negatiues outward force takes away both sinne and blame and alters them from the patient to the actor so that now you see your straight bonds if they were such loosed by obedience and ouer-ruling power SECTION XIX The bonds of Gods word vniustly pleaded by the Separ BVT what bonds were these straight ones Gods word and your owne necessity Both strong and indissoluble where God hath bidden God forbid that we should care for the forbiddance of men I reuerence from my soule so doth our Church their deare Sister those worthy forraine Churches which haue chosen and followed those formes of outward gouernment that are euery way fittest for their owne condition It is enough for your Sect to censure them I touch nothing common to them with you While the world standeth where will it euer be shewed out of the sacred booke of God that hee hath charged Let there be perpetuall Lay-Elders in euery Congregation Let euery Assembly haue a Pastor and Doctor distinct in their charge and offices Let all decisions excommunications ordinations be performed by the whole multitude Let priuate Christians aboue the first turne in extremity agree to set ouer themselues a Pastor chosen from amongst them and receiue him with prayer and vnlesse that ceremony be turned to pompe and superstition by imposition of hands Let there be Widdowers which you call relieuers appointed euery where to the Church-seruice Let certaine discreete and able men which are not Ministers be appointed to preach the Gospell and whole truth of God to the people All the learned Diuines of other Churches are in these left yea in the most of them censured by you Hath God spoken these things to you alone Pleade not Reuelations and wee feare you not Pardon so homely an example As soone and by the same illumination shal G. Iohns proue to your Consistory the lace of the Pastors wiues sleeue or rings or Whale-bones or other amongst you as your Pastor confesseth knit stockings or Cork-shooes forbidden flatly by Scriptures as these commanded We see the letter of the Scriptures with you you shall fetch blood of them with strayning ere you shal wring out this seÌ„se No no M. R. neuer make God your stale Many of your ordinances came from no â—ier then your own braine Others of them though God acknowledges yet he imposed not Pretend what you will These are but the cords of your owne conceit not bonds of Christian obedience SECTION XX. The necessity of their pretended Ordinances THE first of these then is easily vntwisted your second is necessity Then which what can bee stronger what law or what remedy is against necessity What we must haue we cannot want Oppose but the publique necessitie to yours your necessity of hauing to the publique necessity of withholding and let one of these necessities like two nailes driue out another So they haue done and your owne necessity as the stronger hath preuailed for that other necessity might bee eluded by flight you haue sought and found else-where what the necessity of our lawes denied and the necessity of your conscience required Beware lest vniustly Sinne is as strong bond to a good heart as impossibility Christians can not doe what they ought not Contrary to the lawes of your Prince and Countrie you haue fledde not onely from vs but from our Communion Either is disobedience no sinne or might you do this euil that good may come of it But what necessity is this simple and absolute or conditional Is there no remedy but you must needes haue such Elders Pastors Doctors Relieuers such Offices such executions Can there be no Church no Christians without them What shall we say of the families of the Patriarkes of the Iewish Congregations vnder the law yea of Christ and his Apostles Either denie them to haue beene visible Churches or shew vs your distinct Offices amongst them But as yet you say they were not Therefore God hath had a true Church thousands of yeares without them Therefore they are not of the essence of the Church You call me to the times since Christ I demand then was there not a worthy Church of God in Hierusalem from the time of Christs Ascension till the election of the seauen Deacons Those hundred and twentie Disciples Act. 1. 15. and three thousand Conuerts Act. 2. 41. Those continuall Troupes that flocked to the Apostles were they no true Church Let the Apostles and Euangelists bee Pastors and Doctors where were their Elders Deacons Relieuers Afterwards when Deacons were ordained yet what news is there of Elders till Act. 11 yet that of Hierusalem was more forward then the rest We will not as you are wont argue from scriptures negatiuely no proofe yet much probability is in Saint Paules silence Hee writes to Rome Corinth and other Churches those his Diuine letters in a sweet Christian ciuility salute euen Ordinary Christians And would hee haue vtterly passed by all mention of these Church-Officers amongst his so precise acknowledgment of lesser titles in others if they had beene ere this ordained yet all these more then true Churches famous some of them rich forward and exemplary Onely the Philippian Church is stiled with Bishops and Deacons but no Elders besides them The Churches of Christ since these if at least you will graunt that Christ had any Church till now haue continued in a recorded succession through many hundreds of yeares Search the Monuments of her Histories Shew vs where euer in particular Congregations all these your necessary Offices as you describe them were either found or required It was therefore a new-no-Necessity that bound you to this course or if you had rather a Necessity of Fallibility If with these God may be well serued he may be well serued without them This is not that Vnum necessarium that Christ commends in Mary you might haue sate still with lesse trouble and more thanks SECTION XXI The enormities of the Church in common BVt besides that we ought to haue had somewhat which we want we haue some what which wee should haue wanted Some yea many Antichristian enormities To say we are absolute and neither want nor abound were the voice of Laodicea or Tyrus in the Prophet Our Church as shee is true so humble and is as farre from arrogating perfection as acknowledging falshood If she haue enormities yet not so many or if many not Antichristian Your Cham hath espied ninety one nakednesses in this his Mother and glories to shewe them All his malice cannot shew one Fundamentall errour and when the foule mouth of your false Martyr hath said all they are but some spottes and blemishes not the old running issues and incurable botches of Egypt The particulars shall plead for themselues These you eschue as hell While you goe on thus vncharitably both alike Doe you hate these more then Master Smith and his faction hates yours His Character shall
Where all in a sort ordaine and excommunicate We condemne you not for no true members of the Church what can be more order 〈◊〉 by your owne confusions then the 〈◊〉 Church at Amsterdam which yet you graunt but faulty If there be disproportion and dislocation of some parts is it no true humane bodie will you rise from the feast vnlesse the dishes be set on in your owne fashion Is it no City if there be mud-walles halfe-broken low Cottages vnequally built no state house But your order hath more essence then you can expresse and is the same which Politicians in their trade call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an incorporating into one common ciuill body by a voluntary vnion and that vnder a lawfull gouernment Our Church wants both wherein there is both constraint and false office Take your owne resemblance and your owne asking Say that some tyrant as Basilius of Russia shall forceably compell a certaine number of subiects into Mosco and shall hold them in by an awfull Garison forcing them to new lawes and Magistrates perhappes hard and bloody They yeeld and making the best of all liue together in a cheerefull communion with due commerce louing conuersation submissiue execution of the inioyned lawes In such case Whether is Mosco a true City or not Since your Doctor cytes Aristotle let it not irke him to learne of that Philosopher who can teach him that when Clisthenes had driuen out the Tyrants from Athens and set vp a new Gouernement and receiued many strangers and bondmen into the Tribes it was doubted not which of them were citizens but whither they were made Citizens vniustly If you should finde a company of true Christians in vtmost India would you stand vpon tearmes and inquire how they became so VVhiles they haue what is necessary for that heauenly profession what need your curiosity trouble it selfe with the meanes SECTION X. Constraint requisite YOu see then what an idle plea constraint is in the Constitution of a City the ground of all your exception But it is otherwise in Gods Citie the Church why then doth his Doctor shippe parallell these two And why may not euen constraint it selfe haue place in the lawfull constitution or reformation of a Church Did not Manisses after his comming home to God charge and commaund 〈◊〉 to serue