Passions than the Independents both because they are most charged with them and with all our Sects and Confusioâ—â— and because they are not the least in danger of them And that the New England Churches are against the Separation which hath been commonly known by the name of Brownisme I will give you these following evidences 1. Even Mr. Robinson himself a part of whose Church began the Plantation at Plimouth though he was one of those that was called a Semi-separatist yet hath written for the lawfulness of hearing in our English Conformable Parish Churches And in his Letter to his people in New-England in Mortons Memorial he hath these honest observable passages How imperfect and lame is the work of grace in that person who wants Charity to cover a multitude of offences Neither are you to be exhorted to this grace only upon the common grounds of Christianity which are that persons ready to take offence either want Charity to cover offences or wisdom duely to weigh humane frailties or lastly are gross though close hypocrites as Christ our Lord teacheth Mat. 7. 1 2 3. As indeed in my own experience few or none have been found which sooner give offence than such as easily take it neither have they ever proved sound and profitable members in societies who have nourished this touchy humâ—ur To these he addeth special Reasons from themselves Mr. Browne accusing the Ministers as being Separatists and would be Anabapists c. The Ministers answered that They were neither Separatists nor Anabaptists they did not separate from the Church of England nor from the ordinances of God there but only from the corruptions and disorders there c. Old Mr. Wilson Pastor of Boston being desired by all the Elders of the Churches assembled at his house that on his dying bed he would solemnly declare to them what he conceived to be those sins which provoked the displeasure of God against the Countrey told them that he had long feared these sins following as chief among others which God was greatly provoked by 1. Separation 2. Anabaptisme 3. Corahisme when people rise up as Corah against their Ministers and Elders as if they took too much upon them when indeed they do but Rule for Christ and according to Christ yet it is nothing for a brother to stand up and oppose without Scripture or reason the doctrine and word of the Elder saying I am not satisfied c. And hence if he do not like the Administration be it Baptisme or the like he will then turn his back upon God and his Ordinances and go away c. And saith he for our neglect of baptizing the children of the Church those that some call Grand-children I think God is provoked by it 4. Another I take to be the making light of and not subjecting to the Authority of Synods without which the Churches cannot long subsist And so for the Magistrates being Gallio like not caring for these things or else not using their power and authority for the maintenance of the Truth and Gospel and Ordinances c. Morton p. 133. 184. And among the Poems there recorded of him this is part Firm stood he 'gainst the Familist And Antinomian spirit strong He never lov'd the Separatist Nor yet the Anabaptists throng Neither the Tolerators strein Nor Quakers spirit could he brook Nor bow'd to the Morellian train Nor childrens right did over-look p. 186. And Pag. 195. in the Poems on their famous Mitchell it followeth The Quaker trembling at his thunder fled And with Caligula resum'd his bed He by the motions of a nobler spirit Clear'd men and made their Notions swine inherit The Munster Goblin by his holy flood Exorcis'd like a thin Phantasma stood Brown's Babel shatter'd by his lightning fell And with confused horror pack'd to Hell Let not the brazen Schismatick aspire Lot's leaving Sodom left them to the fire But the fullest evidence is the work of the New-England Synod 1662. who determined of two great points of Church-practice so as greatly tendeth to reconcile them to all the moderate Presbyterians and other peaceable Christians The one is 2. That Members of the visible Church according to Scripture are confederate visible believers in particular Churches and their Infant-seed that is Children in minority whose next Parents one or both are in Covenant The Case of Christians that are of no particular Church is not here medled with 3. And that The Infant-seed of such when grown up are personally under the Watch Discipline and Government of the Church 4. That these adult persons are not to be admitted to full Communion meerly because they are and continue members without such further qualifications as the Word of God requireth thereunto 5. That Church-Members who were admitted in minority understanding the doctrine of Faith and publickly professing their Assent thereto not scandalous in life and solemnly owning the Covenant before the Church wherein they give up themselves and their Children to the Lord and subject themselves to the Government of Christ in his Church their children are to be baptised As to the points themselves having written a