to be truly reconciled to that Church againe I returne I returne sweete Father of Heauen keepe me in my returne The Seuenth Dialogue betweene Flyer and Mediocritie Flyer WHO is that which goes afore myne old friende Mediocritie Medocri What M. Flyer I heard you were gone beyond-sea Flyer I haue been beyond sea a few dayes This foreroone I but landed and so am setting homewardes as fast as I can Mediocri I pray you what a Land is it you hane been in Flyer Surely I can not tell All the time was there taken vp with the matter 〈◊〉 the Tongue as I had no leasure to suruay the subiect of my Feete Buâ— this I am sure that a man can not passe there by the by-way but he shall be assaulted with one transformed spirit or another Neuer in my life did I meete with such Heretiques and deceitfull Hypocrites Had I not seene heard and felt I should neuer haue beleeued Mediocri I am glad that you haue learned by Experience what you would neuer learne by my tender Information But I pray you How stand you now affected for Religion Flyer Stand quoth yee I haue been so much acquainted with falling as I know not well what to say vnto standing Meeting with an Anabaptist and vnderstanding the groundes of my Separation he by strength of the same groundes did beat me from that hold and spite my heart made me to graunt a separation from Doctrine so well as from Discipline so that I was ready to turne Anabaptist Then I met with a Legatine-arrian a perilous fellow hee vpon the graunt of no visible-visible-Church for the time of Antichristes raigne did vnauoydably conclude that neither any visible Church could yet be till God raysed vp new Apostles who might with Doctrine and Myracles gather people to the true Fayth and so incommend vnto them the Sacramentes and other Ordinaunces To him ouernight I consented but harke what fell out the next day in the morning Next day I met with a Familist Hee by his talke of Loue Loue and the beeing in Loue and nothing but Loue so preuayled togither with his running glozing on Scripture as I left all to follow him till I see his beeing in loue and luâ—t with Tannikin the TapuÌ„er which shamefull sight made mee to bid Fie on them all And turning my face homewardes againe I pluckt vp my feete to Flushing I came stayde the winde a while had shipping readie and to Grauesend I came in a few howers God haue the prayse for all his mercies Meâ—iocâ— Then I hope that you will returne againe to vnitie with our Church Flyer If I doe not so I must turne Turke for any thing I yet see I am â—omwhat ashamed to returne First for â—hat I should be thought to be vnconâ—â—ant and yet constancie in a Schisme â—s but obduration in ill Secondly I â—â—care to become a â—â—ast vnto many for â—auing so foolishly consumed my Paâ—trimonie and yet better be flouted at â—f a few meâ— for a time then to be perpetually ieaâ—ed at of Diuels Mediocri Brother brother be contented to beare your shame for passed folly Know and reuerence your Mother not withstanding her wantes Her wantes be of the By not of the Mayne She hath the Word of eternall life then whither will you goe Antichristianisme as I often told you consistes not in euery ill for then euery soule vnder heauen should be Antichristian but it consistes in such an euill as is fundamentally opposite to the Ghospell that is to the Doctrine of Fayth For which cause the Apostle â—earmeth Antichrist such an Aduersary as is Antikeimenos the layer of an opposite foundation And such a one indeed were he an Angell from Heauen is to be helde Anathematized The very Wheate-fielde it selfe Christes possession hath Tares not onely in it but also in Communion with the Wheat Yea in so strict communion with the Children of the Kingdome as such euil-ones cannot be excommunicate with the good of the Church and therefore permitted to grow till GOD weed them out The Tare is not euery euill for then euery euill should grow and the Churches censures were idle but they be such euil-ones as can be no more remooued with the Churches good then Tares from Wheate with which it first groweth vp hypocritically as Wheate but in time discloseth it selfe for a close winder about not an vpright grower Wantes are to be lamented and the good not fled from much lesse condemned for no Wheate because it standes in some communion with Tares Other Weedes that grow loose from the Wheate are timelily to be remooued and yet if the Husbandman sometimes neglect that dutie God forbid that