the Lord God of Israel Did not worthy Iosiah when he had made a couenant before the Lord cause all that were found in Ierusalem and Beniamin to stand to it and compelled all that were found in Israel to serue the Lord their God What haue Queene Elizabeth or King Iames done more or what other Did not Asa vpon Obeds prophesie gather both Iudae and Beniamin and al the strangers from Ephraim Manasses and Simeon and enact with them that whosoeuer would not seeke the Lord God should be slaine What meanes this perueâ—snesse You that teach we may not stay Princes leasure to reforme will you not allow Princes to vrge others to reforme What crime is this that men were not suffered to be open Idolaters that they were forced to yeeld submission to Gods ordinances Euen your owne teach that Magistrates may compell infidelles to heare the doctrine of the Church and Papists you say elsewhere though too roughly are infidells But you say not to be members of the Church Gods people are of the willing sort True Neither did they compell them to this They were before entred into the visible Church by true Baptisme though miserably corrupted They were not now initiated but purged Your 〈◊〉 Doctor 〈◊〉 vs from Bernard that faith is to be 〈…〉 to bee compelled yet let him 〈◊〉 that the guests must bee compelled to come in though not to eat when they are come Compelled not by perswasions for these were the first inuitationâ— therfore by further meanes Though this conceit hath no place with vs where men were vrged not to receiue a new faith but to performe the old to abandon that wicked Idolatry which had defiled them and to entertaine but that truth which the very power of their Baptisme challenge that their hand But this was the old song of the Donatists Far bee it from our conscience to compell any man to the faith If God did not draw vs and by asweat violence bend our wils to his when should we follow him Either you haue not read or not cared for the practise of the auncient Church and Augustines resolution concerning the sharpe penalties imposed vpon the Donatists would God none of your kindred in his time with his excellent defences of these proceedings SECTION XI Constitution of the Church of England BVt tell vs then what should haue beene done The Gospell should haue beene euery where preached All conuerâ—s should haue been singled out and haue giâ—en a voluntary and particular confession of their faith and repentance I answere you The Gospell was long and worthily preached in the dayes of King Edward enough to yeeld both Martyres to the stake and professors to the succeeding times Were their holy Sermons their learned writings and their pretious blood which was no lesse vocall of no force Afterwards in the beginning of famous Queene Elizabeths reparation what confluence was there of zealous Confessors returning now from their late exile How painefully and Diuinely did they labour in this Vineyard of God How did they with their many holy Partners which had shrowded themselues during that storme of persecution in a dangerous secrecy spread themselues ouer this land and each-where drew flockes of hearers to them and with them Is all this nothing to their ingrateful posterity If you murmure that there was no more take heede least you forget there were so many for vs wee doe seriously blesse God for these and triumph in them All this premised now comes a Christian Edict from the State that euery man shall yeelde obedience to this truth wherein they had beene thus instructed It was performed by the most whose submission what was it but an actuall profession of their faith and repentance And since such was their face who dares iudge of their hearts More then this if euer can bee shewed absolutely necessary in such a state of the Church to the very Constitution and repaired Beeing thereof I do here vow neuer to take the Church of England for my mother We know and grieue to see how scornfully your whole Sect and amongst the rest your resolute Dr. turnes ouer these gratious entrances and proceedings of these two royall and blessed Reformers and whom should he finde to raise his scoffes vpon but that Saint-like Historian Master Foxe Now saies Master Foxe a new face of things began to appeare as it were in a Stage new Players comming in the olde thrust out Now saieth your Doctors Comment new Bishoppes came in as Players vpon the olde Stage of the Popish Church as if the Church were no whit altered
but the men Shall we say this is too much malice or too little wit and conscience Euen in the Lord Protectors daies that holy man reports that after the Scriptures restored and Masses abolished greater thinges followed these softer beginnings in the reformation of the Churches Learned and godly Diuines were called for from forraine parts a separation was made though not so much willing as wilfull of open and manifest aduersaries from Professors whether true or dissembled Commissioners were appointed to visite euery seuerall Diocesse Euery Bench of them had seuerall godly and learned Preachers to instruct the people in the truth and to disswade them from Idolatry and Superstition The Popes Supremacy not thrust but taught downe All wil-worshippe whatsoeuer oppugned by publique Sermons Images destroyed Pilgrimages forbidden the Sacraments inioyned to be reuerently and holily ministred Ecclesiastical persons reformed in life in doctrine Processions laide downe Presence and attendance vpon Gods word commanded the holy expending of Sabboth dayes appointed due preparation to Gods table called for set times of teaching inioyened to Bishoppes and other Ministers all shrâ—nes and Monuments of Idolatry required to be vtterly taken from publique and priuate houses All this before his Parliament By that all bloody lawes against Gods trueth were repealed zealous Preachers encouraged so as saith that worthy Historian God was much glorified and the people in many places greatly edified What neede I goe further then this first yeare Heare this and be ashamed and assure your selues that no man can euer read those holy Monuments of the Church but must needes spit at your separation After that sweete and hopefull Prince what his renowmed sister Queene Elizabeth did the present times doe speake and the future shall speake when all these Murmurers shall sleepe in the dust The publique disputations zealous Preachings restaurations of banished religion and men extirpations of Idolatry Christian lawes wise and holy proceedings and renewed couenants with God are still fresh in the memories of some and in the eares of all so as all the world wil iustly say you haue lost shame with truth in denying it Yea to fetch the matter yet further If the Reader shall looke backe to the daies of their Puissant Father King Henry the eight he cannot but acknowledge especially during the time of Queene Anne and before those sixe bloody Articles a true face of a Church though ouer-spreade with some morphue of corruptions and some commendable forwardnesse of Reformation for both the Popes Supremacy was abrogated the true doctrine of Iustification commonly taught confidence in Saints vntaught the vanity of Pardons declared worshippe of Images and Pilgrimages forbidden learned and godly Ministers required their absences and mis-demeaners inhibited the Scriptures translated publickly and priuately inioyned to be read and receiued the word of God commaunded to be sincerely and carefully preached and to all this holy Master Foxe addeth for my conclusion such a vigilant care was then in the King and his Councell how by all wayes and meanes to redresse Religion to reforme errours to correct corrupt customes to helpe ignorance and to reduce the mis-leadings of Christs Flocke drowned in blinde Popery superstitious customes and Idolatry to some better forme of Reformation whereunto he prouided not onely these Articles Precepts Iniunctions aboue specified to inform the rude people but also procured the Bishops to helpe forward the same cause of decayed doctrine with their diligent preaching and teaching of the people Goe now say that suddenly in one day by Queen Elizabeths trumpet or by the sound of a Bell in the name of Antichrist all were called to the Church Goe say with your Patriarch that wee erect Religions by Proclamations and Parliaments Vpon these premises I dare conclude and doubt not to maintaine against all Separatists in the world that England to goe no higher had in the daies of King Henry the eight a true visible Church of God and so by consequent their succeeding seede was by true Baptisme iustly admitted into the bosome therof and therefore that euen of them without any further profession Gods Church was truly constituted If you shall say that the following Idolatrie of some of them in Queene Maries daies excluded them Consider how hard it will be to prooue that Gods couenant with any people is presently disanulled by the sinnes of the most whether of ignorance or weakenesse and if they had herein renounced GOD yet that GOD also mutually renounced them To shut vppe your