so your brother in that though not in other things Conclus 12. That is to vs a true visible Christian church 1. Gathered 2. Established 3. Absolute in her parts which consisteth of a companie of people beleuinge Christ Iesus the son of God by the holy ghosts ouershadowinge to be com in our nature for the perfect saluation therof buildinge vpon that foundation c. as in the 1. Conclus such a people Gathered togither in the name of Christ are 1. a Church gathered 2. such a people entringe into Couenant of spirituall buildinge togither is a church established 3. such a people enjoyinge theyr howse Officers is a church absolute in her partes Examination THis Conclusion tâ—â—ching the visible Church of Christ doth seuer it self into thre Considerations which by ignorant men not discerned they confusedlie speake of a Church as of other Things First into a Church gathered Sec. into a Church gathered and established Thirdly into a Church gathered established and absolute IN the 1. Conclus we haue described a visible true Christian now we affirme that a Compaine of such people so beleiuinge and obayinge being now Gathered togither in the power of their Christ are to vs a true visible church in the first sence Sec. â—hey so gatheringe and couenanting are a Church in the second sence Thirdly they so gatheringe couenantinge and possessinge their proper officers they are a Church in the third sence In wihich sence of the thre soeuer we speake of it still propoundeth vnto vs One sort of people such beleiuers and Obayers wherof the true visible Church of Christ can be saide to consiste of And suerly the former Notes or marks do propounde vnto vs more certainly which is a true church then the Common receiued Marks of Preachinge Sacraments discipline Becawse there may be a Church of Christ or a visible people of God where the said thre Murks are lackinge As also a people may enioy som of the said marks as true preachinge and yet be as far from a true visible church as was the Court of Festus and Foelix If we desire infallible notes of a true people we must haue such Notes as Deliuer vnto vs the essentiall forme of a Church which is such a Marke as neuer can be lacking from the Church else Logitians knowe the Axiome breaks the heade of Kata Pantos etc. The Generall or Matter of a visible Church is People the Difference or essentiall forme is true faith with obedience as before where such Matter and forme meteth in Gue there is an house spirituall Act. 2.24.44 1. Ti. 3.15 the Efficient cawse wherof is God by the instrument Outward and inward the word and Spirit the final cawse in regard of God is God his glorie in regard of his Church their Saluation That such a people only do constitute a true visible body as the scriptures are open inough as also the Auncient writers so becawse our late men are so addicted vnto som late writers let them heare Mr. Cartwricht 1. Reply pag. 34. There be in the Churches of Christ no dronckerds nor whore mongres at least wich are knoweÌ„ and Mr. Oud Fenner in his Meth. Theol. lib. 6. Cap. 1. Caetusille etc. That Companie speakinge of a particular Church so ordained ought to be pure from all pollution etc. Psa. 15. etc. 27.8 etc. 29.9 Isa. 4.4 1. Cor. 3.16 etc. 5.11 1. Tim. 3.15 Reuel 1.13.20 and harken vnto Doct. Bilson in his priuiledged booke perpet Gouernm cap. 10. pag. 155. To the first Churches came none but such as were willinge and Zelous without all compulsion by Comminge I charitablie vnderstande Comming into Communion To ours com all sortes Atheistes hypocrits and how many forced rather by law then led by Deuotion Yea wold to god it diâ— not often so fall out that in many places the richer and wealâ—hier men either regard no religion or secretly leane To the worst All whith teach what kynde of people are to be receiued 2. are to be retained in spirituall Comunion or Church fellowship And indeed we se that the blessed ministrie of the Ghospell was first the ax that hewed these liuing stones for our Salomons temple as also that when anie stone burst out into spirituall defection or backslidinge it was either presently cured and faster mortized by repentaince or else it was thrust out of peculiar communion vntill by the ax of excommunication the rough things were made smooth and the hawtie things humbled 1. Cor. 1.5.11 with 2. Cor. 2.7.8.9.10.110 Such a people therfore gathering and thus couenantinge to walke are a Church gathered and established only to the absolutinge or