Jesuite heretofore cast this in our dish we alwayes flung it back into his face with a confident denyall answering him in the words of the Arch-angel Iude 9. The Lord rebuke thee thou false tongue But now those whose Religion if they have any is a negative one and stands in a meere opposition to Popery notwithstanding herein strengthen the Papists hands against us and put us to that miserable Apologie of the Poet Pudet haec opprobria nobis Et dici potuisse non potuisse refelli It is a thousand pitties that not in the dawning of the day from the night of Popery and first glimmering of the light of Reformation as in Luthers first standing up for the Truth but now in the noone tide of the Gospel such owles and bats should fly abroad every where and flutter in our Churches and sile upon our Fonts Pulpits and Commnnion Tables and not either be caught and confined to their nests in barnes or rotten trees or put in Cages fit for such night-birds I wonder that our doores posts and walls sweat not upon which such Notes as these have been of late affixed On such a day such a Brewers Clerk Exerciseth Such a Taylor Expoundeth Such a Waterman Teacheth If we have Crow-Poets and Pye-Poetesses if Turners turn Bezaliels and Aholiabs to mend the polished works of the Temple if Cooks with Demosthenes deservedly reproved by S. Basil instead of mincing of their meat fall upon dividing of the Word if Taylors leap up from the Shop-board to the Pulpit and patch up Sermons out of stolne shreds if not onely of the lowest of the people as in Ieroboams time Priests are consecrated to the most high God but if like as Novatus consecrated himselfe a Bishop so these ordaine themselves Priests and Deacons if they enter not â—nto the Church but break into it if they take not holy Orders but snatch them to themselves doe we marvaile to see such confusion in the Church as there is As Christ sometimes spake Si lumen tenebrae quantae tenebrae If the light that is in thee be darknesse how great is that darknesse So may we truly say If in Order it selfe there be Confusion how great is the confusion What are all the Prophets become mad that the asses mouth must needs be opened by miracle to reprove them Though some would be content to have it thought so and we must not refuse to weare our masters cognizance who was said by some of his kiâ—red to be besides himselfe yet we must tell them the case is far different for there the Asse saw the Angel in his way but here the Angels see the Asses in their places there the Asse spake once because he was twice struck but here the Asses speak often because they are not so much as once struck for their presumption Now if any man desires to know from whence this Clergie of Laicks come that he may not think that these Russet Rabbies and Mechanick Enthusiasts and profouâ—d Watermen and Sublime Coachmen and Illuminated Tradesmen of almost all sorts are dropt from the clouds Let him peruse the Catalogues of Heretiques written by Alfonsus à Castro Pontanus Slussenburgius and Ambrosius de Rusconibus together with the Historie of Sleiden Bullenger and Gabriel Abres and others and he shall find that they all proceeded Doctors out of the Schoole of one Stock the Anaâ— Of whom we may say as Irenaeus sometime spake of the Heretike Ebion the father of the Ebionites His name in the Hebrew signifieth silly or simple and such God wot was he So we may say the name of the father of the Anabaptists signifieth in English a senslesse piece of wood or block and a very blockhead was he yet out of this block were cut those chips that kindled such a fire in Germany Holsatia and Suevia that could not be fully quenched no not with the blood of 150000. of them killed in war or put to death in severall places by the Magistrates The fire in the reignes of Queene Elizabeth and King Iames and our gracious Soveraigne till now was covered in England under the ashes or if it brake out at any time by the care of the Ecclesiastical and Civill Magistrates it was soone put out But of late since the unhappy distractions which our sinnes have brought upon us the Temporall sword being other wayes imployed and the Spirituall locked up â—ast in the scabberd this Sect among others hath so far presumed upon the patience of the State that it hath held weekly Conventicles re-baptized hundreds of men and women together in the twilight in Rivelets and some armes of the Thames and elsewhere dipping them over head and eares It hath printed divers Pamphlets in defence of their Heresie yea and challenged some of our Preachers to disputation Now although my bent hath been alwayes hitherto against the most dangerous enemie of our Church and State the Jesuite to extinguish such balls of wild-fire as they have cast in the bosome of our Church yet seeing this strange fire kindled in the neighbouring parishes and many Nadabs Abinu's offering it on Gods Altar I thought it my duty to cast the waters of Siloam upon it to extinguish it Thine in the Lord Iesus D. F. Prisoner in Peter-house Calend. Ian. 1645. A TABLE of the especiall Contents I. A True Relation of a Disputation in Southwark with foure Anabaptists page 1. II. Aaditions to the former Disputation In which to cleere Texts of Scripture before alledged are adjoyned divers Arguments drawn from the testimony of the Fathers and consent of the Church and reasons for Childrens Baptisme 18 III. A Tractate of the names and severall sorts of Anabaptists 23 IV. Of the Errours of the Anabaptists both common to other Sects and those which are peculiarly thâ—ir owne 28 V. A particular confutation of six of their erronerus tenets 1. Concerning Dipping and the pretended necessity thereof 2. Concerning the baptizing of Children p. 39. To which is added A censure of Master Cornwell his Booke intituled The