Selected quad for the lemma: act_n
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A87934
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A letter from a person of honour, reconciling the dissenting brethren, (commonly called Independents) and the Presbyterians, in matter of judgement, about the setling of the church. Sent to an eminent divine of the Assembly.
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Person of honour.
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1644
(1644)
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Wing L1421; Thomason E22_17; ESTC R21554
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10,569
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18
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A LETTER FROM A PERSON OF HONOUR RECONCILING The Dissenting Brethren commonly called Independents AND The Presbyterians in matter of Judgment about the setling of the CHURCH Sent to an eminent Divine of the Assembly LONDON Printed by R.A. M. DC XL V. SIR FOr the satisfaction of your desire expressed in the Letter I will first lay down some grounds which I conceive to be agreeable to truth and thereupon give you the Reason of my judgment and practice First I conceive a visible Ministring Church under the Gospell to be a Company of Believers joining themselves together in the name of Christ for the enjoyment of such Ordinances and exercise of such spirituall goverment as the Lord hath apointed for his worship and honour and their mutuall edification This description doth sufficiently express what is intended An exact definition such bodies are not so Capable of as some other things may be Neither needs it when what is meant is fully understood by both Parties therefore in such a Case to stick upon that doth produce rather a Litigation about words and terms then any satisfaction If the truth of any thing herein be questioned that must stand or fall according to Scripture I call it a Visible Ministring Church to distinguish it from that Universall which can be neither except we will admit the Pope or some Image of him some such humane device to be it virtually always to exist visibly for the performance of such duties as Christ hath enjoyned his Churches to perform upon all Occasions of Offence or otherwise And yet that will not serve neither except Courts and Officers be allowed even to the Apparitors as hands in all places to supply defects in this way I adde Under the Gospell because the Constitution under the Law was Nationall the Officers Ordinances and Places of Worship all fitted to such a frame and typicall which under the Gospell was changed as appeareth both by Christs institution Matth. 18. and all tâ—e Apostles practice throughout in all places who best understood our Saviours intention and meaning for the Constitution of Churches Evangelical being by him instructed â—nd left authorised thereunto Secondly The matter of this Church is a Company of Saints such whom as the Apostle so the Church that admits then or joyns with them ought to think it meet to judge of every one of them that Christ hath begun a good worke in them and will finisht it The Apostles always stile them Saints and faithfull Brethren or the Church of such a place which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ Saints by Calling sanctified in Christ Jesus the Church Elected together with them and such like titles applyable only unto men sanctified That they ought to be such in profession will not be denied that they ought to be what they professe is as evident The power of the Church and the exercise of that power commanded by our Saviour is for this end that Offences may be taken away when men shall appear to be other then they make profession to be and that they may be prevented so far as man can judge by keeping out false brethren that they creep not in privily the unruly are to be admonished and if upon admonition they will not reforme Christ directeth what course shall be taken with them And he who is to be cast out when he is known ought not to be admitted could hee be knowne to be other then a Saint by the Church before he was received Thirdly The Form of such a visible Church I conceive to be the Relation which by their mutuall consent is raised between them for Spirituall Ends by which it is that they have power of jurisdiction and may and ought to judge those that are within 1 Cor. 5.12 Which jurisdiction no man can lawfully be subjected unto but by his own agreement The superioritie of Jurisdiction either in things Spirituall or Temporall if it be not naturall as the paternall must be voluntarily subjected unto or it is usurped and tyrannical Therefore to raise this Relation which gives a power of judging there must be a voluntary submission of themselves one to another testified by some Act whether you will call it a Covenant or Consent or Agreement between fit Members for such ends This Consent and agreement ought to be explicite or the wel being but not necessarily to the being of a true Church for it may be implied by such constant and frequent Acts of Communion performed by a company of Saints joined together by cohabitation in Townes and Villages as that the falling in of their spirits into this brotherly fellowship and communion in things spirituall is acted unto the true being of it but for the want of the cleere and full expression thereof among themselves the relation it raises the power it gives them one over anoher the dutie it obligeth them unto in the exercise of that power is obscurely