane with them that are not of their owne societie Now the separation frō prophane persons is so great a matter with thē that if but one such man remaine be kept in the Church either he maketh it as they thinke no Church or at least maketh all exercises of prayers and of Sacramēts to be of no vertue nor value but offēsiue to God hurtful to the Church Therefore they accoūt our churches no churches our sacramēts no sacramēts our praiers no
euil deedes If he be a blasphemer of the name of Christ an open despiser of his Gospel one that refuseth him and acknowledgeth him not as Redeemer and God hee is to be accounted an infidel and by all meanes to be reiected None such are admitted of vs or mingled with vs being once knowen Moreouer Isa 65.11 they thinke that Esay condemneth vs for admitting a whole parish to the holy Communion when he saith Yee are they that haue forsaken the Lorde and forgotten my holy mountaine and haue prepared a table for the multitude and furnish the drincke offering for the number Esay speaketh not of receauing a number into societie to offer to the Lorde but rather of sacrificing to a multitude of Idols in steade of the true God For hee opposeth the onely true God to a multitude whome they serued yea some thinke that the names that are translated a number and multitude doe signifie Mars and Mercurie Wherefore this pertaineth not to the admitting of manie to the Communion It was a commendation for the people and seruice of God when they did all eate the passeouer and offer sacrifices together as at their comming out of Egypt and in the wildernes and vnder Iosias and otherwise It is much more to be misliked with vs that some refraine from the communion then that so many come vnto it They obiect many other things against the retayning of wicked men in the societie of the Church but these are the chiefe To answere all woulde require a seuerall treatise Their thirde note of a visible Church is that it must be gathered in the name of Christ Esai 11.14 Esay did so prophecie In that day the roote of Ishai shall stand vp for a signe vnto the people the nations shall seeke vnto it Whole nations and many nations shoulde come to Christ in steede of one nation Could this be but many wicked and vngodly should be mixed and howe should the nations seeke to him some in shewe some in trueth some by outward profession and some by inward feeling Ioh. 12.32 When our Sauiour sayth If I were lift vp from the earth I woulde drawe all men vnto me hee meaneth that such as come in trueth shall come by his power but hee meaneth not that there should none come in outward fashion onely in word and yet in heart be farre from him in their deedes denie him And as he sayeth againe Mat. 18.20 where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of them so are our assemblies in the name of Christ if to come vpon his commaundement to call vpon him to heare his worde and to receaue his Sacramentes bee to be gathered in his name and the wicked comming with vs hindereth not this our purpose nor disappointeth our worke That which Peter saieth To whome yee come as vnto a liuing stone disalowed of men but chosen of God and precious and yee as liuely stones bee made a spiritual house an holie Priesthoode to offer vp spirituall Sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ This I say is spoken of them which are called of God according to his eternall purpose But none are thus ioyned to Christ but onely such yet for their sakes the rest are so accounted and take the name of that which is the chiefe and so farre are they from making vs to bee separated from God when we consent not to their sinnes that they are tolerated and receaued into some outwarde honor of the Church for vs. These places sufficiently proue that the Church of Christ must be ioyned vnto Christ the head But what exception can bee taken against our Churche howe can it be sayde that wee are not gathered together in the name of Christ They saye our Churches are gathered together not in the name of Christ but in the name of Antichrist This is a most vile slaunder against the Church All that is proper to Antichrist we withstand and therefore Antichrist seeing himselfe cast off and vs not gathered in his name striueth by force and policie to gather vs to himselfe again The name of Antichrist included especiallie his supremacie his humane traditions against the written worde of God his idolatrie his adoration of Saintes his pilgrimages and reliques his prayers for the dead and purgatorie his iustification by workes his satisfactions for sinnes his doctrine of free-will his vowes of pouertie of single life his workes of supererogation his pardons and the like To come together in these opinions and in the practise of those thinges is to bee gathered in the name of Antichrist But thus wee doe not Contrariewise wee come to worship God in the name of Christ alone to bee iustified by him to heare his trueth therefore wee are gathered in the name of Christ The fourth note of a visible Church they make this that it must worship Iesus Christ truelie It is out of question that the true Church of God worshippeth Christ aright But what can they alledge against vs and the worship that we performe to Christ First the commandement Thou shalt make no grauen image They account vs idolaters Then that to the Corinths 1. Cor. 10. If anie man say vnto thee that is sacrificed vnto idoles eate it not because of him that shewed it Our seruice they say was once offered to idoles and therefore now must not be vsed To these they ioine that of Esay Esai 66.17 They that sanctifie thēselues purifie themselues in the gardens behind a tree in the middest eating swines flesh and such abomination euen the mouse shal be consumed together saith the Lord. In their account our prayers the forme of our publike seruice is swines flesh or as a mouse which things were vncleane and might not be offered to God by the law And to this end they heape vp many places of like nature as that of Deuteronomy Deut. 17.1 such other Thou shalt offer to the Lorde thy God no bullocke nor sheepe wherein is blemish or any euill fauoured thing for that is an abomination to the Lorde thy God Such a sacrifice they iudge the seruice that we offer to God by the booke of common prayer to be Therefore they giue names of reproche and disdaine vnto the booke calling it the Statute booke and stinted seruice and staruers booke and such like Against this booke they fight as against a most pregnant idole We worshippe not God aright because we worship him by this booke The worshippe of God is large faith hearing of his worde reading of the Scriptures and euerie good worke pertaineth to his worshippe All the seruice and duetie we doe to God are not done by the reading and vsing of that booke Nay all our prayers in the Church are not out of it The preachers vse the libertie of their mind and motion of Gods spirite So that all our worship and all our prayers are not done by that booke But they say that booke
say not as they alleage that the childe shall beleeue but that it doth in way of Sacrament and outwarde profession in as much as it is offered to baptisme which is Sacramentum fidei and is borne of parents that are professors of Christian faith And as for the procuring of these thinges in action in the childe there is none that vnderstandeth I thinke anie furder then as it maye lye in them conueniently and as neede shall require But what can there be in the Font to corrupt baptisme more thē in the Church wals to corrupt prayers and scriptures and and preaching and all Women are not purified as though they were otherwise vncleane but they giue thankes for their deliuerance and for the increase of mankinde and the Church In giuing thankes for Gods benefites there is not anie fault Confirmation is retained as a meanes to procure the instructing of the children or as a tryall of it not as a newe baptisme nor as anie Sacrament nor as that which shoulde conferre grace otherwise then by prayer to God for it Baptisme by women is not warranted by the booke nor allowed to bee put in practise About the Lordes supper they haue manie cauils as that it is soulde for two pence a head that the institution is broken and changed in the deliuerie that there is a stage-like dialogue betweene priest clarke and people that there are newe Apocryphall lawes and iniunctions added the Priest to stand at the Northside of the table the people to kneele verse and Collect that there is popish and idolatrous houseling of the sicke that there is popish visiting and pardoning of the sicke with this Sacrament These are hainous thinges The Sacrament they say is sould for two pence who selleth it who buieth it so He is to giue that whether he receaue or no It is no price of the Sacrament but a poore alowance to the Minister The institution is not broken in the deliuerie The wordes of institution are then vsed when the bread and wine are set apart for the vse of the Sacrament and so much set apart for it as is vsed in it The wordes in the deliuerie are to applie them to the persons to stirre vp their faith the institution was past before For the speeches vttered by the Minister and clearke and people there is no fault in the matter but they condemne the forme They thinke the Minister must vtter all that is spoken the people must onely say Amen That they are commanded to saye and they are not forbidden to saye more How can that sound of the multitude bee made in the praysing of God compared to the sound of many waters and of mightie thunders if the people saye nothing in Gods seruice Their owne speach maketh them more attentiue and stirreth vp their mindes the rather The finding fault with standing kneeling and such necessarie and seemelie gestures proceedeth of infinite curiositie and most froward peeuishnes We can not be together but we must haue some place some gesture and these are the fittest Last of all as prayers and the worde of comfort so likewise the Sacrament may be giuen to the sicke There is no pardon otherwise giuen to him by it then to other men at other times If hee beleeue and repent he hath forgiuenes by