by faith and nothing else The first three thousand soules that Peter gayned at one Sermon are sayd to haue receyued the word and therevpon to haue beene added vnto the Church by Baptisme The whych receyuing of the word wherevpon they were baptised cannot be otherwyse vnderstood for the Lords wayes are one then the same whych Phillip demaunded as the thyng by whych alone the Eunuche could obteyne the seale of a Christian namely fayth and so is it also expounded within two verses in the same former places of the second of the Actes when the story sayth of the same assembly these wordes And they that beleeued were in one place and had all things common But nothyng can more explayne and confirme that example then another lyke vnto it of the gathering of a Church by Phillip in a Citie of Samaria where the Text expressely sayth That assoone as they beleeued Phillip which preached the things that concerned the Kingdome of God and the name of Iesus Christ they were Baptized both men and women Then Symon himselfe beleeued also and was baptized c. The same lykewise is the flat doctrine of the Apostles euery where Let the louers of truth behold and beare witnesse Christ sayth the Apostle hath redeemed vs from the cursse of the Lawe when he was made a cursse for vs for it is written Curssed is euery one that hangeth on tree that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Iesus that we might receiue the promise of the spirit through faith But the scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should be giuen to them that beleeue VVherefore the lawe was our schoolemaister to bring vs to Christ that we might be made righteous by faith for yee are all the sonnes of God by faith in Iesus Christ The same Apostle sayth VVe haue boldnesse entrance and confidence by faith in Christ And expressely That Christ dwelleth in vs by faith Now iudge whether the sunne can giue thee clearer light to reade then the playne tearmes of the Apostle doo teach thee to acknowledge our vniting vnto Christ by faith If any man desire to see more varietie of places let him looke these quotations where he shall see by the abundant testimonie of the spirit that we are all reconciled vnto God by faith accepted for our faith vnited vnto a bodie and engrafted into Christ the liuing stock by faith Thus then if matter and fourme be the essentiall causes whereof any thing consisteth and whereby the being of any thing is acknowledged I hope we haue heere with Ma. C. found out and proued the essentiall causes of a Church so as no man needeth to be perplexed in discerning the beeing thereof if he haue atteyned such a minde as can rest in the wisedome of God Heere we meete with that foolishe and vayne exception of Browne agaynst Ma. C. namely That Christ is the life and essence of the Church and not faith which is as though faith had not direct relation to Christ and Christ to faith in this consideration of a Church wherein neyther can fayth bee considered without Christ nor yet Christ as theyr head without faith And if Ma. C. hauing set downe that Christ is the foundation of the Church and that the assemblies are laid vpon him by faith should haue added in such expresse words that faith is the life of the Church were faith to be taken heere without respect of the foundation named before Or were it a harder speech then that which S. Paule vttereth when he sayth VVe stand by faith What difference is there betweene VVe liue by faith and we stand by faith But Habacuck the Prophet missed not the very words The iust shall liue by faith But yet cannot Browne abyde this that by faith only the Church is vnited vnto Christ Wherefore because Ma. C. sayth that nothing besides faith in the Sonne of God is necessary to the very being of a Church he replyeth saying That then belike children which yet through want of discretion cannot haue faith shall be without the essence and life of the Church O deepe Diuinitie worthy a Cambridge degree if I should requite him with his owne tearmes Christ hath these words He that beleeueth not is condemned And the writer to the Hebrewes VVithout faith it is impossible to please God What cause had Browne more to obiect this of childrens faith against Ma. C. his discourse of the beeing of a Church then against these generall axiomes of Scripture touching the being of a Christian or in state of saluation for it lyeth as indifferently against the one as the other And if he had whereby to be reconciled with those Scriptures so as his obiection should not lye agaynst them a little equitie would haue lead hym to haue applyed the same to Ma. C. his conclusion likewise If his knowledge be no better then he sayth he must learne that infants of parents that be within the couenant are not to be accounted without all fayth as his writing supposeth for if they be elect then haue they the spirit and so faith in power habilitie and inclination though not in outward profession and