because in the beginning of Queene Elizabeths raigne and likewise at this day our parishionall assemblies are no such societies as consist of such onely but had and now haue in them many false and counterfeite Christians and Professors Therefore at the first they were and so continue false visible Churches Is there any so blind who seeth not that hereby they shut out of the Church all Hypocrites For true Professors are opposite to false and counterfeite Professors which are those we call Hypocrites A true Professor is he who is the sonne in trueth that he professeth and maketh shew to be Who professing godlinesse is godly Directly contrary to this man is the Hypocrite The like may be saide of a faithfull and true Christian But a true visible Church saide those Schismaticks is a company of true Professors and Christians and not a mixt company of true and false Professors Therefore in the visible Church by their doctrine there are no Hypocrites With Barrow and Robison doth Maister Ainsworth accord Counterp 72. as being led by the same spirit The Apostle saith he sheweth Iam 1.18 1. Pet. 1.23 That Christs Church is a people begotten with the word of trueth that is the Gospell but your Church was first begotten gathered constituted ordered and is still continued by the Magistrates word and authoritie which if it did not enforce the people the estate wherein you now stand would soone bee changed and your Church dissolued And where you learned so to inforce faith and constraine men to bee members of your Church Alcoran chap. 18. 19. I can not tell vnlesse you would follow Mahomets doctrine who taught that men should bee compelled to the faith by the sword Before you teach that a visible Church is a company of people that doe repent and beleeue the Gospell and here you terme it a people begotten by the Gospel and borne a new nor of mortall but of immortall seede and so all are regenerated that bee in the visible Church and consequently shall inherit the Kingdome of heauen For can hee dye that is begotten and borne of immortall seede whereof both these Apostles speak This doctrine and all of this kinde hereafter following take it as it is by you deliuered and it is palpably false so as it needeth no confutation But your meaning it seemeth is that All in the true visible Church liue so holily righteously and soberly touching their outward carriage before men that wee cannot in equity nor charity account otherwise of them then faithfull and such as haue repented and are conuerted to God and are begotten and borne a new Principles and Inferences 7. yea Elect as M. Smith saith And for this cause as these men suppose all in the visible Church are called Saints and Faithfull As Ephes 1.1 Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christ c. But herein it must needs be they are deceiued seeing there haue beene true visible Churches in former times wherein some members and those not a few haue beene so vile and abominable as the faithfull then liuing could neither in equitie nor charitie iudge so of them as you speake Except they should haue iudged otherwise of the tree then according to the fruits nay cleane contrarie to it whereas our Lord sayth Yee shall know men by their fruits Mat. 7.16 euen as the tree is knowne by the fruits thereof That which M. Smith here affirmeth I haue answered here after in the next Chapter and thither I referre the Reader for further satisfaction Obserue besides the abuse of scripture here Note here their peruerting of Scripture The words of Iames be Of his owne will begate hee vs with the word of truth that wee should be the first fruits of his Creatures By vs who are said here to be begotten by the Gospell the Apostle meaneth himselfe and the rest of the faithfull members of the inuisible Church and not himselfe the rest of the visible Church as you fondly imagine and beare the simple Reader in hand Rom. 6.13 12.2 As the first fruits vnder the Law were dedicated to God and offered vnto him so all the faithfull consecrate and giue vp themselues wholly to God a liuing sacrifice holy acceptable vnto him which is their reasonable seruing of God and not all of the visible Church as you in the application of this Scripture tell vs the most whereof giue themselues and their members as weapons of vnrighteousnesse vnto sinne wherein they walke according to the course of this world and after the Prince that ruleth in the ayre euen the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience Of true beleeuers and none others S. Peter also speaketh For they onely are borne a new of that immortall seede hee mentioneth which Iohn 1.12 proueth As many as receiued him to them hee gaue power to be the sonnes of God euen to them that beleeue in his name Againe these that are thus borne a new as 23. vers are said to be redeemed vers 18. to beleeue in God verse 21. To haue their soules purified by the Spirit verse 22. But such as bee of the inuisible Church onely are redeemed beleeue in GOD Counterpoys 158. are purifyed by the Spirit Of such therefore the Apostle here speaketh Hereby it is plaine that you speake vntruely when you say That places setting forth the inuisible Church are not by you brought to set forth the visible Church Yet Ainsworth in slandering and blaspheming our Church is worse and more intollerable then Barrowes whereof wee haue heard before Hee saith not onely that our Church was first begotten and gathered but addeth and is still continued by the Magistrates word and authoritie excluding the words of GOD as if our Church were neither begotten at first nor continued now by the Ministerie of the Word And where learned yee say you so to inforce Faith and constraine men to be members of your Church I answere Not out of the 18. and 19. Chapters of Alcoran which you by your Cotation in the margent imply but out of the sacred scriptures Not from the example of Mahomet but from the commended examples of the godly Kings of Iudah as I haue shewed Thus much you cannot tell or see The greater is your ignorance and blindnesse A spirit of errour hath put out the eye of your vnderstanding But where learne you to compare the doctrine of God to Mahomets doctrine and the examples and practise of the good Kings of Iudah which you acknowledge all Christian Princes should follow with Mahomets example and practise Counterpois 230. Cursed is that zeale which carieth a man beyond all bands of truth and sobrietie Paul being very zealous spake yet the words of truth and sobernesse The Lord lay not this blasphemie to your charge To that which hath been said I onely adde this That if a visible Church were a company of men truely and vnfainedly religious as you in your whole doctrine of the visible church
called vpon in and by the ministerie of the word that they would be saved and supp with Christ eat and drinke with him in the kingdome of his Father are the visible Church Reu. 3.20 Mat. 26.27 This cannot be denyed But good and bad are therevnto invited The visible Church therefore doth consist of these two kinds of men and not of righteous onely as the Separists doe teach Againe this mixture which we doe hould nay that the most of the visible Church are wicked is manifest by that which Iesus annexeth to this Parable wherewith al he doth knit it vp Verse 14. for many are called but few chosen Al that be vnder the call or voice of God calling vpon them in and by the Ministry of the word that they would repent and beleeue that so they may be saved and yeild an outward obedience to this call are the visible Church Of these saith Iesus that haue this externall calling and are the visible Church Ne putatetur sicut Donatistae putant quod velut vnus in turba latenter sui repsisset ignaris continuo Dominus in eodem ipso vno quem ligatis manibus pedibus in tenebras exteriores ex illo conuiuio proijci Iusfit multam societatem malorum esse intelligendam inter quos pauciores boni in conuivio Dominico viuunt significare non distulit Nam posteaquam dixit Ligate illi manus pedes proijcite eum in tenebras exteriores ibi erit fletus stridor dentium continuo subjecit Multi sunt vocatj Pauci vero electi Quomodo hoc verum est cum potius vnus e multis suisset proiectus in tenebras exteriores nisi quia in illo vno grande corpus figurabatur omnium malorum ante Domini iudicium conviuio Dominico permixtorum A quibus se boni corde interim ac moribus separant simul manducantes bibentes corpus et sanguinem Domini August Tom. 7. contra Donat. post collat cap. 20. there are many but among those but a few good and such as shall be saved And this is the scope and drift of the aforesaid Parable as is playne by the inference that he maketh thereupon in these words next following the said Parable for many are called but few chosen Wherein Iesus sheweth how this commeth to passe which before he hath taught in the Parable to wit that in the visible Church there are so many wicked and so few good so many prophaine earthly minded men and so few that doe earnestly desire and seeke after heaven and those things that lead therevnto and namely faith and holines without which no man shall see the Lord. Because saith he in the visible Church their are few elect who only can and doe beleeue and out of that faith leade an holy life the rest being reprobates and left in their naturall wickednes cannot but be wicked All in the visible Church these few elect excepted are wicked profane vncleane and an abomination to the Lord. With such faithfull ones converts such Saints righteous and holy persons as these doth the visible Church abound and overflow And this is no lesse manifest by the Parable of the seed wherein as the Minister of Christ it compared to a sower the word preached to seede so is the visible Church coÌ„pared to the field where seed is sowen and to such a field whereof three parts is naught and a fourth onely good By that which hath beene said it is manifest that in the Church visible there be not onely wicked men and extreamely or out of measure wicked but that the most therein are wicked children of Belial and few righteous therein to be found Yea the aforesaid cause and reason of our Sauiour considered how can it possibly be otherwise If therefore this be the state of our Church at this day as too true it is that in it there are many wicked and few godly yet this wickednes and vngodlinesse of the people and mixture of so many bad with so few good le ts not but that notwithstanding wee may bee and indeede are a true visible Church Tell mee now I beseech you how the aforesaid lines of yours for which you pretend Scripture and those that I haue here deliuered which all men may euidently see are grounded vpoÌ„ the holy Scriptur can possibly stand together You say that a true visible Church is a company of Righteous or godly men not mixed with but separated from the wicked of the world Wee say that it is not such a separated company but a mixt company of godly and wicked good and bad holy and profane You say that in the visible Church there is no vncleane thing that is no wicked person we say that in the visible Church the most are vncleane and wicked yea sometimes almost all be such And as this which we teach hath beene confirmed and your errour herein conuinced by the sacred Scriptures so may it be by your owne writings yea by the words next and immedâ—ately following your description of the visible Church wherein you teach this false and erronious doctrine Hauing defined or described the visible Church That is a company of people called and separated from the world by the Word of God and ioyned together by voluntary profession of the faith of Christ in the fellowship of the Gospell Apology 44. You thereupon make this inference And therefore no knowne Atheist vnbeleeuer hereticke or wicked liuer may be receiued or retained a member in the Church of Christ which is his body Now in that you say no knowne Atheist vnbeleeuer hereticke or wicked liuer you thereby imply and secretly acknowledge that Atheists vnbeleeuers and wicked men may be receiued retained members in the visible Church so they bee not openly knowne to bee such If then in the true visible Church there haue euer beene are and will be Atheists vnbeleeuers heretickes and wicked liuers as your selues according to the truth acknowledge then is the visible Church by your owne Doctrine a confused and mixt company of good and bad holy profane and not a separated company of Righteous men Saints and faithfull in your sence except Atheists vnbeleeuers heretickes and wicked liuers be righteous men be Saints be faithfull If you deny that your aforesaid inference doth imply so much as I affirme I make it plaine thus He that shall say No knowne Whoremonger may bee admitted to the Lords supper therein confesseth that a close or vnknowen whoremonger may bee admitted to the Lords supper Euen so it is in this case These men being thus conuinced and yet not enduring it may be to yeelde I knowe what will be their shift and euasion euen the same which the Donatists in the like case vsed before them Malos in ecclesia permixtos esse confessi sunt Donatistae sed oucultos cos esse dixerunt August Tom. 7. contra Donatistas post collat Cap. 7. Defence of the Churches and Minist of
