his Sonne Regent from the Sunnes rising to his going downe the Sonne labours the plantation of this his possession by sowing the same Gospell which of yore was preached to Dauid to Abraham and first of all to Adam in Paradise For the which as Matthew produceth the Gospell from Dauid and Abraham because it was written in Hebrue and specially for the Iewes who altogether bragged of Abraham and Dauid so Luke respecting Iew and Gentile and all he ioyneth the Church of peculiar faithfull on the one hand with God and on the other hand with Iesus because without respect of person the Iesus was in Paradise first preached by God to Adam This Gospell not yea and nay but Amen Christ yesterday to day and the same for euer by it the Sonne of man begetteth sonnes for his Kingdome a Kingdome vnable to be shaken and remoued except that Christ her foundation can be remoued To omit common places here touching the Seede of God state of Vnregeneration Regeneration c. obserue wee here the fulnesse of time for Iaphets people the nations or Gentiles their comming vnto Shems tent whereof Noah arising as a Giant from wine by the abundance of spirit did fore-prophecie but this receipt of the Gentiles a graffing in of the wild Oliue is done oh the wisedome of God with a cutting off of the naturall Oliue Shems people who after the fulnes of the Gentiles be come in are againe vniuersally to be receiued into the open state of saluation That the Iew should first be exalted by reason of faith in Messiah and the Gentile glorified that way in the second place Irenaeus vnderstood it typically by Thamars twynnes The ancient Tertullian vnderstood the case to be figured vnder Rebeccaes twinnes The same doth Augustine As for Theodoret he conceiues also Lea and Rahel to be types of Iewes and Gentiles the latter to be more acceptable to our Iaakob Israel preuailer with God and in another place vnder Zara and Phares Thamars twinnes And vsually vnder Gedeons fleece floore the one deâ—ed from heaueÌ„ when the other stood drie the ancients vnderstood the same mysterie and thereunto doth Chrysostome applie the 6. verse of Psal. 72. And touching the recalling of the Iewes after fulnes of Gentiles come in as they were not ignorant so Gregorius Papa after whose time presently euen fully in the Lords yeere 666. Machomed in the East vniuersall Pope in the West that two horned power was exalted he is plentifull in this testimonie The Church being at first shut vp amongst the Iewes elder brethren by grace from Shem but Gentiles Iaphets people by nature now the Church was to enlarge her tents and to stretch her coardes vniuersally through the earth for which cause it is called Catholike and Vniuersall so it cutteth the throat of hereticall Donatists that would shut it vp in a corner of Affricke or in some chamber in London or in some citie of the Low-countries Nay let the Pope of Donatisme say that he hath some of his sheepe in the Low-countries some in diuers holes in England some in Ireland no Pastor or Biâ—â—op in England hath so large Iurisdiction yet for all this so long as we remember that article of faith I beleeue there is an holy catholike Church an article grounded on Scriptures enow wee dare not say but his Church is a faction gone out of the catholike Arke though our Sauiour forbids going out vnto such desart and corner Gospels and Christs and by reason of such schisme although with such arguments as were able almost to â—educe the elect couering their thorne and thutle schisme with sheeâ—ish skin or conuersation by reason I say of such schisme and vniuersal condemning all they depart from for onely visible limmes of Satan and Antichrist we must beleeue they in such estate are exposed to the ouerflowing wrath of God This Gospell of the kingdome as the Apostles had commission granted and giuen for sowing throughout the earth so the sound thereof went quickly through the earth And no maruell for now Daniels stone was to roule all abroad first for battering downe opposite power secondly for setting vp a kingdome which should neuer be destroyed the little stone so becomming a great mountaine And though we Brittaines tearmed of their word Brith painted because our people painted and dyed their bodies monster-like as indeede wee were a most sauage Nation though we were couched here in an vttermost coast yet it is registred to God his praise and our comfort that this Prouince was first of Prouinces in receiuing the Gospell openly as Sabellicus testifies Polydore Virgil maketh Coyl the king here a receiuer of the faith in our Lo. y. 182. But the holy faith planted in our land before by Ioseph of Arimathaea who with some others came hither obtained a mile of ground neere Wels afterwards called Glascon And this by ancient Gildas testimonie should be in the yeere of Christ 60. Who also saith that they suffered a notable persecution here by Diocletian Romes Emperour The excellent Theodoret writeth that the Apostle Paul presently after deliuerance out of his first captiuitie at Rome hee came then hither This Apostle in his second Epistle