shall propound matters as they come to hand Concerning the Constitution of the Church consider their judgement first what they think of others then what of themselves All other Churches they condemn so far as to professe and practise a Separation from them The edge of their Arguments is usually directed against the Church of England alone but when their Doctrine or Practise is looked upon a little more neer it appears they shoot their Bolts at all other Churches in the world which refuse their Way For the Church of England they say it ought not to be called a Church or at best that it is a false and Antichristian Church out of the which every one though not persecuted must flee as they would avoid damnation A Sometimes in their calm mood they will give better words and acknowledge it to be a true Church That the Doctrine and Sacraments thereof are true That many thousands of its members are gracious and elect people B But their ordinary language is of another strain to wit That the Church of England is a meer Harlot divorced from Christ C That the Worship thereof is grosse Idolatry and the Service of the devil D That all the members thereof are unclean beasts and the limbs of Antichrist E That her best Preachers that preach most for Reformation are but Pharisees and Deceivers F That the Faith Grace and Comfort which by their Ministery they seem to bring to the hearts of the hearers is but meer delusion G That their Sacraments are Seals not of Grace but of the wrath of God H That all Communion with her even in the Word and Prayer is to be forsaken I The Unconformists did always zealously plead against the Corruptions of that Church but never against the truth of her being or the comfort of her Communion When by the force of persecution they were driven out then they did flee Of their own accord they did never separate but were ever most glad to live and die in her bosome willing to partake of her Worship and Sacraments whenever they were permitted to dissent in Doctrine and to abstain in practice from those things which they conceived to be corruptions K Concerning other Reformed Churches though free both of Liturgies and Bishops and many other of the English stumbling-blocks notwithstanding all their Reformation yet they pronounce their Worship to be idolatrous L their Government tyrannous and Antichristian M yea their very Constitution both in matter and form to be so vitious N that with a good conscience they cannot communicate with any of them O that the reformed Presbyteries and Synods are no better then the English Episcopacy P yea to Episcopacy they are so favourable that they professe their willingnesse to acknowledge all their Civil Power and much of their Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Q 1. that the Presbyterian Divines have ever been as evil as Episcopal Q 2. that the vitious constitution and government of the most reformed Churches in Europe hath flowed from the ignorance and obstinacy of unhappie Calvin R 1. We must not be deceived with their pleasant words when they make fair professions of their hearty agreement in so many things with the other Reformed Churches and of their willingnesse to communicate with them both in Word and Sacraments R 2. These flatteries are contradictory both to their Doctrine and Practice for when they had left England they were so far from joyning with any of the Reformed that they ever erected new Churches after their own way and made it an open and avowed cause of Excommunication for any of their Members to communicate with the Churches of Holland among whom they did live R 3 also the crimes of the Church of Holland which they cry out upon are such which none of the Reformed Divines do condemn S On the other side the Nonconformists whom the Episcopal persecution did banish out of England were ever well content without erecting of a new Church to joyn themselves as Members to any of the forrain Churches Scottish Dutch or French according as they understood their Language or had occasion of abode among them Thus they do judge of others As for the form of that Tabernacle which they professe to build for themselves thus we may conceive it The matter or members of that Church they avow to be Saints but the Members of other Churches they pronounce them for the most part to be wicked and flagitious T The Nonconformists with all the reformed are willing to admit of no others to the Lords Table but these who are Saints by calling in whom they require three qualifications First That they have a good measure of knowledge and professe to beleeve the truth Secondly That in their life and conversation they be without scandal Thirdly That they be submissive to the Discipline of the Church But the Brownists presse a fourth qualification Were a mans profession never so fair and his knowledge never so great In all parts of Doctrine let him be most Orthodox and in his Conversation most harmlesse and inoffensive were he never so willing to joyn in all the Ordinances of God and to be governed according to the strictest Discipline of Christ notwithstanding all this they count him not qualified to be a Church Member except he declare publikely in the face of the Congregation such clear and certain signes of his real Sanctification and true Regeneration as gives full satisfaction not onely to the Minister and Elders and many of the people but to all and every one or at least the major part of the Church V If any prophane person should be admitted he should quickly so far pollute the whole Church that every Member thereof must needs become partaker of his sins X And if upon admonition they did not excommunicate him they themselves ought to be separated from as an infected and leprous Society Y They tell us yet more that not onely the profanenesse of one person doth pollute the whole Church but any one sin or errour of any one Member though godly and regenerate if after admonition he continue therein and be not excommunicate doth so defile the whole that it must be separated from Z To distinguish here betwixt sins greater and lesser to make some errours Fundamental and some preter-Fundamental it is to them a following of the Papists in their absurd distinction of mortal and venial sins the least Errour joyned with obstinacie to them is an Heresie and a just cause of Separation AA They acknowledge it is the fancy of the Anabaptists to separate for every fault and errour but that which alone displeaseth them in this fancy is a fault whereof the Anabaptists seem not to be guilty the not advertising of the Church of the fault and errour of the Member they complain of before they separate If this neglect be helped the rest of the fancy they seem to approve BB Thus much for the matter of their Church the
of the Churches infancy they were Idolatry false doctrine open profanenesse were then most abominable and more terribly punished then now by the totall destruction of whole Cities and Countries wherein they were entertained also the duty of mutuall inspection and admonition the contempt whereof is made the grand cause of separation was most clearly enjoyned in the Old Testament What here is replyed that all separation from the Iewish Church was simply impossible because then there was no other Church in the whole earth to goe to We answer that the Replyers themselves will say that a separation must be where there is just cause and where a person cannot abide without pollution and sin although there be no other Church for him to go to for they make it better for men to live alone separate from all then to abide in any Church where they cannot live without the participation of their neighbours sinnes We answer further That it was easie for the godly under the Law to have joyned together in the service of God and to have excluded the wicked thence and whereas it is said that this could not bee done because the Censure of Excommunication was not then in being We answer the Gospel makes it cleare That casting out of the Synagogue which was reall Excommunication was frequent in the Old Testament as also the keeping off from the service with a great deale of circumspection all who were unfit by any legall pollution much more by any known morall uncleannesse Kings themselves when polluted were removed from the Altar and put out of the Sanctuary Again I reason thus That which moved not Christ and his Apostles to separate from the Church of their time is no cause to us of separation but want of satisfaction by convincing signes of the true grace of every member of the Church was to them no cause of separation from the Churches of their times Ergo. The major is cleare except we desire a better pattern for our practices then Christ and his Apostles what ever carrieth us beyond their line must be high presumption and deep hypocrisie The minor is cleare by many Scriptures the Scribes and Pharisees were a generation of vipers Ierusalem worse then Sodom and Gomorrah Corasin and Bethsaida was worse then Tyrus and Sidon and to be cast lower in Hell then these yet the Lord did not give over to preach to pray to go to the Temple with them Iudas when a declared Traytor did not scarre him nor any of his company from the Sacrament After he went from the Table when his wickednesse was revealed that a Devill was in him yet none of the Apostles offered to cast themselves out of the body because this wicked member was not cut off Many members of the Apostolick Churches were so farre from convincing signes of true grace that the works of the flesh were most evident in their life In the Corinthians fundamentall errours open Idolaty grievous scandall bitter contentions profanation of the Lords Table In the Galatians such errours as destroyed grace and made Christ of none effect In the Church of Ephesus of Laodicea and the other golden Candlesticks divers members were so evidently faulty that the Candlestick is threatned to be removed yet from none of these Churches did any of the Apostles ever separate nor gave they the least warrant to any of their Disciples to make a separation from any of them A third Argument The want of that which never was to bee found in any Church is no just cause of separation But satisfaction by convincing Arguments of the true grace of every member was never to be found in any Church The major is unquestionable for what is not cannot have any operation non entis nulla sunt accidentia The minor is demonstrable from the nature of a visible Church it is such a body whose members are never all gracious if we believe Scripture It is not like the Church invisible the Church of the Elect. It is an heterogeneous body the parts of it are very dissimilar some chaffe some corne some wheat some tares a net of fishes good and bad a house wherein are vessels of honour and dishonour a fold of sheep and goats a tree of green and withered branches a table of guests some with some without a wedding garment in a word every visible Church is a society wherein many are called few chosen except therefore we will alter the nature of all visible Churches whereof Scripture speaks we must grant that in every Church there are some members which have no true grace and if so how can they give convincing and satisfactory signes of that which is not to be found Hypocrites may make a shew without of that which is not within but shall we lay an obligation upon every hypocriticall member of a Church to be so eminently skilfull in the art of counterfeiting as to produce in the midst of his gracelesnesse so cleare so evident and satisfactory signes of his true grace as may convince the hearts of every one of the Church that the thing is within the mans breast which certainly is not there The fourth Argument The want of that which cannot reasonably be supposed of every member of a Congregation is no just cause of separation from any Church but satisfaction c. Ergo. The major is cleare for if the want of such satisfaction be a just cause of separation from the Church Then the presence of such a satisfaction is very requisite to be in every member as a necessary meane to keep it in union with that Church The minor that such a satisfaction may not justly be supposed in every member of a Congregation for this would import these foure things all which are unreasonable First that every member of a Congregation is to have power to try all its fellow-members to let them in or hold them out according as in this triall he is satisfied This is a large limb of the Brownistick Anarchy putting the key of Authority and Iurisdiction into the hand of every Church-member if all the Independents will defend this let them speak it out plainly Secondly it requires a great deale of more ability in every member of every Church then can be found in any mortall man for not to speak of the impossibility of a grounded and certaine perswasion of true grace in the heart of an Hypocrite who hath no grace at all how is it possible to attaine unto any grounded certainty of true grace in the heart of any other man for the hid man of the heart and the new name are not certainly known to any but to such as have them The grounds of a mans own certain perswasion the act of his faith either direct or reflex the witnesse of his conscience or the seale of the spirit cannot go without his own breast all the demonstrations which can be made to another are so oft found false that in understanding men they
state of Pagans turning them all out of the Christian Church denying to them Sacraments Discipline Church-Officers and all that they would deny to the Pagans of America ibid. They open a doore to Anabaptisme by three farther Positions First they require in all to be baptised a reall holinesse above a foederall which in no Infant with any certainty can be found ibid. Secondly they esteeme none for their Baptisme and Christian education a Member of their Church till they have entred themselves in their Church Covenant p. 120 Thirdly they call none of their Members to any accompt before their Presbytery for obstinate rejecting of Paedo-baptisme although the Brownists doe excommunicate for that sinne ibid. They participate with none of the reformed Churches in the Lords Supper yet they scruple not to communicate with Brownists and Anabaptists ibid. Their way of celebrating the Lords Supper is more dead and comfortlesse then anywhere else p. 121 They have no catechising no preparation nor thanks-giving-Sermons ordinarily they speake no word of the Sacrament in their Sermons and prayers either before or after ibid. They have onely a little discourse and short prayer in the consecration of both the Elements thereafter in the action nothing but dumb silence no exhortation no reading no Psalme ibid. They require none of their Members to come out of their Pewes to the Table and they acknowledge no more use of a Table then the Brownists at Amsterdam which have none at all ibid. They teach the expediency of covering the head at the Lords Table p. 122 They are as much for the popular Government as the Brownists ibid. All Discipline must be executed in the presence and with the consent of the whole people and all must passe by the expresse suffrage of every one p. 123 Dissenters not onely loose their right of Suffrage for the time but are subjected to censure if they continue in their dissent ibid. They are much for private meetings for it is in them that they usually frame the Members of other mens Congregations into their new mould but the Brownists and they of New-England having felt the bitter fruits of such meetings have relinquished if not discarged them ibid. They flatter the Magistrate and slander the reformed Churches without cause p. 124 Some of them are for the abolishing of all Magistracy ibid. All of them are for the casting out and keeping out of the Christian Church all Princes all Members of Parliament all Magistrates of the Counties and Burrowes that now are and that ever have been and are ever like to be hereafter except a very few p. 125 These few Magistrates which they would admit have no security but by the errour or malice of a few to be quickly cast out of the Church without any possibility of remedy ibid. When they have put all who are not of their mind out of the places of Magistracy yea out of all Civill Courts the greatest Magistrates they admitt of be they Kings or Parliaments they subject them all to the free will of the promiscuous multitude ibid. When Magistrates will not follow their new errours they have been very ready to make Insurrections to the great hazard of the whole State p. 126 Many of them deny to the Magistrate any power at all in the matters of Religion ibid. Their principles doe spoile Princes and Parliaments of their whole Legislative power they abolish all humane Lawes that are made and hinder any more to be made p. 127 The Civill Lawes which Mr Cotton permits men to make binde no man any further then his owne mind is led by the reason of the Law to Obedience p. 128 They put the yoke of the Iudiciall Law of Moses on the neck of the Magistrate ibid. They give to their Ministers a power to sit in Civill Courts and to voyce in the election of the Magistrates and to draw from Scripture civill Lawes for the Government of the State ibid. They offer to perswade the Magistrate contradictory Principles according to their owne interest in New-England they perswade the Magistrate to kill Idolaters and Hereticks even whole Cities men women and children p. 129 But here they deny the Magistrate all power to lay the lost restraint upon the grossest Idolaters Apostates blasphemers Seducers or the greatest Enemies of Religion ibid. No great appearance of their respect to secular Learning and Scholes ibid. Independency much more dangerous then Brownisme ibid. Chap. 7. It is unjust scrupulosity to require satisfaction of the true grace of every Church Member The Independents prime Principles p. 154 It s unjust scrupulosity to require satisfactorie assurance of the true grace of every Church-Member p. 154 Their Tenet about the qualification of Members is the great cause of their separating from all the reformed Churches though they doe dissemble it p. 155 In this they goe beyond the Brownists p. 156 The true state of the question is whether it be necessary to separate from a Church wherein we get no satisfaction of the true grace of every Member at their first admission ibid. For the negative we reason first from the practice of Moses and the Prophets who did never offer to separate for any such reason p. 157 The causes of a just separation were smaller under the Law nor under the Gospell ibid. Our second reason is from the example of Christ and his Apostles who did not separate for any such causes p. 158 The third reason It is impossible to finde true grace in every member of any visible Church that ever was or shall be in the world p. 159 The fourth This satisfaction in the true grace of all to be admitted is builded on foure errours p. 160 The fifth Argument Their Tenet is followed with diverse absurdities p. 161 Cottons reasons to the contrary answered p. 163 The first reason put in forme ibid. All the parts of it are vitious ibid His second Argument p. 168 His third Argument p. 169 His fourth Argument p. 170 His fifth p. 171 His sixth p. 172 His seventh ibid. His eigth p. 173 His ninth all his nine or twelve Reasons put in one will be too weak to beare up the weight of his most heavy conclusion Chap. 8. Concerning the right of Prophesying The state of the Question 174 The first Authors of this Question ib. The Independents difference among themselves hereabout ib. That none but Ministers may ordinarily prophesye we prove it first by Christs joyning together the power of Baptisme and the power of preaching 175 Secondly These that preach must be sent to that worke ib. Thirdly every ordinary Preacher labours in the word and Doctrine 176 Fourthly none out of Office have the gift of preaching for all that have that gift are either Apostles Evangelists Prophets Pastors or Doctors and all these are Officers ib. Fifthly no man out of Office might sacrifice ib. Sixthly all who have from God the gift of preaching are obliged to lay aside all other occupations and attend that work
