from among vs whom wee call Brownists contrarie minded who both reiect the aforesaid doctrine as erronious and condemne our Parish assemblies for false Churches it remaineth we heare what they likewise teach concerning the Church and their Arguments whereby they would proue our Church to be a false Church that so wee may more clearely see on which side the truth is whereby the louers of the Truth shall be preserued from error and Wisdome iustified of her children THE SECOND BOOKE CHAP. I. A confutation of H. BARROW his description of a true visible Church WEE haue spoken in the former Chapter of the first vse wee make of the aforesaid Doctrine of the visible Church And there we haue seene how fitly it seemeth to iustifie the Church of England and to proue her to be a true Church now by it wee will also conuince the Brownists false doctrine of the visible Church And that shall be the second and lâ—st vse of the Doctrine aforesaid For the better vnderstanding of the Brownists doctrine concerning the true visible Church let vs heare how it is described by them It is saith BARROW a company and fellowship of faithfull and holy people gathered in the name of Christ Iesus A true description of the visible Church pag. 1. their only King Priest Prophet worshipping him aright being peaceably quietly gouerned by his officers lawes keeping the vnity of faith in the bond of peace and loue vnfained Generalâ—y coÌ„cerning this description I affirme that a Apology 44. Counterp 115. Princ. Infer 8. 10. as al the rest of the descriptions or definitions of the visible Church which they do giue so this likewise is rather a description of the inuisible Church militant then of the visible That which is hâ—ere set downe is true onely of the Elect and cannot properly and truely bee spoken of any Reprobate whereof a true visible Church may in part consist as well of the Elect for as the Elect only are faithfull and holy indeed and effectually called so Christ Iesus is their onely b Though Christ Iesus be in diuers respects King of the visible Church yet he is not King Priest Prophet of the visible but only of the inuisible Church hee cannot be said to be Priest of the visible Church but with relation had to them that be of the inuisible Church King Priest and Prophet they alone doe worshippe him aright are gouerned by his lawes keepe the vnity of faith in the bond of peace and loue vnfained But let vs brifely consider of the seuerall parts of this description That your meaning is the visible Church consisteth only of faithfull holy persons it is hereafter made manifest and appeareth also by the last page of H. Barrow his book intituled A true description of the visible Church where hee saith that into the visible Church there entereth no vncleane thing or person but all such are without how true this Doctrine is wee shall anon heare as also of the gathering heere spoken of And that the visible Church and consequently all the members thereof haue not Christ Iesus to be their King Priest and Prophet in the end of this booke it is made manifest Omitting therefore these things wee will come to that which in the description followeth In it you adde that the visible Church consisteth of a Company that worship Christ aright and to proue this you send vs to three places of Scripture the two first viz. Exod. 20.7.8 Leuit. 10.5 speake neuer a word for you The last and onely testimony you haue is Ioh. 4.23 where Iesus saith That the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and truth and that the Father requireth such to worship him And hereof our Lord rendereth a reason in the words next following saying God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and truth which in effect is this that God being of a spirituall nature requireth a spirituall seruice agreeable to his nature Of a company of such kind of worshippers say you doth the visible Church consist But how can this possibly be true seeing Christ Iesus speaking to some of the visible Church Matth. 15.7 saith thus O Hypocrites Esaias prophecied well of you saying this people draweth neere vnto me with their mouth and honoureth me with their lips but their heart is farre from mee but in vaine doe they worship me These were no true worshippers worshipping God in Spirit and truth but only outwardly and Hypocritically whereupon Iesus calleth them Hypocrites and yet were these worshippers members of the visible Church And whereas of the visible Church the greatest part are Hypocrites or hypocriticall worshâ—ppers by this description and doctrine of yours there can be no Hipocrites in it for you teach that the visible Church is a company that worship God in Spirit and truth but no Hypocrites worshippe God in Spirit and truth therefore by your doctrine no Hypocrites are of or in the visible Church That no hypocrites doe worship God in spirit and truth which resteth only to be proued it is hereby manifest First because they doe not worship God with a true and sincere affection of the heart Secondly Because this worshipping of God in spirit and truth is that worship which God requireth to be performed to him by men accepteth of and is well pleased with but the worship of hypocrites God forbiddeth reiecteth and abhorreth Hypocrites therefore doe not worship God in spirit and truth Thirdly As many as thus worship God in this world Heb. 11.6 Psal 19.11 he will honor in the world to come and for their poore seruice done to him on earth he will aboundantly reward them in heauen now woe be to Hypocrites saith Christ And againe giue him his portion with Hypocrites This is the hypocrites reward Where you say that the visible Church is a company peaceably and quietly gouerned by Christ's officers and lawes considering the greatest part of the visible Church are reprobates and so rebels against Christ taking part with Satan against him how can this be truely said of the visible Church and consequently of all the members thereof Cain Ismael Esau Saul Absolom the Scribes and Pharisies were all of the visible Church These and thousands more such in the Church haue beene so farre from being quietly gouerned by Christs lawes that with them in the second Psalme they haue said Verse 3. Let vs breake their bonds and cast their cords from vs. The visible Church therefore is not a company of such loyall and obedient subiects to Christ as these men affirme How peaceably and quietly was Saul gouerned by the lawes of God and Church officers then when he caused the Priests of the Lord to be slaine and eagerly persecuted Dauid thirsting after his bloud and that all his life time The same may be said of Cain killing Abel of Ismael mocking or as the Apostle saith persecuting Isaak of Absalom
betweene vs and you eoncerning the same That little which is heere saide of our Ministery is as you may seâ— vpon occasion and by the way Truely I much desired to haue added something heere in dâ—fence of our Ministery and answere to your sophismes but for diuers reasons whereof some be mentioned in the epistles dedicatorie I thought good to forbeare and at this present to say no more CHAP. IX How the Separists to iustifie their separation from the Church of England doe shamefully peruert the holy Scriptures AS for the proofe of the particular points wherein wee and you of the separation doe differ you shamefully abuse and peruert the sacred Scriptures euen all of you without exception as manifestly appeareth by the premises so in the maine difference concerning the separating of your selues from our church you doe the like whereof I will giue the Reader likewise a tast For the iustifying of their separation they alleadge diuers places of holy Scripture and specially three which they take to be very pregnant for them One of them is taken out of the 19. Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles The wordes bee these Vers 8. Moreouer he that is Paul went into the Synagogue and spake boldly for the space of three moneths disputing and exhorting to the things that appertaine to the Kingdome of God 9. But when certaine were hardned and disobeyed speaking euill of the way of God before the multitude he departed from them and separated the Disciples and disputed daily in the Schoole of one Tyrannus We answere These men from whom Paul and other Christians separate were open contemners nay blasphemers of the way of God Because of this open contempt of theirs for it is saide they spake euill of that way before the multitude the Apostle durst not Preach the word of God vnto them neither could haue done without sinning against God for our Sauiour hath fordidden to giue that which is holy vnto Dogges Matth. 7.6 and to cast pearles before Swine And least wee should thinke this were onely true of priuate admonition or reproofe wee may remember that to the 70 Disciples hee giueth the same commaundement concerning publike teaching saying to them when he sent them foorth to Preach by two and two Luke 10.10 But into whatsoeuer Citie yee shall enter if they will not receiue you goe your wayes out into the streetes of the same and say Euen the very dust which cleaueth on vs of your Citie wee wipe of against you Except therefore we be such despisers as these this Scripture maketh not for their Separation but is misapplied and wrested by them And notwithstanding S. Paul with the other Christians did well in separating from them aforesaide they doe sinfully in departing from vs. Another testimonie of Scripture and of all the most vsuall and principall they take out of the 6. Chapter of the second Epistle of S. Paul to the Corinthians Vers 14.15 Bee not vnequally yoaked with Infidels for what fellowship hath righteousnesse with vnrighteousnesse And what communion hath light with darkenesse And what concord hath Christ with Belial or what part hath the beleeuer with the infidell 16. And what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idoles for yee are the Temple of the liuing God as God hath saide I will dwell among them and walke there and I will be their God and they shall be my people 17. Wherefore come out from among them and separate your selues saith the Lord and touch none vncleane thing and I will receiue you 18. And I will bee a father vnto you and yee shall bee my sonnes and daughters saith the Lord Almightie Thus endeth the 6. Chapter and thus farre doe the Separists coate and vrge this Scripture but no farther But heereunto let vs adde the first verse of the 7. Chapter for that maketh greatly for the right vnderstanding of this Scripture Seeing then we haue these promises dearely beloued let vs cleanse our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and Spirit and finish our sanctification in the feare of God By these words of the Apostle it should seeme that sundry Christians in Corinthus according to their accustomed manner before the time of their conuersion went sometimes to their idols Temples where were nothing but grosse and heathenish Idolatrie and their with their neighbours vvho were heathens and infidels did ioyne together in their idolatrous worship or at least in their holy feasts as is said 1. Cor. 8.10 which they did celebrate to the honour of their Idols and so were dâ—fiâ—ed with the worship of idols thinking with themselues that they might lawfully ioyne with them in externall idolatrie and thus farre yeeld with their bodies so long as they kept their soules pure to the Lord. The Apostle hearing of this great corruption among many others telleth them that they must withdraw themselues from this idolatrous worship and defilement and separate themselues For they cannot worship God and the Diuell they are so contrarie one to another euen as light and darknâ—sse But if they thus worship idols they worship the Diueâ—l and thereâ—ore so doing they cannot worship God That they who worship idols doe worship the Diuell hee hath shewed them in his former Epistle in these words What say I then That the idol is any thing 1. Cor. 10.19 Or that that which is sacrificed to idols is any thing Nay but that these things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to Deuils and not vnto God and I would not that you should haue fellowship with the Deuils Ye cannot be partakers of the Lords Table and of the table of Deuils And whereas they excused this fact of theirs thus as sundry doe their going to Masse at this day that now they went not with this minde as sometimes they did to giue honour to the idols for they knew well that an idol is nothing that is that there is not any God-head in an idol and therefore did keepe their soules pure from all pollution hee answereth that they whom God vouchsafeth this honour to be his children must keepe themselues pure not only in soule but also in body 1 Cor. 6.20 called hâ—re flâ—sh glorifying God in their bodies and in their spirits for they are Gods that so they may be wholly pure Thus we see the occasion the scope and drift of the Apostle and the true sence and meaning of these words Whereby wee learne That the worshippers of the true God may not communicate with heathens and infidels in their idolatrous or idol worship which is no bâ—tter then the worship of the Diuell And to apply this That a Christian at this day being in Turkey may not pertake with them in their worshipping of Mahomet or beeing among heathâ—ns ioyne with them in their heathenish and idolatrous seruice Which maketh nothing for their separating from vs in the worship of the true God because of some corruptions therein Except it be all one when externall worshâ—p in
say a word for you It argueth that there is not that feare in you of taking Gods Name in vaine and of doing the work of the Lord negligently that should be In like manner you deale in the other parts of this position For whereas you should proue that the Sacraments are a meanes of saluation and the like by prayer and censures you send the Reader to some pla es of scripture where there is mention indeed of a Sacrament of Prayer and of Censures but not a word there to proue them to bee the meanes of saluation Such as these are a l the quotations you haue for proofe of your opinions The way or doore say you whereby both members and officers enter in is Christ that is the way taught by Christ in his word Pag. 13 Ioh. 14.6 10.3.7.9 17 17. Mark 13.34.37 Hereby you intimate that for as much as we walke not in this way nor enter in by this doore members into communion and officers into offices therefore our people are not in communion or bee not members of true visible Churches nor our Ministers Ecclesiasticall Officers but meere priuate That in this way wee walke and enter into the Church and Ministery by this doore it hath touching the former of these beene already made manifest True it is that in neither of these we haue walked or doe with that straight foote we should and that in them wee bewray humane frailtie but such as through the mercy of God in Christ nullifies not our Church and Ministerie no more then Iacobs infirmities in the way hee walked to the blessing hindered him of the blessing Or his faultie entrance into the married estate with Leah made a nullitie in their Matrimonie so as they liued perpetually in adultery And seeing I am fallen into this point of your peruerting and abuse of Scripture and got into this field a large one I confâ—sse and able to tyre a horse I will goe a fewe steppes or pases further therein I take no exception against this position but your proofes thereof In Ioh. 14.6 I am that Way that Trueth and that Life Our Sauiour speaketh of the way to Heauen that by him we must come thither if euer wee will bee there That by him we must haue life eternall else we dye eternally This to be Iesus his meaning we may easily see by the dependance of this verse with the former Christ fortelling his Disciples of his Passion then approaching and of his going to Heauen to prepare a place for them vseth thereupon these wordes And whither I goe yee knowe and the way yee knowe Thomas answers Lord we knowe not whither thou goest how can we knowe the way Iesus replies I am that way meaning that leades to Heauen which is the place whither I goe This is the right sence and meaning of this Scripture For our Sauiour returning a direct answere to Thomas and therefore concerning that way which leadeth to the place whither hee was now going which was Heauen it must needes be that he speaketh of the way to Heauen What meane you now speaking of the way or entrance into the visible Church to coate this Scripture for confirmation thereof In the way Iesus heere speaketh of the Elect onely and the inuisible Church doeth walke for to them alone he is the way In the way you speake of the visible Church the reprobate as well as the Elect doe walke All that walke in the way Iesus speaketh of shall be saued But many of those which tread the way you speake of shall bee damned Christ Iesus then you speake both of diuers societies and of diuers wayes Indeede you speak of a way and heere that word way is vsed Is that enough If I were to prooue that by Christ Iesus as by a doore wee must enter into Heauen and for proofe thereof should alleadge Gen. 6.16 The doore of the Arke thou shalt set in the side thereof Or Gen. 19.6 Then Lot went out at the doore vnto them and shut the doore after him all men would laugh at me Be not offended with me Thus M. Smith deale you M. Iohnson Ainsworth Robinson and Barrow full often in your allegations of Scripture There is nothing more vsuall with all of you then this to vnderstand that of the visible Church which by the holy Ghost is meant and spoken of the inuisible Church or some members thereof Heere is Church and Church but different Churches and Societies members and members but of diuers bodies and therefore the Scriptures concerning one make not at all for the other Your quotation of Ioh. 17.17 Sanctifie them with thy trueth thy word is trueth is idle and to no purpose Iesus speakes there of his eleuen Apostles as is euident by the verses precedent and subsequent specially by the 20. verse praying for them to his Father that seeing he was now to send them into the world to Preach the Gospell to euery creaâ—ure as hâ—s Father had seâ—t him into the world to performe the worke of redemption as vers 18. that he would indue them with gifts of his Spirit for the discharge of the office of Preaching or of Apostleship This you alleadge to prooue â—hat the way taught by Cbrist in his word is the way or doore whereby members are receiued into the visible Church and Officers into Offices Frame your argument and conclude this proposition from this Scripture and the vanitie of your proofe will appeare Like to this is your last testimonie Mark 13.34.37 And those things that I say vnto you I say vnto all men watch For further proofe of your abuse of Scripture your confirmation of your tenth position in the 71. Page of your Apologie may suffice To prooue that the Sacraments being seales of Gods couenant ought to be administred onely to the faithfull and baptisme to their seede which no Christian man vnderstanding this position aright denies or doubts of you coate aboue 50. testimonies of holy Scripture and that which is worse scarce halfe of them as I verily thinke doe manifestly and directly prooue that for which they are by you alleadged And for a tryall and tast thereof let vs heare one or two of your testimonies in stead of many as Ezek. 13.22 Because with your lies yee haue made the hearts of the righteous sadde whom I haue not made sadde and strengthened the hands of the wicked that hee should not returne from his wicked way by promising him life And Reuel 17.1 Then there came one of the seuen Angels which had the seuen vialls and talked with me saying vnto me come I will shew the damnation of the great whore that sitteth vpon many waters Hereunto adde Prou. 9.1.5 Hos 2.2.4 Ezek. 16.59.60.61.62.63 And 23.41.42 Psal 22.30 with sundry others These men being told of their abuse of Scripture doe vtterly deny it and cast it from them as a very slander But how iustly they are by vs charged therewith and how sinfully they stand out against it and blesse themselues in that which is euill doth partly heere appeare but more fully throughout this whole Treatise FINIS
that which you doe from hence vsually collect and vrge against vs. CHAP. II. A confutation of another description of the true visible Church giuen by the Brownists Where much is said concerning the first gathering of a Church and commixture of good and bad in the Church BVt omitting this description of H. Barrowes wee will proceed to another of theirs laid downe in their Apologie Apologie 44. It is say they a company of people called and seperated from the world by the word of God and ioyned together by voluntary profession of the faith of Christ in the fellowship of the Gospell If this be a true description then whosoeuer is not called and seperated from the world by the word of God c. is not a member of the visible Church for of such a company so called and qualified it doth consist as you affirme But some not called and seperated from the world c. haue bin are and shall be of the vâ—sible Church as is euident by that which followeth this therfore is not a true description of the visible Church It is a company of people say you called by the word of God whereby you meane that by the power and force of the Word only in the Ministery and preaching therof men are brought to be of this societie that is of the visible Church and not by the call perswasion or commandement of the Magistrate or any mortall man And this you put downe in your description that thereby you might proue our Parish assemblies to bee no true but false visible Churches because in the beginning of Queene Elizabeths raigne the people then liuing were not called by the Word and gathered by the preaching thereof but all brought in at once by her commandement and proclamation Hereupon it is that in the former description of the visible Church they say It is a company gathered in the name of Christ Iesus And Master Iohnson applying this to vs saith We were neuer rightly gathered together according to Gods ordinance Defence of the Churches and Minist of Eng. 86. that is as heere he speaketh not called by the word of God meaning the preaching thereof as appeareth by his quotations of Scripture in the margent We answere If we speake of a Church when it is first planted I meane of a Nation when first it commeth to embrace and professe the Gospell and true Religion the people of such a Nation for a great part there of are called by the word of God before they come to be a visible Church By the power and truth of the Word and diuine maiestie shining euery where therein the children of men be brought to forsake their false Religion and worship and to ioyne together in the profession of true Religion whereby they become a visible Church And this is confirmed throughout the whole story of the Acts of the Apostles both in the conuersion of the Iewes or gathering visible Churches of them set downe in the nine first Chapters and likewise of the gentiles continuing from the beginning of the tenth Chapter to the latter end of that booke In the second of the Acts where mention is made of a great increase or addition to the visible Church that before that time was among the Iewes of about three thousand soules and in the fourth of the Acts of a further increase to about fiue thousand Act. 2.14 and 4.4 in both these places the meanes is specified whereby this was brought to passe and that is said to be the hearing and and receiuing of the word of God preached by Peter and other of the Apostles In the eight chapter of the Actes wee reade of a Church gathered in the Citie of Samaria by Philip his preaching Christ vnto them and in the eleuenth Chapter of the Acts of a great Church gathered by the preaching of certaine Prophets and Euangelists in Antiochia in Syria In a word where in the Acts we reade of the conuersion of a people to God as in Antiochia a Citie of Pisidia in Iconium Listra Derbe Philippi Thessalonica Berea Athens Corinthus and Rome in the same places we heare that they were called and the said visible Churches gathered by the preaching of the word But mark all these Churches were now first planted and these people newly conuerted from Iudaisme or Gentilisme that is eyther from the Iewish Religion or false Religion of the Gentiles to the Christian Religion In such a case to the gathering and beâ—ng of a Church the preaching of the Word is absolutely necessary so as without it a company of people cannot bee brought to be a Church But if we speake of a Church established or of a Country where for some time true Religion hath beene professed and God truly worshipped though sometimes interrupted broken off and discontinued which is our case then this holdeth not As vnder the Law both Iewes and Gentiles professing the Iewish religion by Circumcision so by Baptisme Christians vnder the Gospell are incorporated into the visible Church and made members thereof Are not the children of the faithfull by Baptisme receiued into the visible Church and thereby made members thereof And not by the call of the word the sound whereof many of them do not heare and if they doe they cannot vnderstand it And what letteth why some of these when they bee growen men may not thorough hypocrisie continue in the Church though in the hardnes of their hearts they neuer were affected and touched with the word many such hypocrites and hard-hearted men dead in their sinnes and trespasses and that haue consciences seared with a hot Iron haue euer beene are and shall be in the Church who neuer by the call of the word and power thereof would haue become members of the Church nor haue felt any touch that way but onely because they were borne and brought vp in the Church and not cast out either through the want of due execution of discipline or else through their deepe dissimulation and hypocrisie they being like painted tombes which appeare beautifull outward but are within full of dead mens bones and all filthinesse Surely it is not to be thought that Cain Ismael Esau with others that many of the fatte Bulls of Basan that many of those who in Israel killed the Prophets and stoned them which were sent vnto them that many of the Scribes and Pharisies were affected with the Word or so much as tasted of the power and sweetnes thereof and yet were they all of the visible Church How were these then called by the word of God Againe that without this call by the word men may come to be of the visible Church it is yet more euident by the scripture In the twelfth chapter of Exodus where mention is made of the departure of the Children of Israel out of Egypt it is said That a great multitude of sundry sorts of all people went out with them Verse 38. now all or most of these we may assure