to Timothie and last Chapter he remembreth one Claudia an excellent christian woman then at Rome whom Martial the Poet affirmeth to be of Brittaine thus Claudia caeruleis cum sit Rufina Britannis edita cur Latiae pectora plebis habet c. In a word the ancient Registers haue so vniformely consented in this point namely that Britannia in the Apostles times it receiued the holy faith as also that the Ministers were maried nor after 600. y. what time Austin the Monke came hither from Rome could or would giue any hope of yeelding therein to Romes perswasion whose Cities Ministerie then was much gone out of the way this point I say is so vniformely witnessed as our Schismatikes may so well aske me what assurance I haue that here was a king Henry as demaund what assurance I haue of the other And this comfortable point I haue the rather vrged because some too ignorantly seeke the beginning of a Church here within these hundred yeeres and the Schismatikes impudently affirme that they themselues are the first visible Church sprung vp in England The founder whereof was Browne Which man if so he had been stirred vp by God to such a miraculous worke not onely he should haue been vpheld in that worke as Moses and Aaron to the old Church and the Apostles to the new Church for God neuer forsooke his principall Church-planters but also he should haue begun that worke with a better miracle then by alluring seruants from their masters children from their parents wiues from their husbands with whom they had smitten couenant although to their bodies hurt and affliction Thus the seed of the kingdome vniuersally preuailed maugre the malignitie of the
to search antiquitie if happily that way I might find any assured footing of scriptures sence touching externall Church orders Togither with this desire the Lord afforded me plentie of bookes first in Scotland after in Netherland The more I read those writers that liued in the first 400 years the more I perceiued the former scales to fall from mine eies And as the light of the faithfull increaseth till it be perfect day so togither with my last returne for England the foggie mist was risen and fled the Sunne of righteousnesse shined vpon me and that to the praise of God be it spoken in such euidence of scripture as I hope my selfe enabled to draw as on a table an euident Idea and shape of that miscarying way if so men will waigh it in simplicitie of spirit Yet this must here be done but briefly according to the nature of an epistle Pastor and Doctor are distinguished by them from Rom. 12.7.8 by exhortation and doctrine The Doctor is to be first exercised in doctrine the Pastor in the second place is to exhort from that doctrine From hence then must needs follow first that the Doctor is aboue the Pastor seeing the Pastor but buildeth vpon the doctrine of his Doctor Euen as the Apostles laying the foundation then were in an higher office then the Euangelistes or Pastors that but builded on the Apostles ground And for this consideration the Apostle Paul would not worke vpon others building The order then must be thus Doctor Pastor And in Rom. 12.7 Doctrine indeed is put before exhortation Secondly if doctrine and exhortation distinguish them then it shall be as verily sinne for the Doctor in his exercise to meddle with exhortation or for the Pastor to meddle with doctrine as it was for Vzzah an inferiour Leuit to touch the Arke of God though in a danger to fal which medling with the Arke distinguished Aarons family from the other two Leuits Thirdly then it skilleth not though the Pastor be a man of no learning for all the learning to speake of lieth in a deliuerie of the scriptures naturall sense with a drawing out of his proper doctâ—ines and to exhort is so farre inferiour to doctrine as the application of the medicine to a seen sore doth vtter no such knowledge as the prouision and composition of the medicine If they say the Pastor is to exhort but not onely he may also teach the like say I with as good reason may be spoken of the Doctor not onely to teach but principally Which toyish order of teaching exhorting as no reformed Church abroad is acquainted with it for they acknowledge no sole Doctor but of the schooles so their distinction of Not onely but principally as it may be vsed likewise in the following offices so let vs see how much it maketh for them The Elders they distinguish by Ruling from 1. Tim. 5.17 as the Pastor and Doctor by the word and doctrine Here say they are both sorts of Elders Rulers in the first place teachers in the second First touching the termâ—s word and doctrine doctrine being onely that which is drawne from the word here so is no speech of the Pastor and his exhortation and so no double honour for the Pastor Secondly if by Ruling in the first place be meant onely a gouerning of the Church without doctrine then the deliuerer of the word and doctrine last mentioned he must be debarred Rule rule appertaining to the first doctrine to the second If it be replied that the Pastor and Doctor also are to rule though not principally so others