generally stande in England and come after vnto those former articles which conteine your association wherein ye conioyne your selues and enter into couenant with God as ye say to set vp all the ordinances of Christ for I take this to bee the fittest order Your syxt article which now must be first being expressed in these words And now that our forsaking and vtter abandoning these disordered assemblies as they generally stand in England may not seeme strange or offensiue to anye man that will iudge or be iudged by the word of God we alledge and affirme them heinouslie faultie and wilfullie obstinate in these foure principall transgressions To this I answered That Elias did sée outward idolatrie practised and saw none which did mislike and therefore complained of all It was an error but whereas Gods word is imbraced and multitudes abhorre Idolatrie and labour with sorrowfull teares to bee purged from their sinnes it is an intollerable pride and presumption of men to set themselues in Gods iudgement seat and to condemne all of wilfull obstinacie Let it be shewed where euer any led by Gods spirit haue dealt in this sort and especially in charging them most falslie as shall appeare The Brownists HEre you verye vehemently charge vs with vntollerable pride presumption and intrusion into Gods iudgment seate to be voide of Gods spirite to charge and condemne you most falsely as you say shall appeare How iustly you charge vs with these crimes or discharge your selfe and your assemblies of these present transgessions vpon the scanne of your answeres shall appeare c. G. G. All such as take vpon them to iudge and condemne whole assemblies that professe the Gospell and that with slanderous accusations as you do may right well be charged with intollerable pride presumption and intrusion into Gods iudgement seate séeing the Scriptures do cleerely warrant it For he that iudgeth one man to be no true Christian which holdeth the place of a brother and laboureth to please God professing the faith soundly in all fundamentall points either for some errors in iudgement or frailties committed in life proudlye aduanceth himselfe into Gods office who alone searcheth the heart and trieth the raines of the children of men What shall we say then of those which condemne whole multitudes amongst whom there be many vnspotted with grose errors and offenses But the ground of your dooing is from hence that such as commit principall transgressions and be wilfullye obstinate in the same the word of God dooth condemne them And then yée say that the assemblies in England be heinously faulty and wilfully obstinate in foure principall transgressions Ye boldly alledge and affirme but ye make proofe neither of the transgressions nor of the wilfull obstinacie Touching the transgressions what meane ye by principall If yée vnderstand great faults and grosse errors and holde withall that there is no faith nor regeneration among those which erre grosely commit great faults ye maintaine heresie which is conuinced by infinit places and examples of the Scriptures The best that euer were did know but in part 1. Cor. 13. The godliest were regenerate but in part Rom. 7. Of the strongest it was said who can tell his errors Psal 19. and in manye things we sinne all Iam. 3. If Noah Abraham Lot Dauid Solomon Samson and other holy men greatly replenished with the holy Ghost and with faithe did sometime fall into great sinnes howe many will be the errors the diuisions the frailties and offenses among the multitude in the church where with the stronger and such as haue the greater knowledge and godlinesse there are heaped vp together multitudes of weake and such as be carnall and but babes in Christ besides hipocrites and countersait brethren If by principall transgressions ye meane onely such as be fundamentall then ye doo most falsely accuse the Church of England which holdeth not any heresie or blasphemie against any one ground or principle of the holy Christian faith Yée must then either mainteine this heresie which is that where the true faith is there can breake foorth no great faults errors and abuses or this absurd manner of spéech which afterward yée vse that all errors and deformities in religion be heresies blasphemies and abhominations or els confesse that with intollerable pride presumption and intrusion into Gods iudgement seate yée haue taken vpon yée to iudge and condemne whole assemblies which professe the faith of Christ sincerely in all fundamentall points among whom there be many particular persons which study earnestly to please God mourning for their owne sinnes and are like iust Lot 2. Pet. ◠vexed and tormented to behold the wickednesse of others And now touching wilfull obstinacie how will yée prooue that to be in all the assemblies and in all members of the assemblies of England If ye say there be apparant transgressions in which they continue and therefore they be wilfully obstinate and so to be vtterly abandoned I answer that your conclusion doth not follow