we should therevppon conclude that all the Wheate is no more Wheate and so no visible Christian in the Lordes possession Nor do the Holy thinges of God cease to be Holy because they be sometimes conueyde to euil-ones so well as to them be good euen as the Raine is the same which God sendeth vpon the Wheate and Tare Hearbe and Weede but the Holy thinges prophaned become Iudgement to the prophaners and yet cease not to be Holy be it Word or Sacrament to the Reuerend receiuers O brother the Sacrifices were seasoned with Salt before they flamed on the Alter and so should our Soules be seasoned with Discretion before they flamed in our Churches Some haue Knowledge no Zeale a cold house must-there be kept and some haue much Zeale small Skill no maruaile if he set the house on fire No man sayth the Apostle striuing for a maisterie is crowned except he striue as he ought This is farre from beeing as it ought 1 To call our Mother the Church an Whore because she hath some wantes or in somewhat crosseth our humour 2 To spit in her face and to runne away from her so soone as we thinke we can shift for our selues 3 To goe and band our selues with other Mâ—l-contents for murdring our Mother as hauing no life of God in her 4 Yea to proclaime all her Children Bastardes For if she were neuer a true Church neuer maried to Christ then could she neuer bring foorth a lawfull but a bastardly-seed And so all our holy Martyrs dying in and for the same Fayth should also with vs be Aliens from the life of Christ Iesus Fearefull actions blaspemous conclusions But better it can not be with such as withdraw vnto perdition O my soule haue no pleasure in them Flyer Sweete Mediocritie I now see the soundnes of al these conclusions which before Experience I but held as pleas for corruption God lay not that sinne to my charge and he for his Sonnes sake reduce other wandring soules to peaceable vnitie with our Church that so we may be as one flocke vnder that one great Archbishoppe of our soules Christ Iesus Amen Mediocri Amen Now we be come to the Citie and it is hy-time for him to eate that did not eate any thing to day I
long-swords do keepe out the Ordinances of Christ Iesus Haue you not so taught and written Mal. content Indeed I thinke I so writ once in a Sermon vpon Rom. 12.6 7 8. and in some of my Petitions to the Parliament c. Flyer In your c. you may vnderstande many other Bookes the most of your publique Sermons and specially your Conuenticles in secret where your priuat Disciples might priuately applaud you And if you remember I was one of your Classis when in Cambridge you in secret chattred out that Sermon vpon Rom. 12. which afterwardes was published without name because it seemeth you were not minded for it publiquely to take up Christs crosse and so to follow him Mal-con You Flyers be exceeding harsh in your censures Flyer And you sir Mal-content exceeding doble in your dealinges But to come to the poynt doe you not stand a member of that Church whose gouernment is Antichristian Mal-con What if I doe Flyer Then you are a member of Antichrist and all your Prayers and Preachinges but so many badges of the Beast and all accursed Mal-con But it may be I stand no ordinarie member of that Church Flyer Are you a member of the Church of England yea or no Mal-con A member I am but no Ordinarie member For though I sometimes heare some man preach that is but occasionally as a man passing by some Scolds might occasionally giue them a while the hearing And as for the sacrament of Communion I neuer meddle with it because Righteousnes can haue no fellowship with vnrighteousnes and so I am no ordinarie member Flyer O monstrous hypocrisie with your two-peny-ordinary Was it euer heard of in the Bible that a man should be a member not a member of a Church which you call a member not-ordinary So I may be a member of the Church of Rome a member of Mahomets Sinagogue and of whom not It this be not a Babel a Confusion of men and manners what then can bee But answere to this question Under whose gouernment are you whiles you are in a parish Church hearing a Preacher of the Bishops ordination Mal-con To speake the trueth vnder the regiment of Antichrist Flyer Are you not there held for a Subiect to the sayd Antichristian regiment Mal-cont The most it may be doe but it may be that some there know that my heart is against their doinges Flyer So the good testimonie which you should seeke for of men doth rest vpon