THAT THE POPE IS THAT ANTICHRIST AND An answer to the Obiections of Sectaries which condemne this Church of England Two notably learned and profitable Treatises or Sermons vpon the 19. verse of the 19. chapter of the Reuelation the first whereof was preached at Paules Crosse in Easter Terme last the other purposed also to haue bene there preached By LAWRENCE DEIOS Bachelor in Diuinitie and Minister of Gods holy word REVEL c. 19. v. 19. And I sawe the Beast and the Kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make battell against him that sate on the horse and against his armie ¶ Imprinted at London by George Bishop and Ralph Newberie An. Dom. 1590. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND MOST REVEREND FAther in Christ my Lorde the Archbishop of Canturbury his Grace Primate of all England and Metropolitane one of her Maiesties most honourable priuie Counsell THE impugnations which the enemie of the whole Church so strangely diuersly maketh against this Church of England are not so much to be marueiled at as of euery true Christian heart to be lamented They of the Church of Rome condemne vs for falling away so farre from them such as are sprong vp amongest our selues and are gone out from vs because wee approch so neere vnto them The first hold vs as Antichristian for shaking off the Popes gouernment whome they make Christes vicar the others for that wee retaine they say his gouernment still are in bondage to it The first say we are out of the true Church the others say no lesse and that we haue not Gods Church amongst vs. The first affirme that we haue no Ministers no sacraments no lawful seruice of God amongst vs the others that we haue no Ministers rightly called no sacraments duely administred no worship of God and that we worship a false Christ The first holde that the seruice of God in our Churches is so wicked as it is not to bee frequented the others that it is idolatrous and to be auoided The first are of opinion that the Soueraigne Christian Magistrate ought not to haue gouernment in causes Ecclesiastical otherwise then to defend the Church and to see the lawes therof executed because making of Church lawes and gouernment Ecclesiasticall is soly in the Pope and in his Clergy the others holde the like position against the Princes Ecclesiasticall supremacie for that this gouernment belongeth to Elderships and Synodes of Ministers and Elders for else Christ doth not gouerne in his Church as they teach Thus both sortes push at the peace of this Church with the hornes of the beast and albeit vpon diuerse groundes yet to one and the selfe same end which is the vtter ouerthrowe of the Church if their courses be not carefully and speedily preuented Which me thinketh may best be effected by doctrine and by discipline The first by instructing the simple seduced and by confuting mightily the froward and insolent the second by sharper corrosiues against the wilfull and obstinate sect-masters on both sides being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men condemned euen of their owne consciences This teaching and confutation in sundrie weightie pointes is in mine opinion very soundly and iudiciously though in briefe sorte as best fitting sermons here performed both against the Romanistes and Catharites The copie whereof happely falling into my handes I haue made so bolde with the Authour as to prefixe a title thereunto implying not all but the most principall matters treated of and thus to publish it for common instruction and comfort Dedicating the same to your Grace as to him to whom the Author hath dedicated himselfe in all duetiful seruice and who daily seeketh by the said two meanes mixed with mildnes and grauitie to reforme the fancie-full nay sinnefull conceipts of both the factions and to settle this Church in the vnitie of the spirite and bonde of peace Which that your L. and others in authoritie may effectually bring to passe vnder the long and blessed gouernment of our dread Soueraigne to Gods glorie the propagation of the Gospell exceedingly impeached by them and to the comfort of all godlie and peaceably affected English The Lorde of Lordes in mercie graunt for Christes sake Amen 17. Nouemb. 1590. Anno 33. D. Elizabethae Reginae The first Sermon vpon Apoc. cap. 19. verse 19. TWO things especially are sette foorth in this whole booke of the Reuelation First the persecutions and the rewardes of those that with true faith cleaue onely to Christ secondly the assaults and wicked attempts of the enemies of the trueth against the Church together with their punishments and ouerthrowe Because it is a prophesie of thinges to come therfore is the booke hard to be vnderstood for prophesies sooner are fulfilled in the worlde then the world can perceaue the true exposition and interpretation of them This verse doeth minister occasion to speake both of the wicked which do persecute and of the godly which are persecuted and it hath some thinges in it easie and some harde to bee vnderstoode Who the beast is and who be these kings and what be their armies and what is the maner of their fight we knowe and who it is that rideth on the horse and what is his armie wee may with smal searching easily finde out for time hath reueiled these things But the time wherein this last fight of the beast shall bee and the maner how he shal be ouerthrowen hath some doubt I wil speake of these things in order as they lie in the text The beast here spoken of is the Pope of Rome the Kings of the earth meant in this place are the princes that submit themselues to the obedience of him their armies are both the captaines and warlike souldiers and also the manifolde and sundry sortes of Ecclefiasticall and spirituall persons as they call them which either by force of armes or by witte and eloquence by strength or pollicie fight for him Hee that rideth on the horse is Christ his armie are they that beleeue in him onely for saluation and obey his Gospell In speaking of Antichrist and his armies and their fighting I must striue to bee the more briefe not onely because the matter of it selfe is large and such as whereof a man can finde no end if he would go about to speake all that may be said but also because I feare it would be somewhat tedious vnto you to heare me speake of that whereof you haue heard others speake very oft and largely already Of the other part that is of Christ and his armie it is comfortable and profitable for vs to heare because wee doe account our selues which doe professe the Gospell in this land to be as it were a wing or an olde trained band of that armie I thought it necessary to speake of these two pointes at this time First because Antichrist either now reneweth or continueth still his warre against vs or at least is suspected and of some reported so to doe Secondly because