solemn debate upon it they speak as if they were either fully or very neere accorded with us professing their utter dislike of the Brownists unreasonablenesse herein but I professe this hath alwayes seemed to me their capitall and fundamentall difference the only cause of their separation from us and wherein if wee could either agree or accommodate there would be a faire possibility of accord in all things else at least so farre as to be united in one and the same Church but this difference is the great partition wall which so long as it stands will force them to continue their intolerable practice of separating from all the Reformed Churches in the world and that for fewer and more unjust causes then any who ever did carry the name of a Separatist to this day did pretend This seemes to bee the reason why both Apollonius and Spanheim very excellent Divines have begun their dispute with this question For the stating of the controversie consider how it stands betwixt us and the Independents at this time the Brownists for their separation were wont to alledge the impurity of our worship the corruption of our Government the open prophanesse of the most in our Congregations By the mercy of God the first is fully Reformed at least so farre according to the minde of our brethren that they have entred no dissenting vote to any one passage of the Directory for worship The Government also is so farre cleared in the Assemblie that they have entered their dissent from no part of it except that alone which concerns the Iurisdiction of Presbyteries and Synods and their dissent herein might and still may well be so carried as not to occasion any breach But the third is the great cause of division wherein they much out-runne the Brownists for they did never offer to separate upon this ground alone and the matter whereupon here they stumbled was only open profanenesse and that incorrigible either through want of power or want of care to remedy it If the profanenesse was not open and visible or if the Church had her full power to execute discipline and according to her power made conscience really to censure scandalls These things as I conceive would have abundantly satisfied the Brownists and cured their separation But the Independents now doe draw them up much higher then they were wont to stand They teach them to stumble not only at open profanenesse but at the want of true grace yea at the want of convincing signes of Regeneration They teach them to require not only a power and care in the Church to censure such profanenesse but also a power in every member of the Church to keep out all others with whom they are not satisfied in the truth of their grace So the question is not as usually it is made of the quality of the members of the Church but of the necessity to separate from that Church wherein we are not satisfied by convincing signs of the true faith and grace of every member at their first admission Wee grant it is earnestly to be wished and all lawfull meanes would diligently bee used both by Pastors and people to have all the members of a Church most holy and gratious and what ever lawfull overture our Brethren can invent for this end we with all our heart will embrace it or else be content to beare much blame We grant also that it is the duty of Church-Governours to keep off every scandalous person from profaning to their own damnation the holy things of the Lord and that it is the duty of these Governours not only to suspend from the holy Table all scandalous persons but farther to cast all such out of the Church without respect of persons in the case of obstinacy when by no meanes they can bee brought to satisfactory repentance we grant also that Church-Governours deficient in these duties ought themselves to be disciplined by the rod of Church-Censures these things were never controverted But the question is whether because of the admission of some to Church-membership who have not given satisfaction to every member of the Church in the point of their reall Regeneration a Church may lawfully be separated from as vitiously constitute for that essentiall defect in its very matter Our Brethrens constant and resolute practice albeit gilded over with many faire words maketh this to be the cleare state of the question against which I reason thus First What to Moses and the Prophets was not a sufficient cause of separation from the Churches of their time is not a sufficent cause for us to separate from the Churches in our times But want of satisfaction by convincing signes of the true grace of many members of the Church was not a sufficient cause for Moses and the Prophets to separate in their times Ergo The minor is cleare and uncontroverted for Moses and the Prophets were so farre from separating from the Churches of their dayes for want of assurance of the true grace of every person in these Churches that they remained still to their dying day in the bosome of these Churches comumnicating with them in the Word Prayer Sacraments and Sacrifices though they were assured of the evident wickednesse of the most of their fellow-members Moses knew the Body of Israel to bee a crooked and perverse generation Isaiah tells the Iewes that they were another Sodom Ieremy sheweth that Israel in his dayes was uncircumcised in heart no better then Moab Ammon or Edom Micah that the godly in his time were very rare as the summer fruits as the grapes after the Vintage of this truth all the Prophets are full yet for all this none of the Prophets did ever think of a separation All the difficulty then is in the major which thus we prove The Church in the dayes of Moses and the Prophets was one and the same with the Church of our dayes The House of God the body of Christ the Elect and redeemed people the holy Nation the peculiar treasure and spouse of the Lamb The difference of the true Church in any age is at most but in accidentall circumstances and not in any essentials so what ever morall evill doth defile the Church now and is a just cause of ejection or separation that must be so at all times especially under the old Testament where all the Ceremoniall differences that are alledged betwixt the Church then and now make for the strengthning of the Argument for then the causes of separation were stricter and smaller a little Ceremoniall pollution would then have kept out of the sanctuary much more a morall uncleannesse would have made the sacrifice abominable If therefore at that time the matter in hand was no cause of separating from the Church much lesse can it be so now when God hath given a greater liberty to the Church in her majority and when Christians are not so easily infected by their neighbours sinnes as of old in the dayes
minor and conclusion are vitious First the conclusion commeth not neare the question for were it granted it concludes no more but a duty of the Church-officers and members to try and be satisfied about the state of these who are to bee received into the Church but it hath no word of an other duty which is the point in question It speaks nothing of a necessity to separate from a Church upon the neglect of the former duty this alone is the state of the present controversie which neither is expressed nor by any consequence doth follow from any thing that is expressed in this conclusion for suppose it were a duty laid by God upon every Church-Officer and member to enquire accurately after the Faith and Sanctification of all to be received among them and to expect satisfaction in their tryall yet I hope that every neglect of duty in the Church-Officers much lesse in every Church-member and least of all the want of successe of a duty truly performed will not be found a just and necessary cause for every one to separate from a Church if all this be not expersly concluded this arrow misseth the marke Secondly That which is expressed in the conclusion pitcheth only upon one particular case which the Reformed Churches neither do nor may acknowledge for it speaks only of admission of members upon their confession of sins This fits well the practice of the Brownists who suppose a necessity to dissolve the Reformed Churches that now are as vitiously constituted from their first beginning They may seeme to have reason in their gathering of new Churches to put their members to tryall before admission but the Reformed Churches who take themselves to be so farre true that they need no dissolution or new erection are not concerned in this case of admission for their members were borne in the Church and had the Covenant sealed to them in Baptisme what tryall they take of their children when they admit them to the Lords Table is no wayes for their admission to be members for this practice is a maine pillar of Anabaptisme and our brethrens engagement therein is the ground of all their sympathy and symbolising with that Sect So then the conclusion commeth short of the question and toucheth not the Reformed Churches but is builded on the pillars of rigid Separation and Anabaptisme taking that for granted which no Reformed Church may admit but upon hard termes no milder then the nullity and dissolution of all their Churches that out of the rubbish a new building may bee erected after the Separatists patterne The major also is vitious for suppose the antecedent of it were true yet there is no force therein to inferre the consequent be it so that every Church-member ought to be so holy as you will yet can this inferre the peoples power to try that holinesse which is the one halfe of the consequent Such a power in the people would make every one of them a Church-Governour which none of the Reformed Churches nor the halfe of the Separatists themselves will admit and they who doe plead for it set it upon other pillars but no man I know deduceth it from any thing in the antecedent now in hand For the rest of the consequent the Officers satisfaction in the true and sincere grace of the members at their first admission if it have any truth yet it commeth too short of reason and runnes also farre beyond the most rigid Separatists If a tryall must be made of Church-members why at their first admission alone and never after Is it not an ordinary case in all Churches and as much among the Brownists and Independents as any other that many who at first have been taken for truly regenerate have thereafter fallen to such errours in judgement and such practices in life as have given just ground to conclude the irregeneration of some and to doubt the regeneration of others Now if the uncertainty of regeneration be a just cause to hold a man out of all Churches is it not as just a cause to cast a man out of a Church when by doctrine or life this uncertainty appears which at first was covered yet none of our Brethren affirm that the uncertainty of regeneration nor the certainty of irregeneration is a just ground to cast any man out of the Church who once is come in The consequent also runs wide of the rigid Separatists for the holinesse they require is expresly externall which may stand with the internall wickednesse of hypocrites but the consequent speaks of inward sincerity contradistinguished from all outward professions The Minor is the part of the Argument which they labour to fortifie knowing the greatest weight to lie upon it We do deny it as a very dangerous errour every member of a visible Church is not in truth and sincerity a Believer and Saint This is against Scripture and all experience in every visible Church all who are called are not chosen In the field of God there are tares among the wheat in his fold goats amongst the sheep in his net bad fishes among the good in his house vessels for dishonour not for honour only In the best Churches of the Scripture we have too many bad members Iudas Ananias and Saphira Simon Magus Hymeneus and Philetus Demas and the like They dare not deny but some gracelesse hypocrites are in their best Congregations and if they should deny it the frequent out-breaking of their enormities to the eyes of the world would extort their confession The proofes they bring come not up to the Question that in the first of the Corinthians first and second sanctified in Christ and called to bee Saints if yee understand it of an outward calling alone it is not pertinent if of an inward efficacious call it is true not of every member but of some onely and is attributed to the whole Church of Corinth indefinitely because of these some who truly were elected justified and sanctified but that this was not true of all and every one of that Church is cleare by the Apostles complaint of many among them of some for Incest of others for injurious defrauding of their neighbours of some for carnall Schismes of others for prophane drunkennesse at the Lords Table it selfe of others for fundamentall errours The first of the Gal. 2 v hath nothing sounding toward the present question but the fourth verse is brought by the Brownists to something neare it that Christ had dyed for the Galatians sinnes and separated them from this present evill world if this import any true grace yet it may not bee applyed to every member of that Church for in the words following the Apostle beareth witnesse that sundry of them were removed to another Gospel that they were foolish and bewitched to rebell against the truth The relation of the Church to the persons of the Trinity that it is the body and Spouse of Christ the Temple of the holy
antiquity as our Brethren It is marvellous if in earnest they should encourage themselves in their Tenet by such testimonies of the Fathers as by the Catholick consent of all posterior antiquity and the unanimous profession both of Protestants and Papists this day are censured of error Who pleases to know the minde of antiquity in this subject Let him consult especially with Augustin de civitate dei Booke 20. almost through the whole and the Commentaries of Vives and Coqueus thereupon If humane authorities either ancient or moderne could give our Brethren any satisfaction in this question it were easie to present them with great store thereof Thus farre had I proceeded when by my Superiours I was called away from these Studies to an other imployment so what I intended to have spoken to the Anabaptists the Antinomians the Erastians and especially to the remainder of the Popish and Prelaticall Malignants I must remit it to another Season FINIS Isa 2. â— Mic. 4.3 Ioel 3. â— The first and chief Mean to extinguish the flames of our War is the waters of the heart poured out in prayers to God Lam. 2.3 Reformation after mourning is the second step to a solid peace Prov. 16.7 Psal 81.15 2 King 9.22 The corruption of the Church is the fountain of our present Misery The State cannot be 〈◊〉 til the Church be sâ—â—â— reformed Every man must help what he can to recover the languishing Church from her desperate Disease The offer of a strange and easie remedy of a â—ooking-glass The malignity of Errour 2 Tim. 2.17 â— Pet. 2.1 2 3 4 The Authors intention is to set down in a Table for the clear view of all the Errors which trouble us And that with justice loâ—â— towards all persons Onely forth is râ—gaâ—nâ—ng to the Truth The partition of the ensuing â—reatise Episcopacy was the Mother of all our present Sects Presbytery will be their Grave The Presbyteriall way of proceeding What England 〈◊〉 may expect from Presbyteries and Synods Satan is the great enemy of the Churches Reformation His chief instruments always have been professed friends to Religion Reformation at the beginning did run with an impetuous current What was its first stop The fountain of Protestant Dâ—scord The unhappy Principle of the Lutâ—eranes And the more unhappy Principle of the Anabaptists Somewhat of both these ways was entertained in England The original of the English Ceremonies and Episcopacy The original of the Separatists Brownism is a daughter of Anabaptism Bolton the first known Separatist in England hanged himself Brown the second Lâ—ader of that way â—ecanted his Schism and to his death was a very scandalous person The humour of Barrow the third Master of this Sect. The strange carriage of Johnson and Ainsworth the next two Leaders of the Brownists The horrible ways of Smiâ—â— their sixth Master The fearful end of Smith his wandrings A remarkable vengeance upon an erring spirit Robinson the last grave and learned Doctor of the Brownists did in the end undermine his Party Robinson the author of Independency They hold that all Churches in the world but their own are so polluted that they must be separate from Their injurious slanders of the Church of England Yet sometimes they say that communion may be kept therewith both in preaching and prayer Their like dealing with all the other reformed Their stâ—ing of 〈◊〉 Chu◠〈…〉 The matter of a Church they make to be real Saints onely Their unreasonable stricknesse in this one point is the great cause of their Schism The least sin of any Member of a Church defended is a just cause of Separation They place the Form of their Church in an expresse Covenant Seven may make a perfect Church yea two or three The erecting of a Church requireth neither the Magistrates nor Ministers assistance They put all Church power in a handful of people without any Pastor The Election Ordination Deposition and Excommunication of the Minister belongs to the flock and to it alone Every man of the Congregation may Preach and publikely rebuke not onely the Pastor but the whole flock yea and sâ—parate from it Some of them give the power of the Sacraments also to priâ—ate persons The solemnizing of marriage they give to parents but divorces they commit to the parties themselves They make every Congregation Independent and of soveraign Authority Their Judgement of Synods Their high conceit of their own way and injurious depressing of all others Churches Bells Pulpits Tithes Glebes Manses and all set maintenance of Ministers are unlawful Not so much as a Church-yard must be kept up for burial but all must bury in the fields They drive the abolishing of Church-rents so high as to make all goods common The days of the weâ—k the moneths the yeer of God they will not name No pulpits no hour-glâ—sses no Churches no Gowns All set prayer even the Lords prayer and all Psalms in meeter yea in prose if used as praises are unlawful Their opinion of preaching Sacraments Their straâ—ge way of celebrating the Lords Supper They reject catechisms the Apostles Creed and all reading of Scripture without exposition After preaching they prophesie Then comes the conference Brown for liberty of conscience His followers against it Their carriage towards the Magistrate They spoil Kings and Parliaments of their Legislative power They obliege the Magistrate to kill all Idolaters But to spâ—re all theeves They wil have the Universities destroyed Secular authors and learning must be abolished Preachers must studie no book but the Scriptures Independency the smallest of all the Sects of the time for number but greatest for worth of its followers The division of the following matter Independents the Separatistâ— off-spring When the fire of Brownism was dying out in Holland a little of its ashes carried to New England broke out there into a lasting flame By what means these ashes were kindled Master Cotton at first a great opposite to that way Master Cotton with little ado became the great patron of that Errour Master Cotton the misleader of Master Goodwin and others Master Cotton often deceived hath given his patrociny to divers grosse Errours Why God permits great men to fall in evident Errours His Prelatical Arminian and Montanistick Tenents His Antinomy and Familism Independency large as unhappy as Brownism Wherefore so much of the Independent way lies yet in darknesse The fruits of Independency in New England 1. It put thousands of Christians in the condition of Pagans 2. It marrs the conversion of Pagans to the Christian Religion 3. It did bring forth the foulest Heresies that ever yet were heard of in any Protestant Church A few examples of the many abominable Heresies of the New-English Independents The greatest part of thâ—ir chief Churches were infected with these errours Thâ— piâ—â—ty of these Hereticks seemâ—d to be singular Their malice against all who opposed them was singular especially against all their Orthodox Ministers and Magistrates Their Errours in opinion did
to separate from a Church wherein wee get no satisfaction of the true grace of every Member at their first admission For the Negative we reason first from the practice of Moses the Prophets who did never offer to separate for any such reason The causes of a just separation were smaller under the Law nor under the Gospel The weaknesse of their Reply Our second reason is from the example of Christ and his Apostles who did not separate for any such causes The third reason it is impossible to find true grace in every member of any visible Church that ever was or shall be in the world The fourth this satisfaction in the true grace of all to be admitted is builded on foure errours first that the power of Ecclesiastick Iurisdiction is in the hand of every one of the people Secondly that one man may attaine to the certain knowledge of the true grace in the heart of another Thirdly that it is a duty of every member of a Church to seek and finde satisfaction in the true grace of all his fellow-members Fourthly that all the Reformed Churches must once bee dissolved and unchurched that they may bee reformed according to the new mould of the Independents The fifth argument Their Tenet is followed with divers absurdities As first it is necessary to separate from all Churches that are this day in the world except it be from these of the Independents Secondly it was necessary to separate from all Churches that ever have been Thirdly there can be no rest for any till they turne seekers and leave all societies that are called Churches Cottons reasons to the contrary are answered His first reason put in form All the parts of it are vitious the conclusion proves not the question It stands upon a chief ground of Anabaptism and presupposes the nullity of all the Reformed Churches The major is many wayes vitious But the minor is the most faulty part of the Argument The proofes of the minor are answered The first The second The third and maine proof of the minor This driveth to universall grace and Apostacy of the Saints Yea to Socinianisme and further His second Argument The Conclusion is faulty The minor is false It s proofe is unsufficient His third Argument Pâ—eters Confession much mis-applyed The guest without the wedding-garment more mis-applâ—ed The parable of the Tares is thrown against its principall scope His fourth argument that all who cannot demonstrate the truth of their regeneration deny the power of godlinesse is not true His fifth that no hypocrite is to be admitted a member of a Church is a very rash argument His sixth from the roughnesse of the stones of Solomons Temple is a wanton reason His seventh from the porters exclusion of uncleane persons from the Temple has no strength His eight that Iohn the Baptâ—st excluded the Pharisees and people from his Baptism is expresly against the Text. His ninth that Philip required the Eunuchs confession before baptisme infers not the conclusion All his nine or twelve reasons pâ—t in one will be too weak to beare up the weight of his most heavy conclusion The state of the question The first authors of this question The Independents difference among themselves here anent That none but Ministers may ordinarily prophecy wee prove it first by Christs joyning together the power of baptism and the power of preaching Secondly these that preach must be sent to that work Thirdly every ordinary preacher laboâ—rs in the Word and Doctrine Fourthly none out of office have the gift of preaching for all who have that giâ—t are either Apostlâ—s Evangelâ—sts Prophets Pastors or Doctors and all these are officers Fifthly no man out of office might sacrifice Sixthly all who have from God the gift of preaching are obliged to lay aside all other occupations and attend that work alone Seventhly the Apostles appointed none to preach but Elders Eighthly the preaching of men out of office is a means of confusion and errour The contrary Arguments which Mr Cotton in his Catechism and Answer to the 32 Questions borrows from Robinson are First in the Church of Corinth men out of office did Prophecie Ans these men were officers or their preaching was extraordinary Secondly Iehoshaphat and his Princes did preach Answ The Kings exhorting of the Levites to doe their duty and the Princes câ—untenancing of them therein was not properly preaching Thirdly wâ—e must not despise prophecy Ans The Apostle speaks of the preaching of men in office Fourthly the sons of the Prophets did preach Answ Their designation to be Prophets gave them right to initiall and preparatory exercises towards that office Fifthly Moses wished all the people to bee Prophets Ans But not without Gods calling to that offiâ—e Sixthly the Apostles before the Resurrection did preach Ans At that time they were true Apostles and did baptise Seventhly Paul and Barnabas were invited to exhort Ans they were men in office Eighthly the Scribes and Pharisees did preach Answ They were officers and sate in Moses chaire What is meant by Ecclesiastick Jurisdiction The state of the Question wont to be cleare the Reformed Churches putting the power and exercise of Jurisdiction in the hand of the Presbytery alone the Brownists Independents in the hand of the people onely but Mr. Cotton his followers the other yeare have perplexed the Question with their many Schole distinctions If they put the power of Jurisdiction onely in a Church organized and Presbyterated they fall from much of the Brownists and their own both doctrine and practise Their last and best beloved invention of the power of Authority and power of Liberty is for no purpose but to involve the Authors in new difficulties As they wont to make their smallest Congregations Independent uncensurable for any crime so now by this distinction they divide all their Congregations in two parts and make every one of these parts Independent also and uncensurable for any imaginable sinne For the negative that the people have no power of Jurisdiction we reason First the Officers alone are Governors and the people are to be governed 2. The people have not the Keys of Heaven to bind and loose 3. The people are not the eyes eares in in Christs Body for so all the body should be eyes and eares 4. The people have not any promise of gifts sufficient for government 5. The popular government bringeth in confusion making the feete above the head 6. The people have not the power of Ordination They have no Commission to send Pastours to themselves to impose hands to examine their Pastours to pray publickly and exhort 7. This power in the people would disable them in their callings 8. This power of the people would bring in Morellius democracy and anarchy in the Church 9. This power of the people will draw upon them the power of the word and Sacrament Mr Cottons contrary arguments answered First Christ gave to Peter the Keys of Hâ—aven as