may aswell reply the Elders are not onely though principally to be exercised in Ruledome for they also may teach That the Elders might onely rule not teach though they make him a Bishop in english Ouerseer yet they will vnderstand him vnder the word Deacon for thus it is in the demonstration of discipline Offices simple are Bishops Pastors Doctors Deacons or Church-seruants Ouerseers Distributors Marke well how first he maketh two sorts of Bishops Pastors and Doctors then two sorts of Deatons Ouerseers and distributors First a right plaine man may obserue that to make an Ouerseer or gouerning Elder to be a Church-seruant it is verie ridiculous Secondly to make Bishops one in the first diuision Ouerseers another in the second diuision it is to make a difference between I and I that is a difference where none is For Bishops and Ouerseers are all one Bishops being the Greeke word and Ouerseers the English The diuision so of the offices not onely void of diuinitie and art but also of verie common sense Yet a correction due to the sons of God when they seeke to bring in their owne inuentions But to what purpose haue they thrust the word Ouerseer vnder the word Deacon Because forsooth in 1. Tim. 3. they would not vnderstand the office of Elders in the word Bishop because it is there required that euerie Bishop or Church ouerseer he should be Apt to teach and they would haue Elders of another stampe Whereas that in 1. Tim. 3.1.2 together with Act. 20.17 where Elders are by vers 28. expounded Ouerseers or Bishops on all which the Apostle enioyneth teaching as he before had it plainly euinceth that all Ouerseers are to be exercised in teaching By both which plaine places that more obscure place in 1. Tim. 5.17 They that rule well are worthie double honour specially they that tyre themselues in the word and doctrine it must be vnderstood either of one and the same sort of Elders in the Church whereof all deseruing well some by reason of more trauaile deserue better or else whereto I rather condescend the first is spoken of Ouerseers to a particular Church the latter for Kopiontes importeth we ariâ—omenes by trauelling to and fro as in Iohn Ch. 4. vers 6. it implieth such Elders as Paul Iohn Peter others that trauelled from place to place hauing care ouer many churches Touching the Deacons who are to be employed onely in and about the poore and tables I take that onely were better as before turned into principally and that by reason of more sufficient teachers present as also such occasion about the tables and poore as was in Ierusalem at the time of their first institution But that there is no time nor place for the Deacon to preach and baptize the scripture affordeth not that The contrarie appeareth in Philip preaching and baptizing in Samaria before the Apostles came thither to promoue him into an Euangelists place or yet the Angell had called him to any busines with the Eunuch Besides seeing the scripture requireth such a one to hold the mysterie of faith to be full of the holy ghost and of wisedome it plainly argueth it is because he may assist in that busines And seeing by all probability those seuen Deacons were of the 70 disciples for then they were in that Church and be sure that the people would choose the
ANTIDOTON OR A SOVERAIGNE REMEDIE AGAINST SCHISME AND HERESIE Gathered to Analogie and proportion of Faith from that Parable of Tares MATTH 13. Aug. ep 3. Nullorum disput c. We ought to haue no men their disputations although men Catholike and praise worthie in that count as we haue the Canonicall Scriptures so that it should be vnlawfull for vs to improue and refuse some things in their writings if happily we finde that they thought otherwise then the truth hath Such a one am I in other mens writings and so would I haue others to vnderstand of my writings LONDON Imprinted by Iohn Wolfe 1600. Principall positions proued in the discourse of the Parable 1 That the kingdom of heauen Math. 13.24 it is not vsed for the state of the world but of the new Testaments Church 2 That the Church is Catholike and in some measure euer visible in this life 3 That the Church of Christ was planted here in England in the Apostles times and continued notably vncorrupted till about Anno Domini 600. 4 That Anti-christianitie or the marke of the beast it is not considered in separable accidentall corruption in faith or manners but in that is essentiall and fundamentall 5 That the Tares in this Parable are wicked within the Church and visible to the gouerners thereof 6 That the Tares are onely such wicked as cannot with Churches peace and safetie be pulled vp 7 That such Tares are of holy pollicie to be permitted and yet no defilement to spirituall communion 8 Brounistes outward ordination proued more against Christes rule then euer any was before 9 That difference of torment and measure of glorie abideth the damned and saued TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE HIS VERIE GOOD LORD SIR EDMVND ANDERSON KNIGHT Lord Chiefe Iustice of her Maiesties court of the common Pleaes THree mightie