perfectinge of this Churches Order there is required further an election and Ordination of Officers As a litle Citie compact in it self it must out of it self or by the coassistaunce of som syster-church make choise of meete men for the ouersight and seruice of the Citie or howse of god Otherwise if there be no king in Israel euery man will do that which is good in his owne eyes euery man wilbe a prophet in his owne conceipt Iack Cade wilbe Lord Mortymer and Hobbinoll set as good a glosse on scripture as he that was brought vp at the feete of Gamaliel flat Akephalistes A while without officers they may happely walke well but longe speciallie after they haue fit men and meanes they are not like to stand orderli togither without such instalment of officers The Officers are of two sortes Bishops in english ouerseers and Deacons in english Ministers or Seruitours 1. Tim. 3.1.8 Philip. 1.1 Vnder the terme Episcop Ouerseer is contained Pastor Doctor Elder vnder the terme Deacon is contained 1. the Ministeriall Man wherof specially before 2. the Ministeriall woman Rom. 16.1 1 Tim. 5.9.10 These must holde the mysterie of the faith in a pure conscience And in the former there is required of absolute Necessitie aptnes to teach and ability to confute errours Such the Pastor and Doctor euery one graunts must be and such the other Elders must be as I haue proued in my Bybles breife As for the vnderstandinge of 1. Tim. 5.17 euerie of whose sences is to be preferred before the dreame of Lay elders do looke into D. Bilsons forsaid booke A plaine print of the footesteps of preaching Presbyters or Elders se in all auncient writers theologicall and historicall and that whersoeuer they mention presbyters in a church vnder the Episcop or Pastor they must be vnderstood such Elders commonly translated Preistes If al Levies lips were to preserue knowledge how much more was the lawe to be fetcht from Kohaths Leuits which were ioyned with the Cheife preist in the worke of Ouerseinge and peculiar gouernment The Preist dyinge another came into his roome out of Kohaths familie so the Episcop or Pastor dyinge one shold speciallie if not only arise out of the same Ouerseinge familie of Elders and how shall this be answerable if the Elders be lay-men or men but of priuate qualification Let therfore our other
Congregation put away this their errour and let all that haue helde it smite their hand on their thighe and say what haue we don while we sought to establish ordinances diuine we haue constituted an ordinance humaine In a word such Elders are but domb preists and ill may they call others Domb dogs that establish such Stilborne Elders Such pastor such Doctor such Elders elected and Ordayned by sacred imposition of hands they are fit to iudge of the sonnes of the Prophets their doctrine deliuered in the schoole of prophecie 1. Cor. 14. which kind of schoole and prophecie Mr. Oud Fenner Meth. Th. lib. 7. cap. 7. hath well obserued as also taught that such exercise is coÌ„mon to euerie particular Church which gainsaieth the Common practise of som reformed Churches who vnto som one Church fetcheth a weapontake or circuite of Pastors to speak and judge as for theyr cyphering Elders they stand by as mute fil hes as domb as a dore-nayle that stands fast but saith nothinge Such Deacons and Deaconisses constituted also in such holy forme they shall not onlie be helpfull vnto the former functioners by seruiceable dutie but also vnto the whole bodie of the Church specially in lookinge to the poore and impotent If Antichrist shall vnto one of these officers or offices attribute another name it may through the iniquitie of Men derogate from the credet of the person and his office but the person truly I say not perfectlie discharging the duties of the office he notwithstanding as also his office is yet of Christ. Is also Antichrist shal establish an office in the Church not incommended by Christ therto Yea if the Church her self shold establish such a new office and giue vnto the possessor of yt the Name and title of Episcop Doctor Elder Deacon Deaconisse officers standing in and to a church constituted or the title of Apostle Euangelist prophet officers deputed to the Gathering plantinge and helping of the Churches yet such an Officer told not be of Christ be cause his office is humanie and a vayne inuention The Apostle 2. Tim. 2.14 hath commaunded Timothie me logo-machein not to â—ight about wordes because they bring but a