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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
body_n	bread_n	communion_n	cup_n	8,923	5	10.0506	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A23672	A retraction of separation wherein VI arguments formerly erected for the service of separation upon the account of infant baptisme are taken down, and VI other arguments for saints generall communion, though of different perswasion, are erected in their room : together with a patheticall swasive to unity, peace, and concord as our generation-work in speciall / by William Allen.	Allen, William, d. 1686.	1660 (1660)	Wing A1071; ESTC R25232	56,266	79

Congregation of Pedobaptists Object Though we doe owne the godly Pedobaptists to be members of Christs-body yet withall because their visible Church-state and ministery is founded in infant baptisme we cannot but in that respect judge them to be of the whorish state and our separation from them is not as they are of the body of Christ but as they are members of the harlot and so our schisme from them respects not their christian but their harlot or antichristian state Answ 1. When you owne the godly Pedobaptists to be of Christs body it is because they are visibly so for upon no other account can they be knowne or acknowledged to be so And I would have it seriously considered whether it be not a contradiction to grant them to be members of Christs body and yet to affirme them to be members of the harlot and whether its possible for them to be of the Christian and Antichristian state both at once No man can serve two Masters that are contrary Mat 6.24 No more sure can one be a member of two opposite bodyes at once As by the same actions by which a man makes himselfe a friend of the world he makes himselfe an enemy to God James 4.4 So by the same actions by which a man makes himselfe a member of the harlot Church he for ought I know cuts himselfe off from the body of Christ or true Church And the reason is clearly this because the mysticall harlot when once she comes to be so receives her bill of divorce from the Lord by which the marriage-union and relation becomes dissolved Isa 50.1 Jer 3.8 Hos 2.2 5. And that which is true of the whole in this case is true of every part the wholenesse only excepted if the harlot be under divorcement as such then all that make up that harlot state are so And therefore whilst you acknowledge them members of Christs body you cannot rationally repute them of the whorish state 2. It is not every erronious opinion or superstitious practice that is found amongst them of the whorish state that will denominate all those to be of that state that hold them whilst they are otherwise loyall to Christ in the mayne no more then every wanton or immodest word looke or gesture will denominate a woman to be a whore who is otherwise loyall to her husband in the mayne The good Kings Solomon Asa and Jehosaphat were guilty of a little spirituall immodesty in using or at least tolerating the high places but did not come under a spirituall divorce from God thereby as others did who did that and more nor did they thereby become unfit to be held communion with in other regular acts of Gods worship There 's a great deal of difference between that which is essentiall to the constituting of a state and other things which enter not the definition thereof A bad man may doe many good things and a good man many evill by which neither are to be denominated good or bad but by what they are and doe in the mayne by what is predominant in them So those that are of the whorish state may hold many of the same truths and doe some of the same good deeds which a sound member of Christs Church may doe and yet not thereby be worthy the denomination of such a member as long as their corruptions in doctrine worship and life out-weigh these And it s as true that some that are not of the whorish state may be tainted with some of her errours and superstitions which as to matter of constitution of state may be much over-ballanced by soundnesse of faith purity of worship and sincerity of life in the mayne We had need then to take heed of being rash and bold in judging such to be of the whorish state upon account of some under-degree of spirituall lightnesse that our consciences tell us are in the state of grace and Spouse-like love Christ more then they doe any other It would provoke even a good man to have his wife called whore whom he knowes guilty onely of some lesser faults and surely it does no lesse displease the Lord to have such as are espoused to him to be so dealt with 3. It remains then that I adde one thing more for the compleating my answer to the objection and that is That communion with Saints that are in some things erronious and superstitious does not inferre a communion in the errour or superstition it selfe whilst you bear your witnesse against it This is plaine otherwise the strong must have been guilty of the errour and superstition of the weak Saints in the Church at Rome by holding that communion with them to which the Apostle pressed them Rom 14 and 15 Chapters Else the few names in Sardis also could not have kept their garments unde● led in holding communion with persons so much defiled as the rest there were which yet they did Rev 3.4 It followes then that such involuntary errours in persons as doe consist with the visibility of true grace doe not render communion with them unlawfull in such things which are not of themselve unlawfull we may hold communion with them in their graces and in their duties though not in their errours Though you may and ought to withdraw your communion in such acts wherein you are sure they have not communion with Christ yet you may not doe so in those in which you know they have VI Argument IF the godly Anabaptists doe hold communion with the godly Pedobaptists in that which is signified by breaking of bread in the Lords Supper Then it is not unlawfull but their duty for them to hold communion in breaking of bread it selfe which is the signe But the godly Anabaptists and godly Pedobaptists doe hold communion one with another in that which is signified by breaking of bread in the Lords Supper Therefore c. That which is signified by the use of the bread and cup in the Lords Supper is shewed by the Apostle 1 Cor 10.16 to wit communion in the body and blood of Christ And that the godly of both sorts to wit of Pedobaptists and Anabaptists have communion by faith in the body and blood of Jesus Christ eating the same spirituall meat and drinking the same spirituall drink I think will not be denyed and therefore needs no proofe But that which requires a further demonstration is the Major proposition The reason then why it s not unlawfull but a duty for those to hold communion in the signe that have communion in the substance or thing signified is 1. Because so to doe answers the end of the ordinance whereas a denyall of communion in the signe where it is held in substance would crosse the very end of the ordinance The signe is ordained but for the thing sake unto which it does relate the outward communion in the signe bread and wine is appointed to signifie and increase the communicants inward and spirituall communion in the body blood of

