and Church priviledges and be incouraged unto Church communion in all the waies of Christ that so they may come under Church discipline the best remedy to reclaim the obstinate and wilfull offenders 6. I wish the gifted brethren were better imployed then in unchurching our Churches and gathering Churches out of them it were a work more proper and acceptable either to be content to exercise their gifts to the edifying and building up of that Church in which they received them or else to goe into the infidell world as the Apostles did and preach the Gospel and plant Churches there The Scripture Raile Examined REader since I parted with what I had written in answer to Doctor Drake in the foregoing discourse there came to my hand Mr. Humfreys Rejoyner in vindication of himself a work very well performed by him wherein the truth formerly by him asserted is better cleared and confirmed to the satisfaction of many souls fearing God and breathing forth their earnest desires after the settlement reformation and uniformity of the Church of God in England according to the Word of God Be not prejudiced against his book by other learned men who have and still do appear with much bitternesse and passion against him more to affright with words and humane dictates meerly then with matter of grounded truth according to the sense of the holy Scripture witnesse that book put forth by some Ministers of Glocester-shire intituled A Scripture Raile to the Communion Table I confesse the title is good for we do acknowledge there ought to be such a thing but not in their sense as I hope shall appear by the discovery made in this short discourse following in which I shall wave what hath been already written in answer to D. Drake by Mr. Humfrey and my self and take notice only of some things in the Scripture Raile which have not yet been spoken to that I know of And this I shall do as briefly as I can because I would not anticipate him whom it doth more nearly concern And first of all because I would not leave the weak and incautelous Reader deceived with vain and groundlesse words in reading this Scripture Raile let this be noted that I take Scripture discipline to be the only Rail for the Communion Table which I hope both the Author reproached and my self earnestly desire may be set up and all our indevours tend as conducible means to that end as being assured that the first stone in the building of the reformation as to our case is holy discipline And whether their principles or ours tend most to that I hope to make appear to sober and unprejudiced Christians And the way I shall take shall be to discover some of these Gentlemens unbrotherly dealings with Mr. Humfrey first in perverting his sense Secondly in setting up a Raile to the Lords Table by perverting Scripture and so making that Raile to be a pretended discipline meerly 1. They have damned and censured his Book to be an ungodly pamphlet in which is a masse of perverting Scriptures tending to destroy all Church reformation little better then carnall and profane reasoning sophistry a heterodox piece abomination a vile piece with divers other such hard censures language enough to affright any from ever looking into it that have any care of their souls to avoid their own destruction in complying with that soul damning practise of maintaining mixt communion as they call it I must confesse these men seem very confident in reproaching and censuring both the Book and the man but in this their indeavour to make it thus vile and odious to the world they have not the least evidence of truth or strength of reason to evince it that I can finde in their Book And it will so appear if you minde what is Mr. H. scope and end in his discourse and what are the principles upon which it is founded As 1. That the visible Church of Christ consists of men making a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and so are Saints by calling what ever they are in truth while they so professe and adhere to the true worship the means and matter of which are hearing the word receiving the Sacrament and prayer and of these many are called and few are chosen 2. That all of these of years come under the obligation of Christs commands and are bound to do their duty homage to Christ their Lord as well as they can according to Mat. 28.19 20. 3. That all such ought to submit to Church discipline and not to be excluded from any observance nor denyed any Church priviledge untill they be judicially proceeded against and debarred by vertue of positive excommunication 4. That Ministers by vertue of their function and office may lawfully administer the Sacraments to Church members though they be ignorant and scandalous he doing his duty as well as he may in preparing them in the want of Church discipline These I dare boldly affirme are the main things asserted in that little despised piece which with a sober spirit the Author hath soberly discussed and cleared from the common exceptions made against it by men of different mindes for which his pains first and last I verily beleeve the Church of God in England have great cause to be thankfull to the Lord of the harvest for sending