an excellent Paynter the other an excellent Carver So your Lordship deserves a worthyer pen to expresse the glory of your actions and I hope such a one shall be found to perpetuat your memory unto the worlds end In the mean time I shall pray God that this kingdome may be long blessed with your happy governement and that your God may remember all the kindnesse that you have shewed unto his House My Lord this is the constant prayer of Your Lordships most humble servant and daylie Orator HEN. DVNENSIS ⧠In Tractatum pro Authoritate Ecclesiae per Reverendum in Christo Patrem HENRICUM providentiâ Divinâ Episcopum DUNENSEM A Gnosco incessumque gravem grunnitum et ocellum Totum albugineum tensas ad sidera palmas Foemineam linguam tardam frontisque Catones Quò a Vide collatio nem Putitani Donatistae pag 38. Donate ruis Quaete Medea sepulchro Evocat pestem nostris infuderit oris Bella tibi Praesul tibi bella parantur O vili Instat oppugnat caulas sub vulpe lupellus Hic Zelus furor est haec sancta superbia Matris Contemptus quin arma capis ruit ocyus ordo Haec pari tas fratrum tollet vestigia Patrum At frustrà moneo per te Sanctissime Praesâ—â— Evigilas structas in coelum destruis arces Audacemque hostem sociosque potentibus armis Vltrà Sauromatas aliosque repellis in orbes En b Argos puritanica navem Arcadicâ properantem merce gravatam Mole suâ miratur onus Neptunus undis Insolitum prohibet pecus atque remisit unà Ruditus veteres vetus in mendacia virus Et quasi lusa istis divina potentia nugis Majus in opprobrium velis invexit eisdem Quos simulant ipsos per anomala dogmata c Haec navis genuicos etiam asinos ex secundo partu è Gailiâ nobis effudit Asellos Dignus eras praesul quercu meliore sed idem Hîc tibi cum Paulo communis ab hoste d I. Cor. XV. 32. triumphus RO. MAXWELL Archidiac Dunens A TREATISE OF THE AVTHORITY OF THE CHVRCH MATTH XVIII 17. But if he neglect to heare the Church Let him bee unto thee as an heathen man and a Publicane THESE are the words of our blessed Lord and Saviour IESVS CHRIST Sect. I. containing a Direction unto the Church for censuring her disobedient children and an injunction to all you who professe CHRIST to take notice of her censures accounting no otherwayes of all those who despise her admonitions then as of heathen men and Publicanes If hee neglect to heare the Church Let him bee unto thee as an heathen man and a Publicane There is one word in the Text Sect. 2. as it is expressed in the Olde Translation also which being a Relative sends us backe to the words going before to finde out the occasion of this speach I finde that our Saviour in this Chapter doth exhort his Disciples and in them all Christians to a conscionable care of the salvation of their brethren and that first by giving no offence whereby they may be scandalized Take heed that yee despise not one of these little ones ver 10. and before Woe unto that man by whom offence commeth and secondly by patient bearing of such offences as come from them and labouring to restore them that are fallen and to bring them to repentance ver 15. If thy brother shall trespasse against thee c. Where before I come to my Text it will bee expedient that I inquire of foure things 1. To whom our Saviour speaketh to his Disciples 2. Of whom of a brother If thy brother trespasse 3. Of what offences If hee trespasse against thee 4. What is the rule prescribed in this case Goe and tell him his fault betweene him and thee If he shall heare thee thou hast gained thy brother But if he will not heare thee then take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established And if he shall neglect to heare them tell it unto the Church I. Sect. 3. Christ speakes unto his Disciples as may appeare by the whole discourse from the beginning of the Chapter but he speakes not unto them as they are Apostles and chiefe Pastors in his Church but simplie as they are Disciples that is Christians for all the followers of Christ were called Disciples Ioh. VI. 66. The not distinguishing of these two what was given in charge to the Apostles as they were Apostles and chiefe Pastors and what as they were Christians hath occasioned many misprisions I will instance only in two particulars Our Saviour in the celebration of the Sacrament of the Supper sayth to his Disciples Drinke yee all of this The Papists understand this to bee spoken to them as they were Apostles and Ministers of the Church and so deny that the people have any right to the Cup. whereas it is evident that in that first Supper they did beare the person of Communicants and so that benefit belongs to all Christians Againe Christ sayth unto them Matth. 