God alone for any tollerable subsistence and their very being albeit we are hopefull the Lord is reserving good things for them who had so much Faith charity and Courage as to venture all for the cause of God and their Brethren the more unkind men have proved unto them The Lord who hath been witnesse to all their intentions actions and sufferings will in his owne time accordingly reward them and will not let them be ashamed of their first hopes and constant desires upon the which himselfe for a long time did shine so evidently from the Heaven as ever upon any enterprise on the Earth Though now that brightnesse be much ecclipsed and overclouded yet we are expecting with passionate desires and confident hopes the dissolution of these clouds and the dispelling of the present darkenesse by the strength of the Beames of his ancient and undeserved kindnesse towards that now suffering and much distressed Nation But insensibly my pen hath runne beyond the bounds of a short Epistle albeit my experience of your Lordships readinesse to dispence with your friends indiscretion makes me secure of my pardon I will detaine your Lordship no longer I lay downe my Booke at your Lordships feet to be given to the world by your Lordships hand If it be received with so much candor and charity by every Reader as I know it is offered it may possibly prove serviceable Thus wishing to your Lordship in these dayes of deepe and dangerous tryalls and too great defection of many constancy and daily increase of affection to all truth Piety Iustice and every Vertue I remaine Your Lordships in all Christian duty to be commanded R. Baylie London Novemb. 19. 1645. The Principall Authors whose Testimonies are cited in the case of the Brownists 1 THe Brownists confession of Faith printed by themselves 160â— 2 The Brownists Apoâ—ogy printed 1604 3 Robert Brownes Life and manners of true Christians printed 1582 4 Henry Barrow his briefe discovery of the false Church 1590 5 Henry Barrow his plaine refutation of Mr Gifford 1590. 6 Francis Iohnsons enquiry and answer to Thomas Whites Discovery of Brownism 1606 7 Francis Iohnsons Christian plea 1617. 8 Iohn Cann his guide to Sion 1638 9 Iohn Cann his necessity of Separation 1638. 10 Apologia Iusta quorundam Christianorum c. per Iohannem Robinsorum 1619 11 Robinsons justification against Bernard reprinted at London 1640 12 Syons royall prerogative 1641. 13 A Light for the Ignorant 1638. The Principall Authors whose Testimonies are cited in the case of the Independents 1. An Apologeticall Narration by Thomas Goodwin c. 1643 2 Iohn Cottons Keyes published by Thom Goodwin and Philip Nye 1644. 3 Iohn Cottons way of the Churches in New-England 1645. 4 Iohn Cottons Sermons upon the seven Vialls 1642. 5 Iohn Cottons Catechisme or the Doctrine of the Church 1644. 6 An Answer to thirty two Questions by the Elders of the Churches in New-England published by Mr. Peters 1643. 7 An Apology of the Churches in New-England for Church-Covenant or a discourse touching Church-Covenant 1643. 8 A glimpse of Syons glory in a Sermon at a generall Fast-day in Holland by T. G. printed at London 1641. 9 Ieremy Burrowes Sermons upon Hosea 1644. 10 The personall raigne of Christ by Io Archer Pastor of the Church at Arnheim 164â— 11 Io Archers comfort for Beleevers 1645. 12 Mr. Burtons vindication of the Independent Churches 1645. 13 Iohn Goodwins Theo-machia 1644. 14 A short story of the rise reigne and ruine c. published with Mr. Welds large Preface 1644. 15 Mr Welds answer to Rathbans narration 1644. 16 Mr Cottons Letter to Mr. Williams 1643. 17 The Anatomist anatomised by Mr Simson 1644. We cite also for some matters of fact to which no satisfactory Answer hath been made hitherto by the Parties 1 Mr Edwards Antapologie 1644. 2 Mr Williams examination of Cottons Letter 1644. 3 Mr Williams bloody Tenet 1644. 4 Plaine-dealing or Newes from New-England by Thomas Lechford 1642. 5 The Anatomy of Independency by a Learned Minister of Holland 1644. 6 Doctor Bastwicks Postscript 1645. 7 Mr. Prinns fresh discovery 1645. The CONTENTS of the following Treatise The Preface THe chiefe and first meane to extinguish the flames of our warre is the waters of our heart poured out in prayers to God pag. 1 Reformation after mourning is the second step to a solid peace p. 2 The corruption of the Church is the fountaine of our present misery ibid. The State cannot be setled till the Church be first reformed 3 Every man would help what hee can to recover the languishing Church from her desperate disease ibid. The offer of a strange and easie remedy of a Looking-glasse 4 The malignity of Errour ibid. The Authors intention is to set down in a Table for the cleare view of all the errours which trouble us ibid. And that with Iustice and Love toward all persons 5 The partition of the ensuing Treatise 6 Episcopacy was the mother of all our present Sects ibid. Presbytery will be their grave 7 The Presbyteriall way of proceeding ibid. What England rationally may expect from Presbyteries and Synods 8 Chap. 1. The originall and progresse of the Brownists Satan is the great enemy of the Churches Reformation 9 His chiefe instruments alwayes have been professed friends to Religion ibid. Reformation at the begining did run with one impetuous current ibid. What was its first stop 10 The fountaine of Protestant discord ibid. The unhappy principle of the Lutherans ibid. And the more unhappy principle of the Anabaptists 11 Somewhat of both these wayes was entertained in England ibid. The originall of the English Bishops and Ceremonies ibid. The originall of the Separatists 12 Brownism is a daughter of Anabaptism 13 Bolton the first known Separatist in England hanged himselfe ibid. Brown the second leader of that way recanted his schism and to his death was a very scandalous person ibid. The humour of Barrow the third master of this Sect 14 The strange carriage of Iohnson and Ainsworth the next two leaders of the Brownists ibid. The horrible wayes of Smith their sixth master 15 The fearfull end of Smith his wandrings 16 Robinson the last grave and learned Doctor of the Brownists did in the end undermine his party 17 Robinson the authour of Independency ibid. Chap. 2. The Doctrine of the Brownists They hold that all Churches in the world but their own are so polluted that they must be separate from 20 Their injurious slanders of the Church of England ibid. Yet sometimes they say that communion maybe kept with her both in preaching and prayer ibid. Their like dealing with all the other Reformed 21 Their flattering of forraign Churches is not to be regarded ibid. The matter of a Church they make to be reall Saints only 22 Their unreasonable strictnesse in this one point is the great cause of their Schism ibid. They place the forme of their Church in an expresse Covenant 23 Seven may make a perfect Church
yea two or three ibid. The erecting of a Church requires neither the Magistrates nor Ministers assistance ibid. They put all Church power in a handfull of people without any Pastor 24 The election ordination deposition and excommunication of the Minister belongs to his flock and to it alone ibid. Every man of the Congragation may preach and publikely rebuke not only the Pastor but the whole flock yea and separate from it 25 Some of them give the celebration of the Sacraments also to private persons ibid. The solemnizing of marriage they give to Parents but Divorces they commit to the parties themselves 26 They make every Congregation independent and of Soveraigne Authority ibid. Their judgement of Synods 27 Their high conceit of their own way and injurious depressing of all others ibid. Churches Bels Tythes Glebes Manses and all set maintenance of Ministers are unlawfull not so much as a Church yard must be kept up for buriall but all must bury in the fields ibid. The dayes of the week the months the yeare of God they will not name 28 No Pulpits no Sand-glasses in Churches no Gowns ibid. All set prayer even the Lords prayer and all Psalms in meeter yea in prose if used as praises are unlawfull 29 Their opinion of preaching and Sacraments ibid. Their strange way of celebrating the Lords Supper ibid. They reject Catechismes the Apostles Creed and all reading of Scripture without exposition 30 After preaching they prophecy ibid. Then come their Questions ibid. After all they attend a very tedious discipline ibid. Brown is for liberty of Conscience ibid. His followers are against it 31 Their carriage towards the Magistrate ibid. They spoyle Kings and Parliaments of their Legislative power ibid. They oblige the Magistrate to kill all Idolaters ibid. But to spare all theeves 32 They will have the Vniversities destroyed ibid. Secular Authors and Learning must be abolished ibid. Preachers must study no other books but the Bible ibid. Chap. 3. The originall and progresse of the Independents and of their carriage in New-England Independency is the smallest of all the Sects of the time for number but greatest for worth of its followers 53 Independents are the Separatists off-spring ibid. When the spark of Brownism was dying out in Holland a little of its ashes carried to New-England broke out there into a lasting flame 54 By what meanes these ashes were kindled ibid. Mr Cotton at first a great Opposite to that way 55 Mr Cotton with little adoe became the great Patron of that Errour ibid Mr Cotton was the mis-leader of Mr Goodwin and others 56 Mr Cotton often deceived hath given his patrociny to divers grosse errours ibid. Why God permits great men to fall in evident errours ibid. His Prelaticall Arminian and Montanistick tenets 57 His Antinomy and Familism ibid. Independency full as unhappy as Brownisme 58 Wherefore so much of the Independent way lies yet in darknesse 59 The fruits of Independency in New-England ibid. First it hath put thousands of Christians in the condition of Pagans ibid. Secondly it hath marred the conversion of Pagans to Christian Religion 60 Thirdly it did bring forth the foulest heresies that ever yet were heard of in any Protestant Church ibid. A few examples of the many abominable heresies of the New-English Independents 61 The greatest part of their Churches were infected with these errours ibid. The piety of these Hereticks seemed to be singular ibid. Their malice against all who opposed them was singular especially against all their orthodox Ministers and Magistrates 62 Their errours in opinion did draw on such seditious practises as did well neare overturne both their Church and State ibid. Their proud obstinacy against all admonitions was marvelous p. 63 In the midst of their profession of eminent Piety the profanenesse of many of them was great p. 64 Notwithstanding of all this we desire from our heart to honour and imitate all and every degree of truth and Piety which did ever appeare in any New-English Christian p. 65 Chap. 4. The carriage of the Independents in Holland at Rotâ—rdam and Arnheim p. 75. Independency was no fruitfull tree in Holland p. 75 Mr Peters the first planter thereof at Roterdam ibid. Their Ministers Mr. Bridge Mr Simpson and Mr Ward renounced their English Ordination and as meere private men tooke new Ordination from the people ibid. They did quickly fall into shamefull divisions and subdivisions p. 76 The people without any just cause deposed their Minister ibid. The Schismes at Roterdam were more irreconcileable then those at Amsterdam p. 77 Anabaptisme is like to spoile that Church p. 78 These of Arnheim admire and praise themselves above all measure ibid. The easinesse of their banishment and afflictions p. 79 The new Light at Arnheim brok out in a number of strange errors ib. First grosse Chiliasme ibid. Secondly the grossest blasphemy of the Libertines that God is the Author of the very sinfulnesse of sinne p. 80 Thirdly the fancy of the Euthusiasts in contemplating God as God abstracted from Scripture from Christ from grace and from all his attributes ibid. Fourthly the old Popish Ceremonies of extreme Unction and the holy Kisse of peace p. 81 Fifthly the discharging of the Psalmes and the apointing of a singing Prophet to chant the Songs made by himselfe in the silence of all others ibid. Sixthly the mortality of the soule ibid. Seventhly the conveniency for Ministers to preach covered and celebrate the Sacraments uncovered but for the people to heare uncovered and to participate the Sacraments covered p. 82. Their publick contentions were shamefull ibid. Cap. 5. The Carriage of the Independents at London p. 90 The worke of the prime Independents of New-England Arnheim and Roterdam these five yeares at London p. 90 They did hinder with all their power so long as they were able the calling of the Assembly ibid. When it was called they retarded its proceedings p. 91 That the Churches of England and Ireland lye so long in confusion neither Papists nor Prelates nor Malignants have been the cause ibid. But the Independents working according to their Principles p. 92 The great mischiefe of that Anarchy wherein they have kept the Churches of England and Ireland for so long a time ibid. Independency is the mother of more Heresies and Schismes at London then Amsterdam ever knew ibid. Independency at London doth not only bring forth but nourish and patronize Heresies and Schismes contrary to its custome either in New-England or Amsterdam p. 93 How hazardous it may prove to the State of England p. 94 Chap. 6. An Enumeration of the Common Tenets of the Independents p. 101 Why it is hard to set downe the Independents Positions p. 101 They have declined to declare their Tenets more then hath ever been the custome of any Orthodox Divines ibid. When they shall be pleased to declare themselves to the full their principle of change will hinder them to assure us that any thing is their setled and firme
Tenet wherein they will be constant ibid. The chiefe Tenets which hitherto they have given out and not yet recalled p. 102 They reject the name of Independents unreasonably and for their owne disadvantage ibid. When it is laid aside the more infamous name of Brownists and Separatists will inevitably fall upon them ibid. They avow a Semi-Separation but a Sesqui-Separation will bee proven upon them p. 103 The Independents doe separate from all the reformed Churches upon far worse grounds then the Brownists were wont to separate of old ibid. Their acknowledgement of the reformed for true Churches doth not diminish but increase their Schisme ibid. They refuse all Church Communion and Membership in all the reformed Churches ibid. They preach and pray in them as they would doe among Pagans only as gifted men to gather materials for their new Churches p. 104. About the matter of the Church and qualification of Members they are large as strict as the Brownists admitting none but who convinces the whole Congregation of their reall regeneration p. 105 Beside true grace they require in the person to be admitted a sutablenesse of Spirit with every other Member p. 106 But in this they are laxer then the Brownists that they can take in without scruple Anabaptists Antinomians and others who both in life and Doctrine have evident blots if so they be zealous and serviceable for their way ibid. About the forme of the Church a Church-Covenant they are more punctuall then the Brownists ibid. They take the power of gathering and erecting of Churches both from Magistrates and Ministers placing it onely in the hands of a few private Christians who are willing to make among themselves a Church-Covenant p. 107 This power of erecting themselves into a compleat and perfit Church they give to any seven persons yea to any three neither admitt they more into a Church then can altogether in one place commodiously administer the Sacraments and Discipline ibid. The Independents will have all the standing Churches in England except them of the Sectaries dissolved and all their Ministers to become meerely private men and any three persons of their way to be a full Church p. 108 Vnto this Church of seven persons they give all and the whole Church power and that independently ibid. Vnto this Congregationall Church alone they give the full power of Election and Ordination of Deposition and Excommunication even of all their Officers and of the finall determination of all Ecclesiasticall causes p. 109 The difference of Iohnson and Ainsworth about the power of the people and Presbyterie distinct one from the other is not yet composed among the Independents ibid. The common Doctrine of New-England is Ainsworths Tenet that the people alone have all the power and may excommunicate when there is cause all their Officers ibid. Mr. Cotton the other yeare did fall much from them and himselfe towards Iohnson teaching that the whole power of Authority is onely in the Officers and the people have nothing but the power of Liberty to concurre That the Officers can doe nothing without the people nor the people any thing but by the Officers p. 110 Yet that both Officers and people or any of them have power to separate themselves from all the rest when they finde cause ibid. The London Independants give more power of Ecclesiasticall Iurisdiction then the Brownists unto woemen p. 111 Some of them permit private men to celebrate the Sacraments ibid Brownists and Independents doe perfectly agree iâ— the point of Independency ibid If a corrupt or negligent Congregation doe not censure theâ— owne Members all the Assemblies in the world may not attempt to censure any of them though most apparently they did corrupt a whole Nation with the grosseth Heresies or most scandalous vices p. 112 The point of Independency is either the root or the fruit of many Errours ibid. To temper the crudity thereof they adde to it three moderating Positions but for little purpose ibid. They grant the being of Synods but not of Classicall Presbyteries p. 113 Their Synods are meerely Brownisticall without all Iurisdiction wherein every one of the people may voyce also they are meerely Elective and only occasionall ibid. The Sentence of non-Communion is Mr. Cottons invention to supply that defect which themselves make in the Ordinances of God ibid. It puts in the hand of every man a power to sentence all the Churches of the World p. 114 It carries to the highest degree of Separation ibid. Their supply of the defects of Independency by the power of the Magistrate was a remedy which they learned from the Brownists but now they have cast it aside denying to the Magistrate all power in matterâ— of Religion p. 115 The Independents doe advance their fancies to as high a pitch of glory as the Brownists ibid. They are the Brownists Schollers in many more things beside the constitution and government of the Church ibid. They give to the Magistrate the celebration of Marriage ibid. Mr. Milton permits any man to put away his wife upon his meere pleasure without any fault and without the cognisance of any Iudge p. 116 Mr Gorting teaches the wife to put away her Husband if he will not follow her in any new Church-way which she is pleased to embrace ibid. They are against all determinations of the circumstances of Worship and therefore all Church Directories are against their stomacks ibid. The common names of the dayes of the week of the Months of the yeare of the yeare of God of many Churches and Cities of the Land are as unlawfull to them as to the Brownists ibid. All Tythes and set-mayntenance of Ministers they cry downe but a voluntary contribution for the maintenance of all their Officers they presse to a high proportion with the evident prejudice of the poore p. 117 In their solemne Worship oft times they make one to pray another to preach a third to Prophesie a fourth to direct the Psalme and another to blesse the people ibid. They make it a divine Institution without any word of preface to begin the publick Worship with solemn prayer for the King and Church p. 118 After the Pastors Prayer the Doctor reads and expounds ibid. In preaching they will be free to take a Text or not as they find it expedient ibid. After the Sermon any of the people whom they thinke able are permitted to prophesie ibid. All are permitted to propound in the face of the Congregation what questions upon the Sermon they thinke meet ibid. About the Psalmes they have divers strange conceits but the speciall is their new Ordinance of a singing Prophet who is place of the Psalmes singeth Hymmes of his owne making in the midst of the silent Congregation ibid. They grant the lawfulnesse of read Prayers in diverse cases p. 119 They will have none to be baptised but the children of their owne Members so at one dash they put all England except a very few of their way into the