because the continuance in all sorts of errors and offenses in such as professe the faith doth not warrant men vtterly to cast them out as Heathen but where after admonition and conuiction the censure of the Church is despised The rule of discipline giuen by our Sauiour Christ maketh this verye cléere If thy brother sinne against thée tell him of it betwéene him and thée alone If he heare thée thou hast wunne thy brother if he heare thée not take one or two with thee that by the mouth of two or thrée witnesses euery word may be confirmed If he heare not them tell it to the Church if he heare not the Church let him be as an Heathen or as a Publican Math. 18. We sée that priuate members may not vtterly abandon and cast foorth any one brother that is one which professeth the true faith and for his profession hath the place and dignitie of a Christian nor iudge him so wilfully obstinate that he must be accounted as an Heathen vntill the Church haue so iudged and cast him foorth The same orderly course and rule of discipline is to be obserued in admonishing accusing conuincing condemning and vtter abandoning any particuler assembly which hath the dignity of a Christian church and doth offend so gréeuously and shew such obstinacie that it deserueth so heauy a censure In a particular Church there be errors and sinnes I will not saye in many but in all in as much as euery one hath his blindnesse and corruption erreth and sinneth continuallye one waye or other From hence it commeth that of necessitie there be alwaies in the Church diuersities of opinions discord diuision and dissention with many corruptions and abuses For if it be most manifest that the learnedest and godliest that liueth doth carrie with him his errors defects and corruptions what shal we looke for where the multitude is of learned vnlearned strong and weake altogether how innumerable will the frailties and corruptions now among all be
Sabaoth yée graunt it was at their méeting to magnifie the praises of God many other Psalmes But yée demaund what this maketh for stinted leiturgies papisticall and erronious imposed c. I say it maketh nothing at all for that which is papisticall and erronious But it prooueth that all read praier is not idolatrie and that it is no stinting of the spirit to vse a prescript forme of praier These fantasies of yours are first confuted thereby Then next I argue thus If I may vse a whole praier of the scripture and no idolatrie then a praier that is composed by the rules of the scriptures may be vsed and no idolatrie You deny that the argument drawne from the vse of the Psalmes dooth follow because praiers composed by men are not equall to the Canonicall scripture and so shut out all praiers if yée marke well what yée say that are framed by the Preacher For let them be holy and good yet yée may not set them as equall with the Canonicall scriptures Againe yée deny the argument by affirming that singing of Psalmes was no part of praier but onely for instruction and meditation ye take vpon ye to prooue this a little after and when I come to that ye shall haue answer The Psalm 102. ye say was not a praier of the Church because it is said O Lord heare my prayer and not O Lord heare our prayer a poore shift when vsually the church speaketh of her selfe in the singular number Touching the blessing ye say that forme of words was not to tie them to vse those words but after that manner which is manifestly false Touching the orders of singers appointed by Dauid I alledged it to no such end as you séeme to drawe it vnto But that in singing the Psalmes they did read them vpon the booke Héer now ye do not onely deny that singing of psalmes was any part of praier but also ye will prooue it by the testimony of S. Paul to the Ephesians and to the Collofs where he exhorteth thē to speake vnto themselues in psalmes hymnes and spirituall songs It is a foule audacitie contrary to the manifest word of truth to affirme that the Psalmes were not sunge to God séeing that not onely the speeches be directed in a multitude of places vnto him but also the Holy-ghost doth call vpon men in this wise Sing vnto God sing a new song vnto him sing praises vnto the Lorde But beside this you go further for in both places by you cited ye leaue out the latter part of the sentence which is that they should sing vnto the Lorde with grace in their hearts Let the reader peruse the places and iudge what kinde of tricke this is It is most cléere that they did reade the Psalmes vpon the booke when they did sing them It is also out of controuersie that they did sing them to the Lord vnlesse we will deny the flat word of the Holy-ghost and also affirme that albeit the spéech be directed to God yet they did not in singing speake vnto him It cannot be denied but that many of the Psalmes be full of petitions Also praise is a part of prayer and a spirituall sacrifice this was offered vp to God in reading vpon the booke for it is saide Sing praises to the Lorde therefore I conclude that