point I shall speake somewhat in the next part Thus much shall suffice to haue spoken of him which sitteth on the horse which is Iesus Christ our king and onely captaine The next and last generall head to be spoken of is the armie of Christ The beast and his armies fight against Christ and his armie The Church of Christ is called by many names but here in the matter and time of warre it is called an armie Likewise Salomon sayth of it that it is terrible as an armie with banners Paul vsing the same Metaphore will haue vs put on the armour of light and saieth that the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mightie through God to cast downe holdes and willeth vs to put vpon vs the whole armour of God that we may be able to stand against the assaults of the deuill and of himselfe he witnesseth that he had fought a good fight and finished his course So that there is a warre and armour and weapons and fighting that belongeth to gods people and they altogether make an armie The Church of England is an excellent and noble band of this armie Wee are Christs souldiers we beare his colours he rideth before vs and among vs vpon the white horse he is our captaine and we are his armie Two kinds of enemies we haue that labour to perswade thēselues the world that we are not Christs armie the Papists and the Barrowists Against the Papists we haue maintained that the sound teaching of the word of God and the lawfull administration of his Sacraments are the most sure ensignes whereby his armie is knowen and that we haue these among vs and they are effectuall in vs. When we allege that which Christ saith My sheepe heare my voyce and a strangers voyce they will not heare That which Esaie hath To the lawe and to the testimonie if they answere not according to this it is because there is no light in thē When we allege these and the like places we obtaine that the true and sound setting forth of the worde of God is a most certaine signe and note of the Church That which Paul hath If any man preach another gospel let him be accursed That which Iohn saith He that abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God and if any man bring not the doctrine of Christ receaue him not declareth that a false doctrine of the gospel and Christ destroyeth the Church especially if the errour be in the foundation which is our iustification by faith in Christ and all those things which doe necessarily depend vpon it Therefore the Apostle saith Other foundation can no man lay then that which is layed euen Iesus Christ And againe Ye are built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ himselfe being the chiefe corner stone For this cause Paul doth so carefully and oft stand vpon the clearing of this article of our iustification by faith in Christ in so manie of his Epistles The true doctrine of the Gospel is thus founde to be the note yea and seede of the Church That the right and lawfull administration of the Sacraments pertaineth to the description and declaration of the Church we may easisily confirme Our Sauiour ioyneth the Sacraments to the worde Goe teach all nations baptizing them The Apostle doeth the like when hee sayeth Christ hath clensed his Church by the washing of water through the worde And of the other Sacrament it is sayde Doe this in remembraunce of mee And drinke yee all of this And the first Church gathered together after Christes ascension is thus described They that gladly receaued his worde were baptized and the same day there were added to the Church about three thousand soules and they continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and praiers These things by the benefite of God we haue the trueth of the Gospell and the whole new and olde Testament in all points of substance of doctrine truly taught and set footh in this lande the sacraments also are rightly administred Wherefore we haue the true notes of the Church These are the true notes of the Church such notes as are also causes of it for the word and sacraments doe beget and nourish faith by which we are vnited to Christ as to the heade Many other things agree to the Church as good workes mutuall loue true repentance shunning of idolatrie a right inuocation of the name of God and the like But these are partes and effects and ornaments of the former and concurre together with them for the word taught must be vnderstood to be fruitfull and so the sacraments to worke in mens soules and both to be of power or els they are no longer tokens to vs that wee are of the Church of God These things thus vnderstood are the true and sufficient markes whereby he that hath spirituall eyes may see the Church of God These by the speciall working of Iesus Christ we yet retaine in such sorte as they bring foorth fruite in mens hearts and liues God grant they may continue with vs and be more effectuall to worke amendment in all As for those marks wherby the Papists would haue the Church to be discerned they are deceitfull they can not point it out Antiquitie hath erred Vniuersalitie hath bin corrupted Vnitie may be in falshood Succession in place may be without succession in trueth their other marks are of like nature The worde and Sacraments rightly set forth and receaued and bringing forth fruite can neuer deceaue vs but bring vs directly to the true Church of Iesus Christ. But what shal we say to them that make discipline a necessarie marke of the Church because our Sauiour saith Baptize them teaching thē to obserue whatsoeuer I haue commaunded you The obseruation that our Sauiour speaketh of is not of some certaine forme of outward gouernement but generally of obedience to faith to loue and to the whole lawe and Gospell As for that discipline by Elders in euery parish it will not be found in those wordes of Christ. The Church can not well stand without all ecclesiasticall gouernement Yet it seemeth it did so stand in the captiuitie of Babylon but without that forme it may very well stand and florish and so hath done in this and former ages in many places Wherefore the worde and sacraments remaine as the markes in generall whereby the Church may be discerned But the Barrowists and such of whome they haue learned their principles descend into a more speciall and neere description of the Church The worde and Sacramentes are not such notes with them as can point out a Church What then is the Church of Christ in their account diuerse of them haue gone about to describe it but one especially would seeme to doe it most fully therefore he describeth it in these wordes at large The true planted and rightly established Church of Christ is a companie of faithful people separated from the
Some are of opinion that the white horse is set as a token of the last iudgement and that Christ is here described to come vpon a white horse to iudge the world In such a sense a white cloude is giuen to him wherein he shall come But it may seeme rather that this description pertaineth not to the last iudgemēt First because in iudgement hee is said commonly to sit vpon a throne as in the next chapter and in Daniel And Paul saith We shal all appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ Now a throne or a seate and a horse haue a cōtrary signification For the one pertaineth to quietnes the other to motion This descriptiō setteth forth Christ as mouing going forward and not as resting and ending all Secondly the space of time that is betweene this viage wherein Christ thus rideth and the iudgement will not suffer this to be vnderstoode of the last iudgement For as some thinke there shal be after this battel ouerthrowe of the Beast here mentioned a thousand yeres or a great long space before the iudgemēt or the end of al. Because after this Iohn reporteth that he did see Satan bound a thousand yeres and then let loose for a season I speake not of the Chiliasts which imagined a thousand yeeres of happie life here on earth after the resurrection But Morelius thinketh there may be a thousand yeeres or a long time before the last iudgemēt after this ouerthrowe of Antichrist for this should not be his finall ouerthrowe but that he should renewe his strength somewhat againe and fight yet against the