It may be it may be It may be you may leaue this halting but I know not when The Prophet Daniel had not this subtiltie when though he did well he would not be thought of any to do euill as omitting duetie of prayer to God Hananiah Azariah and Mishael could by your Religion haue bowed before the Idoll and notwithstanding haue sayd that their heartes were against it and one of them could haue borne witnesse of anothers good meaning But they had learned that both body and soule were bought with a price euen with the blood of the immaculate Lambe and therefore they must glorifie God in both Trueth is naked and seekes none of these corners But tell me I pray you If the King should giue all his Subiects leaue to forsake all communion with the Confused people leitourgie and gouernement of the Church of England would you not for sake them all and betake you presently to that Church whereof I am a member Mal-cont Indeed I should And that is the maine point in truth the King not giuing leaue to come out of this Aegypt this spirituall house of bondage Flyer Mal-content You tearme your Church uery fitly A spirituall house of bondage And because Spirituall therefore not to be fraied in till y e King giue leaue to goe out Do more then the Theefe Adulterer or Durtherer is to stay in his sinne till the King bid him go out And yet these euils against the second Table onely whereas the other is hypocrisie in Religion and flat Idolatrie against the first Table of the â—orall law which commaundeth Holynesse towardes God as the second inioyneth Righteousnesse towardes man Though Daniel Hananiah Azariah Mishael and their brethren might not depart Babel them coastes till y e King gaue leaue yet they might ought and did depart from their Idolatrie and false worship howsoeuer their Godyes for testifying against it were â—ardly intreated and still kept in corpoâ—all bondage Mal-con Mee thinkes M. Flyer you now â—uch your selfe who departes the Kinges territories and your owne natiue land which is more for planting a Church amonst a people of hard language For which respect a principall Norwich-man of your sect hath helde you for a true Church while yee were in your owne Nation But departing once the limits of your owne language he hath taught that so ye apostate from Fayth and Charitie and to be no true Church I thinke you cannot answere him Flyer If I could not yet that is no excuse for your standing in spirituall euil But I pray you did not Elias fly in time of persecution Did not our Sauiour so and teach his Apostles to do so Mal-con True but no flight to continue with any people whose language they vnderstood not much lesse there to plant a Church Flyer Well for that poynt I am not yet studied I will aske councell about it Meane time looke you to your winding and doubling euen against the light of your minde and confession of your mouth Mal-con Nay we haue some of vs moe exceptions against you For you cannot be contented onely to depart from vs but you condemne euery soule of our Church for a lim of the sonne of Perdition and so to stand visibly in the state of damnation Whereas you know well enough that many of vs grone vnder the burden of sinne and do striue after that is good Flyer Mal-content Mal-content you must not onely grone vnder sinne but grieue at it and fly from it as I and others haue who as Hee-goates before the Flocke haue gone foorth with our faces towardes Sion Mal-con Besides M. Flyer in the writings you publish you fill all the Margines with allegations from Scripture and the most to none or to a lying purpose As to giue one instance It is held of you and vs that the new Testament hath his peculiar forme of Church-gouernment giuen by Christ and that the old Testament hath his peculiar gouernment giuen by Moses And yet for proofe of Christes Discipline and Institutions you quote Scriptures from the olde Testament which planely establish the Mosaicall orders A seconde instance may be this Such Scriptures as speake of the inuisible Church knowen to God for holy and vnspotted you quote for probatioÌ„ of the visible Church her state and constitution which you intende must be Visibly all holy and vnspotted in this life If such allegation of Scripture be not a notable taking of Gods name in vaine I then vnderstand nothing Flyer First let it be so