pretend then thus farre you had rightly described the Church For no man can be ordinarily religious indeede except as you speake here hee first be called by the Word of God Here the counsell perswasion commandement and threat of man will not auaile No humaine force and compulsion will serue the turne it must be diuine and from God whereof we reade Luke 14.23 Salomons song 13. Iohn 6.4 Act. 16.14 Compell them to come in God himselfe by the Ministerie and preaching of the Word his Spirit accompanying the same must perswade and draw else we hang backward and continue still irreligeous and prophane as we see in the example of Lydia whose heart the Lord opened that she attended vnto the things which Paul spake Neither can we without this calling by the Word be assured that wee are of the inuisible Church This is that we call the internall and effectuall Calling and is proper to the inuisible Church All that haue this calling may assure themselues of their election and saluation This the Apostle confirmeth Rom. 8.30 11.29 and of this calling speaketh where he saith Whom he predestinated them also he called and whom hee called them also be iustified and whom he iustified them he also glorified And againe the gifts and calling of God are without repentance And thus are all of the inuisible Church called in their appointed time But concerning the visible Church this calling by the Word is not necessarie so that without it we cannot come to be of this fellowship Which we cannot chuse but see if we call to minde that which we haue beene taught That a visible Church is a company professing true religion To ioyne in which outward profession whereby we become members of the visible Church one may be drawne by the commandement threat counsell and perswasion of man the Word of God neuer comming neare his heart And so I leaue the first part of your description and proceede to examine that which therein followeth A visible Church say you is a company of people seperated from the world This doe we also hold and teach rightly vnderstood that is touching their professioÌ„ of the true religion and so are we seperated from Heathens Infidels Turkes Papists Anabaptists c. But thus you vnderstand not these words you meane hereby that a visible Church is a company of faithfull and righteous men onely or Saints not mixed with but seperated from the open wicked of the world That this is your meaning it is plaine by your owne Treatises as forthwith we shall heare and namely where you say Defence of the Churches and Ministers of England 71. that a visible Church is a seperated company of Righteous men from the open wicked of the world and cannot consist of all sorts of people good and bad And for the proofe of this point and part of your description you send vs to Iohn 17.14 I haue giuen them thy word Apologie 44. Marke here their peruerting of Scripture to the end of this Section and the three next following and the world hath hated them because they are not of the world as I am not of the world Whosoeuer shall aduisedly reade this Chapter may easily see that these words are meant of the eleuen Apostles being parcell of that part of Christs prayer hee made for them in particular That Iesus speaketh here of his elect Apostles it is manifest both by the words going before this 14. verse and specially by verse 12. as also by the verses following after and namely by verse 18. and 20. what is this at all then to purpose Surely no more for the proofe of the point then if you had produced the first words of Genes In the beginning God created the heauen and the earth Frame your Argument and the vanitie of your proofe will appeare If that the Apostles members of visible Churches were separated from the world then all the members of a visible Church must bee separated from the world But the first is true Therefore the second To this effect you must marke your Argument or none at all Giue mee leaue now to argue after the same manner If the Apostles members of visible Churches were preachers of the word and had the gift of miracles then euery member of the visible Church must be a preacher of the word and haue the gift of miracles But the first is true therefore the second Thus could I proue that the members of visible Churches must haue no certaine abiding place but goe from place to place â—rom one countrey to another throughout the world for the Apostles did so Therefore in vaine is this testimonie alledâ—ed by you and you therein take Gods name in vaine I doe not deny but that many things spoken of or to the Apostles or required to be in them are likewise required and happily found in euery member of the visible Church The Apostle prayed and heard the word so it may bee doe all the members of the visible Church Some of the Apostles Iesus commanded that they should fast and pray lest they did enter into temptation the same he requireth of all in the Church But this is it I say and meane That it followeth not necessarily that because this or that qualitie or gift was or ought to be in the Apostles therefore it is and ought to bee in euery member of the visible Church But happily you will not vnderstand this scripture of the eleuen Apostles but extend it further Seeing by the Text it is euident that Christ spake and meant it onely of them without falsifying the Text you cannot stretch it an haire breadth further But suppose the words might be vnderstood more largely the vtmost extent must be to the Elect. First because Iesus speaketh of them for whom he prayed and these be onely the Elect. Secondly hee speaketh of those which are hated of the world and of such as being in the world are not of the world and such alone bee the Elect. Now this maketh not at all for you no more then the former For what though the Elect which are in the visible Church be separated from the world which is true as Christ here meaneth doth it therevpon follow that all in the visible Church are separated from the world Iudge your selues So one may proue that all of the visible Church shall be saued because the Elect which be in the visible Church are heyres of Saluation Another fault which in alleadging this Scripture you commit is this that you mis-vnderstand these words of our Sauiour are not of the world whereby he meaneth not separated from the world in your sence that is from the open wicked in the world but that his Apostles were not worldly indeede louing the things of the world or that they were such as would not conforme and fashion themselues to the manners and customes of this world would not follow this world as worldly minded men doe in that which is euill
obstinate or seperating such from the Church there is no danger of plucking vp the wheate with the tares Therefore of the excommunication of sinners apparantly obstinate or seperating such from the Church Christ speaketh not nor forbiddeth Your third argument followeth Iesus spâ—aketh of the vtter ruinating and destruction of the tares But excommunication rightly administred is not for the ruinating and destruction of any Therefore of excommunication Iesus doeth not speake We now see clearely that these two latâ—er arguments doe conclude and proue the same thing But what not that which your first argument doeth as you pretend and beare the silly reader in hand but in stead thereof this that in the parable of the tares Christ speakes not of excommunication or censures of the Church which we not onely confesse but teach and vrge against you But suppose they did soundly prooue that proposition for which the are produced to wit that in the parable of the tares Iesus doeth not speake of the tolleration of prophane persons in the Church yet did they not at all make against vs for by prophane persons you meane 1. Scandalous offenders or open wicked 2. Such onely deny eyther of these if you will And so by your owne proposition which forsooth you will prooue by three arguments you imply that we teach that by tares are meant scandalous offenders or knowne wicked onely The contrary whereunto is manifest by the premises You commit then here two foule faults besides the former One is you persue your owne shadowe in stead of an aduersary 2. You abuse the reader in making him beleeue wee hold that we doe not But to proceede say you It may be some will answere Iustif 117. that Christ doeth not heere forbid his Disciples the vse of the censures against the wicked but rather acquaints them before hand what will be the state of the Church and how the wicked will be suffered to continue in it vncensured This is indeede our answere and I will maintaine it against all gainesayers You adde and if this were so it made nothing against me nor for Maister Bernard No Maister Robinson If there will bee and continue wicked in the Church vncensured if this will be the estate of the visible Church by the testimonie of Christ Iesus then for as much as all that be and continue in the visible church are of it euen members of it it must needes be that the visible Church is a mixt company consisting of good and bad godly and wicked Now this makes as much for vs and against you as can be You write before thus Heere is no such mingle mangle as Maister Bernard would make of good and bad but all good Iustif 115. 112. 113. and so auowed by the holy Ghost And againe that if all the Diuines in the world should with Maister Bernard say that the visible Church is a mixt company yet the deuine Scriptures speake otherwise which you will clearely manifest And yet once more It is prophane diuinitie to make vngodly persons true matter of the visible Church These speaches of yours with this heere doe agree together as light and darkenes Againe if to the worlds ende there will be and continue wicked in the Church vncensured If I say this will be the estate of the visible church as the truth is to foretel comfort the godly against it is the very scope and drift of our Sauiour in this parable why do you then condemne vs for a false Church because of the wicked that are among vs Answere to a censo Epist pag. 35. and for this cause chiefely seperate from vs In these two respects principally say you your babylonish confusion of all sorts of people in the body of your Church without seperation and your Babilonish bondage vnder your spirituall Lords the Prelates we account you Babilon and flee from you Shewe vs how this speech here and your accounting our Church to be Babilon for the reason aforefaide and flying from it can possibly accord Iustif 117. You adde It were the Churches sinne so to suffer them that is the wicked to continue in the Church vnsensured And I deny not say you but Churches vsually are too negligent and remisse through want of zeale and faithfulnesse to the Lord in this dutie This is it we teach it were well for you yee had learned the same If you haue as you heere pretend why doe you account our parishionall assemblies because of the wicked that be in them false Churches and Synagogues of Sathan you acknowledge heere ecclesiasticall assemblies may bee true Churches notwithstanding there be and continue wicked in them vncensured And yet the truth is you all hold that where there are and continue wicked vncensured the same are false Churches Iustif 120. Finally say you The Lords field is sowen onely with good seed though by the malice of Satan and negligence of such as should keepe this field and vineyard and house of God adulterate seede and abominable persons may be foisted in yea and suffered also which the Scriptures affirme and we deny not Such is the excellencie and power of truth that it maketh sometimes the aduersaries thereof to yeeld and stoupe vnto it For twice together you doe against your selfe beare witnesse to the truth You here acknowledge that abominable persons may be in the Church of God yea and suffered also that is abide or continue there and that this the Scriptures affirme Now touching the particular point wee haue in hand this is the some and effect of that we say and contend for and you impugne and gaine say But answere mee Are there any worse in our Church then this adulterate seede you speake of and abominable persons 2. Can you adde thereto any more or worse then this that they are suffered also that is let to continue in our Church vncensured If notwithstanding this great sinne a societie may bee a true Church by the testimonie of the holy Scriptures why doe you for this very sinne Iudge and proclaime vs to the world to be a false Church and therevpon depart from vs True it is that for this cause onely you doe not deeme vs a false Church and leaue vs yet that you doe it for this cause yea chiefely for this very cause you cannot without blushing deny and this not onely your selfe but besides M. Ainsworth and M. Smith haue published and made knowne vnto the world as I haue manifested in my Epistle written to you of the Seperation That which you affirme here you contradict at least I thinke an hundred times Omitting them all see how you thwart your selfe in the two last lines of this present Section Iustiss 121. And so except the Church of England had been sowen with good seed without tares since that generall Apostacie it cannot be the Lords field In the beginning of the Section in thesi you affirme that howsoeuer the Lords field is sowen onely with good
and by 1. Cor. 3.1.2 3. Mat. 18.17.18 and by comparing 1. Cor. 6.11 with 2. Cor. 2.21 and with 1. Cor. 5.1 Often you tell vs the Apostles speech 1. Pet. 2.9 But ye are a chosen generation a royall Priesthood an holy Nation c. is to be vnderstood of the visible Church Well if this be so I am sure the vis Church â—s calâ—ed a chosen generation in respect of the better and more principaâ—l part thereof those vvhich God hath chosen to euerlasting life opposed to the generation of Reprobates verse 8. Why then may not likewise in this respect visible Churches be called the Churches of the Saints Hereunto M. Robinson answereth thus The Scriptures neuer ascribe holinesse to a people for some fewes sake if the rest be vnholy and prophane This is sooâ—er said then proued And vvhy I pray you may not the scriptures call those of the visible Church holy for some fewes sake in it which bee indeede holy as well as giue this witnesse of the twelue Spies which were sent to search out the land of Canaan That they brought word againe and said it is a good land Deut. 1.25 which the Lord our God doth giue vs where but a few of them two of the twelue thus reported the other ten saying Num. 13.31.32 we be not able to goe vp against the people for they are stronger then we a land that eateth vp the inhabitants thereof And so brought vp an euill report of the land which they had searched But I will disproue you by your owne words Not three leaues after Iustif 115. you vvrite thus Here speaking of the vis Church is no such mingle mangle as M. Barnard would make of good and bad but all good and so auowes by the holy Ghost though without doubt many of these were masked and hallow hearted hypocrites If all in the visible church be good men so auowed by the holy Ghost though many Hypocrites bee in it and consequently many bad men then all in the vis Church be Saints and are or may be so auowed by the holy Ghost though there be in it many vnholy and prophane But the first is true by your owne confession Therefore the second Notwithstanding all this that hath beene saide I doe not meane that notorious wicked men are to bee suffered in the church and not to be cast out except they repent God fordid But this is it I say and meane that albeit there be not through the default of the church gouernours a due execution of the church censures vpon the openwicked but that through their negligences or remissenes there remaine in the church many open wicked vncorrected that this impunity maketh not a nullitie in a church as they of the seperation doe teach Secondly I doe meane and out of the premises doe learne That albeit the church of God is to labour to preserue it selfe pure from these spots yet it seldome or neuer attaineth to that beautie and perfection but that some more or lesse bee in the true visible church who ought ratâ—er to be spued out then to haue any place there Which commeth to passe either because these wicked persons cannot be conuicted by manifest euidence or for want of that seueritie in discipline which ought to be in the Church Christ Iesus knowing this that through the corruption of man and wickednes of this world there will be in the church a mixture of good and bad holy and prophane he hath therevpon not onely foretold this and taught it by compaâ—ing the visible church to a field wherein groweth wheatâ—â—nd taâ—es and to a draw-net that gathereth things both good and bâ—d but therewithall seemeth to comfort the faithfull agaiâ—st this mixâ—ure and miserable coâ—pouâ—d assuring the eâ—ect that howsoeuer they shall be thus mingled with the wicked Matth. 13.30 aâ—d enemies of God for a time euen as the wheate and tares be that grow together yet it shall not be alwaiâ—s so with then but that there will come a time of separation when that as the tares are gathered into sheâ—uâ—s to be burned and the wheate into the barne so the wicked shall be cast â—nto a suâ—â—ace of fire where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth and the iust shall shine as the Sunne in the kingdome of their Father Apology 45. 61. Hereby also another error of yours is conuinced That all the Church is defiled by retaining open wicked in it For if in the Church from time to tiâ—e the e haue beene many open wicked as hath beene plainely shewed how can this position of yours possibly be true But you will prooue it by Scripture 1. Cor. 5.6 A little leauen leaueneth the whole lumpe If a known wicked man in the Church be to the whole Church as a litle leauen in the dough is to the whole lumpe how commeth it to passe that the Church of Corinth by the incestuous person was not vnsanctified all that time tydings were carrying of that notorious sinner from Corinthus in Achata to Paul at Philippi in Macedonia and the Apostles Ep stle carrying backe from Philippi to Corinthus But thaâ— notwithstanding all this sowring aâ—d defyling these men speake of the Apostle writeth to them thus To the Church of God which is at Corinthus to them that are sanctified in Christ Iesus Saints by calling That the sinne of the incestuous p rson was knowne to the Church it is hereby manifest in that the Apostle doeth so sh rpely rebuke them for that they had not excommunicated him which otherwayes he could not iustly haue done That all this time notwithstanding his sinne was knowne the Saints at Corinth held communion with him and he with them and were all of the same body societie it is likewise manifest by these words of the Apostle 1. Cor. 5.2.13 Put away therefore from among your selues that wicked man Hore is an open wicked man in the church of Corinth 1. Cor. 5.2.13 and not onely he but sundry more as appeareth by 2. Cor. 12.20.21 and by diuers other places and yet notwithstanding a true church Concerning this place of Scripture A litle leauen leaueneth the whole lumpe and some other Scriptures peruerted by you I forbeare to speake here because I haue occasion to say something of them hereafter If 〈◊〉 shall thinke that I neede not to haue spent so many words to prooue the mixture of good and bad in the Church and that in the same there haue beene and remained many open wicked Albeit the Brownists deny such confusion and mixture yet thye make no great matter of it neither doe they from thence conclude that our church is a false church nor iustifie their seperation setting downe this for a cause and reason thereof If any I say thinke thus they shall see by their owne words here following as partly also we haue heard before that they doe greatly mistake the matter and them and that besides the conuincing of
because in his owne nature he is holy or holinesse itsâ—lâ—e but also in respect of his effect and operation for that all those in whom he is he sanctifieth and maketh holy Hereupon it followeth that if the visible Church and members thereof be the Temple of God Then are they sanctified by the Spirit of God and Saints indeede and consequently such as to whom the heauenly inheritance belongeth For the inheritance shall be giuen to all them that are sanctified as is taught Act. 20.32 Besides we haue heard that prophane Esau and many more who haue beene vnholy and vncleane disobedient yea abhominable rebellious and reprobate to euery good worke haue beene of the vis Church We may heere also remember that this Spirit which dwelleth in euery one that is the Temple of God is called the Spirit of Life as Rom. 8.2 not onely because in whomsoeuer it is it killeth and subdueth sinne and quickeneth to righteousnesse as Rom. 8.10 But for that he who hath this Spirit hath life it selfe euen eternall life begun in him This Spirit likewise is called the seale and earnest of our inheritance 2. Cor. 2.22 Ephes 1.13 Whosoeuer therefore hath this spirit is sure to inherite the kingdome of heauen because he hath God his seale and earnest thereof For as much therefore as the inuissible Church onely and members thereof haue and shall haue this life and inherite this kingdome They therefore onely haue this spirit and consequently are this Temple And this argument one may drawe from your owne words thereby to conuince this your error Christ say you dwelleth in and gouerneth by his holy Spirit his elect Confession of Faith 34. which he hauing once giueÌ„ neuer taketh away from them but still begetteth and nourisheth in them repentance faith and loue and all Christian vertues vnto immortallity From these and some other lines of yours I argue against you thus They whosoeuer they be which are the Temple of God haue the spirit of God dwelling in them whereby they are quickened and haue the life of God in them yea are quickned to immortallitie But the Elect onely haue this spirit as your selues affirme pag. 34. of your confession of Faith whereby they are quickened as pag. 26. of the same booke therefore the Elect onely and inuisible Church are by your owne doctrine the Temple of God and not the visible Church Thus your owne sword againe helpeth to pierce your side And heere this reason may be vsed against you Those whom Peter calleth a spirituall house 1. Pet. 2.5 Ephes 222. and Paul the habitation of God by the spirit bee heere called the Temple of God but by the first are meant the faithfull who are of the inuisible Church therefore by the latter the proposition is euident And so is the assumption to them who vnderstand these places it hath also in part beene cleared and shall be further foorthwith Finally this is easily conuinced by 2. Cor. 6.19 Knowe you not that your body is the Temple of the holy Ghost which is in you whom you haue of God And you are not your owne for you are bought for a price Here we see that they who are the Temple of the holy Ghost or the Temple of God are saide to be redeemed or bought with a price But the elect onely are redeemed euen by your owne confession therefore they are of the Elect and Church inuisible who bee the Temple of God and in whome God dwelleth by his Spirit But it is no maruell though this and many other Scriptures which by the holy Ghost are meant of the members of the inuisible you vnderstand of the vis Church Description of the vis church 2 seeing you doe the like by 1. Pet. 2.9 then which there is scarce a place in holy writ Confession of faith 6. Apologie 44. Communion of Saints 248. 470. Paralleles 61. Iustification 44. wherein the Spirit of God speaketh more manifestly of the inuisible Church or those thereof vvho be effectually called and that can worse be vnderstood of the visible And this I haue shewed in the second Chapter where I speake at large of this Scripture So that it may seeme altogether needlesse to adde any thing thereunto Yet neuerthelesse I will And the rather because you being told of your mis-applying of this Scripture doe iustifie it and confidently affirme that it is meant of the visible Church and argue for the same Counterp 158. Iustification 43. For the better vnderstanding vvhereof I will set downe some verses going before Yee as liuely stones bee made a spirituall house an holy priesthood to offer vp spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ Wherefore it is contained in the Scripture Behold I put in Sion a chiefe corner stone elect and precious and he that beleeueth therein shall not be ashamed 7. vnto you therefore which beleeue it is precious but vnto them which be disobedient the stone which the builders disallowed the same is made the head of the corner 8. And a stone to stumble at and a rocke of offence euen to them which stumble at the word being disobedient vnto the which thing they were euen ordained 9. But yee are a chosen generation a royall Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar people that yee should shew forth the vertues of him that hath called you out of darknesse into his maruellous light In the fift verse of this Chapter they who are spoken of in this 9. verse are there called First liuely stones Secondly a spirituall house Thirdly an holy priesthood Fourthly as Priests they are said to offer vp spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ Now these liuely stones this spirituall house and these priests offering sacrifices acceptable to God in Christ are such onely as bee of the elect and inuisible Church as I haue plainely shewed in the second Chapter and euery babe in knowledge may hereby know because the Reprobate cannot offer any acceptable sacrifice to God Therefore of the inuisible Church and not of the vis Church Peter speaketh in this 9. verse By the 6. and 7. verses it is plaine that in this 9. verse he speaketh of the faithfull euen such as doe beleeue in Christ And this alone the elect doe In the 7 and 8. verses this our Apostle turning his spâ—ech from them that did beleeue to them that were so farre of from beleeuing in Christ that they did stumble at him so as hee was to them a rocke of offence endeth the 8. verse thus vnto the which thing they were euen ordained least now the beleeuing Iewes of whom hee had newly spoken should be terrified with that he had said of reprobation and some of them in their weakenesse feare least they were of the number of the Reprobates and such as God bad ordained to iust condemnation he telleth them in the 9. verse that this he meaneth not by them neither neede they to feare this at all for as much as