be subdued and the hand of God so far turned against their adversaries that they should submit themselves without further opposition But what peace can be expected so long as the Whoredom and Witchcraft the Idolatry and Oppression of Iezebel the crying Crimes of many in the Land yet unrepented for doth offend the holy eye of the great Dispenser of Peace and War A Reformation after mourning is the second step to a solid Pacification Long may we petition both God and men for peace in vain long may we article and treat for that end without any successe unlesse a reall Reformation remove from the sight of God the personal abominations the State-transgressions and the Church-impieties of our Lands The Crimes of persons are grievous but those of a State are more The corruption of a member is not so grievous as of the whole Body and the deformity of the Body Political is not so unpleasant to the eye of God as of the Church this is the Body this is the Bride of Christ nothing so much provokes the passion of a loving Husband as the polluting of his Spouse Church-grievances were the first and main causes of our present Troubles the righting of these will open the door of our first hope of deliverance Whoso will observe either the spring or progresse of our present Woes in all the three Kingdoms will finde that the open Oppression and secret Undermining of the Common-wealth by the craft and tyranny of the malignant Faction did highly provoke the wrath of God and was a great occasion of all this Dâ—scord which hath broke out among men Yet it is evident that the pâ—incipal cause which hath kindled the Jealousie of God and enflamed the spirits of men to shake off and break in pieces those Yokes of Civil Slavery which ingenuous necks were no more able to bear was the constuprating of the Church the bringing in upon her by violence and daily multiplying of Errours Superstitions Idolatries and other Spiritual Burdens The Method of our Cure if ever it prove solid must lead our Physitians to the fountain of our Disease All Treaties for accommodating State-differences will be lost if in the first place Religion be not provided for according to the minde of God If once the Temple were builded and filled with the cloud the Difficulties would be small in making up the breaches in the house of the Kingdom and filling it with Peace and Prosperity So long as the Temple lies desolate it is not possible to rear up the walls of the City It were the wisedom of our great Builders when they finde themselves over-toiled in the Fifth yeer of their Work as they desire not to have all their by-past labours vain and fruitlesse at last in good earnest to set upon the building of the Church Interests of private persons and particular Factions laid over with the colour of pretended State-reasons may procrastinate days without number setling of Religion yet if we trust either ancient or late experience these States-men provide best for the welfare of their Countrey who give to the God of heauen to his Worship and House the first and most high place in all their studies and cares If we behold either the former or the later Reformers of the State of Israel if we consider the practice of Moses of David of Hezekiah of Zerubbabel and others it is evident the Tabernacle the Ark the Temple did first and most lie at all their hearts Our Neighbours and Brethren of Scotland when this our Disease was upon them and did presse them well-neer to death and ruine by this method of Physick did in a short time regain their full health and strength in the which they had great appearence to have continued without any Recidive unlesse their pious compassion and brotherly attendance upon us in our languishing had made them partakers of these evils in our Company which they had clean escaped The lamentable neglect for so long a time of the Churches disease makes now the Cure if not desperate yet much more difficult then once it was so much the more had every good man need to bring forth the best of his wits at least of his wishes for the encouragement and assistance of our great Physitians who now blessed be God with all their care are busied above all things else about the recovery of that languishing Patient The voices of some of her more faithful servants crying aloud in the ear of all the world of their Mistris extreme danger of her approach to the doors of death this noise hath a wakened and given an Alarm to many that now they run with speed to recover the exparing breath of their dying Mother not without some disdain and â—ndâ—gnation against them by whose subtil artifices and more then ordinary industry they have been kept off all this while from so much as approaching the sick bed of the dangerously-diseased Spouse of Christ And now while so many gracious hands are about this noble Patient every one out of their rich shops bringing the choicest Medicaments they can fall upon I also out of my poor store rather from a desire to testifie affection then confidence of any skill in this Art do offer unto her as one mean of help a Looking-glasse wherein if she will be pleased but to behold the Symptomes of her Disease by this inspection alone and clear sight of her face in this Glasse without any further trouble whether of Potions within or Applications without I am hopeful through the blessing of the great Master of all lawful Arts she shall be able to shake off the principal of those evils which now do most afflict her That by the eye alone very noisome Diseases may be conveyed to the body it is the ancient credulity of some However dayly experience puts it out of all doubt that thorow the glasse of the eye the soul may be infected with the desperate Diseases of most pestilent passions But that which here is offered is much more rare and singular by looking in a Glasse to cure the worst Diseases and to remove from the soul the most dangerous passions by meer contemplation To leave Metaphors my meaning is that the greatest hazard of our Church this day comes from the evil of Errour This if the Apostle Paul may be trusted doth eat up the soul no lesse then a Gangrene the body This if we will believe the Apostle Peter is a pernicious and damnable evil which brings on sudden destruction It is a sin before God no lesse abominable then those which brought fire on Sodom the flood on the first world the chains of darknesse upon the evil Angels At this instant when the evil of Errour hath spred it self over the whole Body of this distracted Church it seems it may prove a remedy not unprofitable to draw together the chief heads of those errours which now are flying abroad their faces being cleerly
crown'd with some shameful conclusion When the infamous practices of Master Smith are objected to his party they have no leaf of excuse wherwith to cover them H The other supporter of languishing Brownisme in its dying dayes was Master Robinson the most learned polished and modest spirit that ever that Sect enjoyed it had been truely a marvel if such a man had gone on to the end a rigid Separatist This man having gone over from England to Leyden with a separate Congregation did write for a time very handsome Apologies and justifications of that evil way but Doctor Ames and Master Parker compassionating the man and pitying that so excellent parts should be so ill employed laboured him so by Conferences and Letters that there was great appearance if his days had continued he might have proved a happie instrument for the extinguishing and total abolition of that Schism but God in his wisedom intending some farther use of that great evil was pleased to take him away in the beginning of his good Work He came back indeed the one half of the way he ruined the rigid Separation and was the Author of a Semi-separatism printing in his later times against his former Books the lawfulnesse of communicating with the Church of England in the Word and Prayer albeit not in the Sacraments and Discipline This was a fair Bridge at least a fair Arch of a Bridge for union but the man being removed by death before he could perfect what he had begun his new Doctrine though it was destructive to his old Sect yet it became an occasion of a new one not very good It was the womb and seed of that lamentable Independency which in Old and New-England hath been the fountain of many evils already though no more should ensue as anon shall be declared Onely here we observe that the last two best-gifted Leaders of the Brownists have been the reall Overthrowers of that Way for ever since the time of their conduct these of England whose humour carried them out of the bosome of their Mother-Church have turned either to Smiths Anabaptism or to Robinsons Semi-separating Independency These kindes are multiplied exceedingly but for the old Brownists their number either at London or Amsterdam is but very small and their way is become contemptible not onely to all the rest of the world but to their own children also even they begin to heap coles of contumelies upon their parents heads as may be seen in the Elogies which both Master Cotton I and the five Apologists are pleased to give them in Print K Yea so much are these children ashamed of their fathers that they usually take it for a contumely to be called after their name No Independent will take it well at any mans hand to be called a Brownist either in whole or in the smallest part The Testimonies A Robinsons Justification p. 50. It is true that Bolton was though not the first in this way an Elder of a separate Church in the beginning of Queen Elizabeths days and falling away from his holy profession recanted the same at Pauls Crosse and afterwards hanged himself as Judas did B Giffard against the Donatists about the beginning Whosoever shall read Brown his Books and peruse all his Scholars writings shall see that they have no sharp arrow but which is drawn out of his Quiver C Robinsons Justif p. 50. Now touching Brown it is true as he forsook the Lord so the Lord forsook him else he had never so returned back into Egypt as he did And for the wicked things which Master B. affirmeth he did in this way it may well be as he saith and the more wicked things he committed in this course the lesse like he was to continue long in it D Johnsons Enquiry p. 63. About Thirteen yeers since this Church through persecution in England was driven to come into these Countreys A while after divers of them fell into the Heresies of the Anabaptists and so persisting were excommunicated by the rest Then a while after many others yea too many though not the half fell into a Schism from the rest and so many as continued therein were cast out Also Robinsons Justification p. 51. True it is that George Johnson together with his father taking his part were excommunicated by the Church for contention arising at the first upon no great occasion whereupon many bitter and reproachfull terms were uttered both in word and writing It is to us a just cause of Humiliation all the days of our lives that we have given and do give by our differences such advantages E Smiths Differences p. 4. The reading out of a Book is no part of Spiritual Worship but the invention of the Man of Sin Books and Writings are in the nature of Pictures or Images and therefore in the nature of Ceremonies and so by consequent the reading of a Book is Ceremonial The holy Scriptures are not to be retained as helps before the eyes in the time of Spiritual Worship It is unlawful to have the Book before the eyes in singing of Psalms The Presbytery of the Church is uniform the treeformed Presbytery consisting of three kindes Pastors Teachers and Elders is not Gods Ordinance but Antichristian and the image of the Beast F Bernards plain Evidences p. 19. Smith in his Epistle before his Differences because he is found so unconstant to wipe away the shame thereof and to cut off offence for afterward he without shame professeth to be unconstant and desireth that ever his last writing should be taken as his present judgement G Ibid. He hath founded a new Church he hath if ye will believe him recovered the true Baptism and the true matter and form of a true Church which now onely is to be found pure among a company of Sebaptists Master Smith will hold ever this word Se to himself for going into Brownism he was a Separatist he held differing opinions from them and now that he is in Anabaptism he is a Sebaptist he wholly goeth not with that heretical Sect. H Robinsons Justif p. 53. Master Smith his instability and wantonnesse of wit is his sin and our crosse I Vide caput tertium O. K Ibidem CHAP. II. The Doctrine of the BROWNISTS THe peculiar Tenents of the Brownists wherein they differ from other Protestants are many Those that occur to my minde from some slight and cursory reading of some of their Books shall briefly and plainly be set down but with this premonition That every thing mentioned be not taken for an Article of Brownism for it is needful at some times to interlace Tenents which are common to them with others for the clearing of those which they have peculiar Their differences run most upon the Constitution and Government of the Church They have also divers Singularities about the Circumstances and Parts of the Service of God also concerning the Magistrate and Schools and divers other things Without affectation or curious search of Method we
Word of God to binde the Sin of the Pastor and upon his Repentance to pronounce comfort and peace to him as he hath to binde or loose the sins of the least SS Confess p. 23. As every Congregation hath power to elect and ordain their own Ministery so also have they power when any such default in Life Doctrine or Administration breaks out as by the rule of the Word deprives them of their Ministery by due order to depose them yea if the case so require if they remain obstinate orderly to cut them off by Excommunication Canns Necessity p. 155. If they shall sin scandalously the Congregation that chose them freely hath free power to depose them and put another in their room TT Johns Inquir p. 7. We have in our Church the use of the exercise of Prophecy spoken of 1 Cor. 14. In which some of the Brethren such as for Gifts are best able though not in Office of the Ministery deliver from some portion of Scripture Doctrine Exhortation Comfort sometimes two at a time sometimes more VV Bar. Disc p. 26. Their is no cause to doubt but any of Gods servants may censure judge and avoid that Congregation which rejecteth Gods Word breaketh Gods Law despiseth his Reproof and Mercy as a wicked Assembly and an Adulterous Church Ibid. p. 38. Who can deny but that every particular Member hath power yea and ought to examine the manner of administrating the Sacraments as also the Estate Disorder and Transgressions of the whole Church and to call them all to Repentance and if he finde them obstinate in their Sin rather to leave their Fellowship then to partake with them in wickednesse XX Vide supra MM. YY Vide supra ll ZZ Smiths Differences p. 56. It may be a question whether the Church may not administer the Sacraments before there be any Officers among them AAA Bar. Disc p. 121. I have alwayes found it the Parents office to provide marriage for their children and that the parties themselves should affiance and betroath one another in the fear of God and in the presence of such witnesses as are present and that in their Parents or other private houses without turning to the Church or to the Priest Confess pag. 45. The Dutch Church at Amsterdam celebrates marriage in the Church as if it were a part of the Ecclesiastick Administration while as it is in the nature of it meerly Civil BBB Vide supra AAA CCC Vide supra AAA DDD Johns Inqui. p. 33. These of our Members that you censure they avow that they accused themselves of adultery not for that end to be quit of their wives but being perswaded in their minde that they ought not to continue with their wives having by their adultery broken the bond of marriage Ibid. This indeed we held the most of us heretofore and some of us are so perswaded still and while we were generally so minded we thought it our duty to walk accordingly he means to excommunicate even the innocent party who was pleased to dwel with her Husband after he had sinned taking the innocent party that retained such offenders though upon repentance yet to be defiled and live in sin EEE Johns Plea p. 231. Every particular Church with the Pastor doth stand immediately under Jesus Christ the Arch-Pastor without any other strange Ecclesiastical power intervening c. Vide supra P. Also Robinsons Apol. p. 17. Non magis erat Petrus Paulus homo integer perfectus ex partibus suis essentialibus integralibus constans sine relatione ad alios homines quà m est â—oetus particularis recte institutus ordinatus tota integra perfecta ecclesia ex suis partibus constans immediate independenter quòad alias ecclesias sub solo Christo non itaque movendi sub humanae prudentiae antiquitatis unitatis aut alio ullo colore ecclesiae visibilis seu Ministerialis termini antiqui quos posuerunt Apostoli FFF Canns guide to Sion about the midst It is sure that Christ hath not subjected any Congregation of his to any superiour Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction then to that which is within it self So that if the whole Church shall erre in a matter of Faith or Religion no other Church or Church-Officer hath any warrant from the Word of God or power to censure punish or controle the same but are onely to advise them and so to leave their souls to the immediate judgement of Christ Robins Apol. p. 18. Licet imò incumbit Pastori unjus ecclesiae ut reliquis membris quod donum accepit sive spirituale sive temporale prout datur occasio id aliis ecclesiis earum membris impertiri ex charitatis vinculo quo illis adunatur non autem exequi in iis munus publicum ex authoritatis prerogativa quam in suos solos habet GGG Johns Plea pag. 251. To this end and in this manner may be had a profitable use of Synods Classes and Assemblies for mutual help and advice in cases of question controversie and difficulty about Religion so that they do not challenge or usurpe any unlawful jurisdiction or power over the particular Churches and their Governours HHH Bar. Disc p. 261. These secret Classes these ordinary set Synods which the Reformists would set up III Bar. Refut p. 81. In a Christian Synod no Christian ought to be shut out but all have equal power to speak assent or dissent without disturbing the Order of the Holy Church by presuming to speak before the Ancients or against any thing said by them without just cause who so doth is reproved of all judged of all as a disturber KKK Vide supra III. LLL Bar. Disc p. 261. In their Synods the matters being debated the greatest part prevaileth and carrieth the judgement Ibid. p. 78. This balloting by suffrage or pluralty of voices might well be a custom among the Heathen in their popular Government but it is unheard of and unsufferable in the Church of Christ MMM Ibid. p. 261. The order and manner of these Counselâ— is first to chuse a Prolocutor Moderator or Judge to govern and order the action who and when they shall speak and when cease Ibid. p. 191. Not here to speak of their solemn Order observed in these Counsels and Synods as their choice by suffrages among themselves of their Archisynagogos or Rectorchori their President as they call him NNN Vide supra FFF OOO Bar. Disc p. 38. Every Member of his Church is to pronounce upon them the judgements that are written and to throw upon them the Stone of his judgement and consent Therefore hath the Lord raised up the Thrones of David in his Church and set his Saints in seats round about his Throne A Light for the Ignorant pag. 10. The true power which Christ our King hath received of the Father and communicated to his Saints and these onely is that dominion which the Ancient of days hath given to his Saints Dan. 7.19 PPP Johns
any thing as they were forced to go home others had their children taken with Convulsions which they had not before nor since and so were sent for home So that none were left at the birth but the Midwife and two other whereof one fell asleep at such time as the childe died which was about two hours before the birth The Bed wherein the mother lay shook so violently that all who were in the Room perceived it KKK 2. Ibid. p. 63 64. Then Master Cotton told the Assembly That whereas she had been formerly dealt with for matter of Doctrine he had according to the duty of his place being the Teacher of the Church proceeded against her unto admonition But now the case bring altered and she being questioned for maintaining of untruth which is matter of Manners he must leave the businesse to the Pastor Master Wilson to go on with her but withal declared his judgement in the case from that in the Revelation ch 22. That such as make and maintain a lie ought to be cast out of the Church and whereas two or three pleaded that she might first have a second Admonition according to that in Titus 3.10 He answered That that was onely for such as erred in point of Doctrine but such as shall notoriously offend in matter of conversation ought to be presently cast out as he proved by Ananias and Saphira and the incestuous Corinthian Ibid. p. 65. It was observed that she should now come under Admonition for many foul and fundamental Errours and after he cast out for notorious lying CHAP. IV. The Carriage of the Independents in Holland at Roterdam and Arnhem THe fruits of this way in Holland are not much sweeter then these we have tasted in New-England All the time of their abode there they were not able to conquer to their party more then two Congregations and these but very small ones of the English onely For to this day I have not heard of any one man of the Dutch French Scottish or any other Reformed Church who have become a Member of any Independent Congregation Their first Church in Holland was that of Roterdam which Master Peters A not the most settled head in the World did draw from its ancient Presbyterial Constitution to that new frame which it seemeth he also learned by Master Cottons Letters from New-England This Church became no sooner Independent then it run into the way of such shameful Divisions as their Mother at Amsterdam had gone before them Their Pastor Master Peters was soon weary of them or they of him for what causes themselves best know but sure it is he quickly left them and went for New-England The Church was not long destitute of Pastors for about that time Master Ward and Master Bridge came over to them from Norwich where they ever had lived fully conform without any contradiction either to Episcopacy or Ceremonies onely they withstood Bishop Wrens last Innovations B So soon as they came to Roterdam without any long time of adveisement they conformed themselves to the Discipline which Master Peters had planted C They renounced their English Ordination and Ministerial Office joyning themselves as meer private men to that Congregation which afterward did choose and ordain both of them to be their Ministers D It was not long before Master Simpson also came hither from London and renouncing also his Ordination E joyned himself as a private member with them Then did the Spirit of Division begin to work among them and so far to prevail that Master Simpson malecontent with Master Bridge for hindering the private members of the flock to prophesie after the Brownists way did separate himself and erect a new Congregation of his own F Betwixt these two Churches the contentions and slanders became no lesse grievous then those of Amsterdam betwixt Ainsworth and Johnsons followers and in this much worse that they of Roterdam abode not at one Schism but after Master Simpsons separation broke out again into another subdivision Master Bridges Congregation was so filled with strife so shameful slanders were laid upon his own back that displeasure did hasten the death of his wife G and did well neer kill himself making him oft professe his repentance that ever he entred into that society H As for Master Ward his Ministery became so unsavoury to that people that they did never rest till judicially by their own Authority alone for Presbytery they had none and Master Bridge did dissent from that act of unjust oppression they had deposed Master Ward from his pastoral charge I This act was much stumbled at by divers who were fully perswaded of Master Wards integrity and at last by the intercession of some from the Church of Arnhem he was restored to his place but the ground of the controversie was no wayes touched For when the four Commissioners from Arnhem Master Goodwin Master Nye Master Laurence and another had met in a Chamber of a private house in Roterdam with some Members of that faulty Congregation K and so made up their famous Assembly which the Apologists are pleased to equal if not to prefer to all the Assemblies they ever had seen L Whether that National Synod wherein Master Nye had seen the flowre of the Scottish Nation enter into the Covenant with very great devotion Or this great Assembly at Westminster where he and his Brethren oft have seen sitting the Prince Elector the most Noble Members of both Houses of Parliament the prime Divines of all England the Commissioners of the Church of Scotland That Assembly I say of Roterdam did not so much as touch the main question they drew a thin skin over the wound but durst not assay to lance it to the bottom For did they ever rebuke or so much as once speak to the people of that Congregation for usurping a Tyrannicall Authority to depose their Pastor Did they tell Master Ward of his siding with Master Simpson against Master Bridge in the matter of Prophesie did they ever attempt to cognosce on the great scandal the ground of all the rest Master Simpsons Separation did they make any hearty and solid reconciliation betwixt Master Ward and the Church It seems the Assembly was wiser then to meddle with evils which they found much above their strength to remedy Master Ward found himself after his restitution in so pittiful a condition with his new friends that he left their Company M The two Churches were irreconcileable till both Master Bridge and Mr. Simpson had removed their Stations to England and even then the concord could not be obtained till the Dutch Magistrate had interposed his authority N Neither by this means could Master Simpsons Church be perswaded to return to Master Bridges till for their meer pleasure they got that Congregation to remove one of their prime members without the alleadging of any cause but their own peremptory will and satisfaction O When by so much