there could be no more a true Esse of the Church till from God some myraculous Ministerie should breath new life into the people as of Stones raysing vp Children vnto Abraham Anabapt A true Esse What is that I hold my life it is somewhat of the Romane beastes language Legat. arr I despise the seauen headed Monster more then you Neither care I a straw for Hebrew Greeke or Latine for thankes to his diuine Maiestie I neuer was an Uniuersity-man much lesse an Academicall Diuine or Theologue nor haue I troubled my selfe about the Beastes tongue Only as in reasoning I haue bin pressed with such a word I haue obserued it for slaying another time the Medianite with his owne sword Anabapt Fowle Heretike I would thou knew it I hate this prophane learning and language so well as thou I am a Prophet of the true Church and yet get my lyuing by making of Swordes the first calling I was trayned in Legat. ar Whia sir foole you hold the Magistrate to be onely an Ordinaunce since Christes time without the Church and that the vse of the Sword is vnlawfull You therefore in making Swordes doe vphold Bloodshed and Warres which otherwise you hold vnlawfull And so a raucke hypocrite Anabap. Sawcie princocks the Apostle hath charged vs to walke in the same calling wherein we were called to be Christians but when I was called to be a Christian I was a Sword-maker therefore in that called I ought to continue Legat. ar Gray head and greene minde by like proportion I reason thus The Apâ—stle commaundes a man to walke in the same calling a man was of when he was called to Christianitie But when I was called vnto Christianitie my calling was to keepe an Whore-house therefore being now called to be a Christian I ought yet to keepe an Whore-house Country-man take heede of him for vnder his pâ—aine habite voyde of Silke Ueluet and Pearse and yet I warrant thee of as softly English cloth as his Purse could purchase there lurketh all counterfaite dealing He would be thought most aduerse to the Romanistes and yet in the doctrines of Predestination Freewill Iustification mayne fundamentall poyntes he iumpeth one with them besides that execrable Heresie that Christ had a Corporall nature from Heauen not from vs wherevpon must necessarily follow that then he could neuer satisfie Gods iustice for vs. Anabapt Heauens-power how great is thy lenitie in bearing with such blasphemie Faythfull Proselite hanke in thine eare come to me there to night or tomorrow morning and thou shalt be inspired from aboue with power to resist all the deuises of such Charmers charme they neuer so wittily Farewell deare Proselite for I will trudge before least my eares become receptacles of his vnhallowed breathinges THE FOVRTH DIALOGVE betweene the Flyer and Legatine-arrian Legatine-arrian DEare Countryman may I be so bold as to inquire wherefore you came into these parts Flyer Good sir to speake the truth I came from the Separistes in London with full purpose to ioyne with that Church of them which is in these partes But meeting with this man as I came from Flushen where I landed and discoursing with him about Religion I verily resolued to ioyne with him and his Congregation But perceiuing by your Dialoguizing with him that all is meere foolerie to beleeue that either Hee or Brownist or Mal-content is of any true Church yea that there can be no Christian communion till a myraculous Ministerie be stirred vp of God for baptising people and calling them into Christian communion I herevpon haue giuen him the bagge Fish where he shall he shall haue no Fish of mee And therefore good sir seeing it pleased the Almightie to saue mee myraculously from seas and I perceiue it was for keeping mee to be instructed of you my humble desire is to vnderstande of you what a soule is to doe in this case there being not onely no true visible Church on the earth but also no true visible Christian I beseech you pray for mee or else I know not what shall become of mee Legat. ar Pray for you I may but pray with you I may not Prayer with one is an action of communion as for example if I should say Our Father Giue Vs this day our bread Forgiue Vs our sinnes Lead not Vs into temptation this should imply that you and I were in communion or christian fellowship But before that myraculous Ministerie as afore shall come and gather the Gentiles into such communion and Elias come for calling the Iewes there can be no such fellowship and therefore no such prayer When I come at my Chamber I will pray for you Flyer I pray you sir let me next Sabaoth day haue accesse vnto your Congregation for I doubt