those purposes they are vayn and frivolous to be forborn in or about the worship of God which abhorrs all such vanity Lastly as we live in a very indifferent age for religion wherein the most are indifferent of what religion they are yea whither they be of any or none so no mervayl though men staÌ„d stisâ—y for indifferency of things And when they have amongst them such devises as they neither can approve for good nor wil condemn as evil they baptize them into the name of indifferent things But the truth is there is nothing simply indifferent in the vse but be it never so base or meane a ceremony circumstance or appurtenance to any solemn action it is eyther good or evill according to the furtherance or hinderance which it affoardeth to the mayn If it give furtherance to a naturall action it is naturally good if to a civil action civily good if to a religious action religiously good and so to be reputed otherwise it is vayne at the least and vanity as it is every where evil so is it in the matters of religion the taking of Gods name in vayn The next thing which Mr. Bern. vndertakes is to set downe how scrupulosity of conscience ariseth in men for which disease if it arise surely he sheweth himself a physitioÌ„ of no value for the healing of it but eyther smothereth the same vnder the authority of the Magistrate or dispenseth with it vpon good meanings or forceth it on without assurance or entangleth it with new doubts In the first enquiry which he wils men to make into themselves touching scrupulosity of coÌ„science amoÌ„gst other things he speaks thus If the ground vz. of doubting be not a iudgement enlightened convinced it is not trouble of conscunce but a dislike working discontentment vpon some other ground And this in the margent he wils the reader to note well as in deed he may note it and brand it too for il vnadvised counsayl For howsoever no mans conscience ought to scandalize or be troubled at the vse of lawful things for the larger conscience the better in that which is lawfull and that such doubts in the heart do arise from weaknes of fayth and weaknes of faith from want of knowledge yet since we all know but in part that our fayth is according to our knowledge and our conscience according to our fayth when a doubt or scruple ariseth in our hearts touching the lawfullnes of things yea though it be of very ignorance we must not passe it over lightly without trouble least it prove as a thorn in the heele and rankle inwardly Neyther are such scruples alwayes so easily removed as Mr. Bern. maks account Weak and tender consciences do oft tymes stick at a very strawe and there must they stand til the Lord give strength to step over The thing intended and promised by Mr. Bern. in the next place is satisfaction to the perplexed conscience and direction in that case which he is so far from performing by sound and resolved counsayl as were meet as in stead therof he propounds sundry doubtes and quaeries of his ovvn vvhich he leaves vnsatisfyed to the further entangling of his perplexed patient abusing also his reader too much in performing questions where he promiseth answers Wel howsoevr it be an easier thing to ty knotts then to loose them and that a simple man may cast a stone into a ditch vvhich a wise man cannot get out agayne yet are not those questions which Mr. Bern. propounds and so leaves vnanswered so dark doubtfull that a man needs take so long a jorney as the Queen of Sheba did for resolution The first quaere of weight being the 4. in order I vvil set down vvord for vvord though it be large because it is of speciall consideration The question then is Why a man should be more scrupulous to seek to have warrant playnly for every thing he doth in ecclesiasticall causes even about things indifferent more then about matters pollitick in civil affaires Men in these things know not the ground nor end of many things which they do yeeld vnto vpon a generall command to obey authority and knowing them not to be directly agaynst Gods will and yet every particular obedience in civill matters must be 1. of conscience 2. as serving the Lord so must every servant his maister which cannot be without knowledg perswasion that we do wel even in that particular which we obey in Which mâ—n vsually for conscience sake enquirâ— not into but do rest themselves with a generall commaundement of obeying lawful authority so it be not agaynst a playne commaundement of God What therefore doth let but that a man may so satisfie himselfe in matters Ecclesiasticall Though as playne a vvarrant must be had from Gods vvord for the things vve do in matters politick as in causes cclesiastical and that obedience in the one as vvell as in the other must be of conscience yet notvvithstanding the same vvord of God vvarranteth vnto vs clean and an other and different course of obedience in things civil and in things ecclesiasticall And the grosse ignorance or vngodly concealment of this difference is the cause of great confusion It must therefore be considered that this difference stands in tvvo poynts 1. the nature of the things and their proper ends 2. the povver immediate by which they are imposed from which two ariseth necessarily a third difference to be made in the conscience of obedience vnto them First then it cannot be denyed but matters civill and politick do come vnder the generall administration and goverment of the world and do respect the outward man for this present life On the other side matters ecclesiasticall come vnder the special administration of the Church and serve for the edification and building vp of the inward man to life eternall Secondly Magistrates and men in authority do enact and impose their civill decrees and ordinances upon theyr subiects by a Kingly and Lordly power as being Kings and Lords civilly over the outward man and his outward estate Math. 20. 25. and may by their Kingly and Lordly power commaund in their owne names and that vpon occasion to the civill hurt and hinderance of many of theyr people are therein to be obeyed notwithstanding Rom. 13. 1. 2. 3. c. Mat. 22. 21. But in causes ecclesiasticall not so There is no King of the Church but Christ who is the King of Saincts and Saviour of Syon no Lord but Iesus who is the onely Lord and Lawgiver of his Church And all his lawes statutes tend to the furtherance and advancemeÌ„t of every one of his subiects in their spiritual estate neyther King nor Kezar may or ought to impose any law to the least praeju dice of the same neyther ar they therin if they should to be obeyed Our civil liberty we may loose without syn without syn vndergo bodily domages
of your owne hart But let vs heare your advise Quaere Whether it be an offence iustly given by thee or taken without iust reason of others thou not offending and they displeased the fault is their own and thou not chargeable therewith But you must vnderstand Mr B. that in the vnseasonable vse of things in themselves indifferent there is an offence both given taken and so a double sinn coÌ„mitted he that gives the offence sinns through want of charity and he that takes it through want or weaknes of fayth And so where actions simply good do onely hurt him that takes offence and actions simply evill him that gives it the vse of things indifferent agaynst expediency hurts harmes and destroyes both Rom. 14. 15. Now the parts of your secoÌ„d enquiry viz. whether men be offended in respect of what themselves know or butled by affection disliking of other mens dislike are insufficient For men do oft tymes take offence at things done and yet neyther in respect of their own knowledge nor of other mens dislike but merely through want of knowledg and vpon ignorance of their christian liberty And such were the weak brethren spoken of Rom. 14. 1 Cor. 8. and 9. which how they were to be tendered in their weaknes let the places iudge And for persoÌ„s partially affectionate or foolishly froward which is the mayn point in the 3. Quaere they are no way to be regarded as weak but on the contrary to be reproved as wayward contentious that folly and sinne may not rest vpon them Onely let men take heed they iudge not vncharitably of their brethren because they would practise vncharitably towards them as Nabal reviled David and his men as runnagates because he would deal churlishly with them and would shew them no mercy In the forth place it is demaunded What authority may do in things externall for outward rule in the circumstances of things How colourably you cary all the abominations in your Church vnder the shadow of circumstances and of how great moment even circumstances are in the case of religion I have formerly spoken let me onely ad thus much If a subject should vsurp the crown and exercise regall authority the difference were but in the circumstance of person which notwithstanding made the action high treason Or if a Preist comming to say his evensong should fall a sleep on his desk it were but a matter of circumstance in respect of tyme and place it might lawfully be done in another place and at another tyme yet there then it were a great prophaning of the service book What sway authority hath in the Church of England appeareth in the lawes of the land which make the goverment of the Church alterable at the Magistrates pleasure and so the Clergy in their submission to K. Henry 8. do derive as they pretend their ecclesiasticall jurisdiction from him and so exercise it Indeed many of the late Bishops and their Procters seeing how monstrous the ministration is of divine things by an humane authority and calling and growing bould vpon the present disposition of the Magistrate have disclaimed that former title and do professedly hold their eclesiasticall power and jurisdiction de jure divino so consequentâ—y by Gods word vnalterable Of whom I would demaund this one quaestion What if the King should discharge and expell the present ecclesiasticall goverment plant in stead of it the Presbytery or Eldership would they submit vnto the government of the Elders yea or no if yea then were they traytors to the Lord Iesus submitting to a goverment overthrowing his goverment as doth the Praesbyterian goverment that which is Episcopall if no then how could they free themselves from such imputations of disloyalty to Princes and disturbance of States as wherewith they load vs others opposing them But to the quaestion it self As the kingdom of Christ is not of this world but spirituall he a spiritual King so must the goverment of this spirituall kingdom vnder this spirituall King needs be spiritual all the lawes of it And as Christ Iesus hath by the merits of his Preisthood redemed as well the body as the soule so is he also by the scepter of his Kingdom to rule reign over both vnto which Christian Magistrates as well as meaner persons ought to submit themselves the more Christian they are the more meekly to take the yoke of Christ vpon them and the greater authority they have the more effectually to advance his scepter over themselves their people by all good meanes Neyther can there be any reason given why the merits of saynts may not as wel be mingled with the merits of Christ for the saving of his Church as the lawes of men with his lawes for the ruling and guiding of it He is as absolute and as intire a King as he is a Preist and his people must be as carefull to praeserve the dignity of the one as to enjoy the benefit of the other The next Quaere is Whether authority commaunding doth not take away the offence which might otherwise be given in a voluntary act This question is answered affirmatively by the Bishops their adhaerents and so with one voice they affirme in their books pulpits and other publik determinations but herein as palpably flattering the Magistrate as ever Canonist did the Pope What more was ever given to the Pope then that he might dispence with the morall law And what lesse is given to the King when by his authority I vse things indifferent with offence to my weak brother Is not love the fulfilling of the law And is it not against the law of love to vse things indifferent with offence which must the more carefully be avoyded coÌ„sidering the effects it drawes with it which are not onely the grief vvhich were too much but even the destruction of him for whom Christ dyed ver 5. 20. 1 Cor. 8. 11. Onely he which can strengthen the weak faith which is the cause of the offence can take away the offence and stablish him that is weak Rom. 14. 4. Men may and must vse meanes for that purpose and not nourish the weak in their weaknes but beare them they must in love and much love will have much patience Lastly for I passe over the 5. Quaere as comprehended in those which go before where you advise meÌ„ to studie agayn to study to be quiet and to follow those things which concerne peace it is needfull counsel and againe needfull considering what vnquiet spirits are to be found in all places Onely let men in their counsayls which you leave out ioyne with peace aedification and holynes as the scriptures teach and so separating the pretious from the vile they shal be to vs as Gods mouth and let their peace be in the word of righteousnes the ioy of the counselers of peace shal be vpon
Church and exercise of the communion are they therefore alone to do al things They if there be any of them in the Church are to govern in every election and choyce of ensuing Officers are they therefore alone to chuse excluding the Church They are to govern in preaching prophesying and hearing the word and receiving the sacraments singing of Psalmes distributing vnto the necessities of the sayncts are they therefore alone to prophesie to sing Psalmes to contribute to the poor the rest with as little reason can it be affirmed that they alone are to have cōmunion in the censures to admonish judge because they are to govern in the carying administring of those matters These things thus cleared it wil be very convenient for the purpose in hand and wil give much furtherance to the truth in a few words to consider of the nature of Ecclesiastical government and governours which whilst politik men through either ignorance or contempt of the gospels simplicitie do neglect they labour to transform the Church into a wordly kingdome and to set over it a kinde of kingly and lordly government and such scriptures as give libertie and power unto kings and other civile officers over their subjects and people for the making and altering of lawes and for the passing and ordering of judgements these they pervert and misapply to Church governours and government then which nothing is more monstrous Math. 20. 25. 26. 27. 28. 1 Pet. 5. 3. I. For first civil officers are are called in the word of God Princes Heads Captaines Iudges Magistrates Nobles Lords Kinges them in authority principalities powers yea in their respect Gods and according to their names so are their offices but on the contrarie Ecclesiasticall officers are not capable of these or the like titles which can neyther be given without flatterie unto them nor received by them without arrogancy neyther is their office an office of Lordship Sovereigntie or Authoritie but of Labour and Service and so they the Labourers and Servants of the Church as of God 2. Magistrates may publish execute their owne lawes in their own names Ezra 1. 1. 2. c. Est. 8. 8. Math. 20. 25. But Ministers are onely interpreters of the lawes of God and must look for no further respect at the hands of any to the things they speak then as they manifest the same to be the commaundements of the Lord. 1 Cor. 14. 37. 3. Civill administrations and their formes of goverment may be and oft tymes are altered for the avoyding of inconveniences according to the circumstances of tyme place and persons Ex. 1◠13. 14. 15. 16. 17. c. But the Church is a kingdome which cannot be shaken Heb. 12. 28. wherein may be no innovation in office or forme of administration from that which Christ hath left for any inconveniency whatsoever 4 Civill Magistrates have authority by their offices to judge offēders vpon whom they may also exequute bodily vengeance vsing their people as their servants and ministers for the same purpose but in the Ch the officers are the ministers of the people whose service the people is to vse for the administring and executing of their judgemēts that is for the pronouncing of the judgments of the Church of God first against the obstinate which is the vtmost execution the Church can perform And what difference can be greater In the cōmon wealth the people fewer or more yea somtimes whol armies the ministers of the officers in the Church the officers the ministers of the people 5. In civill government obedience must be performed for the authority and will of the commaunder who is Lord over the bodyes and goods of his subjects Mat. 20. 25. 26. 1 Pet. 5. 3. yea though his commaundements being with them bodily domage yea be they never so vnjust vnholy yet must obedience be given in meek and pacient sufferance though not in active performance ◠Pet. 2. 13. 14. 3. 14. 15. 16. but in Church matters not so The officers may neyther exact obedience nor the people perform it further then the goodnes profit and aedification of and by the thing commaunded doth enforce 1 Cor. 14. 26. Gal. 1. ◠Col. 2. 16. 1◠And the reason is because civil Magistrates have authority annexed to their office and order and though both they and their commaundements be most vnjust yet do they still reteyn their authority which their subjects may not shake of but ministers and Church governers have no such authority tyed to their office but merely to the word of God And as the peoples obedience stands not in making the Elders their Lords Soveraignes Iudges but in listening to their godly counsels in following theyr wise directions in receiving their holy instructions exhortations consolations and admonitions and in vsing their faithful service and ministery so neyther stands the Elders govermēt in erecting any tribunall seat or throne of judgement over the people but in exhorting instructing comforting improving them by the word of God 1 Tim. 3. 16. in affoarding the Lord and them their best service But here it wil be demaunded of me if the Elders be not set over the Church for her guidance and government Yes certaynly as the physition is set over the body for his skill and faithfulnes to minister vnto it to whom the pacient yea though his Lord or Maister is to submit the lawyer over his cause to attend vnto it the steward over his family even his wife and children to make provision for them yea the wachmen over the whole city for the safe keeping thereof Such and none other is the Elders or Bishops government Now to conclude this point All the scriptures which Mr B. brings as the reader may see serves to prove that the governers of the Church must be in and of the Church they govern but the governers of the Church of Worxsop are not of it neyther would Mr B. I dare say be well pleased they should But where it is further affirmed that during all the Apostles dayes the body of the congregation attempted nothing of themselves but that alwayes Church matters were begun governed and composed by the Apostle◠as it made nothing against our matter though it were even so as is sayd since w◠hold that where there are officers in the Churches those faithfull in all things as th' Apostles were there things are not to be attempted without them so is it not true which is affirmed neyther do the scriptures alledged prove any such thing The three first places Act. 1. 15. 23. 24. 25. and 6. 3. 6. and 14. 19. 20. 23. do onely prove that the Apostles being general men officers of all Churches did when they were present with the Churches govern and assist them faythfully in all things which we also affirm to be the duty of al Elders in their particular charges whom the people are accordingly to obey More particularly The two
officers onely pag. 94. 95. and to separate from them is as intollerable pag. 88. Miserable were the Lords people if these things were so but the truth is they are miserable guides that so teach 2 They which may forgive sins and sinners save soules gayne and turne men vnto the Lord to them are the keyes of the kingdome given by which they open the dore vnto such as they thus forgive gayne and save but all these things such as arâ— no ministers may do as these scriptures which I entreat the godly reader to consider do most clearly manifest Math. 18. 15. 2 Cor. 2. 5. 7. 8. 9. 10. Act. 8. 1. 4. with 11. 19. 20. 21. Iam. 5. 19. 20. 1 Pet. 3. 1. Iude 22. 23. Erroneous therefore derogatory is it to the nature of the gospel free donation of Christ thus to impropriate and ingro 〈…〉 the keyes whichly common to all Christians in their place and order 3. Lastly I do affirme with Mr Smyth that the twelve were as yet but disciples and not actually Apostles Designed in deed they were to the office of Apostles but not possessed of it A man may call such a woman his wife before they be actually maryed and such a child his heire though he be not for the present possessed of a foot of his inheritance nor like to be before the testators death and that this was the condition of the twelve I prove by these reasons If the twelve were called to the office of Apostles Mat. 16. then Christ called men to an office for which they were altogether vnfit vnfurnished which to imagine were impious against Christ. Now that they were vtterly vnapt to this office appeares in these particulars First they vvanted that Christian fortitude and courage vvhich vvas most needfull for that office Secondly they were ignorant of the nature of Christs kingdom not forecasting his death nor beleeving his resurrection vnfurnished also with the gift of tongues and so vtterly vnable to teach the gentiles for whose sake they received their commission in a speciall manner Mat. 16. 21. 22. 20. 20. 21. 26. 51. Mark 16. 11. 14. Luke â—4 21. Act. 2. 1. 2. 3. 4. Mat. â—8 19. Ephe. 3. 5. 6. 2. When Christ ascended on high he gave gifts to men viz. Apostles Evangelists c. Ephe. 4. 8. 11. And then and not before then was the Church capable of the office of Apostles who were to preach the gospel to all nations when the partition wall was broken down betwixt the Iewes Gentiles that the gentiles also which were formerly straungers forreigners might now be made citizens with the saints and of the househood of God Ephe. 2. 12. 19 And aâ— this particular I have now in hand seemeth to receive confirmation from the last scripture Mr Bernard bringeth for the Apostles commission which is Mark. 13. 34. where Christ at his departing into a straunge countrey sets his house in order gives his servants authority and appoints them their work so doth the expositioÌ„ application of the same scripture to the generall purpose if we coÌ„pare with this place that which he affirmeth in another argue him that brings it of a mind very vnsound and vnstable Here as all men see Mr Bern. allegeth it to prove that the cheif officers onely are by commission from Christ to medle in the publick affaires of the Church and in particular to redresse things amisse and to censure offenders but in his second book being pressed by an argument by Mr Smith taken from this scripture he fare and â—â—atâ—y denyes that the Lord in this place intends to set out any government of the Church at all and thus compared with himself he is like nothing lâ—sse then himself Now since Mr B. disclayms this scripture as not intended at all of the goverment of the Church that in his 2. better thoughts I have no reason to spend much time in answering him Onely I can not passe by one frivolous exception in his reply against Mr Sm. and another absurd collection of his owne Where Mr Smyth affirmes that every servant or disciple in the Church hath authority and that truely if he have the word of God he hath authority for the word caryes authority with it wheresoever it goes Mr B. excepts first that by servants are meant Officers which as it is true sometimes so is it otherwise for the most part espetially in the parables of this kind Mat. 25. 14. Luk. 19. 12. 13. to which this parable seemeth well to consort wherin since all have received some good thing or substance froÌ„ Christ to be dispensed for the good of the rest all should diligâ—tly faithfully imploy their labour in the same ever expecting the returne of the mayster all every one of them watching and the Porter specially according to that speciall charge layd vpon him to watch ver 34. 35. 37. but the exception I meane is that by servants cannot be meant the Church because the house is the Church and the authority not given to the house but to the servants in the house who are to look over others Mark here in the case of goverment the house must needs be the Church the Church and house are both one Christ speaking of the house or Church meanes the people excluding the officers and yet Math. 18. in the case of govermâ—t the officers are in Christs speach the Church or house for they are all one excluding the people But to the poynt as the officers are both the Lords servants in his house parts of the house and houshould also so are the people not onely the house or of the house and houshould as in the forenamed scriptures but the Lords servants in his house also The idle and senseles exposition Mr B. gives is of the Porters watching Where the mayster at his departure appoyntes every servâ—â—t his work and commaunds all to watch and the porter specially least he 〈◊〉 suddenly and fynd them sleeping Mr B. to ioyne all together for the holding out of Mr Smythes Argument makes the Porter Gods spirit as if the Holy Ghost were one of the servants and had a commaundement from Christ to watch least it should be found asleep at his comming And by this I hope it appeareth in the generall contrary to Mr B. affirmation that the power of Christ or keyes of the kingdom is not delegated or committed primarily much lesse solaryly or alone to the officers of the Church how soever they as the governours are to direct and as the minister to exequute in the vse of this power or of these keyes Of the particulars hereafter That which comes next into consideration is that the Apostles committed that theyr power received from Christ not to the body of the people but to the cheife ministers of the gospell and cheife officers of the Church First here let the reader observe how Mr B. interesses these
the meanes of their aedification salvation how streyt and hard hearted soever you M. B. are towards them or coÌ„temptuous of them they may and must use in cases of necessity their best helpes for the distribution of things simply necessary to the body And dare you say as you haue done in both your books that the officers are absolutely to the Church as the eyes to the body and that there is no spirituall light in the rest of the members save onely in them and that all the body besides and without them is darknes Indeed such a blind beetle your spirituall Lords and you make your Churches and so you lead them But oh you the people of God yet in Babylon partakers of the heavenly illumination trust not these your Seers too much they would be thought all ey from top to bottom and would make you beleeve that you the multitude are stoneblind and can not possibly without them see one step before you that so they might lead you by the lip whither they list but open your eyes more and more and you shall see more and more clearely that the wayes of your Nationall Church are not the wayes which Christ hath left for his visible Churches to walk in but a very by path and take heed that these men which would be thought all and onely light cause not a â—og of earthly ordinances to rise vpon you and a dark mist to cover you To proceed This one scripture Ephe. 4. 11. 12. truely expounded and according to the Apostles meaning serves at one blow to overthrow the whol ministery of your Church of England and all communion with it Your whol plea for your Ministery is that you teach the word of God the true word of God and therewith you invite all your guests vnto your baÌ„quet But now if your ministery be not the Ministery which Christ hath set vp in his Ch noâ— of the gifts which he hath giveÌ„ vnto his Church but of an other sort foundatioÌ„ then it followes that no felowship or coÌ„munioÌ„ is to be had with it vnder any plausible pretense nor vpon any experimentall profit neyther The officers theÌ„ which Christ hath given for the aedificatioÌ„ of his Church to the worlds end are Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors Teachers Ephe. 4. 11. 12. Now the first three sorts of these abovenamed were extraordinary extraordinarily endued for the first publishing of faith and planting of Churches and so as temporary are ceased with their endowments and this you graunt in effect pag. 184. of your last book And for the Pastorâ— and Teachers here spoken of you Mr B and the Ministers of your order would be thought the men Of what sort then I pray you are your grand Metropolitans your Archbishops Bishops Suffraganes Deanes Archdeacons Chauncelours Officials and the residew of that Lordly Clergy They must needs be of some other order then is here named and the gifts of some other cheif Lord then of Christ when he ascended on high and gave his gifts that is Antichrist whose gifts they were when he ascended on high even to the throne of his Apostasy And now for you which are set over the particular Parishes to teach the people as I confesse you of all the rest to be likest vnto the true Pastours so by your own confession are you excluded froÌ„ that rank The Officers which Christ hath appointed when he ascended have received power by your own assertion not onely for preaching and administring the sacraments but for government also The want then of the power of government bewrayeth you to be anothers gift then Christs even his and none others which hath devised an other order and distribution of giftes then ever came into Christs hart to appoint Lastly as it is true you affirm that Christ never sayd to the body of the congregation viz in expresse termes go preach so is it most vntrue which you intend viz that he never gave libertie and charge to any out of office to teach in the exercise of prophesy This point I have touched formerly but will more fully handle hereafter The same I also affirme in the second place touching the power of government not opposing your words well interpreted but your meaning which is that none but men in office have power eyther to reforme any abuse in the Church or to perform any other necessary Church duty without them And for shutting vp of this fourth Argument let it be considered that here is a great difference in administration of doctrine by teaching and of admonition excommunication in the order of discipline Onely one man in the Church doth teach at once and all the rest both Elders people are taught by him but the whol Church may admonish or excommunicate one or more at once or by one act and so though Christ never say to the Church goe teach yet he sayth to the Ch admonish excommunicate Mat. 18. 17. 1 Cor. 5. 4. 5. In doctrine one man teacheth the whol Church the whol Church is taught in disciplyne the whole Church reproveth and excommunicateth one man and hiâ— censureth And thus your light Mr B. which you boast is as clearâ— as the sun in the firmament of heaven is darkened your sun is gone downe at noon day Amos 8. 9. The fifth reason is thus layd down It is never to be found in all the old testament that the people but princes and ecclesiasticall governours men in authority were reproved for suffring holy things to be abused Ezech. 22. 26. 1 Sam. 2. 27. 1 King 13. so in the new testament Math. 23. Rev. 2. 1. 8. 12. 18. and 3. 1. 7. 14. no meÌ„tion in these places is made of the people It seems Mr B. hath learnt of them which give counsel to affirme all things peremptorily vnder hope to find some men with whom a confident affirmation will go as far as a modest proof But here as alwayes I do except against as a corner stone of Babylon your vnequall yoaking of ecclesiasticall Officers Ministers in the govermeÌ„t of the Church with Princes Magistrates in their civil authority there is no proportion betwixt them A Lyon and an Ox will payr better then these two kinds of governours and governments Neyther can it be rightly sayd of Church officers that they are men in authority they are men in service and charge whether we respect God or the Church They have power I graunt for they have the gospell to preach minister which is the power of God to salvation they are to speak with authority and that also in the order of office and by speciall commission And so the Evangelists testifie of Christ that he taught as having authority and not as the scribes the reason was that where the manner of teaching amongst the Scribes was very corrupt and degenerate affecting the peoples harts with no reverence of God Christ on the contrary did manifest
