of the Kings Daughter is from aboue and it doth not but shall appeare to euery one who be who Visibility is not of the Nature but of the duety of the Church Wherefore visiblenes to be seene is not necessarily of the nature of Gods chosen Notwithstanding men being chosen of God and coapted into the number of his Saints of duety must not conceal what they are but publikly openly and in a visible order euery man according to the proportion of his calling is to keepe and retaine a seene and a sightly exercise of his profession And yet times in places may go so hard that a man might seeke and not finde an euident face of true professors in publique maner The complaint of Elias discussed and vrged as in the daies of Elias when he complained that he was left alone for ought he knewe Wherein I note that Elias knew not of any moe if you wil of no moe Prophets for what if wee graunt to that our aduersaries sorry cauillation that Elias was left a Prophet alone What As he knew no moe prophets beside himselfe so he was hid from the sight of others and no man knew what was become of this Prophet Then was the Church left without a Prophet to see too and where was then the forme of a Church visible keeping hir outward orders in apparent aspectable shew Master * Stapl. de doct Prin. l. 2. c. 13. Stapleton and the rest shift in this case but shifts will not serue They except that if it might be thus in the kingdome of Israel yet the Church was visible enough in the tribe of Iudah This is but a poore shift For Israel was not so bad sometimes as Iudah and Iudah no better than Israel And euen in the dayes of Aza much about these times 2. Chron. 15.2 when Aza came to the crowne of Iudah Azariah telleth the King that if God be sought after he will be found but if he be forsaken he wil forsake euen Iudah too And when Elias fled out of Israel hee fled not to Iudah as knowing whither to goe and where to ioyne himselfe in the society of a visible Church but passing by the confines of Iudah he left his man in * 2 King 19.3 Beersheba and himselfe fledde into the wildernes and there complaineth that he was left alone And least this complaint may seeme only to be the affection of a watery eye and of a troubled mind that could not discerne that which might be discerned and so not to bee stoode vppon by vs that so much alleadge it in this cause obserue that God in aunswere to Elias told him that he had reserued 7000 to himselfe and our aduersaries to shew that Elias complaint was imperfect and vntrue they vrge this aunswere of the 7000 reserued but can they marke withall that God saith he had reserued them to himselfe not in the sight or to the view of Elias For Elias lied not but God kept them to the secret knowledge of himselfe And can they yet farther mark for an vnāswerable answere to their oft * Sander visib monarch Pag. 207. replyed and * P. 295. multiplied triumphing cauillation that when we no doubt vnduely force this ensamble for the inuisiblenesse of the Church yet euer this they say was but matter that touched Israel and the ten tribes but Iudah and the whole Church it did not concerne I say can they mark that the * Rom. 11.4 holy Apostle Saint Paul vseth this very ensample to the very same purpose that we doe For the Iewes seeking their owne righteousnes missed of Gods righteousnes and though they hard the Gospell yet they gainesaid it and were a disobedient people and therefore God refused them who at first refused him Whereupon the Apostle questioneth in effect thus as I take it Did God reiect his people And were they reiected And were the people that once were his people now no more his people His people and his Church in sense and signification is al one If God had no people he had no Church But he had reiected and cast off that his people where was then his Church The Apostle aunswereth himselfe one way for the future time by receauing in of the Gentiles and another way for the present time that albeit the Iewes were cast off yet God had a Church What a visible Church No but he had a remnant and that remnant where euer it was was his Church and that Church was secret seen and discerned only of God and this Church and remnant was exemplified saith Paul by those secret 7000 reserued by God inuisibly as in the daies of Elias so was the state of the Church thus inuisible and so shewed and expounded to be by the Apostle and by this very example of Elias time What say ye Is it not so Questionles our aduersaries see as much as we tel them but euery mā must fetch his light at their candle Romes visibility is but a sightly mart of Religion and therefore their light must needs be a blazing star and their Church not only a visible Church but a visible Monarchy withall And they seeing that God is lesse bound to them than to Iudah and Hierusalem and that if Ierusalem might be ecclipsed much more might Rome and therefore they say that the Church in Israel was inuisible but not in Iudah But why is God more linkt to Rome than to Israel Wel Israel by their own confession might and did loose her beuty and Paul alleadgeth that for the secresie of the whole church reserued to the sight of God and not vnto the eies of Elias And al the Scripture is