action Lyke as also at the same time they can not be denied to haue reason for as much as they haue a reasonable soule although it be but potentially and not in acte or outward gesture If they be not elect and so haue not the annoynting of the spirit nor therefore any faith in the sight of God yet receiue they so much from the faith of their parents as to be by it accepted of the visible Church for a holie seede and partakers of the promises because they iudging but as men haue no cause at all to doubt thereof This man vrgeth out of Habacuck that The iust shall liue by his owne faith but there was no cause for it is not sayd that infants shall be saued or liue in the sight of God by their parents faith but onely that by it they are of men to be reputed within the couenant and of the visible Church Yet he standeth to it that Not by the faith of the parents but by the promise made to the righteous and their seede the children are reckoned in the Church O trifeler how are the parents within couenant and partakers of the promises but by faith And how doo the promised blessings descend vnto the children but in regard that their parents beleeued Wherefore this foundation will stand vnmoued against all Papists and Apostates that particular visible Churches are vnited vnto their head Christ by faith and by faith do they stand And certainely it is strange how this should be doubted of by any that esteeme themselues iustified by faith sith one member hath not a seuerall lawe of life by it selfe but looke by what lawe and tenure one by himselfe enioyeth
mourning or whatsoeuer tendeth to his recouerie but I exclude both our priuate excommunicating of him as you doe in this replie as also our owne sundering and separating from the congregation for his cause which is the thing in question betweene vs. Whereas I say that by our proceeding by such course as I presuppose euery wise Christian to haue walked in towards the offending brethren this at the least shall come to passe by it that it bee sufficiently knowne wee hate their sinne an vpright heart must needes vnderstand by that clause at least an implying of some better benefite and fruite of our labours as in refourming or remoouing him which being most wished of vs if we enioy not yet the other neuer fayling vs when we cannot attaine to the chiefest must likewise content vs. Was there then any reason or came it from the leading of a good spirite to referre that to the partes of duetie as graunting thereby some further dueties left vndone which in open euidence pointeth at more excellent effects or fruites of our labours intended by vs. Truely I doubt whether any learned Papist woulde so foolishly haue cauilled for his credite sake The like shamlesse cauilling is also in the beginning of his 7. page 8 But he saith If the Church bee established and refuse to debarre him whome they confesse to bee so wicked and vnrefourmed all are made wicked by our complaining Nowe if hee had said If the Church be established and doe not debarre him c I had then good cause giuen to haue made here his answere as also if in stead of these words all are made wicked by our complaining he had said that Church or spirituall bodie is now thereby dissolued separated from their knitting vnto Christ For if he meane not so he can neuer conclude against me that particular mēbers may depart their assemblies and if he do meane so you shall heare what I say to it hereafter 9 In saying the action of communicating is spiritual I exclude not al kind of outward ioyning but shew the essentiall ioyning to be spiritual by faith wherein the wicked cannot come neare vs. As for the outward ioyning such as it is I haue proued it before both dutiful voide of the infection of their sin yet still he vrgeth that I warrant him to be a companion or brother in Christ by communicating with him I denie that as before If you aske howe then I should bee brought to communicate with him in any sort I answer the Church requireth my presence as a member I by the bond of coherence participate with the whole in the holy action By so doing it falleth out in consequence that I participate in the signes with that vnworthie one because hee is vnseparated Nowe if you marke I doe not partake with him at all by my verie act of communicating but onely in as much as I communicate with the Church which being simply and absolutely a duetie as before proued cannot bee controlled neither ought to bee pretermitted for that which hath no true appearance of euill in it I meane in the eyes of those that haue learned to iudge righteous iudgment And that it hath not so much as iust appearance of euill in it vnto such is shewed alreadie by the reasons giuen to prooue that there is no sinne in this manner of communicating 10 But he cryeth that in this wise I admitte a diuision in the Communion I heare his crie wishing it had more sense and lesse opportunitie An inwarde diuision he denieth