Katastrophe or subtle deception to the hearers Least therfore anie shold imagine vs Logomachistes we therfore adde Let others contende about wordes rather then Thinges about the shell rather then the cranell we frely deny to do so Thinges essentiall substantiall not barely accidentall we doe and by the help of our god will stand for labouring in the meane tyme charitablie for the preseruation of such pure names as Christ hath baptised his officies into but yet will proclame no spirituall battle about Names when the names Subiect shalbe agreed vpon symplie good or symplie euell If euerie Action or Subiect shold be termed symplie good or euell by reason of som good or bad Accident or outwarde hue suerly we shold terme Satan transformed a good Angell and Christ spotted and mangled Antichrist This orderly distinction betwene the Subiect and his seperable adiunct not obserued of manie poore ignorant Zeloistes doth cawse them condemne and iustifie they knowe not what able to make a man of som knowledge to teare his heads haire of to heare their sensles conclusions Such Lochomachisme is but vayne bablinge and opposit to science and therfore falsly called science 1. Tim. 6.20 such argumentation is not Logick but errour from Logick commenly termed Sophistrie As for vs we wittinglie can nothinge againste but for the truth though it may be ouerweakly and poorely An end of the first xII. Conclusions EPISTLE ¶ To Maister Abraham Breckman Inhabitant of Midlebrough in Zelant all prosperity in Christ Iesus IN my last great Sicknes what tyme it pleased the hiest to heaue me from Deaths pallet vnto my Lyfes pillowe as I so rested on my Couch idle fancies that hauzen the head of the sick begon to breed my vnrest which I expounded to be a fruite good inough for him that sat idle I therfore called for pen ynck and paper and hauing invoked the hiest I as a soldjer cut downe to the knees in the feilde did presently aggresse our english Anabaptistes Fury thinking it more honorable amongest the Sapâ—tes to â—p with my spirituall launce in his limbs then cowardwise to giue vp the ghost in silence But soone after this counterbuffe the Captaine of the feild set me vpon my feete end flesht me to a bigger battle The Memoriall yet of my weake but former cordate onset I wold not haue to â—p as addle though the aduersary will think I had as good haue sit idle And because your self haue bene an old sokinge soldjer in this kynd of fight I therfore haue bene bold to incommend this CARPENTER vnto yow In his ship yow haue had an oare in his Ark A seate and in very troth yow and yours haue of him your pay Still let the plerophorie of his sprite be the wynd in your sayles Suffring Noah to hold the helme and yer long no doubt your Hope as it alredy ankers it shall bringe your Ship to the shore of Abrahams kingdom with whome yow shall sit downe merry recountinge all former aduentures And thus with my hearty salute to your hous hold as also to others our freindes nere yow scias quos sentio I leaue yow to the tuition of the hiest end the sequel to your tutelage Amstel-rodam 1597. 7. Mon. Iul. Your brother though vnworthy in the testimony of Iesus HENOCH CLAPHAM A litle Tractate vtteringe the Truth of Christ his Two-Natures Mark 6.3 Is not this the Carpenter Maries sonne OUr sauiour comminge into a Synagogue he there openeth his mouth and preacheth ey he so preacheth as the hearers were astonished at the powerfull excellency of his speach in somuch as they fall of interrogating from whence that learning shold com and where he shold wyn it considering they knewe him well inough to be but the Carpenter Maryes sonne one who by reason of his occupation câ—ld haue no leasure also to becom so profound in the scriptures Where besiâ—es that the Auditorie tieth the knowledge of the scriptures to the Doctours chaire we may marke that our Sauiour was a handie-craftes Man one who by his hand labour erned his bread vntill his heauenly father called him to an hier callinge For no doubt the people speake according to the knowledge they had of his trayning vp in former tyme the consideration wherof maketh them admire somuch the more at the mightinesse of his doctrine The Euangelist Luke Ch. 2.51 testifieth that he was subiect vnto his Father and Mother And can it be thought that Religions Ioseph wold not set him to som worke Can it howsoeuer som haue carped at it in my Bibles breife be imagined that sweet Iesus who came to call euerie man to som Christian calling that he himself wold sit idle No no his excellent cariage herein was so publike and famous as the people had it on the fingers end and somuch the