grief nor can we chuse but to be covered with confusion and shame when we are forced to taste the most bitter fruits of our Brethrens principles though denied by them in words yet ingenuously avowed by their friends in Amsterdam and constantly practised in New-England to the uttermost of their power E 1. they must oppose the building of a Church any where in the world if it be not after their patern That as in New-England no Presbyterial Church on any condition may be tolerated so in Old-England no Presbyterial Church must ever be erected if all their skill and industry can hinder it Such a Reformation though expresly according to the National Covenant to them is a deformation which they cannot wish much lesse pray for or endeavour but with all their strength must crosse it as a corruption unsufferable where they have power It s plain and demonstrable that their Principles and Way have forced them to oppose the Reformation in hand and will ever force them so to do till they lay new grounds and be changed in the sence of their erroneous minde However the actions of our Brethren did proclame loud enough their intentions to delay so long as they were able the setting up of any Government yet when this evil is become so grosse and palpable that all in words do disclaim it and they who most do procure it do most in shew abominate it it seems a little strange that some of their Divines are now begun in Print expresly to own it and in Print to perswade the delay of this work E 2. It must be a heavie guiltinesse to be a powerful instrument of keeping two so great Kingdoms as England and Ireland without the Fold and Hedge of all Ecclesiastike Discipline for divers yeers together especially in the time of a devouring War How many thousand souls have perished by this means in their ignorance and profanesse who in a wel-governed Church might have been reclaimed Unto this great misery another great unhappinesse addeth much weight Beside their marring of the begun-Reformation they have occasioned the perishing of some millions of poor souls by the unheard-of multiplication of Heresies and Schisms F I believe no place in the world for this mischief is now parallel to London Amsterdam long ago is justified that City hath transmitted hither the infamy of her various Sects Now upon whom shall this blame be fastne◠〈◊〉 It is well known that the Sects at the time of the Independents return hither were inconsiderable in regard of that which now they are by their means It was their work to bring people into distaste with the way of all the Reformed Churches this by their labours was made vile in the eyes of the multitude and people once having leaped over that wall within the which all the Protestant Churches have dwelt in safety by all the skill of their first misleaders could not be holden from running farther away as in New-England Independency was a mother to Anabaptism Antinomianism Familism and many more Heresies We need not wonder to see it any where bring forth the like Brood But hereof indeed do we wonder that in so short a time this Way should change as it were its nature so farre to the worse In Holland and New-England Independency so soon as it had found and discerned the young brats of Anabaptists Antinomians or Familists in her bosom it was her custom incontinently to fling them away as Bastards But Independency at London hath learned not onely to beget but to cherish such children when they are brought forth Not onely the Churches of New-England but the very Amsterdam-Brownists have ever been zealous to cast out of their Society the Heretikes and Schismatickes we speak of but here in London it is far otherwise We have heard that many of the Independents here so soon as they have fallen into Anabaptism or other Errours of the time have quickly of their own accord run away and separated from the Independent Congregations as polluted as false as no Churches But that ever any of the London-Independents did cast out of their Churches any man or woman for Anabaptism Antinomianism or any other Errour we never heard By the contrary Independency here is become an uniting Principle it hath kept our Brethren in the midst of all their bitter Jarrs with the Reformed Churches abroad and the Presbyterians at home in a great entirenesse and familiarity with all the Sectaries that pleased to draw neer them They have by their debates and dissents laboured to hinder the Assembly from giving the least advice to the Parliament to take any order with the most absurd of the Sectaries when complained upon for their greatest Enormities yea they have preached and printed divers Tractates for a full liberty to all Sects G That so soon they should have run thus far out we could never have believed if our own eyes and ears had not been our perswaders As for the third Apple we observed on their Tree The endangering of the State it is no lesse visible then any of the former If there were no more but the keeping of the Church-wounds so long open the health yea the life of the State might justly be feared from this ground alone by all who know the sympathy of these Twins and the inseparable interest of these two much-united Companions But beside the keeping of the Church unsetled the growth of Schisms how pregnant a cause it is of a States ruine we need no other witnesse then the declaration of their Brethren in New-England H We are made here to believe that the Anabaptists and the Antinomians are so tame and harmlesse creatures that there is no danger of any violence from their innocent hands If it be so the General Court at New-Boston hath been extremely unjust who professed their wel-grounded apprehension of a total subversion not onely of all their Churches but of their Civil State also from a far lesse number of these Sectaries then are here among us and avowed to the world their necessity to banish out of that Countrey the leaders of that dangerous Faction whether men or women whether Church or States-men and to disarm many of their followers upon much much smaller provocations and lighter grounds of suspition then by the words and deeds of their kinsfolks have been offered lately unto this State I What more might be said of the London-Independents practices upon the State readily may come to the world ere long by a much better Pen. I for causes at this time abstain totally from writing on this subject The Testimonies A Antap. p. 51. I believe upon good grounds and so do many more you never took any great content or joy in the thoughts of the Assembly but have done your utmost to delay it and to put it by God knows your hearts and men some of your speeches about the meeting of this Assembly But seeing it could not be helped and that you could
these corruptions had been removed so farre as I have read in any of their writings they would no more have Separated But the Independents having no such stumbling blocks in their way Bishops and Books being abolished and a barre set up in every Congregation to keep off from the Sacrament every scandalous and ignorant person notwithstanding they will yet Separate The more unjust and lesse cause they have so to doe their separation must bee so much the worse the grosser and more inexcusable Schisme What they say for the avoyding of this challenge will not hold water while they tell us that they are not Separatists because they avow the Church of England to be a true and gracious Church That the Ministry of it is true and saving They should consider that the Brownists when the fit of charity commeth upon them say large as much as all this as before from their own words we have shown k also that some of the Independent Party have gone as farre as that which they confesse makes the Brownists to be justly called Schismaticks l but however suppose their allegation were true it doth not excuse and diminish but much encrease the fault of their separation For it is a greater sinne to depart from a Church which I professe to bee true and whose Ministry I acknowledge to be saving then from a Church which I conceive to be false and whose Ministers I take to have no calling from God nor any blessing from his hand Neither are they cleared from the blot of Schisme by their countenancing the English Assemblies by their preaching and praying therein for beside that they doe no more in this then Mr Robinson hath taught them m They should remember they teach their Schollars that Preaching Prayer Psalmes and all things they doe in the English Congregation are no acts of Church Fellowship n that none of them doth import any Church Membership nor any Ecclesiastick Communion but are such which without scruple they can dispence to very Pagans But we would intreat them to declare if they would be willing to receive any Sacrament in the English Congregations or if they will be content to bee under any part of their Discipline if they will be either Members or Officers in any of our Churches I see indeed the Apologists professe their participation of Baptisme in our Congregations but besides that the Brownists will professe so much of themselves o yet how this is consistent with the constant practice and Doctrine of the Independents I confesse my understanding is too blunt to conceive For however in New-England they give the right hand of Fellowship to the Brownists Congregations p and at London they are said to goe to the Brownists Sacraments q and we did never heare that either in England or Holland they refused any to be a Member for their beliefe of rigid separation or Anabaptisme nor censured any of their Members for falling into these errours yet in formall termes they doe deny the most gracious of their Brethren to live beside them in New-England in the Presbyteriall way of the old Non-conformists r yea in Print they avow that whoever refuseth their Tenet of Independency were they otherwise never so Orthodox and pious they ought not to be admitted to the Sacraments nor enjoy any Church Priviledge s as people who cannot be wholly but at most are in part only converted Yea as such who must be taken for Anti-christian spirits for enemies to Christ and his Kingdome t Neither have I heard that any of them now for many yeares have either celebrated to others or received themselves the Sacraments in any English Church And when it was propounded that they might take charge in some of the best Reformed Congregations of England with a full assurance of a personall dispensation to them for their whole life if they would leave but that one intollerable Tenet of Separation to this day they have disregarded that kind and brotherly Accommodation shewing expresly that in this point of separate Congregations they would be tolerated or nothing else would satisfie their consciences beyond this their best friends were not able by their long and earnest endeavours for divers weeks together to draw them one haires-breadth w if this be not a more cleare and a more inexcusable Separation then was ever yet laid to the charge of any Brownists I professe my utter mistake of the nature of Schisme and desire to be rectified The next singularity of the Brownists their Doctrine of the constitution of the Church in matter and forme the Independents have borrowed to the full and not only enlarged it but when all other grounds faile upon this alone they build the necessity of their separation Concerning the matter of the Church the Independents have learned all their unjust scrupulosity from the other as the Brownists require every Church member to be a Saint really regenerate and justified who at their admission have publikely satisfied the whole Congregation by convincing signes of their true holinesse the other requires the same x. What ever indulgence here the Independents professe to give either to weak ones in whom they finde the least of Christ or to women whom they remit from the Congregation to speak more privately in the Eldership y â— this is no other then the present practise of the Brownists at Amsterdam Only we observe that the Independents here go farther from the Reformed Churches both in the strictnesse and in the loosnesse of their satisfactions The Brownists are satisfied with the signes of personall grace but the Independents require more they proceed to a triall by a long conversation of the sociable and complying disposition of the person to be admitted with the spirits of the whole Church whereof he is to be a member z without this sutablenesse of spirit they will reject them whom otherwise they finde to be Saints aa But their chiefe excesse here is in loosnesse The Brownists will not dispence with known errours and sinnes in the members they will not admit of Anabaptists of proud luxurious contentious people If they finde any such to have crept in among them they professe their judgement is for their casting out by censures But the Independents will here be more wise for the encrease of their party and however they will have nothing to do with Presbyterians bb nor with such people who can live in their confused Congregations yet they make it their rule to hold out none for any errour that is not fundamentall nor for any sinne that is not continued in against conscience cc walking according to this rule they swallow down without trouble the small gnats of Anabaptism and all other Sects who erre not fundamentally and obstinately and against conscience how many Sectaries are thus farre guilty who can determine The little spot of luxury in apparell in diet and many fleshly delights of strife of disdainfull railing and such other faults as are too
common in their members are of easy disgestion dd Concerning the other part of the Church essence its forme their Covenant in this the Disciples go much above their Master Mr Cotton hath perfected by an expresse Treatise this part of Brownism ee as many others The Covenants of New â—ngland are much straiter then any that ever we heard of at Amsterdam It is true that of late both in Old and New England the Independents seem much to modify the rigour of their Covenant ff but whatever may be said of their profession I never could learne of their practice to admit any into their society who gave not full assurance of embracing their whole way and all their differences from the Reformed Churches Sure I am they did never admit any upon easier tearms then lately I my self did hear Mr Can admit a member into his Church at Amsterdam yet if Mr Prynnes information be well grounded they are become at London more rigid in their Covenant then ever he tells us that now it is their custome to make it a part of their Oath to oppugne the Government of the Reformed Churches and to defend Independency with armes and violence ff 2. Unto the constitution we may referre the efficient of a Church and the number of its members in both the Schollars follow punctually their Masters As for the efficient it is not only the Brownists but the Independents also who put the power of gathering Churches and joyning together by Covenant in a Church way in the hand of private Christians alone without any Officer or the authority of any Magistrate It is presumption in any Minister if he assay to make up a Church only people must associate themselves into a Church and then create their Ministers and other Officers gg In New England at the erection of a new Church they are content with the presence both of the Magistrate and Ministers of the neighbour Churches but they declare that neither is necessary and that the presence of either gives no authority to the action and the absence of both detracts no authority from it hh That the whole power to gather a Congregation and to erect a Church is alone in the covenanting persons ii As for the number of the members the Independents go as low as the Brownists avowing that seven persons make a full ministeriall and compleatly organized Church kk nor do they extend the number any farther then the Brownists avowing that no Church except the universall may have any more members then conveniently can meet and be accommodated in one place for the exercise of all holy duties ll not only preaching of the Word whereat thousands may be present but celebration of the Sacraments and administring all parts of Discipline to which acts a few hundreds cannot commodiously meet The Independents minde about the gathering and erecting of Congregations may be clearly perceived by their late practice in the Sommer Islands wherein they are applauded by the Churches of New England and defended by Master White against Master Prynnes Fresh Discovery with a great deale of confidence and high language there hee justifies the necessity of the dissolution of all the Churches in the Barmudaes which yet he professes were among the best of all the English Plantations there were above 3000 people in the Isle who had lived without all controversie with any of their Ministers from their first planting till the yeare 1641 when their Ministers perswaded by some writs of the Brethren of New England found it necessary to lay down their charges and become meere private men denying to administer to their old flocks any Ordinance till three of them entring in a Covenant and thereby becomming a new Church did perswade of the 3000 Islanders some thirty or forty at most to joyn with them in their new Church Covenant these covenanted persons did chuse one of their old Ministers for their Pastor and two others of them for Ruling Elders who as gifted men were content to joyne with the Pastor in preaching not only to the Church members but to the whole Isle to fit them to be Church members but all the three refused absolutely to celebrate any Sacrament or administer any Discipline or do any act of a Pastor to any but to the forty named only All this Mr White maintains as just and necessary and petitions the Parliament in print for their countenance and approbation whereby it seems it is the Independents avowed and cleare intention when they have power to dissolve and annull all the Churches of England yea of the world to spoile all Ministers living of their pastorall charge and all people of all Church priviledges and to erect new Churches of their own framing into which they are to admit at most not one of an hundred of those who now do count themselves Christians all this you may see at length in Mr Whites very peremptory Reply to Mr Prynnes Fresh Discovery Leaving the constitution their chiefe Tenets concerne the power of the Congregation so constitute as is said in this they come up fully to their Masters side for they give unto their Church that is their seven covenanted persons the whole Ecclesiastick power and that independently upon any person under heaven First they put it in their hands to create all the Officers they not only give them suffrages in their election mm but the whole power of Ordination also nn the examination of their Pastor in all the abilities requisite for his charge oo the laying all the parts of his Office upon him publique prayer imposition of hands and what other acts are requisite for a regular Ordination are all performed by one of the people whom the rest have appointed for that end pp As they have power to make all their Officers so they have power to unmake them to depose and excommunicate all their Ministers qq to cognosce and finally to determine without any appeal in all cases both in life and doctrine of all Heresies and Scismes of all Truths and Errours to order all things belonging to the worship of God and to do all things else rr which other Churches ascribe to the most Generall Assemblies of the most learned Divines Upon this passage of Power come in the differences which divided the Brownists among themselves whilst Iohnson would give all these acts of power to the Eldership and Ainsworth would keep them for the Congregation these same questions vex the Independents to this day and are likely to divide the Children as they did the Fathers The most of the New English Divines with Ainsworth attribute the whole Ecclesiastick power to the body of the people unto the Eldership they give the preparation of affaires ss but the judgement and determination of all doth passe by the plurality of the peoples voices tt the power of the keyes they put in the hand not of the Presbytery but of the fraternity ww as they speak And in some