they are not of that generation and stocke of mankinde which God hath ordained to destruction as the former despisers of Christ but of the generation which God hath chosen and appointed to life euerlasting which generation is that we call the inuisible Church Why the elect bee heere called a chosen generation you may reade further Chap. 1. And there also see that these titles royall Priesthood holy Nation peculiar People which these men vnderstand of the visible Church cannot be so taken But are meant of the faithfull or true beleeuers al which are of the inuisible church Both by the words themselues then of this Scripture â— meane verse 9. and also by the coherence or depeâ—dance thereoâ— with that goeth bâ—fore it is euident that this Scripture is peâ—uerted by thâ—se men and misapplyed Nay this is euident by their owne vvritings And here with mee obsâ—rue a secret ouer ruling hâ—nd of God M. Ainsworth hauing made a large Treatise iâ—tituted the Communion of Saints and there hauing spoken many excellent and glorious things of the Saints rightly vnderstood that is of Saints indeed or the faithfull sanctified by the Spirit of God and Faith in Christs who are so of the visible Church as withall they be of the inuisible Church but by him meant and misapplyed to all the members of the vis Church Saints by profession which shameth the whole Treatise making it almost as full of lies as lines Hee I say hauing done this euer and anone throughout his whole booke behold how in a conclusion which he affixeth to the said booke he conuinceth himselfe of errour touching a great part of that hee had said before and namely concerning this place of Peter which a Pag. 470. before he vnderstood of the visible Church and members thereof Thus beginneth he his conclusion b 487. 4. 88. seeing we haue receiued such grace from God so many as beleeue in the name of his Sonne Christ as that we are raised vp from the graues of sinne c. being through his mercy made a c 1. Pet. 2.9 chosen generation a kingly priesthood washed from all our sinnes d Deut. 1.5 in the bloud of Christ and e Reu. 5.10 raigning with him on earth by mortifying and subduing our earthly members what remaineth but that wee purge our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit With your owne weapons thus I fight against you All they and they only who beleeue in Christ are by his bloud washed from their sinnes mortifie and subdue their earthly members are this chosen generation and royall priesthood But onely the elect and inuisible Church beleeue in Christ are by his bloud washed from their sinnes mortifie and subdue their earthly members Therfore the elect onely and inuisible Church are this chosen generation and kingly priesthood and therefore not the visible church as these men do teach The proposition is your owne the Assumption deny if you will But M. Ainsworth by three reasons will proue that this scripture is not to bee vnderstood of the inuisible Counterp 158. but of the vis Church The first is layed downe in these words This place of Peter speaketh of and to the vis or sensible Church for the Apostle wrote to the vis Christians the strangers that then dwelt in Pontus Galatia c. In the tenth Chapter of this booke I haue answered this reason at large and shewed the vanitie of it notwithstanding something I will adde heere Be it granted that Peter writ to the vis church though something might be said against it as that he writeth to them that had obtained like precious faith with him which none but the chosen and of the inuis chureh haue yet this proues not that this 9. verse is true and to be vnderstood of the vis Church no more then it followeth that these sayings of Paul are true and to bee vnderstood of the vis Church and all the members thereof Yee are bought for a price 1. Cor. 6.20 Rom. 8.15 Gal. 4.20 3.26 Ephes 1.13 yee haue receiued the spirit of Adoption ye are the sonnes of God who hath sent forth the spirit of his Sonne into your hearts ye are all the sonnes of God yee are sealed with his holy Spirit of promise the earnest of our inheritance with many such like because the Epistles wherein these are vvere vvritten as you affirme to visible or sensible Churches The second reason followeth in these words This which Peter speaketh chap 2.9.10 is as Moses spake of old to the visible Church of Israel Exod. 19.6 I answere though Exod. 19.6 was spoken to the vis church of Israel yet it was in respect of them therein vvho were of the inuisible church and of Gods elect and is true onely of such as I haue shewed before euen so it is here Your last reason followeth Againe say you Peter mentioneth the end of their calling to this dignitie viz. to shew forth the vertues of him that hath called them out of darknesse into his maruellous light which whether it appertaines not to the visible Church I leaue it for euery true member thereof to Iudge It cannot be denied but that Peter speaketh of them vvho of God are called out of darknesse that is out of sinne and ignorance into his maruellous light that is to the knowledge of God and holinesse for which maruellous mercy receiued out of the very sense and feeling therof they praise God and indeauour all the dayes of their life to walke worthy of it which is heere called the shewing forth of the vertues of him that hath called them But the inuis church onely and company of the elâ—ct are called out of darknesse into this maruellous light being called therefore the children of the light and they alone out of a sensible feeling of this great mercy doe praise blesse God for the same and indeauour to liue to him vvho hath thus called them Of the inuisible Church therfore called heare a chosen generation doth the Apostle Peter speake in this place So this reason maketh greatly against you Counterp 158. No lesse blame-worthy are you for maintaining this That no places of Scripture setting forth the inuisible Church are by you brought to set forth the visible Church The contrary to this appeareth plainely by this Treatise To proue that they vvho be of the true vis church are called out of the world Apologie 44. Counterp 133. or seperated from the world a seperated company of righteous men vsually you quote Ioh. 15.15.19 and 17.9.14 16.20 Tell mee now who be they that beeing in this world are not of this world Are not the elect onely such know you not that they who be not of this world doe belong to a better world Moreouer doth Christ pray for the vis Church or the inuisible onely and company of the elect what meane you then to apply Scriptures concerning these things to the vis Church seeing they be spoken
head thereof for it is written Counterp 127. God hath appointed him ouer all things the head of the Church which is his body Ephes 1 22.2â— and againe to the Church of Corinth it is said Ye are the bodie of Christ 1. Cor. 12.27 But the Church of England is not the body of Christ neither hath him for the head thereof Therefore the Church of England is not a true Church This Argument M. Smith likewise vseth against our Churches and Particular Congregations Your Parish assemblies haue not Christ for their head Ergo they be false churches Paralleles 87. Ephe. 1.22.23 1. Cor. 12.27 Gal. 3.16 Ephes 5.23 Wee answere that these and all other places of holy writ wherein Christ is said to bee the head of the Church or the Church is said to be his body that by Church wee are to vnderstand that societiee we call the inuisible Church or company of beleeuers which be a part therof or if in any of them we may vnderstand the vis Church it must needs be spoken in respect of them therein that are of the inuisible Church which commeth all to one And thus Christ Iesus is the head of the church of England and it is his body and so your Assumption is false Surely it is admirable that all of you are so farre blinded as to teach that a Confession of faith 10. 52. 58. 68. Apologie 44. Communion of Saints 6. 455. 475. Description of the vis church pag. 1. The visible Church is the body of Christ and that without any limitation exception respâ—ct or restraine For shew mee one line in all your bookes tending this way And heere behold the absurditie of your Proposition Euery true Church is the body of Christ meaning euery true particular visible Church or congregation wherevpon followeth that how many particular Churches there be so many bodies of Christ and so you make a monster of Christ But how monstrous soeuer this is you wil proue it and that by Scripture For it is written say you God hath appointed Christ ouer all things the head of the Church which is his body Ephes 1.22.23 I answere You speake of euery particular visible Church and the Apostle here of the inuisible Church which is Catholicke or vniuersall part whereof is now in heauen and part on earth as verse 10. For confirmation whereof also serue these words verse 22. God hath appointed him ouer all things How maketh this Scripture then any thing for you The inuisible Church and company of the Elect is the body of Christ Your proposition is Euery true particular visible Church is the body of Christ These are different propositions and euery babe may see the former of these is no proofe of the latter and that the former being true this latter may notwithstanding be false That this Scripture is to bee vnderstood of the inuisible Church it is manifest by that hath been said Also by the words next following in verse 23. which is his body euen the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all things Whereby we learne that without the Church here spoken of Christ Iesus doth not account himselfe full perfect and entire but as it were maimed euen as a head without a body Such is his loue to this church and high account of it But this fulnesse to Christ doth the inuisible Church bring Of the inuisible church therefore doth the Apostle here speake And marke how neither of the first words of your Proposition are vsed here by Paul He saith not euery Church as you doe which might seeme to haue implyed that he had spoken of the vis Church or Churches nor true Church which had made it cleare on your side For true cannot fitly be said of the inuisible Church forasmuch as there is no false inuisible Church Onely the word Church he vseth without any such addition which word in holy writ is indifferently vsed for the inuisible and visible Church as before I haue shewed and here for the inuisible as the reasons aforesaide doe manifest This Scripture therefore is preuerted by you and maketh nothing for you But bee it graunted that Paul speakes here of the visible Church and that there is no abuse of Scripture at least that if not here yet 1. Cor. 12.27 he speaketh of the Church visible yet neither will that helpe you seeing the visible Church cannot bee saide to bee the Body of Christ but in respect of the Elect that are in the visible church now this will not profit you at all for to vnderstand these Scriptures of the visible Church as you will haue it marke how your argument must be framed Euery true visible Church is the body of Christ and hath him for the head thereof in respect of the Elect therein The Church of England is not the Body of Christ neither hath him for the head thereof in respect of the Elect therein Therefore the Church of England is not a true visible Church Thus your argument should haue beene composed and what is wanting is to bee vndeâ—stood and then wee answere you by denying your assumption and doe affirme that the Church of England is the body of Christ and hath him for the head thereof in respect of Gods elect that be in it And in this sence also as well as in the former the same may be said of vs that Paule saide of the Corinthians Yee are the body of Christ and members for your part And here I cannot chuse but wonder at the extreâ—me folly of this maâ— Who prouing that the Church of England is not the body of Christ neither hath him for the head thereof whereas he should direct his speech against the goâ—ly among vs and prooue thaâ— they are not the Body of Christ nor haue him for their head in steaâ— thereof he doth direct it to vse his owne words to our prophane people Counterp 128 mockers and contemners of Religion that blaspheame God and his holy name euen in the stretes as they walke such as call themselues the damned crewe Familists Atheists and all other sorts of miscreants and wicked liuers These children of wrath saith he this sinfull generation cannot possibly be members of the Body of Christ nor haue him for their head seeing they are not partakers of his life and spirit nor called to his faith neither admitteth he any such vnto him vntill they repent he hath no concord with Belial therefore not with the children of Belial the members of his glorious body must not be the dead stinking and abhominable members of Sathan Light and darkenesse heauen and hell will as soone bee vnited together And in this path doe tâ—ey all tread Thus can I prooue that the church of the Iewes as in other ages so namely in Dauids time and in Isaiah his time was a false Church for as much as the Iewes then were a prophane people Isa 2 3â— mockers and contemners of Religion c. Of the
in your schisme and errours and hearken to the counsell of Salomon Pro. 19.27 My sonne heare no more the instruction that causeth to erre from the words of knowledge Goe not I beseech you in the name of Iesus one step more forward in the way you are in For I call heauen and earth to record that it leades to destruction And why will ye die O ye children of men It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God for our God is a consuming fire I know you perswade your selues of better things and such as accoÌ„pany saluation You think that the way you now are in is the only way to life But what if you mistake it Christ telleth vs that many shall seeke to enter in at the straight gate Luk. 13.24 and shall not bee able Which cannot be vnderstood of men minding earthly things whether it be their profits or pleasures For they neither desire nor seeke after any such thing But of heretickes Schismatickes and sectaries You will say I know that you are no schismatickes because you separate from a false Church onely and ioyne to a true in deede if that which you teach of the visible Church were true then were all our congregations false Churches But heare and marke well what I say Such a visible Church as you require and pretend to be there is not in the world neither euer was You teach in this point that which is repugnant to the Scriptures and a thing vnpossible in it selfe to be Such a societie as you say a true visible Church is is not visible cannot possibly be seene or discerned But some of you will say are not our Ministers learned Yes That lets not but that both they may and indeede doe grossely erre in those things wherein they dissent from vs and from all the learned in the world Who knoweth not that among the Papists there be many of great learning and gifts which haue very great knowledge and skill in the arts in the languages are of excellent vtterance expert and ready in holy Scriptures can speake and write truely agreeing with the Scriptures of sundry of the secrets of the Kingdome of heauen as of God his nature persons attributes Of Christ Iesus his incarnation his birth life preachings sufferings comming to iudgement of the Resurrection of the life to come with many more of this kinde and yet notwithstanding in those points wherein they differ from the Church of England and all other true Churches they are blinde as beetles But you will obiect further that what you of the Separation hold is proued plentifully out of the word of God I acknowledge indeede that you abound and superabound in your allegations of Scripture Neuer any men contending for lyes did therein goe beyond you nor equall you neither If hereunto we adde their externall holinesse wee may safely say that in no faction or schisme that euer yet was in the world Satan did more transforme himselfe into an Angell of light then in this But what Their Scriptures being peruerted as the truth is and so tending to the destruction of the Reader all this is but sheepes clothing Mat 7.15 whereof Christ biddeth vs to beware Horrible and fearefull is your abusing and wresting of holy Scripture and to some incredible It had been well for you if you had been more sparing in your quotations then had yee lesse taken Gods Name in vaine who will not hold you guiltlesse for the same except ye repent And now dearely beloued behold Christ Iesus stands at the doore and knockes aloud tarrying and abiding there as one very desirous to come in and loth to be kept out He that hath the keyes of the house of Dauid who shutteth and no man openeth and openeth and no man shutteth open the doore of your soule that you may let Christ enter in And to that end open I humbly beseech you the eyes of your minde that you may bee able to discerne betweene things that differ and know truth from falsehood and reiecting and abhorring the one which is from the Diuell may imbrace the other which is from God And here my deare countrimen who lately are gone out from vs and become Anabaptists I beseech you consider of this one thing with me When you first separated from the Church of England did not you highly esteeme and reuerence the Church of Amsterdam euen as the deare spouse and body of Christ I meane the Brownists Church there Would not you then gladly haue had communion with them if possibly you could when you refused the same with vs Did not then all of you assure your owne soules that that way which then and still we call Brownisme was the onely way to life wherevpon in that way you would needs walke come on it what would imprisonment or banishment life or death Did not then some of the chiefe of you in my hearing magnifie M. Fr. Iohnson and their bookes specially the Apologie aboue all bookes next to the holy Bible And in all this you reioyced exceedingly How commeth it now to â—asse that so quickly not onely our Churches but the aforesaid Church at Amsterdam is likewise become an Harlot and Babylon That you abhorre now as much to haue religious communion with them as with vs How commeth this I say to passe but because that which the Apostle saith generally of all deceiuers is and must needs be in the particular true of you your selues being deceiuers That you wax worse and worse deceiuing and being more and more deceiued Thus haue I in few words by way of commination exhortation dehortation and supplication indeuoured to perswade you my brethren of the Separation speecially my countreymen who are lately entred into this way to renounce your errours and to breake off by repentance your grieuous sinne of separating and all the sinnes accompanying it If this I haue published preuaile not thus farre though not with all yet with some of you as to bring you to the sight and acknowledgement of your erronious doctrine concerning the visible Church and your peruerting of holy Scripture for confirmation thereof as my hope is it will I for my part doe confesse that I vtterly despayre of doing any good of you and say to you as I haue learned from the Apostle to speake in this case If any man be ignorant let him be ignorant I shall also hold it vaine to contend any further with you 1. Cor. 14.38 11.16 If any lust to be contentious saith Paul wee haue no such custome nor the Churches of God And so I end leauing the successe hereof both with you and others to the Lord whom in Iesus Christ I beseech to accept of this my poore and weake seruice and to grant that it may prosper to that end wherevnto by me his most vnworthy seruant it is intended euen to the glory of his great Name and edification of his Church Amen IOHN DAYRELL A
SVMMARIE OF THE CHAPTERS THE FIRST BOOKE OF the Church triumphant and militant And sundry Titles in holy Scriptures given to the same specially to the Militant Church Chap. 1. pag 1. The Vse of the former doctrine Chap. 2. pag. 14. Of the Visible Church and the diverse acceptations of the Word Church Chap. 3. pag 20. The visible Church is a mixt companie compounded of Christians true and false the greatest part being the worst Chap. 4 pag 23. Of Religion what it is and how distinguished Chap 5. pag. 32. That the Profession of Religion maketh one a member of the visible Church Chap. 6. pag 3. That the Church of England is a true Church and our parish assemblies true visible Churches Chap. 7. pa. 41. THE SECOND BOOKE A Confutation of H. Barrow his description of a true visible Church Chap. 1. pag. 51. A confutation of another description of the true visible Church giuen by the Brownists Where much is said concerning the first gathering of a Church and commixture of good and bad in the Church Chap. 2. pag. 60. Of the matter and forme of the visible Church Chap. 3. pag. 161. Whether thc Couenant of life and saluation which God made with Abraham and his seede where made with the visible or inuisible Church Chap. 4. pag. 186. The titles which the Separists ascribe to the visible Church are to be vnderstood of the inuisible Church onely Chap. 5. pag. 197. The Churches of the Brownists by their owne doctrine are false churches and therefore men ought to separate and come out from among them Chap. 6. pag. 215. The controuersie betweene vs and the Brownists concerning religious communion is here debated Where is shewed First that wee may lawfully ioyne in diuine worship with them which are not members of the Church Secondly with the open wicked And that thereby neither the faithfull nor the holy things of God are polluted Chap. 7. pag. 217. The Arguments of the Brownists whereby they would proue our church to be a false church and the answere vnto them Chap 8. pag. 229. How the Separists to iustifie their separation from the Church of England doe shamefully peruert the holy Scriptures Chap. 9. pag. 257. THE FIRST BOOKE CHAP. I. Of the Church Triumphant and Militant and of the sundry titles in holy Scripture giuen to the same THe word in the original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 translated Church signifieth an assembly or company called out from other and in the new Testament thereby sometimes is meant The company of the Elect 1. Cor. 1.10 euen that whole company that God hath chosen and called and wil call out of mankind vnto the fellowship of Iesus Christ in him to haue life eternal And this is manifest by the fift to the Ephesians Husbands loue your wiues euen as Christ loued the Church and gaue himselfe for it 26. That he might sanctifie it and clense it by the washing of water through the Word 27. That hee might make it vnto himselfe a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinckle or any such thing but that it should bee holy and without blame And a little after No man euer hated his owne flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it Vers 29.32 euen as the Lord doth the Church And againe This is a great secret but I speake concerning Christ and concerning the Church All this must needs be vnderstood of all the Elect which society is foure times heere called the Church For first those which be heere called the Church Christ is said to Loue But on the Elect only Christs loue is set as on his spouse them alone hee nourisheth and cherisheth as a man doth his owne flesh The company of the Elect are meant therefore by the Church Againe it is said He gaue himselfe for the Church thereby also it is cleare by Church is meant onely and all the Elect sith for them alone and for all them he died and not for the reprobate And whereas Christ is said heere Iohn 17 9.20.25 compared with Iohn 10.27.28 Mat. 25.33.34 to sanctifie the Church and cleanse it c. And the Elect only be thus sanctified and clensed this sanctification being begunne onely in them in this life and perfected in them alone in the world to come at which time they shal be without spot or wrinkle their vile bodies being made like to Christ his glorious body and their sinfull soules like to his most holy and glorious soule and so a most glorious Church or company it followeth necessarily thereupon that by Church heere the holy Ghost meaneth the congregation of the Elect which is that we call the inuisible Church and not the visible Church which consisteth as well of Reprobate Matth. 16.8 as Elect as the Separists will haue it Of the inuisible Church also our Sauiour Christ speaketh vnto Peter saying Thou art Peter and vpon this Rocke I will build my Church By him vnderstood Christ Iesus and the gates of hell shall not ouercome it Meaning that in him and vpon him the Elect whom heere hee calleth his Church should bee so rooted and grounded that no enemies no not Angels Principalities nor Powers with all their power and subtiltie should be able to preuaile against them or any of them But the visible Church is and hath beene from time to time shaked and battered in her parts yea sometimes made euen with the ground Of it therefore this Scripture cannot bee vnderstood as some affirme but of the inuisible which is nothing else but the communion of Saints that are and shall be Of the Church we haue againe a description together with a distribution in the 12. to the Hebrewes where Vers 22. for the better vnderstanding of the Doctrine we haue in hand wee may obserue the seuerall titles that bee giuen vnto it First it is called the Citie of the liuing God Rom. 12.2 because they of this society when they be called liue not after the lawes customes and manners of this world whereof they bee not though they be in it but are therein as foriners and strangers but after the lawes statutes and ordinances of God set downe in his word Iohn 15.19 17.14 1 Pet. 2.11 Psal 119.1.2 so that in life and conuersation they differ from other men yea from that themselues did sometime leade Secondly it is called the celestiall Ierusalem as whereof that earthly Ierusalem was a figure Also because the Citizens of this Citie seeke those things which are aboue Col. 3.1.2 setting their affections chiefely on heauenly things not minding in the first places earthly things as they doe whose portion is this world Phil. 3.19.20 Psal 119.57 and not God And thus as they of this fellowship are cleane changed and differ from all other in outward carriage and from that themselues were before so in inward affection and disposition Thirdly it is called the Church of the first borne because they are that company which was figured by
