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A08773
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Two briefe treatises The one containing matter of perswasion and expostulation concerning catechisme with certaine positions of like consideration. The other, touching peace betweene the minister and his people: as likewise the lawfulnesse, and dutie of the ministers presenting (if need require) outward disobedience vnto his ministerie.
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C. P., fl. 1616.
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1616
(1616)
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STC 19059; ESTC S120093
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15,965
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59
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TWO BRIEFE TREATISES The one containing matter of Perswasion and Expostulation concerning CATECHISME With certaine Positions of like consideration The other touching Peace betweene the Minister and his People As likewise the lawfulnesse and dutie of the Ministers Presenting if need require outward disobedience vnto his Ministerie LVKE 19.39 40. And some of the Pharisees which were of the companie said vnto him Master Rebuke thy Disciples But he answering said vnto them If these hold their peace the stones shall crie LONDON Printed by W. Stansby for William Butler and are to be sold at his shop in S. Dunstanes Church-yard in Fleetstreet 1616. TO MY GODLIE AND REVEREND BRETHREN of the MINISTERIE Grace and Mercie from GOD in CHRIST HAuing by speciall occasion and for the vse of mine owne laboured this little thing supposing some other rurall Congregations also might not be vnlike and it comming to the sight of some of my friends of greater learning and iudgement by farre then my selfe and thought not vnfit to goe abroad for winning in people if God so blesse it more willing obedience vnto this Exercise yea and some little incitation vnto some of yâ—â— my Brethren with leaue be it spoken slumbering I know not how yes by a sole estimation as I iudge of the maruellous indeede Diuine and most excellent Exercise of publike Preaching the glorie thereof by much and often beholding hauing dazeled your eyes for farre be it from any hauing the spirit of Christ to say or thinke this Chaire is base and below mine honour where the chiefest in the Church may sit with grace and grauitie this thing weake and beneath my strength wherein the tallest and strongest may goe deepe vnto his length in the neglect of this dutie diuine also and such as making the beautie of Preaching the more to shine the profit of Preaching the more to spread very kindly and comely as mother and daughter or friend with friend may go together I commend it to your godly consideration and my selfe to your charitable opinion seeking herein nothing else but the best welfare of you and yours and praying for the same vnto Him who hauing loued vs so as laying down his life for our sakes and looking for this very fruit of our loue towards him againe saith vnto euery Peter Feede Feede not my Sheepe onely but also my Lambes euen with this Milke at the first as fittest for them Your willing though weake fellow-laborer in the worke of the Ministerie C. P. Faults escaped PAge 2. in the margent adde l. 2. Esai 65. 1. l. 5. Prou. 1.24 l. 7. Iohn 8.40 p. 7. l. 23. for hardly knowne reade vtterly vnknowne p. 9. l. 9. in the marg adde Athanas in Symbol operum Tom. 2. p. 10. l 16. for If reade Of p. 15. l. 24 for to a plentifull reade to a plentifull p. 16. l. 1. for ble reade ble p. 20. l. 10. for Examinants reade Example p. 31. l. 4. for bee reade bee p. 33. l. 6. for Ministers reade Ministers without comma p. 34. l. 24. for truth reade truth p. 35. l. 12 for one reade one without comma l. 18. in marg Ezech. 3.19 p. 36. l. 21. for Ministerie reade Ministerie p. l. 4. for this reade thease l 19. for Church reade Church p. 39. l. 4. for or reade by p. 42. l. 8. marg for 2. Cor. 2. reade 2. Cor. 4.2 p. 43. l. 8. marg for Psal 100. reade Psal 110. p. 46. l. 22. marg for Iere. 24. reade Iere. 23. p. 49. l. 5. put out and. l. 22. for a reade and. p. 50. l. 1. reade euen the soule p. 51. l. 23 for 23.26 reade 20.26 in the margent A BRIEFE TREATISE CONTAINING matter of Perswasion and Expostulation concerning CATECHISME With certaine Positions of like consideration THat the first sinne and vnlawfull desire of passing diuine knowledge procured by the Deuill hath brought into our nature through Gods just judgement in punishing by the contrarie not Ignorance alone but the bondage a 2. Cor. 3.17 of ignorance if we were ignorant the wilfull ignorance of manie in the things of God especially most