Paschal lamb was slaine Rahabs howse out of which places whosoever were found when the LOrd came to iudgment loe without all mercie they perished as straungers to the common wealth of Israel And this is it the Spirit teacheth in those words Not for saking the fellowship that we haue among our selues as the maner of som is but let vs exhort◅ one another that somuch the more because we se the day draweth nere for if we syn voluntarily vnderstanding the former doble syn spoken of after we haue receiued the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for synnes but a fearfull expectation of iudgment violent fyre which shall devoure the aduersarie The collection of the whole is this Those that once haue bene illuminate and tasted of God his good word so far as they haue bene interessed with the ground and principles of the Gospell therewithall enioying fellowship with Noah and his few sowles in the Arke notwithstāding som vncleane creatures within if now they voluntarily reiect the word of Noah they once beleiued and so willinglie leap out of the churches bosom it is impossible to vs ward but they drowne vnable to be recouered by our prayers or theyr vnseasonable repentance Yea only we can expect the convayance of such soules to be pent till last iudgment in the prison infernall where now the sowles are who mocked Christ his spirit preaching of old in Noah for 120. y. togither Blessed Iohn hauinge taught that Christ Iesus is our sole reconciliation that the same death effecteth in vs loue towards God and our brother anone he teacheth that we haue assurāce of synnes remissiō in our sowles and in our brethren by being stirred vp by his spirit to pray in faith called parrhesia a trust leaning on a promise but therewithall he intimates a certaine kynd of syn for the which a brother hath no promise to pray There is a syn to death I say not that he shold ask forgivenes for that And what is this but what is taught to the Hebrues There remaineth no sacrifice for such Prayers supplications intercessions we are commaunded to offer vp for all sorts of people for that Dauid foresawe to be ghospels sacrifice and thus saith A glorious auntient of the Ghospell supplications thanksgiuings are the sole perfect sacrifices pleasing God that Christian hearts haue learned only to offer them but for those that syn this syn to death I say not saith Iohn thow art to pray for that Som haue taught this syn to be finall desperatiō thē Iohns speach might implie prayer for a penitent person dead but no prayer for him we se to dy impenitent and this Rome liketh well Others graunt the syn seable in this life and so both the former scriptures imply and hereof two iudgments the better sort adde vnto all is said vnto the Hebrues a willing malitious persecuting the knovven truth because it is the truth This I can hardlie beleiue to be in anie but the deuell himself But if it can be I say it doth not simplie cause this syn to be but more to be for such a syn we shall not be able to proue in manie ages whereas the holy writ affirmeth that in the latter days begon in thapostles tyme manie shold depart from the faith hauing seared consciences teaching doctrines of deuels with Iannes and Iambres ordeyned of old to destruction etc. and therefore this syn no such Rar'auis black swā as manie haue made it thorough too much pitie which hath brought with it much detriment vnto the lords city The worser sort the Brownists though I knoe not that he was euer so stupid hath babled that euerie syn which brought the body vnder Death by Moses his lawe that is this syn Iohn speaketh of A collection of bloody crueltie rather beseming Bull the hang-man then anie that wold be demed disciples to Iesus But such was the old condemned heresie of Nouarianus Our sauiours practise with the woman taken in the act of adulterie it argued another spirit and so did the censure of excommunication practised by Corinth against the incestuous fornicator which being for humbling the flesh therefore before not humbled and recouering the spirit yet steeping vnder the ashes of senslesnes must needs togither with the pronunciation admit prayer for him as for a brother not vtterlie but almost gone in a spirituall trance But because they wold scorne to be thought to learne anie thing of Clapham though secretlie somtimes the greatest of them are forced to leane towards me let them learne of S. Paul two excommunications the first whereof 1 Cor. 5 existing for a season viz Till the flesh be humbled the second enduring to death chap. 16. 22. called in Syriak phrase Maran-atha in English The Lord commeth And this is of like value with the Hebrues Cherem or creature accursed Iosh. 7. 11. 