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B08102 A godlie treatise of the Church. Written by Robert Some.. Some, Robert, 1542-1609. 1582-1583? (1583) STC 22910; ESTC S95257 42,376 122

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Christ Cont. Cresc Gram. lib. 2. cap. 21. and the member of the Diuel God forbid that these monsters Augustine speakes of wicked men shoulde be accounted eyther amongst the members of the only doue that is Gods church or enter into the inclosed garden I confesse that the reprobates are may be many times in the Church that is in the assemblies of Gods seruants but of the Church they neither are nor can be truly accounted 16 Succession of Bishops is not an infallible argument of Gods Church IF personall succession not hauing the succession of doctrine ioyned to it as the foūdatiō therof were an infallible marke of the true Church then must we confesse that Gods grace and spirite are tyed to seates and countries which is a grosse absurditie 2. Thes 2. Ordinary and visible succession in the Church may be interrupted For Paul did foretell that there shoulde be a departing from the faith Apostasie and succession can no more stand together thē the Arke and Dagon then Christ and Antichrist Besides the ordinary succession of priests was interrupted in the Israelites church and yet God had his Churche there 1. King 19. I meane them whiche retayning Gods trueth did not bowe their knees vnto Baal When Christ came into the worlde to be our mediatour was Gods Churche to be measured by the visible succession of Bishops Hereticall Bishops might vaunt of succession in very famous Churches Paulus Samosatenus which was a mōstrous Heretike succeeded Godly Bishops in the Church of Antioch diuers Arians succeeded Athenasius in the Church of Alexandria The succession of Bishops both was is continued in the Greeke Church and yet the popish sort wil not allow the churches of Grecia to be Christes Churches because they dissent from the Church of Rome The auncient writers Tertullian Tertul. de praescrip Ireneus when they would confute Marcion and Vallentinus proued that not those Heretikes Iren. li. 3. ca. 2. but themselues had the succession of Gods truth amongest them Whē these godly fathers had made that cleare they set downe the succession and row of Bishops as badges of their victory so that the succession of faith and religion may be truely accounted as the life and soule and the succession of Bishops as the body If personall succession be without the successiō of Gods truth it wants life is a dead and vnprofitable carcase I confesse that the succession of Bishops as a goodly and beautiful building is of great force to allure thē which are alients from the Church to looke into to behold the inward beauty of the church but if the precious iewel of Gods word be wanting the personal succession is like a costly tombe which is beautifull without but is full of dead mens bones within Lib. 4. cap. 43. 45. Ireneus ioyneth together the succession of persons and doctrine If the Papists which haue not succession of Gods truth bragge of successiō of Bishops we may say to their Bishoppes as Tertullian said to Marcion the Heritike Tertul. lib. 1. cont Mar. who are ye when and from whence came yee The succession of Bishops without succession of Gods truth is like a paire of popish beades which hang by a long but yet by a sclender threed That is the true and lawfull succession of Bishops when as lawfull Bishops succeeding one another doe exercise the worke of their ministery 17 Antiquitie is no sure argument of Gods Church THe Iewes consenting that the Messias is not yet come is of greater continuance then popery is but continuance of time cannot make that good in religion which was bad at the first Antiquity if it haue not the salt of Gods word to preserue it doth argue rottennesse and giues an euil sent Your iniquities Esay chap. 65. ver 7. the iniquities of your fathers shal be together saith the Lorde which haue burnt incense vpon the mountaines and blasphemed me vpon the hilles therfore wil I measure their olde worke into their bosome If antiquitye woulde haue serued the turne of the Israelites almighty God might haue bin challenged for punishing their aunciēt idolatry and superstition Ye haue heard that it was saide vnto them of old time thou shalt not kill For whosoeuer killeth shall bee culpable of iudgement But I say vnto you whosoeuer is angrye with his brother vnaduisedly shal be culpable of iudgement Mat. 5. ver 21.22 The pharisies cleared him of murder which had not killed a mā with his hand because the Pharisies alleaged antiquity for their errour our Sauiour Christ refutes them by his owne authority But I say vnto you c. ver 22. There were ill buylders in Pauls time 1. Cor. 3. and such abuses crept into the Lords supper in Corinth 1. Cor. 11. that the Apostle was compelled to say this is not to eat the Lords supper They which reason thus suche a religion is olde therefore it is good may be answered that this argumēt is as cleere as midnight the enchantmentes of Simon Magus Acts 8. 