such a faithfull plain-hearted labourer amongst us the sweet temperature of his spirit so adorned with wisdome charity and such a peaceable frame bespeaks him taught of God the true sense of his will in his holy Scriptures rather then his reproachers 1. Touching the visible Church what evill hath he done in asserting it to consist of men making a profession of faith in Christ Wherein doth he dissent from the most orthodox writers in all ages in judging the Church of England a true Church It is confessed by the adversaries and also that a parochiall congregation where the Word is truly preached and the Sacraments administred according to order being a part of the whole is a true Church likewise And this is also confessed by these Gentlemen for they grant that our parochiall Churches are true Churches in a large sense and that is enough as to this and so I hope there is no evill in this first position 2. For the next thing by him asserted namely that all of years in a parish being baptized come under the obligation of all Christs commands it is proved by the text before cited Mat. 28.19 20. And that in order to the Lords Supper Do this in remembrance of me is a known duty belonging to every particular member of the Church in common with all other parts of the worship and service of God And is it then profane reasoning to urge Church members to do their duty and homage in this particular more then in all others To this these Gentlemen have said but little that I can finde to take off what is urged by Mr. H. As for that of the Passeover Mr. H.
pleading thy right during thy priviledge of positive Church membership And in the last place I shall in all humility offer a few words to the reverend Ministers of God as a means to quench the present flames that are in the Church of Christ in England First let me beseech you not to urge upon your people any practise under necessity of duties of worship either publique or private that is not evidently commanded or at least deducted from the clear and genuine sense of holy Scripture by necessary consequence Secondly labour so to agree among your selves in the main essentials of Doctrine Worship and Discipline that in every place there may be a preaching and holding forth of the same things in all Thirdly condescend to the meanest of your people with an equall respect in all your ministeriall administrations both publique and private that none may be discouraged nor any indulged in an evill way Fourthly be as watchfull of those that are inclined to an inordinate zeal in the smaller matters of Religion as of those that expresse but little zeal at all in Gods worship Fifthly allow the worst of your people the title of Christians beleevers members and allow them all other externall priviledges which of right are theirs in regard of their relative state as they are such yet deal faithfully with them as touching their reall state in order to their eternall weal or woe Sixthly decline as much as may be novelty and variety in profession catechismes and all essentials of publique worship that your people may more willingly adhere to you and give you the greater advantage to advance the Christian Religion among them Lastly What in you lies restore with the spirit of meeknesse in your private admonitions weak brethren that through infirmity fall do not exasperate any w th pulpit invections unlesse it be in case of known obstinacy But I shall leave all to your charitable construction and sober apprehension of what I do here offer to your consideration I am a poor worm and look to be despised for medling with things out of my spheare but I see it 's the common lot of the most learned in these times to be reproached and therefore I shall the better bear it though for this my vindicating of Mr. Humfrey from reproach I be the more reproached I am sorry his principles be not vindicated from the reverend Doctors exceptions and objections by a better pen then his Who is thy humble servant breathing after the simplicity of truth John Timson The Barre to free Admission to the LORDS SVPPER removed MEEting with a Book called A Barre to free Admission to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper written by Doctor Drake in answer to Mr. Humphrey and having diligently read both I finde that even good men are too apt to reprove one another in things controverted betwixt them which ought not so to be As for Mr. Humphreys vindication of free admission as he states bounds and handles it it seems to me more rationall and clear then to deserve so many harsh expressions from the reverend Doctor as he hath let slip whether in haste or more deliberately I leave to himself to consider Sure I am some words might better have been spared then so published in print to the world it being not yet determined whether Mr. Humphreys discourse be untrue or no though disputable with the Doctor it seems whether it be more full of words or untruthes which is very uncharitable and unbrotherly dealing but I forbear Both the reverend Doctor and Mr. Humprey are Gentlemen I am altogether unacquainted with whose gifts learned abilities I yet much reverence and wish this poor distracted