more was his theologicall speaches to be admired Then I perceiue that a Manuarie science is no vile thing seing the occupation of a Carpenter was sanctified in the person of our Sauiour Then I perceiue if the Maister haue not shamed to erne his bread with the sweat of his browes the disciple shold not be a shamed to tread in the same tract What then Whosoeuer wilbe a Christian he must be possessed with a Christian calling A calling saith one a calling saith another what meanes he by a Calling I meane thow must haue som such place in Church and common wealth as the vse therof may be profitable and necessarie as also that roume it self must be consecrated out of the lord his word for lawfull Such a roume and calling not anie roume and callinge the Apostele Paul 1. Cor. 7.20.24 vnder a generall rule applied there to certaine particulars he meanes of what tyme he saith Let euery man abide in the saine vocation wherein he was called The Catabasileyst wold haue the Maiestrate becominge a Christian to cast aside his Ciuil callinge a Callinge notwithstanding they are forced from Rom. 13. to graunt a diuine ordinaunce imposed on the Consciences of all people but affirme it an ordinaunce diuine and only without the Church To say a maiestrate cannot stand a true christian and to say that Majestracie is a diuine conscionable ordinaunce is with one mouth to spit out black and white flat contradictories Such choppers and chaingers of scriptures in the Lord his Temple stand much neede that our Carpenter wold also as somtimes he did Mark 11.15.16 Luk. 19.45 with a whip and whip-coard expulse them the howse of prayer Such scripture-choppers stand more neede of a Maiestrates lash then a scholers argument If one sholde aske these fellowes what office or Calling it was which Christ so exercised can they say he did it by vertue of Preisthoode or Prophecie or only as he was Kinge and so by power Regall due vnto him as he was Dauids sonne thoughe at other tymes he wold not vse it Will they not giue me leaue to beleiue that in the execution of this ciuil power he aswell sanctified in the practise of his owne person the roome of a Maiestrate as by his Carpentrie he sanctified Manuarie sciences But let the Despiser of gouernment as Iude calles him goe the Apostle Paul willeth euery man to abide still in that Callinge lawfull where in he was found when he was called to christianitie presuming hereby that euerie one that shold be called to Christ shold be alredie installed in som legetimate calling as though God wold hardly call any that were out of all callinge And indeed A man without a callinge is like a carcase without a sowle fitter to be pitted for feare of infection then to be tollerated amongst men Pharaoh Gen. 47.3 cold aske Iosephs brethren of what trade they were Either because he demed the religious Hebrues wold not liue without som trade or because it was common with the Egiptians to haue trades or for that the integritie of that age was such as eueri where ordinarily people had trades Many Kyngs we haue and many people we haue but fewe kyngs or rulers that enquire after trades and too many people that were not able to answer vnto the Demaund what trade That is cawse so many drone bees fly by the hy-ways stinginge horse and Man and that is cawse that Tyburnes Tripos deuoureth a nomber of bodies before their sowles haue bene initiated in any rudiment of their redemption Paul a great scholer he wold play the Tentmakeryer he wold sit idle and Dorcas wold make garments for the poore few Dorcasses in these days before she wold sit idle It is neither Pismire Cony Grashopper nor Spider but Salomon prov 30. he rancks her in a Callinge and shames not man who is differenced from them by the hie guifte of Reason abasheth he not to be out of all callinge The pismire shal sit vpon him and the residue of the creatures shall finally condemne him for the word of the Lord failes not But thow replies I thanke god for it I haue a Callinge That may be but is it a lawfull Callinge Iesus was a Carpenter a calling lawfull and much necessarie Som are Callings shaped in the Deuels shop and the more they are vsed the more returnes to the Deuels advauntage Such is the vpholding and keyinge of Cardinge and dicing howses wanton dauncinge schooles and manie moe of like vayne nature