19. chap. the image which came down frō Iupiter the religion of Rome are of great antiquity yet Gods religion is more ancient then any of these Tertul. lib. 1. cont Mar. ● for truth is older then heresie When we heare any Papist saye I haue byn brought vp in the religion of Rome therfore I will continue in it and will not be wonn frō it we may answere him that wise men haue their seconde thoughtes Euripides in Hippol. Cyp. ad Iubaian ad Quin fratrem de lapsis and that we may not erre alwaies because somtimes we erred that we are not ouercome but instructed whē better things are offred vnto vs that he is not ioyned to the Church which is separate frō the gospel Some of the Popishe sort haue bin cōtent to say if the Church of Rome woulde allow the religion wee haue in England that they would like of it Tichonius a Donatist said of himselfe his fellow Donatists that Aug. Epist 48. which wee wil is holy Tiberius the Emperour put vp a grace in the Senate house of Rome Euseb lib. 2. cap. 2. that Christ might be a God because the Senate denied that grace it is set downe a little after in that Chapter vnlesse God please man he is not allowed for a God In like sorte if our religion had the Popes hande and seale vnto it the Popish sort would allow it because it hath not his holinesse warrant they refuse it Question How can it be that God shoulde suffer his Church to erre so many yeeres Answerre God suffered not his Church to erre so lōg a time but he suffered wicked mē euē by his iust iudgement which beleeued not the trueth that they might be saued to beleeue lyes and haue pleasure in vnrighteousnesse that they might bee damned 2. Thessal 2. ver 10.11.12 18 Euery vnity is not a sure argument of
¶ A Godlie Treatise of the Church Written by Robert Some The Lord added to the Church from day to day such as should be saued Act. 2. ver 47. You shall finde in the ende of this booke a Treatise against Oppression LONDINI Impensis Geor. Bishop 1582. ¶ To the right Honourable Sir Francis Walsingham knight principal Secretarie to her excellent Maiestie and one of her highnesse priuie Counsell Robert Some wisheth increase of Gods giftes by Iesus Christ IT pleased your Honour to fauour me both at and since my wayting on my Lord and maister the Earle of Leycester in the Courte I doe not forget your goodnes to me and I thanke God very heartily for your Honourable both care of and affection to Gods Churche and religion It is very cleere that many are as friendlye to Gods trueth and Church as the East winde is to the fruites of the earth I neede not remember particulers for there are so greate store and as it were swarmes of such that if almighty GOD did not bridle them as hee did Sanballat the Arrabians and the Ammonites in Nehemias time and rayse vp excellent personages for the rearing vp of his Churche nowe as hee did Ezra Nehemias Zorobabel and Iehoshua after the captiuitie of Babylon Gods Church shoulde goe to wracke and Religion shoulde bee handeled like a ward But Gods Church is aliue thankes bee to GOD howsoeuer wicked men doe make it eyther a faire marke to shoote at or a dead carcase to feede vppon and will outliue and outcountenance all enimies whatsoeuer Almightie God to that ende hath blessed this noble Land in our time with an excellente Prince of our owne nation as he did the Iewes with Zorobabel after the captiuitie and with manye notable personages vnder her Highnesse as hee did the Israelites with Eliachim vnder Ezechias the king of Iuda Amongest whiche excellent personages because your Honours place is greate in respect of the trust whiche is committed to you and that GOD hath moued you to fauour mee I doe present vnto you these my Treatises of the Churche and against Oppression as a sure argument of my duetifull mynde My meaning is not to set downe the seuerall poyntes of this Booke it were a needelesse labour and you