those that turne from iniquitie in Iacob As againe it is written Walke before me and be thou vpright and I will make my couenant betweene me and thee As who say one condition and part of the couenant is our vpright and good profession So likewise in Ieremie and Exodus the promise of obedience in the people is set downe as one part of the couenant Obey my voyce and doe according to all these thinges which I commande you so shall you be my people and I will be your god or else cursed be the man that obeyeth not the wordes of this couenant For on this condition will the Lorde receiue vs as Paul reasoneth if we come out from among the wicked and separate our selues Then will I be a Father vnto you and ye shall be my sonnes and daughters saith the Lorde Almightie Thus shoulde Master Cartwright haue conferred place with place and haue knowen that the worde is no couenant where the practise thereof is reiected and troden vnder foote neither can men say they haue the couenant of the spirite when open and grosse wickednesse so reigneth in them that there is no power of the spirite to redresse it but it remaineth incurable And so Paul reasoneth that as many as are led by the spirit of god they are the sonnes of god but he sheweth that they are in the state of condemnation and not in Christ Iesus if they walke after the flesh and not after the spirite For there is not the couenant of the spirite where we are not turned from iniquitie as Isaiah him selfe witnesseth and let Zecharie interprete Isaiah whose sheweth what spirite God will powre vpon his house and people namely The spirit of grace and compassion vnto repentance and mourning for their sinnes Likewise Ezechiel doeth giue the proofe and tryall of that newe spirit and newe heart which God woulde put in his people namely this That they should walke in his statutes and keepe his iudgements and execute them and so doing they shall be his people and he woulde be their god Wherefore let not Master Cartwright account so much of the word in their mouthes except as it is written in Deut. it be in their mouthes and in their heartes for to doe it Otherwise Christ wil pronounce of them that in vaine they worship the Lord and so are they false worshippers for god is neere in their mouthes and farre from their reignes They drawe neere vnto god with their mouthes and honour him with their lippes but their heart is far off from him Surely such men are not those burning lampes neither the goldeÌ„ candlesticks he speaketh of but rather as those that will seeke me daily saith the Lord euen as a nation that did righteously and had not forsaken the statutes of their god they aske of me ordinances of iustice they will drawe neere vnto me Yet in the next chapter the Lord witnesseth that there was a great separation betwene him and them so that he was to make a newe couenant with them and they were to turne from their former iniquities or else they could not be his people and Church And therefore when Christ appointeth the Apostles to plant churches throughout the world he appointeth them not to talke of and professe the word in their mouthes onely but he giueth in charge these three things as being the chiefe marks of a planted Church namely preaching the word ministration of the sacrameÌ„ts reformation of life which is the chiefest thing of all to set forth his Church kingdom for he commaÌ„deth to preach and baptize because preaching baptizing is nothing without amendmeÌ„t of life he addeth these words teaching theÌ„ to obserue do all things whatsoeuer I haue coÌ„manded you Therfore as appeareth in the acts of the Apostles was neither the church nor the couenaÌ„ts of the Church established among any but where their good godly profession was shewed and the contrary refused I know M. C. will gainsay that there must needes be hypocrites in euery church sometimes also open breach of gods commandements It is true indeede But yet if any make an open and grosse breach then Paul hath written vnto vs that we company not together with such For if any saith he that is called a brother be a fornicator or couetous or an idolater or a railor or a drunkard or an extortioner c. with such a one eate not The aduersaries replie to this that in deede to eat common bread with such or to partake with them in the feastes of charitie was forbidden which distinction and shift they alleadge out of Caluin But who dare say that the godly wife may not eate coÌ„mon bread with her excoÌ„municate husband or the godly children with their wicked parents or seruants with their masters For otherwise al seruice ministery communioÌ„ in a common wealth should be ouerthrowen And so as Paul reasoneth the godly shuld not be able to liue in the world Who also dare say that when the church held their feasts of charitie they might forbid wicked persons to partake with them in the feastes and yet suffer them to partake in the Lordes-table Nay they kept their feastes and the Lordes Supper together And hereupon Paul gaue this distinction that they should suffer none but breâ—hreÌ„ to ioyne with them in the holy feastes or in the assemblyes which were for ministration of the Lordes Supper but if we will not eate and drinke with sinners in the worlde we must goe out of the worlde Wherefore there is an eating with wretches in the worlde or in worldly meetings and feastings which is forbidden in the Church meetings As if a brother being separate and fallen away should in an Inne or vitailing house sit downe at the table to eate after we and others were set it were vnlawfull to rise from the table because of him yea it were both against common charitie and humanitie and also against the peace communion of a common wealth But of this matter it followeth to speake afterwardes We haste one to others proofes An other proofe is as though it were graunted him that where a preaching minister is there is a Church nay we know that assemblyes of papistes haue preaching ministers and yet are not the church of God And though they be Protestants which haue a Preacher ouer them yet if he for his wickednesse cease to be a brother and they also for their wickednesse be no brethren the preaching Minister can not cause them to bee a Church of God This is manifest before and shall partly also afterwarde be spoken of wherefore I let it passe As for that he saith of some knowledge receiued by a dumbe ministerie and of faith receiued by some further Ministerie it is much like the same tryfling proofe he vsed before and is answered alreadie For we said that the inward faith will not iustifie
An ansvvere to MaSTER CARTVVRIGHT HIS LETTER FOR IOYNING with the English Churches whereunto the true copie of his sayde letter is annexed Ye are deceiued not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Matth. 22. 29. Search the Scriptures for in them ye thinke to haue eternall life and they are they which testifie of me Iohn 5. 39. Let euery one that calleth on the Name of Christ depart from iniquitie 2 Tim. 2. 19. And these things that I say vnto you I say vnto all men watch Marke 13. 37. Imprinted at LONDON TO THE CHRISTIAN READER GRACE AND PEACE from God the Father and from the Lord Iesus Christ c. DEARELY beloued in the truth you haue in this booke an answere to an answere written vnto Master Harrison at Middleborough by Master Cartwright vpon occasion of controuersie betweene them concerning the true spouse of Christ or his ordinarie visible Churches in Englande And it is thought good to put this aunswere before the saide aunswere of Master Cartwright And although the godlywise and such as haue onely the glorie of God before their eyes and his pure Religion and seruice together with the saluation of their brethren will easily perceiue the reasons and causes yet least anye might take offence in this offence in this behalfe it is though meete to shewe some The first reason therefore is this Our corrupt nature is more prone and readie to imbrace the errour of man then the trueth of God Another cause was for that our vntowardenesse is so great that if an vntrueth be once receiued it worketh such a preiudice in the heades and mindes of men that they will heare neither God his worde neither reason or argument to the contrary be it neuer so good and effectuall A thirde cause mooued to place this answere first for that it shoulde bee an occasion vnto the Reader to vse more diligent conferring of this aunswere with the other for the better discerning and finding out of the trueth in this controuersie It is not necessarie that any man interpose his iudgement at this tyme but to attende by prayer the good euent which God will giue for the further manifestation of his trueth and abolishing of the contrary Nowe these fewe lynes are thought in this matter sufficient least it might seeme to foreiudge any trueth in either of these answeres or else by accepting of persons to foster corruption or a lye in any thing set foorth in the Name of the Lorde It is expedient therefore that the scriptures be faithfull searched by the godly Reader to see whether these thinges be euen so or not For no man that feareth God is ignorant of the doctrine of our Sauiour christ that whosoeuer breaketh the least of the commaundements of God and teacheth men so is least in the kingdom of heauen Neither yeâ— of this generall vniuersal doctrine of god his word true repentance vnfeined faith with amendment of life to be necessarie vnto saluation But it is said before these fewe things suffice Therefore the faithfull Reader is to be commended to the grace of God for his further direction in this behalfe farewell deare brother in the Lord. AN ANSVVERE TO MASTER CARTWRIGHT HIS LETTER FOR ioyning with the English Churches Whereunto the true Copie of his saide Letter is annexed AS there be alwayes both friendes and enemies to the Church of God so some doe giue their handes vnto it as friendes and some being enemies will giue it their left hande of friendshihpe to turne it cleane out of the way Howe friendly Master Cartwright is to it let vs examine by this his Letter and by the grace of God let vs trie out the trueth betwixt him and vs his letter is in many mens handes and was seene abroade vnsealed and open as if he cared not who shoulde reade it wherefore I may the more boldely answere it and the rather because the matter thereof is publike and pertaining to the Church of God It came but lately to my handes and was written as they tell me more then fiue or sixe weekes agoe wherein if he and others that prouoke him sought not to take vs tardie in the trueth and to worke vs trouble we would the lesâ—e haue regarded his letters but seeing he will needes make vs enemies to the common and ordinarie good lawes of the Realme to the Church of god in the Realme and to the peace and welfare of the common wealth Let vs answere his cauilles and for so much as we haue so small respite of time let vs shortly gather vp his vntrueths and errours and hurle them out by manifest knowen markes least any man doe beleeue them as trueth Master Cartwright doeth mooue the first question thus That the outwarde profession made by the lawes of the lande and the assemblyes of the Church helde accordingly are condened as vnlawfull this is the short saith he of M. Harrisons loÌ„ger discourse if he vse to make such shorts he is not meete to deale with short or with long Let him lappe vp his shortes in his budget and not sende them abroade in steade of our lengths or larger syse For at the first brunt he would set against vs all these enemies 1. The lawes of the lande 2. The outwarde profession by the lawes 3. The apparant Churches of Christ 4 and the lawfull assemblyes thereof First for the lawes he knewe well ynough what Lawes we meane namely certaine Popish Cannon lawes which though the Magistrates doe tollerate for a time yet the common good lawes of the lande are wholy against them Wherefore let him not deale doubly with vs as hauing our true meaning in his heart to fumble out of his mouth or to shuffle vp in his letter a contrary meaning we know that the lawes doe punish all outward grosse wickednesse or suffer it to be punished as namely Idolatrie forswearing vsurping of Lordshippe rebellion murther fleshly filthinesse theft oppression raylings grieuous slanders drunkennes c. and if there be any vice not punishable by the lawe yet the lawes doe suffer either the Church or euery housholder or gouernour to correct so it be not against lawe such as are vnder their charge So then the lawes are a wall to the Church rounde about they stande vp for it as an armed man that it may shewe it selfe openly without shame or feare For when they put downe all outwarde grosse wickednesse and will not suffer it they doe as it were scatter and driue awaye darkenesse from the Church that men may see it visible and cleare as the Sunne Likewise for the outwarde profession by the lawes Master Cartwright woulde playe at handie dandie with vs and yet not giue vs that hand which we doe choose for there is an outwarde profession after the olde Popish traditions and orders let him holde this profession in his left hande and there is a profession more syncerely by some after some better Lawes and Orders this he shoulde houlde in his
not beguiled with the Names of Gods house Church and Citie he him selfe hath giuen it a name as it is written the name of that city shalbe from that day The Lord is there And in this respect also it is called in Ieremie the throne of his glorie As who say that amoÌ„g whoÌ„soeuer we see not the Lord to reigne by his gouernement discipline as it were in the throne of his kingdom them we shuld â—â—dge not to be the city church of God And though the church â—o pray that God would not cast downe the throne of his glory nor breake the conant with them yet Ieremie bringeth in those wordes as a complaint of the penitent and not to proue that the wretched sorte either helde the couenant or were the throne of God Wherefore to conclude this matter The path and way of the Lord is holy as the prophet teacheth no polluted shal passe by it there shalbe no lyon no noysome beast shall ascend by it neither shall they be founde there whereby is meant that open and grosse sinners shall not be suffred in the Church For either they shall be separate by excommunication or els all the godly shall withdraw them selues from them and hold them accursed As it is written If any man loue not the Lorde Iesus let him be had in execration yea excommunicate to death And surely they loue not the Lorde but are his enemies as was shewed before which refuse his gouernment that he can not reigne ouer them And againe it is written This is the loue of God that we keepe his commandemeÌ„ts and he that sayeth I knowe god or I loue god and keepe not his commaudements is a lyar and the trueth is not in him Not that we can keepe his commandements without all breach or offence for wee are not Donatistes as the aduersaries slaÌ„der vs that we should say we may be without sinne or that the church may be without publike offences or if there fall out some sort of grosser sinnes that therefore it should cease to be the church of God we teach no such doctrine but if in any Church such grosse sinnes bee incurable and the Church hath not power to redresse them or rebelliously refuseth to redresse them then it ceaseth to be the Church of God and so remaineth till it repent take better order And here coÌ„meth in that question to be decided whether without the discipline coÌ„manded of Christ any assembly or church may be called the church of Christ M. C. saith that for want of this discipline we giue al the english assemblies the blacke stone of condemnation Howe truely he writeth this of vs his conscience is witnes for we neuer said that all the English assemblyes doe want discipline Thogh this matter be sufficiently debated before yet let vs weigh Master Cartwrights answere H sayeth that faith in Christ is the essence being or life of the church as for discipline it is but accidental and therefore the Church of God may haue her being and life and be named the church of God without discipline what worde of God doeth he bring for all this we knowe in deede that Christ is the life and essence of the Church For except as braunches we abide in him which is the true vine we can bring foorth no fruite we are cast foorth as branches and are to be consumed with fire Christ is the resurrection and the life He is the way the trueth and the life So it is true that Christ is the life of the church as for faith it is but the hand whereby we take hold of this life As it is written he that beleeueth in the sonne hath euerlasting life and he addeth vpon it as a tryall of faith euen our obedience to the sonne and saith he that obeyeth not the sonne shall not see life but the wrath of god abideth on him Nowe it was prooued before that they which are guilty of such horrible abuses so grossely offende by their corrupt and false profession haue not this faith neither do holde Christ the foundation But see how fondly blasphemously Master Cartwright distinguiseth He will haue a dead Christ or an Idol christ to be the life of the church For he will ioyne the church to Christ without the discipline and gouernement of Christ. He putteth asunder the church and the discipline of Christ and so must â—eedes sunder Christ from his owne discipline or gouernement Nowe Paul calleth this discipline the power of our Lorde Iesus christ So if wee seuer christ and his power what is he but a dead christ Also by his discipline and gouernement he hath ouer vs he is our king as againe it is written the scepter of thy kingdome is a scepter of righteousnesse So if we seuer christ and his discipline rule and gouernement what is he but an Idol christ If Master Cartwright say that by the scepter there is meant nothing else but the power of the worde of God I graunt it as Paul saith I will knowe not the speach or wordes of these men but the power For the kingdome of God is not in worde but in power saith he and in the psalme The Lorde shall sende the rodde of this power out of Zion And the weapons of our warrefare are mighty through God as againe he writeth So then if the power of the word to bynde lose to remit or refaine mens sinnes to promise lyfe and to rebuke and giue ouer to execration be taken from Christ or the church of Christ what remaineth but an Idol or counterfet christ an Idol or counterfet church Thus while M C. wil haue faith in christ to be the life of the church without discipline he doth leaue christ himselfe without life as one that is dead or turned into an Idol yet further he proceedeth in his absurdities blasphemies saith that fayth only is the essence being or life of the church and that besides faith nothing is necessary to the very essence and being of the church Thus be like children which yet through want of discretion can not haue faith shall be without the essence life of the church How corrupt doctrine this is I neede not heere stand on it If he say that by the faith of the pareÌ„ts they haue life esseÌ„ce in the church the scripture is against him For by the promise the couenant made to the righteous to their seed are their childreÌ„ reckoned in the church not by their faith Therefore the faythful are called by Paul the children of promise For we are sayth he after the maner of Isaac children of the promise and againe to the Romans the children of the promise are counted for the true seede of Abraham But that by any mans faith his children or others should haue life essence in the church is the same false doctrine we refuted
