lewd men from the Church by iust censures You speake confusedly of your owne separation one while of both another while of either single For the first either confesse it done by our Baptisme or else you shall be forced to hold we must rebaptize Charact. of Beast Praef. But of this Constitutiue separation anon For the second of sinners whether in iudgement or life some are more grosse hainous incorrigible others lesse notorious and more tractable those other must be separated by iust censures not these Which censures if they be neglected the Church is foule and in your Pastors word faultie Iohns Inquir and therefore calls for our teares not for our flight Now of Churches faultie and corrupted some raze the foundation others on the true foundation build timber hay stubble From those we must separate from these we may not PETERS rule is eternall Ioh. 6.68 Whither shall wee goe from thee thou hast the words of eternall life where these words are found woe be to vs if we be not found Amongst many good separations then yours cannot be separated from euill for that we should so farre separate from the euill that therefore we should separate from Gods children in the communion of the holy things of God that for some after your worst done not fundamentall corruptions H. Cl. Epistle before Treatise of Sinne against the Holy Ghost we should separate from that Church in whose wombe wee were conceiued and from betwixt whose knees we fell to God in a word as one of yours once said to separate not onely from visible euill but from visible good as all Antichristian who but yours can thinke lesse than absurd and impious Grant we should be cleane separated from the World yet if we be not must you be separated from vs Doe but stay till God haue separated vs from himselfe Neque propter paleam relinquam aream Domini neque propter pisces males rumpimus retia Domini Aug. epist 48 will the wise Husbandman cast away his Corne-heap for the chaffe and dust Shall the Fisher cast away a good draught because his Drag-Net hath Weeds Doth God separate from the faithfull soule because it hath some corruptions her Inmates though not her commanders Certainly if you could thorowly separate the World from you you would neuer thus separate your selues from vs Begin at home separate all selfe-loue and selfe-will and vncharitablenesse from your hearts and you cannot but ioyne with that Church from which you haue separated Your Doctor would perswade vs you separate from nothing but our corruptious Answ Counterpoyson p. 2. you are honester and grant it from our Church it were happy for you if he lied not who in the next page confutes himselfe shewing that you separate from vs as Christ from the Samaritans namely from the Church not the corruptions onely Counterpoyson p. 7. 8. c. and not as he did from the Iewes namely from their corruptions not from their Church His memorie saues our labour and marres his discourse SEP The separation we haue made in respect of our knowledge and obedience is indeed late and new yet is it in the nature and causes thereof as ancient as the Gospell which was first founded in the enmitie which God himselfe put betwixt the seed of the Woman and the seede of the Serpent Genes 3.15 which enmitie hath not onely beene successiuely continued but also visibly manifested by the actuall separation of all true Churches from the World in their collection and constitution before the Law vnder the Law and vnder the Gospell Genes 4.13 14.16 6.1 2. 7.1.7 with 1 Pet. 3.20.12 12.2 Leuit. 20.24.26 Nehem. 9.2 Ioh. 17.14.16 Acts 2.40 19.9 1 Cor. 6.17 SECTION V. YET if not equitie it were well you could plead age The antiquitie and examples of separation This your separation in the nature and causes of it you say is no lesse ancient than the first institution of enmitie betwixt the two seedes you might haue gone a little higher and haue said than our first Parents running from God in the Garden or their separation from God by their sinne But we take your time and easily beleeue that this your late separation was founded vpon that ancient enmitie of the seed of the serpent Euseb Hist Ecc. with the womans That subtle Deuill when he saw the Church breath from the persecutions of Tyrants vexed her no lesse with her owne diuisions seeking that by fraud which by violence he could not effect Hence all the fearefull Schismes of the Church whereof yours is part This enmitie hath not onely beene successiuely continued but also too visibly manifested by the actuall but wilfull separation of Heretikes and Sectaries from the Church in all ages But I mistake you yours is as ancient as the Gospell What Hen. Steph. Apol Herod Fox Act. Monu H. N. his booke Gal. 1.6 Eph. 6.17 Col. 1.5 1 Tim. 1 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Euangelium aeteruum of the Friers whose name they accursedly borrowed from Reuel 14.6 Or that Euangelium Regni of the Familists Or that Euangelium aliud whereof Saint PAVL taxeth his Galatians None of all these you say but as that Gospell of Peace of Truth of Glory so ancient and neuer knowne till Bolton Barrow and Browne Could it escape all the holy Prophets Apostles Doctors of the old middle and later world and light onely vpon these your three Patriarchs Perhaps Nonatus or Donatus those