saintes of God which Iohn seemeth to meane when he saith in the next Chapter that Gog and Magog whose number was as the sande of the sea were gathered and compassed the beloued citie fire came downe from heauen to consume them These and other things which I will nowe recite make many thinke that the white horse here spoken of pertaineth not to the last iudgement What then may this white horse be It is the Gospell that being published and made knowne to the world carieth Christ abroad according to it hee ouercommeth the beast This runneth swiftly this carieth him from place to place vpon this he rideth as vpon the winges of the winde For he is described here by those thinges which yet pertaine to the publishing of his name among men to the furtherance of his knowledge and vanquishing of his enemies and enlarging of his Church vpon earth To this it appertaineth that he is said to be faithfull and true in his promises to his elect that hee iudgeth and fighteth righteously for his people in a righteous cause and while they embrace righteousnes that he hath many crownes vpon his head kings yeelding their crownes to him which before they submitted to the Pope that he is called the word of God as yet reuealing his secrete counsell that his garment is dipt in blood making daily great slaughters of his enemies and that a sharpe sword commeth out of his mouth euen his iust decree against the wicked In the sixt Chapter the white horse hath receaued the like interpretation of the most Interpreters Thus Iohn sayeth I behelde and loe there was a white horse and he that sate on him had a bowe and a crowne was giuen vnto him and hee went foorth conquering that hee might ouercome There by the white horse is meant the Gospell with the bowe hee shot the arrowes of his worde his threatnings and grieuous iudgements and wounded his enemies He went in the first age after his ascension conquering and conuerting the world to himselfe and still had more and more to conquer because hee neuer wanted enemies And nowe towards the ende hee mounteth on the white horse and againe rideth gloriously in the sight of his people This horse that is his Gospell is saide to be white First because without all vaile or couer it sheweth foorth the full purpose of Gods good will vnto men for by it wee see God as in a glasse and are made to knowe his fauour most clearely Secondly because it teacheth and bringeth to vs iustification and forgiuenes of sinnes which being laid holde on by faith maketh vs white in the sight of God Thirdly because it doth commend vnto vs an innocent a pure life all the staines and blacknes of sinne being washed foorth And last of all because Christ by it sheweth himselfe victorious triumphant for a white horse was vsed in triumph Thus is Christ described by riding vpon a white horse The beast and his kings and their armies fight against him while he is thus sitting on the white horse They cannot fight against him as he is in heauen they cannot reach to his person there Neither shall they haue any minde to fight against him as he sitteth or commeth to iudgement but their fiercenes being then banished they shall tremble at his presence But as he sitteth on the white horse as hee is made knowen to the world in his Gospell by which hee maketh vs white forgiuing our sinnes and chaunging our liues so the beast fighteth against him It will bee too late to fight when he commeth in iudgement Then the beast himselfe shall haue no courage to fight But nowe the meanest souldier the basest Seminarye that is vnder the beaste euery busie schismatike will encounter him and his whole armie while hee sitteth on the white horse Therefore in these daies they are so sawcie with him and his horse and all his armie Of this that Christ onely is captaine and generall on the one side it followeth that they which will be saued must cleaue to him alone for their saluation Euery thing that is against him or seemeth to steppe into his place must be remooued The Popes supremacie the sacrifice of the Masse adoration of images inuocation of saintes confidence in workes all these must be reiected and wee must cleaue onely to Christ for saluation His people are known by hauing him to be their leader and not by a Pope or a city or any one earthly power ruling ouer them Againe it is to be concluded that seeing Christ commeth no way to his Church but sitting vpon the white horse and that horse is his Gospell therefore all men that will receaue him and his benefites must submit themselues to be taught by his word and seeke to knowe his Gospell he that receaueth not his word can not receaue him Now would it seeme meete to shew seeing the Gospel is this white horse that Christ doeth sit on whether hee commeth vnto vs vpon it being read or being preached and whether the learned and preaching ministers onely bee this white horse or also the vnlearned and readers may be accounted such as beare forth Christ vnto his people I thinke Christ commeth by the one and by the other and each of them doeth beare him foorth albeit he doeth ride more gloriously swiftly in the sound of learned preaching But of this
euil deedes If he be a blasphemer of the name of Christ an open despiser of his Gospel one that refuseth him and acknowledgeth him not as Redeemer and God hee is to be accounted an infidel and by all meanes to be reiected None such are admitted of vs or mingled with vs being once knowen Moreouer Isa 65.11 they thinke that Esay condemneth vs for admitting a whole parish to the holy Communion when he saith Yee are they that haue forsaken the Lorde and forgotten my holy mountaine and haue prepared a table for the multitude and furnish the drincke offering for the number Esay speaketh not of receauing a number into societie to offer to the Lorde but rather of sacrificing to a multitude of Idols in steade of the true God For hee opposeth the onely true God to a multitude whome they serued yea some thinke that the names that are translated a number and multitude doe signifie Mars and Mercurie Wherefore this pertaineth not to the admitting of manie to the Communion It was a commendation for the people and seruice of God when they did all eate the passeouer and offer sacrifices together as at their comming out of Egypt and in the wildernes and vnder Iosias and otherwise It is much more to be misliked with vs that some refraine from the communion then that so many come vnto it They obiect many other things against the retayning of wicked men in the societie of the Church but these are the chiefe To answere all woulde require a seuerall treatise Their thirde note of a visible Church is that it must be gathered in the name of Christ Esai 11.14 Esay did so prophecie In that day the roote of Ishai shall stand vp for a signe vnto the people the nations shall seeke vnto it Whole nations and many nations shoulde come to Christ in steede of one nation Could this be but many wicked and vngodly should be mixed and howe should the nations seeke to him some in shewe some in trueth some by outward profession and some by inward feeling Ioh. 12.32 When our Sauiour sayth If I were lift vp from the earth I woulde drawe all men vnto me hee meaneth that such as come in trueth shall come by his power but hee meaneth not that there should none come in outward fashion onely in word and yet in heart be farre from him in their deedes denie him And as he sayeth againe Mat. 18.20 where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of them so are our assemblies