Vindication of the Commission of King Jesus p. 64. As also of A. R. his Tractate intituled The vanity of childish Baptisme 69 3. Concerning Set-formes of Prayer 84 4. Concerning the dâ—stinction of the Clergie and Laitie 129 5. Concerning taking oathes before the Magistrate especially the Oath Ex Officio 157 6. Concerning the office of the Civill Magistrate 178 VI. Remarkable Stories of the Anabaptists wherein it is proved experimentally 1. That they are an illiterate and sottish Sect. 199 2. That they are a lying and a blasphemous Sect falsely pretending to divine Visions and Revelations 204 3. That they are an impure and carnall Sect. 207 4. That they are a cruell and bloody Sect. 210 5. That they are a profane and sacrilegious Sect. 212 VII The fearfull judgements of God inflicted upon the ring-leaders of that Sect. 217 VIII Animadversions upon the Anabaptists Confession printed at London
jurisdiction so Saint Bernard glosseth upon the Text If thou art an Apostle of Christ thou must not Lord it if thou art a Lord thou must not meddle with the Apostles function thou art forbid to exercise both Aude ergo usurpare aut Apostolatum si Dominus es aut si Apostolicus es Dominatum So Calvin Christs purpose here was to distinguish between the office of an Apostle and a Prince for this his speech was occasioned by a strife that fell among the Apostles which of them was the greatest in Christs Kingdome to take away this strife he admonisheth them that his Kingdome is spirituall and that it consisteth not in worldly Pomp Greatnesse or Dominion 2. That in these words Christ forbids not simply all rule and Dominion but the ambitious affecting and tyrannicall exercising it and they prove this to be the meaning 1. From the adjunct Gentiles he saith not simply Kings exercise Lordship over them but Kings of the Gentiles but you shall not doe so that is you shall not rule one over another after the manner of heathens 2. From the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is commonly taken in the worst sense as in Catachresis Cataphryges Catabaptista so likewise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word used in the originall signifieth to abuse the Magistrates power and to rule tyrannically 3. By the consequence but he that is greatest among you let him be as the younger and he that is chiefe as he that doth serve which words evidently imply an impâ—rity among Christians but such as may stand with Christian humilitie and mutuall service one to another 4. By the comparison verse 28. As you have me for an example whom though you justly call Lord and master for so I am yet I am among you as he that serveth Thirdly As before they wrested our Saviours speech so now in a third place they doe his practice the same mind say they ought to be in all Christians as was in Christ himselfe but he refused a Kingdome when it was offered him Iohn 6. 15. Therefore no Christians ought to accept of the office of a King or civill Magistrate The sinewes of this argument as the former are weak for there were speciall reasons for which Christ refused to be made a King which concerne not Christians for first hee was the Messiah whose Kingdome was not to be temporall but spirituall as you heard in the solution to the first objection Secondly The country of Iudea was at this time reduced into the condition of a province under the Romane Empire neither had the people any power to chuse them a King if then Christ had yeelded to their motion he should have been the Authour of a tumult and sedition in the State and brought a great scandall and oblequie upon the Gospel Thirdly Christ when he came into the world tooke upon him the forme of a servant and the chiefe end of his comming was to beare our infirmities and carry our sorrowes to receive the chastisement of our peace and to lay downe his life for our ransome which ignominious death and sufferings would not well consort with the Majestie of a pussiant temporall King And how will it follow that because by Christs example no Christian ought to suffer himselfe to be made a King by a popular tumult that therefore no Christian may accept of a Crowne in an elective Kingdome if it be lawfully offered unto him or in a successive if it be his right by descent Fourthly They work upon Christs refusall to interpose in a quarrell betweene two brothers about their patrimony that which Christ declined say they no Christian ought to undertake But Christ declined the office of a Judge or arbitratour in a litigious suit like to grow among brethren Luke 12. 13 14. Therefore no Christian may take the like office upon him But shallow as they are they reach not the depth of our Saviours reason why he refused to be umpire or arbitratour in that controversie belonging to the Law concerning right of inheritance which was not because he simply disliked such an imployment as inconsistent with Christian perfection for among the eight beatitudes he alloweth one to peace makers Mat. 5. 9. and Saint Paul who wrote by his spirit warranteth and commendeth this worke of Christian charitie to compose differences among brethren and prevent law suits 1. Cor. 6. 