that keepeth you from seeing how strongly you confute your self Is there a word in Acts 15. to forbid all Church communion with those that taught even this subverting false doctrine How many Texts be there that intimate that the Churches long without a prohibition held communion with the erronious judaizing Christians Till they grew obstinate and grew up to a Heresie and were the Separaters themselves and did subvert the Gospel and faith of Christ But yet prove that such doctrine is held by our Parish Churches and I will leave them Do not the Independents offer to subscribe the Doctrine of the Church of England Sure then they think its Doctrinals to be sound Sect. 47. E. B. By two Arguments you labour to defend your irregular way of Communion 1. That in the Primitive Churches there were many corruptions which the Apostle writes against but doth not advise any because of them to separate But I answer It is not corruption or error barely considered as such that we account to be a sufficient ground of separation But the Imposing of that error with on high hand and making a submission to it at least in our practice and outward observance the very condition of Communion This we say is a thing which necessitates us to make a separation R. B. Mark that you distinguish not of Corruption or Error nor except any but what is Imposed And when I had answered all this so fully why will you deign to confute a Book while you disdain to take notice what it saith 1. Who would have thought that you are so much looser in your communion than we are I will separate from that Church which in the essential matter Pastor or all the flock after admonition retaineth such Corruption and Error as is directly contrary to any essential point of Christianity though they impose it not on others But by these words it seems as scrupulous as you are you would not separate from Hereticks or Ungodly ones if they do not Impose their Heresie and Impiety 2. How oft have I urged you to prove that our publick Parish Ministers whom I advise men to hear do Impose any more than you your self do By choosing what Chapter to read you impose on the people to hear that Chapter then or none By choosing what Place Hour Method Words yeâ— Matter and Metre Tune c. you impose upon the people to joyn in all these or not to have communion with you therein And so our Teacher doth by reading Common-Prayer and wearing the Surplice impose on us to hear him so reading or to stay away But he maketh no Laws he commandeth us no Ceremony They are commanded by others and not by him And it is not in your own practice of any thing forbidden of God that I advise men to have communion with such but only in Gods true Worship though in the circumstances or manner the Minister himself say or do something that is forbidden as every Teacher in the world doth though not in the same degree It is one thing to submit to be present at the Worship which the Pastor performeth in some faulty manner And another thing wilfully to do evil your self or to approve of his failings or your own Sect. 48. E. B. To which I add only this that however the presenting our bodies at a Worship which we do not inwardly approve of may render us excusable and justiste us among men yet we are sure it will not in the sight of God who hates hypocrisie R. B. Though you confound I must distinguish the essentials of the Worship from the circumstances and outward imperfections in the manner I do inwardly approve of the matter or substance of the Worship which I joyn in in the main and labour to pray with my heart when I joyn in the Common-prayer though I consent not to the whole Method nor to the defects And when I hear a man in free prayer use confusion disorder unseemly words and when I hear one man drop the error of an Arminian or a Lutheran another of an Antinomian another of an Anabaptist another of a Separatist c. in his prayer I do not inwardly approve of that error or disorder any more than of the defects of forms And yet if it were hypocrisie to be present I would joyn with no man living Can all your hearers inwardly approve of all that you say if you preach and pray but as you write If they can its time to pitty them And are they Hypocrites else for joyning with you Sect. 49 E. B. p. 14. 1. This is clear in Scripture that our Lord Christ who was himself holy and separated from sinners did never call or design his Church to be an impure mixt body of holy and unholy without any distinction blended and hudled up together but to be an holy separate people and to depart from unrighteousness R. B. 1. Remember Reader for he will not remember that but even now he told us that it is not Corruption and Error barely as such that is a sufficient ground of separation without Imposition And now here is nothing but Mixture of Holy and Vnholy Reconcile these if you can 2. Christ that was perfectly separated from sinners had yet ordinary communion with sinners in a sinful or culpable manner of performance unless the Jews were all perfect Therefore our separation must be such as Christs was in our measure 3. Impurity and unholiness and sin is not the Matter of Gods Call or designment either in the Church or out but of his Permission But Communion with those Churches which by permission have sin and impurity in them is a commanded thing And they that must depart from iniquity must not alwayes depart from the worshipping Assembly where some unrighteous persons are Your argument if it be any must run this Christ did never call or design his Church to