8. and last exception Now for allowing of the plaintiffe to seek further remedy of the referring of the party obstinate vnto him which is the sum of the sixt Arg as also of these terms let him be to thee as an heathen and publican which is an other exception together with that consideration that the party offended is the principall in all the degrees of proceeding I have formerly spoken in the exposition of the words to which the reader is to look back for answer if such idle conjecture give any cause of doubt to any One onely blow more is to be warded by which Mr B. would disable this 18. of Math. from being any rule of discipline and that is bycause it provides not for suspension we grant it doth not and you your self half graunt that no such thing is to be found in the new testament And what reason haue you or any other man to put vs to prove your corruptions and devises which you know we neyther practise nor allow of These things thus ended and the received exposition of Math. 18. confirmed viz that Christ in it prescribes a rule of discipline in the Church I come to your reasons Mr B. in your first book by which you would prove that this Church is the chief governours The first whereof is that Christ could not be understood eyther then or now except he spake as the practise was then or took some order afterward and so you go about to prove vnto vs that the chief governours onely had authoritie to excommunicate both in the synagogues and in the Church of Corinth To this I answer sundry things First it followes not that Christ was not then or cannot now be vnderstood except he spake with some such reference as you note The words are so plaine the order so equall the state of the Church vnder the new testament which is not as before nationall but a particular assembly so capable of such an ordinance as that laying aside prejudice and politick respects there can be nothing more playnely spoken or more easily vnderstood 2. It doth no way prejudice the exposition we give though the disciples for the present vnderstood it not they vnderstood litle no not touching the death and resurrection of Christ or nature of his kingdome when they were at the first taught them till eyther by their own experience or by the extraordinary gift of the Holy Ghost or some other meanes the thinges formerly taught them were brought to their remembrance Mat. 16. 21. 22. 20. 20. 21. Mark 16. 14. Luk. 24. 20. 21. 22 25. 26. -44. And it is expressely affirmed Act. 1. 3. that the Lord Iesus did the 40. dayes before his ascension instruct them in such things as concerned the kingdome of God which is the Church The next thing to be considered is your proofs from scripture that the power of excommunication was in the chief governours But the places proove no such thing Ioh. 9. 22. and 12. 42. 16. ◠do onely prove an agreement amongst the Iewes that such as confessed Christ should be dissynagogued but that this authority was onely in the hands of the chief governours cannot be thence collected I know there was at Ierusalem a representative Church for the whole nation of which we shall speak hereafter but that there was such a Church representative in every synagogue furnished with such power can never be concluded frō these scriptures They rather in deed prove the contrarie It is sayd Ioh. 9. 22. that the Iewes had ordeyned that such as confessed Christ should be dissynagogued which words do rather interest the people in the busines then otherwise If you think that because there is mention made of the Pharisees the officers onely are meant you are deceived For Pharisaism amongst the Iewes was not an office but a sect There were no other lawfull officers ecclesiasticall amongst them but the Levites whom the Lord took from among the children of Israel in stead of the first borne for his service but many of the Pharisees were of other tribes Phil. 3. 5. Besides I see no sufficient reason to perswade me that this casting out of the synagogue was any ecclesiasticall censure but rather a violent rejection or extrusion out of the place as nothing was more cōmon then such tumultuous outrages in those dayes And the very same word that Iohn vseth ch 9. ver 35. Luke vseth ch 4. 28. 29. for the violent extrusion of Christ himself by the Iewes vpon the like occasion both out of the synagogue and citie The same also doth Iohn himself vse ch 2. 15. speaking of Christs casting the mony chaungers out of the temple And yet neyther the NAZARITES excommunicate CHRIST nor CHRIST the mony-chaungers But if there were amongst the Iewes at that tyme any such distinct ordinance of excommunication ecclesiasticall it was a Iewish devise I am perswaded and without ground of the scriptures and that for these causes First every blasphemer or worshipper of vnknowen Gods was by the law of Moses to dy the death without redemption that so evill might be put from Israell Exod. 22. 20. Lev. 24. 16. Deut. 13. 6. 7. 8. 9 12. 13. 14. 15. And so the Iewes reputing this blind man such a one were to put him to death but being deprived of this power by the Romayns through the just judgement of God for their sinnes they devised this other course of dissynagogueing or excommunicating offendours by them so deemed Secondly the severall synagogues were not distinct Churches but members of that one nationall Church which was both representatively and originally at Ierusalem neyther could any of them excommunicate out of the temple which was a higher communion then theirs and so it is very probable that Christ found this blind man afterwards in the temple Ioh. 9. 38. compared with 10. 22. into which had he been ecclesiastically excommunicated he might not haue entred neyther hangs it together that any rejected in the communion of the synagogue might be received in the communion of the temple 3. The Lord did chuse the whole nation of the Iewes to be his peculiar people and took all and every one of them into covenant with himself gave them the Land of Canaan for an inheritance as a type of the kingdome of heaven erected a policy over them civil ecclesiasticall in the judiciall ceremonial law called the old testamēt making the same persons all of them though in divers respects the Church the cōmon wealth whervpō the Church is also called the common wealth of Israel Exod. 19. 5. 6. Lev. 20. 24. 26. Deut. 4. 6. 7. 29. 2. 10. 11. 12. Ios. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Rom. 9. 4 Ephe. 2. 12. Hence it followeth that except a man might enjoy one type of the kingdom of heavē as was the Land of Canaā not an other as was the temple or tabernacle Heb. 9. 24. except he might be
lawes of men but Pauls word even the preaching or publishing of the gospel is the proper means which the Lord hath sanctifyed for that purpose though I doubt not but there both hath been and is great vse of the Magistâ—â—â—â—â— authority for the furtherance of the gospel that way When the Lord Iesus purposed to advance the scepter of his king â—â—me he sent out his Apostles not furnished with sword and â—pâ—â—â— noâ— yet backed with humayn lawes or authority but with châ—â—ge and commission to publish and declare his holy commâ—â—ndâ—ments and the things which he had taught them and thâ—reby to 〈◊〉 Disciples or gayn subiects vnto his kingdom Math. 2â— 19. 2â— which they also practised admitting and initiaâ—ing mâ—n into â—â—â— Church vpon their voluntary submission vnto and 〈◊〉 of the â—ayth of Christ. Nâ—â—â—â— vnto â—â—â— be added a second consideration namely where and to â—â—â— a the Apostles were first to preach and to 〈◊〉 th◠〈◊〉 commission received from Christ it wil both gâ—ve lighâ— to the â—oâ—nt in hand and discover the vanity of a distinctâ—â—n in Mr B. â— book to which he trusteth much and therefore â—â—th oâ—t â—â—r the gathering and establishing of Churches after the P 〈…〉 by fyâ—â— and sword without any further respect then the magistrates authority the summe whereof as also of that he infeâ—reth upon it is that to a Church in the fâ—â—â—t 〈◊〉 that iâ— as â—â— eâ—poundâ— himselfe gathered of inâ—iâ—els and of such a people â—â—â—re no Church 〈…〉 there is required preaching and 〈◊〉 going bâ—fore with the word and profession of the name of Christ but for a people that are not infidels but Christians hâ—â— corrupt soever aâ—â— a Church â—â— suâ—h preachiâ—â— on the one side nâ—◠〈◊〉 of â—â—yth on the other is râ—qâ—ired 〈…〉 compel with the feare of the swâ—â—â— the Magistrate authority is sufficient in such a case Let the Reader behold this bold mans grosse ignorance and contradiâ—tions and if he wil not open his eyes to see them he mâ—y feel them with his hand so palpable are they I wil lay them down in these particulars â—â—â—st he affirmeth pag. 176 that the Lord taâ—â—s a peâ—ple to be 〈…〉 and that commâ—â—â—dements are for his people to â—â—â—â—â—â—â—m and nâ—t to make them 〈…〉 maâ—s commaâ—ndemeâ—t makâ—s not a servent but declâ—â—es such a one to be â—is â—â—â—vant already and so he gives God not more power to commaund the wicked and vnbeleevers then a man hath to commaund another mans servant and yet here he tells vs that before a people can become a Church Paul must goe with the word and expresly pag. 277. that the Lord to make mâ—n his people gives tâ—em his word and quoâ—es Math. 28. 19. to prove it Secondly by this his distinction and his inferences vpon it he makes all the Iewes to whom Iohn Baptist Christ and the Apostles preached and which were baptised by them or any of them to have been Infidels before and nâ— Church no Christianâ— And â—â— he affirms directly pag. 262. though I suppose he considerâ—t not where in answer to a proposition of Mr Aynsworthes that the Churches of Christ were established of saynts onely men visibly 〈◊〉 confirmed amongst other scriptures by Math. 3. 6. he pâ—â—emptorily avouches and so builds vpon it that that pâ—oposition scripture amongst the rest is to be vnderstood of a people which is no Church no Christians so the Church of the Iewes at that tyme must be no Church and they no Christians with this man for of them that scripture speaks whatsoever Peter and Paul say to the contrary Thirdly since the Apostles being sent by Christ to teach and make Disciples were to begin their ministration amongst the Iewes in Ierusalem Iudea and else where which is the consideration I formerly mentioned and so by the publishing of the gospel of fayth on their part and by the profession of fayth and confession of sinns on the peoples part to gather and establish particular Churches and that the Church of the Iewes was at that tyme the Church of God in respect of which the establishing of these particular Churches was no new plantation but a continuation of their former ingraâ—â—ing in the same root wherein they formerly were planted not differing from it essentially but being onely reformed perfited and otherwise ordered then before it appeareth most vntrue which Mr B. affirmâ—th that the preaching of the gospel is onely necessarily required for the planting of Churches of such people as were formerly infidels and no people of God Fourthly and lastly even that which he most freely graunts in one pag. namely that at the first the word must be preached and by that means men brought to a voluntary 〈◊〉 without compulsion that he vtterly reverses and denyes in the very next pag where pleading the proclamation of Hezechiah and compulsion of Iosiah he annexeth to the same purpose as cunningly as his wit wil serve an insinuation that Mordecai for feare of whom he sayth many of the heathen for such the people were became Iewes procured of the King proclamations and other statutes for the compelling of his subiects to the Iewish religion wherein he both perverâ—s the words as the reader may see and the meaning also of thâ— scripture which is that the heathen observing the myghty and mervelous hand of God for his people and against his and their enemyes many of them became Iewes and separated themselves vnto them from the 〈◊〉 of the heathen of the land to seek the Lord God of Israel as also in alleadging to the same purpose Luke 14. 23. as he doth in another place borrowing as it seems the corrupt exposition of that scripture from the Ministers whom â—e drawes in with him in his former book of which more in due place But that I may not be caryed too far in this my digression I do first deny that the reformation by Queen Elizabeth though great in it selfe and she for it of blessed memory did in any measure equalize the reformation made by Hezechiah Iosiah and Nâ—heâ—yah in whom you most insist Mr Bernard For whereas all reformation respects eyther persons or things that which was wrought by these godly Kings and governours receives testimony from the H. Ghost himselfe to have been most full and intyre both wayes And to let passe for brevityes sake the things themselves with referring the reader to these and the like scriptures which handle that part I wil insist a litle vpon the persons about whom the question here is between Mr B. and me in whom the other parte of reformation is to be considered which wil better appear if we compare together officers with officers and people with people And first it is evident in the scriptures that those Kings Princes of Iudah did not apoint any other Preists eyther for the purging of the temple or for any other Preistly work whither of reformation or administration
there is the right of calling and ordeyning the ministers of the gospell bycause we must fly the enemyes of the gospell as an Anathema And besides sayth he if wee should desyre of them the ceremony of ordinatioÌ„ they would not giue it except we would bind ourselves to renounce the true doctrine other wicked boÌ„ds would they cast vpoÌ„ vs. Neyther therefore ought the true Ch to be without Pastors without the keyes without the voyce of the gospell without forgivenes of â—inns bycause the tyranny of the Bishops eyther drives away or refuses to appoynt fit Ministers And agayn it is the confusioÌ„ of order to seek sheepheards froÌ„ the wolves And lastly this hath ever been the right of the true Church to chuse and call out of her own assembly fit Ministers of the gospel Thus far hâ— In the third place Peter Martyr shall speak who vpon the book of Iudges ch 4. vers 5. sayth thus Touching the ecclesiasticall Ministery we have signified before that it may not be committed to women that they are not fit for it But now wee adde that in the planting of Churches anew when men want which should preach the gospell a woman may perform that at the first but so as when she hath taught any company that some one man of the faythful be ordeyned which may afterwards minister the sacraments teach and do the Pastours duety faithfully 4. Zanchy vpon the fifth to the Ephesians treating of Baptism propounds a quaestion of a Turk comming to the knowledge of Christ and to sayth by reading the new Testament and withall teaching his family converting it and others to Christ and being in a countrey whence he can not easily come to Christian Churches whether he may baptise them whom he hath converted to Christ he himself being vnbaptized He answers I doubt not of â—â— but that he may and withall provide that he himself be baptized of one of the three converted by him The Reason be gives 〈…〉 bycause he is a Minister of the word extraordinarily stirred vp of Christ so as such a Minister may with the consent of that small Church appoint one of the communiâ—ants and provide that he be baptized by him Adde in the fifth place Tilenus who being demaunded of the Earl of Lavall from whom Calvin had his calling answered from the Church of Geneva and from Farell his praedecessour who had also his froÌ„ the people of Geneva who had right and authority to institute and depose Ministers which thing he also confirms by Cyprian Ephes. 14. The sixth and last I will name is Sadeel who writing a treatise of purpose touching the lawfull calling of Ministers against such as agreed with the reformed Churches in the doctrine they taught but excepted against them in this that they had not their Ministers by ordinary succession sâ—ewes that amongst and above other things the ecclesiastical Ministery of Rome is corrupted makes it a shamelesse thing that any boasting of the pure knowledge of God should obiect against them that they did not draw the pure reformation of the ecclesiasticall Ministery out of the drâ—gges of Popery The first argument he vseth to justify the calling of their Ministers is that they are called chosen and received of these assemblyes which do appear by manifest signes and arguments to be true Churches as having the true doctrine of fayth the pure administration of the sacrameÌ„ts the right and sincere â—â—vocation of Gods name observing religiously the discipline instituted by Christ and his Apostles and lastly testifying by the duties of love constancy of Martyrs and reformation of the whole life that they are by the great mercy of God adopted into the number of the faythfull as members of the Catholick Church c. And thus much of the Ministery both yours Mr Ber ours and more particularly to prove that an assembly of faythful people separating themselves from Heathenish or Antichristian idolatry have right within themselves to call and appoint their Ministers Now from this conclusion thus manifested do arise sundry others worthy the noting down for the common controversy As first that such an assembly though without officers is a true visible Church the kingdom of Christ City of God And I suppose it needs no confirmation to any good conscience that the choise of Church officers is a Church action a mayn part of the administration of Christs kingdom and a priviledge of that spirituall City the new Ierusalem and that such an assembly hath the power of Christ and from him authority and commission without vvhich it were intollerable usurpation to praesume to choose his officers especially the cheif officers in his kingdom as are they which administer the word sacraments of whom we principally entreat 2. That the people have power to censure offenders for they that haue power to elect appoint set vp officers they hav also power vpoÌ„ just occasioÌ„ to reject depose put them down so are part of that Church where officers are and the whole Church where they are not of which Christ speaketh Math 18. 17. where he sayth tell the Church Besides that the calling of officers and censuring of offenders are the two mayn administrations of the kingdome of Christ and so both of one nature 3. And lastly that the brethren out of office whether in a Church furnished with officers or vvithout them are not mere private persons as you Mr Ber and others would make them in the exercise of prophesy calling of Ministers and judging of offenders for scandalous sinns Considering them in deed severally one by one or in opposition to the publique officers they may be called private persons but take them joyntly and in these and the like acts of their communion and they are more then so and as the Church is a publique body so are they members of the body and parts of the whole and of the same publique nature with it and not private parts or members of the publique body which were a senseles contradiction and contrary to the rule in ReasoÌ„ The whole and all the partes ioyntly taken are the same When the brethren made choyce of Ioseph and Mathyas to be presented and afterwards of the seven Deacons after that of the Elders in every Church did they make a private choise of publique officers or could they as private persons merely make a publique choise When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church of Corinth which you graunt to be the multitude or body of the Church about the censuring of the incestuous person did he will them to judge and censure him privately for his publique scandalous sin or could they as persons merely private passe a publique judgement The thing then is that when the Church is gathered or come together in one for the administration of the word sacraments censures and other exercises of religion parts of Gods worship the officers if there be any
over Gods heritage as you would make them controuling all but to be controuled by none much lesse essentiall vnto the Church as though it could not be without them least of all the Church it self as you and others expound Math. 18 But we hold the Eldership as other ordinances given vnto the Church for her service and so the Elders or officers the servants and ministers of the Church the wife vnder Christ her husband aâ— the scriptures expresly affirm Of which more hereafter And where further you advise the reader to take from the Iay other birds feathers that is as you expound your self to set vs before him as we differ from all other Churches Therein you make a most inconsiderate and vnreasonable motion If a man should set the Church of England before his eyes as it differeth but from the reformed Churches it would be no very beautiful bird Yea what could it in that colour afforde but Egyptian bondage Babylonish confusion carnal pomp and a company of Iewish Heathenish and Popish ceremonies Whatsoever truth is in the world it is from God and from him we have it by what hand soever it be reached vnto vs Came the word of God unto you onely vnto it we have good right as the Israel of God unto whom he hath committed his oracles Rom. 3. 2. Towards the end of the Preface you do render two reasons vpon which you do adventure to deal against vs as you do the one coÌ„fidence in your cause the other the spirituall injury which some of late have done you in taking away part of the seale of the Ministery Touching the first as it is to vs that know you wel no new thing to see you confident in all enterprises so doth it much behoove you to consider how long and by what meanes you have been possessed of this your confident perswasion I could name the person of good credite and note to whom vpon occasion you confessed and that since you spake the same things which here you write as confidently as now you write them that you had much a doe to keep a good conscience in dealing against this cause as you did But a speach of your own vttered to my self ever to be remeÌ„bred with fear and trembling can not I forget when after the conference passing betwixt Mr H. and me you vttered these wordes Wel I wil returne home preach as I have done and I must say as Naaman did the Lord be merciful unto me in this thing and therevpon you further promised with out any provocation by me or any other that you would never deale against this cause nor with-hold any froÌ„it though the very next Lords day or next but one you taught publikliâ— against it and so broke your vâ—w the Lord graunt not you conscience And for the seale of your Ministerie deceive not yourself and others if you had not a more authentick seal in your black box to shew for your Ministery at your Bishops visitation then the converting of men to God which is the seal you meane this seale would stand you in as little stead as it doth many others which can shew as â—â—â—re this way as you and yet are put from their Ministerie notwithstanding And wil you charge your Bishops Church representative to deale so trecherously with the Lord as to put downe his Ministers and Officers which have his broad seal to shew for their Office and Ministerie What greater contumely do these vipers these schismaticall Brownists lay vpon your Church then you doe herein The Church of England acknowledgeth no such seale as this is The Bishops ordination and license conformitie vnto their ceremonies subscription to their articles devout singing and saying their service-book is that which will beare a man out though he be far enough eyther from converting or from preaching conversion vnto any And here I desire the reader to observe this one thing with me When the ministers are called in quaestion by the Bishops they alledge vnto them their former subscription conformity in some measure at least their peaceable cariage in their places but when they would iustify their ministerie against vs then their vsuall plea is they haue converted men to God herein acknowledging to let passe their vnsound dealing that we respect the work of Gods grace in any at which they know the Bishops and their substitutes if they should plead the same with them would make a mock for the most part I do most freely acknowledge the singular blessing of God vpon many truthes taught by many in the Land and do and alwayes shal so far honour those persons as the Lord hath honoured them herein But that the simple conversion of sinners yea though the most perfect that ever was wrought should argue a true office of Ministerie the scriptures no where teach neyther shall I ever beleeve without them This scripture 1 Cor. 9. 1. 2. is most frequently alledged for this purpose But as vnsoundly as commonly For if simple conversion should argue an Apostleship then should a common effect argue a proper cause an ordinarie work an extraordinarie office for the conversion of men is a work common to extraordinarie and to ordinarie officers yea to true and false officers yea to such as are in no office at all as hereafter shall appeare And what could be more weakly alledged by Paul to prove himself no ordinarie but an extraordinary officer an Apostle which was the thing he intended then that which is common to ordinary officers with him Might not the Corinthians easily have replyed Nay Paul it followes not that you are an Apostle immediately called and sent by Christ because you haue begotten vs to the Lord have been the instrument of our coÌ„versioÌ„ for ordinary Ministers Pastors Teachers called by men do beget to the Lord as wel as you The bare conversion of the Corinthians then is not the seal Paul speakes of but together with it their establishment into a true visible Church and that with such power and authority Apostolicall as wherewith Paul was furnished by the Lord. Of which more hereafter But the father of these childreÌ„ you say you are which thus vnnaturally fly from you and whereof we so injuriously have deprived you in which respect also you make this your hue cry after vs and them for through the gospel you have begotten them And have you begotten them vnto the faith as Paul did the Corinthians and are you their father as Paul was the father of the Corinthians then it must needs follow that before you preached the gospel vnto them and thereby begot them to the Lord they were in the same estate wherein the Corinthians were before Paul preached vnto them that is unbeleevers and without faith and so were to be reputed And how then true matter of the Church for which you so much contend Besides these your begotten children were baptised long before you saw their faces some twenty
circumcision with the gospell And yet for so doing they are charged by the Apostle to be removed or turned away to another gospell By what law wâ—s the mistery of iniquity confirmed Or Antichrists coÌ„ming into the world agreed vpoÌ„ in the Apostles tyme And yet the mistery of iniquity then wrought and many Antichrists were then come into the world And yet these mischeifs being found in the Churches in the Apostles tymes were as wel imputed vnto theÌ„ as if a thousand Parliaments Convocations had ratified them To proceed It is also true which is further counsayled that a difference must be held betwixt substance circumstance betwixt the manner and the matter betwixt the being and well being of a thing and so of the rest but withall it must be observed that the Lord hath in his word as wel appoynted the manner how he wil have things done as the things themselves and that even circumstances prescribed and determined by the Lord are of that force not only to deface the welbeing but to overturn the true being of Gods worship The Lord commaunded the Israelites by Moses to bring theyâ— sacrifices and oblations to the place which for that purpose he would chuse and there to offer them Deut. 12. 5. 6. And did not all offerings brought to any other place without speciall dispensation stink in his nostrels And yet this was but a circumstance of place And wherein stands the breach of the fourth commaundemeÌ„t but in a circumstance of tyme Lastly what was the transgression of Vzziah the King for which God stroke him with leprosy but a personall aberratioÌ„ a sinne in the circumstance of person for that he being no Preist would adventure to offer incense at the Altar 2. Chr. 26. 16. 17. 18. 19. Of the same nature was the sinne of Corah Dathan Abiram merely circumstantiall Dathan and Abiram being of a wrong tribe and Corah of a wrong family and yet for that theyr rebellion the earth by Gods judgment opened her mouth and swallowed vp both them and theyrs Numb 16. 1. 2. 32. And for the well being and right ordering of good things the Lord as well requireth it as the things themselves He hath not left in the hands of the Church a rude matter to frame after her owne fashion but with the matter he hath also appoynted the manner and form wherein all things must be done When Moses vnder the law was to make the Tabernacle the Lord did not set him out the matter and stuffe whereon to make it and so left the manner and formâ— to his pleasure and discretion but appoynted the one as well as the other and if he had framed it or any thing about it after any other fashion then according to the pattern shewed him in the mount he had done abhominably in the sight of the Lord. Exo. 25. 3-40 c. and 26. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. c. Hebr. 8. 5. When the Ark of God was to be removed vpon occasion the Preists were to cover it that no hand might touch it and so to carry it vpon their shoulders to the place of rest Numb 4. 11. 15. Deut. 3. 19. Now this order of the Lord was violated in the bringing of it out of the house of Abinadab vncovered and vpon a cart after the fashion of the Egyptians 1 Sam. 8. 7. 8. And the breach of this order the Lord punished very severely making a breach vpon Vzzah the Preist for touching the Ark which was his personall sinne and for carrying it vpon the cart which sinne was common to the rest of the Preists with him he was striken dead by the hand of God in the same place 2 Sam. 6. Now both this and the former examples are left to warne vs to take heâ—d that we presume not against the Lord in the least ceremony or circumstaÌ„ce neyther make any transgression small in our eyes or the eyes of others as the manner of too many is But let vs rather learne to feare before the Highest whose eyes are pure can indure none iniquity and let vs labour to keepe our hearts tender agaynst all sinne even agaynst that which seemeth the least knowing that if the Lord should let Satan loose vpon vs to presse our consciences should withdraw his comforts from vs in our temptations the least sinne would prove a burden vntollerable 4 Use the present good which thou mayest enioy to the vtmost and an experienced good before thou doest trouble thyselfe to seek for a supposed better good vntryed which thou enioyest not We must so enioy experienced good things as we stock not our selves in respect of other things as yet vntryed We may not stint or circumscribe eyther our knowledg or fayth or obedience within streyter bounds then the whole revealed will of God in the knowledge obedience wherof we must dayly encrease edify our selves much lesse must we suffer our selves to be stripped of any liberty which Christ our Lord hath purchased for vs and given vs to vse for our good Gal 5. 1. And here as I take it comes in the â—ase of many hundreds in the Church of England who what good they may enioy that is safely enjoy or without any great bodily daunger that they vse very fully Where the wayes of Christ ly open for them by the authority of men where they may walk safely with good leave there they walk very vprightly and that a round pace but when the commaundements of Christ are as it were hedged vp with thrones by mens prohibitions there they fowly †step a syde and pitch theyr tents by the flocks of his fellowes There are many in the land very zealous severe in all the dâ—ties of the second table and in the private and personal duties of the first table and in such publick duties also as the times wil bear and in those respects may say as Iehu did to Iehonadab see the zeâ—â— which I have for the house of the Lord but consider the same persons iâ— their Communion Leyturgy Ministery and government there seemeth a most monstrous composition These things in the same men do agree as ill as the Ark of God Dagon in the same house We ought in no case to share our service betwixt Christ and Antichrist nor to stock ourselves in any the least parts of the revealed will of God but must grow and increase in the whole body of obedience and all the parts thereof otherwise as in the naturall body if one part grow and not an other the effect wil be monstrous Ezek 18. 11. 12. Iam. 2. 10. Deut. 8. 1. The 5. 6. 7. precept I pretermit the 8. followeth 8. Never praesume to reforme others before thou hast wâ—â—â— ordered thy self c. True zeal it is certayn ever beginnes at home and gives morâ— libertie unto other men then it dares assume unto it self And there is nothing more true or necessary