not but there may be Nowe what haue I sayde whereby he shoulde finde that outward diuision he speaketh of when as I expresly acknowledge an outwarde ioyning As for the ministers part in deliuering the signes to such a one it doeth not follow because he deliuereth them vnto him that he doth it to warrant his damnation or of set purpose to further his destruction For neyther the deliuering nor the things deliuered but onely his vnworthie receiuing is cause of his owne damnation Neither is that knowledge if it be granted that the minister hath of his vnworthinesse a warrant to withholde the signes if most voyces haue helde him in for that can he not doe of himselfe onely therefore it remaineth that hee thus farre also suffer him in the Sacrament and waite for the time when the Lord shall either more fullie reueale him or graciously deliuer the Church from the contagion of him In the meane time hee teacheth him the signe not as hee is woorthie or vnwoorthie but as hee is yet vndiuided from them Hee that thinketh these thinges can neuer fall out euen where discipline is best established hee hath little experience and lesse iudgement 11 Whether I haue grieuouly abused the place to the Corinthes in that sort that I haue alleaged it let the iudgement be with the godly reader as also whether your leader hath committed that wherwith he chargeth me vpon the same chapter When he saith that Paul proueth it to be no Sacrament at all to the Corinthes and not as I suppose it to bee a Sacrament to some and not to other some The same spirite sayth likewise in another place Paule condemneth euen the Supper and saith this is not to eate the Lordes Supper His drift is to denie against mee that any can haue hope to partake and communicate comfortably and profitably with those amongst whom any knowne wicked ones are admitted in this action therefore also he saith before in his reply that if there be any open breach of the couenant by any one knowne to the rest the sacrament is of no force Againe hee hath these words The communion is not a diuision that is halfe good to the one part and halfe bad to the other part but eyther wholly good or wholly bad Let not the reader beleeue that I say or suppose it to be a Sacrament to some and not to other some I acknowledge both sorts to receiue the sacrament that is the consecrated Elements one to their comfort but the other to their condemnation And to leaue other pointes that might here be examined and to keepe to the question the strength of the two last quoted propositions standeth vpon that place to the Corinthes taken in such sense as hee deliuereth it Let vs therefore come to examine that whether it be gold or stubble He saith Paul proueth it to be no sacrament at al to the Corinthians by these two weightie arguments First that the forme and institution of the Supper was violated by them all 2 That so was the end and vse And first to answere his literall abuse of Paules wordes in the 20 verse which is this VVhen yee come together in one this is not to eate the Lordes Supper Mee thinke a learned diuine shoulde not be ignorant that this is a kinde of excessiue negation very vsuall in the scriptures and is therefore here like as in all other such
rules and principles of their worldly artes But Beza for one tree hath got himselfe three namely speculations customes and inspirations and the ceremoniall worship In stead of philosophy which Paule calleth vayne deceipt he nameth curious speculations as if one should aske a Hatchet and he should giue him the helue Paule would roote out all their philosophie and Beza but some part c. A man would thinke there needeth no great labour to prooue out of these words that Browne holdeth both lodgick and all philosophy to be forbidden in the Scriptures but heare him further for soone after he taketh vpon him out of Timothy and Iob to reiect euery part of lodgick by name and therevpon follow these words But what say they is there no vse of lodgick what say you then to a thing and the cause thereof for the effect is knowne by the cause and the cause by the effect so they giue vs four sorts of causes but we returne them vpon them as the spillings of their drunkennes Againe They demaund heere whether definitions be vnlawfull we answere that to name the kinds and sorts of things and to name their natures is not vnlawfull but their idle arte of defining is vnlawfull and to thrust their definitions as misteries into our bosomes or to tearme the naming of things or their natures whereby they are called by the words of their vaine arte is wholly vnlawfull It is manifest that when he wrote these things he dissembled not as now he doth to professe the condemning of lodgick else let euen his next words following the last rehearsed wherein he pretendeth to answere an obiection against him be called to witnesse If they aske sayth he why me then vse the names and haue laboured also so much in defining we tell