new forme of Churches beginning Whereas alas it may be reformed and purged but no more is to be planted as at first it was by the Apostles For as the beginning of plantation was euer practised by miraculous ministers witnesse Moses and Aaron to Israel and the Apostles to the new Testaments kingdome so besides that it was to incommend vnto such Churches new lawes for the substance therof which before they had not As for vs Christians we receiued such a kingdome as for the substance thereof it hath euermore preuailed against infernall powers And gladly I would know of our Schismatikes if so the Being vnder Romes gouernment it simply or essentially caused all such to be limmes of Antichrist and that to be the beastes marke for the which all such should drinke of the wine of God his wrath I would then demaund of them First where the Church then for 1000. yeares hath been visible and so consequently what assurance they haue that their present faith for the substance therof hath preuailed They can make no answer but against all scripture Secondly I would know of them why the corrupt gouernment of Rome should make all vnder it Antichristian and then the Nicolaitans Balaamits Iesabels disciples and all Anabaptists they should not be to vs as well true visible Christians Seeing these were and are in the Brownistes iudgement vnder the true externall Church-gouernment of Christ Is Romes gouernment stronger for euill then Christes for good Either here they must answer blasphemously or else they must grant truly That the essence or Being of true Christianitie and Antichristianitie it resâ—eth not in outward Church-gouernment but in an obedience and subiection to a foundation of faith truly Christian or Antichristian And for this cause as Antichrist is 2. Thess. 2.4 termed Anti-kâ—imâ—nos a a layer of an opposite foundation so it is his false fundamentall doctrine which is his marke euen as it is not outward Church-gouernment which marketh therfore out a true Christian for heretikes oft haue that skin of the sheepe but a firme biding by the foundation as the Apostle noteth to the Corinths And this ground is it wheron Master Caluin staÌ„deth wheÌ„ he beleeues the saluation of diuers Ancients liuing in too to corrupted ages But here the Romanists will say Then you Protestantes are gone out of the Church inasmuch as you are departed from vs. I answer we departed but from a notable foundation of faith opposite to the very grounds of the gospell Which opposite ground as it was long in laying so it was fully setled by theÌ„ in that infamous Councell of Trident. Besides we doubt not but we haue left some true Christians in that Church witnes such as amongst themselues they daily persecute euen as the many thousands of Iewes left Daniel and some others behinde in Babell what time they returned vnto Ierusalem But as those of the returne could not be called schismatikes from Daniel first because the time of captiuitie was expired secondly because Daniel should haue done better to haue followed them then they to haue returned vnto him euen such is our case First it was decreed and experience will manifest that how we should be for 1260. yeares captiued then that the beast should begin to kill faster then before the reason was because now the Prophets were more zealous then afore whereupon a tenth part of the Beasts Citie or congregation should fall away from him their kings and rulers now hauing in their heart to be auenged by fire on that purple whore which before had made them drunken as swine Our King Henrie began that worthie worke his princely son Edward continued it happily but our soueraign Queen Elizabeth hath not only brought her own people vnder the banner of Iesus but hath lent her princely hand vnto Churche's all abroad countenauncing and assisting them with monâ—e men and sacred counsaile So that it was well said of M. Penry in Scotland that the Gospell was more beholden vnto Queene Elizabeth then vnto all the Princes in Europe Against which Elizabeth who so shall arise let their forehead with Miriam be smitten with leprosie and not for seuen daies but seuen yeares yea for euer let them be abandoned the Commonweale of England This briefly for the Churches perpetuitie and for essentiall Christianitie touching faith manners euen through the midst of Antichristes pride and tyrannie Other things will be necessarily met withall in the comparison following So much for the thing compared Like to a man which sowed good seed in his field c. Not to vrge here the care good householders should haue to see their fields vineyards gardens sowen and planted with that which is good that so they may not onely returne peeces of siluer to themselues as the vineyard of Baal-Hâ—man did vnto Salomon but also propound hereby good vnto the countrie as resemblances of God his care to create all good verie good passing by that let me directly come vnto the precise sense of the Parable For the vnderstanding whereof let vs heare what exposition our Sauiour himselfe giueth hereon In verse 37. he saith He that soweth the good seed is the sonne of man And in the next verse And the field is the world and the good seed they are the children of the kingdome A certaine poore soule once ignorant how any open wicked might vpon any occasion be suffered once to grow in the Church he makes such