And for this purpose there are appointed these other partes of discipline namely that the Church doe iudge those which are within for it hath nothing to doe saith Paul to iudge those that are without The discipline of the church poceedeth against the brethreÌ„ that offend as was shewed before not agaynst scorners or careles worldlings For the lord doth now take vs of the gentiles for priests leuites as it is written and as wee may not bring into the lords sanctuary strangers vncircamcised in heart to pollute his house that is wicked wretches which haue not the lords couenÌ„at may not be receiued into fellowship of the church so those that are within being fallen to transgression they shal iudge according to my iudgements saith the Lord and they shall keepe my lawes and my statutes in all my assemblies For there is a particular iudging dealing against any in the church as by particular rebuke pronouncing accuâ—sed him that grossely offendeth there is a general iudging of any without the church For it is written that we shal iudge the angels And euery nation that shall rise vp in iudgement against the church shal it condemne this iudging is no part of the particular iudging we speak of And here come in other parts of discipline to be spoken of namely for priuate rebuke of the brethren that priuately offend for open rebuke of open sinnes for casting off forsaking felowship brotherhood with grosse open offenders These partes of discipline although they are prooued made manifest before yet because M C. saith that some part of discipline may bee wanting let vs see which of them may be wanting and the church notwithstanding haue the essence and name of the church First Christ hath gieun power to euery christian to reteyne the sinnes of euery brother whom he knoweth to trespasse against him not to forgiue hym except he see him repeÌ„ So that if any person want this power he is not to be counted a christian And this power reacheth so far not only for open but euen for priuate offences to iudge take any man for a heathen a publican if he wil not be reformed Now this liberty power euery christian must hold or els he is the seruaÌ„t of meÌ„ not of christ If then a particular christian cannot want it how shal the whole church be without it yet be named the church of christ Euery particular christiaÌ„ is a king a priest vnto god a king because he holdeth the scepter of gods word to iudge the offeÌ„ders a priest because in euery place he offreth incense and a pure offring to the name of the Lord as it is Malachy So theÌ„ he is vtterly without the kingdoÌ„ priesthod of christ if that liberty be denied him I mean of iudging rebuking the particular offenders forsaking their fellowship if they wil not be reformed Howe much more shall the Church be without this kingdoÌ„ priesthod of christ so without christ hymself if it want this libertie power Likewise as we shewed before euery christian hath power seuerally to forsake wicked fellowship not to coÌ„pany together with wicked brethreÌ„ And as by this liberty power they vphold their kingdoÌ„ in Christ so without it both they and the whole church do lose their interest in the priesthood kingdom of Christ and so are none of his church For they haue not the keyes of the kingdom of heaueÌ„ to bind lose to reteine or remit mens sinnes and therefore what right can they haue in the kingdom of christ If they cannot openly particularly rebuke how shall they openly particularly binde and if they caÌ„not openly particularly cast out or excoÌ„municate the grosser offender how shal they bind For being still reteined as brethreÌ„ in the church how shall they pronounce them to be bouÌ„d in heaueÌ„ How shall they shut the gates of heauen against those whom still they keepe in the bosome of the church If M. C. say that a general rebuke iudging of the wicked is a binding let him knowe that the Church hath more liberty right particularly to iudge those which are within then generally to iudge those that are without And safely if it haue not power to iudge those which are within it hath no power of iudging at all So that it is manifest that no part of church discipline can be wanting but the church doth straightway go to mine thereby For a coÌ„fused gathering of al together was proued to be no church of God Likewise if the couenant of the church the sacraments thereof be broken and disanulled Master C. graunteth that there is no church and nowe it is shewed that without that power of rebuking and iudging those which are within and of excomunicating those that deserue it there can be no church of God As for that his fonde answere that for some default in preaching and some default in obedience the discipline of the church may fayle and yet be the church let him knowe that though some preacher or other person offende yet doeth not therefore the discipline of the church fayle or want except the church be negligent or wilfully refuse to redresse such offences or is brought into bondage that it can not redresse them And yet also the question is not of some weakenes and failing in discipline but a full want and ouerthrowe either of the whole or of some parte thereof Wherefore that proofe they alleadgeby the Corinthians that they wanted discipline yet were the church of God is false very vaine For they wanted it not but were negligent therein They were not vnder the bondage of a popish discipline power which denyed and withhelde the Lordes discipline Nowe negligence was a fault in them yet not an vtter ouerthrowe and failing of discipline For being rebuked of Paul they mended this negligence in so much that their repentance and sorowe for their negligence wrought a great care in them yea as the text saith a clearing of themlselues an indignation a feare a great desire a zeale a punishing of themselues Likewise for their abuses in the Sacrament of the Supper Paul condemneth euen the Supper and sayeth This is not to eate the Lordes Supper And for abusing that Sacrament many of them were plagued of God and dyed So that although for a tyme they turned the Sacrament to be a iudgement against theÌ„ the discipline of the church did fayle yet was it not therefore quite ouerthroweÌ„ debarred from theÌ„ Also whereas some beleeued not the resurrection froÌ„ the dead it was the ignorance of those which had newely imbraced the Christian profession and not the ouerthrowe of the church discipline And here is that answered which M. C. alledgeth that Paul calleth the churches of God by the title of
thereof Otherwise Paul woulde not haue said that he which obserueth a day or he which eateth not vncleane meates obserueth the day of the Lorde or eateth not the meate to the Lord. He meaneth according to his owne interpretation verse 18. vers 4. that they serue Christ in these thinges and are acceptable vnto God and also to be approoued of men And therefore also they that were stronger and had further knowledge were to beare with the weaker and to applie their knowledge and iudgement that they put no stumbling blocke nor occasion to fall before their brethren Againe we haue a further answere by these wordes of Paul That some thinges may be done vpon iust occasion as when we are sure that we serue God therein and some thinges are simply sinne which may neuer be done vpon any occasion Such are our vyle abuses and vngodly disorders which are not as the ceremonies of the Lawe that by occasion might be obserued or not obserued as to make differeÌ„ce of times or of meates but they are altogether forbidden by the word of God and therefore not indifferent as they terme them And though some thinges in them selues as they are creatures are rather cleane good and lawfull then as they terme them indifferent yet their vse or rather abusing in such manner and order is not lawfull and good neither indifferent And here againe is another obiection to be answered because when â—ing Hezekiah did celebrate the Passeouer there were many in the congregation that were not cleansed and yet did eate the Passeouer And thereby they doe gather that wicked wretches may partake with vs in the sacraments That place plainely sheweth that it was onely a ceremoniall vncleannesse and no wickednesse in the people For the people as the wordes doe testifie prepared their whole heart to seeke the Lorde God againe the same place answereth it selfe that they were not clensed according to the purification of the sanctuary whereby is ment as it is written in Nombers that they were to keepe the Passeouer notwithstanding such vncleannesse For it could no way be remedyed before the time of the Passeouer appointed And againe that ceremonie of vncleannes was coÌ„manded because of the sanctuarie which might not be polluted Nowe therefore they onely eating the Passeouer in their houses or tentes and not comming to the sanctuarie their ceremoniall vncleannes was no wickednesse in them For the Priestes them selues as the text declareth were not suffered to come into the Sanctuarie or Temple being not yet cleansed And yet also there is a further answere For that the ceremoniall vncleannesse was no sinne so long as it was not by their carelessenesse in auoyding it or if it had bene sinne yet it was to be counted a smaller escape or an infirmitie and no grosser wickednesse And then seeing it was openly rebuked and openly confessed and prayed for by the King and also healed in the people For the Lorde healed the people saith the text I say seeing the matter stoode so howe shal any man excuse or tollerate thereby our intollerable disorders which are also incurable For if escapes or open infirmities are not so to bee borne with but that they must be openly rebuked and mended before the offenders can communicate in the sacraments Then much rather are open grosser sinnes to be first redressed before the sinners be suffered to partake in the sacraments But Master Cartwright bringeth a place in Ieremie for defence of suspendings which the Bishops vse nowe a dayes or at least for tollerating of them that the preachers should take and giue ouer their callings as the Bishops and their officers doe appoint them Why doeth he so carelessely falsifie the Scriptures First he saith that Ieremy was suspended from preaching and then he woulde prooue that Ieremie obeyed that suspension thirdly he sayeth that Ieremie was at libertie of his bodie and fourthly that he would not preache in the Temple for making a tumult All whiche things are vtterly false and haue no shewe of trueth in theÌ„ For first it is plaine in the chapter he quoteth that he was shut vp and therefore was not at libertie of his bodye and the 32 chapter sheweth that Ieremie was shut vp in the court of the prison Then also imprisoning of a man doeth shewe a violent withholding of a man from preaching and not a suspending Further that Ieremie would obey no suspendings it is plaine by the charge and message he had from the Lorde For he was set ouer the nations and ouer the kingdomes as is written and was made an yron pillar and walles of brasse against the king the princes and the priestes and was not to bee afraide of their faces least the Lorde did destroy him before theÌ„ Indeede it is true as we haue prooued before that we are not to preach to the vnworthie as to scorners and persecuters For there is a time when the wise man shall keepe silence when scarce any is to rebuke or reprooue another But when Ieremie was shut vp there were of the princes that tooke his parte For by their meanes no doubt did Ieremie get out of the prison court and so hid him selfe with Baruch There was no such bondage of suspendings as Master Cartwright would tolerate and though there were yet Ieremie obeyed them not but onely gaue place to the tyrannie of persecuters As for the tumult he speaketh of we know that Paul him selfe though he sought peace yet he cared more for his safetye and to witnesse the trueth then he did for to raise a tumult And Ieremie also ceased not to preache still notwithstanding that a tumulte and much stirring had bene among the people and priestes and princes and Prophets and all for his preaching Whereas Master Cartwright sayeth that Christ liued in the corruptest times of the Churche and when things were most confused and fewest steppes of any lawfull calling to be seene he is therein fowly ouerseene For those were the dayes wherein the Lord did powre vpon the house of Dauid vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace of compassion wherein also he did cut off the names of the Idoles from amongst his people as againe it is prophecied so that they were no more remeÌ„bred and he did cause the false prophets the vncleane spirits to depart from amongst theÌ„ They had the true worship of God the true safices the order of the priestes and Leuites their callings according to the Law of Moses The church was separated froÌ„ the wicked froÌ„ the sect of the Saduces froÌ„ the idolatrous Samariâ—ans There were very many good men women as Zacharie the Father of Iohn Baptist and his wife Simeon and Anna and Nathaniel and many other all which I neede not to recken vp For there were great multitudes that heard Iohn Baptistes doctrine and were
not remooue And therefore although the assemblyes of Englande had deserued thorough want of discipline and of a teaching ministerie to bee cast out from the accompt of the churches of God yet being holden in by the most voyces of the Churches them selues they ought to haue bene so farre borne withall as the communicating with them shoulde not make them guiltie of a falling away from the Lorde Nowe I come to those two reasons whereby you thinke you maye iustly holde the assemblies in Englande for no churches of God And first of all to the reason of the discipline for the want wherof you giue them all without exception the blackestone of condemnation from being the churches of christ where it is to be vnderstoode that as in a man there are certaine partes essentiall and such as without which the man can not stande and other some seruing either to his comelinesse or to his long continuance so it is in this matter there is the foundation christ whereupon it is necessary that by faâ—th the assemblies be laide which groweth vnto the Lordes building without the which it can not bee his church which thing being whatsoeuer is either wanting of that which is commaunded or remaining of that which is forbidden is not able to put that assembly which by faith is layde vpon Christ from the right and title of being the churche of Christ for faith can admit of no such thing which giueth an vtter ouerthrowe and turning vpside downe of the trueth By this title of the faithfull the Apostle in his epistles noteth out the Churches of God it being all one with him to say to the faithfull or to the Saintes as to the Churches of such a place whatsoeuer wanteth vnto this or is more then ynough it wanteth or aboundeth to the disgrace and vncomelinesse or to the hassarde of the continuance and not to the present ouerthrowe of the churche and although besides faith in the Sonne of GOD there may be many thinges necessary for euery assembly yet be they necessary to the comely and stable being and not simplye to the being of the churche hereupon the people of Israel which neglected for the space of fourtie nine yeeres the holy Sacrament of circumcision and the Passeouer also as it seemeth one onely time excepted seased not therefore to be the churches of God and to haue the Sanctuarie amongest them And in this respectes the Dutch assemblyes whereof the greatest parte in high Germany which besides the same Name of discipline which is common to our churches are grossely deceiued in the matter of the Supper are notwithstanding holden in the roule of the churches of god In this respecte also certaine assemblyes of our profession which hauing the vse of the discipline permitted vnto them are not suffered to haue the vse of the Sacramentes of the Lordes Supper are no therefore when the Lordes churches are mustered and their Names written and enrouled vp cast out as vnfit to remaine in any accompt of the Lordes hoste without anye parte of that order and discipline which the Lorde hath appointed I graunt there can be no churche of christ for that without some parte of it there can be no faith in Iesus christ it is a piece of that discipline of our Sauiour christ that there shoulde be certaine which shoulde be chosen out of the rest to preache the gospell by preaching whereof the churches are gathered Where therefore there is no ministerie of the worde there it is playne that there are no visible and apparant churches it is another parte of the discipline of our Lorde that the rest of the body of the churche shoulde obey those that are set ouer them in the Lord. Wheresoeuer therefore there is no obedience of the people giuen to the ministers that in the Lordes name preach vnto them there also can be no churche of christ but where these two be although other pointes wante yea although there be some defect in these that neither the ministers doe in all pointes preach as they ought nor the assemblyes in all pointes obey vnto the wholesome doctrine of their teachers yet doe they for the reason abouesaide retaine the right of the churches of god This may be made by plaine similitude from the body of man whereunto we are alreadie entred for if any man shuld haue both his hands his armes cut off his eyes put out c. yet as loÌ„g as the head standeth and other vitall parts he is to be accompted a man although a maymed man euen so it is in the assemblie as long as it holdeth the head how defectiue it is otherwise yet it hath the due and right of the church of god and although a man shoulde haue sixe fingers on one hande and but three one another albeit they shoulde stande where the mouth doeth yet all this deformitie should not hinder from being truely holden to be a maÌ„ although it would be great deformitie in him on the other parte if he had no head at all or that there were no naturall coniunction of the partes one with another but a whole and through displacing of euery parte from his proper state then verely coulde he not be deemed to haue either the proportion of a man or his life so likewise if an assembly either holde not the head which is Christ Iesu or be nothing els but a confused multitude without any parte of that order which the sonne of God hath appointed the same is iustly crossed out of the accompte of Gods churche was not Ierusalem after the returne from Babylon the citie of the great King vntill snche time as Nehemias came and builded vp the walles of the citie to say therefore it is none of the Church of god because it hath not receiued this discipline me thinkes is all one with this as if a man woulde say it is no citie because it hath no wall or that it is no vineyarde because it hath neither hedge nor dyke It is not I grant so sightly a citie or vineyarde nor yet so safe against the inuasion of their seuerall enemies which lye in waite for them but yet are they truely both cities and vineyardes There remaineth the other point which is against those assemblies onely which haue a dumbe ministerie wherein that parte of your conclusion that the assemblies where they be are none of the Churches of god is before answered There resteth that part of your conclusion whereby you inferre that the Sacramentes ministred by them are none of gods Sacramentes and therefore that a man may not receiue anye of them at their handes here first I agree with you that their ministerie is vnlawful and to them selues without repentance a certain matter of destruction especially in those vnto whome the knowledge of this corruption is come to the churches where they be presently hurtefull and in the ende without remedie deadly but that they are no ministers of god so far as to receiue the