life as is aforesaid For which cause as the Church is heere called the Chosen generation Matth. 20.16 22.14 24 so often in Scripture the chosen or the Elect Many are called but few chosen which is in effect the same with this Many are in the Church but few of the Church If it were possible they should deceiue the very Elect. And Tit. 1.1 the elect of God or Gods elect According to the faith of Gods elect These elect and beleeuing Iewes or Church of the Iewes are heere called first a royall Priesthood because all of them and not all of the visible Church as the Separists doe teach and Kings and Priests vnto God as Reuel 1.6 and 5.10 where those which Christ hath redeemed loued and washed from their sinnes in his blood which are the Elect and Church inuisible hee is said to haue made them Kings and Priests vnto God euen his Father 2. Cor. 10.45 As Kings and conquerors in this life they subdue and cast downe holds Rom. 8.10.13 Gal. 5.24 casting downe the imaginations and euery high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God bringing into captiuity euery thought to the obedience of Christ and doe kill sinne which before as a King raigned in them Rom. 6.12.14.21.23 7.11 and had dominion ouer them and else would haue slaine them These as Kings ouercome also this world and the Prince thereof treading him vnder their feete 1. Iohn 5.4 Gen. 3.15 Rom. 16.20 Ephes 6.12 Rom. 8.37 Hebr. 1.2 Psal 8.6.7 8. Thus are these Conquerers not onely of flesh and bloud but of principalities and powers yea more then conquerours through him that loueth them They of this chosen generation and royall Priesthood as Kings are in and through Christ heires of this world and of the things therein as of the fish of the sea the fowles of the ayre and the beasts of the earth hauing a right to that which they inherit and possesse so as they may say it is their owne and are not vsurpers as men of another generation bee 1. Cor. 3.21.22 And in the world to come all of this chosen generation and royall Priesthood as Kings and Conquerors shall raigne and inherit a Kingdome that is eternall 2. Tim. 2.12 2. Pet. 1.11 1. Pet. 1.4 reserued for them in heauen Rightly therefore are all of the Church said to bee royall persons and Kings These Kings are also Priests and are therefore called a eoyall Priesthood As Priests they offer sacrifices the spiritual sacrifices whereof we shall heare forthwith and in the life to come the sacrifice of praise and thankes to God and vnto him that sitteth vpon the Throne for the victory and conquest he hath giuen them and for all his goodnes and louing kindnesse towards them Reuel 5.9.10 The Church of the Iewes to whom Peter writ is likewise called an holy nation and in the fift verse an holy Priesthood because all the members of the Church be holy and none of them vnholy or prophane Among these there is no vncleane person neyther whosoeuer worketh abomination that is no sinner or worker of iniquity But as all their names be written in the booke of life of which we haue spoken so are they all Saints indeed their hearts being purified by faith and they sanctified and made holy by Gods holy Spirit Act. 15.9 Rom. 8 9.10 dwelling in them Holy are they in this world but more holy in the world to come In part heere but hereafter perfectly holy and without blame not hauing spot or wrinckle Holy in regard of their renued righteousnesse Ephes 5.27 2. Cor. 7.1 1. Pet. 1.15 1. Iohn 3.3 2. Cor. 6.21 which is begun in this life and perfected in the life to come And holy because of Christs holinesse which being without them is imputed to them and becomes theirs by imputation as their sinnes were his This society is further called a peculiar people or a people or company which God claimeth to be his owne in a speciall and more principall respect that is by right of redemption as being that society or part of mankind which Christ Iesus hath bought and deliuered out of that spirituall captiuity and bondage to sinne Satan and condemnation not with gold or siluer or any such corruptible thing but by his owne pretious bloud in another and more generall respect all mankind being his that is by right of creation Exod. 19.5 or as he is their Creator Of this People we reade Matth. 1.21 Thou shalt call his name Iesus for he shall saue his people from their sinnes Hereby are meant those whom God the Father hath giuen to Christ Iesus in him to haue life eternall that is the Elect which Christ meaneth by these words so oft repeated by Iohn Iohn 6.37.39 17.2.24 Those which my Father hath giuen mee And this is confirmed by the Syriake translation where for peculiar people we haue the Congregation redeemed Iesus then in dying paid not a ransome or price of redemption for all men but for a certaine congregation or company of men Act. 20.28 Costerus cap. de Iustificatione de causis et modis Iustif Apologie 44. Conterpo 158 A true description of the visible Church pag. 1. euen that wee call the Church I say not for all men as the Papists hold nor for the visible Church as the Brownists in vnderstanding this Scripture of the visible Church vnawares doe teach and in plaine words in their Confession of faith Art 17. and Master Robinson in his Iustification 115. where he saith That all of the visible Church are purchased with the blood of God Moreouer of this society it is said heere that of God they are called out of darkenesse into his maruailous light that is out of sinne and ignorance wherein they remaine vntill the time of their calling to knowledge and holinesse To the same effect are those words Act 26.18 where Paul is said to be sent to the Gentiles to open their eyes that they might turne from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan vnto God As all of the Church Ephes 14 in the eternall decree and counsell of God are chosen and appointed to life euerlasting before all times euen before the foundation of the world was laid as we haue heard so betweene this decree and the execution thereof in this world are they all in time euen in their appointed season effectually called and translated from the kingdome of darknes and the Prince thereof the Diuell Colos 1.13 into the kingdome of God his deare sonnes to be from thenceforth gouerned by his spirit and word and do walke in the light And this the Apostle teacheth in the eight to the Romans saying whom he predestinated meaning to life them also he called Veâ—s 39 Lastly Peter sheweth wherefore God hath chosen out of the stock of mankind some to life whom in his time hee calleth to be Kings and Priests vnto him
We account of all men next to the King his children most honorable and happy especially his sonne and heire that is to inherit the Kingdome Hereupon the seruants of Saul speaking thus to Dauid Behold 2. Sam. 18.23 the King hath a fauour vnto thee be now therefore the Kings sonne in law DAVID answered Seemeth it to you a light thing to be the Kings sonne in law seeing that I am a poore man and of small reputation What then may it seeme vnto vs who are but dust and ashes nay worse then so by nature the children of wrath and of the Diuell to become by grace the adopted children of God Ephes 2.3 Iohn 8.41.44 It is a matter of great honor and dignity to bee the sonne and heire of a Noble man specially of a King And is it not a much more glorious thing to be the sonne and heire of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings All men bestow and leaue vnto their children according to that themselues be and haue The meane man an inheritance or portion according to his abilitie be it more or lesse The Gentleman leaues to his children according to his estate and worth The noble-man after his and the King according to his greatnesse Euen so it is betwixt God and his children What and how great then shall be the portion and honor of these children seeing it shall be agreeable to the greatnesse of their heauenly Father and that which beseemeth the children of such a Father It must needs be such as neither eye hath sâ—ene nor eare hath heard nor euer came into mans heart in a word incomprehensibly glorious Because of this the estate of these in the world to come is not only called a glorious estate Rom. 8.18.21 and vers 17.30 1. Iohn 3.2 Phil. 3.21 and the glorioas liberty of the sons of God and they then said to be glorified and to be like vnto Christ partaking with him in glory both in soule and body their vile bodies being made like vnto his glorious body but is also inlarged thus that they shall then haue a most excellent and eternall waight of glory 2. Cor. 4.17 To set forth also the excellent an glorious estate and condition of these in the world to come it is often said in the Scriptures that they shall haue a Kingdome Feare not little flocke Luke 12.32 for it is your Fathers pleasure to giue you a Kingdome Matth. 5.3 Blessed are the poore in spirit for there is the Kingdome of heauen And to the same end it is called the kingdom of God and of heauen 1. Cor. 6.9 Heb. 12.28 2. Tim. 4.8 1. Cor. 9.25 Mat. 5.3 and said to be such as cannot be shaken On the heads of these Kings shall be set a crowne of righteousnesse yea an incorruptible crowne of glory Happy then and a thousand times happy are all of this Church and company that shall haue such and so glorious a kingdome whereof also there is no end but they shall raigne for euermore These 1. Pet. 1.4 2.1.11 howsoeuer they be not borne nor come by discent to this heauenly kingdome and inheritance Ephes 1.4.5 Act. 13.48 yet are they of God chosen and ordained thereunto before the foundation of the world was laid as appeareth by that sentence of Christ the Iudge of all men which he shall one day pronounce vpon them Come yee blessed of my Father Matth. 25.34 take the inheritance of the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world And therefore they who in their minoritie and nonage haue not yet receiued this inheritance and kingdome are as sure of it as if they were inthronized and in possession thereof Because as God himselfe so all things in God and namely this election of part of mankind vnto saluation is vnchangeable So that heauen and earth shall sooner passe away then any one of this chosen generation perish Are not they now happy who are sure to inherite this Kingdome albeit they yet haue it not What though in this world and for the present 1. Cor. 15.19 they bee of all men the most miserable yet neuerthelesse if we haue respect to their future estate Heb. 11.26 1. Pet. 1.4 to this great recompence of reward and inheritance immortall by the power of God reserued for them in heauen they are of all the children of men the most happy and those only who be happy all others being in a most accursed estate coÌ„dition And thus much concerning the Church or that we cal the Inuisible Church the knowledge whereof we referre to God the searcher of hearts proceed we now to entreate of the visible Church which men can know and discerne and is therefore called visible into which all they must retire themselues in this world that will be gathered with the inuisible Church into heauen in the world to come according to that saying Act. 2.47 And the Lord added to the Church from day to day such as should be saued For this cause it standeth vs vpon diligently to search and enquire into this matter and so for thee Christian Reader to giue good eare to that which followeth CHAP. III. Of the visible Church and diuers acceptation of the word Church AS sometimes this word Church must be taken in that sence I haue already spoken of that is for all the elect or some speciall company of the elect as is manifest by the premises so in many other places of holy Scripture it cannot possibly be so vnderstood but must of necessity haue some other signification Verse 3. In the 8. of Acts Luke reporteth of Saul that he made hauocke of the Church And no lâ—sse doth the Apostle say of himselfe 1. Cor. 15.9 I am not meete to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God In these places and very many more by Church we cannot vnderstand the Elect except we will imagine eyther that Saul knew whom God had elected or that all bee elected who are persecuted both which are very false How then must wee vnderstand this word Church heere And what may we doe to finde out the true sence and meaning of this word in these and such other like places where it cannot be taken in the former signification Surely it may easily and and safely be done by conference of Scripture as we shall see Verse 3. In the 22. of the Acts Saint Paul hath these words of himselfe I was zealous towards God as yee all are this day vers 4. And I persecuted this way vnto the death binding and deliuering into prison both men and women And Galath 1. Thus he likewise speaketh of himselfe Vers 13. yee haue heard of my conuersation in times past in the Iewish religion how that I persecuted the Church of God extreamely and wasted it 14. And profited in the Iewish religion aboue many of my companions of my owne Nation and was much more
God in vaine Matth. 15.9 not one of them worshipped God aright in spirit and truth neyther did they liue after the lawes of God and Christ but after the lawes and customes and fashion of this world whereof they were When men spake to them of peace they were bent to warre and in stead of loue vnfained they did beare a perfect hatred to the Saints These men then were not such as be heere described yea none of them had any one of these properties which you necessarily require in euery member of the visible Church much lesse all of them And therefore by this description none of them were of the visible Church and yet by the Scripture it is plaine that they were all of the visible Church Thus we see your description accordeth not with the holy Scriptures neither hath warrant from thence but by them is easily conuinced notwithstanding you alledge for confirmation thereof sixe and thirty testimonies of holy Scripture But a thousand more so peruerted will not make good your description nor any other of your errors And because I know you will hardly leaue this hold and for that if this be battered downe and made euen with the ground you must needs betake your selues some other way I will therefore againe assault you by the force of another Argument If the visible Church be a company of faithfull and holy people that worship Christ aright are peaceably and quietly gouerned by his officers and lawes keepe the vnitie of faith in the bond of peace and loue vnfained Then none haue been at any time of the visible Church but such as haue beene faithfull and holy did worship Christ aright c as followeth in your description But some haue beene of the visible Church who were not such as be heere described as Cain Ismael Esau Saul Doeg Ioab Absalom the Scribes and Pharisies with infinite others Therefore the visible Church is not a company of faithfull people worshipping Christ aright c. The Consequence of the Proposition I doe illustrate and confirme by the like If the visible Church be a company of people professing the true Religion then none haue beene of the visible Church but such as haue professed the true Religion If the inuisible Church be the company of the elect then none haue beene or are of the inuisible Church but such as were and are elect and their names written in the booke of life The assumption your selues will grant Againe I reason with you on this manner If this be a true description then no reprobates euer haue bin are or shall be of the visible Church but only the elect for none haue beene are or can bee such as are heere described but the elect But many reprobates haue beene are and shall be of the visible Church Therefore this description of the visible Church is false The Proposition must needs be true except Christ Iesus be the King Priest and Prophet of Reprobates and that Reprobates worship Christ aright in Spirit and truth be gouerned by his lawes as their only King keepe the vnitie of faith in the bond of peace and doe vnfainedly loue the brethren Matth. 22.14 The Assumption will not be denied and it is manifest by that short speech of Iesus Many are called but few chosen This description being heretofore found fault with by some and Master Ainsworth iustifying the same it shall not be amisse to heare what hee saith in answere to them and in defence thereof Câ—unterpoys 208. They cauill at our description of a Church when we say that it is a company of faithfull people that truely worship Christ and readily obey him this say these Ministers is vtterly vntrue if it be vnderstood of the visible Church This is strange What would they haue vs describe the Church to be A company of Infidels or a company of faithfull and of infidels together when Paul teacheth that there is no communion betweene such 2. Cor. 6.14 15. or should wee say a people that falsely worshippe Christ Indeed if so we held we might well returne to their Church of England for there is false worship more then enough The Apostle writing to the visible Church of Ephesas calleth them Saints and the faithfull in Christ Iesus Will they say that this also was vtterly vntrue Their owne articles of Religion in England * Aâ—no 1562. Aâ—t 19. say thus The visible Church of Christ is a Congregation of faithfull people c. And is this also vntrue I answere you hauing respect to your owne words A visible Church is a coÌ„pany professing true faith or a company professing the true worship of God some whereof haue faith in Christ I meane true and iustifying faith and worshâ—p God indeed euen in spirit and truth the rest being the greatest part are hypocriticall worshippers void of true faith hauing only eyther the temporall or historicall faith or no faith at all but very Atheists Yet professe they the true worship of God and faith in Christ Iesus and in this respect may be called faithfull in Christ Iesus and Saints because whatsoeuer they be their profession is holy and he holy in whom they would seeme to belieue and whom they seeme to worship truly And in this sence our Church saith A visible Church is a Congregation of faithfull people that is of such as professe faith in Christ Iesus Of this sort of Infidels and counterfeit Professors were Cain and for a time Ismael Esau also Saul Absalom Iudas Simon Magus with infinite more Vnderstanding Infidels thus as they may well be called Infidels or vnbeleeuers who haue not true faith Then I say the Church is a company of saithfull and of Infidels 2. Cor. 6.14 But if by Infidels you meane the same the Scripture vsually vnderstandeth by this word such as worship a false god and doe not so much as professe the worship of the only true God or faith in him then it is true that a visible Church is not a company of faithfull and Infidels together And the hauing communion with such Infidels as these in their false worship is that which the Apostle condemneth He doth not forbid to partake in diuine worship with such Infidels as formerly I haue spokeÌ„ of wicked vngodly men void of true faith as euery where very fondly you tel vs nor yet to communicate with these Infidels he speaketh of in true diuine worship but this he condemneth and argueth against That the children of God may not haue communion with Infidels and Heathens in their false and Idolatrous worship as some of the Saints at Corinth as it might seeme did repairing to the Idols Temples and ioyning therewith their neighbours that were Idolaters in their idolatrous worship This they thought they might lawfully doe so long as in their hearts and inward affections they condemned it and kept them pure as may be gathered from 2. Cor. 7.1 And this is it that Paul reproueth and nothing lesse then