an exposition here as whereby he may shut Tares quite out of the Church for thus he writes Did not God at first make the world and all things in the same good was it not corrupted c. to this question I answer it is true he did so but this is not consonant to this place for the Sonne of man is not God the Creator but God the Redeemer neuer called Sonne of man vntill he was incarnate So that here is no speech of worlds Creation but of Christ Iesus incarnate who by his owne ministerie and the ministerie of his Apostles did plant the childreÌ„ of the kingdome or new Testaments Church in the face of the whole world and this by preaching the word of the kingdome termed also the immortall seed of God For here is no comparison framed to the world but to the kingdome of heauen the state of the new Testaments Church Where he addeth and all our Schismatikes from him that here is no speech of the Church because our Sauiour saith And the field is the world I would first demaund what they meane by the world By the world they can not vnderstand the wicked seeing before they say God made the world c. But God made not man wicked except to Brounisme they adde Manichisme therefore by the worlde they must meane the circuite of the earth wherein Christ planted his Kingdome from one corner and sea vnto another Touching the tares that in his own place The Father hauing from mount Sion proclaimed
to search antiquitie if happily that way I might find any assured footing of scriptures sence touching externall Church orders Togither with this desire the Lord afforded me plentie of bookes first in Scotland after in Netherland The more I read those writers that liued in the first 400 years the more I perceiued the former scales to fall from mine eies And as the light of the faithfull increaseth till it be perfect day so togither with my last returne for England the foggie mist was risen and fled the Sunne of righteousnesse shined vpon me and that to the praise of God be it spoken in such euidence of scripture as I hope my selfe enabled to draw as on a table an euident Idea and shape of that miscarying way if so men will waigh it in simplicitie of spirit Yet this must here be done but briefly according to the nature of an epistle Pastor and Doctor are distinguished by them from Rom. 12.7.8 by exhortation and doctrine The Doctor is to be first exercised in doctrine the Pastor in the second place is to exhort from that doctrine From hence then must needs follow first that the Doctor is aboue the Pastor seeing the Pastor but buildeth vpon the doctrine of his Doctor Euen as the Apostles laying the foundation then were in an higher office then the Euangelistes or Pastors that but builded on the Apostles ground And for this consideration the Apostle Paul would not worke vpon others building The order then must be thus Doctor Pastor And in Rom. 12.7 Doctrine indeed is put before exhortation Secondly if doctrine and exhortation distinguish them then it shall be as verily sinne for the Doctor in his exercise to meddle with exhortation or for the Pastor to meddle with doctrine as it was for Vzzah an inferiour Leuit to touch the Arke of God though in a danger to fal which medling with the Arke distinguished Aarons family from the other two Leuits Thirdly then it skilleth not though the Pastor be a man of no learning for all the learning to speake of lieth in a deliuerie of the scriptures naturall sense with a drawing out of his proper doctâ—ines and to exhort is so farre inferiour to doctrine as the application of the medicine to a seen sore doth vtter no such knowledge as the prouision and composition of the medicine If they say the Pastor is to exhort but not onely he may also teach the like say I with as good reason may be spoken of the Doctor not onely to teach but principally Which toyish order of teaching exhorting as no reformed Church abroad is acquainted with it for they acknowledge no sole Doctor but of the schooles so their distinction of Not onely but principally as it may be vsed likewise in the following offices so let vs see how much it maketh for them The Elders they distinguish by Ruling from 1. Tim. 5.17 as the Pastor and Doctor by the word and doctrine Here say they are both sorts of Elders Rulers in the first place teachers in the second First touching the termâ—s word and doctrine doctrine being onely that which is drawne from the word here so is no speech of the Pastor and his exhortation and so no double honour for the Pastor Secondly if by Ruling in the first place be meant onely a gouerning of the Church without doctrine then the deliuerer of the word and doctrine last mentioned he must be debarred Rule rule appertaining to the first doctrine to the second If it be replied that the Pastor and Doctor also are to rule though not principally so others may aswell reply the Elders are not onely though principally to be exercised in Ruledome for they also may teach That the Elders might onely rule not teach though they make him a Bishop in english Ouerseer yet they will vnderstand him vnder the word Deacon for thus it is in the demonstration of discipline Offices simple are Bishops Pastors Doctors Deacons or Church-seruants Ouerseers Distributors Marke well how first he maketh two sorts of Bishops Pastors and Doctors then two sorts of Deatons Ouerseers and