beseech you by the mercies of God to haue a due consideration A seconde Answere or Reioynder to Brownes replie for the doubts and obiections of his Disciple WHat desire I haue W. F. to withdrawe you from errour and to bring you to the trueth as the Lorde who searcheth the heart knoweth at full so no man that seeeth these my willing labours taken in the behalfe thereof can with any charitie doubt of it And though I haue nowe lesse hope than I had seeing you without all iudgement to discerne the spirit of error and arrogancie which is so nakedly seene in the framer of your replie yet as by the testimonie of two or three witnesses so shal my loue of your saluation be made manifest by this my comming againe vnto you So much therefore at the least through the goodnesse of God I shall gaine if there come more I shall receyue it as aduantage praise his most holy name for all Beare with mee if I followe not your teachers humour in aunswering for if there were nothing else my time is more precious vnto me 1 Vpon my grant that in our Churches we cannot redresse faults so fully as is to be wished he gathereth six heresies for errours soundeth not full inough in his lauish mouth but because they are without all demonstration no man is bound to beleeue him 2 Whereas you saide The lawe compelleth all to communicate that are aboue sixtene yeeres olde I answered The lawe intendeth a worthines yelded this reason because it prouideth censures for the vnworthie Your leader saith I falsifie the question the lawes For the question let that be iudged by others And in that he chargeth the lawes to enforce a confuse mingling with what face can he do it If hee remember the 2.3.4 pages of that brainlesse answere to master Cartwrights letter where amongest others of like nature are these wordes Wee knowe that the lawes doe punish all outward grosse wickednesse or suffer it to be punished as namely idolatrie c. and if there bee any vice vnpunishable by the law yet the lawes doe suffer either the Church or euerie householder or gouernour to correct so it be not against lawe such as are vnder their charge Againe Also for the discipline in gathering the worthie from the vnworthie the lawe appointeth it and giueth leaue to make exception both in publique iudgement and in Churches against vnworthie persons as against drunkennesse fightings murther adulteries stealth slanders c. and yet also doe giue libertie to the Church to vse their owne discipline Let him nowe looke who is his aduersarie in this Whereas I bid you informe vs of inordinate walkers that we may remoue them he sayth We must first haue an order of discipline established If hee meane by an order of discipline some kinde of order of discipline to debarre the vnworthie then it cannot be denied but we haue an order for it as the answerer to maister Cartwright in the wordes afore rehearsed in behalfe of the lawes acknowledgeth if he would not bee so shortly taken but haue his wordes vnderstood of that onely ordering of discipline which the worde of God setteth out then as I reuerence that for the onely and vnchangeable ordinance of the almightie so finde I none a greater aduersarie thereunto than he nay than you all if you all be of that iudgement hee is that wrote your replye For besides other thinges that I will not nowe enter into whereas I acknowledge that in our Church though wee haue some abilitie to withstand open prophanations yet that the gouerning by an Eldership is far to be preferred for the expectation of a happie successe he openeth his mouth as an enemie but with much falshoode and folly First hee sayth I make an Eldershippe a part of your seconde point leauing out discipline I sayde before wee haue vse of the discipline to remooue the inordinate onely this I graunted withall that if you should obiect that wee haue not so good vse of it as if it were ordered by an Eldershippe my selfe woulde ioyne with you in that poynt Nowe if hee had but so good vse of his vnderstanding as wee haue of this discipline he would haue discerned that I added this only to preuent such an obiection from you and not that I thrust it into your second poynt as to make it a part thereof Secondly hee sayth by Elders we meane Aldermen as that we seeke no other but by ciuill power and authoritie to force the vnruly Whereunto if I shoulde answere hee was madde I should fauour him much in mouing pitie for him and if it be not taken so both friends and enemies must needes set a harder sentence vppon him Againe he taketh it not necessary but superstitious to stand vppon the choosing of Elders as the state of our Church nowe standeth and in stead thereof hee supplyeth that the forward of euery Parish put forth themselues by visiting counsailing withdrawing comforting