thorow this doore into the Church Fourthly Whether God moued the heart of this man and by his Spirit perswaded him to ioyne with others in the externall worship of God or the loue of prosperity and freedome from misery And let this suffice for a reply to your answere whereby the insufficiencie and vanity of it is made manifest as also of this following speech of Master Iohnsons Aâ—swere to M. Iacob 199. tending to the same purpose It is saith he the worke of God only to adde to his Church such as he will saue And therefore it is not in the power of Princes or any man whatsoeuer to perswade the conscience and make members of the Church but this must be left to God alone who only can doe it Princes may and ought within their dominions to abolish all false worship and establish the true worship appointed by God in his word commanding and compelling their subiects to come vnto and practise no other but this yet must they leaue it vnto God to perswade and to adde to his Church from time to time such as shall be saued I answere this man further That the Lord adde to the Church such as he will saue and none other yet the visible Church being the Barne wherein his wheat must be threshed before it be gathered into the garner of Heauen Mat. 3.12 SataÌ„ the father of all Hypocrits addeth many vnto it such may come to be of the visible Church and often doe by the Commandement counsell or perswasion of man and yet that be true you say and by many testimonies endeuour to proue that God alone must perswade the conscience and that it is his worke only to adde to his Church such as he will saue But tell me Master Iohnson whether those who not only come vnto but also practise the true worship appointed by God in his Word be not members of the Church You cannot deny they are members and so to be accounted But Princes say you in their dominions may command and compell their subiects to come vnto and practise the true worship appointed by God in his Word Therefore Princes in their dominions may command and compell their subiects to be members of the Church But leauing this man I returne to Master Ainsworth and that which followeth in his Counterpoyson You adde that this doctrine openeth a dore in the Church Counterpoys 224. to all the prophane in the world contrary to the Scriptures If by prophane you meane those that are inwardly and secretly prophane We answere they cannot be kept out of the Church for we know not who be such if openly prophane as I thinke you doe then this doctrine openeth not the dore of the Church to such But you will proue it for if a Prince say you may compell some of his subiects to bee members of the Church he may compell all and if one Prince may doe it all may So if there were such an Emperour as Augustus that commanded all the world to be taxed he might also command and compell all the world to be ioyned vnto the Church All this wee grant seeme it to you neuer so strange and absurd and tell you that if euer God should grant such an Empâ—ror as would command and compell all the world Iewes and Gentiles to worshippe God as he hath commanded and should make a law and see it executed throughout the whole world as Asa did in Iudah That whosoeuer would not worship God in that manner â— Chro. 15.12 hee hath commanded whether he were small or great man or woman should be slain that such compulsion by law penalty was very pleasing and acceptable to God and a most blessed and memorable acte Yea this which you seeme to deny and to deride I will confirme by your owne wordes Wee acknowledge say you all Christian Princes haue equall power with the Kings of Iudah Counterpoys 230. to abolish all idolatry within their dominions yea and to punish obstinate idolaters and not suffer any superstitious worship among their subiects Thus by your owne confession a Christian Emperour may lawfully punish idolaters wherein what doeth hee else but compell men to worship God after his word I speake of external worship which kind of worshipping alone without the internall maketh one a member of the visible Church which maketh them members of the Church The Magistrate in punishing men for theft whoredome murther and the like faults compels them thus trespassing and all others by their example as much as in him lyes to liue truly chastly and peaceably Euen so in this case the Magistrate that punisheth idolaters and men for false worship doth thereby compell men to worship God truely whereby they become members of the visible Church Thus what you build heere in another place you destroy and pull downe But marke what he inferreth vpon that goeth before Thus the world and the Church betweene whom there hath beene perpetuall warre might soone be reconciled If euer it should fall out so happely that there should be an vniuersall command and compulsion to worship God according to his Word so as the bounds of the Church reached to the vtmost parts of the world yet I warrant you feare not the enmitie betweene the Serpent and the woman betweene his seed and her seed would remaine and no such reconciliation could possibly be made as you imagine might soone and easily be Indeed if in the visible Church there were none of the serpents seed wherunto all your doctrine of the Church in a manner tendeth then in case the whole world were the Church this warre and enmity would be at an end But were you not starke blind you might by the Scriptures learne That in the true visible Church the old Serpent the Diuell hath many of his children as well as God some of his betwixt whom is the perpetuall warre you speake of Notwithstanding then the whole world were the visible Church this warre would be perpetuall and no reconciliation You forget that many cruell persecutors of the Church who haue shed the bloud of the Saints haue beene of the Church yea principall members therof Description of the visible Church pag. 1. Else sure you would neuer deny that this war and enmity were in the Church and tell vs that all in the Church are tied together by the bond of peace and doe vnfainedly loue one another I would know of you whether they without the Church can possibly hate the godly more then many of those doe that be within the Church The Scripture saith Prou. 29.27 that the righteous that is the godly are an abomination to the wicked Now it is plaine after proued that there be very many wicked yea notoriously wicked in the church The godly therfore haue at home in their Fathers owne house mortall and irreconciliable enemies enough As in the dayes of Christ so at this day and to the end of the world there will bee in
because in the beginning of Queene Elizabeths raigne and likewise at this day our parishionall assemblies are no such societies as consist of such onely but had and now haue in them many false and counterfeite Christians and Professors Therefore at the first they were and so continue false visible Churches Is there any so blind who seeth not that hereby they shut out of the Church all Hypocrites For true Professors are opposite to false and counterfeite Professors which are those we call Hypocrites A true Professor is he who is the sonne in trueth that he professeth and maketh shew to be Who professing godlinesse is godly Directly contrary to this man is the Hypocrite The like may be saide of a faithfull and true Christian But a true visible Church saide those Schismaticks is a company of true Professors and Christians and not a mixt company of true and false Professors Therefore in the visible Church by their doctrine there are no Hypocrites With Barrow and Robison doth Maister Ainsworth accord Counterp 72. as being led by the same spirit The Apostle saith he sheweth Iam 1.18 1. Pet. 1.23 That Christs Church is a people begotten with the word of trueth that is the Gospell but your Church was first begotten gathered constituted ordered and is still continued by the Magistrates word and authoritie which if it did not enforce the people the estate wherein you now stand would soone bee changed and your Church dissolued And where you learned so to inforce faith and constraine men to bee members of your Church Alcoran chap. 18. 19. I can not tell vnlesse you would follow Mahomets doctrine who taught that men should bee compelled to the faith by the sword Before you teach that a visible Church is a company of people that doe repent and beleeue the Gospell and here you terme it a people begotten by the Gospel and borne a new nor of mortall but of immortall seede and so all are regenerated that bee in the visible Church and consequently shall inherit the Kingdome of heauen For can hee dye that is begotten and borne of immortall seede whereof both these Apostles speak This doctrine and all of this kinde hereafter following take it as it is by you deliuered and it is palpably false so as it needeth no confutation But your meaning it seemeth is that All in the true visible Church liue so holily righteously and soberly touching their outward carriage before men that wee cannot in equity nor charity account otherwise of them then faithfull and such as haue repented and are conuerted to God and are begotten and borne a new Principles and Inferences 7. yea Elect as M. Smith saith And for this cause as these men suppose all in the visible Church are called Saints and Faithfull As Ephes 1.1 Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christ c. But herein it must needs be they are deceiued seeing there haue beene true visible Churches in former times wherein some members and those not a few haue beene so vile and abominable as the faithfull then liuing could neither in equitie nor charitie iudge so of them as you speake Except they should haue iudged otherwise of the tree then according to the fruits nay cleane contrarie to it whereas our Lord sayth Yee shall know men by their fruits Mat. 7.16 euen as the tree is knowne by the fruits thereof That which M. Smith here affirmeth I haue answered here after in the next Chapter and thither I referre the Reader for further satisfaction Obserue besides the abuse of scripture here Note here their peruerting of Scripture The words of Iames be Of his owne will begate hee vs with the word of truth that wee should be the first fruits of his Creatures By vs who are said here to be begotten by the Gospell the Apostle meaneth himselfe and the rest of the faithfull members of the inuisible Church and not himselfe the rest of the visible Church as you fondly imagine and beare the simple Reader in hand Rom. 6.13 12.2 As the first fruits vnder the Law were dedicated to God and offered vnto him so all the faithfull consecrate and giue vp themselues wholly to God a liuing sacrifice holy acceptable vnto him which is their reasonable seruing of God and not all of the visible Church as you in the application of this Scripture tell vs the most whereof giue themselues and their members as weapons of vnrighteousnesse vnto sinne wherein they walke according to the course of this world and after the Prince that ruleth in the ayre euen the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience Of true beleeuers and none others S. Peter also speaketh For they onely are borne a new of that immortall seede hee mentioneth which Iohn 1.12 proueth As many as receiued him to them hee gaue power to be the sonnes of God euen to them that beleeue in his name Againe these that are thus borne a new as 23. vers are said to be redeemed vers 18. to beleeue in God verse 21. To haue their soules purified by the Spirit verse 22. But such as bee of the inuisible Church onely are redeemed beleeue in GOD Counterpoys 158. are purifyed by the Spirit Of such therefore the Apostle here speaketh Hereby it is plaine that you speake vntruely when you say That places setting forth the inuisible Church are not by you brought to set forth the visible Church Yet Ainsworth in slandering and blaspheming our Church is worse and more intollerable then Barrowes whereof wee haue heard before Hee saith not onely that our Church was first begotten and gathered but addeth and is still continued by the Magistrates word and authoritie excluding the words of GOD as if our Church were neither begotten at first nor continued now by the Ministerie of the Word And where learned yee say you so to inforce Faith and constraine men to be members of your Church I answere Not out of the 18. and 19. Chapters of Alcoran which you by your Cotation in the margent imply but out of the sacred scriptures Not from the example of Mahomet but from the commended examples of the godly Kings of Iudah as I haue shewed Thus much you cannot tell or see The greater is your ignorance and blindnesse A spirit of errour hath put out the eye of your vnderstanding But where learne you to compare the doctrine of God to Mahomets doctrine and the examples and practise of the good Kings of Iudah which you acknowledge all Christian Princes should follow with Mahomets example and practise Counterpois 230. Cursed is that zeale which carieth a man beyond all bands of truth and sobrietie Paul being very zealous spake yet the words of truth and sobernesse The Lord lay not this blasphemie to your charge To that which hath been said I onely adde this That if a visible Church were a company of men truely and vnfainedly religious as you in your whole doctrine of the visible church
called vpon in and by the ministerie of the word that they would be saved and supp with Christ eat and drinke with him in the kingdome of his Father are the visible Church Reu. 3.20 Mat. 26.27 This cannot be denyed But good and bad are therevnto invited The visible Church therefore doth consist of these two kinds of men and not of righteous onely as the Separists doe teach Againe this mixture which we doe hould nay that the most of the visible Church are wicked is manifest by that which Iesus annexeth to this Parable wherewith al he doth knit it vp Verse 14. for many are called but few chosen Al that be vnder the call or voice of God calling vpon them in and by the Ministry of the word that they would repent and beleeue that so they may be saved and yeild an outward obedience to this call are the visible Church Of these saith Iesus that haue this externall calling and are the visible Church Ne putatetur sicut Donatistae putant quod velut vnus in turba latenter sui repsisset ignaris continuo Dominus in eodem ipso vno quem ligatis manibus pedibus in tenebras exteriores ex illo conuiuio proijci Iusfit multam societatem malorum esse intelligendam inter quos pauciores boni in conuivio Dominico viuunt significare non distulit Nam posteaquam dixit Ligate illi manus pedes proijcite eum in tenebras exteriores ibi erit fletus stridor dentium continuo subjecit Multi sunt vocatj Pauci vero electi Quomodo hoc verum est cum potius vnus e multis suisset proiectus in tenebras exteriores nisi quia in illo vno grande corpus figurabatur omnium malorum ante Domini iudicium conviuio Dominico permixtorum A quibus se boni corde interim ac moribus separant simul manducantes bibentes corpus et sanguinem Domini August Tom. 7. contra Donat. post collat cap. 20. there are many but among those but a few good and such as shall be saved And this is the scope and drift of the aforesaid Parable as is playne by the inference that he maketh thereupon in these words next following the said Parable for many are called but few chosen Wherein Iesus sheweth how this commeth to passe which before he hath taught in the Parable to wit that in the visible Church there are so many wicked and so few good so many prophaine earthly minded men and so few that doe earnestly desire and seeke after heaven and those things that lead therevnto and namely faith and holines without which no man shall see the Lord. Because saith he in the visible Church their are few elect who only can and doe beleeue and out of that faith leade an holy life the rest being reprobates and left in their naturall wickednes cannot but be wicked All in the visible Church these few elect excepted are wicked profane vncleane and an abomination to the Lord. With such faithfull ones converts such Saints righteous and holy persons as these doth the visible Church abound and overflow And this is no lesse manifest by the Parable of the seed wherein as the Minister of Christ it compared to a sower the word preached to seede so is the visible Church coÌ„pared to the field where seed is sowen and to such a field whereof three parts is naught and a fourth onely good By that which hath beene said it is manifest that in the Church visible there be not onely wicked men and extreamely or out of measure wicked but that the most therein are wicked children of Belial and few righteous therein to be found Yea the aforesaid cause and reason of our Sauiour considered how can it possibly be otherwise If therefore this be the state of our Church at this day as too true it is that in it there are many wicked and few godly yet this wickednes and vngodlinesse of the people and mixture of so many bad with so few good le ts not but that notwithstanding wee may bee and indeede are a true visible Church Tell mee now I beseech you how the aforesaid lines of yours for which you pretend Scripture and those that I haue here deliuered which all men may euidently see are grounded vpoÌ„ the holy Scriptur can possibly stand together You say that a true visible Church is a company of Righteous or godly men not mixed with but separated from the wicked of the world Wee say that it is not such a separated company but a mixt company of godly and wicked good and bad holy and profane You say that in the visible Church there is no vncleane thing that is no wicked person we say that in the visible Church the most are vncleane and wicked yea sometimes almost all be such And as this which we teach hath beene confirmed and your errour herein conuinced by the sacred Scriptures so may it be by your owne writings yea by the words next and immedâ—ately following your description of the visible Church wherein you teach this false and erronious doctrine Hauing defined or described the visible Church That is a company of people called and separated from the world by the Word of God and ioyned together by voluntary profession of the faith of Christ in the fellowship of the Gospell Apology 44. You thereupon make this inference And therefore no knowne Atheist vnbeleeuer hereticke or wicked liuer may be receiued or retained a member in the Church of Christ which is his body Now in that you say no knowne Atheist vnbeleeuer hereticke or wicked liuer you thereby imply and secretly acknowledge that Atheists vnbeleeuers and wicked men may be receiued retained members in the visible Church so they bee not openly knowne to bee such If then in the true visible Church there haue euer beene are and will be Atheists vnbeleeuers heretickes and wicked liuers as your selues according to the truth acknowledge then is the visible Church by your owne Doctrine a confused and mixt company of good and bad holy profane and not a separated company of Righteous men Saints and faithfull in your sence except Atheists vnbeleeuers heretickes and wicked liuers be righteous men be Saints be faithfull If you deny that your aforesaid inference doth imply so much as I affirme I make it plaine thus He that shall say No knowne Whoremonger may bee admitted to the Lords supper therein confesseth that a close or vnknowen whoremonger may bee admitted to the Lords supper Euen so it is in this case These men being thus conuinced and yet not enduring it may be to yeelde I knowe what will be their shift and euasion euen the same which the Donatists in the like case vsed before them Malos in ecclesia permixtos esse confessi sunt Donatistae sed oucultos cos esse dixerunt August Tom. 7. contra Donatistas post collat Cap. 7. Defence of the Churches and Minist of
they may maintaine this errour of their confused order and mixture of all sorts of persons together they peruert the Parable of the Tares Math. 13.24 teaching that all are the Church Which doctrine is against the truth of the Scriptures yea against our Sauiours owne interpretation in the 38. vers who teacheth that by the field is meant not the Church but the world in which his Church is militant And as therein there is the good seede the righteous the children of the Kingdom so there are also tares hypocrites the children of the wicked who as they are often espied in this life by the righteous seruants of God so shall they in the great day be perfectly seuered from the godly by the Angels verse 38.43 This their doctrine also is against the heauenly orders motioned Mat. 18.8.9.15.16.17 1. Cor. 1.26.29 c. Hâ—re is our false doctrine and your confutation I maruell wherein this fourth point of false doctrine differeth from the third I would haue thought that this were rather a confirmation of the former Yea but then the number of false Doctrines would not be so great But letting this goe wee answere you that as the aforesaid doctrine is true so it is confirmed as by other parables of our Sauiour sâ—t downe in the same Chapter so by this For saith our Lord as in a field both Wheate Tares or other weeds grow together and so are mingled that without danger to the Wheate men can not seuer the one from the other vntill the haâ—uest euen so saith he in the Church or company of people professing true Religion there is and will bee such a mixture of good and bad godly and wicked sincere and counterfeit professors that without danger to the godly a full and perfect seperation betweene them cannot be made vnto the end of the world that the one sort be receiued into heauen the other sent to hell As by wheat we are to vnderstand the godly and by tares the hypocrites or wicked that are in the Church so by the field is meant the Church For by the field must needs be vnderstood that place or those places wherin the godly and wicked are most nearely ioyned together growing as it vvere together so as the one touch an other and such is the Church or visible Churches They who are in the Church liue not onely together buy and sell eate and drinke as all men in the world doe but doe besides ioyne together and are as it were conioyned in and by one and the same profession worshipping one and the same God after one and the same manner hearing the word of God together praying together and receiuing the Sacraments together Againe it cannot bee denie I that by field is meant that place or those places or that societie or societies in which are as well godly as wicked and that visible so as both sorts may be discerned and knowne to be such as appeareth by verse 26. Now out of the Church in all other parts of the world or societies therein there are no godly to be sâ—ene but wicked By field therefore wee may not vnderstand the world but those parts of the vvorld where visible Churches be And vvho that is well aduised will say that at this day Asia Africa and such parts of Europe as professe not Christian Religion are this field or part of it seeing therein the wheat blades spring not vp and bring forth fruit so as they appeare as is expressely said of this field verse 26. Moreouer as in the field here mentioned in the protases or first part of the comparison good seede is sowne by the seruants of the houshoulder from whence the wheate doth come or spring as verse 24.27 So in that place or societie meant by the field or compared to a field the immortall seede of the word by the Lords husbandmen the Ministers is sowne from whence doth spring that pietie or godlinesse in men But this immortall seede is sowne only in the Church according to that in the Psalme Psal 147.19 He sheweth his word vnto Iaacob his statutes and iudgements vnto Israel He hath not dealt so with euery Nation meaning not vvith any other Nation besides And Paul tellâ—th vs that the Oracles of God are the preforment aâ—d prerogatiue of the Church aâ—d that the Church onely is the pillar and ground of truth Rom. 3.2 1. Tim. 3.15 the truth being to bee found onely in it and preserued by it In the Church alone also are the Lords husbandmen plowing harrowing sowing and performing other parts of sp rituall husbandry The Church therefore and not the world is the Lords field and husbandry and consequently the field Iesus here speaketh of And this the Apostle teacheâ—h expresly 1. Cor. 3.9 We the Ministers together are Gods labourers ye are Gods husbandry or fieâ—d And thus also in the parable next precedent this word field though not expressed yâ—t necessarily vnderstood is to be taken The sower went forth to sow Math. 13.3 c. Here is a sower that is the Minister The seede is the word preached and the field vvhere this seede is sowen is and must neâ—ds be the visible Churches or assemblies of the Saints Euen so I say is this word field to bee taken in this parable also De zizanâ—s tritico dissentio nâ—tu est propter mundo nomen quod Don â—tillae nolebant intelligi Ecclesiâ—m quia scriptum est ager est hic mundus Aug. Tom. 7. collat cuÌ„ Donatistis Verse 3.8 Answ Not say you with the Donatists by field is meant the world and not the Church And in the aforesaid place you alleadge three reasons for confirmation thereof and confutation of vs. The first is taken from Christs owne words who interpreting this parable of the Tares saith thus The field is the world What can be more plainely and directly said will some thinke for you and against vs I answere whosoeuer wisely obserueth not which be proper and with vnproper or figuratiue speeches in the Scriptures cannot chuse but erre greatly in vnderstanding the same May not yea doe not the Papists say as much as this for transubstantiation What words sâ—y they can be more plaine and direct to proue the sacramentall bread to bee the very body of Christ then those of Iesus This is my body And yet is nothing more false and vnpossible to be true But to come to this parâ—icular I answere you that these words of Christ cannot possibly be vnderstood properly and therefore you are much to blame that vrge the letter seeing the sence of the Scriptures is Scripture The field is the world So then it is as if Iesus had said The field whereof I speake in the Parable signifieth the world or is like the world is an image of the world So the good seed they are the children of the kingdome that is signifieth or resembleth the children of the kingdome The good seede that is the men signified by
