former course of life hath not been corresponding to so holy a Calling but that we blame them for is that they take upon them the honour and office of the Priesthood not being called thereunto as was Aaron that they despise the Churches Ordination by Imposition of hands that they handle the holy Scripture and Sacraments with black foule and unwashed hands that they presume that they have those gifts and graces of the Spirit which indeed they have not that they usurp upon the place and function of the Ministers of the Gospel and too much undervalue the cure of souls which as Saint Gregory rightly defineth it is Ars artium the Art of all arts And S. Paul by the question he propoundeth resolveth as much saying Who is sufficient for these things But now as the practise is and the common estimation of the vulgar we may crosse S. Pauls question with a contrary Interrogatorie Who is not sufficient for these things sith Coach-men Weavers Felt-makers and other base Mechanicks are now by some thought able Ministers and profound Doctors of the Church and Exercise as they tearme it not onely in private Conventicles but also per famam populum in great Churches and publique Assemblies to the great dishonour of God prophanation of his Ordinances and scandall of the Reformed Churches ARTIC 5. Concerning taking an oath especially ex officio ANABAPTIST NO Christian may lawfully take an Oath no not though it be required by a Magistrate especially such an Oath whereby they may hazard their life liberty or estate THE REFUTATION Though this assertion of the Anabaptists as they maintaine it hath a glosse and varnish put upon it of piety prudence and justice of piety in preventing all occasion both of false and vaine oathes of prudence in not insnaring our selves of justice in not concurring actively to our own prejudice or wrong yet upon due examination it will appear to be repugnant to all three to piety by robbing God of a part of his substantiall worship to wit a holy kind of invocation to prudence by unfurnishing our selves sometimes of our best defence which is to cleare our innocency by oath to justice by depriving all Courts of justice of this soveraigne evidence of truth and all humane society both of the surest tye of fidelity and the readiest meanes to end all strife and controversie For the farther manifestation whereof I am to cleare three points 1. That oathes may lawfully be taken by Christians 2. That some oathes may be lawfully exacted of them and imposed upon them 3. That oathes may be lawfully urged and exacted not only in civill but in criminall causes such as are commonly tearmed oathes ex officio when a man is required to answer upon oath concerning some crime or fault objected to him or articled against him Some deny it to be lawfull to take any oath others allow of oathes freely taken but not imposed a third sort dislike not all oathes imposed but only except against oathes ex officio These three questions hang as it were upon one string For if no oath may bee lawfully taken certainly none may be lawfully imposed and if oathes may not be imposed least of all the oath ex officio whereby we hazard and endanger our lives liberties limbes or estate if we confesse but our soules if we deny upon oath what is truly laid to our charge Againe on the contrary if the oath ex officio in some cases may be lawfully imposed then other oathes may be imposed with much lesse difficulty and if oathes may be lawfully imposed certainly they may be lawfully taken Yet must these questions of necessity be handled apart for the satisfaction of scrupulous consciences who first must be perswaded of the lawfulnesse of taking an oath in generall before they will suffer an oath to be imposed upon them and secondly that the Magistrate hath a lawfull power to exact oathes before they will take such and such a kind of oath required of them To lay the foundation therefore firme before wee build any thing thereupon First I prove the lawfulnesse of taking oathes the conditions prescribed by the prophet being observed namely that we sweare in judgement righteousnesse and truth in truth not falsely in judgement not rashly in righteousnesse not wickedly to the prejudice of equity or breach of Christian charity ARGUMENT I. Whatsoever God commandeth is lawfull for Gods command is the rule of good his command maketh that good which otherwise were evill as Abrahams offer to kill his sonne and the Iewes robbing the Egyptians of jewels of gold and silver and in like manner his prohibition makes that evill which otherwise in it selfe were good as working in a mans calling on the Sabbath the sparing the fattest of the cattell for sacrifice by Saul If every sinne be a transgression of the law it cannot be sinne to fulfill it But God commandeth taking of oathes as part of his worship Deut. 6. 13. Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God and serve him and sweare by his name Deut. 10. 20. To the Lord thou shalt cleave and sweare by his name hee is thy praise and he is thy God And Ier. 4. 2. Thou shalt sweare The Lord liveth in truth judgement and justice And to such as sweare in such a holy and religious manner God promiseth a blessing both outward and inward outward Ier. 12. 16. If they will diligently learne the wayes of my people to sweare by my name then shall they bee built in the midst of my people inward Psal. 63. 