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<DATE>2012-11-13</DATE>
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<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>&para; A Godlie Trea|ti&s;e of the Church. Written by Robert Some.</P>
<Q>The Lord added to the Church from day to day, &s;uch as &s;hould be &s;aued. <BIBL>Act. <HI>2.</HI> ver. <HI>47.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<P><HI>You &s;hall finde in the ende of</HI> this booke, a Treati&s;e <HI>a|gain&s;t Oppres&s;ion.</HI></P>
<P>LONDINI Impen&s;is Geor. Bi&s;hop. 1582.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>&para; To the right Honou|rable <HI>Sir Francis Wal&s;in|gham</HI> knight, principal Secretarie to her excellent Maie&s;tie, and one of her <HI>highne&s;&s;e priuie Coun&s;ell: Robert</HI> Some wi&s;heth increa&s;e of Gods giftes by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</HEAD>
<P>_IT plea&s;ed your Ho|nour to fauour me both at, and &s;ince my wayting on my Lord and mai|&s;ter, the Earle of Leyce&s;ter in the Courte, I doe not forget your goodnes to me, and I thanke God very heartily, for your Honourable both care of, and affe|ction to Gods Churche and religi|on. It is very cleere, that many are as friendlye to Gods trueth and Church, as the Ea&s;t winde is to the fruites of the earth: I neede not re|member
<PB REF="3"> particulers, for there are &s;o greate &s;tore, and (as it were) &s;warmes of &s;uch, that if almighty GOD did not bridle them, as hee did Sanballat, the Arrabians, and the Ammonites in Nehemias time, and ray&s;e vp excellent per&s;onages for the rearing vp of his Churche nowe, as hee did Ezra, Nehemi|as, Zorobabel, and Ieho&s;hua, af|ter the captiuitie of Babylon, Gods Church &s;houlde goe to wracke, and Religion &s;houlde bee handeled like a ward. But Gods Church is aliue, (thankes bee to GOD) how&s;oe|uer wicked men doe make it eyther a faire marke to &s;hoote at, or a dead carca&s;e to feede vppon, and will outliue and outcountenance all eni|mies what&s;oeuer. Almightie God to that ende hath ble&s;&s;ed this noble Land in our time with an excellente Prince of our owne nation, (as he
<PB REF="3"> did the Iewes with Zorobabel af|ter the captiuitie) and with ma|nye notable per&s;onages vnder her Highne&s;&s;e (as hee did the I&s;raelites with Eliachim vnder Ezechias the king of Iuda.) Amonge&s;t whiche excellent per&s;onages, becau&s;e your Honours place is greate in re&s;pect of the tru&s;t whiche is committed to you, and that GOD hath moued you to fauour mee, I doe pre&s;ent vnto you the&s;e my Treati&s;es of the Churche, and again&s;t Oppre&s;&s;ion, as a &s;ure argument of my duetifull mynde. My meaning is not to &s;et downe the &s;euerall poyntes of this Booke, it were a needele&s;&s;e labour, and you haue it in your handes to reade at your good plea&s;ure and lea|&s;ure.</P>
<P>Thus with my heartie pray|er to Almightye GOD for the in|crea&s;e of his good giftes in your
<PB REF="4"> Honour, I take my leaue in mo&s;t humble manner.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>At Queenes col|ledge in Cambridge <DATE>the fir&s;t of Nouember. 1582.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your Honours <HI>to commaund</HI> Robert Some.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="4">
<HEAD>To the Reader.</HEAD>
<P>IF my Treati&s;e of the Sacramentes founde grace with you (as I heare it hath) I pre&s;ume the&s;e of the Church, and again&s;t Oppres&s;ion, &s;hall: for they haue more variety in them, by rea|ding this booke, you &s;hall finde it &s;o. I haue not as yet written any thing of the Scrip|ture and Confes&s;ion, but hereafter I will according to my promi&s;e by the grace of God, to who&s;e merciful protection I com|mend both you and my &s;elfe.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Robert Some.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="preface">
<PB REF="5">
<HEAD><HI>Jf any either haue or doe</HI> &s;poile the Church or Churchmen of their maintenance, I referre them to <HI>this which immediatly followes, and</HI> to the fourth Propo&s;ition in my Treati&s;e of the Church, and to my whole Trea|ti&s;e again&s;t Op|pre&s;&s;ion.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mich. 2. Iere. 5</NOTE>_IT is a gro&s;&s;e &s;in to grind the faces of others, and to &s;poile them of that they haue: Gods iudgementes again&s;t Oppre&s;&s;io~, doe &s;uf|ficiently proue this. But to robbe the church, and Churchmen is a fowler &s;inne, and will haue greater ven|geaunce from almightie God. Is there any calling vnder heauen, that plea&s;eth God more, and doth greater &s;eruice in a Chri&s;tian kingdome, then the noble e&s;tate of the mini&s;terie? Are they not the Lordes Emba&s;&s;adours,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Malach. 2. Mat. 5. <HI>1.</HI> Cor. 4. Ephe. 4. 2. King. 2.</NOTE> the &s;alte of the earth, the light of the worlde, the di&s;pen|&s;ers of Gods my&s;teries, the buylders of Gods Church, and the charriot &amp; hor&s;eme~
<PB REF="5"> (as Elizeus &s;aid of Elias) of a Chri&s;tian kingdome? If they be &s;o, &amp; that by their &s;ound preaching,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 10.</NOTE> Sathan falles downe from heauen like lightning, &amp; y^e walles of Ieru&s;alem are built vp, is it not mo&s;t e|qual, y^t they &s;houlde not bee robbed of the churches maintena~ce, which belongeth of dutie vnto the~? Is is not a certaine truth, &amp; in y^e eyes of all men, that many in vp|landi&s;h &amp; incorporate townes doe open their pur&s;es very willingly, &amp; bou~tifully (for me~ of their place) for the maintena~ce of godly preachers, &amp; doth not almightie God, be&s;ides y^e heauenly co~fort he giues the~, repay tho&s;e good me~ with increa&s;e of earthly co~modities? Doth almighty God like of this Chri&s;tian dealing? &amp; do godly men both iu&s;tly &amp; greatly co~mend it: and wil not gracele&s;&s;e Cormorants be a&s;ha|med, which in &s;teed of helping the Lords plough forward, ha~g it vpo~ the hedge, by making foule hauock of y^e churches main|tena~ce? If the&s;e which either haue or doe feed vpo~ y^e church, (as the eagle doth vpo~ the carrion) did &s;ee the goodly companie of &s;tudents in Cambridge and Oxeforde, or coulde con&s;ider what &s;harpe wittes,
<PB REF="6"> and excelle~t learning &amp; vertues almigh|tie GOD hath geuen to many of them, or woulde bee moued with the &s;ight of tho&s;e holy a&s;&s;e~blies, wherin Gods trueth is &s;oundly taught, and his people &s;ingu|larly comforted, would they not conde~ne their vile cour&s;e, and be heartily &s;ory for their mon&s;trous dealings? If this I haue already reme~bred will not mollifie and bend their hearts, then let them ca&s;t their eyes vpon many Churches in this noble lande, which eyther want the preaching of the word, or if they haue it, they haue it &s;trawberie wi&s;e, that is, once a yeere: let them I &s;ay, looke vpon the wofull e&s;tate of tho&s;e places, and if they be not hewen out of Okes, and haue heartes of flint, it will breake them in pieces. If an&s;weare be made, that a &s;ufficient number of prea|chers cannot be had to furni&s;h the whole lande, I graunt they &s;ay &s;omewhat: but &s;ure I am, that if very fit men in the vni|uer&s;ities &amp; abroade, were heartened and employed accordingly, many &s;hould not be drowned in ignorance and poperie as they are, and many treacheries again&s;t y^e religion and Prince, would more ea&s;ilie
<PB REF="6"> appeare, and the number of &s;kilfull mi|ni&s;ters (which are very precious iewels in a Chri&s;tian kingdom) would increa&s;e accordingly. For who are there, that haue &s;pent their time profitably at their books, &amp; are excelle~tly furni&s;hed for the building of Gods Church, that would either hyde their talentes in a napkin,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.</NOTE> or burie them in the earth: yea rather, that are not with all their heartes de&s;irous to blowe the Lords &s;iluer Trumpets,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 10. Ezech. 33.</NOTE> to be watch|men ouer Gods citie, and feders of his flocke: and what hope is there that the&s;e worthy men &s;hall be employed, when the Churches maintenance is not giuen vn|to them accordingly, but rather pulled from them mo&s;t &s;hamefully: yea, what meane men are there, that will to their great charge maintayne their &s;onnes in the vniuer&s;ities for the benefite of Gods Church (for very fewe of greater calling dedicate their &s;onnes as Anna did Sa|muel to the Lords mini&s;terie) when they &s;ee that learning, vertue and religion, are not preferred and rewarded for learning, vertue, and religions &s;ake: and that (as A|ri&s;todemus of Lacedemon &s;aide, money,
<PB REF="7"> money is y^e ma~, without money either gi|ue~ to corrupt patro~s, or corrupt brokers, the Churches allowance is very hardly come by. Lent &s;hrift is found fault with long ago, but &s;ure I am, that the &s;hriuing or rather &s;hauing of the Churchemen, as it is more co&s;tly then Popi&s;he &s;hrift, &s;o is it in &s;ome &s;orte, as greate an enemy to Gods religion, as that trumpery was. If that which I haue &s;et downe in my Treati&s;e of the Sacramentes, or in this booke can not worke the good (I meane the vnfained conuer&s;ion) of &s;uche, as ey|ther haue, or doe poll the Church, let them remember, that euen the popi&s;he &s;ort, (how&s;oeuer they are wide, both of white &amp; butte, in many weighty pointes of Gods religion) doe both mi&s;like and condemne the giuing and taking of mo|ney, or pen&s;ions for cleargy liuinges, and thinke it a very ab&s;urd thing (as it is indeed) that anie patrone, becau&s;e he hath right according to the lawe, to pre&s;ent a fitte man, &s;houlde pull away either the whole, or the lea&s;t part of y^e churches pro|ui&s;ion. Secondly, that the time will come, when the&s;e gracele&s;&s;e cormorances
<PB REF="7"> &s;hal &s;ing this &s;ong with y^e king of Babilo~, <HI>vocetur Daniel,</HI> &s;ende, &s;ende,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Dan.</HI> 5. 1. <HI>King.</HI> 13. <HI>Exod.</HI> 8.</NOTE> for a godlie preacher: &amp; with y^e king of I&s;rael, <HI>Orapro me, &amp;c.</HI> O man of God, pray y^t my withe|red ha~d may be re&s;tored: &amp; with the king of Egypt, <HI>Orate dominu~ vt auferat ra|nas,</HI> Mo&s;es and Aaron pray ye to the lord, that I and my people may bee rid of the frogges. Let the~ reme~ber (I &s;ay) y^t the time wil come, whe~ they &s;hall &s;ing this &s;o~g with the&s;e vngracious princes, how|&s;oeuer they either haue or doe poll godlie me~ of y^e churches maintena~ce.<NOTE PLACE="marg">T. Liuius lib. 42.</NOTE> If. <HI>Q. Ful|uius</HI> vncouering the one halfe of Iunoes te~ple, y^t he might couer another te~ple in Rome w^t the &s;ame tiles, was greatly both mi&s;liked &amp; condemned by the~ of Rome for his fact: if they told him that Pyrrhus and Annibal would not haue faulted &s;o, and y^t the pulling of y^e tiles, from priuate mens hou&s;es had bin too much, &amp; therfore fro~ y^e Church, was intollerable, if they cau|&s;ed the tiles of Iunoes temple to be &s;ent home againe: may not &s;uch as either gar|ni&s;h their hou&s;es, or them&s;elues, or both, with the &s;poyle &amp; ruine of Chri&s;tia~ chur|ches, be iu&s;tly both mi&s;liked &amp; condemned?
<PB REF="8"> may they not be truely tolde, that the E|gyptians, &amp; Phili&s;tines would not &s;poile the Temples of their idols, and that the Churches mayntenance is too holy and precious a thing for them to laye their fingers on, and may they not bee iu&s;tly called on, to returne home againe not the tyles of Iunoes Temple, but all that which belonges to the maintenance of almighty Gods religion?<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 6.</NOTE> The Phi|li&s;tines when they &s;ent Gods Arke from them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 19.</NOTE> &s;ent it with a gift. Zacheus of Ie|richo, did offer fourefold re&s;titution, if he had iniuried any man. The Churche|men de&s;ire not any ouerplus, and v&s;urie of them, which eyther haue or doe poll the liuings of the Church: onely they de|&s;ire re&s;titution of the principall, that is, of their owne. To conclude, if Churche-pollers haue any &s;parke of Gods feare &amp; religion in the~,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 13.</NOTE> if they be not as the black moore, which cannot change his &s;kin, or as the Leopard, which cannot chaunge his &s;pots, if they honour our gracious Prince, if they loue this noble Church &amp; kingdome, if they haue Engli&s;he mens hearts, if they beleeue y^t there is a heauen
<PB REF="8"> for Gods &s;eruants, &amp; a hel for Churchrob|bers, the~ let them not v&s;e Gods Church,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Plin lib. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> chap. 62.</NOTE> as y^e young vipers doe their damme, that is, breake the bodie of her: but let them change their mon&s;trous cour&s;e, and if it plea&s;e them not to be good to the church|men, let them be good to them&s;elues, &amp; re|member that the wyld a&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iere. 2.</NOTE> though &s;hee &s;nuffe vp y^e winde at her plea&s;ure, is fou~d in her moneth: &amp; if it like them not to fauour them&s;elues,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tertul. ad Scap.</NOTE> let them be good (I will not &s;ay to Carthage, as Tertullian &s;aid to the pre&s;ident of Carthage in ano|ther ca&s;e) but to y^e Church of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 53</NOTE> which is Chri&s;ts both body &amp; &s;pou&s;e, betweene which church, &amp; his maie&s;ty, bicau&s;e, there is a very &s;ure and in&s;eparable knot, it is mo&s;t certayne, that the iniurie done to the Church, reacheth to Ie&s;us Chri&s;t y^e head and bridegroome of the Church, before who&s;e iudgement &s;eate we mu&s;t all ap|peare, and receiue according to that we haue done in this body, whether good or euil. <HI>2. Cor. chap. 5.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="9">
<HEAD>&leaf; A Table of &s;uche <HI>points as are contained</HI> in this Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1 VVHat the vi&s;ible Church is, &amp; why it is called vniuer&s;all.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2 Without the Churche there is no &s;aluation.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3 The preaching of Gods worde, and the &s;incere admini&s;tration of the Sacra|mentes, are the e&s;&s;entiall markes of Chri&s;tes Church.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4 Godly and learned mini&s;ters mu&s;t be freely and bountifully prouided for.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5 We may not for&s;ake Gods Churche, though there bee euill men or blemi&s;hes in it.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6 There is but one onely true Church.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7 The e&s;tate of the Churche in the time of grace, is much better then the e&s;tate of the Church, eyther before or vnder the lawe.</ITEM>
<ITEM>8 They are not alwayes the Churche, which vaunt them&s;elues to be the church.</ITEM>
<ITEM>9 The vi&s;ible Churche con&s;i&s;teth of
<PB REF="9"> good and bad.</ITEM>
<ITEM>10 The particuler Churches are mixte of the elect and reprobate, but they are not called Gods Churches, but for the electes &s;ake.</ITEM>
<ITEM>11 The external e&s;tate of Gods church, is &s;ubiect to many chaunges in the worlde, therefore Gods Church is not alike vi&s;ible at all times.</ITEM>
<ITEM>12 The vi&s;ible church mu&s;t not be tied to any place or per&s;ons.</ITEM>
<ITEM>13 Gods church cannot be quenched.</ITEM>
<ITEM>14 God hath his Church alwayes in earth.</ITEM>
<ITEM>15 The reprobates are not of the Church.</ITEM>
<ITEM>16 Succes&s;ion of Bi&s;hops is not an in|fallible argument of Gods church.</ITEM>
<ITEM>17 Antiquitie is no &s;ure argument of Gods Church.</ITEM>
<ITEM>18 Euerie vnitie is not a &s;ure argume~t of the true church, neither is euery di&s;corde a &s;ure argument of a fal&s;e church.</ITEM>
<ITEM>19 Multitude is not an infallible argu|ment of Gods church.</ITEM>
<ITEM>20 The church is not to be mea&s;ured by the external &s;hew.</ITEM>
<PB REF="10">
<ITEM>21 None, which are or haue beene ali|ents from the Church of God, are to bee ad|mitted ra&s;hly into it.</ITEM>
<ITEM>22 Gods Church may erre.</ITEM>
<ITEM>23 The Church is not perfect in this worlde.</ITEM>
<ITEM>24 The Church of Rome hath and may erre.</ITEM>
<ITEM>25 They may not be accompted Schi&s;|matikes, whiche for&s;ake the Churche of Rome.</ITEM>
<ITEM>26 The Church mu&s;t be built vpon the word of God.</ITEM>
<ITEM>27 The Churche is knowen by the worde of God.</ITEM>
<ITEM>28 Ie&s;us Chri&s;t alone, is the foundation of his Church.</ITEM>
<ITEM>29 What the catholike Church is.</ITEM>
<ITEM>30 The catholike Church is not vi&s;ible.</ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="treatise">
<PB REF="10">
<HEAD>&leaf; A Godlie Treati&s;e of the Church.</HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>1 What the vi&s;ible Church is, &amp; why it is called vniuer&s;all?</HEAD>
<P>_THe vi&s;ible church is y^e co~|pany of tho&s;e which make profe&s;&s;ion to &s;erue y^e true God in Chri&s;t. This vi&s;i|ble Church is called vni|uer&s;al, becau&s;e it is tyed not to any certaine place, per&s;o~s, or time, but is di&s;per&s;ed through y^e whole worlde, and &s;hall &s;o continue vntill the ende of the worlde.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>2 Without the Church there is no &s;aluation, that is to &s;ay, vnle&s;&s;e we be of the a&s;&s;embly of Gods children we can|not be &s;aued.</HEAD>
<P>BEhold, darknes &s;hall couer the earth, and gro&s;&s;e darkene&s;&s;e the people, but the Lord &s;hall ari&s;e vpon thee, &amp; his glo|rie &s;hall be &s;eene vpon thee. <HI>I&s;a. cha. 60. ver. 2.</HI> By whiche wordes it is manife&s;t,
<PB REF="11"> that onely the Church is partaker of the light of Gods &s;pirit, and of the brightnes of his fauour.</P>
<P>In Mount Sion, and in Ieru&s;alem, (that is to &s;ay in the Church) &s;halbe de|liuerance. <HI>Ioel chap. 2. ver. 32.</HI> There|fore without the Church there is no &s;al|uation.</P>
<P>The Lorde added to the Churche from day to day, &s;uche as &s;houlde be &s;a|ued. <HI>Actes chap. 2. ver. 47.</HI> Therefore without the Churche, there is no &s;alua|tion.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t and his Church, are mo&s;t &s;ure|ly linked together, for Chri&s;t is the bride|groome, and the Church is the &s;pou&s;e. <HI>Ephe. chap. 5. ver. 25.29.30.</HI> Howe then can any be with Chri&s;t, which is not with his &s;pou&s;e (that is to &s;ay) in Chri&s;tes Church? <HI>Cyp. lib. 2. Epi&s;t. 8.</HI></P>
<P>He cannot haue God to be his father, which hath not the Churche to be is mo|ther. <HI>Cyp. de vnitate Eccle.</HI> The Church is called the mother of the faithful, be|cau&s;e &s;he nouri&s;hes them alwayes by the word of truth.</P>
<P><HI>Noe,</HI> and his familie had peri&s;hed in y^e
<PB REF="11"> flood, if they had not continued in y^e Arke, <HI>Gen. chap. 7. ver. 21.22.23.</HI> The bra~ch, which is cut from the vine, cannot but wither. A ma~s arme, which is cut fro~ his body, is quickly without life. They whi|che are without Gods Church, are voyd of Gods &s;pirit, what&s;oeuer vi&s;ard of ho|line&s;&s;e they put on among&s;t men. <HI>Augu|&s;tine</HI> is flat for this. <HI>Epi&s;tle 50.</HI> and <HI>152</HI> So is <HI>Lactantius. lib. 4. chap. 14. &amp; 30.</HI></P>
<P>When any Popi&s;h Heretike v&s;es the name of the Church, as an argument to draw vs from the written word, we mu&s;t aun&s;weare, that hee is not ioyned to the Church, which is &s;euered from the Go|&s;pell, and that who&s;oeuer &s;etteth vp a Church without the word, buildes not a Church, but a Hogge&s;cote.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;tion.</HI></P>
<P>If there be no &s;aluation without the Church, what &s;hall become of the~, whiche haue not heard of Chri&s;t?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;were.</HI></P>
<P>They cannot pretend ignorance, for the great booke of the heauens, wherein Gods glorie is written in capital letters, is opened wide vnto them. <HI>P&s;al. 19. ver&s;.