c. to performe the busines Wherin he gratifieth the enemies of discipline with this that the fourme of Church gouernement is changeable Besides let the wise consider whither that bee not apparantly a confused course wherein euery one that lusteth may gouerne Hee supposeth considering the times that an agreement were better than a choise As though there can bee obedience and so agreement where those that gouerne are not chosen His consideration of the times warranteth no man to runne before hee bee called Hee giueth another reason that rather God may haue the praise in prouoking and calling them then man in choosing them This I perceiue is Brownes Anarchie and thus I ouerthrowe it Whatsoeuer course of obedience tendeth more or rather to the praise of God then another that same is alwayes to bee preferred before the other But hee saith that for men to put forth themselues to execute discipline tendeth rather to the praise of God then if they be chosen Therefore we must conclude if hee say true that to offer our selues is alwaies to bee preferred in this case before choosing and so it shall follow by consequence that the order of ordayning set downe by the spirit of God is not the best course of all others Also when as it is hereby intended that the forwarde professors vppon their owne inward motions and feelings shall thus take vpon them to bee Elders and the others must so acknowledge them it followeth thereuppon connexiuely that these inward motions and feelings must be holden warrant inough both for them-selues to take vppon them Church-callings as also to bind other mens consciences to obey them For if this testimonie of their feeling bee not an authenticall warrant to the conscience how shall either parties walke in faith So then if this bee not to leade vs into the lake of Anabaptisticall reuelations I knowe not what can bee But hee proceedeth saying As for the names of Elders and other ceremonies in ordeyning seeing they
THE RASING OF THE FOVNDATIONS of Brovvnisme WHEREIN AGAINST ALL THE WRItings of the principall Masters of that sect those chiefe conclusions in the next page are amongst sundry other matters worthie the Readers knowledge purposely handled and soundly prooued ALSO THEIR CONTRARIE ARGVMENTS AND OBIECtions deliberately examined and clearly refelled by the word of God Isaiah cap. 57. ver 21. There is no peace saith my God to the wicked CONFIDITE VICI MVDV IOA IO. VHI TVA MORS VICTORIA 1 COR 15. CONFERET CAPVT TVV GEN. 3. ERO MORSVS INFERAT TVVS Oâ—… 13. IESVS CHRISTVS Imprinted at London by Iohn Windet dvvelling at Pawles wharfe at the signe of the Crosse keyes and are to be sold at the Rose in Powles churchyard 1588. The chiefe conclusions in this Booke 1 No man ought to depart the Communion for anie open vnworthie ones resorting vnto it 2 A faithful Christian may keepe himselfe free from the pollution of the knowne wicked at the Sacrament and yet not separate himselfe And how 3 Open notorious offenders not separated from a congregation of Christ doe not thereupon vnsanctifie the same so as to make it no Church of Christ 4 It may be a true Church of God that hath in it diuerse corruptions both in doctrine and practise 5 The Church of England is not more vnsound than diuerse vndoubted Churches haue beene from which no separation was counsailed 6 No man ought to separate himselfe from the Church of England for the defectes and corruptions that are therein 7 By fayth onely visible Churches haue their account and being in Christ 8 Discipline is not of the essence or being of a Church To the right worshipfull his verie louing cousin M. Thomas Hussey Esquire all encrease of Christian knowledge zeale and worship AS I haue made you a beholder vsed your name in my firste conflict with this kinde of men louing cousin so in my proceeding and to the verie ende which God shall giue wheÌ„ he seeth it good I trust I may be bold to continue the same course Wherefore now againe I returne presenting vnto you not Glouers matters in any of those points plainly and professedly which then were betweene vs but the generall and great heades of that schisme wherein he was first ouertaken and that specially betweene Browne the famous achbuylder of such ruinous foundations and me though others also are not omitted where opportunitie is offered For so haue these matters vpon the occasion of the Admonition growne somewhat large at length as now appeareth By my former writing I had stirred as it seemeth the hornets nest By this I hope I shall either driue them in again or els take away their stings so as they shall seldomer hurt any Those 8. conclusions wherewith you see I front the aduersarie are as so manie Canons to beate downe through the power of God the paper wals of his proude