An Apologie againft Brownifls. A SECTION LV. ASthere is no Element which is not through many mixturesdeparted fromthe firrt fimplicity: SonoChurchever breathed in fo pure an aire, as that it might not jurtly complaineoffome thicke and unwholfome evaporatiomof errour and fip. Ifyon challengean immunity you are herein the true brood ofrhe ancient Puritanes: But if toomany finnes in pracnfe have rhickned the oire ofourChurch, yet not one Herefie: that frnokeofthe bottomlcffe pit hath never corrupted it: and therefore jurtlymay I averre, that here you might draw in the cleereaireoftheGofB pell: No where upon earth more freely. And ifthis be but the opinion ofcuftome, you whomabfence bathhelpedwith amore nice and dainry fcenr,ij>eak yourworft: Shewus our Herefiei, and lhame us: you have done it, and behold foure main infeaionsofour Englilh a ire: Thefirrt, the fmoke ofourCanons: Wittily: I feare, the great Ordinancesofthe Church have troubled you more with the blow, than the fiDOke: Toryou tell us oftheir Plantation againft theKingdomeofChrift: What Kingdome? The vifibleCburch: Which isthat? Not the reformcdrt peeceofours, whofe bert arebutGoats and Swine: Not the clofe Nicodemi•nsofyour owne Se/:1: •mongft us, which would be loth tobe vifible: Not forrainers; to them they extend not: None therefore in all theworld, but theEnglilh Parlour-full at Amllerdam: Can therebe any truer Don•li]me? Cry you llill out oftheir poyfoning rhe aire: Wehold it the belt cleanfed by the batteries of your idle fancies, by riddingyon c fromouraire,andbymakingthisyourChurch inviliblecous: fmarc you thus till we complaine. The fccond is theplagueor leprolieoflinne,unlbut up and uncovered.We know that fin is as ill as the Oevill canmake it; a mollloarhfome thing in the eies ofGod, andhisAngels, and Saints: and we graoc'toour griefe, that among fomany millions ofmen, theremay be found fame cho11fands ofLepers: good Lawes and cenfures meet with fame, othersefcape: It is not !0 muchour f.mlr asour griefe. But that this Leprofieinfelts all perfons,and things,is lhamefullyover-reacht: Plague andLepro-. fie have their limits, beyondwhich is no contagion: Ifa man come nor neer them, Ifhe rake the winde in an open3ire, they infect not : Such is fin; itcan infeu none but the guilty: Thofe which alt, or alfent eo, orbeare with it, ordetell it nor, are in 0 rhis pollution: 13ut thofewhich can moorn fur it, and cannot redrdfe ir,arefreefrom infection: HowmanyfouleLepersfpirituallydidour Sa·;iour fee in the publick aire ofthe JeWilh Church~ wherewJth yethe joyned, and his, not fearing infe/:l:ion fo much, asgracingthe remnantsoftheir ruinous Church: Were thofe feven thoufand Ifraelites, whofe kneesbowednot to Ba•l,infetl:edwiththe Idolatryoftheir neighbours? yetcontinued they llill partsofthefame Church. But rhis yer exceed•: Not onelyall perfons, bur all things: What? Our Gofpell? OurHeaven, Earth, Sea? OurBookes, Coyne, Commodities? Behold, you fee the fame Heaven with us, you haoe noBibles but ours : our aire in his circularmotion comes tobeyours: thewater that wolbethour lland, perhap; wa!heth your hands : E Our uncleane Silver (I feare) maintaines you: Our Commodities (in part) inrich your Land-Lords: and yet all things amongfi us infetl:ed "!you are content to take fome evillfromyourNeighbours. The third is ourblartingHierarchie,which fuffers no good thin!((that is,no Browtsift, no finguhrf.1ncy, for what good things have webut yours?) to grow or profperamongfi us, but\Vithersall, hoth budand branch, would to God the roote alfo. The Jail is • daily facrifice ofaService-booke: an Incenfe, however unfavory ro you, yet fucb as all Churches in ChrillendomeJhold fweer, and offerup as firforrhe noflrilsofth> Almighty: we are not alone thus tainted; all ChriflianChurches that are or h1ve been, prefent thefame Cenfures untoGod. But ours fmels flrong ofrhe Popes PortuiC.: Seewhether thisbe any better than triviall cavillin!(? Ifeither an ill man,or aOcvill !ball fpeak that\vhich is good,may not agood man ufc it? If a goJd Angell orman lhaUfJXake thar which isevill, is it ever the be[[cr fortho Deliverer? Ddd ff The impure mixtures of che Chur<h of England, 1.Unom. cmtMdiuf crimm m.1clilar lll{citlfttMo ...,.•,ifl.• s. 3.Hi;rarchy. 4.Servic-:.. booke.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=