trodden under foot the holy Citie and to this their Genius leads them and therefore there is no probability that they should further the work but hinder and mar it especially if we continue our fellowship with them in the Parish-Churches where they are the greatest part by far Saints of late and heretofore have expressed their sense of what I have said Mr. Caryl Mr. Oxenbridge and Mr. Sidenham in the Epistle Dedicatory to Mr. Lockyer's Little Stone thus The first part of his work that pleads for the holiness of Church-members say they may put you upon enquiry whether you viz. those of Scotland have dealt kindly with Christ to obtrude as imperious and selfish Guardians or Tutors such a Spouse upon him as is not according to his choice minde or liking The experience of the true and discerning Shepherds here who are as dear to their brethren as sheep to the wolves doth tell them that almost nine parts of ten of their flock are not sheep nor fit say they of Civil much less say we of Spiritual priviledges and then they are rather a Herd or Drove then a Flock for few as the Shepherds themselvs think now their driving power ceaseth will be willing to be kept by them nay many as they already know do turn again and would gladly rend them And afterwards thus If Saints will not say they but in the company of this multitude walk with God or his people what Gospel-communion can there be expected As for the purging of this body we suspect it to be as the body supposed and a diversion from a real duty for besides what we apprehend how impossible it is for the far lesser in number retaining their present constitution that they should regularly cast out the greater part therefrom we are informed by our experience that the worse and greater part is more able and willing to a formal ejection of the better then on the contrary And therefore this ten yeers talk of the lips about purging hath tended onely to penury and the last yeers are farther from that work then the former Thus they I adde a notable Prophecie of John Hus that you may read in Foxes Martyrologie Vol. 1. pag. 830. Moreover says he hereupon note and mark by the way that the Church of God cannot be reduced to her former dignity or be reformed before all things first be made new The truth whereof is plain by the Temple of Solomon Like as the Clergie and Priests so also the people and Laity or else unless all such as be now addict unto avarice from the least to the most be first reclaimed as well the People as the Clergie and Priests Albeit as my minde now giveth me I believe rather the first that then shall arise a new people formed after the new man which is created after God of the which people new Clerks and Priests shall come and be taken that shall hate covetousness and the glory of this life hastning to an heavenly conversation notwithstanding all these things shall come to pass and be brought by little and little in order of times dispensed of God for the same purpose And this God does and will do for his own goodness and the riches of his great longanimity and patience giving time and space of repentance to them that have long lien in their sins to amend and flee from the face of the Lords fury whilst that in like manner the carnal people and carnal Priests successively and in time shall fall away and be consumed as with the moth Thus far John Hus. Neither let it seem harsh to any that admire the antiquity of Churches in England which they conceive began to be planted by Joseph of Arimathea or Simon Zelotes that I press the casting out of the Parish-Churches the deemed successors of them It was a saying of William Rufus of the Popes of Rome the pretended successor of Peter Quod Petri non inhaerent vestigiis praemlis inhiantes non ejus potestatem retinent cujus sanctitatem probantur non imitari The like may I say of Parish-Churches that 't is conceived were planted by either of those Worthies above mentioned They retain not their priviledge whose neither constitution nor conversation they can be found to imitate And we know that the holy Ghost teaches us to say of as few as may be to give a valid testimony against the Antichristians of two witnessing Churches witnessing against and separated from the Church-state and corruptions of thâ— holy-City-trampling Gentiles of these I say the holy Ghost teaches us to say These are the two Candlesticks i. e. Churches standing before the God of the earth Rev. 11. 4. whereby the Churchdom of these witnessing separated Churches is not onely established and approved but the much-claimed Churchdom of others rejected whiles 't is appropriated unto those two witnessing separated Churches that they stand before God whereby is plainly implied that others stand not before God but such a God as must be conceived to delight to be worshipped in such an order Thus much for Parish-Churches We come now in the second place to interpret Antichristian Churches by Episcopal Churches that are the greater territories formed into Diocesan Provincial and Oecumenical Churches under the several Orders of Bishops of which Amefius thus Superstitio secundi Med. lib. 2. c. 13. S. 44. generis est in humanis Ecclesiae formis c. That is A superstition of the second kinde is in the humane forms of Churches of which sort are Churches visibly integrally and organically Oecumenical Provincial and Diocesan brought in by men as also in the Hierarchy agreeable thereunto For Jesus Christ has instituted no other visible integral organical Church or Church with Officers for the practise of his visible publike and solemn Worship but one particular Congregation that may meet together ordinarily in the same place to worship in all the Ordinances of Gods house Such was the Church at Hierusalem There were added to the Church about three thousand souls Acts 2. 