Church may never want such officers to rule and feed her in the Lord as the meanest of them be It 's an unhappy controversie I confesse and little cause there is to take content in these debates yet as times are it hath need of scanning and sifting because much of the unity and welbeing of the nationall Church depends upon the right stating and clearing of this Question our doubts and scruples concerning the holy Supper having upon the matter unsetled all Some mistakes about admission thereto have run thousands into faction schisme and separation under a zeal of separating the Precious from the Vile of withholding the childrens bread from dogs of preserving the Ordinances pure c. The premises are good conducing much to reformation were they not misapplyed in respect of persons and in respect of the right way and means of putting them in execution as things now stand as I beleeve it will appear they are by this following discourse wherein I shall endevour to vindicate that little Tract of Mr. Humphrey from the Doctors unbrotherly dealing with him according to my measure and meannesse Not that I intend an orderly and exact reply to every particular which neither my capacity nor occasions of my laborious calling will bear but to undermine his chiefest strength passing by the rest And first of all for the Text which Mr. Humphrey delivers his discourse upon though he may be thought not so happy in his choice of it in order to what he insisteth on as having rather a sound then a true and full sense of the question and point concluded yet I doubt not but the discourse will as to the substance thereof be warranted by other Scriptures And for Judas his receiving or not receiving I look not upon it as clearly argumentative one way or other Neither do I think that first president without the supply of other Scriptures would make much for or against us in this matter they being Apostles only that then received whose office in the Church is now ceased In short I shall not go about to defend every quotation or assertion in Mr. H. Book nor to clear him from some inconsistences pointed out by the reverend Doctor it 's sufficient that he hath made good the main thing asserted namely That all Church members of years and under Church indulgence not rightly excommunicated may come freely to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper His free Admission is limited with exceptions of infants distracted the excommunicated and he might say the drunk Now the Doctor saith That by the same reason that he excepts these we may may except the grosly ignorant and scandalous in the Church Concerning which this twofold inquiry is made 1. Whether Church members of years having the exercise of reason being ignorant be as uncapable of the Sacrament as Infants or distraught 2. Whether scandalous members under Church indulgence may be equally debarred this Church priviledge with the regularly excommunicated To the former of these the Doctor saith That the grosly ignorant are as uncapable to examine themselves and discerne the Lords body as Infants and therefore as justly to be excepted against nay more because Infants and distraught may have the grace of the covenant really the other not To which I answer what the secret working of the
of true discipline is practised in the Church of England and in what an incapacity we are for the present of any true reformation whatever some pretend But the sixt and last I intend more especially to clear up in vindication of Mr. H. And take it thus Excommunication is a delivering to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. It 's a great thunder-bolt punishment inflicted by the Church as the last remedy to reduce the obstinate from the way of perishing Calvin saith As Christ is in the Church so Satan is out of the Church to which condition the excommunicated are sentenced but with a mercifull end to reduce them to Christian obedience where God gives the blessing Otherwise it is the very beginning of hell and eternall wrath when the sentence is just it being confirmed in heaven Put out from among you that wicked person 1 Cor. 5.13 He must be put out from among themselves and so out of all communion The same word seems to be Joh. 9.22 and 12.42 where it is said of some that they durst not confesse Christ for fear of the Jews for they had a greed that if any did confesse him they should be put out of the Synagogue So that if the Apostle Paul in the censure of the incestuous person have any reference to the practise of the Jewes as the Doctor seems to hint why then doubtlesse he was put out of the Churches assemblies For it is most certain the Synagogues were places of case where the Jewes publiquely assembled for divine worship of prayer reading preaching c. Act. 13 14 15 16. So that I say if Paul followed the practise of the Jewes or meant that the Corinthians should proceed according to their practise in this then his meaning was that they should put out that wicked person from their assemblies for communion and worship I professe I cannot but wonder the Doctor should be so tart with Mr. Humphrey in this thing he having the very letter of the Text and