Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n
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A51995
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The purity of Gospel communion, or, Grounds and reasons for separation from persons of corrupt manners, or that hold erroneous doctrine in matters of faith essential to salvation, or that are guilty of false worship, or irregular administration of Gospel ordinances briefly discussed to prevent the increase of sin and disorder by a mixed communion in church fellowship / by Isaac Marlow.
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Marlow, Isaac.
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1694
(1694)
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Wing M694; ESTC R18243
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42,542
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83
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them To whom I have this to say 1. That I think we may fairly gather from what they have published with their Confession of Faith of the Institution and Order of Churches that they do not admit any unbaptized Christians to their Communion at the Lord's Table for in Article the seventh speaking of a particular Church gathered and compleated according to the Mind of Christ In Article the eighth they say The Members of those Churches are Saints by Calling visibly manifesting and evidencing their Obedience unto that call of Christ who being further known to each other by their Confession of the Faith wrought in them by the Power of God do willingly Consent to walk together according to the appointment of Christ giving up themselves to the Lord and to one another by the Will of God in professed Subjection to the Ordinances of the Gospel So then if the Members of a compleat Church do willingly consent to walk together in professed Subjection to the Ordinances of the Gospel none that do not subject themselves to the Ordinance of Baptism in their Sence can be orderly admitted by them as compleatly quallified to their full Communion and so if they will not hold Communion with such unbaptized Persons they do not hold it as some of them pretend with Christians meerly as such but only with such Christians which are qualified with Water-Baptism to receive the Lords Supper But 2. If they own that our baptizing Persons on Confession of Faith by way of dipping is also right Baptism according to Gospel-Rule and so for this Reason they can freely hold their Communion with us Yet this is no Corrector that their Charity is more universal then ours because then they receive us not meerly on the account of their Charity but as Christians sitly qualified with Water-Baptism But the Case is different respecting us for seeing we deny their Infant-sprinkling to be true Baptism or to be of God and so they being to us as unbaptized Persons our having sull Communion with them would be not only contrary to the Light of our own Consciences but witnessed against by their practice of sprinkling for Baptism as a qualification to full Communion And therefore we have equal Reason to say that our refusing Church-Communion with them is not for want of Charity towards them as Christians any more then it is for want of it in themselves to other Christians that are not sprinkled or any ways baptized if they refuse Communion with them as some have done in their private Conference according to what is gathered as their Mind in Print before So that I see no Reason why our Brethren should in the least be offended at us for keeping our selves from their Communion when otherwise so far as I can perceive their Practice as well as our own Consciences would condemn us for so doing 3. Our aforesaid Brethren of the Independant Churches however some of their Members have in their private Converse reflected on us have fairly granted See their 28 Article of the Institution of Churches at the end of the Congregational Confession of Faith that a Person where he cannot continue in any Church without his Sin may depart from the Communion of one Church to another For they say Persons that are joined in Church-fellowship ought not lightly or without just cause to withdraw themselves from the Communion of the Church whereunto they are so joined Nevertheless where any Person cannot continue in any Church without his Sin either for want of the Administration of any Ordinances instituted by Christ or by his being deprived of his due Priviledges or compelled to any thing in Practice not warranted by the Word or in case of Persecution or upon the account of Conveniency of Habitation he consulting with the Church or the Officer or Officers thereof may peaceably depart from the Communion of the Church wherewith he hath so walked to join himself with some other Church where he may enjoy the Ordinances in the Purity of the same for his Edification and Consolation Now seeing they grant that we may leave our Communion with a Church to join our selves with some other Church where we may enjoy the Ordinances in the Purity of the same then none of them ought to blame us for not holding our full Communion with them as if they were the standard of Truth who we believe are not in the compleat Order and true Administration of all Gospel Ordinances Seeing we walk by their Rule of Communion according to our Consciences tho' we have not the same Light to walk with them 2. For any of our Baptized Brethren to plead for mixed Communion from the Obligation of universal Charity for Christians as they are such does rather betray their want of real Love Gal. 5.22 1 Joh. 4.19 for that is a Fruit of the Holy Spirit flowing first from the Faith we have in the Love of God to us which is the cause of Love in us to him 1 Joh. 5.1 and so to our Brethren which are begotten of him and then our universal Love to Christians depending on our Love to God it must consist with sincere Obedience to his Will so far as we are inlightned For this is the Love of God Joh. 14.21 23. 1 Joh. 5.2 3. that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not grievous And by this we know that we Love the Children of God when we Love God and keep his Commandments And therefore whatsoever Love is pretended which is inconsistent with sincere Obedience to Christ 't is rather to be suspected than counted real But in Charity I must conclude it is not for want of Love to the Institutions of Christ but for want of Light that you plead for Communion at the Lords Table with unbaptized Christians However you do thereby virtually deny your own Baptism to be essentially necessary to a regular gospel-Gospel-Church and make void that Holy Ordinance of Christ which in Obedience to him you have subjected to Besides why may you not then also say that you ought in Charity to Christians meerly as such altho' they be not yet baptized to call any gifted Christian to administer the Ordinances of Preaching Prayer and breaking Bread in the Church and in Charity to those Members that walk disorderly and break the Commandments of Christ forbear the Execution of his Ordinance of withdrawing your Church-Communion from them because you believe them still to be real Christians as if we could not Love Mens Persons unless we favour their Sins and thereby perhaps through the neglect of our Duty to them harden their Hearts therein And so under the Notion of Christian Charity the true Order of a gospel-Gospel-Church may be quite destroyed VII Object But some may think I open the door of the Church too wide and give too great incouragement for Persons to wander from Church to Church or to leave their present Communion to imbody themselves into a distinct Church-state Answer 1.