and little apprehended and lesse practised This I conceive to be the present state of most of the Churches in this Kingdome which although they be true Churches I do not mean it of the whole Towns yet being too ignorant wherein that consisteth and what power and priviledge they have and ought to exercise by it they suffer themselves by usurpers to be deprived of the exercise of this power and thereby a mixed multitude presse in among them to their own hardning to the Churches levening contracting guilt through neglect of their dutie to seperate the vile from the precious suffering sin to fret like a Gangreenâ— and to the great dishonour of Châ—ist who hereby is held forth through the negligence of the Church to be an Head unto such members in the eye of the World There is besides through the same usurpation a yoke of bondage cast upon the Churches by the imposition of many humane devices both upon Officers and Members full of tyranny and Superstition the suffering whereof will cause the Lord to have many things against them but doth not unchurch them since many wants and many corruptions may stand with the being of a true Church as all Experience sheweth I expect hereupon to be demanded what Reasons I can give why Seperation should be made from such Churches which are acknowledged to be true Churches although with many wants and corruptions In answering whereof I shall give you an account of that I undertook And first I say this word Seperation is no such Bug-beare as many would make the world and themselves believe who hand over head without differencing things or persons or understanding that whereof they affirme take it up and cast it abroad with as little Charitie as Learning Seperation whereof we speak is either from the Communion of the Invisible Church Heb. 12. the Generall Assembly and Church of the first-borne which are written in Heaven or from this or that particular visible Churches Communion The first cannot be made but by denying the faith for the Requisites unto
obedience to be humbled and mourne for their Offences and Scandals given by parties offending and obstinate and for the Churches neglect to apply that Remedie that Christ hath enjoined to professe to the Church their owne readinesse to performe obedience to Christs command if the rest of the Church will join with them to protest against their disobedience if they refuse either through negligent securitie being puffed up with pride as the Church of Corinth or through the base feare of man I thinke it will be granted that if any particular Member in the Church of Corinth had done this in case of the Incestuous person he had bin free and no way involved in the guilt of that Church which the Apostle chargeth them all with For which the Apostle expresseth to have bin the dutie of all if any particular for his part had performed the same as far as lay in him made publike confession of that truth to the edification of the rest professing against their disobedience hee had not bin leavened for the leavening and corruptions in this case is not physicall as one man receiveth the infection of the Plague from another but onely morall by reason of neglect of dutie and the corrupting by ill example working upon the same ill Principles of our evill Nature is through the just judgment of God a consequence of such neglect of dutie which were it performed either in generall or in particular as it is appointed for a remedy so would it be a preservation And I thinke such a particular Member or Members in such case might as altogether unleavened keep the Feast in sinceritie and truth and with comfort and profit partake of the Ordinances notwithstanding the sin and obstinacie of other Men and the sin of that Church in neglecting to cast them out with which they are in Communion yet with these Cautions First that they be not otherwise pressed with Superstitions in the use of the Ordinances for their own practice Secondly that if they cannot prevaile with the Church by their dutie so performed to exercise that power that Christ hath given them for edification and to keep his Temple undefiled that the Members of Harlots may not still be held forth in profession to be the Members of Christ one bodie with the rest as partaking of one bread then that they leave such externall Communion which they hold with them if they can joyn in communion with a purer Church where they may bring more honour to the Lord Christ and more comfort and edification to themselves and others with whom they doe walke in communion This I was willing to expresse by the way because it is usuall for men to fall into long disputes and bring many arguments to prove that the Ordinances are not made lesse comfortable or the partaking in them made sinfull to one man because of the sins of other men who partake with them They set up a man of straw to contend with all and fight against what themselves have framed It is not the sins of other men as they are their personall acts that can cast guilt upon any but themselves but it is the suffering of these sins and sinners to passe without such censure as the Lord hath appointed to be pronounced against them by those whom hee hath invested with power to that end which makes these sins the sins of the whole body that so neglect their duty enjoyned them and hereby a little leaven leaveneth the whole lumpe So that they either deceive or are deceived that agitate with so much eagernesse this as they say strange opinion that another mans sins should hinder any from partaking comfoitably in the