plaine that Iudah did sometime iustifie her Sister Israell in sinning more excessiuely than did shee and that God was not bound to keepe either the one or the other in his visible seruice whether he would or no. Of al the places where God hath been chiefely worshipped principally in Scripture are named three Bethel Silo Sion A word of euerie of these Bethel Bethel is by interpretation the house of God and Bethel was the gate of heauen and in Bethel was the ladder whereby the very Angels ascended and descended from God vp and downe notwithstanding euen in Bethel Ieroboam set vppe the goolden calfe The matter was goolde the charge great the entent faire but the calfe was an idol the intent was irregular beside and against Gods word Hos 10.8 and so Beth-el became to bee Beth-auen and of the house of god was made the house of iniquity and the ladder of discention into hell it selfe Silo. Concerning Silo Iosue placed the arcke there where it remained 300. yeares but sundry enormities arising and when Hely once suffered his youthfull sonnes to rome at riot to the great reproch and shame of Gods sacrifices what ensued His sonnes were slaine the Arcke was taken Hely brake his necke the place was a desolate place For the Lorde
is praised in hir youth I graunt yet no otherwise than other * 1 Thes 1.8 churches but that Rome that was is not the Rome that now is She was a chast virgine while shee was young but hir old bones now are rotten and putrified with innumerable fornications and her praises in hir highest honour were neuer comparable to Hierusalems estimation Why Peter taught in Rome What then Christ taught in Hierusalem But Peter was martyred in Rome And what of that Christ suffered at Hierusalem And I take it the death of either is rather is the shame than the praise of the places But where in what one place not only in the Actes but in anie place in all the Scripture is Rome termed the Hierusalem of the Church Or why is god bound to a visible Church now made vp of the Gentiles more than hee was to the Iewes for to speake of Peters rotten chaire at Rome is a roming vagrant imagination Nay are not the promises of God made with the same couenantes of duety and with the same condicions and prouisoes of forsiting our estate like as did the Iewes if we shal do as they did The ensamples of the old Testament are warnings vnder the new If God forsake Bethel is that nothing to Silo Or if God forsooke Bethel and Silo is that to be neglected of Hierusalem Or if Hierusalem Sion Silo and Bethel be all forsaken is this not to be regarded of the Gentils Cannot shal not may not the church made vp of Gentils with her Hierusalem which is pardy Rome be diuorsed May she not can shee not shal she not be diuorsed If Sem shoulde bee thrust out and Iaphet admitted were this no enstruction to Iaphet Or why are the * 1 Cor. 10. ensamples of former times written Or is God the God of the Iewe and the God of Israel to take vengeance where they sinned and not on the Gentils Or brake hee off the naturall Oliue and will he spare the wild And to whom by name were these last words written Were they not written to the Church at Rome Rom. 11. where she stoode in case then to be broken off which is a word equiualent and of like meaning to the word of diuorsed I graunt shee may crie out the Church the Church the visible Church the Mother-Church and yet the Romish papacy is but a lying strumpet and a harde stepdame to the true members of the Church of Christ and this is the mystery of iniquity sitting in the Church or as Saint Austine saith Aug. de ciuit Dei lib. 20. c. 19. In templum Dei for and in steed of the church and is not the Church but an Antichristian company so that the visible brag and shewe of the Church is not the Church and that 1. Is one point in this question and 2. The other point was that God is not bound to a visibility at all and for both points wee haue shewed sufficiently For for that of the inuisible case of the Church the complaint of Elias is pregnant and then that numbers bearing the name of the Church and bragging of the Temple are but lyars is prooued by the Prophets and Scriptures to haue beene exemplified euen in the best places and whereof in special Rome hath a fair warning by the Apostle to the Romanes We doe not deny but professe and thank God therefore that hitherto since the ascention of our Sauiour Mat. 15. the little musterd seede hath growen to that height that the litle birds haue made their nests therein but the puttock the kite and birds of cruel kind haue come to their nestes and dealt hardly with the small foule yea they haue taken their places and their owne possession and that vnder faire pretences no doubt And the Church and kingdome of God being of condition as the waters of Siloe at the foote of Sion running softly shee maketh small noyce when shee receaueth great iniury yea euen when the Scote Otter haue taken vp their lodging in her tree For if we reuolue such stories of ancient time as but scriueners and writers could afford vs when printers were not and while no enemies wanted yet shall we find that the spawne of heresies was infinit and to this day we see the number of infidels are without number alas what