2. Dare any of you having a matter against another goe to law before the unjust and not before the Saints doe ye not know the Saints shall judge the world and if the world shall be judged by you are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters But because he had no calling thereunto who saith he made me a judge or a divider over you Though it had beene a good worke in it selfe to set a period to a vexatious suit amongst brethren yet Christ was not sent to that end and if he had embraced businesse of this nature as when he began to cure men miraculously all the sicke were brought to him both farre and neere so if like another Solomon he had sate upon the Bench of Justice to sentence causes and determine mens right he should never have wanted worke all men would have chosen such an Arbitratour and all perplexed an intangled suits would have been referred to his comprimize and hereby he would have been much hindred in his holy progresses to preach the Gospel in all places and much of his precious time would have been taken up in judicature and sacrilegiously robbed from the Church and more holy employments for the good of souls The instructions we are to gather from Christs refusall to intermeddle with busines of that nature are first to walke within the duties of our calling not to sit upon the Bench without a Commission the eye must not doe the office of the hand nor the hand of the foot but every member his own work It is one thing to be a preacher of the Gospel and another to be a Judge and though it be a good and charitable worke to cleare mens titles to their Lands upon earth yet it is better to cleare their title to the Kingdome of heaven We must not therefore intermit or neglect the duties of our sacred Function for any civill whatsoever nor upon any fair and plausible pretence ingage our selves in such businesses which may any way stop or hinder us in the course of our Ministery Fiftly They cast some of that dust in our eyes on which our Saviour wrote with his finger Ioh. 8. 6. When the woman taken in adultery was brought before him the punishment say they of adultery is as necessary as of any other crime yet Christ would not inflict it nor pronounce sentence against the woman shamefully taken in that grosse act of uncleannesse therefore Christians ought not to inflict Civill punishments or make use of the materiall sword but content themselves with the spirituall of excommunication to
thou hast sent Iesus Christ. Christ saith it is life Eternall to know the Father to be the onely true God and whom he hath sent Jesus Christ but it is not life Eternall to know Christ onely as man but as true God and man and so a perfect Mediator neither is Christ said only the Son of God in respect of his temporall generation as man but also in respect of his eternal generation as he is the second person in Trinity this answer therefore of yours is not sufficient nor pertinent M. Doctor the company is not satisfied with their Answers I pray resolve the doubt your selfe I will as soone as they have propounded their objections for I moved these Questions only to make it appeare to the auditors how unfit these men are to take upon them the office of Teachers who are so imperfect in the fundamentall poynts of Catechisme Now let them propound what questions they please What is the nature of a visible Church what is the matter and fâ—rme of it or what is the visible Church of Christ made up of by authority of the Scriptures Your Question is Quid constituit visibilem Ecclesiam what makes a Church Yes I answer according to the Scriptures and the joynt consent of of all protestant Churches in the world French Dutch c. in the harmony of confessions that the sincere preaching of the Word and the due administration of the Sacraments constitutes or makes a true visible Church The Papists make many notes of the Church as antiquity universality succession miracles and diverse other but the reformed Churches make but two onely namely those above mentioned What is a true particular visible church A particular companie of men professing the christian faith knowne by the two marks above mentioned the sincere preaching of the word and the due administration of the Sacraments Is the church of England such a church It is so How prove you that First I answer I need not to prove it but you are to disprove it For as Hooker teacheth in his Ecclesiasticall Politie they who are in possession are not bound to prove their right but they who goe about to thrust them out are to disprove their right aud bring a better title for themselves Secondly yet to give you further satisfaction thus I prove the church of England to be such a church Every church in which the word of God is sincerely preached the sacraments lawfully and rightly administred is such a church But in the church of England the word is sincerely preached and the sacraments lawfully administred Ergo the church of England is such a church I denie that in the church of England the word is sincerely preached or the sacraments rightly administred I have here two things to prove 1. That the doctrine of the church of England is agreeable to Gods word 2. The sacraments are rightly administred in it First the doctrine of the church of England is contained in the 39 Articles Secondly the due administration of the sacraments in the communion-book But both the one the other are agreeable to Gods word Ergo the preaching of the word and administration of the sacraments in the church of England are agreeable to Gods word I denie that the 39 Articles and the book of common-prayer are agreeable to Gods word 1. I wil prove that the book of Articles is agreeable to Gods word In the book of Articles the first which concerneth the blessed Trinity the 2. 3. 