Constitution then There is no remedy Eyther you must goe forward to Anabaptisme or come backe to vs All your Rabbines caâ—not aunswere that charge of your rebaptized brother If wee bee a true Church you must returne If wee bee not as a false Church is no Church of GOD you must rebaptise If our Baptisme be good then is our constitution good Thus your owne Principles teach The outward parte of the true visible Church is a Vowe Promise Oathe or Couenant betwixt GOD and the Saints Now I aske Is this made by vs in Baptisme or noe If it be then we haue by your Confession for so much as is outwardly required a true visible Church so your separation is vniust If it be not then you must rebaptise for the first Baptisme is a nullity and if ours be not you were neuer thereby as yet entred into any visible Church SECTION XII The Aunswerers title AS for the title of Ring-leader wherewith I stiled this pamphleter if I haue giuen him too much honour in his Sect I am sory Perhappes I should haue put him pardon an homely but in this sense not vnusall word in the taile of this Traine Perhaps I should haue endorsed my Letter to Master Smith and his shadow So I perceiue he was Whatsoeuer whither he lead or follow God meetes with him If hee lead Behold I will come against them that prophesie false dreames saith the Lorde and doe tell them and cause my people to erre by their lies If he come behinde Thou shalt not follow a multitude in euill saith God If either or both or neither If he will goe alone Woe vnto the foolish Prophets saith the Lord which follow their owne spirits and haue seene nothing Howsoeuer your euill shall bee reproued by the light of Gods word Your coniâ—â—ction I cannot promise your reproofe I dare If therupon you shall finde grace to see and heale your errours we should with all brotherly humblenesse attend on foote vpon your returne on Horse-backe but if the sway of your mis-resolued conscience bee heady and vnresistable and your retyring hopelesse these not solide reasons these pretty pamphlets these formall flourishes shall one day be fearefull and materiall euidences against you before that awefull Iudge which hath already sayd That iudgements are prepared for the scorners and stripes for the backe of fooles SECTION XIII The Apostacie of the Church of England I professed
The Motherhood of the Church of England how farre it obligeth vs. THE Church of England is your mother to her small comfort she hath borne you and repented Alas you haue giuen her cause to powre out Iobs curses vpon your birth-day by your not onely forsaking but cursing her Stand not vpon her faults which you shall neuer proue capitall Note only the best Parent might haue brought forth are bellious sonne to be stoned What then Doe we preferre duetie to piety and so plead for our holy mother Church that we neglect our heauenly Father yea offend him See what you say It must needes be an holy mother that cannot be pleased without the displeasure of God A good wife that opposes such an husband a good sonne that vpbraides this vniustly Therfore is she a Church your mother holy because she bred you to God cleaues to him obeyes his commaundements and commaunds them And so farre is shee from this desperate contradiction that she voweth not to hold you for her sonne vnlesse you honour God as a father It is a wilful slaunder that you could not but heynously transgresse vnder her I dare take it vpon my soule that all your transgression which you should necessarily haue incurred by her obedience is nothing so heynous as your vnchariblenesse in your censures and disobedience Conscience is a common plea euen to those you hate we inquire not how strong it is but how well informed not whether it suggest this but whereuppon To goe against the conscience is sinne to follow a mis-informed conscience is sinne also If you do not the first we know you are faulty in the second He that is greater then the conscience will not take this for an excuse But wherein should haue beene this transgression so vnauoidable heynous against conscience First in the want of many Ordinances to which we are most strictly bound both by Gods word and our owne necessities SECTION XVIII The want of pretended Ordinances of God whether sinfull to vs and whether they are to be set vp without Princes CAn you thinke this hangs well together You should here want many of Gods ordinances why should you want them Because you are not suffered to inioy them who hinders it Superior powers Did euer man willfully and heynously offend for wanting of that which he could not haue What hath conscience to doe with that which is out of our power Is necessity with you become a sinne and that haynous Dauid is driuen to lurke in the wildernesse and forced to want the vse of many diuine Ordinances It was his sorrow not his transgression He complaines of this but doth he accuse himselfe of sinne Not to desire them had beene sinne no sin to be debat'd them Well might this be Sauls sin but not his Haue you not sinnes enow of your owne that you must needes borrow of others But I see your ground You are bound to haue these Ordinances and therefore without Princes yea against them so it is your transgression to want them in spight of Magistrates Gaudentius the Donatist taught you this of old And this is one of the Hebrew songs which Master Bâ—rrow sings to vs in Babylon that we care not to make Christ attend vpon Princes and to be subiect to their lawes and gouernment and his Predecessor the roote of your sect tels vs in this sense the kingdome of heauen must suffer violence and that it comes not with obseruation that men may say Loe the Parliament or loe the Bishops decrees and in the same treatise The Lords kingdome must wait on your policy forsooth and his Church must be framed to your ciuill state c. Iust as that Donatist of old in Augustine Quid vobis c. What haue you to doe with worldly Emperours and as that other in Optatus Quid Imperatori cum Ecclesia What hath the Emperour to doe with the Church Yea your Martyr feares not to teach vs that Gods seruants being as yet priuate men may and must together build his Church though all the Princes of the world should prohibit the same vpon paine of death Belike then you should sin haynously if you should not be rebels The question is not whether we shold aske leaue of Princes to be Christians but whether of Christian Princes wee should aske leaue to establish circumstances of gouernment God must be serued thogh we suffer our blood is wel bestowed vpon our maker but in patience not in violence Priuate profession is one thing Publique reformation iniunction is another Euery man must doe that in the maine none may doe this but they of whom God saies I haue said ye are Gods and of them There is difference betwixt Christian and Heathen Princes If at least al Princes were not to you Heathen If these should haue beene altogether stayed for Religion had come late If the other should not be stayed for Religion would soone be ouer layd with confusion Lastly the body of Religion is one thing the skyrts of outward gouernment another that may not depend on men to be imbraced or with loyalty prosecuted these vpon those generall rules Christ both may and doe and must If you cut off but one lappe of these with Dauid you shall be touched To denie this power to Gods Deputies on earth what is it but ye take too much vpon you Moâ—es and Aaron all the Congregation is holy wherefore lift ye your selues aboue the Congregation of the Lord See if herein you come not too neere the walles of that Rome which ye so abhorre and accurse in ascribing such power to the Church none to Princes Let your Doctor tell you whether the best Israelites in the times of Abijah Asa Iehosaphat Ezekiah Iosiah tooke vpon them to reforme without or before or against their Princes Yea did Nehemiah himselfe without Artahshaht though an heathen King set vpon the walles of Gods City Or what did Zerubbabel and Ieshua without Cyrus In whose time Haggai and Zechariah prophesied indeede but built not And when contrary Letters came from aboue they laid by both Trowels and Swords They would bee Iewes still they would not be rebels for God Had those Letters inioyned Swines flesh or Idolatry or forbidden the vse of the law those which now yeelded had suffered and at once testified their obedience to authority and piety to him that sittes in the assembly of these earthen Gods I vrge no more Perhaps you are more wise or lesse mutinous you might easily therefore purge your conscience from this sinne of wanting what you might not perforce enioy Say that your Church should imploy you backe to this our Babylon for the calling out of more Proselites you are intercepted imprisoned Shall it bee sinne in you not to heare the Prophesies at Amsterdam The Clinke is a lawfull excuse If your feete be bound your conscience is not bound In these