20.25 Mar. 10.42 Luk. 22.24 The Kings of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them but it shall not be so amongst you Our new masters who seeke to pull downe the Orders of our Church take this as spoken onely unto Ministers and from thence condemne all Superioritie and Iurisdiction of Bishops whereas it is evident that this precept doth alike concerne all Christians For 1. the occasion of that prohibition was the ambition of the sonnes of Zebedee who dreaming of a temporall kingdome that Christ should have in this world desired to sit one on his right hand the other on his left that is to be the greatest in that kingdome They did not desire Iurisdiction over Ministers onely and place above Apostles but also above all Christians And they conceived hope to obtayne it not out of any priviledge they had by their Apostleship but out of a relation they had to Christ according to the flesh being his kinsmen Therefore this prohibition is given not to the Apostles onely but to all Christians II. Christ in the XXII Chap. of S. Luke immediatly before these wordes and presently after using this word you and speaking to his Disciples and none but them speakes unto them as representing not onely Ministers but all Christians As vers 19. This is my Body which is given for you vers 20. This Cup is the New Testament in my Blood which is shed for you vers 29. I appoint unto you a Kingdome In these places I hope by you yee will understand all true Christians else none but Ministers have interest in Christ's Blood and right unto his Kingdome And then why not also in the words interjected vers 25. It shall not be so among you by you should we understand all Christians III. Compare that place with Matth. XXIII 8. which place is alledged to the same purpose
our neighbour and to neglect the sinnes committed against the first Table But Christ mentioneth onely private injuries because hee is exhorting to Patience and Charitie And we are most sensible of those offences wherby we are hurt he therfore restrayneth us where wee are most forward knowing well that if wee can be kept from the violent prosecution of those wrongs which are done to our selves wee will be slow enough in taking notice of other sinnes committed against God and our neighbour And now having found out both the persons sect 6 and the offences spoken of In the next place let us consider the rule prescribed or the course that is to bee taken If thy brother shall trespasse against thee It is a Recipe for curing an offending brother wherin our Saviour will have us to deale like tender Physicians who first use to try gentle remedies and if that will not doe they minister stronger pills that are more offensive to Nature So should we doe for the Cure here prescribed is fourefold The I. Private admonition Tell him his fault betweene thee and him that is Correptio Amoris II. Reproofe before witnesses If hee will not heare thee take with thee one or two more that is Correptio pudoris III. Publicke accusation If he will not heare them tell it unto the Church that is Correptio timoris IIII. Separation If hee neglect to heare the Church let him bee unto thee as an heathen that is Correptio tremoris The first is mylde the second sharp the third bitter the fourth desperate The first is but a preparative the second a potion the third a Corrasive the fourth abscision or cutting off Now wee must not thinke that all these degrees can be observed at all occasions and as oft as our brother offendeth Sometimes the offence is so light that it is better to passe it by then to take notice of it Sometimes though the sinne be great yet it is committed so privatelie that it is to no purpose for thee to tell it unto the Church for if he deny it thou canst not prove it Sometimes the offence is so notorious and scandalous that the Church takes notice of it no private admonition going before â—â— Tim. V. 20. no accusation being made Concerning such sinnes the Apostle prescribeth a rule to Timothie Them that sinne Rebuke openly And so Paul reproved Peter publickly Gal. II. without any private admonition because his offence gave scandall unto many Sometimes it falleth out that he who offendeth is of so desperate a froward disposition that to admonish him of his fault is but to cast pearles before swyne In this case Solomon his rule is Prov. IX 8. Rebuke not a scorner Sometimes it may bee thou canst not use private admonition for want of opportunitie of tyme and place or by reason of the quality of the person offending Or it may bee that there is danger in delay and some great hurt like to happen if the matter bee not presently declared unto the Church Many such cases may happen wherein all these proceedings cannot be observed but the matter comes before the Church persaltum Wee must therefore remember that this being an affirmative precept doth not oblige at all times but only then when the observation of it is convenient for the end for which it was appointed which is the amendement of our brother And now sect 7 having made an Introduction into my Text I come to the words But if hee neglect to heare the Church c. Which being a conditionall proposition hath two parts a Supposition and an Inference There is a fault supposed If he neglect to heare the Church And a censure inferred Let him bee unto thee as an heathen man and a