11. The King shall rejoice in God and every one that sweareth by him shall rejoice or glory in him Ergo to sweare is lawfull for Christians ANABAP ANSVVER It was lawfull to sweare when God commanded it under the law but it is not now lawfull for Christians sith Christ hath forbidden it in the Gospell REPLY 1. The same God is Law-giver both to the Iewes and Christians and the same truth shineth in the law and in the Gospell only with this difference in the law it shined through a tiffany or vaile of rites and ceremonies but in the Gospell as it were with open face The vaile is now taken away whereof religious swearing by the name of God was no part For an oath containeth not a resemblance of Christ but a worship of God It is no type or sign of grace but seale of truth the sense whereof is meer morall the law of it naturall the use perpetuall the worship performed in it to God is essentiall When we call God to witnesse a hidden truth in the sincerity of our intentions wee agnize his Soveraigne greatnesse For every oath is by a greater Heb. 6. 16. we professe his all-seeing wisdome we invocate his revenging justice which are not rituall but substantiall parts of worship In which regard in the texts of the Prophet Ieremy above alleadged swearing is joyned with the feare of God and cleaving to him both duties of the
such distinctions in the new testament We can for we read in the new testament of pastours and flocks they who feed with the word are the Clergy and the flocks who are fed are the Laity All are not pastours or teachers 1 Cor. 12. 29. Are all Apostles are all Prophets are all Teachers That is all are not so Deacons preached they were Lay-men therefore may Lay-men preach I instance in Steven c. The Deacons were not meer Lay-men but men full of the holy Ghost and of wisedom upon whom the Apostles layd their hands Acts 6. 6. Prove that any preached who had not imposition of hands Here that Anabaptist failing Cufin undertook it saying In the 8. of the Acts we read plainly that after that great persecution of the church at Jerusalem they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria except the Apostles and that they who were scattered abroad went every where preached the gospel and that God gave a blessing to their preaching it is plain Acts 11. 19. Again Peter saith 1 Pet. 4. 10. As every man hath received the spirit even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of Christ. If God have given us a talent it is our duty to improve it They that were scattered and preached the gospel were such as the Apostles had layd hands on and sent to preach and among them Philip the Deacon there mentioned For the text of S. Peter he speaketh not there of publike preaching and administring the sacraments which appertaineth only to pastours by their speciall function but of edifying one another and teaching and admonishing in private according to the precept of S. Paul Colos. 3. 16. Let the word of God dwell richly among you in all wisedom teaching and admonishing one another this was no publike preaching or expounding the word but godly conference in private houses with those whom they met such as every godly master of a family useth in his house instructing his children and servants the best that he can telling them their duty out of Gods word It is true in time of persecution we read of one Frumentius a Lay-man who in his travailes converted some to the christian faith confirming the truth of christian religion by scriptures That is all we desire to do as Frumentius did That was no preaching publikely by vertue of a pastorall function or expounding scriptures but holy conference and exhortation such as that of Aquila and Priscilla And the historian addeth after the church had notice how God blessed Frumentius his labours in turning many heathen to christinity the bishops sent ministers unto them to confirm them and administer the sacraments unto them and himself also received holy orders to accomplish that work which he had so happily begun The scripture puts no difference betwixt publike and private it is as lawfull to worship God in a private house to preach there as in one of your Steeple-houses The Apostle puts a difference 1 Cor. 11. 22. What Have you not houses to eat and to drink in Or despise ye the church of God The word in the originall is ecclesia not templum which never signifieth your Steeple-house in all the scripture The word ecclesia is taken diversly in holy scripture sometimes 1. For a company of men and that either of the wicked as Psal. 26. 5. Odi ecclesiam malignantium Or of the godly Acts 20. 28. 11. 26. c. 2. For the place of their publike meeting and so the word ecclesia is here taken If the people of God meet in a private place is not that then the house of God There is a publike house of God that is a place sequestred from common use and dedicated to Gods service and there is a private house of God as we read Ro. 16. 5. where some of the faithfull privatly meet and that also is called the church greet the church in thine house in such private houses it is lawful to preach in time of persecution but not now when we have publike churches for the service of God to which we may and ought to repair and in these churches no lay-man ought to preach nor at all exercise the pastorall function either there or any where else Which I prove by two reasons especially First none ought to take upon them the office of pastour or minister of the word who are not able to reprove and convince Hereticks and all gain-sayers but your lay and unlettered men are not able to convince Hereticks and stop the mouths of gayn-savers because they can alledge no scripture but that which is translated into their mother-tongue in which there may be and are some errours for though the Scriptures be the infallible word of God yet the translators were men subject to errour and they sometimes mistook Will you say that those learned men who translated the bible at Geneva committed any error in their translation I will and for instance Luke 22. 