may tearme it ouerflowing iniquitie of that age could not hinder Christ from hearing and preaching the word amongst them I could here adde the generall wickednesse of the Corinthians and Galathians which I touched already whom though Saint Paul doth earnestly reprooue yet notwithstanding he exhorteth none to seuer himselfe from their societies Yea but you doubt lest that your communicating with vs should argue that you allow our wickednesse and assent vnto our ceremonies for I remember once one of you told me some such thing But surely you deceiue your selues for were our ceremonies abominable as indeede they are not and our sinnes manifold as indeed they are yet considering what hath been already proued you should confesse that the Iewes vsed as wicked ceremonies as we doe and were as lewd in their behauiour as we are and yet it hath beene already proued vnto you that the auncient Prophets Iohn Baptist Christs Disciples Christ himselfe feared no such matter they doubted not that communicating with these men should argue that they did allow their wickednesse or assent vnto their ceremonies And here another obiection vsually framed by men of that sect you follow falleth to the ground The Apostle Paul say they doth straightly warne vs that if (a) 1. Cor. 5. ver 11. there be one called a brother that is a fornicator or couetous or an Idolater or a rayler or a drunkard or an extortioner that with such we should not eate I say this reason falleth to the ground for that the premisses considered it clearely appeareth that onely priuate accompanying and association and not publike communicating is here prohibited for that otherwise the auncient Prophets Iohn the Baptist Christ his Disciples and Christ himselfe had offended against this precept which to affirme can be no lesse then blasphemie And surely euery Christian may be a Iudge vnto himselfe to discerne and iudge who are fit and who are vnfitte for him priuately to frequent their company but who are fit or vnfit with him in publike assemblies to heare Gods word and to be partakers of his blessed Sacraments this priuate men must not wade vnto it must be left vnto the iudgement of the Church and therefore Saint Paul in the same Epistle directing vs how to come vnto the Lords Table doth not commaund vs to prye one into anothers actions or to make search whether there be wicked men amongst vs but hee willeth vs to (b) 1. Cor. 11. ver 28. examine our owne selues and so without any further circumstances he permitteth vs to eate of that bread and to drinke of that cup. The like he hath in the second vnto the Corinths (c) 2. Cor. 13. ver 5. Proue saith he whom your selues whether you are in the faith examine whom one another no examine your selues know you not your owne selues that Iesus Christ is in you except what your fellow-communicants no but except your selues be reprobates For the loue of God peruse these places cōsider them thinke vpon them follow S. Pauls directions and assure your selues that though al were reprobates besides your selues which are in place where you heare Gods word or receiue his Sacraments yet that Christ shall dwell in you vnlesse your selues be reprobates Detest sinne spare not both in your selues in others also yea detest it with a perfect detestation yet let not this detestation cut you off from the Church of God but euen as you tender Gods glory your owne saluation and soules health and as you desire to be made the member of Gods triumphant Church in Heauen vnite and ioyne your selues vnto his militant Church in earth So God shall take pleasure in your doings your soules shall be saued from destruction and on the last dreadfull day yee shall stand securely before Gods throne and shall heare that more then sweete sounding voice Come ye blessed of my Father receiue that kingdome which was prepared for you before the beginning of the world The which voyce God of his infinit and euer-abounding mercies graunt that both you and I and all faithfull Christians may heare vnto our exceeding comfort for his sonne Christ Iesus sake Amen One which thirsteth for the saluation of your soules EDWARD IAMES FINIS
A RETRAYT SOVNDED TO CERtaine brethren lately seduced by the Schismaticall Brownists to forsake the Church Written by Edward Iames Master in the Artes and Minister of Gods word Printed at London by Simon Stafford dwelling in the Cloth-Fayre neere the red Lyon 1607. A RETRAIT SOVNDED to certaine brethren lately seduced by the Schismaticall Brownists to forsake the Church THE Philosophers in old time did account it humanum errare in matters Philosophicall a thing incident to man to erre but in errore perseuerare belluinum a beastly thing to perseuere in error And Diuines may iudge it humanum a thing incident to man to erre in matters Theologicall but in errore perseuerare perniciosum to perseuere in error that in matters Theologicall must needs be deadly especially if a man doth so cleaue to error that he chooseth rather to forsake the Church then to forgoe his errour for seeing the Church is the mother of the faithfull whosoeuer doth cut himselfe there-from he must needs be faithlesse and therefore what goodly shewes soeuer he doth make yet if the Apostles wordes be true he cannot please God Euery man therfore that would be acceptable vnto God had neede to get himselfe into the bosome of the Church and being once gotten thither not to suffer himselfe in any wise to be remoued there-from For as none could be deliuered from the deluge but such as were contained in Noabs Arke so can none be saued from eternall death but onely those who keepe themselues within the Church of God These are common principles which no man that accounts himselfe a Christian can or will deny But the controuersie which doth trouble seduced braines is of the Church it selfe what it is