in the name of Christ if to come vpon his commaundement to call vpon him to heare his worde and to receaue his Sacramentes bee to be gathered in his name and the wicked comming with vs hindereth not this our purpose nor disappointeth our worke That which Peter saieth To whome yee come as vnto a liuing stone disalowed of men but chosen of God and precious and yee as liuely stones bee made a spiritual house an holie Priesthoode to offer vp spirituall Sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ This I say is spoken of them which are called of God according to his eternall purpose But none are thus ioyned to Christ but onely such yet for their sakes the rest are so accounted and take the name of that which is the chiefe and so farre are they from making vs to bee separated from God when we consent not to their sinnes that they are tolerated and receaued into some outwarde honor of the Church for vs. These places sufficiently proue that the Church of Christ must be ioyned vnto Christ the head But what exception can bee taken against our Churche howe can it be sayde that wee are not gathered together in the name of Christ They saye our Churches are gathered together not in the name of Christ but in the name of Antichrist This is a most vile slaunder against the Church All that is proper to Antichrist we withstand and therefore Antichrist seeing himselfe cast off and vs not gathered in his name striueth by force and policie to gather vs to himselfe again The name of Antichrist included especiallie his supremacie his humane traditions against the written worde of God his idolatrie his adoration of Saintes his pilgrimages and reliques his prayers for the dead and purgatorie his iustification by workes his satisfactions for sinnes his doctrine of free-will his vowes of pouertie of single life his workes of supererogation his pardons and the like To come together in these opinions and in the practise of those thinges is to bee gathered in the name of Antichrist But thus wee doe not Contrariewise wee come to worship God in the name of Christ alone to bee iustified by him to heare his trueth therefore wee are gathered in the name of Christ The fourth note of a visible Church they make this that it must worship Iesus Christ truelie It is out of question that the true Church of God worshippeth Christ aright But what can they alledge against vs and the worship that we performe to Christ First the commandement Thou shalt make no grauen image They account vs idolaters Then that to the Corinths 1. Cor. 10. If anie man say vnto thee that is sacrificed vnto idoles eate it not because of him that shewed it Our seruice they say was once offered to idoles and therefore now must not be vsed To these they ioine that of Esay Esai 66.17 They that sanctifie thēselues purifie themselues in the gardens behind a tree in the middest eating swines flesh and such abomination euen the mouse shal be consumed together saith the Lord. In their account our prayers the forme of our publike seruice is swines flesh or as a mouse which things were vncleane and might not be offered to God by the law And to this end they heape vp many places of like nature as that of Deuteronomy Deut. 17.1 such other Thou shalt offer to the Lorde thy God no bullocke nor sheepe wherein is blemish or any euill fauoured thing for that is an abomination to the Lorde thy God Such a sacrifice they iudge the seruice that we offer to God by the booke of common prayer to be Therefore they giue names of reproche and disdaine vnto the booke calling it the Statute booke and stinted seruice and staruers booke and such like Against this booke they fight as against a most pregnant idole We worshippe not God aright because we worship him by this booke The worshippe of God is large faith hearing of his worde reading of the Scriptures and euerie good worke pertaineth to his worshippe All the seruice and duetie we doe to God are not done by the reading and vsing of that booke Nay all our prayers in the Church are not out of it The preachers vse the libertie of their mind and motion of Gods spirite So that all our worship and all our prayers are not done by that booke But they say that booke
say not as they alleage that the childe shall beleeue but that it doth in way of Sacrament and outwarde profession in as much as it is offered to baptisme which is Sacramentum fidei and is borne of parents that are professors of Christian faith And as for the procuring of these thinges in action in the childe there is none that vnderstandeth I thinke anie furder then as it maye lye in them conueniently and as neede shall require But what can there be in the Font to corrupt baptisme more thē in the Church wals to corrupt prayers and scriptures and and preaching and all Women are not purified as though they were otherwise vncleane but they giue thankes for their deliuerance and for the increase of mankinde and the Church In giuing thankes for Gods benefites there is not anie fault Confirmation is retained as a meanes to procure the instructing of the children or as a tryall of it not as a newe baptisme nor as anie Sacrament nor as that which shoulde conferre grace otherwise then by prayer to God for it Baptisme by women is not warranted by the booke nor allowed to bee put in practise About the Lordes supper they haue manie cauils as that it is soulde for two pence a head that the institution is broken and changed in the deliuerie that there is a stage-like dialogue betweene priest clarke and people that there are newe Apocryphall lawes and iniunctions added the Priest to stand at the Northside of the table the people to kneele verse and Collect that there is popish and idolatrous houseling of the sicke that there is popish visiting and pardoning of the sicke with this Sacrament These are hainous thinges The Sacrament they say is sould for two pence who selleth it who buieth it so He is to giue that whether he receaue or no It is no price of the Sacrament but a poore alowance to the Minister The institution is not broken in the deliuerie The wordes of institution are then vsed when the bread and wine are set apart for the vse of the Sacrament and so much set apart for it as is vsed in it The wordes in the deliuerie are to applie them to the persons to stirre vp their faith the institution was past before For the speeches vttered by the Minister and clearke and people there is no fault in the matter but they condemne the forme They thinke the Minister must vtter all that is spoken the people must onely say Amen That they are commanded to saye and they are not forbidden to saye more How can that sound of the multitude bee made in the praysing of God compared to the sound of many waters and of mightie thunders if the people saye nothing in Gods seruice Their owne speach maketh them more attentiue and stirreth vp their mindes the rather The finding fault with standing kneeling and such necessarie and seemelie gestures proceedeth of infinite curiositie and most froward peeuishnes We can not be together but we must haue some place some gesture and these are the fittest Last of all as prayers and the worde of comfort so likewise the Sacrament may be giuen to the sicke There is no pardon otherwise giuen to him by it then to other men at other times If hee beleeue and repent he hath forgiuenes by faith in Christ and it is sealed and confirmed to him by the Sacrament Thus much of the particular faultes which they are most offended with Moreouer besides these they