bulwarke The sielie defences that he maketh at euery assault entering of his breaches you shall iudge your selfe in this booke comming as it were to the very sight and view of the seueral actioÌ„s It may be you haue alredie heard somwhat of the course and behauiour of this people For though their ful swarme and store be as it is most likely in London and the partes neare adioyning yet haue they sparsed of their companies into seuerall partes of the Realme and namely into the West almost to the vttermost borders thereof For which cause mee thinkes I haue reason yet so much the more to bee confirmed in this choyce of my dedication sith so the rather as by your hand and meanes this benefit of discouering their iniquitie and making knowne their poison may more readily be communicated vnto many in those parts And as you are now in the seruice of your prince esteemed a worthy man to haue the leading training of so many to be prepared for the defence of your countrey and of this land against the bodily enemy so may that fauour be manifoldly greater which the king of kings shall in this seruice vouchsafe you by making you moreouer as an vpholder and deriuer of these defences of his truth into those weake parts of your countrey Whereinto such vndermining aduersaries haue entred caried away many soules froÌ„ the common means of their saluation namely the preaching of the Gospell which is called of the Apostle the power of God vnto Saluation to all that beleeue And thus also if in the mids of your weapons as it were you shal allot your times likewise to the preparing attaining skil weapons and strength to fight the Lords battails against your spiritual aduersaries happy happy again shal you be Your diligence watchfulnes in the seruice of your God and Queene in this life shall find rest perpetual peace quietnes herafter Yea your renoume increasing here on earth shalbe much more abundantly increased so as no earthly pen can describe it namely when the king of glory shall set a crowne vpon your head Thinke on these things most louing cousin as I doubt not you do and propound that worthy captaine Cornelius vnto your selfe as a companion to walke with or at least as an example to imitate And let that which others take for a reason to hold them backe bee a double spurre vnto you in this case Namely the generall contrarie practise of the multitude Remember that he that coulde not lie hath sayde it Narrovve is the vvay that leadeth to life and fevve there be that finde it And Striue to enter in at the narrovve gate A worde to the wise is sufficient And hereby I hope I shall but stirre vp your pure minde as the Apostle speaketh which is already forwardly running in this race Neuertheles I haue counted it my duetie alwayes and by all good occasions to put you in remembrance of these things For your wealth and good estate both of bodie and minde are of neere and deere accompt and price with me as the Lorde knoweth to whose gratious guiding and protection I most humbly commende you and all yours From London the 12. of the sixth Moneth Your worships euen in all the dueties of a louing kinsman S. B. ¶ To the Christian Reader The spirit of trueth and of wisdome in sobrietie through Christ Iesu ALthough Beloued the iudgement and practise of some men of speciall accompt in the Church of God haue to this day held this impression in me that I esteeme the captaines and antient bearers of this schisme vnworthie the honour of any set conflict and publique confutation yet is it come to passe by the prouidence of the onely wise God that I haue bene parte after parte and one occasion pulling on another drawne as it were by head and shoulders through the deepe of this businesse And the labour nowe accomplished I am so farre from repenting that I am in good assurance through the mercie God of a two-folde benefite to arise thereby the one is
betraying the good cause yea who ought to go before all others in suffering for this reformation but hee onely that pretendeth to holde the same at a higher price and to seeke for it with a more feruent zeale than all others But we haue experience sufficient of him what great things he hath suffred and how And this we know whatsoeuer he discourseth otherwhere of his fugitiue life that although some others haue bene hanged for his heresies he hath not only bene contented to let them go without his companie but comming also to some triall of his courage before authoritie there was not onely no shew of that Heroical spirit which he woulde haue you see in his writings but contrariwise shifting answeres with subtill reseruations shamefull and disorder like giuing backe from the trueth it selfe and finally a most hypocriticall subscription least hee shoulde haue felt affliction in