be an impure mixt body of holy and unholy The Parish Churches which you perswade us to communion with are impure mixt bodies Therefore the Parish Churches are such as Christ never called or designed them to be Suppose we grant you the Conclusion Whoever is a sinner is such as Christ never called or designed him to be But your Question intimateth that you would argue thus Whatever Church is such as Christ did not call it or design it to be is not to be communicated with But all the Parish Churches are such as Christ did not call or design them to be Ergo The Minor you prove Whatever Church is an impure mixt body of holy and unholy c. is such as Christ did not call or design them to be But the Parish Churches are such But I answer you 1. A Church is no Church that wants the Essentials required by Christ But he that will not communicate with Church or person that wants the Perfection which Christ calleth them to shall communicate with no Church or person on Earth 2.
for leisure to refell FINIS ERRATA IN the Contents Page 2. Sect. 24. for meant r. recant Sect. 5. p. 5. after and adde into Epist p. 4. l. 27. for that r. and. p. 41. l. 2. r. writings shew p. 43. l. 22. for quod r. quid p. 86. l. 15. r. and by Mr. Eliot p. 93. l. 12. for confirmed r. confined p. 100. l. 1. r. have not p. 105. l. 21. for designe r. deigne p. 120. l. 9. for your r. their p. 146. blot out the two first lines repeated p. 181. l. 16. for occasions r. accusations less litteral errours are past by BUT I have one thing more to Advertise the Reader of that I was too blame to believe Mr. Bagshaw in his recitation of my own words in his pag. 5. where he saith that of Cromwell himself though he dyed in his sinful Usurpation without manifesting any repentance I give this Saint-like Character in my Pref. to the Army The late Protector did prudently piously c. exercise the Government Having noted that I spake against Oliver a few leaves distant I too rashly believed Mr. Bagshaw that this passage was spoken of him too But upon perusal I find it is most notorious that I spake it of his Son when the Army had brought him to a resignation which any man may see that will peruse the place Hereafter therefore I will not so hastily believe so common a in what he writeth of the most visible subject of my self or others 1st False Doctrine 1st Falsehood in fact Second false Doctrine Third false Doctrine Second Falshood 1. Crime A slander of many hundreds 3. Falshood 2. Crime Justifying or excusing sin under Judgements 3. Crime Taking a Call to Repentance for a heinous wrong 4th False Doctrine 5th False Doctrine 4th Visible Falshood 5th Visible Falshood 4th Crime Impudent Calumny 6th 7th falshoods 8th Falsehood 9th Falsehood 10th Notorious Falshood and a Calumny 11th and 12th Falsehood and Calumny 5th Crime Calumniating insinuation My word to the Army heretofore 13th 14th falshood 6th Rash Calumny 15th Falsehood 7th Self-condemning calumny 16th 17th 18th 19th and 20th visible falshoods 21st Falsehood implyed 22d Falsehood implyed 8 Self confutation Calumny 23d Falsehood 24th Self-dâ—clared falshood 24th Falsehood and a calumny repeated 25th and 26th Falsehoods 9th Crime rejecting and slandering readful warning 10th Crime Self-denying 11th Crime Excusing false prophecying to the dishonour of Gods Spirit 12th Crime Paralleling false Prophecies with the Prophets words in Scripture 13. Crime Scripâ—ures eluded 14 Crime Duty reproached and scandal made a duty Of Pride The Reasons of my publick Communicating 27 28. 29. Visible untruths 15. Crime Impudency in calumniating Of Justification 16 Crime Resisting and reproaching other mens labours for the service of God and the good of souls with confidence in notorious falsehood Of much writing The Case of separation Self-condemnation 30th and 31st visible Untruths 32d 33d Untruâ—hs Blind sophistry and palpable fallacy How a Parish Church is or is not part of a Diocesane Church The same fallacy with an untruth Whether a Parish Minister be but a servant to the Diocesane Whether all the Parish Ministers consent to persecution Slander Of reproving sharply the sins of others Narrow Communion Mr. Bagshaw obligeth me to reprove him sharply left I be guilty of his sin All sinners are not to be separated from 6th False doctrine 34th Falshood and slander 35th Falshood 7. False doctrines at lest implyed Q. 1. Whether it is an indispensible duty to maintain all our Christâ—an liberty or what Luke 14. 18. Isa 61. 1. 2 Pet. 2. 19 20 21. Act. 18. 26. 2 Tim. 2. 26. 2 Cor. 3. 17. Heb. 2. 14 15. Gal. 4 3 9. Romans 8. 15 2. Iohn 8 31 36. Romans 6. 16 18 22. Q. 2. Whether there be no way but separation to preserve our Christian liberty 8. False doctrine 9. False doctrine Whether not separating be prejudicial to a fundamental viz Christs Soveraignty The Case Acts 15. Acts 15. against the Sparatists Mr. Bagshaw's too loose communion with all Hereticks that impose not His own Imposing Of approving what we joyn in Whether he be an Hypocrite who joyneth with any manner of Worship which he approveth not Self-contradiction Whether no Church may be communicated with that is not such as Christ called and designed it to be When a Church is to be separated from for approving sin 10. F. doctrin 11. Dreadful false doctrine Read and fear the tendency of separation Mr. William's doctrine More of the Causes of separation Boasting Ignorance 12. False doctrine and pernicious 36th Untruth Whether the true Reading and uncorruptness of particular Texts be sufficiently known by the light of the Scripture alone A lame deceitful recital and 17. Crime Cruel judging millions unknown without a Call 18. Crime Justifying a falshood while you openly your self detect it 37. Untruth implyed 38. 39. Untruths implyed 40. Untruth implyed 41. Untruth notorious Wisdom and humility in the dark Phil. â—â— 26. 42. Untruth 43. Untruth 44 Untruth 1. Untruth of Mrs. 2. Untruth 3d Untruth 4th Untruth 5th Untruth 1st Untruth 2d Untruth 3d Untruth 4th Untruth See Jer. 28. 6. 5th Untruth 6th Untruth 7th Untruth 45th Untruth by E. B. A new sort of Honesty Envy and partiality Superstition * 46th Untruth * 47th Untruth * 48th Untruth The self-evidencing light of Scripture what it is
