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A08773
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Two briefe treatises The one containing matter of perswasion and expostulation concerning catechisme with certaine positions of like consideration. The other, touching peace betweene the minister and his people: as likewise the lawfulnesse, and dutie of the ministers presenting (if need require) outward disobedience vnto his ministerie.
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C. P., fl. 1616.
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1616
(1616)
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STC 19059; ESTC S120093
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15,965
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59
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TWO BRIEFE TREATISES The one containing matter of Perswasion and Expostulation concerning CATECHISME With certaine Positions of like consideration The other touching Peace betweene the Minister and his People As likewise the lawfulnesse and dutie of the Ministers Presenting if need require outward disobedience vnto his Ministerie LVKE 19.39 40. And some of the Pharisees which were of the companie said vnto him Master Rebuke thy Disciples But he answering said vnto them If these hold their peace the stones shall crie LONDON Printed by W. Stansby for William Butler and are to be sold at his shop in S. Dunstanes Church-yard in Fleetstreet 1616. TO MY GODLIE AND REVEREND BRETHREN of the MINISTERIE Grace and Mercie from GOD in CHRIST HAuing by speciall occasion and for the vse of mine owne laboured this little thing supposing some other rurall Congregations also might not be vnlike and it comming to the sight of some of my friends of greater learning and iudgement by farre then my selfe and thought not vnfit to goe abroad for winning in people if God so blesse it more willing obedience vnto this Exercise yea and some little incitation vnto some of yâ—â— my Brethren with leaue be it spoken slumbering I know not how yes by a sole estimation as I iudge of the maruellous indeede Diuine and most excellent Exercise of publike Preaching the glorie thereof by much and often beholding hauing dazeled your eyes for farre be it from any hauing the spirit of Christ to say or thinke this Chaire is base and below mine honour where the chiefest in the Church may sit with grace and grauitie this thing weake and beneath my strength wherein the tallest and strongest may goe deepe vnto his length in the neglect of this dutie diuine also and such as making the beautie of Preaching the more to shine the profit of Preaching the more to spread very kindly and comely as mother and daughter or friend with friend may go together I commend it to your godly consideration and my selfe to your charitable opinion seeking herein nothing else but the best welfare of you and yours and praying for the same vnto Him who hauing loued vs so as laying down his life for our sakes and looking for this very fruit of our loue towards him againe saith vnto euery Peter Feede Feede not my Sheepe onely but also my Lambes euen with this Milke at the first as fittest for them Your willing though weake fellow-laborer in the worke of the Ministerie C. P. Faults escaped PAge 2. in the margent adde l. 2. Esai 65. 1. l. 5. Prou. 1.24 l. 7. Iohn 8.40 p. 7. l. 23. for hardly knowne reade vtterly vnknowne p. 9. l. 9. in the marg adde Athanas in Symbol operum Tom. 2. p. 10. l 16. for If reade Of p. 15. l. 24 for to a plentifull reade to a plentifull p. 16. l. 1. for ble reade ble p. 20. l. 10. for Examinants reade Example p. 31. l. 4. for bee reade bee p. 33. l. 6. for Ministers reade Ministers without comma p. 34. l. 24. for truth reade truth p. 35. l. 12 for one reade one without comma l. 18. in marg Ezech. 3.19 p. 36. l. 21. for Ministerie reade Ministerie p. l. 4. for this reade thease l 19. for Church reade Church p. 39. l. 4. for or reade by p. 42. l. 8. marg for 2. Cor. 2. reade 2. Cor. 4.2 p. 43. l. 8. marg for Psal 100. reade Psal 110. p. 46. l. 22. marg for Iere. 24. reade Iere. 23. p. 49. l. 5. put out and. l. 22. for a reade and. p. 50. l. 1. reade euen the soule p. 51. l. 23 for 23.26 reade 20.26 in the margent A BRIEFE TREATISE CONTAINING matter of Perswasion and Expostulation concerning CATECHISME With certaine Positions of like consideration THat the first sinne and vnlawfull desire of passing diuine knowledge procured by the Deuill hath brought into our nature through Gods just judgement in punishing by the contrarie not Ignorance alone but the bondage a 2. Cor. 3.17 of ignorance if we were ignorant the wilfull ignorance of manie in the things of God especially