read prayer hath warrant by the word and the reading dooth not make it idolatrie or contrarie to spirituall praier Héere yée complaine againe that this argument dooth not follow because praiers composed by men are not to be matched with the Canonicall scriptures I haue answered this poore stale shift already that the praiers composed by men are no further lawfull then they be framed by the rules of Gods word for prayer Thus haue I not as you charge me laid aside the question to make new questions but haue disprooued that your olde question by shewing that reading the praier which is godly dooth not make it contrary vnto spirituall praier nor idolatry Argu. 3. We may not in the worship of God receiue any tradition which dooth bring our liberty into bondage Read Prayer vpon commaundement in the assemblies is a tradition that dooth bring our libertye into bondage Therefore read prayer c. To the assumption of this argument I answered at the first which I particularly rehearsed how can yée then with any shew of truth say my words import a deniall of the Antecedents assumption and all My words are these The third argument saith that the forme of praier is a bondage and breaking our libertie with c. The prooues which I bring do onely ouerthrow the assumption for I did and doo acknowledge the proposition which you say my words import a deniall of I would wish yée to vse more simplicitie I say it is vngodlye and néere vnto blasphemy to affirme that prescript forme of prayer is a tradition bringing our libertie into bondage and a changing the worke of the spirit into an idoll My reason was and is that the Lord by Moyses prescribed a forme of blessing which the Préests should vse Nomb. 6. The Prophets as in the Psalmes prescribed many formes of prayses and prayers to be vsed of the Church Our Sauiour Iesus Christ prescribed a forme and sayd when yée pray say Our Father c. If the verie reading or vsing the prescript forme commaunded were a bondage breaking Christian libertie or a changing the worke of the Spirit into an idoll then the Lord God Moyses the Prophets and our Sauiour Christ are charged with a great fault Your reply is with some roughnesse of spéech which I omitte because it is but your fashion But for proofe that read prayer is mans inuention and thrust vpon the Church by constraint ye say England knoweth by wofull experience There hath béene I graunt in the Church of England variance about some matters to be read which are commaunded in the Leiturgie but not about the commaunding a prescript forme of prayer to be vsed for therein our Church doth agrée with all godly Churches that a prescript forme of publike prayers is conuenient yea the reformed Churches haue and do practise the same Héere therefore I would wishe the Reader to obserue that you Brownists doe not only condemne the Church of England but all the reformed Churches whatsoeuer and can be none other but méere Donatists For héere in this your third argument ye affirme that prescript forme of prayer commaunded is the changing the worke of the spirit into an idoll a tradition breaking Christian libertie and therefore most detestable In your fift Argument ye say it is a dead letter which doth quench the spirit But all reformed Churches doo by commaundement receyue and vse prescript forme of prayers Consider then what sentence yee haue giuen against all the visible Churches of our time and of former ages for it will come to passe that as the Donatists tooke themselues to be the only true Church in earth so must you
polluted by the company of the wicked which worship together with them especially when they can not remedie the matter To ouerthrowe this Argument you must of necessitie prooue one of these two things eyther that the Church of Israell did not retayne the prophane multitude in her bosome and so the good and the bad worshipped together or else that they were not Gods Church when this was suffered but all that came so together fell from God You shift from this and speake of Idolatrous times in which it is most certayne that the godly did not mixe themselues with the wicked in idolatrous worship We doo not argue whether the godly did ioyne with the wicked in idolatrous worship for it is most cléere they might not nor did not But whether the wicked were suffered and did ioyne with the godly in the true worship and whether they were polluted by communicating with them and that so gréeuously as to disanull the Couenant let the Scriptures be iudge in both these If I should stand to recite all the testimonies and all the complaints which are made by the Prophets against the multitudes of wicked which worshipped together with the godly at sundrie times it would be long some fewe may suffice in a matter so euident He that readeth the bookes of Moyses touching the state of the Church for the space of fortie yeares in the wildernesse what shall he finde in the most but multitudes of prophane rebels against whome the Lord sware that they should not sée his rest whose carcasses also he ouerthrewe in the desert and yet they were not cast out of the assemblie nor separated from the rest so long as they liued nor their seede reiected If yee will see an epitome of their rebellions for that space and for the time of the Iudges looke vppon the 106. Psalme Afterward when the Kings of Iuda raigned euen vntill the captiuitie what gréeuous complaints are made against them A great part which came to worship in the Temple were as Sodom and Gomorrah Iesay 1. 