Treatise on the subject under the name of Confirmation and therein distinctly shewed my Opinion in reconciling terms though it may seem stricter than these propositions and more inclining to the dissenters in some things I shall say nothing of it here But by this it is visible that the New-England Synod do not only exclude the practice of Gathering Churches out of Churches which was the great contest in England between the Assembly and the Congregational party but they provide that not so much as any particular persons that were Baptized in their Churches in Infancy shall be made Church-members de novo unless by removing from one Church to another but shall be accounted members till they apostatize notoriously or are Excommunicated And so shall their children after them succeed by the way of Baptism into the Church and they will have no other ordinary Church-door but Baptism And so gathering Churches of Baptized persons will cease unless it be in a ravelled state when the old Churches being dissolved believers are to embody themselves anew And Mr. Davenport and a few more seeing that by this way their Churches would fall into the way of England and other Churches by a succession of Members growing up from Infancy and not by making them up of new Adult enterers as the Anabaptists do did oppose himself by writing against the Synod which by some of them is largely Answered Wherein they tell us that there were nâ—t ten in a Synod of above seventy that did in any thing Vote on the Negative and not above three against the third Proposition which carryeth the Cause They frequently disclaim Separation They cite Allen and Shephard p. 33. as advising for the Reformation of such Churches as our Parishes that they be acknowledged true Churches and then called to Repentance and Reformation and a select number of those that agree to it
you avoid what you injuriously impute to others when you cry out What could Parker c. have spoken more reproachfully c. Sure you thought I had spoken against fervent preaching it self or else you would not have talk'd as you do Here also after some mention of my Pride and Folly you adde two more gross Untruths 1. That what I spake of individual persons without respect to any party Conformists non-Conformists or Separatists and instanced in many of my own acquaintance some of which now Conform yea are zealous Conformists who were the ferventest loudest Preachers that ever I knew in all my life If I will not tell you who they are alas man did you never know such you must think it concerns all that are at this day engaged in a Gospel separation Answ. Had you said We will think so it might have been true But 1. I had made no mention at all of separation in the whole Direction nor intended any more than I expressed But only meant to direct people to avoid that error in the choice of Teachers which prepareth them for any seduction and division 2. I had largely spoken there for affectionate Preaching 3. I am not acquainted with very many such as in England have been known by the name of Separatists that go no further But those few that I do know I take to be colder duller Preachers than those that are called Presbyterians byfar for the most part of them so far was I from meaning them But Quakers and Fifth-Monarchy men and some Anabaptists I know and many revilers of the Ministry I have known in Armies and Countreys that were just such as I describe 2. It is an untruth that you had no pretence of Reason for that I can think of that I have left off the Lords work and instead of helping it forwards with you am weakening your hands and disgracing the builders If you mean that I preach not in the Pulpit no more do you If you mean that I have not a separated Church I never had one on your principles at least If you mean that I preach not in London 1. I cannot if I would 2. I never had any Pastoral Charge nor place in London but preach'd one year up and down for others and another year took but a voluntary Lecture 3. London I was forced eight years ago to forsake for my health and life 4. Gods work is not only in London 5. I have no call thither nor any people related to me as a Pastor there 6. There are very many worthy men there that want both employment and maintenance whom I will not injure Are not all these reasons enough But if you think otherwise 7. Are not all the Preachers in England forsakers of Gods work that preach not in London 8. I think you preached not for many years when you lay so long in prison Did you then forsake Gods work But I must confess Brother I have alwaies been too slothful and unprofitable a servant and still am Yet I can say that I know no other employment that I have and that I spend no more time in other things than necessities of life require I play away none and I idle away but little and preaching were it oftner is a small part of my work and that will be proved to be the Lords work which you think is against him as all have done that ever I wrote against almost And I love you much the better for being