obstinate or seperating such from the Church there is no danger of plucking vp the wheate with the tares Therefore of the excommunication of sinners apparantly obstinate or seperating such from the Church Christ speaketh not nor forbiddeth Your third argument followeth Iesus spâ—aketh of the vtter ruinating and destruction of the tares But excommunication rightly administred is not for the ruinating and destruction of any Therefore of excommunication Iesus doeth not speake We now see clearely that these two latâ—er arguments doe conclude and proue the same thing But what not that which your first argument doeth as you pretend and beare the silly reader in hand but in stead thereof this that in the parable of the tares Christ speakes not of excommunication or censures of the Church which we not onely confesse but teach and vrge against you But suppose they did soundly prooue that proposition for which the are produced to wit that in the parable of the tares Iesus doeth not speake of the tolleration of prophane persons in the Church yet did they not at all make against vs for by prophane persons you meane 1. Scandalous offenders or open wicked 2. Such onely deny eyther of these if you will And so by your owne proposition which forsooth you will prooue by three arguments you imply that we teach that by tares are meant scandalous offenders or knowne wicked onely The contrary whereunto is manifest by the premises You commit then here two foule faults besides the former One is you persue your owne shadowe in stead of an aduersary 2. You abuse the reader in making him beleeue wee hold that we doe not But to proceede say you It may be some will answere Iustif 117. that Christ doeth not heere forbid his Disciples the vse of the censures against the wicked but rather acquaints them before hand what will be the state of the Church and how the wicked will be suffered to continue in it vncensured This is indeede our answere and I will maintaine it against all gainesayers You adde and if this were so it made nothing against me nor for Maister Bernard No Maister Robinson If there will bee and continue wicked in the Church vncensured if this will be the estate of the visible Church by the testimonie of Christ Iesus then for as much as all that be and continue in the visible church are of it euen members of it it must needes be that the visible Church is a mixt company consisting of good and bad godly and wicked Now this makes as much for vs and against you as can be You write before thus Heere is no such mingle mangle as Maister Bernard would make of good and bad but all good Iustif 115. 112. 113. and so auowed by the holy Ghost And againe that if all the Diuines in the world should with Maister Bernard say that the visible Church is a mixt company yet the deuine Scriptures speake otherwise which you will clearely manifest And yet once more It is prophane diuinitie to make vngodly persons true matter of the visible Church These speaches of yours with this heere doe agree together as light and darkenes Againe if to the worlds ende there will be and continue wicked in the Church vncensured If I say this will be the estate of the visible church as the truth is to foretel comfort the godly against it is the very scope and drift of our Sauiour in this parable why do you then condemne vs for a false Church because of the wicked that are among vs Answere to a censo Epist pag. 35. and for this cause chiefely seperate from vs In these two respects principally say you your babylonish confusion of all sorts of people in the body of your Church without seperation and your Babilonish bondage vnder your spirituall Lords the Prelates we account you Babilon and flee from you Shewe vs how this speech here and your accounting our Church to be Babilon for the reason aforefaide and flying from it can possibly accord Iustif 117. You adde It were the Churches sinne so to suffer them that is the wicked to continue in the Church vnsensured And I deny not say you but Churches vsually are too negligent and remisse through want of zeale and faithfulnesse to the Lord in this dutie This is it we teach it were well for you yee had learned the same If you haue as you heere pretend why doe you account our parishionall assemblies because of the wicked that be in them false Churches and Synagogues of Sathan you acknowledge heere ecclesiasticall assemblies may bee true Churches notwithstanding there be and continue wicked in them vncensured And yet the truth is you all hold that where there are and continue wicked vncensured the same are false Churches Iustif 120. Finally say you The Lords field is sowen onely with good seed though by the malice of Satan and negligence of such as should keepe this field and vineyard and house of God adulterate seede and abominable persons may be foisted in yea and suffered also which the Scriptures affirme and we deny not Such is the excellencie and power of truth that it maketh sometimes the aduersaries thereof to yeeld and stoupe vnto it For twice together you doe against your selfe beare witnesse to the truth You here acknowledge that abominable persons may be in the Church of God yea and suffered also that is abide or continue there and that this the Scriptures affirme Now touching the particular point wee haue in hand this is the some and effect of that we say and contend for and you impugne and gaine say But answere mee Are there any worse in our Church then this adulterate seede you speake of and abominable persons 2. Can you adde thereto any more or worse then this that they are suffered also that is let to continue in our Church vncensured If notwithstanding this great sinne a societie may bee a true Church by the testimonie of the holy Scriptures why doe you for this very sinne Iudge and proclaime vs to the world to be a false Church and therevpon depart from vs True it is that for this cause onely you doe not deeme vs a false Church and leaue vs yet that you doe it for this cause yea chiefely for this very cause you cannot without blushing deny and this not onely your selfe but besides M. Ainsworth and M. Smith haue published and made knowne vnto the world as I haue manifested in my Epistle written to you of the Seperation That which you affirme here you contradict at least I thinke an hundred times Omitting them all see how you thwart your selfe in the two last lines of this present Section Iustiss 121. And so except the Church of England had been sowen with good seed without tares since that generall Apostacie it cannot be the Lords field In the beginning of the Section in thesi you affirme that howsoeuer the Lords field is sowen onely with good
good bad in our church We forsake say you your Church for this maine corruption Counterp 3. that all sorts of profane and wicked men haue beene and are both they and their seede receiued into and nourished within the bosome of your Church contrary to the first couenant of our Redemption contrarie also to the example of all Gods Churches since the world began who alwayes were separated from the vngodly as the Scriptures shew Thus speaketh M. Ainsworth and M. Robinson after this manner Answ to a Censorious Epistle 35. In these two respects principally your Babylonish confusion of all sorts of people in the body of your Church without separation and your Babylonish bondage vnder your spirituall Lords the Prelates wee account you Babylon and flye from you Herevnto adde that which M. Smith saith in his Paralleles Pag. 23. All Churches or assemblies of men whatsoeuer professing Christ and not separated from worldlings are false Churches and so without onely the separated Churches are the true Churches and are within And in another place thus A false worship Daral 14. ministerie and gouernment may be in a true Church through ignorance and the like occasions Which thus hee amplyfieth Ibid. 15. A true man may haue a woodden legge an eye of glasse so a true Church may haue a false ministerie and worship or gouernement Hauing therefore a desire to reclaime you if it be possible and bring you back againe to our Churches I thought I could bestow my paines no way more profitably then in discouering vnto you how weake and insufficient this is to ground your Separation vpon And this I haue endeauoured to doe in this Treatise I haue therein also both discouered and conuinced sundry errors of yours and your frequent and horrible peruerting of the sacred Scriptures for the defence of them And now I heartily pray you to consider That the soule of man is in very great danger by imbracing errour as well as by yeelding to profanenesse That errour in the minde doth greatly hazard the saluation of mans soule and that it is as fearefull and dangerous a thing to bee carried about with euery winde of doctrine as to consent to sinners when they entise vs. Hence it is that wee are not onely exhorted that wee sholud not beleeue euery spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God 1. Ioh. 4.1 1. Thes 5.21 that we should try all things and keepe that onely which is good but oft bidden to take heede that no man deceiue vs Mat. 24.4.5.23 24. to beware of false Christs which if it were possible should deceiue the very elect and to beware of false Prophets meaning false Teachers Mat. 7 15. which though they come in sheepes clothing with a shew of truth holinesse that they may the rather deceiue Act. 20.29 yet inwardly they are rauening wolues I know this saith Paul that after my departing shall grieuous wolues enter in among you not sparing the flocke Whereby wee learne that as grieuous and rauening wolues doe prey vpon and destroy the carkases of the silly sheepe so doe false Teachers the soules of men From hence also it is that our Lord Iesus hath as well forewarned vs to take heede and beware of false doctrine Mat. 16.6.12 Luke 12.15 as to take heede and beware of couetousnesse In both of these he vseth a double caueat because both of them are very dangerous to the soule so as we haue as great neede to beware of the one as of the other If the Lord had onely said Beware of false doctrine hee had thereby intimated that there is danger in beleeuing such doctrine but hee iterating and doubling the caueat Mat. 16.6 Marke 8.14 Take heede and beware of false doctrine which is also noted by two Euangelists doth thereby imply the danger is very great It is also to bee obserued that Iesus compareth false doctrine to Leauen Take heede and beware of the Leauen of the Pharises and Sadduces teaching vs thereby that as a little leauen sowreth the whole lumpe of dough so a little false doctrine the whole minde Wee neede not goe farre to confirme this by examples Who knoweth not that many among you from Brownisme haue fallen into Anabaptisme Your selfe M. Iohnson doe acknowledge this in your answere to M. White And I my selfe doe know that M. Smith and those of his Church at the first receiued onely some few small and petty errours in comparison holding still communion with vs but after in processe of time grosser errours growing vpon them they departed and separated from vs and are now by little and little fallen into a gulfe of errours as plainely appeareth by sundry of M. Smiths bookes lately published and namely the Paralleles The differences of the Churches of the Separation and the Character of the beast We may also remember that errour in the minde is by the Holy Ghost compared to a Gangraine or Canker 2. Tim. 2.17 which beeing in any part of the body stayeth not there but by little and little spreadeth it selfe further and pierceth into the bones not ceasing to inlarge it selfe vntill it hath brought destruction to the body Euen so it is with the soule when errour inuadeth it Tit. 3.10 Reiect him saith the Apostle that is an Hereticke after once or twice admonition knowing that hee that is such is peruerted and sinneth being damned of his owne seâ—fe As if hee should say There is little or no hope of reclaiming heretickes such as be contentious and obstinate in their errours but that all labour vsed to that end is in vaine and lost Their disease is almost incurable For say that they be conuinced and in themselues doe condemne that which they contend for Yet are they vsually so peruerse and obstinate as they will continue still in their sinne maintaining their opinion against conscience Yet notwithstanding saith Paul let them be admonished once or twise if hapily they will amend Which if they doe not after admonition thus giuen haue nothing to doe with them And doe we not in experience see how hard a thing it is to draw men from error to the loue and imbracing of the truth Be they Turkes Papists Anabaptists Familists or whosoeuer that bee wrapt in errour Certainely it is as easie a matter to draw couetous men from the desire of riches voluptuous men from the loue of pleasure the proud man from his pride and the drunkard from his drunkennes as to bring a man intangled in errour to receiue and acknowledge the truth Of the former sort of these if they haue continued long in their sinne the Prophet saith thus Can the Blacke-Moore change his skin Ier. 13.23 or the Leopard his spots Then may ye also doe good that are accustomed to euill The same is no lesse true of all such who haue dwelt and abide long in their errours Beware therefore and feare my deare brethren and countreymen to continue still
are to be found in diuine worship Such was the Religion and worship of the Iewes when Christ was vpon the earth at which time contrary to Gods appointment they had two high Priests Annas and Caiphas And where the high Priests office was to continue during his life they now held it but for a yeere To say nothing of their exceeding great corruption in doctrine and manners yet was the Religion and worshippe of the Iewes at that time the onely true Religion and worshippe but not a pure Religion and worshippe The same is true of the Church of Corinthus of the Churches of Galatia and of the seuen Churches in Asia And such is the Religion we professe in England and the worshippe we giue to God a true but not a pure Religion and worship And of this kind also wee may assure our selues is the Religion of the Churches in Scotland in France in the Low-countries yea euen of all the reformed Churches in Christendome though not all corrupted in the same degree True Religion is corrupted lesse or more And that is according as in diuine worship is omitted more or lesse of those things which God hath appointed or added and mixed therewith more or lesse which God hath not commanded or both As when any thing in Diuine worship is wanting which God hath ordained it is not pure Religion and worship but corrupted though it may be a true Religion and worship so when with Diuine worship are mixed Quaere de circumstantiis loci temporis habitus gestus c. or thereunto added some ceremonies more or lesse and ordinances of mans deuising which we call humane inuentions Religion then and worship are thereby corrupted and cannot be said to be pure and vndefiled The reason whereof is because God hath not left it to the liberty and will of man to serue and worship him as hee pleaseth and thinketh good but as he alone will be worshipped so in that manner as he not man hath appointed and no otherwise Nothing is left heere to the wit and will of man he may neyther adde nor omit any thing a Deut. 12.32 and 4.2 Prou. 30.6 Whatsoeuer I command you take heed you doe it thou shalt not adde vnto it nor diminish from it Hence it came to passe that b Leuit. 