most lowdly proclaymeth it And in this are three degrees first an indisposition or no inclination of our selues to seeke the truth Secondly a declination to winde away from truth when the same is offered and thirdly an opposition and ciuile warre against the truth The sinne and shame hereof being so much the greater as that wee all must confesse that the Vow of Baptisme to renounce the Deuill and his Kingdome of ignorance is to the contrarie For we here speake not of professed Infidels but of Christians so called and yet refusing instruction for Christian knowledge Against whome as a weake and vnworthie Minister in this Church yet willing by Gods grace to instruct mine owne and here as speaking to mine owne I thus reason first in the words of Christ Which of you can rebuke me of sinne And he here meaneth it as I also doe and must of necessitie of falsehood which is the sinne of Doctrine But if I teach you the truth why doe yee not beleeue b Ioh. 8.46 it or at least embrace the knowledge of it But as the Iewes oppressed with the light and euidence of truth and so vrged indeede to yeeld their subjection to Christ and the Deuill on the contrarie to hold his owne pulling them backe and putting in their mindes and mouthes to call for his authoritie asked him saying By what authoritie doest thou these things and who gaue thee this authoritie c Math. 21.23 As seeming if this might appeare they would then giue place for truth indeed taught by authoritie hath great power to perswade if grace be not vtterly banished out of the heart so the people in this striuing and strugling against the obedience of publike CATECHISME the truth therein taught hauing vanquished their thoughts seeke here to breake loose speaking thus in effect and almost in verie words against their Teachers What authoritie haue they to compell vs to this And why should they bring vs vnder their girdle To whome I answere in manner almost as Christ there of Iohn his Baptisme for defence of himselfe Authoritie The Authoritie of the Church to command and compell her children as in this shee doth d Can. 59. for the good of their soules is it not from Heauen Is it not from Christ Who hath all power giuen him in Heauen and in Earth e Math. â—8 18 saying vnto Peter and the rest of the Apostles and in them to the whole Church and namely the Gouernours thereof To thee will I giue the keyes of the kingdome of Heauen whatsoeuer thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound in Heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heauen f Math. 16.19 And if this preuaile not with them I leaue them to that number which say in the Psalme Let vs breake their bonds asunder Psal 2.3 and cast away their
they should not answer is this they know it well enough and then what neede of answere but how knoweth the Pastor the state of his flocke as he ought to doe a Acts 20.28 if hee know not their knowledge and that by their answer but they know but cannot vtter What not at all in no sort able to speake so that another may vnderstand that they vnderstand it is a rule in the Law and good in reason that Not to bee and not to appeare or made knowne to be is all one There is weaknesse I confesse in manie touching this point in their owne words to deliuer that which otherwise they conceiue and let these then especially thanke their mother who respecting their infirmity teacheth thē to speak and giueth very words and the same very godly wise learned and most materiall into their mouthes by answeres appointed in publike Catechisme And of this no more the thing is so plaine and of that nothing as being nothing which yet I haue heard that they must doe their fathers their masters businesse their earthly fathers and masters they meane though this busines to know and doe their fathers their masters will which is in heauen lie still as accounted no businesse at all But miserable seruant is he who knoweth no Master but on earth and most vnhappie childe whose father is not our Father in Heauen Whose will and pleasure is first to be knowne and his seruice preferred before all other The second sort of obiections is against the kinde or manner of Catechising by the Minister his teaching say they is darke Be it so for so is all teaching of other things at first and this especially more different from our nature more hindered by Satan by many esteemed much lesse necessarie then worldly knowledge and therefore is giuen the lesse attention for vnderstanding and sooner a little learned to helpe on further is forgotten and euery Teachers gift is not alike and yet euerie lawfull Teacher must be heard and many of better and quicker capacitie finde that verie easie which others not hauing this gift of GOD who is bound to none z Matth. 