faith in Christ and it is sealed and confirmed to him by the Sacrament Thus much of the particular faultes which they are most offended with Moreouer besides these they carpe at comminations which are nothing but sentences of scripture and how bitter soeuer the curses are yet they are the curses of God against such as offend They finde fault with a seuenfold repetition of the Lordes prayer at one meeting some of them are oft omitted with tossing of Psalmes and sentences to and fro like tennis balles which is a prophane speach and the thing is not commanded and it may well be practised so they reade and speake in such sorte that all men may heare and vnderstand These are the chiefe thinges with which they finde fault in the booke The most of them are circumstances and as it were the shels the kirnel is the confession of our sinnes the asking of thinges necessarie to soule and bodie for the common state and our selues the praysing of God for his benefites the setting forth of Gods will his worde and testament These are the substance of the booke and of Gods worship They make a buzzing about mens eares with trifles and vanities for the most parte and for these they will turne all vpside downe which are such things in deede many of them as it would not come into our mindes once to speake of them if their exclamations and outcries did not stirre vs of necessitie to it Yet there is one thing pertaining to Gods worship among vs which they can not submit themselues vnto An othe is a parte of the honor we giue to God when vpon iust cause in the trueth wee call his name to witnes this we do by laying the hand vpon the booke of holy scripture The othe is taken in the name of God that gaue his worde to his Church by the promises and threatnings that he in it hath made vnto vs the booke is kissed and touched in signe thereof otherwise by the dead paper or ynke or couer wee are not willed neither ought we to sweare and this hath neither impietie nor idolatrie in it no more then if a man did lift vp his eyes or his hands to heauen when he doth it in more vehement expressing of his sincere and earnest meaning in it Thus much of the fourth note of their Church Gods true worship for corruption whereof they accuse vs falsely The fift note of the visible Church they make to bee the obeying of Iesus Christ as their king priest and prophet Thus should Christ be receaued or else he is not receaued at all to anie benefite First then they goe about to shewe that wee acknowledge not Christ to bee our king wee receaue him not as king they saye because wee reiect his gouernment and stand vnder the Antichristian yoke of popish gouernement There be many things which pertaine to Christs gouernement and reigne as hee is king which wee haue yea all thinges that are necessarie and substantiall partes of that his office First the spiritual gouernement in the soule by which hee reigneth in vs to the peace of conscience and the vanquishing of Satan and the beating downe of sinne and ignorance is founde among vs and wee specially reioyce in it Of this it is sayde the kingdome of God is within you and that the kingdome of God is not meate and drinke but peace and righteousnesse and ioy in the holy ghost and that wee are translated from the kingdome of darkenes to the kingdome of light Secondly his worde read and preached reprouing sinne and teaching righteousnes is among vs. Of this it is saide the scepter of thy kingdome is a right scepter and for
Church altogether Nowe then how shall we knowe whether a thing be popish and Antichristian or no By the names that can not be Names of their nature be indifferent the thinges contained in the names as they are vsed of vs must be examined And how shall we finde whether they bee popish and Antichristian If they serue to promote poperie then are they popish then are they Antichristian But if they further Christs glorie his kingdome then may they bee retained in the Church of Christ and we hauing them bee his Church Therefore if none of these offices nor courtes nor Ministers helpe to maintaine idolatrie or the Popes supremacie or mens traditions against the written worde or free wil against the grace of Christ or mens merites against iustification by faith or the Idole and sacrifice of the Masse or pilgrimages or purgatorie or prayer for the dead or auricular confession or satisfactions for sinnes by penance or indulgences or the keeping of the worde of God from the people in an vnknowen tongue or such like if they doe not maintaine vice nor iniustice nor heresie among vs but are directed to roote out poperie to keepe vs in the true faith to aduance the worde of God to establish our iustification by faith to further repentance and good workes to punish sinne to define that which is equall and right to keepe the common peace of the Churche then are they not popish seeing they are bent and exercised to the ruine of poperie but they are Christian and holie and appertaining to the Church of Christ for as much as they further the kingdome and glorie of Christ our Sauiour All that are