25. in the Geneva translation printed 1569. we read the Kings of the Gentiles reign over them and they that beare rule over them are called gracious Lords whereas in the originall it is Euergetai that is benefactors or bountifull yet this place hath bin much urged against the titles of our Arch-Bishops and Bishops as if Christ forbad any ministers of the gospell to be called by the titles of Lords or gracious wheras there is never a word in the text that signifieth either Lord or gracious neither dâ—th Christ there speak only to the ministers of the gospell but to all Christians Besides this I could produce many other errors in that translation which are corrected in the Kings translation Though we cannot prove the letter to be well translated that matters not much for the letter of the scripture is not scripture That 's blasphemy I pray take notice of it he denyeth the letter of the Text to be scripture The letter of the word of God is not scripture without the revelation of the spirit of God the word revealed by the spirit is scripture Very fine doctrine if God reveal not to us the meaning of the scripture is not the letter of the text scripture By this reason the greatest part of the Revelation and other difficult texts of scripture should not be scripture because God hath not revealed to us the meaning of them Here one that stood by demanded of the Anabaptist how prove you the bible to be Gods word By experience For whatsoever is written in the word of God commeth to passe concerning Christ and Anti-christ experience is the best doctor that teacheth us This reason alone will not prove the bible to be Gods word for Moses saith If a false prophet shall arise and fore-tell any thing and it come to passe Deut. 13.
not for every circumstance But the reason and equitie of the law of circumcising children still remaineth for nothing can be alledged why children then should be by circumcision admitted to the church not now as well by baptisme hic aqua adversariis semper haeret Thirdly if the children of Christian parents should be excluded from baptisme they should be in a worse condition then the children of the Jews were under the law for they by receiving the sacrament of circumcision were admitted into the visible congregation of Gods people and accounted partakers of his promises But it were absurd nay as Calvin further enforceth this argument execrable blasphemie to think that Christ should abridge those priviledges to the children of the faithfull under the Gospell which God granted to children under the law ARGUMENT V. All they who are comprised within the covenant and are no where prohibited to receive the seal thereof may and ought to receive it But children are comprised within the covenant of faith whereof circumcision was a seal Rom 4. 11. and now baptisme is Ergo children may and ought to receive baptisme Of the major or first proposition there can be no doubt for it is unjust to deprive a man of the confirmation of that to which he hath a true right and title And for the minor or assumption it is as clear for so are the words of the covenant Gen. 17. 7. I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee ANABAP ANSWER That promise there belongs only to the seed of Abraham according to the flesh and not to us REPLY First this answer is in effect refuted by the Apostle Rom. 4. 13. The promise that he should be the heir of the world was not given to Abraham or his seed through the law but through the righteousnesse of faith as he was the father of all the faithfull and in that notion we are as well his children as the beleeving Jews and we read expressely Act. 2. 39. that the promise is made unto you and to your children and to all that are afar off and even as many as the Lord our God shal call and Gal. 3. 7. Know ye therefore that they that are of faith are of the children of Abraham Secondly the covenant which God made with Abraham and his seed is said to be eternall the chief head whereof was that he would be their God but this is not verified of Abrahams seed according to the flesh for very few of them for these many hundred years have been Gods people being professed enemies to Christ and his church this promise therefore must necessarily be understood of his children according to promise among which all true beleevers and their children are to be reckoned and if they are comprised within the covenant why should they not receive the seal of their initiation and admittance thereunto which was circumcision but now is baptisme every way corresponding thereunto As is solidly proved and clearly illustrated by S. Cyprian l. 3. ep 8. Lactan. l. 4. divin justit c. 15. Augustinus ep ad Dardonuns 57. cont Iul. Pelag. l. 2. ARGUMENT VI. Such who were typically baptized under the law are capable of real and true baptisme under the Gospell for the argument holds good à typo ad veritatem from the type to the truth from the signs in the law to the things signified in the Gospell But children were typically baptized under the law for they with their fathers were under the cloud and passed through the red sea but their washing with rain from the cloud prefigured our washing in baptisme and by the spirit and the red sea in which Pharaoh and his host were drowned was an emblem of Christs blood in which all our ghostly enemies are drowned and destroyed Ergo children are capable of true and reall baptisme under the Gospell ANABAP ANSWER The cloud and the red sea and the rock that followed them were not types but only metaphors and allegories from which no firm arguments can be drawn in this kind REPLY First this answer whets a knife to cut their own throats For as Gastius affirmeth it is the doctrine of the Anabaptists that all sacraments are nothing else but allegories if then the cloud and the red sea were allegories signifying our spirituall washing according to their own tenets they are sacraments and if children were partakers of sacramentall ablutions under the law why not under the Gospell Secondly the Apostle saith expressely ver 6. that all these things