right hande wherefore then doeth hee reach vs that in his right hande as taking it vnlawfull which we choose as lawfull If he saye that wee condemne that ordinarie abused and corrupt profession of the most I aunswere that the Lawes doe also the same For the common Lawes are against the cannon Lawes in many hundreth poyntes one giueth checke to the other as two Dames at variance in one house the cannon is as fire in the house to burne it the common is as water powring downe to quenche it The Popishe courtes esteeme all sortes of christians for churches of Christ much like those harlots that woulde haue many children though it were by fornication that they myght rule ouer many but the Common wealth reiecteth her children as beyng children of Death euen for smaller Theftes Felonyes Roginges and Wanderinges without honest Trades and laboures as for the right corrections of Adulteryes those Whoorish courtes haue taken so much vpon them that the Ciuill Magistrates coulde not so well see to it before this time But nowe euen for this matter they haue giuen a great checke to the cannon Officers Also for persecuting the brethren and sundry worthye men their authoritie and cannon power hath receiued a great blowe and wounde If there be contrary lawes one against another as through change of tymes variaunce of people and other necessities it may fall out yet through fauour and helpe of good Magistrates the lawe shall still be with the Church and not against it As for the Maiestracie of Byshops there is no lawe to warrant it but only her Maiesties permission likewise for the common forme of seruice and prayers there is exception by the lawe and it is set downe also in the booke of Common prayer that the prayers may be changed intermitted and left off by occasions as when the Minister is to preach or applye him selfe to his studie for preaching Further whereas the lawe doeth binde vs to come to the church it doth well for no man ought to refuse the Church of God yet if when we come to the church we finde there an vnlawfull minister and a wicked confusion of all sortes of people the fault is not nowe in the law but in the Byshoppes which place such ministers and in their spirituall courtes which are authours of such confusion for the Lawe commaundeth that the Minister should be Doctus and Clericus which wordes doe require learning sufficient and godlinesse meete for a cleargie man otherwise howe shoulde he be Clericus that is one of the Lordes inheritance But the Bishops count him learned if he can but reade onely and answere to a catechisme as doe children wherefore good Magistrates will execute the lawe according to the true meaning and not according to the extremitie of the wordes and if they see to it that men shall come to Church they will first see that the church be better ordered that men may come with comforte and not with heart burning to their conscience Also for discipline in gathering the worthie from the vnworthy the lawe appointeth it and giueth leaue to make exception both in publique iudgement and in churches against vnworthye persons as against Drunkennesse fightings murther adulteryes stealth slaunders c. and that before the Constables Iustices of Peace Iudges and Iustices of Assises and yet also doe giue libertie to the Church to vse their owne discipline But eyther the Popes cannon lawes and his officers doe quite ouerthrowe it or the Ministers are so seruile and foolish that they can not or dare not execute it It were too long to rehearse what libertie the lawes do yeelde to vs and what outwarde profession there is by the lawes but thus we conclude that seeing very many of the Bishops doings and their officers are vnlawfull and yet very vsually and ordinarily professed helde and practised we must needes say that such an ordinary profession is vnlawfull Nowe followeth the chiefest and greatest matter in controuersie namely Whether the ordinarie assemblies of the professors in Englande be the Churches of Christ. A part of this question he must make as he doeth the vsuall outward profession What Master Harrison did write in his letter and vpon what wordes Master C. doeth gather this question I can not tell for I neuer sawe Master Harrisons letter but I hope Master H. did not condemne any assemblyes but abused assemblies neither any professors but false professors wherefore let him take his right meaning namely The ordinarie abused assemblyes of false professors But he will admit no such distinction for belike he will haue no such assemblyes yet in a time of better reformation then is now in Englande as in the dayes of King Iosiah the Lord witnesseth that Iudah had not returned vnto him with their whole heart but faynedly If they then were false professors whose hypocrisie was in their hearts why should not they be false professors which doe shewe foorth in practise a false profession and that chiefely in their assemblyes but whatsoeuer false profession they haue and howe grosse soeuer their abuses be Master Cartwright will prooue them to bee churches of Christ. But goe to let vs examine his prooâ—es those assemblyes haue Christ for their head and foundation for saith hee they beleeue in Christ and haue the spirite of Christ therefore they are the churches of Christ. Nowe to prooue that they beleeue he bringeth in their profession so that all Master Cartwrights arguments falleth from one to one till it come to nothing at all for from the head and foundation of the church he descendeth to the spirite and to faith and so at last to the outwarde profession Nowe the outwarde profession must chiefely be shewed and iustified by the lawfull vsing of publique assemblyes If they then be so shamefully abused by meanes of the bishoppes and their officers then his proofe of the outward profession also falleth to the ground Thus of necessitie he must iustifie many grosse corruptions both in the assemblyes in sundry their practises and customes or else laye by his proofe as vntrue But what neede hee haue fetched about and made suche adoo touching faith and the spirite and the head and the foundation of the Church and then to haue no other proofe but the question to prooue the question For the question is whether the assemblyes bee lawfull outwarde Churches being helde according to so corrupt profession or whether the outwarde profession of the false professours standing as it doeth the assemblyes that are according bee lawfull or no Thus he prooueth idem per idem it is so because it is so it shall bee so because it shall bee so But marke his turning and shifting to and fro in this matter For from the outward church and the outwarde profession he leapeth and fleeth to the spirite and faith which are inwarde and from the inwarde graces he returneth to the outwarde profession Thus as one that is hunted with his enemie within he runneth out
and being in daunger without he runneth in for by faith which is inwarde and the spirite that is inwarde hee woulde iustifie an outwarde churche Againe by an outwarde false and corrupt profession he will iustifie the inwarde spirite and faith of professours to bee syncere Thus with turning and returning to and fro he woulde establishe his errour but hee doeth wearie him selfe in vaine Nowe as his dealing herein is ridiculous so hee increaseth it vnto a shamelesse and blasphemous doctrine For he sayeth that there being but one onely true Christian in a church or congregation and all the rest wicked yea and so wicked that they haue but a bare profession in worde onely without any good workes they shoulde all be counted the church of God for that one mans cause I maruaile howe his penne coulde droppe downe such poyson and he not smell the stinch thereof as he wrote it For by this doctrine euery faithfull christian shall bee aboue Christ. For Master Cartwright doeth giue them power to loose those on earth which God doeth binde in heauen and this power Christ neuer had For if the faith of one or a fewe beleeuers in an assembly be of force to make them all the Church though the rest be grosse offendours then neede they to bynde none in earth And why shoulde Saint Paule alleadge this power of our Lorde Iesus Christ if all may bee taken for the Church by the faith of some For Master Cartwright will giue vs a contrary power namely to reckon all for the churche But will you steale murther commit adulterie and sweare falsely c. sayeth the Lorde and come and stande before me in this house whereupon my Name is called and say We are deliuered though wee haue done all these abominations If Master Cartwright shoulde answere this question we shoulde heare those lying wordes for so the Prophet tearmeth them namely The Temple of the Lorde the Temple of the Lorde allis the Temple and Church of god But a denne of thieues is not the house and Temple of God And if the faith of fewe will make many wretches to be the church then the vnfaithfulnes of many shoulde be of force to make them all no Church But as my wickednesse condemneth no man but my selfe except they partake with me in my wickednes so my faith iustifieth no man to be of the church except they hold with me an outward good profeâ—sion according to faith For shew me thy faith by thy works saith S. Iam. 2 as who say he would not beleue there were faith if he saw not the works of faith And Paul ioyneth the beleefe of the heart and confession of the mouth both together as needeful vnto righteousnes saluation and by the confession of the mouth he meaneth al outward profession agreeing to faith because the professioÌ„ by mouth is chiefest He can not turne his words as if he spake of one truly faithful and all the rest secret hypocrites for he speaketh of the outward profession of the outward works and of the outward church granteth also that there are many outward grosse abuses further he nameth that in wordes only they hold the true faith as who say be the deeds neuer so abhominable yet for that faithful mans sake they are al to be called one church with him If Master Cartwright had sayde cleane contrary he had spoken more truely namely that if among many good liuers one wicked man were founde as a mâ—rtherer an idolater or an adulterer and the rest become so negligent or wilfull or are helde in such spirituall bondage that any one such open and manifest offence is incurable then the couenant is broken and disanulled with them all till they repent and redresse such wickednesse Proofe there is by the 7. of Ioshua the 13. of Deuteronomie the 9. of Ezra the 20. of Iudges the 3. of Ieremie and 1. verse By the punishment of the whole land for Sauls offence 2. Samuel 21. By the ceremonies of leprosies Of touching vncleane things By the leauen named of Paul that leaueneth the whole luÌ„pe 1. Cor. 5. by sundry other places Wherefore this doctrine of his as it maketh for the Pope that a whole wretched multitude may be the Church and depende on one man cleane ouerthroweth the discipline of the church so it is so contrary to God and all godlinesse that I wonder anye man shoulde haue the face to auouche it If M. C. say that hee meaneth not a profession altogether corrupted but a good profession in other dueties though that bee nought which iustifieth such abuses in assemblies I maruaile howe he dare pronounce it an apparant sanctification or an holy profession in other dueties where there is so corrupt and polluted a profession in publique assemblyes Doth not the Prophet teach vs That that man can haue no name of a righteous iust and holy man which offendeth in any one grose sinne If he sinne in any one of these thinges saith the Prophet though he doe â—ot all these thinges he is a wicked man all the righteousnesse which he hath done shall not be mentioned but his wickednesse shall be vpon him And if it be true that Iames saith cap. â— 26. that not to refraine a mans tongue is to proue his religion vaine then to haue a filthie polluted profession in publique assemblies is to make all other profession filthy and polluted And so reasoneth the Prophet Haggi That as any holy meate was made vnholy and vncleane if a polluted person did but touch it or the skirt of a mans garment did but touch it so much more vncleane was that people and nation and all their holy exercises and sacrifices and all the workes of their handes becuase they polluted them selues but in one thing namely in slacking and fearing to builde the outwarde Temple which was but a figure of the outwarde Church of god at this day But we come to another of Master Cartwrights proofes which hee giueth thus They haue the couenaunts of the churches of god namely the spirit and the worde of god put in their mouthes therefore they are the Churches of god We doe not denie but that there are sundry churches of god but the question is of a corrupt profession by Popish Lawes and of vnlawfull assemblyes made thereby But whatsoeuer corruption there is as he granteth diuers yet they haue the couenant saith he of the spirite and the worde of god in their mouthes So without shame he abuseth that place in Isaiah 59 For he leaueth out one part of the couenant which is That the Lorde will come vnto Zion and to those that turne from iniquitie in Iacob and with them will hee make his couenant wherefore the worde is not the couenant to establish a Church except it reigne and rule in the Church to subdue it in obedience to the Lorde for the Lorde maketh no couenant but with