<PB REF="12"> 1.</HI> I graunt that the condemnation of &s;uch &s;hall not be &s;o grieuous, as theirs, which haue hearde the Go&s;pell, and con|temned it: notwith&s;tanding they, which haue not heard of Chri&s;t, &s;hall not bee &s;a|ued, &s;eeing they haue in them&s;elues &s;uffi|cient matter of condemnation, I meane, fir&s;t, originall &s;inne, and then manye actuall &s;innes, whiche flow from origi|nall &s;inne, as riuers doe from the &s;pring head.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;tion.</HI></P>
<P>If there be no &s;aluation without the Church, in what ca&s;e are they, which are iu&s;tlie excommunicated, that is to &s;aye, are cut off from the a&s;&s;emblie of the faith|full?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;weare.</HI></P>
<P>They are in a dangerous ca&s;e, for if it be a grieuous thing to bee ca&s;t out of a wel ordered common wealth, it is more grieuous to bee ca&s;t out of the Churche, which is Gods common wealth. If <HI>Da|uid,</HI> when hee was &s;hut from holy mee|tinges, not for any fault of his, but by the tyranny of his enimies, lame~ted his owne ca&s;e very bitterly, &amp; preferred the e&s;tate
<PB REF="12"> of the &s;parrowe, and &s;wallowe before his owne: how would <HI>Dauid</HI> haue byn grie|ued, if he had bin iu&s;tly barred from the Lordes tabernacles? <HI>P&s;al. 84. ver. 1.2.3.</HI> Be&s;ides, they which are iu&s;tly excommu|nicated, are deliuered to Sathan, y^t is to &s;ay, are alie~ts from Chri&s;tes kingdom, &amp; are vnder the power &amp; authority of Sa|tha~: &s;o were the ince&s;tuous <HI>Corinthia~,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 5. Theod. lib. 5. cap. 18.</NOTE> &amp; <HI>Theodo&s;ius</HI> the Emperour, vntill they were reconciled to Gods Church. The captiuitie of the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> was great vn|der <HI>Pharao</HI> in <HI>Egypt,</HI> &amp; vnder <HI>Nabucho|donozor</HI> and <HI>Baltha&s;ar</HI> in <HI>Babylon,</HI> but the captiuitie vnder Sathan, goes be|yond it: for what&s;oeuer is bound in earth, is bound in heauen. <HI>Mat. cap. 18, ver. 18.</HI> The Popes excommunication again&s;t our noble Queene, and her be&s;t &s;ubiectes hath not &s;o much grou~d in Gods book, to &s;tand vpon, as y^e Iewes excommunicatio~ had, when they ca&s;t Chri&s;t and his Apo|&s;tles out of their Synagogues.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;tion.</HI></P>
<P>If the Popes excommunicatio~ again&s;t our gracious &s;oueraigne Q. <HI>Elizabeth</HI> were lawful, whether might y^e &s;ubiects of
<PB REF="13"> Englande deny their obedience to her Maie&s;tie, and depo&s;e her from her king|dome?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;weare.</HI></P>
<P>They might not: my rea&s;ons are the&s;e. <HI>Tiberius</HI> was a wicked Emperor, yet Chri&s;t and Peter payde him tribute. <HI>Math. chap. 17. ver. 24.27.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. chap. 2 ver. 13.</NOTE> <HI>Nero, Do|mitian</HI> were per&s;ecutours of Gods Churche, yet the Apo&s;tles, &amp; other godly men obeyed them. The Emperour <HI>Iuli|an</HI> was a wicked Apo&s;tata, but the aun|cient Chri&s;tians obeyed him.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eu&s;eb. lib. 3. cap. 20. Sozom. lib. 5. cap. 4.</NOTE> <HI>Theodo&s;i|us</HI> the Emperour was excommunicated by <HI>Ambro&s;e</HI> the Bi&s;hop of <HI>Mediolanu~,</HI> but <HI>Ambro&s;e</HI> obeyed him, euen during the time of his excommunication. <HI>The|odor. lib. 5. cap. 18.</HI> If the&s;e Emperors were obeyed, &s;hall not our gracious &s;o|ueraigne, (though &s;he were iu&s;tly excom|municated) bee duetifully obeyed of her &s;ubiectes?<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. The&s;&s;al. 3. ver. 15.</NOTE> Are wee commaunded to ac|compt another, whiche is iu&s;tly excom|municated, not as an enimie, but as a bro|ther, and &s;hall we not performe the like to our noble prince, if &s;he were iu&s;tly ex|communicated? and &s;ure I am, that tho&s;e
<PB REF="13"> men are very farre fro~ performing this duetie to her Maie&s;tie, which denie their lawfull obedience vnto her. Be&s;ides, what warrant had <HI>Pius</HI> the fir&s;t, &amp; <HI>Gre|gorie</HI> the <HI>13,</HI> to di&s;charge the &s;ubiectes of England of their allegiance: if it bee &s;aide that Saint <HI>Peters</HI> keyes are war|rant inough,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Platina in Greg. 7.</NOTE> and that <HI>Gregorie</HI> the <HI>7.</HI> had no better when he dealt again&s;t <HI>Henrie</HI> the Emperour, nor <HI>Gregorie</HI> the &s;econd, <HI>Innocentius</HI> the fourth, <HI>Pa&s;chalis</HI> the <HI>2.</HI> when they dealt again&s;t the Emperours, <HI>Leo, Fridericus,</HI> and <HI>Henrie</HI> the 4. nor Pope <HI>Zacharie,</HI> and <HI>Martyn</HI> the 4. when they dealt again&s;t <HI>Childericke</HI> the king of Fraunce, and <HI>Peter</HI> the king of <HI>Arra|gonia:</HI> I aun&s;weare, that <HI>Peters</HI> keyes (though the Pope had good right to the~) &s;erue not to giue entrance into, or to &s;hut out of earthly kingdomes, for they are y^e keyes of the kingdome of heauen. <HI>Math. chap. 16. ver. 19.</HI> And who knowes not, that the kingdome of heauen (that is to &s;ay, eternall life) is a thing farre differe~t from the kingdome of the world? La&s;t|ly, excommunication, (which is a notable &amp; &s;oueraigne medicine in Gods church) is
<PB REF="14"> the puni&s;hment of the con&s;cience, not of goods, nor of the body (otherwi&s;e then by &s;ome &s;hame &amp; reproch, which waites vp|pon our &s;eparation from the Churche of God, and &s;o are S. <HI>Paules</HI> wordes of the de&s;truction of the fle&s;he,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 5.</NOTE> to be vnder&s;tan|ded:) therefore they which haue purpo&s;ed &s;ince the Popes exco~munication again&s;t her maie&s;tie, eyther to hurt her royall per&s;on, or to depo&s;e her from her king|dome, as they haue pa&s;&s;ed the li&s;tes and bou~ds of al exco~munication, &s;o their &s;inne is very gro&s;&s;e, &amp; exa~ple very dangerous.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>3 The preaching of Gods word, &amp; the &s;incere admini&s;tration of the Sacra|ments, are the e&s;&s;ential markes of Chri|&s;tes Churche: and where the&s;e markes are, there vndoubtedly the true church is, though there bee otherwi&s;e in that Church &s;ome blemi&s;hes.</HEAD>
<P>IF the Church be the a&s;&s;emblie of the faithful,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10.</NOTE> and faith commeth by hearing, and hearing by the worde of God, it is a cleare ca&s;e that the preaching of the worde belongeth to the e&s;&s;ence of the vi&s;i|ble Church.</P>
<PB REF="14">
<P>We are taught in Gods booke,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 28.</NOTE> that the Sacraments in&s;tituted of Chri&s;t, are the &s;eales of Gods word, therfore the Sacra|ments, pertayne to the e&s;&s;ence of the vi&s;i|ble Church.</P>
<P>The Churches of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> and <HI>Iuda,</HI> were therefore Gods Churches, becau&s;e they had Gods law preached &amp; circumci&s;ion &amp; the pa&s;&s;eouer (which were their Sacra|me~ts) admini&s;tred among&s;t the~. <HI>Io&s;ias,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Chron. 34. &amp; 35. chap.</NOTE> y^t he might pla~t Gods Church aright, cau|&s;ed the booke of the lawe to be publi&s;hed, and a pa&s;&s;eouer to be proclaymed.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nehem. 8. Ezra. 7.</NOTE> <HI>Ezra</HI> after his returne from <HI>Babylon,</HI> expoun|deth Gods law to the I&s;raelites, &amp; re&s;to|reth the true v&s;e of the Pa&s;&s;eouer.</P>
<P>S. <HI>Luke</HI> &s;etting down the e&s;tate of the Primitiue Churche in orient coloures,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 2.</NOTE> &s;aith, that they continued in the Apo&s;tles doctrine (which is the life of the Church) and felow&s;hip, (that is in performing of Chri&s;tia~ dueties one to another,) &amp; brea|king of bread (y^t is in the admini&s;tratio~ of the holy &s;upper,) &amp; prayers (y^t is publike prayers, in which con&s;i&s;teth the profe&s;&s;i|on of our religio~). This excelle~t Church had the Apo&s;tles doctrine, and the holye
<PB REF="15"> communion, therefore it was the church of Chri&s;t. If any &s;aye that the Sacra|ment of bapti&s;me is not here mentioned. I aun&s;weare in a worde, that Saynt <HI>Luke</HI> needed not to mention Bapti&s;me, &s;eeyng he &s;peaketh of &s;uch as were alrea|die bapti&s;ed.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 1. 2. Cor. 1. Galat. 1.</NOTE>The Churches of <HI>Corinth</HI> and <HI>Ga|latia,</HI> had great blemi&s;hes in them: yet be|cau&s;e they had Gods truth &amp; &s;acrame~ts among them, they are accompted by S. <HI>Paule</HI> the Churches of God.</P>
<P>If the &s;ound preaching of the worde, and the admini&s;tration of the &s;acrame~ts, are the e&s;&s;entiall marks of Gods church, then learned mini&s;ters are nece&s;&s;arie: for they blow the Lords &s;iluer trumpets,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 10.</NOTE> &amp; put their handes to the framing of the &s;il|uer ve&s;&s;els of the temple. If Godlie and learned mini&s;ters are nece&s;&s;arie and &s;in|guler ornaments in the Church of God, then &s;chooles of learning, and Vniuer&s;i|ties (wherein &s;tudents are made fitte to &s;erue Gods Church) are e&s;pecially to be regarded.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 19. 2. King, 2. &amp; 22. chap.</NOTE> Suche &s;chooles of learning were at <HI>Nayoth</HI> in <HI>Samuels</HI> time, at <HI>Ie|richo,</HI> and <HI>Bethel</HI> in <HI>Elizeus</HI> time, at <HI>Ie|ru&s;alem</HI>
<PB REF="15"> in <HI>Io&s;ias time,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Caluin in 1. Cor. chap. 14. ver&s;e 32.</NOTE> at <HI>Corinth</HI> in S. <HI>Paules</HI> time, and &s;uch are now with vs in <HI>Cambridge</HI> and <HI>Oxeforde.</HI> If the&s;e be vpholden, religion flouri&s;heth, and con|&s;equently Gods ble&s;&s;ings increa&s;e in y^e land. If the&s;e goe to wracke, farewel re|ligion, and the good e&s;tate of the commo~ wealth. But Vniuer&s;ities and &s;chooles of learning, mu&s;t needes decay, when the &s;tudents are not prouided for, &amp; imployed accordingly: and preferred and imployed they cannot bee, if either the Churches maintenance be pulled away, or Church liuings be bought and &s;old for money or pen&s;ions.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>4 Godlie and learned Mini&s;ters mu&s;t bee freely and bountifully proui|ded for.</HEAD>
<P>BEware, that thou for&s;ake not the <HI>Le|uite,</HI> as long as thou liue&s;t vppon the earth. <HI>Deut. chap. 12. ver. 19.</HI> Almighty God commanded the I&s;raelites to haue e&s;peciall care of the <HI>Leuite,</HI> therefore they might not v&s;e him like a drudge, or &s;end him a begging. If the <HI>Leuite</HI> mu&s;t
<PB REF="16"> be excellently v&s;ed, greater regarde mu&s;t be had of the mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pell, who&s;e calling (becau&s;e it is greater then <HI>Iohn the</HI> Bapti&s;tes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. chap. 11. ver. 11.</NOTE> is farre aboue the Leuites.</P>
<P>Gods Church is the piller &amp; ground of truth. <HI>1. Tim. cap. 3. ver. 15.</HI> becau&s;e by y^e mini&s;tery of the word Gods truth is pre|&s;erued in the Church. If the mini&s;terye of the word pre&s;erues this precious iew|el in the church (as the prie&s;ts did the fire vpon the altar in the time of the law) the~ they,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Leuit. chap. 6.</NOTE> which hinder Gods mini&s;tery, doe robbe Gods Church of ine&s;timable trea|&s;ure: &amp; hinder y^e mini&s;tery do they, which di&s;courage the learned mini&s;ters by pow|ling the~ of the churches proui&s;ion. But if <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;ending his &s;eruaunts to comfort y^e king of <HI>Amon</HI> after his fathers death,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 10.</NOTE> tooke in great dudgen the &s;hauing of his &s;eruantes beardes, &amp; cutting of their gar|me~ts, will almighty God take it in good part, that his &s;eruants whom he hath fur|ni&s;hed with excellent gifts, for the co~fort of his church, are polled &amp; &s;haue~ of their maintenance, &amp; &s;tripped as it were into their &s;hirts, and handled as di&s;hcloutes.</P>
<PB REF="16">
<P>Who goeth a warfare any time at his owne co&s;t? Who pla~teth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit therof? Or who fee|deth a flocke, &amp; eateth not of the milke of the flocke? <HI>5. Cor. chap. 9. ver. 7.</HI> If they whom S. <HI>Paule</HI> mentions in this ver&s;e, are prouided for either of the common charge, as the &s;ouldier, or by the fruit of the vine, as the hu&s;bandman, or by the mylke of the flocke, as the &s;hepheard: It is mo&s;t equall that learned mini&s;ters &s;hould haue large allowance of the chur|ches charge: for their warfare, vineplan|ting &amp; &s;heepfeeding doeth as farre pa&s;&s;e the others, as the precious diamond doth the peeble &s;tone.</P>
<P>We be&s;eech you brethre~, y^t you know (y^t is haue regard of) the~, which labor amo~g you, y^t ye haue them in &s;inguler loue for their works &s;ake, &amp;c. <HI>1. The. cap. 5 ver. 12 13.</HI> If learned mini&s;ters mu&s;t be e&s;pecial|ly fauoured, they may not bee kept from their owne: if they mu&s;t be &s;ingulerly lo|ued for their works &s;ake, they may not be trode~ vpo~, as y^e mire in y^e &s;treets, nor &s;poi|led by graceles me~ of y^e churches mainte|na~ce. But churchpollers loue churchme~,
<PB REF="17"> as <HI>Philippides</HI> did his father, when hee cudgeled him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. epi&s;t. 168.</NOTE> and as a rufler in <HI>Augu|&s;tines</HI> time did his mother, whom hee v|&s;ed in like &s;ort mo&s;t vnnaturally.</P>
<P><HI>Baltha&s;ar</HI> the king of <HI>Babylon</HI> in the midde&s;t of a great fea&s;t, called for the gol|den ve&s;&s;els which were brought from the temple of Ieru&s;alem: they were brought vnto him by his &s;eruauntes. The king &amp; his princes, his wiues &amp; his concubines did drinke wine in them: but marke what followes in the Text. At the &s;ame houre appeared fingers of a mans hand, which wrote ouer again&s;t the candle&s;ticke, vp|pon the play&s;ter of the wall of the kings pallace, and the king &s;awe the palme of the hand, that wrote. Then the kinges countenaunce was chaunged, and his thoughtes troubled him, &s;o y^t the ioynts of his loynes were loo&s;ed, and his knees &s;mote one again&s;t the other &amp;c. <HI>Dan. cha. 5. ver. 2.3.4.5.6.</HI> If Gods iudgementes appeared notably and &s;trangely again&s;t a mightie monarche, for drinking in a brauery in the holy ve&s;&s;els of the temple of <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> will he &s;pare meane men in compari&s;on of him, which by &s;poyling
<PB REF="17"> the Church robbe GOD of his glorie, Gods mini&s;ters of their maintenance, &amp; Gods people of the food of their &s;oules? If neither the great riuer <HI>Euphrates,</HI> nor the high and thicke walles of <HI>Baby|lon,</HI> could keep Gods iudgeme~ts from y^e king of <HI>Babylo~,</HI> &s;hall any eyther cunning dealing what&s;oeuer,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Theod lib. 3. cap. 12. &amp; 13</NOTE> or mighty bulwarks be able to deliuer Churchrobbers fro~ the vengeance of almighty God? <HI>Iulian</HI> (the Emperour <HI>Iulians</HI> vncle) commaunded the holy ve&s;&s;els to bee brought into his trea&s;urie: Almighty God puni&s;hed him very &s;trangely for it, for he ca&s;t tho&s;e ex|crementes vpward, which &s;houlde haue pa&s;&s;ed downeward, and &s;o the bea&s;t died. If God &s;pare not the Cedars of <HI>Liba|nus,</HI> he will not &s;pare the Firre trees: if the Oakes of <HI>Ba&s;an</HI> goe to wracke, what &s;hall the boxe tree looke for?<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Mach. cap. 8. ver. 33. T. Liuius li. 29</NOTE> <HI>Calli&s;the|nes</HI> &s;et fire vpon the holy gates, but he was burnt him&s;elfe for it. <HI>Pyrrhus</HI> rob|bed the temple of <HI>Pro&s;erpina,</HI> but the &s;hippes which carried that trea&s;ure, did mi&s;carrie, and <HI>Pyrrhus</HI> him&s;elfe neuer thriued after.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heliod&ocirc;rus.</NOTE></P>
<P>Doe yee not knowe that they, which
<PB REF="18"> mini&s;ter about the holy thinges, eate of the things of y^e temple, &amp; they which wait at the altar, are pertakers with the altar? So al&s;o hath the Lorde ordayned, y^t they which preach the Go&s;pell, &s;hould liue of the Go&s;pel. <HI>1. Cor. cap. 9. ver. 13.14.</HI> As if S. <HI>Paule</HI> &s;hould &s;ay, the Prie&s;ts in the time of the law were bountifully proui|ded for, therefore Gods mini&s;ters mu&s;t be excellently dealt with. The Apo&s;tle &s;aith, that the Lorde hath ordayned, that they, which preach y^e Go&s;pel, &s;hould liue of the Go&s;pell, therefore they which are not carefull for the mini&s;ter, breake the Lords decree, much more they which rob the Church, &amp; the mini&s;ter. If any reply y^t S. <HI>Paule</HI> liued not alwayes of y^e Chur|ches charge,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. chap. 9 ver. 15.</NOTE> I graunt it to be true, &amp; the rea&s;on, why <HI>Paule</HI> ab&s;tayned, was, that he might not be inferiour to the fal&s;e Apo|&s;tles of <HI>Corinth,</HI> which taught freely, y^t they might corrupt the~ of <HI>Corinth</HI> more ea&s;ily.</P>
<P>Be not deceiued, God is not mocked: <HI>Galat. chap. 6. ver. 7.</HI> Many amonge&s;t the <HI>Galathians,</HI> defrauded the mini&s;ters of their maintenaunce: lea&s;t they &s;hould
<PB REF="18"> want &s;ome cloake for their ab&s;urde dea|linges, they gaue out, that they mu&s;t haue care of their families, and that the mini&s;ters mu&s;t preach the Go&s;pel of free-co&s;t: but the Apo&s;tle aun&s;weares them roundly in this &s;ort, be not deceiued, &amp;c, As if he &s;hould &s;ay, you that deale hardly with your mini&s;ters, deceiue your &s;elues, and though you goe beyond them, yet al|mighty God &s;ees you well ynough, and cannot be mocked. It is Sathans drift to take from men, if he can, the truth of Gods religion, and to that end he openeth his whole packe of &s;ubtilties. When the Deuill cannot compa&s;&s;e y^t, he laboures mightely to hinder Gods religion by al|luring wicked men to pull away y^e main|tenance of the mini&s;ters. For what lear|ned mini&s;ter can attend vpon his &s;tudy, if he want bookes, or teach Gods people, if he want nece&s;&s;aries. <HI>Ari&s;totles</HI> drudge (I confe&s;&s;e) was enioyned to worke, &amp; did abide cha&s;ticement,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ati&s;t. in Oc|con.</NOTE> but he had meate (y^t is to &s;ay all things nece&s;&s;ary) allowed him.</P>
<P>The Elders that rule well are worthy of double honour, &s;pecially, they which