the least of his fingers Of any of these if you doubt I will bee readie to shewe you prooues 31 In my first answere I shewed you the right vnderstanding of that comparison of the leauen which S. Paule vseth in the 1. to the Cor. 5. cap. that you might see if that place so commonly obiected of your leader to warrant your separating from our assemblies be but rightly vnderstoode it quickeneth our care and diligent indeuours to remoue corruptions but teacheth no man to forsake his Church I gaue you to vnderstande that the comparison is there of qualitie not of quantitie I speake not of like force and like nature without regarde of like woorking I knowe we consider of the natures of things by their effects and therefore I saide also that Paule putteth vs in minde of the effect of leauen The leauen in sowring the meale wherwith it is mingled and the vngodly in corrupting those with whom they keepe companie haue herein both a like nature yea and their effectes when they doe come to passe are both alike For it is true that when the wicked drawe others after them to become also of euill conuersation that before were not so the effect is like to the sowring of the meale which before was not so but now the measure of working of the one and of the other is not the same in both subiects Which that I may helpe you the better to vnderstand consider that the matter subiect to the sowring of the leauen is meale a thing altogether and wholy disposed to receiue the impression thereof without resistance But the matter whereon the wicked doe worke in this comparison is a company consisting of two sorts of men contrarily disposed and tempered the one apt to be infected the other hauing a supernatural power to hold out their contagion So that though the sowring that the one maketh the corrupting that the other worketh be alike yet are they not equal For of the meale all is infected but not all of such a cōpanie and so is it in the comparison that I gaue you By the salt all the liquor is seasoned but so is not alwayes a wicked company by two or three righteous men cōuerted Againe the leauen in one night so wreth the meal wherwith it is mingled you dare not say that the case is the same with a whole cōgregation and yet you say more if you hold that by warrant of this scripture you must depart frō the sacrament where you see vnworthy ones admitted for so you account the whole congregation to be leauened that is vnsanctified in a moment But I must further remēber you that as in diuers places the scripture speaketh of leauen in the ill part so our Sauiour Christ propoundeth a similitude by the same in the good part Which if you applie and vrge as farre foorth as you haue done this you must say that where faith regeneration by the gospel is once begun there do al become faithful renued euen as of 3. pecks of meale all becommeth leuened Which if you doe say all the worlde will crie shame of you If you feare so to abuse this place why feare you not also in the other Moreouer whereas your leader teacheth you to applie these woordes of Saint Paule A little leauen leaueneth the whole lumpe as though the Apostle had giuen you to vnderstande thereby that one knowne and so proued a wicked man remayning vnseparated in a Church vnsanctifieth the whole and bringeth a nullity vpon it hee doeth too grossely and shamefully abuse miscary and seduce you For by leauening Paul meant corrupting them with euill manners Like as to the Galathians hee meaneth by the same speech the corrupting of that Church with false doctrine and not the disanulling of either So that if God haue yet left you the vnderstanding to make difference betweene sicke and dead and that which is vnpure and that which is not nowe at all your leader can no longer misleade you in this poynt For if hee dare auouch it that whatsoeuer congregation is corrupt either in manners or doctrine the same is not to bee reputed or ioyned with as a Church of God we can soundly and so may safely proue and denounce him for a Donatist and not worthy to liue in any land of Christian gouernement His vnsatisfied dalyance with my comparing of salt with the righteous argueth the man either so pursued by the hande of God that whilest hee controlleth all men himselfe is vtterly spoyled of vnderstanding or else of so reprobate a mynde that hee wilfully closeth his eyes and stoppeth his eares at those thinges that haue speciall force to affect the senses to the reformation of his iudgement And after that hee hath altogether thus abused you in the scope of my comparison least hee should leaue you any light at all in it hee takes it to his owne stithie and hammers it a newe for so hee presumeth it shalbe fit for the schollers of his learning The Lorde giue you eyes to see and a