carpe at comminations which are nothing but sentences of scripture and how bitter soeuer the curses are yet they are the curses of God against such as offend They finde fault with a seuenfold repetition of the Lordes prayer at one meeting some of them are oft omitted with tossing of Psalmes and sentences to and fro like tennis balles which is a prophane speach and the thing is not commanded and it may well be practised so they reade and speake in such sorte that all men may heare and vnderstand These are the chiefe thinges with which they finde fault in the booke The most of them are circumstances and as it were the shels the kirnel is the confession of our sinnes the asking of thinges necessarie to soule and bodie for the common state and our selues the praysing of God for his benefites the setting forth of Gods will his worde and testament These are the substance of the booke and of Gods worship They make a buzzing about mens eares with trifles and vanities for the most parte and for these they will turne all vpside downe which are such things in deede many of them as it would not come into our mindes once to speake of them if their exclamations and outcries did not stirre vs of necessitie to it Yet there is one thing pertaining to Gods worship among vs which they can not submit themselues vnto An othe is a parte of the honor we giue to God when vpon iust cause in the trueth wee call his name to witnes this we do by laying the hand vpon the booke of holy scripture The othe is taken in the name of God that gaue his worde to his Church by the promises and threatnings that he in it hath made vnto vs the booke is kissed and touched in signe thereof otherwise by the dead paper or ynke or couer wee are not willed neither ought we to sweare and this hath neither impietie nor idolatrie in it no more then if a man did lift vp his eyes or his hands to heauen when he doth it in more vehement expressing of his sincere and earnest meaning in it Thus much of the fourth note of their Church Gods true worship for corruption whereof they accuse vs falsely The fift note of the visible Church they make to bee the obeying of Iesus Christ as their king priest and prophet Thus should Christ be receaued or else he is not receaued at all to anie benefite First then they goe about to shewe that wee acknowledge not Christ to bee our king wee receaue him not as king they saye because wee reiect his gouernment and stand vnder the Antichristian yoke of popish gouernement There be many things which pertaine to Christs gouernement and reigne as hee is king which wee haue yea all thinges that are necessarie and substantiall partes of that his office First the spiritual gouernement in the soule by which hee reigneth in vs to the peace of conscience and the vanquishing of Satan and the beating downe of sinne and ignorance is founde among vs and wee specially reioyce in it Of this it is sayde the kingdome of God is within you and that the kingdome of God is not meate and drinke but peace and righteousnesse and ioy in the holy ghost and that wee are translated from the kingdome of darkenes to the kingdome of light Secondly his worde read and preached reprouing sinne and teaching righteousnes is among vs. Of this it is saide the scepter of thy kingdome is a right scepter and for
such as they name if any mā do the Church gouernment doth not allow it againe that this is not a denying of Christs priesthood sacrifice the putting of another thing in stead thereof as the papists did but rather a misse applying of it where it should not be applied Wherefore wee doe not deny his priesthood As concerning the propheticall office of Christ that by vs is not obscured and diminished but magnified and highly aduanced His word onely hath soueraigne authoritie it is published and it is receiued in our Churches Let them shewe wherein we derogate from his prophecie The first accusation is a slander as that we adde to the word that we vse humane traditions we obtrude things contrary to the word and that we oppugne and reiect the manifest trueth These things must be answered in the particulars We adde nothing as necessarie to saluation we teach nothing contrary and we imbrace all the knowne and euident trueth But that is not an addition or a knowen trueth or a thing contrary to the word which they imagine to be so But as I sayd these things are answered in the particulars The next accusation is that we giue not obedience to the word of Christ but vse it as a mantel to couer our sinne rather then as a rule to direct our life We cannot say that all doe obey the Gospell in heart and some in hypocrisie vse it as a cloake for sinne This frustrateth his prophecie with those persons so that they haue no benefite by it But his prophecie hardeneth and not onely softeneth and there be in the Church such as waxe worse and worse as well as those which waxe better and better And Christ is a Prophet vnto both Neither the lawes nor the publike teaching doe mind or propound this that the word of God should be disobeied or that any should make it a couer for sinne The fault of some persons may not be imputed to the whole Church nor to the lawes and gouernment Another thing whereby we weaken or quite frustrate they say the prophecie of Christ amongst vs is because we seeke not a true ministerie but mainteine a false of which sort they say the whole ministerie of the land is which are permitted to teach in the publike places to whom eare is giuen Such are their words This accusation is very large and grieuous No true ministers in the whole land All false ministers Why do they so account vs Is it because we teach false doctrine or haue corrupted the faith or do teach heresies No such thing They obiect none of these against vs. Then I hope we may answere them the easier and be heard the more willingly purging our selues They cannot obiect vnto vs heresie nor false doctrine nor teaching of any thing that destroyeth the grounds of saluation What be the things then which they say make vs a false ministerie I will recite vnto you all which they lay against vs I will dissemble nothing the crimes then are these First they say we haue not the names of Ministers of the gospel but are called Priests Parsons Vicars and Curates It is not in our power what other men will call vs. Some of these names are giuen of the maintenaunce whereby we liue and pertaine not to our callings we delight to be counted the Ministers of the Gospell But this about the names is a vaine cauill Secondly they condemne our preparation to the ministerie which is by studie and bringing vp in the Vniuersities Schooles and Vniuersities they cannot whollie condēne The Church of the Iewes had the schooles of the Prophets and euer among Christians they haue bene esteemed as the best nurses of the ministerie They condemne them for the study of humaine learning and for certaine vices among some persons If for the faults of some of the persons that professe any kind of life the trade it self be to be condemned then no course of life must be taken in the world The studie of Logike Rhetorike Philosophie and the Mathematicals is so necessarie that without them we should be barbarous and but by the helpe of them neuer can any perfection by ordinary meanes be attained in Phisike Lawe or Diuinitie There are none but madde men which can condemne Vniuersities Thirdly they mislike our entrance into the ministerie none of vs is chosen by a whole congregation nor ordayned by laying on of the hands of