Ofthe of the [reede. Church. 1Iob.j, tliereofto leadethem into alltruth,fof., f1J1'th ••· mjhaRbenmlf•Of•rtheirfolH•tion. All.>o, The fecond queflion is, wherein !lands the to. ' 1 • dignity and excellency cfthe Church?.Anf. It lbnds in fubiedion &obedience vnto the w1ll and wordofher fpoufe andhead,Chrill Jefus. And henceitfollowes,thatthc Church is not tQ challenge vnto her felfc authority ouer the Scriptures, butonly a minill:cryor mini!lerial femice, whereby fhce isappointedofGodto prefeme &kecpc, to publifh & preacb them, and to giue rell:imonie of them. And for this A fed oucrtheface ofthe whdeearth,is dinided into other particular Chu(ches according as the countrtes are feuc:rall in which it is feared, as into the Church of England and lrdand, the Church of France, the Church of Ger– manie,&c. r 1 Tim,J, caufe,it is called thepi04Y&gr•iidojtrHth.The u. Church ofRome not content with this, faith further, that the authoritie of the Church in refped of vs, is abouctl1c authoritieofthe ~cripture,becaufe(fay they) we camiotknow B Scriptureto be Scripture,but by the teflimo– ny ofthe Church. But indeed they fpeake an vntruth. For the tefl:imony of menthat are fubiea: to errour cannotbe greater& ofmore force with vs,then the tefiimony ofGod who cannoterre. Againe,the Church hark her be– giuningfrom the word: (for there cannot be · a Church without faitl1, and there is no faith withoutthe word,andthere is no word outof the Scriptures) and therefore the Church in refpect ofvs, depends onthe Scripture,& not tl\eScriptureon the Church.Andasthe Law– yerwhich hath no further power but to ex– poundthelaw,is vnder the law,futhe Church whichbath authOritie only topublifh and ex– pound the Scriptures, cannot authorize them c vnto vs, but mull:fubmit her fclfe vmo them. 1\om,ro. And whereasit is alleadged,thatf•ithc•mtJ lry 17· IJMriffg, and this llcariug is in refpedof the voice ofthe Church, and that therclore faith comes bythe voice ofthe Church:the anfwer is, that thepl.ce mull: beevnderfrood, notof thatgeneral! faith whereby wee are refolued the Scriptur< is Scripture , but of iufiifying faith whereby weeattaine to filuation. And fattl• comes by hearing the voyce of the Church;not,asit is the churches \'oice,but as 1t IS anunifieryor meanes to publiib the word ofGod, which isboththe caufeandobie~of our belceuiug.Nowon the contrary we mull hold, that asthe carpenter knoweshis rule to be .nraight, not by anyother ruleapplyed vn- D to Jt·,but by.it felfe:for callinghis eye vpon it, he prefently difcernes whether it bee firaight or n~:foweknowand arerefolue~thatScrip– ture Is Scupture,euen by the Scnpture it felf, though the Church fay nothing, fo bee it wee haue thefpirit ofdifcerning when we reade, heare,aud confider the Scripture.And yet the tell:imonie ofthe Church is not to be defpi– fed;for though it breed not a perfwafion in vs ofthe certaintyofthe Scripture,yet it is a ve· ry good inducement thereto. The MiliqntChurchhathmarly parts.For ~s the Ocean fea waich is but one, is deuided m~opart~ according to the regions and coun– tnes agam!l which it lyeth,as illtothe Engli{h Spandh,Jtalianfea, &c. fo the Church ditpetAgaine, particular Churches are inatwo– fold eltate: fometimethey lye hid in pcrfccu– tion, wanting the publike preaching of the word,~ thc.adminifiration ofthe Sacrarr.c.g, and fometimeagai•e they arevifible, carry– ing before the eyesof the worldaa open pro– fefsienofthe name of Chrifi:as rhe Moone is fometimt cdipfed, and fometime lhinethin th• fill!. In the firll: e!late was the Church of Ifrael in the daie! ofeli•h,whenhe wilhed to die: becaufethe people hndjorfok!_nthe'"""""' 1King, pf t beLordJbr8k£ndowne hU 4/tar J ,flaine hUpro, r9. 14• phets with the fword,ami·he Wlt4ieft•lo>t<,& they fought toM~hit lifealfo. Behold a lamentable cfiate when fo worthy a Prophet could not lindanother befide hirnfdfe that feared God: yet marke what the Lord faith vnto him, 1 h4H~ lift ftautn t~Nfond in lfrael~ eum ~tO the . Verfe 18. kt;tes that haHenotbowed 1.mto Bli4l, and tNtry mouth that bathnot ki.J[ed him.Againe'it is (aid, Tha lfrael hadbin a/ongfe•fon without the true , Cl,ro. G~,without Prieft toteach,a1Jdwithout the Ltw. lf.~~ N<irher mu£1: this trouble any that God fhould fo farre forth forfake his Church : for when ordiaarie meanes offaluation faile, he then ga.thereth his elett by extraordinarie meanes,aswhen thechildren oflfrad wande– red in the wildernes wantingboth circumcifioo and the Paffwuer, hec made aft1pply by Manna, &byrhepillarofacloud. Hence we haue direction to anfwer the Papi!ts,who de– maundofvs where our Church was three– fcore yeares agoe before the daies of Luther: we fay, that then for the fpaceofmany hun– dred yeares, an vniuerfall Apofrafie ouer– fpread the whole face of the earth; and that oar Churchthen was not vifibletothe world but lay hiddevnder the chalfc ofpopery. And the truth ofrhis, the Records ofall ages ma– nifel\. The fecond e!late ofthe Church, ·is when it flourifheth andisvifible,n<>tthat the faith and fecret election ofmen can bee fcene (for no man can difcerne thefe things but by outwJrd !ignes)but becaufe it i• apparant in refpect of the ourward alfemblics gathered to the prea– ching of the word and the adminiltratio11 of the Sacraments , for the praife and glorie of God, and their m>ttuall edification. And the vifible Church may be thus defcribed : ft it" mixtcopary•fmenproftflingrhefaith, aj[embled togetherbythepreachingofrhe word.l-irlt ofall, Ical it amixt compaoy, becaufe in it there be true beleeuers and hypocrites, Elect a•d Re– probate '}ond and bad. The Church is the Lords fie! , in which the enemie Cowes his M.,h,IJ, cares,it is the 'orne.flore-, in which lyeth wheat lo~. tt 7 • &chaffe: itisabandofmen, inwhich bdide thofe that beofvalour aad courage there bee white
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