Ordinances It is not another mans sin that hindereth but their own as they that will see may perceive consisting in the neglect of what upon his sinning is there duty to doe and not in any act by him committed Now particular members are not suffered to discharge themselves by doing that duty which in such a case of the Churches This â—â—scours â—as writâ—â—n some â—â—ars since â—hen the â—â—mes â—â—ere periâ—â—us neglect doth ly upon them to performe or if they will performe it to their own acquitting and the Churches edifying whereof they are members they are no lesse certain to run upon ruine in * these times then to qrevail nothing at all with Churches so constituted and consisting of such mixed multitudes as the most are Not to make such publique profession as they thinke their duty obligeth them unto is to live in sin against conscience and that is against Christianity to doe it to no profit and with certain ruine when another way may be taken to prevent the sin and avoid the danger is against Christian wisdome therefore there is a necessity that doth ly upon many to disjoyne themselves from being members of divers Churches in this Kingdome that the obligation which by reason of such a relation wil ly upon their conscience may not presse them when they cannot discharge the same and to unite themselves in membership and communion where they may in doing and submitting themselves mutually unto all that Christ enjoyneth them for his honour and their edisication exercise a Communion in the use of all the Ordinances free from the mixture of humane inventions and antichristian usurpations Suppose a congregation in this Land some Towne or Parish to speak common road language wherein a company of godly men Saints all so far as man can judge had united themselves together by mutuall consent to walke in all the Ordinances and wayes of the Lord without admitting the Linsy-woolsie mixture of any humane invention and with resolution not to be the servants of men but to cast off their yoakes in things spirituall and exalt the Lord alone to rule and judge in them and by them according to the guidance of his word if finding this society and their course fully to answer the perswasion of my heart concerning the way af God I should change my habitation and take a house in that Town that I might thereby joine my selfe to this company in Church fellowship because this is your darke and ignorant way of falling into fellowship here in this Land there would be no complayning no out cry of seperation no whispering and muttering of forsaking the mother Church no writing up and down to intimate the great fear there was of seduction and seperation and the scandall that would arise from thence and yet I should come out thereby from holding externall Communion with one Congregation whose external communion I saw so many corruptions so weaved into that I could not hold it and be free from them and joine my selfe in communion with another who exercised a Communion between themselves free from such corruptions and bondage And should I or others do anie more but the same thing if in one street of a Towne we should joine our selves together in Communion for spiritual ends and seperate our selves from the externall communion which is held in another burthened with many superstitions and submitting themselves to beare the yoake of bondage imposed by men who Lord it over them in things spirituall and all this without breaking off from internal Communion Will any Saint amongst them consisting in the imbracing and holding the doctrine of the same true faith and obedience but seperating alone from their corruptions and continuance in disobedience Whereunto then serveth the raising of so much noise and clamour of seperation but to give up friends into the hands of enemies I have in my plain way endeavoured to express my judgement in these particulars desiring to be always ready to open mine eyes to receive further light from whomsoever it shall be shewed unto me in the mean time I must walke according to that I have accepting no mans person nor giving flattering titles to man as is said in Job I pretend not to so much Scholership that you should require of me exactnesse in Method or Expression therefore I pray you stick not upon some Expressions which you may conceive not so meet to winnow and fanne them by Scholastick wit Neither quarrell me for a loose discourse I rest satisfied with expressing my self to be understood But if there be any beg'd Principles or Grounds wanting proof or any thing inferd from Grounds too weak to maintain the same stay upon these and make that appear unto me and I shall either make them good and able to stand upon solid foundation at least to my apprehension or quit them Any other way of answer but this only will be received by mee as the fruit of an acute wit much exercised in Controversall writing and work no other effect I expect upon your answer to be put to make good these two First The Constitution of a visible Church under the Gospell Secondly the power thereof wherein will consist Cardâ— Quaestionis all turning about upon the determination of these I shall make appear what I have said I hope not to be the fancie of M. Jacob as you please to say a learned man deserving not to be slighted nor of any man but the truth of God having ground in his Word and embraced for such not by Shrubs in Learning as some may be thought to be but by the strongest and tallest Cedars of Lebanon for Learning and Pietie FINIS Errata Page 4. line 30 for eternall read externall