not but you haue some Congregation heere in Zeland Legat. ar How sillily you speake I haue all this while taught you that there is no Church nor visible Christian in the world as yet seeing no myraculous Apostles haue yet been sent to Baptize people and call them into communion and you talke of a Church Besides it is a notable badge of Antichrist for any christian Congregation vpon the Sabaoths conuention or any other time of the Churches meeting to admit of any vnbeleeuer or stranger to the fayth vnto the Pastorall exercise For is it not written in 1. Cor. 14.22 Prophecie serueth not for them that beleeue not but for them which beleeue Flyer Then I perceiue that all such as I haue left behinde me haue serued Antichrist in hypocrisie for they suffer any Infidell to come vnto their exercise of Prophecie or Preaching But my Countrimen the Flyers haue herein sinned aboue all for they permit infidelious Marchantes and others to come on the Thurseday vnto their exercise of Prophecie when ten to one by reason of some brabling canse then to be pleaded the Congregation meeteth â—ayeth and departeth without any Prayer at all or exercise of their propheticall guiâ—tes Legat. arr Propheticall guiftes Propheticall fooleries Tom Lace-seller and Abraham Pin-seller so I thinke M. Henry Barrow spoke in the Fleete must come out and spatter their meaninges and this must be called the exercise of Prophecie Flyer O excellent man of God I am sory that we be come notâ— into the tayle of Midleburghe for that will brake off our Discourse Legat. arr O prophane speach you should haue sayd into the Suburbs of Midleburghe Flyer The word Suburbs I tooke to be â— word of Latine and so of the Beastes language which made me to auoyde it Legat. ar Therein I commende your zeale For in their Translations they cannot be contented to say My God my God why hast thou forsaken me but before it they must put downe their prophane Latine Elj Elj lamasabâ—thenj Nor can be contented to say God hath sent the spirit of his Sonne to cry Father but they must turne it Abba father At Amsterdam I once checked a Preacher that is now in England for such fooleries
would pray you to walke home with me to take part thankfully of such as God shall send for the present Flyer I thanke you sir. Hauing gotten the Citie againe on my backe methinks I am as the Prodigall that hauing left a company of filthy Swine behinde him hath got his Fathers house on his bead where he may feed comfortably and sleepe safely CERTAINE POSITIONS NECESSARILY to be held for auoyding errour first touching the Church secondly Antichrist Touching the Church 1 THE Church of God had a visible beeing vpon Earth from Adam vnto Christ or else S. Lukes draught of the Genealogie were to small or no purpose 2 The Church of God from Christes time hitherto hath and to the worlds end shall haâ—e as true a visibilitie as the former Christ hauing no lesse care ouer his Church in her Ful-age then he had before in her Non-age 3 But as the Church of the olde Testament was not alwayes alike visible so neither this of the new Testament 4 For as the Church is compared to the Moone so in the Moone we see much change inowe more and inowe lesse seeable and lesse glorious And howsoeuer sometimes she be quite latent and hid to some part of the Earth yet to some otherpart of the Earth she is euer patent and visible And euen so it is with the Church in this life 5 And as she is compared to a Wheat-field in the middest whereof some enemie doth secretly sowe Tares So she consisting of the Children of the Kingdome shall haue to her griefe Children of the wicked in midst of her bosome Howsoeuer at the first plantation by the Apostles through all Natiâ—ns she was excellently visible yet afterwardes her Field is ouergrowne with euill to the vexation of waking Ministers And so she is to continue with grieuance of spirit till the great Haruest time that there can be a seperation made without violence vâ—â—o her body 6 As she was represented by Salomons Temple which is inowe all beauteous and rich Inow robbed and spoyled anone consumed to the Earth but afterwardes as Ezekiel saw raysed vp with greater glory Euen so the Church in her beginning was glorious by Kinkes bringing their Crownes to it she became Rich. Afterwards sacrilegious persons fleeced her of her Plate carrying it into the house of their God Belly not Bell. And in the end she shall be layde flat with the Earth and passe as