<PB REF="19"> labour in the worde and doctrine. For the Scripture &s;aith, thou &s;halt not mou|zell the mouth of the Oxe, that treadeth out the corne: and the labourer is worthy of his wages, &amp;c. <HI>1. Tim. chap. 5. ver. 17.18.</HI> If learned and painfull Preachers are worthy of double honour, it is a foule &s;hame not to prouide for them, &amp; a gro&s;&s;e &s;inne either to crop or girdle their main|tenance. Saint <HI>Paule</HI> v&s;eth two rea&s;ons to proue, that the mini&s;ters mu&s;t haue proui&s;ion accordingly, the fir&s;t is out of the lawe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. chap. 25.</NOTE> and is this, thou &s;halt not mou|zel the mouth of the Oxe, that treadeth out the corne: as if the Apo&s;tle &s;houlde &s;ay, the Oxe may not be pinched of his prouender, therefore the learned mini&s;ter may not be pealted with. The &s;econde rea&s;on is out of the Go&s;pell, and is this: the Labourer is worthie of his wages,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 10.</NOTE> as if he &s;hould &s;ay, euery meane labourer mu&s;t haue his hire, as the Ditcher, Thre|&s;her,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. chap. 9. ver. 11.</NOTE> Dawber, &amp;c. Therefore the learned mini&s;ter, which &s;owes &s;pirituall things, may clayme of duetie to reape carnall thinges, and if of duetie hee may clayme them, then he may not be either &s;hauen or
<PB REF="19"> polled of them.</P>
<P>The mini&s;terie is the &s;trength of the lande, and the life of the lande. That it is the &s;trength of the lande it is mani|fe&s;t, for whe~ the mini&s;ters by &s;ound prea|ching doe vanqui&s;he riot, adulterie, coue|tou&s;ne&s;&s;e, pride, idlene&s;&s;e &amp;c. (Of whiche &s;innes many di&s;ea&s;es, beggery, tran&s;la|ting of inheritaunce fro~ the right heires, vnnece&s;&s;ary dearth, &s;edition, rebellion, polling of Churches and Churchmen, &amp;c. doe growe) they may be truely called the &s;trength and defence of the common wealth. In <HI>Elias</HI> time the &s;trength of the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> armie did con&s;i&s;t of Charri|ots and hor&s;emen.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. King. 2.</NOTE> <HI>Elizeus</HI> &s;eeyng <HI>Elias</HI> taken vp by a whirlewinde into heauen, v&s;ed the&s;e wordes: My Father, My Fa|ther, the Charriot of I&s;rael, &amp; the hor&s;e|men thereof: whereby <HI>Elizeus</HI> meant, that <HI>Elias</HI> by his mini&s;terie had been both Charriot and hor&s;emen for the defence of the <HI>I&s;raelites.</HI> That the mini&s;te|rie is the life of the lande, it is cleare by this: <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith, that where pro|phe&s;ie (that is to &s;ay, the expounding of Gods worlde) is not, the people peri&s;h,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 29.</NOTE>
<PB REF="20"> therefore where Gods religion is taught the people are aliue.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos 8.</NOTE> <HI>Amos</HI> teacheth vs, that no famine is &s;o grieuous, as y^e famine of Gods worde, therefore where Gods truth is deliuered, the people are free fro~ y^e &s;ore&s;t famine. S. <HI>Paule</HI> charging them of <HI>The&s;&s;alonica,</HI> not to quench the &s;pirit (that is the giftes of the &s;pirite) co~mands them not to de&s;pi&s;e prophecying (that is to &s;ay,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. The&s;&s;. 5.</NOTE> the expounding of the word) ther|fore it is a good con&s;equent y^t the mini|&s;tery of the worde is the life of a Chri&s;ti|an kingdome. If the mini&s;tery be the life of a Chri&s;tian kingdo~, what de&s;erue they to be thought of, which thru&s;t it as lowe as may be, and make it a peece of their &s;tudy not to benefite the Church, which is euery mans duetie, but to &s;poyle the Church of that maintenance which be|longs of duety to learned Teachers? If the good e&s;tate of the mini&s;tery be the &s;trength of y^e land, what do they de&s;erue, which wil very hardly allow it any good place in the lande? If it bee the life of the Lande, what friends are they to the Lande, which for vyle bribes, and cur&s;ed pen&s;ions preferre corrupt menne whiche for want of &s;ound learning, are
<PB REF="20"> vnfitte to teache, and for want of God|ly wi&s;edome are vnfitte to gouerne. It may be truely &s;ayd, that &s;ince the raygne of our gracious Soueraigne Queene <HI>Elizabeth,</HI> manye Studentes in Cam|bridge and Oxeforde are come to excel|lent proofe. If their learning, &s;ound|ne&s;&s;e in Religion, and other vertues bee regarded, they are &s;inguler: if their wits, they are I am &s;ure equal at the lea&s;t to o|ther mens, what &s;eruice they are able to do, would ea&s;ily appeare to Gods glory, &amp; y^e great good of the lande, if they were employed according to their giftes: I meane not &s;iluer and golden gifts which are the be&s;t Logicke, and &s;ure&s;t Rheto|ricke to per&s;wade corrupt menne, but Gods notable graces and gifts for the which <HI>Pharao</HI> preferred <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> in <HI>E|gipt,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 41. Dan. 6.</NOTE> &amp; <HI>Darius</HI> preferred <HI>Daniell</HI> in <HI>Ba|bilon.</HI> Is it not a &s;traunge ca&s;e, that in Trinitye, and Saint <HI>Iohns</HI> Col|ledges in Cambridge (whiche are two of the greate&s;t Colledges wee haue) not one fellow&s;hippe falles voyde &s;ome|times in a yeere, and more? Doeth not this &s;peake, yea rather cry very lowde, that there is little hope of places
<PB REF="21"> for younger &s;tudents, &amp; that fitte men are not prouided for?</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Po&s;&s;id. in vita Augu&s;t. 10. cap. 24.</NOTE>A noble man of <HI>Hippo</HI> in Afrike, which liued at <HI>Carthage,</HI> gaue a po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ion of his owne accorde to the Churche of <HI>Hippo,</HI> where <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> was By|&s;hop: he &s;ealed his deede of gift, &amp; &s;ent it to <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> for the Churches behoofe, onelie he re&s;erued for his life time, the v&s;e and profit (but not the proprietie) of that po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> receiued the writinges, and commended the giuer. After a few yeeres this noble man de&s;i|red his deed of gift againe, but &s;ent fiue poundes for the poores reliefe. <HI>Augu|&s;tine</HI> &s;eeing the noble mans incon&s;tancie, was mightely grieued, yet without delay deliuered the writinges, but refu&s;ed his almes, and by letters tooke him vp roundly for his hypocri&s;ie, and exhorted him to earne&s;t repentance &amp;c. If <HI>Augu|&s;tine</HI> dealt &s;harply with the noble man of <HI>Hippo,</HI> for calling backe his owne deede of gift, how would he &s;hake tho&s;e cormo|rants (if hee were nowe aliue) whiche &s;poyle the Church of other mens deeds of gift? If <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> refu&s;ed <HI>5.</HI> pounds
<PB REF="21"> &s;ent by this noble man of <HI>Hippo</HI> for the benefit of the poore, what accompt would he make of their almes, whiche poll the Church and Churchmen, would he put it into the poore mans boxe? It is cer|tayne he woulde not, lea&s;t he &s;houlde bee guiltie of giuing countenance to grace|le&s;&s;e men, and of giuing Gods religion a grieuous blowe.</P>
<P>Gods enimies,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. lib. 8. Confe&s;. cap. 5. Socrat. lib. 3. cap. 12.</NOTE> when they woulde o|uerthrow religion, gaue &s;treight charge that the Chri&s;tians &s;hould not be trained vp in learning, &s;o did <HI>Iulian</HI> the Empe|rour. If I &s;hould &s;ay, that they whiche either poll the Church liuings, or for mo|ney preferre corrupt men, are of <HI>Iulians</HI> &s;tampe, it might &s;eeme a hard &s;peech, but it is neither &s;o hard, nor &s;trange as their dealinges are. For is it po&s;&s;ible for &s;chooles to thriue, if the vniuer&s;ities de|cay? And can the Vniuer&s;ities pro&s;per, when the learned &s;tudentes are not fur|ni&s;hed with maintenaunce? The Vni|uer&s;ities of Cambridge and Oxeford are the frie of the mini&s;terie, and the &s;eede of religion in England. If the good &s;tu|dentes, which are worthy of preferment,
<PB REF="22"> be not prouided for, what place &s;hall the younger &s;tudents haue? How &s;hall they grow in &s;tudie, when for want of conue|nient encouragement in the Vniuer&s;ity they are fayne to leaue their &s;tudies be|fore they be rype, and &s;o become pettye &s;choolemai&s;ters, or &s;eruing men, or vn|timely mini&s;ters: yea, to &s;peake more plainly, who &s;ees not (if he bee not &s;tarke blynd) y^t the want of encouragement for ours, &amp; y^e bountifull proui&s;ion by the Po|pi&s;h &s;ort for theirs, is as a great bel to cal many to their &s;eminaryes at <HI>Rome</HI> in <HI>I|taly,</HI> &amp; at <HI>Rhemes</HI> in <HI>France.</HI> And who is there (if he &s;et not Gods feare before his eyes) y^t is not ea&s;ily moued to preferre wealth before want, &amp; good maintenance before beggery. I confe&s;&s;e their fault is great,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 16.</NOTE> which preferre the fle&s;hpots of <HI>E|gypt,</HI> before y^e Lords <HI>Manna</HI> in the wil|derne&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 25.</NOTE> as the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> did, and which &s;ell their birthright for pottage as <HI>E&s;au</HI> did: But woe to tho&s;e Cormora~ts who&s;e Churchpolling and brybery, is the great hurt of the Church, and the &s;poyle and vndoyng of many a goodly witte. But that I may &s;omewhat comfort &s;uch &s;tu|dentes,
<PB REF="22"> as are almo&s;t di&s;couraged, may it plea&s;e them to call to mynd two Chri|&s;tian le&s;&s;ons, fir&s;t that <HI>Dauid</HI> and <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> (which were excellent per&s;onages) cho&s;e the one,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 84.</NOTE> rather to be a doore keeper in the Lordes hou&s;e, then to dwell in the taber|nacles of wickedne&s;&s;e: the other rather to &s;uffer aduer&s;ity with the people of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.</NOTE> then to be called the &s;onne of the king of Egypts daughter. Secondly, that our life is more woorth then meate, and our bodies then rayment,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 6.</NOTE> that the foules of the ayre are fed, &amp; that Lilies of the field are by almighty God more beau|tifully cloathed, then <HI>Salomon</HI> in all his glory was: therefore he will haue great care of godly &s;tudentes in &s;uch &s;ort and time, as &s;hall make mo&s;t for his greate glorye, and their &s;inguler comfort. <HI>Bonus Dominus qui non tribuit &s;aepe quod volumus, vt quod malimus attribuat. Aug. Epi&s;t. 54.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>5 Wee may not for&s;ake Gods Churche, though there be euill men or blemi&s;hes in it.</HEAD>
<PB REF="23">
<P>THE Apo&s;tle giueth &s;treight charge not to for&s;ake the fellow&s;hip that we haue among&s;t our &s;elues,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. chap. 10. ver. 25.</NOTE> as the manner of &s;ome is. Becau&s;e for&s;aking of the Churche was a di&s;ea&s;e in that time, the Apo&s;tle giueth them a medicine for it.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 1.</NOTE>The Church of <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> was great|ly out of temper in <HI>E&s;aias</HI> time, &s;o it was in our Sauiour Chri&s;tes, religion was fowlly &s;tayned, and there was great cor|ruption in their manners: Notwith&s;ta~|ding, the Prophets did neither erecte for them&s;elues eyther new churches, or new altars, but offered vp prayers in the tem|ple of <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> which they would not haue done, if it had byn lawful to haue de|parted from that Church.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 3.5.6. &amp; 12.15. cap.</NOTE>In the Church of <HI>Corinth</HI> contenti|on was ryfe, the ince&s;tuous man was to|lerated, the article of the re&s;urrectio~ was &s;hrewdly &s;haken, and Gods giftes were made to &s;erue the ambition of men, not the profie of the Church: yet <HI>Paule</HI> wil|leth not anye man to departe from that Church.</P>
<P>Almighty GOD re&s;embleth his Church to a vine, to a Corne field, and to
<PB REF="23"> a flock of &s;heepe: though the vine be &s;poy|led, it is the Lordes vyne: though the field haue weeds in it, it is y^e Lords field: though the flocke runne a&s;tray, it is the flocke of Chri&s;t, and therefore not to bee for&s;aken for the abu&s;es of it: we mu&s;t ra|ther pray for &s;kilfull mini&s;ters to reare vp, and to dre&s;&s;e his vine: to labour &amp; to weede his ground, to gather in, &amp; to feed his flocke.</P>
<P><HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> reproueth <HI>Emeritus</HI> y^e Do|nati&s;t, becau&s;e hee departed from the Church. <HI>Epi&s;t.</HI> 64.</P>
<P>Wee may not dete&s;t the oyle pre&s;&s;es,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. epi. 137.</NOTE> becau&s;e of the foame of the oyle, nor for|&s;ake Gods Church,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cyp. lib. 3. Epi&s;t. 3.</NOTE> becau&s;e we &s;ee tares in the Church: it is our partes to be care|full, that we may be wheate.</P>
<P>Wee may not leaue the Lordes floore becau&s;e of the chaffe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. Epi&s;t. 46.</NOTE> nor breake y^e Lords nettes becau&s;e of the euill fi&s;hes, nor for|&s;ake the Lordes flocke becau&s;e of the goates, nor depart from the Lords hou&s;e becau&s;e of the ve&s;&s;els of di&s;honour, nor for the iniquity of the badde, leaue the v|nity of the good.</P>
<P>They which made the Idol, (he mea|neth
<PB REF="24"> the golden Calfe) were &s;layne with the &s;word which is an v&s;uall death,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. epi&s;t. 162 &amp; Epi&s;t. 172. Exod. 32. Num. 16.</NOTE> but they which would make a &s;chi&s;me di|ed &s;trangely, for y^e chiefe&s;t of the~ were de|uoured by the opening of y^e earth, and the multitude which con&s;ented to them, was con&s;umed with fire.</P>
<P>We may &s;u&s;pect our &s;elues to be in|fected with great pride,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. epi&s;t. 209</NOTE> whe~ for y^e &s;onnes of iniquity we for&s;ake the pa&s;tures of v|nity. Chri&s;t hath commaunded vs to a&s;&s;e~|ble together, &amp; hath re&s;erued to him&s;elfe, the &s;eparation of the good and bad. For it belongeth to him to &s;eparate, which is free from errour.</P>
<P>The <HI>Nouatians, Donati&s;ts, Anabap|ti&s;tes, &amp;c.</HI> doe leaue the Church of God, becau&s;e all &s;taynes &amp; blemi&s;hes are not remoued out of the Church.</P>
<P>As we may not for&s;ake Gods church, though there bee euill men or blemi&s;hes in it, &s;o is it euery mans duety (within y^e compa&s;&s;e of his calling) to reforme euil men, and to remoue blemi&s;hes.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB REF="24">
<HEAD>6 There is but one onely true Church.</HEAD>
<P>THe Churche is Chri&s;tes body and &s;pou&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe chap. 5. Cant. 6.</NOTE> Chri&s;tes body and &s;pou&s;e is but one. My doue is one.</P>
<P>S. <HI>Paule</HI> &s;aith of the whole Church,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Galat. 3.</NOTE> y^t we are all one in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us. For a|monge&s;t the faithful, there is one body and one &s;pirite, one hope, one Lorde,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 4.</NOTE> one faith, one Bapti&s;me, one God. Therfore all the particuler Churches, which con|&s;ent in true religion, mu&s;t be accompted but one onely Church.</P>
<P>There are many beames in the &s;un, and yet the light thereof is but one: there are many braunces in a tree, and yet but one body of the &s;ame tree: many riuers doe pa&s;&s;e from one fountayne, &amp; yet the fountayne is but one: &s;o is there no more but one only Church (&s;aith <HI>Cypr.</HI>) di&s;per|&s;ed farre and wyde,<NOTE PLACE="marg">De &s;impl. prelat.</NOTE> as appeareth by the particular Churches.</P>
<P>The vnity of the Churche con&s;i&s;teth not in a bodily dwelling together, (for that cannot be) nor in the &s;ame outwarde Ceremonies (wherein the particuler
<PB REF="25"> Churches doe often differ, and maye v&s;e their liberty to edification) but in an a&s;&s;u|red con&s;ent of doctrine and faith.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 10.</NOTE>The <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> Churche and ours is one and the &s;elfe &s;ame Church (touching the &s;ub&s;tance) for their Church and ours haue the &s;ame &s;acraments,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. Epi. 157</NOTE> the &s;ame faith, and the &s;ame &s;aluation in &amp; by one com|fortable <HI>Me&s;&s;ias.</HI> The difference of times is no rea&s;on, why the Churches before, vnder, and after the lawe, &s;houlde not bee one Church.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 20.</NOTE> The vineyard in the go&s;pel was one, &amp; the &s;elfe &s;ame vineyard, albeit at diuers times, diuers were admitted in|to it.</P>
<P>I confe&s;&s;e the Iewes &amp; Gentiles were two before they were vnited in Chri&s;t, but after they were vnited, they are com|pared to one body whereof Chri&s;t is the head,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 2.</NOTE> and to one buylding wherof Chri&s;t is the foundation &amp; corner &s;tone,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 10.</NOTE> &amp; to one flocke wherof the &s;ame Ie&s;us Chri&s;t is the &s;hepheard.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>7 The e&s;tate of the Churche in the time of grace is much better then the e|&s;tate of the Churche either before or
<PB REF="25"> vnder the lawe.</HEAD>
<P>THe earth &s;halbe ful of y^e knowledge of the Lorde, as the waters that co|uer the Sea. <HI>I&s;ai. chap.</HI> 11. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 9. The prophet <HI>E&s;ay</HI> &s;peaketh of churches, which &s;hould be a&s;&s;embled in the time of the go|&s;pel. It is true, that the I&s;raelites were not de&s;titute of knowledge: But wee haue greater mea&s;ure of knowledge, the~ they had: for of Chri&s;tes fulne&s;&s;e we haue receiued euen grace for grace. <HI>Ioh. cha.</HI> 1. <HI>ver.</HI> 16.</P>
<P>And it &s;halbe in the la&s;t dayes, &s;ayeth God, I will powre out of my &s;pirite vp|pon all fle&s;he, and your &s;onnes, and your daughters &s;hall prophe&s;ie &amp;c. <HI>Acts chap.</HI> 2. <HI>ver.</HI> 17. Gods &s;pirite is more plentiful in Chri&s;ts time then before. For it is ma|nife&s;t by this place, that as a greater nu~|ber are partakers of Gods &s;inguler gra|ces in Chri&s;tes time, then either before or vnder the law: &s;o they haue larger al|lowance, &amp; greater mea&s;ure of Gods in|e&s;timable trea&s;ures.</P>