zealous for that which you do but think is the Lords work But I am past doubt that it will prove at last that such doctrines passions and practices as yours will be the weakeners and hinderers of the builders EXCEPT XXVI Answered p. 16. I intreat the Reader to peruse my words which you except against so angrily and I am assured he will find them useful to him in the great Question Who shall be Iudge And to help him out of his perplexities 1. It is a notorious untruth that you say It is altogether a new way of deciding Controversies to affirm Dictator like in all points of belief or practice which are of necessity to Salvation you must ever keep company with the Universal Church Be it right or wrong who knoweth not that knoweth what was held of old that it is the way that Irenaeus Tertullian Epiphanius Hierome Augustine Optatus and abundance more have largely written for And which Vincentius Lirinensis wrote his book for Quod semper ubique ab omnibus c. 2. Note Reader that he leaveth out that I said here no man must be Iudge no not the universal Church but only that they are our associates and that here every Christian maketh the Articles of his Faith his own and upon no mans authority c. But I maintain that it is no Article of absolute necessity to Salvation that hath been unknown to the Universal Church till now for then it were no Church But saith our brother who shall tell us what is the Universal Church And where shall we find it Answ. Are these Questions now to be answered by me Did you never before hear it done by others The Universal Church is the Universality of Christians It is to be found militant on this habitable earth Did you not know this But you ask How comes the Scripture not to be mentioned Answ. Because it was not seasonable or pertinent I was not defining the Church If I had it was definable without the naming of the Scripture at least before the Scripture was written And whence think you did I mean men should make the doctrine of Faith their own past controversie but by the Scripture Good brother till you have written more books for the authority of Scriptures than I have done or preach'd more for it own not such disingenuous intimations 2. You say that what he addes is much more conceited and singular In matters of high and difficult speculation the judgement of one man of extraordinary understanding and clearness is to be preferred before both the Rulers and the Major Vote Answ. It is another Untruth that this is singular My very words are almost verbatim in Mr. Pemble Vind. Grat. elsewhere cited Why do the Scotists so far follow Scotus and the Nominals Ockbam and the Dominicans Aquinas c. if this were a singular opinion Do not all the Peripateticks say the same of Aristotle in Philosophy And the Atomists of Epicurus Democritus and Lucretius and the Cartesians of their Master Doth not Dr. Twisse say the like of Bradwardine and of Piscator And do not many besides Rutherford think the same of him Do not the Ramists say so of Ramus Do not the Protestants say so of Calvin as to all that went before him Nay is it not almost the common opinion of all Learned men And a thing beyond dispute Did ever any man put such points of high speculation to the Major vote Alas brother that you should
this is no excuse to them that Tolerate not men to obey the Laws of Christ. To these I may adde that though many Prelatists utterly mistake and think that it is the Ministers every where that are the chief Leaders of the people to Separation yet both in New-England and in Old the people are so much proner to it than the Ministers except a very few that if it were not for the wisdom gravity stability and authority of the Ministers restreining them the matter would be otherwise than it is As this Synod of New-England sheweth you their stability and moderation so do the choicest of their Pastors still stand firm against all extreams and hold the people in that Concord which they have The excellent service of Mr. Mitchell in this kind before he died is predicated by all I will not recite all the complaints I heard from Mr. Nortons mouth against the separating humour of many people and their danger thereupon nor the many Letters to the same purpose which many worthy men thence have sent over to their friends and their particular lamentations of the case of Hartford Boston c. which I have had the sight of which fully testifie that they are no promoters of those waies The sad case of the Bermuda's I before mentioned Sad indeed when in so disciplin'd a Plantation one Minister shall turn away the greater part from Church-Communion till they become aliens And the rest whom he gathered as the only worthy persons shall so many turn Quakers and such like till Religion between both is alas how low as their late worthy Minister fore-named testifyeth The dissolution of the separated Churches of the English in the Low Countreys by their own divisions is a thing too well known to be concealed From all which I gather that it is the Interest of the Congregational