the Eldershippe nor iust tryall made of giftes and conuersation But we are ordained by one man the Byshoppe and are thrust vpon the places where we take charge whether the people will or no. The ordaining of a minister by one or fewe is not against the word of God Paul and Barnabas appointed Elders by the laying on of hands at Antioch And Titus was left in Creta to ordaine Elders in euery citie Wherefore it wanteth not the word of God that Pastours are ordayned by one that hath skill yet that one with vs doth it not alone Cyprian and other ancient fathers acknowledge themselues to haue aucthoritie to doe the like If they be not examined and tryed as they ought the fault is in the Byshoppe That they are preferred by one to their charge that is not against the word seeing there is nothing in the word that commandeth or cōmendeth the election by the multitude or inioineth it to be perpetuall The fourth accusation is against the vnlearned vnpreaching ministers which is a crime that they make to touch al. for so much as they are no ministers at all that cannot preach therefore they thēselues to be condēned then all the rest eyther by silence or by consent or by preaching in their charges or by defending them to be ministers are also guilty And the whole people are wrapped they say by them in the same sentence of dānation for either keeping vnder thē or suffering thē And hereupō they make that they are no sacraments no praiers no word of promise and saluation that is vttered by them but that all their actions are voyd and frustrate This being so great a matter would be examined by it selfe at large But in a word to touch it The reader bringeth the word of reconciliation and forgiuenesse of sinnes in Christ sheweth the way of repentaunce and amendement of life mininistreth the Sacramentes and prayers in a publike function layde vpon him by the Church therefore he is a minister and a man may safely heare him and receiue the sacrament at his hand Hee nourisheth fayth by reading therefore he may beget it for wherewith it is nourished therewith it is begotten By the same meanes wherewith our best preachers haue bin both at the planting of the Gospell after the darkenes of Poperie in this land and are made now dayly and continued in their sufficiencie by the same meanes may the people come to faith and be continued in it And who seeth not that reading both begetteth and chiefly confirmeth and nourisheth many preachers And
without vs and our ministerie our names our cōming in our maintenance our depending vpon great men and the perfourming of more in labor taking lesse in honor then pertaineth as they thinke vnto vs. Yet this is one of their maine grounds for which they depart forsake our Churches euen our false and Antichristian ministery as they call it But these things either are no crimes or be not such as therfore can make vs no ministers These things being so I may cōclude that our ministery is not a denying of the prophetical office of Iesus Christ but rather it doth bring the fruit benefit therof vnto vs. So then we deny neither his kingdome nor priesthood nor prophecy but in a true maner great measure haue thē their fruit among vs. God grant that they may cōtinue with vs and that the benefite may be much more large and plentifull to all the people The sixt note which they set vpon the visible church is that the people of one church must be knit together as members of one body So they gather first out of Paul when he saith 1. Cor. 12.12 As the bodie is one hath many members al the members of the body which is one though they be many yet are one body so is Christ They grow into one body are most neerely knit together which pertaine to Gods election and are spiritually vnited vnto Christ The rest are ioyned in an outward profession and so are after a sort to our account of the bodie And thus are we one body in this land Secondly they gather it out of Peter when he writeth 1. Pet. 2.4 To whome ye come as to a liuing stone and yee as liuely stones be made a spirituall house The godlie are in deed liuing stones and are made a spirituall house the rest because they are among them for the outward profession are so accounted Nowe let vs see what vnitie necessarie to Gods Church we want They say that we are not knit together as members into one congregation but that men runne and goe assemble and depart at their pleasure when they will whither they will as they will themselues What would they haue vs euery one to keepe in one place still Or would they haue vs to assemble to godly exercises with none but the same persons continually such as are wel knowne to vs to be brethren This they seeme to meane for they condemne the assemblies at Pauls Crosse and at the common Churches in the Vniuersities and of such solemne places But this imagination is absurd and the places of scripture conclude no such thing In some respect it is meete that euery man should keepe him to his owne congregation But if desire of instruction or other occasion cary him to any other place of exercise there he is not as it were out of ioynt as though he could no where doe good nor receiue good but in his owne congregation A hearer may be a profitable hearer any where a preacher may preach with fruit in any congregation God hath not tied any man so to one particular congregation but at another time he may haue the same or another place in another assēbly of Christians for Christians are of the same body whersoeuer they assēble for it is the word faith the spirit which do make vs one body these are the same in euery place amōg Gods people Wherfore it is an absurd collection nothing to the mind of Paul or Peter that a man should be so tied to one congregation that he cannot fruitfully be in another The cōming to spiritual exercises sometimes in this place sometimes in that breaketh not the vnitie of the bodie of Christ Another thing against the vnitie of the Church is as they suppose that we liue in continuall discord and vnpeaceable debate among our selues They accuse vs of debate which are the cause of al the discord that is among vs. For about these things which they wold bring in about their misliking of the present state is al the discord If discord destroy the church where became their church when Browne and Harison their two leaders fel out The Apostles dissented the church of Corinth had diuers sects if we keepe vnity in the foūdation dissention in the inferiour points will not be so dangerous but yet we must striue to agree in all things albeit we cannot hope to obtaine it For that was neuer roūd in anie Church long together And the voice of Paul is knowen there must be heresies These Barrowists in diuerse thinges slip and fall into poperie when they would seeme to bee farthest from it Vnitie and consent they make a note of their Church euen as the papistes doe In their seuenth note they ouerrunne and ouerturne all the officers of our Church at a breath They saye the true Churches must bee gouerned by such officers as Christ hath appointed to his Church The officers that they thinke euerie Church shoulde haue by Christs appointment are fiue Pastors Teachers Elders Deacons and Releeuers These they make to be necessarie in euerie congregation or else that there can bee no established Church without them Two officers they appoint in euerie congregation for the teaching of the worde Pastors for exhortation Teachers for doctrine and matters of controuersie It were to bee wished that euerie Church had one well