Such persons cannot call for the lords blessinge to light on their labours and that because they labouâ— not in the lord wheras a Christian must neither in word nor deed do anie thing but in the lord Coll. 3.17 Famous are the Romaines as for other things so for this not a Man went in the streets but he caried in hand or in som other part an ensigne of his callinge were his callinge singular or vulgar If this law were enioyned vpon the people of England Scotland and som other parts what might manie carie Som might carie a Midianitishe stale som a box of face paintings som a Portuis booke And Othersom an euen payre of cards in the one hand and dyce shaking in the other Nay infinite are the inventious that Hell and Vanity haue invented and most painfully thes are plijde because their gaine semes to be greatest But let such walke on He that sets them on work euen he shall pay them their wages But hast thow an honest callinge be thankfull vnto god for that and be thow industrious and faithfull in the exercution of his parts and offices Call vpon the Lord by prayer often and manie tymes Blesse thow oh Lord my handy works c. Thow maist rise vp earlie and sitte vp late and eat the bread of carefulnes and yet except the Lord his blessinge associate thy labours thow but watchâ—st and labourest in vayne ps 127.1 Be industrious then and faithfull which don commit the yssue to him that giues and holds back the rayne and ministers vnto thes that walke vprightlie euery thing that good is Ps. 84.11 He that hath a care ouer the feild lillies and sparrowes how much more will he be carefull for vs oh we of litle faith Hast thow a lawfull trade yea Art thou the Mr. of it I can do so so yea but it is not sufficient that thow haue a trade or Callinge and that a lawfull one except thow canst performe the parts of it well It is not sufficient to Doe but to Do well It is not sufficient to councell but to courncell well It is not â—ufficient to tylle the ground but to tyll it well The consideration herof incited Nebuchadnetsar Dan. 1. to select choise youths and accordinglie to initiate them in his learinge This cawsed Pharaoh Gen. 47.6 to bid Ioseph onlie appoynt ouer his cattle Men of actiuitie And this vrged holy Paull not only to wish Timothi to Diuide the-word 2. Tim. 2.15 but Diuide it aright The
and aliud therfore not one thinge either Diuyne or Humaine or Mixt. Both eyes must exquire this Mysterie But the sword is on the lest ey of Manes on the right ey of Artemon and on both the eyes of our Appollinarists Thus while the Lord Carpenter is hewing out his tymber som logâ— proue not only crooked but knobby and knurry vnwilling to be cut and squared If they giue him Man they will not giue him God if they giue him god they will not giue him man or giue they him of God and Man it shalbe but a peece of god and a peece of Man and thus they peece vp A patched Christ amongst them Non est bonum ludere cum sanctis it is not good iesting with edg-loomes Maries son was Maries Lord and Lord and son was A handicrafts man a Carpenter in our Nature for hewing out A better ship then Noah hewed out of the Pynetrees Noahs Arke was precious stuffe so is this spirituall chest the church of gold and siluer and liuinge precious stones begotten by A seede as imâ—ortall as god himself 1. Pet. 1.23 by reason wherof they communicate with the Nature diuyne 2. Pet. 1.4 That Ark was One so is the Church wherein Christ dwelleth by his spirit vnto the worlds end though these heretiks wold with the harlot 1. King 3. haue the liuinge childe diuided into two nay into as many gobbets as their schismaticall sword can rut The soldiers wold not diuyde Christs coate but these dogs of the euening that go grinning about the city they make no conscience to teare it with their teeth in fitters In Noahs ship though one there were 3. roumes and herein be sondry Mansions Noahs ship rid vpon the waues and the Church must flote through all tempestuous miseries In it was a Cham and vncleane creatures and in this wilbe the lurking hypocrite and many vncleane sowles faring the better for the presence of our Carpenter That at the last rested vpon the tops of the Mountaines and shall not our Carpenters Church after all hurly-burlyes ariue at A hauen of happines hier then the Mountaines Oh blessed Carpenter when god himself is the Carpenter and oh worke ineffable when god in the nature of the worke must hewe out the tymber square it ioyne it polish it Thus the head