the outward Church when there is a wicked profession contrary to the doctrine of faith Againe a man may beleeue be wonne to faith by meanes of some godly brother and that before he haue outwardly ioyned him selfe to the Church so in gods secret election he is of the church yet because he hath not the outwarde profession can not be sayde to be the outwarde Church But here Master Cartwright though he dare not iustifie the blind reading Ministers yet he doeth praise them as doing some good But of this matter also it followeth afterwarde to intreate as whether he that doeth so much hurt and mischiefe can be saide to doe any good at all Likewise it is a trifling to no purpose that he sayth the Church ceaseth not when a minister faileth or wanteth for we knowe that euen two or three agreeing together in the trueth separate from wickednesse if none other will ioyne with them euen they are an outwarde and visible Church and haue this power of Christ euen to binde men on earth and to loose them on earth that they may be bound or loosed in heauen For though by persecution they be driuen into corners yet their good profession is outward and visible in it selfe and yet hidden from their enemies which are vnworthy to see it for the church may increase into thousandes and decrease also in this worlde euen to a litle householde and to foure or fiue persons For Ierusalem fell away and became as Sodome and Egypt and the Lorde did blot out the whole name and church of the Iewes and called his people by another name as it is written Isay 65. Actes 11. But in these latter dayes it is prophecied that the Church shoulde be small hidden and driuen into corners So that as in Noas time eight persons onely escaped euen so when the sonne of man shall come he shall not finde faith on the earth those dayes before his comming shall be so hard that scarce any flesh shall be saued Indeed one person will not make a church for the Church must needes be a number but where two or three are gathered together in the name of Christ there is he in the middes of them And the housholde of Philemon is named a Church Likewise the housholde of Olymphis of Aquila Priscilla and others For if they haue the power which Paul calleth the power of our Lorde Iesus Christ and doe meete together fewe or moe in the Name of Christ they are surely the Church of Christ. Therefore this doctryne is still agaynst Master Cartwright for neyther the word in the preachers mouth nor the Sacraments can make an outwarde Church except they haue the power of Christ to separate the vnworthye For Master C. confesseth that the name of a Church shall remayne though the preacher and his preaching doe cease and is wanting for a tyme. But without this power of binding that is of declaring mens wickednes and forsaking their fellowshippe to leaue them vnto Satan being open and grieuous offendours there is no name nor shewe of the church of Christ remaining If he demaunde proofe hereof the scriptures are manifest For God hath giuen this power not onely to the preachers but to all the saintes of god as appeareth by that Psalme namely By the worde of god in their mouthes to binde euen the Kings and nobles of the earth and to execute vpon them his spirituall iudgement the text followeth that this honour shall be to all the Saintes Wherefore it is not peculiar to some one or to â—ome fewe alone but it belongeth to all yea this is the heritage of all the Lordes seruants as Isaiah testifieth In deede it is true that we ought ioyntly to execute this power but if others will not or bee in bondage that they can not ioyne with vs therein then they are not the Church but the bondslaues of men For this power belongeth to euery one seuerally to forsake wicked fellowship and there is a coÌ„mandement giuen to euery one to forsake the vnfruitfull workes of darkenesse to be no companions with such to haue no fellowshippe with them to withdraw our selues from euery brother that walketh inordinately yea and to turne away from all which hauing a shew of godlinesse doe deny the power thereof For if we walke in darknes and say we haue fellowship with god we lye sayth S. Iohn and doe not truely But if we walke in the light we haue fellowship one with another otherwise that fellowship holdeth not And in Hosea commandement is giuen vnto all euen to pleade against the mother church if it fal away that as god doth forsake it so euery one also should stand against it if it become abhominable And so also all are commanded to saue them selues from a froward generation But it may be here obiected howe we answere to the place in Matth. 18 that we must complaine to the Church and then if the offender heare not the Church we must take him for a heathen and publican I grant that if the offence be priuate he must be first priuately dealt with But this proueth not that either for priuate or open offences we must waite on them for redresse which are enemies of the Church and which haue no power to binde and lose as hath the church Wherefore let not Master Cartwright accompt so much of the assemblyes he speaketh of for what is a Church without this power we spake of yea what are those assemblies which in steade of it do holde that Antichristian power of the spirituall courtes or rather are helde in bondage by it But Master Cartwright alloweth not onely those assemblies but also those vile courtes and officers and Bishoppes set ouer them to be all the Church of God For he sayeth afterwarde namely in the sixt page that the calling of the dumbe ministers whichis by them is a calling of the church and sufficient to make them ministers yea and he seemeth to allowe also their suspendings of preachers as if it were done by the Church so that both for complaint and for redresse of defaults for establishing and gathering the churches hee alloweth or tollerateth those officers and courtes to haue the power and authoritie of the church But God hath appointed no such kinde of complaintes in the Church neither such kinde of redresse nor ordering of matters First because they redresse and order matters by money Brybes Fees Ciuill penaltyes c. wherein the Church discipline ought not to meddle For the weapons of our warefare sayeth Paul are not carnall He meaneth that the Church maye not deale in matters of reformation as doeth the common wealth and this present worlde The Church can deale no further then onely by rebuke warning and exhortation out of gods worde and by forsaking casting of fellowship in grosser sinnes And therefore rightly may the word and his
Spirituall graces be called the weapons of our warfare Also in the church there can bee no recompence made for sinne by money For the sinner is the murtherer of his owne soule And therfore the law of god is that for murther or killing any there caÌ„ be no recoÌ„pence made saue only by the death of the maslayer him selfe or the high Priest which figured thus much that except we see in any transgressour open repentance and faith in the death of Christ we are to iudge him still dead in his sinne and that money can not make him to liue nor redresse his wickednesse And the officers that take money in such a case doe euen eate vp the sinne of the people as it is written and lift vp their mindes in their iniquitie Also because the Iudges and officers of the court doe wrest Gods Lawe by their Popish cannon Lawe and respect persons and take rewarde which is forbidden in Deuteronomie and by their profession they must needes doe so or else they can not holde their office howe shal any make complaint vnto them for Church matters which can be counted none of the church And seeing Christ hath commanded to complaine to the Church against the sinner howe shall Christs ordinance be broken by complaining vnto such wretches Furthermore seeing the Scripture sheweth that the church hath nothing to doe to iudge those which are without how shal any complaine of such a number of wicked men as neuer were worthie to be couÌ„ted the church Againe seeing no godly man may seeke iudgement vnder the vniust as Paul sheweth if he haue a matter against a brother why shoulde we seeke vnto such for iudgement Further the rebuke and reforming of a brother ought not to be delayed till the time of keeping their courtes For we knowe perfectly saith Paul that the day of the Lorde shall come as a thiefe in the night and as he that sinneth ought not to delay his repentance and promise safety to him selfe least sudden destruction come so he that seeth his brother sinne ought to hast his repentance and reformation For thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart sayeth the Scripture but thou shalt plainely rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sinne vpon him And the Corinthians are sharpely rebuked of negligence because they hasted not to cast out of the Church the incestuous person and likewise because they made too long delaye in receiuing him againe being penitent Againe because those cannon officers are straungers neither knowen to the Churches not dwelling among them no maruaile though Christ say that his sheepe will not followe nor seeke to strangers but will flee from them Moreouer Because they bring the Churches into bondage as it is written because they deuoure because they take their goods because they exalt them selues and as it were smite the people on the face and cast them them in prison they do all these things besides the church gouernment and therefore ought to be reiected and in no case to be uffered Thus it is manifest by the worde of God that such proude prelates and Antichristian vsurpers haue no authoritie nor power of the church neither is their suspendings to be counted suspensions by the church nor their calling of Ministers a calling by the Churche Nay surely the least in the kingdome of God shalbe able by the worde of God in their mouthes to plucke vp and roote out such plantes if none other will ioyne with them I meane they shall pronounce them by the worde of god to be abhominable haue no felowship with theÌ„ in the church so to theÌ„ they are vtterly plucked out of the Church For they are kings and priests vnder Christ to execute the lords gouernement against such and therefore they ought not to loose their right which is euen their heritage and glorie Isaiah 54. or rather the glorie or kingdome of god euen the keyes of the kingdome of heauen to binde and loose Mat. 18. The power of Christ Iesus to deliuer vp the wicked to Satan 1. Corinth 5. The scepter of his worde for rebuke doctrine exhortation promising life denouncing iudgement For this is a right scepter which subdueth the people vnder vs and the nations vnder our feete Psalme 45. He alleadgeth another proofe by peraduenture For he guesseth that peraduenture we will say it were better for an assembly to haue no minister at all then to haue a blinde reading minister And then he reasoneth thus that hauing none at all but yesterday they are the church or may be the church then hauing a dumbe minister to day they are still the Church of god and can not so suddenly be made the synagogue of Satan This is a slender proofe and borowed by imagination for we make not the minister whether duÌ„be or not dumbe to be the essence substance or life of the outward Church but the keeping of the couenant by the outwarde discipline and gouernement thereof And the Lorde callâ—th the keeping of the couenant by this discipline his staffe of beautie as appeareth in Zecharie which being broken he disanulleth his couenant with the people and so they become the sheepe of slaughter For he saith I will not feede you that that dyeth let it dye and that that perisheth let it perish and let the remnant eate euery one the flesh of neighbour Likewise in Iere. Ezek. as the breaking of the couenant is set downe to be the death and perishing of the church people of God so the keeping thereof by better discipline and gouernement was the life and renuing of the Church Why then shoulde Master Cartwright reason so fondly as though they that helde the couenant to day might not breake it to morowe and as though any grosse wickednesse committed of all were not the breaking of the couenant by all Did not the people pleade truely against Reuben and God that if they rebelled to daye against the Lorde euen to morrowe the Lorde woulde be wroth with all the Congregation of Israel And they alleadge further that for Achans sinne wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel Howe suddenly and quickely was this sinne committed and howe soone was the Lorde prouoked euen to forsake all the congregation and to be with them no more except they destroyed the excommunicate from among them for so are the wordes of the Lorde him selfe Nowe what was that sinne which Israel calleth rebellion in Reuben and God both against the Lorde and against the rest of Israel And what was the sinne of Achan Surely they thought that the Reubenites and Gadites had broken that commandement which the Lorde had giuen them namely that they should not offer their burnt offerings in euery place which they liked but only in the place which the Lorde had chosen to put his name there Now who knoweth not but that that place of
the name of God figured the visible Church of god so that this matter toucheth M. C. very neerely For if it be true that as all sacrifices then so all sacraments now are rebellion against the Lord being ministred without the visible Church of God then that sinne which he calleth a fault shalbe found to be more then a fault euen rebellion falling away from the Lord. And this is a sinne of execration euen abomination in the eies of the Lord to measure the visible church of god by a compasse of ground by a nuÌ„ber of housholdes by slint of tythes tenthes as we see in our parishes For the place maketh not the church neither is the church or true religioÌ„ to be measured by the place as Christ him selfe teacheth vs for neither in the mountaine where the father worshipped neither yet at Ierusale the citie of god was God any more to be worshipped but the true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit truth By which words Christ meaneth thus much first that the spirit trueth being shewed by the outward good profession declare the outwarde Church of God and not the places neither temples nor cities nor parishes For in whome we see the spirit that is the graces of the spitit by their outward good works and the trueth that is the lawes and word of Christ which is true to be kept obserued them only we must call the Church of God And therefore in Isaiah it was shewed beforeâ— that with those only which turne from iniquitie in Iacob will the Lord make his couenant euen his spirite which is vpon them and his words which he hath put in their mouth Secondly by those wordes Christ teacheth that al the Iewish ceremonies shuld be abolished because the chiefest euen Ierusalem and the Temple should be no more For the temple at Ierusalem circumcision were the chiefest How great the citie and the Temple were it appeareth by that prayer of Salomon 1. Kinges 8. 29. And by sundry other places Deuteronom 12. 11. Ierem. 3. 17. Ezek. 43. 7. c. And of circumcision Paul reasoneth with the Galatians That if they be circumcised they are bounde to keepe the whole ceremoniall lawe for it being one of the chiefest ceremonies if they still obserued it they should also obserue all the rest but if they reiected the chiefest they should also reiect all the rest And to that ende Christ reasoneth that seeing all things are nowe to be verified in spirit and trueth therefore all ceremoniall and superstitious worship shoulde cease As also Paul reasoneth That if they be led by the spirit they are not vnder the ceremonies of the lawe So then it appeareth that tithings because they were ceremonies belong not to the Church And because such abomination is committed by them namely the due planting and gathering of the church is hindred and the libertie of the Church for remouing euil ministers stopped they are euen the execrable things which Achan did steale For if the common wealth as it ought had long agoe taken from the ministerie those tenthes and Popish liuings then Iericho being once destroyed I meane the Antichristian churches once put downe had not so soone bene built againe but nowe such tythings benefices and Bishoprickes remaining they haue builded by them an other Iericho in steade of the first in deede somewhat differing from the first but as contrary to Gods church and holy citie as was the first yea and Master Cartwright also wil iustifie that execrable stealth of Achan and call Iericho I meane those woefull assemblies and Parishes the visible church and citie of God But cursed be the man before the Lord saith Ioshua that riseth vp and buildeth againe this citie Iericho he shall lay the foundation thereof in his eldest sonne in his yongest sonne shall he set vp the gates of it Satan is that enuious and malitious man which hath builded againe this citie his eldest sonnes were the first beginners of this lamentable state whome God did afterwarde scourge and cal to repentance in the time of Queene Marie and brake their enterprise and his youngest sonnes are these latter reformers whome God also will certainely plague except they repeÌ„t But to come againe to Master Cartwrights proofe let him not say that we count any assembly whether they haue a dumbe minister oâ— haue none to be the outwarde Churches of God except they keepe the couenant by the outwarde discipline and gouernement of the Church Further Master Cartwright saith that in such assemblyes the dumbe minister is not chiefe but Christ and that wee make nothing of the dumbe minister and yet will needes haue him to be the head of those Churches Indeede we make nothing of him concerning any goodnes that is by him for he helpeth nothing thereto but concerning the mischiefe and hurt which he doeth or the sinne that is by him let him not say wee make nothing of it For if they be beastes as it is written so that by their want of vnderstanding and conscience the flockes of the pastour be scattered and perish shall we say it is nothing If they be those foolish shepheardes whome the Lorde saith by Zecharie he will raise vp in iudgement to sell and to slay the sheepe to eate the flesh of the fat and to teare them in pieces which also shall not looke for them that are lost nor seeke the tender lambes nor heale that is hurt nor feede them but rather feede them selues vpon their flesh shall we make nothing of such ministers But go to he sayeth that Christ is the head of those assemblyes and not the dumbe ministers That Christ is their head or fouÌ„dation he can not prooue as was shewed before wherefore for any thing he can prooue the dumbe ministers in the absence of the Bishops and their officers are the chiefe and heades ouer them That they are alwayes chiefe we saide it not for when the Bishoppes which are greater vsurpers are present then they are heades and both the dumbe ministers and hireling preachers may serue well ynough to bee the tayle For Satan hath all wayes by such as by the taile of the dragon drawing the third part of the starres of heauen and cast them to the earth What shall we vnderstande by heauen but the shewe of the church as it were set in heauen by the starres but the children of the church falling to wickednes and loosing their light Such are the people of those assemblies whom Satan hath cast vpon the earth as starres â—out light He bringeth another proofe by Corah and his company For they saith he were not cast foorth of the lords host by Moses therefore should not these assemblyes also which haue a dumbe minister thrust vpon them be reputed for runnegates from the Lorde well let vs see was not in deede Corah with those that claue to him put apart from the hoste