discerning coulde there bee of some one graine or two in comparison amongst so much chaffe At such seasons when the whole church as the Church of Sardy had defiled her clothes Reuel 3. that is to say that outside and outward sight and shew of her selfe might not Bertram in Germany Hus in Bohemia Sauonarola in Italie Wicleue in England Armochane in Ireland take vp almost euen Elias complaint that they were left alone And this was an old course of most ancient time to see the church brought to a narrow strait and a low eb In the dayes of Noe but eight persons were left when the find came In the time of Lot he alone and a few of his were saued when whole fiue cities were destroyed and as Elias complayned that he was alone so Micheas stoode post alone against foure hundred who were called Prophets as well as hee and if then as many tymes else a man should haue be-taken himselfe to the more visible number should he haue done well But you say in the new Testament euer ioine to the most that professe the name of Christianity and you cannot misse In deed I know that the * The motiue of multitudes Motiue of multitudes and generalities is linckt in with the demaund of the visiblenes of the Church For euer the mo the more visible And you thinke you haue the greater number and the mator part yet how long you shal keep them God knoweth but therfore you argue that the truth should be ouerborne with the number of your voyces and the visiblenes of your glory because your pomp is great and your number many and the waters innumetable where the whore sitteth Giue me leaue a litle and pardon mine vnaccustomed length in these quarrels of great importance for as I wish to open the very truth so would I not willingly pretermit their pretenses of truth for maintenance of error While they run alone they are euer foremost and when they buz into your eares and you heare no man but them what maruell if they seduce them that are ready to be missed Actius the Poet. When Actius an old Poet plaied on the stage he pleased euery man very wel when hee pleaded at the bar he neuer got cause and being demaunded the cause thereof his aunswere was that on the stage hee made euery mans part and no man spake but what he deliuered them first and gaue to euery one his kue as himselfe thought best but saith he in the pleading place I cannot carry it so away Mine aduersary replieth opposeth aunswereth and sifteth matters so that I cannot bolster vp a had cause as I
better than the naturall branches but that their church may be cut off if they grow wild if they could not grow wild which is if they could not er what neede Paul warne them or they care for his warning If it bee replied that there may bee error in some members but not in the head which is the Pope this will not serue Rom. 1.7 for the Apostle writeth to all at Rome without exception and where the text giueth no cause of distinguishing why should the gloze distinguish at all And the errors which Rome is willed to take heede of are worse than some once defining of an error for they may finally cut her off And in the meane time let no man fear that God wil lacke a Church though Rome become apostata that he wil want wine if she become vineger that hee will not haue a Ierusalem though Rome bee made a den of Theeues a nest of vncleane birds worse than Babylon it selfe And how holdeth that argument the Church shal not bee diuorsed ergo not Rome It will not follow For Rome is not the whole Church But she perhaps is the firt place and the Hierusalem of the Church Brist replie to D. Fulke Cap. 8. Par. 2. as Maister Bristow beareth D. Fulke in hand and for proofe thereof hee referreth him to the Actes of the Apostles if hee haue anie insight therein Yes his insight in the whole libraries of God and of men is well knowen at home and abroade and that to your shame and griefe And therefore yee neede not like Babish and * 2 King 2 23. Bethlemite skorning and mocking Boyes to fellowe Fulke him and flout him as you doe but rather stand in aw of him D. Fulkes books vnanswered whom ye dare not certainly haue not aunswered to his aunswers to most of your books Wel may you mock moe at him whose hast pen of a ready writer yet euer with great iudgement you can not imitate But now at and without your request Master Bristow D. Fulke hath intentiuely reuiewed often euery leafe and line in the Acts of the Apostles findeth you a lying reporter And how could it be otherwise For neither is Rome there termed the Churches Ierusalem neither doth the church nowe require a locall Ierusalem in earth at all Galath 4. Whereof more hereafter vpon fitter occasion The olde starting-hole from Christs praying for Peter was personall and vpon imminent future danger to Peter and nothing els Wherefore euen as hee that gathered Manna more than would suffice him it * Exod. 16.20 putrified and did him no pleasure so he that wil gather too much of a text it can serue him to small purpose And generally our Sauiour prayed for the rest of the Apostles by the like reason why should not their successors claime the like immunity of not erring Nay our Sauiour prayed for euery beleeuer Iohn 17.20 and then by the same reason euery priuate faithfull man is