10.1 a fire came out from the Lord and deuoured Nadab and Abihu euen for offering strange fire before the Lord which he had not commanded them And that the Lord did slay c 2. Sam. 6.16 Vzzah holding vp the Arke of God when it was shaken and in danger to fall Hereby the Lord did shew how highly he is offended with this corrupting and defiling of his worship To teach the sonnes of men to beware thereof Thus you see the difference betweene pure Religion and the pure worship of God and true religion and worship corrupted Also that a people may be of a true Religion and haue the true worship of God and so be a true Church and yet not of that Religion which is pure and vndefiled nor haue the sincere worship As one beleeuing in Christ is a true Christian though he hath many infirmities So a company professing true Religion is a true Church though it hath in it many corruptions and bee a pure Church As a man beleeuing in Christ though he ought to be free from all impurity of soule and body and abound in all grace as much as is possible is a true Christian notwithstanding he attaine not to this perfection but haue many infirmities so a Church or company of men professing true Religion though in the worship of God it should be free from all humane inuentions and haue all the ordinances of God as much as is possible notwithstanding it attaine not to this height of purity or perfection but haue therein many corruptions is neuerthelesse a true Church CHAP. VI. That the profession of true Religion maketh one a member of the visible Church HAuing now prepared and made a way to the Readers better vnderstanding I returne to my former description willing thee againe to remember that I doe not say that a visible Church is a company of people professing the pure Religion of God but a company professing true Religion Adde thereunto if you will and enioying a true worship of God though not a pure worship And heere fitly I may frame another description of the visible Church That it is a company of men enioying and submitting themselues to the true worship of God Let there be an assembly ioyned together in prayer in hearing the Word and in receiuing the Sacraments a Touching the substance therof though not in euery circumstance and in that purity which ought to be according to Christs institution and it is a true visible Church If thou wilt soundly vnderstand Christian Reader what a true visible Church is and be preserued from that errour and Schisme into which many of late haue fallen thou must carefully obserue and remember these two things First The difference betweene pure Religion and true Religion corrupted betwixt pure worship and true worship corrupted whereof we haue spoken Secondly That to the making or being of a member of the visible Church a profession of true Religion and an outward submission to true worship sufficeth From whence these conclusions doe follow First That an Assembly may be a true visible Church though it professe not the Religion that is pure and vndefiled nor liue vnder a pure and sincere worship of God but such as is partly impure and corrupted Secondly That a man may be of the true visible Church though he be not religious and godly but indeed and in truth irreligious and prophane so that he professe the true Religion And that such may be and are of the visible Church who only outwardly submit themselues to the true worship of God though they be not true worshippers and doe not worship God in Spirit and truth This profession of the true Religion and submission I speake of is all in all in this case It is that which giueth life and being to euery member vnited to his body so as whosoeuer maketh this profession and vseth this submission being knit to this body and not cut off by excommunication is in and of the visible Church The matter of this Church is a company of men not one but a company lesse or more And yet not a company of Angels or Spirits but of men The forme is the profession of true Religion or submission to the true worship of God As therfore it is in all other cases that where the matter and forme of a thing is there is the thing it selfe euen so it is in this particular Ainsw to Master Stone pag. 18. Mark 1.24 Act. 16.16 In a Pamphlet set forth by Master Ainsworth as it is reported against Master Stone we haue to the premises this answere That this profession is not wanting in the Sinagogue of Satan For saith
he as the Diuell himselfe professed some true and sound doctrine so doe his Instruments as witnesse the writings of Papists Anabaptists and other Antichristians wherein they also make profession of these things But we haue learned of the Apostle Tituâ— 1.16 That there are some who professe they know God but by workes deny him and are abominable and disobedient and vnto euery good worke reprobate Seeing then a company of Reprobates may professe all doctrine needfull to saluation yet practise such things as will bring them to damnation We cannot be perswaded though all your three markes were granted to be in your Parishes that therefore they are true Churches of Christ for we know they doe the workes of Antichrist I reply Neyther Papists nor Anabaptists nor any false Church or Sinagogue of Satan professe true Religion They professe indeed some true and sound doctrine yea the Diuell himselfe did so but it is another thing to professe true Religion and enioy and submit our selues to true worship But say you A company of Reprobates may professe not only some but euen all doctrine needfull to saluation and yet practise such things as will bring them to damnation we cannot therefore be perswaded that a company professing Christian Religion make the Church of Christ You speake you know not what for hereby you imply and secretly teach that A true visible Church is a company of people professing and practising such things as will bring them to saluation Whereupon it followes that there is no Hypocrite in the visible Church for whose practise is answerable to his holy profession he is no Hypocrite Hereupon also ensueth that in the visible Church there is no Reprobate or any that shall be damned and that it is a company of Elect onâ—y and such as shall be saued For all that practise such things as will bring them to saluation shall be saued But this practise of holines ouer and besides an holy profession doe you require in all the members of the true visible Church condemning them as no members that want it and which making this profession doe practise those things which lead to damnation Therefore by your Doctrine all of the visible Church shall be saued and none therein damned And thus vnawares you confound the visible and the inuisible Church but that is vsuall with you In effect you affirme that those mentioned Titus 1.16 were without But that is more then you or any man can proue It is more probable that they were in the Church for they were professors They professe saith the Apostle that they know God Vnder the knowledge of God comprehending also their professing to feare God to loue him and to beleeue in him and to obey him And I am very sure that notwithstanding their extreame wickednes they might be of the visible Church which onely maketh you thinke they were not of it Whether those Professors were in the Church or without it mattereth not I am sure that if not these yet infinite others as abominable as these haue beene in and of the visible Church as hereafter shall bee made manifest Seeing then in many members of the visible Church as Cain Ismael Esau Saul Absalom the Scribes and Pharisies with innumerable more there was no practise at all of godlines but only a profession thereof being no better then Atheists denying God in their workes abominable disobedient and to euery good worke Reprobate why doe you necessarily require practise in al the members of the visible Church so as without it one cannnot be a member of the Church and for want of practise condemne our Parishes for false visible Churches Behold heere men deliuered vp to a reprobate sence that were of the visible Church Are any in our Parishes worse and more vile then these Were these because of their outward profession of the true visible Church notwithstanding their prophane liues And may not they in our Parishes making the same profession bee likewise members of the true visible Church albeit their liues be prophane so long as by excommunication they be not cast out of the Church Your Parishes say you we cannot be perswaded are the true Churches of Christ because they doe the workes of Antichrist Be it that we are guiltie of this trespasse that we doe some workes of Antichrist that is that some such things wee doe or yeeld vnto as Antichrist hath brought into the Church Doth it thereupon follow that our Parish assemblies are not the Churches of Christ Answ to Master Stone about the 2. pag. Verily no Except euery abomination of Antichrist make a Church to become false and Antichristian whereunto your selues answeres negatiuely and renders thereof a good reason in these words For the best Churches are subiect to errour and some abominations of Antichrist were crept into Christian Churches while the Apostles liued By this reason of yours and your owne confession the Primitiue Churches were not true Churches In the eight chapter of Iohn Iesus saith to certaine Iewes Vers 41.44 Yee doe the works of your father And againe Yee are of your Father the Diuell and the lusts of your father yee will doe If these notwithstanding they did the workes of the Diuel were of the true visible Church as the truth is then sure may we be of the true visible Church notwithstanding we doe some works of Antichrist except Antichrist and the doing of his workes be worse then the Diuell and the doing of his workes But the Answere to Master Stone proceedeth If you teach your people that profession without practise is sufficient to saluation you are but a deceiuer of their soules Who amongst vs teacheth such diabolicall doctrine The Lord knoweth and his people know that wee teach the direct contrary that it will not suffice to say Lord Lord but we must doe the will of our heauenly Father if we will enter into the Kingdome of heauen yea yee your selues know this What meane you then to vse these words whereby you would eyther intimate to the Reader that we vse this cursed doctrine and so slander vs or at least that you doubt thereof whereas you certainly know the contrary Take heed your selues proue not the deceiuers of soules Nay as sure as the Lord liueth you are such But let vs come to Master Ainsworths last answere concerning this point of profession Againe Counterp 21. I deny that your Parishes doe truely and rightly professe these things and would heare your proofe we know that your Parishes professe not aright neyther Law nor Gospell neither repentance from dead workes nor faith in God but lye dead in trespasses and sinnes idolatries and many other hainous abominations I reply We know that among vs some few doe rightly professe being the same in deed which they professe and make shew to be and that is as much as is to be looked for in the visible Church Seeing all in the visible Church a few excepted are Hypocrites and that no Hypocrite
euident in and by the prosecution of the following Argument where I proue that our Religion is true Religion If that forthwith following which is said of true Religion thou wilt Reader apply vnto and vnderstand of true worship then thou shalt plainely see that the same argument whereby we proue our Religion to be true Religion maketh as strongly to proue our worship to be true worship For if the Religion we professe be true then needs must the worship we giue to God be true seeing Religion is nothing else but the manner after which men worship God and that true Religion and true worship as false Religion and false worship cannot be seuered But the Religion which we in England professe is true as shall be proued Therefore the worship we giue to God is true worship I now proceed to a third Argument Whatsoeuer people all the Churches of God in the world doe acknowledge to be a true Church the same to bee a true Church and so to be accounted The people of England all the Churches of God in the world doe acknowledge to be a true Church Therefore the people of England are a true Church and so to be accounted The Proposition I thus make manifest we speake of a visible Church and so I meane by Church in this Argument Now if it cannot be discerned and knowne by others it is not visible If it can be discerned then by the visible Churches that are to the members whereof wee cannot but grant this gift and ability to discerne and know a true Church It is absurd to yeeld this gift to them that are without and therefore to bee granted to them that are within the Church vnlesse we will deny it to all men which is most absurd of all The Assumption I proue by this induction The Churches of Scotland France Heluetia Bohemia Saxonie and so of the rest doe acknowledge our Church for their Sister and giue vnto vs the right-hand of fellowshippe Therfore all the Churches in the world If any true Church doe iudge otherwise of vs doe you instance the same and proue it accordingly Vntill then we will hold the Assumption to be as true as the Proposition and the conclusion to bee no lesse true then they Thus much generally concerning the Church of England now I will proue our particular Congregations or Parish assemblies to be true visible Churches and first thus If the Mother all the people in England professing true Religion be a true Church then are her Daughters the particular Congregations consisting of such people likewise true Churches for as is the Mother so are her Daughters But the Church of England the Mother is a true Churche as hath beene proued Therefore the particular Congregations her Daughters Secondly thus If our particular Congregations haue the matter and forme of true visible Churches then are they true visible Churches But the first is true Therefore the second The Proposition is for this reason true because where the matter and forme of any thing is there is that thing The assumption I thus strengthen The matter of a true visible Church is a company of men and the forme of it is the profession of the true Religion But our particular Congregations are companies of men professiâ—g true Religion Therefore our particular Congregations haue the matter and forme of true visible Churches That the matter of a Church whether true or false is a company of men none I thinke of iudgement will deny or once doubt of sure I am he may as well and truely deny that water is moist Touching the latter part of the Proposition the forme Who can with any face or colour of truth deny That a Congregation ioyning together in the profession of true Religion is a true visible Church In the 14. of the Acts we reade thus And when they had ordained them Elders Vers 23. by election in euery Church and prayed and fasted they commended them to the Lord in whom they beleeued Certainly these Churches were diuers particular Congregations each of which did ioyne together in the profession of Christian Religion Now I would know what made these seuerall societies Churches euen by the testimony of the holy Ghost but their profession of Christian Religion whereby they were distinguished from all other societies as vsually things are by their formes At this time there was little or no Ecclesiasticall Gouernment in these Churches which some make the forme of the Church because there were no Elders by which the same should haue bin gouerned Not this then but their holy profession gaue the forme and being to these Churches Concerning the Assumption that our particular Congregations be companies of men professing true Religion the proofe thereof followeth forthwith Thirdly out of my former description of the visible Church which is demonstrated by the word of God to be a company of people professing true Religion I argue thus All particular Congregations which doe professe the true Religion are true visible Churches Our particular congregations doe professe the true Religion Therefore our particular Congregations are true visible Churches Likewise thus Whatsoeuer Assemblies professe the true way to saluation the same be true visible Churches The Assemblies in England doe professe the true way to saluation Therefore the Assemblies in England are true visible Churches The Proposition or first part of both these reasons is manifest by the former Doctrine and description of a visible Church the truth whereof hath beene made euident by sundry testimonies of holy Scripture The Assumption of the three last Arguments being the same in effect I thus confirme If men professing the same Religion and way to saluation that we doe haue liuing and dying in that profession beene saued then is the Religion and way to saluation that we professe the true Religion and the true way to saluation But men professing the same Religion and way to saluation with vs haue therein beene saued Therefore the Religion and way to saluation we professe is the true Religion and true way to saluation and consequently we are a true visible Church and our Congregations the Churches of Christ and not the Sinagogues of Satan as these men blasphemously say The Proposition is very manifest and needs no confirmation In the printed letters between M. Iacob and M. Iohnson passim the Assumption is true by your owne confession For you confesse that those who died for Religion in Queene Maries time were Martyrs and vsually you so call them and therefore are they saued and now in heauen and they professed the very same Religion and way to saluation with vs and therein liued and died yea died for that Religion wee at this day professe Men therefore professing the same Religion and way to saluation with vs haue therein beene saued by your owne acknowledgment All that you heere say for your selues or can say is this That the Martyrs saw no further I reply You herein acknowledge that so many among vs
