Sacrifice comming from the Arke could neuer haue smelled sweete in the Lords nosethrils otherwise then he had that Fayth which respected Christ whom the Apostle stileth Osmen euodias the sweete oâ—â—ur Abraham Isaac Iaacoh had eye to no other meanes of saluation Israel before the Law some and some in Egipt came as Ezekiel 20. 5. c. to fashion themselues to the Idols there but Moses and Aaron were stirred vp to fetch them away to whom the Lord at Mount Horeb recommended the true forme of Sacrifice with rites peculiar to the land of Canaan And in Iudiâ— a part of Canaan they were continued till their deportation to Babel But then the outward Ceremonie ceasing for 70. yeares they notwithstanding looked to the promised Seed of the Prophets tearmed Messiah and Danâ—l in that place was foretold by the Angell of Messiahs comming to suffer for Sinne Seauentie-seauens of yeares before When he was come Iôhn Baptist poynted him out saying This is the Lambe that takes away the sinnes of the world for that it was Christ that was shadowed out vnder the Law by the Lambe offred morning and euening All which the Apostle teacheth the Hebrewes when he sayth that The Law was a shadow of good thinges signifying that these good thinges were in Christ. Yea to the Collossians he sayth that The body of such shadowes was Christ. I conclude then thus that that which is Essentiall or tendeth to the very Bâ—ing of A true Christian is not euery good thing but this one good thing Fayth in Christ Iesus for perfect Redemption Martha may combere her selfe about many things and in themselues otherwise prayse-worthy but this one thing is necessarie who with Mary hath choseÌ„ it hath elected the better part Iob in the land of Vz the Eunuch in Aethiopia Certaine in the Court of bloody Nero had their Iustification with God onely by this Fayth in Christ there being no other name vnder Heauen whereby as S. Peter teacheth man is to be saued As for Good-workes which necessarily doe follow true Fayth they belong not to the very-being of a true Christian seeing some one may be saued by the Fayth before he can come to do an externall good worke but such workes tend to the true Being of a Visible Christian. For as Fayth internall iustifies towardes God for Abraham beleeued and that was counted to him for Righteousnesse so Workes externall do iustiâ—ie towards man according to that of S. Iames Shew mee thy Fayth by thy Workes Sutable to which is that of Origen The Apostle sayth he saith that Iustification by Fayth ALONE is sufficient so that the belieuer whosoeuer he be is ONLY so iustisfied Whereto he addeth speaking of the Theefe on the Crosse The Lord requireth not of him what before he had wrought nor did expect what worke he should fulfill after he beleiued but being justified by soâ—e confession nameâ—y of Fayth he joyned him companion vnto him being ready to enter into Paradise Afterwardes againe Abraham might haue glory for his Workes with holy and just-men that saw them but this glory with God was Only by Fayth-secret And his Maister Clemens before him writ thus By Fayth alone the beleeuer is perfected For a Corollarie let Scholers take what followes Ignatius in Ep. ad Ephesios PrincipiuÌ„ vita Fides finis eiusdem Charitas Iustin. dial cum Tryph Purificamur fide Fides quae eÌ„ ad Deum iustificat hominem Clem. in Strom. 7. Per fidem efficitur Fidelis perfectus Aug. ad Bonifac. l. 3. c. 5. Nostra fides hoc est catholica fides iustos ab iniustis non operum sed ipsa fidei lege discernit quia Iustus ex fide viuit Then he numbers vp all kindes of workes but barres them out from iustification Chrys. in Gen hom 26. Causa bonorum omnium speaking of Noah fuit sua in Deum fides And the same Chrys. against the Iewes if that against the Iewes be his in orat 4. he hath this Christus non ex benefactis nec laborib nec pensatione sed ex sola gratia iustificauit genus nostruÌ„ Ambros. in Rom. 3. Iustificati sunt Gratis quia nihil operantes neque vicem reddentes Sola fide Iustificati sunt dono Dei Basil. mag de humilit Ea demum perâ—ecta Omnimoda gloriatio est in Deo quando neque propter suam ipsius quis iustitiam extollitur sed agnoscit se quidem vera destitui iustitia verum Sola in Christum fide iustificatum esse Et gloriatur in eo Paulus vt suam ipsius iustitiam contemnat Victor Antiochenus in Marc. 5. Haec disertè indicant vestimenta contacta eam non sanasse sed fidem Igitur neque locus neque verba neque aliud quippiam eiusmodi externum hominem saluat sed vnuÌ„quemque sua fides seruat Rabanus l. 7. in eccluÌ„m c. 2. Per solam Christigratiam ab omnis candalo liberantur Electi Remigius in Psa. 29. vita aeterna non est ex Merito quia cadere per nos potuimus sed per nos surgere non potuimus sed ex voluntate eius 1. sola misericordia Idiota cap. 6. de conflict carn animae Melius est iustificare quam creare cum creando detur Natura Iustificando vero et auferatur culpa conferatur