them and the blessing of peace-makers vpon their heads Of Mr B. disswasive probabilities THe next thing that comes into consideration is certayn probabilities likelyhoods as the authour calls them consisting for the most part of personal imputations di graceful calumniations whereby he labours to withdraw the harts of the simple froÌ„ the truth of God unto disobedience as Absalom did the people into rebellion against the K. by slandering his goverment 2 SaÌ„ 15. But if Mr Bern. followed his sound judgement in this booâ— as he professeth in the Preface and so laboured to lead others he would neyther go himself nor send them by vnstable guesses and likelyhoods as he doth The truth of God goes not by peradventures neyther needs it any such paper-shot as likelyhoods are to assault the adversary withall The word of God which is profitablâ— to teach to reprovâ— to correct and to instruct in righteousnes is sufficient to furnish the man of God with weapons spirituall and those mighty through God to cast downe strong holds and whatsoever high thing is exalted against the knowledge of God And if M. B. speak according to the Law and Prophets his words are solid arguments if not there is neyther light in him nor truth in them and so where truth is wanting must some like-truthes or images of truth be layed in the place like the image in Davids bed to deceive them that sought after him when he himself was wanting 1 Saâ— 19. 13. The first probabilitie that our way is not good is The noveltie thereof differing from all the best reformed Churches â—â— Christendome It is no noveltie to hear men plead custome when they want truth So the heathen Phylosophers reproched Paul as a bringer of new doctrine so do the Papists discountenance the doctrine and profession of the Church of England yea even at this day very many of the people in the Land vse to call Popery the old law the profession there made the new law But we for our parts as we do beleeve by the word of God that the things we teach are not new but old truthes renued so are we no lesse fully perswaded that the Church constitution in which we are set is cast in the Apostolicall and primitive mould and not one day nor hower yonger in the nature and forme of it then the first Church of the new Testament And whether a people all of them separated sanctified so farr as men by their fruits can or ought to judge or a mingled generation of the seed of the womaÌ„ and seed of the serpent be more ancient the government of sundry Elders or Bishops with joynt authority over one Church or of one Nationall Provincial or Diocesan Bishop over many hundred or thousand Churches the spirituall prayers conceived in the heart of the Ministers according to the present occasions or necessityes of the Church or the English service book the simple administration of the Sacraments according to the words of institution or pompous and carnall complements of cap coap surplice crosse godfathers kneeling and the like mingled withall I do even refer it to the report of Mr B. owne conscience be it never so partiall Now for the differences betwixt the best reformed Churches as Mr B. calls them granting thereby his owne to be the worst and vs they ar extant in print being few in number those none of the greatest weight But what a volume would these differences make betwixt those reformed Churches and the vnreformed Churches of England if they were exactly set downe And yet for the corruptions reproved by vs in the reformed Church where we live I do vnderstand by them of good knowledge and sincerity that the most or greatest of them are rather in the exequution then in the constitution of the Church Our differences from the reformed Churches Mr B. aggravates by two reasons 1. The first is our separation from them 2. the 2. certeyne termes of disgrace vttered by Mr Barrow Mr Greenwood agaynst the Eldership which Mr Bernard will have vs disclayme For the first it is not truely affirmed that we separate from them What our judgment is of them our confessions of fayth and other wrytings do testify and for our practise as we cannot possibly ioyn vnto them would we never so fayne being vtterly ignorant of their language so neither do wee separate from them save in such particulars as we esteeme evill which we also shall endeavour to manifest vnto them so to be as occasion and meanes shal be offered And secondly for the taxations layd by Mr B. and Mr G. vpon the Eldership or other practise in the reformed Churches wherein they were any way excessive we both have disclaimed alwayes are and shal be ready to disclayme the same Onely I entreat the godly reader to coÌ„sider that those things were not spoken by them otherwise then in respect of those corruptions in the Eldership els where which they deemed Antichristian and evill Of which respective phrase of speach more hereafter Lastly if it be likely that our way is not good for the difference it hath from the reformed Churches and that thâ— greatneâ— of the difference appeares by the hard termes given by some of vs agaynst the government there vsâ—d thâ—n surâ—ly iâ— is much more likely that the way of the vnreformed Church of England is not good which differeth far more froÌ„ the reformed Chuâ—ches which difference appeares not onely in most reprochfull termes vsed by the Praelates and their adhaerents against the seekers of reformation comparing them to all vile haeretiques and seditious persons but in cruell persequutions raysed agaynst them and greater then against Papists or Atheists The second marke by which Mr B. guesseth our way not good is for that it agreeth so much with the antient schismatiques condemned in former ages by holy and learned men Luciferians Donatists Novattans and Audians Can our way both be a novelty new devise and yet agree so well with the antient schismatiques condemned in former ages Contradictions cannot be both true but may both be false as these are The partyes to whome Mr B. likeneth vs were condemned not onely for schisme but for heresy also as appeares in Epiphanius Austine Eusebius and others And as we have nothing no not in sâ—ew like vnto some of them nor in truth vnto any of them in the things blame worthy in them so if Mr B. were put to iustify by the word of God the condemnation of some of them it would put him to more trouble then he is aware of The Audians dissented from the Nicene Councell about theyr Easter tyme. The Luciferians held the soule of man to be ex traduce and were therefore accounted Haeretiques as indeed it was too vsuall a thing in those dayes to reiect men for haeretiques vpon too light causes And for the Donatists vnto whom Mr Gifford others would so fayn
so many times been driven to so grosse absurdities by a consequence or two about this cause as he vtterly abhorrs the very memory of all coÌ„sequences it seems would have it enacted that never consequence should be more vrged To conclude whatsoever it pleaseth this man to suggest the mayne grounds for which we stand touching the coÌ„munion government ministery and worship of the visible Church are expresly conteyned in the scriptures and that as we are perswaded so plainly that as like Habbakuks vision he that runnes may read them The 4. guesse against vs is That we have not the approbation of any of the reformed Churches for ouâ— course and that where our Confession of faith is without allowance by them they give on the contrary the right hand of fellowship to the Church of England This is the same in substance with the first instance of probability and that which foloweth in the next place the same with them both And Mr Bern. by his so ordinary pressing vs with humane testimonies shewes himself to be very barren of divine authority as hath bene truely noted by another Nature teacheth every creature in all daunger to fly first and oftenest to the chief instruments eyther of offence or defence wherin it trusteth as the But to his horne the Bore to his tusk and the byrd vnto her wing right so this man shewes wherein his strength lies and wherein he trusts most by his so frequent and vsuall shaking the horne and whetting the tusk of mortall mans authority against vs. But for the reformed Churches the truth â—s they neyther do imagine no nor wil easily be brought to beleeve that the frame of the Church of England stands as it doth neyther have they any mind to take knowledge of those things or to enter into examination of them The approbation which they give of you as Mr A. hath observed as indeed it is of speciall observation is in respect of such generall truthes of doctrine as wherein we also for the most part acknowledge you which notwithstanding you deny in a great measure in the particulars and practise But touching the gathering governing of the Church which are the mayn heads coÌ„troverted betwixt you vs they give you not so much as the left haÌ„d of fellowship but do on the contrary turne their backs vpon you The difference betwixt you and them in the gathering and constituting of Churches is as great as betwixt copulsive conformity vnto the service book and ceremonyes which is your estate and voluntary submission vnto the gospell by which all every member of them is ioyned to the Church and as is betwixt the reigne of one Lord Bishop over many Churches and the government of a Presbytery or company of Elders over one And if you would take viewe of this difference nearer home do but cast your eyes to your next neyghbours of Scotland there you shall see the most zealous Christians chusing rather to loose liberty country and life then to stoop to a far more easy yoke then you bear Yea what need I send you out of your owne horizon The implacable mortall hatred the Prelates bear vnto the Ministers and people wishing the government and Ministery receaved in the reformed Churches proclaymes aloud the vtter emnity betwixt them your vnreformed Church of England of which I pray you hear with patience what some of your own have testified Those that will needs be our Pastors and spirituall fathers are become beasts as the Prophet Ieremy sayth And if we should open our mouthes to sue for the true shepheards and overseers indeed vnto whose direction we ought to be committed the rage of these wolves is such as this endeavour would almost be the price of our lives And do these Churches like sisters go hand in hand together as is pretended Now for vs where Mr B. affirmeth that wee published our confession but without allowance if I saw not his frowardnes in the things he knowes I should marvayl at his bouldnes in the things whereof he is ignorant we published the confessioÌ„ of our fayth to the Christian Vniversityes in the low countryes and els where entreating them in the Lord eyther to convince our errours by the word of God if so any might be found or if our testimony in theyr iudgments agreed with the same word to approve it eyther by wryting or silence as they thought good Now what Vniversity Church or person amongst them hath once enterprized our conviction which without doubt some would have done as with such haeretiques or schismatiques as arise amongst them had they found cause Thus much of the learned abroad in the next place Mr B. drawes vs to the learned at home from whose dislike of vs he takes his fifth Likelyhood which he thus frameth The condemnation of this way by our divinâ—s both living and dead against whom either for godlynes of life or truth of doctrine otherwise theâ— for being theyr opposites they can take no exception No mervayl we may not admit of partyes for iudges how is it possible we should be approved of them in the things wherein we witnes against them And if this Argument be good or likely then is it likely that neyther the reformists have the truth in the Church of England nor the Prelates for there are many and those both godly and learned which in their differences do oppose and that very vehemently the one the other Now as for myne owne part I do willingly acknowledge the learning godlynes of most of the persons named by Mr B. do honour the very memory of some of them so do I neyther think theÌ„ so learned but they might erre nor so godly but in their error they might reproch the truth they saw not I do indeed confesse to the glory of God and myne owne shame that a long tyme before I entered this way I took some tast of the truth in it by some treatises published in iustificatioÌ„ of it which the L. knoweth were sweet as hony vnto my mouth and the very principall thing which for the tyme quenched all further appetite in me was the over-valuation which I made of the learning and holynes of these and the like persons blushing in my selfe to have a thought of pressing one hayr bredth before them in this thing behynde whom I knew my selfe to come so many miles in all other things yea and even of late tymes when I had entered into a more serious consideration of these things and according to the measure of grace received serched the scriptures whether they were so or no and by searching found much light of truth yet was the same so dimmed and overclouded with the contradictions of these men and others of â—he like note that had not the truth been in my heart as a burning fyre shut vp in my bones Ier. 20. 9. had never broken those bonds of â—lesh and blood wherein I was so
of it out of Antichristianism or Paganisme out of Babylon Egypt Sodome spiritually or civily so called or out of any other society or Synagogue which is not the true visible body of Christ must be is constituted and compact of good onely not of good evill The Lords field is sowen onely with good seed vers 24. 27. 38. his vyne noble and all the seed true his Church saynts and beloved of God all and every one of them though by the mallice of Satan and negligence of such as should keep this field vineyard house of God adulterate seed and abominable persons may be foysted in yea and suffred also which the scriptures affirm and we deny not But our exceptioÌ„ in this case is first that the Church of England was never truely gathered the Church of England I say that that is the National Church consisting of the Provinciall Churches and those of the Diocesan Churches and the Diocesans of the Parochyall Churches according to their parish precincts with their governours government correspondent That there were true visible Churches in the land gathered out of Paganism at the first I will not deny but that ever the whole Land in the body of it was a Church is an affirmatioÌ„ of them which consider not what is eyther the matter whereof or the manner how the Church of the new Testament is to â—e gathered 2. Graunt that the way of the kingdom of Christ the Church were now so wyde that a whol nation might walk a brest in it and that England had been some times that Canaan the holy land wherein none vncircumcised person dwelt yet in the apostasy of Antichrist it could not be so accounted but was in the body of it divorced froÌ„ Christ with Rome whereof it was a member except you Mr B. will affirm as many do that Rome remaines still a true visible Church and that antichristianism is true Christianism Antichristians true Christians the body which hath the Pope the head the true body of Christ so except the Church of Engl. had been sowen with good seed without tares since that general apostasie it cannot be the L. field The Iewes were forbidden by God vnder the law to sow their field with divers seeds and will he sow his own feyld with divers yea with coÌ„trary seeds wheat tares What husbandman is eyther so foolish or carles as to sow his field with tares wheat together And yet this fair field of Engl of whose beauty all the Christian world is enamoured is so sowen this pleasant orchyard so plaÌ„ted this â—lourishing Ch so gathered A few kernels of wheat scattered amoÌ„gst the tares here there a few good plants amoÌ„gst the wilde branches a smal strinkling of good meÌ„ amoÌ„gst the great retchles rowt of wicked graceles persons And was this field sowen this orchard planted this Church gathered by the Lords hand And as was the root so are the branches as were the first fruits so is the whole lump To conclude this point thus I reason The Lords field is sowen with good seed onely though tares may in time be conveyed into it by the Divels mallice and mans negligence But the Engl nationall Ch was not so sowen but with tares wheat together Therefore it is not the Lords field And thus I hope the indifferent reader wil easily see what succour Mr B. findes amoÌ„gst those tares under whose shadow he would so fayne shrowd all the Atheists Papists other flagitious persons in the Church Now for the Parable of the draw net Mat. 13. I confesse the bad fishes may be wicked persons in the Church but undiscerned as fishes vnder the water between which the good no difference is seen If the fishers and they that drew the netts did know of the bad fishes in them and had meanes of voyding them they would never burden themselves and the nett with them except you will have as foolish fishermen here as you had husbandmen before but till they do discern them to be as they are they must take theÌ„ as they hope they are though with you all be fish that come to the net yea good fish too till the CoÌ„missaries court judge otherwise And lastly to your saying wel it were that all were saints but that is to look for a heaven vpon earth I answer that the Church is heaven vpon earth and if you were not a straunger to the true Church and to such scriptures as speaks of it you should find as in many other places so espetially in the Revelation the Church visible oft dignifyed with the name of heaven and with no name oftener Yea to seek no further then these two parables brought in by you to speak against heaven that is against the true natural coÌ„stitutioÌ„ conservatioÌ„ of the visible Church Christ himself that with his own mouth gives the Church no worse name then heaven and the kingdom of heaveÌ„ the onely ordinary beaten way which Christ hath left to heaven in heaven is heaven on earth which way soever you please to guide men The sixth insimulation against vs is that we hold That the power of Christ that is authority to preach to administer the sacraments and to exercise the Censures of the Church belongeth to the whole Church yea to every one of them and not to the principall mâ—bers thereof If Mr B. were but as able to confute vs by just reason as he is willing to bring vs into hatred by unjust and odious accusations we should then have as much cause to feare his skill as now we have to complayn of his mallice Onely herein his skill is to be commended that where he findes not our opinions such as he thinks wil be disliked by the simple multitude he makes theÌ„ such and so deales against them Here come in many things of great weight to be discussed and although it were in it self the readyest way to reduce things to some heads and so to prosequute them in order yet since I have taken this task vpon me to trace Mr B. in the particulars therfore I purpose to follow him step by step notwithstanding all his vnorderly wandrings and excursions And first Mr B. charging vs with errour for giving authority to preach minister the sacraments excercise the censures to the whole Church and not to the principall members thereof playnely insinuates that the authority to do all these things amongst them is in the principall members of the Church But the truth is otherwise in the parish Church of Worksop and in all other the parish Churches in the land You have one onely member that hath power and that vnder the ordinary to any of these things and that your self the parrish Priest though perhaps the parish clerk may by speciall indulgence be licensed to bury the dead Church women read service on light holy dayes and do some such like drudgery in your absence But
when the Magistrate is absent that should defend him God puts the sword into his hand and he may as lawfully vse it now as wear it before rather kill then be killed So may the Church as the wife of Christ if the steward the minister neglect the provision vse the help and service of an other the fittest in the family to provide food the multitude as the mariners if the minister the Pylot be desperate set an other the most skilfull at the stern the body of the army the Church if the officers as the Captaynes be perfidious vse the help and guidance of some other the most expert so may as a private citizē a magistrate a private member become a minister for an action of necessity to be performed by the consent of the rest These first things even nature and the light of it teacheth the natural man the latter grace the spirit of grace the spirituall man Of these things the more largely I haue spoken in the generall I may be the breifer in the particulars Onely for conclusion I must demaund of Mr B. this question if Church matters be to be performed onely by ministers why his Sexton being no minister reads divine service in his absence and that by authority from the Ordinary If this be not a Church matter and that materiall there is small Church matter in the most Churches in the land Now the last thing I have to observe touching this first reason is that so far as the authour speaks the truth in it so far he speaks most playnly against himself In that he graunts as he doth pag. 90. 91. the people under the law aright from the Lord to approve of the appointment of the Levites and that the body of the congregation were made acquainted with that which concerned them yea and had liberty to chuse their officers and to present them to the Apostles therein he overthrowes both his own and all other the ministeries in England as by the lawes both civil and ecclesiasticall they are constituted For the law with you Mr B. allowes not onely Ministers ordeyned at large without any certeyn congregations but entitles them also to their speciall cures without so much as the peoples knowledge many parishes never seing the faces of their ministers till they come to ring their belles in signe of victory much lesse doth the law provide they should be approved least of all that they should be chosen and presented by them As the truth you speak in this place makes against you so had you spoken more fully you had brought more cleare testimony against yourself you do therefore take vp yourself in time and mingle some vntruthes amōg like darknes with light least the light should shine too clearely in the eyes of the reader Where you then affirm that the people did onely approve of the Levites at the Lords appointment when they took their charge Numb 3. 6 12. Lev. 8. 2. 36. that the body of the congregation was onely made acquainted with the choice of Mathyas Act. 1. 15. you speak vnfaithfully but where you adde that onely the liberty was graunted them by the Apostles then to chuse Officers c. it is both false and fond False as the former for the Levites were not onely approved by the people but given by them they were the the peoples gift and therefore their 's for they gave nothing but their owne and by them given to minister vnto the Lord in stead of the first borne Exod. 13. 2. 12. 13. and 22. 29. Num. 3. 12. The Levites are expresly called the peoples †shake offring and so were not onely approved but given by them as their offering even the offering of the whol congregation and that by solemn ordination imposition of hands by the people Men may approve the thinges done by others but the people were principall doers themselves the offring was theirs and by them as their gift presented and so by Aaron offred vnto the Lord in their name And as shameles an vntruth is it which you avouch touching the calling of Mathyas Act. 1. that the body of the congregation was onely made acquainted with that which concerned them all For howsoever the ministration were extraordinary being an Apostleship to which he was called and therefore the Lord reserved to himself the prerogative royall of immediate designation of the very person Gal. 1. 1. yet would he haue the libertie of the people so inviolably preserved as that by direction they were to present two and after to acknowledge by common consent that particular person which by the Lord was immediately singled out and designed to that work vers 23. 26. Lastly the liberty graunted to the people for the chusing both of Deacons and Elders Act. 6. 14. was not by any courtesie of the Apostles as by the Popes indulgence for that time as Mr B. would cunningly beare the simple reader in hand but it was an ordinance eternall and perpetual never reversed but by Antichrist even a part of that connsell of God wherewith the Apostles acquainted the Churches and one of these cōmaundements which they were to teach all Churches to observe which they also did And so I come to the third reason against this imputed popularity taken from the commission of Christ to his Apostles and their successourt This is something generally set down but the thing I perceive by his proofs which Mr B intends is that the vse of the keyes power of binding and loosing was committed by Christ to his A postles and to those which succeeded them And first here I do graunt with Mr Bernard that look to whō the power of binding and loosing was primarily and immediately committed in their successours it recideth for ever so that the onely point in quaestion is into whose hands the Lord Iesus hath properly immediately given the keyes of the kingdome of heaven the power of loosing and binding sinnes For the better vnderstanding then of this point it must be cōsidered that the kingdome of heaven is cōpared to a great house into which some are admitted and others denyed enterance the doore into this howse is Christ the key that opens and shutts this doore is the gospel the opening of it which is the loosing of sinnes is the publishing opening manifesting and making knowen of the gratious promises of the forgivenes of sinnes and life eternall to such as beleive and repent The shutting of this doore which is also the binding of sinnes is the declaration and denunciation of the wrath of God against sinne and of coudemnatiō vpō persons impenitent and vnbeleevers and both these according to the pleasure of the mayster of the house though the latter of them be not of the nature of the gospell which is in it self the ministery of life and of the spirit which giveth life but accidentall vnto it by mens own fault which through their vnbeleeving impenitent hearts turne
cheiftayns onely in the power of Christ as the Apostles successours excluding himselfe and the rest of his rank that he may advance the throne of Antichrist in his cheife ministers the Lord Archbishops Bishops whose chayre he thus stoutly laboures to vphold with both shoulders Secondly I deny that eyther the Evangelists such as were Timothy and Titus succeeded the Apostles in their office or that any other ministers in the Church did or do succeed eyther the Apostles or Evangelists as they were such as we speak They were extraordinary officers in the first plaÌ„ting of the faith amongst the gentiles theyr qualifications extraordinary and miraculous as the gift of tongues and the like and so theyr offices were determined in theyr persons And yet I deny not but the true Ministers of the gospell the Bishops or Elders in theyr particular Churches do succeed the Apostles though not in office yet in theyr ordinary ministration of the word sacraments censures prayer ordination all other ordinances of the Church whatsoever according to the order Christ hath left but that the Apostles and Evangelists have by any order committed theyr power or any part of it to any such Cheif Ministers or rather Lords yea spiritual tyraÌ„ts as the Lordbishops Archbishops in Engl. are that I deny withall my power There are no such cheifteyns in the Church of Christ or communion of saynts The Apostles did by the Churches free choyce ordeyn in every particular assembly a company of Elders or Bishops whome they charged with the particular flockes in and to which they were to minister the holy things of God and none other Act. 14. 23. and 20. 17. 28. 1 Tim. 3. 1. 2. 4. Tit. 1. 5. 1 Pet. 5. â— 2. Much lesse are the great Antichrists of Rome the Popes and Cardinalles the Apostles and Evangelists successours in any right by the word of God or capable in that theyr estate of Apostolicall or other ministeriall power of Christ as you Mr B. will make them of which your Popish errour more in place Now for the scriptures cited they serve well to prove that which no man denyes in which kynd of disputing Mr B. hath a speciall faculty The scriptures are 1 Tim. 1. 3. and 3. 14. 15. and 5. 21. 22. Tit. â— 5. which places prove thus much in effect that Timothy was to see false doctrine suppressed in Ephesus that men gifted according to the word of God should be choseÌ„ into the office of Bishops and Deacons that he should deale vnpartially in all things that he should not partake in the sinns of other men by laying hands suddaynly vpon any that Titus was left in Crete to redresse things amisse and to ordayne Elders in the Churches And what followes vpon this I know well what Mr B. infers namely that the cheif Ministers alone in the Churches whether pure or impure by which latter he meanes the Church of Rome as he expounds himself pag. 145. that is that Popes Cardinalls Archbishops Bishops Suffraganes Chauncelours and the rest of the triumphant Clergy and they alone should medle with supressing errour rectifying things amisse calling and ordayning ministers and that all others are absolutely inhibited any medling with these things Well to let passe your fearefull retyring Mr B. into the battered bulwarks of the Papists for succour and the discharging of your selfe and all the inferiour ministery that these cheif ministers might reigne alone the scriptures do not debarâ—e the members of the Church from medling in those things in their place and order nor impropriate them to the cheife Lords as is pretended onely they declare that the officers are to do theyr own duetyes in those businesses and to put the brethren in remembrance of theyrs to commaund teach and speak those things exhorting rebuking with all authority by the word of God as occasion serves 1 Tim. 4. 6. 11. Tit. 2. 15. And if Mr B. will conclude any thing for his purpose by the scriptures he alledgeth he must take this position for graunted that whatsoever Paul wrytes to Timothy or Titus touching the Church about that onely they theyr successours the cheif ministers are to medle which presumpteous affirmation is sufficiently refuted by the very recitall of it He that reads over the Epistles but with a pece of an ey may see the contrary There is no greater force in this collection then in that Mar. 13. 34. bycause the porter is to watch therefore he alone and not the rest also which is coÌ„trary to the expresse words immediatly following where all are coÌ„maunded to watch v. 37. And thus the conclusion which Mr B. would make that the place 1 Cor. 5. though generally spoken must be vnderstood of the cheife officers of the Church is without prâ—mises It must be vnderstood as it is spoken though both he the Pope say nay to it and of the meaning of it we shall speak hereafter at large when we come to handle the censures of the Church as also of your pretended proof 2 Cor. 2. 6. Onely I must needs take knowledge of that part of the truth which Mr B. being set vpon the rack of his conscience in reading this 1 Cor. 5. is compelled to confesse and that is that from v. 5. â—â— may be gathered for the body of the Church that the offender must be delivered to Satan with their knowledge publiquely when they meet together in the open assembly Towching which his graunt I observe these three particulars First it overthrowes the practise in the Church of England where the offender is excommunicated by the Chauncelour or Officiall it may be fourty miles off from the body of the congregation whereof he is a member and that most what without the presence of any one of the body yea or their privity eyther till such tymes as eyther the Parish Preist or Church dore signify the matter vnto them 2. If the officers must judge and excommunicate in the open assembly then can they alone in no sense be the Church For the Church is nothing but the assembly And it is all one to say the officers in the assembly are the Church as to say the officers in the assembly are the assembly which is a senseles affirmation And if the Officers alone be the Church to which complaint is to be made and which is to reprove the offender and judge him they must do it in a distinct assembly from the body and not in the assembly compounded necessarily of the officers and the body as your Courtkeepers doe in their Consistories the Elders in the reformed Churches in their private Chambers 3. It is most vntrue which you say that no more can be gathered from this place but that excommunication was performed in the presence of the body of the Church and with their knowledge being gathered together it is apparent that they which were gathered together were by the power of Christ to deliver to Satan the offender to purge out the