heart to abhorre his most dangerous and pestilent conclusion for thus hee teacheth you euen the same doctrine which right nowe I called Donatisme that like as sweete water intermingled with poyson is poysoned and turned into the nature of poyson so the notorious wicked openly mingled in one outward Church with the righteous or the righteous with them they become one wicked crewe together euen all of them poysoned and infected together As touching the author of this sentence I haue litle hope as in all the rest to preuaile ought by my answering onely for your sakes my deare brethren that haue not as yet sounded the deepenes of Satan in him I will herein also lende my labour to weigh out this matter by the waightes of the Sanctuary And although my 11. 28. Sections do sufficiently couer him with shame and confusion for this poynt yet shall this bee further also euen as the nayle of Iahel to pearce through the temples of Sisara downe into the earth First this his bold
by faith and nothing else The first three thousand soules that Peter gayned at one Sermon are sayd to haue receyued the word and therevpon to haue beene added vnto the Church by Baptisme The whych receyuing of the word wherevpon they were baptised cannot be otherwyse vnderstood for the Lords wayes are one then the same whych Phillip demaunded as the thyng by whych alone the Eunuche could obteyne the seale of a Christian namely fayth and so is it also expounded within two verses in the same former places of the second of the Actes when the story sayth of the same assembly these wordes And they that beleeued were in one place and had all things common But nothyng can more explayne and confirme that example then another lyke vnto it of the gathering of a Church by Phillip in a Citie of Samaria where the Text expressely sayth That assoone as they beleeued Phillip which preached the things that concerned the Kingdome of God and the name of Iesus Christ they were Baptized both men and women Then Symon himselfe beleeued also and was baptized c. The same lykewise is the flat doctrine of the Apostles euery where Let the louers of truth behold and beare witnesse Christ sayth the Apostle hath redeemed vs from the cursse of the Lawe when he was made a cursse for vs for it is written Curssed is euery one that hangeth on tree that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Iesus that we might receiue the promise of the spirit through faith But the scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should be giuen to them that beleeue VVherefore the lawe was our schoolemaister to bring vs to Christ that we might be made righteous by faith for yee are all the sonnes of God by faith in Iesus Christ The same Apostle sayth VVe haue boldnesse entrance and confidence by faith in Christ And expressely That Christ dwelleth in vs by faith Now iudge whether the sunne can giue thee clearer light to reade then the playne tearmes of the Apostle doo teach thee to acknowledge our vniting vnto Christ by faith If any man desire to see more varietie of places let him looke these quotations where he shall see by the abundant testimonie of the spirit that we are all reconciled vnto God by faith accepted for our faith vnited vnto a bodie and engrafted into Christ the liuing stock by faith Thus then if matter and fourme be the essentiall causes whereof any thing consisteth and whereby the being of any thing is acknowledged I hope we haue heere with Ma. C. found out and proued the essentiall causes of a Church so as no man needeth to be perplexed in discerning the beeing thereof if he haue atteyned such a minde as can rest in the wisedome of God Heere we meete with that foolishe and vayne exception of Browne agaynst Ma. C. namely That Christ is the life and essence of the Church and not faith which is as though faith had not direct relation to Christ and Christ to faith in this consideration of a Church wherein neyther can fayth bee considered without Christ nor yet Christ as theyr head without faith And if Ma. C. hauing set downe that Christ is the foundation of the Church and that the assemblies are laid vpon him by faith should haue added in such expresse words that faith is the life of the Church were faith to be taken heere without respect of the foundation named before Or were it a harder speech then that which S. Paule vttereth when he sayth VVe stand by faith What difference is there betweene VVe liue by faith and we stand by faith But Habacuck the Prophet missed not the very words The iust shall liue by faith But yet cannot Browne abyde this that by faith only the Church is vnited vnto Christ Wherefore because Ma. C. sayth that nothing besides faith in the Sonne of God is necessary to the very being of a Church he replyeth saying