Principles of Church-division and censorious unwarrantable Separation I Know there is in Holiness a contrariety to sin and Heaven and Hell must finally shew the difference for ever And to reconcile them is as unpossible as to reconcile Light and Darkness I know that it is the endeavour of every faithful Minister of Christ to make this difference plainly known and in Doctrine and Discipline to separate the precious from the vile and to make ungodly men know that they are ungodly and to give to each their proper portion and to keep the Churches as clean as they can by lawful means I know that the ruine of this purging and differencing Discipline is a great part of the lamentable ruine of the Churches and occasioneth that scandal to the Mahometans and Heathens because of the wicked lives of Christians which is one of the greatest hinderances of their conversion And that all Christians should use their utmost skill and power to recover Religion to its primitive Purity and Splendour and Discipline to the most effectual regular exercise And I know that in mens private converse there must be a great care what company we converse with and especially whom we make our familiars And that to be indifferent and to intimate an equality or likeness of the godly and the wicked in doctrine communion and familiarity is a notable sign of an ungodly person And upon these accounts I know that when persons are newly recovered from ungodliness themselves they are very much inclined to fly from the company of such as far as their safety doth require And by this inclination and their ignorance they are frequently tempted to go further from them in Church communion than God alloweth them to do and instead of separating from them in their sin to separate from them in their duty and to separate from the Churches of Christ in his true worship because of the mixture and presence of the bad And this they are drawn to 1. By forgetting the Scripture pattern and state of the Churches even in the purest age and thinking only what they desire rather than what is to be expected or done 2. By forgetting the difference between the Church visible which is alwayes mixt with Hypocrites and offenders and the Church invisible which shall all be saved 3. By forgetting the difference between their private familiarity where they are choosers of their company themselves and their Church communion where the Pastors are the Rulers and Judges of the fitness of the members Or else not understanding that this use of the Keyes and judging of the fitness of the members is indeed the Pastors Office and not theirs 4. By not considering that nothing must be done by Discipline upon Offenders but in a course of Church-Justice upon due Accusations Summons Audience Proof and patient Admonition And not by casting out any irregularly upon the expectation of every one that will say that they are ungodly and scandalous 5. By forgetting the great difference between joyning with men in sinful actions and joyning with them in their duty in which they should be encouraged 6. By forgetting the great difference of keeping in our own place and duty though bad men are present and going out of our place and duty to joyn with them in sin 7. By forgetting that God will have all mens own wills by Choosing or Refusing to have more hand in their Welfare or Misery than other mens And if they mischoose the sin will be their own 8. By forgetting that God hath not left the Church at arbitrary liberty to judge any Godly or Ungodly at their pleasure But hath given us a set Test or Rule to judge them by which is their sober Profession of Consent to the Baptismal Covenant upon which the Adult and their Infants have right to Baptism And being Baptized have Right to Church Communion in all the Acts which their Age and Understanding makes them capable of And it is Church-tyranny to refuse such as shew this Title till they are openly proved to forfeit it by Impenitency in gross sin after publick admonition and due means This is the truth and the method of Christs discipline and the Rule of our Communion 9. By superstitious placing their Religion in indifferent and undertermined things and laying a greater stress on the words of prayer than there is cause Overvaluing their several outward forms expressions and orders in the worshipping of God when instead of provoking each other to faith and fervency to Love and to good works they place more of Godliness in words and circumstances which God hath certainly left free to every mans conscience than God doth place in them And one thinks that he is irregular that prayeth without a set form and another that he is ungodly that prayeth not by the Spirit who useth a set form when both do but speak their own superstition and make Laws and Rules which God never made Superstition and our own additions in Religion