in his teaching such vertue and vigour of the spirit as did draw even the prophane hearers into admiration There are in deed in the cōmon wealth Kings and Magistrates in authority under them partakers of their kingly power by subordination by which participation they properly and effectually even as the King himself bind and loose save and destroy exact and procure obedience civily both in Church and cōmon wealth and that by a kingly and lordly power over the people whose Kings Lords and Maysters they are but the Officers in the Church are in no such authority by participation of Christs kingly power neyther can they properly and effectually bind and loose save and destroy exact and procure obedience as Christ doth neyther are they as civil Magistrates though the Kings servants and ministers yet the peoples Lords and maysters but both Christs and the peoples servants and Ministers Now let any judge that hath in him eyther religion or reason conscience or cōmon sense if it be not irreligious vnconscionable vnreasonable and senselesse that the body of the Church should have no more liberty and power in the imployments of their servants and Ministers in their Office then the body of the cōmon wealth in the imployments of their Lords and Maysters in their Office To this also I may adde that there are many civil ordināces and constitutions in the common wealth which concerne not one of a thowsand of the Kings people many Magistrates Officers chosen the inferiour by the superiour without the peoples privity or cōsent many administratiōs vsed judgemēts passed exequutions done which the greatest part of the people do not nor are bound so much as once to enquire after much lesse are they bound to complayn of the breach of every civil ordinance to see it reformed to charge every Magistrate to look to his office to admonish him if in any thing he deale corruptly or wickedly and if he will not be reclaymed but goe obstinately on in the spirit of an Haeretick Idolater or Atheist to disclaym or depose him but in the Church all and every ordinance concernes every person as a part of their communion without the dispensation of necessity for their vse and aedification all the Officers to be chosen by suffrages and consent of the multitude the brethren are to admonish their brethren of every violation of Gods commaundement and so in order to tell the Church and to see the parties reformed to observe and to take notice of the officers cariage and ministration and to say to Archippus as there is need take heed to thy ministery that thou hast received of the Lord that thou fulfil it and if the Ministers will deal corruptly and so persevere in the spirit of profanenes heresy idolatry or atheism to censure depose reiect or avoyd them otherwise they betray their own soules and salvation These things I thought good vpon this occasion further to annext touching the difference and dissimilitude of civil and ecclesiasticall governours and government not doubting for conclusion to affirm that ther is no one errour in Popery serving more directly to advance Antichrist to the highest step of his throne or there to establish him then thus to confound these two estates in their authority and manner of government though alasse too many will needs transforme Ministers into Magistrates servants into Lords and as the Kings of the earth have given their power authority vnto the beast and arrayed the great whore tha◠fitteth vpon the beast with purple and scarlet and gilded her with gold pretious stones and pearles so do they still help her to hold her kingly lordly authority and to beare vp her pompous trayne and that specially by enforcing those scriptures for ecclesiasticall government and the manner and order of it which were left for direction in civil governments and their administrations And yet for more speciall answer vnto you Mr Bernard it followes not that bycause the people are not interessed in the reformation of abuses by the scriptures you cite therefore it is never found eyther in the old or new testament that any such duty lyes vpon them The scriptures do not intend to speak of all things at once but that charge which is omitted in one place is oft tymes supplyed and prescribed in another And to this purpose I do desire that these few scriptures amongst many others may be considered of Num. 5 1. 2. Iosh. 7. 1. 11. 12. 24. 25. 22. 11. 12. 16. 17. 18. 20. Iudg. 20. 11. 12. 2 Sam. 20. 22. Ezech. 44. 5. 6. 7. 9. Luke 17. 3. 4. Gal. 6. 1. 1 Thes. 5. 14. 1 Cor. 5. whol Ch. all these many other of the same nature will manifest that the people are charged with the reformatiō of abuses for the keeping pure of their cōmunion as well as the officers though not in the same order or degree But what need we seek further as all the scriptures brought forth by Mr Bern. do charge the govervours with reformation and none of them exempt the people in their rank and order so are there some of them so pregnant against him in the point by which he hath been so oft silenced to his face that if he had not set himself in opposition without all measure or modesty he would never offer his cause to be tryed by that evidence in writing by which in speach he hath been so oft cast and convinced The scriptures I especiall mean are Rev. 2. 3. And the thing which he would prov◠from those scriptures is that bycause Iohn in the verses named by him speakes to the Angels of the particular Churches that therefore it conernes the Angels that is the chief officers alone and no way the people no nor any of the Officers but one in a Church by Mr Bernards exposition to see to the reformation of such abuses and disorders as in those Churches are reproved But if in these scriptures he thus sever and sejoyne the officers and people why might not the officers be excluded by a◠good consequence by other verses of these Chapters where mention is made of the Churches and not of the Angels as the people in these where the Angels onely and not the people are mentioned and both alike The answer and truth then is that Iohn writes and sendes these Epistles or this book to the 7. Churches in Asia as he is expresly directed by Christ so willeth all men to heare and take knowledge what the spirit sayth to the Churches but bycause the matters were publique he absent from the Churches it was both most convenient necessary he should direct his letters to the officers for the whol Churches as being not onely most fit for their knowledge but most bound by their places to provoke the Churches vnto and to direct and goe before them in the reformation of such evills as were found amongst them As if the
of you where your your fellow Ministers power of excommunication had been duetify as an obedient child in giving the rod of discipline into the hands of your reverend fathers alone and their substitutes Well Mr B. whomsoever the Lord Iesus meant by the Church Mat. 18. he never meant that the Archbishop of York the Archdeacon of Nottingham the Officiall of Southwel were the Church of Worksop and for this I vvill spare all Arguments and send you to your owne guilty conscience for conviction which as it condemns you in yourself which is also the case of many thowsands in the Land so do I earnestly wish both you and them to remember with fear and trembling the condemnation of him that is greater then your cōscience Ioh. 3. 20. So far are they from being the Church of Worksop as they are not so much as members of it nor of any other particular Church in the kingdome they are neyther the Pastours so called nor vnder the Pastors of any particular Church but with their tanscendent jurisdiction in their Provinciall and Diocesan Churches take their scope without orb or order and as clouds without rayn carryed about with the wind of ambition and covetousnes for the the greatest part To leave them and come to your reasons Mr B. by which you would prove that tell the Church is tell the governours But here behold the fruites of an vnstable mind This man in his former book laboured by many scriptures and reasons to lay downe the nature of the Churches government and in speciall to prove that the Church Math. 18. 17. to vvhich complaint of sinns was to be made was the cheif officers onely and this he affirmes also to be the iudgement and the practise of all reformed Churches But lo now in his second book he devoures the hallowed thing and labours vvithall his power to persvvade young divines seely country people as he speakes and as in truth they had need be both young and seely that are perswaded by him that the points of discipline and Church-government are not so apparant by the scriptures as that they can rightly iudge of them And to this end he brings in the variety of iudgements and contradictions of learned men some holding no government at all others that an externall government is to be had but of these some holding it alterable others constant and perpetuall and of these some to be in the Pope Cardinalls others in the body of the congregatiō some in the Presbytery with the peoples consent and others which he puts last as best and for which he brings sundry reasons referring the reader to the treatises written to that end in the Bishops his Lords And againe touching the punishment of offenders some he brings in holding excommunication but not suspension some holding both and some neyther And particularly for Math. 18. he musters in thick and threefold reasons and persons so reasoning and proving that the place and so of Lev. 19. 17. doth nothing at all concern discipline or ecclesiasticall censures but that Christs meaning there was onely to direct the Iewes how to carry things before the Synedrion in cases of bodily injury And thus he brings mens contrary opinions to darken the scriptures which are most playne like so many foul feet to trouble the pure fountaynes of living water that the thirsty may not drink of them And as a learned man in our age nation to discover the vanity of prognosticatours gathered together their contrary guesses of the wether and so presented them so this man to make the government of Christs Church as vncertayne as an Almanack sets together and so offers to the vvievv of the world the contrarieties of opinions concerning it Now if other men should take this course Mr B. doth in other points of religion and one lay down the differences that are about predestination the points depending vpon it some vtterly denying it others affirming it and of these some grounding it vpon Gods mere grace others vpō mans faith or workes foreseen an other about baptisme some denying it to all infants others ministring it to all others to such onely as are of Christian parents in a sort and others onely to them that are of beleeving parents at the least on the one side a third about the Lords supper in which point some hold transubstantiation others consubstantiation others onely a sacramentall vnion which some also will have merely rationall others reall also there could not be a playner way beaten for all Atheism to come into the world by nor a course devised by the Divell more pregnant to perswade the multitude that there were no certaynty nor soundnes in the scriptures But let God have the glorie of his truth and of the clearnes in it and let men bear the just blame and shame of their naturall blyndnes and in speciall let Christ have the honour of being as faythfull in his owne house as Moses was in his Maisters in setting orders and officers in it and let not vile flesh dare to flatter Princes and Prelates to mislead silly soules and to preach liberty and licentiousnes to the world make Christ Iesus an Idol King having a kingdome vpon earth without lawes or officers for the administring of it nor to make his redeemed Idoll subjects as whom it concerns little or nothing whether they be vnder Chrits lawes and officers or vnder Antichrists his professed adversary Now though I will not trouble my self and the reader about every stone that Mr. B. idely casts in the way yet such as may stumble the weakest passenger I will remove and so returne to my former task And in the first place I will answer certaine reasons in number six brought by Mr B. for the superiority of his Lord Bishops but those not backed with the scriptures as in other points when he thinks he speaks the truth his manner is The first is taken from the succession of Iames at Ierusalem of Peter at Antioch of Peter Paul at Rome of Mark at Alexandria I answer first that these were not Bishops set over certayn Churches here and there though vpon occasion they tarryed some good space in some certayne Churches but generall men Apostles and Evangelists without successours in their Offices so the Protestants do generally answer the Papists instancing them as you do now 2. I deny the very Apostles vsed any such Lordly and Papall authority as to exclude eyther the inferiour officers or people in Church affaires the contrary is most evident in the choice of officers Act. 1. 15. 23. 26. and 6. 1. 2. 3. 5. censuring of offenders 1 Cor. 5. and debating of other Church matters Act. 15. 2. 3. 4. 6. 7. 22. 23. 30. 21. 22. The 2. Argument is taken from 1 Cor. 12. 28. where say you three degrees are reckoned vp the first of Apostles the second of Prophets the third of Teachers But since the
vnder one part of the old testament or covenant of God namely the judicial law for the common wealth and not vnder an other part of it the ceremoniall law for the Church it cannot be that any such ordinance as excommunication could be vsed lawfully in the Iewish Church Yet do I not deny but that the lepers other persons legally vnclean were for a time debarred froÌ„ the coÌ„munioÌ„ of the Church and from all the sacrifices and services thereof but this inhibition say I was no way in the nature of an excommunication For first it was for ceremoniall vncleannes issues leprosy and the like which were not sinnes but punishments of sinnes at the most 2. It did not onely exclude men from the communion of the Church but of the common wealth also and the affaires thereof 3. It did not agree in the end with excommunication The end of excommunication is the repentance of the party excoÌ„municated 1 Cor. 5. 5. but the person legally vncleane whether he repented or no was to bear his shame till the date of his time were out yea to his dying day if his disease continued so long Lev. 12. 13. 14. Num. 5. 2. 3. 4. 12. 10. 14. 2 Chron. 26. 19. 20. 21. A type I confesse it was of excommunication as legall pollution was of morall sin whence I also conclude that the type and thing typed outwardly could not both stand together But here it vvilbe demaunded of me did not the Lord require in the Iewish Church true morall and spirituall holynes also God forbid I should run vpon that desperate rock of Anabaptistry The Lord was holy then as now and so would have his people be then holy as now Yea so jealous was the Lord over his people that he took order then as well as now that no sin should be suffered vnreformed no obstinate sinner vncut off Some sinnes were of that nature as he that committed them was by the law to dy the death without pardon or partialitie so to be cut off from the Lords people Lev. 20. And when other sinnes not of that nature were committed whether of ignorance or otherwise the party offending was to be told and admonished of his offence and so to manifest his repentance by the confefsâ—on of his sinne and professioÌ„ of his faith in the mediatour by offering his appointed sacrifice and so his sinne was forgiven him Lev. 4. 13. 14. 15. 20. 21 23 26. 27. 28. 35. 5. 1. 3. 4. 5. 6. 10. 19. 17. Num. 5. 6. 7. But now if there were with the least sinne joyned obstinacy or presumption the party so sinning was to be cut off from his people Num. 15. 30. 31. 32. 34. 36. Deut. 17. 12. and for this cause the Iewes were so oft admonished to destroy the workers of wickednes that there should be no wickednes amongst them that they should take away evil from Israel and from forth of the middest of them And vpon this ground doth David as the cheif Magistrate whom this busines cheifly concerned vow his service vnto God in this kind and that he would even betimes destroy all the wicked of the land that he might cut off the workers of iniquity from the city of the Lord though he afterwards fayled in the execution of this dutie And to the very same end did Asa the King with all the people enter a covenant of oath to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their hart and with all their soule and that whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be slaine whether be were small or great man or woman To end this point vpon which I have insisted something the longer for sundry purposes in their place to be manifested as the Lord vsually conveyed spirituall both blessings and curses vnto the Iewes vnder those which were bodily so here was the spirituall judgement of excommunication comprehended vnder this bodily judgement of death by which the party delinquent was wholy cut off visibly from the Lords covenant and people That which you adde of Cloes coÌ„plaint made to the cheif governour the Apostle is true but misapplyed You make an erroneous collection from it out of your owne lamentable experience Bycause your Church of Worxsop can reforme no abuse within it self but must complain to your Lords grace of York or his substitute therfore you imagine the Church of Corinth to have been in the same boÌ„dage wherein you are and Cloe to have complayned to Pauls court But it is playn Mr B. to them that do not shut their eyes and harden their hearts against the truth that the Church of Corinth was planted in the liberty of the gospell and had this power of Christ to reform abuses and to excommunicate offenders without sending to Paul from one part of the world to an other and that the Corinthians Ch. 5. are reproved for fayling in this duty And had Mr B. but taken this course in his writing that two of his leaves had hung together he might have spared this objection considering what he writ pag. 92. that the same persons have the power to preach administer the sacraments and excommunicate for that he meanes by government Now he cannot be ignorant that both the power and practise of preaching administring the sacraments were in the Church of Corinth in Pauls absence 1 Cor. 11. 20. 14. 1. c. And so by your own graunt the Church of Corinth had power to excommunicate though Paul were absent Wherevpon I also infer it was their sinne not to vse it Now for the practise of Cloes family wee know Paul was an Apostle and generall Officer and so intitled to the affaires in all the Churches in the world wherevpon Cloe complayned vnto him of such abuses in the Church as were both of publick nature and which the Church vvould not reform otherwise it had been both slaunder and solly to have complayned And what corne doth this winde shake Do wee make it vnlawfull for any member to informe the officers of publique enormities in the Church that they according to their places might see reformation of them Yea if the Pastor or other principall Officer of the Church were absent necessarily we doubt not but it were the duety of any brother or brethren in the like case to entreat their help for the direction reproofe and reformation of the Church for any publick enormities there done or suffered who might also judge and condemne the same themselves and for their parts exhorting and directing the whole Church in their publique meeting to do the like as Paul did Your three next Arguments to prove that tell the Church is tell the Officers are idle descants vpon the formes and phrases of speach scraped together to fill your book with First you affirm that Christ having spoken in the third person tell the Church when he comes to ratify the authoritie to be committed to his Apostles turnes his
speach to the 2. person not saying what it but what you shall bind and loose c. In so saying you give the cause though you presently eat vp your own graunt For you affirm that by the Church ver 17. is meant the whole body of which Christ speaks in the third person and what say wee more But where you adde that the authoritie is not given till the 18. vers and that then Christ turns his speach to his Apostles it is your own devised glosse For first it is evident that Christ establisheth the power of binding and loosing in the hands of the Church speaking in the 3. person v. 17. that so firmely as what brother soever refuseth to heare her voice is to be expelled from all religious cōmunion Vnto this the 18. v. is added partly for explanation and partly for confirmation For where as the party admonished might say with himself well if the Church disclaim mee I shall disclaym it if it condemn me I shall condemn it again the Lord doth here back the Churches censures for her incouragement and for the terrour of the refractary despising her voice and that vnder a contestation that what she bindes and looseth vpon earth namely after his will he also will bind and loose in heaven And for the change of persons in the 17. and 18 verses it is merely grammaticall and not naturall It is common with the Holy Ghost sometimes for elegancy sometimes for explication sometimes for further inforcement of the same thing to and vpon the same persons thus to vary the phrase of speach in the first second or third person grammatically as the reader may take a tast in these particulars Psal. 75. 1. Is. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. c. Math. 5. 10. 11. 12. c. and in this very Chapt. v. 7. 8. Rom. 6. 14. 15. 16. 8. 4. 5. 12. 13. c. Your 3. Reason that bycause Christ speakes of a few two or three gathered together therefore he meanes the officers of the Church and not all the body is of no force if the body consist but of two or three as it comes to passe where Churches are raysed in persecution as the most true Churches are Yet if Christ do speak of two or three officers of a Church gathered together in his name he speaks against you where all the power of the keyes over many 1000. Churches are in the hands of two Arch-Prelates and from them delegated and derived to their severall vnderlings But the truth is that gratious promise which Christ here layes downe for the comfort of all his saints you do engrosse into the hands of a few Elders You might aswel affirme that onely two or three officers gathered together have a promise to be heard in their prayers and not a communion of two or three brethren for Christ v. 19. 20. speakes principally and expressely of prayer though with reference to the binding and loosing of sin which as all other ordinances are sanctified by prayer The very scope of the place and reason of the speach is this The Lord Iesus had v 18. enfranchised the Church with a most excellent and honourable priveledge now the disciples did already see with their own eyes and were more fully taught by their Maister that the Church should arise from small and base beginnings and that it was also by reason of persequution subject to great dissipation Math. 7. 14. 10. 17. 18. 22. 23. 13. 31. 32. least therefore their harts should be discouraged and they or others driven into suspition that the Lord would any way neglect them or his promise towards them for their paucity and meannes he most gratiously prevents and frees them from that jealousy telles them and all others for their comfort that though the Church or assembly consist but of two or three as such beginnings the true Church of God had and have though your English Church begū with a kingdome in a day Act. 16. 14. 15. 17. 34. 19. 7. yet that should no way diminish their power or prejudice the accomplishment of his promise And the reason hath been formerly rendred bycause this power for binding loosing being given to the fayth of Peter depends not vpon the order of office multitude of people or dignity of person but merely vpon the word of God And hence is it that Christ thus gratiously descends even to two or three wheresoever assembled in his name yea though it be in a Cave or Den of the earth of which most gratious and necessary priveledge you would bereave them Now in your 4. Reason out of v. 19 you do most ignorantly erre in the grāmaticall construction for you make a change of the person agayne where there is no change at all Christ speakes onely in the third person as the originall makes it plaine though the English tongue do not so distinctly manifest it to an ignorant man Christ sayth not whatsoever you two shall agree of shal be given to them that is to the Church but whatsover two of you shall agree of or consent in they two that so agree shall obteyne it of God Which words Mr B. you do most vnsufferably pervert to the seducing of the ignorant as if Christ had sayd if two or three of you officers or you two or three officers shall agree together of a thing whatsoever they that is the Church shall desire namely of the Officers for so you expound the words it shal be givē them where it is most evident that they which are to agree vpon the thing they are to ask it and that of God who will give it them And where the scripture sayth that the brother offended speaking indefinitely of any brother and so of the Officers themselves must complayn to the Church M B. on the contrary as if he would even beard the Lord Iesus tells vs the Church must complayn to the Officers Your 5. Reason followes with many litle ones in the womb of it which you bring forth in order to prove that Christ speakes here figuratively and that by the Church he means the governours The first is It agrees with the practise of the Iewish Church frō whence it is held that the manner of governing in the Church is fetched And is this the necessary proof you speak of whatsoever is so held is so in truth And yet in your second book as hath been shewed you bring in sundry men holding contrary things as if contraries could be true Well I confesse it is so held and that by many with whom I would gladly consent if the scriptures taught me not to hold otherwise It had been good here the authour had shewed vs what the government of the Iewish Church was and not thus sleightily to have passed over things of this moment For the purpose in hand thus much The Church of the Iewes was a nationall Church the Lord separating vnto himself the whole natiō
froÌ„ all other nations to be his people and that he might be their God And as one of the Lords ordinances suits with an other and depends vpon an other so from this nationall Church doth necessarily arise a representative Church For where communion together in the holy things of God is an act and operation of the Church for the mutuall aedification of the parts and that it was impossible that the whole body of a nation should in the intire simple proper or personall parts members communicate togeither the Lord so ordered and disposed that that communion should be had and exercised after a manner and in a sort and that was by way of representation And to this end the Lord made choise of one speciall place in the land which he gave his people to possesse at the first alterable but afterwards constant and vnchangeable where he would haue his tabernacle pitched and his temple built where he would put his name and dwell and which he would honour above all places with his glory and presence There was also one onely tabernacle or temple one high Preist one altar vnto which the whole nationall Church had reference thither must they bring all their sacrifices tithes and offrings thither were causes hard and difficult to be brought that the people might be shewed the sentence of iudgement informed and taught the law by the Preists of the Levites There was the dayly sacrifice offred for the whole nationall Church morning and evening continually there the Lord appointed with the children of Israel sanctifying the place with his glory binding himself by his promise to dwell amongst them and to be their God There was the high Preist to cary graven vpon two onix stones as the stones of remembrance of the children of Israel put vpon the shoulders of the Ephâ—d the names of the children of Israel according to their tribes for a remembrance and againe the names of the children of Israel according to their twelve tribes iâ— twelve stones set vpon the breast plate of iudgement vpon his heart for a remembrance continually before the Lord. There was also set vpon the pure table of Shittim wood in the tabernacle twelve loaves of shew bread continually before the Lord according to the twelve tribes of Israel for a remembrance Now all these were ordinances representative in a Church representative and other Church representative amongst the Iewes I neyther know not acknowledge And the ground of this representation was the necessary absence of the people represented Necessary I call it whether we respect the ordinance of God inhibiting the peoples entrance into the place where the most of these representations were made or whether wee respect the impossibility of the whole nations ordinarie assembling and communicating together And herevpon it comes to passe that all other Churches since so framed and of such qualitie as that they cannot ordinarily assemble together keep communion haue also as their images or shadowes their Churches representative The catholik visible Ch of Rome hath her visible Ch representative the Popes CoÌ„sistory or Colledge of Cardinalls or the generall Council gathered by his authority The nationall Church of Engl hath her nationall Church representative the Convocation house as have also the Provinciall and Diocesan Churches their representations the Archbishops Bishops Consistories But as the bodyes of these Churches are monstrous devises of mens braynes there being no other Churches vnder the new testament but particular assemblies so are their shadowes the Churches representative mere devises of devises And to apply this nearer the purpose Since the Church now consisteth not of one nation severed from all other nations but of particular assemblies of faithfull people separated from all other assemblies which like so many distinct flockes do ordinarily heard together and so communicate in the word prayer sacraments censures and that where the Church grew sometimes greater by the suddayne and extraordinary conversion of more then could well so assemble then was there presently a dispersion of the former and a multiplication of more particular assemblies Act. 2. 41. 42. 8. 4. 5. 6. 9. 31. 14. 23. 27. 15. 22. 30. Rev. 1. 4. 11. this rases the foundation of all representative Churches as eyther politick devises or at the best praeposterous imitations of the Iewish Church and polity For as I have formerly sayd and common sense teacheth it the foundation of representation is the necessary absence of that which is represented whether person or thing And so since there is no necessity that the body of a particular Church should be absent but on the contrary a necessity that the same be present at and in all the publick administrations and actions of communion in the Churches holy things we do therefore disclaym as supersluous and feyned all representative Churches whatsoever Secondly if the outward form of Church government now be fetched from the Iewish Church then as in that representative Ch there was an high Preist set over the rest in whose person and administration the representation of the whole Church was most eminent so must there now be also in this representative Church one officer over the rest and as it were their high Preist And so the catholik representative Church of Rome hath an vniversall Bishop the Pope over it the Nationall Provinciall and Diocesan Churches representative Nationall Provinciall and Diocesan Bishops over them And so in all equitie should the Synodes and Praesbyteries accounting themselves properly Churches or bodies Ecclesiasticall have their Officers over them and so there should alwayes be one or more Ministers over the Church of Ministers and whose charge these Synodes and Presbyteries should be to be fed by them And the truth is this reason fetcht from the Iewish Church as it far better fitts the Praelates in England then the CoÌ„sistorians so fitts it the Papists better then eyther of them both for there is one Bishop over the catholick visible Church as they speak as there was one high Preist over the whole visible Ch then Adde vnto this that if the representative Church at Ierusalem be a pattern for a representative Church vnto vs then as there not onely hard causes were opened declared according to the law but also the sacrifices offred and most solemne services performed day by day without the presence of the body of the Church so now in this our representative Church consisting of the officers onely there must be not onely the vse of the keyes for admonitioÌ„ and excommunication but there must also be the preaching of the word and ministring of the sacraments which are our most solemn services whether the people be present or no. And to imagine a power of Christ in the Church of the officers for the vse of one solemne ordinance out of the communion of the body not for an other hath no ground from the Iewish Church Lastly to fetch the form of