Gratia Giselbert in Alterc c. 8. Iustitiam dei dico non qua deus iustus est sed qua induit hominem cum Gratis iustificat impium Theophilact in Rom. 10. Dei iustitia est quae ex Fide est Haec non indiget laboribus operibusue nostris verum tota ad gratiam dei pertinet Barnard ser. 3. de aduent domi Iustificabit nos Gratis vt Gratia commendetur And in Annunc Mar. ser. 1. Hoc est testimonium quod perhibet Sp. SS dicens Dimissa sunt tibi peccata tua Sic N. arbitratur Apostolus Gratis iustificari hominem per Fidem Rupertus in l. 7. in Iob. c. 7. In Iesu Christo nec circumcisio nec preputium nec Gentilis nec Iudaeus sed â—ola Fides requirituâ— Io. Bapt. Foleng in Psa. 2. Quae maioriam potesteeÌ„ cùm Iustitiae qua nos ex peccatorib iustos efficit non imputans peccata tum bonitatis demonstratio per quam aeternorum bonorum ad hereditatem Gratis inuitantur quodammodo vel inuiti trahimur And on Pl. 45. Video amarem namely of Christ video pacem video iustitiam qua ego Gratis iustificor per fidem Fulgent ad Monim l. 1. In sanctis igitur coronat deus iustitiam quam eis gratis ipse tribuit gratis seruabit gratisque perfecit Honorius in spec ecclus de nat doÌ„i Fides debet eeÌ„ fundamentum postquam â—am posueritis debetis ponere dilectionem dei proximi D. Io. Ferus in 1. part pass dom Fides facit discipulum Christi Charitas autem
the Church being onely the Piller and Ground of that trueth The veritie of all which was typed out in the Auncient Church before Christ came in the flesh Before the Flood for 1656. yeares the Church remayned in some few Families After the Flood in a few Families till the guift of the Law at Mount Horeb or Sinaj Then the Church began to be more visible and of more glorious constitution first in the Wildernesse then after in Canaan till the time of Salomons sonne Rehoboam Then ten Trybes schisme from the two leauing the two in some orderly state but betaking themselues to grieuous Idolatrie Yet during the times of such Idolatrie God did not leaue them but stirred vp many excellent Prophets among them as Elias Elisha Ionah Amos and others togeather with excellent Schooles of Prophets as at Bethel and Iericho till such time as Assur caried them away captiue In meane time the case stood farre better with the Church in Iudah till the Lord for their sinnes sake suffred Nebuchadnezar of Babel to carry them captiue to Babel There they continued 70. yeares without exercise of Sacrifice At the 70. yeares end they are permitted by the next Monarchist to repaire home for building the sacramentall Citie and Temple But some seauen seauens of yeares euen 49 yeares as Gabriel foretold Daniel it was ere that worke could be finished From that time they continued vnder the gouernment first of the Medes Persians represented by Nebuchadnetsars siluery Breast and Armes Then vnder the Brasen Monarchy of the Greekes Afterwardes vnder the Duarchie of Egipt and Syria the first South from Iudeà the second North as Daniel plainely foretold them And so they reach to Christ that Stone cut from the Mountaine who dashed that Image of Nebuchaanetsars to powder When Christ came we finde the Church as for some 600. yeares it had been quite out of order and very few of them that could brooke the Lord of life or his sauing Gospell Principall Starres for this Storie S. Luke layeth downe when as he giues vs the most glorious persons in succession of pedigree from the first Adâ—m to the second that is vnto Christ Iesus who is blâ—ssed for euer From which holy typicall Storie I conclude first an Euer visibilitie of the Church Secondly but such a visibilitie as inow was more inow lesse inow glorious inow the glory eclipsed inow in constitution inow shaken asunder Nor can it be thought strange that the Daughter I meane the Christian Church brought foorth of mother Zion should be subiect to such mutabilitie and change when as she hath not been inferiour to her Mother for sinne and therefore as capable of iudgement To flesh and blood it is indeed somewhat harsh that Christes Diademe in the earth should be at any time deiected as may appeare by Ethan in Psal. 89. but such deiection is the Churches lot before the second comming of Christ as it was before his first comming And that it should so fall out himselfe foretels in Math. 24. the mysterie whereof begun to worke in the Apopostles times as the Apostle tels the Thessalonians This poynt I conclude with that of Bullinger Omnibus temporibus retinet sibi Dominus ecclesiam etiam in medio corruptissimi mundi et in medio haeresum schismatum atque corruptionum Tempora illa speaking of mother Zion â—ypum praetulere vltimis nostris temporibus in quibus ho die viuimus CHAP. vj. Touching a visible Christian a visible Christian society and a visible Christian society established AFter the deuision of Israels ten Tribes from Iudah for Benjamin being mixt with Iudah was so couched vnder that tearme togither with some of Leuj