were types or figures or lively patterns to us and ver 2. that all were baptized in the cloud and in the sea the cloud therefore and the sea were types of our baptisme and not meer tropes or allegories They may happily object that as we read in the canon law that a Pastor or Rector may have a Vicar endowed sed vicarius non habet vicarium that a Vicar cannot have a Vicar endowed under him and likewise in Philosophie that the voice may have an echo by the repercussion of the aire but that the echo hath no echo so that the promises of God have types or sacraments representing them but that the types and sacraments themselvs have no types and sacrament to prefigure them But the answer is easie for we may say with Nazianzen that either there may be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an obscure type of a clearer and a rude draught or imperfect modell of a more perfect such were the legall types of the Evangelicall sacraments or to speak more properly circumcision and the Pascall Lamb were not types of our baptisme and of the sacrament of the Eucharist but of the things represented by them viz. of the circumcision of the heart and our spirituall nourishment by feeding upon the Lamb of God that takes away the sinnes of the world ARGUMENT VII All they who belong to Christ and his kingdom ought to be received into the church by baptisme But children belong to Christ and his kingdom as Christ himselfe teacheth us Mar. 10. 14. and Luk. 18. 16. suffer little children to câ—me unto me and forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of God verily I say unto you whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child he shall not enter therein vers 15. and he took them up in his arms and put his hands upon them and blessed them Ergo children ought to be admitted into the church by baptisme ANABAP ANSVVER This place is put in to be read at the sprinkling of children for the whore hath sweet words as sweet as oyle with these fair speeches she maketh the nations yeeld to her Prov. 7. 21. but the simple only beleeve her for this place maketh nothing for the baptisme of children the children mentioned in the Gospel were not sucklings for it is said they came to Christ neither did Christ christen any of them though he took them into
18. 10. Two men went up into the Temple to pray Acts 3. 1. Peter and Iohn went up together into the Temple at the houre of prayer 1 Thess. 5. 17. Pray without ceasing 1 Tim. 2. 1. Let prayers intercessions and supplications be made for all men 1 Thess. 1. 2. making mention of you in our prayers 2 Tim. 1. 3. remembrance of thee in my prayers EXCEPT II. Secondly they except against the Service-book that either all of it or the greater part is taken out of the Roman Missall and therefore is to be kickt out of the church with that superstitious piece of Romish devotion ANSWER But this exception is first insufficient secondly ignorant For if the prayers in our Service-book are holy and pithie if agreeable to the pattern of all prayer and favour of true pietie and devotion which they cannot denie they doe what skils it out of what book they were culled The Iews borrowed jewels of the Egyptians to adorn the Sanctuarie Solomon sent for timber and other materials for the Temple to Hyram king of Tyre S. Paul transcribed verses out of heaÌ„then Poets Virgil raked gold out of Enuius hic muck Christian Apothecaries gather simples to make sovereigne electuaries out of the gardens of Iews and Mahumetans the Lapidaries take out a precious stone called Bufomtes out of the head of a Toad Christ indeed forbids us to cast pearl before swine but no where to take a pearl out of a ring in a swines snowt if there be found any there Secondly this exception is guiltie of as much ignorance as weaknesse they who make it are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as cannot see afarre off of if they could they might have discerned the prayers in our Church-book to be farre more ancient then the Roman Missall The Bishops and learned Doctors who in the dayes of Edward the sixt compiled the Service-book at Windsor had farre more ancient Liturgies in their eye then the Roman Missall or Breviarie they drew not water out of that impure channell but out of a clearer fountain There are the same Epistles and Gospels in our book and theirs but they were not taken out of theirs but out of the Canonicall books of the old and new Testament there are the same Psalmes and Hymnes but they were not taken out of their Psalter but out of Davids and Saint Luke there are many of the same Collects and Orisons but they are not taken out of their Breviarie but out of the Liturgies of Saint Basil Saint Ambrose Saint Chrysostome and other more ancient attributed to the Apostles themselves Lastly if in regard of that little which may seem to be translated out of the Missall into our English Service-book it might be tearmed as Spalatensis when he was present at the Service in Canterburie church called it Breviarium optime reformatum a reformed Breviarie I cannot apprehend how that should be any derogation to it for what saith Solomon take away the drosse from the silver and there shall come forth a vessell for the refiner This was the noble work of the learned Doctors and Martyrs who reformed Religion in England they took away the drosse not only from the Missals but from all other Offices and Service-books then extant all superstitious Rites either heathenish or Iewish all Legendarie fables all invocation of saints prayers for the dead all Dirige's and Trentals and whatsoever was not warrantable by holy scripture and retaining the rest supplyed what was wanting thereunto and hence came forth this Vessell for the refiner this Liturgie of our church more compleat then any now extant in other reformed churches EXCEPT III. Thirdly