be free both in your profession and gift You giue vs to haue renounced many false Doctrins in Popery and to haue imbraced so many truths We take it vntill more You professe where you sticke what you mislike In those foure famous heades which you haue learned by heart from all your predecessors An hatefull Prelacy A deuised Ministery a confused and prophane communion and lastly the intermixture of grieuous errors What if this truth were taught vnder an hatefull Prelacy Suppose it were so Must I not imbrace the truth because I hate the Prelacy What if Israel liue vnder the hatefull Egyptians What if Ieremy liue vnder hatefull Pashur What if the Iewes liue vnder an hateful Priesthood What if the disciples liue vnder hatefull Scribes What are others persons to my profession If I may be freely allowed to be a true professed Christian what care I vnder whose hands But why is our Prelacy hatefull Actiuely to you or passiuely from you In that it hates you Would God you were not more your owne enemies Or rather because you hate it Your hatred is neither any newes nor paine Who or what of ours is not hatefull to you Our Churches Belles Clothes Sacraments Preachings Prayers Singings Catechismes Courts Meetings Burialles Mariages It is maruell that our aire infects not and that our heauen and earth as Optatus said of the Donatists escape your hatred Not the forwardest of our Preachers as you tearme theÌ„ haue found any other entertainment no enemy could be more spightfull I speake it to your shame Rome it selfe in diuers controuersary discourses hath bewrayed lesse gall then Amsterdam The better they are to others you professe they are the worse yea would to God that of Paule were not verified of you hatefull and hating one another But we haue learned that of wise Christians not the measure of hatred should be respected but the desert Dauid is hatred for no cause Michaiah for a good cause Your causes shall be examined in their places onwards it were happy if you hated your owne sinnes more and peace lesse our prelacy would trouble you lesse and you the Church SECTION XXVII The truth and warrant of the Ministery of England FOr our deuised office of Ministery you haue giuen it a true title It was deuised indeed by our Sauiour when he said go teach all Nations and Baptise and performed in continuance when hee gaue some to be Pastors and Teachers and not only the office of Ministery in generall but ours whom hee hath made both able to teach and desirous seperated vs for this cause to the worke vpon due tryall admitted vs ordayned vs by imposition of handes of the Eldershippe and prayer directed vs in the right diuision of the word committed a charge to vs followed our Ministery with power and blessed our labours with gratious successe euen in the hearts of those whose tongues are thus busie to denie the truth of our vocation Behold here the deuised Office of â—our Ministery What can you deuise against this Your Pastor who as his brother writes hopes to worke wonders by his Logicall skill hath killed vs with seuen Arguments which hee professeth the quintessence of his owne and Penryes extractions whereto your Doctor referres vs as absolute I would it were not tedious or worth a Readers labour to see them scanned I protest before God and the world I neuer read more grosse stuffe so boldly and peremptorily faced out so full of Tautologies and beggings of the Question neuer to bee yeelded Let mee yet mention the maine heads of them and for the rest be sory that I may not be endlesse To proue therefore that no communion may be had with the Ministery of the Church of England he vses these seuen Demonstrations First Because it is not that Ministery which Christ gaue and set in his Church Secondly Because it is the ministerie of Antichrists Apostasie Thirdly Because none can communicate with the ministery of England but he worshippes the beasts Image and yeeldeth spirituall subiection to Antichrist Fourthly Because this ministery deriueth not their power and functions from Christ Fiftly Because they minister the holy things of God by vertue of a false spirituall calling Sixthly Because iâ— is a strange ministery not appointed by God in his word Seuenthly Because it is not from heauen but from men Now I beseech thee Christian Reader iudge whether that which this man was wont so oft to obiect to his brother a crack't braine appeare not plainely in this goodly equipage of reasons for what is al this but one and the same thing tumbled seuen times ouer which yet with seuen thousand times babling shall neuer be the more probable That our ministery was not giuen and set in the Church by Christ but Antichristian what is it else to be from men to bee strange to be a false spirituall calling not to bee deriued from Christ to worship the Image of the beast So this great Challenger that hath abridged his nine Arguments to seuen might aswell haue abridged his seuen to one and a halfe Here would haue beene as much substance but lesse glory As for his maine defence First wee may not either haue or expect now in the Church that ministery which Christ set Where are our Apostles prophets Euangelists If we must alwayes looke for the very same administration of the Church which our Sauiour left why doe wee not challenge these extraordinary functions Doe we not rather thinke since it pleased him to beginne with those Offices which should not continue that herein he purposely intended to teach vs that if wee haue the same heauenly busines done we should not be curious in the circumstances of the persons But for those ordinary callings of Pastors and Doctors intended to perpetuity with what forehead can hee denie them to bee in our Church How many haue we that conscionably teach and feede or rather feede by teaching Call them what you please Superintendents that is Bishoppes Prelates Priests Lecturers Parsons Vicars c. If they preach Christ truly vpon true inward abilities vpon a sufficient if not perfect outward vocation such a one let all Histories witnesse for the substance as hath bin euer in the Church since the Apostles times they are Pastors and Doctors allowed by Christ We stand not vpon circumstances and appendances of the fashions of ordination manner of choyce attire titles maintenance but if for substance these be not true Pastors and Doctors Christ had neuer any in his Church since the Apostles left the earth All the difficulty is in our outward calling Let the Reader graunt our graue and learned Bishoppes to be but Christians and this will easily be euinced lawfull euen by their rules For if with them euery plebeian artificer hath power to elect and ordaine by vertue of his Christian profession the act of the worthiest standing for all how
our Prelacy be Antichristian TO the particular instances I aske where are the proud towers of their Vniuersall Hierarchy You answere roundly One in Lambeth another in Fulham c. What Vniuersall Did euer any of our Prelates challenge all the world as his Diocesse Is this simplicitie or malice If your Pastor tell vs that as well a world as a Prouince Let me returne it If he may be Pastor ouer a Parlour full Why not of a Citie And if of a Citie why not of a Nation But these you will proue vnruinated Towers of that Babell You aske therefore whether the office of Archbishops Bishops and the rest of that ranke were not in Queene Maries daies partes of that accursed Hierarchy and members of that man of sin Doubtlesse they were Who can deny it But now say you they haue the same Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction continued This is your miserable Sophistry Those Popish Arch-bishoppes and Bishoppes and Clergie were members of Antichrist not as Church-Gouernours but as Popish While they swore subiection to him while they defended him whiles they worshipt him aboue all that is called God and extorted this homage from others how could they be other but limmes of that man of sinne shall others therefore which defie him resist trample vpon him spend their liues and labours in oppugnation of him be necessarily in the same case because in the same roome Let me helpe your Anabaptists with a sound Argument The Princes Peeres and Magistrates of the land in Queene Maries dayes were shoulders and armes of Antichrist their calling is still the same therefore now they are such Your Master Smith vppon no other ground disclaimeth Infants Baptisme crying out that this is the maine relique of Antichristianisme But see how like a wise Master you confute your selfe They are still members of the bodie though the head the Pope bee cutte off The head is Antichrist therefore the body without the head is no part of Antichrist Hee that is without the head Christ is no member of Christ so contrarily I heare you say the very Iurisdiction and office is here Antichristian not the abuse What in them and not in al Bishops since and in the Apostles times Alas who are you that you should oppose al Churches times ignorance of Church-story not distinguishing betwixt substances and appendances personall abuses and callings hath ledde you to this errour Yet since you haue reckoned vp so many Popes let me helpe you with more Was there not one in Lambeth when Doctor Cranmer was there One in Fulham when Ridly