from among vs whom wee call Brownists contrarie minded who both reiect the aforesaid doctrine as erronious and condemne our Parish assemblies for false Churches it remaineth we heare what they likewise teach concerning the Church and their Arguments whereby they would proue our Church to be a false Church that so wee may more clearely see on which side the truth is whereby the louers of the Truth shall be preserued from error and Wisdome iustified of her children THE SECOND BOOKE CHAP. I. A confutation of H. BARROW his description of a true visible Church WEE haue spoken in the former Chapter of the first vse wee make of the aforesaid Doctrine of the visible Church And there we haue seene how fitly it seemeth to iustifie the Church of England and to proue her to be a true Church now by it wee will also conuince the Brownists false doctrine of the visible Church And that shall be the second and lâ—st vse of the Doctrine aforesaid For the better vnderstanding of the Brownists doctrine concerning the true visible Church let vs heare how it is described by them It is saith BARROW a company and fellowship of faithfull and holy people gathered in the name of Christ Iesus A true description of the visible Church pag. 1. their only King Priest Prophet worshipping him aright being peaceably quietly gouerned by his officers lawes keeping the vnity of faith in the bond of peace and loue vnfained Generalâ—y coÌ„cerning this description I affirme that a Apology 44. Counterp 115. Princ. Infer 8. 10. as al the rest of the descriptions or definitions of the visible Church which they do giue so this likewise is rather a description of the inuisible Church militant then of the visible That which is hâ—ere set downe is true onely of the Elect and cannot properly and truely bee spoken of any Reprobate whereof a true visible Church may in part consist as well of the Elect for as the Elect only are faithfull and holy indeed and effectually called so Christ Iesus is their onely b Though Christ Iesus be in diuers respects King of the visible Church yet he is not King Priest Prophet of the visible but only of the inuisible Church hee cannot be said to be Priest of the visible Church but with relation had to them that be of the inuisible Church King Priest and Prophet they alone doe worshippe him aright are gouerned by his lawes keepe the vnity of faith in the bond of peace and loue vnfained But let vs brifely consider of the seuerall parts of this description That your meaning is the visible Church consisteth only of faithfull holy persons it is hereafter made manifest and appeareth also by the last page of H. Barrow his book intituled A true description of the visible Church where hee saith that into the visible Church there entereth no vncleane thing or person but all such are without how true this Doctrine is wee shall anon heare as also of the gathering heere spoken of And that the visible Church and consequently all the members thereof haue not Christ Iesus to be their King Priest and Prophet in the end of this booke it is made manifest Omitting therefore these things wee will come to that which in the description followeth In it you adde that the visible Church consisteth of a Company that worship Christ aright and to proue this you send vs to three places of Scripture the two first viz. Exod. 20.7.8 Leuit. 10.5 speake neuer a word for you The last and onely testimony you haue is Ioh. 4.23 where Iesus saith That the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and truth and that the Father requireth such to worship him And hereof our Lord rendereth a reason in the words next following saying God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and truth which in effect is this that God being of a spirituall nature requireth a spirituall seruice agreeable to his nature Of a company of such kind of worshippers say you doth the visible Church consist But how can this possibly be true seeing Christ Iesus speaking to some of the visible Church Matth. 15.7 saith thus O Hypocrites Esaias prophecied well of you saying this people draweth neere vnto me with their mouth and honoureth me with their lips but their heart is farre from mee but in vaine doe they worship me These were no true worshippers worshipping God in Spirit and truth but only outwardly and Hypocritically whereupon Iesus calleth them Hypocrites and yet were these worshippers members of the visible Church And whereas of the visible Church the greatest part are Hypocrites or hypocriticall worshâ—ppers by this description and doctrine of yours there can be no Hipocrites in it for you teach that the visible Church is a company that worship God in Spirit and truth but no Hypocrites worshippe God in Spirit and truth therefore by your doctrine no Hypocrites are of or in the visible Church That no hypocrites doe worship God in spirit and truth which resteth only to be proued it is hereby manifest First because they doe not worship God with a true and sincere affection of the heart Secondly Because this worshipping of God in spirit and truth is that worship which God requireth to be performed to him by men accepteth of and is well pleased with but the worship of hypocrites God forbiddeth reiecteth and abhorreth Hypocrites therefore doe not worship God in spirit and truth Thirdly As many as thus worship God in this world Heb. 11.6 Psal 19.11 he will honor in the world to come and for their poore seruice done to him on earth he will aboundantly reward them in heauen now woe be to Hypocrites saith Christ And againe giue him his portion with Hypocrites This is the hypocrites reward Where you say that the visible Church is a company peaceably and quietly gouerned by Christ's officers and lawes considering the greatest part of the visible Church are reprobates and so rebels against Christ taking part with Satan against him how can this be truely said of the visible Church and consequently of all the members thereof Cain Ismael Esau Saul Absolom the Scribes and Pharisies were all of the visible Church These and thousands more such in the Church haue beene so farre from being quietly gouerned by Christs lawes that with them in the second Psalme they haue said Verse 3. Let vs breake their bonds and cast their cords from vs. The visible Church therefore is not a company of such loyall and obedient subiects to Christ as these men affirme How peaceably and quietly was Saul gouerned by the lawes of God and Church officers then when he caused the Priests of the Lord to be slaine and eagerly persecuted Dauid thirsting after his bloud and that all his life time The same may be said of Cain killing Abel of Ismael mocking or as the Apostle saith persecuting Isaak of Absalom
that which you doe from hence vsually collect and vrge against vs. CHAP. II. A confutation of another description of the true visible Church giuen by the Brownists Where much is said concerning the first gathering of a Church and commixture of good and bad in the Church BVt omitting this description of H. Barrowes wee will proceed to another of theirs laid downe in their Apologie Apologie 44. It is say they a company of people called and seperated from the world by the word of God and ioyned together by voluntary profession of the faith of Christ in the fellowship of the Gospell If this be a true description then whosoeuer is not called and seperated from the world by the word of God c. is not a member of the visible Church for of such a company so called and qualified it doth consist as you affirme But some not called and seperated from the world c. haue bin are and shall be of the vâ—sible Church as is euident by that which followeth this therfore is not a true description of the visible Church It is a company of people say you called by the word of God whereby you meane that by the power and force of the Word only in the Ministery and preaching therof men are brought to be of this societie that is of the visible Church and not by the call perswasion or commandement of the Magistrate or any mortall man And this you put downe in your description that thereby you might proue our Parish assemblies to bee no true but false visible Churches because in the beginning of Queene Elizabeths raigne the people then liuing were not called by the Word and gathered by the preaching thereof but all brought in at once by her commandement and proclamation Hereupon it is that in the former description of the visible Church they say It is a company gathered in the name of Christ Iesus And Master Iohnson applying this to vs saith We were neuer rightly gathered together according to Gods ordinance Defence of the Churches and Minist of Eng. 86. that is as heere he speaketh not called by the word of God meaning the preaching thereof as appeareth by his quotations of Scripture in the margent We answere If we speake of a Church when it is first planted I meane of a Nation when first it commeth to embrace and professe the Gospell and true Religion the people of such a Nation for a great part there of are called by the word of God before they come to be a visible Church By the power and truth of the Word and diuine maiestie shining euery where therein the children of men be brought to forsake their false Religion and worship and to ioyne together in the profession of true Religion whereby they become a visible Church And this is confirmed throughout the whole story of the Acts of the Apostles both in the conuersion of the Iewes or gathering visible Churches of them set downe in the nine first Chapters and likewise of the gentiles continuing from the beginning of the tenth Chapter to the latter end of that booke In the second of the Acts where mention is made of a great increase or addition to the visible Church that before that time was among the Iewes of about three thousand soules and in the fourth of the Acts of a further increase to about fiue thousand Act. 2.14 and 4.4 in both these places the meanes is specified whereby this was brought to passe and that is said to be the hearing and and receiuing of the word of God preached by Peter and other of the Apostles In the eight chapter of the Actes wee reade of a Church gathered in the Citie of Samaria by Philip his preaching Christ vnto them and in the eleuenth Chapter of the Acts of a great Church gathered by the preaching of certaine Prophets and Euangelists in Antiochia in Syria In a word where in the Acts we reade of the conuersion of a people to God as in Antiochia a Citie of Pisidia in Iconium Listra Derbe Philippi Thessalonica Berea Athens Corinthus and Rome in the same places we heare that they were called and the said visible Churches gathered by the preaching of the word But mark all these Churches were now first planted and these people newly conuerted from Iudaisme or Gentilisme that is eyther from the Iewish Religion or false Religion of the Gentiles to the Christian Religion In such a case to the gathering and beâ—ng of a Church the preaching of the Word is absolutely necessary so as without it a company of people cannot bee brought to be a Church But if we speake of a Church established or of a Country where for some time true Religion hath beene professed and God truly worshipped though sometimes interrupted broken off and discontinued which is our case then this holdeth not As vnder the Law both Iewes and Gentiles professing the Iewish religion by Circumcision so by Baptisme Christians vnder the Gospell are incorporated into the visible Church and made members thereof Are not the children of the faithfull by Baptisme receiued into the visible Church and thereby made members thereof And not by the call of the word the sound whereof many of them do not heare and if they doe they cannot vnderstand it And what letteth why some of these when they bee growen men may not thorough hypocrisie continue in the Church though in the hardnes of their hearts they neuer were affected and touched with the word many such hypocrites and hard-hearted men dead in their sinnes and trespasses and that haue consciences seared with a hot Iron haue euer beene are and shall be in the Church who neuer by the call of the word and power thereof would haue become members of the Church nor haue felt any touch that way but onely because they were borne and brought vp in the Church and not cast out either through the want of due execution of discipline or else through their deepe dissimulation and hypocrisie they being like painted tombes which appeare beautifull outward but are within full of dead mens bones and all filthinesse Surely it is not to be thought that Cain Ismael Esau with others that many of the fatte Bulls of Basan that many of those who in Israel killed the Prophets and stoned them which were sent vnto them that many of the Scribes and Pharisies were affected with the Word or so much as tasted of the power and sweetnes thereof and yet were they all of the visible Church How were these then called by the word of God Againe that without this call by the word men may come to be of the visible Church it is yet more euident by the scripture In the twelfth chapter of Exodus where mention is made of the departure of the Children of Israel out of Egypt it is said That a great multitude of sundry sorts of all people went out with them Verse 38. now all or most of these we may assure