Saints with their Schooles had some little glimpse of it but this perfection of knowledge is but late and new So many rich Mines haue lien long vnknowne and great parts of the World haue beene discouered by late Venturers If this course haue come late to your knowledge and obedience not so to others For loe it was practised successiuely in the constitution and collection of all true Churches through all times before the Law vnder the Law after it We haue acknowledged many separations but as soone shall you finde the time past in the present as your late separation Iren. de Valen. l. 1. Innumerabilem multitudinem Scripturarum quas ipsi finxerunt afferunt ad stuporem insensatorum Vid. Preface to M. Iacobs and Iohnson Confer and Barr. pass Description of the true visible Church Nihil autem miram si ex ipsius instrumento aptentur argumenta cum oporteat hereses esse quae esse non possunt si non perperam Scripturae intelligi possunt Tertull. de Resurrect Ibid. So Barrow tearmes Mast Gyffords Refut pag. 102. Si Christianus Iudaicae praeuaricanti carnaliter coniungatur à commuâ—â—ne Ecclesiae segregetur Dist 28. q. 1. Caâ—â— cap. siquis Iudaicae c. 1 Pet. 3.19 2 Pet. 2.5 in the ancient and approued You quote Scriptures though to your praise more daintie indeed than your fellowes Who cannot doe so Who hath not Euen Satan himselfe cites the word against him which was the word of his
Cain the death of one Abel The same Deuill that set enmitie betwixt Man and God sets enmity betwixt Man and Man and yet God said I will put enmitie betweene thy seed and her seed Our hatred of the Serpent and his seed is from God Their hatred of the holy Seed is from the Serpent Behold here at once in one person the Seed of the Woman and of the Serpent Cains naturall parts are of the Woman his vitious qualities of the Serpent The Woman gaue him to be a brother the Serpent to be a man-slayer all vncharitablenesse all quarrels are of one Author we cannot entertaine Wrath and not giue place to the Deuill Certainely so deadly an act must needs be deeply grounded What then was the occasion of this capitall malice Abels sacrifice is accepted what was this to Cain Cains is reiected what could Abel remedie this Oh enuie the corrosiue of all ill minds and the roote of all desperate actions the same cause that moued Satan to tempt the first Man to destroy himselfe and his posteritie the same moues the second Man to destroy the third It should haue beene Cains ioy to see his brother accepted It should haue beene his sorrow to see that himselfe had deserued a reiection his Brothers example should haue excited and directed him Could Abel haue stayed Gods fire from descending Or should he if he could reiect Gods acceptation and displease his Maker to content a Brother Was Cain euer the farther from a blessing because his Brother obtained mercy How proud and foolish is malice which growes thus mad for no other cause but because God or Abel is not lesse good It hath beene an old and happy danger to be holy Indifferent actions must be carefull to auoid offence But I care not what Deuill or what Cain be angry that I doe good or receiue good There was neuer any nature without enuie Euery man is borne a Cain hating that goodnesse in another which he neglected in himselfe There was neuer enuy that was not bloody for if it eate not an others heart it will eat our owne but vnlesse it be restrained it will surely feed it selfe with the blood of others oft-times in act alwaies in affection And that God which in good accepts the will for the deed condemnes the will for the deed in euill If there be an euill heart there will bee an euill eye and if both these there will be an euill hand How early did Martyrdome come into the world the first man that dyed dyed for Religion who dare measure Gods loue by outward euents when hee sees wicked Cain standing ouer bleeding Abel whose sacrifice was first accepted and now himselfe is sacrificed Death was denounced to Man as a curse yet behold it first lights vpon a Saint how soone was it altered by the mercy of that iust hand which inflicted it If Death had beene euill and Life good Cain had beene slaine and Abel had suruiued now that it begins with him that God loues O Death where is thy sting Abel sayes nothing his blood cryes Euery drop of innocent blood hath a tongue and is not onely vocall but importunate what a noyse then did the blood of my Sauiour make in Heauen who was himselfe the Shepheard and the Sacrifice the Man that was offered and the God to whom it was offered The Spirit that heard both sayes It spake better things thâ—n the blood of Abel Abels blood called for reuenge his for mercy Abels pleaded his owne innocency his the satisfaction for all the beleeuing world Abels procured Cains punishment his freed all repentant soules from punishment better things indeed then the blood of Abel Better and therefore that which Abels blood said was good It is good that God should be auenged of sinners Execution of iustice vpon offenders is no lesse good then rewards of goodnesse No sooner doth Abels blood speake vnto God then God speakes to Cain There is no wicked man to whom God speakes not if not to his eare yet to his heart what speech was this Not an accusation but an inquirie yet such an inquirie