vehemently contend for the needlesnesse of any to come to the Table what ever be the practice of all the rest of the Reformed Churches But they will have the holy Seales carried from the place where the Minister preaches to the people in their Pews or where ever else they have their ordinary places for hearing of the Word although most easily in their small Congregations without any disturbance all might bee brought to the Table sssss But their maine difference from all the Reformed and greatest consonancy with the Brownists is in this that as they teach all outward signes of Worship in the time of the Celebration to be Idolatry and hereupon declare the necessity of all men who will follow the example of the first Communicants to keep on their Hats all the time of this holy action so likewise the Independents begin to teach their disciples for however at Amsterdam this day the named Doctrine bee not fully practised the men there covering their heads in the time of the Celebration but every one uncovering during the time of their own personall participation of the Elements yet we are now taught at London that covering is most requisite at the time of participation That this act is a Rite significant to the Communicants of their Table-honor and fellowship with Christ also that the Minister in all his Celebration must be uncovered and that in sign of his service to the Communicants as the Lords much honoured children sitting covered when they eat of their Fathers meat ttttt After all the Worship is ended the Congregation may not yet be dismissed but one ordinance more in the end of the day must be attended the exercise of Discipline in this the Independents come up fully to their masters the whole people must be present to heare judge and voyce at every act of Discipline wwwww In any Congregation the acts of discipline when best managed are very tedious and long but with them more then anywhere else for their contentions are more and more tough as we may see in the best ruled Congregations that ever they had That of Arnheim and Roterdam if the praise given by the Apologists to them be just there the exercise of discipline hath bin very tedious the whole Congregation to their extreme wearinesse and fretting have been forced to lay aside the works of their ordinary calling for many dayes of the week to attend the Iudging of these causes which on the Sabbath dayes could not be ended xxxxx In the Cognition of these causes every member of the Congregation must be satisfied in his own minde concerning every passage of every action for they doe not proceed by the plurality of numbred voyces but with the harmonious consent of all who have right to voyce yyyyy And if it fall out that any doe dissent from the most they appoint in that case paines to be taken for the information of the dissenters that they may consent but if these paines prove fruitlesse and the Dissenters refuse to joyn with their brethren they are declared obstinate and to have lost the right of voycing for that time zzzzz Yea which is worst of all and which puts these Congregations upon the smallest occasions upon unavoydable and remedilesse divisions they appoint all who continue in their dissent in any matter of weight to be farther proceeded with for their contumacy aaaaaa The publike meetings of the Brownists are so long and tedious that we doe not heare of their stomack for any private but the Independents are yet for private meetings how long they will be in love with them we cannot say for in New-England where they were most in request their fruits have been very bitter these meetings of a middle sort betwixt Congregationall and Domestick were the occasion very neere to ruine both that Church and State for in these it was where under the pretence of religious conference and re-petition of Sermons false doctrine and wicked calumnies against the most Orthodox of the Ministers and Magistrates were spread for the renting and had not God prevented it the destroying of the State both Civill and Ecclesiastick bbbbbb For the present where they are in gathering of their Congregations these meetings in private houses of all who will are a very pregnant meanes to steale away men and women from their own Pastors but if once their gathering of Churches were at an end and their greatest care were for the keeping and edifying of what they had gotten it is like that then they would be as cautious as now all other Churches are even the Brownists and these of New-England of such meetings which except well moderated and limited under faire pretences are exceeding fit to make new divisions and ever to frame new Societies of some as it were more select and eminent Christians out of the common Congregation Concerning the Magistrate the Tenets of the Independents would bee well considered because of their open proclamation of their loyalty beyond and above all which the principles of any Reformed Church will permit them cccccc Had they magnified never so much their own vertues without the expresse disparagement of others had they put in the ballance with themselves an equall or a double number of the greatest men in any of the Reformed Churches who yet would be very ponderous when they lie in the Scales against five particular men the Authors of that comparison had they preferred themselves before all the Reformed Churches in a casuall contingent action not in a maine duty which their very principles are alledged to diminish had they whispered all this in the eares of their friends and not made a Proclamation of it to both the Houses of Parliament and that in print to be trumpeted out in the eares of all the world it might have been past over with the lesse either observation or offence But since in so publike a manner they have required the Magistrate to believe their great deferences to him and the smaller respect he can expect from any out of their way it seemeth very necessary to produce not these particular respects which the Reformed Churches professe according to their principles to give unto the Magistrate continually have given according to their professions for these are well known to the world long before any of our new Censors were in being but what these singular duties may be which the Independents above all other men by their principles are forced to performe to Magistrates while they may be at leisure to publish them to the world I will here present unto them the materialls of some few short observations for that purpose First that divers of their party and those of very eminent note though miscarrying in other things yet keeping fast to the way of Independency have denyed to the Magistrate all power over any of the Godly dddddd And others of them with the grossest Anabaptists have denyed the lawfulnesse of any Magistrate at all
make the Temple a type not only of Christs body and the Church universall but of every Congregation yet by what Scripture will they make legall uncleannesse typifie the estate of irregeneration And above all how will they make the exclusion from the Temple for legall uncleanesse a type of rejection from Church-membership for irregeneration Nothing more common then legall cleanesse in a person irregenerate and legall uncleanesse in a person regenerate Legall uncleanesse did never hinder any from Church-membership under the old Testament albeit for a time it might impede their fellowship in some services but irregeneration did never hinder communion in any service It is a question whether very scandalous sins did keep men ceremonially clean from the Temple and Sacrifices but out of all doubt irregeneration alone was never a bar to keep any from the most holy and most solemn services whether of the Tabernacle or Temple There are two other arguments couched in the conclusion of the debate First from the 3 of Matth. Iohn the Baptist excluded the Scribes and Pharisees and the profane people from his Baptism Ergo the officers and body of the people should not admit irregenerate people to be members of the Church Ans The consequence is not good from Iohn the Baptist to all the officers and body of the people nor from Baptism or any Sacrament to Church-membership nor from the Scribes Pharisees and profane people to every irregenerate person what loosnesse is in such reasoning But the worst is that the antecedent is clearly against the places of Scripture alledged Iohn the Baptist did not exclude either the Scribes or the Pharisees or the common people from his baptism but received all that came both the Scribes and Pharisees and Ierusalem and all Iudea and all the region about Iordan requiring no other condition for their admission to his Sacrament then the confession of sinne and promising of new obedience acts very feasable to irregenerate people His last argument is from Acts 8. Philip admitted none to his baptism but upon profession of Faith Ergo none should be admitted members of a Church without an evidence of their regeneration For shortnesse I mark but one fault in the consequence yet a very grosse one That profession of faith is made a certain argument of true grace and sanctification Will any of our Brethren be content to admit their members upon so slender tearms as Philip or any of the Apostles did require of their new converts Will the profession that Iesus is the Christ or such a confession of faith as Simon Magus and all the people of Samaria men and women after a little labour of Philip among them could make be an evident and convincing signe of regeneration Thus we have considered all Mr Cottons arguments let any man according to his conscience pronounce what strength he findes in any of them whether or not in them all together there be such firmnesse as to sustaine the unspeakable weight that is in the conclusion builded upon them I mean a necessity of separation from all the Reformed Churches except these of the Indepent way I may adde from them also and all else that ever have been in the world from the beginning to this houre for in none of them these hard conditions of satisfactory evidences of regeneration before persons can be admitted members were ever so much as required and among the Independents where these conditions have been required they were never found nor possibly can be found as they doe require them CHAP. VIII Concerning the right of Prophecying THe second question I propounded concerneth the dogmatick power so to call it of their Church-members They teach that the power of prophesie or publike preaching both within and without the Congregation belongeth to every man in their Church who hath ability to speak in publike to edification The Reformed Churches give this power only to Pastors and Doctors who are called by God and the Church to labour in the Word They do not deny to every Christian all true liberty in private as God gives them occasion in an orderly way to edifie one another nor do they deny to the sons of the Prophets who are fitting themselves for the pastorall charge to exercise their gifts in publike for their preparation and triall but publike preaching they do not permit to any who are not either actually in the Ministry or in the way unto it The Socinians and Arminians the better to advance their design of everting the publike Ministry do put it in the hand of any able man to preach the Word and celebrate the Sacraments The Brownists upon the mistake of some Scriptures give liberty to any of their members whom their Church thinks able to preach Mr Cotton and his Brethren in New-England did follow for a long time the Brownists in this practise yet of late feeling as it would seem the great inconveniency of this liberty of prophecying they are either gone or going from it for in their two last books The way of their Churches and the Keyes they not only passe this popular Prophesying in silence but also do evert the chiefe grounds whereupon before they did build it our Brethren here of Holland and London seem not yet to be accorded about it these of Arnhem did to the last day of their Churches standing maintaine it their gentlemen preaching ordinarily in the absence of their Ministers but at Roterdam Mr Bridge would never permit it yet Mr Simpson thought it so necessary an ordinance that the neglect of it was the cheife cause of his secession from Mr Bridge and erecting a new Church neither ever could these two Churches be united till after both Mr Bridges and Mr Simpsons removall their Successor did find a temper in this question permitting the exercise of prophesie not in the meeting place of the Congregation but in a private place on a week day our Brethren at London are for this exercise not only upon the former grounds but especially to hold a doore open for themselves to preach in the Parish-Churches where they neither are nor ever intend to be Pastors only they preach as gifted men and Prophets for the conversion of these who are to be made members of their new Congregations The reasons we bring for our tenet are these First Who ever have power to preach the word ordinarily have also power to baptise But only Ministers have power to baptise Ergo only Ministers have power to preach the Word ordinarily The Minor how ever the Arminians and some few of the late Brownists deny yet all the Independents grant it but they deny the Major which we prove by two Scripturall reasons first Christ conjoyns the power of baptism with the power of preaching Ergo who have the power of preaching have also the power of baptising which Christ hath anexed to it Matth. 28.19 Go and teach all Nations baptising them Their Reply that Christ speaks
particular Service of the Ministery Acts. 13.1 There was in the Church certaine Prophets and Teachers and the Holy Ghost sayd Separate me Barnabas and Saul to the worke whereunto I have called them and when they had fasted and prayed and layd their hands on them they sent them away Fourthly None of the people ordinarily have the gifts requisite for this action as skill to examine the Minister in all things he must be tried in a gift of publicke prayer a faculty to instruct and exhort the Pastour and people to mutuall duties Seventhly That power belongeth not to the people which disableth them both in their Christian and Civill duties But the power of Ecclesiastick Jurisdiction doth so The Major is grounded on the nature of all power and all gifts which God doth give for all are for edification and none for the hurt of these to whom they are given The Minor may be demonstrated by this That it layes a necessity upon all the people to attend in the Sabbath day upon the exercise of discipline which by the very length will make the Sabbath-Service insupportably burdensome and also will fill the mindes of the people with these purposes which naturally occurre in the agitation of Ecclesiasticke causes and cannot but cast out of common weake mindes much of the fruite of the preceding worship Further the peoples necessary attendance on all Ecclesiasticke causes will make the processe in the most causes so prolix as cannot but robbe the people of that time which they ought to imploy in their secular callings for getting of bread For every one of the people being a Judge must be so satisfyed in every circumstance of every action as to give their Suffrage upon certaine knowledge and with a good conscience now before this can be done in a few causes of the smallest and best ordered Congregations much time will be spent as the Church of Arneim found it in one cause alone though but a light one and betwixt two onely even of their cheife and best Members Eighthly That power is not to be given to the people which brings in the popular government of Morellius into the Church but the power in question doth so The Major is the common assertion of all the Brethren that they are farre from democracy and further from Morellius anarchy and that they are ready to forsake their Tenet if it can be demonstrated to import any such thing The Minor thus we prove That which puts the highest acts of Government in the hands of the multitude brings in the popular government for in the greatest democracies that are or ever have beene there were divers acts of great power in the hand of sundry Magistrates but the highest acts of power being in the hands of the people alone such as the making of Lawes the creation of Magistrates the censure of the greatest Offendors these were the sure signes of Supremacy that gave the denomination to the government Now we assure that the Tenet in hand puts the highest acts of Ecclesiastick Authority in the hands of the people For the Ordination and Deposition of Officers the binding and loosing of Offendours are incomparably the highest acts of Ecclesiasticke Jurisdiction These they put in the hand of the people That they doe conjoyne with the people the Officers to expound the Law and declare what is right and to give out the sentence makes nothing against the peoples Supremacy for in Rome and Athens at their most democraticke times and this day in the States of Holland in all the Provinces and every City where the people are undoubted Soveraignes they have their Magistrates and Officers in all their proceedings to goe before them to declare the case to take the Suffrages and to pronounce the Sentence As for them who of late have begun to put the whole Authority in the Officers alone and to give the people onely a liberty of consenting to what the Officers doe decree of their owne Authority wee say they are but few that doe so and these contradictory to themselves Also these same men give absolute Authority to the people in divers cases further that liberty of consent they come to call an authoritative concurrence Lastly the most of the arguments even of these men doe conclude not onely a liberty to consent and to concurre but an authoritative agency in the highest acts of Jurisdiction Ninthly They who have the power of Jurisdiction have also the power of preaching the word and celebrating the Sacraments unlesse God in his word have given them a particular and expresse exemption from that imployment But none of the people have power to preach the word and celebrate the Sacraments Ergo. The Major is built on these Scriptures which conjoyne the administration of the Word Sacrament and Discipline in one and the same termes and upon these Scriptures which lay a part of these administrations upon some men with an expresse exception of another part of them Math. 16.19 under the name of the Keys of the Kingdome of Heaven is comprehended the whole Ecclesiasticke power of the Word Sacraments and Discipline what there is promised Joh. 20. it is performed in these termes as the Father hath sent me so I send you But 1 Tim. 5.17 where this power is separated and distinguished the one part of Jurisdiction is ascribed to the ruling Elders with an expresse intimation of their freedome from preaching the Word and by consequence from celebration of the Sacraments The Minor was that none of the people have power of the word and Sacraments For the power of the Sacraments it is confessed not to belong to the people That the power of preaching the Word belongeth no more to them was proved in the former Chapter None of our Brethren doe ascribe the power of preaching to all the People but onely to a few of them who are able to prophesie so the power of Jurisdiction according to the ground in hand could be ascribed to none of the people but these few Prophets alone For the other side the Separatists and Master Parker in this point as farre wrong as the other bring many arguments but I will meddle onely with these which Master Cotton doth borrow from them in his way of the Churches and answer to the 32. Questions First from Math. 16.19 he reasons thus The Power of the Keys is given unto Peter upon the confession of his faith Ergo every Beleever hath the Power of the Keys Answer I deny the consequence for however upon the occasion of his confession the Keys are promised to him yet they are not promised to him because of his confessing nor under the relation of a beleever for if so then all and onely beleevers should have the full Power of the Keys but our Brethren will be loth to avow this direct Assertion of Smith the Sebaptist for they doe not ascribe the Power of the Sacraments to any beleever out of Office nor any power of