govermeÌ„t for the Church now froÌ„ the Iewish Church were to revive the old testameÌ„t which so long since is abrogated and disanulled For to speak properly the old testament is nothing but that externall policy instituted by Moses in the Iudiciall ceremoniall law for the dispensation of the typicall kingdome and Preisthood of Christ shadowed out by that of Melchisedeck King and Preist repraesented by the administrations of Moses and Aaron and after continued in the Preisthood of the Levites kingdome of David his sonnes till Christ in the dispensation of those worldly and carnall ordinances Now as the judicialls which were for the government of the Congregation civily are dead and do not bind any civil polity save as they were of common equity so are the ceremonialls which were for the Ch polity deadly and may not be revived by any Church save as any of them have new life given by Christ. For though we now be made citizens of the common wealth of Israell and one body with them yet is that in respect of the everlasting covenant confirmed of God with Abraham through Christ. I wil be thy God and the God of thy seed four hundred and thirty yeares before the law was given or the polity and government of the lewish eyther church or common wealth in it established and as we are the sonnes and daughters of Abraham by faith but no way in respect of those Iewish ordinances in in the old testament or the order of dispensing them And yet if it were graunted which you would have that the Church governmeÌ„t now is to be patterned by the goverment of the Iewish church then it would nothing avayle you for the purpose in hand For the church officers the Preists and Levites vnto whom the charge of the whole Congregation for the service of the tabernacle did apperteyne had no authority by the order of their office to inflict any censure spiritually vpon the people as had the civil Magistrates to punish them bodily The Preists and Levites were onely to enterpret the law and in cases extraordinarily difficult to find out the estate of the person or thing and to shew what in such a case the law required and if you will say they gave judgement it was none otherwise then as a Physitian gives â—â—dgement of the body or state of his patient by his faculty or skill in his art but to sit vpon them formally in judgement ecclesiastically to punish them that they might not do neyther are they called in the scriptures judges as the civil Magistrates are Yea the scriptures do make a playne difference where the civil Elders are to sit and iudge the people but the Preists to stand before the Congregation and to minister vnto them Now before we passe over this busines in hand I deem it not amisse vpon this occasion to observe a few things by way of answer to a scripture vsually brought out for the foundation of these representative churches and their power and especially for these Nationall and Provinciall Synodes the like And the scripture is Act. 15. 1. There was no synode or assembly of the Officers of divers Churches but onely certayne messengers sent from the church of Antiochia to the Church of Ierusalem about the controversy there specified 2. Neyther the Church of Antioch which sent the messengers nor the church at Ierusalem whether they were sent was a representative church consisting of Officers much lesse of chief officers onely For first it is sayd ver 1. 2. that the brethren of Antiochia which Ch. 14. 17. are called the church and v. 28. the disciples and in this chapt v. 3. the church and v. 23. the brethren sent their messengers with Paul and Barnabas to Ierusalem and it will most evidently appeare by whom the message was sent if we consider to whom the answer was returned ver 30. where the messengers did not deliver the Epistle till they had assembled the multitude And 2. it is apparant that at Ierusalem not onely the cheif officers the Apostles yea and inferiour officers the Elders also met together about it and sent answer but the brethren with them v. 4. 12. 22. And these scriptures alone in this chapt are sufficient to chalendge the liberty of the brethren in the discussing of publique coÌ„troversies out of the hands of all officers whatsoever 3. Paul and Barnabas went not to Ierusalem eyther for authority or direction for being Apostles they had both equall immediate authority from Christ and equall infallible direction froÌ„ the holy Ghost with the rest of the Apostles Onely they went for countenance of the truth in respect of men and for the stopping the mouthes of such deceivers as pretended they were sent by the Apostles v. 24. 4. Their decrees were absolutely Apostolicall and divine scripture by infallible direction from the holy Ghost and so imposed vpon all other Churches of the Gentiles though they had â—o delegates there ver 23. 28. Ch. 16. 4. But it wil be sayd may not the officers of one or many Churches meet together to discusse consider of matters for the good of the Church or Churches and so be called a Church Synode or the like I deny it not so they infringe no order of Christ or liberty of the brethren they may so do and so be called in a sense but the quaestion now is about such a Church as is gathered for the publick administration of admonition excommunication other the like ordinances of Christ which Mr B. in his first book graunts must be done with the knowledge of the body of the Church and in the open assembly And here falls into handling certayn borrowed stuffe in Mr B. 2. book about this matter As first that Paul called the Elders of Ephesus and conferred with them without the people Act. 20. 27. which who denyes but they which set vp a Lord Bishop to rule alone without advising with eyther the inferiour Ministers or people But that which he addes in the next place hath almost as many errours as wordes in it and that is that the Elders sate in a CoÌ„sistory with Iames their Bishop at Ierusalem without the people and did decree a matter without asking their voice Act. 21. 18. First you erre in calling it a Consistory or juditiall Court for the justification of your own where it was onely an occasionall meeting for advise 2. in making Iames a Bishop whom Christ had made an Apostle The Elders were Bishops Act. 20. 17. 28. Phil. 1. 1. Tit. 1. â— 7. And so if you would haue held any proportion you should haue made Iames an Archbishop 3. that you make him their Bishop where Bishops or Overseers are set over the flock not over the Ministers Act. 20. 28. 4. And most ignorantly where you will have Iames the Elders to make a decree for Paul as if the Elders had authority over
the Apostles for that is the drift of your argument or one Apostle over an other or as if Paul were subject to Consistorian decrees It was onely a matter of advise that passed amongst them as all men may see An other observation Mr B. hath in this place as idle as the rest and that is that the Elders are superiour vnto the people bycause they are set before them Act. 15. 22. 23. where if the bould and incoÌ„siderate man had but read the 4. verse of the same Chapt he should have seen the people set before the Officers the very same alteration appeares ver 2. 12. so if his argument was of force two contraries might be true which is a repugnancy in nature Yet deny we not but the officers are above the Church in respect of the word and doctrine they minister and teach but we deny the order of Elders to be superiour to the order of saynts since it is not an order of Maystership but of service But I will from this place Mr B. if I be not much deceived take a better argument to prove the coÌ„trary to that you say namely that the Church is an order superiour vnto the officers And the reason is bycause the Churches have authority to send the officers as their messengers v. 2. 3. 22. 32. Now they that send are ever in that respect superiour vnto them that are sent That which you adde in the last place to wit that the Apostles Elders did acquaint the people with the matter who consented but had no authority to make the authority of the Apostles Elders nothing is drawn out of the same cask with the former In which speach there is imperfectioÌ„ coÌ„tradictioÌ„ ignorance Imperfection wher you give the people no further liberty then to consent to the matter being made acquainted with it For in that it is sayd ver 12. that the multitude kept silence when they had heard Iames speak truly sufficiently and that they held their peace v 13. when they heard Paul and Barnabas speak it shewes they had also liberty of speaking in the matter had they seen cause Contradictions you speak in affirming the people were to consent to the Elders yet in denying they could praejudice their power authority For howsoever this be true for the Apostles which were infallibly and immediately directed by the H. Ghost in their determinations vnto which all were bound absolutely to condiscend as are all the saynts at the last day to the judgement to be passed by Christ vpon the reprobate yet is it not so for the Elders ordinary then or now which may erre and be deceived And so where there is liberty of consenting conditionally and if men see cause there is also liberty of dissenting vpon the contrary occasion and so this dissent of the body must eyther hinder the action or els it is a mere mockery Ignorance it is in the last place to make equall the authority of the Apostles and Elders in this decree For the decree was merely Apostolicall to speak properly and framed by infallible direction of the Holy Ghost which the Elders in themselves considered had not as appeareth ver 28. and was and is in the right end and equitie of it a part of the canonicall scriptures in penning whereof the Elders had no hand and so is imposed vpon the Churches of the Gentiles every where ver 23. with whom the Elders of Ierusalem had nothing to do but onely the Apostles which were generall men so that neyther brethreÌ„ nor Elders did more then consent to the decree it self that necessarily as vnto a divine oracle These things thus ended I return to the Arguments in Mr Ber. first book to prove by the Ch to be meant the cheif Officers The second and third whereof being but needles boasts of his former doings I passe over The 4 is for order sake and to prevent confusion for that which is all mens is no mâ—ns wherevpon aryseth great carelesnes in seing vnto such things as are all mens in publique and by it pride yea therevpon contention ensueth Wee do stand for the order of Christ against the confusion of Antichrist in Babylon which is vncapable of all right order as we also enjoy the right disposition of things and persons in their places which is order And if you call it confusion in an assembly wherein all have equall power and voice in the determining of things some one or few going before the rest in guiding and directing them you do though you consider it not strike through our sides the highest and honourablest court or assembly in the whole land and which is the rule and fountayn of all the rest and that is the court of Parliament where all things passe by voices all or the most the proloquutor being onely chosen to propound and moderate actions which is also the order in generall councils and if I be not deceived in your representative Church of Engl your Convocation house Which order also is observed for the mayn determinations to be made in the priveledged cities corporations in the kingdom And what greater confusion is there like to be in the determining of other Church affaires by voyces then in the calling of ministers the order of whose election by the suffrages of the multitude guided by the officers was both established by the Apostles continued in the primitive Churches many hundred yeares Now the inconveniency of carelesnes in all where matters concerne all is a strange allegation Me thinks it should make all more carefull the matters especially being of conscience and the persons consionable whom they concern And I see not but you might as well say it makes all men careles of the knowledge of God and Christ and of salvation and of the scriptures bycause these things concern all And why do you not with the Papists deprive the multitude of the vse of the scriptures in the mother tongue that you the carefull Clergy alone might look vnto them But what though this inconveniency do arise sometimes through mans corruption it should be otherwise and wee must ever coÌ„sider of the nature of Gods ordinances in their right vse when men are exercised in them as they should be and not according to â—rayle mans aberration and abuse in and of the same and if men be sometimes careles of their duties we must not therefore deprive them of their rights And in this plea Mr Bernard me thinks you very naturally resemble the mighty oppressours in the world which vnder this very pretence do inclose all the commons of their poore neighbours for common things say they are commonly neglected they can make one aker of ground thus inclosed worth two in coÌ„mon But if the Lord denounce such heavy judgments against the inclosers of earthly things Is. 5. 8. 9. what wil be the end of those spirituall ingrossers and oppressours if they repent not And for pride and
two or three and therefore not to all I have answered and do that to two or three and yet to all when there are but two or three in all as vsually comes to passe in the raysing and dispersing of Churches Your 6. Argument to prove that the word Church must be taken figuratively is first that els the Corinthians had offended who being all commaunded did but some of them proceed against the incestuous person 1 Cor. â— 13. 2 Cor. 2. 6. 2. that els Paul had offended who vpon the complaint of Cloes house did himself without wayting for the Churches consent being absent iudge and determine the matter and sâ—nt to them to execute â—â— sentence These two Arguments Mr B. are in your hands like the two witnesses that came against Christ they neyther agree one with an other nor eyther of them with the truth In the former you plead for the Presbytery in saying that some of them did proceed against him in the latter you vtterly overthrow that and step in for the Bishops sole power where you make Paul alone iudge and determiner of the busines I am verily perswaded Mr Smyth hath felt your pulse in this place and found directly what blood runs in your â—eynes to him therefore do I leave you for iudgement in the case And for answer to the particulars In the first argument you do most sinfully corrupt the scriptures knowing that if they be soundly alleadged they will give no countenaunce to your errour For where Paul sayth it is sufficient for the same man that he was rebuked of many you for the word many put sâ—me where some doth import a part and but a part for where some are sayd to do a thing it followes that other some do it not where the word many is oft times put for all as being opposed to one or a few as in this place many rebuking to one rebuked Take for this phrase of speach these scriptures Dan. 12. 2. Mat. 13. 17. Luke 12. 7. Rom. 5. 19. and 8. 29. 12. 4. 5. 1 Cor. 10. 17. 12. 12. 14. But mark I pray thee wise reader when this man expounds Math. 18. 19. 20. where mention is made of a few two or three having the power of Christ there by two or three are meant the officers and Christ hath established the authority of a few for the good of all and again two or three officers and a few have this authority and yet notwithstanding when he comes to expound 2 Cor. 2. 6. where mention is made of many rebuking the offender there by many must be meant the officers also What Mr B are two or three Officers in respect of the whole body many Doth the holy Ghost speaking of a few in the Church mean the officers and speaking of many mean the officers also It were good you awoke out of your dream that you might spy your contradictions and how one peice reproves an other To the obiection I do answer that first it doth not appear that the party was excommunicated it may be vpon admonition he repented and so the extremity spoken of 1 Cor. 5. 5. was prevented and 2. if he were eyther by many may be meant all as I have formerly shewed or otherwise it is sufficient if some reprove the Elders or some of them specially by their office and so of the brethren in the second place if they see necessary cause wherevpon with the silent consent of the rest iudgement may be given or the party delivered to Sathan The 7. Reason to prove the Elders the Church is the iudgement and practise of all reformed Churches As the reformed Churches do abhorre from your practise as intollerable yea almost incredible that the power of excommunication should be in the hands of one man and that a forreyn Prelate or Officiall that most like never so much in his life as once came in the congregation whereof the offender is a member as may be seen in one for all Beza Epist. 12. so bycause you will needs thus beare over all with all the reformed Churches I will a little step out of my beaten way and call in a few well-deserving audience of the reformed Churches to testify what their judgement is in the case joyning vnto them also a few of our own men seeming to be of the same mind whatsoever the practise is eyther of the one or of the other To omit then the judgement and practise of the more ancient times whether whole councels or particular persons as of the Council of Nâ—ce where Paphuâ—tius no Church officer both had vsed such liberty of speach as he perswaded the whole assembly touching the maryage of Ministers of Tertullian before that who Apol chap. 39. makes the officers onely Praesidents in the assembly where manners are censured of Ciprian who would never do any thing in his charge without the consent of the people lib. 3 epist. 10. and in particular thinks it specially the peoples right to chuse or reiect worthy or vnworthy Ministers then which what power is greater Of Austin that thinks it helps much to the shaming of the party that he be excommunicated by the whole Church lib. 3. contra epist. Parmen and lastly of Ierom ad Demetr which affirms that the Church it self hath right in excommunication as the Elders have in other Church censures the first is Zwinglius who artiâ— 8. explanat speaking of the contention which hath been what a Church is acknowledges none other Churches but 1. the coÌ„pany of sure firm beleevers scattered through the vniversal world which we call the catholik Church 2. severall congregations which â—oÌ„veniently meet together in some one place c. and of these he affirmes Christ to speak Math. 18. Tell the Church and Paul 1 Cor. 1. To the Church which is at Corinth And answering an objection touching a Church representative he saith of this I find nothing in the scriptures out of mens devises any man may feyn any thing Next Perter Martyr in his comon places pant 4. chap. 5. sect 9. making the Church a Monarchy in respect of Christ an Aristocracy in respect of the Elders addeth also that bycause in the Church there are matters of great weight and importance referred vnto the people as excommunication absolution of choosing Ministers the like it hath also a consideration of popular government and vpon 1 Cor. 5. 4. The Apostle as great as he was would not excommunicate alone but did take counsel with the Church that the thing might be done by common authority Which notwithstanding the Pope and other Bishops dare do The Apostle indeed goes before the rest which is the duty of the ancients of the Ch that the more ignorant multitude by their suffragation before going may be directed in iudâ—ing With him ioyn Bucer who in his first book chapt 9. de regno Christi affirmes that Paul accuses the Corinthians for that the whole Church
had not excommunicated the incestuous person Bastingius in the 4. place quaestion 85. of his Catichism speaking of the difference between the two keyes that of preaching the other of discipline places it in this that the former which is of the preaching of the gospel is committed to the Ministers the other bycause it perteyns to the discipline of excommunication is permitted to the whole Church Lastly even Beza himself how streyt soever he be to the multitude in this case hardly graunting them the liberty which Mr B. yea which the very Iesuits do namely that they were with the Elders gathered together in the name of the Lord Iesus 1 Cor. 5. 4. yea do playnely deny it in his Annotations vpon 2 Cor. 2. 6. Yet vpon v. â— he is constreyned to affirm that Paul intreats that the incestuous person might by the publique consent of the Church be declared a brother as he was by the Churches publique consent cast out Now to these speciall lights in the reformed Churches abroad I will annex a few of the cheif endeavours of reformation at home The first of them is Mr Hooper who in his Apology writes that excoÌ„municatioÌ„ should be by the Bishop the whole Parish that Pauls consent the whole Church with him did excoÌ„municate the incestuous man To him adde Mr Fox whose judgement in the book of Martyrs pag. 5. 6. 7. is and so is inforced by him that writ the discovery of D. Banâ—r ofts vntruthes and slaunders against reformation that every visible Church or congregation hath the power of binding and loosing annexed to it If it be sayd the Church hath it if the Officers have it I see not but it may be as well sayd the Church hath the scriptures in a known tongue if the Officers so enjoy them Thirdly Mr Cartwright in his reply to D. Whitgifts answer pag. 147 both affirms and proves that Paul both vnderstanding and observing the rule of our Saviour Christ communicates this power of excommunication with the Church Him also an other writing A demonstration of discipline alledgeth adding further that they which were met togither 1 Cor. 5. 4. 5. were to excommunicate the incestuous person with whom also consorteth he that wrote of the certayn form of ecclesiasticall governmentâ— who vnder that head of the authority of the Ministers of the word that by the Church Math. 18. Christ meanes a particular Congregation the Pastor Elders people consenting making that the iudgement of the particular congregation which is spoken of 1 Cor. 5. 12. In the 4. place Mr Iacob in his book to the King for reformation pag. 28. pleads for the peoples consent and voyce-giving in elections excommunications to whom I ioyn them that made the Christian offer to iustify against the Bishops and their adhaerents that every ordinary assembly of the faithfull hath by Christs ordinance power in it self immediately vnder Christ to elect and ordeyn deprive and depose their Ministers and to exequute all other ecclesiasticall censures Proposition 5. Prop. 8 that the officers can do no materiall ecclesiasticall act without the free consent of the Congregation Lastly the godly Ministers in the end of Mr Bernards book do directly judge against him interpreting the Church Math. 18. to be a particular Congregation and excommunication the iudgement censure of that particular congregation whereof the offender is a member Thus have I been constreyned by the bold boasting and facing which this man vseth of and with the iudgement of all reformed Churchâ—â— to set downe the judgements of some few amongst many both at home and abroad for his conviction though I desire the touchstone of the holy scriptures alone may try all differences betwixt him and me I now return to Mr Bernard where I left him so come to two reasons he annexeth pag. 98. 99. to prove the officers to be called the Church the former is because it is an vsuall speach to put the name of the whole vpon the part and this to be taken for the whole The 2. bycause a company is no where called a Church in the new testament but where they have officers The latter of these I have formerly confuted as the reader may see pag. 126. 127. c. Onely I adde one thing vpon occasion of these words a Church in the new testament that as there is but one body or Church and we vnder the new testament that one or the same body or Church with the Iewes in the old so if the Ministery made the Church how much more if it were the Church could it not be that the Iewes and we should be one Church for I shall never be brought to beleeve nor I think will any man affirm it that the Ministery of an Apostle or Elder now is the same in nature with the Ministery of a sacrificing Levite vnder the law Wee are by faith sonnes and daughters of Abraham and partaker of the covenant and promises and by fayth grafted in their holy root and in this stands our onenes with them but neyther in the Ministery nor in the government nor in any other ordinance which are but manners of dispensing that covenant and those divers changeable where the covenant is nothing lesse And for the former of your reasons howsoever the place you bring Act. 15. 3. proves no such matter yet is the thing true you say namely that a part of the Church is sometimes called by the name of the whole but what part not the officers but the brethren the saynts as being the matter an essentiall cause of the Church the Elders not so as being but for the assistance and well being of it And so the Church gives both being and denomination to the Elders but not the Elders to the Church which is never called the Church of the Elders as they are called the Elders of the Church and so are of it and not it of them That which you adde of inconveniences and discommodities following vpon your doctrine not to be regarded is frivolous except by them you mean absurdities and inconsequences â—a alâ—gâ— in theologia as they call them and then they are to be regarded as never necessarily following vpon any truth for the truth brings forth no errour by true consequence The sixth Reason of the superiour order followeth for Mr B. hath his reasons and his vnder reasons which is In it self the multitude being ever vnconstant it is instability vnorderlynesse where every one is a like equall it is the nourse of confusion the mother of schisme the breeder of contention These very same things have been formerly objected by you in the fourth part of your 5. argument and there cleared The truth is the drawing of all power into the officers hands breeds in them pride and arrogancy and in the people ignorance and security And for your contemptuous vpbrayding of Gods people in this book with inconstancy
Barnabas coÌ„ming among them is not said to have ioyned theÌ„ vnto the Lord but to have exhorted them which were ioyned to coÌ„tinue with the Lord. vers 23. and to have perswaded others to ioyn themselues unto the Lord also vers 24. but that this course ordinary set by Christ should be held in the replanting of Churches after the vniversall apostasie of Antichrist is a thing impossible There were then no Ministers but popish Priests and are they the Lords meanes Mr Bernard Shall the man of sin be consumed by himself or by the breath of the Lords mouth Are false Ministers the Lords ordinary means of planting Churches Or are popish massepreists or the popish Bishops from whom they have their authority and so the Pope himself from whom they have theirs true Ministers And is the Church of Rome a true visible Church For it is not possible there should be a true Ministery in a false Church These are the inconveniences and discommodities Mr Bernard speaks of by which he sayth we would wring the truth from him But it is certayn they are such playne demonstrations as do evince his pretended truthes of popish and popular errours And for the gathering of a Church M. B. I do tell you that in what place soever by what means soever whether by preaching the gospell by a true Minister by a false minister by no minister or by reading conference or any other meanes of publishing it two or three faithfull people do arise separating themselves froÌ„ the world into the fellowship of the gospell and covenant of Abraham they are a Church truely gathered though never so weak a house and temple of God rightly founded vpon the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets Christ himsef being the corner stone against which the gates of hell shall not prevayl nor your disgracefull invectives neyther Indeed * the Pharisees thought bycause they had Abraham for their father and did descend of him by ordinary succession were the formall Teachers of the Church that therefore God could not possibly cast them off or have a Church without them even so it is with the Pharisaicall formall clergy in Rome and England they think that Christ hath so tyed his power and presence vnto their ceremony of succession that without them he knowes not how to do for a Church but must needs have it passe through their fingers But as Iohn Baptist told the old Pharisees that God was able of the stones to raise vp children vnto Abraham though they all every one of them like vnfruitfull trees should be cut downe and cast into the fâ—râ— so say I vnto their children the Pharisees of our â—yme that though the Lord reject them and every one of them for their apostacy and rebellion yet can he by the seed of the word cast with what hand soever rayse vp vnto Abraham children vnto himself a Church They that are of the faith of Abraham they are the children and seed of Abraham and within the covenaunt of Abraham though but two or three and so of the same Church with him by that covenaunt Your last argument to prove the officers the Church Math. 18. and directly to disprove our supposed popularity is that it is against the dignity and office of the Ministers who represent Christs person vnto the Congregation 1 Cor. 4. 1. having authority from him to preach administer the sacraments vse the censures which none but such as represent him can give them which the body of the people do not by office nor take from them c. This indeed is the thing the dignity of Preisthood is it which goes nearest you and that you keep last as Iacob did Beniamin whom of all his sonnes he was loathest to part with Gen. 42. 4. 43. 14. But first if your meaning be that the Ministers by their office represent Christ in his office it is little lesse then blasphemy for Christ is the husband and mediatour of his Church by his office and herein not to be represented by any other man or angel The ministers in publishing the gospell and word of reconciliation are in Christs stead and therein to be obeyed as himself but what if they speak the vision of their own hart and publish heresy false doctrine or lead a scandalous and prophane life their office is no dispensation for them neyther are they now any longer in the stead of Christ but of the Divel whom they resemble as children their father and are so to be reputed Besides there is no force in your argument bycause the body of the Church represents not Christ by office as the Ministers do therefore it is no way equall with the Ministers nor may medle with them but the contrary May not a man as well argue thus Bycause the wife no way represents her housband in office for she is in no office the same may be sayd of the children aâ— the steward and the bayliffe doe therefore the wife is no way superiour vnto them she may not reprove or displace them in her husbandâ— absence what evil soever they doe in their office or persons but on the contrary they may rebuke her and turne her out of doores and her children with her if there be cause For they represent the maister in office she not Now wee know well the Church is the wife and spouse of Christ the Ministers stewards Thus having cleared the way of such obiections as wherewith Mr Bernard would stumble the reader I come in the next place as I have formerly ordered my course to declare that the Church Math. 18. 17. is not the officers but the whole body meeting together for the publique worship of God and that 1 Cor. 5. proves the same by practise which is in the former place enjoyned by rule Onely I must needs by the way make a step into his 2. book amongst his score of reasons there against popularity and so remove as it were with my foot such of them as are tumbled in by him to make rough the playn wayes of the Lord. And they are as the authour numbers them the 7. 12. 13. 17. 18. The 7. Reason is that if a sort of persons professing Christ together without officers haue the power of such officers in themselves they may do all the officers may do Wee say not that the Church hath the power of the officers but the power of Christ as is expresly affirmed 1 Cor. 5. 4. 5. and 2. it followes not that bycause the Church hath the power of Christ for all things therefore it can injoy all things without officers The power is one thing which is inseparable from the body the vse of the power an other thing which in many cases it may want Civil corporations have the Kings power and charter as well without as with officers and yet it may be there are liberties in their charter they cannot enjoy without officers they