vnwilling to passe by Maister Robison with silence who of late hath saide so much against our interpretation of it He beginneth thus The point is Maister Bernard following I confesse the most beaten way makes the fielde the visible Church and the tares scandalous offenders IustificatioÌ„ 116 seene and discouered That which Maister Bernard calles the interpretation of learned and godly Deuines vniuersally both with vs Separatists Schisme 87. and beyond the Seas Maister Robinson not vnfitly calleth here the most bea en way but with all we may remember what he saith further of the said exposition that it is a prophane glose Iustification 116. 117. and againe that some are ashamed of the grossenes and indeede of the iniquitie of the saide exposition But leauing your reproachfull tearmes come we to the matter You must first then vndâ—rstâ—nd that by tares we doe not meane scandalous and notorious offenders Iustif 118. or open wicked men onely as diuers times you charge vs nor yet hypocrites not so throughly discouered but thereby we doe vnderstand both these sorts of hypocrites and wicked men and so all the hypocrits and vngodly that be in the Church whosoeuer as well those that be not discouered as those that bee discouered and known by their open wickednesse to be hypocrites as well those vngodly that hauing a shew of godlines are reputed godly as those whose wicked and leawde conuersation declareth them to be vngodly For who can denie but that by tares Iesus meaneth all in the visible Church beside the godly resembled by wheate Againe Christ expounding the parable saith expressely vers 38. That the tares are that is signifie the children of that wicked one that is the diuell the enemy who sowed them but all hypocrites and wicked men both secretly and openly such are the children of the diuell Therefore by tares Christ meaneth all hypocrites and wicked in the Church whatsoeuer Adde hereunto that by tares are shadowed foorth all that shall bee burned in hell fire also all those which doe iniquitie as vers 41. That is all workers of iniquitie But all hypocrites and vngodly whatsoeuer whether openly or secretly such shall be damned and are workers of iniquitie Therefore all those Christ meaneth by tares This being true Iustif 118. these following lines of yours be vntrue Admit the field be the Church which Christ expounds the world then say I by tares in the field are meant not notorious offenders but hypocrites not so throughly discouered which by the enuy of Sathan are foysted into the Church These lines are false two wayes 1. As they haue reference to vs and our exposition of tares 2. As they haue relation to the Separists and their interpretation of the same word But proceede we now to the moued reason which you haue against our exposition Iustif 116. Whereupon meaning if the visible Church be the field and the tares scandalous offenders it must followe say you that as the Lord forbids the seruants to meddle with the tares or with the plucking them vp but will haue them and the wheate to growe together in the fielde till the haruest so Ministers and people are straightly inhibited and forbidden any way to admonish and censure wicked and scandalous persons in the Church but must let them there remaine without disturbance till the last iudgement I answer Some of the learned Diuines which you thus despise haue preuented this obiection and told you that to collect and reason from this Scripture as you doe is to abuse Scripture Cauendum ne his verbis abutamur contra doctrinam de disciplina Ecclesia c. Piscâ—tor in hunc locum We must saith Piscator take heede that we abuse not these wordes against the doctrine of the discipline of the Church by which offences are to be taken away out of the Church as much as may be For Christ in this parable as appeareth by his exposion of it aymeth at no other thing then to comfort the godly against the grieuances which they haue by conuersing with hypocrites in the meane while he would haue nothing minished from the discipline of the Church as which he himselfe instituted after Chap. 18.17 By the like reason the vse of the sword should bee taken from the Magistrate which God would haue to be vsed as Paul testifieth Rom. 13. This parable then is not to be extended further then the scope thereof requireth Secondly I answere you Iesus heere speaketh of a perfect seperation betweene the wheate and tares that is the godly and vngodly such as shall leaue no tares not a tare I say among the wheaâ—e For he speaketh of such a seperation as cannot be made without daunger to the wheate for which cause he forbids it as vers 29. Secondly of that seperation which shall bee made by the Angels in the end of the world vers 30.41 Now this letteth not nor forbiddeth a seperation in the meane season betwixt the cleane and those be apparently vncleane the holy and prophane the godly and notorious offenders which may be seperated and taken away from the godly without any daunger to them at all This reason likes you so well Iustif 120. that you vrge it the second time and thereunto adde two reasons more And that the Lord Iesus say you no way speakes of the tolleration of prophane persons in the Church it doeth appeare by these reasons First because as hath beene obserued he doeth not contradict himselfe by forbidding the vse of the keyes in one place which in another he hath turned vpon impenitent offenders Matth. 18.15.16.17 2. In the excommunication of sinners apparently obstinate with due circumspection and in the spirit of wisdome meekenesse and long suffering with such other generall Christian vertues as with which all our spirituall sacrifices ought to be seasoned what danger can there bee of any such disorder as the plucking vp of the wheate with the tares which the husbandman feareth vers 29. Lastly the Lord Iesus speakes of the vtter ruinating and destruction of the tares the gathering and plucking them vp by the rootes vers 28.29 And to this end they are reserued by the husbandman vers 30. euer presupposed they so continued but excommunication rightly administred is not for the ruine and destruction of any but for the saluation of the partie thereby humbled Your first reason in effect is this If Iesus speake heere of the tolleration of prophane persons in the Church then heere he forbids the weeding out or censuring of them whom in another place vz. Matth. 18.15 Hee commands to be weeded out or censured But Iesus doeth not contradict himselfe Therefore Iesus speaketh not here of the tolleration of prophane persons This reason being the very same with the former hath receiued answere The second argument is this Christ speaketh of and forbiddeth such a seperation as wherein there is danger of plucking vp the wheate with the tares But in the excommunication of sinners apparantly
he had care and pittie and not generally the Israelites or visible Church consisting of them so the l st sheepe of the Iewes and Gentiles are they whom Christ in his second sending of hâ—s Apâ—stles and in their prâ—aching and writing respected and of whom he had care and pittie and not the visible Church or Churches among them And this is further confirâ—ed yea cleared as I thinke by that speech of Paul in his Seâ—mon to them of Antiochia in Pisidia Actes 13.26 Yee men and brethren children of the generation of Abraham and whosoeuer among you feare God to you is the word of this saluation sent All they to whom Paul spake this professâ— the feare of God and therefore by them that are heere saide to feare God wee cannot vnderstand such seeing hee puâ—s a difference betwixt those in the Congregation that feared God and the rest It is one thing to feare God in deede and another thing to professe the feare of God This profession all in the Church doe make and so many of them as haue an externall righteousnesse wee are to iudge thus of them that they feare God yet onely they who be of the Church dâ—e indeede and trueth feare God the rest making a shewe of that they doe or haue not For the feare of God is a grace or giâ—t of Gods sanctiâ—ying Spirit which God of his grace giueth to all and onely to them that are sanctified in Christ Iesus It is proper to Gods Elect and them who be of the inuisible Church and to bee found in none other And this the Scrâ—pture teacheth where it s ith The feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisâ—dome Prou. 9.10 And againe Blessed is them an that feareth the Lord. Psal 112.1 Now to these who haue this feare the word of saluation is sent and therefore the Apostolicall Epistles whereupon iâ— followeth necessarily that the Epistles were not sent to the visible Churches If iâ— be so that the Apostles write their Epistles to the Elect members of the inuisible Church then that they in their Epistles do ca l them to whom they write Saints I adde sanctifiâ—d â—n Christ Iesus fa thfull a chosen Generation a royall Priâ—st o d an holy Nation â—iuely stones a spiritual house the Temple oâ— God the habâ—tation of God by the Spirit the Body of Câ—rist c. maketh nothing at all to prooue this That a true visible church is a company of Saints sanctified in Christ Iesus faithfull the Body of Christ c. Neither doe these titles nor any othes of this kinde scattered euery where throughout the Epistles which be attributed to them of the invisible Church hinder this That a visible Church is a company of holy and vnholy faithfull and vnfaithfull and so your obiection is friuolous making nothing against vs. But graunt wee that the holy Apostle meant and writ his epistles to the visible churches at Rome Corinthus c. Neiâ—her will that helpe you though you imagine it doeth greatly And then I answere that Paul calleth the members of a visible Church Saints not because they were all holy and righteous men either in deede or outward appearance and caryage of themselues towards God and man as these men fondly imagine and very confidently affirme expounding thus this word Saints but in one or moe of these sences following In the 5. of Leuit those are called holy things that were consecrated vnto the Lord Vers 15. Vers 9.10.21 and in the 27. of the same booke the field whâ—ch was dedicated vnto the Lord is said to be an holy field and the beasts that were offered in sacrifice are called holy Euen so all of the visible Church are or may be called holy ones or Saints because in baptisme they be all dedicated vnto the Lord and giuen or resigned vp into his seruice Secondly Paul calleth or might call all of the vis Church Saints or holy ons because they aboue all people that are vpoÌ„ the earth are of God called or commanded to be holy Heb. 12.14 2. Thess 4.7 God saith the Apostle hath not called vs vnto vncleanenesse but vnto holinesse Hereunto belongeth that speech so oft repeated in the Law and after by Peter Leuâ—t 11.44 19.2 1. Pet. 1.16 Be ye holy for I am holy And that Exod. 22.31 Ye shall be an holy people vnto me And againe Leuit. 11.45 I am the Lord that brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God 1. Cor. 1.2 and that you should he holy for I am holy For confirmation of th s exposition serueth that Paul terming them Saints addeth by calling Paul vnto the Church of God which is at Corinthus Saints by calling Rom. 2.7 Psal 79.2 Deuâ— 7.6 14.2.21 and in his Ep to the Romans To all you that be at Rome beloued of God called Saints And in this sence the Nation or people of the Iewes are called Saints and said to be an holy people because the Lord hath chosen them to be such Thirdly all of the visible Church were or might bee called Saints because of their holy profession or holy religion which they professed Whatsoeuer they vvere their religion was holy and hee whom they in the middest of heathens and infidels confessed and professed was holy euen that holy One. Luke 1.35 In this respect because they professed holinesse and themselues to be holy all of the visible Church may fitly bee called Saints that is holy ones Euen as they are called faithfull and that with the same breath yea faithfull in Christ Iesus Paul an Apostle to the Saints which are at Ephsus Ephes 1.1 and to the faithful in Christ Iesus not that they all had faith in Christ which is true and iustifying faith but because they professed faith in him in vvhich sense we describe the visible Church to bee a company of faithfull people When therefore Paul saith To the Saints which are at Ephesus and to the Saints which are in Phillippi it is all one as if he had said To the Christians or professors of the Christian religion which are at Ephesus and Phillippi And so in the inscriptions of his Epistles to the Romans and Corinthians where he saith To all you that be at Rome callâ—d Saints vnto the Churcb of God at Corinthus Saints by calling it is as much as if he had said called or by calling Christians And thus thâ—s word Saints is often taken in the Epistlâ—s as else where in the New Testament as Romans 16.14 Phil. 4.21 Acts 26.10 compared vvith Act. 9.1 22.4 M. Bernard teaching that men are caâ—led Saints because of the profession of faith in Christ who maketh all true beleeuers holy and Saints M. Robinson answereth thus Iustif 110. It is true you say that Christ makes all true beleeuers holy and Saints but I deny that euery profession of faith in Christ argues a true beleeuer A false dissembler is he and no true beleeuer that in
word pretends faith in Christ and in deede denies him This is yâ—ur full answere and that a worthy one Hereby you impâ—y That none are in Scripture called Saints nor may lawfully be so called who be not true beleeuers holy Saints indeede their hearts being purified by faith But all in the visible Church be in holy Scripture called Saints and may lawfully therefore be so called Ergo all in the visible Church by your wise answere be true beleeuers And consequently they shall all be saued Iohn 3.16 For whosoeuer beleeueth shal not peâ—ish but haue euerlasting life If you deny that your words imply that I say then to what purpose serue they certainely they are then idle and haue not so much as the shew of answere in them which makes as little for your credit or cause But grant wee this it mattereth not much seeing but in the lease before in plaine words you in effect teach thâ— same Iustif 107. The scriptures say you doe call men Saints because they are Saints and not for any other cause Your reason followeth For what is it to be a Saint but to be holy We may well therefore thinke that you meant as much as I affirme I deny say yâ—u that euery profession of faith in Christ argues a true beleeuer So doe we A false dissembler is he say you and no true bâ—leeuer that in word pretends faith in Christ and in deede denies him The same say wee What of all this what makes this for you or against vs Nothing at all But besides the former implication it shewes that your fingâ—rs itched to bee scribbling against the profession of faith wh ch for asmuch as it may and doth often fall into dissemblers â—iues you no content and therefore in euery one of thâ— visible Church you will haue besides this profession true faith in Christ and all the members thereof true bâ—leeuers and consequently no disseâ—blers in the Church Thus you shut out of the visibâ—e Church all hypâ—crites and yet both a little before and after confesse that there bee such yea many such in the Church Reconcile But tell me M. Robinson why may not they that professe faith in Christ that holy one be therefore called holy or Saints notwi hstanding they haue no part of Christ his holinesse nor his holy Spirit dwelling in them as well as be cal ed Christ ans of Christ though they partake not vvith him in that holy annointing Againe the profession of Christ an Religion or of faith in Christ is an holy and glorious th ng and therefore vvhatsoâ—uer the persons be that thus professe be they holy or prophane worthily and fitly an holy and glorious name to wit Saints â—ay be giuen to such This saith M. Robinson is all one as if you should say The Scriptures doe not call men Saints because they are Saints but for some other causes knowne to you For what is it to be a Saint but to be holy Iustif 107. And what to be holy but to be of a sound iudgement pure affections and vnblameable conuersation Reply It is one thing to be called a Saint and an other to be a Saint one thing to be a Saint by nomination an other to be such in deede and veritie All that bee Saints indeede are Saints by nomination so called and to bee called and accounted But all that be Saints by nomination so called by the holy Ghost are not Saints indeede and so to bee reputed as you will needs haue it For then all in the Church of the Iewes were Saints or holy indeede forasmuch as they by the Holy Ghost are so called and consequently they were all saued which I trust you will not say Deut. 7.6 14.2 this is rendred for a reason why the Israelites should not conform themsâ—lues to the Nations about them neither in their religion or worship nor yet in other things of lesse moment as in cutting themselues in making baldnesse betweene their eyes for the dead For thou art an holy people vnto the Lord thy God And Deut. 14.27 Ye shall eate of nothing that dieth alone c. For thou art an holy people vnto the Lord thy God Againe Iam. 2.7 Doe not they euen those blasphemers saith Iames blaspheme the worthy name after which yee be named Hereby it is plaine that we are sometimes named or called not according to that which we be but in some other respect or as you say for some other causes else all of vs should alwaies bee such as our names pretend then vvhich nothing is more false The blasphemers here spoken of were named or called Christâ—ans yet sure you will not say they were Christians indeede They who at this day are baptised into Christ Iesus and profâ—sse faith in him haue the worthy and glorious name of Christians from Christ after whom they be so called yet all such bee not true Christians euen so all of the visible Church are called Saints and such by nomination and yet be not all Saints indeede not all of a sound iudgement pure affection and vnblameable conuersation as you tâ—ll vs. Lastly the Apostle might well call all in the visible Church Saints hauing respect and relation to those in it that vvere Sainâ—s indeede sanctified by the Spirit of God and faith in Christ Iesus the visible Church hauing this denomination of the better part by a Synecdoche all being called Saints because part of them are so indeede With this exposition maketh that those he nameth Saints are said to be sanctified in Christ Iesus Paul an Apostle to them that are sanctified in Christ Iesus Saints by calling And vvhy might not Paul in this titlâ— Saints respect only the true Saints Elect of God as well as in some other speeches of his in his Epistles 1. Cor. 12.27 6.11.19.20 and namely in these Ye are the body of Christ your bodies are the members of Christ your body is the Temple of the holy Ghost which is in you Ye are bought for a price Rom. 8 15. Gal. 4.6 Ye are washed ye are sanctified ye are iustified in the name of our Lord Iesus and by the spirit of our God Ye haue receiued the Spirit of Adoption Ye are the sonnes of God with infinite more such like Wee see a man is said to be a reasonable liuing creature of the better part the soule wherein alone is both the reason and life the body which is another parâ— wanting both Thus we vse to say Goe winnow the wheate in the barne not naming the chaffe though there bee more chaffe then wheate in the heape and that the wheate cannot be well seene for the chaffe Euen so the visible Church may bee called Saints in respect of the better part though the lesser and fewer in number be many the scripture therein ascribing to all that which is due properly and belongeth onely to some vvhich is vsuall in the holy scriptures as appeareth by the aforesaid testimonies
this their error there was iust cause of the pursuing hereof to the full according as I was able Defence of the Churches and Ministers of England 7. Counterp 3. Your people saith M. Fr. Iohnson are not seperated from the world but stand in confusion with it and therefore cannot bee deemed a true church of God and the people of Christ But leauing this man let vs heare what M. Ainsworth saith thereunto in a booke lately published called the Counterpoyson We forsake saith he your church for this maine corruption that all sorts of prophane and wicked men haue ben and are both they and their seede receiued into and nourished within the bosome of your church contrary to the first couenant of our redemption wherein God with his own mouth proâ—laimed a perpetuall enmitie and warre against the serpent and his seede which the woman and her seede should wage though with the bruysing of the heele thereof Gen. 3. Contrary also to the example of all Gods churches since the world began who alwayes were seperated from the vngodly as the Scriptures shewe Now that this is a corruption among you your selues haue taught saying and complayning that in the church are swarmes of Atheists Idolaters Papists sectaries witches charmers sorcerers murtherers theeuâ—s adulterers lyars c. This testimony being true I hope your selues now will be ashamed to pleade that such a people are Christians and to be communicated with or deny that we may seperate from them in things concerning God And a little after saying there are 4. causes of their seperation he telleth vs that the first of them concerning the people meaning because of the mixture of bad with good which is among vs. Seeing the falsehood and vanitâ—e of these and the rest of the lines here following doe manifestly appeare by the premises I wil not bee so vnwise as at large conuince you the second time onely by the way as it were I will say a word or two as I shall see cause That wicked men that is open wicked men for that is your meaning are not to be suffered to remaine in the church we acknowledge especially if they be very vile and abhominable dogges and swine and that where such a thing is endured it is a corruption and the sinne of that Church We likewise confesse that in our church are many open wicked So that in proouing that which we freely confesse to bee true where about M. Ainsworth hath spent a great part of his Counterpoyson you deale very childishly But if passing by this you hereafter prooue that we deny you shall quit your seâ—ues like men Gen. 3.15 In the meane season wee haue two proofes or arguments from you such as they are It is say you contrary to the first couenant of our redemption I will put enmitie betweene thee and the woman and betweene thy seede and her seede hee shall breake thine head and thou shalt bruise his heele The next tâ—me you write conclude from this Scripture that the being of open wicked in the Church doeth nullifie a Church and giue iust cause to the godly of seperation If this you cannot wherof I am very sure you abuse both this Scrâ—pture and the reader You imply here and teach expressely else where That the couenant of redemption and saluation God made with the visible church That this is false I haue made plaine hereafter and wil not therefore speake of it heere Note their peruerting of Scripture Where learne you by the woman and her seede to vnderstand Christ and the visible Church you haue not beene taught this of God Besides you contradict your selfe For in your confession of Faith you vnderstand this Scripture of the inuisible Church Art 5. Where for proofe of this that the Elect all and onely are redeemed you alleadge Gen. 3.15 I will put enmitie c. You intimate also that the perpetuall enmitie that is in the world for Religion is betweene them onely that are in the Church and them that are without and that there is no enmitie but all amitie and friendship among those that are in the visible Church They all beare vnfaiâ—ed loue one to another as in your description of the visible Church you teach You might be of the Famiâ—y of loue Familists and not Brownists by this doctrine of yours The holy Scriptures shew vs the direct contrary That euen in the Church and betweene the members thereof there hath beene perpetuall enmitie and deadly hatred whence it hath alwayes beene that that some of the Church haue slandered raised vpon and saide all manner of euill against the godly and often times spoyled them not onely in their good name but also in their goods banished imprisoned and put them to death Caine belike had no enmitie to Habel nor Esau to Iacob nor Saul to Dauid nor the Scribes and Pharisees to the faithfull then liuing Your sâ—cond reason is That since the world beganne there was neuer in the Churches of God a mixture of wicked and prophane with the godly but the godly were alwayes seperated from the vngodâ—y And therefore ought to be so at this day Prooue the Antecedent and we will graunt you the conclusion Haue I not shewed that this mixture was in the families of Abraham and Isaack wherin the Church was shut vp for a time Also in the Church in Moses time in Dauids time and the ages succeeding him and lastly in the dayes of Christ Nay I haue made it plaine that in Dauid Isaiah Ieremiah Micah their times there were not only wicked men and open wicked but so many wicked and vngodly in the Church that there were scarce any godly to bee found Psal 12.1 according to that complaint of Dauid vnto God Helpe Lord for there is not a godly man left In like manner did the church swarme with wicked yea open wicked wheÌ„ our lord Iesus was on earth as hereafter shal be made euident Counterp 23. How far are you then from the truth who teach That there neuer haue beene prophane and wicked men in the Church and that this is contrary to the example of all Gods Churches since the world began Obserue their abuse of holy Scripture who alwayes were seperated from the godly as you say and againe in these words They cannot shewe any true church since the beginning of the world but was of a seperated people Gen. 6.1.2 12. Leuit. 20.23.24 Ezr. 6.21 Act. 2.40.41 19.9 c. If for confirmation of this grosse and palpable error you should cote as many places of Scripture as there be heares of your head it would doe you no good but onely shewe that you feare not to peruert holy Scripture to take the name of God in vaine no more then a fish to drinke water And here marke I beseech thee Christian Reader wherein we and these Seperatists differ as touching seperation Wee acknowledge a seperation of the people of God and professors of true