3. Being the Lords Vineyard they brought foorth stinking grapes Iesa 5. Hauing committed thefts adulteries periuries and other abhominable sinnes they came together with the godly to worship in the Temple in so much that the Lord demaundeth if they tooke his house to be a Denne of théeues Ierem. 7. The Préests themselues were not frée from this horrible pollution for it is written they are all dumbe Dogges that cannot barke they loue to sléepe they are gréedy and giuen to Wine Iesay 56. The Prophets prophesie lies the Préests exercise dominion by their hand the people loue to haue it so Ierem. 5. ver 31. The Préests conspire together they are like a roring Lion they deuide the pray they doo violence to the law prophane the holy things and put not difference betwéene the holy and prophane Ezech. 22. What horrible things are these by which the wrath of the Lord was kindled But were they not still the daughter of Sion Reade for this the Lamentations of Ieremie After they were returned from the captiuitie the print of the rod being yet in their skrinne they were not fréed from such pollution for Malachi accuseth both Préests and people and that heinously They mixed themselues by Mariage with the Heathen and prophaned the Sabbaoth by kéeping market vpon it Esra 9. Nehe. 13. From the time that God raised them vp no mo Prophets vntill the comming of our Sauiour Christ their state grew woorse and worse not onely by Sects but also that the Préests prophaned the Temple Iohn 2. Math. 21. The Teachers which sat in Moyses chaire did expound the law corruptly in sundry points they mixed their leuen they were hypocrites blinde guides couetous and ambitious Matth. 5. and 15. and 16. and. 23. These resisted Christ and would excommunicate those that should confesse him Iohn 9. And yet the godly did not onely worship together with them in the Temple but also our Sauiour dooth will they should heare them teach Math. 23. If they had béene polluted by worshipping together with them he would haue commaunded to separate themselues This were enough to shew the grosse heresie of the Brownists in this point but yet I will adde somewhat of the Churches founded by the Apostles In the Church of Corinth Saint Paul reprooueth many things There were factions and schismes among them The Preachers did set foorth the Gospell with humane wisdome The Pastors and Gouernours did not execute the discipline but suffered the incestuous person They straue one with an other in the law before Heathen Iudges They feasted in the idol Temples at the feasts which were kept in honor of the idols and so were partakers of the cup of Deuils They prophaned the holye Supper of the Lorde they abused spirituall gifts There were among them which denied the resurrection of the dead A Brownist will héere replye that this Church did repent being reprehended by Saint Paul as he witnesseth of them 2. Cor. 7. I aunswer that they were Gods true Church before they repented 1. Cor. 1. and also that they did not all shew repentance as that second Epistle which he wrote vnto them dooth declare and especially these wordes I feare least when I come I shall not finde yee such as I would and I shall bee found such as you would not least there bee strife emulations wrath contentions backbitings whisperings rumors tumults least when I come againe my God abase me among yee and I shall bewaile many of those which haue sinned before and not repented for their vncleanesse fornication and wantonnesse which they haue committed 2. Corin. 12 vers 20. 21. The seauen Churches of Asia Reuel 1. were not in euery respect commended for in some of them the Nicholaitans were suffered and they that taught the doctrine of Balaam and a wicked woman which made her selfe a Prophetisse was suffered to teach and to seduce the seruants of God One Church neither hote nor colde Another had but a fewe in it which had not polluted themselues Reuel 2. and 3. Yet are these named the Churches I conclude therefore that the not seperating of some wicked ones out of the Churche although it be euill yet is not such an euill as destroyeth the Church and that the godly are not polluted by the wicked which come together with them vnto the publike exercises of the holy religion Thus haue I prooued your article or your accusation partly hereticall and partly false I haue also made manifest that if yée did accuse rightly yet the consequence is to be disalowed as hereticall in as much as we sée that very often it hath come to passe that heapes of vngodly men haue worshipped together with the godly and they not polluted by them It may be some will thinke hardly that I account it hereticall that the Brownist concludeth after this sorte they haue open sinners and men prophane in life which doo worship together with them as members of their Church