20.15 doe thinke and report to bee hard and darke Againe they obiect against the time saying Hee is too long but halfe an hower or some what more yea sometimes an hower is not to long If any exceede or fault much herein through indiscretion let them mend their fault or beare the blame they haue deserued But he teacheth with austeritie I like it not but I allow that he teach as with authoritie a Tit. 2.15 and yet tenderly as neede requireth the poorest in the place no lesse then were hee the Kings sonne But some worst of all and by the verie suggestion of the deuill himself in this most occupied effectually of none if possible as neither professedly or vocally of any especially in the face of the Congregation to be forsaken when all is well done in matter and manner without exception accuse the minde and obiect ill meaning and it is say they to shew learning and it is to bee singular and it is to keepe vnder and I know not what It was the secret obiection against Christ himselfe whose workes and actions beeing perfectly good in the eyes of all men and by the iudgement of that sense which could not erre no man could possibly obiect against them Neither were his words and doctrine lesse holy and good but heere notwithstanding because the tongue may deceiue they ranne to his conscience accusing his inward corrupt and guilefull meaning which in my iudgement causeth the holy Ghost in the Prophet and other places expresly to adde Neither was there guile found in his mouth b Isa 53.9 That is what he alwaies spake most holily and well vnto the eares of all men hee ment it sincerely without any the least staine or mixture of euill thought or hypocrisie And charitie which is not suspicious c 1. Cor. 13.7 when matter and forme cannot bee faulted feareth to accuse the inward thoughts and leaueth that iudgement as of right belonging vnto GOD alone According vnto which I also conclude with the Apostles admonition Iudge nothing before the time vntill the Lord come who will lighten things that are hid in darkenesse and make the counsels of the hearts manifest And then shall euerie man both Minister and people according as their thoughts wordes and workes are haue prayse or dispraise of GOD d 1. Cor. 4.5 To whom bee prayse and glorie for euer Amen CERTAINE POSITIONS OF LIKE CONSIDERATION with the former Wherein sometimes for more full explication the same thing almost is set downe in other words HE that is much vnwilling to learne Christ by the voice of his Mother the Church of Christ is not yet come to bee a true childe of the Church and keepeth his name and place in the Church onely by some outward profession Knowledge of the Mysterie of Christ in a sufficient measure vttered sufficiently in any manner when lawfully required and ioyned with good life may commend a man for a sufficient Christian. A willing minde to learne with dutifull endeuour and able to vtter and vttering when neede requireth with seemely reuerence the wordes of knowledge with little or no knowledge as yet of the matter it selfe giueth hope of beeing afterwards a good Christian Refusall to learne either words or matter or compulsiue learning and repeating with the least shew of contempt in place publike and before authoritie giueth signe of a reprobate and childe of the Deuill The bare knowledge of words without knowledge or care of the matter is auaileable so farre onely that such one may bee held a member of the visible Church and if hee so continue is assuredly no member of the true Church Vtter disobedience vnto publike Catechisme especially ioyned with grosse ignorance a true note or triall who is not and will not bee a true Christian. Outward obedience vnto publike Catechisme as likewise all other exercises of true Religion though ioyned with knowledge in great degree no certaine note of a true Christian. Grosse ignorance and vtter obstinacie to learne by the gentlest teaching in any child or seruant of age to receiue the holy Communion the most necessary Principles of Christian Religion and namely that in publike Catechisme which belongeth to the Lords Supper most worthily deserueth at least a stay by the Minister reseruing the matter vnto further cognizance from the holy Communion as being nothing else in effect and for the time but a reall renouncing the faith of his Baptisme He that is not a friend to Catechisme is not yet come to be a good Christian and he that is an enemy is of the Deuill Knowledge of God in Christ being absolutely and equally necessary for all of what age or condition soeuer they bee in the wisdome and care of the Church for all her children the publike Exercise of Catechisme ought to bee generall at least for