Publicane He supposeth the fault onely he sayth not There are who will not heare the Church but hee puts the case onely Si non audierit yet wee know by wofull experience there bee such Christ's If proves to be no If There are many here who account it the point of highest perfection to disobey the Church and despise her wholesome Lawes Vers 11. And so as S. Iude sayth perish in the gainsaying of Core Num. 16. Now Core's sinne was disobedience to the Church hee would have a paritie amongst the Levites and would not bee subject to Aaron appointed his Superiour by GOD And albeit hee with his Complices went down quick unto hell yet hee hath left his seed amongst us Many who will not bee subject unto Aaron who will not heare the Church Now that wee may know what sinne this is not to heare or obey the Church I will shew you first what is meant by the Church Secondly wherein the Church must be heard By the Church here sect 8 wee must not understand the whole multitude of Beleevers in one place for this Church hath power to binde and loose given them in the next words And the power of the Keyes was not given to the multitude but to the Pastors and Rulers in the Church Amongst the Iewes who were God's Church under the Old Testament sentence was never given by the Common people but by certaine Iudges appointed What doe I speake of the Iewes whose governement was alwayes Monarchicall or Aristocraticall Even amongst the Grecians where the governement was Democraticall as in Athens Iudgment was never given by the people but by certaine Iudges chosen by the people How much lesse in the Church whose governement no man in his right witts will say is Democraticall shall this power to judge be given to the people It is not likely that GOD who is not the Author of confusion but of order would give this power to the people who by reason of their ignorance multitude and varietie of affections would never agree upon a sentence neither were it possible for any Controversie to be composed if the voyces of all the people must bee expected for there would be nothing but faction distraction confusion division and endlesse delayes II. sect 9 Nor by the Church here are we to understand the Synedrium of the Iewes which was their Councell of LXX Elders as some men of great name haue conceived for our Saviour never honors that Court with the name of the Church Luc XXII 66. but it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Gospell he did not commit the power of the Keyes unto them but having instituted a governement in his Church he gaue them a bil of divorcement Neither is it likelie that Christ would send his disciples to complaine to those who were profest enemies to him his I. Cor. VI. contrary vnto S. Paul his rule who will haue us to be judged by Saints not by Infidels III. sect 10 Nor by the Church here are we to understand the Christian magistrate It is the conceit of Erastus but one so wilde as needs no Confutation for we know that the Church and the Civill Magistrate haue diverse Consistories God having established
comely not foolish and ridiculous as are the apish gesticulations in the Masse and many other Ceremonies used in that Church as their manifold crossings kissings kneelings whisperings washings anointings spittings blowings breathings and a number of the like Unto these three conditions I will adde two more I. Ceremonies must not be injoyned as things in themselves absolutely necessary and wherein Gods worship doth consist II. We must not ascribe unto them spirituall effects as the Papists doe who say that their crossing and sprinkling of holy water are effectuall to purge away veniall sinnes drive away divells and sanctifie the parties Now the Ceremonies injoyned by our Church have all these conditions For number they are few as ever was in any Church for observation easie for signification worthy for quality grave decent and comely for antiquity reverend The worship of God is not placed in them neither are they pressed upon the consciences of people as things in themselves necessary like the Commaundements of God we ascribe no merit remission of sinnes nor other spirituall effects unto them Finally they are purged from the drosse of all Popish superstition And therefore you are bound in conscience to observe them they being injoyned by lawfull authority And now I am come to the last thing wherein the power of the Church is to bee considered Sect. 38. and that is for correction The Church hath authority to censure her disobedient children whether they be Heretickes or Schismatickes or inordinate livers And on the other part upon their repentance to restore release and absolve them Like a good Mother she hath both Vbera and Verbera a dâ—g to feed and a rod to whip her unruly children This power was alwayes in the Church I finde that there was amongst the Iewes three degrees of censures Ioh. IX 22. XII 42. XVI â— The first was called Niddus a separation or casting out of the Synagogue The second they called