have therefore power for officers also which they may chuse and so enjoy all their liberties by their help so in the spirituall corporation the Church there is alwayes the whole power of Christ residing which therefore may call officers for the vse of it to which it is sufficient that it can without officers vse this power for things simply necessary as for the receiving in of members by profession of faith and confession of sinnes for the aedifying of them by exhortations coÌ„forts in the ordinance of prophecying and so for casting them out by excommunication which fall from their former profession or confession The sum of the 11. and 12. Reas is that this power or liberty of the multitude to judge in Church matters overthrowes the power authority of Christian Magistrates in the Church to whom the people are commaunded to be subiect both in the old and new testament And doth not the ill advised man consider that his own opinion making the officers of the Church alone the Church and giving them power to judge in Church matters without the rest of the body doth as much overthrow the authority of Christian Magistrates as ours in making the officers and body with them the Church having power to judge together yea much more for if the ecclesiasticall officers alone be the Church Math. 18. and so must judge and censure sinnes which is the thing he pleads for then â— the civil magistrate simply excluded where wee reputing the whole body the Church do necessarily include the Christian Magistrate as being one of the Church Secondly is Mr B. and his brother Bell whom he quotes in the 〈…〉 gent to ignorant as they cannot distinguish betwixt civil authority and judgements in Church matters and that authority and those judgements which are ecclesiasticall The Christian magistrate as he is a brother may be censured ecclesiastically by the Church whereof he is a member and yet the same person as a magistrate whether of the Church or not of the Church or cast out of the Church may censure and punish civilly the whole Church and every member of it if there be cause whether in matters of the Church or common wealth In the 17. reason Mr B. would fasten vpon vs an absurdity in making the body both to govern and to be governed and so to be both Lord and servant Prince and subiect c. It is your self Mr Ber. that commit the absurdity which I thus manifest The Church must be governed sayth the scripture and coÌ„mon sense But the Church is the officers Math. 18. sayth Mr Bernard Wherevpon it followeth that the Officers must be governed And to your reason whomsoever you count Lords and servants and whosoever are Lords and servants in your Church I know by the scriptures that in the Church of Christ the officers are servants in that relation the Church may be called a Lord and if Christ truely call the sonne of man Lord of the sabbath bycause the sabbath was made for man and not man for the sabbath may we also call the Church in a respect Lord of the Officers for the Officers are for the Church and not the Church for them And yet we hold the same officers which are servants to be governours also for the government of the Church is merely a Church-service as all not carnally blinded with ambition or superstition will graunt with me Now where you affirm Reas 18. that the people are never termed by any name insinuating soveraignty but that the Ministers are you speak partially on both sides would you have the Ministers that is the servants of the Church to be her soveraigns The names you bring as most advauntageable argue no such thing They are Overseers as the watchmen are for the citie Elders for thâ—ir gravity Fathers in respect of the seed of the word by which they bâ—ge to conversion and therefore Paul makes himself he onely father of the Corinthians bycause he had been the instrument of their conversion notwithstanding all other teachers whomsoever to whom in that respect he opposeth himselâ— as not being their fathers And so men out of office may be as wel the fathers of others as they in office However fatherhood argues no soveraignty And yet the holy Apostles Prophets thought not much vpon all occasions to account the saints their brethren and themselves theirs And I would you wist whose names Iohn Bale in his Paraphrase vpon the Revelation ch 17 vers 3. thought your Grace your Lordship your Fatherhood to be And where further you name the brethren sheep the household of faith the wife or spouse in respect of the officers for that is the consideration in hand therein you deal very deceiptfully for the brethren or saynts are not the Officers sheep houshold wife or spouse but Christs betwixt whom and them the comparison is not Lastly your affirmatioÌ„ that the saynts are called Kings Rev. 1. 6. not for any outward power over meÌ„ but for the inward power of Gods spirit saÌ„ctifying the elect by which as Kings they rule over their own corruptions is an ill glosse corrupting the text For in the same place they are called Preists also Now as they are not Preists only for themselves but for their brethreÌ„ for whom they are to offer vp the spiritual sacrifices of prayer thaÌ„ksgiving so neyther are they Kings for themselves alone but for their brethren also having the power of Christ whereby to iudge them the keyes of the kingdome to bind and loose them in the order by him prescribed These things thus layd down occasionally I return to the point And first against the figurative exposition of these words Tell the Church I do alledge two approved Rules and Canon in divinity for exposition of scriptures The former is that scriptures must be expounded according to the largest extent of the words except there be some apparent restreynt of them The second is that they must be expounded simply and according to the letter except necessity compell to depart froÌ„ the litterall sence to a figurative And therefore since there appeares not any such necessity as is pretended eyther of figure or restreynt the words must be taken in their largest and simplest meaning With these rules I desire the reader to beare in mind that which hath been formerly observed to the purpose in hand and amongst other things that the officers are to govern the Church in the ceÌ„sures as in all other actions of communion and therefore cannot be the Church that every true Ch hath or is capable of a ministery over it and so there should be a minister of ministers that the order of officers in the Church is an order of servants and the order of saynts an order of Kings which is the highest order in the Church fitting vpon the thrones of David for judgement whom the ministers are to serve in guiding going before them in and
in ministring of their judgements And so I go on The rule prescribed Mat 18. concernes all the visible Churches in the world since the power of excommunication is an essentiall property one of the keyes of the kingdome the onely solemn ordinance in the Church for the humbling and saving of an obstinate offender and as necessary as the power to receive in members without which a Church cannot be gathered or consist And therefore the Officers cannot be the Church there spoken of since true Churches may and do want officers as I have formerly proved If two or three officers be the Church Math. 18. then may they two or three excommunicate the whole body though it consist of a thousand persons for what brother or brethren soever will not hear the Church there spoken of he or they are to be accounted as heathens and publicans Yea I ad if the power of excommunication be â—yed to the office since the office may remayn in one I see not but one may do any work of his office and so as well excommunicate as admonish preach minister the sacraments and the rest Now whether this power in one or two to punish judicially one or two thousand be not Lordly at the least let the reader judg Further if the officers be the Church I would know if one of them fall into scandalous sinne and will not be reclaymed what must then be done It wil be answered that the rest must censure him But what if there be but two in all must the one excommunicate the other the ruling Elder it may be the Pastour 2. if the rest of the Elders being many may displace the Pastour by their authority they may also place him and set him vp by their authority and so the poore laity is stript of all liberty or power of chusing their officers contrary both to the scriptures and your 〈…〉 oâ—ne graunt If the Officers be the Church then they alone may excoÌ„municate a brother without the consent yea or the privitie of any of the brethren for the busines concernes none but the Church Math. 18. neyther need they so much as acquaint any others with it But so absurd is this as you your self graunt the contrary and thaâ— it must be done with the knowledge of the Church publiquely and when the body meets together in open assembly The Apostles themselves whom no ministers now can equall eyther for skill or authoritie did not thus engrosse all things into their own hands but did interesse the people though raw newly come to the faith in all the publick affaires of the Church and in such deliberations as arose about them And who should deny them to meddle in those things which concerne them But if any do these scriptures avow their liberty Act. 1. 15. 23. 26. 6. 2. 5. 11. 2. 3. 18. 22. 1. 14. 17. 15. 3. 4. 14. 21. 22. 30. 31. 21. 22. Rom. 16. 17. 1 Cor. 5. 4. 16. 3. 2 Cor. 8. 19. 23. 24. Now there is nothing that more concernes the body of the Church then the excommunication of a brother whether wee respect the commaundement of God binding them not to suffer sin vpon a brother but to rebuke him plainly and to admonish him that being rebuked by many he may be humbled drawn to repentaÌ„ce or the credit of the Church which must be defended against the slaunders of the excommunicants which will ever be iust in their own cause or their own good that â—t by the rebuking of one all may learn to fear or their conscience who must to day avoid him as an heathen and lim of Satan whom yesterday they were to imbrace as a brother and member of Christ. How clearly these things plead the brethrens both liberty and interest in all this busines let the indifferent reader judge If the Officers alone be the Church to which offenders are to be brought and by which they are to be judged then are they as the Church to admonish and judge those offenders eyther apart from the body or in the face of the publique congregation but neyther of these two wayes and therefore they alone are not the Church Not in private or apart for Then may the Pastor be excomunicated before any one of the brethren know of it Of which evill I have spoken formerly 2. It is against the nature of the ordinance being a part of the publick communion of the Church and worship of God to be performed but publiquely Yea there is no reason why admonitions and censures should be administred lesse publiquely then doctrine and prayer For the kingdome of the Lord Iesus is as glorious as his preisthood or propheticall office and his throne is to be advanced as high and made as conspicuous to the eyes of all as his altar or pulpit that I may so speak Now as the Preistly and Propheticall offices of Christ are administred in prayer preaching so is his Kingly office in government In deed if wee thought as you do that Christ had left his kingdom the Church without lawes and officers for the government of it or that this government were an indifferent thing alterable at the willes and pleasures of men then wee should be as indifferent where or how or by whom it were administred as you Mr B are 3. The officers are to feed the flock one part whereof consists in government Now if admonitions and excommunications may be administred apart from the body how is the flock fed by them or how do those Elders vpon whom the government of the Church especially lyeth discharge their publique Ministery and service vnto the Lord and his Church to which they are called or how can the Church see and know their ministration that they may have them in super abundant love for their workes sake if there be cause or contrarywise if reason require the contrary or when they that sin are rebuked openly whether Elders or people how can the rest fear Yea how can these men which are to feed the flock by government be accounted faithfull sheepheards eyther before God or men if they gather not the flock together see they feed accordingly though with you Mr B. they that feed the flocks by government never so much as see the faces of the hundred part of their sheep and when they have a sheep in hand for straying it may be from a dumb sheepheard to a preacher they deal with him for the most part many a mile from but never in the place where the particular stock walkes whereof that sheep is Lastly the administration of Christs kingdom being a part of the communion of saynts and publique worship is to be performed of the Lords day as well as other parts are and to be joyned with the administration of the word sacraments almes and the rest as making all one entyre body of communion yea
of truth nor cause vs to forbear this most excellent and comfortable ordinance of the Lord Iesus wherein is to be seen and heard the variety and harmony of the graces of God for the aedifying of the Church v. 4. and gayning of the vnbeleevers v. 24. 25. That the Apostle in this Chapter directs the Church in the vse of extraordinary gifts is most evident neyther will I deny but that the officers are to guide and order this action of prophesying as all other publick buesinesses yea even these wherein the brethren have greatest liberty but that he also intends the establishing of so takes order and gives direction for an ordinary constant exercise in the Church even by men out of office I do manifest by these reasons First bycause the Apostle speaks of the manifestation of a gift or grace common to all persons as well brethren as ministers ordinary as extraordinary and that at all times which is love as also of such fruits and effects of that gaace as are no lesse coÌ„mon to all then the grace it self nor of lesse continuance in the Churches of Christ to wit of â—dification exhortation comfort v. 3. compared with 1 Thes. 5. 11. 14. Secondly verse 21. he permits all to prophesie and speaks as largely of prophesying as of learning and receiving comfort But now least any should object may women also prophesie the Apostle prevents that obiection and it may be reproves that disorder amongst the Corinthians ver 34. by a flat inhibition inioyning them expresly to keep silence in the Church in the presence of men to whom they ought to be subiect and to learn at home of their housbands v. 35. and not by teaching the mâ—â— to vsurp authority over them 1 Tim. 2. 11. 12. which the men in prophesying do lawfully vse Now this restreynt of women from prophecying or other speaking with authority in the Church both in this place to the Corinthians and in the other to Tim doth clear the two former obiections In that Paul forbids women he gives liberty to all men gifted accordingly opposing women to men sex to sex and not women to Officers which were frivolous And againe in restreyning women he shewes his meaning to be of ordinary not extraordinary prophesying for women immediately and extraordinarily and miraculously inspired might speak without restreynt Exo. 15. 20. Iudg. 4. 4. Luk. 2. 36. Act. 21. 17. 18. The Prophets here spoken of were not extraordinary bycause their doctrines were to be iudged by other Prophets and their spirits to be subiect vnto the spirits of others v. 29. 32. where the doctrines of the extraordinary Prophets were neyther subiect to nor to be iudged by any but they as the Apostles being immediately and infallibly inspired were the foundation vpon which the Church is built Iesus Christ himself being the cheif corner stone The Apostle vers 37. makes a Prophet and a man spirituall all one whom he further describes not by any extraordinary gift but by that common Christian grace of submission vnto the things he writes as the commaundements of the Lord. Vnto whom also ver 38. he opposeth a man wilfully ignorant teaching vs that he doth not measure a Prophet in this place eyther by the office of ministery or by any extraordinary propheticall gift but by the coÌ„mon christian gift of spirituall discerning It is the commaundement of the Lord by the Apostle that a Bishop must be apt to teach that such Elders or Bishops be called as are able to exhort with sound doctrine and to convince the gainsayers Now except men before they be in office may be permitted to manifest their gifts in doctrine and prayer which are the two mayn works requiring speciall qualification in the teaching Elders how shall the Church which is to chuse them take knowledge of their sufficiency that with faith and good conscience they may call them and submit vnto them for their guides If it be sayd that vpon such occasion triall may be taken of mens gifts I do answer first that mens gifts and abilities should be known in some measure before they be once thought on for officers and 2. that there is none other vse or tryall of those gifts but in prophesying for every thing in the Lords house is to be performed in some ordinance there is no thing throwen about the house or out of order in it and other ordinance in the Church save this of prophesying is there none wherein men out of office are to pray and teach which therefore they ought to covet v 39. and in it to be excercised and trayned vp that when officers want the Church may not need to set vp men as it were to play their prizes nor send them like school-boyes to be posed as your fashion in England is And that minister that is not called vpon the Churches experimentall knowledge of his sufficiency in these things comes not in by the dore which Christ hath opened nor may be accounted a true minister of Christ and his Church Lastly eyther men not yet in office being accordingly qualified may preach the truth of Christ or it is not possible that the people should be taught in lawfull manner eyther in nations vniversally heathenish or vniversally apostate vnder Antichrist before there be true Churches gathered by which the officers are to be chosen for as it is not very like that heathenish or antichristian preists will sincerely teach the truth neyther is it lawfull for them to administer or for any to joyn with them in their administrations by vertue of any heathenish or antichristian calling or ordination Rev. 14 9. 10. 11. 1 Tim. 5. 22. And howsoever the Church of England hath preferred a dumb masse and profane preisthood with a service-book before this ordinance yet the truth of Christ is otherwise and so the Church of Christ is taught to practise which you also Mr B might do well in modesty to acknowledge though you want liberty to vse it I haue insisted the longer vpoÌ„ this point both for it self and bycause it serveth effectually to prove the other point in hand For if the brethren have liberty in this ordinance of prophecy they haue also liberty in the other ordinance of excommunication for they are both of the same nature Look to whom Christ gave the one key of doctrine to them he gave the other key of discipline and they that may handle the one may have a finger vpoÌ„ the other they that may bynde loose by doctrine reproof comfort they may also bynde or loose by application of the same doctrine reproof or comfort to the person obstinate in sin oâ— penitent for it As the one of those doth necessarily establish the other so take away eyther and the other cannot stand And here I gather an other argument agaynst your exposition of Math 18. Lastly as the Elders principally to be imployed in teaching cannot
Azariah Obed he not onely went on with that work but * asseÌ„bled together all Iudah Beniamin 〈…〉 which had 〈…〉 out of Israel wheÌ„ they saw the Lord his God was with him that they made a covenant to seek the L. God of their fathers with all their hart with all 〈…〉 that whosoever would not seek the L. God of 〈…〉 whether he were â—â—â—al or great man or woman the same covenaÌ„t with the Lord being coÌ„firmed by an oth it is sayd that all Iudah reioyced at the 〈…〉 the reason is added for they had sworn vnto the Lord with â—â—â— their 〈…〉 and fought him with a whole desire he was found of them The Lord as he had chosen this whole kingdome to be his people and raysed vp this and the like notable instruments of reformation amongst them so did he vpon this and the like occasions work a most wonderful and extraordinarie work vpon them bowing their harts vniversally to the love of his word for the present and to the receiving of the same with ioy together with all readines vnto the obedience of his commaundements the like vnto which never was nor shal be seen to the end of the world in a whole kingdome except the Lord do again chuse one nation from all other nations to be his people as then he did And I am verily perswaded that Mr B. how bold soever he be in his affirmations will not say the like of all England eyther in the beginning or end of King Edwards or Queen Elizabeths reign which the scriptures themselves here and els where do testify of all Iudah whither we respect the disposition of the people whose hearts vniversally the Lord on his part did thus affect or the solemn covenant which they on theirs did contract or rather renue with him And here I do further also infer since all Iudah reioyced at the oath of the covenant and swore vnto the Lord with all their heart and sought him with a whole desire 2 Chr. 15. 13. and that the hand of God was in Iudah so that he gave them one heart to do the commaundement of the King and of the rulars according to the word of the Lord Ch. 30. 12. and so at other tymes that it is most vntruely affirmed by Mr B. how oft soever he repeat it that the reformation of Iudah was not voluntary but of compulsion and of fear True it is that the Kings of Iudah made compulsive lawes for the reformation of the people or rather for their continuance in that reformation to which they had voluntarily submitted but as Mr B. ignorance is intollerable in that his seditious errour tending indeed to the disturbance and subversion of all states civil and ecclesiastical that †voluntarinesse is taken away by being vnder any government that to be subiect and ruled is an estate far from fredome and that Christians loose therby christian liberty so should he here have observed a difference betwixt compulsion active and passive as they speak or more playnly thus that it is one thing for Kings or men in authority to require of their subiects the performance of necessary duties or the forbearance of the contrary vpon such and such penaltyes and another thing for their subiects to obey them herein for fear and involuntarily Many of the Kings lawes do require loyalty of all his subiects towards his maiesty and do forbid vpon payn of death al treasons rebellions now wil any man hereupoÌ„ be so vnadvised as to affirm that therfore all the Kings subjects do forbear treasons and rebellions through compulsion and fear and vnwillingly That godly magistrates are by compulsion to represse publique notable idolatry as also to provide that the truth of God in his ordinance be taught and published in their dominions I make no doubt it may be also it is not vnlawfull for them by some penalty or other to provoke their subjects vniversally vnto hearing for their instruction and conversion yea to graunt they may inflict the same vpon them if after due teaching they offer not themselves vnto the Church but that any King now vpon earth is by the word of God to draw all the people of his nation into covenant with the Lord how much lesse before they be coÌ„veniently taught and to confirm the same by oath and to inflict death vpon all that refuse it or remayn wicked and vnrepentant as the Kings of Iudah were to do by the people of that nation can never be proved by Mr B. or any other man how oft soever they bring in their practises for presidents And if the Kings of Engl. should hold it their duty as the Kings of Israel held it theirs to destroy all the wicked of the land and to slay all that would not seek the Lord God of Israel with all their hart and with all their soule whether great or small man or woman should practise accordingly they would be left barer of subjects then I hope they shal be To these considerations let this be added that when David the most famous King of Israel had subdued the nations round about him and made them tributaries and reigned over them he did not force them into the Church by compulsive lawes nor take any such violeÌ„t courses that we read of Neyther can you shift of the matter Mr B. by alleadging that these nations were heathens and infidels and such as made no profession of religion nor were circumcised for amongst the rest over whom David ruled the Edomites are named which were the posterity of holy Abraham as well as the Israelites comming of Esau as they of Iaakob who did also besides many mayn truthes reteyn circumcision and that true also as well as the Papists reteyn true baptism and by which they might as truely be deemed the Lords people though in apostasie as the Papists by the other To end this argument of violence in religion to which it is very vnnaturall neyther Hezechiah nor Iosiah nor any other King eyther of Iudah or England had or hath power from God to compel an apparant prophane person so remayning eyther to joyn vnto or continue in the Church and the Church so to receive continue him The Kings of Iudah as I haue shewed were to destroy and put to death all such wicked ones and so to weed them out of the Church by the sword according to the dispensation of those tymes to what end then doth Mr B. bring in them their authority eyther for the planting or watering of such persons in the Church for which purpose notwithstanding he produceth them So for other Kings though they be not to destroy all the wicked in their land or nation as not being to gather a nationall Church so are they to vse their authority for the preserving pure of the Church to see that wicked â—lagitious persons be neither taken into nor kept in the Ch to the
reader may see in both his books from their gifts and aptnes to teach from their holy graces their painfull and zealous preaching their suppressing of Popery and conversion of soules with other the like effects of the truthes of the gospel published and taught by them which things since he dares not affirm of the scandalous vnpreaching Preists he cunningly passeth them by as some small moat faln into the Church by the covetousnes of Much-wormly patrons but contrary to the true meaning of the lawes and without the least default of the Bishops or Archbishops as though the covetous Patrons could present them except the vngodly Bishops had first ordeyned them If he had undertaken the justification but as true though not as good both of the vnpreaching and preaching Ministers he must have sought and produced such Arguments as would haue agreed to both but finding himself able to make no shew at all for the ignorant idle and scandalous sort having no colours to paynt no morter to dawb over those filthy stones no not to any shew he smothers all them though far the greater both in number and authority and in deed the almost onely true formall ministers according to the Church canon and constitution and presents to the reader a few dispersed disgraced tolerated and tolerating persons and vndertakes their defence manifesting himself a right naturall merchant of that great whore in shewing some handfull of tolerable wares thereby to deceive the simple buyer with the whole peice or heap of rotten stuffe which goes with them Now on the contrary if Mr B. should not haue defended men of lewd conversation as true visible matter of the Church and members of Christs body he could not haue justifyed with any colour the Nationall Provinciall Diocesan and Parish Churches or any one of them as true since they were all at the first collected and do still consist for the greatest part of such people and so disposed He therefore takes liberty vnto himself to make such defence and for so much of his Church and Ministery as will serve his turn amongst the deceived multitude and of no more But the mayn point in this place about this matter in hand to be considered of is whether ability to preach be a qualification and so preaching a work necessarily required in the ministery of Engl according to the true meaning of the lawes ecclesiasticall civil and the book of ordination This Mr B. takes for graunted affirmatively and vpon it as a mayn ground builds his whole treatise about this matter but I on the contrary do affirm that this is so is known to be to all that mind it with wisdom good conscience cleane otherwise and that neyther this ability nor practise of preaching is of necessity required to the true and naturall constitution of the English ministery in the meaning of the lawes established in that case And for the confirmation of that I affirm against this mans presumptuous asseveration these proofs suffice First the books of Homilies published and confirmed by law to be read of such ministers as cannot preach do evidently declare that ability to preach is not necessarily required of all in the true meaning of the law 2. By the statute law of the land and in particular by one statute enacted for the prevention of vnworthy ministers though wanting the book I cannot set down the title tyme or order of it he that is eyther a Bachilour of arts in one of the Universities or can give an account of his faith in latin or hath been brought vp in a Bishops house though he haue been his porter or horsekeeper or hath a gift in preaching is capable of orders and may be by the Bishop ordeyned a minister so that by the expresse letter and playn meaning of the law aptnes and ability to teach is not necessarily required in the English ministery If he haue any one of the three former qualifications the law approves of him and being ordeyned the Patron may present him to any congregation in the land whom the Bishop also must institute the Archdeacon induct and the people receive and may be therevnto compelled whither they will or no. Adde vnto these that your canons and constitutions framed by the convocation house and confirmed by the Kings royall assent so being the lawes ecclesiasticall of your Church by your doctrine Mr B. the Act of all the Church though the inferiours come not to consent do not onely approve an vnpreaching Ministery but also lay deep curses and Anathemaes vpon all that deny eyther the truth or lawfulnes of it To this also I might annex that it is a very common doctrine with your Prelates and their Chaplins and faction that preaching is no necessary annexum or appurtenance vnto Orders which they also offer to defend against all gainsayers But it seems you haue speciall reference to the book of ordination let vs therefore see what it makes for you or your purpose That you build vpon I know iâ— these words of the Bishop when he orders his Preist and delivers him the Bible in his hand Take thou authority to preach the word of God and to minister the holy sacraments in this congregation where thou shalt be so appointed The words I hear and acknowledge but the true meaning of the book I deny it to be that every Minister should be able to preach It may as wel be sayd it is the meaning of the book that that every Preist should be ordeyned in the particular congregation where he is to minister bycause of the latter words in this congregation where thou shalt be so appoynted and that he is to minister the discipline of Christ as well as the doctrine and sacraments bycause such words passe betwixt him and the Bishop in another place of the same book It is not the least delusion of Sathan or mistery that such formes of good wordes are reteyned both in the Romish English Church without any truth eyther of purpose or practise in those which vse them for by them the eyes of the simple are easily bleared by such deceivable merchants as right now I spake of though it be not without a speciall providence of God that these the like forms of words should be vsed for the more full conviction and condemnation of them that chuse to be deceived as I have formerly noted in this book To conclude this poynt The reading of the service book in form and maner the celebrating of mariage churching of women burying of the dead conformity and subscription are more essentiall to your ministery and more necessarily requyred by the lawes of your Church both civil and ecclesiasticall then preaching of the gospel is The wearing of the surplice and signing with the crosse in baptism are of absolute necessity without partial dispensation yea I may ad violation of oath by the Bishops whereas preaching of the word is no