Thus farre the most of their reasons doe carry if they have any force at all Secondly the Antecedent may well be denyed all that the Apostle speaks to the Collossians indefinitely must not be expounded of every one of the people This precept of speaking to Archippus could not be better performed then by the Presbytery whereof Archippus was a Member Thirdly the consequence is invalid They might admonish therefore excommunicate Every admonition is not in order to censure it is a morall duty incumbent to every one to admonish lovingly and zealously his Brother when there is cause it is a sinne and disobedience to God if we let sinne lye upon any whom we by our counsell and admonition can helpe but to conclude that we have power to Excommunicate every man whom in duty wee ought to admonish is an absurdity which none of the Separatists will well digest Fifthly From Revel 2.14.20 The whole Churches of Pergamus and Tâ—yatira are rebuked for suffering wicked Hereticks to live among them uncensured Ergo it was the duty of all the Church to censure them Answer First the conclusion is for a power to the people to censure which our Brethren now deny Secondly The Antecedent may be denied for the fault of that impious Toleration is not laid upon the whole Church but expresly upon the Angell Thirdly the consequence is not good The whole Church might be reproved for a neglect of their duty in not inciting and incouraging their Officers to censure these Hereticks but a reproofe for this neglect inferreth not that it was the peoples duty to execute these censures Thus much our Brethren will not avow Sixthly They reason from Revel 4.4 The foure and twenty Elders sate on Thrones in white Robes with Crownes on their heads Ergo Every one of the Church hath a power of judging as Kings with Crownes sitting on their Thrones Answer First the conclusion ever inferres the full Tenet of the Separatists Secondly the consequence is very weake except many things be supposed which will not be granted without strong proofes first that this Type is argumentative for the matter in hand secondly that this place is relative to the Church on earth rather then to that in heaven thirdly that these Elders doe typifie the people rather then the Officers fourthly that the Thrones and Crownes import a Kingly Office in every Christian to be exercised in Church censures upon their brethren more then the white robes doe inferre the Priestly Office of every Christian to be exercised in Preaching the Word and celebrating the Sacraments Seventhly They reason from Galatian 5.1.13 the Galatians were called unto Liberty whereto they behoved to stand fast as to a priviledge purchased by Christ his blood Ergo Every one of them had a power to cut off their Officers Answer This is the Scripture whereupon our Brethren have lately fallen and make more of it then of any other I confesse their reasoning from it seemes to me the most unreasonable throwing of the holy Scripture that I have readily seene in any Disputant The whole scope of the place carrying evidentty a liberty from the burthen and servitude of the Law Their fathering upon it a new and unheard of sense to wit a priviledge of Church censures without any authority or proper power therein is very strange they cannot produce any Scripture where the word Liberty hath any such sense and though they could yet to give the word that sense in this place where so clearely it is referred to a quite diverse matter it seemeth extremely unreasonable Eightly Thus they reason The whole Congregation of Israel had power to punish Malefactors as in the case of Gibea in the message of Israel to the two Tribes halfe also the people had power to rescue from the hands of the Magistrates as in the case of Jonathan from Saul Answer The consequence is null for the practise of the Israelites in their civill state is no sufficient rule for the proceedings of the Church of the New Testament Our Brethren would beware of such Arguments least by them they entertaine the jealousie which some professe they have of their way fearing it be builded upon such principles as will set up the common people not onely above their Officers in the Church but also above their Magistrate in the State That it draw in a popular government and Ochlocracie both in Church and State alike Ninthly They thus reason Who ever doe elect the Officers they have power to ordaine them and upon just cause to depose and excommunicate them But the people do elect their Officers Ergo. Answer The major is denied for first election is no act of power suppose it to be a priviledge yet there is no Jurisdiction in it at all but Ordination is an act of Jurisdiction it is an authoritative mission and putting of a man into a spirituall Office The people though they have the right and possession by Scripturall practise of the one yet they never had either the right or the possession of the other Secondly suppose the Maxime were true whereof yet I much doubt unlesse it be well limited Ejus est destituere cuius instituere that they who give authority have power to take it backe againe yet we deny that the people who elect give any authority or office at all their election is at most but an Antecedent Sine quo non it is the Presbytery onely who by their Ordination doe conferre the Office upon the elect person Finally They argue No act of Jurisdiction is vâ—lid without the peoples consent Ergo to every act of Jurisdiction the peoples presence and concurrence is necessary Answer The antecedent in many cases is false a gracious Orthodoxe Minister may be ordained a Pastor to a Hereticall people against their consent an Hereticall Pastor who hath seduced all his flocke may be removed from them against their passionate desires to keepe him but the Consequent is more vitious where ever consent is requisite their presence much lesse authoritative concurrence is not necessary all the souldiers are not present at the Counsell of War and yet the decrees of that Counsell of War can not be executed without the consent and action of the Souldiers every member of the Church of Antioch was not present at the Synod of Jerusalem diverse members of the Independent Congregations are absent from many Church determinations to the which upon their first knowledge they doe agree CHAP. X. Independencie is contrary to the Word of God THe Divine Wisedome which found it expedient for man before the Fall not to live alone hath made it much more needfull for man to live in Society after his weakning by sinne Woe to him that is alone for if he fall who shall raise him up The best wits of themselves are prone to errors and miscarriages and left alone are inclined to run on in any evill way they have once begunne But engagement in
lawfull Decrees of all gracious Synods Did not of old the Fathers of Nice and of late the Fathers of Dort through the inspiration of the holy Ghost who remaineth with the Church especially with gracious Synods to the worlds end pronounce from the holy Sctipture their Decrees of the Godhead of Christ against Arrius and of the grace of God against Arminius Shall we for this cause ascribe to the Canons of Nice or Dort any greater authority then Ecclesiastick and Humane Howsoever that the Apostles in framing the Canons at Jerusalem did proceede in a way meerely Ecclesiastick and farre different from that they used in dictating of Scripture and publishing truths meerely Divine appeareth from this first that these Canons were brought forth by much Disputation and long discourse But Divine Oracles without the proces of humane Ratiocinations are published from the immediate inditing of the Spirit 2 Pet. 1.21 The Prophesie in old time came not by the will of man but the holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost Secondly Oracles meerely Divine are published onely in the name of God Thus saith the Lord but these Canons are proclamed not onely in the name of God but also in the name of man It seemeth good to the holy Ghost and to us Thirdly The Oracles of God are dictated to the Church by the Ministry only of the Prophets and Apostles and men inspired with an infallible Spirit Ephes 2 20. Being built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles But the Canons of that Synod Acts 15. are declared to be the worke not onely of the holy Ghost â—d the Apostles but also of the Elders and of all who Voyced to them So it is cleare that in the making of these Canons the Apostles as else-where oft did come downe from the eminent Chaire of their Apostolike and extraordinary authority to the lower place of Ordinary Pastors that in their owne persons they might give an example to ordinary Pastors in what manner holy Synods might be rightly celebrated to the worlds end Had not this been their end how easie had it beene either for Paul or Barnabas at Antioch without the toylesome voyage of a long journey to Jerusalem or for Peter or John or James or any one of the Apostles at Jerusalem without the superfluous paines of any convention or disputation as infallible Apostles to have pronounced Divine and irrefragable Decrees of all the matters in question Our fourth argument A Church subordinate is not Independent but a Parochial Church is subordinate to a Presbyteriall For a lesser Church is subordinate to a greater as a part to its whole wherein it is contained Now a Parochiall Church is lesser and the least of all Churches a Presbyteriall Church is greater Of the quantity that the one is lesser the other greater there is no doubt but of the matter it selfe there is question whether there be any such thing as a Presbyteriall Church Now this was proved before and hereafter also will be more cleare the cheife plea here is against the second major which we prove thus A smaller number of the faithfull is subordinate by Christ to a greater number of the faithfull But a lesser Church is a smaller number of the faithfull and a greater Church is a greater number of the faithfull The Major is proved from the 18 of Math. v. 15.16.17.18 If thy Brother trespasse against thee c. Here the Lord in admonitions and Church censures institutes a subordination a gradation a processe from one to two or three from two or three to moe Understand those moe not absolutely and at randoun but in a society bound togeather by the orderly ligaments of divine policy such as we suppose the Churches to be from the smallest to the greatest till you come to the very Church universall Here they distinguish the Major granting that in this place a subordination is appointed by Christ of fewer to moe within the same Church but not without it We might oppugne the application of the distinction to the Minor and prove that a Presbyteriall Church is a greater number of the faithfull within not without the same Church for a Congregationall Church may not unfitly be compared with a Presbyteriall as a part with its whole especially if you compare the meeting of the Officers which rule the Parish with the Presbytery these two are not extrinsecall the one to the other for the Sessions or Consistories or Classis are in the Presbytery which is composed of the Commissioners from Sessions as of its owne and intrinsecall Members But leaving this we oppugne the ground of the distinction as it lyeth in the Major breaking the one halfe of it upon the other The subordination of fewer to moe in the forenamed place is established say they within the same Church Ergo say we without the same Church we meane with them without the same Parochiall Church the consequence we prove by three arguments First there is a like reason for the subordination of fewer to moe without the same Church as within the same for the cheife reason why the Lord ordaines us in admonitions to proceed from one to two or three from two or three to a number sitting as Judges in the Session of one Congregation is because in the admonitions of two or three more authority gravity and wisedome are presupposed to be than in the admonitions of one alone and that a Delinquent is striken with more feare shame and reverence by the faces and mouthes of many who sit as Judges in the name of the whole Congregation than he would be by the mouth of two or three onely Doeth not this power virtue and weight of admonition increase with the number of admonishers as well without as within the same Congregation For as the admonition and censure of tenne sitting in the name of one Congregation hath greater weight then the admonition of two or three of that same Flocke who represent none but themselves so the admonition of thirty Ministers and Elders representing in a Presbytery fifteene Congregations whose commissioners they are shall have more weight then the admonition of ten which represent but one flocke for it is according to reason that those thirty Members of the Presbytery should exceede in wisedome zeale gravity and other qualities which adde weight to an admonition these ten which in a Session represent one Congregation so farre as those ten goe beyond the two or three severall persons of that Congregation Secondly unlesse in this place be established a subordination of fewer to moe as well without as within the same Congregation the remedy brought by Christ will be unable to cure the ill for which it was brought The Lords meanes will be disproportionable and unequall to its end but this were absurd to say of the wisest of all Physicians The reason of the Major is this Christ is prescribing an helpe and cure for brotherly offences now one may be
erect their Congregation the successe was no better their Ship scarce well set out was quickly splitupon the Rocks was soone dissipate and vanished When Johnstoun Ainsworth would make the third assay and try if that tree which neither in England nor Zealand could take roote might thrive in Holland at Amsterdam where plants of all sorts are so cherished that few of the most maligne qualite doe miscarry yet so singular a malignity is innate in that seede of Independency that in that very ground where all weedes grow ranke it did wither within a few yeares new Schismes burst that small Church asunder Johnstoun with his halfe and Ainsworth with his made severall Congregations neither whereof did long continnue without further ruptures Behold who please with an observant Eye these Congregations which have embraced Independency they shall finde that never any Churches in so short a time have beene disgraced with so many so unreasonable and so irreconcileable Schismes Against these inconveniences they tell us of two remedies the duties of charity and the authority of the Magistrate but the one is unsufficient and the other improper The duties of charitie are but mocked by obstinate Hereticks and heady Schismaticks to what purpose are counsells rebukes intreaties imployed towards him who is blowne up with the certaine perswasion that all his errors are divine truthes that all who deale with him to the contrary are in a cleare error that all the advices given to him are but the words of Satan from the mouthes of men tempting him to sinne against God As for the Magistrate oft he is not a Christian oft though a Christian he is not Orthodoxe and though both a Christian and Orthodoxe yet oft either ignorant or carelesse of Ecclesiasticke affaires and however his helpe is never so proper and intrinsecall to the Church that absolutely and necessarily she must depend thereupon Now all our Question is about the ordinary the internall the necessary remedies which Scripture ascribes to the Church within it selfe as it is a Church even when the outward hand of the Magistrate is deficient or opposite Our sixth and last Argument That which everteth from the very foundation the most essentiall parts of discipline not only of all the reformed but of all the Churches knowne at any time in any part of the world till the birth of Anabaptisme it can not be very gracious But this doth Independency The Minor is cleare by induction That the Government of the Scottish Church by Synods Presbyteries and Sessions sworne and subscribed of old and late by that Nation in their solemne Covenant that the same discipline of the Churches of France Holland Swiiz Geneva as also the Politie of the High Dutch and English and all the rest who are called Reformed is turned upside downe by Independency no man doubts for this is our Adversaries gloriation that they will be tied by no Oathes Covenants Subscriptions they will be hindred by no authority of any man no reverence of any Churches on earth to seperate from all the reformed that so alone they may injoy their divine and beloved Independency If you speake of more ancient times either the purer which followed the Apostles at the backe or the posterior impurer ages that the Politie of these times in all Churches Greeke and Latine is trodden under foote by Independency all likewise doe grant and how well that new conceit agreeth with the discipline practised in the dayes of Christ and his Apostles or in the dayes of Moses and the Prophets the preceding arguments will shew I confesse such is the boldnesse of the men against whom we now dispute that although they glory in their contempt of the authoritie of all men dead and living yet they offer to overwhelme us with testimonies of a number as well ancient as late Divines But who desire to see all that dust blowne back in their own eyes who raised it and the detorted words against the knowne mind and constant practise of the Authors clearely vindicated and retorted let them be pleased to take a view of Mr. Pagets Posthume Apologie where they will finde abundant satisfaction in this kinde For the other side a great bundle of arguments are also brought we shall consider the principall First To whom Christ hath given the right of excommunication the greatest of all censures they in all other acts of Jurisdiction and in all acts of Ecclesiastick discipline are Independent But Christ hath given the right of excommunication to every Congregation and to these alone Ergo c. They prove the Minor Unto the Church Christ hath given the right of excommunication Mat. 18. Goe tell the Church if he heare not the Church let him be to thee as an Ethnicke But every Congregation and it onely is the Church because in the whole Scripture the word Church where ever it is not taken for the Church universall or invisible is ever understood of a single Congregation which in one place with one Pastor serveth God Answer Passing the Majors we deny the Minors and affirme that no where in Scripture the word Church may be expounded of their Independent Congregation and least of all in the alledged place If we will advise either with the old or late Interpreters or with the best and most learned of the Adversaryes themselves who affirme with us that by the Church Math. 18. no Congregation can be understood unlesse we would bring in among Christians most grosse anarchy except we would set down on the Judgment seates of the Church every member of the Congregation men women young old the meanest and weakest part of the people to decide by the number not the weight of their voyces the greatest causes of the Church to determine finally of the excommunication of Pastors of the nature of haeresie and all doctrine and that with a decree irrevocable from which there may be no appeal no not to an Oecumenicke Synod Wherfore beside the rest of the Interpreters a great part of the Adversaries by the Church in this place understand no whole Congregation nor the most part of any Congregation but a select number thereof the Senate or Officers who cognose and discerne according to the Scriptures This is enough for answer to the argument but if further it be inquired the Senate of which Church is pointed at in this place whether of a Parochiall Church or Presbyteriall or Nationall or Oecumenicke or of all these Ans It seemeth that the Senate of all the Churches must here be understood and especially of a Presbyteriall Church at least not of a Parochiall onely and independently as our Adversaries would have it By no meanes will we have the Session of a Parish prejudged and are well content that the authority of Parochiall Sessions to handle their own proper affaires should be grounded upon this place onely we deny that from this place a Church-Session hath any warrant to take the cognition of things common to it selfe
with the Neighbouring Congregations or yet to governe her proper affaires absolutely and independently so that none may attempt to correct her when she erreth or by censure to put her in order when she beginneth by heresie schisme and tyranny to corrupt her selfe and others That in this place principally the Senate of a Presbyteriall Church is understood is cleare for of such a Church Christ here speaketh as were the Churches at Jerusalem Antioch Corinth and others in the new Testament which we proved before to have bin presbyteriall The Senate of such Churches attending on government and discipline is here called the Church as elsewhere Act. 5.20 It seemed good to the Apostles Elders and whole Church The Church met to cognosce on the questions from Antioch cannot be understood of all the thousand Christians at Jerusalem it must then be taken of the Presbytery to which the cognition of such questions doth belong In the fourth verse of the same chapter Paul is said to be received of the Church the word may well be expounded not of the whole Body but of a select number thereof even the Presbytery as in the 21 he is said to be received of the Apostles and Elders before the multitude had met together Only observe that however we affirme the Senate of a Presbyteriall Church cheifely here to be established yet we understand not this in a way independent from provinciall Nationall or Oecumenick Synods for all these meetings in their owne place and order are also grounded on this passage as before hath beene declared Their second Objection The practise of the Church of Corinth approved by the Apostles is the due right of every Parochiall Church and single Congregation But the censure of Excommunication was the practise of the Church of Corinth approved by the Apostle 1 Cor. 5.12 13. Do we not judge them that are within therefore put away from you that wicked person This judgement is authoritative and this putting away is the censure of Excommunication cutting off from the body of Christ which censure is here committed unto the Corinthians being gathered together in one vers 4. and so to them all and every one of them for to them all the Epistle is written and not to the Presbytery onely Answ The Maior must be denied for two causes First The practise of the Corinthians was grounded not onely upon the expresse command of the Apostle but also on the singular presence of the Apostles Spirit and authority with them in pronouncing the sentence of Excommunication against that incestuous person v. 3. I as present in Spirit have judged already This singular priviledge of the Corinthians is not a ground of common right to every Church who wants the authority of the Apostles expresse command and singular presence Secondly we may not argue from the Church of Corinth to every Congregation for it is proved before that the Church of Corinth was not Congregationall but Presbyteriall consisting of so many as could not meete commodiously in one private roome also it had within it selfe a Colledge or Senate of many Pastors Elders and Prophets to such a Church we grant willingly the exercise of all acts both of Ordination and Jurisdiction The Minor also cannot be admitted but with a double distinction the act of Excommunication is given to the Church of Corinth not according to its whole but acording to the select part to wit the Presbytery thereof It maketh nothing against this that the Epistle is written to the whole Church for what is written to the whole Church indefinitely must be applied according to the matter and purpose sometime onely to the Pastors excluding the people sometime onely to the people excluding the Pastors sometimes to both together to Pastors and Flock The first Epistle Chap. 1. vers 12. Every one of you saith I am of Paul I am of Apollos and I of Cephas this cannot be taken of the Pastors but of the people following Schismatically some one some another of the Pastors Likewise Chap. 4. vers 1. Let a man so count of us as of the Ministers of Christ must be taken of the people as Chap. 3. vers 12. Now if any man build on this foundation gold silver precious stones is to be understood of the Pastors as Chap. 4. vers 2. Also it is required in Stewards that a man be found faithfull but the most of the other places are to be expounded of both Now that the preceding passages concerning the Church-censures are not true of the whole Congregation it appeares for beside the absurdity of confusion Anarchy it would follow that very women have right judicially to Depose and Excommunicate by their voyces their Pastors which the very Adversaries professe to reject as absurd albeit not congruously to their Tenets for it is not reasonable that the right which from these places they ascribe to every member of the Church should be taken away from women upon this onely reason that in 1 Tim. 2.11 a commandement is given to the women not to teach but in silence to learne for as the brethren of our Adversaries the Anabaptists have marked that place taketh away from women the publicke charge of Preaching but not of speaking in judgement or giving their voyce in Church-judicatories Surely nowhere absolute silence in Church-judicatories is injoyned to women we truly give the power of witnessing and of selfe-defence as well to women as to men in all Church-judicatories However that the censure of the incestuous man was not inflicted by the whole Church it appeares from the 2 Epist Chap 2. vers 6. Sufficient to such a man was the punishment which was inflicted of many Who were these many but the Officers who were set over the Church in the Lord Another distinction also would be marked that whatsoever right we ascribe to the Church of Corinth whether according to its whole or according to any of its parts whether we take it for a Presbyteriall or a Parochiall Church all that right is to be understood not absolutely nor independently which here is the onely question For the Church at Corinth had no greater priviledges then the Church of Antioch Now that in a dubious and controverted case and in a common cause the Church of Antioch was subordinate unto a Synod it was before proved Their third objection That which the Holy Ghost gives unto the seven Churches of Asia must be the right of every single Congregation But the Holy Ghost gives unto the seven Churches of Asia all Ecclesiasticke Jurisdiction within themselves Revel 2.2 Thou canst not beare with them which are evill and thou hast tryed them which say they are Apostles and hast found them lyars And ver 14. I have a few things against thee because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam And ver 20. I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest the woman Jezabell to teach Here the Churches of Ephesus Pergamus and Thyatira are praysed