was there One in Worcester when Latimer was there One at Winchester when Philpot was there We will goe higher Was not Hilarius at Arles Paulinus at Nola. Primasius at Vtica Eucherius at Lyons Cyrill at Alexandria Chrysostome at Constantinople Augustine at Hippo Ambrose at Milaine What should I be infinite Was not Cyprian at Carthage Euodius and after him Ignatius in S. Iohns time at Antioch Polycarpus at Smyrna Philip at Cesarea Iames and Simeon and Cleophas at Hierusalem and by much consent of Antiquity Titus in Creet Timothy at Ephesus Marke at Alexandria yea to be short was there not euery where in all ages an allowed superiority of Church-Gouernours vnder this title Looke into the frequent Subscriptions of all Councels and their Canons Looke into the Registers of all times and finde your selfe aunswered Let reuerend Caluin be our Aduocate I would desire no other words to confute you but his He shall tell you that euen in the Primitiue Church the Presbiters chose one out of their number in euery City whom they titled their Bishop least dissention should arise from equality Let Hemingius teach you that this was the practise of the purest Church Thus it was euer and if Princes haue pleased to annexe either large maintenances or stiles of higher dignity and respect vnto these doe their additions annihilate them Hath their double honour made voide their callings Why more then extreme needinesse If Aristotle would not allow a Priest to be a tradesman yet Paul could yeeld to homely Tent-making if your Elders grow rich or noble doe they cease to bee or beginne to be vnlawfull But in how many volumes hath this point beene fully discussed I list not to gleane after their full Carts SECTION XXXI The iudgement and practise of other Reformed Churches FRom your owne Verdict you descend to the testimonies of all reformed Churches I blush to see so wilfull a slaunder fall from the penne of a Christian That all Reformed Churches renounce our Prelacy as Antichristian what one hath done it Yea what one forraine Diuine of note hath not giuen to our Clergy the right hand of fellowshippe so farre is it from this that I. Alasco was the allowed Bishoppe of our first Reformed strangers in this land so farre that when your Doctor found himselfe vrged by M. Spr. with a cloud of witnesses for our Church and ministery as Bucer Martyr Fagius Alasco Caluin Beza Bullinger Gualter Simler Zanchius Iunius Rollocus and others he had nothing to say for himselfe but Though you come against vs with Horse-men and Chariots yet wee will remember the name of the Lord our God and turnes it off with the accusation of a Popish plea and reference to the practise of the Reformed And if therefore they haue so renounced it because their practise receiues it not VVhy like a true make-bate doe you not say that our Churches haue so renounced their Gouernement These sisters haue learned to differ and yet to loue and reuerence each other and in these cases to enioy their owne formes without prescription of necessity or censure Let reuerend Beza bee the Trumpet of all the rest who tells you that the Reformed English Churches cōtinue vpheld by the authority of Bishops Archbishopps that they haue had men of that ranke both famous martyrs and worthy Pastors and Doctors and lastly congratulates this blessing to our Church or let Hemingius tell you the iudgement of the Danish Church Iudicat caeteros ministros c. it iudgeth saith he that other ministers should obey their Bishoppes in all things which make to the edification of the Church c. But what doe I oppose any to his name-lesse All his owne silence confutes him enough in my silence SECTION XXXII Our Synodes determination of things indifferent THere was neuer a more idle and beggerly cauill then your next your Christian Reader must needs thinke you hard driuen for quarrels when you are faine to fetch the Popes infallibility out of our Synode whose flat decree it was of old That euen general Councels may erre haue erred But wherin doth our facred Synod assume this infallibility in her determinations VVherefore is a Synode if not to determine But of thinges reputed indifferent VVhat else are subiect to the constitutions of men Good and euill are either directly or by
must face it out Let any Reader iudge how farre our practise in this hath dissented from our doctrine would to God in nothing more Yes saith this good friend in the most other things our wordes professe our deeds denie at once you make vs hypocrites and your selues Pharises Let all the world know that the English Church at Amsterdam professeth nothing which it practiseth not we may not be so holy or so happy Generality is a notable shelter of vntruth Manie moe you say Popish deuises yet name none No you cannot Aduanced aboue al that is called God surely this is a paradoxe of slaunders you meant at once to shame vs with falshoode and to appose vs with Riddles we say to the highest whom haue wee in heauen but thee and for earth your selfe haue granted we giue too much to Princes which are earthen Gods and may come vnder Pauls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eyther name our Deity or craue mercy for your wrong certainely though you haue not remorse yet you shall haue shame SECTION XLV The Churches still retained in England THe Maiesty of the Romish Petty-gods I truely told you was long agone with Mythra and Serapis exposed to the laughter of the vulgar you straine the comparison too farre yet we follow you Their Priests were expelled for as your Doctor yeeldeth other Actors came vpon the same Stage others in religion else it had beene no change Their Ministery and Monuments exposed to vtter scorne Their Masses their oblations their adorations their inuocations their anoylings their exorcizings their shrift their absolutions their Images roode loftes and whatsoeuer else of this kind But the Temples of those olde Heathens were demolished and raced Here is the quarrell ours stand still in their proude Maiesty Can you see no difference betwixt our Churches and their Temples The very name it selfe if at least you haue vnderstood it Kirke or Church which is nothing but an abbreuiation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lords house might haue taught you that ours were dedicated to God and theirs to the Diuel in their false gods Augustine answeres you as directly as if he were in my roome The Gentiles saith he to their Gods erected Temples we not Temples vnto our Martyrs as vnto Gods but memorials as vnto dead men whose spirits with God are still liuing These then if they were abused by Popish Idolatrie is there no way but downe with them downe with them to the ground Well fare the Donatists yet your olde friends they but washed the walles that were polluted by the Orthodoxe By the same token that Optatus askes them why they did not wash the bookes which ours touched and the heauens which they look't vpon What are the very stones sinfull what can be done with them The very earth where they should lie on heapes would be vncleane But not their pollution angers you more then their proud Maiesty What house can be too good for the maker of all Things As God is not affected with state so is he not delighted in basenesse If the pompe of the Temple were ceremoniall yet it leaues this morality behinde it that Gods house should be decent and what if goodly If we did put holines in the stones as you doe vncleanenesse it might be sinne to be costly Let mee tell you there may bee as much pride in a clay wall as in a carued Proude Maiestie is better then proud basenesse The stone or clay will offend in neither we may in both If you loue Cottages the auncient Christians with vs loued to haue Gods house stately as appeares by the example of that worthie Bishoppe of Alexandria and that gratious Constantine in whose daies these sacred piles began to lift vp their heads vnto this enuyed height Take you your owne choice giue vs ours let vs neither repine nor scorne at each other SECTION XLVI The Founders and Furnitures of our Churches ALl this while I feared you had beene in Popish Idolatrie now I finde you in Heathenish These our Churches are still possessed by their Flamins and Arch-Flamins I had thought none of our Temples had beene so auncient Certainely I finde but one poore tuinous building reported to haue worne out this long tyranny of time For the most you might haue read their age and their Founders in open Records But these were deriued from those surely the Churches as much as the men It is true the Flamins and what euer other heathen Priests were put down Christian Bishoppes were set vp Are these therfore deriued from those Christianity came in the roome of Iudaisme was it therefore deriued from it Before you tolde vs that our Prelacy came from that Antichrist of Rome now from the Flamins of the Heathen Both no lesse then either If you cannot bee true yet learne to be constant But what meane you to charge our Churches with carued and painted Images It is wel you write to those that know them Why did you not say wee bow our knees to them and offer incense perhaps you haue espied some old dustie statue in an obscure corner couer'd ouer with Cob-webs with halfe a face and that miserably blemished or perhappes halfe a Crucifixe inuerted in a Church-window and these you surely noted for English Idols no lesse dangerous glasse you might haue seene at Geneua a Church that hates Idolatrie as much as you doe vs What more Massing copes and Surplices some copes if you will more Surplices no Massing Search your Bookes againe you shall finde Albes in the Masse no Surplices As for Organ-musicke you should not haue fetch 't it from Rome but from Ierusalem In the Reformed Church at Middleburgh you might haue found this skirt of the Harlot which yet you grant at least crept out of Babylon Iudge now Christian reader of the weight of these grand exceptions and see whether ten thousand such were able to make vs no Church and argue vs not only in Babilon but to be Babilon it selfe Thus Babilonish we are to you and thus Sion-like to God euerie true Church is Gods Sion euerie Church that holdes the foundation is true according to that golden rule Ephes. 