in as good case as is the Pope As for the Popes DEFINITIONS in faith I shewed before and say againe but that he taketh vpon him to define and because that now is made the question that his Definitions are nothing and nothing worth We haue but one Defining-Master and * Iam. 4.12 Law-giuer which can teach and controll the hart Yea euery sere Christian is to try other mens spirits to try * 1 Thes 5.21 all and therefore also to trie and examine the Popes pretended Definitions And what need they be tried if they could not erre If I were sure this golde were pure and perfect and nothing but golde what need the touchstone But because the iudgements of men are vncertain the spiritual man and child of God iudgeth all thinges because hee can and trieth them because he must therein is iudged of * 1 Cor. 2.15 none nor preiudiced of any and therefore not ouer-borne by the Pope and therefore also not necessarilie subiect to his papall decisions Which warrant of Pauls cleane cam against the haire the Pope applieth and appropriateth to himselfe and his Popely iudgement making it a new necessary article of saluation to be subiect to him because he if we beleeue him is only that spirituall man Extrâ—… de maio obdient that iudgeth al and is iudged of none specially being once in his consistory in his court and in Councell house at Rome though yet in trueth S. Paul wrate not that sentence to the Romanes but to the Saints of Achaia Church of Corynth Whereupon it may bee notwithstanding a litle suspected least hee may misse the quishien in his definitions that thus mistaketh Scripture to proue his authority and pierelesse Soueraignty in his defining I know what wil be and what hath beene answered lately in this behalfe that the Pope may by your leaue euen in his consistories and in his decrees faile in the allegation of Scriptures but neuer in his purpose be alleageth them for For no fig leafe is broad enough to couer the greatnesse or grossenes of his intolerable allegations and yet albeit they faile in their proofes concluding and in the * Stapl. de doctr prin li. 4. ca. 15. meanes of prouing yet for the matter they would conclude their conclusion is cock-sure A very strange case Can a man erre in the meanes to the end and not erre in the end it selfe Can a man fail in his foundation and wil not his building totter Erre in his proofes and obtaine his purpose If the Pope can doe al this I know not what he cannot do No doubt he can set-forth at midnight and not wander in darkenesse Nay hee can wander in darkenes and gad and magge quite out of his way and strait with a trice when the matter commeth to bee shut vp with a definitiue sentence to a decretall or a rescript iudicial the man is at home notwithstanding all his former vagaries in the night before Is not this good stuffe If I mistake not whether you rescribe or subscribe there is small difference a Popelike rescript or subscript is alike auaileable and autentique Liberius But Pope Lyberius subscribed to Arrianisme the greatest heresie that euer was and hee subscribed as Pope for otherwise Constantius would no more haue regarded his priuate subscription than a drop of water among a Sea of subscriptions Now how distinguish you what help nowe Euen thus As when we shew that Pope Honorius was a monothelite that is to say one that denied the two willes of both natures in our Sauiour you answere he was so in hart but outwardly in his * Hard. detect pag. 254. decisions he was not so so contrariwise you tell vs that Liberius ratified Arrianisme by his * Idem pa. 250. Subscription and hand-writing but this was not from his heart but outwardly for feare Say you for feare What then But I pray you in the meane time were not these
minister a most requisit matter presence residence of the good minister is the preseruation of the parish and the absence of the pastor is the bane of the flocke And if men were indued with Pauls affection to cary the names of the tribes and care of soules on their brest and in their hart they would wish as Paul did to be preseÌ„t with their charges I know there is a difference betwixt the mere and mixt Non-resident betwixt a party-care a plaine security The mere Non-resident is a rechlesse Creature The distinction of mixt and mere Non-residents excuseth neither The mixt Non-resident hath pluralities of liuings and liueth wel in his common conuersation and preacheth happily vpon one of them and keepeth the better house there where hee liueth by reason of his other liuings That such a one keepeth the bigger house I graunt but that hee keepeth the better if betternes be rightly conceiued I vetterly deny For that is syncere and good that is not mixt with euil and he that robbeth one to pay or to gratifie another with fuller measure is no vpright dealer The husband-man may proine off some bowes that some others may grow the better and the bigger but the case is diuerse euen like vnto the vnkind father that will starue some of his children to feed one of them the fatter like the vnnaturall mother that will kill the rest of her children hauing many to make one the greater heire and iollier-fellow It were farre better that there were greater regard taken in this behalfe But