men bringing of Bethlehems waters vnto Dauid he powres it foorth before the Lorde not quenching bodies thirst therewith because it was purchased with liues hazard Vnto your Lordship I humbly present a moitie of waters drawne from mysticall Beth-lehem the house of Bread the Church of Christ Iesus and they not purchased with lesse then the hazard of my bodie and soules saluation If your Lordship shall deeme it good they be powred forth before the Lord for erudition to the soule it is that I couet and which some thirstie soules desire with great appetite Dutie calleth me to offer it and the experience I haue of your Lordship tendring my good it emboldens my presentation Pythagoras hauing instituted his Puple in the first place to worship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the immortall God he in the second place inioyneth that he reuerence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preexcelling Heroiks Which Heroicall Personages are of auncient Hesiode couched in his fourth age after them of Golde Siluer Brasse but before that of yron obdured and determined for such as had care of executing iudgement and Iustice by Land and Sea maintaining and vpweilding the same by magnanimious and martiall valour for the which they are tearmed there Semi-Dijsts but in sacred writ Gods because his word is committed to such in his Church When I remember the vnion of your Lordships house with that of the right Woo. Moon-suns a family to whom I haue owed much from my young yeares I then methinks see Wisdome and Warre conioyned without either of which no common wealth can endure and by the continuance of both which my simplicitie hath been sheltred and my innocencie shielded So that I if any haue cause to auow allegiance not Tam Marti quam Mercurio but to the Christian subiects of Wisdome and Valour The schedule I present it is an exposition of that Parable of Tares propounded by our Lord and Master Christ Iesus Wherein is considered first the glorious estate of the New-testaments Church first planted throughout the world by the Ministerie of the Apostles then secondly the corruption thereof through Ministers sleepie negligence yea the corruption so deeply setled therein as well it might be in these latter times Reformed but neuer quite purged of visible euill nor Replanted vntill the Sonne of man in his great day of haruest doe that by the ministerie of his Angels A doctrine so necessary as without the knowledge thereof a man shall either rush on the error of the right hand through desperate vn-bridled Zeale or on that on the left hand through a frozen cold securitie Such being my dutie and such my presentation I humbly so remaine Your Lordships dutifull Suppliant HENOCH CLAPHAM TO ALL SVCH SPECIALLY AS whose soules distressed with our ages controuersies doe desire resolution drawen from reason and experience IF he be accursed by the law that sets the blind out of his way what better is his state that heareth the worde of an oth and though he can will not giue in testimony of the truth Sure he shall beare his iniquitie These two lawes haue enforced me first publikely to preach then secondly to publish the sequell in print And so much the more as the former two decrees of mount Sion they concerne neerer then many In my first looking after religion my lot was to associate such onely as onely tasted and affected another kind of ministerie which as they said yet we had not in England And that they tearmed the ministerie of Pastor Doctor Elders Deacons Widowes due to euerie particular Church Those words I soone learned as also that the Pastor was to exhort the Doctor to teach or deliuer doctrine the Elders to gouerne and exercise the disciplinall censâ—res in common with Pastor and Doctor the Deacons onely to attend poore and loue-feastes the widowes to wait on the sicke That platforme once swallowed I then was easily perswaded that our Bishops their Ordinations and all ministerie standing vnder them it was Antichristian and an Image of the beast And looke how many corruptions so many markes of the beast which whosoeuer receiued in forehead or hand euen all such should drinke of the cup of the wine of God his wrath All this so hanging togither except I would practise contrarie to my perswasion as many deceitfully haue done out of the land I must as I loued my libertie I did so First into the Low-countries I went Afterwards into Scotland After that againe into the Low-countries Then again into Scotland And once againe into Netherland c. Sometimes haled by this faction sometimes pulled by that faction But the Lord being mercifull vnto me howsoeuer I was notablie distract about externall Church-gouernment yet as all my printed bookes will testifie I kept me euer fast vnto the maine point that is vnto the foundation of the Gospell I had before here receiued and had in Lancashire for some two yeares publikely ministred being before now some nine yeares since ordained fully thereto by Bishop Wicham then Bishop of Lincolne About some fiue years since it pleased God to giue me an earnest desire