all that doo ioyne together in that societie I might héere make an ende touching this second principall transgression but that there bée certayne particular reasons by which they stand to mayntayne theyr opinion First to this effect many doo speake If there be wicked men suffered to come to the Table of the Lord the Minister and Ecclesiasticall Gouernours doo commit so grieuous a sinne that they can not but be vtterly voyde of the true feare of God Then he which is a wicked man can not be a Minister of Christ and béeing no Minister of Christ there is no Sacrament of Christ deliuered how then shall a man communicate with that assemblie I haue shewed before that there be great sinnes and great neglect of dutie oftentimes where there is the true faith in weakenesse and so they sinne damnablie which take vppon them to iudge them no Christians The faithfull in Corinth were blinded in theyr owne faults and verie securely did the Pastors and Gouernours suffer the incestuous person to continue among them And whereas they say that if the Minister be vngodly he can be no Minister of Christ it is false for the man touching his owne person may be a reprobate and yet touching his ministerie a Minister of Christ Iudas was a Minister of Christ and baptized Iohn 4. ver 2. they were as truly and effectually baptized by him as by Peter and yet in himselfe a Deuill Iohn 6. vers 70. The two Sonnes of Ely were horrible wicked men 1. Sam. 2. ver 12. 22. and yet they are called not only Priests but Priests of the Lord 1. Sam. 1. vers 3. Ely himselfe did offend and was sharply punished that being not only their Father but also high Priest and Iudge he did not put them from the dignitie of the Office but did honour them with the same not regarding Gods honour 1. Sam. 2. vers 29. The Scribes and Pharisies who were not all of the Sonnes of Leuy for Saint Paule was a Pharisie and the Sonne of a Pharisie but yet of the Tribe of Beniamin were Ministers of the Church for Christ sayth They sate in Moyses Chayre and willed men to heare them notwithstanding they were blinde guides hypocrites prowde couetous ambitious and verie reprobates Matth. 23. Then next they alleadge that a little leauen doth leauen the whole lumpe 1. Cor. 5. Therefore where one open notorious Sinner is admitted to be a member of the Church all are leauened and polluted all doo fall from God I aunswere that Saint Paule rebuketh the Corinthes that they were puffed vp and did glorie when they should haue sorrowed for as many as had the power of the Discipline in theyr hands and did neglect were partakers of his sinne and not only they but of priuate members all that did not mourne and lament to sée such a foule matter wincked at As the Lord himselfe doth cléere all those which mourned for the abhominations of Ierusalem Ezechiel 9. so were they frée and not leauened which did mourne at Corinth for such abuses Moreouer it is verie false to say that whole Church was leauened or polluted with the sinne of that wicked man therefore they were not the Church of God For béeing giltie not only in that fault but in many other hée giueth them the honour of Gods Church writing to the Church of God which is at Corinth 1. Corinth 1. Then are obiected the words and commaundement of the Lord by Saint Paule If any that is called a brother be a fornicator or couetouse or an Idolater or a rayler or a drunckard or an extortioner with such see that yee eate not 1. Cor. 5. Some hold that this commaundement is giuen only against the eating with an open sinner at the Lords Table séeing we may eate common bread with such as be verie wicked Others doo argue thus If it be not lawfull to eate common bread with a wicked man how much more vnlawfull shall it be to eate with him that holie bread of the Lords Table as the Anabaptists lighting vpon these words of our Sauiour Christ but I say vnto ye Sweare not at all Matth. 5. do gather that it is vtterlie vnlawfull in any respect or at any time to take an oath and erre in not considering the circumstances whereby the words vttered in generall are to be restrayned vnto the particular abuse and rash swearing Euen so the Brownists taking the words as they stand and not waying the circumstances doo mayntayne absurdities They drawe theyr Argument of comparison from things in which the sinne or pollution is not for the sinne is not in the eating of the common bread neyther in eating the bread of the Lord with the wicked but in circumstances For I may eate bread with open sinners and offend thereby and I may eate bread with notorious wicked men and not offend therein yea I may grieuously sinne in refusing to eate with them I will expresse how If there be open grosse offenders and my familiaritie