the practise of the Jewes Church to warrant what he hath asserted in this point For let me aske the reverend Doctor how he or any other of his opinion will reconcile that delivering to Satan out of the Church and allowing their presence in the congregation in all acts of worship and spirituall communion except actuall receiving of the Sacrament of the Supper To put out that wicked person from among themselves and at the same time to allow him presence among themselves and to have communion with them in all acts of worship except the Supper are altogether inconsistent Neither doth that any thing at all help which the Doctor so often urges in his book Let him be as a Heathen or publican But Heathens and publicans may be present at all the ordinances 1 Cor. 14.24 And therefore the excommunicate may because they are not to be unto the Church worse then a Heathen c. For to this I have many words to say which I think will answer the argument 1. It will appear that scandalous brethren are in some respect worse then infidels If any provide not for his own specially for those of his own house he hath denyed the faith and is worse then an infidell 1 Tim. 5.8 And it had been better for revolting Christians never to have known the way of righteousnesse 2 Pet. 2.21 And there was not such a thing so much as named among the Gentiles that one should have his fathers wife 1 Cor. 5.1 And when scandalous brethren are worse then Heathens in sinning under such means of better obedience that Heathens have not there is reason they should be denied something of priviledge that Heathens may have 2. It 's clear that scandalous brethren are to be denied that priviledge in civill commerce and familiarity that Heathens are allowed to have with Christians and Christians with them 1 Cor. 5.9 10 11. 2 Thess 3.14 1 Cor. 10.27 compared Liberty is given to Christians to have civill and friendly familiarity with infidels and fornicators of the world which yet is absolutely to be denyed to scandalous and disorderly brethren as a means to bring them to shame And if scandalous brethren under triall or actuall censure are to be debarred of some priviledge that heathens are allowed it will somewhat weaken the strength of the Doctors argument 3. The Apostles had direct and expresse commission after Christs ascension to preach unto the Heathen and therefore had warrant to admit of their voluntary presence to hear in any place where opportunity might give the advantage of converting them But yet upon their rejecting the Gospel when it was faithfully tendred to them the Apostles might shake off the dust of their feet against them and leave them deeper under wrath The unbeleeving Jewes were within the commission too but when they rejected the words of eternall life and abused the messengers of Christ that preached this to them it 's said they judged themselves unworthy of eternall life and upon that account the Apostles forsake them Most terrible things are written against the disobedient to the Gospell And I am sure Christians that reject the Lawes of Christ as the excommunicated are supposed to do are worse then Infidels that never had the means of knowing and doing what Christ commands As in respect of sin and eternall punishment those that live under the Gospell but refuse to submit to it may be said to be worse then Heathens so why not in point of externall Church priviledge likewise they having forfeited all those priviledges of word prayer Sacraments ingaging all powerfull means of their reformation which heathens never had the advantage of And it is supposed that Christ is rejected in all the ordinary means appointed to reclaim the scandalous and obstinate in the Church before this sentence of excommunication is pronounced and put in execution against them And just it is that they that obstinately reject all should be banished from all that they may either return to their duty by repentance and thereby give satisfaction to the Church and be again received into communion or else adde to obstinacy apostasie also be rejected for ever that the Name of God be not evill spoken of because of such scandalous members 4. Let him be to thee as a Heathen or Publican that is let the excommunicated be as odious and as abominable to thee as a Publican or Roman officer sitting at the receit of custome was to the Jewes or as a Heathen was to the Jewes during the present state of the Jewish Church with respect to which Christ speaks when the uncircumcised were an abomination to the Jewes they being forbidden to let any stranger or uncircūcised in the flesh come into Gods Sanctuary or partake of any priviledge of worship but upon being a Proselyte And let the excommunicated be as such a one and then what hath the Doctor and his party gotten Touching the