<P>No man hath &s;eene God at any time, the onely begotten &s;onne, which is in the
<PB REF="26"> bo&s;ome of the father, hee hath declared him. <HI>Iohn chap.</HI> 1. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 18. The E|uangeli&s;t <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;ayeth that Chri&s;t was in Gods bo&s;ome, that is to &s;aye, of Gods &s;ecrete coun&s;ell, that wee may be well a&s;&s;ured, that almightie God doth in the Go&s;pel open as it were his heart vn|to vs.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t was promi&s;ed to the <HI>I&s;rae|lites,</HI> but is geuen to vs. The <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> &s;awe Chri&s;t a farre off, we haue him a|monge&s;t vs. The e&s;tate of the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> may be co~pared to the breake of the day, the e&s;tate of the Chri&s;tians to the broade day light: their e&s;tate to the &s;owing of the corne, ours to the harue&s;t and reaping of the corne. I confe&s;&s;e that the <HI>I&s;rae|lites</HI> had the &s;ame light that wee haue, and the &s;ame corne that we haue, though not in like mea&s;ure. For touchinge the &s;ub&s;tance of doctrine, the Go&s;pel hath added nothing to y^e law, becau&s;e nothing is &s;et downe in the Go&s;pel, whiche is not conteined in the lawe.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB REF="26">
<HEAD>8 They are not alwaies the Church whiche vaunte them&s;elues to bee the Church.</HEAD>
<P>THE <HI>A&s;&s;yrian Rab&s;aketh,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. King. cha. 18.</NOTE> laying &s;iege to <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> v&s;eth the name of the Lorde agayn&s;t the people of the Lorde.</P>
<P><HI>Zedechias</HI> y^e fal&s;e Prophet in his &s;peech to <HI>Micheas,</HI> boa&s;ted of Gods &s;pirite,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 22.</NOTE> but he was voyd of Gods &s;pirit.</P>
<P>The Iewes had ofte~ in their mouthes y^e temple of the Lord, the te~ple of y^e Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 7.</NOTE> but they polluted the temple of the Lord.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 8.</NOTE> They gaue out many times, y^t <HI>Abraham</HI> was their father, but they did not the works of <HI>Abraham.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 9.</NOTE> Al they are not <HI>I&s;ra|el,</HI> which are of <HI>I&s;rael.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Marcion</HI> the Heretike reiected the Go&s;pell,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Irenaeus lib. 3 cap. 11.</NOTE> and yet he bragged that he had the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>The <HI>Donati&s;ts</HI> did carry the &s;igne of Chri&s;t again&s;t Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. Epi&s;t. 61</NOTE> &amp; did bragge of the Go&s;pel again&s;t the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>The old Emperours of <HI>Rome</HI> after their co~que&s;ts of cities, had y^e mappes of tho&s;e cities caried about in their triu~phs:
<PB REF="27"> the Papi&s;ts after the ouerthrow of Chri|&s;tes Church, v&s;e in their triumph, the name of the Church, the Churche: but they haue as much right to the name of the Church,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 5.</NOTE> as the <HI>Babylonians</HI> had to the holy ve&s;&s;els of the temple of <HI>Ieru&s;a|lem,</HI> after the ouerthrow of the City <HI>Ie|ru&s;alem.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>9 The vi&s;ible Church con&s;i&s;teth of good and badde.</HEAD>
<P>BEfore Chri&s;t &s;halbe gathered all na|tions,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25. ver. 32.</NOTE> and he &s;hall &s;eparate them one from another, as a &s;hepheard &s;eparateth the &s;heepe from the goates &amp;c. If the &s;heepe &s;hal not be &s;euered from y^e goates before the day of iudgement, it is mani|fe&s;t that the badde and good are mingled together in the vi&s;ible Church vntil that time.</P>
<P>The vi&s;ible Churche is compared to a net,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13. Mat. 3. 2. Tim. 2.</NOTE> wherein there are good and badde fi&s;hes, to a floare wherein there is wheate and chaffe, to a fielde wherein there is both wheate and tares, to a greate hou&s;e wherein there are ve&s;&s;els of golde and &s;il|uer,
<PB REF="27"> and ve&s;&s;els of wood and earth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.</NOTE> and to ten virgins whereof fiue were wi&s;e, and fiue fooli&s;h.</P>
<P>In external a&s;&s;emblies, the badde are mingled with the good, &s;o it was in <HI>Salo|mons</HI> Temple, &amp; at the marriage fea&s;t.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 22. Gen. 4. Gen. 9. Gen. 16. Mat. 26. 2. Pet. 2</NOTE> <HI>Cain</HI> &s;acrificed as well as <HI>Abel. Cham</HI> was in the Arke as well as <HI>Iaphet. Agar</HI> was in <HI>Abrahams</HI> hou&s;e as well as <HI>Sa|ra. Iudas</HI> was in Chri&s;tes company as well as <HI>Peter.</HI> And euill Angels were in heauen till they were ca&s;t our from thence.</P>
<P>When we &s;ee any which &s;eemed to vs goodly members &s;ometimes of the Church, to become enemies to Gods re|ligion, and the verye murrayne of the Church, we may not be di&s;couraged.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Tim. 2.</NOTE> For we mu&s;t remember that the Church is a great hou&s;e, and that if they had been of vs, they &s;hould haue continued with vs,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Iohn 2.</NOTE> &amp; that many wolues are within the vi&s;ible Church, and la&s;tly that mens &s;innes (as fire couered with A&s;hes) are hidden for a time: but afterward appeare in their co|lours. So did the &s;innes of <HI>Cain, Iudas, Cham, Saul, Demas,</HI> &amp; many others.</P>
<PB REF="28">
<P><HI>Que&s;tion.</HI></P>
<P>Why wil almighty GOD haue his Church con&s;i&s;t of good and badde?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;weare.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. Epi&s;t. 205.</NOTE>That the good may be exerci&s;ed and tried as gold in the fornace, &amp; that Gods loue may appere more notably which for a very little wheate, &s;pareth for a time great &s;tore of cares. The <HI>Sodomites</HI> were &s;pared becau&s;e of <HI>Lot,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 19. Acts 27.</NOTE> the <HI>Egypti|ans</HI> becau&s;e of <HI>Io&s;eph,</HI> they which were in the &s;hip becau&s;e of <HI>Paule.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Obiection.</HI></P>
<P>The Churche is the Communion of Saints, therefore it hath not both good and badde in it.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;were.</HI></P>
<P>The meaning is not, that all whiche are a&s;&s;e~bled in the Church, are truly &s;anc|tified: but rather, that there is no true communion, no true holine&s;&s;e, but in the Church calling it (as we commonly v&s;e) by the be&s;t part.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>10 The particuler Churches are mixt of the elect and reprobate, but they are not called Gods Churches
<PB REF="28"> but for the elects &s;ake.</HEAD>
<P>The vi&s;ible Churche (for the electes &s;ake) is called the hou&s;e of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. chap. 3. ver. 15.1.</NOTE> the piller &amp; ground of truth, this cannot be giuen properly to reprobates &amp; hipocrits. For to be an hipocrite, &amp; piller of trueth cannot &s;tand together.</P>
<P>The Church is the &s;pou&s;e of Chri&s;t onely for the elects &s;ake.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. chap. 5 ver. 30.</NOTE> For wee are members of his body, of his fle&s;h, &amp; of his bones. By which words of the Apo&s;tle, as the &s;traight and neere knot betweene Chri&s;t the bridegroome, &amp; the Church his &s;pou&s;e doth notably appeare: &s;o it were &s;trange dealing to &s;hut the reprobates &amp; hipocrites within y^t compa&s;&s;e. I confe&s;&s;e, y^t Chri&s;t is &s;aid to be the propitiation for the &s;innes of the whole world,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Iohn 2.</NOTE> but he is &s;o called, becau&s;e of the wheate, (that is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. Epi&s;t. 4 8</NOTE> Gods elect) which is di&s;per&s;ed through|out the whole world.</P>
<P>A heape of wheat, though it haue chaffe amo~g&s;t it, is not called a heape of chaffe, but a heape of Corne, becau&s;e it is a heape, by rea&s;on of the Corne. A tunne of wine, though it haue lees in it,
<PB REF="29"> is called not a tunne of lees, but a tunne of wine, becau&s;e it is a tunne by rea&s;on of the wine. No man did euer call that the fielde,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13.</NOTE> (wherein the tares appeared with the wheat) a field of tares, but a field of wheate, becau&s;e it was &s;owen with wheate. In like &s;ort, the vi&s;ible Church, though it con&s;i&s;t of good and badde, is and mu&s;t be called Gods Church becau&s;e of the elect.</P>
<P>When we &s;ay, that the vyne yeeldeth wyne for the v&s;e of man, we meane not the dead, and withered, but the fruitful braunches of the vine. In like ca&s;e what|&s;oeuer is &s;poken of the church is &s;o to be referred to the vi&s;ible Church, that it be|longes to the elect onely, &amp; not to the re|probates and Hypocrites.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>11 The externall e&s;tate of Gods Churche is &s;ubiect to many chaunges in the world, therefore Gods Churche is not alike vi&s;ible at all times.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 80.</NOTE>GOds Churche is &s;ometimes compa|red to a flouri&s;hing vine, whiche filled the land, and who&s;e boughes were like the
<PB REF="29"> goodly cedars, and &s;ometymes to a vyne de&s;troyed by the wild bore,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. Epi&s;t. 4<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> and eaten vp by the wild bea&s;ts of the field. It is com|pared to the moone which appeares not alwayes alike vnto vs, &amp; yet neither the moone is de&s;titute of light from the &s;unn nor the Church of the light of gods &s;pirit fro~ the &s;onne of righteou&s;nes Chri&s;t Ie|&s;us.</P>
<P>In <HI>Enos</HI> tyme the face of the Churche was beautiful,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 4. Gen. 7.</NOTE> but afterward it was &s;hut in <HI>Noes</HI> family as in an Arke.</P>
<P>In the kingdom of <HI>Dauid</HI> religion flouri&s;hed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 6.</NOTE> the Church was very glori|ous, but after his time there was a great Eclip&s;e, and Gods Church was vnder a blacke cloude.</P>
<P>In the time of the captiuity in <HI>Baby|lon,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Read Dan. Nehem. Ezra.</NOTE> the e&s;tate of Gods Church was very mi&s;erable, but after the captiuity was ended, and the Iewes returned to <HI>Ieru&s;a|lem</HI> vnder <HI>Zorobabel,</HI> the City was buylt, the Temple was repayred, the true wor&s;hippe was re&s;tored, and the Church of GOD was very faire in the eyes of the <HI>I&s;raelites.</HI></P>
<P>In what ca&s;e was Gods Churche,
<PB REF="30"> when the horne (that is the Emperors of <HI>Rome</HI>) made battel again&s;t the Saints,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. chap. 7. ver. 21.</NOTE> &amp; preuayled again&s;t them?</P>
<P>In y^e time of the Phari&s;ies, Sadduces, &amp;c. Gods church was in a &s;trange pickle, but Chri&s;t at his comming ray&s;ed it (as it were) from death, and put life into it, and made it very beautiful. Since y^t time, po|pi&s;h darknes, more then that of Egypt, couered the face of the earth. But in ma|ny kingdoms &amp; dominions (thanks be to God) <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> rodde hath eate~ vp y^e roddes of y^e <HI>Egyptian</HI> &s;orcerers, the Lords Arke hath ca&s;t the <HI>Phili&s;tines Dagon</HI> to the ground, &amp; the &s;ound preaching of y^e Go|&s;pel hath broke the necke of Popery.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e Gods Church is not alwaies &s;o vi&s;ible, it is wel compared to a bunch of grapes, hanging vnder a fewe vine leaues after y^e grape gathering: to an o|liue remaining vnder y^e leaues after the o|liue tree is &s;haken: to an eare of Corne &s;tanding after harue&s;t: &amp; to the &s;un vnder a blacke clowde.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay chap. 49. ver. 21.</NOTE>Gods Church is called de&s;olate and barre~, not becau&s;e it is for&s;ake~ of almigh|ty GOD, but for that it appeares not
<PB REF="30"> alwayes in the world, &amp; yet Gods church both hath, &amp; &s;halbe alwaies vi&s;ible, as it con&s;i&s;ts of true vi&s;ible members, for it is not an imaginary thing.</P>
<P><HI>Obiection.</HI></P>
<P>My &s;pirit, which is vppon thee, &amp; my words whiche I haue put in thy mouth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay chap. 59. ver&s;. 21.</NOTE> &s;hall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy &s;eede, nor out of the mouth of the &s;eed of thy &s;eede, &s;aieth the Lorde, from hence foorth euen for euer. Therefore Gods Church &s;halbe alwaies apparantly vi&s;ible in the world.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;weare.</HI></P>
<P>The argument folowes not, and is like vnto this. The &s;cepter &s;hall not departe from <HI>Iuda,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. chap. 49. ver&s;. 10.</NOTE> vntill <HI>Silo</HI> (that is the <HI>Me&s;&s;i|as</HI>) come, therefore there was no inter|ruption of that vi&s;ible Scepter. This is a weake argument, &amp; yet it is as &s;trong as the other: My rea&s;ons are the&s;e. The Scepter of <HI>Iuda</HI> was not vi&s;ible &amp; con|&s;picuous, when the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> were in captiuity &s;euentie yeeres at <HI>Babylon.</HI> After their returne from y^t captiuity, the <HI>A&s;monits</HI> (which were not of the tribe of
<PB REF="31"> <HI>Iuda</HI>) tran&s;lated the kingly authority to them&s;elues. Where was all this while the vi&s;ible &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of the &s;cepter in the tribe of <HI>Iuda?</HI> Wee mu&s;t aun&s;weare that the reliques of the Scepter of <HI>Iuda</HI> was in the &s;tocke of <HI>I&s;ay,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay chap. 11. ver&s;. 1.</NOTE> though it &s;ee|med for a time to be altogether withe|red.</P>
<P>In like &s;ort, it may be truely &s;ayde, that, although the face of Gods Church hath byn ob&s;cured, and the vi&s;ible &s;ucce&s;|&s;ion interrupted, that <HI>E&s;ayes</HI> Prophe&s;ie &s;tands &s;ure &amp; true. For a thing may not be &s;aid therefore not to be at all, becau&s;e it is not after this, or that &s;ort.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;tion.</HI></P>
<P>Where was the Prote&s;tants Church two hundred yeeres agoe?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;weare.</HI></P>
<P>It was hidden in the Papacie, as wheate vnder a great deale of chaffe. For of that little &s;eede is growne vp a goodly harue&s;t, and of a few &s;parkes a comforta|ble fire, thanks be to God, hath appeared. It was in the handes of wicked hu&s;band men, which killed the Lords &s;eruants, &amp; ca&s;t the &s;onne and heyre out of the vine|yarde,
<PB REF="31"> and did their be&s;t to kill him. Be|&s;ides, who knowes not, that there &s;hould be a departing (from the faith) and that Antichri&s;t &s;hould &s;itte as God in the tem|ple of GOD, and deceiue all the world.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. The&s;&s;. 2.</NOTE> (This Antichri&s;t we take to be the By|&s;hoppe of <HI>Rome,</HI> not meaning any one &s;inguler man, but the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of Bi|&s;hops there, &s;ince their Apo&s;ta&s;ie from Gods religion: and this interpretation is &s;ub&s;tantially proued by &s;ome excelle~t men of our &s;ide) during all this time of darkene&s;&s;e and tyranny, coulde Gods church appeare beautifully in the world? Was it not with the woman in the wil|derne&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. 12. Mat. 2. 1. King. 19.</NOTE> and with Chri&s;t and his parents in <HI>Egypt? Elias</HI> did thinke that him&s;elfe remayned alone of all Gods children in the time of <HI>Achab</HI> and <HI>Iezabel,</HI> but there were &s;euen thou&s;a~d be&s;ides, which bow|ed not their knees to <HI>Baal.</HI> If <HI>Elias</HI> which was a holy prophet was farre &s;horte and wyde in this reckoning and account of Gods &s;eruants, is it not both po&s;&s;ible &amp; likely, that the enemies of our Churche are greatly ouer&s;een in the numbring of our Churches?</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB REF="32">
<HEAD>12 The vi&s;ible Churche mu&s;t not bee tyed to any place or per&s;ons.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 4.</NOTE>ALmighty God was &s;erued in <HI>Silo</HI> vn|till y^e death of <HI>Heli:</HI> but when Gods religion was defiled by the wickednes of the prie&s;ts &amp; vnthankfulnes of the people <HI>Silo</HI> was de&s;troyed.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iere. 7.</NOTE></P>
<P>The children of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Ho&s;eas</HI>) &s;hall &s;it many dayes without a king,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 3. ver. 4.</NOTE> and without a Prince, &amp; without an offring, and without an altar, and without an E|phod: That is to &s;ay, they &s;hal haue ney|ther king to gouerne them, nor prie&s;t to teach the~ Gods religion. If the Churche were tyed either to place or per&s;ons, no &s;uch thing had fallen out among&s;t them.</P>
<P><HI>Bethel</HI> was Gods hou&s;e, but after that it was defiled with idolatry &amp; &s;uper&s;titio~, it was called <HI>Bethauen,</HI> that is, the hou&s;e of iniquity.</P>
<P><HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> was a famous Church, and enriched with heapes of Gods benefites, it was Gods &s;anctuary, and the &s;eat of y^e kingdome &amp; prie&s;thood which were mo&s;t precious iewels, it was the fountayne of Gods religion, &amp; as it were the &s;tarre of
<PB REF="32"> the world. The Lord had &s;o great delight in <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> that he did as it were bynde him&s;elfe to it:<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 132. ver. 14.</NOTE> this is my re&s;t (&s;aieth the Lord) for euer, here will I dwell, for I haue a delight therein. But becau&s;e they of <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> di&s;honoured God, trode his religion vnder their feet, liued mo~&s;trou&s;|ly, &amp; went about to quenche the doctrine of y^e prophets with y^e blood of y^e prophets, almighty God did &s;et them at nought, &amp; gaue them ouer (as a pray) to their ene|mies. For <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> was taken &amp; ouer|thrown, their &s;tately temple was de&s;troi|ed according to the prophe&s;ies of Chri&s;t and <HI>Ieremy,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 24. Iere. 26.</NOTE> by <HI>Titus</HI> the &s;onne of <HI>Ve&s;|pa&s;ian:</HI> &s;o y^t <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> which was &s;ome|times a goodly Theatre of Gods glory, is at this day a notable monument of his iudgements.</P>