learned and furnished for both these partes for maners and life to note and correct swearers idle persons drunckardes and all offenders and to order euerie thing in the Church with the Pastor and teacher they appoint Eders in no certaine number The rebuke and correction of anie sinne we account necessarie is done among vs by sundrie kindes of officers the pastors by worde the Ecclesiastical iudges by censures the other officers by punishments inflicted The thing it selfe we haue as we haue the worde taught and set forth among vs. The third thing in gouernement that they count necessarie is the Deaconshippe whose office shoulde bee to make collection and to distribute to the poore and needie This in euerie parish is done although by officers of other names Last of all they adde Releeuers which shoulde attend vpon the lame and sicke and such as can not helpe themselues There is not in euerie parish continuall neede of such a standing officer When it needeth some that are charitable and pitifull doe take some order for it Now therefore the things as being necessarie for the being or for the ornament of a Christian people we haue among vs yet all the strife in the land is especially to bring in this gouernment we must haue a change of all that these Elders and Deacons may be brought into euerie parish This is their Helena that they fight for The places that are vrged for the Eldershippe in the olde Testament are these First out of Leuiticus Leuit. 10.10 The Lord spake to Aaron and his sonnes saying yee shall
to a perfect man This place speaketh onelie of doctrine and not of lawes for gouernement either in the Church or common-wealth except they thinke their Pastors and Doctors must make lawes for al things And as for that to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 14.37 cutteth not off al lawes for the Church made by men If any man thinke himselfe to be a prophet or spiritual let him acknowledge that the things which I write vnto you are the commandements of the Lorde He writeth there of not vsing strange languages where they are not vnderstood and and of women that they should not preach in the Church But there are other thinges which by lawes must be ordered which Paul nor the scripture anie where hath determined in speciall Last of all they applie to this purpose all those places of scripture which teach that nothing must bee added nor taken from the worde of God The making of lawes about orders in gouernement is no addition to Gods worde For the thing is not there forbidden Thus they will seeme to proue that in the worde are sufficient lawes to order mens actions vpon this grounde they will haue the penall lawes of Moses reuiued then they must bring vs againe to the land of Canaan they must establish to vs againe that kingdome For those penall lawes like as the ceremoniall were proper onely to that people Now the Priesthoode being changed the lawe is changed As they saye the worde hath sufficient lawes to determine all thinges so likewise they will not admitte that princes shoulde make lawes thereby to helpe forwarde the kingdome of Christ. For they saye the kingdome of Christ commeth not by the lawes of men but by the worde and spirite For this purpose they abuse these scriptures First that of Saint Luke Luke 17.20 The kingdome of God commeth not with obseruation They meane with obseruing princes lawes but Christ meaneth that his kingdome commeth not neither is discerned by outwarde pompe and worldlie glorie which the Pharises looked for but is properlie a thing inwarde in the heart That place nothing pertaineth to outward lawes Also they misapplie that of Zacharie Neither by an armie nor strength Zach. 4.6 but by my spirite saieth the Lorde of hostes This is spoken by comparison that God in the preseruing of his Churche vseth principallie the working of his spirite and not an armie nor strength of men Yet that hee vseth armies and strength for their defence the Churche in all ages hath had experience But the principall is his spirite outwarde strength and lawes in comparison of it and without it are nothing When Esaie sayeth Beholde Esaie 40.10 the Lorde God will come with power and his arme shall rule for him his arme ruleth euen by the good and wholesome lawes of men Iere. 17.5 And that curse in Ieremie pertaineth not to vs because we are ruled by lawes of princes Thus sayeth the Lorde Cursed bee the man that trusteth in man and maketh fleshe his arme and withdraweth his heart from the Lorde For we trust not in the lawes of princes nor in them when we vse thē vnder God for our quiet gouernement we knowe that Kings are nursing fathers and Queenes are nursing mothers Dauid Salomon and Iosaphat and Ezechias and Iosias and all godlie princes made lawes for the Churche of God and were approued yea the lawes decrees of Nebuchadnezzar of Cyrus and Darius were for the behoofe benefite of it Manie thinges are left vndetermined in speciall wherein princes make good and profitable decrees for the Churche If their position were true the Prophets and our Sauiour shoulde not haue condemned either the princes or the lawiers for making vniust lawes but for making anie lawes at all Princes especially serue Christ euen in making lawes for Christ Wherefore it appeareth not that sufficient lawes in speciall are set downe in the worde for the Churche nor that it is wicked for the Church to vse the lawes of princes and to bee subiect to them if otherwise they bee not vngodly Nowe marke what they saye of our lawes Wee they saye are not gouerned by the worde of God but by Canons Iniunctions and Decrees of these Antichristian and Popish courts Let them name one Canon or Decree and Iniunction that maintaineth anie thing that is popish or against Christ and surely it ought to be abolished But there be lawes which they had which came not from them but either from the word of God or the light of nature or former holy constitutions Why should their detaining of them in vnrighteousnes hinder vs from the conuerting of them to the furtherance of the Gospell They are not popish so long as they are not directed to maintaine poperie but are applyed to godlinesse and peace in obedience of the trueth The ninth marke of their Church is that al and ech one of them must stand in and for their Christian libertie to practise whatsoeuer God hath commanded and is reuealed vnto them in his holy word This their liberty is one of the chiefe points wherein they stand Here neither Prince nor Counsellour nor Byshop nor Law must restraine them from refusing or casting off whatsoeuer they mislike or from taking vpon them and putting in practise any thing that they haue determined and concluded to be done Seeing according to their conceit they haue found out that Byshops and all other officers in our Church are popish and that the ministery beareth as they suppose popish names and markes and the lawes are popish they will neither sue to Prince nor Counsell for the remouing of any of these things but with all speede cast the yoke from their owne necks And seeing they haue found in their fansies that an eldershippe and no other lawes but the written word is to be heard therefore they will erect these things among themselues For God say they hath left power in euery man and euery assembly of his people to cast off al that may hinder to transport thēselues to any thing that may further their saluation In matters necessary to saluation we graunt there is by Gods gracious working such freedome giuen to Gods people that all the deuils in hell cannot hinder them from hauing that whereby it should be brought to passe But such are not the things which they striue for Saluation may be had in this state without them But their opinion of vs in respect of Christian libertie is this They say that all wee remaine in bondage to the Egyptian and Babylonish yokes yeelding obedience to these Courts and their Cannons Now let vs heare their scripture by which they will maintaine their so absolute libertie and condemne vs as men in Egyptian bondage The places are these first that to the Galathians Gal. 4.9 But now seeing ye know God yea rather are knowen of God howe turne ye againe to impotent and beggerlie rudiments whereunto as from the beginning you will be in bondage againe Paul there speaketh