H. provided it be done by the just censures of the Church so that these Gentlemen may see what a noise they make about nothing But they go on and tell us what Gelaspy saith on 1 Cor. 10. in his Book called Aarons Rod budded concerning those Israelites that did eat of the Manna and drank of the Rock that followed them that they falling into idolatry whoredomes murmurings and the like the wrath of God came upon them hence they inferre They did not eat of the Manna and drink of the Rock after the committing of those sins and so were excluded for morall uncleannesse as good a consequence as the former For first I deny that all that were guilty of those sins were cut off from the congregation for the whole congregation murmured c. yet were they not all destroyed their carkasses fell in the wildernesse not all at once in one day but by degrees for many years and yet those that were spared did eat Manna otherwise they must needs have perished with hunger Secondly For those that were destroyed and cut off was it that they might not eat Manna any more What a strange and absurd consequence is this They were destroyed for their idolatry whoredomes and murmurings therefore they were cut off that they might not eat of that Sacramentall Manna What a strange fancy is this as if a malefactor were put to death that he might not live to come to the Sacrament any more me thinks it were more rationall to say they were cut off by death that they might not dishonour God by the committing of those sins of idolatry whoredomes and murmurings any more In the same page from the false and absurd premises as they are already discovered to be those Gentlemen urge Mr. H. with an argument but it is so long flat and false that I shall passe it by having already cut the legs it stands upon And the truth is the Author whom they reproach hath said enough concerning this Scripture to stop the mouth of very malice and envie it self if any thing would do it But let us remember what we are upon These Gentlemen have denied that all the Israelites were admitted to their Sacraments especially the Passeover and to prove this they have brought some Scriptures I have examined them you see and their interences and conclusions drawn from them and all they have said and make a shew of amounts to no more but this 1. That some were denyed the Passeover for a moneths space by reason of their legall uncleâ—nnesse 2. That some have been cut off by death for morall uncleannesse or that some have otherwise been separated from the congregation and so from all ordinances of divine worship for scandalous sins And all that can possibly be gathered hence is no more then what Mr. H. hath all along granted for he excepts the excommunicate in his Free Admission to the Lords Supper and this is by them yeelded unto if he mean right according to the word the matter is ended So that one would think they granted this and in another place that our parochiall congregations are true Churches in a large sense that the whole difference between Mr. H. and them were only in point of discipline And if so then the fault Mr. H. is chargeable with in this point is his not setting up discipline but exercising the ordinances of worship without it But M. Joanes hath said enough to take off this in urging and proving a necessity of administring the Sacrament of the Supper in congregations not Presbytered Thus we have considered the admission to the Passeover among the Jewes Now seeing there is such analogie between the Passeover and the Lords Supper the admission to the one seems to be a good rule for admission to the other and seems to be granted on both sides in that it is urged by both And therefore I shal assert some things from the law of the Passeover for further confirmation and strengthning of the duty of free admission to the Lords Supper 1. The Passeover was the same for substance with the holy Supper signifying the same things 2. It was a service commanded the whole Church that whosoever should neglect it in his season should be cut off from his people 3. The people of Israel were a mixt people and many of them as uncapable of making a spirituall use of the Passeover as ours of the Supper 4. The Church under the Gospell administration is under the same Covenant and is but added to or graffed into the Church of the Jewes and their constitution Rom. 11.18 5. The Church of Christ since the comming of Christ in the flesh is under the same principles and in some respects greater then under Moses and the Prophets And therefore why should not admission to the Lords Supper be as free as the Passeover First I say the Jewes Passeover was the same for substance with our Sacrament of the Lords Supper both signifie the same things 1. The Paschal Lamb appointed for that holy service was a lively type of the Lamb of God slain from the beginning of the world to take away the sins thereof 2. The offering of this Lamb whole without dismembring or breaking a bone of him did shew that whole Christ must suffer that his suffering might be sufficient to satisfie divine justice 3. The bloud of the lamb was to be stricken on the lintels and side posts of every ones door as a token upon those houses where the Israelites were that when the Lord passed through the land of Egypt to destroy the first born both of man and beast the plague might not smite those houses which was to instruct them that this Lamb of God Christ Jesus whose bloud was shed upon the crosse was the only Saviour of his Church and people from the wrath which the Egyptian world lies