with them or my eating with them can not be but I shall eyther be partaker of their sinne or countenance and harden them in the same I offend if I doo not shunne their companie If any brother in the Church be conuict of foule sinne found obstinate and so Excommunicate euery member of the Church euen by the commaundement of God is to haue no fellowship with him that he may be ashamed 2. Thes 3. v. 14. But yet we are willed in the same place not to account him as an enimie but to admonish him as a Brother For if men should now in familiaritie receiue him to their table or go to his table it would harden him in his obstinacie and bring the censure and power of the Church into contempt This is that S. Paul dealeth about The wife of this man his children and seruants may eate with him or anye other where it cannot be eschewed for then it dooth not countenance him Now if I be in a ship vpon the sea among a company of vild wicked men or in a prison or in an armie and can haue no meate vnlesse I eate with them if I refuse I famish my selfe to death and so offend gréeuouslie We sée then it is not the very eating with them that dooth defile but the circumstances Euen so is it at the Lordes table where wicked men be admitted For such as doo admit them hauing power to repell do offend in eating there with them because they countenance them in their sinne But nowe a priuate member which is gréeued at this and dooth what lyeth in him to haue it redressed dooth not offend nor is not polluted by eating with them But as he that among the wicked in the ship in the prison or in the Campe doth offend in refusing his bodely sustenance so shall he if he refuse that heauenly foode of his soule for all the wicked cannot corrupt the same vnto him This man hath no fellowship with the vnfrutefull works of darkenesse
and Teachers doo examine and make triall and choose him whome they shall finde euery way qualified for so worthy a function The matter being made knowne to as many as may be and especially to that flocke ouer which he is to be set that if any can alleadge iust cause why he is vnworthy of such an office they be heard otherwise after a due kind he is ordeyned and put into possession of his Ministerie Then touching your assumption the Ministers of the Church of England as ye say be imposed If ye vnderstand by imposed that they be all thrust vppon the flockes against theyr will and liking or that the flockes haue no power to take exception yee speake vntruly For there be many flockes in England which haue those Pastors and Ministers of the Gospell whome they haue desired to haue and made choyse of I meane by suite both to the Patrones and to the parties whome they desire to haue and if any of the people can shew iust cause against the partie which is to be ordeined the Byshop may not admit him There follow now many boasting words with which yee march in tryumph it is pitie to put them out of their array You require one reason at the least to confirme our Ministerie I confesse it is a reasonable request but first I must answere that which ye bring for to ouerthrowe it To proue our Ministerie not to be of Christ but to haue his negatiue Yée say yée finde not in his Testament the names we carry the offices we beare the manner of our entrance and administration our support and maintenance Touching our names we are called Ministers of the Gospell Pastors and Teachers which be the Tytles giuen in Gods word The names of Parsons and Vicars are not to make any distinction of the Ministerie but of the state of maintenance annexed vnto the same The Offices we beare are to teach and instruct our flockes by the wholesome word of God to administer the Sacraments and to make publike prayers And I am sure these are prescribed in Christes Testament and if your eye were not malignant yee might espy them there Our entrance is not by intrusion but by calling and that in many by the desire of the flockes as I haue shewed before and for the manner of our administration it hath béen dealt in at large in the first accusation Our support by Tythes and such like is not mayntayned as a matter of necessitie but as the most conuenient The word of God hath giuen the generall rule that the Minister of the word is to be liberally mayntayned the manner touching circumstances is to be ordered for most conueniencie by the Church and power of the Christian Magistrate For many things are lawfull and in the power of the Church to ordeyne which are not particularly named in Gods word but conteyned in generall rules Your next words are farre sharper and cut more déepely yea euen so déepely that wo bée vnto vs all if you haue not the venemous toong of liers and false accusers Yée vse a gradation to set foorth our pedigrée for we are yée say the children of the Byshops The Byshops are the creatures of the Pope The Pope is the eldest sonne of Satan and his vicar generall in earth Now as yée haue set vs héere vnder a verie honorable parentage so doo yée shewe vs great kindnesse in