lowdly proclaymeth it And in this are three degrees first an indisposition or no inclination of our selues to seeke the truth Secondly a declination to winde away from truth when the same is offered and thirdly an opposition and ciuile warre against the truth The sinne and shame hereof being so much the greater as that wee all must confesse that the Vow of Baptisme to renounce the Deuill and his Kingdome of ignorance is to the contrarie For we here speake not of professed Infidels but of Christians so called and yet refusing instruction for Christian knowledge Against whome as a weake and vnworthie Minister in this Church yet willing by Gods grace to instruct mine owne and here as speaking to mine owne I thus reason first in the words of Christ Which of you can rebuke me of sinne And he here meaneth it as I also doe and must of necessitie of falsehood which is the sinne of Doctrine But if I teach you the truth why doe yee not beleeue b Ioh. 8.46 it or at least embrace the knowledge of it But as the Iewes oppressed with the light and euidence of truth and so vrged indeede to yeeld their subjection to Christ and the Deuill on the contrarie to hold his owne pulling them backe and putting in their mindes and mouthes to call for his authoritie asked him saying By what authoritie doest thou these things and who gaue thee this authoritie c Math. 21.23 As seeming if this might appeare they would then giue place for truth indeed taught by authoritie hath great power to perswade if grace be not vtterly banished out of the heart so the people in this striuing and strugling against the obedience of publike CATECHISME the truth therein taught hauing vanquished their thoughts seeke here to breake loose speaking thus in effect and almost in verie words against their Teachers What authoritie haue they to compell vs to this And why should they bring vs vnder their girdle To whome I answere in manner almost as Christ there of Iohn his Baptisme for defence of himselfe Authoritie The Authoritie of the Church to command and compell her children as in this shee doth d Can. 59. for the good of their soules is it not from Heauen Is it not from Christ Who hath all power giuen him in Heauen and in Earth e Math. â—8 18 saying vnto Peter and the rest of the Apostles and in them to the whole Church and namely the Gouernours thereof To thee will I giue the keyes of the kingdome of Heauen whatsoeuer thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound in Heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heauen f Math. 16.19 And if this preuaile not with them I leaue them to that number which say in the Psalme Let vs breake their bonds asunder Psal 2.3 and cast away their
cords from vs. But alas they will still hold of the profession of Christ Equitie And well may they hold it And then I demaund Is any thing more just and reasonable then that they should learne and endeuour to know and chiefely by such order as the Church appointeth the things which belong vnto their Christian profession Shall any man professing any Trade Art or Science not first be an apprentice to learne the skill of that Trade Art or Science Or hauing not bin taught or truanted his time and so remayning ignorant not able as wee say so much as to bungle at the things belonging to such profession be yet so bold to make open profession of such Trade Art or Science It is absurd and ridiculous as most vnreasonable And so for our Christians in a word it is a shame and rebuke to be wholly ignorant of Christ and Christian Religion their proper profession and on the other side their praise and honour before God and good men at least in some good and sufficient measure to know and encrease in the knowledge of that which belongeth to their Christian calling But I descend to another reason of greater importance Necessitie that is Necessitie and this of two sorts the one for progresse and further profiting in the Schoole of Christ to attaine at the last vnto perfection and the full edification of the faithfull such and so much I meane as is graunted in this life But what building is reared without a foundation What knowledge to reade attayned before letters and syllables be first taught and learned Who reacheth the knowledge of any Art or Mysterie without learning before-hand certaine Maximes and Principles and generall Rules to the same belonging And euen so for this matter of Christian knowledge there are first to be learned certaine Principles of the Word of God and Heb. 5.12 the beginning of Christ as the Apostle calleth it Heb. 6.1 Without which as there can be neyther middle nor end so indeed the best Sermons chiefely doctrinall are a booke sealed and very secrets or as things vttered in a strange