even in those that cry out much against it is the occasion of most of our Church-divisions One side supposeth every disorder or unfit expression in free prayer to be a greater fault than indeed it is And that its unlawful therefore to joyn with a Church that hath no set forms Another party supposeth the forms in the Church Lyturgy to be worse than they are and that it is unlawful to joyn in them or to receive the Lords Supper when they are used When as God hath neither tyed us to set forms nor from them save only as unsuitableness to any particular persons may make one less edifying than the other And both free prayers and set forms studied prayers and sudden prayers are all the work of man as to mans part and therefore they must needs be imperfect and faulty as man is And yet in both we may pray by the Spirit even with the holy and fervent desires which the Spirit exciteth in us And the Spirit may ordinarily be a Spirit of supplication in us and help our infirmities in the one way and in the other And therefore though I will not equall them For I prefer some mens free praying before any forms and I prefer the Common prayers before some mens free prayers yet I may say that I will neither Assent and Consent to every word in the one nor in the other no not of any man that ever I heard And yet I will not take it for unlawful to joyn with Church or Family or person in the one or in the other yea upon long experience if I had fully my own choice and liberty I would use free prayer one part of the day or one day and a well composed form another part because I see commodities by both and such inconveniences of either way alone as are if possible to be avoided But when the Mind hath received a prejudice against either way by Education Custom or former distastes no reason how clear soever will overcome it till age and
persecution oppression injuries slanders must be patiently let go as being none of ours when it cannot be kept by lawful means or without a greater hurt Acts 22. 28 c. Prop. 6. But our Liberty in either of these three last mentioned Cases ought not causelesly to be taken from us by others nor must be causelesly cast away by our selves nor should we yield to false Teachers who would deceive the Churches by telling them that they are under Divine Obligations when they are not and make them believe that things lawful are unlawful and things indifferent are necessary Gal. 2. 4 5. Col. 2. 16 18 20 21 22 23. Acts 15. 1 Cor. 7. 21 22. The third Proposition is it that I am to prove And Pauls becoming all things to all men to save some a Jew to the Jews his shaving his head his circumcising Timothy with the reasons of it his resolution to forbear the eating of flesh rather than offend the weak and his perswading others to do the like do fully prove it He maintaineth the Christians Right of Liberty against false Teachers but he maintaineth not the Exercise of it when he had reason to let it go For Liberty is not necessity 1 Cor. 9. 1. Am I not free 4 5. Have we not power to eat and to drink Have we not power to lead about a Sister a Wife as well as other Apostles 12. If others be partakers of this power over you are not we rather Nevertheless we have not used this power but suffered all things lest we should hinder the Gospel of Christ 15. But I have used none of these things 19 For though I be free from all men yet have I made my self servant to all that I might gain the more And unto the Jews I became a Jew that I might gain the Jews To them that are under the Law as under the Law that I might gain them that are under the Law To them that are without the Law as without Law that I might gain them that are without Law To the weak I became as weak that I might gain the weak I am made all things to all men that I might by all means save some And this I do for the Gospels sake See 1 Cor. 8. 13. Rom. 14. 21. It is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth or is offended or is made weak Christ himself saith Matth. 17. 26. Then are the children free notwithstanding lest we should offend go thou c. and give them for me and thee 1 Pet. 2. 16. As free that is as such as by Christ are freed from true bondage but not from order and subjection and therefore not having or using liberty for a cloak of maliciousness but as the servants of God No man hath liberty to be unruly or hurtfull Rom. 7. 3. If her husband be dead she is free from that Law and yet may give away that freedom Yea of the very liberty from the Jewish Law the Apostle saith Gal. 5. 13. For ye have been called unto liberty q. d. therefore let not false Teachers perswade you that you are bound to that which you are freed from only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by Love serve one another q. d. in the exercise of this Liberty you must do or not do the things you are at liberty in as may do most good according as the Law of Love requireth and not as your own carnal interest and lust inclineth you For all the Law is fulfilled in one word in this Thou shalt Love thy neighbour as thy self 1 Cor. 16. 