41. The number of the men was about five thousand Chap. 4. 4. Yet they were all with one accord in Solomons porch Chap. 5. 12. Multitudes of men and women were added Chap. 5. 14. yet the Apostles call them together unto them Chap. 6. 2 5. And Chap. 15. 4. Paul and Barnabas were received of the Church by which says Calvin he understandeth Plebem ipsam totum corpus the whole body of the people in distinction from the Apostles and Elders as appears from the immediately following mention of them and in vers 12. All the multitude of the Church that it seems were present at the disputation of the Apostles and Elders vers 6 7. and it is very plain they were by their concurrence with them immediately upon the conclusion of James his Speech in chusing brethren and subscribing Letters to the brethren of the Gentiles according to the declared sentence of James gave audience to Paul and Barnabas declaring what
in the aforesaid Treatise pag. 371. This is altogether strange to Scripture for if we grant that single congregations with their Eldership be excluded from the power of Government and exercising Ecclesiastick discipline yet will it not appear from Scripture that there are any higher Elderships or larger combinations of Churches then those of the first form and of the first step from the single congregation yea the contrary apears in that the Churches of Asia grant them collective Churches Rev. 2. and 3 chapters do severally receive of Christ the praise of their good and blame of their evil carriage each single Church for her self without any reflection on superior combinations notwithstanding some of them lay situate within eight or ten miles of each other and those that were farthest distant not above 200 miles each from other as some have computed the Journeys between them This is strange if there were superior Combinaâ—ions and if there should have been 't is much that Christ should not blame them after so long continuance of Christianity for not setting up his ordinances especially considering the defection of divers of the Churches to whose charge it might well have been laid as a thing wherein they were accessary to their own Apostacy that they had not set all up Gods meanes to preserve them If it be objected that we read of an higher Eldership exercising acts of rule over a Proportional combination of Churches viz a Synodical assembly Act. 15. To this I answer We read not of any combination of any such combination of the Churches there mentioned viz. of Hierusalem Antioch Syria and Cilicia whereby they should become Subject unto the rule of one superior Eldership in matters conceived to belong firstly to their cognizance or that may be referred unto them or in which there may be appeales made unto them nor when and how the said combination was made and established Secondly here was no Synod by which our adversaries understand an assembly of Officers resulting out of many inferiour Presbyteries I say here was no Synod in this sense For we read of no forreigners that came to this Synod if we must call it so but these that came from Antioch of whom we finde nothing that may import their concurrence in the decrees of it but these proceeded from the Apostles Elders and whole Church that must needs mean the Church at Hierusalem and when 't is said With the whole Church there is a reflection in the expression on the Apostles and Elders as related at least in their present residence and action which is all can be said of the Apostles being general officers unto that Church onely So that upon the whole the result is that the decrees here made were of the Church at Jerusalem and the officers of it onely Thirdly here was no appeale from the censure of the Church at Antioch For we read not of any Ecclesiasticall censure that the Church at Antioch had passed either concerning the persons disputing or the things disputed but onely of dissention and disputation had betwixt Paul and Barnabas and those that came from Judea Neither were there any refers made from Antioch unto Hierusalem as though the matter were too high for their Cognizance or beyond their abilitie to determine For the Churches of Antioch and Hierusalem were alike congregational I say more then Classical in that strict sense wherein the next to Congregational is meant our adversaries cannot say and furnished both with extraordinary Officers to which appeals and refers in the sense before recited cannot agree But the reason of sending from Antioch unto Hierusalem seemes to me most probably to be this viz. to take off the scandal that came to the Church of Antioch and at least might come to those of Syria and Cilicia also by these false teachers by whose comming out of Judea it may be also bragging of the Apostles and Elders at Hierusalem that they taught the same doctrine to the brethren there yea moreover and it may be urging them to go and see if it Vid. Bez. in oc were not so by these meanes I say the Church of Antioch had as it is probable at least twice taken some offence and been staggered in their faith as though Paul and Barnabas had taught otherwise then the Apostles and Elders at Hierusalem And so the errand of these Messengers from Antioch to Hierusalem was primarily to get satisfaction that