onely to a speciall work but not called to any office 3. It appeareth that Paul and Barnabas were not separated sent by the governours onely but by the Church with them wherin they ministred and which joyned with them in prayer and fasting and so consequently in dismissing or letting them go ver 2. 3. though most like the ceremony of imposition of hands was performed onely by the Teachers and Prophets but with the foregoing consent of the Church according to the expresse direction of the holy Ghost And that not the governours severally but the Church with them separated and sent them vnder the Lords expresse nomination appears evidently Act. 14. 27. where vpon their return they made relation not to the officers but to the Church gathered together for that purpose what things the Lord had wrought by theÌ„ that so not onely the grace of God towards the Gentiles might be taken knowledge of and magnified but also that their service ministration might be approved to the Church which sent them And thus all may see how injurious this man is to the right and liberty of the brethren as formerly in the censures so here in the choise of officers making the governours alone the Church both in the one and the other And being both of them Church matters and parts of the publique administration of Christs kingdom the same scriptures which demonstrate the peoples interest in the one do conclude the same in the other In the beginning the Lord Iesus and his Apostles by his spirit appointed none other true visible Churches but particular coÌ„gregations of faythfull people for of the vanity of representative Churches in the new testament I have formerly spoken but as knowledge puffeth vp so within a few ages the officers and governours of the Church being men of knowledge began to swell with that poysoned humour of pride ambition wherewith Antichrist had infected them especially when they were once setled in peace and plenty and taking withall partly advantage by the peoples negligence in themselves and superstitious admiration of their guides and partly occasion by the abuse of their liberty have been bold to engrosse the liberties of the whole Church into their own hands and with them the name They alone must haue the keyes of the kingdome of heaven hanging at their girdell for the opening shutting of heaven gates which is all one as if in playn termes they should affirm that to them alone were committed the oracles of God the gospel of salvation see Rom. 3. 2. Iude 3. They alone must speak in the Church to adifâ—ing exhortation and comfort and so all the brethren must be silenced in the exercise of prophecying To them alone must the complaints of sinns be brought and they alone must be heard in the reforming of them and thus must the bottomles gulf of the governours authority svvallovv vp the brethrens liberty in the reproving and censuring of offenders They alone are to separate and chuse the ministers and of this branch of the povver of Christ amongst the rest must the body of the Church be stript And as there is no end of errours vvhere they once begin especially of those vvhich tend to the advancement of the man of sin in his Ministers above all that is called God so hath this iniquity prevayled yet further even to the bereaving of the people of the cup in the Lords supper and of the very scriptures in their mothers tongue the Preists alone communicating in both parts of the supper and inclosing the scriptures themselves vvith in the Romish or Latine language vvhich they alone to speak of vnderstood Yea to conclude so effectuall hath the delusion of Satan been this vvay that it hath been vniversally taught and beleeved that an implicite faith vvas sufficient in the lay people that no more vvas required of them then to beleeve as the Church that is the guides and governours of the Church beleeved though they were vtterly ignorant what their fayth was And what lesse in effect doth M. B. affirm in his 2. book where he writes that if the cheif do voluniarily receive professe proclaym a faith or religion it is to be accounted the act of all though the inferiours come not to consent he might as well haue added though they be ignorant of it or what it meanes Yea doth not this conclusion follow vpon the former ground that the officers are the Church Mat. 18. for the reproving censuring of offenders and for the binding loosing of sinns If the Officers be the Church for one religious or spirituall determination why not for an other And if the censures agreed vpon and ministred by the Officers be by way of representation the censures of the Church without the actuall consent of the people why is not the faith agreed vpon and published by the officers the fayth of the Church by way of representation before the peoples distinct knowledge of it or actuall consent vnto it Put the case the officers change their auncient fayth in some mayn point wherein the body of the Church still abideth and so differeth from them and that they take occasion to excommunicate some brother or brethrâ—n that most opposes them if this excommunication of the officers be the excoÌ„munication of the Church representatively without the peoples consent then is this new faith also of the officers for which this excommunication is practised the faith of the people notwithstanding their not onely not consenting vnto but their vtter dissenting from the same Now as the governours did thus engrosse the power and libertyes of the Church so no marvayl though with them they assumed the name Hence is it that they alone are called the Church the Clergy the spiritually the prophane idiotish laity are excluded both from the title and thing Symon the Sadler Toâ—â—kâ—â— the Taylour Belly the Bellowes-maker must be no Church men nor meddle with Ch matters As though it were eyther not true or to no purpose which is written that Christ himself vvas a Carpenter Paul a â—enâ—maker Peter Andrew Iames Iohn Fishermen One onely thing more I vvill adde so conclude this point which is that the Preists vvere not more eager at the first vpon the people till they had svvallovved vp their liberty then they vvere afterwards one vpon an other till one had gotten all from whom as from the Catholick visible head all power should issue and be derived to the severall partes of the body And hovv clean a vvay Mr Bern. and others vvhich knovving better have the more sin make to this mischeif in pleading that Paul alone 1 Cor. 5. the severall Angels alone in the severall Churches Rev. 2. 3. vvere to reform and censure abuses let the vvise reader judge The 2. allegation made by Mr B. against vvhich I except is that the Ministers vvith them have all things in substance required by the word of God for
to repute them holy in regard of the Lordes covenaunt and do therefore set his seale vpon them so are their parents even from their cradle to bring them vp in instruction information of the Lord and so to prepare them for the publique ministery vnto which if they in their riper yeares give obedience in any measure they are so to be continued in the Church if other-otherwise they are in due time as vnprofitable branches to be lopped of and so cease to be of the Pastours charge Secondly for men falling into wickednes in the Church if they continue obstinate and irreclamable then are they in order to be consured and so the Pastour is discharged of them if on the contrary God vouchsafe them repentance this cannot be called a conversion of them to sanctification but a restoring or recovering of them out of some particular evill or evils into vvhich through infirmity they are falln So that the doctrine stands sound for any thing that Mr Bernard hath sayd or that eyther he or any other man can say that the Pastours office stands in feeding not in converting as also that Pauls scale and work was not the bare conversion of the Corinthians but their conversion from heathenism plantation into a Church and these with the signes of an Apostle even signes and wonders and great works 2 Cor. 12. 12. Lastly that the simple be not deceived and eyther give honour where it is not due or give it not where it is due let them consider that the conversion of a man is no way to be ascribed to the order or office eyther of Apostles or Pastours but onely to the word of God which by the inward work of the spirit is the power of God to salvation to them that beleeve it is the law of the Lord that converts the soule The word of the kingdome is that good seed which being sown in good ground prospereth to the bringing forth of fruit to life whether he that sow it be in a true office or in a false office or in no office at all And though it be true which Mr B. saith in his former book that the Ministers in England do preach as publik Officers of that Church yet doth their Office confer or help nothing at all to the conversion of men It is the blessing of God vpon the mayn truthes they teach not vpon their office of Preisthood which converts which truthes if they taught without their office eyther before they were called to it or being deprived of it would without doubt be as effectuall as they are yea much more by the blessing of God as appears in this that such amoÌ„gst them as make least account of their office formally received from the Prelates are the most profitable instruments amongst the people where on the contrary the professed formalists cleaving vnto their office and order canonically are generally vnprofitable eyther for the conversion or confirmation of any to or in holines To conclude then the turning of men vnto holynes of life is no iustification of your office of ministery or calling vnto it but of such truthes as are taught amongst you which all men are bound to hold and honour as we also do though we disclaym the order and power in and by which they are ministred The seventh and last argument Mr B. takes from certayn properties of true sheepheards layd down Ioh. 10. which he also affirmeth the Ministers of the Church of England have the first whereof is that they go in by the dore Iesus Christ that is by his call and the Churches which as he sayth he hath proved at large In so saying he speaks at large let him prove that the Bishop or Patron or eyther of them is in Christs place set by him to chuse Ministers or that they are the Church to which he hath committed the power of calling and choosing them and answer the Reasons brought to the contrary otherwise his large proving will appeare but a large boasting and he will give men occasion to remember the proverb It is good beating a proud man The 2. property wherewith he investeth them is that the porter openeth vnto them by which porter Mr Smith means the Church for which Mr B reviles him out of measure making the porter invisibly Gods spirit visibly the authority committed by the Church vnto some for admitting men into the house the Church of God which sayth he is a sensible exposition according to the custome with us and in Iudaea As there are many true ministers in respect of men which enter not in at all by the spirit of God or any motion of it as it was with Iudas is with all hypocrites who for by-respects take that calling vppon them so is Mr Smithes exposition making the Church the porter far more probable then yours who make the porter the authority of the Church coÌ„mitted to some for the admission of men Is not the porter a person rather then a thing And who that hath but common sense will not rather by the porter vnderstand the person or persons having authority then the authority which he or they have And if you Mr B. had but remembred what you write of the properties of the Church pag. 237. 138. making as here you do the porter or authority of the Church a property of a sheepheard you would I suppose in modesty have forborn the charging of Mr Smith to have his braynes intoxiâ—ated by his new wayes to be madded by his own fantasies in religion for wryting in this poynt as he doth And for the thing it self it is evident that Christ Iesus is properly the sheepheard of the sheep here spoken of and that therefore the authority of the Church can be no porter for hi enterance or admission I do therefore rather think that by the porter is meant God the father whose care and providence is ever over his flock who therefore hath called and appoynted his sonne Iesus Christ to be that good sheepheard who gave his life for his sheep And if you will apply this to ordinary Pastours and their calling then sure by the porter must be meant such as have received this liberty power from Christ by the hands of his Apostles for the chusing and appoynting of ministers which I am sure of all others are not the Romish or English Bishops Christ would never have the wolves to appoynt his sheep their sheepheards The 3. property of good sheepheards which you chalenge to your selves is that they call their own sheep by name that is they take notice of their people of their growth in religion â—â—d do abyde with them diligently watching over their flockes as by true and faithfull promise made in the open congregation they be bound in their ordination It must here be observed as before that Christ speaks onely of himself properly for of him onely it can be sayd that the
Lastly it is a senceles affirmation you make that a man sent to win people is a minister to the hidden number not yet called out which are also his flock potentially though not actually The scriptures and you accordingly in another place make it a property of a good Minister to call his own sheep by name that is as you expound it to take notice of his people of their growth in religion c. now here you wil haue a minister of the hidden number whereof he can take no notice at all nor can tell whether or no he shall find one sheep amongst them Besides you coÌ„mit a Logicall errour in raysing an actuall Minister from the relation he hath vnto a flock potentially you may as truely affirm that a single man towards mariage is an housband and a father bycause he may have wife and children Any man that vpon a just calling or occasion opens and makes known the Gospel of salvation vnto a company of Turks or Pagans may in that generall sense be called the Lords Minister sent vnto them but a Church Officer of whoÌ„ our quaestion is till he have by his Ministery called and separated them vnto the Lord and be by their election called and separated to his office can he neyther be nor be called One thing more you adde which is that Ministers may be the Church as they are Christians and that they are Ministers in respect of an office bestowed upon them in their state of Christianity wherein you speak and that truely sufficient to overthrow not onely your particular errour in this place but well nigh your whole writing For therevpon it followeth First that the Church is before the Ministery bycause men are a Church as they are Christians Christians before they be Ministers 2. That Ministers make not the Church but become such by an office bestowed vpon them in their state of Christianity that is in their Church state Thirdly that the Christian brethren though not in office are part of the Church Math. 18. since even the officers themselves are acknowledged the Church or of the Church as they are Christians I come now vnto the 2. consideration and do affirm against Mr Ber. that the delegated and communicated power of Christ is given primarily and immediately to the Church and not to the officers This point I haue formerly handled at large vnder two generall heads opened in the former part of my book vnto which I do entreat the reader to look back yet will I for further satisfaction breifly annex a few things First bycause vnto the Iewes were of credit committed the Oracles of God vnto whom also did the covenants apperteyn and all the priviledges of them as to the common wealth of Israel 2. Bycause the Ministers themselves are given to the Church the Churches immediately as the Church is Christs Christ Gods And if this holy thing the Ministery be the Churches immediately then other things also as well as it in respect of right and possession though she vse the service of the Ministers ordinarily for the dispensation exequution of them It is not denyed but that the officers in such works as they perform vnto the Châ—in the name of the Lord as ofdoctrine exhortatioÌ„ admonitioÌ„ the like stand in a more imediate relatioÌ„ vnto the Lord then the Church doth but it must also be remembred that this no more advanceth the order of their Office above the order of the body then it doth one private bother performing the same work orderly in the exercise of prophesying or otherwise 3. The Officers are to dispense and exequute the holy things of God as the servants Ministers of Christ his Church and whatsoever they do in their office they do it as the servants and ministers both of Christ and of the Church Now common sense teacheth men that what power or authority soever the servants or Ministers of others haue or vse in their places that authority and power they haue first whose servants and ministers they are and that therefore the holy things of God are primarily and immediately the Churches vnder Christ and in the last place the Officers as the servants of Christ and his Church for execution in the order which Christ hath left The last greatest quaestion now comes into handling namely whether Ministers may be made by such as are no Ministers For this phrase of making Ministers Mr B. affects much belike with refereÌ„ce speciall to the Ministers of England and Rome who are fitly sayd to be made by the Bishops to be the workmanship of their haÌ„ds Mr Ber. vehemently vâ—geth the negative part namely that no Minister may be made but by a minister tying as he doth the Ch to the Ministery the Ministery to successioÌ„ ther is cause he should For if the chayr of succession should break both the Ch Ministery of England must fall to the ground The onely Argument he brings for his purpose is an historicall narration as he speaks from time to time without any one instance to the contrary the constant practise of the Church of God from the dayes of Adam hitherto I desire the Reader in the first place to take knovvledge from me that I deny not but confesse that the Churches of God more particularly and the Churches of the new testament continuing and abyding in that state â—ayth order wherein they were set established by the Lord in the hands of his servants the Apostles Eâ—angelists were to receive their ministers constantly by successioÌ„ after a sort namely so far as that all succeeding Ministers were to be ordeyned by Ministers and no otherwise But would any man save eyther a marked servant of the Pope or one that cared not what he wrote for some praesent seeming-advantage argue as this man doth from the estate of the Churches of Christ and in particular of the Church at Rome in Peter and Pauls time to the estate wherein now it is or was an hundred years since in which estate we are to consider of it But of this more hereafter The historicall narration before spoken of Mr B. divides into 4. tymes or ages the first wherof is from the beginning of the world till the giving of the law the 2. from the law till Christs coÌ„ming the 3. from Christ till the end of the history of the new testament the 4 and last from that tyme hitherto Let vs consider of his instances And first sayth he God at the worlds beginning ordeyned Adam in his place and till the law did rayse up extraordinary Teachers whom he also nameth in his 2. book as Henoh Noah Abraham Isaak Iakob Ioseph Levâ— and the rest As it is true that all Ministers are both to be called and ordeyned of God and ordinary Ministers to be called by the Church and ordeyned by the Church-officers
ministeriall power from the Cardinals cannot give it to them and so to the rest of the Clergy in Rome and England neyther can it descend from Christ through the Apostles and so through him to the other inferiour ministers but as in a chayn if the highest link be broken the rest which hang vpon it must needs fall So if there be a breach of this chayn of succession from the Apostles to the ministery of Rome and of England which descends of it lineally in the higest link the Pope all the rest of the chayn that hangs vpon it except it be otherwise vpheld must needs fall flat vpon the ground It is true which Mr Ber answers that election and succession by ordination may stand together in the ministery but in this case it cannot except the Pope should by the election of the Cardinalls or others ordeyn his succession whilest himselfe survived Now in this last answer Mr B challengeth his adversary to be wilde in wandering and to have lost his quaestion in concluding that the doctrine of succession is a false doctrine where he should prove that Christs power is not given to the principall members But this challenge is both vnjust vnadvised Vnjust bycause succession from the popish Church and Clergy is made by M Ber in his former book the foundation of the ministery of England and so of the Church the Church by his affirmation being made by the ministers and the Ministers by such Bishops as were ordeyned in the popish Church Vnadvised bycause these two poynts do depend ech vpon other necessarily For if Christs power be tyed to the officers whether principall or inferiour then must it come to the ministery and Church of England by succession if it come not by succession from or by the Pope and his Clergy then must it come by the same successioÌ„ of fayth doctrine vnto the children of Abraham two or three or more faithfull persons joyned together in the covenant and fellowship of the gospel And for the quaestion in Mr Bernards own words remitting the Reader to such places as prove that a company of faythfull people in the covenant of the gospell though without officers are a visible Church that they haue immediate right to the holy things of God and that the keyes for bynding and loosing were given to Peters confession I will adde onely one Argument and so proceed It hath been sundry tymes observed and proved by the scriptures that the officers of the Church are the servants of the Ch and their office a service of the Lord and of his Church Wherevpon it followeth necessarily that what power the officers have the body of the Church hath first and before them the very light of nature coÌ„mon sense teaching it that what power or authority soever the the servants of any body or persons have the body or persons whose servants they are must have it first and they by theÌ„ And for this purpose let it be further observed that no power at all came vnto the Church of the Iewes by the Levites not the vse of the sacrament of circumcision no nor of the very sacrifices which were offered by the first born in the family and that even after the peoples comming out of Egypt vnder the hand of Moses till Levi was called to the Preisthood Ex. 13. 2. 24. â— I proceed If the Ministery of the reformed Churches must be by succession or ordination by Popish Bishops then must the same office of Ministery be continued from the one Church to the other as indeed it was withall the Ministers of the Church of England at the first who without any new eyther calling or ordination which depends vpon it continued their office and place formerly received there being onely a reformation of some of the grossest evills like the healing of Iobs soars as Mr B. speaketh as the office of Iustice-ship or the like in the common wealth may be continued the same in the same persons individually though by edict of Parliament or other superiour power there be a surceasing of some mayn act of it Further to ty the Ministery thus to succession is to ty the Lords sheep to submit to no other sheepheards but such as the wolves haue appointed And if a company of Gods people in Rome or Spayn should come out of Babylon and no consecrated Preist amongst them they must by this doctrine enjoy no Ministers but such as the Romish wolves will ordeyn do according to their Popish prophane order To these things I might also adde that look what power any of the Popes Clergy receive from him the same he takes from them deprives them of where they withdrew their obedience or separate from that Church as also that the ordinations in Rome by their own Canons are very nulliâ—yes and many the the like exceptions pleaded by learned protestants against the Romish preisthood and this Romish doctrine of succession but that which hath been spoken is sufficient in the generall and I hasten to the third and last meanes of the three by which Gods people after Antichrists defection are to injoy the ministery and other of Christs ordinances And for our better proceeding herein I will first consider what ordination is and 2. how far the brethren may goe by the scriptures and the necessary consequences drawn from them in this and the like cases in the first planting of Churches or in the reducing of them into order in or after some generall confusion The Prelates and those which levell by their lyne do highly advance ordination and far above the administration of the word sacraments and prayer making it and the power of excommunication the two incoÌ„municable prerogatives of a Bishop in their vnderstanding above an ordinary minister But surely herein these cheif ministers do not succeed the cheif ministers the Apostles except as darknes succeeds light and Antichrists confusion Christs order Where the Apostles were sent out by Christ there was no mention of ordination their charge was to go teach all nations and baptize them and that the Apostles accounted preaching their principall work and after it baptism prayer the scriptures manifest And if ordination had been in those dayes so pryme a work surely Paul would rather haue tarryed in Crete himself to have ordeyned Elders there and haue sent Titus an inferiour officer about that inferiour work of preaching then haue gone himself about that leaving Titus for the other But bycause Mr Bernard with whom I deal when he writes most advisedly preferrs preaching to the first place and the administration of the sacraments and prayer to the next passing by ordination as not worthy the naming amongst these principall works I wil therefore leave it to be honoured by them whom it most honoureth and for whose ease and profit it best serveth and will consider in what place he setteth it He then pleading that as well the ordination as the
and brethren with them are one the same publique body to be exercised in one and the same part of their publique communion and to make the officers publick persons and the brethren private in the cōmunion is to make a schisme in the Church and to make the brethren part of the cōmunion in the administration of the word sacraments prayer singing of Psalmes contribution calling of officers censuring of offenders or other Church action whatsoever private and the officers publik is to make it schismatical them in it schismatiks Thus much of the 9. errour objected The tenth foloweth which is that we say Their worship is a false worship For answer vnto this assertion Mr B refers vs to the end of this treatise and there then will wee attend for it yet somewhat will he say against it that is First that they worship no false God 2. that they worship the true God with no false worship We charge you not with the worship of any false God though wee shall see by by how in one particular you will defend your selves But the thing you should have endeavoured is to prove that your divine-service-book framed by man and by man imposed to be vsed without addition or alteration as the solemn worship of your Church is that true and spirituall manner of worshiping God which he hath appointed with which he will be worshiped in spirit trueth Of this you say little or nothing but bycause you seem to your self to say somewhat wee will see what it is The word you say preached is the true word the sacraments true sacraments the prayers we pray whether conceived or set and stinted are such as may be warranted by the word and agreable to the prescript form taught by our saviour Christ. The word preached in popery or in the most haereticall assembly in the world is the true word but the devises of men are not the true word eyther with you or them Yea the divels thēselues preached the true word when they affirmed and published that Iesus was that Christ the sonne of God the most High did they therefore perform vnto God true worship Of the sacraments I have spokē formerly have shewed that in the administration of them they cannot be reputed true It is the word of promise that makes the sacraments except then the parish assemblies joyntly considered in their members have right unto the spirituall promises of God the sacraments administred in and vnto them in that their estate cannot so be accounted true sacraments For your prayers I observe sundry things out of your own words which I may not passe over as first that you speak not properly no nor truely in saying you pray stinted prayers for you read them and who will say reading is praying you pray to God but will you say you read to God or if you so say and do is it agreable eyther to his ordinance or to cōmon reason Mistake me not as though I speak of inward prayer or of the lifting vp of the hart for I graunt a man may pray inwardly or lift vp the heart to God when he reads or preaches or sings or receives the sacraments of such prayer we neyther speak nor can discern but in our selves our speach then being of the outward act ordinance of prayer I do affirm and so marvayl if all reasonable men concurre not with me that the ordinance of reading cannot be the ordinance of praying 3. In your division of prayer wherin you make some conceived and some set and stinted you graunt that the prayers which are set and stinted are not conceived wherein you do as much as graunt that they are not of God nor according to his will The Apostle Iude directeth vs alwayes to pray in the holy Ghost and Paul teacheth that we cannot pray as we ought but as the spirit helpeth vs and begetteth in vs sighs vnutterable by the work of which spirit if our prayers be not conceived first in our hearts before they be brought forth in our lips they are an vnnaturall bastardly and prophane byrth Lastly if your stinted prayer be as you say agreable to the prescript forme of prayer taught by our saviour Christ then must none other form of prayer be vsed but a stinted or set form for none other form may be vsd but that which is agreable to the prescript form of Christ since Christ hath sayd after this manner pray Where you further add that nothing is imposed or done by you for the worship of God but the word read and preached and the sacraments and prayer I demaund of your first in worship or honour of whō are your holy dayes bearing the names of S. Michaels S. Peters S. Iohns day and the rest imposed and kept if in the honour of the Saynts Angels then are you not cleare as you make your selves from the worshipping of false Gods neyther can you exempt your selves from the number of them which in voluntary religion worship Angels if on the other side those dayes be appoynted and so kept holy in the worship and honour of God then do you and that by authority worship God by and put holines in other things then the word read preached and the sacraments and prayer yea and other things then ever came into the Lords heart to sanctify for his worship And so the place Math. 15. 9. and other scriptures to that purpose are truely though you say falsely alledged against you 2. I do demaund of you whether your Apocrypha books namely that which is placed betwixt both testaments causing the Iewes to think the new testament no better then the fables which are ioyned to it as a learned man of our nation hath observed and the other book of Homilies be enjoyned and vsed as parts of Gods worship It is evident they are so held And therefore it is that a great portion of the former is preferred in the most solemn assemblyes before the canonicall scriptures and the reading of them before the reading of the other which they justle out of their place And for the homilyes they are enioyned and so vsed in stead of the preaching of the word which is the principall part of Gods worship wherevpon it followeth that the Apocrypha wrytings of mē being preferred before one part of Gods worship which is the reading of the Canonicall scriptures and vsed in stead of an other part of Gods worship yea and that the principall part as is preaching are imposed and so vsed as partes of Gods worship So that it is not without good cause M Ber that M Ainsworth bids you prove the Apocrypha scriptures and books of Homilies the true word of God Nothing you tel vs is imposed and vsed amongst you for the worship of God but the true word of God read and preached and the sacraments and prayer now these being imposed and vsed for the