distributors First a right plaine man may obserue that to make an Ouerseer or gouerning Elder to be a Church-seruant it is verie ridiculous Secondly to make Bishops one in the first diuision Ouerseers another in the second diuision it is to make a difference between I and I that is a difference where none is For Bishops and Ouerseers are all one Bishops being the Greeke word and Ouerseers the English The diuision so of the offices not onely void of diuinitie and art but also of verie common sense Yet a correction due to the sons of God when they seeke to bring in their owne inuentions But to what purpose haue they thrust the word Ouerseer vnder the word Deacon Because forsooth in 1. Tim. 3. they would not vnderstand the office of Elders in the word Bishop because it is there required that euerie Bishop or Church ouerseer he should be Apt to teach and they would haue Elders of another stampe Whereas that in 1. Tim. 3.1.2 together with Act. 20.17 where Elders are by vers 28. expounded Ouerseers or Bishops on all which the Apostle enioyneth teaching as he before had it plainly euinceth that all Ouerseers are to be exercised in teaching By both which plaine places that more obscure place in 1. Tim. 5.17 They that rule well are worthie double honour specially they that tyre themselues in the word and doctrine it must be vnderstood either of one and the same sort of Elders in the Church whereof all deseruing well some by reason of more trauaile deserue better or else whereto I rather condescend the first is spoken of Ouerseers to a particular Church the latter for Kopiontes importeth we ariâ—omenes by trauelling to and fro as in Iohn Ch. 4. vers 6. it implieth such Elders as Paul Iohn Peter others that trauelled from place to place hauing care ouer many churches Touching the Deacons who are to be employed onely in and about the poore and tables I take that onely were better as before turned into principally and that by reason of more sufficient teachers present as also such occasion about the tables and poore as was in Ierusalem at the time of their first institution But that there is no time nor place for the Deacon to preach and baptize the scripture affordeth not that The contrarie appeareth in Philip preaching and baptizing in Samaria before the Apostles came thither to promoue him into an Euangelists place or yet the Angell had called him to any busines with the Eunuch Besides seeing the scripture requireth such a one to hold the mysterie of faith to be full of the holy ghost and of wisedome it plainly argueth it is because he may assist in that busines And seeing by all probability those seuen Deacons were of the 70 disciples for then they were in that Church and be sure that the people would choose the
to the Donatist hereof writeth thus Ipse Dominus c. To the seruants willing to gather the tares the Lord hiâ—selfe saith Suffer yee both to grow vntill the haruest The cause hee premiseth saying Least peraduenture while ye would collect the tares together with the same ye pull vp the wheat Wherein he sufficiently sheweth when such cause of feare is not but a certaine safetie altogither of the graine with certaine stabilitie abideth that is when as euery such one his crime is knowne to all and to all appeaereth execrable insomuch as it hath no one or not such defenders through whom a Schisme may fall out then Non dormiat seueritas disciplinae Let not disciplines seueritie sleepe Then this may well be done without spot of peace and vnitie as also without detriment to the wheate c. Wherein he concludeth a practise of disciplines seueritie when Churches peace and vnitie may be preserued but otherwise not Nor is this permission a stranger in scripture no more then the practise of excommunication For as in 1. Cor. 5. the Apostle Paul vrgeth a putting out so the Apostle Iohn Diotrephes the affector of preeminence a pratler a busie bodie and one that would neither himselfe harbour such as came from the Apostle nor yet suffer others The Apostle promiseth if hee come to lay him out in his colours intending thereby no doubt to prepare a way for his casting out but meane time hee permits him inasmuch as he bids them not deliuer him to Satan Such tares were the factious teachers in Galatia Churches ioyning Circumcision and Baptisme together c. whom the Apostle in those wordes Would to God they were cut off doth secretly permit in that he dare not as in another case giue it in command And when to the Corinthes he writes I feare when I come againe my God abase me among you and I shall bewaile many of them which haue sinned ALREADIE haue not repented of their vncleannes and fornication wantoâ—nes which they haue committed here the Apostle not wishing the Corinthes to deliuer such to Satan as in 1. Cor. 5. he willeth the incestuous to be giuen vp for whose behoofe no one with face could stand but plainly seeing yet after a sort halfe winking at those notable euils he giueth notice as Augustine also hence vrgeth that it was because of their tarish clasping condition And for no loue to the tares but for loue of Church and Common-wealthes peace it was that Dauid permitted Shimei of Beniamins quarrelling tribe fauourite to Saul as also suffered bloody Ioab to liue all his dayes for that otherwise he might haue brought all the souldiers on his necke for auenging the