haue it in your handes to reade at your good pleasure and leasure Thus with my heartie prayer to Almightye GOD for the increase of his good giftes in your Honour I take my leaue in most humble manner At Queenes colledge in Cambridge the first of Nouember 1582. Your Honours to commaund Robert Some To the Reader IF my Treatise of the Sacramentes founde grace with you as I heare it hath I presume these of the Church and against Oppression shall for they haue more variety in them by reading this booke you shall finde it so I haue not as yet written any thing of the Scripture and Confession but hereafter I will according to my promise by the grace of God to whose merciful protection I commend both you and my selfe Robert Some Jf any either haue or doe spoile the Church or Churchmen of their maintenance I referre them to this which immediatly followes and to the fourth Proposition in my Treatise of the Church and to my whole Treatise against Oppression Mich. 2. Iere. 5 IT is a grosse sin to grind the faces of others and to spoile them of that they haue Gods iudgementes against Oppressiō doe sufficiently proue this But to robbe the church and Churchmen is a fowler sinne and will haue greater vengeaunce from almightie God Is there any calling vnder heauen that pleaseth God more and doth greater seruice in a Christian kingdome then the noble estate of the ministerie Are they not the Lordes Embassadours Malach. 2. Mat. 5. 1. Cor. 4. Ephe. 4. 2. King 2. the salte of the earth the light of the worlde the dispensers of Gods mysteries the buylders of Gods Church and the charriot horsemē as Elizeus said of Elias of a Christian kingdome If they be so that by their sound preaching Luke 10. Sathan falles downe from heauen like lightning the walles of Ierusalem are built vp is it not most equal that they shoulde not bee robbed of the churches maintenāce which belongeth of dutie vnto thē Is is not a certaine truth in the eyes of all men that many in vplandish incorporate townes doe open their purses very willingly boūtifully for mē of their place for the maintenāce of godly preachers doth not almightie God besides the heauenly cōfort he giues thē repay those good mē with increase of earthly cōmodities Doth almighty God like of this Christian dealing do godly men both iustly greatly cōmend it and wil not gracelesse Cormorants be ashamed which in steed of helping the Lords plough forward hāg it vpō the hedge by making foule hauock of the churches maintenāce If these which either haue or doe feed vpō the church as the eagle doth vpō the carrion did see the goodly companie of students in Cambridge and Oxeforde or coulde consider what sharpe wittes and excellēt learning vertues almightie GOD hath geuen to many of them or woulde bee moued with the sight of those holy assēblies wherin Gods trueth is soundly taught and his people singularly comforted would they not condēne their vile course and be heartily sory for their monstrous dealings If this I haue already remēbred will not mollifie and bend their hearts then let them cast their eyes vpon many Churches in this noble lande which eyther want the preaching of the word or if they haue it they haue it strawberie wise that is once a yeere let them I say looke vpon the wofull estate of those places and if they be not hewen out of Okes and haue heartes of flint it will breake them in pieces If answeare be made that a sufficient number of preachers cannot be had to furnish the whole lande I graunt they say somewhat but sure I am that if very fit men in the vniuersities abroade were heartened and employed accordingly many should not be drowned in ignorance and poperie as they are and many treacheries against the religion and Prince would more easilie appeare and the number of skilfull ministers which are very precious iewels in a Christian kingdom would increase accordingly For who are there that haue spent their time profitably at their books are excellētly furnished for the building of Gods Church that would either hyde their talentes in a napkin Mat. 25. or burie them in the earth yea rather that are not with all their heartes desirous to blowe the Lords siluer Trumpets Num. 10. Ezech. 33. to be watchmen ouer Gods citie and feders of his flocke and what hope is there that these worthy men shall be employed when the Churches maintenance is not giuen vnto them accordingly but rather pulled from them most shamefully yea what meane men are there that will to their great charge maintayne their