the people of the world was distinguished Israel being dispearsed as afore into Iew and Gentile So that who was not of the Iewes were called Gentiles The difference betweene which two sortes of people stood thus ¶ The Iew was a people possessed of the Couenant made to Abraham namely That in his Seed all the kindreds of the earth should be blessed He sayth not to thy Seeds as speaking of many but and to thy Seed as of one which is CHRIST Besides of them were the Prophets and to them was the adoption and the glory and couenants and the gift of the Law and the seruice of God and the promises Of whom were the Fathers and of whom concerning the flesh Christ came who is God ouer all blessed for euer Amen So that the Iewes were as Salomons seruantes standing before him as in his chamber of presence hauing all means to make them truely blessed An easie matter therefore for them had not wilfull pieuishnesse hindred them to haue become true visible Christians For the Gentiles they were as the Apostle tels the Ephesians without Christ and were Aliants from the common wealth of Israel and were strangers from the couenants of promise and had no hope and were Atheoi without God in the world Yea they were not onely destitute of all sauing Good but possessed with all euill By the worke of Creation they were necessarily drawen to acknowledge an inuisible Power for the Creator which they called God as the world is of Mercury Trismegistos called Gods sonne and that this God was Heis d' est ' antogenes One and of hiâ—â—selfe as a most ancient Poet Orpheus teacheth in his Hymne of God together with other excellent respects of God but wheÌ„ they should come to worship him they went a whoring after their owne inuentions comming to that one God by a thousand-thousand Idoles seeking God downe in the Creature whereas by the Creature as by Iaacobs Ladder they should haue clymed vpwards to the Creator An hard matter thus it was for a Gentile to become a true Christian. But as things impossible with man are possible with God so after the Lord had taken a first-fruites of the Iewes as Apostles and others he takes this wild Oliue of the Gentiles and plants it in the stocke of the Iewes that thencefoorth they might become children of Abraham by liuing in the fayth of Abraham 1 Who then is to vs a true visible Christian Euen Hee be hee Iew or Gentile that holds the fayth of Abraham And what was the fayth of AbrahaÌ„ This he beleeued that God would raise vp a Seed euen Christ out of his seed in whom alone himselfe and others should receiue the eternall blessing for earthly blessinges he saw to be flitting and therefore looked after a better as the Apostle enformeth the Hebrewes How was this blessing to be effected That he was taught from the Analogie of Sacrifice namely that the Messiah should feele the fierie indignation of God and by his death make satisfaction for Sinne. Adam lyued by the same Fayth expecting the promised Seed of the Woman which should breake the head of the Serpent And that Fayth Habel testified in sacrificing his Lambe Sheth Enosh and the rest knew no other Fayth And Noahs
followers that now are come to make Pastors and Doctors without any Imposition of hands for so was Fr. Iohnson and M. Greenwood made of some in London True it is that about some fiue or sixe yeares after Fr. Iohnson comming to Amsterdame had handes there imposed by the lay people his owne children they know who then writ against it contrarie to the Apostles Canon which runnes thus Without all contradiction the Lesser is blessed of the Greater And so without all contradiction the Father asked the Children blessing and so his or any the like ordination more Antichristian and more crosse to the Canon then any Ordination issuing from the Pope euer hath been I know they will for them selues plead thus In the beginning of a Church the case is changed For seeing there is no other Minister to ordaine the people may doe it as in Numb 8. The Israelites lay hands vpon the Leuites I answere 1. First it can neuer be prooued by Scripture that of Christians there ought to be such a Replantation though a Reformation 2. Second hee after so many yeares comming by his Ordination it must follow that before hee was no Pastor but a priuate man and so a prophaner of Gods ordinaunce 3. The Israelites did that they did vpon a direct precept from God so did not the Lay people in this For as the Ministerie of the New Testament begun without all Lay-ordination Christ himselfe installing the first and they installing others so neither to the Lay people was left any such necessitie seeing there should alwayes be a stretcht out line of Imposition so well as of Baptisme 4. Fourthly the Israelites doe not there Ordaine the Leuites for neither any Leuite might nor yet durst he come vnto the Alter vpon that laying on of handes Their laying on handes was but their Approbation as sometimes holding vp of hands and scrutinie of voyces be for the Ordination came after that as Peter Martyr well obserueth when as Aaron the Hy-priest takes them at the handes of the people and then with his handes shaketh them before the Lord and to the Lord giues them And thus the Separist is to seeke for a Minister notwithstanding whatsoeuer is sayd of H. l. for the lacke of that Ceremonie Vnto the sayd Laying on of handes it is not of absolute necessitie to haue moe or fewer handes And therefore it is that sometimes all the Apostles doe it as in Act. 7. for in Act. 1. we read not of the Ceremonie and yet well may be it was vsed so well as in Act. 13. 