Jesus Christ and their unity thereby 1 Cor 10.16 17. And therefore where the thing to be signified is in being which is communion in Christs body and blood there to deny the use and enjoyment of the meanes appointed by God to signifie it to wit communion in the Supper would be to crosse the very end of that ordinance If partners that have a joynt stock in trade and so a joynt interest in it should refuse to acknowledge and declare to each other their respective interests by such signes as are customary among men in such cases it would be accounted a great piece of injustice And is it any lesse then a piece of spirituall injustice for those that have a joynt interest in Christs body and blood to refuse to acknowledge and declare it to each other and before all by such a signe which the Lord hath appointed for that purpose 2. Because mens right to the signe proceeds from their right to the thing signified As those that have a right to such or such an estate in land have thereby a right to the deeds and evidences by which such a right is to be declared so those that have a right to the body and blood of Christ in their saving effects have thereby right to the Lords Supper as an evidence appointed by God by which such their right is to be declared and acknowledged And therefore as a detaining of such evidence from him who by having right to the Land hath right to the evidence would be an injury even so a detaining the Lords Supper from him who by having right to the body and blood of Christ hath right to the Lords Supper as an evidence and signe thereof would be an injury likewise And as spirituall things are of more value then temporall so an injury in them is greater then an injury in the other 3. It s against common reason and equity to grant them to have communion with us in the greater and better part and to deny it them in the lesse the greater still including the lesse But to be partakers of like precious faith with us and by that to eat of that flesh which is meat indeed and to drink of that blood which is drink indeed and to drink into one and the same Spirit as both sorts of godly ones doe is certainly to have hold and enjoy communion together in the greater better more spirituall and more substantiall part of it and therefore to deny it in the outside and letter of it which is farre lesse considerable seemes very incongruous and contradictious An exhortation to unity peace and concord HAving said this much by way of Argument touching the unlawfulnesse of Separation and the lawfulnesse of communion between Saints though of different perswasion I shall now adde a little more to quicken the brethren on both sides to unity concord and peace which have been too long divided and too much estranged one from another For this end let it be seriously considered 1. That the heart and soule of our Lord Jesus is exceedingly set upon the unity not onely of the Saints of this or that particular and different perswasion but of all those that believe through his Apostles word how different soever in opinion and perswasion they otherwise may be And this appeares 1. In that Christ made it matter of his solemne addresse unto his father that so it might be John 17.20 21. Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe on me through their word that they all may be one 2. In that it was the subject matter of one of his last requests to his father now he was about to leave the world Those things usually are most upon the heart which men bring forth at such a time when they are ready to die 3. And which is yet more among all the things which concerne the Saints here in this world he singles out this of their unity as that which was most upon his heart to form into a solemne request unto his father on their behalfe There are upon the matter but two things which he prayed for in the behalfe of all those that should believe contained in that part of his prayer which you have from v. 20. to the end of John 17. the one of which respecting their future condition in the other world and that is that they might be with him where he is to behold his glory and the other respecting their present condition in this world and that is that they all might be one So then although there be many other things wherein the comfort and welfare of the Saints in this world are concerned yet their unity and agreement is that which Christ singles out from among all the rest as being most upon his heart and as one would think should therefore be that thing wherein their peace and welfare is most concerned 4. It s further most worthy observation that among all the things which Christ prayed for in this prayer recorded in John 17. he does not insist so much upon any one thing as this of unity among the Saints And therefore you have him redoubling this petition againe and againe and mentioning it a third and a fourth time also as you may see in ver 11 21 22 23. As if his heart were so full of it as that it could not be all brought out at once but by degrees it was out of the abundance of his heart that he abounded so much in this one petition And is the heart of our dear Lord so much in it and shall not the heart of every one to whom he is dear be much in it too Can you follow a better pattern or write after a better copie It is without all doubt that the more you have of the same Spirit that dwelt in him the more it will enlarge your hearts this way in conformity to this heavenly temper that was so eminent in him And the more you shall finde your hearts run out to this thing as Christs did the more shall you be inriched with an assurance of your dwelling in him and he in you 1 John 4.13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his Spirit And what way is there in all the world for you to indeer your selves to Christ more then in being found according to his owne heart Doe not good disposition'd parents take most pleasure in those children that are most of their own temper and so does Christ in those that are most like him How great a praise was it to David to be said to be a man after Gods owne heart Acts 13.22 and I am sure it will be your glory in this to be men after Christs owne heart Did Christ pray and pray so earnestly for this thing that all that are believers should be one why then let those that would be like him and professe to be learners of him doe so too And not