25 28 29 30 31. Whatsoever is sold in the Shambles eat asking no question for conscience sake But if any man say unto you This is offered in sacrifice to Idols eat not for his sake that shewed it and for conscience sake Thus our liberty is not to be exercised against Love for we have no liberty to hurt our brethren 29. Conscience I say not thine own but of the others Thus others by weakness and consequently Rulers by authority may restrain the exercise of our liberty For why is my liberty judged of another mans Conscience that is Not that his Conscience is the Rule of my Right or his judgement taketh away my title to liberty but his interest and the Law of Love do take away my Right of using my liberty to anothers hurt 3. For if I by grace be a partaker that is lawfully according to my Christian liberty why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks that is it is a fault in those that accuse me of sin when I do that which is lawful in it self abstracted from the Consequents or scandal Whether therefore ye eat or drink which are things indifferent as to the kind of food or whatsoever ye do how lawful in it self soever do all to the glory of God For the interest of the End must guide and restrain you in the use even of things in themselves indifferent For no man hath liberty to dishonour God nor to hurt another nor to disobey just power I beseech you therefore while you promise men liberty be not your self and make not them the servants of sin 2 Pet. 2. 19. And take notice that Liberty must be distinguished as to Right and as to Vse And that the use must often be denyed and not maintained 2. Let us next see Whether there be no way but separation in our Case to preserve our liberty Paul hath here shewed you another way 1. By doctrinal defence to defend it against false Teachers that would doctrinally brings us into bondage To maintain against such as you who add to Gods Laws that we are not bound to do that which is not commanded or to forbear that which is not by God forbidden though you say we are 2. To use our Liberty as it tendeth to Gods glory and mans good and disuse it when it crosseth these but not deny our right This is the Scripture way of preserving it and not to think that we have no way to preserve it but by doing hurt or crossing Love by Church-divisions 3. No falshood is a just defence of our Christian liberty But to say that a true Church is no true Church or true Worship is no true Worship or that it is not Lawful to communicate where it is lawful is a falshood Therefore it is no just defence of our Liberty Sect. 44. E. B. p. 12. 2. Being present where those things are used in the Worship of God which God hath not commanded this would involve us in the guilt and contagion of them nor do we believe however we have your word for the contrary the Lord will otherwise interpret it since he hath so strictly charged us to keep far from a false matter and not to partake in other mens sins R. B. Here are two more false doctrines intimated 1. That to use things in the
proof of the validity of the Ministers Calling any further than to put the accuser if he can to prove that any essential part is wanting whether in Qualification Ordination or Consent would be vain it being done so largely by the old Non-conformists 2. But is there a Power retained in such Churches to cast out offendors Answ Yes A Power divine or given by Christ Remember that as I have proved Disp of Ordinat men are not the Makers of the Office of the Sacred Ministry nor the Measurers or Givers of the Power but only the Choosers of the person that shall receive what Christ by Institution giveth and the Ministerial Investers of the person in that power Therefore Whoever receiveth the Office of a Pastor receiveth the power of the Keyes to take in and cast out Though not arbitrarily nor ungoverned by himself But the Parish Ministers or very many of them now in question do receive the Office of Pastors Therefore they receive the power of the Keyes to take in and cast out If you say that the Bishops intend it not in ordaining them I answer 1. It sufficeth that Christ intendeth it who is the only maker and giver of the power The Book of Ordination maketh them solemnly Covenant to give faithful diligence alwayes so to Minister the Doctrine and Sacraments and the Discipline of Christ as the Lord hath â—â—â—manded c. And to teach nothing as required of necessity to eternal salvation but that which they are perswaded may be concluded and proved by the Scripture as containing all such necessary doctrine And to be ready with all faithful diligence to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange doctrines contrary to Gods word And to use both publick and private monitions and exhortations as well to the sick as the whole And to be diligent in prayers and reading the holy Scriptures and in such studies as help to the knowledge of the same laying aside the study of the world and the flesh And that they will be diligent to frame and fashion themselves and their families according to the doctrine of Christ and to make both themselves and them as much as they can wholesome examples to the flock c. And till lately the said Book recited Acts 20. 28. to the Presbyters at their Ordination And the Canon 26. saith No Minister shall in any wise admit to the receiving of the holy Communion any of his Cure or flock which be openly known to live in sin notorious without repentance Besides what the Rubrick saith to that purpose And now though I think this one of the greatest sores which you have touched yet judge whether even the Laws and Canons concede no Power to the Ministers 3. But if they did not the Power of Office is one thing and the Liberty of exercising it is another We have Power from Christ to preach and if we be silenced and our liberty restrained by men that proveth us not to be no true Ministers If you mean that no Church is to be communicated with where the Pastor is hindered by men from the full discharge of his Office you mistake and can never prove it 4. They that voluntarily neglect their Office without hinderance by the force of men are more to be blamed than those that are so forced But in the Primitive Churches Discipline was lamentably neglected voluntarily as appeareth in the Case of most of the seven Churches Rev. 2. 