4. which concern the incarnation of Christ Jesus his death and resurrection the 5. which concerneth the holy Ghost the 6. the perfection of scriptures and the 18. following which impugn popery are agreeable to Gods word and you cannot name any one of the rest which is not agreeable therefore they are all agreeable If you know any one that is not agreeable instance in it and I will presently shew how it is agreeable to scripture For the 39 Articles I know not what they are I never saw them that I remember Then for ought you know they are all conformable to scripture at least you can except against none of them Now for the book of common-prayer it consists partly of Psalms Epistls and Gospels partly of Prayers and the form and manner of administration of the sacraments But the former are taken out of scripture the latter are agreeable to it What doe you except against it I except against your administration of Baptism it is not rightly administred in your church for you baptize children and that is not agreeable to Gods word if you say it is how doe you prove it by scriptures This D. F. undertook to prove out of scriptures but before he alledged any text of scripture for it another Anabaptist interposed You say your church is a true church that cannot be for the true church compells none to come to church or punishes him for his conscience as the church of England doth Iosiah was supream governour of the true church in Iudah and Israel but Iosiah compelled all Israel to come to the house of God and worship him there 2 Chron. 34. 33. So Iosiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that appertained to the children of Israel and compelled all that were found in Israel to serve the Lord their God Ergo men may be compelled by the civill magistrate to the true worship of God Josiah compelled them to come to Jerusalem but that law is not now in force There is a three-fold law of God delivered by Moses 1. Ceremoniall 2. Judiciall and 3. Morall The ceremoniall and judiciall are not now in force but the morall is and Iosiah did this by the command of the morall law For the text saith not that he compelled them to come to Ierusalem but to serve the Lord their God which is a dutie required by the morall law and the law of nature For though the place of Gods Service and the manner be changed yet the substantiall worship of God still remains and princes are now as much bound to compell their subjects to the true worship of God as Iosiah was And moreover it is to be noted that Iosiah did this by vertue of a covenant which he made before the Lord to walk after the Lord and keep his commandements with all his heart and all his soul 2 Chro. 34. 31. And the spirit of God sendeth this testimony after him 2 King 23. 15. Like unto him there was no King before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might according to the law of Moses which words have an apparent reference to that first and great commandement Deut. 6. 5. thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might
such distinctions in the new testament We can for we read in the new testament of pastours and flocks they who feed with the word are the Clergy and the flocks who are fed are the Laity All are not pastours or teachers 1 Cor. 12. 29. Are all Apostles are all Prophets are all Teachers That is all are not so Deacons preached they were Lay-men therefore may Lay-men preach I instance in Steven c. The Deacons were not meer Lay-men but men full of the holy Ghost and of wisedom upon whom the Apostles layd their hands Acts 6. 6. Prove that any preached who had not imposition of hands Here that Anabaptist failing Cufin undertook it saying In the 8. of the Acts we read plainly that after that great persecution of the church at Jerusalem they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria except the Apostles and that they who were scattered abroad went every where preached the gospel and that God gave a blessing to their preaching it is plain Acts 11. 19. Again Peter saith 1 Pet. 4. 10. As every man hath received the spirit even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of Christ. If God have given us a talent it is our duty to improve it They that were scattered and preached the gospel were such as the Apostles had layd hands on and sent to preach and among them Philip the Deacon there mentioned For the text of S. Peter he speaketh not there of publike preaching and administring the sacraments which appertaineth only to pastours by their speciall function but of edifying one another and teaching and admonishing in private according to the precept of S. Paul Colos. 3. 16. Let the word of God dwell richly among you in all wisedom teaching and admonishing one another this was no publike preaching or expounding the word but godly conference in private houses with those whom they met such as every godly master of a family useth in his house instructing his children and servants the best that he can telling them their duty out of Gods word It is true in time of persecution we read of one Frumentius a Lay-man who in his travailes converted some to the christian faith confirming the truth of christian religion by scriptures That is all we desire to do as Frumentius did That was no preaching publikely by vertue of a pastorall function or expounding scriptures but holy conference and exhortation such as that of Aquila and Priscilla And the historian addeth after the church had notice how God blessed Frumentius his labours in turning many heathen to christinity the bishops sent ministers unto them to confirm them and administer the sacraments unto them and himself also received holy orders to accomplish that work which he had so happily begun The scripture puts no difference betwixt publike and private it is as lawfull to worship God in a private house to preach there as in one of your Steeple-houses The Apostle puts a difference 1 Cor. 11. 22. What Have you not houses to eat and to drink in Or despise ye the church of God The word in the originall is ecclesia not templum which never signifieth your Steeple-house in all the scripture The word ecclesia is taken diversly in holy scripture sometimes 1. For a company of men and that either of the wicked as Psal. 26. 5. Odi ecclesiam malignantium Or of the godly Acts 20. 28. 11. 