refyned through Fire But an happy ResurrectioÌ„ shal be made to the augmentation of her glory-eternall And that and no other is her Re-plantation 7 Idolatrie set vp in the Hy-places of Israel from the time of their Schisme from Iudah till their deportation it neuer caused a Nullitie of the Church howsoeuer a Diminution And therefore it was that the Lord not onely called Israel his people but also raysed vp Prophets vnto them continually hauing also amongst them whole schooles of Prophets and Prophets children euen in the corruptest times The same may be sayd of Iudah when Idols were reared vp in the Temple The like also may be remembred of Israel in Aegipt Ezek. 20. 5. c. The reason is rendred sometimes for the sakes of a few he spareth many Sometimes againe he will not take the aduantage against her for his owne names sake 8 Sometimes the Church restes in orderly constitution as in Iudeâ— sometimes shaken out of order as was the Apostolicall Church at Ierusalem and caryed away captiue as the Iewes were for seauentie yeares And yet whether in Constitution or out of Constitution ordred or disordred she was trueâ—y visible Secundum Maius Minus A lesse priuiledge the Church of the New Testament cannot haue 9 That Commaundement in Math. 18. Tell the Church is an affirmatiue iniunction as is that Three times a yeare euery male shall come to Ierusalem As these three times a yeare could not be obserued when they were in Captiuitie so neither the Church could be told but when she was vnscattered and in some tollerable constitution Commaundements Affirmatiue do not alwayes binde but Negatiues doe No euill forbidden may be done at any time but many Affirmatiues enioyned may sometimes be lawfully vndone because the occasion or meanes of doing them is lacking The Romanistes therefore presse that Dic Ecclesiae to no purpose 10 The Church so alwayes hauing some visible face it must ineuitably follow that Hel-gates neuer preuayled against her And so by consequent that that doctrine of Fayth in Christ which Peter peached in Math. 16. it neuer fayled in the Church but of some of her members haue been held and preached truely and effectually and so that is the Euerlasting Ghospell spoken of in the Reuelation which in the last times maugre the Beast is preached as farre as the Heauens extend Touching Antichrist and Antichristianisme 1 ANtichrist implyeth either one that is opposite vnto Christ or one that taketh falsely vpon him the place of Christ. If he take vpon him the place of Christ it is as the counterfaite Lambe in Reu. 13. to dispense saluation by a contrary meanes as is the doctrine of Iustification before God by Workes the Ghospell saying the contrary Not by Workes but by Fayth 2 As he is opposite vnto Christ so specially and in Scripture-sense in a manner onely for that he teacheth a contrary Ghospell that is A glad tydinges contrary to that of Christ and so it comes to the former according to his title Antikeâ—menos obserued from the 2. Thess. 2.4 giuen also in 1. Cor. 16.9 to such as opposed to the foundation of Fayth preached by the Apostle Sottish therefore be such Schismatiques as haue taught that euery euill is Antichristianisme They may as well say that euery one of Gods Children hath Antichristianisme in him and in sinning whatsoeuer sinne he is an Antichrist And as foolish haue they been who conclude all vnder any Apostaticall Pope to be damned as lymmes of Antichrist when as vnder the most corrupt regiment many howsoeuer ignorantly stayned with sundry euils haue held the Ghospels foundation euen the doctrine of Iustification most truely and soundly Sed vno mâ—lo concesso sequuntur Infinita 3 Antichristianisme so properly vnderstood is a matter of Doctrine not of Discipline a matter of Fayth not of externall Policie And not of any Doctrine or any Fayth but a Doctrine opposite to that Fayth which is to be had in Christ Iesâ— onely for perfect iustification Anâ— that aduerse Doctrine is as that stinâ— of the Locust-scorpion in Reuel 9â— which exceedingly payneth the seâ—duced soule bringing it to plaine desâ—peration For howsoeuer the doctrinâ— of Iustification by Workes doth lookâ— amiably at the first blush yet wheâ— that soule shall lay her Workes to thâ— ballance of the Law it shal be so farrâ— from finding comfort in it as it shalâ— dispaire seeke by vntimely deathâ— to strangle the Remembrance of it 4 The Antichrist or Antikeimenisâ— considered then as one Man is