Herem which is Anathema when an offender was cut off from his people by the sentence of death Deut. XVII 12. And that man that will doe presumptuously not harkening unto the Priest or unto the Iudge that man shall die The third was Shammatha or Maranatha which was a peremptorie denunciation of Iudgement delivering the obstinate malefactor as it were unto everlasting death for the word signifies as much as Dominus venit The Lord commeth This last is not mentioned in the Law but as it seemes was brought in by the Priests and Scribes after that the Romans had taken from them the power of life and death neither can the Church now use that censure unlesse we knew certainely that a man had sinned against the Holy Ghost The second which is the sentence of death belongeth onely unto the civill Magistrate who to that purpose hath the sword committed unto him So that the censure which properly belongs unto the Church now is onely separation by excommunication And there ever was and alwayes must bee a power in the Church to impose that censure upon contumacious offenders We have the first example of it from God himselfe hee cast Adam out of Paradise which was a type of the Church and banished him from the tree of life which was the Sacrament of immortality he cast forth Cain from his presence that is from the place appointed for his worship wherein Adam and his family used to meete for the service of God Afterwards when the Church of the Iewes was established their Councell of Elders called the Synedrium had power to cast men out of the Synagogue Yea under the Law those who had contracted any bodily uncleannesse must not eate of the Passeover till they were purified after the manner of the Law How much more ought they who are defiled with sinne bee barred from the Communion of our Sacraments seeing the pollution of the soule is more odious in the sight of God then bodily uncleannesse When our Saviour did institute the Church of the new Testament he gave such an authority unto his Apostles and their successors in the words following my text Whatsoever ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven And whatsoever ye loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Which he expounds after this manner Io XX. 23. Whosoevers sinnes yee remit they are remitted unto them And whosoevers sinnes ye retaine I. Cor. 5. they are retayned The Apostle did exercise this power upon the incestuous Corinthian I. Tim. I. â—0 and upon Hymenaus and Alexander The same power hee committed unto his two sonnes Timothie and Titus The governors of the Church are reproved for neglecting this censure Revel II. 20. as the Angell of the Church of Thyatira for suffering the woman Iezabel to teach and deceive Gods servants And the Angel of the Church of Ephesus is commended for his zeale in censuring offenders Thou canst not beare them which are evill and thou hast tried them which say they are Apostles are not Revel II. 2. Finally the censure of excommunication was of frequent use in the Primitive Church especially against heretickes and disturbers of the publicke peace Tert. in Apol. Cypr. epist lib. I. ep 3. as both Tertullian and St Cyprian doe testifie And I find that this censure had two degrees the first was Suspension called Abstentio whereby men were barred some from the Communion of the Sacrament onely others from the Communion of certaine prayers also and some from entering into the Church which they built upon the Commandement of our Saviour Matth. VII 6. Give not holy things to dogges neither cast your pearles before swine The other was Excommunication wherby a man was cut off from the body of Christ as a rotten member cast out of the Church and delivered into Satan who raignes without the Church wherein the Churches sentence is rather interloquutory then definitive And yet the same no wayes to be contemned because when it is done Clave non errante Apologet. cap. XXXIX the same is ratified in Heaven Therefore Tertullian truely cals this censure summum futuri Iudicij praejudicium The former of these censures may be called the Apostles rod shall I come unto you with a rod I. Cor. IV. 21. The other is the sword Apostolicall Gal. V. 12. Abscindantur Let them bee cut off that trouble you This latter is that which is mentioned in my Text Let him bee unto thee as a Heathen man and a Publican and in the words following it is called a binding or retayning of sinne for as the Church hath power to loose such as are penitent so to commit others unto the Lords prison binding their sinnes upon their backe untill their amendement or binding them over unto the Iudgement of the great Day if they shall persist in their pertinacie The same by S. Paul is called a delivering up to Satan The end of Excommunication is threefold I. The glory of God for when men are suffered in the Church to doe what seemeth good in their