where it should be sought for Papists would tye the Church to Rome so that if we credit them then must we confesse that as many as made a separation from the Romane Bishop haue likewise made a separation from the Church of God And all other Sectaries doe tye the Church vnto their sects whereas it were farre fitter for euery man to tye himselfe vnto the Church which that we may with ease performe it is very fit and meete first to define the vniuersall Church that we may know what it is secondly to expresse and lay downe the true notes and markes whereby true particular Churches which are very members of that vniuersall Church may be knowne from other congregations which when we haue once found out then may we cleaue vnto the Church with great security The word Ecclesia in English Church is a Greeke word doth properly signifie a congregation and yet euery congregation is not the Church of God but that congregation onely which Saint Paul doth tearme (a) Ephe. 4. â—…er 12. â— Cor. 12.12 Christs body of the which Christ himselfe is head And as the soule of man giueth life vnto mans body so Christs spirit giueth life vnto this body of Christ according vnto Christs words (b) â—ohn 6. v. 6. â— Cor. 12. â—er 13. It is the spirit which giueth life c. Neither is there any thing which doth maintaine and ioyne in one the members of this body besides this spirit according vnto that of Paul For by one spirit saith he are we all baptized into one body whether we be lewes or Grecians bond or free c. Euen as therefore a dead body whose soule is already departed can receiue neither fruite nor comfort from any meate or drinke so that congregation which is destitute of Gods spirit can receiue from Gods word which is the true spirituall meate neither fruite nor comfort and therefore it is that the Apostle telleth vs Though (a) 1. Cor. 3. â—…er 6. Paul plans and Apollo water yet that it is God which doth giue the encrease As therefore it is euident that euery member of mans body is liuely wherein the soule remaineth so euery congregation in the which Gods spirit worketh must needs be a true and liuely member of Christs body so that God is tyed to no one part of the world more then vnto another because he is God of all the world euen so the Church of God is tyed to no part of the world because it containeth in it all the beleeuers who are seattered ouer all the world This Church being one yet may it be considered diuersly either as it is hidden from and inuisible vnto men and knowne onely vnto him from whom nothing can be hidden or as it is visible conspicuous and apparant vnto men as it is inuisible and hidden from the sight of men it containeth onely those who appertaine vnto Gods free election and shall most certainly be saued And the reason why in this respect the Church is said to be hidden from men is because God onely knoweth who are his neither can man know them whilest he liueth here vpon the earth but the Church as it is visible apparant and conspicuous vnto men doth containe all those who in their outward behauiour worship one God embrace one Christ professe one Gospell hearken vnto one word and vse the same Sacraments many of these may be rauening wolues and wicked reprobates and yet they may be so close in cariage and their sinnes may be so secret that the Church cannot discerne them and therefore cannot discarde them vntill God doth make them manifest Hence it is that the Church thus considered is compared by our Sauiour Christ vnto a (b) Mat. 3. ver 12. threshing floore where the wheate and chaffe are so mixed together that they cannot be seuered before he with his fanne doth seuer them vnto a (c) Mat. 13 ver 15. field where doe grow both corne and weedes together which cannot be seperated before the haruest vnto a (d) Ibid. 〈◊〉 47. net in the which fish both good and bad are contained which cannot be sundred vntill both be brought vnto the shore And as this is the estate of the generall and vniuersall Church militant here in earth so is it the estate of euery branch or member thereof I meane of euery particular Church or congregation whether it be contained within one Realme Prouince or Diocesse or doe consist of thousands hundreds more or fewer it hath euer some lewd and wicked men amongst the good and godly Saints of God Neither doth these mens wickednesse make it to cease to be a Church although they are suffred to liue within it Would you haue it proued by examples it may be done with ease I will let passe the auncient Iewish Church and come vnto Christ his time Paul writeth vnto the Galathians as vnto the (a) Gala. 1 ver 2. Church of God and yet he saith that they are (b) Vers 6 remoued vnto another Gospell that they were (c) Gal. 3. ver 1. foolish bewitched and disobedient vnto the truth Lo then behold men foolish men bewitched men disobedient vnto the truth and remoued to another Gospell and yet a Church Amongst the Corinthians there were
men As for example One congregation may teach that hell is in the center of the earth another that it is vpon the earth a third that it standeth in the ayre a fourth that it is compassed with fire that highest element and all these congregations may teach these opposit doctrines publikely and yet all of them may be Churches and true parts and parcels of the Catholike and Vniuersall Church The like may be said of the soules of Saints departed One congregation may maintaine that they be already in their full and perfect blisse another may be perswaded that they haue not as yet receiued the fulnesse of their ioy and a third may thinke it a point of rashnesse to define with the one or with the other and yet all three may be Gods assemblies yea in distant Churches there may be diuerse and disagreeing ceremonies in the administration of Baptisme and the Lords Supper yet as long as these are not