they except at three Popish absolutious as they tearme them the first in the beginning of the Service after the publique confession the second before the Communion the third in the visitation of the sick But this exception hath in it more strength of passion then reason for none of these absolutions are absolute but conditionall nor in the name or by the authoritie of the Minister but of Christ. The first is nothing but a declaration of Gods mercie who freely pardoneth the penitent and of the Ministers dutie to declare and pronounce this absolution and remission to the people The second is a prayer of the Minister to God to have mercie upon the Communicants to pardon and deliver them from all their sinnes and to confirme and strengthen them in all goodnesse The third is the execution of that Ministeriall power wherewith Christ invested the Apostles and their successours Iohn 20. 23. As my father sent me so I send you whose sinnes ye remit they are remitted whose sinnes ye retaine they are retained Here is our expresse warrant and commission from Christ for what we doe in this kind to revive the spirit of the humble and cheat up the drooâ—ing conscience reaâ—lie to languish in a featefull conflict with despaire EXCEPT IV. Fourthly they except against the reading of the Psalmes Epistles and Gospels in a corrupt translation in which there are many grosse errours as Psal 105. 28. And they were not obedient to his word whereas it should be translated and they rebelled not against his word and Luke the first 36. This is the sixth moneth which was called barren for this is the sixth moneth with her who was called barren And Rom. 12. 11. Fervent in Spirit serving the time for serving the Lord. And Galat. 4. 25. Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia and bordereth upon the citie which is now called Ierusalem for and answereth to Ierusalem And Phil. 2. 8. He was found in his apparrell as a man for being found in fashion as a man And Ephes. 3. 15. Which is the father of all that is called father in heaven and earth for of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named But this exception is of little importance and may soon be philipp't away For first if no translation way be read in the church but that which is free from all errour then none at all ought to be read for there is none in which there are not some mistakes more or lesse with this ferula therefore they rap themselves over the thumbs Secondly those sores on which they fasten their nail have their salves they may see them if they please in Hooker Fisher and many others who have cleared those very passages Lastly neither is the Minister nor are the people tyed to that translation in the common-prayer-book but they may if they please in stead thereof read the Psalmes Epistles and Gospels according to the last and best translation neither were they to blame who in the first setting forth of the common-prayer-book appointed the scriptures to be read in that ancient translation for that was the best then extant neither is there any errour at all in it which concerneth faith or manners and other slips must be born withall in translations or else we must read none at all till we have a translation given
for none may prophesie or preach except he be sent Ier. 14. 14. The Prophets prophesie in my name and I sent them not Jer. 27. 15. I have not sent them yet they prophesie Rom. 10. 15. How shall they preach except they be sent And the Christian Church now knoweth no other sending then by laying on of hands by the successours of the Apostles and commending them to particular charges And if such Episcopall Ordination be an Antichristian Rite we desire to learne from them what is the Christian forme or manner of admitting men into holy Orders for no other Ordination was heard of for 1500. yeeres or at least approved of and more during which time if there were no lawfull Calling there were no Pastors feeding and governing the flocks if no lawfull Pastors no visible Churches 2. As the Anabaptists have no outward Calling so neither inward for whatsoever overweaning conceit they may have of themselves yet certain it is they who take upon them to be their leaders and teachers are such as S. Ierome complaineth of in his 8. Epistle Who become Masters of the unlearned before they were scholars of the learned And S. Bern. We have many cocks in the Church but few cesterns they who derive to us the heavenly waters are so charitable that they poure out rather then stay to have any thing poured into them more ready to speak then to heare and apt to teach that they never learned Though they can very phrases and out of broken notes hold out a discourse upon some passages of Scripture for an houre or more yet they are no wayes furnished with gifts requisite to a faithful Shepherd and able Minister of the Gospel for they understand not the Scripture in the Originall Languages they cannot expound without Grammar nor perswade without Rhetorick nor divide without Logick nor sound the depth of any Controversie without Philosophie and Schoole Divinity Neither may they fly to immediate Inspirations of the holy Ghost and the miraculous gifts of Tongues and Prophesie for such have ceased in the Church for these many hundred yeeres The Anabaptists Objections answered You have heard how strong our Arguments are for the truth now ye shall heare in briefe how weake the Adversaries Objections are against it First they alledge out of Ioel 2. 