when they proceeded with censure against those who deserved it and are dispraysed when they held in the sword of excommunication and did not cast out Hereticks and prophane Persons Answ Both the Propositions are vitious The Major because the Churches in Asia were Presbyteriall not Congregationall This we proved of Ephesus and we know no reason why the rest should not be of that same condition Secondly Albeit the Churches of Asia at that time in the first preaching of the Gospell and so in the great paucity of Churches should have had no Neighbours with whom commodiously and ordinarily they could keepe society what is that unto the Churches of our dayes who live in the midst of many Sisters The Minor also may not be granted for that which the Text ascribeth to the Angell may not by and by be applyed to every Member of the Church We grant that great reason and many authorities doe prove and evince that the Angells in those places cannot be expounded of the single persons of Bishops but of the whole Body of the Presbytery in the which there was one man chosen by the Suffrages of the rest President for a time but that by the name of Angell should be understood every Member of the Church no reason will carry it Beside there is no consequence from one act of reproofe to the whole right of Ecclesiasticke government even in every case for a common cause and an appearance of errour and many other things will inforce a necessity of subordination Their fourth argument The right of the Church of Thessalonica and Colosse belongs to every Church But the Church of Thessalonica and Colosse had right to exercise every part of Ecclesiasticke discipline within their owne bounds Of the first see 2 Thessalonians 3.6 Withdraw your selves from every Brother which walketh disorderly and ver 24. Note that man and have no company with him that he may be ashamed Of the second see Col. 2.5 Joying and beholding your Order Ans Let the Maior be true of all the Churches of the same Species and Nature with these of Thessalonica and Colosse that is of all Presbyteriall That the Church of Thessalonica was such that it had moe Pastors it is proved from the 1 to the Thessalonians 5.12 Know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you that these were Pastors it is the minde of the best Interpreters Also that in Colosse beside others Epaphras and Archippus did labour in the word and doctrine is manifest from chap. 1. ver 7. and chap. 4.17 Further let the Maior be true of all Churches of that same state and condition with those named to wit when it falls out that few or no Neighbour Churches can be had with which such a society may be kept Concerning the Minor suppose that both the right and the exercise of all Ecclesiasticke acts were granted to the foresaid Churches yet the question is not touched except you adde independently and in every cause and case even of aberration and that without all remedy of appeale to any Synode Vpon this hinge the Question depends and of this the argument hath nothing Their fifth argument That which abolishes our liberty purchased by Christs blood and puts upon out necke a yoke equall to the Antichristian tyranny of Bishops is intolerable But the dependence of Congregations upon Presbyteries and Synods doth so Ans The Minor is false for the subordination of Churches imports no slavery taketh away no liberty which God hath granted it is Gods Discipline and Order it is the easie yoake of Christ not to be compared with the cruell bands of Bishops since the one is humane the other divine by the meanes of the one one man commandeth either according to his free will or according to the Canon-Law of the Pope but by the meanes of the other moe men advise in common according to the acts of the Reformed Churches grounded upon the Word of God The judgement seates of Bishops are meerely externall to the Church which they governe But Presbyteries and Synods are Courts internall for the onely members whereof they consist are the Comissioners of the Churches which they govern these Churches they represent the minde and desire of these Churches they doe propose unto these Churches they give account of all their administration they confirme and establish the rights of Congregations they doe not abolish nor labefactate any of them Sixthly These who have power to chuse the Pastor have also the right of the whole Ecclesiastick Discipline But every Parish hath that power Answ The Major is not necessary for there is a great difference betwixt the Election of Ministers and Ministers Ordination Deposition Excommunication and many other acts of Discipline Election is no act of Authority or Jurisdiction The Minor also is not true if you understand it of all the members of the Congregation for it is not needfull that Ministers should be chosen by the expresse voyce of every man muchlesse of every woman of the flocke Yea that Election doth not alwayes belong to the whole flocke except yee take election as many seeme to doe for a consent with reason to the which is opposed not every but a rationall dissent grounded upon cleare equity and justice certainely it is needfull at sometimes to misregard the peoples consent in chusing of a Pastor for why should not a flocke infected with heresie be set under an wholesome and Orthodox Shepheard whether it will or not and be rent from under the Ministrie of an hereticall Shepheard how much soever against its owne minde Their seventh argument That is not of God which maketh Pastors Bishops of other mens Diocesses and layes upon them the care of other Congregations then those to which the holy Ghost hath made them Overseers But the subordination of Parishes to Presbyteries and Synods doth this Answ The Minor is false for neither doth every member of a Presbytery become a Pastor to every Congregation subordinate to that Presbytery neither are Congregations consociated and conjoyned in a Presbytery altogether without the reach of the care and inspection of neighbour Pastors This is cleare not onely by the arguments formerly deduced from Scripture but by the daily practice of the Adversaries for themselves professe their care to oversee and admonish and rebuke and to use many other gracious actions as they have occasion towards neighbouring Churches without any blame of busie Bishops There is almost no difference at all of their acts and ours toward neighbouring Churches so farre as concernes the matter the onely question is concerning the fountaines and grounds of these acts they ascribing their actions onely to charity we not to charity alone but to authority grounded upon the former reasons This difference belongs not to the present plea. Their eight argument Onely Christ hath authority over the Kingdome of God the House of God the holy Jerusalem his owne Spouse his owne
draw on such seditious practises as did well neer overturn both their Church and State Their proud obstinacy against all admonitions was marvellous In the midst of their profession of eminent piety the profanity of many of them was great Notwithstanding all this we desire from our heart to honour and imitate all and every degree of Truth or Piety which did ever appear in any New-English Christian Independency no fruitful Tree in Holland Master Peterâ— the first Planter of that Weed at Roterdam Their Ministers Master Bridge Master Simpson and Master Ward renounced their English Ordination and as meer private men took new Ordination from the people Incontinent they did fall into shameful divisions and subdivisions The people without any just cause deposed their Minister The Commissioners from Arnhem durst not come neer the bottom of the businesse The Schisms at Roterdam were more irreconcileable then those at Amsterdam Anabaptism is like to spoil that Church They of the Church of Arnhem admire and praise themselves above all measure The easinesse of their banishment and afflictions The new light at Arnhem broke out into a number of strange Errours First Grosse Chiliasm Secondly The grossest blasphemy of the Libertines that God is the Author of the very sinfulnesse of sin Thirdly the fancy of the Enthusiasts in knowing God as God abstracted from Scripture from Christ from Grace and from all his attributes Fourthly The old Popish Ceremonies of extreme Unction and the holy kisse of Peace Fifthly The discharging of the Psalms the appointing of a singing Prophet to chant the Songs made by himself in the silence of all others Sixthly The mortality of the soul Seventhly the conveniency for Ministers to Preach covered and celebrate the Sacraments discovered but for the people to hear discovered and to participate the Sacraments covered Their publike contentions were shameful The work of the prime Independents of New England Arnheim and Roterdam these five yeers at London They did hinder with all their power so long as they were able the calling of the Assembly When it was called they retarded its proceedings That the Churches of England and Ireland lie so long in confuon neither Papists nor Prelates nor Malignants have been the cause But the Independents working according to their principles The great mischief of that Anarchy wherin they have kept the Churches of England and Ireland for so long a time Independency is the mother of more Hereresies and Schisms at London then Amsterdam ever knew Independency at London doth not onely bring forth but nourish and patronize Heresies and Schisms contrary to its custom either in New-England or Amsterdam How hazardous it may prove to the State of England Why it is hard to set downe the Independents positions They have declined to declare their Tenets more then has ever been the custome of any Orthodox Divines When they shal bee pleased to declare themselves to the full their principle of change will hinder theÌ„ to assure us that any thing is their settled and firm Tenet wherein they will bee constant The chief Tenets which hitherto they have given out and not yet recalâ—ed are these following They reject the name of Independents unreasonably and for their own disadvantage When it is laid aside the more infamous name of Brownists and Separatists wil justly fall upon them They avow a Semi-Separation but a Sesqui-Separation will bee proved upon them The Independents doe separate from all the Reformed Churches upon farre worse grounds then the Brownists were wont to separate Their acknowledgment of the Reformed for true Churches doth not diminish but encrease their Shisme They refuse all Church communion and membership in all the Reformed Churches they preach and pray in them as they would doe among Pâ—gans only as gâ—ftâ—d men to gather new Churches About the matter of the Church and qualification of members they are large as strict as the Brownists admitting none but who convinces the whole Congregation of their reall regeneration Besides true grace they require a sutablenesse of spirit But in this they are laxer then the Brownists that they can take in without scruple Anabaptists Antinomians others who both in life doctrine have evident blots if so they bee zealous and serviceable for their way About the forme of the Church a Church Covenant they are more punctuall then the Brownists They take the power of gathering and erecting of Churches both from Magistrates and Ministers placing it only in the hands of a few private Christians who are willing to make among themselves a Church covenant This power of erecting themselves into a compleat and perfect church they give to any seven persons neither admit they more into a Church then can altogether in one place commodiously administer the Sacraments Discipline The Independents will have all the standing Churches in England dissolved and all their Ministers to become meerly private men and any three persons of their way to bee a full Church Vnto this Church of seven persons they give all and the whole Church power and that independently Vnto this congregationall Church alone they give the full power of election and ordination of deposition and excommunication even of all their officers and of the finall determination of all Ecclesiastick causes The difference of Iohnson and Ainsworth about the power of the people and presbytery distinct one from the other is not yet composed among the Independents The common Doctrine of New England is Ainsworths Tenet that the people aâ—one have all the power may excommunicate when there is cause all their officers Mr Cotton the other year did fall much from them and himselfe towards Iohnson that the whole power of authority is only in the Officers and the people have noâ—hing but the power of liberty to concurre that the Officers can doe nothing without the people nor the people any thing but by the Officers Yet that both officers people or any one of them have power to separate themselvs from all the rest when they find cause The London Independents give more power of Ecclesiastick Iurisdiction then the Brownists unto women Some of them permit private men to celebrate the Sacraments Brownists and Independents do perfectly agree in the point of Independency If a corrupt or negligent Presbytery doe not censure their own members all the Assemblies in the world may not attempt to censure any of them though most apparently they did corrupt a whole Nation with the grossest Heresies or most scandalous vices The point of Independency is either the root or the fruit of many errors To temper the crudity of this Tenet they adde to it three moderating positions but for little purpose They grant the being of Synods but not of Classicall Presbyteries Their Synods are meerely Brownisticall without all Iurisdiction wherein every one of the people may vote also meerely elective and only occasionall The sentence of Non-Communion is Mr Cottons invention to supply that defect which themselves make in the
Ordinances of God It puts in the hand of every man a power to sentence all the Churches of the world It carries to the highest degree of Separation Their supply of the defects of Independency by the power oâ— the Magistrate was a remedy which they learned from the Brownists but now they have cast it aside denying to the Magistrate all power in matters of Religion The Independents doe advance their fancies to as high a pitch of glory as the Brownists They are the Brownists scholars in many more things beside the Constitution and Government of the Church They give to the Magistrate the Celebration of marriage Mr Milton permits any man to put away his wife upon his meer pleasure without fault and without the cognisance of any Iudge Mr Gorting teaches the wife to put away her husband if he will not follow her in any new Church way which she is pleased to embrace They are against all determinations of the circumstances of worship and therfore all church Directories are against their stomacks The common names of the dayes of the week the months of the year of many Churches and Cities of the Land are as unlawfull to them as to the Brownists All tithes and set maintenance of Ministers they cry down but a voluntary contribution for the maintenance of all their Officers they presse to a high proportion with the evident prejudice of the poore In their solemn worship oft times they make one to pray another to preach a third to prophesie a fourth to direct the Psalm and another to bless the people They make it a divine institution without any word of preface to begin the publike worship with solemne prayer for the King and Church After the Pastors prayer the Doctor reads and expounds In preaching they will bee free to take a Text or not as they find it expedient After Sermon any of the people whom they think able are permitted to prophesie All are permitted to propound in the face of the Congregation what questions upon the Sermon they think meet About the Psalms they have divers strange conceits but the speciall is their new Ordinance of a singing Prophet who in place of the Psalms singeth Hymnes of his own making in the midst of the silent Congregation They grant the lawfulnesse of read prayer in divers cases They will have none to be baptized but the children of their owne members so at one dash they put all England except a very few of their way into the state of Pagans turning them all out of the Christian Church denying to them Sacraments Discipline Church-Officers and all that they would deny to the Pagans of America They open a door to Anabaptism by 3 farther positions 1. They require in all to bee baptised a real holiness above a foederall which in no Infant with any certainty can be found 2. They esteem none for their Baptism and Christian education a member of their Church till they have entred themselvs in their church covenant 3. They call none of their members to any account before their Presbytery for obstinate rejecting of Paedo-baptism although the Brownists doe excommunicate for that sinne They participate with none of the Reformed Churches in the Lords Supper yet they scruple not to communicate with Brownists and Anabaptists Their way of celebrating the Lords Supper is more dead and comfortlesse then any where else They have no Catechising no preparation nor thanksgiving sermoÌ„s ordinarily they speak no word of the Sacrament in their Sermons and prayers either before or after They have only a little discourse short prayer in the consecration of both the Elements there after in the action nothing but dumb silence no exhortation no reading no Psalme They require none of their members to come out of their Pewes to the Table And they acknowledge no more use of a Table then the Brownists at Amsterdam who have none at all They teach the expediency of covering the head at the Lords Table They are as much for the popular Government as the Brownists All Discipline must be executed in the presence and with the consent of the whole people all must passe by the expresse suffrage of every one Dissenters not only lose their right of suffrage for the time but are subjected to censure if they continue in their dissent They are much for private meetings for it is in them that they usually frame the members of other mens Congregations into their new mould but the Brownists and they of New-England having felt the bitter fruits of such meetings have relinquished if not discharged them They flatter the Magistrate and slander the Reformed Churches without cause Some of them are for the abolition of all Magistracy All of them are for casting out and keeping out of the Christian Church all Princes all Members of Parliament all Magistrates of the Counties Burroughes that now are and that ever have been and are ever like to be hereafter except a very few These few Magistrates whom they would admit have no security but by the errour or malice of a few to be quickly cast out of the Church without any possibility of remedy When they have put all out of the places of Magistracy yea out of all civill courts who are not of their mind the greatest Magistrates they admit of bee they Kings or Parliaments they subject them all to the free-wil of the promiscuous multitude When Magistrates wil not follow their new erroâ—â—s they have bin very ready to make insurrections to the great hazard of the whole State Many of them deny to the Magistrate any power at all in the matters of Religion Their principles do spoile Princes and Parliaments of their whole â—egislative power they abolish all humane Lawes that are made and hinder any more to be made The Civill Lawes which Mr Cotton permits men to make bind no man any further then his own minde is led by the reason of the Law to obedience They put the yoak of the judiciall Law of Moses on the neck of the Magistrate They give to their Ministers a power to sit in civill Courts to voyce in the Election of the Magistrats and to draw from Scripture Civill Lawes for the government of the State They offer â—o perswade the Magistrate contradictory principles according to their own interest In New England they perswade the Magistrats to kill all Idolaters and Hereticks even whole Cities men women and children But here they deny the Magistrate all power to lay the least restraint upon the gâ—ossest Idolaters Apostats Blasphemers Seducers or the greatest enemies of Religion No great appearance of their respect to secular learning and Schools Independency much more dangerous then Browniâ— The Independents prime principles Their Tenet about the qualification of members is the great cause of their separating from all the Reformed Churches though they doe dessemble it In this they goe beyond the Brownists The true state of the question is whether it be necessary