religion from all those which make no such profession so are without the Church Thus the Iewes vntil the death of Christ were seperated from the Gentiles Thus in the Apostles time and after the Saints that is the professors of Christian Religion in Rome Corinthus Ephesus Galatia c. were sepâ—rated from their neighbours being heathens and infidels And thus are we seperated from all Pagans Turkes and Infidels Of this seperation the Lord speaketh Leu. 20. I am the Lord your God which haue seperated you from other people Ver. 26.24 that ye should be mine This seperation agreeth with the Scriptures and hath good warrant from the same and thus farre you and we agree But you rest not here but require besides a seperaration in the Church and among the aforesaid professors vrging and enforcing this that the godly in this societie must seperate from the wicked and haue no religious communion or fellowship with them Ephes 5.11 1. Cor. 5 9.1â—.11 Herein we differ Yet wee confesse that the godly must be seperated from the euill manners customes and fashions of the wicked that they may not haue any fellowship with them in the vnfruitfuâ—l workes of darknesse neither may thâ—y haue them to be their familiars in these such like respects the righteous must seperate from the wicked in the Church and haue nothing to do with them But that they may not communicate together in diuine worship but must seperate in things concerning God this seperation is manifestly repugnant to the Scriptures as appeareth by the premises and shall further appeare hereafter In the meane season this I affirme that if this doctrine of yours were true then for as much as in all ages there were aboundance of notorious wicked men in the Church of the Iewes the Prophets Christ and his Apostles should haue had no communion with them at least in their Synagogues the contrarie wherevnto you both know and acknowledge Then also there ought to haue been a seperation made at Corinthus and in the Churches of Galatia not only from the Infidels and grosse Idolaters amongst whom they liued but also betwixt the Saints and professors of Christian Religion seeing among them there were diuers knowne wicked men as is in the next Chapter made manifest But wee read of no such seperation made or yet vrged by the Apostle either among the Corinthians or Galatians or any other of the Churches to whom hee writ Therefore there hath not been in former times nor ought to be such a seperation in the Church as you speake of to wit betwixt the godly and the vngodly If any obiect here 2. Cor. 6.14 c. I answere that the Apostle perswades the Christians at Corinth to seperate from and to haue no communion with the idolaters their neighbours in their false and idolatrous worship or idol feasts and not to a seperation among themselues The seperation pressed by Paul-was betweene them in the Church and those which bee without which we deny not and not a seperation in the Church betwixt the godly and the wicked there which is that you vrge and we gaine say But I returne to M. Ainsworth Counterp 133. A third argument for confirmation of the point now in hand hee hath in another place which may fitly be inferred here Seperation saith he from the vngodly vnto this day is resisted and pleaded against and the holy scriptures vnsufferably abused to maintaine a confuse mixed multitude of all sorts of people to be a true Church But Christ is no Mediator for such a mixture as himselfe said to his Father I pray not for the world c. Ioh. 17.16 Your reason is this Christ is the Mediator of euery true vis Church But Christ is not the Mediator of any confused and mixt company consisting of all sorts of people Thereâ—ore no confused and mixt company is a true visible Church Wee deny your Proposition and say That Christ is the Mediator of the inuisible and not of the visible Church but in respect of them in it that are of the inuisible You tell vs heere secretly and after in expresse words That Christ is the Mediator and Aduocate of the visible Church and for proofe thereof alledge Ioh. 17.9.16 and afterwards 1. Tim 2. â—5 1 Ioh. 2.1 Act. 4.12 Counterp 131. Note their peruerting of Scripture If this Proposition of yours be false as in the last Chapter of this booke is made manifest then are these Scriptures abused by you The 9. and 16. verses of the 17. of Iohn are spoken and meant of the eleuen Apostles The same you apply to the vis Church herein you abuse the Scripture though alwaies I confesse this holdeth not In the former of these verses of the eleuen Disciples Iesus saith thus I pray for them I pray not for the world but for them which thou hast giuen mee for they are thine Behold your proofe and how you doe vse the Scripture who tell vs so often of our abuse thereof Christ prayeth for or is the Mediator and aduocate of the Apostles Ergo he prayeth for and is the Mediator and Aduocate of the vis Church By world here all men of iudgement vnderstand the Reprobate for thereby must needs be meant those for whom Christ prayeth not and such are the reprobate generation you say thereby is meant a confuse mixed multitude wherein your selues acknowledge be many of Gods chosen I hope this also is an abuse of holy Scripture The words of the 16. ver are They are not of the world as I am not of the world Where our Sauiour affirmeth that to bee in part true of his Disciples vvhich vvas wholly and altogether and perfectly true of himselfe that though they were in the world yet they were not of it that is worldly minded affecting and chiefely desiring and seeking after the things of this world This testimonie of Iesus you produce to proue That a true visible Church is not a mixt company consisting of all sorts of people good and bad or That Christ is no Mediator for such a mixture For proofe of whether so euer of these you meane it who seeth not that this Scripture is likewise abused by you 1. Whether you or we then do vnsufferably abuse the Scriptures and namely touching the mixture of bad with good in the Church let the godly Reader now he hath heard vs iudge Oftentimes you tell vs of this abuse The word say you Counterp 171. pag. 171. is vnsufferably abused to the maintenance of the confusion that is among you This doth as ill beseeme you as a common Strumpet to call an honest and sober matron Whore But let vs heare what M. Ainsworth saith further against this confusion or commixture of all sorts in the Church Your church saith he hath the essentiall note of a false church Counterp 14. namely a confuse prophane worldly people Thus can I proue that the Church in Dauids time in Isaiah his time and other
of the Prophets and the Church of the Iewes in the dayes of Christ were false Churches for they had this essentiall note of a false church The reformed Churches say you consist of a separated and voluntary people whereas yours are confused and compelled Counterp 16. Fye M. Ainsworth Are there no vvicked men in the reformed Churches Hee hath not reformed and taught his tongue to speake the truth that will say so The harmonie of Confessions Harmonie 312. Beza in Mat. cap. 13. ver 24. Amandus Pola Partit Theolog. 311. Pisc in Mat. cap. 3. ver 12. Beza Polanus Piscator with other learned Writers of the said Churches in the thesi affirme the contrary which sufficiently disproueth this There was neuer a I meane nationall churches Church in the world so thoroughly purged and reformed as you speake nor shal be to the end of the world It is no maruell then though the Church of England be a confused people Nay the truth is It is not possible it should be free from this confusion For the Scripture must be fulfilled which for this cause compareth the visible Church to a draw-net and to a field wherein bee mixed and grow together wheate and tares M. Crashawe asking of the Brownists what fundamentall heresie our doctrine doth maintaine You answere thus Counterp 245 The vnlawfull commixture of the children of God and children of the Diuell in one Church and communion is a fundamentall heresie being stiffely maintained All the Scriptures condemne it all well reformed Churches auoid it nature it selfe teacheth to abhor it yet in such profane communion your Church abideth and you will not endure to heare of a separation To this effect also you speak in another place That this is a sinfull commixture Counterp 123. and an high transgression and that it is the ouerthrow of the maine ground of the Gospell which euer since it began to be sounded in the world hath proclaimed a separation of the children of God from the children of Belial What thunderbolts are these Vnlawfull sinfull an high transgression ouerthrowing the foundation of the Church and Gospell If you had considâ—red that the greatest part of the visible Church are Reprobates as Christ teacheth vs in the Parable of the Sower and of the King marrying his sonne Mat. 13.3 22.1.14 Communion of Saints 1.2 and in that short speech of his Many are called but few chosen and that all Reprobates are the Diuels children you would neuer sure neither here nor else where haue taught as in effâ—ct you doe That in the visible Church there are no children of the Diuell and that we may haue no communion with them but must separate from them If there be not a mixture of the children of God and the Diuels children in the visible church then the visible Church is a company of Gods children onely hauing none of the children of Belial in it Tell me then I pray you vvhose children Cain Ismael Esau Saul and Absalom were and generally the people that liued in Isaiah his time Isaiah 1.10 to whom the Prophet speaking saith O Princes of Sodome O people of Gomorrah and generally the Scribes and Pharisees that liued in the dayes of Christ By your doctrine they were the children of God For all of the visible Church say you are Gods children there is no mixture in this societie of the Diuels children with Gods But Cain Ismael Esau Saul and the rest aboue mentioned vvere of the visible Church Therefore the children of God What your euasion will bee here I declare hereafter and shew that it vvill not helpe you That we may haue religious communion vvith the children of the Diuell is likewise there proued and your obiections answered In the meane season I must tell you That the open vvicked in our Church may be accounted and in the iudgement of charitie deemed the children of God as vvell as the aforesaid members of the visible Church That there is a commixture of Gods and the Diuels children in the visible Church wee doe stiffely maintaine This say you is a fundamentall heresie If there be no other and worse fundamentall heresie maintained in our Church then this as it should seeme to your knowledge there is not then assure your selues that the foundation of our Church standeth stedfast and vnmoueable not onely against you vvho are but flesh and bloud but euen the Dâ—uell himselfe The commixture of the children of God and Belial in the Church and Church assemblies neither euer was nor can possibly be auoided and therfore you tell vs that which is vnpossible to be true that all well reformed Churches auoid it If the mixture of Gods children and the Diuels in the same Church assembly bee a prophane communion I feare there was neuer yeâ— holy communion in the world Counterp 223. These Ministers say you hauing missed at first of the question the further now they goe the further they stray and run themselues out of breath in vain For neither the examples of Melchisedec Iob Cornelius c. nor their reasons following of two other meanes of gathering the church theÌ„ by the preaching of the Gospel Thirdly of the preaching of M. Wickliff c. 4. 5. of course that Q. Elizabeth tooke for bringing the Gospel in againe c. none of these you say will proue either that open prophane wicked persons may be receiued and kept in the bosome of the Church or that there be not multitudes of open prophane and wicked members of the Church of England There present lamentable estate proclaimeth this latter to all men that haue conscience their own writings also heretofore doe strongly confirme it and all the Scriptures cry out against the former and teach a seperation as before in this Treatise in sundry other bookes is manifested Thus these Ministers haue passed by the maine controuersie These are your owne vvords without adding or detracting from them Wee must vnderstand certaine Ministers among vs hauing vvritten something against them of the Separation in the defence and maintenance of our Church worship and Ministerie for their owne priuate vse and benefit of some few others that M. Bernard hath published part of that Treatise part only I say as appeareth by the 164. pag. of his booke called The Separatists schisme and that therunto M. Ainsworth hath returned an answere In this answere generally he tels vs They haue vnitie like a company of fooles Counterp 225 Pro. 2.6.9 applying to them that prouerbe of Salomon A thorne gets vp in a drunkards hand and a Parable in the mouth of fooles And particularly hee confirmes it hâ—re For they haue missed the question as he saith and passed by the maine controuersie Now who knoweth not that there is great folly in this and that wise men doe seldome or neuer so farre forget themselues That wee may the better iudge betweene these opponents betwixt this wise man on the one side and these fooles
runne away Least otherwise you one day stand among the Goates and haue that fearefull sentence pronounced of you Depart from me ye cursed I know saith Iesus the blasphemie of them which say they are Iewes and are not Mat. 25.41 Reue. 2.5 but are the Synagogue of Satan As this is blaspemie so assuredly to account them Antichrists Samaritans Edomites Moabites Parall 6.26 Ammonites and Ishmailites who are Iewes and those Babilon Egypt Sodome false Churches Antichristian Churches the Synagogues of of Satan the holds of all foule spirits Defence of the Churches and Ministers of England 6. and cages of euery vncleane and hurtfull bird which are the congregations of Saints and Churches of God is likewise blasphemie Thus haue I answered all that M. Robinson obiecteth in a little Pamphelet of his intituled An answere to a Censorious Epistle Let vs heare now what he saith concerning the same point in a more large volume lately published called a Iustification of Seperation from the Church of England And though you M. Bernard say it neuer so oft and all the Diuines in the world with you that the visible Church is a mixt company yet doe the diuine Scriptures speake otherwise And with the Scriptures I doe affirme against you that the Church of Christ is no such mingled mâ—slnie Pag. 112. or monstrous compound but a body simple vniforme and one proportionable in euery member vnto the head informed by one spirit and called in one hope And twelue lines after Wee doubt not but the purest Church vpon earth may consist of good and bad in Gods eye of such as are truely faithfull and sanctified and of such as haue onely for a time put on the outside and vizard of sanctitie And againe after that hee hath produced and peruerted many testimonies of holy Scripture to proue that all in the visible Church are holy and good and none other therein he addeth these words Iustif 115. Here is no such mingle mangle as M. Bernard would make of good and bad but all good and so auowed by the holy Ghost though without doubt many of these were masked and hallow hearted hypocrites I will onely fight against you here with your owne weapons for I neede to vse none other The purest Churches say you may consist of good and bad faithfull and vnfaithfull of holy and prophane for are not they prophane who haue onely the outside of holinesse being within full of all filthinesse Also that in the same there haue been many wicked and hollow hearted hypocrites all which were wicked But a company consisting of such as all these is a mixt company and a monstrous or miserable compound being compounded of two sorts of men who bee as contrarie one to another as light to darknes Christ and Belial of Gods children and the Diuels children of the children of light and the children of darknesse Therefore the purest Churches consist of a mixt company and consequently is not simple vniforme c. as you teach If the purest Church that is be a mixt company much more they that be lesse pure And who in their wits but would affirme that such a body politick were vnmixt simple and one specially that it were proportionable in euery member vnto the head and informed by one spirit What euery member M. Robinson What proportion and likenesse is there betweene Christ and Hypocrites many of which in the generall you acknowledge to be in the Church Betwixt the sonnes of God and the children of the Diuell some of which we must needs confesse to be in the Church else all in the visible Church are indeed the children of God then which nothing is more false If euery member be informed by the spirit of God then euery one in the visible Church hath the spirit animating him Indeede this M. Smith teacheth expressely and all of you implicitely But how truely I haue shewed in the next Chapter If euery one in this visible Church be informed by one and the same spirit then if any in the visible Church haue the Spirit of God all haue And contrariwise If any in the visib Church be informed by the vncleane spirit all are Moreouer if euery member of the visible Church bee called in one hope then if any one in that visible Church haue that hope Rom. 8.24 the end whereof is the saluation of mans soule all haue it and so on the contrarie as before Behold what conclusions doe follow from your premises whereby wee may know how orthodoxall they be God forbid that all the Diuines in the world should teach such positions as these Hee hath itching cares vvho vvill rather giue care to you and two or three such more as your selfe then all the Diuines in the world Speake no more thus presumptuously You may remember vvhat sometimes I said vnto you mouth to mouth The spirit of the Prophets is subiect to the Prophets that is the doctrine which all men conceit is from the spirit of the prophets is subiect to the iudgement of the Prophets The ground of this your erring is not that you thinke that there are no wicked in the visible Church for you confesse that there are wicked in the visible Church yea men desperately wicked but because in your conceit the wicked that be in the visible Church are not true members of the visible Church That this is so it appeareth by your words next following the former And for wicked and vngodly persons so far are they from being the true naturall members whereof the body consisteth as the whole of the parts Instif 112. 110. as they serue indeede for no other purpose then to infect and corrupt the rest and if redresse bee not had in time to eate out the very heart of the whole Againe And for the church of the Iewes and of Corinth in which you instance as they were holy so they were desperately wicked amongst them no true members of the body but as putrified and rotten parts to be cut off and cast out from the rest I answere as putrified and rotten parts of the body are members of the body vntill they be cut of so wicked men putrifying and stinking with spirituall vncleanenesse their sinâ—es rotten and vnsound at the heart are members of the visible Church and that body politicke vntill by excommunication they be cut of And as a rotten tooth that is no way profitable but hurtfull seruing onely to infect and corrupt the rest is notwithstanding a part or member of the body vntill it be plucked out so the vvicked and vngodly that be in the visible Church that serue indeede for no other purpose then to vexe infect and corrupt the rest are neuerthelesse members of the visible Church vntill by excommunication they be cut of The falsitie of this your conceit I haue further discouered in the Chapter following vvhereto I referre the Reader onely in the meane season remember this and forget it not That all vvhich bee
blessing to appâ—rtaine vnto them Apology 44. This likewise M. Smith teacheth in his Principles and inferences pag. 11. For confirmation whereof ye alleadge many places of Scrâ—pture but all in vaine By many of them it is indeede euident that God hath made a couâ—nâ—nt of life and saluation with man not with Angels or any other creature nor yet with all mankinde Herein both you and vvee agrâ—e and herevnto all accord that bee of any vnderstanding But the question and doubt to bee decided is with whâ—m God haâ—h made this Couenant Seeing not vvith all mankinde with vvhat part of mankinde Seeing not vvith all m n vvith what societie and company of men vvhich is that wee call a Church In a word whether with the Church inuisible or visible Wee say with the inuisible Church you affirme with the visible Church and pretend to proue it by many witnesses If you will haue their testimonies doe you any good you must not so much shew that thâ—y speake of a promise of couenant of life euerlasting which God maketh with his people make it appeare that by people is meant the visible Church and the members thereof This none of you haue attempted For the ending of this controuersie let vs consider of Gen. 17. Where the Lord maketh this couenant with Abraham a principall place of Scripture also alleadged by you Moreouer saith God I will establish my couenant betweene mee and thee and thy seede after thee in their generations for an euerlasting couenant to be God vnto thee and to thy seede after thee 8. And I will giue thee and thy seede after thee the land wherein thou art a stranger euen all the land of Canaan for an euerlasting possession and I will bee their God For the right vnderstanding of this Scripture and of some other in Genesis and else where we must know that this part of the couenant on the Lord his part I will be thy God and the God of thy seede Doth contaâ—ne in it promises of this life and of the life to come Touching this life the Lord makes a couenant with Abraham and his seede that is all his posteritie according to the flesh concerning the land of Canaan a land that flowed with milke and hony that he would giue it vnto them to inhabâ—te Concerning the life to come signified by the land of Canaan God also maketh a couenant with Abraham and his seede tâ—at is with all those whether Iewes or Gentiles that should be of the same faith with Abraham By the seede of Abraham then with whâ—m this couenant was made is meant partly they which were bâ—gotten of Abraham by carnall generation called in the Scripture children after the flesh and saide to be borne after the flesh that is the people of the Iewes who vntill the death of Christ were the onely visible Church which we may fitly call the carnall Israel partly all that beleeue in Christ as Abraham did of what nation soeuer Rom. 9.8 Gal. 4.23.29 Gal. 6.16 called the children of promis and said to be borne after the Spirit and may be termed the spirituall Israel called also the Israel of God This distinction of Abrahams children we haue in Rom. 9.6 7 8. Thus we see there be two kindes of couenants made with two sorts of men or different soc eties and yet all but Israel The one an earthly that is concerning the pleasures and comforts men enioy heere on the earth the other an heauenly and touching the ioyes thereof The first of these God made with the naturall posteritie of Abraham the visi Church for a time The latter with the spirituall posteritie of Abraham and Church inuisible These things being made manifest by the Scripture your error will thereby likewise appeare That God made a couenant with Abraham and his seede nothing can be more cleare That by Abrahams seede we are somtimes to vnderstand his children according to the fleshe and that with Abraham and them God made a couenant of inheriting the land of Canaan that fruitfull land it is plaine by the latter of the former verses viz. ver 18. and by Gen. 13.15.17 All the land which thou seest will I giue vnto thee and thy seede for euer Arise walke through the land in the length thereof and breadth thereof for I will giue it vnto thee And likewise by Gen. 15.18 In that same day the Lord made a couenant with Abraham saying vnto thy seede haue I giuen this land from the riuer of Egypt vnto the great riuer the riuer Euphrates 19. The Kenites and the Kenizites and the Kadmonites 20. And the Hittites and the Perizzites c. Hereunto adde Gen. 12.7 Act. 7.5.6 That by the seede of Abraham sometimes is meant the faithfull onely such I meane as haue iustifying faith of whom it may be saide which was spoken of Abraham their father They beleeue God and it is counted vnto them for righteousnesse and so of the church inuisible or members thereof Iewes and Gentiles it is by the holy Scriptures as euident In the 13. of Genesis the Lord making a couenant with Abraham saith vnto him thus I will make thy seede as the dust of the earth so that if a man can number the dust of the earth Gen. 15.5 then shall thy seede be numbred The like speech God vseth vnto him at another time Looke vp now vnto Heauen and tell the Starres if thou bee able to number them and he saide vnto him so shall thy seede be If any shall be so simple as to vnderstand these Scriptures of the carnall and not chiefely of the spirituall children of Abraham his error is corrected Rom. 4.18 Where these wordes of Moses So shall thy seede be are repeated and we taught by them to vnderstand those who are of the Faith of Abraham of what nation soeuer For which cause he is there called the Father of many nations that is the Father of all that beleeue of what nation soeuer and had his name changed from Abram to Abraham and a litle before is saide to be the Father of vs all as if the Apostle had saide the father of my selfe and of all that beleeue This is confirmed and made more plaine in the 11. vers of the aforesaide Chapter Abraham receiued the signe of circumcision at the seale of the righteousnesse of the Faith which he had when he was vncircumcised that he should bee the Father of all them that beleeue not being circumcised that righteousnesse might be imputed to them also 12. And the father of circumcision that is of the circumcised or of the Iewes not vnto them onely which beleeue and are of the circumcision but vnto them also of the Gentiles that walke in the steppes of the faith of our Father Abraham that is beleeue as he did which faith he had when hee was vncircumcised And againe vers 16. Therefore it is by faith meaning the heauenly inheritance that it might come by grace and the promise that