there was the same doctrine taught at Hierusalem that was at Antioch for the establishing of such as might be staggered and preventing of farther danger by the pretences of these false teachers And this seemes to shine forth clearly in the returne of those at Hierusalem in the 23 24 25 26 27. verses Because some had gone out from them that had offended the brethren of Antioch c. therefore they send chosen men of their own company that might take off the offence by assuring them of the contrary judgement of the Apostles to what those false teachers taught Fourthly here was no rule exercised over the Churches to which they of Hierusalem wrote the result of their conference occasioned by the Messengers from Antioch wherein they throughly weighed the controverted point to give a sound resolve for the establishing of the staggering brethren There was no rule exercised I say for Paul is so embarqued with the Church of Antioch by his residence there and deepe hand in carrying on the controversie with the false teachers that I cannot see how without diminution of his Apostolical authority that the decrees of the Apostles should be more then materially binding viz. because Gods word onely How Paul that in the defence of this same point causes whomsoever should preach otherwise then he with the rest of his perswasion Gal. 1. 8 9. had preached how he I say should submit unto any Judicature on earth Authoritatively determining of his doctrine whether sound or not so as their decrees should be formally binding viz. as the decrees of such a court this I cannot conceive And again 't is a joynt act to make these Decâ—ees a joynt act of the Apostles Elders and brethren the whole Church concurs to the making and sending of them and that under the same Notion vers 22 23. 25 28. It pleased the Apostles and Elders with the whole Church It seemed good unto us being assembled with one accord It seemed good unto the holy Ghost and to us which us must be interpreted by Apostles Elders and brethren mentioned in the inscription of the letter Now it will not be granted that the brethren did joyne with the Apostles in an act of rule over another Church or Churches Neither will it helpe to say that the concurrence of the Apostles and Elders and of the brethren was of a different nature For the text is so full as to the involving them together in the same act under the same expressions even the highest with so much punctualness in signifying their joynt
miracles God had wrought among the Gentiles by them And whereas the Apostle speaks of myriads of Jews that believe Chap. 21. 20. it is not to be restrained to Jews dwelling at Hierusalem since it was the time of Pentecost Chap. 20. 16. when Jews and Proselytes came to Hierusalem out of all nations and we have express mention of the Jews that were of Asia vers 27. Neither is it impossible for Myriades in the language of Luke at least to come together and to hear at once the same Preacher To shew which Mr. Norton urges Luke 12. 1. However it be it seems that the Church of Hierusalem did at this time ordinarily come together in one place as occasion required for vers 22. t is said The multitude must needs come together This cannot be meant of the Officers for besides that they are the Speakers it would be incongruous to call them the multitude neither can it be meant of others besides believers for this speech of the Elders is to be speake some condescension in Paul to some Legal rites thereby to take off the offence of these that believing were yet Zealots of the Law as is plain and so such an understanding would not agree to the scope of the Elders Neither doth it seeme congruous that it should be said of any other but the Church of Hierusalem What other multitude should the Apostles and Elders expect that they should come together unto them as is implied much less determine their coming together as some understand the speech about the Apostles being come to town To this agree Calvin Beza and Diodate on the place We may adde to this instance that of the Church of Corinth 1 Cor. 14. 23. and Antioch Acts 15. 30. But I finde no contrary instances And this I say not onely against the Episcopal but also Classical Churches which are put in the room of those Episcopal Churches by the effectual working of the mystery of iniquity These are combinations of many Congregations united by subjection to one and the same Court of Elders chosen out of the whole to govern them These are pressed so far at least by some as to take away power of Government and exercise of Ecclesiastick Discipline from the Congregations and not onely infringing of it so leaving them but as the Curacies under the Bishops and their Ministers to have no more power then the Parish-Ministers had under the Bishops at least considered as the Ministers of such Congregations See Mr. Wood in his answer to Mr. Lockyer's Little Stone Part 2. Sect. 1. S. 4. I will not says he question the an sit or being of the subject of this assertion whether there be de jure and of divine institution an Eldership or Presbytery within a particular Congregation that is a Colledge of Elders belonging to one single Congregation by it self having power of Government and exercising Ecclesiastick Discipline although I know men learned and much exercised in the study of the Questions about Ecclesiastick Government are of the judgement that there is not such an Eldership or Presbytery And I confess it is right hard to finde in Scripture either precept or example for it Let us consider the judgement of these Learned men to which Mr. Wood seemeth to incline and more too as appears in his foresaid Treatise p. 369. where expresly he gives his judgement The fixing says he of single Congregations under appropriated Officers is not necessary by any divine institution c. Observe first that they appropriate the power of Government and exercise of Ecclesiastick Discipline unto the Eldership That is implied in what has been quoted and we need not search their Writings that are of that Way much to finde it expresly denied that Popular concurrence in acts of Government is to be proved by the Scriptures Vide Mr. Wood Part 2 of his aforesaid Treatise This how well it agrees with the institution Matth. 