<P>The Churche of <HI>Rome</HI> was &s;ome|times a famous Churche in the We&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1. &amp; 6. &amp; 16. chap.</NOTE> and was greatly commended by Saynt Paule in the Epi&s;tle to the <HI>Romaines,</HI> but nowe it is an enimye to the weigh|ty poyntes of religion contayned in that Epi&s;tle.</P>
<P>The Church of England is a goodly
<PB REF="33"> Church: It hath plea&s;ed God to powre his ble&s;&s;ing vpon it with a full horne. The particulers of Gods fauour are written in &s;o great and faire letters, that he that runnes may reade them. If our thankfulne&s;&s;e to his Maie&s;ty appeare in our liues, he will multiply his ble&s;&s;ings vpon vs. If we faile in performing this duetie, that is to &s;ay, if we profe&s;&s;e reli|gion only for a fa&s;hion, and v&s;e it (as a cloake) to couer our Church polling, op|pre&s;&s;ion, and other foule actions, GOD will &s;weepe vs with the be&s;ome of de|&s;truction. If we thinke that the vi&s;erd of godline&s;&s;e and religion will &s;erue the turne, and &s;tand as a wall between vs &amp; Gods heauy iudgementes, wee are in a gro&s;&s;e errour. For if Mou~t <HI>Sion</HI> and the temple of <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> coulde not deliuer the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> from &s;uch mea&s;ure, as <HI>Silo</HI> had, the bare name and face of the Go&s;pel and religion wil not deliuer vs from be|yng mea&s;ured with the lyne of <HI>Samaria.</HI> God be mercifull to this Church &amp; land, and giue vs grace to be thankfull for his mercies, and to be afrayde of his iudge|mentes.</P>
<PB REF="33">
<P>The <HI>Donati&s;tes</HI> in <HI>Augu&s;tines</HI> time, did tye Gods Church to a corner of <HI>Af|frike.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ang. Epi. 50. &amp; 161.</NOTE> The Phari&s;ies did tye Gods reli|gion to <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> but they were fowlly deceiued. for Gods Church is not tyed to any certayne place, but rather to Gods word, and &s;acraments, and to godly obe|dience, to his holy Go&s;pel, &s;o y^t where&s;o|euer God is truely &s;erued, that people is <HI>Iuda</HI> and <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> that city is <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> that hou&s;e is Gods hou&s;e.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>13 Gods Church cannot be quen|ched.</HEAD>
<P>GOds Churche is compared to the bu&s;he, which burnt with fire,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 3.</NOTE> but was not con&s;umed:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 15.</NOTE> it is compared to a fire|brand, &s;hyning in the midde&s;t of a &s;moa|king fornace.</P>
<P>Gods Church is grauen in the palme of the Lordes hande, it is as the apple of his eye, it is Gods inheritaunce, it is, as arrowes in the Lordes quiuer, it is a Crowne of glorye in his hande,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 62.</NOTE> and a royall Diademe in the hand of almighty God.</P>
<PB REF="34">
<P>Gods Church is like to Camomile, which thriues be&s;t when it is trode~ on, &amp; to the Palme tree whiche flouri&s;hes mo&s;t whe~ weight is layd vpon it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tertu. ad Sca.</NOTE> Chri&s;tianity growes fayre&s;t whe~ it is vnder the cro&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 8.</NOTE>The primitiue Church was greeuou&s;ly per&s;ecuted after the death of S. <HI>Stephen,</HI> but it increa&s;ed the more. For whereas the Church before that time, was &s;hut vp (as it were) within the walles of <HI>Ieru&s;a|lem,</HI> after the di&s;per&s;ion of the godlye by rea&s;on of that per&s;ecution, <HI>Samaria</HI> and <HI>Antiochia</HI> became goodly Churches.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 11.</NOTE> Gods enemies de&s;erue no tha~ks for this, but almighty God doth, whiche fetcheth light out of darkene&s;&s;e, &amp; life out of death.</P>
<P>Gods enimies doe what they can to ca&s;t Gods Church into the bottom of the Sea, but they labour in vayne. No man can &s;tay the flowing of the &s;ea, nor bynd the wings of the wynd, nor darken the beames of the &s;unne. The grayne of mu|&s;tard &s;eede will be a tree for the byrdes to make their ne&s;ts in,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13.</NOTE> &amp; Gods Churche will be aliue, notwith&s;tanding al the &s;ub|tiltie and violence of the enemies.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB REF="34">
<HEAD>14 God hath his Church alwaies in the earth.</HEAD>
<P>CErtayne <HI>Paganes</HI> affirmed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. de ciuit. Dei lib. 18. cap. 54.</NOTE> y^t Chri|&s;tian religion, &s;hould not continue a|boue three hundred &s;ixty fiue yeeres, but they were fowlly deceiued.<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay chap. 8.</NOTE></P>
<P>The Prophet <HI>E&s;ay</HI> liued in a &s;traunge time, yet he had di&s;ciples, among&s;t who~ he &s;ealed the law of God.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tle a&s;king,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.</NOTE> whether GOD hath ca&s;t away his people, an&s;weres, God forbidde.</P>
<P>Except the Lord of ho&s;ts had re&s;erued vnto vs euen a &s;mall remnant,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 1.</NOTE> we &s;hould haue beene as <HI>Sodome,</HI> and &s;houlde haue beene like <HI>Gomorrha</HI> (that is) vt|terly de&s;troyed.</P>
<P><HI>Ezra</HI> &s;peakes thus of him&s;elfe, &amp; the <HI>I&s;|raelites</HI> after the returne from <HI>Babylon,</HI> from the dayes of our fathers haue wee beene in a great tre&s;pa&s;&s;e vnto this day, &amp; for our iniquities haue we, our kinges, (and) our prie&s;ts beene deliuered into the hand of the kinges of the lands, vnto the &s;word, into captiuity, into a &s;poyle, &amp; into confu&s;ion of face, as (appeareth) this day:
<PB REF="35"> and now for a little &s;pace, grace hath byn &s;hewed from the Lorde our God in cau|&s;ing a remnant to e&s;cape, and in giuing vs a naile in his holy place, that our God may light our eyes, and giue vs a little reuiuing in our &s;eruitude. For, though we were bondmen, yet our God hath not for&s;aken vs in our bondage: but hath in|clyned mercy vnto vs in the &s;ight of the kinges of <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> to giue vs life, and to erect the hou&s;e of our GOD, and to re|dre&s;&s;e the de&s;olate places thereof, and to giue vs a wall in <HI>Iuda</HI> and in <HI>Ieru&s;alem. Ezra chap.</HI> 9. <HI>ver.</HI> 7.8.9. By whiche wordes it is euident, that albeit Gods Church lyeth hid &s;ometimes as it were vnder a blacke cloth, yet it is not clearly put out, but appeareth agayne.</P>
<P>Thus &s;aith the Lorde, whiche giueth the &s;unne for a light to the day, and the cour&s;es of the Moone, and of the &s;tarres for alight to the night, whiche breaketh the Sea, when the waters thereof roare, his name (is) the Lord of ho&s;tes. If the&s;e ordinances depart out of my &s;ight (&s;aith the Lorde) then &s;hall the &s;eede of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> cea&s;e from being a nation before me for e|uer.
<PB REF="35"> Thus &s;aith the Lorde, if the heaue~s can be mea&s;ured, or the foundations of the earth be &s;earched out beneath, then wil I ca&s;t off all the &s;eede of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> for al that they haue done &s;aith the Lord. <HI>Iere. chap.</HI> 31. <HI>ver.</HI> 35.36.37. The &s;umme of the&s;e words is this: Almighty God will continue the cour&s;e of the &s;unne and the moone, &amp;c. While&s;t the worlde la&s;teth. Therefore he will pre&s;erue his Church, for who&s;e benefite e&s;pecially, the worlde was created. And yet wee mu&s;t remem|ber, that the condition of Gods Churche dependes not of the nature of the world, or cour&s;e of the heauens. For they &s;hall peri&s;he (&s;aith <HI>Dauid</HI> to Almighty God) but thou &s;halt endure, euen they all &s;hall waxe old, as doth a garment: as a ve&s;ture &s;halt thou change them, and they &s;hal be chaunged: but thou art the &s;ame, and thy yeeres &s;hall not fayle. The children of thy &s;eruants, &s;hal continue, and their &s;eed &s;hall &s;tand fa&s;t in thy &s;ight. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 102. <HI>ver.</HI> 26.27.28.</P>
<P>Thus &s;aith the Lorde, as the wine is found in the clu&s;ter, and one &s;aith, de&s;troy it not for a ble&s;&s;ing (is) in it: &s;o will I
<PB REF="36"> do for my &s;eruants &s;akes, that I may not de&s;troy them whole. But I will bring a &s;eed out of <HI>Iacob,</HI> &amp; out of <HI>Iuda,</HI> that &s;hall inherite my mountayne, and mine elect &s;hall inherite it, &amp; my &s;eruants &s;hall dwel there. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 65. <HI>ver.</HI> 8.9. When almightye God threatens de&s;truction to the people, he re&s;pecteth the body of the people, in who~ there is no &s;incerity: but when his maie&s;ty re&s;traynes his puni&s;hment, he re|&s;pecteth a &s;mal number, which is the &s;eed of the Church.</P>
<P>The corruption of the vi&s;ible Church, is no hinderance, but that almighty God may pre&s;erue the Church of his elect: &amp; Gods promi&s;es of the perpetual e&s;tate of the Churche, pertayne properly to the Church of the elect.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>15 The reprobates are not of the Church.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 5.</NOTE>TO be of the Church is to be vnited with Chri&s;t, the reprobates are not vnited with Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>The Churche is the body of Chri&s;t, Chri&s;t is the Sauiour of his body. If the
<PB REF="36"> reprobates were of the Church (that is of Chri&s;tes body) they &s;hould be &s;aued as in deed they &s;hall neuer be.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t which is the head of the church,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 4.</NOTE> giueth &s;pirite and life to his church. But he giueth neither &s;pirit nor life to the re|probates.</P>
<P>It is vnpo&s;&s;ible for one &amp; the &s;elfe &s;ame man to be the member of Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cont. Cre&s;c. Gram. lib. 2. cap. 21.</NOTE> and the member of the Diuel. God forbid y^t the&s;e mon&s;ters (<HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;peakes of wic|ked men) &s;houlde be accounted eyther a|mong&s;t the members of the only doue (y^t is Gods church) or enter into the inclo&s;ed garden.</P>
<P>I confe&s;&s;e y^t the reprobates are, &amp; may be many times in the Church (that is in the a&s;&s;emblies of Gods &s;eruants) but of y^e Church they neither are, nor can be truly accounted.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>16 Succe&s;&s;ion of Bi&s;hops is not an in|fallible argument of Gods Church.</HEAD>
<P>IF per&s;onall &s;ucce&s;&s;ion (not hauing the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of doctrine ioyned to it as y^e fou~datio~ therof) were an infallible marke of
<PB REF="37"> the true Church, then mu&s;t we confe&s;&s;e, y^t Gods grace and &s;pirite are tyed to &s;eates and countries, which is a gro&s;&s;e ab&s;urdi|tie.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. The&s;. 2.</NOTE>Ordinary and vi&s;ible &s;ucce&s;&s;ion in the Church may be interrupted. For <HI>Paul</HI> did foretell that there &s;houlde be a departing from the faith. Apo&s;ta&s;ie and &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, can no more &s;tand together the~ the Arke and <HI>Dagon,</HI> then Chri&s;t and Antichri&s;t. Be&s;ides, the ordinary &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of prie&s;ts was interrupted in the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> church, and yet God had his Churche there,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 19.</NOTE> I meane them whiche retayning Gods trueth, did not bowe their knees vnto <HI>Baal.</HI></P>
<P>When Chri&s;t came into the worlde to be our mediatour, was Gods Churche to be mea&s;ured by the vi&s;ible &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of Bi&s;hops?</P>
<P>Hereticall Bi&s;hops might vaunt of &s;uc|ce&s;&s;ion in very famous Churches, <HI>Pau|lus Samo&s;atenus</HI> (which was a mo~&s;trous Heretike) &s;ucceeded Godly Bi&s;hops in the Church of <HI>Antioch,</HI> &amp; diuers <HI>Arians</HI> &s;ucceeded <HI>Athena&s;ius</HI> in the Church of <HI>Alexandria.</HI></P>
<PB REF="37">
<P>The &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of Bi&s;hops both was, &amp; is, continued in the Greeke Church, and yet the popi&s;h &s;ort wil not allow the chur|ches of <HI>Grecia,</HI> to be Chri&s;tes Churches, becau&s;e they di&s;&s;ent from the Church of Rome.</P>
<P>The auncient writers, <HI>Tertullian,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Tertul. de prae&s;crip.</NOTE> <HI>Ire|neus,</HI> (when they would confute <HI>Marci|on</HI> and <HI>Vallentinus,</HI>) proued that, (not tho&s;e Heretikes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iren. li. 3. ca. 2.</NOTE> but) them&s;elues had y^e &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of Gods truth amonge&s;t them. Whe~ the&s;e godly fathers had made that cleare, they &s;et downe the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion and row of Bi&s;hops, as badges of their victo|ry: &s;o that the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of faith, and re|ligion may be truely accounted as the life and &s;oule, and the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of Bi|&s;hops, as the body. If per&s;onall &s;ucce&s;&s;i|on be without y^e &s;ucce&s;&s;io~ of Gods truth, it wants life, &amp; is a dead and vnprofitable carca&s;e. I confe&s;&s;e that the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of Bi&s;hops (as a goodly and beautiful buil|ding) is of great force to allure the~ which are alients from the Church, to looke in|to, &amp; to behold the inward beauty of the church: but if the precious iewel of Gods word be wanting, the per&s;onal &s;ucce&s;&s;ion
<PB REF="38"> is like a co&s;tly tombe, which is beautifull without, but is full of dead mens bones within.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lib. 4. cap. 43. &amp; 45.</NOTE> <HI>Ireneus</HI> ioyneth together the &s;uc|ce&s;&s;ion of per&s;ons and doctrine.</P>
<P>If the Papi&s;ts (which haue not &s;ucce&s;|&s;ion of Gods truth) bragge of &s;ucce&s;&s;io~ of Bi&s;hops, we may &s;ay to their Bi&s;hoppes as <HI>Tertullian</HI> &s;aid to <HI>Marcion</HI> the Heri|tike,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tertul. lib. 1. cont. Mar.</NOTE> who are ye, when, and from whence came yee?</P>
<P>The &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of Bi&s;hops without &s;uc|ce&s;&s;ion of Gods truth, is like a paire of popi&s;h beades, which hang by a long, but yet by a &s;clender threed.</P>
<P>That is the true and lawfull &s;ucce&s;&s;i|on of Bi&s;hops, when as lawfull Bi&s;hops &s;ucceeding one another, doe exerci&s;e the worke of their mini&s;tery.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>17 Antiquitie is no &s;ure argument of Gods Church.</HEAD>
<P>THe Iewes con&s;enting that the <HI>Me&s;|&s;ias</HI> is not yet come, is of greater continuance then popery is, but continu|ance of time cannot make that good in re|ligion, which was bad at the fir&s;t. Anti|quity,
<PB REF="38"> if it haue not the &s;alt of Gods word to pre&s;erue it, doth argue rottenne&s;&s;e, and giues an euil &s;ent.</P>
<P>Your iniquities,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay chap. 65. ver. 7.</NOTE> &amp; the iniquities of your fathers (&s;halbe) together &s;aith the Lorde, which haue burnt incen&s;e vpon the mountaines, and bla&s;phemed me vpon y^e hilles: therfore wil I mea&s;ure their olde worke into their bo&s;ome. If antiquitye woulde haue &s;erued y^e turne of the <HI>I&s;rae|lites,</HI> almighty God might haue bin chal|lenged for puni&s;hing their auncie~t idola|try and &s;uper&s;tition.</P>
<P>Ye haue heard that it was &s;aide vnto them of old time, thou &s;halt not kill. For who&s;oeuer killeth, &s;hall bee culpable of iudgement. But I &s;ay vnto you: who&s;oe|uer is angrye with his brother vn|adui&s;edly, &s;halbe culpable of iudgement. <HI>Mat.</HI> 5. <HI>ver.</HI> 21.22. The phari&s;ies cleared him of murder, which had not killed a ma~ with his hand, becau&s;e the Phari&s;ies al|leaged antiquity for their errour: our Sauiour Chri&s;t refutes them by his owne authority: But I &s;ay vnto you, &amp;c. <HI>ver.</HI> 22.</P>
<P>There were ill buylders in <HI>Pauls</HI> time,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 3.</NOTE>
<PB REF="39"> and &s;uch abu&s;es crept into the Lords &s;up|per in <HI>Corinth,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 11.</NOTE> that y^e Apo&s;tle was com|pelled to &s;ay (this) is not to eat the Lords &s;upper.</P>
<P>They which rea&s;on thus: &s;uche a reli|gion is olde, therefore it is good, may be an&s;wered: y^t this argume~t is as cleere as midnight: the enchantmentes of <HI>Simon Magus,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 8. &amp; 19. chap.</NOTE> the image which came down fro~ <HI>Iupiter,</HI> the religion of Rome, are of great antiquity, &amp; yet Gods religion is more ancient then any of the&s;e:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tertul. lib. 1. cont. Mar. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> for truth is older then here&s;ie.</P>
<P>When we heare any Papi&s;t &s;aye: I haue byn brought vp in the religion of Rome, therfore I will continue in it, and will not be wonn fro~ it: we may an&s;were him, that wi&s;e men haue their &s;econde thoughtes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Euripides in Hippol. Cyp. ad Iu|baian, ad Quin fratrem &amp; de lap&s;is.</NOTE> and that we may not erre al|waies, becau&s;e &s;omtimes we erred, &amp; that we are not ouercome, but in&s;tructed, whe~ better things are offred vnto vs, &amp; y^t he is not ioyned to the Church, which is &s;epa|rate fro~ the go&s;pel. Some of the Popi&s;he &s;ort haue bin co~tent to &s;ay, if the Church of Rome woulde allow the religion, wee haue in England, that they would like of