namely Confirmation of children absolution of penitents private baptisme of children in case of necessity the Communion of the sicke and almost whatsoever hath any conformity with the Ancient Church If I were not weary to dig in this dung-hill I could shew you many such portenta opinionum which these new masters have vented to the great scandall of the Church and hinderance of Religion that I may complaine with the Prophet Iet XII 10. Pastores multi yea and Stulti Many Pastors have destroyed my Vineyard There is crying out against dumbe dogges of the Cleargie who cannot preach for whom I thinke no man will plead but that lawlesse fellow called necessity Yet I know not whether it be more hurtfull for the Church to have Canes non latrantes or Catulos oblatrantes The ones silence or the others untimely barking In teaching is not so much good as there is hurt in teaching such doctrine when with the good seed of the word the tares of error and schisme are sowen and the children of the Church brought in dislike with their mother Prov. XXX 17. Solomon sayes The eye that mocketh his Father and despiseth the instruction of his Mother The Ravens of the valley shall picke it out and the young Eagles shall eate it What then shall become of his tongue who slandereth his Mother shall not Davids imprecation against Doeg fall upon him Psal LII 4.5 O thou deceitfull tongue God shall destroy thee for ever If you have slandered your neighbour you are bound in conscience to make him satisfaction what satisfaction then can you make unto the Church your Mother whom you have slandered with no lesse then whoredome Whereas even strangers have given her this testimony that shee is of all Churches this day for doctrine most pure for discipline most conforme unto the primitive and Apostolicke Churches for learning most eminent for good workes most fruitfull for Martyrs most glorious II. Albeit their strife were only about Ceremonies yet were it nor safe for the Church to winke at such persons though they contend but for trifles for if the contentious humour be not let out it will fester and spread like a gangrene Contention will grow a schisme and a schisme will prove an heresie So it was with the Corinthians I. Cor. XI Where the Apostle complaines first of their unreverent behaviour in the Church v. 16. Then of schismes v. 18. After that of heresies vers 19. If men be suffered to disgrace Ceremonies they wil proceed further to contemne and profane the Sacraments as in Corinth when they had sit covered at prayer they grew as unreverent and bold with the Sacrament eate and drunke as if they had beene in their owne houses vers 22. It is therefore good to quench the sparke when it is first kindled lest it increase unto a great flame and burne up Church Religion and all III. Consider that alâ—eit in Churches of diverse kingdomes the unity of faith may subsist with diversitie of Ceremonies and orders according to that saying of Gregory In unâ fide nil officit Ecclesiae sanctae consuetudo diversa yet in the same nationall Church we must labour not only for unity in faith but also for uniformity in discipline otherwise order can not bee maintayned peace cannot be preserved when every man hath a fashion by himselfe there will follow infinite distraction and confusion Therefore sayth the Synod of the Belgick Churches Articuli hi mutari augeri minui postulante ecclesiarum utilitate possunt debent non erit tamen privatae alicuius Ecclesiae id facere sed dabunt oâ—â—nes operam ut illos observent donec Synodo aliter constituatur These Articles namely concerning outward order and Politie may be changed augmented or diminished yet it belongeth not unto any private Church to doe that but they must all labour to observe them untill the Synod shall otherwayes appâ—ynt Finally I pray you to remember that when those men had the government in their hands there was never any Church more zealous to vindicate her orders from contempt nor more forward to inflict severe censures for small offences then they were And so much they did professe The Church of Scotland in their constitutions which were printed with their Psalme Bookes say A small offence may justly deserve excommunication because of the offenders contempt and contumacy And againe Any sinne may be pardoned rather then contempt of wholsome admonitions and lawfull constitutions of the Church Now shall they inforce others to the observation of their orders and punish the disobedient with the severest censures And shall not the Kings Majesty and the governours of our Church inforce them to the observatioÌ„ of our orders which have beene established by the whole Church in a lawfull Synod and confirmed by Act of Parliament and by his Majesties Royall authority Oh my brethreÌ„ deceive not your selves think not that the Church the King the State the Law and all will stoope to your fancies No if you will not obey the constitutions of the Church you must feele the weight of her censures If you will not submit your selves unto the Church as to your Mother shee will not owne you for her children but cast you out as Hagar and Ismael