as would inferre an accusation God loues to haue a sinner accuse himselfe and therefore hath he set his Deputie in the brest of man neither doth God loue this more then nature abhorres it Cain answers stubbornly The very name of Abel wounds him no lesse then his hand had wounded Abel Consciences that are without remorse are not without horror wickednesse makes men desperate the Murderer is angry with God as of late for accepting his brothers oblation so now for listning to his blood And now he dares answer God with a question Am I my brothers Keeper where be should haue said Am not I my brothers murderer Behold hee scorneth to keepe whom he feared not to kill Good duties are base and troublesome to wicked minds whiles euen violences of euill are pleasant Yet this miscreant which neither had grace to auoyd his sinne nor to confesse it now that he is conuinced of sinne and cursed for it how he howleth how he exclaimeth He that cares not for the act of his sinne shall care for the smart of his punishment The damned are weary of their torments but in vaine How great a madnesse is it to complaine too late He that would not keepe his brother is cast out from the protection of God he that feared not to kill his brother feares now that whosoeuer meets him will â—ill him The troubled conscience proiecteth fearefull things and sinne makes euen cruell men cowardly God saâ— it was too much fauour for him to die he therefore wills that which Cain wills Cain would liue It is yeelded him but for a curse how often doth God heare sinners in anger He shall liue banished from God carying his hell in his bosome and the brand of Gods vengeance in his forehead God reiects him the Earth repines at him men abhorre him himselfe now wishes that death which he feared and no man dare pleasure him with a murder how bitter is the end of sin yea without end still Cain finds that he killed himselfe more then his brother We should neuer sinne if our fore-sight were but as good as our sense The issue of sinne would appeare a thousand times more horrible then the act is pleasant Of the Deluge THE World was growne so foule with sinne that God saw it was time to wash it with a Floud And so close did wickednes cleaue to the Authors of it that when they were washt to nothing yet it would not off yea so deep did it stick in the very graine of the earth that God saw it meet to let it soke long vnder the waters So vnder the Law the very vessels that had touched vncleane water must either be rinced or broken Mankind began but with one and yet he that saw the first man liued to see the Earth peopled with a world of men yet men grew not so fast as wickednesse One man could
such a pattern of vnthankfulnes as these Israelites They which lately thought a Kingdome too small recompence for Gideon and his sonnes now thinke it too much for his seed to liue and take life away from the sonnes of him that gaue them both life and liberty Yet if this had been some hundred of yeeres after when time had worne out the memory of Ierub-baal it might haue borne a better excuse No man can hope to hold pace with Time The best names may not thinke scorne to be vnknowne to following generations but ere their Deliuerer was cold in his coffin to pay his benefits which deserue to be euerlasting with the extirpation of his Posterity it was more then sauage What can be looked for from Idolaters If a man haue cast off his God he will easily cast off his friends When religion is once gone humanity will not stay long after That which the people were punished aftewrards for but desiring he enioys Now is Abimelec seated in the Throne which his father refused and no riuall is seen to enuy his peace But how long will this glory last Stay but three yeeres and yee shall see this bramble withered and burnt The prosperity of the wicked is short and fickle a stolne Crowne though it may looke faire cannot bee made of any but brittle stuffe All life is vncertaine but wickednesse ouer-runnes nature The euill spirit thrust himselfe into the plot of Abimelechs vsurpation and murder and wrought with the Shechemites for both now God sends the euil spirit betwixt Abimelec and the Shechemites to worke the ruine of each other The first could not haue been without God but in the second God challenges a part Reuenge is his where the sinne is ours It had beene pitty that the Shechemites should haue beene plagued by any other hand then Abimelechs They raised him vniustly to the throne they are the first that feele the weight of his Scepter The foolish bird limes her selfe with that which grew from her own excretion Who wonders to see the kinde Peasant stung with his owne snake The breach beginnes at Shechem his owne Countrey-men flie off from their promised alleageance Though all Israel should haue falne off from Abimelec yet they of Shechem should haue stuck close It was their act they ought to haue made it good How should good Princes be honoured when euen Abimelecs once setled cannot be opposed with safety Now they beginne the reuolt to the rest of Israel Yet if this had been done out of repentance it had been praise-worthy but to be done out of a trecherous inconstancy was vnworthy of Israelites How could Abimelec hope for fidelity of them whom he had made and found Traitors