<PB REF="39"> it. <HI>Tichonius</HI> a Donati&s;t &s;aid of him&s;elfe, &amp; his fellow Donati&s;ts, that,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. Epi&s;t. 48.</NOTE> which wee wil is holy. <HI>Tiberius</HI> the Emperour, put vp a grace in the Senate hou&s;e of Rome,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eu&s;eb. lib. 2. cap. 2.</NOTE> that Chri&s;t might be a God, becau&s;e the Senate denied y^t grace, it is &s;et downe a little after in that Chapter, vnle&s;&s;e God plea&s;e man, he is not allowed for a God. In like &s;orte, if our religion had the Popes hande and &s;eale vnto it, the Po|pi&s;h &s;ort would allow it: becau&s;e it hath not his holine&s;&s;e warrant, they refu&s;e it.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;tion.</HI></P>
<P>How can it be, that God &s;houlde &s;uffer his Church to erre &s;o many yeeres?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;werre.</HI></P>
<P>God &s;uffered not his Church to erre &s;o lo~g a time, but he &s;uffered wicked me~ eue~ by his iu&s;t iudgement (which beleeued not the trueth, that they might be &s;aued) to beleeue lyes, and haue plea&s;ure in vn|righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, that they might bee damned. 2. <HI>The&s;&s;al.</HI> 2. <HI>ver.</HI> 10.11.12.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB REF="40">
<HEAD>18 Euery vnity is not a &s;ure argu|ment of the true Churche, neither is e|uery di&s;corde a &s;ure argument of a fal&s;e Church.</HEAD>
<P>THe Iewes, which thinke, that y^e <HI>Me&s;|&s;ias</HI> is not yet come, haue had vnity many yeres: but their con&s;ent proues the~ not to be Gods Church.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 19.</NOTE><HI>Demetrius</HI> the &s;iluer &s;mith &amp; his com|pany in <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> were at great vnity for the vpholding of <HI>Diana</HI> again&s;t S. <HI>Pauls</HI> preaching: but that vnity was no argu|ment, that they were Gods Church.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. cap. 14. ver. 8.</NOTE>The Angel &s;aith, that <HI>Babylon</HI> made all nations to drinke of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Therefore the generall con&s;ent and vnity of al nati|ons in religion, doth not make a true re|ligion.</P>
<P>The <HI>Arrians, Ne&s;torians, Eutichians,</HI> &amp; the bla&s;phemous Heretikes of the fami|ly of loue, haue, &amp; doe con&s;e~t in their bla&s;|phemous opinions, but this con&s;ent of theirs, prooues them not to be the true Church of God.</P>
<P>Vnity in the e&s;&s;ential points of Gods
<PB REF="40"> religion is an infallible argument of the Church of God.</P>
<P>Euery di&s;cord is not an argument of a fal&s;e church.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 1. &amp; 11. cha.</NOTE> There were di&s;&s;entions in y^e church of <HI>Corinth,</HI> and yet God had his church at <HI>Corinth.</HI> The Bi&s;hops whiche were a&s;&s;embled in the <HI>Nicene</HI> coun&s;ell a|gain&s;t <HI>Arrius</HI> were at greate variance: Notwith&s;tanding they were Gods &s;er|uants. The Ea&s;t &amp; We&s;t Churches were greatly deuided about the fea&s;t of Ea&s;ter: and yet they were the Churches of God.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 15 Galat. 2. Aug. Epi&s;t. 9.</NOTE> There was hot &s;tirre betweene <HI>Paule</HI> &amp; <HI>Barnabas,</HI> betweene <HI>Paule</HI> &amp; <HI>Peter,</HI> be|tweene <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &amp; <HI>Hierome,</HI> &amp; yet all the&s;e were Gods &s;eruants.</P>
<P>Gods truth &s;ometimes deuideth the faithfull amonge&s;t them&s;elues.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn chap. 6. ver. 66.</NOTE> Chri&s;tes &s;ermon that his fle&s;h was the true meate, was an vndoubted truth: yet it made a partition between the twelue, &amp; the other which beleeued in Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>I confe&s;&s;e that Gods &s;pirite is the &s;pi|rite of peace &amp; vnitie. This &s;pirit &s;hould wholly po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e vs, if we were wholly re|generate: But the be&s;t men are &s;horte of that.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB REF="41">
<HEAD>19 Multitude is not an infallible argument of Gods Church.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 7. 1. King. 19. &amp; 22. chap.</NOTE>IN the times of <HI>Noe, Elias, Micheas, &amp;c.</HI> The greater part was the woor&s;e part, when the x. tribes did &s;et the~&s;elues a|gain&s;t the tribe of <HI>Iuda</HI> Gods Churche was in <HI>Iuda.</HI></P>
<P>Except the Lord of ho&s;ts had re&s;erued vnto vs, euen a &s;mall remnant, we &s;hould haue beene as <HI>Sodome,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 1. ver. 9</NOTE> and &s;hould haue beene like vnto <HI>Gomorrha.</HI> Whereby it is manife&s;t, that Gods Church was very little, and that the greater number was the wor&s;e.</P>
<P>Enter in at the &s;traight gate, for it is the wide gate &amp; broade way that leeadeth to de&s;truction, &amp; many there be, which go in thereat: becau&s;e the gate is &s;traight &amp; the way narrow, y^t leadeth vnto life, and fewe there be that find it. <HI>Mat.</HI> 7. <HI>ver.</HI> 13.14. If the multitude had byn an argume~t of the Church, Chri&s;tes &s;peech were not to be liked of.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t calles his flocke, a little flock, &amp; Chri&s;t him&s;elfe was condemned to death by the greater number of the Iewes.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 12. Math. 27.</NOTE></P>
<PB REF="41">
<P>It is &s;aide, that Satan deceiueth all the worlde. <HI>Apo,</HI> 12. <HI>and</HI> 20.</P>
<P>As the greater number is no &s;ure proofe of the Church, if they haue not the markes of the Church amonge&s;t them: &s;o is not the le&s;&s;e number an argument of Gods church, vnle&s;&s;e they haue the e&s;&s;en|tiall markes of Gods Church amonge&s;t them, if they may be come by.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>20 The Church is not to bee mea|&s;ured by the externall &s;hewe,</HEAD>
<P>Reioyce, thou barren,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4.</NOTE> that beare&s;t no children &amp;c? If the Apo&s;tle out of the prophet E&s;ay call the Churche barren, it is a good le&s;&s;on to teache vs not to mea|&s;ure the church alwaies by the outwarde &s;hew.<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay. 53.</NOTE> Chri&s;te the bridegrome was &s;o af|flicted that hee had neither forme nor beautie: When the Churches ca&s;e is &s;uch, we mu&s;t remember that it is Chri|&s;tes &s;pou&s;e.</P>
<P>When the I&s;raelites were in capti|uitie at Babylon,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezec. chap. 11 ver. 15.16.</NOTE> Gods Churche was in <HI>Chaldaea,</HI> as in a dungeon, albeit they which remained in Ieru&s;alem thought
<PB REF="42"> otherwi&s;e. If Gods Church had beene mea&s;ured by the outward &s;hewe, it had been wide with them, which were then in captiuitie.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 6.</NOTE>I confe&s;&s;e that Gods Churche is &s;aide by Salomon to be faire as the Moone, &amp; pure as the Sonne. But it is &s;o to mens eyes not in the time of per&s;ecution, but in the time of y^e peace of the church, when as the order in Gods Church is very beau|tifull.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay. 60.9.</NOTE>When we reade in <HI>E&s;ay</HI> that the &s;hips of Thar&s;is &s;hall bring (to gods churche) &s;onnes from farre, and their &s;iluer &amp; their gold with them: We mu&s;t not by and by dreame of a golden church, as the Iewes doe of a golden Me&s;&s;ias: but the mea|ning is, that God will greatly aduaunce his Church, and &s;et it out with excellent furniture. If they of Thar&s;is de&s;erue great commendation for bringing their owne &s;iluer &amp; gold with them to Gods Church, I am &s;ure they de&s;erue very lit|tle, which by cropping the Churches maintenance, hinder the building of the &s;pirituall temple. For can gods churche be built without &s;kilfull ma&s;ons and car|penters,
<PB REF="42"> I meane, able mini&s;ters: and ca~ they either prouide in&s;trumentes for the framing &amp; &s;etting vp of Almightie gods hou&s;e, when they are kepte fa&s;ting from the Churches allowance? And is not this the true cau&s;e, why in many places of this noble lande, &s;ome &s;uch open Gods booke in the body of the church, as would be goodly implements &amp; ornamentes in the Belfray. I will not rub this &s;ore any longer, &amp; I am very &s;ure that all whiche loue religion, do pray heartily for the re|dre&s;&s;e of this.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>21 None, which are or haue been alients from the church of God, are to be admitted ra&s;hly into it.</HEAD>
<P>If <HI>Rahab</HI> of <HI>Iericho</HI> and her compa|nie,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;u. 6.</NOTE> had been pre&s;ently admitted into the I&s;raelites a&s;&s;emblie, their vncleanne&s;&s;e would haue been ea&s;ily forgotten: but the putting of them apart for a time, without the ho&s;t of I&s;rael, was of great force, both to make them a&s;hamed of their former behauiour, &amp; to e&s;teeme the companie of gods people afterward, a more excellent benefit.</P>
<PB REF="43">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 9.</NOTE>The not admitting of S. Paul at the fir&s;t amonge&s;t the Di&s;ciples, did teache him to prefer the lowe&s;t place in Chri&s;ts Church, before the highe&s;t roome in the Sinagogues of the Phari&s;ees, and may teach vs not to open the Church dores o|uer ha&s;tily to euery one without excepti|on.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 19.</NOTE>Many, which beleeued (in <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI>) came &amp; confe&s;&s;ed, &amp; &s;hewed their workes, before they were ioined to the Church.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. chap. 3. ver. 6.</NOTE>If no man may be admitted ra&s;hly in|to Gods church, then no man may ra&s;hly be &s;et ouer Gods Church. Vn&s;ea&s;oned timber, will not &s;erue for a grounde&s;ell. Hee is not fit to be a Captaine, whiche cannot be accounted a &s;ouldier. No man may be allowed a Prophet, which hath not been the &s;onne of a Prophet.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>22 Gods Church may erre.</HEAD>
<P>To erre, is to goe out of that way which almightie God hath pre&s;cribed to vs in his holy worde.</P>
<P>If the Church cannot erre, what nee|ded godly and learned Bi&s;hops &amp; mini|&s;ters
<PB REF="43"> to looke to the Lordes fielde, vine, and flocke.</P>
<P>The familie of <HI>Sem</HI> was gods church:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 11.</NOTE> but idolatrie entred into that familie. I confe&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 9.</NOTE> that a &s;inguler ble&s;&s;ing was gi|uen to <HI>Sem,</HI> but his po&s;teritie coulde not be keept within their compa&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>If the Churche was any where in <HI>E|&s;aies</HI> time, it was amonge&s;t the Iewes. But the Prophet &s;aith, that the Prie&s;t and the Prophet were not only corrupt in their manners,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay. 28. ver&s;. 7. Eze. 8.</NOTE> but that they fayled in vi&s;ion, and &s;tumbled in iudgement.</P>
<P>The flouri&s;hing Churches of <HI>A&s;ia, Grecia, Affrica,</HI> which had the precious trea&s;ure of Gods woorde plentifully a|mong&s;t them, are nowe &s;tripped of Chri|&s;tian religion.</P>
<P>The Church erred before, and vnder the lawe, and in the time of grace: bee|fore the lawe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3. Exod. 32.</NOTE> for <HI>Adam</HI> and <HI>Eue</HI> erred in Paradi&s;e. Vnder the lawe, for Aaron and the I&s;raelites erred fouly in making a golden calfe. In the time of grace, for the Churches of <HI>Corinth, Galatia,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 21. ver. 20.</NOTE> and the Primitiue Church in <HI>Iudea,</HI> er|red about the ob&s;eruation of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> law,
<PB REF="44"> and otherwi&s;e.</P>
<P>The Churche in <HI>Augu&s;tines</HI> and <HI>Cy|prians</HI> time did giue the holy Supper to infants,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 6. ver. 3</NOTE> grounding vpon the place of Saint Iohn: but it was a gro&s;&s;e er|ror.</P>
<P>Let no man deceiue you by anye meanes:<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. The&s;. 2.</NOTE> (for that day &s;hall not come) except there come a departing fir&s;t. This Apo&s;ta&s;ie or departing (which Paule &s;peaketh of) is not in one or two Chur|ches, but euen in the body of the whole vi|&s;ible Church. The holy gho&s;te did &s;o prophe&s;ie.</P>
<P>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t is the head of the church, as of one body. This head is vnto the Churche, as rea&s;on vnto man, &s;o farre foorth as the de&s;ire of man obeyeth rea|&s;on, and the body of the Church, the head of the Church, it is wel with man &amp; with the Church.</P>
<P>The Church is as a Moone, whiche hath no light but from Chri&s;te the &s;onne thereof. When &s;hee looketh towards him, &s;hee is bright and cleare: the more &s;hee turneth away from him, the le&s;&s;e
<PB REF="44"> brightne&s;&s;e &s;he hath.</P>
<P><HI>Obiection.</HI></P>
<P>The Churche is the piller of trueth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 3.15.</NOTE> therefore it cannot erre.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;were</HI></P>
<P>The argument followeth not, and S. Paules meaning is, that Gods truth is pre&s;erued in the Churche by the mini|&s;terie of the worde: the rea&s;on of this my an&s;were, is &s;et downe in the&s;e wordes, he gaue &s;ome (to be) Apo&s;tles, &amp; &s;ome pro|phets, &amp; &s;ome Euangeli&s;tes, &amp; &s;ome Pa|&s;tors and Doctors, for the gathering to|gether of y^e &s;aints, for the work of the mi|ni&s;terie, for the edification of the body of Chri&s;t, that we hencefoorth bee no more children wauering and carried aboute with euery winde of Doctrine.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 4. ver. 11.12.14.</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>Obiection.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;pirit of truth will lead you into all truth: therfore the church cannot erre.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 16.13</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>An&s;were.</HI></P>
<P>If followeth not: It is certaine that Chri&s;tes Di&s;ciples, which heard his hea|uenly Sermons, were per&s;uaded very hardly, that the Me&s;&s;ias &s;houlde die,
<PB REF="45"> and they dreamed of a &s;tately kingdome in the worlde both before his death (as the &s;onnes of <HI>Zebedeus</HI>) and after Chri|&s;tes re&s;urrection (as all the Apo&s;tles.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 20. Acts. 1.</NOTE>) Our Sauiour Chri&s;t: lea&s;t they &s;houlde bee di&s;couraged, becau&s;e they were not then able to beare &amp; dige&s;t his &s;peeches, comforts them in this &s;ort, the &s;pirite of truth will leade you into all truth: as if hee &s;houlde &s;ay, your capacitie is weake and my &s;peeches will not enter into you, but be of good cheere, it &s;hall not bee &s;o with you alwaies, the &s;pirit of truth &s;hall open your vnder&s;tanding, &amp; lead you in|to all truth.</P>
<P>When we reade or heare that the &s;pi|rit will leade vs into all truth, wee mu&s;te not thinke that either the &s;pirit doth lead vs without the word,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 59. 1. The&s;. 5.</NOTE> as the Anabapti&s;ts teach, (for the &s;pirite &amp; the worde cannot bee &s;euered) or that the Church not brin|ging the worde for her warrant, is, in matters of faith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cypr. de lap&s;u</NOTE> to bee beleeued, for hee is not ioyned to the Church, which is &s;e|uered from the Go&s;pel.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB REF="45">
<HEAD>23 The Church is not perfect in this worlde.</HEAD>
<P>THe Go&s;pel is a &s;iue or fanne,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 3.</NOTE> which &s;eparateth the chaffe from the corne. If chaffe were not mingled with the corne, this fanne, (that is, the preaching of the Go&s;pell) were needles.</P>
<P>The knowledge of the Church is but in part:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 13. Matth. 6.</NOTE> and the whole Churche de&s;ires pardon of their &s;innes.</P>
<P>The Church &s;hall not be perfit before the la&s;t day, but then it &s;hall bee.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. cap. 21. ver. 10.11.12</NOTE> Which thing, that S. <HI>Iohn</HI> might &s;et before our eyes, hee remembreth that the e&s;tate of the heauenly <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> &s;halbe mo&s;t glo|rious after the ende of the worlde.</P>
<P>If wee con&s;ider the vi&s;ible Church in her owne bodie, it is farre from perfecti|on. For it is compared to a fielde,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. chap. 13</NOTE> where|in is Wheate and Tares, and to a drawe net, wherein are good and bad fi&s;hes.</P>
<P>That Church, which bragges of per|fection in this worlde, is a Phari&s;aicall Church.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. epi. 48.</NOTE> Such Churches were and are the Churches of the <HI>Donati&s;tes, Noua|tians,</HI>
<PB REF="46"> and <HI>Anabapti&s;tes.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Obiection.</HI></P>
<P>Who&s;oeuer is borne of God, &s;inneth not. 1. <HI>Iohn.</HI> 3. <HI>ver.</HI> 6.9.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;weare.</HI></P>
<P>By not &s;inning, S. <HI>Iohn</HI> meaneth, that the regenerate &s;erue not &s;inne, and that &s;inne raigneth not in them, becau&s;e they withdrawe them &s;elues by Gods a&s;|&s;i&s;taunce from &s;inne, and withall their heartes do giue them &s;elues to holines of life. It is very true that the faithfull doe &s;inne, that is to &s;ay, can not liue &s;o holily, but that they offende the Maie&s;tie of god: &s;o did <HI>Aaron, Noe, Daniel, Iob, Barna|bas, Peter,</HI> and the virgin <HI>Marie,</HI> other|wi&s;e &s;hee had not needed a Sauiour. The iu&s;t ma~ falleth &s;euen times.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 24. 1. Iohn cha. 1</NOTE> If we &s;ay, we haue no &s;inne, wee deceiue our&s;elues, &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Obiection.</HI></P>
<P>Chri&s;t loued the Church, &amp; gaue him&s;elfe for it, that he might &s;anctifie it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 5.25.26 27.</NOTE> &amp; clen&s;e it by y^e wa&s;hing of water through the word, that he might make it vnto him &s;elf a glo+rious Church, not hauing &s;potte or wrin|kle or any &s;uch thinge.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;weare.</HI></P>
<P>This Argument was v&s;ed of the <HI>Pe|lagians</HI>