THE PURITY OF Gospel Communion OR Grounds and Reasons FOR SEPARATION From Persons of Corrupt Manners c. WHen the Lord of old brought up the Children of Israel out of the Land of Egypt he separated them from other Nations to be his People in a peculiar Covenant and by his Laws he sanctified them from all Uncleanness Lev. 11.25 Lev. 5.2 3. Ch. 11.24 c. Numb 19.11 13. Deut. 23.10 to 19. insomuch that whoso bore the Carkass of any unclean Beast he was to wash his Cloaths and be unclean until the Even And whoso touched the Body of a Dead Man purified not himself he defiled the Tabernacle of the Lord that Soal was to be cut off from Israel because the Water of Separation was not sprinkled upon him Exod. 12.19 Lev. 22.3 to 8. Numb 15.30 31. And whosoever eat the Passover with unleavened Bread or went unto the Holy things having his uncleanness upon him that Soul was to be cut off from the Congregation of Israel and from the presence of the Lord. And the Soul that dispised the Word of the Lord and brake his Commandments that Soul was utterly to be cut off his Iniquity should be upon him Now those Separations and these and many other legal cleansings were shadows of Gospel things whereby the Purity of the New Testament Church was set forth And to the end it should be a Royal Priesthood 1 Pet. 2.9 an Holy Nation a peculiar People to shew forth the Praises of him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous Light He hath left us Holy Laws for the Government of his Church 1 Cor. 5.6 7. Gal. 5.9 and for the purging out of the old leaven of Unrighteousness for a little leaven leaveneth the whole Lump as it consequently follows that such who bear with Sin in one cannot avoid bearing it in another and by opening of this Sluce a Flood of Sin and Iniquity will quickly sweep away the beauty of a Gospel Church and turn the noble Vine that was planted wholly a right seed Jer. 2.21 into the degenerate plant of a strange Vine to the dishonour of God the reproach of true Religion the stumbling of weak Christians and the hardning of one another in their Sins and Disobedience against the most Soveraign Majesty of Heaven and Earth To prevent which evils I shall therefore Treat of the way and means appointed by Christ who loved the Church Eph. 1.4 Ch. 5.25 26 27. Tit. 2.14 and gave himself for it That he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of Water by the Word That he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that we should be holy and without blame before him in Love And in order thereunto I shall here Premise that forasmuch as the Church of Christ is said to be the pillar and ground of Truth And that it is Gods building 1 Tim. 3.15 1 Cor. 3.9 Heb. 8.5 1 Pet. 2.4 5. Eph. 2.20 21 22. Ch. 4.4 5. Judge 20. It cannot be so unless it be erected according to the Pattern shewed in the Holy Mount and recorded for the Example of after Ages That every stone should be a lively Stone by Regeneration built up together a spiritual house in one most Holy Faith for as there is one Body and one Spirit so there is one Faith And it is the Duty of every Christian to help build up Gods spiritual Temple according to the pure Primitive and Apostolical Pattern and to this end they should come out from among them and be separate 2 Cor. 6.16 17. and joyn themselves to such a Congregation of Believers where they may continue together in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship tho' not personally with them and in breaking of Bread and in Prayers For the Church of Christ should not be a mixed Building tho' on Christ the true Foundation as the Apostle warneth us saying Ye are Gods building 1 Cor. 3.9 10 11. according to the Grace of God which is given unto me as a wise Master-builder I have laid the Foundation and another buildeth thereon but let every Man take heed how he buildeth thereupon for other Foundation can no man lay then that is laid which is Jesus Christ Now if any man build upon this Foundation Gold silver precious stones wood hay stubble Every mans work shall be made manifest and the fire shall try every mans work of what sort it is If any mans work abide which he hath built thereupon he shall receive a reward If any mans work shall be burnt he shall suffer loss So that the Gospel Church is not to be formed of such mixed and combustible matter as men please Rev. 1.20 1 Pet. 1.7 Exod. 25.81 Rev. 3.18 but of pure Gold yea of such as is tryed in the Fire But to proceed First I shall prove that it is the Duty of a Church of Christ to withdraw their Communion from yea and to purge out those Persons that are without Repentance for it guilty of corrupt Manners or evil Actions 1 Cor. 5.1 to 6. 1 Tim. 1.20 and that not only for committing the grosser sort of Sins as Fornication or incestuous Marriages Blasphemy or other notorious Evil but for smaller offences And first our Lord hath commanded us saying Math. 18.15 16 17. If thy Brother shall trespass against thee go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone If he shall hear thee thou hast gained thy Brother But if he will not hear thee then take with thee one or two more that in the Mouth of two or three Witnesses every Word may be established And if he shall neglect to hear them tell it unto the Church but if he neglect to hear the Church let him be unto thee as an Heathen Man and a Publican To which I shall only here say that as this trespass mentioned in the Text must be some breach of the Moral Law Mat. 7.12 in not doing to others as we would that others should do to us because it is a trespass against a Brother So it is plain that for such a cause of doing wrong if satisfaction be not given by Repentance the offender should be unto us as an Heathen Man and a Publican with whom it was not lawful to hold any Church Communion unless they were converted 2. It is said 2 Thes 3.6 Now we command you Brethren in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye withdraw your selves from every Brother that walketh disorderly and not after the Traditions which he received of us Here we have a general command to withdraw from all disorderly Persons which because I design to open it more at large in some following part of this Treatise I shall at present only note this Scripture as a positive Law to preserve the Purity of Church Communion and the Words of our Lord before recited are for the same end