26. c. 2. For the place of their publike meeting and so the word ecclesia is here taken If the people of God meet in a private place is not that then the house of God There is a publike house of God that is a place sequestred from common use and dedicated to Gods service and there is a private house of God as we read Ro. 16. 5. where some of the faithfull privatly meet and that also is called the church greet the church in thine house in such private houses it is lawful to preach in time of persecution but not now when we have publike churches for the service of God to which we may and ought to repair and in these churches no lay-man ought to preach nor at all exercise the pastorall function either there or any where else Which I prove by two reasons especially First none ought to take upon them the office of pastour or minister of the word who are not able to reprove and convince Hereticks and all gain-sayers but your lay and unlettered men are not able to convince Hereticks and stop the mouths of gayn-savers because they can alledge no scripture but that which is translated into their mother-tongue in which there may be and are some errours for though the Scriptures be the infallible word of God yet the translators were men subject to errour and they sometimes mistook Will you say that those learned men who translated the bible at Geneva committed any error in their translation I will and for instance Luke 22. 25. in the Geneva translation printed 1569. we read the Kings of the Gentiles reign over them and they that beare rule over them are called gracious Lords whereas in the originall it is Euergetai that is benefactors or bountifull yet this place hath bin much urged against the titles of our Arch-Bishops and Bishops as if Christ forbad any ministers of the gospell to be called by the titles of Lords or gracious wheras there is never a word in the text that signifieth either Lord or gracious neither dâ—th Christ there speak only to the ministers of the gospell but to all Christians Besides this I could produce many other errors in that translation which are corrected in the Kings translation Though we cannot prove the letter to be well translated that matters not much for the letter of the scripture is not scripture That 's blasphemy I pray take notice of it he denyeth the letter of the Text to be scripture The letter of the word of God is not scripture without the revelation of the spirit of God the word revealed by the spirit is scripture Very fine doctrine if God reveal not to us the meaning of the scripture is not the letter of the text scripture By this reason the greatest part of the Revelation and other difficult texts of scripture should not be scripture because God hath not revealed to us the meaning of them Here one that stood by demanded of the Anabaptist how prove you the bible to be Gods word By experience For whatsoever is written in the word of God commeth to passe concerning Christ and Anti-christ experience is the best doctor that teacheth us This reason alone will not prove the bible to be Gods word for Moses saith If a false prophet shall arise and fore-tell any thing and it come to passe Deut. 13.
by Alexander and scoffed at the scrupulous caution of the Grecians who would passe no act without signing it and swearing to it Scythae colendo fidem jurant our Scythians faith is our band and our promise our oath Those who blush not to break their faith with men will make no scruple of conscience to forsweare themselves by their Gods An honest mans word is as good as his oath and a prophane persons oath is no more to be regarded then his word All these examples of the heathen may bee alleadged to good purpose to shame and confound those Christians in name who rap out oathes by no allowance who turn Christs meritorious sufferings in all his parts into blasphemies and wound his very wounds Assuredly if men shall give account at the day of judgment of every idle word much more of execrable oathes but it will not follow we may not sweare lightly or rashly to the great dishonour of God and scandall of religion and therefore wee may not honour God by an oath by calling him to witnesse in matters of greatest moment whereby we agnize his soveraigne Majesty we professe his all-seeing wisdom we invocate his sin revenging justice against all those who dare put his holy and dreadfull name to that which their conscience tells them is a falshood Whereas it is said that an honest man will have as well a care of his word as his oath and a dishonest man as little regard of his oath as his word this is but a vaine flourish for an honest man who will have a care of his word will have a greater care of his oath and a twist â—s stronger then a single string and although many dishonest men will falsifie their word for their advantage yet they will not so easily bee brought to forsweare themselves in regard of the severe penalty of the law and the infamy and horrour of the sinne of perjury whereof the Hebrewes write that at the giving of the tables in Mount Sinai when the law was proclaimed against perjury heaven and earth shook as it were trembling at so horrid a crime The issue and effect of all is this as God sweareth by himself for our comfort so we may swear by him for his glory nay the Prophet goeth farther we ought and it is our duty to take an oath in truth by the truth and for the truth in truth that is in a true and just cause by the truth that is by God who is the truth and for the truth that is for the manifestation and confirmation of truth The second difficulty concerning oathes is whether they may bee imposed I answer briefly they may both by supreame and inferiour Magistrates deriving their authority from him this I prove First by cleare testimony of Scripture Secondly by the examples of holy and religious men who have both administred and taken such oathes Thirdly by evidence of reason ARGUMENT