setting vs foorth not to be degenerate but to beare the image the marke the power and life of the Pope and together with him to growe liue raigne stand and fall as the branches with the trée Héere is the verie bottome of your gall héere is your poysoned sting thrust as déepe as is possible But let your words be examined and by the stepps that you ascend I will descend The highest is the Deuill the father of lyes Next vnto him the Pope his eldest sonne and vicar generall in earth In déede I am resolutely perswaded that the Pope is the Beast vnto whome the Dragon gaue his power his Throne and great authoritie Reuel 13. of whome it is sayd in the same place that all the world wondred and followed the Beast They worshipped the Dragon which gaue power to the Beast and they woorshipped the Beast saying Who is like to the Beast who is able to warre with him This no doubt is that man of sinne who hath exalted himselfe aboue all that is called God or that hath imperiall maiestie sitting in the Temple of God and boasting himselfe as God whose comming should be by the effectuall working of Satan with all lying signes and wonders 2. Thess 2. He hath set vp the verie worship of Deuils with all abhominable Idolatrie and blasphemous heresies and lyes He hath not only vsurped and challenged a ciuill power and Lordship ouer Kings but also a spirituall Dominion ouer the consciences and faith of man to make Lawes at his pleasure contrarie to Gods word to binde the same this is the vicar generall of the Deuill Then to come to the next steppe where there is no question nor doubt neyther to be made but that all Popish Byshops be the creatures and children of the Pope in as much as they haue their calling and consecration and power deriued from him in as much as they sweare obedience vnto him to mayntayne his dignitie his tyrannie his doctrine and his lawes and in as much as they challenge together with him a Lordship and tyrannie ouer the conscience But the Byshops of the Church of England haue not their calling consecration or power frō the Pope but frō our Church which hath forsaken the Church of Rome as the Sinagog of Satan The Byshops of England acknowledge no subiection to the Pope but by an oath renounce his vsurped power tyranny The Bishops of Engl. are not ordeined to maintain or defend y e religion lawes of Antichrist but quite contrary they promise and professe to aduance the Gospell of Iesus Christ by the liuely word to cut downe all idolatrie heresies and popish abhominations Finally the Bishops of Engl. do not vsurp a Lordship ouer the faith consciences of men for the power which they haue peculiar in the Church is only in the administration of externall gouernment It is therfore with manifest wicked sclander that ye tearme the Bish of Engl. Antichristian the creatures of the Pope and such as haue his power life in thē yea such as whosoeuer is ordeined by thē hath his ministry frō Antichrist and from the Deuill There is controuersy about the state gouernmēt by Bishops whether y e Church of Engl. hath not erred in cōmitting into their hands the execution of discipline which is the matter to be handled in your fourth accusation but to gather from hence a pedegrée from the Pope is verie foolishe Let vs come then to the lowest step which is in the ministers We haue laboured in studie of holie things to be fitte for the Ministerie and so furnished
preaching of the word and now doth not the falt is in himselfe If the Brow do further reply that they be not true Christians which yet are moued by the preaching the motions are deceiptfull Then I wil frō that which they confesse shew that such people are truly faithfull For they confesse that they were blessed and holy Martyrs that suffred in the dayes of Quéene Mary and I say they were conuerted by the same ministerie which we haue now They had but the same motions at the preaching of Latimer Howper Taylor Bradford and others which our people haue nowe If the people at this day then féele the same effect in their soules at the preaching and Sacraments touching faith repentance and resolution to dye with ioy for the testimonie of the Lord if he shall require it let the Brownists and all other wicked Scismatikes barke that we haue no Ministerie we haue no Word we haue no Sacraments nor true Church yet the godly wise shall be able to discerne the voyce of Christ from the voyce of the Deuill and perceyue that the power of our Ministerie is not of the Deuill but of the holy Ghost whom they haue most wickedly reproched The fourth transgression The Brow THen for that their Churches are ruled by and remayne in subiection c. The fourth fault is in the subiection to an Antichristian gouernment If it were admitted that there is some yoake of Antichristian gouernmēt vnder which the poore Church may grone as it is her lot to be oppressed with outward bondage to be made to kéepe the Vineyard which is not her owne to be beaten of the watchmen to haue her vayle taken from her is she therefore no longer the