came and groned vnder the present superstitious and idolatrous worship sighing and crying vnto God day and night because of it they not a few And tell me I pray you had they not in King Edwards the word of God read in their mother tongue in euery Congregation throughout the land and preached also heere and there according to the number of Preachers then Besides they had the holy Bible in the English tongue in their houses wherein no doubt many did meditate day and night Also many godly Bookes specially against papistrie were in their hands whereof they were daily scattering and reading all the dayes of Queene Mary In her time also many in the land had their secrete meetings sometimes by day sometimes by night wherin they ioyned together in the word and prayer and administration of the Sacraments Tidings and letters went daily on euery side concerning the patience and alacritie of the Martyrs in their sufferings their constantie their graue and learned answeres and Apologies and of the rude and vnlearned replies the sauage and cruell dealing of the Prelates with them on the other side The blood of the Martyrs likewise shed before the eyes of all men preached aloud vnto them that saw and heard therof Adde hereunto the manifold conferences consultations disputaions vsed about Religion and the right way to saluation whether this or that were the way specially in the entrance of Q. Elizabeth to her throne that there was a From the 17. of Nouember vntill Midsommer more then halfe a yeare for the people to heare learne and consider before the Commaundement came and we cannot be so void of vnderstanding as to think that meere force coÌ„pulsion brought all to the holy profession vniuersally made nor of charitie as to conceiue that they all generally wanted all knowledge and all faith and were assemblies consisting only of ignorant persons and vnbeleeuers But suppose that onely the proclamation and royall commandement had brought in all And that none had had knowledge and faith in God but Q. Elizabeth who caused that proclamation and gaue that commandement and whose memoriall for that act is and shall be blessed in all ages succeeding Be it granted I say that all parish assemblies then in this land were Congregations of ignorant persons and vnbeleeuing no true Churches indeed at least in Gods account yet it doeth not followe thereupon that our assemblies be such now but this notwithstanding may be and indeede are the Churches of Christ seeing that euer since aboue 50. yeeres wee haue beene pertakers of the true word of God and Sacraments and submitted our selues thereunto and many of vs effectually called thereby as witnesseth our liues vnblameable euen our enemies being Iudges There are many men in a house but gotten into it not through the doore whereby is the ordinary passage into it but by some backe doore or through the window or happely at some breach violently made into the saide house Were it not extreame folly or rather madnesse because of this manner of entrance to deny the inbeing of the aforesaide men in the house Thus vnwise are the Brownists in denying our inbeing in the Church which is the house of God because the manner of our entrance or passage into it at the first was not such as it ought to haue beene as they affirme Apology 24 If you should finde saith Doctor Hall a company of true Christians in vtmost India would you stand vpon tearmes and enquire how they became so Whiles they haue that is necessary for that Heauenly profession what neede your curiositie trouble it selfe with the meanes Against the trueâ—h of our Church therefore to obiect as they do that it waâ— not at the first rightly gathered by the sound of the word but rather of the trumpet is nothing if it were true much more is it nothing and of no validitie that being false And heere befâ—re I ende this point let vs yet further marke how the first gathering of our Church as touching the time when it was they ascribe to the beginning of Queene Elizabeths raigne and as concerning the meanes whereby it was gathered to the proclaimation then made but both vntruly For the first conuersion of our land to the faith of Christ was long before and that by the preaching of the Gospell as is plaine by ecclesiastical stories and by the persecution and martyrdome of the Saints Act. and Monâ—m passim from time to time recorded therein At least who can deny that the Church of England was a true Church in King Edward his dayes during whose raigne many were by preaching so effectually called as the trueth which they then embraced and professed they after sealed with their blood And by the same meanes an infinite company more were then conuerted and brought to the faith that by God were deliuered and preserued from the rage and mallice of the aduersary Very vntrue and slaunderous therefore is this saying of Maister Ainsword Couâ—terp 64. The gathering and planting of your Church hath beene by the Magistrates authoritie not by the word of Christ Heere also as in a glasse wee may behold the falshood and vanitie of that speach of H. Barrow D sâ—ouery of the falsechurch 10. Iustificâ—tion 275. All the people were in one day by the blast of Queene Elizabeths Trumpet of ignorant Papists and grosse Idolaters made faithfull Christians and true professors With these men agreeth M. Robison If the body of the land in the beginning of the Queenes raigne were good and holy at all the Magistrates compulsion wrought it in men and made them of persecuting Idolaters true Christians for other meanes in tearming or comming betwixt their profession of the Masse and of the Gospell had they none sauing the Magistrates authoritie How truely is saide that all the people and inhabitants of this land were ignorant and without the know-of God Secondly Papists and grosse Idolaters Thirdly That no other meanes did intermine and come betwixt their profession of the Masse and the Gospell but the Magistrates authoritie doe thou reader iudge by the promises Obserue here thier slandering of the people of God which is a sinne a thousand fould more hainous then the slandering of one man also their vncharitablenes but chiefely their grosse ignorance who secretly heere emplies that a true visible Church is a company of faithfull and true Christians and true Professors agreeing with their description of the visible Church wherof before we haue heard This â—s taught in the parable of the sower Math. 13.2 c. matt 22.14 Whereas the holy Scriptures teach vs that the most in the visible Church are such as haue onely the name and outward profession of Christianitie being nothing lesse then that they professe and seeme to be Christians in name onely called Christians but no Christians indeede These men tels vs that all in the visible Church are faithfull and true Christians and true Professors and
seede yet there may be in it adulterate seede or Tares and in the knitting vp of the same Section in Hypothesi you say That the Church of England because it is not sowen with good seede onely without Tares but hath tares or adulterate seede in it it therefore cannot be the Lords field And where you happily imagine that we thinke that the Lords field is not sowen onely with good seede Know yee that wee are otherwise minded We are not ignorant that this is expressely taught in this parable verse 24.27.36 and that the tares are from the enuious man the Diuell neither doe we forget that which else where is written to this purpose Act. 2.47 And the Lord added to the Church from day to day such as should be saued You produce this as an argument against vs to proue that the Church of England is not the Lords field that is the Church of God but by your owne words before it is plaine that it neither makes for you not against vs. Thus we heare what M. Iohnson saith against the mixture of good and bad godly and wicked in the Church also what M. Robinson saith in Iustification thereof and our defence and answere thereunto Let vs now see what M. Ainsworth saith for the maintenance of the same and conuiction of vs who be contrary minded In the end of his booke called the communion of Saints he teacheth that there are no open wicked in the Church Hee granteth there are wicked in the Church but saith he they are inwardly wicked restrained by the terrour of the Law from all open wickednesse but outwardly religious increasing outwardly in externall righteousnesse When the Scriptures saith 2. Tim. 3.15 That the wicked wax worse and worse deceiuing and being deceiued Againe open wicked saith he licentious and profane liuers be neither of the Church nor in the same And againe in the same place There are three sorts of men open wicked hypocrites Saints The first of these are without the Church the other two within and this all of them doe teach But herein they swarue altogether from the truth He should rather haue distinguished men into two sorts whereof one is without the Church who doe not so much as professe the true Religion and they all are wicked the other within the church professing the Religion of God of which some are religious and holy indeede and such as they professe and seeme to be and they be but a few others wicked onely religious and holy in name and in regard of their outward profession and of these there be many Mat. 20 1â— and 22.14 The first of these are Saints indeed and so called The latter hypocrites yet called Saints because the religion they professe is holy but are indeede wicked and prophane And of these hypocrites some be open wicked and easily knowne to bee wicked and some so close and secretly wicked as they are hardly discerned to be wicked That this which we affirme is true and that you teach false it is manifest by the 3. of Ezekiel Ezek. 3.7 21. Son of man I haue made thee a watchman vnto the house of Israel therefore here the word of my mouth and giue thou warning from me 18. When I shall say vnto the wicked thou shalt surely die and thou giuest not him warning nor speakest to admonish the wicked of his wicked way that he may liue the same wicked man shall die in his iniquitie but his bloud will I require at thy hand 19. Yet if thou warne the wicked and he turne not from his wickednesse nor from his wicked way he shal die in his iniquitie but thou hast deliuered thy soule 20. Likewise if a righteous man turne from his righteousnes and commit iniquitie I will lay a stumbling blocke before him and he shall die because thou hast not giuen him warning he shall die in his sinne and his righteous deeds which he hath done shall not be remembred but his bloud will I require at thy hand 21. Neuerthelesse if thou admonish that righteous man that the righteous sinne not and that he doth not sinne He shall liue because he is admonished also thou hast deliuered thy soule Heare wee learne first that in the Church there are wicked and godly and so a mixt company of good and bad Saints and sinners The godly are mentioned The wicked in the verses precedent which is contrary to the Doctrine of these Schismatickes Secondly that of the wicked some are open vvicked hauing not so much as an externall righteousnesse Such are the contemners of the word and Ministers thereof the persecutors of the Saints the scorners blasphemers whoremongers murtherers theeues drunkards oppressors extortioners railers slanderers and such like whâ—reof there haue euer been are and will be store in the Church of God These are called wicked not onely because they are such but because they appeare and are knowne to bee such by them I meane that can discerne betweene things and persons that differ and that as easily as darknes is knowne from light Such were Ismael Esau Saul Absalom the Scribes and Pharisees and the like Of these the Prophet speaketh verse 18.19 Others be inwardly and secretly wicked but outwardly holy and righteous hauing an externall righteousnesse and shew of godlinesse and because they appeare and Iseeme to men to be righteous or godly they are therefore caled righteous Such vvere Iudas and Demas with others of these the Prophet speaketh ver 20. And lest we should shift of this by saying these three kindes or sorts of men were not all of them in the Church but the open wicked without as M. Ainsworth and the rest of them tell vs wee must remember that this admonition or warning conteined in the 18.19.20 and 21. verses was sent from the Lord by the Prophet to the Iewes who then onely were the visible Church as is manifest by verse 17. Sonne of man I haue made thee a watchman vnto the house of Israel therefore heare the word at my mouth and giue them warning from me Obserue here the repugnance and contrarietie betweene the Prophet and the doctrine of these Schismaticke The Prophet telleth vs of three sorts of men in the Church of open wicked of righteous or godly in shew onely or appearance and of such as are indeede godly euen the same they seeme and professe to be M. Ainsworth and his fellowes say no The two last sorts of men onely are in the Church the first be neither of the Church nor in the same Chuse now Reader to whether of these thou wilt giue eare But they vvill say wee acknowledge that there euer haue been are and will be hypocrites in the Church mixed with the godly and such were the wicked mentioned before that vvere in the Church of the Iewes Cain offered sacrifice as well as Habel The same is said of Saul Also that he worshipped the Lord so likewise did Doeg Ismael and Esau vvere circumcised and
a company of men are the matter of the visible Church and heere that Saints by calling are the onely matter In the one place he makes calling a part of the forme in the other part of the matter But I maruell greatly M. Ainsworth that you scornfully reiect this description of Saints seeing it suteth so well with all the writings and namely that whole booke of yours called Communion of Saints 66. The Communion of Saints In it you writ thus All men and women called to the faith of God are Saints by calling being sanctified by Christ Iesus and one with another are holy brethren Saints by calling by your owne exposition are those who 1. by Faith are vnited to Christ and 2. by loue one to another and 3. are sanctified by Christ Iesus that is by his Spirit dwelling in them He is very ignorant who thinketh that these haue not forsaken all knowne sinne and doe all the knowne will of God that is desire and endeauor it and he hath cleane forgotten that of the Apostle If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sinne and the Spirit is life for righteousnes sake which euidently prooueth the same Rom. 8.10 Moreouer you tell vs in the same booke communion of Saints in the end of the booke That in the Saints sinne dieth and righteousnesse renueth daily both inwardly and outwardly yea that in the Hypocrites which be in the Church righteousnesse increaseth outwardly If these positions of yours bee true not vnfitly nor vntruly do they teach that saints are men for saking all knowne sinne doing all the known will of God and increasing in grace Considering they meane externally and so farre as men can iudge You all teach that a true visible Church consisteth onely of Saints and by Saints you meane such as haue at the least external righteousnesse and liue vnblameablie in an holy conuersation before men And because all in our Church bee not such Saints but many scandalous in their liues you condemne vs for a false Churse This you cannot denie to bee true Is it not hereby manifest that all of you in effect though not in the same wordes doe likewise teach That Saints are men seperated from all knowne sinne doing all the will of God knowne doeth not that externall righteousnesse and outward sanctimony which you require in all Saints and membâ—rs of the visible Church impâ—y as much as these men heere speake can any be vnblamable which you require in all Saints who forsaketh not before men all knowne sinne and doeth not all the knowne will of God Why then doe you disclaime this discription of Saints You render this reason because from this discription diuers errors doe arise and therefore it must needes bee