under and not having any knowledge of him nor means of coming unto him must needs perish And all this concerning the Passeover was to be observed yearly at the time appointed through their generations for ever for a memoriall of their deliverance out of Egypt which though it were but bodily and temporall yet it was to lead them to the understanding of their spirituall and eternall deliverance by the bloud of Christ And hence it is that the Apostle saith Christ our Passeover is sacrificed for us 1 Cor. 5.7 We in the Supper have the signs of Christs own death held out as already accomplished they in the type had him held forth as decreed and promised to be accomplished and both to be observed in that remembrance And as it is well observed that Christ having kept the last Passeover did immediately institute the Sacrament of the Supper that it might succeed in the room and stead of the Passeover A change in the thing typified Christ then to come and suffer death now already come and suffered was the cause of the change in the externals of this service Secondly That the Law of
framing such expedients as in a manner bring in all under a capacity of Sacramentall communion and discipline as in Worcestershire and other places or else carry on the Ordinances of Jesus Christ by vertue of their office as well as they can without Discipline as being convinced of their incapacity for the present so attain unto the true end and exercise thereof notwithstanding all their search disquisition and indevours to satisfie one another therein And the serious debates and seeking of God concerning this should move to own and assent to what is concluded thereupon I conceive it more safe to adhere to the greater part of sober Divines that have been serious in the use of these and all other means to satisfie themselves and others as well as those men and yet dare not in the least degree countenance their way and practise I would aske them this question whether they did ever read of any such practise that a few particular Ministers by their own authority have had the boldnesse to withdraw from the greatest part of their flocks and set up a way of Discipline of their own framing and upon the matter unchurch the greatest part of their congregations allowing them no other priviledge in the Church then they would to Pagans Did the Apostles ever make so bold with any Christian congregation that adhered to the Gospell administrations or did they ever authorize ordinary Presbyters to do so Nay did any ordinary Presbyter in the Apostles time exercise Discipline but upon the command of the Apostles or do we finde them any where blamed because they did not do it I verily beleeve these Gentlemen may not assume such an interest in the exercise of the Key of Discipline as the Apostles had and yet they are more busie with the rod then ever any of the Apostles were Alas it's pity some care is not taken to restrain their imperious usurpation over their severall flocks I think since the ceasing of the Apostles office it is more sutable to the Scripture alledged and other Scriptures to elect such Presbyteries to judge of manners in the Church as were constituted in the Church of the Jewes which our Saviour approved of which yet would come short of being equall with the Apostles in respect of the authority which they had in the Church of Christ though they were in all places men of the best qualifications for Rule that any attain to in our times and so I have done with that Scripture Mat. 18. I will trouble the reader but with two or three passages more about their new modell for I have a good minde to draw to an end and my other occasions will not permit me to do much in these waies Pag. 4. they tell us of the drawing up a profession of faith wherein they acknowledge their former Abominations in worship professing their repentance before the Lord for them Concerning which I say It is a strange expression of Christians except they were such as came newly out of Paganisme or Popery at least What abominations of worship have been established or practised in our Church since the reformation of it Is it not strange that the Ministers of the Church who should be ready to defend the Church from the wicked slanders and reproaches of Anabaptists and other Separatists should thus publickly join with them and that in such a publick way before the world too How many powerfull and successefull Ministers of the Gospell now with Jesus Christ in glory have justified all the ordinary parts of Gods worship as it was practised in our publick assemblies all along and conformed thereunto chearfully in respect of the substance of our worship Indeed there were some needlesse ceremonies used about worship which were declared by the Church to be no part of the worship now these were born as burthens which many of the godly desired to be eased of by their removall but it never came into their thoughts that they were guilty of abominations in worship because of them How doth Mr. Hildersham in his Lectures upon Joh. 4. justifie the Church of England as a true Church and the severall parts of worship practised therein as being according to the institution