3. for which they are threatned by Christ and in the Corinthians case yea corrupted by such as Diotrophes And do you think that the Church that hath Power to do well and will not is therefore to be communicated with because it can that is because it sinneth not through disability but negligence or wilfulness 5. But the Core of your erroneous reasoning is behind you say they were without any Vniversal innovation or degenerating in those Essentials of Order as well as doctrine which they fell into in the ages after c. An Vniversal degenerating in the Essentials even of Doctrine and Order too is a big and a sad word And the time pointed at by you being so early if I can understand you you do as the Seekers unchurch the universal Church of Christ For if it Degenerated Vniversally in the Essentials of doctrine it Vniversally apostatized from Christianity For where any Essential part is lost the Essence and just Name is lost And I beseech you let not rashness or passion blind you to over-overlook the dreadfulness of this Doctrine 1. If Christ had then no Church as he had not if the Essential degeneration was Vniversal then he was no King of the Church on Earth no Lord no Teacher no Saviour of the Church no Intercessor for it in the Heavens And do you not then dethrone him and deny him indeed to be the Christ What a Head without a Body A King without a Kingdom 2. So you will make all Gods Promises of his Churches perpetuity as built on the Rock against which Hell Gates should not prevail and of being with them to the end of the world c. to be false and fail And if the whole Church failed and the Promises made to it what particular soul can trust Gods Promises 3. If all the Church apostatized how shall we know that Apostates did not corrupt all the Copies of Scripture that are come down to us 4. And then the Article I believe the holy Catholick Church would have been a falshood or error 5. And then there could be no Baptism no Sacrament of the Lords Supper c. 6. And then there must be New Apostles with Miracles to make a new Church And thus we have Mr. Williams doctrine whose Story I recited in my last Book Sect. 52. E. B. p. 15. This necessity of separation which began then continueth still since our Churches though reformed from Popery that is from Antichristianism in some points yet are not restored to the primitive pattern and purity R. B. 1. Whether by our Churches you mean only the Parish Churches of godly Ministers or also All the Protestant Churches and all other Vniversally through the world I am not sure But as far as I can conjecture by your words you mean All. Because you speak of them as in a Continuance in part in the Vniversal degeneration in Essentials And you speak of them as avoiding Popery but in part and call them our Churches and mention no Church in the world here that you own as a true Church and whether any where in all your writings I remember not I confess I pretend not to know the mind of so careless a Writer by any words but very plain ones But if this be your mind as it seemeth to be you would do well being so bold a man to tell the world your mind more plainly And you that think that no Truth is to be sold as you call it for Peace let Independents Presbyterians Separatists Anabaptists c.
strictly upon a quarter of what you have writ you could not be guilty of so strange forgetfulness For in your Premonition to the Saints Rest you have these very words Many think that by Flesh is meant only Indwelling sin when alas it is the sensitive appetite that it chargeth us to subdue For which you quote Rom. 8. 3 4 5 c. R. B. You begin comfortably with a promise to Conclude but you proceed sadly 1. Is not the inference as strong against many words in your Preaching as in mine and other mens writings that in many words there cannot want much sin 2. You proclaim the aggravation of your sin when you speak for meditating strictly on what we write Can you heap up untruths in Book after Book and commit all these Crimes even when you have strictly meditated what you write Do you sin so studyedly and deliberately and yet will you not Repent 3. Reader if ever thou wilt pitty a poor self-conceited troubler of the Church pitty this poor man who here openly tells thee that either he understands not common sense or else takes no heed what he saith but bringeth a new untruth to justifie a former even into the open light and triumpheth in his act He telleth you the charge which he undertaketh to prove viz. that I have written that by Flesh is only meant the sensitive appetite He now undertaketh to prove that I said so in the Premon to the Saints Rest which is another Vntruth because I said Many think that by Flesh the Scripture meaneth only our Indwelling sin when alas it is the inordinate sensitive appetite which it chargeth us to subdue Here he first leaveth out several words especially the word inordinate because he read not the later Editions And yet he put in the word only which the Printer in the last Editions hath left out and which openly sheweth the falshood of his charge Is it all one to say that by Flesh is meant not only Indwelling sin and to say It is not meant at all Do you think he took any heed of the word