them that we returne their owne weapons vpon them not that we care for such weapons but because they feare them so much we haue tryed if they may dismay them in their folly and turne them to the truth Heere by the manner of his answere you see is nothing lesse then a denyall of condemning the arte which is now all the refuge the snared Foxe can finde If he could haue enioyed his supposed rest within the harbour of that answere there should his Ship haue remayned still but when he perceiued by the admonition that there was a rocke for his estimation to perish vpon because this cannot be denyed that whatsoeuer things are vnlawfull Christians ought not vse he rather chose this shamelesse denying of that which cannot be denied then that he would giue glory vnto God in acknowledging his fault and forsaking his errour wherein let all true Israelites iudge whether it appeare that the loue of himselfe and prayse of men be more pretious in his eyes then the loue of God and prayse of his glorious name To the 104.105.106 12 The second point wherin the admonition proueth his vnconstancy is this that he once held it a tempting of God for any that followed his course to tarry in England and since againe both himselfe is returned dwelleth heere heareth our Sermons and hath by priuate writings counsailed others so to doe These contrarie courses I say considered with this that notwithstanding hys later practise the man remayneth of the same iudgement against the English assemblyes which he helde before when he passed the Seas and called hys chickens after hym let the godly iudge whether his footesteppes may sauoure of the guiding of Gods spirite and so argue that same assurance in the conscience which the Apostle Paule calleth for in all our actions yea or no. Hys aunswere for thys is lyke the former euen with a cauterized conscience denying that which he knoweth to be true The bare quotations in the admonition made him bold but he ought to haue remembred that there might come a day wherein they should be enlarged and set downe to his shame Now that he prouoked to flee out of England let these his words be first considered Therefore thus saith the Lord I feed not my flocke at Paules Crosse in London or S. Maryes in Cambridge or in your English parishes O yee my sheepe goe yee not thither as though there were my folde and there I rested and fed my flocke for there be Shepheards and flocks also that follow them whith are not of Christ for they hold of Antichrist Also he sayth If in all England or in some more famous places of England whether great Cities or Vniuersities or the Court it selfe we see not the Kingdome of God maintained but persecuted and the true worship of God refused a false worship and idoll seruice wilfully suffered and many Popish abhominations vpheld and established from thence the Lord doth take away his kingdome as it is written The kingdome of God shall be taken from you and giuen to a nation which shall bring foorth the fruites thereof Yea none may continue to preach the truth vnto those when once they haue boldly testified it and they put it from them c. Afterward he sheweth his meaning more cleerely thus In Aegipt the whole Church was in bondage and it wholly departed yet did Pharao giue leaue there to worship God rightly but answere was made it is not meete so to doe in this place for loe can we sacrifice the abhomination of the Aegyptians before their eyes and they not stone vs so also in England though the Magistrates should giue vs leaue to worship God rightly yet the true worship and reformation of the Church is abhomination to the Bishops and other wicked Preachers and people and what stirrings and hurly burlyes would they make but they say we must abide such troubles In deede we must heare them when we cannot auoyde them and in auoyding them we must take heed to hold still a good conscience but we tempt God as did many of the Iewes if when we may go out of Aegipt and auoide such troubles we will not or murmure against it Yet if this be not playne ynough that he vnderstandeth England for Aegipt let him remember where he confesseth He was accused of false doctrine by his owne company because he sayd that England was as Aegipt both for the outward bondage and oppression of the Church by Popish forcing lawes and penalties and for all kinde of wickednesse and because he sayd they did sinne which had a full purpose to dwell still in England when the Lord did call them away and they had libertie to depart Now when he accompteth them called away his owne penne also hath instructed vs namely in these his words following Yea though the Magistrate giue them leaue there to dwell as they liked yet the lawes and disorders abiding still the same they could not there tarrie Also in another place but if it be sayd what if some desire the truth must they also be forsaken I aunswere that if they desire the Kingdome and sell not all they haue to buy it and