to his fathers bloud No man knowes how to be sure of him that is vnconscionable He that hath been vnfaithfull to one knowes the way to be perfidious and is onely fit for his trust that is worthy to be deceiued whereas faithfulnesse besides the present good layes a ground of further assurance The friendship that is begun in euill cannot stand wickednesse both of it own nature and through the curse of God is euer vnsteady and though there be not a disagreement in hell being but the place of retribution not of action yet on earth there is no peace among the wicked whereas that affection which is knit in God is indissoluble If the men of Shechem had abandoned their false god with their false King and out of a serious remorse and desire of satisfaction for their idolatry bloud had opposed this Tyrant and preferred Iotham to his Throne there might haue been both warrant for their quarrell and hope of successe but now if Abimelec be a wicked Vsurper yet the Shechemites are idolatrous Traitors How could they thinke that God would rather reuenge Abimelecs bloudy intrusion by them then their trechery and idolatry by Abimelec When the quarrell is betwixt God and Satan there is no doubt of the issue but when one diuell fights with another what certainty is there of the victory Though the cause of God had been good yet it had been safe for them to looke to themselues The vnworthinesse of the agent many times curses a good enterprise No sooner is a secret dislike kindled in any people against their Gouernours then there is a Gaal ready to blow the coales It were a wonder if euer any faction should want an Head As contrarily neuer any man was so ill as not to haue some fauourers Abimelec hath a Zebul in the midst of Shechem Lightly all treasons are betrayed euen with some of their own His intelligence brings the sword of Abimelec vpon Shechem who now hath demolished the City and sowne it with salt Oh the iust successions of the reuenges of God! Gideons Ephod is punished with the bloud of his sonnes the bloud of his sonnes is shed by the procurement of the Shechemites the bloud of the Shechemites is shed by Abimelec the bloud of Abimelec is spilt by a woman The retaliations of God are sure and iust and make a more due pedigree then descent of nature The pursued Shechemites flie to the house of their god Berith now they are safe that place is at once a fort and a sanctuary Whither should wee flie in our distresse but to our God And now this refuge shall teach them what a God they haue serued The iealous God whom they had forsaken hath them now where he would and reioyces at once to be auenged of their god and them Had they not made the house of Baal their shelter they had not died so fearefully Now according to the prophecie of Iotham a fire goes out of the bramble and consumes these Cedars and their eternall flames begin in the house of their Berith the confusion of wicked men rises out of the lalse Deities which they haue doted on Of all the Conspitators against Gideons sonnes onely Abimelec yet suruiues and his day is now cōming His successe against Shechem hath filled his heart with thoughts of victory He hath caged vp the inhabitāts of Tabez within their tower also what remaines for them but the same end with their neighbours And behold while his hand is busie in putting fire to the dore of their tower which yet was not high for thē he could not haue discernd a woman to be his Executioner a stone from a womans hand strikes his head His paine in dying was not so much as his indignation to know by whom he died and rather will he die twise then a woman shall kill him If God had not knowne his stomacke so bigge he had not vexed him with impotency of his Victor God finds a time to reckon with wicked men for all the arrerages of their sins Our sinnes are not more our debts to God then his iudgements are his debts to our sinnes which at last he will be sure to pay home There now lies the greatnesse of Abimelec vpon one stone had he slaine his seuenty
vs to affect that perpetuity in our succession which is denied vs in our persons Our very bodies would emulate the eternity of the soule And if God haue built any of vs an house on earth as well as prepared vs an House in heauen it must be confessed a fauour worth our thankfulnesse but as the perpetuity of our earthly houses is vncertaine so let vs not rest our hearts vpon that but make sure of the House which is eternall in the heauens Doubtlesse the goodnesse of the Daughter added to the Fathers sorrow Shee was not more louing then religious neither is shee lesse willing to be the Lords then her fathers and as prouoking her Father to that which he thought piety though to her owne wrong she saies If thou hast opened thy mouth vnto the Lord doe with me as thou hast promised Many a daughter would haue disswaded her Father with teares haue wisht rather her fathers impiety then her owne preiudice Shee sues for the smart of her Fathers vow How obsequious should children be to the will of their carefull Parents euen in their finall disposition in the world when they see this holy maid willing to abandon the world vpon the rash vow of a Father They are the liuing goods of their Parents and must therefore wait vpon the bestowing of their owners They mistake