<PB REF="46"> in <HI>Augu&s;tines</HI> time:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Epi&s;t. 50. &amp; 57. Idem lib. 1. retract. cap. 19 &amp; li. 2. cap. 18</NOTE> but <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> &s;aith, that the freedom of the Church fro~ all &s;taines is not in this worlde, but in the world to come. Be&s;ids, it is one thing to con&s;ider y^e church in it &s;elf, another thing to con&s;ider it in Chri&s;t. The Church in it &s;elf (whether we re&s;pect eche me~ber of it &s;euerally, or all the members of it ioynt|ly) haue many &s;pottes and wrinkles: o|therwi&s;e it were not true, that they are &s;aued by the grace of our Lorde Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, as the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aith. The Church con&s;idered in Chri&s;te,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 15. ver. 11 1. Iohn 1. Apoc. 1. 1. Cor. 6. 1. Cor. 1.</NOTE> may bee &s;aid to be without &s;pot, becau&s;e it is wa|&s;hed and purged by the blood of Chri&s;te: and without wrinkle, becau&s;e it is clothed with the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;te by the imputation of who&s;e righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, wee are at Gods handes both ab&s;olued and &s;a|nctified.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD><HI>24</HI> The Church of Rome hath, and may erre.</HEAD>
<P>BEholde the bountifulne&s;&s;e and &s;eue|ritie of GOD: towardes them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. cha. 11. ver&s;e 22.</NOTE> whiche haue fallen, &s;euerytye:
<PB REF="47"> but towardes thee, bountifulnes, if thou continue in (his) bountifulnes: or el&s;e thou al&s;o &s;halt be cut off. If the Churche of Rome could not erre, why &s;hould <HI>Paul</HI> write this.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lib. 1. cont. Marcionem.</NOTE><HI>Tertullian</HI> makes mention of alters de|dicated to vnknowen gods (which he cal|leth the Idolatrie of the <HI>Athenians</HI>) and to vncertaine gods, (which he calleth the &s;uper&s;tition of the <HI>Romanes.</HI>)</P>
<P><HI>Hormi&s;da</HI> a Bi&s;hoppe of Rome, in a writing of his to the Bi&s;hops of <HI>Spayne,</HI> maketh this matter very cleare: The &s;um of his wordes is this, Dearely beloued, let vs pray without cea&s;ing, that we may cleaue &s;oundly vnto Chri&s;t, and not for|&s;ake him, lea&s;t we be iu&s;tly for&s;ake~ of him.</P>
<P>If Saint <HI>Pauls</HI> doctrine in the Epi|&s;tle to the <HI>Romaines</HI> be &s;ounde (whereof none that feare God, doth make any que|&s;tion) then the popi&s;he Church, whiche holdes many thinges di&s;agreeing from that Epi&s;tle, is not free from errour. Let the que&s;tions of iu&s;tification, election, freewill, obedience to the Magi&s;trate, be con&s;idered. Be&s;ids, their &s;poyling Chri&s;t of his prie&s;thood, and Gods people of the
<PB REF="47"> cup in the Lordes &s;upper, their tran&s;ub|&s;tantiation, &amp; a number of gro&s;&s;e ab&s;urdi|ties, which they hold, are manife&s;t demon|&s;trations of the erring of the Popi&s;he Church.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>25 They may not bee accompted Schi&s;matikes, which for&s;ake the Church of Rome.</HEAD>
<P>If any Church giue ouer the trueth of Gods religion, wee mu&s;t for&s;ake that Church, that we be not infected with that lepro&s;ie, and yet wee may not be accomp|ted Schi&s;matikes, for men are then Schi&s;matikes, when they depart from the true Church and doctrine, not when they returne from errour to trueth.</P>
<P>He is a Schi&s;matike, whiche is the cau&s;e of &s;chi&s;me, and not hee which begin|neth the &s;eparation: euen like as he, whi|che denieth the lawe, is the cau&s;e of the proce&s;&s;e, and not he which fir&s;t began.</P>
<P>The Prote&s;tantes haue not for&s;aken <HI>Sio~,</HI> but <HI>Babylon,</HI> not <HI>Bethel,</HI> but <HI>Betha|uen:</HI> they haue not erected Alter again&s;t Alter,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. epi. 162.</NOTE> as <HI>Ieroboam</HI> and the <HI>Donati&s;tes</HI>
<PB REF="48"> did, but they haue ca&s;t the Alter of <HI>Da|ma&s;cus</HI> out of the Lordes hou&s;e, and haue re&s;tored the true wor&s;hip of God.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>26 The Church mu&s;t bee built vpon the word of God.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. chap. 2. ver&s;e 19.20.</NOTE>NOwe therefore yee are no more &s;traungers and forreiners: but Ci|tizens with the Saintes, and of the hou&s;|holde of GOD: and are built vpon the foundations of the Apo&s;tles and Pro|phetes, Ie&s;us Chri&s;te him &s;elfe beeyng the chiefe corner &s;tone, &amp;c.</P>
<P>If the doctrine of the Prophetes and Apo&s;tles be the foundation of the church, howe can the Church &s;tande, if the doc|trine be remoued? and howe can the doc|trine continue without &s;ounde teachers? and what hart canne they haue to teache, when they want maintenance? Shal they which bee noble mens, and gentlemens gardiners, hunt&s;men, be bountifully pro|uided for of their Lordes and Mai&s;ters charge, and &s;hall not they, which are fitte to attende vpon the Lords vine, field, gar|den, orchard, haue allowance of the chur|ches
<PB REF="48"> charge? If this &s;oare be not looked vnto, many &s;tudents of diuinitie mu&s;t of force betake them &s;elues to &s;ome other cour&s;e. for men mu&s;t liue, and to go a beg|ging, is a point next the wor&s;e, and a very vnfit occupation for a learned &s;tudent in diuinitie.</P>
<P>The Go&s;pell and &s;pirite of life,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iren. lib. 3. cap. 1.11.</NOTE> is the foundation and piller of the Church.</P>
<P>They which wil build Gods Churche without the foundation of the word, build with vntempered morter: for Gods word is the life of the Church.</P>
<P><HI>Obiection.</HI></P>
<P>The Church was before the worde of God: therefore it is not built vpon the word of God.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;were.</HI></P>
<P>The argument followes not. I confe&s;&s;e, that Gods Church in the beginning (as for example, <HI>Adam, Abel, Enos, Noe, Se~, Abraham,</HI> and many other of Gods chil|dren) was, before Gods word was put in writing, but Gods church was not before Gods word. For if the Church be an a&s;|&s;emblie of y^e faithful, &amp; y^e me~ ca~not be cal|led faithful w^tout faith, &amp; that faith cannot
<PB REF="49"> con&s;i&s;t without the woorde of God: it is a nece&s;&s;arie con&s;equent, that Gods woorde was before Gods Church.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene. 4. Heb. 11.</NOTE><HI>Abell</HI> &s;acrificed vnto almightie God by faith. Therefore Gods expre&s;&s;e woorde was his direction, for faith hath relation to no other thing. The difference of cleane and vncleane bea&s;ts is mentioned in <HI>Gene&s;is</HI> before the flood,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gece. 7.</NOTE> but this diffe|rence could not bee vnder&s;tanded but by the voyce of almightie God. <HI>Noe</HI> after his comming out of the Arke, offered a burnt offering: this &s;acrifice of <HI>Noe,</HI> plea&s;ed God: therefore it is a good con|&s;equent that <HI>Noe</HI> had Gods worde to di|rect him: for no wilwor&s;hippe did euer plea&s;e God.</P>
<P><HI>Obiection.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 3. ver&s;e 15.</NOTE>The Church is the piller and grounde of trueth, therefore the worde is not the foundation of the Church.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;were.</HI></P>
<P>It followes not, and the Church is therefore called the piller and grounde of the trueth, becau&s;e among&s;t men it vp|holdeth and retayneth Gods trueth.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB REF="49">
<HEAD>17 The Church is knowne by the worde of God.</HEAD>
<P>SEarch the Scriptures,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. chap. 5. ver. 39.</NOTE> they te&s;tifie of mee, &s;aith Chri&s;t. We knowe Chri&s;t by the Scriptures, therefore we knowe the Church by the Scriptures. This con|&s;equent is very good, and is framed thus by <HI>Augu&s;tine.</HI></P>
<P>In the Scriptures wee haue learned Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Epi&s;t. 166.</NOTE> (&s;aith <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI>) in the Scrip|tures we haue learned the Church. And a little after: where we haue knowne Chri&s;t, (meaning in the &s;criptures) there we haue knowen the Church: which &s;en|tence he repeateth very often in that epi|&s;tle.</P>
<P>The <HI>Donati&s;ts</HI> &s;aid, that Chri&s;ts church remained only in <HI>Africke,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Epi&s;t. 166.</NOTE> but <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> telles them, that their warrant is not ta|ken out of the lawe, or the Prophete, or the P&s;alme, or the Apo&s;tle, or Euange|li&s;t, but out of their owne heartes, and ca|uils of their progenitors: by which words it is euident, that the Churche is knowne and mu&s;t be &s;hewed by the worde of God.</P>
<P>We &s;eeke the Church in the holy &s;crip|tures,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. devnita Eccle. cap. 2. &amp; Epi&s;t. 48.</NOTE> and in the &s;ame &s;criptures we doe
<PB REF="50"> manife&s;tly knowe the Church.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>28 Ie&s;us Chri&s;t alone, is the foun|dation of his Church.</HEAD>
<P>OTher foundation can no man laye, then that which is laid,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>1.</HI> Cor. 3. ver. 11.</NOTE> which is Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Thus &s;aith the Lord God, behold I wil lay in Sion a &s;tone,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ai. 28. ver. 16 1. Pet. chap. 2 ver&s;e <HI>6.</HI></NOTE> a tried &s;tone, a preci|ous corner &s;tone, a &s;ure foundation, that is, Ie&s;us Chri&s;t: &s;o doth the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter</HI> expounde it.</P>
<P>Yee are built vpon the foundation of the Apo&s;tles &amp; Prophetes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. chap. <HI>2.</HI> ver. <HI>20.</HI></NOTE> Ie&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elf being the chief corner &s;tone, that is, the foundation of the Church.</P>
<P>Vpon this rocke, I will builde my Church:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. chap. <HI>16.</HI> ver&s;e 18. Aug. lib. 1. retract. cap. 12</NOTE> By this word (rocke) Chri&s;t vn|der&s;tandeth him&s;elfe, who~ <HI>Peter</HI> co~fe&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter</HI> cannot be the foun|dation of the Church, for <HI>Peter</HI> was mor|tall, and the foundation of Gods Church mu&s;t be immortall.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>29 What the Catholike Church is.</HEAD>
<P>The catholike Church is y^e number of all
<PB REF="50"> Gods elect, which haue been from the be|ginning of the world, and are nowe pre|&s;ently in the worlde, and &s;halbe vntill the ende of the world</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>30 The Catholik Church is not vi|&s;ible.</HEAD>
<P>AL the elect, whether they be in earth or in heauen, do belo~g to the Catho|like Church: But all the&s;e ca~not be &s;een of vs.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t when he vttered the&s;e woordes (vpo~ this rock I will build my Church) did meane that Church,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. <HI>16.</HI></NOTE> which &s;hould be vnto the end of the world: but that church is not vi&s;ible,</P>
<P>If the Catholike Church were now vi|&s;ible, it were vnproperly &s;aid in the creed, I beleeue the Catholike Church: for inui&s;ible thinges are beleeued, and not tho&s;e which are &s;eene. They therefore, which &s;ay, that the Catholike Churche is vi&s;ible, eyther beleeue not that, whiche they confe&s;&s;e in the Creede, or &s;peake o|therwi&s;e then they beleeue, whiche is a gro&s;&s;e ab&s;urditie.</P>
<P>I confe&s;&s;e that the particuler churches
<PB REF="51"> of Corinth, Ephe&s;us, The&s;&s;alonica were vi&s;ible in <HI>Paules</HI> time, not onely, becau&s;e they of whome the&s;e Churches con&s;i&s;ted, were vi&s;ible, but becau&s;e of the order and externall forme of tho&s;e Churches, which order and externall forme are the cau&s;e, why the Churches are vi&s;ible.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 19.</NOTE></P>
<P>The &s;euen thou&s;and (of whome Al|mightie God &s;pake to <HI>Elias</HI>) albeit they were vi&s;ible in that they were men, yet they were not in the vi&s;ible Church: o|therwi&s;e <HI>Elias</HI> had &s;een them.</P>
<P>A fewe of Gods elect are called the Church, but yet the inui&s;ible Church: not becau&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Tim. cha. 2 ver&s;e 19.</NOTE> we do not &s;ee the elect, but be|cau&s;e wee do not de&s;cerne with our eyes, who are Gods elect: for GOD alone knoweth, who be his.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="51">
<P>&leaf; A godly and &s;horte <HI>Treati&s;e, again&s;t the</HI> foule and gro&s;&s;e &s;inne of oppre&s;&s;ion. <HI>Written by Robert Some.</HI></P>
<Q>Oppe&s;&s;ion maketh a wi&s;e man madde. <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;tes, <BIBL>chap. 7. ver&s;e 9.</BIBL></HI></Q>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="52">
<HEAD>To the Reader.</HEAD>
<P>IT hath plea&s;ed an Engli&s;he Papi&s;te, to giue out in print, that the Church of Rome, doth both teach, and require ac|tuall re&s;titution, and that our Church doth neither. His &s;peech of vs is verie &s;launderous, &amp; my treati&s;e again&s;t op|pre&s;&s;ion, is argumentes inough to con|fute him. If they of Rome, teach and re|quire actuall re&s;titution, it is no woorke of &s;upererogatio~: they do no more but their duties. If wee &s;houlde faile in this cleare point, we de&s;erue great condem|nation at almightie Gods hands. I con|fe&s;&s;e that a man is good (and therefore iu&s;tified in Gods &s;ight) before he doth good workes: but with all I &s;et downe this, that good works doe followe him that is truely iu&s;tified, and that &s;uch as haue oppre&s;&s;ed, or iniuried any man, &s;hal not be pardoned at Gods handes, vnle&s;&s;e they make actuall re&s;titution, if they bee able to doe it. If any require proofe of this, I refer him to this Trea|ti&s;e of mine, again&s;t oppre&s;&s;ion.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="52">
<HEAD><HI>A table of &s;uch pointes as</HI> are contayned in this Trea|ti&s;e.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1 What oppre&s;&s;ion is.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2 It is not lawefull for any man to op|pre&s;&s;e another.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3 They which haue done wrong vnto, or oppre&s;&s;ed any, mu&s;t make actuall re|&s;titution.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4 It is the dutie of the Magi&s;trate, to deliuer the oppre&s;&s;ed out of the handes of the oppre&s;&s;our.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5 The Magi&s;trate loo&s;eth nothing by deliuering the oppre&s;&s;ed.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6 Oppre&s;&s;ours, &s;hall bee grieuou&s;ly puni|&s;hed.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7 Oppre&s;&s;ours, haue no religion in them.</ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="treatise">
<PB REF="53">
<HEAD>A godly Treati&s;e again&s;t the foule and gro&s;&s;e &s;inne of oppre&s;&s;ion.</HEAD>
<P><HI>Que&s;tion.</HI></P>
<P>VVHat is Oppre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;were.</HI></P>
<P>It is vniu&s;t deailng, v&s;ed of the migh|tier, either by violence, colour of lawe, or any other cunning dealing, again&s;t &s;uch as are not able to with&s;tande them. The ground of this definition, is contei|ned in the&s;e places of &s;cripture. <HI>Micheas. chap. 2. ver&s;e 1.2. 1. The&s;. chap. 4. ver&s;. 6.</HI></P>
<P>It is not lawfull for any man to op|pre&s;&s;e another.</P>
<P>Giue vs this day our dayly bread. <HI>Mat. chap. 6. ver&s;e 11.</HI> Euery chri&s;tian de&s;ires God to giue dayly bread, (that is, all thinges nece&s;&s;arie for this life) both to him &s;elfe, and to others: therefore no chri&s;tian is priuiledged, to &s;poile another of his nece&s;&s;arie food.</P>
<P>If one of vs mu&s;t pray for the good of another: one of vs may not pray vpon an other.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle. chap. 34 ver&s;e 23.</NOTE> Hee that taketh away his neigh|bours liuing, is a murtherer.</P>
<PB REF="53">
<P>Thou &s;halt not de&s;ire thy neighbours hou&s;e, his fielde, &amp;c. <HI>Deut. 5.21.</HI> If wee may not de&s;ire his hou&s;e, or land, then we may not &s;poile him of his hou&s;e, or land,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mich. chap. 2.1.2.</NOTE> or inclo&s;e that ground, wherby the poore either by right are, or by right ought to be relieued.</P>
<P>If thou meete thine enemies oxe, or his A&s;&s;e going a&s;tray, thou &s;halt bring him to him againe. If thou &s;ee thy ene|mies A&s;&s;e lying vnder his burden, wilte thou cea&s;e to helpe him? thou &s;halt helpe him vp with it againe. <HI>Exod. 23.4.5.</HI> Al|mightie God commaundeth vs to deale wel with our enemies A&s;&s;e, therefore we may not by vndoing our neighbour, or &s;poyling him of any part of his lande or goods, make him an A&s;&s;e and &s;end him a begging.</P>
<P>Hee that oppre&s;&s;eth the poore, repro|ueth him that made him, &amp;c.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. chap. 14. ver. 31.</NOTE> It is a gro&s;&s;e &s;in to reproue the maie&s;tie of God, there|fore it is a gro&s;&s;e &s;inne to oppre&s;&s;e the poore.</P>
<P>It was one of the &s;innes of <HI>Sodom</HI> not to reache out the hande to the poore <HI>Ezech. 16.49.</HI> If it be a great &s;in, not to
<PB REF="54"> releeue the poore, it is a very gro&s;&s;e &s;inne to &s;poyle the poore. The bread of the needefull,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle. 34.22.</NOTE> is the life of the poore: he that defraudeth him thereof is a murtherer.</P>
<P>There is a writte in England which beareth this name, <HI>Ne iniu&s;t&egrave; vexes,</HI> that is to &s;ay, vexe not any man vniu&s;tly: This is a godly lawe, and is deriued fro~ the lawe of God, which forbiddeth and condemneth oppre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>There are certaine beggers, which of purpo&s;e keepe their legges &s;ore to gette money by it: If they are iu&s;tly mi&s;liked, which gaine by their owne &s;ore legges, what de&s;erue they to be thought of, whi|che gaine by other mens &s;ore legs?</P>
<P>When thou &s;elle&s;t ought to thy neigh|bour, or buie&s;t at thy neighbours hande, yee &s;hall not oppre&s;&s;e one another <HI>Leuit. 25. ver. 14.</HI> This is the will of God, that no man oppre&s;&s;e or defraude his brother in any matter. <HI>1. The&s;. 4.6.</HI> Therefore men of trade may not gaine by litle mea|&s;ures, fal&s;e weights, and fal&s;e &s;peeches &amp; othes, nor any mightie men, may gaine by cunning dealing, by colour of lawe, or by v&s;ing any violence what&s;oeuer.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB REF="54">
<HEAD>3 They which haue done wrong vnto, or oppre&s;&s;ed any mu&s;t make actuall re|&s;titution.</HEAD>