were cast out of Abrahams house for their mocking and proud disobedience Thus have I spoken at large of the Churches power for instruction for Ordination for determination for direction or making of Lawes and finallie for Correction or censuring offenders In all which the Church is to be heard for if hee neglect to heare the Church Let him be unto thee c. And so I am come to the second part of my Text the inference sect 40 Let him bee unto thee as a heathen man and a Publicane In which words one thing is implyed and another thing expressed The censure of the Church is implyed for if wee must account such men as Heathens and Publicanes then the Church by her publicke sentence must declare them to be such else how shall we know that they refuse to heare the Church Againe obedience to the Churches sentence is expressely commaunded for in these words all the members of the Church are injoyned to take notice of her sentence accounting no otherwise of all those who despise her admonitions then as Heathen men and Publicanes For sit tibi is a worde of commaund you must hold them for such And that you may the better conceive the meaning of this phrase you must understand that our Saviour alludeth unto the custome of his owne time and the practise of the Iewes as St Paul borroweth a phrase from the Iewish Church â— Cor. XVI 22. when he useth that fearefull imprecation If any man love not the Lord Iesus Let him be Anathema Maranatha So our Saviour here borroweth a speech from the custome of the Iewes to expresse the condition of those who should bee excommunicated by the Christian Church Let him be unto thee as an Heathen man and a Publicane
When a King of a heathen becomes a Christian he loses not that temporall right which hee had but acquires a new right in the spirituall goods of the Church so if afterwards of Christian he become Heathen he loseth the new right which he had acquired in the benefites and priviledges of the Church but not the old temporall right which hee had unto his Crowne So Bernard told the Pope In criminibus non possessionibus potestas vestra The Church hath power to censure offences namely with the sentence of excommunication not to take away possessions But I might have spared this labour Sect. 41. for you are not the men who ascribe too much to the censures of the Church but indeed too little and set them all at naught If a man for his faction disobedience be cast out of the Church you thinke him so much the neerer heaven as one who hath witnessed a good confession and is very zealous for the truth then you account him most worthy of your company as if our Saviour had said If hee refuse to heare the Church Let him be unto thee as a faithfull brother So little doe you regard the sentence of the Church which our Saviour hath commaunded you to obey saying sit tibi Let him bee unto thee as a Heathen man and a Publicane for which he gives a reason in the words following saying Verily I say unto you What soever yee bind on earth shall be bound in heaven that is the sentence pronounced by the Church is ratified by God himselfe Here I cannot dissemble the injury that is done unto the Church by you in those parts for her Instructions are not received her Ordinations are neglected her determinations despised her orders contemned her lawes trodden under foote her censures derided In nothing shee is heard And these who refuse to heare her yee are so farre from accounting them As Heathens and Publicanes that you esteeme them as Saints and Martyrs and account us no better then Heathens Publicanes and persecuters you open heaven only to those that are of your faction damne all that approve not your fantasies and so condemne all Churches that are or have beene except your owne Conventicles That it is a wonder to me how you can professe to beleeve The holy Catholicke Church for never any ancient Church observed these orders which you seeke to obtrude upon the world as the discipline of Christ and the seepter of his kingdome And never any Church since the Apostles dayes wanted our orders which you reject as unlawfull and Antichristian So that that which you account the true Church is not Catholicke and that Church which is Catholick is not holy Thus have you lost one article of your Creed It was so with the Donatists in ancient times and almost in every thing their courses were so like unto yours that as oft as I consider your opinions and practise I doe remember them and thinke it is Vetus fabula pernovos histriones as though by a Pythagorean transmigration their soules had taken up their mansion in your bodies Which I will instance in some particulars The Donatists did not only separate from the Catholicke Church but most arrogantly esteemed their owne faction to bee the only true Christians in whose assemblies salvation was to be found a Beelesia una est eam tu frater Parmeniane apud â—os solos esse dixisti Optat lib. 2. post Nitimini suadere hominibus apud vos sotos esse Ecclesiam So have you