of our nature and first fruites of our lump he followed the occupation earthly vntill he fell vnto the occupation heauenly In the first he was serviceable to the earthlie parent in the second to the heauenly but Being once adapted to the second he leaues of the first to teach men to cast aside earthly toyle when by ministring the ghospel they fall of building the Church The Apostles Act. 6. found by experience that they though endued with guiâ—ts extraordinarie could not attend both on the Word and Tables but our odde spirits wold haue vs to waite on the word and Stables And indeed metinge once or neuer in A moneth or two for they deride the Lord his day Ismaels seede for prophane mockinge it shalbe no great matter to followe a manuarie science though with som false stiches and then to fadge out A preachment speciallie suâ—h A sermon as the Cobler pulleth out of the Beasts hyde as full of diuinitie as Manes Christ of humanitie I despise not but commend the homeliest occupation but when the following of it must be preferred to giuing attendance vnto readinge and studie I despise it as A darkner of Christs learninge Is not this the Carpenter Maries son The Iewes hearing him speak so learnedly and powerfully they wonder it shold be in A Man that neuer had bene trayned vp in letters They had learned which I wold the fanaticall spirits had Learned that with man it is impossible to attaine to or comprehend great guiftes without such ordinary meanes as are left to man And indeed howsoeuer with god all things are possible specially when he will worke miraculously yet with man it is not possible and therfore must walke in the kings hy-way as Paul had who sat at the feete of Gamaliel and manie others that kept the schooles of the prophets 1. Cor. 14. Act. 13.1 But our fugitiue ytchinge spirits because ech of them wold be A teacher in Israel they skorne all learninge tongues arts and readinge and who so bolde as blynd bayarde Som odde Philosophers held that A man dying his sowle was conuaide into som other Man or Beast or for som excellency seated amongst the starres If this dreane had bene true I wold haue thought that the Emperour Licinius his ghost were mingled amongst these men He held Learning the Common wealths ratsbane and these cannot abide to heare of schooles of Learninge They magine their Brother learned inough if he can with som vnlettered ministers reason thus The Apostles were Fishermen Paul a Tentmaker therfore beloued brethren A figge for Vniuersities God hath chosen the foolish the weak to confound the wise and strong Therfore A rush for Beza Caluin ey for all the Greeke and Latin Fathers and Doctors And if this teacher can adde Peter calleth Christ the son of God therfore Christ is only God oh he shall haue A Comick applause he may put on the Tragick buskin and thensforth trudge from Conuenticle to Conuenticle in the office of an Apostle What if his neighbour Artemon shold step in and oppose with this argument Christ calls himself the son of man therfore he is not god but bare man specially seing Christ must be credited before Peter what wold theire pseudo-Apostle say I feare if a third step not in and say both scriptures are true for Christ is true God and true Man the men wold goe nere to fyre the howse in their heat Sweet Carpenter thus they plowe furrowes on thy back all the day longe Though Eutiches and Manes shold with Thomas Didimus shoue their hands into thy side they will not beleiue thy humanitie Though Cerinthus and Artemon heare thy Apostle say In the the plenitude of the god head dwelleth bodiy they will not beleiue thy diuyne essence and though Apollinaris heare the say My sowle is heauy vnto the death as also Into thy hands I commend my spirit Yet he will not beleiue that the word God assumed with the body a Sowle or a reasonable sowle But rather in his followers make Christ an odde third thinge as is water and wyne mingled If the Carpenters are smite not home into the harts of such Diuiders of Iesus surely they are like to persist reproueable Tymber Is not this the Carpenter Yes Is not this Maryes son Yes When the Hearers were offended in him en auto not by him for the scandale was Taken not Giuen they then fall to Whats and Ifs and all sortes of disgracinge Interrogatories Had he with Noah Lot Abraham Isaac Iuda Dauid Ieremy Ionah Peter Barnabas Mark Had he transgressed with these they wold haue had it vp But wantinge Syn and therein he went before all Prophets they