That then belike children which yet through want of discretion cannot haue faith shall be without the essence and life of the Church O deepe Diuinitie worthy a Cambridge degree if I should requite him with his owne tearmes Christ hath these words He that beleeueth not is condemned And the writer to the Hebrewes VVithout faith it is impossible to please God What cause had Browne more to obiect this of childrens faith against Ma. C. his discourse of the beeing of a Church then against these generall axiomes of Scripture touching the being of a Christian or in state of saluation for it lyeth as indifferently against the one as the other And if he had whereby to be reconciled with those Scriptures so as his obiection should not lye agaynst them a little equitie would haue lead hym to haue applyed the same to Ma. C. his conclusion likewise If his knowledge be no better then he sayth he must learne that infants of parents that be within the couenant are not to be accounted without all fayth as his writing supposeth for if they be elect then haue they the spirit and so faith in power habilitie and inclination though not in outward profession and action Lyke as also at the same time they can not be denied to haue reason for as much as they haue a reasonable soule although it be but potentially and not in acte or outward gesture If they be not elect and so haue not the annoynting of the spirit nor therefore any faith in the sight of God yet receiue they so much from the faith of their parents as to be by it accepted of the visible Church for a holie seede and partakers of the promises because they iudging but as men haue no cause at all to doubt thereof This man vrgeth out of Habacuck that The iust shall liue by his owne faith but there was no cause for it is not sayd that infants shall be saued or liue in the sight of God by their parents faith but onely that by it they are of men to be reputed within the couenant and of the visible Church Yet he standeth to it that Not by the faith of the parents but by the promise made to the righteous and their seede the children are reckoned in the Church O trifeler how are the parents within couenant and partakers of the promises but by faith And how doo the promised blessings descend vnto the children but in regard that their parents beleeued Wherefore this foundation will stand vnmoued against all Papists and Apostates that particular visible Churches are vnited vnto their head Christ by faith and by faith do they stand And certainely it is strange how this should be doubted of by any that esteeme themselues iustified by faith sith one member hath not a seuerall lawe of life by it selfe but looke by what lawe and tenure one by himselfe enioyeth
mens sinnes to promise life and to rebuke and giue ouer to execration bee taken from Christ or the Church of Christ what remaineth but an Idoll or counterfait Christ an Idol or counterfait Church Here both he proceedeth in his double faced fallation last noted conueying him-selfe by the word power from Christes office to his deuine essence whereby he accomplisheth all thinges in his gouernement whether by the meane and ministerie of men or otherwise as I obserued before in the distribution of his gouernement and also heapeth vppon it an impudent petition of the principle as if the discipline being remooued from the Church foorth-with the woorde shoulde bee without Christes power to bind and loose to remitte or retaine mens sinnes which is not so much to extoll the worthy discipline as he pretended as it is eyther to clogge and chaine vp Christes diuine power thereunto or else to make discipline the diuine force and efficacious power of Christ himselfe which is his essence Whether soeuer of which as one must needes bee graunted not Master Cart-wright but Browne shall bee found the absurd blasphemer in this case The bulwarke of his cause is beaten downe there is not a weapon left him of any strength vnbroken if this be well weyed which is by me deliuered And if the reader consider that although the discipline bee a kind of the authoritie of Christ yet is it not all nor the principall of his authoritie and that although hee vse it many times as a chariot for his holy worde to ride vppon to subdue rebellious spirites yet hee vseth it neither most chiefely nor most ordinarily but the simple preaching of the worde is his continuall scepter and sword wherby hee saueth his people and conquereth his enemies beateth downe euery strong holde pearseth to the diuision of the soule and Spirite and of the ioyntes and marrowe and iudgeth the very cogitations and conceiptes of the heart This I say if the reader consider seeing there are no greater effectes in the whole kingdome of Christ then these which hee executeth