appropriated unto your selves the styles of Brethren Good men Professors As if all others who favour not your faction had no brotherhood in Christ no interest in goodnesse made no true profession of the Gospell The Catholickes acknowledged the Donatists to be their brethren loved pittyed and prayed for them b Velint nolint fratres nostri sunt Aug in Psal 32. Concordate nobiscum flatres diligimus vos hoc vobis volumus quod nobis Id. Ep. 68. But the peevish schismatickes requited their love with hatred esteemed them no better then Pagans and disdayned to salute them c Isti qui dicunt non esâ—is fratres nostri Paganos nos dicunt Aug in Ps 32. Vos odio noâ— habetis fratres utique vestros auditorum animis infunditis odia docentes ne Ave dicant cuiquam nostrum Optat. lib. 4. So albeit we have reached foorth unto you the right hand of fellowship yet have you answered us with disdaine terming us formalists time-servers worldlings Papists Arminians limmes of Antichrist and no better then reprobates But for my owne part I passe very little to be judged of you for all your malice you shall have my pitty and my prayers The Donatists thought all things polluted by the touch of Catholickes and so washed their Church walls and their vestiments broke their chalices scraped their Altars d d Rasistis Altaria fregistis calices lavastis pallas parieâ—es inclusa spatia salsa aqua spargi praecepistis Optat. lib. 6. So these men thinke that our service-booke our Ceremonies our Churches and all are polluted with the Papists though they descended unto them from the ancient Church and we have better right unto them then they had And therefore where they had power they did not wash the Churches but in a sacrilegious furie pull them downe to the ground burnt the vestiments broke the chalices or converted them to private uses and razed the Altars esteeming a beggerly cottage fitter for Gods service then a magnificent Temple much like the officers of Iulian who when they saw the holy vessells of the Church cryed out En qualibus vasis ministratur Mariae filio What stately plate is this for the Carpenters sonne The Donatists taught that the efficacie of Sacraments depends on the dignity of the Minister and so would not receive the Sacrament from any but such as they esteemed just men that is to say men of their owne faction e De Baptismo dicere solent tune esse verum baptismum Christi com ab homine Iusto datur Aug. Ep 167. And are not some of you of the same minde who refuse the Sacrament though they might have it after their owne fashion onely because the minister hath conformed himselfe unto the orders of the Church The Donatists taught that the Church ought not to tollerate evill persons in her Communion that Communion with such persons polluteth and profaneth the Church And that therefore all the Churches of the world were perished because they communicated with Caecilianus f Donatistae pertinaci dissensione in heresin schisma verterunt tanquam Ecclesia Christi propter crimina Caeciliani de toto terrarum â—â— be perierit Aug. cont â—pist Parmen l. 3. Id. de haeres ad quod vult cap. 69. And was it not upon the very same ground that your brethren the Brounists did run both out of the Church and out of their witts they built their conclusions upon your premisses
Matth. IX 10. We know that Heathens and Publicanes were aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel Luke XV. 1. they had no interest in God no fellowship with the Church In the Gospell commonly Publicanes and sinners be joyned together and sometimes Publicanes and harlots And the Apostle opposes sinners of the Gentiles to Iâ—wes by nature Matth. XXI 31. Cal. II. 15. They were avoyded in common conversation in the fellowship of the private table in so much that Christ was often taxed by the Pharisees for eating with Publicanes Matth. IX 11. XI 19. And especially they were secluded from the Communion of Gods worship and in that there was a difference put betweene the Heathen man and the Publicane The Heathen might not so much as enter into the Temple if he did it was polluted Act. XXI 28. Hee hath brought Graecians into the Temple and hath polluted this holy place But the Publicane might enter into the Temple and pray Luk. XVIII 10. But he must not partake of their service and sacrifice Whereupon in the ancient Church they had two degrees of excommunication a lesser which was like the Publieanes separation and a greater like the Heathen mans separation In the same case should all excommunicate persons be amongstus we should not admit them to the Communion of our Sacraments and publicke prayers nor converse ordinarily with them nor have any fellowship with them as the Apostle commands I. Cor. V. 13. Put away therefore from among you that wicked man II. Thess III. 6. Withdraw your selves from every brother that walkeeh inordinately and vers 14. Have no company with them This is to esteeme them as Heathen men and Publicanes But there are some that are worse to persons