28. I will poure out my Spirit upon all flesh and your sonnes and daughters shall prophesie your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dreame dreames That though under the Law the people were ordinarily to heare the interpretation of the Law of God from the Priests yet that under the Gospel God so plentifully powreth his Spirit upon all congregations that all Beleevers are enabled to Prophesie and to speak to instruction to edification and comfort But we answer That the Prophet there speaketh not of any ghostly power to open the Kingdome of Heaven and remit and retaine sins given by Christ to his Apostles and their successors but of an extraordinary measure of enlightning graces as also of extraordinary gifts of Tongues and Miracles as the Apostle Saint Peter himselfe expoundeth the Text Act. 2. 15 16 17. As there is a greater measure of knowledge given to the people under the Gospel then under the Law and a more copious effusion of the Spirit so also to the Pastours and to whom more is given more shall be required This Text therefore proveth not that all Sheep should be Pastours and all Scholars Teachers but that both Teachers and Disciples should have a greater measure of knowledge then before they had under the Law Secondly they alledge out of Colos. 3. 16. and the 1 Pet. 4. 10. that all Christians ought to communicate their knowledge and other gifts of the Spirit one to another and thereby to teach and instruct and edifie one another Therefore all Lay persons who have the gift of Supplication and Interpretation of Scripture ought to make use of them for the benefit of others as the Ministers of the Gospel doe But we answer that as the clouds when they are full drop and the eares shed and the fountaines flow so all who abound in knowledge ought in such way as they are able according to their calling derive it to others but hence it will not follow that all men have ghostly power to dispense the mysteries of â—alvation and administer the Sacraments and remit and retaine sins which peculiarly appertaine to the Pastorall calling There is a double teaching and admonishing Publique and Private Publique by expounding the holy Oracles of God and revealing to Gods people his whole counsell for their salvation Private by Catechizing a mans family or conferring with his Christian Brethren and rehearsing in some particular what he hath learned from the Scripture and other holy Books or the mouth of his Pastour or by giving good advice and shewing him his errours or encouraging him in a good course ministring unto him a word of comfort or advise or admonition in due season And of this latter kind of teaching and admonishing the Apostle speaketh as appeareth by the words following Admonishing one another in Psalms and Hymnes and spirituall songs singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Thirdly they alledge that Eldad and Medad Numb 11. 27. and Saul 1 Sam. 10. 11. and Philips daughters Act. 21. 9. prophesied that the Prophet Amos was a Herds-man Peter and other of the twelve Fishermen and S. Paul a Tent-maker Why then may not Tradesmen and the like if God bestowes gifts upon them preach the Word and administer the Sacraments But we answer that extraordinary instances ought not to be taken for presidents or drawne into ordinary practise else false Prophets might now expect to be admonished of their errours by brute beasts because once God opened the mouth of the Asse and by it reproved the madnesse of the Prophet Balaam and all Souldiers that fight the Lords battaile blow rams horns in stead of trumpets because once with them the walls of Iericho were blowne downe or arme themselves with lamps and broken pitchers because Gideons souldiers with such weapons discomfited and routed the Midianites All these had a calling from God and proved this their calling by strange and wondrous effects as by certainly fore-telling things future or speaking with tongues which they never had learned or by miraculous cures or the like Let our new Enthusiasts and Brownists prove their extraordinary calling in like manner and we will not deny them the exercise of the Ministeriall function It is to be noted that none are now borne in holy Orders or may challenge the Priesthood by birth but before they take holy Orders upon them given them by the Church they are meere Lay persons Neither doe we find fault with any simply hoc nomine because they have been before of other professions or trades though it were to be wished that there were no necessity of admitting such into the Ministery whose education or
first table required by the eternall and morall law of God 2. As we have warrant for swearing in the old Testament so also in the new for Christ himselfe was made our Priest by oath Heb. 7. 21. Those Priests were made without an oath but this with an oath by him that said unto him The Lord sware and will not repent thou art a Priest c. By so much was Iesus made a surety of a better Testament God his using an oath for confirmation of Christ his Priesthood warranteth the custome of giving and taking an oath at the Inauguration of Emperours Coronation of Kings Consecration of Bishops Ordination of Ministers and generally the admission of any person of quality into any place of trust or command or weighty charge in Church or Common-wealth God himselfe using this kind of confirmation confirmeth this kind and use of an oath Neither are promissary oathes only approved by the Gospell to bind our faith and assure loyalty and fidelity but also assertory to cleare doubtfull truth and end litigious suites Heb. 6. 16. For men verily sweare by the greater and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife even Christ himselfe who is AMEN the faithfull witnesse and in whom all the promises of God are yea and AMEN often corroborateth his divine Essayes and heavenly promises with that sacred ingemination AMEN AMEN which is virtually if not formally an oath according to the strict definition of an oath which is affirmatio religiosa or as the Schooles define it more fully affirmatio vel negatio interposita religione a religious asseveration or the affirming and denying any thing with a divine attestation Christ in the fifth of Matthew forbiddeth not all kind of swearing but the ordinary and accustomary swearing then in use among the Iewes and allowed by the Scribes and Pharisees who erroneously conceived that swearing by heaven and earth or Ierusalem or any creature was no taking Gods name in vain because in such oaths Gods name was not used This practice of theirs our Saviour condemnes and refutes their errour Mat. 5. 