themselues which thinke they are their own If this maid had vowed her selfe to God without her Father it had been in his power to abrogate it but now that he vowed her to God without her selfe it stands in force But what shall we say to those children whom their Parents vow and care cannot make so much as honest that will be no other then godlesse in spight of their Baptisme and education What but that they are giuen their Parents for a curse and shall one day find what it is to be rebellious All her desire is that she may haue leaue to bewaile that which she must be forced to keepe Virginity If she had not held it an affliction there had been no cause to bewayle it it had been no thanke to vndergoe it if she had not knowne it to be a crosse Teares are no argument impatience we may morne for that we repine not to beare How comes that to be a meritorious vertue vnder the Gospell which was but a punishment vnder the Law The daughters of Israel had been too lauish of their teares if virginity had been absolutely good What iniury should it haue been to lament that spirituall preferment which they should rather haue emulated While Iepthaes daughter was two moneths in the mountaines shee might haue had good opportunity to escape her fathers vow but as one whom her obedience tyed as close to her Father as his vow tyed him to God she returnes to take vp that burden which shee had bewailed to forsee If we be truly dutifull to our Father in heauen we would not slip our neckes out of the yoke though we might nor flie from his commands though the dore were open SAMSON conceiued OF extraordinary persons the very birth and conception is extraordinary God beginnes his wonders betimes in those whom he will make wonderfull There was neuer any of those which were miraculously conceiued whose liues were not notable singular The presages of the wombe and the cradle are commonly answered in the life It is not the vse of God to cast away strange beginnings If Manoahs wife had not been barren the Angell had not been sent to her Afflictions haue this aduantage that they occasion God to shew that mercy to vs whereof the prosperous are vncapable It would not beseeme a mother to be so indulgent to an healthfull child as to a sicke It was to the woman that the Angell appeared not to the husband whether for that the reproch of barrennesse lay vpon her more heauily then on the father or for that the birth of the child should cost her more deare then her husband or lastly for that the difficultie of this newes was more in her conception then in his generation As Satan layes his batteries euer to the weakest so contrarily God addresseth his comforts to those hearts that haue most need As at the first because Eue had most reason to be deiected for that her sin had drawn man into the Transgression therefore the Cordiall of God most respecteth her The seede of the Woman shall breake the Serpents head As a Pysitian first tells the state of the disease with his symptomes and then prescribes so doth the Angell of God first tell the wife of Manoah her complaint then her remedy Thou art barren Al our afflictiōs are more noted of that God which sends them then of the Patient that suffers them how can it be but lesse possible to indure any thing that he knowes not than that he inflicteth not He saith to one Thou art sicke to another Thou art poore to a third Thou art defamed Thou art oppressed to another That All-seeing eye takes notice from heauen of euery mans condition no lesse then if he should send an Angell to tell vs he knew it His knowledge compared with his mercy is the iust comfort of al our sufferings O God we are many times miserable and feele it not Thou knowest euen those sorrowes which we might haue Thou knowest what thou hast done doe what thou wilt Thou art barren Not that the Angell would vpbraid the poore woman with her affliction but therefore he names her paine that the mention of her cure might be so much more welcome Comfort shal come vnseasonably to that heart which is not apprehensiue of his owne sorrow We must first know our euils ere we can quit them It is the iust method of euery true Angell of God first to let vs see that whereof either we doe or should complaine and then to apply comforts Like as a good Physician first pulls down the body and then raises it with cordialls If we cannot abide to heare of our faults we are not capeable of amendment If the Angell had first said Thou shalt conceiue and not premised Thou art barren I doubt whether she had conceiued faith in her soule of that infant which her body should conceiue Now his knowledge of her present estate makes way for the assurance of the future Thus euer it pleases our good God to leaue a pawne of his fidelity with vs that we should not distrust him in what he will doe when wee finde him faithfull in that which we see done It is good reason that he which giues the sonne to the barren mother should dispose of him and diet him both in the wombe first and after in the world The mother must first be a Nazarite that her sonne may be so Whiles she was barren shee might drinke what shee would but now that she shall conceiue a Samson her choyce must be limited There is an holy austerity that euer followes the speciall calling of God The worldling