I. In the charge that Ioshuah gave to the Elders Heads Iudges and other officers of Israel among other things there is this remarkeable passage Yee shall not make mention of the names of other Gods nor cause to sweare by them neither serve them nor bow your selves unto them but cleave to the Lord your God as you have done this day whence I thus frame my argument What the Rulers of Israel were forbidden to doe to other Gods this passage sheweth that they may and ought to doe to the true God But the Rulers of Israel are forbidden to make mention of or cause any to sweare by the Gods of the heathen Ergo they may and ought to make mention of the name of the true God and require and cause men to sweare by him when an oath shall be required of them ARGUMENT II. What the Saints of God are recorded to have done and they are no where reproved for the doing thereof in holy Scripture we may doe for all those things were written for our example 1. Cor. 10. 6. But the Saints of God are recorded in holy Scripture to have exacted and taken oaths imposed for Abraham Gen. 24. 23. maketh his servant sweare by the Lord God of heaven that he should not take a wife to his sonne of the daughters of the Canaanites David being urged by Saul sware 1. Sam. 24. 21. 22. that he would not cut off Sauls seed after him Ezra made the chiefe Priests and all Israel to sweare that they would put away their strange wives according to the commandement of God Ezrah 10. 5. Nehemiah 5. 12. called the Priests and tooke an oath of them that they should doe according to their promise that they should restore unto their brethren their lands their vinâ—-yards their olive-yards their houses and also the hundred part of their monie and of the corn wine and oile they exacted of them Ergo Christians may lawfully both impose and take oathes ARGUMENT III. All Christian Magistrates may command those who are subject to their authority such things as are lawfull and necessary for the discharge of their office and the preservation of humane society But oathes are things lawfull as is proved in the former question and they are necessary for the execution of the Magistrates office and the preservation of humane society For without such oathes the Common-wealth hath no sure tye upon publick officers and Ministers nor Kings upon their subjects nor Lords upon their tenants neither can mens titles be cleared in causes civill nor justice done in causes criminall nor dangerous plots and conspiracies be discovered against the State Ergo Christian Magistrates may command those that are under their authority to take oathes and this is the constant judgement of the reformed Churches But they object no man may be enforced to any act of Religion for Tertullian saith acutely and truly nec Religionis est Religionem cogere It is against Religion to compell or enforce Religion But the taking of an oath whereby we invocate God is an act of Religion Therefore no man may or ought to bee enforced to take an oath There are two sorts of acts of Religion inward and outward First inward as to adhere to God to love him to beleive in him and put our confidence and place our happinesse chiefly in him these and such like acts of Religion cannot be enforced Secondly outward as comming to Church receiving the Sacrament and making confession of our faith fasting and prayer these latter may be enforced as wee see by the example of Iosiah who compelled all Israel to serve the Lord and by the speech of the King in the Parable who made a great supper and bade many guests and when they had made their severall excuses said to his servant Goe to the high waies and hedges and compell them to come in that my house may be full Among these latter acts of Religion is the taking of an oath which though in all leagues and covenants and holy vowes it ought to be free
harmonious sounds the Angels or Intelligencers as they call them turning as it were the broaches But this Celestiall musick they speak of is but a pleasing dreame a true Celestiall harmony may be heard in the confession of all the Reformed Churches wherewith now in the close I purpose to cheare up and recreate the Reader and lest any quarrell should be made or offence taken at the precedencie I will call the severall Churches in such order as they are ranked in the Latine edition of the Confessions printed at Geneva An. 1581. Concerning the Authour Office and Authority of the Civill Magistrate thus we read In the Helvetian confession The Magistracie of what kind soever is ordained of God for the peace and quietnesse of mankind and hee ought to have the first place in the world And a little afterwards As God doth work the safety of his people by the Magistrate whom hee hath given to bee as a Father to the world so all subjects are commanded to acknowledge this benefit of God in the Magistrate let them therefore honour and reverence him as the Minister of God love him and pray for him as their Father obey him in all his just and righteous commands the care of Religion chiefly appertaines to a godly Magistrate let him therefore draw his sword against all malefactours murderers theeves and blasphemous hereticks c. In this regard we condemn the Anabaptists who as they deny that a Christian may execute the office of a Magistrate so also they deny that any man may be lawfully put to death by him The Basill confession Let every Christian Magistrate bend all his forces this way that among all that are under him the name of God may be hallowed his Kingdome propagagated and his will in the rooting out of all wickednesse and vice may be fulfilled This duty was ever enjoyned even to the heathen Magistrates how much more is it required of a Christian Magistrate who is Gods true Vicar The Bohemian confession The Civill Magistrate is the