Spouse of Christ The Brow But oh how farre are you from this which wincke with your eyes stoppe your eares and harden your hearts which can not endure so much as to heare of your fearefull estate which you see not no nor suffer your sores which you see to bee touched but seeke rather to cloake and hyde them both from God and man yea to mitigate tollerate and iustifye them Seeke you not heere to mitigate that heauie apparant Antichristian yoake your Churches stand vnder whereof heeretofore you haue complayned in Parliaments tearming it some yoake beeing now peraduenture through long custome growne lighter vnto you and more easye then Christs yoake at the least then Christs crosse c. To this fourth accusation my answere was very short for I did only propound this question whether it be no longer the Spouse of Christ which is oppressed and doth groane vnder some yoake of Antichristian gouernment and shewed my iudgement that it is the lot of the Church to be oppressed with outward bondage alleaging for proofe some what out of the Song of Solomon At this ye are striken with such wonderment that as men caried almost beside your selues you begin with a vehement exclamation and thrée things there are in my spéech which haue cast ye into this agonie the first that as you say our Churches stand vnder an apparant heauie yoke of Antichrist and I speake of the true Church oppressed with some yoke of Antichristian gouernment the second that I say it is the lot of the Church to be oppressed with outward bondage This ye tearme a blasphemous error because as ye say bondage is the badge of Antichrist the marke of the Beast whereby his souldiers are discerned frō the souldiers of Christ c. The third that I falsifie peruert the places of Scripture which I alleadge to prooue that Gods Church may be oppressed with some outward bondage where you will redéeme the places from such violence and corruption and giue such a glimse that simple men of vnderstanding shall discouer and search out the false dealing of such watchmen and the greatest clarke of vs all shal be taught héereafter how to abuse the scripture for a cloake to couer our sinnes O what valiant fellowes you be who shall be able to stand in your hands the greatest clarks in this land are but babes to such mighty gyants how shall I do then I must now defend my self in these particulars aboue named I will let the question about the heauy apparant yoake of Antichrist alone vnto the last place vnder which ye falsely charge our Church to stand and deale with that first which I set downe Where the first question is whether the true spouse of Christ may be vnder some yoake of Antichristian gouernment The second whether it be her lot to be oppressed with outward bondage The third whether those places by me alleadged be rightly applyed to proue the same I will not deale seuerally in these but in all together because they be all but one in effect Now to speake precisely and strictly the yoke of Antichrist is only spirituall inward where the faith conscience are burthened and be in subiection to receiue his lawes and worship This can not be borne without falling from the fréedome we haue in Christ But in a longer sense we call it Antichristian whē the pastors of the Church or any of them do vsurp more then they ought in external gouernment or tyrannously abuse the power committed into their hands This is that which I called some Antichristian yoke Now the very point of the question is whether the true spouse of Christ hath euer béen oppressed in this by any of her gouernours as her lot in some outward bondage I hold that she hath and for proofe I alleaged those sayings out of the Song against which you take exception as places wrested which shall be considered after other testimonies shewed Then I demaund of ye first whether it was not the spouse of Christ whom the Lord calleth Israell his shéepe and his flocke The pastors of Israell did not only scatter these but ruled ouer them and exercised dominion by violence tyranny Ezech. 34. v. 4. What say ye to this the Prophets prophesie lies the Priests exercise dominiō by their hand my people loue to haue it so Ier. 5. v. 31. Was there no true Church vnder this ruling of y e priests Pashur a chief priest in the temple stroke Ieremy the Prophet put him in the stockes Ierem. 20. ver 1. will yée affirme that there was no true Church then Come to the time in which our Sauiour liued vpon the earth for as yet the kingdome of God was not taken away from them which is threatned Matth. 22 but the high Préest with the other Préests with the Pharisies and Elders of the people had the Ecclesiasticall power which they tyrannously abused and by it oppressed the faithfull as appeareth in diuerse places of the Gospell and namely in Iohn 7. ver 13. and Iohn 9. ver 22. Diotrephes ambitiously abused the power of gouernment when he withstood S. Iohn as he testifieth in his third Epistle written vnto Gaius I wrote saith he vnto the Church but Diotrephes who loueth to haue