13. And this is the syn the Author to the hebrues teacheth as also Iohn terming it a syn to death because excommunicate to the narall death for whome he will not say pray for whome to the hebrues the church cannot sacrifice for whome S. Paul appointeeth the denunciation The Lord commeth whereto S. Iude borowinge Henorhs prophetie addeth Behold the Lord commeth to iudgment because such synners are euer to heare of Iudgment no more of the Ghospell which they willinglie haue torne vp by the rootes and despitefullie reiected And so and no otherwise I thinke those scriptures can of vs be reconciled When thapostle speaketh of an Heretike gone from the truth For of an Heretike neuer possessed therewith he cānot speake he cōmaundeth vs to Reiect him after ōce or tvvise admonition adding a reason Knovving that he that is such is turned ouer sinneth on autokatakritos being damned of him self Will an Heretike tell vs he damnes himself Noe how thē do we knoe he is damned of himself no otherwise but because he is obstinate in som principle cōtrarie to that of the Gospell he once beleiued So in this generall willinge apostacie from the rudiments of Christ such will not vpon our dealing with them acknowledge they syn against Conscience nor do I thinke theyr Conscience in the present state doth euer condemne them but comparinge it with the former waking estate this present state is accompted condemned yea for euer to be dispared of nor maruell we that such as from heart and mouth voluntarily vomited vp faith and fellowship they shold be vnto vs a people dispaired of more then an arme or legge of the bodie droppinge downe rotten rype of itself is depriued of all physik as Ministringe no hope of recouerie And therefor this syn not committed of Peter nor yet of Frances Spiera Lawyer of Citadella For howsoever with the mouth thorough feare of man they denyed Christ and true faith yet the heart neuer gaue consent fully to the mouth much lesse did they voluntarily shake of both faith
did also the Apostles in giuing the visible guiftes of the spirit vsed of Presbyters in creating ad enstalling persons into ministeriall functions somtymes to the Gatheringe Ministerie but euer on Ministrie tyed to som certaine congregation signifyinge and sealing hereby vnto such sowles beleiuinge no lesse thē the presence of God with them in such theyr Christian callinge This Mr Caluin consideringe he therefore truly calls it such a sacrament as hath a faithfull siigne of spirituall grace And for a sacrament in no larger sence Augustine hauing spoke of Baptisme saith thus Either of them is a sacramēt by sure consecratiō both of them is giuē to mā that vvhē he is baptised this whē he is ordained therefore in the Catholicall church it is held vnlaufull to reiterate thē Yet neither of thē nomber it elswhere with the few ād easie sacraments of the new testament because as before it hath bene common vnto all the ages of the Church yet this must be no reason why not to teach and repute it for a glorious sacrament wherewithall a blessing from the Greater is convaid vnto the Lesser Under Resurrection is contained first our rising here from spirituall death vnto the life of Christ in his body the Church secondlie our resurrection after the bodies naturall death and that vnto eternall lyfe for the resurrection of the wicked is but a rising to the second Death The last is eternall iudgment first to the eternall glorie of the faithfull contrary to cursed Chiliasts secondly to the eternall confusion and never dyinge worme of the vnfaithfull contrarie to the blynd pitifull colection of Origenists And those are the doctrines he calleth the Themelion foundation as also begining of Christ. Which must be the rather obserued because som put no difference betwene the foundation of faith which here made the hebrues a true visible people of God and other accidentall doctrines which tende but to the perfection of the same foundation the contrarie vnto which foundation can onlie in proprietie of scripture he termed Anti-keimenon Anti-christian opposit to foundation opposit to Christ. The not retaining of which distinction hath caused too manie libells be dispersed and railings against such as Gather truly though weakly with Christ ◅ and himself teacheth that he who gathers with him that works not against him But are euery of those seuerall heads the knowledge and beleif of them of absolute necessitie vnto saluation For infants of the faithfull theyr lump is to be considered in theyr first fruites I answer it is impossible for any sowle to com anie way to true lyfe but by passing thorough him who is the Way Truth and Lyfe Nor can one goe into the sheepfold but by the Dore and the Porter Nor can this be don but by Repentance and Faith Besides faith is exercised in beleiuing the promise of Resurrection and eternall iudgment and quiet it cānot be till the promises be sealed in Baptisme the dore sacrament into the Church Which caused the Eunuch vpon a litle information to cry vvhat lets I may not be baptized As also when Peters hearers cryed out vvhat shall vve do to be saved him to make this answer amend your liues be baptized and no sooner they confessed faith in Iesus but straight way they were baptised Yet this I suffix Faith apprehending the word of promise it trulie iustifieth with God and his Church before the Seale com seing the seale is not the Begetter but