whether it be done by one or many this needeth much heed and care and conscience that this sword bee drawne against none but those that doe deserue it Last of all that of the 2. Corinths doth not helpe the presbyterie Thus he sayeth The weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mightie through God to cast downe holdes casting downe imaginations and euery hie thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing into captiuitie euery thought to the obedience of Christ hauing readie vengeance against all disobedience A great part of this is vnderstoode of the word preached which worketh these effects The vengeance against disobedience was a thing in Paules owne hand as minister of it not in the power of the multitude or any presbyterie there mentioned So that if it pertaine to the censure of the Church it might be executed by one man But it is thought rather to be meant of bodilie punishment which by the mightie power of Christ the Apostles in the beginning did inflict vpon the disobedient So Peter killed Ananias and Saphyra and Paul stroke Elymas blind These are their authorities whereby they chalenge to their Eldership power and might to binde and loose and would inferre that in the Church of England there is no casting out of the diuell but by the power of the diuel because their presbyterie is not called to coniure him out Some reformed Churches vse no excommunication at all and yet are the Churches of Christ They haue other punishments for the offenders The trueth is that excommunication cutteth no man from the Church whome his owne sinne and vnbeliefe hath not cut off before Neither can it loose anie whome faith and gods spirite doth not loose Thus much of the tenth and last note of their Churche Thus I haue briefelie set before you a short viewe of the difference betwixt the Sectaries and vs. They that fauour these opinions these innouations are in diuers degrees some saye they are imperfections and wantes and maimes in our Church the most of those thinges which they mislike but yet to be tolerated It must be confessed there is no Church but hath imperfections We may not maintaine all thinges as blameles in our Church No man is founde faultles euery Church is wanting in their duetie both in respect of mens lawes and of the persons We can not iustifie our selues in all thinges but that euerie thing is such a deformitie and maime or anie so grosse as they seeme to make them if the particulars be examined it will not be founde These mislikers and tolerators haue begotten the last and extremest degree of reuolters of forsakers of refusers and plaine contemners whose case is much to bee pitied especiallie of those misslikers because thorowe them they are come into this downefal The controuersies wherein wee differ haue small weight in the matters and lesse in the proofes yet beholde the conclusion Thus they speake Therefore the parishes of England are not and for all these reasons seuerall and ioyned cannot bee helde in anie Christians iudgement the true Churches of Christ This is their sentence vpon all the parishes and people in this land that come to the Churches that heare the worde at our mouthes that receaue the Sacraments at our handes they shut vp all in one state of not being the people of God nor the Churche of Christ As for our selues notwithstanding their rash iudgement wee knowe vpon what grounde wee stand There can no other foundation bee layde then that which is layde euen Iesus Christ is the head corner stone he is the rocke Euerie parish in this land is taught either plentifullie or sparinglie yet all are taught this that Christ onely is our head our sacrifice our righteousnes that hee is to bee laide holde on onelie by faith ioyned with repentaunce and a good conscience Where this is taught and receaued there is the Churche of God All the parishes in this land bee taught it and by publike confession doe witnesse that outwardlie at least they doe receaue it The Lorde graunt that it maye bee made more cleare and that it maye bee whetted more sharpelie vpon all and that all maye receaue it fruitefullie to comfort and saluation 2. Cor. 13. Paul sayeth Proue your selues whether you are in the faith examine your selues knowe yee not your selues how that Iesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates We neede not be cast in doubt of our selues for a supposed appendant trueth of an outward forme of gouernement as though if we haue not that and yet haue the truth of faith the spirite of Christ the worde of God the sacraments of the Gospell repentaunce and newenes of life hauing these I say that are most necessarie and substantiall branches of Christian religion it were madnes to thinke wee haue nothing because they imagine wee haue some as bad or worse then infidels and heathen men among vs and because we haue not such an outwarde gouernement as pleaseth them because we worship God by the booke of Common prayer and because our Ministers some are not preachers and all are made by the Byshops and all tolerate or allowe the booke of Common prayer and the outwarde gouernement These are the chiefe heades of the difference betweene them vs. While men seeke to perfect Churches they will bring to passe that there will bee among vs no Church at all Now with vs there is leaue for all men to be good if they will by Gods grace indeuour They would haue it so as they fancie that no man should be euill but this is impossible If we can bring to passe that the Gospell be taught in all places and that sinnes bee most seuerelie punished and all be brought to the learning of the worde of God then shall we see a more perfect and beautifull forme of the Church among vs. Thus many of these controuersies will be appeased then shal we most clearelie appeare to bee the armie of Christ and hee will shewe himselfe to be our captaine and Lorde and God Thus much to them that denie that we are Christs armie and that our Churches as they now stand are not the true Churches of Christ This matter being thus runne ouer it is time to returne to that which wee haue in hand The beast and the kings of the earth and their armies fight against him that sitteth on the horse and against his armie A parte of this armie the Churche of England as it standeth nowe is by the singular goodnes of God All Gods people make but one armie and that an vnited armie How much more then is it necessary that we which be but one band as it were of this mightie armie should agree together in one Let all lay aside enuie pride and aemulation Let vs especially now in the time of so dangerous threatnings and attempts of the enemies put away strife about these matters Many doubtlesse stirre vp and set a fire the parties on both