duties to be done by their men furnished by other scriptures then the divine scriptures the Bishops scriptures their Canons coÌ„stitutioÌ„s wherby they ar fully furnished indeed with ring surplus service-book and other preistly implements for the busines The Apostle Paul Eph 4. 8. 11. 12. teacheth that when Christ ascended on high he gave vnto men such gifts that is such ministeryes of the Church as should serve for the repayring of the saynts and aedification of his body till the work of grace were perfected in all his and so he makes the work of the ministery and the aedification of the body of Christ all one Now who will say that the celebration of mariage or buryall of the dead are in themselves matters of aedification or which further the vnity of fayth They serve for the generall administration of the world and so are lawfull amongst Turkes and Heathens as to eat and drink or to perform any other naturall or civil work and not for the speciall administratioÌ„ of the Church or body of Christ and therefore no works of the ministery which is peculiar vnto the Church The Church is a religious society and so the ministery which is given to the Church is a religious calling and so the proper works of the ministery must needes be workes of religion which if mariage or burying the dead were then were it vnlawfull for a faythful husband to communicate with his wife being an infidell or excommunicate in the dutyes of mariage or for a brother being a faythful person to ioyn with his brother being an infidell or excommunicate in the buryall of their dead father for with such persons religious communion may not be kept whereas the scriptures do coÌ„mend vnto vs these duties so performed both as lawfull and necessary Gen. 25. 9. 35. 29. 1 Cor. 7. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. These are then civill duties and so practised by the servants of God in all ages whose practise also for our learning is recorded in the scriptures and commended vnto vs accordingly Gen. 24. 50. 51. 58. 59. 67. 25. 34. Ruth 4 1. 2. 5. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Math. 27. 57. 59 60. Act. 8. 2. Whether it be an errour in vs as in the 11. place â—e are accused to hold that Ministers ought not to live of tythes and offerings but of the peoples voluntary contribution let the Reader considering what is answered both by Mr Aynsworth Mr Smyth and what is more fully written in the book before named judge But This sayth Mr B. is against the wisdome of God who alloweth a setled maintenance vnder the law and there is nothing against it in the gospel But say I as the Lord appointed vnder the law a setled maintenance by tythes offerings so did he a setled land of Canaan which was holy and a sacrament so did he also appoynt that the Levites to be maynteyned there should have no part nor inheritaÌ„ce with the rest of the Israelites their brethren And hath Gods wisdome so appoynted now If it had I feare many would not rest in it so wise are they for their bellyes And where you adde that there is nothing in the gospel against this ordinance â—â— the law the authour to the Hebrewes might have taught you that the law is abolished by the gospel in the sense we speak of and the old testament by the new in respect of ordinances whereof this was one If it be sayd that tythes went in vse and given by Abraham to Melchizedek Preist of the most high God before the law or old testament was given by Moses I do answer that so was circumcision ministred and sacrifices offered before Moses which notwithstanding were parts of the old testament and assumed by Moses into the body of it and so are abolished by the new To conclude this poynt since tythes and offerings were appurtenances vnto the preisthood and that the priesthood both of Melchizedek and Levi are abolished in Christ as the shadow in the substance and that the Lord hath or deyned that they which preach the gospell should live of the gospell we do willingly leave vnto you both your preistly order and maintenance contenting our selves with the peoples voluntary contribution whither it be it be lesse or more as the blessing of God vpon our labour the fruit of our ministery and a declaration of their love and duety The 12 and last errour imputed to vs is that your Churches as you call them ought to be raced downe and not to be imployed to the true worship of God Our mayn reason of this assertion being as you say by making equall Paganism and Antichristianism you endevour to weakeÌ„ by sundry exceptions As 1. that there is great difference between Antichristianism and Pagnism for this is the worshipping of a false God and without any profession of the true God but the other worship the true God hold many truthes of God Paganism was wholly without the Church but Antichrist sits in the Church of God c. 2. that we are to prove your Churches to have been built by Antichrist We do not make equall Paganism and Antichristianism in the degree though wee put not such difference between them as you do And first we do affirm that both the one and the other are not onely agaynst that 2. connaundement but the first also 2. that both of them may in their degree and for a tyme be in the Church as also that both of them may in tyme and in their degree destroy the true Church of Christ. 3. that as well the reliques ornaments and monuments of the one as of the other are by lawfull authority to be abolished and in the meane while to be forborn especially in the worship of God by all such as fear him his judgements denounced agaynst the same let vs heare what the scriptures teach in these cases The Apostle Paul writing purposely of that man of sin Antichrist testifieth that he is an adversary and exalteth himself agaynst all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he sitteth in the temple of God as God shewing himself that he is God And as Antichrist caÌ„not be rightly discerned of vs but in his oppsition vnto Christ exaltation above him so doth this his exaltatioÌ„ appear sudry wayes by which he doth translate vnto himself the honour due vnto God alone his sonne our Lord Christ as in dispensing with the morall law professedly bynding and loosing conscience devising and imposing forms of religion traÌ„sferring empires kingdoms al these doth this earthly God as he is called by the plenary power of the seat Apostolicall The same also it was which Iohn for saw in the Revelation namely that the Antichristians worshipped Divels Idols of gold and silver brasse stone wood which can neyther see nor hear nor walk agayn that they worshipped the beast which
that bycause one thing is done that an other might follow vpon it that therefore the latter which is to follow is also done And for the poynt as it is the work of the spirit to lead men into all truth as all that are Christs or mēbers of his body have his spirit so doth it follow that all the members of the Church have the spirit given them of God to lead them into all truth though it have not his full work by reason of the cōtrary work of the flesh in this life wher all mē know but in part 3. That Mr. Bar holds every truth in the scriptures fundamentall that is as they expound it Pag 147. such as if it be not known and obeyed the whole religiō and fayth of the Church must needs fall to the ground Mr. Ainsworth hath set down his words from which no such collection can be made he directs them that worthily agaynst these deceivers which knowing acknowledging that they want many speciall ordinances of Christ and are burdened in stead of them with the inventions of Antichrist do notwithstanding encourage themselves and others by these distinctiōs that they haue the fundamentall truthes of the gospell and whatsoever is necessary to salvation and the like in a purpose to go on all their life long in disobedience For which men how much better were it to consider how it is written that whosoever shall break one of the least commaundments and teach men so he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven then thus to turn vpon them which reprove them for their vnfaythfulnes and misinterpreting their sayings most injuriously to spend thus many words as these ministers do in confuting their owne corrupt glosses Their fourth and last Argument is for that all the known Churches in the world acknowledge their Church for their sister and giue her the right hand of fellowship This Argum. hath been sundry tymes vrged by Mr. Ber. and so answered sundry tymes both by M. Ainsworth and my self in the former part of my book whether I must refer the reader contenting my self with a breif observation of such vntruthes and errours as these ministers are driven vnto in the prosecuting of this Argument as First that all the known Churches in the world are well acquaynted with their doctrine and liturgy to which they should also ad their book of ordination and canons Ecclesiasticall for their ministery and government then which nothing is more vntrue Beza which was specially interessed in these matters will hardly be perswaded of the true state of things touching dispensations pluralityes the power of excommunication in one man and the like It is most vntrue that God hath sanctifed the testimony of Churches for a principall help in the decyding of controversies in this kind It is though some help yet lesse principall yea the least of many 3. That Paul feared that without the approbation of Iames and Cephas and Iohn he should have run in vayn Paul feared no such thing for he was both assured of his calling from the Lord and had also taken long before that tyme good experience of the Lords blessing vpon his ministery both amongst the Iewes and Gentiles and knew right assuredly that his preaching was not in vayne His care was to take away from the weak all scruple of mynde or iealousy of contention amongst the Apostles he went vp to Ierusalem to confer with them 4 That Paul sought to win cōmendation and credit to the orders which he by his Apostolicall authority might have established by the iudgement of other Churches Whereas the Apostle Paul did by his Apostolicall authority appoynt those orders in all those churches he speaks of as the scriptures quoted testify 1 Cor 4. 7. 17. 16. 1. Besides the Church of England can win no great credit to her orders by the orders of other Churches considering how contrary she is in them to all other Churches departed from Rome whom alone in very many the resembleth Fiftly the testimony which Iohn Baptist gave of Christ is vnfitly brought for the testimony of one Church of an other For it was the proper and principall work of †Iohns calling to give witnes of Christ wherein also he could not erre It is not so with or between any Churches in the world Where it is further affirmed that there are cases wherein one Church is commaunded to seek the iudgement of other Churches and to account it as the iudgment of God for which Act 15. 2. is alledged as it is true that one Church is in cases to seek the judgement and help of an other so is it vntrue that the judgement of that other Church or of all the Churches in the world is to be accounted as the judgment of God Indeed the decrees of the Apostles at Ierusalem being by imediate infallible direction of the H Ghost were to be accounted as the judgement of God but for any ordinary eyther Churches or persons to challenge the like vnto their determinations were popelike praesumption To the Ministers demand in the next place Sayth Christ to any particular congregation of the faythful in our land Whatsoever they bind in earth is bound in heaven Mat. 18. 18. and sayth he it not also to the Churches of other nations I do answer that if Christ have so sayd to the particular cōgregatiōs who hath sayd it to the Praelates their substitutes or to any officer or officers excluding the body of the Congregation Even none but he whose work it is to gainsay Christ to subvert his order 2. If any of your parishes be such congregatiōs why do not you as faythful Ministers exhort thē to guide them in the vse of this power of binding loosing which Christ hath given them Or are not you content to suffer them to go on and your selves to go before them in the losse of this liberty yea in a most vile subjection to their and your spirituall Lords which have vsurped it And for the Argument it is of no force for neyther hath any one Church in the world that power over an other nor all the Churches in the world over any one which the meanest Church hath over any her member or members whomsoever One Church may forsake an other but juditially to censure or excommunicate it may it not The same answer for substance may serve for that which is objected from 1 Cor. 14. 32. Besides no Church can so fully discern of the estate of an other Church as it can of the proper members apperteyning vnto it Yea I ad that in this respect wee are better able to iudge of the Church of Engl then are any forreyn Churches notwithstanding our weaknes bycause they do not in any measure know the estate of it as we do Lastly as that saying
professe the gospel of and vnto which they were apparantly and notoriously ignorant and disobedient as they were They knew what they were to look for and so being for the most part of no religiō they set themselves to conform as the tymes were to that which they discerned the Queen to be of And for the Preachers and Cōmissioners which were sent before this set day for the catholik fayth of all the Queens subjects as I think it was well so was it not sufficient to make the whole land or to prepare them to be a true Church besides that the people were of the Church all this while the same nationall provinciall diocesan and parochiall Church Churches consisting of the same persons generally still continuing vnder the same government ministery in the same will-worship though in a measure reformed as before in Queen Maryes dayes Now for the Preachers you name as Mr Knoxe Lever c. which exercised their Ministery in some of the best reformed Churches during Q. Maryes reign as the good they did to some few in comparison by the truthes they taught could not make all the Queens subjects a true nationall Church so do we all know how hardly they were suffered in the begīning of the Queens reign that contrary to the publick Church-government ministery as also that neyther they nor any others could or can be admitted to any Church by any ministery received in the reformed Churches but onely by the ordination of a popish Praelate whether English or Romish it matters not by which also it is apparant to all men vpon what string the English ministery hangeth Lastly where these men say that many are dayly added to the Church by the ministery of the word preached I marvayl how this can be and from whence they are added Addition is a motion and in every motion there must be the terms or bounds from and to which it is made All they to whom they preach are of the Church already for recusant Papists come not to their Church and besides the number of them encreaseth dayly It seemes then they are added from the Church to the same Church Bycause this practise of adding men to the Church by the preaching of the gospell was in vse in the primative Churches and this phrase vsed in the scriptures therefore these ministers think they may abuse the phrase without the thing and so feed their simple readers with words of the winde Of the ministers 4 exceptiō viz of the vniting of the Queens subiects vnto those professours whose fellowship in popery they had forsaken and of the course taken for that purpose by the example of the godly Kings of Iudah I have formerly spoken of the former part even now and of the latter els where declaring 1. first that the English nation and all the people of the kingdom never was admitted into the LORDS covenant by the rules of the new testament to become a nationall CHURCH vnder nationall government as was IUDAH and all the people in it vnder the old If this can be proved I acknowledge my self in many great errours if not it is vanity and errour thus to instance in IVDAH and indeed to revive Iudaism and the old testament 2. That though England had been somtimes a true nationall Church as was Iudah yet that it did not so remayn in the deep Apostacy of Antichrist but was divorced in Rome her mother whereas Iudah on the other side into what transgression soever she sell was never divorced by the Lord but still remayned his though vnfaythfull wife the L. ever anon stirring vp some extraordinary instrument or other for her reformation the renovation of her covenant with which also the Lord so effectually wrought as the things are wonderfull which are written of all the people and such as never shal be found in any whole kingdom to the worlds end 3. That the reformation by King Edward and Queen Elizabeth though great in it self and they in it vnder GOD greatly to he honoured was nothing comparable to that which was made in Iudah by Iehosaphat Iosiah Asa Ezechiah and Nehemiah These poynts I have proved at large else where and do refer the reader thither for answer onely I will note some particular oversights of the ministers in this fourth exception as first where they say they have proved there was a true Church in the land before Queen Elizabeths reign they should have proved that the Land was a true Church for so was Iudah 2. Where they say that the noble men were sent by Iehosaphat onely to accompany assist the Levites to countenance their ministery where the scriptures affirme they were sent even to teach You will have no teaching but by Church officers therfore you so put the scripture of 3. That they say Iosiah compelled his subiects to the service of the true God taking compulsion as they do where it is evident the people did it freely though I acknowledge he made compulsive lawes 4 Speaking of the authority of magistrates over their subjects they bring in Ezechias proclamatiō as they call it sent to Israell wheras the ten tribes were not his subiects nor he their King And lastly that the Ismaelites were separated from the Church of God therein acknowledging that IVDAH was alwayes the true Church of God which I suppose they will not say of Engl alwayes or of Rome if they do it is their sin to separate from the true Church The fifth and last exception of the ministers is that Mr BARROVV Mr GREENVVOOD required that the people in the begīning of the Queens reign should by solemn oth covenant have renounced Idolatry have professed fayth obedience to the gospel after the example of Asaes reformation To which their answer is first that such a covenāting by oath is not absolutely necessary as appeares in Iehosaphats Iosiahs reformation 2. That the people was before that oath covenāt Gods true Church which their people also may be 3. That sundry congregations as in Coventry and Northampton did publiquely professe repentance for their Idolatry and promised to obey the truth established 4. They doubt not to affirm that the whole land in the first Parliament did enter a solemn covenant with the Lord for renouncing of Popery and receiving the gospell That Mr Barr. and Green should requyre that the covenant into which the Church entereth should be by oth necessarily is more then I know or then we practise But that they required that the people that is the whole nation should so have passed a solemn oth and covenant I know is most vntrue All men know they thought the ignorant prophane popish multitude vncapable of the Lords covenant and the seales of it to have requyred of them an oth for such a purpose had been to have requyred of them the taking of Gods name in vayn Where it is sayd in the 2. place
and thanksgiving then their service book as their own practise both private and publique when they have liberty shewes they have and that so themselves judge see them learn to feare him that is a great King and whose name is terrible even the Lord of hostes To him through Christ the onely “ mayster and teacher of his Church be prayse for ever He even God the Father for his sonne Christs sake shew his mercy in all our aberrations and discover them vnto vs more and more keep vs in and lead vs into his truth giving vs to be faythfull in that wee have received whether it be lesse or more praeserving vs against all those scandalls wherewith the whole world is filled Amen CHristian Reader whilst I was printing my defence against Mr Ber Invective his reply came forth in a second treatise to which I have also given answer in all the particulars which are of weight And for that I have been occasioned by the one and other book to handle all the poynts in difference I entreat the to compare with this my defence such other oppositions especially as respect myself whither in print or writing till more particular â—nswer be given The principall scriptures brought on both sides for the present controversy expounded and applyed LEviticus 20. 24. 26. 11. 12. pag. 328. 329. Ieremy 23. 22. pag. 103. 377. The two parables of the feild and draw net Mat. 13. p. 116. 117. 118. 119. 120. 121. 122. Math. 18. 17. Tel the Church p. 170. 171. 172. 177. 178. c. to 235. 238. 239. Math. 23. 1. 2. 3. pag. 433. 434. 435. 436. Mark 9. 39. pag. 77. Ioh. 10. pag. 385. 386. 387. 388. Ioh. 17. 6. 9. 14. 15. 16. p. 332. 333. 334. Act. 2. 40. p. 330. 331. Act. 13. 1. 2. p. 366. 367. Act. 1â— 2. 3. 4. 199. Act. 19. 8. 9. pag 331. 332. Act. 21. 18. pa. 200. Rom. 10. 14. pag. 380. 381. 1 Cor. 1. 11. pag. 190 191. 1 Cor. 5. pag. 158. 159. 190. 191. 239. 240. 241. 242. 1 Cor. 9. 1. 2. p. 11. 381. 382. 383. 1 Cor. 11. 18. pag. 252. 253. 1 Cor. 14. 1. 3. 22. 24. pag. 235. 236. 237. 2 Cor. 2. 6. pag 243. 206. 207. 208. 2 Cor. 6. 12. 15. 16. 17. 18. p. 322. 323. 324. 325. 326. 327. 328. 334. 335. 336. 337. Ephe. 4. 11. 12. pag. 159. 160. 162. 163. Phil. 1. 15. 16. pag. 119. 435. 1 Tim. 4. 6. pag. 378. Titus 1. 15. pag. 251. 1 Pet. 2. 9. 10. pag. 44. 45. Rev. 2. 3. pa 167. 168. 169. A TABLE OF THE PRINCIPAL matters conteyned in this treatise A OF Antiquity pa 32. 33. 50. The order of the separated Churches more ancient then that of the Ch of Engl p 40. 41. The Apostles coÌ„mission peculiar pag 147. 155. 156. Wherein ordinary Ministers succeed them pa 156. Neyther the Bishops of Rome nor Engl the Apostles successours p 405 364. Authority to be obeyed p 18. DiffereÌ„tly in things civil ecclesiasticall pa 29 30. B. The Church not constituted noâ— the members admitted by Baptism pa 283. 284. Baptism in Rome and Engl how true and how false p. 284 285. How Baptism is a note of saynt-ship of the Church p 110 See Sacraments Why wee reteyn the Baptism received in Rome and Engl not the Ministery pa 390 391. 392. 393. 394. 395. See Ordination C. Christs headship in a great measure denyed in the Ch of Engl pa 261. in the administration of his prophesy pag 262. 263. preisthood p 263 264 kingdome p 264 268. Christs kingdom and the government of it spirituall p 38. yet visible p 99. 110 The kingdom of Christ to be administred as solemnly publiquely as his prophesie or preisthood p 228 230. 350. Of the visible invisible Ch pa 105. 106 311 313. Of the gathering and constitution of the visible Church p 220 221. 292 233. See profession of fayth Who are true members of the visible Church pa 105 107. See saynts The Church no mixt company but simple and vniform p 112 121 337. Persons apparantly and visibly wicked no true members of the Church whatsoever in word they profess p 268 269 274 304 305 310. Where also Mr Bern plea for theÌ„ is disproved The constitutioÌ„ of the Church what it is and of how great account pa 73 77. 81 82 88 93 94. 95. 98. The Church superiour vnto the Officers p 200 201 217. how pa 218 219 220 223. The Officers are the Churches not the contrary pa 127 132 211. Churches are before Officers p 126. 127 211. 221. 366. 396 397 399. Without which the Ministers cannot exist p 393 294. The covenant of the L. makes the Ch in generall pa 283. 311 The Church of Engl vncapable of it p 311 313 319 221 322. 338 339 340. Two or three faithful people in the covenant of the gospell or of Abraham though without Officers are a Church p. 125 126 129 190. 423. Having interest in all the holy things of God within themselves iÌ„mediately vnder Christ pa 131. 132 See Ordination The Church may censure her Officers pag 213 220. The properties of the Church pa 341. 342 346. c. The Church to be gathered onely by the preaching or publishing of the gospel of salvatition received submitted unto pa 89 90 91 315 447 457 458 459. The Church of Engl not so gathered pa 89. 90. 91. 459. 460. Of repraesentative Churches and that the new testament acknowledgeth none such pa 194 198. and of repraesentations in religion pa 231. 302 303. 304. Of corruptions in the Church p 64 65 81 82 260. 337. how to be forborn born reformed pa. 15. 64. 68 16. No separation from a true Church p 247. How a Church ceaseth p 247. 248. 249. Of the differences betwixt the reformed Churches and vs and betwixt theÌ„ the vnreformed Church of Engl and that they both cannot possibly be rightly gathered and constituted pag. 41. 42 46. 47. 48. 52. 301. 453. 454. The Church of Engl agaynst which wee deal how to be considered p 319. 320. 339. Neyther the Church of Rome nor of Engl was ever a true Ch as was Iudah pa 277. 278. 299. 120. 121. Much lesse did they so continue in the height of Antichrists apostasie as did Iudah in her greatest defection but were dischurched 121. Mr Ber Reasons to prove Rome for the preseÌ„t a true Ch answered pag. 278. 279. 280. 281. 281. 282. 285. 286. 28â— The contrary proved pa 288. 289. 290. 291 The reformation by King Edward and Queene Elizabeth though much to be honored no way comparable to that by Hezechiah Iosiah and Nehemiah p 294. 295. 296. 297. 298 299. 300. The Church Math. 18. 17. not the Iewish Synedrion 177. 178. 179. 180. 181. 182. 183. 184 185. 186. Not the Praesbytery or Ch officers but the officers people in the order set by Christ the officers governing and the people governed 186. 187. 190. 101. 192. 193. 194. 195
visible body the Church of Rome as it is called vnder that visible head Antichrist the Pope be the true visible body of Christ vnder him the head The Apostle wryting vnto the Galatians calles the Church of the new â—estameÌ„t Ierusalem which is above the mother of the â—aythfull and Iohn in the book of the Revelâ—tion opposeth vnto Babylon spiritual the â—â—w Ierusalem coÌ„ming down from God out of hâ—â—ven and the tabeâ—nâ—â—le of God where he dwelleth with men making thâ—m his people and himself 〈…〉 heir God Now as the people of God in old tyme were called out of Babylon civile the place of their bodily bondage and were to come to Ierusalem and there to build â— new the Lords temple or tabernacle leaving Babylon to that destruction which the Lord by his servants the Prophets had dâ—nounced against it so are the people of God now to gâ—â—e out of Babylon spiriâ—â—â—â— to Ierusalem and to build vp themselves as lively stones into a s 〈…〉 or temple for the Lord to dâ—vel in leaving Babylon to that dâ—â—truction and desolation â—ea furthering the same to which she is devoted by the Lord. Bâ—â— if the people of God should receive Mr B. doctrine they were not to come out of Babylon nor to endeavour her destruction but to tarry in her still labouring for her reformation and the reparation of her decayed places neyther were they to build my new spiritual temple or to constitute any new Church from Rome present for of such a new constitution we speak but there to abydâ— reproving her corruptions and endeavouring the reformation of them It is therfore vntrue which you â—â—y Mr B. that the Romish Church must be dealt with onely as the Church of God was in Iudâ—th it must be dealt with as was Babylon eâ—en abandoned and forsaken by the Lords people vpon pâ—â—ill of the curses and plagues due vnto it and denounced against it and against all that abyde in it To this which Mr B. in this place so greatly contends for namely thaâ— Rome is the true Church of Christ though under corruptions as Iob was a true man vnder his sores let that be added which he wryteth els where in this book that corruptions are made matter of reproof but no cause of separation from the Church and further that they that separate from a true Church the body cut of themselves from Christ the head and to these two a third graunt and profession he makes as that their profession and lawes in England separate a protestant from a Papist that the Church of England is separated by profession lawes and publique mâ—etings from Papists that the very societyes of Papists are to be left as no people of God and his writings will appeare to all men like a beggars cloak patched together of old and new peices scraped vp here and there scarce two of the same eyther colour or thread Let me a little stich his patches together and set them in some order They that separate from the true Church cut of themselves from Christ. Mr B. pag 110. 111. But the Church of England in separating from Rome is separated froÌ„ the true Ch Mr B. pag. 114. 129. 14â— with 131. 132. 133. Therefore by Mr B. both graunt and proof the Church of England is separated from Christ. And is this your piety and thankfulnes Mr B. towards your mother for want of which you cast so many bitter curses vpon the separatists you are so far caryed in honouring your grandmother Rome as a true Church that you clean forgot your mother England and condemn her for a schismatical Synagogue Yea well were it or at the least more tolerable in you if you thus dealt onely with your selfe and your owne but this vile iniury which you here offer extends it selfe far and nere even to Luther Zuinglius and the other godly guides of separation and to all the reformed Churches separated from the Church of Rome yea to the martyrs in King Henryes and Queen Maryes dayes and to all other the like godly mynded through the whole world whom you condemn as wicked schismatiques and separated from Christ the head in separating themselves from his body your true Church of Rome Lastly the Apostle Paul wryting to the Church of Rome in her first and best estate praemonisheth her to stand fast in the fayth received least he which had not spared the natural branches the Iewish Church but broken them of for vnbelâ—if should not spare the wild branches whereof she consisted How then Mr B. can you deny that Rome is and hath been long broken of which so long hath â—â—yned works in the cause of salvation which you your selfe affirm to be against the true nature of fayth in the â—oâ—â— of God and that which destroyeth â—â— And that all may take knowledge how the Lord dealeth with his Churches vnder the new testament and may learn both to fear in themselves and how to iudge of the present state of Rome let it be observed what Christ Iesus by his servant Iohn wryteth vnto the Churches in Asia especially to the Church of Epâ—esuâ— which he having blamed for leaving her first love exhorts to repentance and to the doing of her first workes threatning withall that otherwise he will come against her shortly and remove her candlestick out of the place except she amend The same thing in effect he denounceth against the Churches of Pergaâ—us and Thyaâ—yra and so against the rest vpon the like occasions And if the Lord dealt so severely with the Church of Ephesus notwithstanding the many excellent things which were found in her and so acknowledged by the Lord himselfe v. 2. 3. as to remove her candlestick 1. to dis-church her as ch 1. 20. for leaving her first love and that speedily except she repented how can it be that the golden candlestick should stil stand in Rome and shee remayn the Church of Christ which so many hundred yeares since hath left not onely her first love but her first fayth also chaunging her fayth into haereâ—y and Idolatry and her love into most bloody cruel persequutions against all that have endeavoured her repentance and so hath continued a long space and doth continue at this day None but professed Romanists will plead any Charter for Rome above other Churches These things thus opened and these two capital errours confuted the former Iewish namely that England now is as Iudah was and that as then all the Iewes in that nation so now all the English men in the Kings dominions should constitute a national Church the latter Popish viz. that the Romish Church is the true visible body or Church of Christ it is evident both that the Evangelical Churches must be new planted or constituted by profession of fayth as the temple was new built after the captivitie of Babylon as also that not Iosiahs sword that is the coactive