by the testimonies themselues Now herein you might haue saued your labour and rather haue bestowed more paines in prouing that we deny then that we grant But any thing you thinke will serue to delude the simple Yea but the three last testimonies 2. Cor. 6.17 Act. 2.42 Heb. 10.24.25 speake to the issue for they directly prooue That the children of God of the light and day and the heires of blessing are commaunded to seperate from meaning in diuine worship the children of men of this world of the diuell and of curse and to entertaine and continue an holy communion among themselues onely Thus saith M. Ainsworth in plaine and expresse wordes It is true that in the first of these places to the sonnes and daughters of God this commandement is giuen Come out from among them and seperate your selues But vvho are those of whom the Apostle speaketh and from whom he commandeth the children of God for to seperate and not ioyne with in diuine worship It is euident they were the Corinthian Idolaters that worshipped a false God The highest degree of Idolatry and most grosse Idolaters that can be What doth Paul now require of the Corinthian Saints to whom he writ this That they ioyne not with these idolaters their neighbours in their idolatrous and false worship nor in any other of their pollutions This hindreth or prohibiteth not but that they might communicate with these Idolaters in true diuine vvorship publike or priuate But suppose that this place of Paul prohibiteth all communion with all idolaters in their false and idolatrous worship whether they worship a false and fained god or the true God falsely which is all that is forbidden in the word that letteth not but that wee may haue religious communion with idolaters in true Diuine worship If then we may lawfully ioyne together with idolaters in the worship of God in hearing the word and Prayer then certainely with the children of men of this world of the Diuell and with them that are without and no members of the church For such as these are all Idolaters Thus wee see this Scripture makes nothing for you and is therefore peruerted by you Let vs now proceede to the next testimonie Act. 2.42 And they continued meaning the members of the vis Church in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayers This declareth how greatly they of the Church were affected towards the word and worship of God vvherein they did dayly exercise themselues both in publike and priuate but neither denyeth nor forbiddeth all communion in diuine worship with them that are without no more then this Scripture there following And they sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men of the Church as euery one had neede forbiddeth all communicating of our goods with them which are without And as well may one from hence conclude that such as are of the visible Church may not minister vnto the necessities of them that are without as this from ver 42. that they of the visible Church may haue no religious communion with them that are without Fâ—ame your argument when you please for the proofe of this latter and I will compâ—se as good a one for the former Your third and last testimony is Heb. 10.24.25 Let vs consider one another to prouoke vnto loue and to good workes not forsaking the fâ—llowship that we haue among our selues as the manner of some is but let vs exhort one another We answere first it is not cleere that the Apostle speakes here of the publike assemblies but happily of the priuate meetâ—ngs the faithfull had And this latter is probable for these two Râ—asons Fâ—rst bâ—caâ—se the priuate and brotherly fellowship serueth spâ—cially to the increase of mutuall loue wherevnto the fai hfull be here exhorted Secondly in the words immediatâ—ly precedent and subsequent hee exhorteth to priuaâ—e duties wee may vvell therefore thinke he doth the like also If this now be so this Scripture maketh nothing at all for you no more then that of Peter 1. Pet. 2.17 Loue brotherly fellowship But be it granted that this is meant of the pubâ—ike assemblies against which I vvill not contend notwithstanding it makes not any thing against vs. For who doubteth but that the faithful that is the professors of faith in Christ or members of the vis Church doe vsually they alone and none but they assemble and ioyne together in hearing of the Word and prayer And that vsually it falleth out in the Church that some playing the Apostates forsake these assemblies of the Saints eyther ioyning themselues to some other assemblies as being Heretickes or Schismatickes or else vvith Demas imbracing this present world This is it we here learne and from this latter onely wee are here dehorted Doth it now herevpon follow that the faithfull may not admit vnbeleeuers and them that are without the Church to communicate with them in diuine worship and haue religious communion together with them Nothing lesse Here is no such thing forbidden no more then in and by this speech Gal. 6.10 doe good to the houshould of Faith that is to all that professe the same faith with vs to wit the members of the vis Church we are forbid to doe good vnto all or to them that are without But besides these expresse and plaine testimonies of Scripture as you thinke you haue a forcible reason drawne from the word for the fortifying of this your opinion Wee may not say you ioyne with them that are without or with the open wicked in the worship of God Communion of Saints 469. or haue any holy communion with them For by their wickednesse both the faithfull Defence of the churches and Mâ—nistery of England 70. and the holy things of God are polluted This doctrine of your owne you apply vnto vs. Into your assemblies say you doe come many open and notorious sinners knowne drunkards whoremongers prophaners of the Sabbath swearers c. Whereby the holy things of God and the faithfuâ—l are defiled Reasons for Seperation for this cause wee dare not haue religious communion with you but seperate Wee answere It maketh nothing for you nor against vs that there are knowne wicked in our assemblies which vvee deny not seeing by their presents neither the faithfu l nor the holy things of God are polluted vnto the faithfull which thus we make manifest If any sinners pollute the holy things of God to the faithfull as the word sacraments prayer then certainely doe notorious wicked Ministers which in such speciall manner are occupied about them They are the mouth of God to the people and the peoples to God they touch with their hands the holy elements But notorious wicked Ministers defile not the holy things of God to the Saints Therefore none be they neuer so notorious wicked That Ministers notoriously wicked pollute not the worship of God nor the faithfull ioyning with them therein it is manifest by
not this spirit causing in them this life and motion thereby also as by ioynts or bands knitting them vnto Christ the head but in stead thereof are carried by the spirit of Satan that possesseth them as hath often been shewed Many therefore of the true visible church are not members of Christs body And therefore also the church of England may bee a true church notwithstanding there be many in and of it who be not the members of Christs body led by his spirit but prophane wicked worldlings carried by the spirit of Satan that possâ—sseth them You who teach that in the true visible Church there be no prophane wicked worldlings none that are carried by the spirit of Satan possessing them and for this cause will haue it to be a false church answere me I pray you First whether the Scribes and Pharises were pro phane wicked and worldlings Ioh. 6.70 and 13.25 and whether they were carried by the spirit of Satan yea or no and namely Iudas whom Iesus calleth a Diuell and of whom it is said that Satan entred into him Secondly whether all the Diuels children bee not carried by his spirit And let this suffice for answere to your first argument The second followeth Argument 5 Euery true Church of God hath Christ for the Mediator and Aduocate of the same For it is written There is one God Counterp 132. and one Mediator betweene God and Man which is the man Christ Iesus 1. Tim. 2.5 1. Ioh. 2.1 And if any man sinne we haue an Aduocate with the Father Iesus Christ the iust Neither is there saluation in any other for among men there is giuen no other name vnder heauen wherby we must be saued Act. 4.22 But the Church of England hath not Christ for the Mediator and aduocate of the same Therefore the Church of England is not the true Church of God Paralleles 86. In like manner M. Smith reasoneth against vs The true Church hath Christ for their Mediator But your assemblies haue him not for their Mediator Therefore they be false Churches Answ I answere True it is that Christ is the Mediator and Aduocate of euery true Church that is of euery seuerall congregation or company of true beleeuers but that hee is such to euery true visible Church as you meane I vtterly deny And grant that it might be said That Iesus is the Mediator and Aduocate of euery true visible Church it must needs bee in respect and with relation had to them vvho be of the inuisible Church which makes nothing for you nor against vs. Your Proposition therefore is false neither doe the testimonies alleadged by you confirme it They onely proue that Christ Iesus is a Mediator betweene God and man and an Aduocate to the Father for him Who in their wits but you and your Disciples by man in Timothy will vnderstand the visible Church or euery true visible Church and not rather the inuisible Church and all of mankinde who be of Gods elect whose alone Mediator and Aduocate Iesus is The Papists may more probably by man vnderstand all mankinde and make Iesus the Mediator of all men as they affirme that he died for all men then you the visible Church seeing the letter of the Scripture here maketh for that exposition And surely the one is as true as the other As little doth the place of Iohn auaile you For neither doth he say That Christ is the Aduocate of the visible Church or of euery true visible Church which is that you are to proue and make your vnaduised Reader beleeue you doe proue when you doe nothing lesse Nay your Proposition may be conuinced by this Scripture so farre is it from confirming and strengthning of it For whose aduocate Christ is said here to be for their sins in the next verse he is said to be a propitiation But he is a propitiation onely for the sinnes of the Elect or inuisible Church which your selues will not deny Therfore the Aduocate onely of the inuisible Church and consequently not of the visible When Iohn had said that Iesus Christ is our Aduocate he addeth And he is the propitiation for our sinnes 1. Ioh. 2.2 and not for ours onely but also for the sinnes of the whole world If by the whole world you vnderstand the whole visible Church as by your alleadging of this Scripture for proofe of your Proposition you seeme to doe you must needs doe or else cry peccaui for alleadging it then wil the whole Christian world reiect this your expâ—sition And know ye that that which is hâ—re said by Iohn is as true of the whole world as of the whole vis Church and that Christ is and shall as soone be a propitiation and aduocate for the sinnes of the whole world as an Aduocate for the whole visible Church The truth then is that by world here is meant all whosoeuer in the world beleeue in Christ Iewes or Gentiles or all Gods elect throughout the whole world For their sinnes Christ Iesus is said to bee a propitiation and for them onely is he an aduocate And this is confirmed by Paul Rom. 8.33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen It is God that iustifieth Who shall condemne Meaning any of this chosen generation Implying that it is not possiblâ— that any of them should be damned And why Because for all of this societie as onely for them Christ died and rose againe and maketh request also for them If now one aske the question for whom Christ dâ—ed for whom he rose againe and for whom he maketh intercession the answere is readie for Gods chosen which be thâ—y we call the inuisible Church But you giue vs an other answere and say he is the Aduocate and maketh intercession for the visibâ—e church You may as well and truely say that Christ died for the visible church For by this Scripture it is cleere that hee is an Aduocate and maketh request to God his Father for them for whom hee died But he died Coâ—fession of faith 26. say you else-where for the elect onely therefore as Aduâ—cate hee maketh request onâ—ly for the elect And by consequent Iesus is not the Aduocate of the vis church as you teach except the vis church be the societie of the elect and the visible and inuisible church be all one Verse 20. In the 17 of Iohn our Sauiour saith I pray not for these alone meaning the eleuen Disciples but for them also which shall beleue in me through their word But the elect and inuisible church onely beleeue in Christ T it 1.1 Act. 13.48 wherevpon faith is called the faith of Gods elect and in the Acts it is said As many as were ordained to eternall life beleeued Therefore the elect and inuisible church onely haue Christ Iesus for their Aduocate Thus we see your first proofe of the Proposition maketh nothing for you the second greatly against you helping to conuince you
Let vs now here your third and last testimonie taken out of Act. 4.12 Neither is there saluation in any other for among men there is giuen no other name vnder heauen whereby we must be saued Here is no mention of the vis church nor yet of Christs Mediation nor intercession but onely of saluation by his meanes How can this Scripture then make for the confirmation of your Proposition But happely you will haue it That Christ is likewise the Sauiour of the visible church For I am very sure that whose Mediator and Aduocate Christ Iesus is their Sauiour he is and giueth saluation to them all But say you he is the Mediator and Aduocate of the vis church Therefore he is the Sauiour of the vis church and giueth saluation to all of that fellowship As your Proposition so your Assumption to wit That the Church of England hath not Christ for the Mediator and Aduocate of the same is likewise false For the whole company in England that by faith are vnited vnto Christ and by loue one vnto another and they onely are the church of England and all such haue Christ for their Mediator Aduocate As for the wicked they are as S. Iohn speaketh 1. Ioh. 2.19 among vs but not of vs in the church but not of it as the tares that grow in the field and among the wheate are notwithstanding your commingling vvheate Counterp 132 nor so to be called But by Church here as before in your proposition very ignorantly you vnderstand the visible church and with many words goe about to proue That the vis church of England if I may so speake hath not Christ for the Mediator and Aduocate of the same Here you tell vs againe of them among vs who be prophane scoffe at repentance and scorne at all admonition despise wisedomes counsell and such as reproue they turne againe and rent them And as in the prosecution of the former Argument you proue That such vile men are not the body of Christ neither haue him for their head so here that Iesus is not the Mediator and Aduocate of such but of a more holy societie In like manner you deale in your three other Arguments following Argument 6.7.8 Euery true Church of God say you hath Christ for the King Priest and Prophet of the same The Church of England hath not Christ for the King Priest Prophet of the same Therfore the church of England is not the true Church of God This which I haue contracted into one you make three Arguments of and the Assumption of those three you proue in that maner you do the two former Assumptions wherin you might haue saued a great deale of labour seâ—ing we all confidently hold That the vile and abominable among vs Mat. 13.25 are not of the church of England but tares sowed among the wheat by the enemie while men slept And therfore we account them not the body of Christ nor to haue him for a Mediator and Aduocate and for their King Priest and Prophet What meane you then at large to pursue the proofe of that we deny not But I will be more wise then spend any more time in answer to your reasons Onely I will shew That Christ Iesus is not the King Priest and Prophet of the vis Church Generally I proue it thus Whose Mediator Christ Iesus is their King Priest and Prophet he is But Christ Iesus is the Mediator onely of the elect or inuisible Church Therefore onely of the elect or inuisible church is Christ Iesus King Priest and Prophet And consequently not of the vis church Or thus The Proposition of these two Arguments is hereby plaine in that these are the parts of Christ his mediation The Assump tion needs no proofe That this you here teach is false may further be proued by your owne doctrine and thus Whose King Priest and Prophet Christ is for them in that he is their Priest he died and maketh intercession To them in that he is their King hee doth apply and make effectuall his priesthood Them likewise he gouerneth by his word and spirit them hee defendeth specially from all spirituall enemies and them he will exalt to the communion of his eternall kingdome But Christ died for and maketh intercession hee also applyeth his priesthood onely to the elect gouerneth by his Word and Spirit defendeth and thus highly exalteth the elect alone â—s might be made euident out of the sacred Scriptures if it neede Therefore he is King Priest and Prophet onely of the elect and inuisible Church Counterp 147 This may bee proued also by M. Ainsworths owne words Thirdly saith hee the Church of England hath not Christ for the King thereof because the people of that Church were and are euen by the confession of our aduersaries of all sorts of people as well wicked as godly and sinnes of all sorts do abound and raigne among them that if the good lawes of the common wealth did not represse them there would be no liuing in peace among them Such prophane worldly people are not the subiects of Christ his kingdome is not of this world neither is it for the open wicked but for the repentant and beleeuing for the poore in spirit the meeke the mercifull the persecuted for righteousnesse sake not for persecuters haters and contemners of the truth In which words you frame vs this reason against your selues Christ is not King of a prophane worldly people neither are such his subiects but onely of an holy and heauenly people of the repentant beleeuing of the poore in spirit the meeke the mercifull the persecuted for righteousnes sake But the elect and inuisible Church onely are this holy and heauenly people c. The Elect therefore and the inuisible Church onely are the subiects of Christ and haue him for their King Pag. 148. Againe say you a little after If they had Christ for their King his truth his word would make them free hee would make them also Kings and Priests vnto God his Father that howsoeuer the suppressing abolishing of this vnruly Hierarchie with their many abominations is to be left vnto the Magistrate who onely hath power from God to execute this vengeance yet euery man should deliuer his owne soule abstaining from errour false worship superstition popish thraldome all other euill whatsoeuer though with affliction bonds banishment c. and stand fast in the libertio wherewith Christ hath made him free without yoke of thraldome For he will reigne in the midst of his enemies Satan and sinne hee hath subdued as for himself so for all his people and subiects whom he hath redeemed out of all Satanean Babylonian bondage that sinne should reigne no more ouer them Thus I from hence argue against you They who haue Christ for their King his truth doth make them free he makes them also Kings and Priests vnto God his Father But Christ performeth this to the elect
part is corrupted as in some matter of circumstance or ceremonie and when it is corrupted in the whole substance and body thereof which no man sure in his wits will affirme These men in alleadging this Scripture for the iustiâ—ying of their Separation doe compare and equall first our publike worship of God with the Idolaters of Corinthus their publike worship Secondly those Idolaters with vs. And except there bee a likelihood and equalitie betweene these worships and worshippers this place of holy Scripture they peruert and abuse because otherwise it proueth not their Separation to bee lawfull Let vs therefore see the sweet harmony that is betweene these things and persons Wee in our Churches or Church-assemblies vvorship the true and liuing God and touching the substance according to his word Wee in our Temples haue the Word of God read and as soundly interpreted and â—ightly applyed as either is or euer hath beene in Christendome since the Apostles dayes with great power fruit and efficacie in the hearts of the hearers so as sinners are thereby conuerted from going astray themselues being iudges Wee in our publike assemblies call vpon the liuing God and that onely in the name of Iesus Christ and doe receiue onely the Sacraments which the Lord Iesus hath instituted But the Corinthians in their Temples fell downe before their Idols which vvere representations of their feined gods prayed before them and to a false God and together with their Idols worshipped the Diuell as wee haue heard And as for these Corinthians they were all Heathens and Infidels voide of all knowledge and profession of the true Religion whereas wee all professe the true religion and many of vs through the grace of God walke according to our hoâ—y profession Considering then the great difference and inequalitie betweene vs and them our worship theirs it may very well be nay is lawfull to communicate with vs in diuine worship and yet vtterly vnlawfull to partake with such grosse Idolaters as these Corinthians in their worship And what an absurd kinde of reâ—soning is this We may not ioyne with Heathens and Infidels in their idol-worship and seruice indeede of the Diuell Therefore not with Christians in the worship of the true God corrupted This testimonie of the Apostle proueth only this Antecedent or first part of this reason and the conclusion here is that which in the general you inferre of this Scripture Looke well I beseech you in the feare of God of this consâ—quence and consider of the lightnesse and vanity thereof To alleadge this Scripture or any such like for the proofe of the aforesaid conclusion and the iustifying of your seperation is a very childish part and to no purpose and yet there is not any thing more vsuall with you If you will write and speake as beseemeth but men and to the point in hand shew vs where the Apostle moueth the Christians in Corinthus or elsewhere which were more holy and sincere then the rest to seperate from the other Christians because of some corruptions in the externall worship of God And this may aboundantdantly suffice for answere to this your second testimony of holy Scripture Wherein I haue been the larger because the wise and considerate Reader may from thence receiue an answere to the third place of Scripture here alleadged by you taken forth of the 18. Chapter of the Reuelation where thus S. Iohn speaketh Verse 2.4 And I saw another Angell come downe from heauen and he cryed out mightily with a lowd voice saying it is fallen it is fallen Babylon that great Citie and is become the habitation of Diuels and the hold of all foule spirits and a cage of euery vncleane and hatefull bird 4. And I heard another voice from heauen say Goe out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sinnes and that ye receiue not of her plagues Both these Scriptures teach and perswade though by diuers reasons one the same thing that is That wee must separate and goe out from idolaters and not communicate with them in their idolatrous or idol-worship and therfore one and the same answere may serue them both They differ onely in this that the one speaketh of heathen the other of Antichristian Idolatry and idolaters condemning all communion with them in externall worship And heare that which before we haue heard wee must againe remember and not forget That it is one thing when the worship of God is corrupted in the substance and whole body thereof as it is in the better of these worships and another thing when it is corrupted in part as vvith humane ceremonies or ordinances of lesser moment With the former of these kindes of worship we may haue no communion which these two places of holy Scripture doe directly proue but nothing else With the latter kinde of which our worship is vve may lawfully communicate Thus vve see how the principall testimonies vvhich out of the sacred Scriptures the Separatists produce to vvarrant their separation are falsely applyed miserably vvrested and peruerted by them The scope vvith the true sence applyed to a lâ—ke case is a true allegation of Scripture else it is but a wretched abuse thereof as one saith very well Nay you haue so accustomed your selues to sinne in your allegations and quotations of Scripture that oftentimes when you haue the truth in hand and goe about to confirme that by Scripture you are then also faulty herein vvhereof I vvill giue you and the Reader a taste Princip and Infer 12. The meanes say you of saluation are the Word Sacraments Prayers Censures and the ordinances of Christ for the dispensing of them all Rom. 3.2 4.11 Luk. 19.46 Mat. 18.15.17 Act 2.42 1. Cor. 11.23.26 Mat. 28.19 Psal 149 6.9 Who considering these manifold testimonies can otherwise thinke but that this proposition in euery part therof is soundly proued I deny not but acknowledge this to be an vndoubted truth but onely take excâ—ption against your manner of prouing it You are to proue here and pretend to proue first that the word is a meanes of saluation To this end you send vs to Rom. 3.2 Vnto the Iewes were committed the Oracles of God Is not heere a goodly proofe of the aforesaid Proposition Tell me I pray you whether any place in Scripture wherein mention is made of the word of God be not as good a proofe as this produced by you Had you quoted Ioh. 5.39 Search the Scriptures for in them ye thinke to haue eternall life Or 1. Pet. 1.23 Where the word of God is calâ—ed immortall seede Or 1. Cor. 1.28 21. It pleaseth God by the foolishnesse of preaching to saue those that beleeue Or any such as thesâ— whereof there be store in the booke of God then had your allegation bâ—en pertinent where now they be friuolous And what meane you to omit these vvitnesses which would speak materially and to purpose and instead of them bring forth such as doe not