ordinance of God and appointed by God who both taken his originall from God and by the effectuall power of his presence and continuall aid is maintained by him to governe the people in those things that appertain to thelife of the body here upon earth to whose power all and every one ought to be subject in those things that are not contrary to God first to the Kings Majesty then to all the Magistrates and such as are in authority under him whether they be of themselves good men or evill The French confession wee beleive that God would have the world to be governed Civilly and by Lawes that there may be certain bridles whereby the desires of men may bee restrained and that therefore he hath appointed Kingdomes Common-wealths and other kinds of Principalities whether they come by inheritance or otherwaies and because he is the authour of thiâ— order we must not only suffer them to rule whom he hath set over us but also yeild unto them all honour and reverence as to Deputies and Ministers assigned by him to execute their lawfull and holy function into their hands God hath put a sword to punish all breaches as well of the first Table as of the second The Low-Dutch confession We beleive that Almighty God by reason of the corruption and depravation of mankind did appoint Kings Princes and Magistrates and that it is his will that this world should bee governed by lawes and a Civill government and to this end hee hath armed Magistrates with a sword to punish the wicked and defend the good To these it appertaineth of duty not only watchfully to preserve the Civill State but also to endeavour that the holy Ministery of the word be maintained all Idolatry and false worship removed the Kingdome of Antichrist pulled downe and the Kingdome of Christ propagated Wherefore wee detest all Anabaptists and seditious persons who cast away all government and Magistracie pervert judgements and overthrow all mens rights make all mens goods common and lastly abolish and confound all orders and degrees appointed by God among men for honesty and comlinesse sake The High Dutch confession at Ausperge Civill governments and constitutions are good workes and ordinances of God as Saint Paul testifieth they condemne therefore the Anabaptists who forbid Civill offices to Christians they condemn also those who place Evangelicall perfection in abandoning all civill affaires whereas Evangelicall perfection is Spirituall and consisteth in the motions of the heart in the feare of God Faith Love and Obedience The Saxon confession Wee teach that in the whole doctrine of God delivered by the Apostles and Prophets that Civill government is maintained and that Magistrates Lawes tribunalls and the lawfull society of men sprung not up by chance but that all the good order that is left is preserved by the exceeding goodnesse of God for the Churches sake and all subjects owe to the civill Magistrate obedience as Saint Paul saith not only for wrath that is feare of corporall punishment wherwith the disobedient are rewarded by the Magistrate but also for conscience sake Contumacie being a sinne offending God and withdrawing the conscience from him And seeing Magistrates are the chiefe members of the Church let them see that Judgements in the Church and Ecclesiasticall censures be rightly executed as Constantine Theodosius Arcadius Marcianus Charle-Maine and many godly Kings took order in their times that Ecclesiasticall judicature and proceedings in spirituall Courts should be rightly carried The Suevick confession Our Churches teach that the office of a Magistrate is most sacred and divine whence it is that they who exercise this power are called Gods and our Preachers teach that the obedience which is performed to Magistrates is to bee placed among good works of the first rank and that by how much a man is a more sincere and faithfull Christian the more carefull hee is to observe the Lawes of the State I know not upon what ground the English and Scotch confession are left out of the Harmony of Confessions for they are as full as any of the rest for proofe of the point in question the Scotch runneth thus The Confession of Scotland Wee confesse and acknowledge Empires Kingdomes Dominions and Cities to be distincted and ordained by God that powers and authority in the same be it of Emperous in their Empires Kings in their Realmes Dukes and Princes in their Dominions and of other Magistrates in their Cities to be Gods holy Ordinance ordained for manifestation of his owne glory and for the singular profit and commodity of mankind so that whosoever goeth about to take away or confound the whole state of Civill policie now long established we affirm the same men not only to be enemies to mankind but also wickedly to fight against Gods expressed will The Confession of England Art 37. The Kings Majesty hath the chief power in this Realm of England and
the number of forty thousand they killed all the Nobles and Gentrie that made any head to stop their popular fury And no marvaile the peoples fingers were dipt in blood when their King and Prophets whole hands and armes were embrued in it Tho Muncer their Prophet Senatour and Generall for he was all these in the first speech he made in the head of his Armie by Frankhus above mentioned told the people That it was Gods promise that the righteous should wash their feet in the blood of the wicked and therefore he exhorted them to fall pell-mell upon all the Princes and Magistrates and Landlords as tyrants and theeves that sucked the blood of the people and lived in luxurie and wantonnesse and to kill every mothers sonne of their enemies and offer them up was an acceptable sacrifice to God Another Prophet of theirs Iohn Matthias by name who bore great sway with the people when a black-smith pinched