Confirmer of that faith whereby we apprehend righteousnes in Christ Iesus and so holy writ teacheth both of Circumcision and Baptisme I conclude then the two first and last of the 6. principles to be absolutely neccessary vnto salvation As for Baptisme it is required vnto salvation conditionally that is if it may before death be had nor ought it be deferred within the Church beyonde the 8. day called the Lord his day the day of Convention and in conuerting without the Church beleiuers for them and theyres ought presently to be baptised with the Eunuch Paul laylour and Lydia As for imposition it is also symply necessarie t◅ such as to whome it suiteth for the end where to it serueth that is not to seale saluation but to assure the sowle of GOD his helping hand in the work whereto the partie is alotted Not symplie necessarie in the Gathering and propheticall ministery and therefore we se before and vnder and after the lawe within and without the True visible church diuerse stirred vp to call people vnto God and his Christ who neuer had anie hand of man so put vpon them But it is symply necessary to a ministerie designed to a particular Church and therefore the Tabernacle ministerie Priests and Leuits and the new testaments ministrie Presbyters and Deacons they neuer were installed without it The principles then that are of absolute necessitie vnto saluation may therefore be deduced into two heads the first knowledg of the true Christ for otherwise our Sauiour telleth vs we shall haue manie kyndes of CHrists preached by pseudo-prophets to whose factions we are not to goe forth but only to repaire for our fedinge where his spirituall eyed Eagles do gather to his carcase or body slayne in word and sacraments as Paul afterwards described him crucified vnto the Galatians The second poynt is the true apprehension of Christ whome knowledge propoundeth and this is onlie by Faith a guifte of the spirit within but wrought by externall ministerie of preaching euen the preaching of faith And so hauinge giuen vnto vs his Son how shall he not with him giue vnto vs all things also Which apprehendinge faith is vnto others liue the beleiuer no longer after then the good theif on the crosse manifested by the fruit of the lips and in liuing longer it vtters it self conformable in som good measure to doe the commaundements of him who hath frelie saued him otherwise Iames termes it a Deuels faith a dead faith a meere delusion For the exellentie of true faith it Synecdo◅hicallie is put for the whole doctrine of the Ghospell Iude. 3. Gal. 3. 2. 1 Tim. 4. 1. alibj nor maruell because all obedience without it is but a Crab-fish crallinge backward and a Pharisaicall painted sepulcre for without this faith it is impossible to please God It is to all our actions as salt vnder the lawe was to all sacrifices the ◅erie sauourer and purifiez and this Peter maketh the cause of no difference betwene Iue and Gentile the purification of the heart by faith Act. 15. 9 which faith not mingled with the word when the Israelites heard it was cause of theyr downefall in the desert Heb. 4. 1. 2. When therefore an Auntient considered that the Iust li◅es by faith etc. He speaketh thus pathetically Faith is the originall of righteousnes the head of holynes the begining of deuotion the foundation of religion this excludeth doubts holdeth sure things sealeth vp
bene preached therefore now none of theyr Parish people visible Christians nor can the preachers be sayd to preach the ghospell Answer to the first conclusion First if they can prove euerie sowle there to have sufficiently heard that doctrine and yet to be Contumax which no reasonable sowle can beleiue then they say somthing Secondly the same word is exercised even now in England when the Sun of Brownisme shines in Netherlande shall we thinke it begets not faith in som now aswell as of yore and must those also be no visible Christians Thirdly the Author to the â—…ebrues fynding the people he writ vnto in a maner Dunces who for the tyme might have bene Doctors though he foâ—…res them with the irremissable syn which might steale vpon them through negligence yet He wold not pronounce them cut of from God The Apostle teacheth another Rule Philip. the second Conclusion As for that they preach if it contained not the substance of the Gospell how haps anie sowle hath bene saued or bene brought into the state of saluation thereby Death begets not lyfe falshood begets not truth and so no Brownist could euer by that preaching haue bene interessed with iustifyinge faith Faith is got by hearinge or haue they heard som Angel from heauen or did the first of them get theyr iustifying faith by readinge obiection But there is no promise made of good to such preaching although God somtymes extraordinarily do blesse it to good Answer Tis false for it hath bene the only ordinary way of begetting sowles to god for those 40. y togither vnder the raigne of our soueraigne Queene nor did euer other Doctrine in any age before beget true faith and therefore a promise of