death of their worthy Generall Now if a Tares condition be considered can any other conclusion be vrged for it is not as many weeds who may be seuered without daunger but as it growes vnder the leaues of wheat vnseene like an hypocrite at first so it 〈◊〉 after bewraies it selfe by the fruit but then so clasping the wâ—eat by running about it as it cannot be pulled vp thâ—n but 〈◊〉 â—resent danger to the wheat And such varietie of â—aladies â—â—â—etimes fall in mans bodie whereof some may be purged â—â—d some limmes cut off without the liues destruction but some of such nature and in such pâ—rts as they cannot be remoued but with depriâ—ation of life And for this cause namely for preseruation of life and auoiding some great euil ensuing we oftentimes permit that we like not Nor is he fit to gouerne a family much lesse a Church that walketh not by this rule consideration If any now demand what if Diotrephes repent or for want of repentance he be by Iohn in after time cast out is such a one yet a Tare Two answers are hereto framed The first is yea as Simon was surnamed Leper because once a Leper so may such a one be called a Tare because once a Tare The second answer I giue thus if either of the former things fal out he may be said to haue stood for the former clasping season as a tare but now he bewraies himself not to be such EueÌ„ as the incestuous person was deliuered vp to Satan for leauen a seruant to Satan who after proued a man of true spirit holines The Parable as other Parables it must not be stretched beyond the purpose of our Sauiour made manifest by other consent of scripture and so I haue proued Augustines collection to be found irrefragable If any reply only those open wicked ones are Tares as die Tares because it is after said they shall by the Angels in the great haruest be gathered vp â—so could add because Tares are bid to grow vntil the last haruest therfore none are Tares that liue not vntill the last haruest As also by that reason we should neuer know who are Tares vntill death and so to no purpose commaunded to let them grow togither seeing after death they can no more grow togither To auoid such foolish consequents the proprietie of a Parable must therfore ay be heeded The former conclusion remembred downe fals the Libertines collection who would haue all publike wicked permitted seeing here is not speech of all euill ones but of a kind of euill-ones which cannot with kingdomes children their good be pulled vp or cut off by Magistrate or Minister Euen as in the Parable of the fiue foolish virgins he declareth not open wicked but hypocrites seeing they had their lamps and lights and went to meet the bridgroome so well as the other fiue Nor was their foolishnes discouered to the Church vntill they had slep the sleep of all flesh good and bad and were raised againe by the shout of the Archangell so euerie Parable hath his owne propriety Here also falleth to ground all such as haue with Chrysostome and Erasmus vnderstood them to be heretikes whom the Magistrates should permit to growe vntill happily they might become wheat Yet Chrysostome addeth Non prohibet c. Our Sauiour forbiddeth not to dissipate the conuenticles of heretikes the stopping of their mouthes to cut off all libertie of speaking onely he forbids the killing of them But as he hath no warrant hence of preseruing heretikes liues so he hath warrant inough from many places for scattering the assemblies stopping their mouthes c. And surely the Magistrate can neuer be thought to be zealous for the Lord when he beares as the ordinarie States of Germanie doe a sword for their ciuill matters but none for the Lords religion To ground also here falleth the Anabaptistes doctrine of Christians vnlawfulnesse for bearing and exercising the sword against trangressors seeing say they foolishly from hence they may liue to become true Christians In a word diuers fantasies here fall downe as Dagon before the Arke nor meruell seeing tymber hay and stubble is in the Lords day appointed to burne that so gold siluer and precious stone it may be
discouered for only sutable to the foundation of this heauens kingdome Now to the second question How the permission of such Tares or tarish persons they shall not pollute the fellowship That such permission is not sinne or pollution to the permitters it appeareth if but in this that Christ not onely aduiseth but also commaundeth such permission for the peace good of his wheat or true sonnes of the Church If first such open wicked vpon due sight and search be found not thistles daâ—ke or such separable weeds for it is presumed that such the seruants here had and would pull vp but Tares or to vs ward in a tarish estate and if in the second place we permit those Bastards for the childrens sake onely then such permission is no pollution to vs that haue so seene sought and permitted First because our Sauiour enioineth such sufferance and who dare make him a counsailour to euill a maintainer of sinne Secondly if the Apostle touching sinne in his owne flesh resisting his will or law of the mind hauing will present with him but wanting meanes to performe that is good if notwithstanding this vnrulines of the flesh he proclaimes himselfe deliuered from this sinne or bodie of death by Christ ruling in him by his spirit c. If I say sinne dwelling in him