3. so sundry of them tearmed a Presbyterie in 1. Tim. 4. 14. Sometimes againe it is performed by two as in Act. 14. by Paul and Barnabas Sometimes by one there being no other to assist as by Timothy or Titus in their places The equitie whereof was deliuered by Moses when as Aaron alone Ordained the Leuites as Aaron himselfe was before ordayned of Moses And so betweene the Mother and Daughter Churches the Harmonie still holdeth For Deacons there is required in Act. 6. that 1. they be men of honest report 2. full of the Holy Ghost and of Wisedome And in 1. Tim. 3. hee presseth them two in moe particulars The very proportion of qualities considered it can neuer reasonably be thought that such diuine guifted persons should onely attende on Tables or in taking and giuing a litle Money or Meate to the poore There need no such wisedome and learning for that And when it is further remembred as afore that some of the 70. Disciples were chosen to this Deaconship and they being all of them Preachers it can neuer enter into the heart of a reasonable man to thinke that they should be pulled downe from an higher Chaire to a lower Nam qui prouehitur prouehitur a Miâ—oâ—j ad Majus Doubtlesse then they as their name signifieth did seruice not onely to the people in case of Meate and Money but also to the Bishops in the case of Doctrine and Sacrament And hereof we are further assured in that all Antiquitie puts no other kind of Deacons into our hands and for such respect doth diuers times call them Leuites And thus the old and new Testament is still more harmonious If since the Ten grieuous Persecutions the Ministers of the one and other Order haue come in the world to greater estate in outward thinges a grieuous thing to soare eyes what wonder is it when for 300. yeares after Christ the Church was vnder the gouernment of Heathen Tyrants enemies to Christianitie Soone after 300. yeares Constantine the Great became Christian by whose example and motiue many inferiour Kinges became Christians also Whereupon followed freedome of the Fayth and peace and plentie in all Churches Then our Fathers counted it an holy duetie to builde materiall Churches and to endowe the Spirituall with euery good thing wanting True it is that such temporarie blessinges haue since that time been foulely prophaned What then So hath Heauen and Earth and all their continentes shall we therefore spurne at the creature Indeed while some so spurne others sacrilegiously snatch to themselues all To the Minister it should be but an Idolathite but to my Church-robber it is a very good commoditie The Fathers giuing they say did sinne and the Sonnes snatching all away it may be to maintaine a Hound an Whore they must be sayd to commit a vertue But while I liue let me imitate that supposed vice of my Father rather then this vncouth vertue of my Brother CHAP. ix Touching Word and Sacraments THE Word whereabout the Minister is to be imployed is that Booke called Bible of the Greeke word Biblos a Booke as being the peculiar Booke aduanced aboue all as Israel aboue the Nations This Booke is distinguished into two partes Old and New The Old part contayneth not all the wordes that God spoke to the Fathers and Prophets but the substaunce of all which he spake vnto them till the promised Messiah came The New part commonly called the New Testament it contayneth likewise a substaunce of all Gods Will deliuered thencefoorth by Christ and his Apostles or neare followers The Old part was written in Adams tongue the language of succeeding Israel The New part was written in the tongue of Iauan the fourth Sonne of Iaphet it beeing in Christes time a tongue very vniuersall This Booke being a Creature and in the handes of sinful Creatures it necessarily followeth that sometimes it is likely to vndergoe some iniurie Yet such is the watchfull prouidence of God ouer this his Booke as stil it hath been preserued to the Churches assured comfort magre euery Epimanique Tyrant and Heretique The Minister out of this Booke is to take knowledge of Gods Will for workes of holynesse and righteousnesse and afterwardes deliuer the same vnto the people specially euery such day as Saint Iohn calleth the Lordes day But because no Minister since the Canonicall writers that is since the