only when he wrote it My business not in the Premonition as he mis-reports but in the Epistle was to prove the sinfulness of flesh-pleasing and that when the Scripture bids us subdue the flesh and make no provision for it c. It doth not only mean subdue the habits of Indwelling sin in the understanding and will and make no Provision for them but also that we must prevent actual sin by subduing the sensitive appetite unto reason and ruling it by faith and that even Original and habitual sin it self consisteth partly in the Inordinateness of that Appetite And here I implyed this proof from the Notation of the Name q. d. If the sin to be subdued be called Flesh then the Fleshly appetite is not wholly to be excluded For there is some reason why sin is called Flesh rather than Spirit And what can the reason be but that 1. The sensitive appetite it self is Inordinate and so part of the seat of sin and 2. The understanding and will are enslaved to the sense or flesh and are vitiated with a sinful inclination to serve the flesh or sense it self And therefore he that readeth in Scripture such passages as require us to subdue the flesh he must not deceive himself by thinking that it is only Indwelling sin that is in the superiour faculties that is meant by flesh and that the sensitive appetite is not here meant at all When as 1. Original sin it self is partly in the sensitive appetite And 2. Actual sin is to be resisted by subduing the sensitive appetite to reason and bringing the body into subjection as well as Indwelling sin to be extirpated And if the Name of Flesh be put upon Indwelling sin from the Fleshly interest and Inordinate appetite then surely this it self is not wholly to be excluded as no part of the sense of the word Flesh in Scripture And when my words plainly express this sense with what face could this man not only put other words upon me which were none of my own but also another sense and a sense clean contrary to the words And this to justifie a former falshood And this after that in divers Writings I have fully and plainly disputed of Original sin as it is the corruption of the superiour faculties and in divers Books about Conversion shewed the necessity of the cleansing and renewing of those faculties And here the word only was before his eyes a confutation of his calumny Sect. 62. E. B. And indeed Sir that I may confess a secret to you this very passage of yours I looked on as so conceited and singular and many years agoe it gave me so great offence that I threw away your Book upon it and never would read it over as not thinking it possible that one who erred in the very entrance in so plain a truth was able to instruct me in any thing that was worth my knowing R. B. 1. The Book was written about twenty one or twenty two years agoe and you are a Young man yet You surely begun very early to be past possibility of being taught any thing by such as I. Is this only to declare your humility or that you speak evil of the Books which you never read and that you are the fittest man to be the accuser of them 2. It may be there was some early antipathy between our judgements For I will confess such another secret to you That about twelve years ago a Latine small discourse came to my hand as famed to be yours against the Species of Monarchical Government and the arguments against Monarchy in it seemed to me such poor injudicious slender stuff that though I did not as you cast away the Book till I came to the end it was one occasion of my writing the twenty Arguments against Democrasie which I put into the Book which I have revoked my Polit. Aph. 3. Do you not tell the world how fit a Champion you are for any truth or reformation who when you read not only indwelling sin expound it not at all Indwelling sin and then glory that you cast away the Book as that which could not possibly teach you And are you not by this time an excellent Scholar and a very wise man if you did so by all your other Books Sect. 63. E. B. p. 26. I am much confirmed in that judgement of your Book since a person yet living and one worthy of credit accuainted me that when the learned and judicious Mr. Herle had read that cryed-up Book of yours he told him It had been happy for the Church of God if your friends had never sent you to School Mr. Cawdry had the same opinion of it And another person as knowing in the Mysterie of Godliness as either of them told a friend of mine that notwithstanding the noise about you you would end in flesh and blood R. B. 1. A worthy
The word mixt is ambiguous and implyeth a double act one of the Impure part and that Christ designeth not but forbiddeth the other of the holy who joyn with some that are unholy and that in some Cases Christ commandeth and did practise himself 3. Without distinction indeed it should not be for Discipline is appointed to distinguish regularly 4. Take home the argument and try it on your self Whatever Church is such as Christ did not call and design it to be is not to be communicated with But a Church that hath an erroneous Preacher or an erroneous sinful people is such as Christ did not call or design it to be Ergo And will you then communicate with any in the world or any with you Sect. 50. E. B. p. 14. Though through the Corruption of men and negligence of Church-Officers many ungodly prophane Formalists and hypocrites did and daily do creep in yet there is a strict command given to put such out of the Church and turn aside from them If such are to be withdrawn from then if any Church which is admonished concerning them shall still maintain abett and countenance them that Church is defiled and unfit to be communicated with 1 Cor. 5. 