contentiously maintained or enioyned to be obserued as things necessary vnto saluation God forbid that any Christian should for these seuer himselfe from any of them Seeing then my deare friends these things be thus and that you haue seuered your selues from our assemblies it standeth you vpon to shew in doctrine some grieuous and pernicious errors and in the ministration of the Sacraments some dangerous and damnable abuses which are maintained and publikely defended by vs or at least some small errours or abuses contentiously defended and violently thrust vpon men to be by them firmely beleeued and receiued as things necessary vnto saluation which you cannot doe or else you must acknowledge that your estate is dangerous as indeede it is as must needs be the estate of them that haue wilfully made a separation from that body whereof Christ is head out of the which there is no saluation which if once you could be induced to beleeue I doubt not but you would with as great alacritie ioyne your selues vnto vs as euer you went out from vs for I know full well that zeale hath made this separation but it was not a zeale grounded vpon knowledge and therefore if now you would receiue true instructions and to ioyne knowledge vnto your zeale then that very zeale which vnaduisedly did thrust you out would now being guided with vnderstanding bring you backe againe vnto the bosome of Christ his body mysticall which may be a ioy vnto men and Angels and a comfort vnto your very soules out of the which as long as obstinately you stand pardon me truth is truth and must be plainely told you cannot but vainely hope for the saluation of your soules it doth as much greeue me to vtter it as it greeueth any of you to heare it you may through your conuersions conuert and turne these grieues to ioy If you will stand in your owne defence and tell me that you liue within the bosome of that Catholike and vniuersall Church whereof Christ is head although you will not communicate with the members of the Church of England I must tell you that this defence doth mightily offend the Church of God God himselfe and you very soules for that the coniunction is so neere betweene the Catholike Church and all the parts parcels thereof I meane particular Churches that whosoeuer doth seuer himselfe from any of these branches he is become thereby no branch of Christ his Church If you say that our English Church is no Church at all and so no part of Christ his Church and therefore that you may and must seuer your selfe there-from it is soone said but hardly proued my good brethren neither can you euer proue it vntill you proue that this Church maintaineth some pernicious doctrine which ouerthroweth the foundation of the faith or that it doth so wickedly abuse the Sacraments or either of them that their force and efficacie is altogether weakened and become of no validitie If these things could be proued then might you peraduenture iustifie your doings but if all the world would ioyne in one and bend themselues against vs I know therefore I speake it these things could not be proued no not by all the world Be you not therefore obstinate neither hinder you your own saluation nor yet obiect that which by men of your sect is commonly obiected That the whole face of our Church is so ouerwhelmed with vices that in outward shew it seemeth rather to be the Synagogue of Sathan then the Church of God therefore that it is impietie in any Christian to ioyne himselfe vnto it Surely I must needs confesse vnto you that our liues are not answerable vnto our calling that from the highest to the lowest we haue in many things offended yet I would haue you to confesse (a) 2. Sam. 13. 24. Matt. 16. v 22. 26. ver 70 72 74. that the very worthiest members of Christes Church haue often most grieuously offended and therefore that in our Church there may be many euen great offenders who are true members of Christ his body neither should you doubt but that of those whom the contagion of sinne hath mightily infected there are very many who are grieued with the burthen of their iniquities and being strooke with true remorse of conscience aspire vnto innocencie of life and conuersation I confesse indeed that that generall iniquitie which couereth in a maner the whole earth hath often grieued me and troubled my conscience greatly and had almost thrust me rasbly into those mens company with whose company alone you seeme to be delighted but I thanke my God he opened the eyes of mine vnderstanding and I did in good time perceiue that there is greater efficacie in Gods word truely taught and his Sacramentes rightly administred to beget children vnto God then can be disanulled by the wickednesse of rebellious and disobedient children and therefore farre be it from me from euer seuering of my selfe from that company wherein this word is truely taught and these Sacraments rightly administred as in our assemblies I know they are Our sinnes are great indeede and our iniquities are many in number yet compare our Church with the olde assemblies of the Israelites before Christs birth and you shall finde that we are not gone beyond them nay as whicked as we are if you vouchsafe to read Gods booke with a single eye you shall find assuredly that they had gone beyond vs in iniquities Their Princes are called by the name of the (a) Esay 1 verse 9. Princes of Sodome and the people are called the people of Gomorha How saith he is (b) Ver. 21 23. the faithfull Citie become an harlot it was full of iudgement and iustice lodged therein but now they are murtherers thy siluer is become drosse thy wine is mixed with water thy Princes are rebellious and companions of theeues euery one loueth gifts followeth after rewards they iudge not the fatherlesse neither doth the widdowes cause come before them the Priests and Prophets of