of the Lord First Moses commaunded the congregation the Lord so bade him to depart from the tents of those wicked men and touch nothing of theirs lest they perished in their sins was not this a putting apart or a casting out Againe by the word of the Lord in the mouth of Moses the earth opened her mouth and swallowed theÌ„ vp quicke For assoone as he had ended his words saith the text euen the grounde claue asunder that was vnder them was not this also a putting apart or a casting out The next day also fourteene thousand and seuen hundreth dyed by a plague for cleauing still to Corah by an aftermurmuring was not this a putting apart And these iudgements were both an ensample and a figure of the spirituall iudging at this day both by excommunication by rebuke and denouncing iudgement For otherwise to what purpose is it said in the reuelation that the witnesses at this day meaning euery faithful preacher are as oliue trees and golden candlesticks standing before the god of the earth and that fire proceedeth out of their mouthes and deuoureth their enemies and that they haue power to shut heauen and power ouer waters to turne them into blood and to smite the earth with all maner plagues as often as they will If he say that Corah and his company were not forthwith cast out though it be euident that forthwith they did cast out themselues he should know that there must be a time to examine their cause yet in that short time they had of examining being but a day for the next day they perished We read that Dathan Abiram would not come to be examined and so of them selues they were put apart As for Corah and his company two hundreth fiftie where as they tooke censers came before the Lord in the doore of the tabernacle they did it as vsurpers and both in the very acte doing were separate by fire to destruction and before the act Moses is so farre from ioyning with them or from allowing or tollerating their act that he prayeth against it saying Lord looke not vnto their offring Likewise that the people ioyned not with them in their censing it is euident for euen while they were burning incense or before the coÌ„mandement was giuen which they obeâ—ed that they should get them away from about the tabernacle of Corah DothaÌ„ Abiram and touch nothing of theirs Now if any will take vantage that yet their ceÌ„sers were holy as the text saith because they offred them before the Lord so will impute some holines to the ministery of dumbe ministers let vs coÌ„sider what holines this was First their action was altogether vnholy none might or did ioyne with them therein And therâ—fore the censers were consecrate as a signe remeÌ„braÌ„ce saith the text that no stranger which is not of the seed of Aaron come nere to offer incense before the Lord that he be not like Corah his coÌ„panie Wherfore those censers were holy because they were made a holy signe of iudgement for warning to all posterities not to do the like wherefore I would say there were holines in the dumbe ministery if all the dumbe ministers were hanged vp in the Churches and publike assemblies for a warning terrour to the rest that are readie to enter such a function Then indeede they were a holy signe remeÌ„brance of iudgmeÌ„t against such wretches but other holines haue they none in theÌ„ Yet M. C. dare say that their ministration of SacrameÌ„ts reading of praiers is holy sanctified yea so farre sanctified that we may lawfully receiue the Sacraments of them ioyne with theÌ„ in praiers Belike because Moses commanded Corah his coÌ„pany to come with their censers therfore those also must come with their seruice books But did Moses cal theÌ„ for any other purpose saue only to destroy theÌ„ Did he meane as M C. doeth to ioyne with them to tollerate their ministerie to excuse their vsurping to pronouÌ„ce a blessing on their ministery For indeed it is blessed if it be as he saith that we may lawfully receiue the Sacraments of them Did not Moses say plainely To morrowe the Lorde will shewe who is his and who is holy and who ought to approche neere vnto him meaning that by his terrible iudgement he woulde shewe that they were none of his and that there was no holinesse in their action of comming neere to the Lorde Surely therefore this holinesse which M. Cartwright imputeth to the dumbe ministers and their assemblies is like the holinesse whereof Corah spake together with his companie saying That all the congregation was holy euerie one of them and the Lorde was among them An other proofe Master Cartwright taketh by the seales of the couenant that is the Sacraments They haue the Sacraments saith he as seales of the couenant therefore they are within the couenant and so are the Churches of god Here the question falleth out whether the sacraments are false sacraments and counterset seales of the couenant He saith it is graunted him that they are true and vncounterfaite sacraments being ministred by sufficient ministers for sayeth he if we condemne the seales set to by dumbe ministers then we must needes iustifie the Sacraments ministred by sufficient ministers So by his iffs and supposings he will gather against vs what proofes he list But though they be preaching ministers yet are they not sufficient ministers as we shewed before For if they goe out of the way as it is written and cause many to dash and fall by the lawe they are not sufficient ministers but they breake the couenant of Leui and the Lorde will make them despised and vile before the people because they keepe not his wayes If they be neuer so famous in preaching yet if they be worldly minded men and whose bellies are their gods and glorie to their shame they are not sufficient ministers But why did M. C. so subtlely set contrary to dumbe ministers sufficient ministers not rather preaching ministers For the question is of false professors and of a false profession and therefore also of preachers which hold a false profession together with their assemblies now such we say are not sufficient for they are not such as Paul appointeth in his epistles to Timothie and Titus So herein we see howe Master Cartwright misseth of his proofe and in missing doeth take a further foyle for he reasoneth that if the Sacraments doe prooue a Church then though they haue not the discipline commanded by Christ yet they are the Church But howe doeth this followe belike he thinketh that the Sacraments may be seuered from discipline yea and the Church also and yet be an outwarde and visible Church of God Howe true this is it followeth afterwarde to be examined First let vs stande on his proofe that he taketh by the iudgement of other Churches in Europe all which saith he
before For the iust shall liue by his fayth saith Habbakk If then a mā shall liue by his owne faith he shall not liue by the faith of another And by baptising into the fayth and profession of any we must vnderstande that we are baptized to holde the same fayth and profession when wee come to discretion and not to haue our lyfe and saluation by an other mans fayth when as yet we haue not the same fayth our selues And if wee shall liue by faith then fayth is the meanes to come by that lyfe and is not the life it selfe Wherefore Christ is the life and essence of the Church and not faith Nowe Christ is made as no christ vnto vs except we holde him and ioyne with him as our annointed King priest and Prophet For so the word Christ doth signifie And here I demande of M. C. whether the Kingdome Priesthood Prophecie of Christ be of the essence and life of the Church I am sure he dare not say nay to this and why then will he haue the Lordes discipline or gouernement to be but an accident or hangby to the church For by Christ as paul sheweth that is by the graces of Christs kingdom priesthood ◠prophecie all his body that is all his Church are coupled knit together by euery ioynt and so receyueth increase and edyfiyng in God So take away the kingdom and gouernement of Christ and there can be no ioyning nor coupling together of the church no offices nor callings in the church yea no face or shewe or rather no part signe or token of the church For these graces do we receiue of Christs kingdome or from his imperiall Maiestie And therefore it is writtē that when he ascended vp on hie as our triumphant King and Gouernour he led captiuitie captiue and gaue giftes vnto men and againe he ascended far aboue all heauēs that he might fill all things And wherfore is the church and people of God in so many places called the throne of God and the kingdome of God but only to shewe that without the discipline and gouernement of Christ therein it loseth euē her essēce life being in christ And this M C. is forced to cōfesse For he saith that the ministery of the word is a part of this discipline the obedience of the people is another so reasoneth that take away all discipline euery part thereof there remaineth no church of christ Thus the truth hath made him to yeeld in battell and turned him backewarde and yet he will resist as it were going backward For how backewardly doeth he deale in this matter to say that discipline is not pertaining to the essence of the church now for wāt of discipline to take away the essence and name of the Church Againe to say without discipline there may be a church and nowe to say that without discipline there can be no church So rather then he will be without an enemie he will fight with a shadowe For nowe full wisely he doeth cut discipline into partes namely the ouersight rule and gouernement of such as haue charge in the church and the obedience of the people thereto which two partes indeede doe conteine all the other partes and therefore very vainely he speaketh of other partes of discipline as if they might be separate and secluded from these For he can shewe none in the church but either gouernours or vnder gouernement neither can he shewe any duetie in the church but onely the dueties of gouernement or of submission and obedience neither any worke matter businesse or ministerie in the church but either of charge and ouersight or vnder charge or ouersight Wherefore take away both gouernement and ouersight also obedience and submission and there can be no other part of discipline remaining For the dueties of teaching exhorting improouing rebuking c. also all dueties of examining and deciding controuersies of reforming abuses of relieuing and maintaining the afflicted and poore of separating the vnworthy c. are contained vnder that parte of gouerning Also all dueties of beleefe and learning the trueth of reuerence honour meekenesse and all kinde of seruice and vpright behauiour c. are contained vnder that part of obedience and submission Thus it is manifest that through want of discipline there is no naturall coniunction of the partes and members of the church together so that both the head and vitall partes are wanting and all the other partes are wholy and throughly either displaced and peruerted or vtterly lost and perished But why doeth he not shewe what part of discipline may be wanting yea and of those two partes which he sayeth can not be wanting yet what defect there may be Indeede it is commanded to forgiue a brother if he sinne seuen times in a day and seuen times in a day turne againe to vs saying it repenteth me yea we must forgiue though it were vnto seuentie times seuen tymes But yet Christ giueth no power to forgiue if a brother remaine wilfull in his sinne yea if it be but a priuate sinne I am to proceede against him and am not to cease till either I haue brought him to repentance or haue broken off all fellowshippe with him as with a brother But we must take heed that they be brethren and not dogs and scorners whō we rebuke and labour to redresse For if thy brother trespasse against thee saith Christ c. then he sheweth howe to deale and complaine for reformation of a brother But concerning scorners it is written He that reprooueth a scorner purchaseth to him selfe shame and he that rebuketh the wicked getteth him selfe a blot againe Rebuke not a scorner least he hate thee but rebuke a wise man and he will loue thee But to be short All the discipline of the church consisteth herein first that the church be gathered of the worthie as it is written Enquire who is worthie and againe Giue ye not that which is holy to dogges neither cast ye your pearles before swine And in Ieremie If thou take away the precious from the vile then shalt thou be as my mouth let them returne vnto thee but returne not thou vnto them And in Ezekiel They shall reach my people the difference betweene the holy and prophane and cause them to discerne betweene the vncleane and the cleane And in Malachie the Lorde reiected their offerings because they offered the scrobled and the lame and the sicke and the blinde which figureth the reiecting of our sacraments when dogges and swyne do communicate therein When Papistes and Atheistes drunkardes Maygamesters blasphemers raylers fighters and such like are presented as sweete bread at the table of the Lorde The seconde point of discipline is that the couenant promises and Gospel of Christ and the sacraments of his kingdome being established among the worthie then that they keepe the couenant sacraments vnpolluted
the faythfull and Sayntes For though some fall away vnto wickednesse yet by the discipline of the Church the rest doe remaine as Saintes And that tytle of Saintes is agaynst Master Cartwright For if they be Sayntes and holy howe shall they shewe forth a wicked and vnholy profession and still be called the Sayntes and Church of God Though Paul wrote his Epistle to the Church and Sayntes at Corinth yet doeth he not thereby call the incestuous person or other grosse sinners the members or parts of that Church But in the fifth Chapter he calleth the incestuous person a wicked man and not a Saynt As for his tytle of the faythfull he can not shewe that Paul vseth it without addition of other wordes to shewe the good profession of that fayth as in that place To the Sayntes fayeth Paul at Ephesus and to the faithfull And though the tytle of the faythfull shoulde be vsed alone yet must we vnderstande their fayth shewed by an outwarde good profession Here also may that place be aunswered which they alleadge out of Paul Let a man examine himselfe and againe to the Romans Let vs not therefore iudge one another any more but they abuse these places as if Paul meant that we were not to iudge men by their fruites or the Church had not power to iudge those that sinne in the Church for these thinges wee haue prooued before but by iudging in that place wee must vnderstande a rash iudging or condemning of any for those deedes or workes they doe whereof they can giue a good and probable reason Likewise whereas Christ sayeth Iudge not that ye be not iudged he meaneth that wee must iudge or condemne no brethren as reprobates or rashly condemne that in them which is no fault at all or iudge euery man to be worse then our selues but rather we must iudge our selues to bee the chiefe sinners of all and yet also keepe the Lordes discipline of iudging and rebuking the wicked without spot and vnblameable Likewise to examine our selues that is our owne heartes and consciences belongeth to our selues but wee are not thereby forbidden to examine the outwarde abuses and faultes of others For it is written that we are to consider one another Also to marke others diligently to note others that wee looke not euery man on his owne thinges but euery man also on the things of other men Here also is that question answered of the Dutch Churches in hygh Germany which holde the errour of transubstantiation For indeede I iudge it to be an error and not an heresie except they obstinately pursue it with other grosse absurdities as doe some heretikes or with sworde and bloodshed as doe the Papistes and then without question they are not the Church of Christ but remaine in the state of condemnation tyll they repent As for those of our profession which are withhelde from the vse of the Lordes Supper that question followeth afterwarde to be answered and doeth nothing at all make against vs. Likewyse that matter of neglecting circumcision and the Passeouer the space of fourtie yeeres he shamefully abuseth For there was no negligence but a necessitie and commandement of omitting For that seruice of the passeouer was not to be kept after their comming out of Egypt saue at some special charge from the Lord as Nom 9. 2. till they came into the land of Canaan as appeareth in Exo 12. 25. and other places And it figured also their hasting both out of Aegypt and thorowe the wildernesse and therefore were they not to keepe it ordinarily euery yeere till they came to the lande of their rest And for this cause also was circumcision omited For being circuÌ„cised they were fore certaine dayes by reason whereof if they had bene circumcised they could not haue iourneyed after the cloud tabernacle So a necessitie was laid vpon theÌ„ For they were to iourney with the cloud and tabernacle as in Nombers Whether the cloude vpon the tabernacle was taken vp by day or by night All their iournâ—â—ing was by the commandement of the Lorde Now let vs come to other of his profes A city saith he may be a citie though it haue not the walles of a citie And so he reasoneth that Ierusalem was the Citie of the great King before Neheâ—â—â—h had builded the walles whereupon he concludeth that a Church may be the church of God though it want discipline Howe greatly here againe doeth M C. deceiue him selfe and others He knoweth that the Temple did figure out and signifie the church of God as well as the citie Ierusalem Nowe as the Temple was noe Temple of God but a ruinous heape without the walles of the temple and the foundation of the walles so the citie Ierusalem was said to lye waste as no citie of God till the walles were builded and the gates reared vp If he require proofe of both these we shewe him the Scripture For in the Psalme in Isaiah and in Matthewe Christ is set downe to be the sanctuarie and head corner stone in the building And in the Reuelation the twelue Apostles are called the twelue foundations of the wall of the holy citie and the gates the twelue trybes of Israel meaning all the nomber of Gods elect Nowe therefore let him iudge that seeing the Apostles and all the Saintes of God are builded in the walles of this citie howe it can bee the citie of God without the walles Yea he neither doeth nor can bring any worde of God that the walles shoulde signifie discipline onely and not rather the gathering and building of all the saints of god into one spirituall house city of god And therefore is there no mention made of any temple or other houses within the city yea the text saith that there was none such but the Lorde God Almightie and the Lambe are the Temple thereof And in the 121. psalme that hie coÌ„mendation of the building of IerusaleÌ„ is expounded in the 87. psalme wherein it consisted namely in the building of the walles gates therfore he praiseth it saying God laid his foundations among the holy mouÌ„taines the lord loueth the gates of Zion more then all the habitations of Iacob glorious things are spoken of thee O citie of God And in the fourtie and eyght Psalme Compasse about Zâ—on and goe rounde about it and tell the towres thereof marke well the wall thereof Beholde her towers that ye may tell your posteritie And in Nehemiah the people are sayde to bee in great affliction and in reproch because the wal of Ierusalem was broken downe and the gates thereof were burnt with fire Wherefore the city Ierusalem was a resemblance and figure of the spirituall Ierusalem and Church of God onely by the walles and gates of the citie there execution of Iudgement in the gates thereof For in these 3.