<P>GOd &s;aith thus vnto Mo&s;es: &s;peake vnto the children of I&s;rael, when a man or woman &s;hall commit a|ny &s;in, that men commit, &amp; tran&s;|gre&s;&s;e again&s;t the Lorde, when that per|&s;on &s;hall tre&s;pa&s;&s;e, then they &s;hall confe&s;&s;e their &s;inne which they haue done, &amp; &s;hall re&s;tore y^e damage therof w^t his principal, &amp; put the fift part of it more thereto, and &s;hall giue it vnto him again&s;t whom hee hath tre&s;pa&s;&s;ed. But if the man haue no kin&s;man, to whom hee &s;hould re&s;tore the dammage, the dammage &s;halbe re&s;tored to the Lord, for the Prie&s;ts v&s;e, &amp;c. <HI>Num. 5. ver. 6.7.8.</HI> Wee are taught in this place, to whom this actual re&s;titutio~ mu&s;t bee made, euen to him whom we haue in|iuried: if he be dead, we mu&s;t re&s;tore it to his kin&s;man: if he haue no kin&s;man aliue, actuall re&s;titution mu&s;t be made to Al|mightie God, for the Prie&s;tes v&s;e, and in our time for the poores v&s;e.</P>
<PB REF="55">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iud. chap. 17. ver. 2.3.</NOTE>Michah robbed his mother of xi. hun|dred &s;hekels of &s;iluer: his mother did not knowe that he had it, but he had remorce of that &s;inne, and made actuall re&s;tituti|on.</P>
<P>Samuel &s;aith thus of him&s;elfe: Who&s;e Oxe haue I taken? or who&s;e A&s;&s;e haue I taken? or whom haue I done wrong to? or whom haue I hurt? or of who&s;e hands haue I receiued any bribe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 12,</NOTE> to blinde my eyes therewith, and I will re&s;tore it you, &amp;c. It is certaine that Samuel did not deale either corruptly or vniu&s;tly in his office: if he had, he would haue made actuall re&s;titution.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 19.</NOTE>Zacheus was &s;ometimes very di&s;or|dered in his life, it plea&s;ed our Sauiour Chri&s;t to be a good God vnto him, and to lodge in his hou&s;e: <HI>Zacheus</HI> hauing feeling of his former wants vttered the&s;e wordes: If I haue taken from any man by forged cauillation, I re&s;tore him foure folde. If <HI>Zacheus</HI> of <HI>Iericho,</HI> after his conuer&s;ion, was content to re&s;tore foure folde, it is a good con&s;equent y^t they haue little touch of &s;inne, and little &s;en&s;e of re|ligion, which will not re&s;tore the princi|pall.</P>
<PB REF="55">
<P><HI>Que&s;tion.</HI></P>
<P>If a man haue deceiued, robbed or op|pre&s;&s;ed other men, &s;hall hee bee par|doned at Gods hands, if he make not ac|tuall re&s;titution?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;were.</HI></P>
<P>God will not pardon him, vnle&s;&s;e hee make actuall re&s;titution, if he be able to doe it, my rea&s;ons are the&s;e.</P>
<P>If the wicked re&s;tore the pledge, and giue againe that hee had robbed hee &s;hall &s;urely liue &amp; not die, &s;aith the Lord.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 18. ver. 12.13.</NOTE> <HI>Eze. 33.15.</HI> Therefore, it is a &s;ure con&s;equent, that he &s;hall not liue eternally, which be|ing in ca&s;e to make actuall re&s;titution, doth it not accordingly.</P>
<P>Is not this the fa&s;ting that I haue cho|&s;en, to loo&s;e the bands of wickedne&s;&s;e, to take off the heauie burdens, and to let the oppre&s;&s;ed goe free, and that ye breake euery yoke, &amp;c. Then &s;halt thou call and the Lorde &s;hall an&s;were, thou &s;halt crie, &amp; hee &s;hall &s;ay, heere I am, &amp;c. <HI>E&s;ay. 58.6.9.</HI> If the oppre&s;&s;our mu&s;t let the oppre&s;&s;ed goe free, he mu&s;t make actuall re&s;tituti|on. If Almightie God will not heare the
<PB REF="56"> prayer of the oppre&s;&s;our (vntill hee let the oppre&s;&s;ed goe free) it is a nece&s;&s;arie con|&s;equent that God will not pardon him.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Epi&s;t. 54.</NOTE><HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI> is very flat for this point: if men bee able to make actual re&s;titutio~ and doe it not, <HI>poenitentia non agitur, &s;ed fingitur:</HI> that is to &s;ay, their repentance is no repentance, and their &s;inne &s;hal not be pardoned, vntill actuall re&s;titution bee made.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;tion.</HI></P>
<P>If a man haue &s;ecretely either robbed or deceiued another, and is very willing to make re&s;titution, but cannot do it with out &s;ome worldly danger, and di&s;grace to him &s;elfe, what mu&s;te hee doe in this ca&s;e?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;were.</HI></P>
<P>Let him &s;ende that which he hath ta|ken vniu&s;tly, by &s;ome tru&s;tie me&s;&s;enger to him whome he hath wronged, and let his name bee concealed.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;tion.</HI></P>
<P>If hee that hath taken vniu&s;tly from others, haue wa&s;ted all, and is not able to make re&s;titution, what &s;hall hee doe?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;were.</HI></P>
<P>Such a one, mu&s;t de&s;ire pardon very
<PB REF="56"> humbly at Gods handes, and water the earth with his teares.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>4 It is the dutie of the Magi&s;trate to deliuer the oppre&s;&s;ed out of the ha~d of the oppre&s;&s;our.</HEAD>
<P>EXecute iudgement in the morning (that is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iere. 21.12. E&s;ay. 1.17.</NOTE> carefully and without de|lay) and deliuer the oppre&s;&s;ed out of the hande of the oppre&s;&s;our, &s;aith the Lorde, &amp;c. Seeke iudgement, relieue the op|pre&s;&s;ed, iudge the fatherle&s;&s;e, and defende the widdowe. Almightie God com|maundeth the Magi&s;trates to execute iudgement in the morning, therfore they mu&s;t v&s;e no delayes in doing iu&s;tice. God commaundeth the Magi&s;trates to &s;eeke iudgement, therefore in ca&s;es of oppre&s;|&s;ion, they mu&s;t not &s;tay till they bee cal|led for. God commendeth vnto the magi&s;trates all that are oppre&s;&s;ed, but &s;pecially the fatherle&s;&s;e and widdowe, becau&s;e they wante the defence of their parents, and hu&s;bandes, and euery man goeth ouer, where the hedge is lo|we&s;t.</P>
<PB REF="57">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ierem. 22.</NOTE>Io&s;ias executed iudgement &amp; iu&s;tice, he iudged the cau&s;e of the afflicted and poore, (&s;aithe the Lord) of <HI>Io&s;ias.</HI></P>
<P>Iob &s;aith thus of him&s;elfe: I deliue|red the poore that cryed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 29.</NOTE> and the father|le&s;&s;e, and him that had none to helpe him, &amp;c. I put on iu&s;tice, &amp; it couered me: my iudgement was as a robe and a crowne, I was the eyes to the blinde, and I was the feete to the lame: I was a father vn+to the poore, and when I knewe not the cau&s;e, I &s;ought it out diligently, I brake al&s;o the chawes of the vnrighteous man, and pluckt the pray out of his teeth, &amp;c. It appeareth by this, that Iob was a wor+thie Magi&s;trate: God &s;end vs many &s;uch as Iob was.</P>
<P>The Sunamite (who&s;e &s;onne <HI>Elizeus</HI> rai&s;ed to life) &s;oiourned in the time of fa|mine &s;euen yeeres in the land of the <HI>Phi|li&s;tines:</HI> in her ab&s;ence, her landes and goods were vniu&s;tly entred vpon: at her returne, &s;he complained of the iniurie to <HI>Iehoram</HI> the king of I&s;rael: <HI>Iehoram</HI> without delay commanded an Eunuch to re&s;tore her goods and landes vnto her.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Kings. 8.</NOTE> Re&s;tore thou (&s;aith <HI>Iehoram</HI>) all that are
<PB REF="57"> hers, and al the fruites of her lands, &s;ince the day, &s;he left the land euen vntill this time.</P>
<P>The Iewes in <HI>Nehemias</HI> time were greatly oppre&s;&s;ed:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nehe. chap. 5</NOTE> <HI>Nehemias</HI> was very an|gry with the princes and rulers which op|pre&s;&s;ed them, and &s;aide vnto them: You lay burdens euery one vppon his brethren &amp;c. Re&s;tore vnto them this day their la~ds, their vineyards, their oliues and their hou&s;es.</P>
<P>If it be the magi&s;trates duety to deliuer the oppre&s;&s;ed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos chap. 5 ver. 7. &amp; chap. 2. ver. 6.</NOTE> they mu&s;t take great heede y^t the~&s;elues be neither principals nor acce&s;&s;a|ries in y^e &s;in of oppre&s;&s;ion. If they be guilty, iudgement &s;halbe turned into wormewood, and the righteous &s;halbee &s;olde for &s;iluer, &amp; y^e poore for &s;hoes: that is to &s;ay, filthy bribes &s;hall be more accounted of, then mens liues, which are mo&s;t precious.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>5 The Magi&s;trate loo&s;eth nothing by deliuering the oppre&s;&s;ed.</HEAD>
<P>If he doe it with a &s;ingle heart (be&s;ide the te&s;timone of a good con&s;cience whiche is a continual fea&s;t) hee may a&s;&s;ure him&s;elfe of Gods fauour &amp; ble&s;&s;ing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 15.</NOTE> &amp; of the &s;inguler li|king of all Gods people.</P>
<P><HI>Io&s;ias</HI> did eate &amp; drinke and pro&s;per, whe~ he executed iudgement &amp; iu&s;tice,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ierem. 22.</NOTE> whe~ he iud|ged the cau&s;e of the afflicted, and the poore.</P>
<PB REF="58">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 29</NOTE><HI>Iob</HI> deliuered the poore that cried, and the fatherles, and him that had none to help him, the ble&s;&s;ing of him that was readye to peri&s;h, came vpon him.</P>
<P>Our &s;oueraigne Lady Queene Eliza|beth hath dealt graciou&s;ly with many poore &s;uters at the Court, &s;he hath &s;poken comfor|tably to them, &amp; procured re&s;titution accor|dingly. If it be no di&s;grace to this noble Lady, which &s;its vnder the cloth of E&s;tate, to deliuer the oppre&s;&s;ed, it is no blot to infe|riour magi&s;trates if they doe the like. If y^e Prince plea&s;es God highly, and winnes the hearts of her &s;ubiects &s;oundly for relieuing the oppre&s;&s;ed, it is very certayne, that tho&s;e Cormorants which grynd the faces of the poore are accur&s;ed of God, &amp; loo&s;e y^e hearts of his people. If the Prince &s;itteth fa&s;t in the &s;eate of her kingdom for tendering the ca&s;e of the oppre&s;&s;ed, can they a&s;&s;ure them&s;elues of &s;itting quietly vnder their vines &amp; figge trees, which eate bread, baked with y^e teares of poore men? It is certaine, they ca~not: (for be&s;ides the manifold cur&s;es of God and his people) their own co~&s;ciences, doe mightely &s;ting them, and are enimies inough to tor|ment them.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>6 Oppre&s;&s;ors &s;halbe grieuou&s;ly puni&s;hed.</HEAD>
<PB REF="58">
<P>CVr&s;ed be he, that remoueth his neigh|bours marke, &amp; al y^e people &s;hal &s;ay,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 27 ver. 17.</NOTE> A|men. If they are accur&s;ed by God, and his people, which remoue the marke of the la~d, they are more accur&s;ed, which take awaye hou&s;e and land.</P>
<P>Oppre&s;&s;ion maketh a wi&s;e man madde. Madnes is a grieuous puni&s;hment,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle. chap. 7. ver. 9.</NOTE> God pu+ni&s;heth Oppre&s;&s;ion by madnes, one gro&s;&s;e &s;inne, by another.</P>
<P>Ye haue builded hou&s;es of hewe~ &s;tone, but ye &s;hal not dwel in them:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos cap. 5.11.</NOTE> yee haue planted plea&s;ant vineyards, but yee &s;hal not drinke wine of the~. The rea&s;on of this, is &s;et down by almighty God in the &s;ame ver&s;e, in the&s;e words: Your treadings is vpon the poore, &amp; you take from him burdens of wheate, (y^t is to &s;ay, y^e nece&s;&s;ary relief of him&s;elfe &amp; his fa|mily.) If y^e taking away of burde~s of wheat from the poore was &s;o great a &s;inne, the ta|king away of arable ground (which by til|lage and Gods ble&s;&s;ing brings reliefe to a man and his family) is no little &s;inne.</P>
<P>They &s;hal not mourne for him (&s;aith God of <HI>Ioachim</HI> the king of <HI>Iuda</HI> whiche was a great oppre&s;&s;our) he &s;halbe buried as an a&s;&s;e is buried,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iere. 22.</NOTE> &amp; ca&s;t foorth (as a carrio~ aboue the grou~d) eue~, without the gates of <HI>Ieru&s;ale~. Io+achim</HI>
<PB REF="59"> had clo&s;ed him&s;elfe in <HI>Cedar,</HI> but that was not able to keepe Gods iudgementes from him.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Abac. chap. 2. ver. 11.</NOTE>The &s;tone &s;hal cry out of the wal, and the beame out of the timber &s;hall an&s;weare it, &amp;c. As if almighty God &s;houlde &s;aye, rather the~ the vile dealings of Oppre&s;&s;ors &s;houlde not come to light, the &s;tone &s;hal cry out of the wall, I am built of blood &amp; iniquitie, &amp; the beame out of the timber &s;hall an&s;were, I am built likewi&s;e of bloud and iniquitye. If the &s;tones and beames of oppre&s;&s;ours hou&s;es, giue in their euidence (like hone&s;t Iurates) again&s;t &s;uch hou&s;es, the Oppre&s;|&s;ours mu&s;t prepare the~&s;elues, to heare this feareful &s;entence pronounced, by the Lorde chiefe iu&s;tice of heauen,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Abac. cha. 2. ver. 12.</NOTE> &amp; earth again&s;t the~: woe vnto him that buildeth a towne with blood, and erecteth a citie by iniquity.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. Epi&s;t. 211.</NOTE>They which oppre&s;&s;e others, doe more hurt the~&s;elues, then tho&s;e who~ they oppre&s;&s;e, the &s;mart of the oppre&s;&s;ed hath an end, the &s;mart of the oppre&s;&s;our is euerla&s;ting: for he hea|peth vnto him&s;elfe wrath again&s;t the day of wrath,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. chap. 2.</NOTE> &amp; of the declaration of the iu&s;t iudge|ment of God.</P>
<P>There were neuer any oppre&s;&s;ours &s;o ma|ny &amp; mighty, but at y^e length they were met
<PB REF="59"> with. Gods iudgements haue feete of woll, but they haue armes of bra&s;&s;e: It is longe ere God begin, but whe~ he &s;trikes, he payes home. <HI>E&s;ay chap.</HI> 30, <HI>ver.</HI> 14.17.</P>
<P>Woe vnto the~ y^t imagine inquity,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iere. 5.</NOTE> &amp; work wickednes vpon their beds: whe~ y^e morning is light, they practi&s;e it becau&s;e their hande hath power, &amp; they couet fields, &amp; take them by violence, and hou&s;es, &amp; take them away: &s;o they oppre&s;&s;e a ma~ &amp; his hou&s;e: eue~ a ma~ &amp; his heritage: therfore, thus &s;aith y^e Lord, behold, again&s;t this family haue I deui&s;ed a plague, whereout yee &s;hall not plucke your necks. <HI>Mich.</HI> 2. <HI>ver.</HI> 1.2.3. God be merciful vnto vs, and make vs afraide of his iudge|ments.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>7 Oppre&s;&s;ours haue no religion in them.</HEAD>
<P>GOD looked for iudgement, but beholde oppre&s;&s;ion for righteou&s;nes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay chap. 5. ver. 7.</NOTE> but behold a crying &amp;c. Iudgement &amp; righteou&s;nes are y^e true fruits of Gods religion, therfore op|pre&s;&s;io~ is no bra~ch of Gods religio~, &amp; con&s;e|quently, y^e oppre&s;&s;our is voyd of al religion. Doe not al the workers of iniquity know, that they eate vp my people (as) they eate
<PB REF="60"> bread, they cal not vpo~ y^e Lord? <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 14. <HI>ver.</HI> 4. Oppre&s;&s;ours call not vpon the Lord, ther|fore they are voyd of religion. for inuocatio~ is a principal &amp; nece&s;&s;ary fruit of religio~. If the oppre&s;&s;ours &s;ay, y^t they &s;tretch out their hands, &amp; make many prayers, I graunt they doe &s;o, but almighty God giues the~ this an|&s;weare:<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay. chap. 1. ver. 15. Mich. chap. <HI>3.</HI> ver. 4.</NOTE> I will hide mine eyes from you, I will not heare, for your handes are ful of blood.</P>
<P>I will be a &s;wift witne&s;&s;e again&s;t tho&s;e, that wrongfully keepe backe the hirelings wages, (and vexe) the widow, and fatherles, and oppre&s;&s;e the &s;tranger,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Malach. chap. 3. ver. <HI>5.</HI></NOTE> and feare not me, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts &amp;c. They which op|pre&s;&s;e others feare not God, therfore they are voyd of religion. If they &s;ay they feare God, they de&s;erue no credite, becau&s;e their doings confute their &s;peech. A good tree, bringeeh foorth good fruites, and a iu&s;tifi|yng faith appeares by good workes.</P>
<P>The former gouernours did burden the people,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nehem. cha. <HI>5</HI> ver. 15.</NOTE> and their &s;eruantes bare rule ouer the people, but &s;o did not I (&s;aith <HI>Nehemi|as</HI>) becau&s;e of the feare of God. If <HI>Nehe|mias</HI> did neither oppre&s;&s;e, nor deale hardly, becau&s;e he feared God, it is manife&s;t that oppre&s;&s;ours feare not God, and therefore
<PB REF="60"> are voyde of religion.</P>
<P>When he (that is <HI>Io&s;ias</HI>) iudged the cau&s;e of the afflicted, and the poore,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iere. 22. ver. 16.17.</NOTE> hee pro&s;pered, was not this, becau&s;e he knewe me &s;aith the Lorde? But thine eyes and thine heart (he &s;peakes to <HI>Ioachim</HI> the king of <HI>Iuda</HI>) are but onely for thy couetou&s;nes, and for to &s;hedde innocent blood, and for oppre&s;&s;ion, &amp;c. <HI>Io&s;ias</HI> was a &s;inguler de|fence to the oppre&s;&s;ed, becau&s;e hee did knowe, and feare GOD: <HI>Ioachim</HI> was a notable oppre&s;&s;our, becau&s;e hee did nei|ther knowe, nor feare GOD, that is to &s;ay, becau&s;e he was voyde of Gods religi|on.</P>
<P>This whiche I haue &s;et downe a|gayn&s;t Oppre&s;&s;ion, may &s;erue for a chry|&s;tall gla&s;&s;e for Oppre&s;&s;ours to looke vp|pon, and to reforme them&s;elues by. If it woorke their good, it is happy for them: If it doe not, let them remember that dye they mu&s;t, and that after death, they &s;hall haue a fearefull iudgement. The be&s;t ad|ui&s;e that I can giue to them which are op|pre&s;&s;ed, is that they de&s;ire the magi&s;trate, to be their defe~ce. If by this ordinary meanes, they cannot compa&s;&s;e their owne, they mu&s;t paciently beare iniuries, and commit
<PB REF="61"> their cau&s;e to almighty GOD, who hath their flittinges in his regi&s;ter,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 56. ver. 8.</NOTE> and their teares in his bottel, and wil be &s;ure|ly, but yet iu&s;tly, reuenged of their Oppre&s;&s;ours.</P>
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<Q>&V;eritas &amp; dulcis e&s;t &amp; amara. Quando dulcis e&s;t, parcit, quando amara, curat. <BIBL>Aug. Epi&s;t. 211. ad Romulum.</BIBL></Q>
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<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P>&leaf; Imprinted at <HI>Lon|don at the three Cranes in</HI> the Vintree by Thomas Daw|&s;on for George Bi&s;hop. 1583.</P>
<PB REF="61">
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