by his worde yea when it is not assisted by the discipline for the woorde may stande without the discipline so cannot the discipline without the woorde hee will not only stay him-selfe as in a refreshing shadowe of Christes gracious gouernement where hee seeth the worde deliuered and taught but also acknowledge and testifie that it is a most malicious deuise of Satan practised by such instruments as Browne vnder a quarell for the holy discipline to drawe thousandes of soules from the most ordinary and mighty meanes of Christes gouernment and administration of his kingdome that so lying scattered from the folde they might bee out of all hope of ordinary rescue when the deuourer shoulde find them Let not Browne nowe hence-foorth aske what part of discipline may bee wanting and the Church notwithstanding haue the essence and name of a Church For although Mast Cart. not framing him-selfe to Brownes sense and writings as with whome hee medled not in his letter vseth the woorde discipline in a larger sense as comprehending all the behauiour concerning a Church in outward dueties and so amongest the rest the dayly planting and building by the calling and offering of the woorde by the ministers and the hearing receiuing and obeying of a people yet Browne can-not thinke to vse the worde in that sense sith his owne writings haue bounded him and set him in a scanter compasse namely within the politicall guiding of a Church which I haue lately before spoken of as generally all his writinges and namely his most vnlearned definitions and diuisions Numb 48. doe testifie Where defining the kingdome of Christ to bee his office of gouernement whereby hee vseth the obedience of his people to keepe his lawes and commaundementes to their saluation and well-fare hee deuideth the same in ouerseeing and trying out of wickednesse rebuke and suparation By which place vnlesse we will imagine of a discipline that hath larger limittes then the kingdome of Christ wee see what Browne vnderstandeth by discipline Within the polliticall guiding of a Church therefore must he bee contented to bee restrained in all this disputation of discipline And as for his busie hunting after Contradiction in M.C. his woordes in saying discipline is not of the essence of a Church and yet for want of all discipline to take away the essence and name of a Church his labour is vtterly lost as I haue prooued before in speaking of proper accidents And though in wordes hee vrge the shewe of a contradiction without discipline there may bee a Church and without discipline there can bee no Church Yet is it an empty barrell without liquour For when the reader shall haue added the word some to the former and the worde all to the latter that the first may bee read thus without some discipline there may bee a Church and the other thus without al discipline there can be no Church he shal plainly discerne that Browne did but dreame of a contradictiō After those his shiftings turnings to auoid the euidence of M C. reasons to hoodewinke his reader from the sight of thē hee setteth on as though hee would proue the contrary of M.C. conclusion namely that discipline is of the essence of a Church Wherein when he hath spent three or foure pages with many vaine and abused quotations of scripture after his wonted manner the whole course of his arguing comes all to this that the woorde of God giues the Church authoritie to obserue the behauiours of the seuerall members and to binde and loose remitte and retaine sinnes by ecclesiasticall censures and so exercise the keyes of the kingdome of heauen Therefore such iurisdiction is of the essence of a Church A worthy Captaine of so vnworthy a schisme Set this in a due fourme and I thinke him-selfe if it were possible woulde blush for shame to see it It is thus Whatsoeuer the worde of God commandeth to bee vsed of the Church that same is of the essence of the Church But the woord commandeth the discipline to bee vsed of the Church Therefore is the discipline of the essence of the Church If this bee the good reasoning let vs see whither it will bring vs. Whatsoeuer the word of God cōmandeth to be vsed of the Church the same is of the essence of the Church But the word commandeth good works to bee vsed of the Church Therfore good works are of the essence of the Church Likewise Whatsoeuer the word of God commandeth faith to bring forth the same is of the essence of faith But the word of God commaundeth that faith bring forth good workes Therfore good works are all of the essence of faith And thus it will come to passe that euery commaundement being made of the essence of a Church and of a particular Christian as a member euery transgression likewise shall ouerthrowe the Church and the state of a Christian His