7. Eccles 9. 18. Heb. 12. 15. R. B. 1. It is only gross sinners after just Admonition upon proof that are to be put out The Officers ought not to do it without proof 2. Have you or others rightly Admonished every Parish Minister that you call us to separate from and convicted them upon proof when you have heard them speak for themselves 3. And who gave you authority so to examine other Pastors being but a single person 4. We easily grant and earnestly desire that true Church-Justice should make a difference But in case the Officers do not their duty it is none of the peoples duty to separate therefore haveing done their own part except in these cases 1. That the Error or Crime be so great as to be inconsistent with Christianity or Church communion 2. That the Church do not only neglect it but deliberately Own that Error or Crime in its aggravated state as it is so inconsistent with Christianity or Communion Not only being consequentially guilty of it as the best man may be of the most heinous sin of another by some omission of his duty to cure it but making it their profession or Practice 3. That this be done not by some particular members only but by an essential part of the Church that is either by the Pastor or by the main body of the people 4. That this be fully proved or so notorious as to need no proof 5. That they be impenitent herein after due admonition When these five things concur it is a duty to separate from a Church as unfit for Christian Communion And in lower cases it is a duty to prefer a Better when we can have it But it s much higher or lower rather that you go You say A Church which after admonition and discovery of offenders will not use her authority to cast them out This may be by mis-information on the sinners side or by meer negligence as in Eli's case and may be a great sin and yet not the same in kind as that which should be censured nor such as will unchurch that Church nor make its communion unlawful to the innocent As to your proofs the Texts you cite are all written to the whole Churches as Churches who are bid put them away c. save that to Timothy and Rev. 2. which is to the Church-Rulers And it followeth not that if a Church or Church-Rulers who have the power of the Keyes are bid to reject or cast out or not suffer an Heretick or wicked person and to have no fellowship with them therefore every member is forbidden to have Communion with that Church in Gods Worship unless they cast such a one out I did by many Scripture instances Rev. 2. 3. 1 Cor. 11. 15 c. prove the contrary to which you give no answer 5. Let all sober Readers note how few in the world we shall have communion with on your terms How certainly you will turn all Churches into strife and bitter envyings confusion and every evil work For Railers and Covetous among the rest are those that must be avoided And if any member of the Church shall think that one Railer or one Covetous person is kept in unjustly away they must go and condemn the Church as unworthy of Communion And who will not think that read your Book that you would be one of the first accused of Railing Yea how few even of the strictest separating Churches are they that neglect not Discipline upon some one person It may be it may be a rich or powerful man that will persecute or divide the Church if he be cast out Is there no Gathered Churches as they are called that have one Railing woman in or one Covetous person 6. But Sir our question is not only of the Communion of Members but also of strangers occasionally and rarely And what call hath a stranger to try the Discipline of another Church Or what opportunity hath he to know all their members crimes and to admonish them Why may not I in my travail communicate with a Church whose members and Discipline I know not At least all Parish Churches have not been thus admonished by you Sect. 51. E. B. p. 14. Lastly Which will fully answer the scruple It is to be considered that the Primitive Churches were setled by the Apostles and constituted according to the Divine pattern having all the Ordinances of Christ and true Officers rightly established among them so that though many scandalous sins did break out and were visible among some of the members yet a power was still retained in each Church for the keeping themselves pure by casting out offenders whereby they were kept to the institution and orders of Christ without any universal innovation or degenerating in those Essentials of Order as well as Doctrine which they fell into in the ages after and when Antichristianism which was then working did manifestly shew it self not only in rejecting truth 2 Thess 2. but in imposing error Rev. 13. 16 17. then was separation made necessary R. B. Reader this confused huddle of words it seems is the thing he trusteth to as a full answer to the scruple But 1. If such Churches are to be communicated with as yet retain all the Essentials of Office Order and Doctrine then those are to be communicated with that are now in question But the former seemeth here intimated by himself That our said Churches have all such essentials is thus proved Whereever there are true Pastors and a Christian flock related mutually as such receiving the holy Scriptures as such there are all things essential to a true Church for Office Order and Doctrine But it is so 〈◊〉 the Parish Churches in question To stay here to write a particular