him with a disgracefull scoffe calling him cacatum Prophetum he procured him to be condemned to death and himself would needs be the executioner wounding him first with a holberd and the wound proving not mortal he after shot him through with a pistoll then shedding a few Crocodile teares and seeming to take compassion on him he pardoneth him for his rash speech saying that God was reconciled to him and that he had a Revelation from heaven that the man should not die of his wounds yet hee proved as in other things so in that a false Prophet the man dying a few dayes after A man would think that their Tayler King Iohn of Leiden should rather use the needle then the rapier or sword yet when soone after his Coronation he made a greatâ— Feast bidding at least 4000. men and women between the first and second course he accuseth a man of high treason and cuts off his head with his owne hand and returnes merry to supper and after supper with the same bloody hand takes upon him to administer the blessed Sacrament of the body and blood of our Saviour and not long after when there was a great famine in the City of Munster and yet the King and his courtiers aâ—ated nothing of their varietie of full dishes and one of his fifteene wives for so many he had somewhat more conscientious then the rest said that she thought God was not well pleased with their feasting and rioting in the palace when the people pined for hunger in their houses and many dyed famished in the streets the King being told of it brought her to the market place with other of his wives making her kneel down there cut off her head commanded his other wives to sing and give praises for it to the heavenly Father It will be here said that our Anabaptists in England were never arraigned or condemned for any such crimes and that they seem to be a sillie and harmelesse people yet let us take heed how we suffer the egges of the cockatrice to remain amongst us for when they be hatched there will break out of them most venemous serpents The Lyon when he is very young is rather gamesome then ravenous or cruell but when he growes big and knowes his own strength being hunger-bit hee runnes roaring abroad seeking whom he may devoure OBSERVAT. V. That the Anabaptists are a prophane and sacrilegious sect As morall vertue is placed in the middle between two extreames the one in the excesse the other in the defect for example liberlitie is in the middle betwixt prodigalitie in the excesse and covetousnesse in the defect magnanimitie in the middle between ambition or haughtinesse in the excesse and pusillanimitie or baseuesse in the defect fortitude or true valour in the middle between temeritie or fool-hardinesse in the excesse and cowardise in the defect so also true Religion hath her proper seat in the middle between superstition in the excesse and profanenesse in the defect and of the two extreames profanenesse is the worse because it is neare neighbour to atheisme which plucks up all Religion by the root out of the heart Religio is so called à Religando because it bindeth the soule to God with the girdle of veritie this golden belt of veritie superstition ties too hard and strait prophanenesse too wide and loose A superstitious man feareth God in such sort as he ought not a prophane person feareth him not as he ought the superstitious attribute that worship to God which he requireth not the prophane yeild him not that worship he requireth superstition attireth Religion over gorgeously prophanenesse strips her of her necessarie dresse of decent rites and ceremonies in a word superstition offers to God what he claimes not for his own prophanesse sacrilegiously robs him of that which is his owne in a particular manner In detestation of which ungodly disposition in men both Greeks and Latines have a proverbial spell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 procul este prophani and Odi prophanuÌ„ vulgus et arceo saith the Poet away with profane persons joyn not hands with those who finger holy things If it be burglarie to break into mens houses and rifle them what is it to rifle Churches If it be felonie to rob men what is it to rob God The Anabaptists here with a heart of Adamant and brow of brasse will be ready to answer that like distracted men we rave at we know not whom we cry down such a sinne as hath no existence that the word sacriledge or holy theft is a meere scarcrow or bugbeare to fright fools For those things that are truely holy are laid up in the soul as the graces of the Spirit which cannot be plundered as for outward things there is no holinesse in them neither in Churches nor in Altars nor in Fonts nor in Pulpits nor in Vessell or Vestments nor in gleabs or Centries What thou prophane Esau are there no Sabbathes now to be hallowed No Sanctuaries to be reverenced no Sacraments to be Administred no sacred oblations to be made no duties to be paid to God and those who attend on his service didst thou never hear of a distinction of a twofold holines inherent and relative or as some rather phrase it subjectiva and objectiva a holines in the subject and a holines in the object inherent holines no intelligent man ever attributed to outward inamimate things for that holines is a fruit of faith produced in the soul by the operation of the holy Spirit quae nec cripi nec surripi potest but for relative holines no Religious Christian ever denied it to these things The ground of which relative holinesse is Gods peculiar interest in them either by vertue of his own claime and challenge to them or by the frâ—e will offering donation and dedication of them to him by godly persons In which regard some places are holy as Temples hallowed to his Name some dayes as Feasts dedicated to his honour some Persons as Priests and Levites under