erronious and fa fe All this I confesse to be true Can you discerne this position or discription being taught by another to be erronious and that from it sunâ—ry errors doe growe whereupon you disclaime it and them and haue you not an eye to see and an heart to abhorre and disclaime the same doctrine when it is taught by your selfe But though M. Ainsworth disclaime this abbortiue yet M. Robinson being more naturall doeth take to it Iustif 105. This position quoth he which you M. Bernard account error rightly vnderstood and according to his exposition from whom you receiued it meaning M. Smith is an vndoubted trueth For of such onely externally and so farre as men can iudge the true Church is gathered and of them alone framed as of the subiect matter Seeing therefore you doe fully agree about the matter of the visible church and that your selues and others mistake it in thinking that you doe heere abouts differ knowe that that which followeth against your supposed matter of the visible Church is meant and spoken against you all and that iustly because it maketh as well against all of the seperation as any First then I demaund of you who teach that Saints are a people forsaking all knowne sinne doing all the knowne will of God increasing in grace c. And that such are the onely matter of the visible Church whether a company of people thus qualâ—fied and graced of God be a Church or to be held to be without and a Synagogue of Satan Surely you will blush and be ashamed to answere negatiuely And if you answere that such a societie is a Church then haue we a Church consisting onely of matter without the forme for such a people as these say you are the matter of a true visible Church wherevnto the forme remaineth to bee added which what it is you tell vs after Now you know it is vtterly vnpossible that a Church or any thing else should be without the forme seeing the forme giues being to a thing but set downe after another manner Secondly it cannot bee denied but such Saints as these are Conuerts yea so farre as man can iudge truely conuerted to the Lord. If the Church consist of such persons onely it followeth necessarily therevpon that men are conuerted not in the Church by the Ministerie of the Pastors and Teachers thereof but without I know not by whom nor by what meanes which is as false as your seperation is sinfull and therefore is this your doctrine false from whence this is inferred Indeed I know that this inference is with you orthodoxall For in your Apologie among the Positions you were bold to tender to his Maiestie this is one That discreet faithfull Apology 45. and able men though not yet in office of Ministerie may bee appointed to preach the Gospell and whole truth of God that men being first brought to knowledge and conuerted to the Lord may then be ioyned in holy communion with Christ our head and one with an other And for confirmation therof you produce seuenteene testimonies of holy writ and seuen reasons But to let your abuse of Scripture and of that reason which God hath giuen you goe I tell you this doctrine and position of yours is against Scripture and therefore as impossible to be proued either by Scripture or Reason By the fourth of the Ephesians it is plaine that Christ ascending on high gaue Pastors and Teachers to the Church as well for the gathering together of the Saints that is for the calling of men to the faith or conuerting them to God whereby men before profane and wicked are made Saints or holy ones as for the edifying and building vp of these Saints in the faith and other graces of the Spirit after they be called You teach now the direct contrary that Christ hath not giuen his Ministers Pastors and Teachers to the former of these ends aforesaid which is also the principall but hath say you appointed that men not in the Ministery but priuate no Church officers should conuert men to the Lord and the Ministers of Christ are onely to edifie and build them vp in grace So that priuate men they lay the foundation Ministers doe but
onely erect and build further vpon that which they haue laid These discreete priuate men they alone are fathers begetting men to the faith and as for the Ministers they are but nurses to giue sucke nourish and bring vp men in it Thus you doe not onely crosse this Scripture and ordinance of Christ who hath perpetually appointed Pastors and Teachers in the Church to the aboue-named ends but doe also hereby prefer priuate mens teachings aboue Ministers For is it not a matter of great power and excellencie to conuert men vnto God then to confirme them that be conuerted and to beget men to the faith then to nourish them that are begotten Consider what I say and the Lord open your eyes that you may see your errour But leauing this hearken what further reasons we haue against your description of Saints and matter of the visible Church Thirdly I haue in the former Chapter shewed that many haue been members of the visible Church that haue wanted externall holinesse yea being outwardly and openly prophane this to a wise man may suffice for the confutation of this description yea of all that you teach concerning both the matter and forme of the visible Church Cain Ismael Esau Saul Doeg Ioab Absalom Iudas the Scribes and Pharises were all of the visible Church and yet not thus qualified Nay as contrary to these Saints as darknesse to light and as farre from this sanctimonie as heauen is from earth Such Saints then as you speake of are not the matter of the visible Church For then the aforesaid persons were not of the visible Church seeing they were not such matter which I trust you will not affirme And if such vvicked and abominable men as these openly and apparantly wicked were matter of the visible Church and vvere Saints to wit by calling or by profession which kinde of Saint-ship sufficeth to make men members of the visible Church how do you truely affirme That all Saints are men seperated from all knowne sinne doing all the knowne will of God growing in grace and continuing to the end and that such are the onely matter of the visible Church And with what truth doe you teach that all the members of the visible Church haue been are and of necessitie must be outwardly holy hauing an externall righteousnesse for which cause they bee called Saints so as if men bee not thus qualified they are not true matter neither of nor in the Church But proceede wee now from the Church of the Iewes vnder the Law to the Churches of the Gentiles vnder the Gospel and specially to the primatiue and purest Churches that haue been which you thinke are so cleere for you and against vs as nothing can bee more cleere and euident In the Church of Corinth there were many very corrupt men some in iudgement others in manners and conuersation or in both To omit diuers of their errours some held a 1. Cor. 6.12.13 fornication to be lawfull or a thing indifferent as to eate or to drinke others that which was farre worse and more dangerous that b 1. Cor. 12.20 there was no resurrection which caused the Apostle by many reasons to proue it In the same Church there was great c 2. Cor. 12.20 1. Cor. 1.11 3.3 strife enuying wrath contentions back bitings whisperings swellings discord and as about other things so namely their Ministers some depending of one some of other some despising all did call themselues the Disciples of Christ and would heare none In it there were diuers whom Paul not onely calleth d 1. Cor. 3.3 carnall but by some vvorkes of the flesh vvherevnto they were giuen proueth to be carnall and to walke as men that is to liue as those who be more naturall men not hauing the spirit In the same Church there were not onely that e 1. Cor. 6.1.6.8 went to Law together a brother I say with a brother and that vnder vniust and infidell Iudges but that did wrong and harme euen to their brethren In it there were which liued f 2. Cor. 12.21 in vncleannes and fornication wantonnes yea there could not but be many sornicators considering they held fornication to be no sinne from whence it is that Paul vseth g 1. Cor. 6.13 sundry forcible reasons to dehort them from this sin and those words chap. 5.9 I wrote vnto you in an Epistle that yee should not company together with fornicators and least they should mistake him he telleth theÌ„ that he meaneth not this of them that were without the church the Infidels but of the fornicators that were in the church that professed the Chris Relig Nay ther was h 1. Cor. 5.1 such fornication among theÌ„ as was not once named or heard of among the Gentiles that one should haue his fathers wise And that which is more the delinquent for so haynous a sin was not at all censured yea they were not so much as sorry at so great a scandall in the Church but this notwithstanding whatsoeuer things besides were amisse in their Church they were puffed vp and reioyed as though all were well and nothing amisse There were in this Church that went to the Lords table i 1. Cor. 11.17.18.21.29.30 not to their profit but to their hurt eating and drinking vnworthily not discerning the Lords body and so did eate and drinke their owne iudgement by reason of the discentions among them they would not tarie one for another and some being drunke went to the Lords Supper In it there were also that called k 1. Cor. 9.1.2.3 the Apostle his office into question despised and disgraced both him and his preaching saying That howsoeuer l 2. Cor. 10.1.10 11.6 he being absent was very bold in his letters yet when hee was present and among them he was base his bodily presence weake and his speech of no value nay ruder in speaking And thus they preferred their vaine-glorious and eloquent teachers and their Ministers who m 2. Cor. 2.1.4 came vnto them with axcellency of words and in the intising speech of mans wisedome more like orators then Preachers of the Gospell aboue the holy Apostle and his heauenly ministerie Moreouer in this Church there were that accused S. Paul of pillage and to be a craftie and subtile man that howsoeuer he did not openly take wages and charge them yet sor as much n 2. Cor. 12.16.17 he was craftie he tooke some secretly and by guilc Did I pil you saith the Apo by any of them whom I sent vnto you as I am accused to haue done Thus there were in the Church of Corinth who did not onely deny S. Paul to bee an Apostle debase his preaching but that did besides touching his â—fe and conuersation slaunder him and take away his good name as much as in them lay In the churches of Galatia there were diuers false Apostles who taught the rightâ—ousnesse of workes that man is â—ot iustified
the Epistles of Paul Peter and Iames there is nothing meant of the inuisible Church Because the saide Epistles were written as you say to the visible Church Also that nothing in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus are spoken either of the inuisible or visible church But of Ministers The foundation whereof is that to whomsoeuer an Apostle writ an Epistle of them all in that Epistle is spoken and to be vnderstood Secondly I deny your assumption and affirme that Peter writ to the Church whereby I meane the same which we call the inuisible Church and euen so did the rest of the Apostles those Epistles excepted which were written to some speciall person For the ministery is giuen to the Church or Saints and Body of Christ Ephes 4.11.12 Which Body the inuisible Church is and not the visible And heere I reason thus as I haue once before To what Church or societie the ministery and Ministers were giuen of Christ to the same the Canonicall Epistles were written But to the Church militant the ministery and Ministers were giuen therfore to it the Epistles were written The proposition is manifest the assumption Ephes 4.11.12 doeth clearely prooue We may remember also heere how Peter in his first Epistle writeth expressely and by name to the Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father vnto sanctification of the Spirit and in the second thus Peter to you which haue obtained like precious Faith with vs which Faith onely the elect haue and therfore is the same in effect with the former Peter to the Elect c. In answering our aforesaide and last obiection Iustif 107. M. Robinson addeth this If you would graunt that onely they are true members of the Church which by the word of God which must be the rule of our iudgement may be iudged Saints it would end this controuersie But all that professe Religion may by the word of God bee iudged Saints as before I haue shewed Otherwise Saul Doeg Ioab Absalom the Scribes and Pharisees Iudas Demas with infinite such were not true members of the visible Church which with any truth you cannot affirme See that you be now M. Robinson as good as your word let this controuersie concerning the matter of the visible church bee ended And thus much concerning the matter of the vis Church Let vs now heare what is the forme thereof The forme say we is the profession of true religion The Separists teach otherwise some that this is the forme some that M. Ainsworth writeth thus Counterp 107. Ibid. 174. To the constitution of a Church there belongs first a people as the matter whereof and 2. a calling gathering and vniting together as the forme whereof the Church consisteth We must remember here that a little after these words he teacheth that Saints by calling are the matter of the visible Church If this be true then calling is comprised vnder the matter and therefore not vnder the forme so that gathering and vniting together must make the forme or else we haue here none That gathering now and vniting together are not the forme I doe thus prooue If a people be the matter and gathering and vniting together the forme of the true visible Church then euery people gathered and vnited together is a true visible Church But the latter is false Therefore the first The proposition is grounded vpon this certaine and vndoubted trueth that where matter forme of a true vis church is there is a true church The assumption to wit that euery people gathered and vnited together is not a true vis Church is likewise true otherwise the congregations of Papists Anabaptists c. bee true Churches for they consist of people gathered and vnited together But leauing this man let vs heare what M. Smith sayeth Principles and Inferences 11. The true forme saith he of a true visible Church is partly inward partly outward The inward part of the forme consisteth in three things 1. the Spirit 2. Faith 3. Loue. The Spirit is the soule animating the whole body Faith vniteth the members of the body to the head Christ Iesus Loue vniteth the members of the body each to other The outward part thereof is a vowe promise oath or couenant betwixt God and the Saints Euery peece and parcell hereof he seemeth to himselfe and to his Disciples to proue substantially he alleadgeth no lesse then twelue testimonies of Scripture for the proofe of one point Reply The forme saith he is partly inward and partly outward Then the matter of the visible Church must bee so too except he will haue a forme without matter which I know you will not say Tell vs therefore what is the inward matter of the visible Church and what is the outward for assuredly wee know not But let this goe The inward forme is the Spirit Faith Loue. One would thinke that this was rather the forme of the Church militant considering these three Spirit Faith Loue are onely to be found in the elect and cannot fall into any reprobate whereof the visible Church consisteth for a great part And first as touching the Spirit it is proper to the chosen as is manifest by Romans 8.14.17 Gal. 4.6 Tit. 1.1 And for this cause Faith is called the Faith of Gods elect because I say it is proper to the elect of God which is further confirmed by that in the Acts Acts 13.48 1. Ioh. 3.14 as many as was ordained to eternall life beleeued And concerning Loue Iohn telleth vs that thereby wee may know and bee assured that wee are translated from death to life The spirit saith hee is the soule animating the whole body By whole body he vnderstands the whole visible Church and his meaning is that as the body of man and all the members and parts thereof are animated that is are quickened and receiue naturall or corporall life from the soule so the whole visible Church and all the members thereof haue spirituall life from the Spirit of God From whence this necessarily followeth that euery one of the visible Church hath the Spirit of God Rom. 8.10.11 quickening him to righteousnesse and holinesse of life here and to immortalitie and eternall life in the world to come For both these effects the spirit worketh in whomsoeuer it is and is there fore-called the spirit of life The which if it bee true Rom. 8.2 I meane that euery member of the visible Church hath the Spirit of God as all of you doe in effect teach and namely as oft as you doe tell vs that a true visible Church is the bodie of Christ then in the visible Church there are none dead in trespasses and sinnes no dead but all liuing stones forasmuch as the whole body and consequently euery member thereof is animated and quickned by the Spirit from whence floweth spirituall life and motion Then in the visible church there be no hypocrites nor carnall or naturall men no wicked person neither openly