he is not therfore seruant to sinne but to Christ because a better spirit or lawe ruleth in him much lesse can another mans sinne pollute me or my new man created in Christ who is so farre from being led captiue by his sinne as I hate it and as meanes by God are giuen vnto me in my place do labour the slaughter of his sinne and expulsion thereof and when such meanes of remouing him is lacking to me yet the good-will of remouing such a scandale is neuer lacking Keeping thus my heart and conscience cleane all things that are without are to me cleane pure But if the conscience be priuie to a liking of the scandale and negligent in vsing the fit meanes God hath granted for remouing such a scandale then he is pollution vnto me and my soule is attainted with his sinne The one and the other of those conclusions haue their ground also from that to Titus 1.15 and in Marke 7.18.19.20 21.22.23 But it will be obiected in those two scriptures speech is onely of indifferent things I answere the doctrine is generall and therefore appliable not onely to those indifferencies there mentioned for nothing whatsoeuer is without can be pollution to vs prouided there arise not in our heart a liking or consent to such euill nor yet of vs be permitted when apt meanes are granted for remoual at least for bridling such euill Touching this point it is thus written in Origen whether by him or another I contend not Illud tacendum non est c. That neither is to be concealed namely that the knowen wicked hurt the Church if so be that either power of prohibiting them the Communion be lacking or some reason of conseruing peace do hinder It is plain that this is not hurtful to a man namely That there is some wicked man yea a knowne wicked present with thee at Christ his Altar though he be not prohibited prouided by a good conscience discontented with him he be separated from him Manifest therefore it is that to run with a thiefe it is no other thing then eyther to steale with him or with a pleasing heart to accept of his stealth And that the Church hath euer been so minded consider not onely her recordes for iudgement but also for her continuall practise Whatsoeuer therefore in any of my writings may seeme to conclude oppositiuely I desire it may be reduced hither where so fully and plainely I haue discussed the qâ—estion Nor let any distinguish here against the streame of the whole Church between common communion and the communion in the Lord his supper for besides the Ancients their meaning is plaine we are to consider first that the Church is commaunded by suppers administration to set forth Chriâ—tes death till he come secondly if no Tare may be permitted thereto and there will be Tares vnto the worlds end then it followeth that the supper must neuer be administred If it be replied though they be not excommunicate yet they may be debarred the supper I answere if Churches peace can be so preserued they ought so to be restrained Euen as in a familie a wise householder or faithfull steward He will give the meate in due season and not onely that but also grant vnto some leaue to feast when for correction sake he appointeth some others to fast A figure whereof vnder the law was this and that vncleannes for the which they were seuered for a season euen as the Magistrats sâ—ord a figure of our excoÌ„municating sword killing them in the flesh that so they may rise and liue againe in the spirit But if they cannot with peace and Churches vnion be restrained they must be rather suffered to Grow in their euil then by hindering the Lords raine and sacramentall showers the wheat should be hindered in their grouth Let them grow togither saith our Sauiour vntill the haruest though to the one sort word sacraments fellowship shall be a sauour of life vnto life but to the other a sauor of death vnto death euen a sit was vnto such as brought oblations vnto the tabernacle wherof some by the faithfull Priest were freely admitted others against his wil as Ioab Shimei but admitted because otherwise by the sword they could not be peaceably cut off So much for this point it followeth Vers. 30. Let both grow togither vntill the haruest and in the time of haruest I will say to the Reapers gather ye first Tares and binde them in sheaues to burne them but gather the wheat into my barne As our Sauiour will haue the tares to grow togither with his children in the Church this vntill the great haruest of God that is as is expounded vers 40. vntill the end namely of all things what time he will send forth his Angels for gathering all those offensiue ones forth of the kingdome vers 41. As I say our Sauiour willeth so long sufferance of the tares so hence we are to obserue the forme of speech Let them grow togither vntill the haruest whence some conclude euery tare his particular haruest at the time of his death as also a generall haruest of all in the end of the world Touching such particular haruest here is no speech although it be true from other scripture that the tree falling into the cold nipping North it shall there lie the speech here is onely of the great vniuersall haruest wherein finall doome is giuen to all If any say but all the tares which haue been some 100. yeares since are dead c. I answer our Sauiour promiseth to his Apostles that in executing their commission he would be with them vnto the