34. Sweare not at all neither by the heaven for it is Gods Throne nor by the earth for it is his Footstoole nor by Ierusalem for it is the City of the great King c. But of this more in the solution of the adversaries objections ARGUMENT II. That which hath been practised by God himselfe the elect Angels and Saints speaking by divine inspiration cannot be sinfull or unlawfull else we should make God himselfe the Authour of sinne and lay impiety or iniquity to the charge of holinesse and justice it selfe But the Scripture bringeth in first God swearing Gen. 50. 24. Exod. 13. 5. 11. Exod. 33. 1. Numb 14. 16. 23. 30. Num. 32. 10. 11. Deut. 1. 8. 8. 35. Ios. 5. 6. Psal. 95. 11. 110. 4. Heb. 6. 17. 7. 21. 22. Secondly Angels Dan. 12. 7. I heard the man cloathed in linen when he held up his right hand and his left to heaven and sware by him that liveth Rev. 10. 5. 6. And the Angell which I saw stand upon the Sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven and sware by him that liveth for ever that there should be time no longer Thirdly the Saints Abraham Gen. 21. 24. Iacob 31. 53. Ioseph Gen. 47. 35. Moses Ios. 14. 9. David 1. Sam. 20. 3. 24. 22. Ionathan 1. Sam. 20. 16. Eliah 1. Kings 17. 1. Gedallah 2. Kings 25. 24. Asa. 2. Chron. 15. 14. Obadiaah 1. Kings 18. 10. Elisha 2. Kings 2. 6. Ergo swearing is not unlawfull ANABAP ANSWER God giveth the law to us not to himselfe and for the examples alleadged out of the old Testament they are no good Precedents for us to follow because the people of God were not forbidden to sweare by God in the law but we are by Christ in the Gospell REPLY Though God be under no law yet he is a law to himselfe his nature is his law which he never doth or can transgresse violate or dispense with He is all light and there is no darknesse all truth and there is no falshood all justice and there is no iniquity in him Neither is it true that the Saints under the Gospell lie under a greater restraint in respect of oathes then those under the law for as they so these have not refused upon just cause and weighty occasions to appeale to God and call him to attest the truth of their speeches and sincerity of their intentions For how many sacred attestations in this kind find we in the writings of the Apostle neither can it bee said he used them being transported by passion or out of infirmity for his Epistles are inspired and the religious asseverations in them are no other then the dictates of the Holy Ghost Such are these Rom. 1. 9. God is my witnesse whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospell of his Son that without ceasing I make mention alwayes of you in my prayers Rom. 9. 1. I say the truth in Christ I lie not my conscience also bearing witnesse in the Holy Ghost that I have great heavinesse and continuall sorrow in my heart 2. Cor. 1. 23. I call God for a Record upon my soule that to spare you I came not as yet to Corinth Gal. 1. 20. Now the things which I write unto you behold before God I lie not Phil. 1. 8. For God is my Record how greatly I long after you all in the bowells of Iesus Christ 1. Thess. 2. 10. Yee are witnesses and God also how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved our selves among you that beleived ARGUMENT III. No part of Gods true and substantiall worship can be sinfull else vertue should be vice and godlinesse it selfe wickednesse light should bee darknesse and good evill But swearing with such cautions and provisoes as are set downe by the Prophet Ieremy is a part of Gods true and substantiall worship for it is a religious invocation of his name with an acknowledgement of his omniscient wisdom and omnipotent justice omniscient wisdom whereby he knoweth all hidden things and the very thoughts and intentions of the heart of man and omnipotent justice whereby he is able and will punish those sinnes which come not within the walk of mans justice Ergo swearing after a religious manner cannot be sinfull ARGUMENT IV. Whatsoever is necessary for the detecting and punishing of wickednesse and vice and the acquitting of innocencie and preservation of all humane commerce and society cannot be sinfull and unlawfull For where God appointeth the ends he appointeth also the meanes and as the powers that are are ordained by God so the estates that are to continue among men are established by him But the giving and taking of oathes is necessary for all these ends as the experience of all Societies demonstrate and the practice of all Courts both Ecclesiasticall and civill and the custome of all nations wherein there is