2. 21. Euery building that is coupled together in this corner stone groweth vnto an holy Temple in the Lord No aduersarie either man or Diuell can confound vs either in our euidences or their owne Challenges wee may be faulty but we are true And if the darknes you finde in vs be light how great is our light SECTION XLVII On what ground separation or Ceremonies was obiected HE that leaues the whole Church in a grosse and wilfull error is an hereticke he that leaues a particular Church for appendances is a schismaticke such are you both in the action and cause The act is yeelded the cause hath beene in part scanned shall be more This I vainely pretended to be our consorting in ceremonies
like some Anti Lot to call for fire and Brimstone from heauen vpon your Zoar. SECTION XLIX The state of the Temple and of our Church in resemblance HOw you would haue behaued your selfe in the Temple to the mony-changers you will aunswer when we proue our Church to be Gods Temple built of that matter and in that form which God hath prescribed and here you send vs to 1. K. 5. 17. 2. Chr. 2. 8. Ignorantly as if Salomons Temple had stood till Christs time when neither the first nor second though called Beth Gnolam out lasted more then foure hundred yeares Or as if the Market had beene vnder the very roofe of that Temple whether Herods were built of the same matter with Salomons and in full corespondence to it I dispute not it was certainely dedicated to Gods seruice and that which you would hardly digest in a solemne anniuersary holy-day though not erected vpon the word of any Prophet But to let passe Allegories we must proue our selues the true Church of God Thus we doe it VVe are true Christians for we were baptized into the name of Christ we truely professe our continuance in the same faith into which we were baptized we ioyne together in the publique seruices of God we maintain euery point of the most ancient Creeds wee ouerthrowe not the foundation by any consequence therefore what euer is wanting to vs what euer is superfluous in spight of all the gates of Hell we are the true Church of God Let me aske you Were not the people of the Iewes in the Prophets and in Christs time a confused heape of dead and defiled and for I will vse your Tautologies polluted stones and of all rubbish of Bryers and brambles of the VVildernesse for the most part fitter for burning then building Can we be worse then they If wickednesse can defile a Church they shal iustifie vs did either those Prophets or our Sauiour rather shewe their obedience to God in departing from it then their valour in purging it you haue well imitated these heauenly patternes But what Can your charity finde nothing but rubbish Not one square stone not one liuing You will bee iudging till God iudge you if you take not heede of these courses you will so runn with the Hee goates that you wil stand with the Goates on the left hand That God whose place you haue vsurped giue you more wisedome and loue SECTION L. Whether Ministers should endure themselues silenced THe valour of our most zealous Reformers hath truely shewed it selfe in yeeldance As in Duels so here he is the most valiant that can so master himselfe as not to fight you according to the common opinion of Swaggerers blame the peaceable of cowardise and accuse them of suffering Behold a newe crime That they suffer themselues to be driuen out VVhat should they haue done Should they haue taken armes and crie the sword of God and Gedion You that wil not allow a Prince to compell subiects VVill you allow subiects to compell Princes God forbidde This were high Treason against Gods annointed what then Should they approue the Ceremonies by subscription by practise This you exclaime vppon as high Treason against the highest VVhat yet more Should they haue preached with their mouthes stop't This is it which you haue learned of your founder and through not many handes receiued and required with no lesse violence Clamour and tumult is that you desire still let our sinne be peaceable obedience yours fury and opposition Your headstrong conceit is that it is a sinne to be silenced Men must preach euen when they may not all times before you would haue wondred at this Paradoxe For how euer the Apostles which had not their calling from men would not be silenced by men yet wee finde that all their successours held that those hands which were layd vpon their heads might be laid vpon their mouthes looke into all Histories Those Constitutions which though not Apostolike yet were auncient in the seuenth Canon punish a Bishop or Presbiter that vpon pretence of Religion separates from his wife with deposition and if any Presbiter shall shift his charge without licence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and lastly inflicts the same penalty vpon fornication adulterie periury The great Nicene Councels take the same order with some misliked Bishops and Presbiters in diuers Canons Gaudentius in the Councell of Sardi takes it for graunted that a Bishop may by Bishops be deposed so the second Councell of Carthage Can. 13. so the fourth Councell of Carthage more then once imposes degradation so Leo the first threats to put some offending persons from the office of their Ministrie so that I may not be endlesse blessed Cyprian aduises Rogatianus a good olde Bishop which was abused by a malapert Deacon by the authority of his Chaire to right himselfe and either to depose or suspend the offender Leontius in Socrates is depriued of his Priesthood yea what Councell or Father giues not both rules and instances of this practise See how farre the auncient Church was from these tumultuous fancies No no M. R. we well finde it is doing that vndoes the Church not suffering If your fellowes could haue suffered more and done lesse the Church had bin happy As for our Church officers you may raile vpon them with a lawlesse safety there is a great ditch betwixt you and them else you might pay deare for this sinne of slandering them with their cheape peny-worths How idly doe you insult ouer those whom your Mony-changers haue driuen out of their Pulpits When you confesse after all your valour that they haue driuen you both out of Church and Country who can pitty a miserable insulter SECTION LI. Power of reforming abuses giuen to the Church and the issue of the neglect of it YOu that can graunt there will be corruptions in all other Churches will endure none in ours If England should haue either vnleauened Wafers or drunken Loue-feasts though no other blemishes she could not but be Babilon Wee enuie not your fauours These or whatsoeuer like enormities Christ hath giuen power vnto his Church to reforme but what if the Church neglect to vse it What if those euils which are brought in by humane frailty will not by diuine authority be purged out Now the errour by your doctrine is growne fundamentall so Christ is lost and the foundation raced if wee shall then assume against our friends to conuince our enemies The Church of Geneua hath been seriously dealt with in this corruption and disswaded by vehement importunity yet still persisteth How can you free them and charge vs see how we loue to be miserable with cōpany This power to purge out all corruptions Christ hath not giuen vs if he hath giuē it you you must first begin to purge out your selues you haue done it but still there remaine some would God wee had as much execution as power Our Church should be