excommunicate then eyther to Heathen men or to Publicanes who hate them deprive them of the society of those who are tyed unto them by naturall and civill obligations make a prey of their goods lands life and all and adjudge them unto hell yet Christ saith onely Sit tibi sicut Ethnicus not sit tibi plut aut pejore in loce quam Ethuicus Let him be unto thee as an Heathen not let him be unto thee worse then an Heathen Whence will follow I. That we are not to hate such men as we should not hate Heathen men nor Publicanes but pitty and pray for them It is true wee shunne the company of that which wee hate and abhorre so our Saviour will have us to shunne the company of contumacious offenders as if we did hate them but not to hate them for all that for sayes the Apostle yet count him not as an enemie II. Thess II. 15. II. That we are not barr'd from all commerce society with excommunicate persons not in cases of necessity not upon occasion of trade for the Iewes did trafficke with Publicanes and Heathen but especially not to give them good counsell and to exhort them to repentance This last is required by the Apostle admonish him as a brother II. Thess III. 15. The fellowship then that is forbidden us with such persons is a Communion in Gods worship lest it bee prophaned by them as also intire familiarity and needlesse society III. And some sorte of persons cannot bee barred from intire familiarity and daily conversation with them by any sentence of the Church as all those who are tyed unto them by naturall and civill obligations as the wife to her husband children to their parents servants to their master subjects to their Prince for the Apostle commands the beleeving woman not to depart from the unbeleeving husband I. Cor. VII 13. But to be subject even to their husbands which obey not the word I. Pet. III. 1. servants to count their masters even them that beleeve not worthy of all honour I. Tim. VI. 1. Cesar himselfe was Heathen when Christ instituted this censure and yet he commands to renderunto Cesar the things that are Cesars All kings were Heathen when the Apostles exercised this censure and yet they conimaund all obedience to be given unto them Rom. XVI 1. I. Pet. II. 13. The Christians in the Primitive Church upon all occasions tooke armes at the commaund of a heathen Emperour and St Augustin commends them for their faithfull service to Iulian that Apostate Emperour for that they were bound unto him as subjects Hence it will follow that the Church though she had never so much strength and power yet ought not can not excommunicate the King for heresie Apostasie or any other crime for that the maine end of excommunication is that the partie being deprived of all society of the faithfull may bee ashamed But the King can not be deprived of the company of any one within his kingdome all of them being his subjects and owing service and alleageance unto him So much a Popish Doctor doth acknowledge Radulph ardens in homâ— Domin 1. post Pasch Reges ne excommunicare possunt sacerdotes excommunicatione majore propter publicam personam quam sustinent Priests cannot excommunicate Kings with the greater excommunication because of the publicke person which they sustaine Wee finde indeed that St Ambrose did barre the Emperour Theodosius from the Sacrament but that was onely the lesser censure called suspension Lib. V. epist 28. ad Theodosium as may appeare by his owne words Causam contumaciae in te nullam habeo sed habeo timoris offerre non audeosacrificium si volueris assistere He found no cause of contumacie in him which onely deserves the greater censures of excommunication but he was afraid lest the sacrifice might be profaned by his presence before he had by repentance expiated the guilt of blood which he had contracted And yet even in this I thinke that the Emperours humility was more to bee commended then the Bishops zeale howsoever it is most certaine that the ancient Church never offered to excommunicate any King though never so wicked That was a later practise of that man of sinne Who exalteth himselfe against all that is called God Finally if contumacious persons bee in no worse case then Heathen men and Publicanes then the Church by her censure cannot deprive them of goods lands or life for the Iewes did not so either to Heathen men or to Publicanes And besides such a punishment doâ—th not belong to the Church but to the civill Magistrate It hath beene therefore an intollerable tyranny in the Popes to depose Kings excommunicated give away their crownes dispose of their kingdomes and to arme not only strangers but also their owne subjects against them to take away their lives As if that Christian kings did far the worse for their baptisme and profession of Christ and held not their crownes upon so secure termes as Pagan princes doe This were to put them in a worse case then are Heathen and Publicanes which our Saviour never intended for as Crownes are not founded in faith so they are not lost by insidelitie