blessinge iâ—… lynked with that ground of faith be the preacher thereof otherwise aÌ„d for other causes highly reproueable Besides that euident effect Gold is as verily gold in the snowte of a swyne as vpon the fynger of Zorobabel Augustine teacheth this largely tellinge the Donatists that the 4. Riuers of Paradise though appointed for watring it yet they verilie ron downe into Egipt so equally mynded was he towards the schismatiks his sowle lothed But all must be no Ghospell with those which theyr aduersarie preacheth But to make the Ground of Brounisme lesse colourable to the allegiants theyr Suns light hath giuen afalse shyne and thus it is First they tell vs that in raising vp this Church-ministerie lay-men may ordaine by Laying on haÌ„ds and consecrating the partie to such businesse That this is but a dreame I haue all rules in scripture aÌ„d consent of all Auncients and all Churches in this age against them Are they not like to haue a sound platforme of externall church-order that begin in such disorder Sec they tell vs of a Doctor exercised in the Church her peculiar exercises and that in deliuering doctrin vpoÌ„ whome in the secoÌ„d place the Pastor must iump in with his exhortatioÌ„ distinguishing Doctor aÌ„d Pastor only by Doctrine aÌ„d Exhortation which rather ought to be reconciled by 1 Cor. 14. 26. hauing for this only a poore sermon written on Rom. 12. 3. c. misapplyinge verse 7. thertof as also the end of verse 8. for Men-widowes here against I haue the concordance of scripture and the voice of all Churches who acknowledge no Doctor peculiarly distinct but him of the Schooles much lesse did euer any dreame of menwidowes in one age or other Thirdly taking for graunted which is false to me who can proue a visible Church in all ages that all our synagogues were builded by Anti-christ to Idolatrie and therfore symply vnlawfull for a christian therein to pray or teach Besides the first may not be graunted I iudge theyr doctrine Iuish and after a sort to be a denyall of Christ com in the flesh and opposit to those scriptures Iohn 4. 21. 23. 1 Tim. 2. 8. 4. 4. Coloss. 2. 20. c. Isa. 23. 17. 18 Micah 4. 13. with others and heare againste hath bene the practise of the Church euer synce such was builded Fourthly they teach a man after the first excommunication he is to be held an enemie And to this end where Mr Barrowe had in his description of the Church placed that of the Apostle 2. Thess. 3. 15. after excommunication they in reprintinge it last yeare but subtilly giuing it tholde date as if he had bene of theyr mynd although both he Mr Penry Mr Greenwood wold haue shamed to stand in this and others theyr coÌ„demnations they do place that Apostolicall Canon before 〈◊〉 because they wold quickly ridde their hand of brotherly admonishments as for all scripture and 〈◊〉 the Catholike church it is euer against them As thei begin theyr discipline so they finish it in Censures vn-ruly neither beginning nor ending with anie harmonie of scripture or consent of anie church To omit other inventions of theyrs if now Corah Dathan and Abiram do seeke for offices by a lawe of theyr owne makinge trobling the Chatholicall Church with theyr start-vp inventions though they schismed not from the vniversall body vvhich they haue the vniuersall church of Israell is bound in payne of death vpon the insight of theyr insurrection to depart from theyr teÌ„ts againste whome alredy a deuouring fire is gone out from Iehouahs presence So far are they from beinge fitte to sit as Iudges on all others or fitte to prescribe rules of direction to all Churches But let them if they can afforde vs thinterpretation of any one Riddle in the Ghospell which they did not synd out by psowing with Samson his heifer in England Hearing thus that the grounds of Brownisme will nothing sheilter the Reuolts that vse them let vs heare what Dautâ—… saith of such as are adverse to the Church They that hate Zion the place where god hath put his name There called by Ezek. ch vlt. Iehouah-there because the eternall shold in habit there for euer they shalbe ashamed turned backward ashamed to returne they shall apostate They shalbe as the grasse on the howse tops despising fellowship with the lord his poore people in a lowe estate it may be because of som weeds they therefore cry stand apart com not nere to me for I am holier them thow and so they â—…ount vp alofte swelling in the bladder of theyr pride as grasse on the howse tops which vvithereth before it com forth these are saith Isaiah a smoke in the lords wrath they shalbe sodainly destroyed euen when the mockers eat and drinke saying peace vnto his owne sowle as euery of those hatefull spirits braggeth they neuer had such rest in theyr sowles but woe to those that are at rest in Zion much more at rest out of Zion whereof the Movver filleth not his band the Man of god may hope to reape such for the Lord his barne but god his iudgment ceazing on the proud Pharises the ministers hope shalbe frustrate neither shall the glainer fill his lappe nor shall anie