remedy this and remedy all and remedy not this and I stand in doubt I fear least the semynary and seed-men of all euill may preuaile farther than God graunt they may Mat. 13.25 For the enimy euer soweth his tares then most when the husband-man is asleepe and what will not Sathan doe in the continuall absence of him that should bee continually present with his people and president of their doings I fixe not the pastor as it were the shel-fish to his shell or like the Moncke vnto his sell There may be rare priuate necessities publicke-weale causes of some absence but the best resolution in such insident circumstances is that the conscience assuredly knowe that God is not mocked with vaine excuses whatsoeuer nor answered with purchased dispensations vpon friuolous false or cursory pretenses Not onlie the personal presence but a competency of experienced skil is required in the resident Minister Paul wisheth himselfe present with the Galathians to the end he might consider of circumstances that hee might change his voice amongest them that is that hee might accommodate himselfe and apply remedy as he should see fittest occasion The Phisicions counsell is good but his presence is better alwaies for prised that the Phisicion be not only a good booke-man but also a skilfull and a cheereful practisioner Iob. 2.13 Iobs frinds when they came to visite him they sate inconsolably mute and dum and when they spake at last they went to work vpon true principles misconceaued and miserably applied Better such Physicions kept them away from their parishes A learned careful minister is an inestimable iewel But the presence of that minister that hath a present dexteritie vpon all occasions is a precious iewell that can speake like the good Lawyer to the cause that can finde out the cause of the disease that can fâ—…te his playsters and apply his Physick that can handle his spirituall instruments that can diuide the word aright that can break the bread to the houshold in due season that knoweth molles aditus tempora that knoweth how to tune and temper his doctrine sweet or sharp where to cut and where to supple when to take a dâ—…t course and where to vse as it were a side 〈◊〉 by way of parable like to the woman of Thecua and the Prophet Nathan 2 Sam. 24. The Popish Sir Iohn the ignorant curat the sorry hind the shame of our calling the bane of our Church that speaketh Asdod or Gibbrich or any language rather than the Scriptures of God in congruent English and in distinct harty manner to our Peoples capacities is an vnprofitable Sir in the former respects Wherein notwithstanding truly my meaning is not to vpbraid any simple vertuous godly man that in a competent sufficiency is enabled and doth accordingly his best endeuour but rather I lay downe and leaue this note to remember the reader if hee bee a learned Minister that he of al men most cary the bowels of Loue towarde his parish euen next his heart and that hee voutsaue them his presence for whom Christ hath dyed and that in such sort as he may best addresse himselfe because he best can vpon all occasions incident vnto his flock which doubtles are many and of great importance and that we deale with some particular men sometimes as Paul wisheth to do here with the Galathians Act. 20. changing his voice and as he did at Ephesus where he admonished them not only in general but specially euery one of them as occasion serued and required daie and night continually and that with teares in most effectual maner In the old sacrifices the heare and the tongue were due to the Priest thereby to intimate vnto him that from the heart sincerely and with his tongue significantly he was to demeane himselfe in casrs of conscience and controuersies arising in scruples whatsoeuer and as matters shoulde he offered so to minister present remedy in due sort accordingly without farther delaies Neither is it sufficient to leaue some phisick in our parish and go our way Aug. Epist 5. Marcellino Vindicianus in Austine told his patieÌ„t that Vindicianus did not .i. that himself being the Physition did not minister the Physick and therefore it would not woork In the administration whereof many circumstances and various admixtures are required so in the Physicke of the soule so in the musicke of the soule sundry are the receats and diuersely confected diuers are the notes and much cunning requisit in changing the voice in speaking soundely to the affected conscience But of this this is but a note 21 Tel me ye that wil be vnder the Law do you not heare the Law Paul wished that he might he with them wherin is scene the generality of Pauls speciall care euen for the congregation where personally by reason of his Apostolique office he could not be stil resident And verily the mind of a godly hart is a register a note-booke to remember him alwaies of moe matters than are exposite to the sight and subiect to the sense We say out of sight out of mind and that the hart rueth not what the eie seeth not But it was not so with our Apostle He stoode in doubt of them He wisheth to be with them And because that could not bee he supplieth that want as hee might by writing by reasoning and earnest expostulating matters to the