language And though we heare with our outward eares yet vnderstand wee nothing or very little the very names of GOD and CHRIST so often repeated so necessarie to be knowne in the mysterie of the holy and vndiuided Trinitie as likewise of the Incarnation of our blessed Sauiour of thousands being 〈◊〉 knowne and all because wee haue not gotten or forgotten CATECHISME And this reason to this verie end is alleaged in the fifth to the Hebrewes Heb. 5.11 Of whom sayth he speaking of Christ wee haue many things to say which are hard to be vttered because as hee addeth ye are dull of hearing Not hereby meaning that they were depriued of the naturall sence of hearing but for that when they heard through want of first learning or by forgetting and loosing this verie CATECHISME of which wee speake that hurt and inconuenience followed touching which hee hath these words For whereas concerning the time yee ought to be Teachers yet haue yee need againe that we teach you what are the first Principles of the Word of God and are become such as haue need of milke that is againe to be taught CATECHISME and not strong meat Heb. 5.12 which are the deeper discourses and more exact handling in substance the same very matters in the Word of God The second point of necessitie is of danger Wherein for breuitie sake and to omit many and manifold most mightie testimonies of holy Scripture I wil only remember them of the wordes of that holy and learned Father in the Preface of his Explication of some parts of the Articles of our Faith and pronounced to good purpose in our publike diuine Seruice by authoritie of our Church Whosoeuer saith he will be saued before all things it is necessarie that he hold the Catholike Faith Which Faith except euery one keepe holy and vndefiled without doubt hee shall perish euerlastingly to this will I yet adde those words of Christ This is life euerlasting that they know thee to bee the onely very God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ Ioh. 17. vers 3. If then this exercise of publike Catechisme supposing other meanes may likewise bee profitable bee specially auaileable to this end euen to bring vs to the knowledge of the Faith of Christ without the which we cannot be saued is it not aboue all things to be embraced But here the Deuill whose speciall worke it is to oppose this good thing for which we speake layeth stones in the way at which left any stumble wee will likewise endeuour to take them away and these are obiections in generall some arising from other respects and some from the teaching of the Minister If the former is the allegation or exception taken for defence and excuse of such as are of age or elder yeeres namely children and seruants Communicants though generally and without distinction by authority of the Church put vnder obedience of publike Catechisme whom yet as little children to catechise instruct by Question and Answere say they is not comely but I answere it is rather their speciall comelinesse to know and make knowne their Christian knowledge and indeede if wee consider it standeth them more vpon and vpon the credit of their Christian calling to know and make knowne as before I said being lawfully required their Christian knowledge for as in the things of this life it is a greater rebuke for one of age to be ignorant then for a child wanting wit time experience and teaching therein so for due knowledge of Christian Religion their very time chargeth the elder sort with this speciall duety to abound in knowledge and alwayes to be readier and more prepared then litle children to yeeld account of their faith yea and as neede requireth to instruct others especially of yonger yeeres and it much becommeth them so the Apostle to the Hebrewes Of whom speaking of Christ and sharpely rebuking them for neglect and forgetfulnesse of Catechisme before taught we haue saith he many things to speake which are hard to bee vttered because yee are dull of hearing For whereas concerning the time yee ought to be teachers yet haue yee neede againe that we teach you what are the first principles of the Word of God a Heb. 5.12 And in all this and that which followeth concerning this matter he speaketh no doubt to persons of elder yeeres and writeth not his Epistle so specially to little children Againe who will not grant that children and seruants Communicants aboue the age of sixteene yeeres as all other indeed besides of what greater age or condition soeuer they be if ignorant though not strictly so bound perhaps by this order of our Church to be taught by Catechisme haue more need then little children to bee taught and instructed in the grounds of faith in respect of the special and instant duty required of them for