to smell with c. Euen so a visible Church as it were or like a body hath many officers euery office hauing his distinct office Will you hereupon collect that the visible Church is the body of Christ the misticall body I say of Christ By the same reason we may conclude that whatsoeuer in Scripture is compared to a body the same is the body of Christ Such collection is very absurde And thus much concerning the titles which these men ascribe to the vis church and that which is farre worse with respect had to the whole church as appeareth by their writings whereas by the holy Ghost they are meant and giuen to the inuisible church or if to the visible it is in respect of the Elect which are therein who onely are the body of Christ his Sister his Loue his Spouse c. CHAP. VI. The Churches of the Brownists are by their owne doctrine false Churches and therefore men ought to seperate and come out from among them YOu measuring our Parish assemblies by this crooked line of yours I meane your false doctrine of the visible church it is no maruel though they be not right and straight in your eyes Nay marke what we say vnto you Prooue your description of the visible church by the word of God prooue that to be the matter and forme and those to be the a With respect had to the whole churâ—h titles of the visible church which you say confidently are and wee will acknowledge all our Parishionall assemblies to bee false churches and as you say holdes of soule spirits and cages of euery vncleane and hatefull bird Defence of the churches and Ministers of England 6. and whatsoeuer else you charge vpon vs and accuse vs to be But if this you cannot doe as is euident by the premises you are greatly in fault for obtruding that doctrine of the people of God as true which is false to the great disturbance of the peace of the church and disquieting of many a poore soule Certainly if the description that you giue of a true visible church were true and that you of the seperation were such a church hee was a foole and worse then a foole euen a madman and out of his wits who would not seperate from vs and be of your societie Whether your doctrine of the visible church be true or false it is easie to discerne by the premises Let vs now consider whethet your congregations be by your owne doctrine true visible churches yea or no that so we may the better see whether we be in our wits or out of them in not ioyning with you To this end let vs apply your doctrine of the visi church vnto you and measure your church by the same line you meate ours Euery true visible church is a company of faithfull and holy people called and seperated from the world by the word of God worshipping Christ aright gouerned by his lawes knit together by the bond of peace and loue vnfained But your churches are not such companies Therefore they are not true but false churches The proposition standeth vnmoueable being grounded vpon the foundation your selues haue laide and as you thinke vpon a rocke If you deny the assumption and auouch that each Church of yours is such a company as is by you described I reply then there are no Hypocrites nor reprobates in your Church but all Elect for the Elect onely worship Christ aright that is in spirit and trueth as your selues doe interprete it are gouerned by his Lawes knit together by the bond of peace and loue vnfained and therefore your congregations are not true visi Churches Because in the true visible Church there be tares and chafle as well as wheate that is reprobates as well as Elect. Thus we see it is an easie thing to beate you with that rod which you haue prepared for our shoulders wherewith you haue a great while lashed vs according to your strength And thus much touching the description of the visible Church the matter and forme and titles thereof according to the doctrine of the Brownists and the confutation thereof CHAP. VII The controuersie betweene vs and the Brownists concerning religious communion is here debated where is shewed First that we may lawfully ioyne in diuine worship with them which are not members of the Church Secondly with the open wicked and that thereby neither the faithfull nor the holy things of God are polluted AMong sundry other errours of the Separists concerning the vis Church which for breuitie Iomit this is one Princip Infer 9. That no religious communion is to be had but with members of a visible Church This is manâ—festly conuinced by the practise of the Apostles in the first gathering or planting of churches Paul and Barnabas and generally the Apostles preached the Word vnto the Gentiles who then were Infidels here were religious communions When sundry men ioyne together in any religious exercise or part of Gods worship as the Apostles and these their hearers did that is a religious communion Againe these were not ciuill communions these societies were not met together to bee occupied about any worldly affaires or matters appertaining to this life therefore they were religious communions In these religious communions and in the worship of God the holy Apostles did ioyne with those that were not members of a visible Church not within but without the Church and yet did not sinne therein Therefore a religious communion may lawfully be had with those which are no members of the church By this practise and example of the Apostles who did nothing herein but that which Iesus commanded them and therefore did not sin we learne a Principle or Inference cleane contrarie to yours namely that lawfully and without sinne we may ioyne in the worship of God with those that are without and not in or of the church How else except we would doe euill that good might come thereof shouâ—d these that are without be added to the Church and such be conuerted tâ— God seeing the preaching and hearing of the word are the meanes which God hath appointed for the coâ—uersion of men and that these are parts of Gods worship Hereby we see their must bee a religious communion or ioyning together in the worship of God before those which are no members become members of the church Now this communion say you cannot be without sinne Now therefore say I can be added to the Church without the sinne of him by whose ministerie they are added besides the sinne of others in the church ioyning with him therein 1. Cor. 14.25 If all prophecie quoth the Apostle and there come in one that beleeueth not or one vnlearned he is rebuked of all men and iudged of all men And so are the secrets of his heart made manifest and so hee will fall downe on his face and worship God and say plainely that God is in you indeede Here vvas a religious communion here
then it is taken for all that company which in a Citie Towne or Villages cohabiting professe the Christian or true Religion and doe ordinarily meet and ioyne together in the exercises of Religion This particular Church we call a Parish and being met together to ioyn in prayer in hearing of the Word and receiuing the Sacraments A Parish assembly which is a company of Christians dwelling in such a circuite as we call a Parish assembled in one place for religious exercise And in this sence is this word Church often taken in the new Testament and namely in these places following Rom. 16.1 1. Cor. 1.17 14.23 I commend vnto you Phebae our sister which is a seruant of the Church of Cenchrea As I teach euery where in euery Church As if a Minister of the Gospell should now say thus This is my opinion and so I teach euery where in euery Parish wheresoeuer I come If therefore when the whole Church is come together in one and all speake strange tongues there come in they that are vnlearned t is as if one should speak now when the whole Parish is come together Act. 14.23 and 27. And when they had ordained them Elders by election in euery Church that is as we say in euery Parish and prayed and fasted they commended them to the Lord. Behold then many Churches and one Church many particulars but one vniuersall Thus we see that the word Church in holy Writte is often taken for a company of men professing Christian Religion whether that company be great or small that is all one Sometimes in the Scripture the whole company of men that professed Christian Religion throughout the world that is the vniuersall Congregation of Christians is called a Church Of that company of Christians that ordinarily ioyned together in the exercises of Religion and sometimes the Christians that were of the same family And from hence by very good reason wee may well call all that professe Christian or true Religion in a Nation or all the Christians in a Nation the Church of that Nation whatsoeuer it be Let no man therefore hold that it is vnlawfull to say The Church of England the Church of Scotland c. as some of late haue done And thus much concerning the Church what it signifieth and what it is It remaineth that we be further instructed touching the visible Church that so we may the better know it and be able to discerne betweene a true visible Church and a false betwixt the Church of God and the Sinagogue of Satan That so to our further comfort or discomfort we may know to which of these we doe belong CHAP. IV. The visible Church is a mixt company compounded of Christians true and false the greatest part being the worst TO this purpose wee haue a very good place in the 11. of the Acts vers 26. And it came to passe that at Antiochia Barnabas and Saul were a whole yeer conuersant with the Church and taught much people in so much that the Disciples were first called Christians in Antiochia Where we may obserue that this word Church is explained by three diuers words People Disciples Christians By all which foure words the holy Ghost meaneth one and the same society For where it is said they taught much people it is all one as if it had beene said they taught the Church And in so much that the disciples in so much that the Church or they of the Church were first called Christians In that the Church is called a people we learne that one Disciple or Christian is not neyther can be called a Church But to that end there must be a company more or lesse as I haue noted in the beginning out of the signification of the word Secondly in that by the word Disciples is meant the Church and that by these two different words is meant one and the same company we learne that the Church visible is a people much or small hearing and learning those things which are taught them from God or seeming so to doe In a word that it is a company of Disciples whereof some few only are * Which bee they who yeelds obedience to the word of God Maâ—th 20.16 Proficients and doe learne aright the heauenly instructions the other being now Proficients or trewants yet comming to this Schoole of Christ doe only occupie a roome there according to that saying of Christ Many are called but few are chosen Last y in that the Church or they of the Church are called Christians and that by these two seuerall words the holy Ghost meaneth one and the same society we are taught that the visible Church is nothing else but a company of Christians which hath beene further confirmed by the former testimonies of holy Scripture and might be by more if need did so require Christians now are all they to be accounted who professe the Christian or true Religion A company of which make a Church as wee heare and these bee of two sorts Christians indeed and Christians in name onely Christians indeed be such who professing true Religion be withall religious indeed leading a religious holy life Or Christians indeed Iames 1.27 be they which partake with Christ in that holy anointing wherof the Apostle entreating of Christ speaketh in the first of the Hebrewes Verse 9. God euen thy God hath annointed thee with the oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes 2. Cor. 1.21 And to the Corinthians It is God which hath anointed vs who hath also sealed vs and hath giuen the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts Such were those 5. Iohn speaketh of in his first Epistle Chap. 2.20.27 But yee haue an oyntment from that holy one And a little after But that anointing which ye receiued of him dwelleth in you and yee need not that any man teach you but as the same annoynting teacheth you of all things and it is true and not lying As if hee had said what it teacheth is true and no falshood or error in it which must needs be because it is the Spirit of truth and therefore breatheth and inspireth nothing into any but truth The Spirit of God and of Christ that leadeth all them which haue it into all truth needfull to be knowne to saluation dwelleth in all these Christians so as hee that wanteth this spirit is no true Christian Rom. 8.9 According to that of PAVL If any man haue not the Spirit of Christ the same is not his From whence also it followes on the other side that he who hath Christ his Spirit and he only is Christs that is a member of Christ or true Christian As he only was a Iew which was one within Rom. 2.29 circumcised in the heart and in the spirit not only in the letter or circumcision done by the hand so hee onely is a Christian which is one within baptised with the holy Ghost and not alone with water 2.