reading or dumb ministerie is not of Christ therefore we are not to receiue or heare such a ministerie Lykewise the Scribes when they preached trueth were to bee heard and receiued therefore these being no preachers are not to be heard nor receiued The same may be sayde of Magistrates that what duetyes they are able and sufficient to doe therein we may receiue some good by them therefore the dumbe ministers hauing no ablenesse nor sufficiencie to that calling are wholy to be reiected If he say that the reading of common seruice is some ablenesse and sufficiencie of a minister hee knoweth well ynough that that is no parte nor duetie of the ministerie For though it bee written That the Leuites reade in the booke of the Lawe and gaue the sense and cause the people to vnderstande the reading And againe in the Actes that Moses was preached being read euery Sabbath yet wee must not thereby vnderstande a bare reading onely neither a reading of a stinted forme of seruice For the order was as appeareth in Luke and in the Actes chap 13. to reade the Law and word of God and then to preach vpon it And therefore as appeareth in Nehemiah They read in the Booke of the Lawe and preached the sense and vnderstanding thereof to the people And therefore in Timothie Reading exhortation and doctrine are ioyned together If Master Cartwright doe further alleadge that the dumbe ministers haue some ablenesse or sufficiencie to minister the Sacramentes he likewyse knoweth that it is no parte nor duety of the ministerye to reade a consecration of the Sacramentes neyther to minister the sacramentes without preaching and much lesse without the power and abilitie to preache This is manifest in the olde Lawe as in Deuteromie Ecclesiastes and in other places Likewise in Newe Testament as in Matthewe Actes and sundry other places By all which places it is euident That though preaching may sometymes be without the present Acte of ministring the Sacramentes yet the Sacraments might neuer be ministred but of preachers and with preaching But nowe marke howe fondely hee compareth dumbe Ministers to vnable or vnsufficient magystrates which shoulde rather bee compared to Trayterous and vsurping Rebelles For as anye vsurper were wholy to bee reiected and withstoode if hee shoulde get from Her Maiestie her royall dignity and crowne or laye clayme thereunto So also are these minysters to bee reiected which vsurpe a kyngdome and gouernement in the Churche when as they ought not to bee counted brethren nor members in the Churche It agayne Master Cartwright doe saye that vsurping Traytours maye geue vs our ryght and wee are to take it at theyr handes Wee aunswere that this is the questyon whether the readyng of seruyce in that manner and theyr mynistring of Sacramentes bee ryght or no. Fyrst wee shewed before that such Sacramentes so mynistred and suche a readyng of Seruyce were execrable thynges and also none of our ryght But if they were our ryght yet a man is to take his ryght from vsurpyng Traytoures by force of armes if hee bee able Or if hee bee not able hee shoulde rather loose his righte then doe suite and homage to a Traytour In deede the Lordes Sacramentes are our ryghte and thankes bee to our Lorde GOD wee may haue them by other meanes then by the Dumbe Mynisters And though wee coulde not yet wee shoulde not take our ryghte on a thyefe to iustyfie his theeuerye For these hyrelynges are theeues and robbers comming in by the windowe as it is written So wee shoulde first followe the Lawe on them to thrust them out of the sheepefolde and then see if wee can get our right For if all such Ministers were excommunicate from among the brethren wee shoulde knowe the better both what were our ryght and howe to come by it Againe Master C. distinguisheth that to be able to teache is not of the substance of a minister but onely of a lawful minister also that to be able to iudge true iudgemēt is not of the substance of a magistrate but onely of a lawfull Magistrate Such lyke sopperyes as these not worthie the answering we haue answered before But here agayne we answere that the discipline of the Church and of the common wealth are vnlike in this that vngodly men may bee sometymes lawfull officers and magistrates in a common wealth and therefore Heathen Kynges yea Idolatrous kinges and princes are lawfull Magistrates at this daye Otherwyse wee shoulde condemne our owne Kinges and Queenes which heretofore haue bene Popish and Idolatrous as beeing no lawfull Magistrates But in the Church of God this holdeth not For if any be a wretched liuer or an Idolater hee can neither be minister nor lawfull minister in the church yea he is no parte nor member of the Church Againe we say that if any be an vnlawfull minister hee is a Minister quyte out of the Church as we prooued before and then what hath the churche to doe with hym Master Cartwright will needes haue hym to bee a minister and we are content for he shall bee a minister not for the Churche nor to haue any medling in the Churche but for Satan and for the children of Satan Further wee answere accordyng to hys manner of reasoning that to auoyde Idolatrye or to be no Idolater is not of the substance of a mynister but of a lawfull mynister for he may be a minister though he be an Idolatrous minister But shall wee therefore say that dayly massemongers commyng openly from the masse to mynister the Sacramentes in the same order that our dumbe mynisters doe shall be receyued of the brethren or that the brethen shall receyue the Sacramentes at theyr handes And yet agayne wee answere that if a man bee not a lawfull minister hee hath no essence nor substance of a mynister except we saye hee hath the substance of a deuelish minister For the lawfulnesse of a minister and of his ministration is the essence and substance of a minister and of his ministring Paul saith that where no lawe is there is no transgression He meaneth that because there is a lawe therefore the breach of that lawe is the essence and substance of sinne and transgression The lawe saith he is it that causeth wrath For it maketh sinne to be sinne Wherefore as that which is vnlawfull or against the lawe of God hath the being and essence of sinne so it must needs folow that the lawfulnes of anything is the being the essence substance of the same therfore also that the lawfulnes of ministers is the essence substance of ministers And so we see how vayne his distinction is that a mā may haue the substāce of a minister yet be no lawful minister I would not so readily vse such schoole tearmes words as is essence substāce being if I were not forced thereto by his vngodly subtleties And surely except god in iudgement haue blinded
to bid them God speede And howe then shall we take them for our guydes and pastours in the Church or say Amen to their prayers And here followeth that vntrueth to be refuted which he addeth in these wordes that the true Prophets are neuer founde to haue forbidden the people to come to the sacrifice of the false prophets and of the priestes that were dumbe dogges neither to bring their sacrifices vnto them First euen that place of blinde watchmen and dumbe dogs which hee quoteth amisse is against him selfe For there was a Lawe that the priestes being vnâ—â—tane they might neither touch nor eat of the holy things if they did then those thinges were polluted Nowe to drinke wine or strong drinke was a pollution both of the Nazarites and Priestes of the Priestes I say when they came into the Tabernacle of the congregation to offer sacrifice Howe then shoulde the people partake in the Sacrifices with Priestes that were common drunkardes For the people are commaunded not to touche any vncleane thing and therefore those sacrifices being vncleane howe shoulde the people haue any thing to doe with them Nowe suche drunkards were those dumbe dogges which hee nameth as is there mencioned they were greedie dogges which sayde Come I will bring wine and we will fill our selues with strong drinke and to morowe shall be as this day and much more abundant Wherefore being such howe coulde they put difference as it is commaunded in Leuiticus Betweene the holy and the vnholy and betweene the cleane and the vncleane And howe then shoulde not all their sacrifices be polluted There be maplaces which shewe that the priestes polluted them selues and the holy thinges as in Ezekiel Her priestes desile myne holy thinges they put no difference betweene the holy and prophane neither discerne betweene the vncleane and the cleane and in Haggaâ— that which they offer here is vncleane and in Malachie Ye offer vncteane bread vpon mine altar c. Also in sundry places as is quoted before commaundement is giuen not to touch any vncleane thing Wherefore it is a flat commandement euen to all the people not to touche those polluted sacrifices of the Priestes not to communicate nor partake with them therein Therefore in his own place quoted out of Isaiah is that terrible iudgement pronounced both against priestes and against peeople though onely the sinne of the priestes or watchemen is named The wordes are these All yee beastes of the fielde come to deuorr euen all ye beastes of the forest And then followe these wordes their watchemen are all blinde c. as who say that the people because they did partake with such watchemen they shoulde also perish with them If Ma-ster Cartwright say the pollutions we speake of were by Idolatrie let him knowe that Malachie spake to those which were no Idolaters which also had a generall reformation from Idolatrie Likewise Haggai prophecied in a time of reformation and spake to those which were no Idolaters And Ezekiel in that Chapter mentioneth no Idolatrie but rebuketh other wickednesse as it were seuering it from Idolatrie For in the next Chapter he toucheth their sinne of Idolatrie more particularly And to those that accounted so much of the Temple and of the sacrifices as Master Cartwright doeth of his Churches and Sacraments Isaiah saith thus The heauen is my throne saith the Lord and the earth is my footestoole and so he proceedeth to rebuke their vaine bragge of the Temple and then commeth to their sacrifices saying He that killeth a bullocke is as if he slewe a man he that sacrificeth a sheepe as if he cut off a dogges necke he that offereth an oblation as if he offered swynes blood he that remembreth incense as if he blessed an Idol by which wordes it is plaine that he rebuketh euen those that detested Idoles and swynes blood c. and telleth them that their sacraments are no sacraments they are vncleane and polluted as the most vile filthinesse which they themselues abhorred If he say that yet to the godly in those dayes the sacrifices were lawfull and good I aunswere that the godly had uo medling with such wicked men nor with their sacrifices For in the seconde verse after hee speaketh thus to the godly Heare the worde of the Lorde all ye that tremble at his worde your brethren that hated you and cast you out for my Names sake sayde let the Lorde be glorified but hee shall appeare to your ioye and they shall bee ashamed So then there was a great separation betweene the righteous and the wicked in those dayes in so much that the righteous forsooke all fellowshippe in their sacrifices and the wicked cast them out from among them If Master Cartwright say that the righteous forsooke not their sacrifices but were cast out from them it is answered in another place That while they refrained from euill they made them selues a pray to the wicked So then the cause why they were cast out was because they woulde not partake with the wicked in their wickednesse If Master Cartwright saye that that was for other wickednesse but not for their refusing to partake in the sacrifices It is said in Samuel That for the wickednesse of the priests men abhorred the sacrifices If he say againe that they did euill to abhorre theÌ„ he can not prooue it it is euident that they were of the better sorte that did so For in Malache it is written that they which feared the Lorde spake euery one to his neighbour coÌ„cerning the abuses and wickednes of those dayes and the Lord sheweth the badge and marke of all his flocke and people namely that they should returne discerne betwene the righteous and the wicked betweene him that serueth God and him that serueth him not As who say that euery one of the righteous had libertie and were commaunded to haue no communion with the wicked in the Churche and howe then shoulde they be ioyned with them in the neerest communion namely in the Sacramentes And in the same Chapter it is prophecied That the offeringes of Iudah and Ieerusalem shoulde bee acceptable to the Lorde as in the olde â—yme aud in the yeeres afore and that was when the sonnes of Leui which figured all the righteous shoulde bring offeringes vnto the Lorde in righteousnesse For he shewed in the Chapters before that while open and grosse wickednesse was incurable among them both the priestes and Leuites brake the couenant and also the people the offerings were no more regarded neither receiued acceptably at their hands As for the sacrisices of Elkanah and his wiues they were offered by the ministerie of Eli as appeareth in that place and not by his wicked sonnes Nowe Elie was rather negligent in correcting his sonnes then a grosse transgressour and therefore might Elkanah the rather partake in the sacrifices with him But wee