7. Arg. 1. Answ. Counterpoys Character of the beast ag R. Clifton Arch-deacon Beatissimus Papa passiâ—n in Epist Ignat. ad Trallian Euseb. l. 3. Ex Euseb. Hier. Catalog script Epiph. â—nio c. Cal. Instit l. 4. Hieron Euagrio Heming Potest Eccles. clas 3. c. 10. Hinc Ecclesia purior secuta tempora Apostolorum fecit alios Patriarchas quorum erat curare vt Episcupi cuiusque dâ—ocescos rite eligerentur vt suum munus Episcopi singuli probe administrarent c. Arist. Pol. 7. Potentia diuitiarum pauper tatis humilitas vel humiliorem vel inferiorem Episcopum non facit Hieron Euagr. Sep. And so do all the Reformed Churches in the world of whose testimony you boast so loud renounce the Prelacy of England as part of that Pseudo-Clergie and Antichristian Hierarchie deriued from Rome Answ. Counterpoys 3 Consid. Ps. 10. 7. Bez. de ministr Euang. c. 18. Cited also by D. Down p. 29. Heming Iudicat caeteros ministros suis Episcopis obtem perare debere Potest Eccles. c. 10. Article 21 Sep. Infallibility of iudgement It seemes the sacred so called Synode assumeth little lesse vnto her selfe in her determinations otherwise how durst she decree so absolutely as she doth touching things reputed indifferent viz. that all men in all places must submit vnto them without exception or limitation Except she could infallibly determine that these her ceremonies thus absolutely imposed should edifie all men at all times how durst she thus impose them To exact obedience in and vnto them whether they offend or offend not whether they edifie or destroy were intollerable presumption Obligatio fine coercione nalla Reg. Iur. Non iura dicenda sunt c. de Ciuitat l. 19. Answ. to the Admon p. 279. cited also by D. Sparkes p. 14. Aug. Ep. 86. In his enim rebus de quibus nihâ—â— certi statuit scriptura diuina mos populi Dei vel instituta maiorum pro lege tenenda sunt Liâ—ius Decad. 4. l. 4. Nulla lex satis commoda omnibus est id modo quaeritur si maiori parti in summa prodest Cum consedissent sancti religiosi Episcopi Bin. Tom. 1. p. 239. Sancta Synod Carthagi 4. sub Anastasio 553. Sancta Pacifica Synod Antiocben 1. p. 420. Sancta dei Apostolica Synodus 413. Peruenit ad sanctam synodum can Nic. 18. 309. Sancta synod Laâ—dicena 288. Sep. Dispensations with the lawes of God and sins of men To let passe your Ecclesiasticall consistories wherein sins and absolutions from them are as venall and saleable as at Rome Is it not a law of the Eternall God that the Ministers of the Gospell the Bishops or Elders should be apt and able to teach 1. Tim 3 2. Tit. 1. 9. and is it not their greeuous sin to be vnapt hereunto Esa 56. 10 11. And. yet who know-not that the Patrons amongst you present that the Bishops institute the Archdeacons induct the Churces receiâ—e and the Lawes both Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall allow and iustify Ministers vnapt and vâ—able to teach G. Ioh. Trou and Exco at Amste Insufficiency 〈◊〉 resideâ—cy of Ministers Insufficiency non residency of Ministers Sep. Is it not a law of the eternall God that the Elders should feede the flocke ouer which they are set labouring amongst them in the word and doctrine Act. 20. 28. 1. Pet 5. 1. 2. and is it not sinne to omit this duety Can. 34. M. Hooker 5. b. Eccles. Pol. Pag. 26. 3. D. Down of the office and dignity of the Miâ—ist Dispensations for pluralities Sep. Plead not for Baall Your dispensations for Non-residency pluralities of Benefices as for two three or more yea tot quot as many as a man will hauâ—e or can get are so many dispensations with the lawes of God and sinnes of men These things are too impious to be defended and too manifest to be denyed Counterpoys p. 179. Dist. 34. Can. lector Papa potest contra Apostolum dispensare Caus. 25. q. 1. Can. sunt quidam Dispensatin Euangelio c. De concess praebend Tit. 8. Can. Proposuit Secundum plenituâ— inem potestatis de iure possumus supra ius dispensare Glossa paulo insr. Papa contra Apostolum dispensat c. Sum. confer p. 52. M. VVhites discou Bar. ag Gyff Inconst. of Brow p. 113 Ibid. Inquir into Th. VVhite Sep. Disposition of Kingdomes and Deposition of Princes You are wiser and I hope honester then thus to attempt thogh that receiued maxime amongst you No ceremony no Bishoppe no Bishoppe no King sauors too strongly of that weed but what though you be loyall to earthly Kings and their crownes and Kingdomes yet if you be Traytors and rebels against the King of his Church Iesus Christ and the scepter of his Kingdome not suffering him y his lawes and officers to reigne ouer you but in stead of them do stoupe to Antichrist in his offices and ordinances shall your loyaltie towards men excuse your treasons against the Lord though you now crie neuer so lowd we haue no King but Caesar Ioh. 19. 15. yet is there an other King one Iesus which shall returne and passe a heauy doome vpon the rebellious Luc. 19. 27. These enemies which would not haue me reigne ouer them bring them and slay them before me P. 36. Es. 36. 13. Sep. Parting stakes with God in conâ—ersion Not to speake of the errour of vniuersall grace and consequently of freewil that groweth on apace amongst you what doe you else but put in for a part with God in conuersion though not through freedome of will yet in a deuised Ministery the meanes of conuersion it being the Lords peculiar as well to appoint the outward Ministery of conuersion as to giue the inward grace 1. Cor. 3. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 De Consecr d. 2. Ego Bereng Apol. Sep. Where say you are those rotten heapes of Transubstantiating of bread And where say I learned you your deuout kneeling to or before the bread but from that error of TransubstantiatioÌ„ Yea what lesse can it insinuate then eyther that or some other the like Idolatrous conceipt If there were not something more in the bread and wine then in the water at Baptisme or in the word read or preached Why should such solemne kneeling be so seuerely pressed at that time rather then vpon the other occasions And well and truely haue your own men affirmed that it were farre lesse sinne and appeareance of an Idolatry that is nothing so grosse to tye men in their prayers to kneele before a Crucifixe then before the bread and wine and the reason followeth for that papists commit an Idolatry farre more grosse and odious in worshipping the bread then in worshipping any other of their Images or Idols whatsoeuer Apol of the Min. of Lincoln Dioc. part 1. pag. 66. Sep. Adoring of Images To let passe your deuout kneeling vnto your Ordinary when you take the Oath of Canonicall obedience or
the charges your ringing of hallowed bels for the soule your singing the Corpes to the graue from the Church style your praying ouer or for the dead especially in these words That God wold hasten his kingdome that we with this our brother though his life were neuer so wretched and death desperate and all other departed in the true faith of thy holy name may haue our perfect consummation both in body and soule Sleeping-places Caemiteria Euseb. l. 7. c. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Splendid ssimae sepulturae tradidit Eus. l. 7. c. 15 Curatio funeris conditio sepulturae pompa exequiarum magis sunt viuorum solatia quam subsidia mortuorum Aug. de Ciuit l. 1. c. 12. Si enim paterna vestis annulus anto char est posteris nullo modo ipsa spernenda sunt corpora Aug de Ciuit. l. 1. c. 13. Orig. contr Cels. l. 8. Rationolem animam honorare didicimus c. Sep. Your generall doctrines and your particular practises agree in this as in the most other things like Harpe and Harrow In word you professe many truthes which in deede you denie These and many mo popish deuises by others at large discouered to the world both for pompe and profite are not onely not rased and buried in the dust but are aduanced amongst you aboue all that is called God Sep. You are farre from doing to the Romish Idols as was done to the Aegyptian Idols Mythra and Serapis whole prieâ—â—s were expelled their Ministery and Monuments exposed to vtter scorn and desolation their Temples demolished and raced to the very foundation Socrat. Hist. Eccles. l. 5. c. 16. 7. Bed hâ—st Eccl. l. 1. Cit. Gregor Ep. Aug suoc 30. Edilbeâ—toregi c. 32. Contra sibi c. Sed Hâ—râ—ticoruÌ„ templa vastata a Constantino Euseb. l. 3. c. 63. Aug. de ciuit l. 8 c. 27. Hocker 5. b. c. 13 Id Aug. contr Maxâ—min Arian Nonne sitemplum c. Optat. Mileuitâ—n lib. 6. I. auistis proculdubiâ— pallas Iudicate quid de codicâ— bus secistis Aut vtrâ—mque lauate aut c. Sâ— quod tangit aspectus lauandum est vt parietes c. Videmus rectum videmus coeluÌ„ c. haec a vobis lauari non possunt Athanas. Apol. Euseb. de vita Const. Otho Friâ—ing l. â— c. 3. Sep. But your temples especially your Cathedrall and mother Churches stand still in their proude Maiestie possessed by Arch Bishops and Lordbishops like the Flamins and Archssamins amongst the Gentiles from whom they were deriued Lumb lib. 4. dâ—st 24. Isid. l. 7. Eâ—imol cap 12 and furnished with all manner of pompous and superstitious monuments as â—arued and paynted Images massing Copes and surplices chaunting and Organ-musicke and many other glorious ornaments of the Romish Harlot by which her Maiesty is commended to and admired by the vulgar so farr are you in these respects for being gon or flâ—d yea or crept either out of Babylon Theuphilus Epâ—sâ— cum â—aeteras sâ—â—tuas deorum confiâ—ngeret vâ—am integram seruari iâ—â—sst eamque in loco publico eâ—exit vt Gentiles tempore progrediente non inficiarentur se â—umsmâ—di Dâ—us colâ—sse 