zealous striue for two thinges wherein all men are to put to their helpe by counsel by credite by authoritie by power and by all lawfull meanes that bee in them One that the worde of God maye bee more diligently and commonly taught the other that sinne may bee more seuerely and generally punished If these two may by this gouernement bee more set forwarde much of these troubles and contentions will be easier stopped There is no fault in the names or in the offices but they may helpe forward these or any good things Wherfore they be not simplie popish or Antichristian but in the abuse they were in the right vse they are now holie Christianlike Now let vs see what scripture doth condemne these names and offices Two places are brought out against thē One out of the Psalme The kings of the earth band themselues and the princes are assembled together against the Lord and against his Christ let vs breake their bands and cast their cords from vs. But do our gouerners all the people in this estate band themselues against the Lord and against his Christ doe they not band themselues for the glorie of the Lorde and of Iesus Christ It might be done I knowe more plentifullie yet this gouernement setteth forth Christ onely to vs with his benefits to saluation Christs deitie Christs gospel Christs sacrifice Christs iustice Christs kingdome by this is aduanced Wherefore they band not themselues against Christ neither do they say let vs breake their bands cast their cordes frō vs but rather they willinglie receaue the bands yea the chaines of Christ if neede be We are contēt that his lawe binde our feete hands eyes and hearts also but we cast off their bands because we cast away their gouernement by Elders They are not the bandes of Christ they are but small threeds that wil easily bee broken Luke 19.14 The other place which they alleage against those titles offices is in Luke Now his citizens hated him and sent an embassage after him saying we wil not haue this man to reigne ouer vs. These places that were spoken of the obstinate Iewes that hated the name faith of Christ of the heathen idolaters that worshipped false Gods and would not acknowledge Christ to be God of the Mahometicall sect that reiect Christs gospel denie his redēption of the Antichristian popish rable which keepe his name and denie his efficacie sufficiencie in redeeming vs those I saye they bring against them that acknowledge all which they thēselues doe for sufficiencie of saluatiō for infalliblenes of his truth and for all his benefites onelie because wee yeeld not to thē for a certaine forme of outward gouernment But they must proue more euidentlie that those thinges are euill or else we will not be terrified by those places but that we may safelie say that that true Church of Iesus Christ is with vs euen in this gouernmēt To returne againe to their other notes which remaine whereby they will describe a visible church of Christ they say that Christs Church must be gouerned by his own lawes takē out of the olde newe Testament and no other They thinke as it seemeth that no lawes neede more to be made for any thing but that the lawes of Moses shoulde stand be sufficient to determine all matters Or if for ciuil matters they will admit more yet for punishments in matters Ecclesiasticall it is certaine they will acknowledge no more nor anie other Their groundes for this opinion are these scriptures First out of Saint Matthewe Mat. 17.5 This is my beloued sonne heare him It extendeth to matters of doctrine and saluation and all that hee hath taught but not to matters of gouernement Ciuill or Ecclesiasticall in particular For hee hath not made such lawes The next is out of the Epistle to the Hebrewes Heb. 3.6 Hee is Lorde of the house 1. Cor. 2.16 therefore hee is to bee obeyed in so much as hee hath set downe Particular ordināces he hath not prescribed for gouernmēt but left it free Thē they bring this out of the Epistle to the Corinthians We haue the minde of Christ hee meaneth for matters of saluation and the worship of God but not for particular actions that must be considered in gouernement After this commeth that to the Galathians Gal. 3.15 A mans testament when it is confirmed no man doth abrogate or addeth to it Paul speaketh of iustification by faith whereto works as a cause of iustification must not be added nothing there of outward gouernement Now as for their other places 1. Tim. 6.13 they inferre not that in the worde are sufficient lawes set downe for all thinges but that such as are commanded should be obserued as that to Timothie I charge thee that thou keep the commandement without spot and vnrebukeable vntil the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ That which Paul hath set downe as a commandement to be kept or hath so declared that must be kept for euer But who can saye that Paul hath set downe lawes for all things in that Epistle Ephe. 4.11 And that to the Ephesians doth not conclude their purpose Hee hath giuen Apostles for the worke of the Ministerie and gathering together of the Saintes til we all meete