God in vaine Matth. 15.9 not one of them worshipped God aright in spirit and truth neyther did they liue after the lawes of God and Christ but after the lawes and customes and fashion of this world whereof they were When men spake to them of peace they were bent to warre and in stead of loue vnfained they did beare a perfect hatred to the Saints These men then were not such as be heere described yea none of them had any one of these properties which you necessarily require in euery member of the visible Church much lesse all of them And therefore by this description none of them were of the visible Church and yet by the Scripture it is plaine that they were all of the visible Church Thus we see your description accordeth not with the holy Scriptures neither hath warrant from thence but by them is easily conuinced notwithstanding you alledge for confirmation thereof sixe and thirty testimonies of holy Scripture But a thousand more so peruerted will not make good your description nor any other of your errors And because I know you will hardly leaue this hold and for that if this be battered downe and made euen with the ground you must needs betake your selues some other way I will therefore againe assault you by the force of another Argument If the visible Church be a company of faithfull and holy people that worship Christ aright are peaceably and quietly gouerned by his officers and lawes keepe the vnitie of faith in the bond of peace and loue vnfained Then none haue been at any time of the visible Church but such as haue beene faithfull and holy did worship Christ aright c as followeth in your description But some haue beene of the visible Church who were not such as be heere described as Cain Ismael Esau Saul Doeg Ioab Absalom the Scribes and Pharisies with infinite others Therefore the visible Church is not a company of faithfull people worshipping Christ aright c. The Consequence of the Proposition I doe illustrate and confirme by the like If the visible Church be a company of people professing the true Religion then none haue beene of the visible Church but such as haue professed the true Religion If the inuisible Church be the company of the elect then none haue beene or are of the inuisible Church but such as were and are elect and their names written in the booke of life The assumption your selues will grant Againe I reason with you on this manner If this be a true description then no reprobates euer haue bin are or shall be of the visible Church but only the elect for none haue beene are or can bee such as are heere described but the elect But many reprobates haue beene are and shall be of the visible Church Therefore this description of the visible Church is false The Proposition must needs be true except Christ Iesus be the King Priest and Prophet of Reprobates and that Reprobates worship Christ aright in Spirit and truth be gouerned by his lawes as their only King keepe the vnitie of faith in the bond of peace and doe vnfainedly loue the brethren Matth. 22.14 The Assumption will not be denied and it is manifest by that short speech of Iesus Many are called but few chosen This description being heretofore found fault with by some and Master Ainsworth iustifying the same it shall not be amisse to heare what hee saith in answere to them and in defence thereof Câ—unterpoys 208. They cauill at our description of a Church when we say that it is a company of faithfull people that truely worship Christ and readily obey him this say these Ministers is vtterly vntrue if it be vnderstood of the visible Church This is strange What would they haue vs describe the Church to be A company of Infidels or a company of faithfull and of infidels together when Paul teacheth that there is no communion betweene such 2. Cor. 6.14 15. or should wee say a people that falsely worshippe Christ Indeed if so we held we might well returne to their Church of England for there is false worship more then enough The Apostle writing to the visible Church of Ephesas calleth them Saints and the faithfull in Christ Iesus Will they say that this also was vtterly vntrue Their owne articles of Religion in England * Aâ—no 1562. Aâ—t 19. say thus The visible Church of Christ is a Congregation of faithfull people c. And is this also vntrue I answere you hauing respect to your owne words A visible Church is a coÌ„pany professing true faith or a company professing the true worship of God some whereof haue faith in Christ I meane true and iustifying faith and worshâ—p God indeed euen in spirit and truth the rest being the greatest part are hypocriticall worshippers void of true faith hauing only eyther the temporall or historicall faith or no faith at all but very Atheists Yet professe they the true worship of God and faith in Christ Iesus and in this respect may be called faithfull in Christ Iesus and Saints because whatsoeuer they be their profession is holy and he holy in whom they would seeme to belieue and whom they seeme to worship truly And in this sence our Church saith A visible Church is a Congregation of faithfull people that is of such as professe faith in Christ Iesus Of this sort of Infidels and counterfeit Professors were Cain and for a time Ismael Esau also Saul Absalom Iudas Simon Magus with infinite more Vnderstanding Infidels thus as they may well be called Infidels or vnbeleeuers who haue not true faith Then I say the Church is a company of saithfull and of Infidels 2. Cor. 6.14 But if by Infidels you meane the same the Scripture vsually vnderstandeth by this word such as worship a false god and doe not so much as professe the worship of the only true God or faith in him then it is true that a visible Church is not a company of faithfull and Infidels together And the hauing communion with such Infidels as these in their false worship is that which the Apostle condemneth He doth not forbid to partake in diuine worship with such Infidels as formerly I haue spokeÌ„ of wicked vngodly men void of true faith as euery where very fondly you tel vs nor yet to communicate with these Infidels he speaketh of in true diuine worship but this he condemneth and argueth against That the children of God may not haue communion with Infidels and Heathens in their false and Idolatrous worship as some of the Saints at Corinth as it might seeme did repairing to the Idols Temples and ioyning therewith their neighbours that were Idolaters in their idolatrous worship This they thought they might lawfully doe so long as in their hearts and inward affections they condemned it and kept them pure as may be gathered from 2. Cor. 7.1 And this is it that Paul reproueth and nothing lesse then
coÌ„munion wee should finne greatly in putting them backe no lesse then the Corinthians should if they had put backe the vnbeleeuer pressing to come to their congregation By the premises it is euident Communion of Saints 6. Ibid. 6. that M. Ainsworth swarneth from the truth vvhen he saith The Saints must not hold communion in the true worship of God with any but in the light and in the faith meaning but vvith the children of the light and the faithfull And againe The children of God of the light and day are commanded to seperate from the children of men of this world of the diuell and of curse and to entertaine and continue a holy communion among themselues Marke how he condemneth all communion vvith hypocrites for hypocrites are the children of men of this vvorld of the diuel and of curse But with none such may we haue any religious communion Ergo vvith no hypocrites And â—f wee may not communicate in the vvorship of God neither vvith opâ—n and knowne wicked vvhich euery vvhere all of you vvith open mouth cry out vpon as an execrable thing nor vvith close secret wicked ones hypocrites I meane as here you teach then must wee communicate vvith the elect onely and by consequent vvith none at all because wee know not vvho bee elect The Lord onely knoweth who are his Againe wee must entertaine say you and continue a holy communion with the children of God of the light and day the heires of blessing and seperate from all others But all the children of God of the light c. are elect Therefore vvee must haue religious communion onely with the elect The Proposition is your owne The Assumption I am sure you will not deny But I know your euasion That by children of God of the light and day you meane not such onely as are the children of God indeede and the children of the light indeede and truth for all such you confesse are elect but all the members of the visible Church all which wee are to account the children of God and of the light yea the elect of God And so M. Smith teacheth in his Principles and Inferences All of the vis Church are to be accounted faithfull and elect Page 7. till they by obstinacie in sin and Apostacie declare the contrarie I answere you Christ in the parable of the seede and also by that speech of his Mat. 13.3 22.14 many are called but few chosen teacheth vs that few of the vis Church are elect all the rest being Reprobates Shall I now contrary to the truth hold and account all the members of the vis Church elect I haue shewed heretofore that in the visible Church there haue been are and wiâ—l be to the end of the world most notorious wicked and abominable men How can one seeing such men committing sinne with greedinesse and running headlong in the way to death account the same men at the same time elect and to bee of those few which are ordained to life Nay but will they say We doe not deny such to be elect as are obstinate sinners wee onely hold that all the members of the vis Church are to be accounted elect vntill they by obstinacie in sinne and apostacie declare the contrarie But happily some will say If we doe not account all of the vis Church Elect children of God and of the light this is against charitie which thinketh not euill of any but beleeueth all things 1. Cor. 13.5.6.7 and hopeth all things I answere that it is saide likewise of charitie It reioyceth not in iniquitie but reioyceth in the trueth But to deeme all of the visible church elect and therein as it were to ioy when the Scripture telleth vs cleane otherwise that all of the vis church a fewe excepted are reprobates this is not to reioyce in the trueth nor to iudge according to the trueth And therfore such iudgement is not agreeing with charitie To account and so to call them the children of God whose workes declare the contrary and the children of light that giue themselues to the workes of darkenesse is iniquitie and no lesse then to iustifie the wicked which is an abhomination to the Lord Pro. 17.15 Isa 5.20 to think and speake good of euill to put light for darkenesse and sweete for sower Against whom the Prophet pronounceth a fearefull woe The Scripture teacheth that this is rather hatred then loue We must know therefore that as charitie is not suspitious Pro. 13.24 but beleeueth and hopeth the best so she is not a foole but iuditious iudging of persons and things wisely and as neare as shee can according to the trueth But tell mee M. Ainsworth you I say who will haue all of the visible Church to be accounted the children of God Tell mee I say whether if you should see such members of the vis church as those mentioned Ioh. 8.44 of whom Iesus saith ye are of your father the Diuell and the lustes of your father yee will doe you would account such the children of God or no. If you answere affirmatiuely the speech of Christ to their predecessors doeth euidently conuince you If negatiuely that such are not to bee accounted the children of God you contradict your selfe and therein acknowledge that in the visible church there are some children of the diuell and that thâ—refore we may haue religious communion with the children of the diuell seeing by your owne doctrine wee may haue communion with all the members of the visible Church But leauing these let vs proceede to some other If in the true vis Church you should see such as the Scribes and Pharisees their right svccessors would you account and call them the children of God of the light c. Notwithstanding their palpable hypocrisie and other their abhominations their blasphemies and daily persecuting of Christ in his members these you must account and call the chilldren of God if your doctrine be true For I trust you will neither deny that the Scribes and Pharisees were members of the true visi church nor that there may bee such in the true Church as well now as in former time And here I must giue you to vnderstand that M. Ainsworth in the margent right against the aforesaid lines hath produced a full Iurie of witnesses and some to spare to prooue as at the first blush it might seeme to some That the children of God of the light and day may not entertaine an holy communion with the children of the Diuell The simple Reader is ouerwhelmed with such a clowde of witnesses And thereupon doubts not of the matter whereas the witnesses when they come to speake eleuen of them say not a word to the point but onely prooue this that of men some are named the children of god of the light and day c. Others the children of men of this world of the diuell and of curse as is plaine both by your own words
part is corrupted as in some matter of circumstance or ceremonie and when it is corrupted in the whole substance and body thereof which no man sure in his wits will affirme These men in alleadging this Scripture for the iustiâ—ying of their Separation doe compare and equall first our publike worship of God with the Idolaters of Corinthus their publike worship Secondly those Idolaters with vs. And except there bee a likelihood and equalitie betweene these worships and worshippers this place of holy Scripture they peruert and abuse because otherwise it proueth not their Separation to bee lawfull Let vs therefore see the sweet harmony that is betweene these things and persons Wee in our Churches or Church-assemblies vvorship the true and liuing God and touching the substance according to his word Wee in our Temples haue the Word of God read and as soundly interpreted and â—ightly applyed as either is or euer hath beene in Christendome since the Apostles dayes with great power fruit and efficacie in the hearts of the hearers so as sinners are thereby conuerted from going astray themselues being iudges Wee in our publike assemblies call vpon the liuing God and that onely in the name of Iesus Christ and doe receiue onely the Sacraments which the Lord Iesus hath instituted But the Corinthians in their Temples fell downe before their Idols which vvere representations of their feined gods prayed before them and to a false God and together with their Idols worshipped the Diuell as wee haue heard And as for these Corinthians they were all Heathens and Infidels voide of all knowledge and profession of the true Religion whereas wee all professe the true religion and many of vs through the grace of God walke according to our hoâ—y profession Considering then the great difference and inequalitie betweene vs and them our worship theirs it may very well be nay is lawfull to communicate with vs in diuine worship and yet vtterly vnlawfull to partake with such grosse Idolaters as these Corinthians in their worship And what an absurd kinde of reâ—soning is this We may not ioyne with Heathens and Infidels in their idol-worship and seruice indeede of the Diuell Therefore not with Christians in the worship of the true God corrupted This testimonie of the Apostle proueth only this Antecedent or first part of this reason and the conclusion here is that which in the general you inferre of this Scripture Looke well I beseech you in the feare of God of this consâ—quence and consider of the lightnesse and vanity thereof To alleadge this Scripture or any such like for the proofe of the aforesaid conclusion and the iustifying of your seperation is a very childish part and to no purpose and yet there is not any thing more vsuall with you If you will write and speake as beseemeth but men and to the point in hand shew vs where the Apostle moueth the Christians in Corinthus or elsewhere which were more holy and sincere then the rest to seperate from the other Christians because of some corruptions in the externall worship of God And this may aboundantdantly suffice for answere to this your second testimony of holy Scripture Wherein I haue been the larger because the wise and considerate Reader may from thence receiue an answere to the third place of Scripture here alleadged by you taken forth of the 18. Chapter of the Reuelation where thus S. Iohn speaketh Verse 2.4 And I saw another Angell come downe from heauen and he cryed out mightily with a lowd voice saying it is fallen it is fallen Babylon that great Citie and is become the habitation of Diuels and the hold of all foule spirits and a cage of euery vncleane and hatefull bird 4. And I heard another voice from heauen say Goe out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sinnes and that ye receiue not of her plagues Both these Scriptures teach and perswade though by diuers reasons one the same thing that is That wee must separate and goe out from idolaters and not communicate with them in their idolatrous or idol-worship and therfore one and the same answere may serue them both They differ onely in this that the one speaketh of heathen the other of Antichristian Idolatry and idolaters condemning all communion with them in externall worship And heare that which before we haue heard wee must againe remember and not forget That it is one thing when the worship of God is corrupted in the substance and whole body thereof as it is in the better of these worships and another thing when it is corrupted in part as vvith humane ceremonies or ordinances of lesser moment With the former of these kindes of worship we may haue no communion which these two places of holy Scripture doe directly proue but nothing else With the latter kinde of which our worship is vve may lawfully communicate Thus vve see how the principall testimonies vvhich out of the sacred Scriptures the Separatists produce to vvarrant their separation are falsely applyed miserably vvrested and peruerted by them The scope vvith the true sence applyed to a lâ—ke case is a true allegation of Scripture else it is but a wretched abuse thereof as one saith very well Nay you haue so accustomed your selues to sinne in your allegations and quotations of Scripture that oftentimes when you haue the truth in hand and goe about to confirme that by Scripture you are then also faulty herein vvhereof I vvill giue you and the Reader a taste Princip and Infer 12. The meanes say you of saluation are the Word Sacraments Prayers Censures and the ordinances of Christ for the dispensing of them all Rom. 3.2 4.11 Luk. 19.46 Mat. 18.15.17 Act 2.42 1. Cor. 11.23.26 Mat. 28.19 Psal 149 6.9 Who considering these manifold testimonies can otherwise thinke but that this proposition in euery part therof is soundly proued I deny not but acknowledge this to be an vndoubted truth but onely take excâ—ption against your manner of prouing it You are to proue here and pretend to proue first that the word is a meanes of saluation To this end you send vs to Rom. 3.2 Vnto the Iewes were committed the Oracles of God Is not heere a goodly proofe of the aforesaid Proposition Tell me I pray you whether any place in Scripture wherein mention is made of the word of God be not as good a proofe as this produced by you Had you quoted Ioh. 5.39 Search the Scriptures for in them ye thinke to haue eternall life Or 1. Pet. 1.23 Where the word of God is calâ—ed immortall seede Or 1. Cor. 1.28 21. It pleaseth God by the foolishnesse of preaching to saue those that beleeue Or any such as thesâ— whereof there be store in the booke of God then had your allegation bâ—en pertinent where now they be friuolous And what meane you to omit these vvitnesses which would speak materially and to purpose and instead of them bring forth such as doe not