sith God as you see himself is our Standard bearer the heavens weare our colours A new topick and a true kinde of preaching according to Anthonie à Coneigsten his method Per colores rhetoricos But the even answered not expectation the bow in the clouds did them no service at all in their warre neither did their prophet Muncer his robe serve as a target of steele to repell and dead all the bullets shot against them but as soone as ever this army of the Bores and that other of the Princes were engaged the people were miserably slaughtered with Veni Creator spiritus in their mouths expecting that God should fight for them from heaven according to Muncers promise Of Georgius and Melchior Hofman see before Sect. 1. After Muncer and his chiefe associates and Phifer who deluded the people as much with dreames as Muncer with visions had acted their parts Iohn Becold commonly known by the name of Iohn of Leiden and Iohn Tuscoverer came upon the stage and they so well acquitted themselves in the persons they took upon them that the one gained the reputation of a Prophet the other the title and for a time the power of a King First Iohn of Leiden in a fanaticall fury pretending a Propheticall spirit puts off his cloathes and runs naked through the City of Munster crying The King of Sion is come the King of Sion is come Then returning home falls into a deep sleep dreames for three dayes together and as soon as he awaked faines himselfe speechlesse and by signes demands Paper and Inke and sets down twelve men most of them mean tradesmen to bee governours of the City of Munster whereto he addes certaine conclusions that a man was not tyed to one wife but that he might marry as many as he pleased and such other hereticall positions Not long after this dumbe Prophet gaining his speech told the people that the spirit of prophesy was gone from him and now rested in one Iohn Tuscoverer a Gold-smith this new Prophet having called an Assembly declared before them that it was the will of the Heavenly Father that Iohn Leiden should bee King of the whole world As saith he God set Saul to bee King in Israel and after him David taken from the sheep-fold so hath he appointed Iohn Becold his Prophet to be King in Sion Suetonius writeth that after Caligula made himselfe a God he ordained his great horse after the Heathen rite to be a Priest Dignus profecto saith Bencius tali Deo Sacardos tali Sacerdote Deus like God like Priest in like manner we may say here most truly Like Prophet like King a Smith-forge Prophet and a Tayler-shop-board King Iohn Leiden consecrates Tuscoverer a Prophet Tuscoverer crownes him a King And as Iohn Leiden acted dumb Zacharie so Gastius reports of a woman who took upon her to act the part of Iudith about the middle of the siege of Munster This Prophetesse made the people believe that God had put into her the spirit of Iudith and that she would goe out of the City and never return till she had brought back the Bishops head having cut it off as Iudith did the head of Holofornes she was not so mad but diverse of the Citizens were as foolish for they put her in gorgeous apparell and drest her like Iudith and she premeditated a speech like to hers but shee could not keep her owne counsell For before she came into the presence of the Bishop her intent was discovered and instead of cutting off the Bishop head she lost her owne I shall trouble thee Christian Reader but with one influence more As Biddulph writeth in his travailes that the Darvises which are accounted Prophets among the Turks run round so long till they fall down as it were in a trance and after they have layen in a seeming dead sleep for the space of an houre or more rising up they deliver their dreames for divine Oracles so at Abbarella a certain sort of Anabaptists fell down on the suddain as if they swooned holding their breath as long as they could possibly till they swelled and looked black in the face insomuch that the standers by were affrighted at the sight in the end after they were out of their extasie and come to themselves they told the people what God spake to them in their Rapture namely that Zuinglius erred in his doctrine of Baptisme that the christening of children was unlawfull and that before two yeares came to an end the day of judgement should be and truly the former revelations were as true as the latter it is now full a hundred yeares since Gastio his book was printed at Basill namely in the yeare 1544. And he relateth this Prophecie of theirs as much more ancient then his book so farre were these Epileptick Prophets out in their reckoning OBSERVAT. III. That the Anabaptists are an impure and carnall Sect. In a foule and spotted glasse we cannot perfectly see our face neither in a foule and impure foule is there any cleare reflection of the Image of God God is a most pure and holy Spirit and none are capable of his divine irradiations and heavenly influences but pure minds and chast bodies on the contrary the Dâ—vill is tearmed in the Gospell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the uncleane spirit who as he once besought our Saviour to give him leave to enter into the herd of swine so wheresoever he now enters and whatsoever soule or body hee possesseth hee maketh it a Nasty Sty As the true Religion whereof God is the Author is undefiled before God so all false worship of God devised by Sathan and his instruments is both defiled it selfe with idolatry or superstition and defileth also the soules and consciences of all that practise it Hence it is that the Professours thereof are tearmed by Saint Iude spots and blots darke spots in regard of the errours of their understanding and foule blots in regard of the impurity of their lives and conversation Such were the false Prophets whom Saint Peter sets out in their colours having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sinne who allure through the lusts of the flesh through much wantonnesse those who for a while escaped from them who live in errour to whom it is happened according to the Proverbe the dogge is turned to his owne vomit againe and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire Such were those ungodly men Saint Iude sets a marke upon that turned the grace of our God into lasciviousnesse vers 4. gave themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh ver 7. filthy dreamers defiling the flesh despising dominions and speaking evill of dignities ver 8. Such were the Nicolaitans and the Disciples of lezabell branded by the Spirit Apoc. 2. 6. 20. Who defiled the marriage bed and seduced the servants of God to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed unto Idols