〈◊〉 Grammatâ— us hac dere valded scruciatus Dixit grauem plagam religioni Grâ—corum inctâ—â—â—m quod illa vna statcia noâ— euerteretur Socrat. l. 5. c. 16. Sep. Now if you be thus Babylonish where you repute your selues most Syonlike and thus confounded in your owne euidence what defence could you make in the things wherof an aduersary would challenge you If your light be darkenesse how great is your darknes Sep. But for that not the separation but the cause makes the schismaticke and least you should seeme to speak euill of the thing you know not and to condemne a cause vnheard you lay downe in the next place the supposed cause of our separation against which you deale as insufficiently And that you pretend to bee none other then your consorting with the Papist in certaine Ceremonies touching which and our separation in regard of them thus you write M. H. If you haue taken but the least knowledge of the grounds of our iudgement and practise how dare you thus abuse both vs and the reader as if the onely or chiefe grouÌ„d of our separatioÌ„ were your popish ceremonies but if you go only by guesse hauing neuer so much as read ouer one treatise published in our defeÌ„ce yet stick not to passe this your censorious doom both vpon vs it I leaue it to the reader to iudge whether you haue beene more lauish of your censure or credit Most vniust is the censure of a cause vnknowne though in it selfe neuer so blame-worthy which neuerthelesse may be prais-worthy for ought he knowes that censures it Inq into M. VVhite * VVhich vpon the Lords prayer hath confuted some positions of that sect Bar. Grecuâ— passim Penâ— Exam. Sep. And touching the ceremonies here spoken of howsoeuer we haue formerly refused them submitting as all others did and dâ—e to the Prelates spirituall Iurisdiction herein through ignorance strayning at Gnats and swallowing Camels yet are we verily perswaded of them and so were before we separated that they are but as leaues of that tree and as badges of that man of sinne whereof the Pope is head and the prelates shoulders And so we for our parts see no reason why any of the Bishops sworne seruants as all the Ministers in the Church of England are Canonically should make nice to weare their Lords liueryes Which ceremonies notwithstanding wee know wel enough howsoeuer you for aduantage extenuate and debase them vnto vs to be aduanced and preferred in your Church before the preaching of the Gospell 1. Cor. 4. 1. Hierom. in Ps. 44. Heming Class 3 Potest Eccles. c. 10. Vtcuique suus clerus sua plebs in his quae Domini sunt piè obsequerentur Ignat. Epi. ad Tarsens Sep. It is much that they being not so much as Reede nor any part of the building as you pretend should ouerturne the best builders amongst you as they doe Sep. The proportion betwixt Zoar them holdes well Zoar was a neighbour vnto Sodome both in place and sinne and obnoxious to the same destruction with it and it was â—ots errour to desire to haue it spared Gen. 19. 15 18 19 20 and so he neuer found rest nor peace in it but forsooke it for feare of the same iust iudgement which had ouertaken the rest of the Cities vers 30. The application of this to your ceremonies I leaue to your selfe and them to that destruction to which they are deuoted by the Lord. Fidem Domino habere debuerat quise cam seruaturum propter cumdixerat Mercer in Genes Sep. How we wold haue behaued our selues in the Temple where the mony-changers were and they that solde Doues we shal answere you when you proue your Church to be the Temple of God compiled and built of spiritually-hewen
euening smels so strong of the Popes Portuise as it makes many hundreds amongst your selues stop their noses at it and yet you boast of the free and clear ayre of the Gospell wherin you breath Patres nostri non solum ante Cyprianum vel Agrippinum sed postea saluberrimam consuetudinem tenuerunt vt quicquid diuinum atque legitimum in aliqua haeresi vel schismate integrum reperirent approbarent potius quam negarent August Sep. That all Christendome should so magnifie your happinesse as you say is much and yet your selues and the best amongst you complain so much both in word and writing of your miserable condition vnder the imperious and superstitious impositions of the Prelates yea and suffer so much also vnder them as at this day you do for seeking the same Church-gouernment and Ministery which is in vse in all other Churches saue your owne Socrat. l. 1. c. 4. Constant. Alex. Ario. Ac tamet si vos inter vos vicâ—ssim de re quâ—piam minimi momenti dissentâ—tis siquidem neque omnes de omnibus rebus idem sentimus nihilomâ—nus tanâ— fiâ—ri pâ—terit vt eximia concordia sincerè inter vos integrâ—que sâ—ruâ—tur vna inter omnes communio consociatio custodiatur Sep. The truth is you are best liked where you are worst knowen Your next neighbours of Scotland know your Bishops Gouernment so well as they rather chuse to vndergoe all the miserie of bonds and banishment then to partake with you in your happinesse this way so highly doe they magnifie and applaud the same Which choice I doubt not other Churches also would make if the same necessitie were laid vpon them Sep. And for your graces we despise them not nor any good thing amongst you no more then you doe such graces and good things as are to be found in the Church of Rome from which you separate notwithstanding We haue by Gods mercie the pure and right vse of the good gifts and graces of God in Christs Ordinance which you want Neither the Lords people nor the holy vessels could make Babylon Syon though both the one and the other were captiued for a time Lastly it is thus written and we thus aduised M. Smiths retort vpon M. Cliston p. 50 Sep. Where the truth is a gayner the Lord which is truth cannot be a looser Neither is the thankes of ancient fauours lost amongst them which still presse on towards new mercies Vnthankfull are they vnto the blessed maiestie of God and vnfaithfull also which Inter licet vestrum non licet nostrum nutant ac remigant animae Christianorum Optat contr Parm. Sep. knowing the will of their Master do it not but go on pâ—esumptuously in disobedience to many the holy ordinances of the Lord and of his Christ which they know and in word also acknowledge he hath giuen to his Church to be obserued and not for idle speculation and disputation without obedience It is not by our sequestration but by your confusion that Rome and Hell gaines Sep. Your odious commixture of all sorts of people in the body of your Church in whose lappe the vilest miscreants are dandled sucking her brests as her naturall children and are be-blest by her as hauing right thereunto with all her holy things as prayer sacraments and other ceremonies is that which aduantageth hell in the finall obduration and perdition of the wicked whom by these meanes you flatter and deceiue Non enim propter malos boni desâ—rendi sed propter bonos mali tolerandi sunt c. Sicut tolerauâ—runt Prophetae c. Aug. Ep. 48. Bar. ag Gyff Sep. The Romish Prelacie and Priesthood amongst you with the appurtenances for their maintenance and ministrations are Romes aduantage Which therefore she challengeth as her owne and by which shee also still holdes possession amongst you vnder the hope of regayning her full inheritance at one time or other Sep. And if the Papists take aduantange at our condemnation of you and separation from you it concerns you well to see where the blame is and there to lay it least through light and inconsiderate iudgement you iustifie the wicked and condemne the righteous Sep. And for the suspition of the rude multitude you need not much feare it They will suspect nothing that comes vnder the Kings broad seale they are ignorant of this fault Though it were the masse that came with authoritie of the magistrate they for the most part would be without suspition of it so ignorant and prophane are they in the most places 1 Sam. 10. 10. It is the wise hearted amongst you that suspect your dealings who will also suspect you yet more as your vnfound dealing shall be further discouered Troub excom at Amster G. Iohns professes he found better dealing in the Bâ—shops Consistories and might haue found better in the Inquisition Hieron Cypr. de simplic praelat Ad pacis praemium venâ—re non polerunt qui pacem domini discordiae furore ruperunt Ibid. Inexpiabilis gâ—auis culpa discordiae nec passione purgatur Sep Lastly the terrâ—ble threat you vtter against vs that euen whoredomes and murders shall abide an easier answere then separation would certainly fall heauy vpon vs if this answere were to bee made in your Consistory Courts or before any of your Ecclesiasticall iudges but because we know that not Antichrist but Christ shal be our iudge we are hold vpon the warrant of his word and testament which being sealed with his blood may not bee altered to proclaim to all the world separation froÌ„ whatsoeuer riseth vp rebelliously against the scepter of his kingdome as we are vndoubtedly perswaded the Communion gouernment ministery and worship of the Church of England doe Iohn Robinson