reade in the Psalmes That a vyle person is contemned in the eyes of righteous howe then shall a ryghteous man receiue the Sacramentes with such as with brethren in the Churche Dauid prayeth that hee might not commit wicked workes with men that worke iniquitie and that he myght not eate of their delicates and howe then woulde he eate of their sacrifices which are the chiefest delicates If hee saye that Dauid woulde not eate common bread with such it is euident that hee daily did so in the house of Saul And this matter is before made plaine And in the Prouerbes it is written They that forsake the Lawe prayse the wicked but they that keepe the Lawe set them selues against them Howe shall they set them selues against them when they ioyne with them as brethren in the Sacramentes Iudah was sayde to defile the holinesse of the Lorde because some in Iudah did marrye the daughter of a straunge God yea and this was counted a synne transgression and abomination committed by all Israel and Iudah and Ierusalem though some onley had marryed such women Wherefore were they all guiltie of transgression but because they did not or would not redresse such wickednes For it had bene the duetie of euery one as appeareth in Ezra and Haggai to haue offred no oblatioÌ„s nor to haue partaken with any such in the sacrisices till such opeÌ„ wickednes had bene taken away Otherwise Haggai woulde not haue saide that all the workes of their handes and that whiche they offered there was vncleane neither would Ezra haue rent his clothes nor pluckt off the heare of his head and of his beard nor haue saide that they all were before the Lord in their trespasse and therefore could not stand before the Lord because of it And surely their sin of marrying strange wiues did but figure out our sinne of mingling and intermedling the Churches For the daughters of Antichrist I meane those wicked prelates popish officers are yet married to our churches The papists wicked men are thrust into our churches to receiue the sacraments with vs. Their discipline is the nurture lady mystres ouer our churches If M. C. aske what proofe we haue that their marriage I meane of the Iewes was anye figure or Ceremonie let him reade that of Paul to the Ephesians where Paul calleth marriage a secrete or mysterie and sheweth there that marriage was a signe or figure of the ioyning together of Christ and his Church also in the song of Salomon this is manifest and in the Reuelation and sundry other places Dauid sheweth with whome the godly did partake in the sacrifices when he saith I haue not haunted with vaine persons neither kept companie with the dissemblers I haue hated the assemblie of the euill and haue not coÌ„panied with the wicked and then followe these wordes I will wash mine handes in innocencie ô Lord and compasse thine altar Which wordes doe teache vs that when we receiue the sacraments we can not wash our handes in innocencie except we receiue them apart from the wicked For the order of the Iewes was to partake in the sacrifices familie by familie as we may reade in sundry places And therefore they might more easily auoyde the companie of the wicked And the Iewes contended against Peter because he went in to men vncircumcised had eaten with them which sheweth howe straite they were for auoyding all company with the wicked It is lawfull indeede to eate with Publicanes and sinners as Christ also did but yet to eate the Lordes supper with opon vnrepentant wretched persons is not lawfull For as I may not offer myne owne oblation when I remeÌ„ber that a brother hath ought against me much lesse may I partake in another mans offring when I haue ought against him Yea mercie and pitie in seeking to reforme him is preferred before sacrifice So that except he be obstinate and a scorner I am gentlie to admonishe him and if he be yet hardened in his sinne I am as Iude saith to saue him with feare pulling him out of the fire what is this feare which shoulde saue him but to make him afraide by sharper rebukes and refusing to partake with him in the Sacraments For he will be afraide of nothing so long as I take him for a brother and ioyne with him in the sacraments But this is strange that Master Cartwright sayeth that the true prophetes did not forbidde the people to communicate with the false prophetes in the sacrifices For commandement is giuen not onely not to communicate with false prophets but euen to kill them and our hands to be first against them yea though they were onr brethren or our owue children or the wife that lyeth in our bosome or our friende which is as our owne soule yet our eyes may not pitie him nor shew mercie vnto him saith the text If Master Cartwright say that this was commaunded for Idolatrous prophets why then did he not make that exception But wee haue shewed before that for heresie also the false prophets are not to be bidden God speede and are vtterly to be auoyded yea they are to be put to death as well as the other as againe it is written in Deuterononie 18. 20. And it is testified in Nombers against the people that they shoulde make them fringes that when they looked vpon them they might remember all the commaundements of the Lorde and doe them and that they sought not after their owne heart and after their owne eyes after the which they went a whoring which wordes doe teache vs that all heretikes and false prophets doe goe a whoring after their owne heartes and are as euill as Idolaters And wherefore is it coÌ„manded that the man which hearkeneth not to the voyce of the high Priest which â—igureth the voyce of Christ in his Churche shoulde die which wordes doe shewe That false prophetes that will not be reformed are to be â—ad in execration and auoyded of men And howe then should the people partake with them in the sacrifices Yea the Iewes had that custome â—s it appeareth from their forefathers and from the former Prophetes To excommunicate the falsâ— Proâ—hets and those that beleeued them and therefore they did wickedly excommunicate the blinde man that beleeued in christ And the custome of punishing false prophetes is alleadged in Ieremie though wickedly and by a false prophet And whereas it is commaunded in Ieremie That the people shoulde not heare the wordes of the false prophetes is it not also a commandement that they should not partake with them in the sacrifices For the sacrifices and sacraments are but a seale to the worde that is preached So the false prophetes hauing a false worde and a false message if the people shoulde partake with them in the sacraments they did thereby seale vnto their
assumption is euideÌ„t in that by beleeuing that christ it our righteousnes we are made members of his body thereby at liuely stones laide vpon him as vpon a foundation we growe into one spiritual house with him now that they haue the like precious faith with vs is conuinced not onely by their owne professioÌ„ but also by the testimonie of the spirit of God who by manifold graces powred vpon theÌ„ euen vnto an apparant sanctification of nombers of theÌ„ do beare them witnes that they be members of the body of christ who as the head hath partaked vnto them his holy spirite thâ—y that haue perfourmed vnto them the speciall couenant which the Lorde hath made with his churches of powring his spirit vpoÌ„ theÌ„ putting his words in their mouthes are the churches of God but such are the assemblies in England as touching the spirit of God it hath bin said before whereupon also it followeth that he hath likewise put his word in their mouthes considering that the spirit of God is not giueÌ„ but by the word seing that the Lord in mercy hath set vp diuers burning lamps in those assemblies whereby light is conueyed more or lesse into all the parts almost of that land it seemeth that the church of England should receiue iniury if it should not be accounted among the golden candlesticks which seeme to keepe out darknes might from the Lords sanctuary vntill such time as the day starre spring Lucifer do rise in our hearts If you say all do not beleeue the gospel truely which professe it the same exceptioÌ„ lyeth against all other churches how reformed soeuer if that there be fewer faithfull in our churches then in others the trueth of the chnrch standeth not in the nomber for if there were but in euery church one truely and vndissemblingly faithfull al the rest holding the faith of our Lord Iesus christ in wordes onely yet shoulde all those churches be vnto vs the churches of God and if you say the assemblyes as it were all the branches or armes of the candlesticke haue not lightes set vpon them the greater nomber of them being dumped with dumbe ministerie notwithstanding by the way you confesse those assemblyes vpon whome the Lorde hath set the lampe of a preaching ministery are the churches of God whiche seemeth to cast downe that hill which standeth in the waye against our reioysing wherebye you can not afoorde vs the Name of gods churches because we haue not the discipline by him appointed nowe for the other whether they haue some glimpse of knowledge by the dumbe ministerie or no may afterwardes in another place be considered for the present I answere that euen in those congregatioÌ„s forasmuch as they both haue and might haue by some former ministrie or means which the Lord hath vsed towards theÌ„ receiued faith standing therby in our sauiour christ as in the shaft of a candlesticke they cease not to be a branch in the Lords candlesticke and being members of the same body they may well receiue some supply of their want from the light that shineth in the next branch vnto them for if euery assembly being without a lampe of the ministry shuld by by be holden to be broken from the shaft of the church candlesticke then at euery vacation of the ministry and whensoeuer by death the Lorde shoulde put out one of his lightes it shoulde followe that that assembly by the fall of their minister into the graue shoulde from the hyest heauen fall into the graue of hell but you will say peradventure that an assembly that hath a dumbe minister is in worse case then that which hath none at all if that be graunted yet followeth it not therefore that the assembly which yesterday being without a duÌ„be minister was the church of God shoulde to day by hauing such a one set ouer them be the Synagogue of Satan and here me thinkes whilest you go about to make nothing of the dumbe ministrie you ascribe more force to it then it hath for you make him not so much as a guide or an head of the church in that those which before in all equall iudgement were to be deemed members of Christ by hearing them shoulde suddenly become the members of antichrist I do not therefore yeeld vnto you in that you saye they are the chiefe alwayes in the synagogues our Sauiour Christ in whome those companies do beleeue being the chiefe with whome through faith they growe to be one body which rather then by hearing the dumbe minister to bee one with him say therefore that it is a fault in them to heare such a minister thrust vpon them yet that it is an apostacie from God and an vtter falling away from the Gospell I see not with what great apparance of trueth it can be spoken Moyses when diuers of the people claue vnto Korah Datham and Abiram forsaking willingly the lawfull and ordinary ministry of the Aronites did not therefore cast them forth from the Lordes hoste and should the churches of God for hearing a dumbe minister which is thrust vpon them forthwith be reputed for runnagates from the Lorde Againe the Lorde is in couenaunt with that people to whome he gieueth the seales of his couenant this he doth to our assemblies in England therefore they are the Lordes confederates Yf you say that the seales set to by the dumb ministery are no seales which afterwarde commeth to be examined yet you thereby confesse that those which are ministred by sufficient ministers are the true and vncounterfaite sacramentes of the church whereby it falleth againe that you seeme to hold that the churches in England are not true churches of Christ because they haue not his commaunded discipline Hereunto may be added the iudgment of all the churches of Christ in Europe all which gieue the right hande of societie in the house of God vnto the assemblies which are in England Which argument of the churches authoritie albeit it be not so strong as it will enforce yet ought it to staye all sodayne and hasty iudgments vnto the contrary and so long to cause silence vntill the cause be rightly on both sides debated and the contrary of that which the churches holde doe through the lightnesse sonne of the trueth thereof breake foorth and if it be meete to proceede softly and as it were with a leaden foote to the excommunication of one onely member of the Church of God there ought verily to haue bin great consultation taken when the Churches of two whole Ilandes shoulde haue bene cast out especially when they be holden in by voyces not of diuers persons but of all the churches to whome the knowledge of their estate hath come And if there were but one man worthie to be excommunicate yet if the greater parte of your assembly woulde not yeelde consente thereunto I holde it that the order of the discipline requireth that the rest are to beare the person whome they can