of the Lord And how doth he from thence blame those that separated or neglected the publick prayers of the Church and yet himself was one of the old non-conformists And Mr. Cotton that went into new England writing an Epistle to that Book doth therein highly commend the Author for many things but in a speciall manner for confuting the separations of the Brownists and he repeats what another reported of him styling him the hammer of Schismaticks commonly called Brownists Those Gentlemen talk of the Covenant established in Christ into which they require a profession to enter of those they admit to partake of the Seal of that Covenant pag. 10. Concerning this I say it were well if they would act according to their own words for 't is certain all Church communion is sounded upon covenant relation And those whose admittance to the Sacrament we plead for are supposed to have entred Covenant relation either in their parents or in their own personall profession of the true Religion that holy Scriptures teach or both and their voluntary adhering to the administrations of the Covenant doth attest their entring the Covenant and their continuing and abiding in that relation let them say what they can to the contrary But they say Object Persons that have entred Covenant may back-slide and so that relation cease and they instance in Simon Magus but those that brake bread were such as continued in the Apostles doctrin Act. 2.42 And back-sliders are not to be admitted to surther communion 1. Answ How do they know that Simon Magus fell off rom the Christian profession when the last we read concerning him is his retracting his erroneous the uphts desiring the Apostle to pray for him that none of those evils might come upon him 2. Suppose he did backslide and renounce his Baptisme and profession would he then have desired Christian communion in the Ordinances of Christ what more absurd 3. We only plead for such to break bread that continue in the Apostles Doctrine which we say all do that adhere to the administrations of Jesus Christ set up in his Church as the ordinary means of obtaining Covenant grace And for what they say concerning renewing of our Covenant with God after defection from him we heartily allow of it provided it be done according to the Scripture Deut. 29.10 11 12 c. Nâ—hem 10.29 Where in the persons of the chief the whole ingaged to walk in all the waies of the Lord and to observe and do all his commandements and his judgement and his statutes This is contrary to these men that would set up a Rail to hinder Christians from observing all Gods Commands nay rather to uncovenant a people in Covenant then ingage them to renew Covenant and walk worthy their Covenant relation in their observance of all covenant Ordinances in hope of blessing And I wish that if the Church cannot the Magistrate would take down the high places that hinder the Lords people from worshipping at the only place of worship If some have liberty to worship at Dan and Bethel why should any be restrained from worshipping at Jerusalem and doing their homage and service in remembrance of Christ who died for sinners I had thought to have added a word concerning the fourth and last thing proposed in the beginning of this Examination as it was urged by Mr. Humfrey namely that Ministers ought to do their duties as they are Ministers though Discipline be wanting and cannot well be attained as things stand of which duties the administration of the Sacrament is one which by their office they are bound to performe as they will answer the neglect thereof to Jesus Christ himself who commands the observance of all his holy Ordinances in the Church for the feeding of his flock And those that love him will make conscience in their places to be faithfull to him that hath appointed them But I fear I have been too tedious already And Mr. Humfrey in his Rejoynder to Doctor Drake hath abundantly given satisfaction in the vindication of this and other truths asserted in his former Book And if he shall think these Gentlemen worthy of any further answer I shall rather leave it to himself then do any thing that may hinder the Church of God of the faithfull and profitable labours of him or any others FINIS ERRATA PAg. 1. line 7. for reprove read reproach p. 4. l. 24. put out may p. 12. l. 8. f. when r. what p. 21. l. 25. f. many r. main p. 32. l. 12. put out be p. 33 l. 14 f. such r. say p. 34. l. 28. r. not allow p. 35. l. 16. r. simply p. 39. l. 16. in the margin for 42 2. r. 42. p 49 l. 5. l. 34. r. 3. which should begin the line and senâ—ence p. 51. l. 3. r. premise l. 22. f. baptized r. lapsed p 60. l. 26. r. guest p. 65. l. 27. f. the r. by p. 67 l. 8. f. communication r. communion p. 71. l. 13 put a period after worship p. 74. l. 25. f. all r. and p 75. l. 12. f. also r. and so p. 91. l. 18. r. relation p. 99. l. 9. r. reference p. 110. l. 29. f. and Gentiles r. assembilies p. 116 l. 1 2. r. Gillespy p. 117. l. 22. put in the margin 1 Cor. 10.7 8 9 10. p. 120 l. 10. f principles r. priviledges p. 127. l. 5. f. God r. Gospel p. 151. l. 1. s no r not p. 164. l. 14. s drived r. derived p. 173. l. 7. put out the stop after sense