Churches themselves as much as of any others to joyn with us for the Principles of Christian Love forbearance and Unity and against the Principles of alienation and division which is all that I am driving at Obj. But the Churches of New-England would not joyn with a Church that should use the Common-prayer in that worship nor in the Sacrament Answ. Nor I neither ordinarily if I were with them and in their case who have liberty to worship God in the most edifying and serious and orderly manner that they can And yet were I in Armenia Abassia or among the Greeks I would joyn in a much more defective form than our Liturgie rather than in none And that this is the judgement of many New-England Ministers to joyn with the English Liturgie rather than have no Church-worship I have reason to conjecture because in their foresaid Defence of the Synod Pref. pag. 4 5. They profess themselves to receive their principles not from the Separatists but from the good old non-Conformists to whom they adhere naming Cartwright Ames Paraeus Parker Baines Fox Dearing Greenham c. And I need not tell those that have read their writings that the old non-Conformists did some of them read the Common-prayer and the most of them judge iâ— lawful to jo 〈…〉 Or else Mr. Hildersham Mr. Rich. Rogers c. would not write so earnestly to men to come to the beginning and prefer it before all private duties And Perkins was for kneeling at the Sacrament And Mr. Baines his successor in his Letters writes for Communicating kneeling at the Sacrament and answereth the objections But though I write this to give them the due honour of their moderation and sober judgement yet not as making them or any men our Rule in faith or worship Obj. Therefore the Churches of New-England reprove not separation from a Common-prayer Church though they would have none separate among themselves because there is no just Cause Ans. 1. The former answer may serve to make it probable that they would joyn with them as Churches in case they had not better to joyn with on lawful tearms 2. And their own expressions signifie that they take the English Parishes that have godly Ministers for true Churches though faulty 3. And those that I now write for cannot forget that they gathered their Churches by separation out of our Parish-Churches when there was no Common-prayer nor Ceremonies used nor any difference in worship found among us that I know of And that in New-England it self the Principles which I deny do too of procure separation from those Churches that have nothing which moderation and peaceableness will think a sufficient cause of such disjunction 4. And it is well known that the name of a Separatist and Brownist was first taken up here in England with relation to these Parish-Churches where they had the Liturgie and Ceremonies as now Therefore they would speak equivocally in disclaiming Separatists and Brownists if they meant not such as the word is first and commonly used to signifie 5. And if that were not the sense a Separatist might be said to be against Separation as well as they in New-England For Canne or Iohnson would be against separating from their own Churches or from any which they judged as faultless 6. It was the Parish-Churches that had the Liturgie and were accused to have 91 Antichristian Errors in them and the Church of England which they belonged to which Mr. H. Iacob the Father of the Congregational Party wrote for Communion with against Francis Iohnson and in respect to which he called those Separatists against whom he wrote The same I may say of Mr. Bradshaw Dr. Ames and other non-Conformists whom the Congregational brethren think were favourable to their way And if the old Independents as well as the rest of the non-Conformists accounted them Culpable Separatists that then wrote for separation from the Parish-Churches for Diocesane Churches I Iâ— meddle not with then we have small reason to think that those New-England Brethren that disclaim the Separatists were of the mind of these Separatists themselves or that they differed from the old Independents herein when they seem rather to be of such healing principles and temper towards the Presbyterians as in my opinion they have in their Synodical Conclusions made â—p almost all the breach And therefore are not to be accounted more for separation than the old Congregational Divines And that you may see that the Magistrates of New-England are of the mind of their Pastors in the Synod and take the youth to be under the Ministers Charge or at least that I may hereby express my gladness for this work of their great prudence and Christian zeal and call those my brethren of the Ministry to Repentance who did neglect this work of personal Instruction while we had liberty to exercise the Pastoral office and also that I may yet remember them that are silenced what abundance of good the Law yet alloweth them to do by this course of going from house to house and of Catechizing the youth seeing we are restrained to no members under 16 years of age