and trembling your selfe make mention of whereby it will not be harde for you to vnderstande howe both our holy desires of being vnited together may be perfourmed And although I write in good assurance especially in the former parte as touching the rightfull Title of the Churches of Christ to be due to the assemblyes in Englande yet remembring besides the common frailtie of our whole race special breaches decayes in my selfe I wil willingly hearkeÌ„ vnto any much more vnto you whoÌ„ the Lord in mercie hath bestowed good graces vpon shewing better thinges For which cause if further conference be needefull I must thorough businesse be inforced to reserue it to conference by word of mouth sometimes after dinner And thus with my most humble prayers vnto the Lorde our God for his holy spirite whereby wee may be able to discerne the thinges that differ to our vnoffensiue walking in the sight of all men euen vnto the daye of the Lorde I bid you Farewell Ierem. 3. 6. 1â— Mat. 18. 18. 1. Cor. 5. 4. Ierem. 7. 9. 1 Iere. 7. 4. Iames 2. Rom. 10. 10. Iosh. 7. 12. Deut. 13. Ezra 9. Iudg. 20. Ierem. 3. 1. 2. Sam. 21. 1. Cor. 5. Ezech. 18. 10. Iames. 1. 26. Hag 2. 13. 14. Isa. 59. 20. Gen. 17. 1 2. Iere 11. 3 4. Exod. 19. 2. Cor. 6. 17 18 Isa. 52. 11. Ierem. 31. 1. â— Rom. 8. 14. Zech. 12. 10. Ezec. 11. 19 20. Deut. 30. 14. Mat. 15. 8. Ierem. 1â— 2. Isa. 29. 13. Isa. 58. 2. Isa. 59. 2 20. Mat. 28. 19 20 Actes 2. Actes 8. Actes 19. 18. 1. Cor. 5. 11. Mat. 18. 18. Reuel 11. 8. Isa. 65. 15. Act. 11. 26. Reuel 12. 13 14. Mat. 24. 22. Mat. 18. 19 20. Philem. 2. Col. 4. 15. Rom. 16. 5. 1 Cor. 5. 4. Psal. 14 9. 6 7 8 9. Isa. 54. 7. Ephe. 5. 7. 2. Thes. 3. 6. 2. Tim. 3. 5. 1. Iohn 1. 6. Hose 2. 2. Actes 2 40. 2. Cor 10. 4. Num 35. 3â— 32. Hose 4. 8. Deut. 16. 14. 1. Cor. 5. 12. 1. Cor. 6. 1. 1. Thes. 5. Deut. 7. 10. Amos. 6. 3. Leuit. 14. 17. 1. Cor 5. 2. Cor. 7. â— Iohn 10. 2. Cor. 11. 20. Mat. 11. 11. Iere 1. 10. Reuel 1. 6. 1. Pet. 25. Exod. 19. Psa. 45. 6. Psa. 47. 3. Zacha. 11. 10. Iere. 11. 3 4. Iere 31. 32. Ezek. 16. 60. 61. 62. 63. Hâ—br 8. 8. Ioshu 22. 18. Ioshu 7. 12. Deut. 12. 11. 12. 13 Iohn 4. 23. Isa. 59. 20. 1 King 8. 29. Dent 12. 11. Iere. 3. 17. Ezek. 43. 7. Gala. 5 3. Gala. 5. 18. Ioshua 6. 26. Iere. 10. 21. Zecha 11. 15. 16. ibid. 11. 4. 5. c. Reuel 12. 4. Num. 16. verse 24. 25. 26. verse 31. Reue. 11. 4. verse 12. verse 39. 40. Mala. 2. 5. 6. 7. 8. Phil. â— 18. Titus â— 6 7 8 9. 1. Tim. 3. 2 3 4 5 6 7. 1 Cor. 1. 2. 10 11 12 13 14 15. Phil. 4. 7 8 9. Phil. 1. 9. Mat. 15. 13 14. Ierem. 1. Iere. 1. 17 18. Iere. 9. 2. Ier. 16. 5 6 7 â— Exod. 23. 2. ephes 2. 12. Matth. 18. 1. Cor. 5. Ierem. 1. 17. Iosh. 7. Nomb 16. Deut. 13. 15. Iere. 15. 10. Ierem. 20. 7 8 9 10. Ierem. 5. 1 2 3 4 5. Ierem. 9. 2 3. c. Ierem 6. 28. Ierem 23. 14. Isa â—9 14 15. Isa. 51. 18. Ezek. 22. 30. Ezek. 9. 4. Ezek. 11. 16. Ezek. 34. 17. Act. 13 46. 51. Act 19. 9. Mat. 10. 14. Luk. 9. 5. Mat. 16. 20. Luk. 19. 27. verse 14. Reuel 11. 8. Isa. 5 7. Iere. 2. 21. Ezek. 48. 35. Iere. 14. 21. Ezek. 43. 7. Isa 35. 8. 1. Cor. 16. 22. Luke 19. 2 7. 1 Ioh. 5. 3. 1. Iohn 2. 4. 5. Iohn 15. 6. Iohn 11. 25. Iohn 14. 6. Iohn 3. 36. 1. Cor. 5. 4. Hebr. 1. 8. Psal. 45. 6. 7. 1. Cor. 4. 18. 19. Gene. 17. 7. Gal. 4. 18. Rom. 9. 8. Hab. 2. 4. Rom. 3. 22. Eph. 4. 16. Eph. 4. 8. Iere. 14. 21. Ezek. 43. Mat. 13. 7. c. Luke 17. 4. Matth. 18 22. Matth. 18. 15. Prou. 9. 7 8. Matth. 10. 11. Matth. 7. 6. â— Iere. 15. 19 Ezek. 44. 23. Mala. 1. 13. Vers. 7. 1. Cor. 5. 12. Isa. â—6 21. 〈◊〉 44. 7. verse 24. 1. Coâ— 6. Iâ—a â—4 17. Luke 17. 4. Mat. 18. 1. Cor. 7. 23. Reue. 1. 6. 1. Pet 2. 5. exâ—dus 19â— 6. Reâ—e 2. 26. Mat. 1. 11. ephe â— 7. 2. Ties 3. 6. 2. Tim. 3. 5. 1. Iohn 1. 6. 7. Hâ—â—e 2. 2. Act. 2. 40. 1. Cor. 5. 11. Iohn 2. 〈◊〉 Maâ— 16. 1â— 2. Cor. 7. 11. 1. Cor. 11. 20. 1 Cor. 15. 34 35. 1. Cor. 1 2. 1. Cor. 5. 13. Ephes. 1. 1. 1. Cor. 11. 28. Rom. 14 13. Lâ—ke 6. 43. Mat. 12. 33. Mat. 7. 16. Mat. 7. 1. 1. Tim. 1. 15. 1. Tim. 6. 14. Heb. 10. 14. Rom. 16. â—7 2. Thes. 3. 14. Phil. 2. 4. Exod. 12. 25. Exod. 13. 5. Nom. 9. 13. Nom. 9. 21. Neh. 2. â— Psal. 118. 22. Mat. 21 42 Isa. 8. 14. Reue. 21. 1â— verse 12. Reue. 21. 〈◊〉 Psal. 121. 3. Psal. 87. 1. 2. 3. Psal. 48. 12. 13. Nehem. 1. 3. 〈◊〉 1â—2 1 2 5. 〈◊〉 2. 5. Nehem. 2. 3. verse 5. Ezra 1. 3. Micah 3. 12. Ierem. 26. 18. Reuel 11. 8. Ier. 23 vers 16. vers 21. Psa. 145. 17 Mat. 15. 13. 14. Luke 5. 33. Mar. 2. 18. Iohn 3. 25. Iohn 9. 27 28. Actes 8. 21. Mat 7. 15. â—ech 11. 4 5. verse 15. 16. Nom. 6. 3 9 4â— 49. Ezâ—â— 343. versâ— 2â— Ier. 23. 14 15. Nom. 16. Deut. 12. Ezek. 44. Mal. 1. 11. Reuel 13. 16. Leuit. 10. 1. Mat. 23. â— Ezra 7. 6 11. Nehem. 8. 1 2. 4. Luke 11. 46. Ezra 8. 16. Ierem. 8. 8. Nom. 3. 6. Exod. 29. Mat 32. 35. Nom. 8. 9. Deut. 33. 10. Exod. 23. 2. 1. Tim. 5. 22. 1. Tim. 3. Luke 9 5. Mat. 10. 13 14. Nehem. 8. 8. Actes 15. 21. Luke 4. 17. Actes 13. 15. 1. Tim. 4. 13. Deut. 33. 10. Eccles. 4. 17. Mat. 28. 19. Actes 2. 42. Iohn 10. 1. Rom. 4 15. 1. Cor. 2. 8. Act. 3. 17. Mat. 13. 17. Luke 10. 24. 1. Pet 1. 12. 1. Tim 3. 16. Mat. 22. 4â— Iohn 4 25. Mat. 2. 6. Dan. 7. 14. Mith. 4. 7. Isa 7. 14. c. Ioh. 6. 14. 15. Ioh. 12. 34. Iohn 14. 5 8. Iohu 16. 17. Ioh. 13. 37. Luke 24. 21. Actes 16. Isa. 7. â—4 Isa 9. 6. Psal 89. 26. Psal. 2. 7. 12. Ioh. 6. 51. Ioh. 10. 3â— Mat. 16. 20. Heb. 1â— 13. 39. verse 3â— Actes 2. 40. Actes 5. 13. Iohn 9. 35. Gal. 3. 12. Rom. 10. 5. Ezek. 20. 11. Deut 30. 12. Leuit. 16. 6 21. Hâ—b 9. â— exod 30. 10. Luke 11 46. Mat. 23. 4. Mat. 5 â—9 c. Mat. 5. 28. Verse 19. Actes 15. 10 Leuit. 18. 29. Leuit. 15. 12. 13 14 c. Colos 2. 21. Nom. 19. 11 12 13. c. 16. Leuit. 5. Rom. 9. 32. Actes 5. 13. Actes 2. 40. Luke 18. 9. Tit. 3. 10. Mat 18. 2 Ioh. 10. Rom. 16 17. Isa. 56. 10. Hag. 2. 13 14. Leuit. 22. 5 6. Nom. 6. Leuit. 10. Malal 1 7. Isa 52. 11. Nom. 19. Leuit. 22. vers 11. 12. Leuit. 10. 10. ezek 22. Hag. 2. 15. Mal. 1. Isa. 56. 9. Isa. 66. 3. Verse 5. Isa. 59. 15. 1. Sam. 2 17. Mal. 3. 16. 17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3 4. Mal. 1. 10. Mal. 2. 8 9 10 13. 1. Sam. â— Psal. 15. 4. Psal. 1 41 4. pro. 28. 4. Mal. 2. 〈◊〉 Ezr. 9. 1. Nehem. 9. Hag. 2. 15. Eph. 5. 32. Song 6 8. Reuel 21. 9. Psal. 26. 4. 〈…〉 Act. 1â— 3. Marke 2. 15. Mat. 5. 23. Mat. 9. 13. Hose 6. 6. Mat. 18. 15. Iude â—3 Deut 13. 5 6 7 8 9. Deut. 1â— 2. Luke 17. 23. Zechn 13. 3. Gal. 1. 8. Deut. 18. 20. Titus 3. 10. 2. Iohn 10. 〈◊〉 Rom. 16. 1â— Nom. 15. 39. Ierem. 23. 16. Deut. 17. 12. Gal. 1 8. Iohn 9. 22 34 35. Iere 29. 26. Zech. 13. 6. Iere. 23. 16. Ieâ—â—â— 27. 9. 14 15â— 16 17 18 Deut. 33. 10. Eccle. 4. 17. Leuit 1. 4. Chap. 3. 2. Chap. 4 4. Mal. 2. 7 8. Phil. 1. 17 18. Phil. 3. 2 Verse 18. 19. Gal. 5. 12. Phil. 3. 15. Mâ—t. 5. 19. 1 Cor. 11. 16. Rom. 16. 17. Luke 12 49 50 51. Mat. 10. 34. 1. Cor. 11. 20. 1. Cor. 3. 13 14. 15. 2. Cor. â— â— Act. 1. 224. Mat. 8. 4. Act. 6. 7. Heb. 9. 6 7. Actes 18. 18. Actes 2â— 22. 23. Actes 21. 11. Heb. 8. 13. Hâ—b 3. 7. Psal. 95. 7. Heb. 4 7. Heb. 7. 18. Heb 9. 16. Iohn 12 3. 2. Cor. 3. 14. 15. Isa. 25. 7. Mat. 24. 2. Iohn 4. 21. Actes 21. 20. Heb. 2. 8. Rom. 14. 1 2 5. Vers. 14. Vers. 23. Verse 4. Verse 18. Verse 3. 4. 13. 22. 1 Cor. 8. 9. Rom. 14. 14. 1. Tim. 4 4. 2. Chron. 30. 17 18 19. verse 19. Nom 9. 10. Nom. 19. 20. 2. Chron. 29. 34 â— Chro. 30. 16. Marke 7. 15. Ierem. 36. 5. Ierem. 32. 2. Ier. 1. 10 18. Hose 4. 4. Iere. 56. 19. Actes 23. 6. Ierem 26. â— Zech. 1â— 10. Zech. 13. 2 Luke 18 9. luke 2. 21. Mar. 1 40. Act. 10. 2â— Iohn 4 9. Mat. 3. Luke 3. Phil. 3. 6. Nom. 20. 28. 1. King 2. 35. 1. King 1. 42. â— Sam. 2. 30. Iohn 18. 13. Heb. 5. 4. Mat. 17. 〈◊〉 Iohn 18. 2â— Hose 4 6. Verse 9. 1. Sam. 15. 23. Micah 2. 11. Zech. 13. 3. 1. Chro. 29. 22. Ierem. 23. 21. 1. Cor 5. 2 Cor. 10. Mâ—â— 1. 13. 2 Cor. 7 11. 2. Chron. 30. 17 18 19. Rom. 8. 14. Esa. 59. â—1 A foppery Matâ—h 23 2. Iohn 9. 22. Mat. 22. 42. 1. Iohn 5. Matth. 11. Isay 58. Matth. 8. Ierem. 36. Osee 4. 6.
with it All which indgements doe teach the Church at this day true iudgement namely to set it selfe both against small against great companyes if they withstande or refuse the true discipline of the church For Ieremie saith of him selfe that he was as a contentious man and a man that did striue with the whole earth euery one did curse him his owne familiars watched for his halting as he saith in another place he was in derision daily and euery one mocked him for he called thē al an assembly of rebels priuate famillar felloshippe he brake off with them as was shewed before and openly he came not amongest them but only to proclaime their sinnes and preach vengeance against them If it bee then asked whether Ieremie did condemne them al as none of the church and people of God let Ieremie him selfe answere it for indeede by their vsuall and common profession and trade of life they shewed not them selues to be the people and Church of god For as it is written both the great men and rulers and also the inferiour and poorer people had all together broken the yoke and burst the bandes In the streetes of Ierusalem and in the open places there could not a man be fonnde that did execute iudgement and sought the trueth that the Lord might spare the citie And he sayeth in another place They are all rebellious traytours they are brasse and yron they are all destroyers they shall call them reprobate siluer because the Lorde hath reiected them From the least of them euen to the greatest of them euery one is giuen vnto couetousnesse and from the Prophet euen vnto the Priest they all deale falsely They are all vnto me saith the Lorde againe as Sodome and the inhabitants thereof as the people of Gomorrah yet I doe not doubt but that there was the Church and children of God amongest them For Ieremie him selfe and Barucke was with them for Isaiah witnesseth that when iudgement was turned backewarde and iustice stoode a farre off so that all trueth and equitie failed yet I say there were some that refrained from euill and were made a pray to the rest In deede openly there was none to reforme the church of all his children there was none that tooke her by the hande to bring her into the way For the Lorde sought for a man among them that shoulde make the hedge and stande in the gappe before him for the land that he should not destroy it but he found none Yet there were those that had a marke on their foreheades as mourning and crying for all the abominations that were committed And if it be asked whether these were a visible church of God it is answered by Ezekiel in another place that among the heathen and in the countreyes where the Lorde did scattere them he was as a litle Sanctuarie vnto them whereby is meant that though they wanted the visible signe of the tēple and Sanctuarie at Ierusalem yet their holy conuersation shoulde shewe the Lord to be among them and that the Lorde would iudge betweene sheepe and sheepe betweene the rammes and the goates It is manifest that the Synagogogues of the Iewes in Antiochia and Ephesus were the churches of God yet when Christ was preached vnto thē and they withstoode Paul and Barnabas did Paul or Barnabas stay for the consent of the most part to cast them off Did they not foorthwith separate the disciples and gather the church apart from thē yea will M C. say for they were worthy to be cast off seeing they refused Christ. Then belike it is true that one man or a fewe persons may cast off whole churches for some greater sinnes and offences How then is it true which M. C. saith that one man being founde iudged to deserue separation should not be separate except the most part do consent He wil say peraduēture that he excepteth idolaters apostates frō the Lord. why then did he giue a generall rule without naming such exceptiōs yet Christ for all disobedience in refusing any message of God doth giue cōmandement euen to all and euery one of his messengers to cast off whole cities and churches as being in a worse case then Sodome and Gomorrha For if they receiue you not sayeth he nor heare your wordes when ye depart out of that house or that citie shake off the dust of your feete against them He will answere that their sinne also of not receiuing the messengers of Christ was the sinne of Apostacie And is not this a message from Christ when one or a fewe persons doe iustly rebuke the congregation for ouerthrowing the Lordes discipline and treading his scepter vnder foote and is not his scepter cast downe and his kingdome polluted when he which is manifestly knowen and prooued to deserue separation can not be cast out But againe he will say that those cities and churches were not cast off for refusing the Lordes messengers but for refusing such a message as they brought namely that the Christ and Messiah was nowe come in the flesh Surely til after the death of Christ they had no such message For Christ straightly charged his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Iesus the Christ meaning that till his death and rising againe it is not meete that that doctrine shoulde be blased abroade but it was sufficient for that time if they generally beleeued in the Messiah as the Iewes also did and refused him not when he shoulde be preached more clearely yet long before his death was the commandement giuen concerning those houses or cities which shoulde refuse his messengers yet in deede it is true that they which refuse his discipline and gouernement do also refuse Christ him selfe and so it is the sinne of apostacie For so it is written Those mine enemies which woulde not that I shoulde reigne oner them bring hither and slay them before me But hereto they will answere that yet till iudgement was executed by the Lorde him selfe they were called his Citizens for so the text sayeth that his Citizens hated him and sent an ambassage after him saying we wil not haue this man to reigne ouer vs. But doe they not knowe that they are called his Citizens because they should haue bene so and were not but became his enemies Indeede they were Citizens in name only but not in deed So Ierusalem in name was called the citie of God yet in deede it became that great Citie as it is written which spiritually is called Sodome and Aegypt where our Lorde also was crucified The Iewes were planted a noble vine as Ieremie witnesseth and Isaiah sayeth that the vineyard of the Lorde of Hostes was the house of Israel and the men of Iudah were sometymes his pleasant plant but nowe they are turned vnto me sayeth the Lorde into the plantes of a strange vine yea that we be