18. 18. let it be considered When Christ says Whatsoever ye binde on earth c. does not he include the offended brother to whom he directs his speech from vers 15 and of whom and whose act to the offender he had last spoken Especially considering that this verse contains the confirmation of the last clause of the fore-going verse mentioning the said act of the offended brother to the incorrigible offender that amounts to the casting him out of the Congregation of Christs Church and making an Heathen of him which that we may conceive that it was done though by him yet not by him alone but with the Church Christ adding the confirmation of this act speaks in the plural number and says not Whatsoever thou but ye shall binde c. yet withal keeping the second person that the offended brother be not excluded not saying Whatsoever he or they but ye shall binde on earth shall be bound in heaven And when Christ promises the Keys of the Kingdom of heaven unto Peter his whole discourse lookes on Peter as a lively confessour of Jesus Christ his confession being the occasion of all that Christ speakes unto him and nothing coming in between the beginning and end of his Speech that may make us thinke that Christ considering Peter as a confessour of him at the first did afterward change his Notion and look on him otherwise Read Matth. 16. 16. c. Secondly they exclude the single Congregations considered severally each one by it self from having an Eldership having power to exercise Ecclesiastick discipline and so consequently the several single Congregations are excluded from having power of Government which they say resides wholly in the Elderships How likely this is let it be judged Is it likely that Go tell the Church Matth. 18. 17. should mean Go tell the Elders of the combination Is it likely that our Saviour so tender of the offenders credit and wary of offending him by making his fault publique that he must be told of it first alone then onely before so manay as may be sufficient to give a Satisfactory Testimony according to the Law Is it likely I say that he should appoint no mean between the two or three witnesses and a court of Elders of many combined congregations But not to stay here it has been proved already that the Church of Hierusalem and Corinth were single congregations that met together ordinarily in one place And that the Church of Hierusalem had her appointed officers and that the Church of Corinth exercised Ecclesiastick discipline who can deny But how unwarrantably soever hard they press their Classical way against the congregational even as hath been said to the utter taking away of power of Government from the several single congregations neither do they stay here but translate the power of Government to their Elderships subordinate one to another till they come to an Occumenical assembly to the officres of the whole Catholick visible Church of Christ as united in lesser greater combinations even to an occumenical assembly As Mr. Wood
concurrence that it will not admit such a plea. Difference in the order of their concurrence we shall grant viz. that the Apostles and Elders did lead the Church in these acts but difference in nature we cannot grant If it be said that by the whole Church is meant onely the Synodical Church the reason that is given for this falls to the ground For 't is grounded on the Impossibility of the meeting of the Church of Hierusalem together in one place that hath been refuted from cleare texts of Scripture But be it that we shut out the brethren from a concurrence of the same nature with the Apostles and Elders to the making of these decrees and let our adversaries make the most of vers 6. of this chapter and vers 4. of the following chapter will they say these decrees were Authoritative and formally binding the Churches of Antioch Syria Cilicia I trow not when they have better considered of the matter according to what has been said Will they say that the Elders of a Classicall Presbytery at Ierusalem for they assert no more of the Presbytery there see Mr. Wood in the aforesaid tractate pag. 371. and the Messengers of Antioch are excluded from the decision of the controversie and Decrees here made by the text it self ch 16. 4. did exercise rule over all these Churches so far distant that could not therefore be of their combination Neither is it to be conceived but if classes were then in fashion they had their classical combinations and Presbyteries too and shall Presbyteries of the same order rule over one another It may be it will be said that the presence of the Apostles being Extraordinary Officers constituted this a Synod I answer 't is sooner said then proved The text rather represents the Apostles condescending to act with the Church then elevating the Church to act with them vers 22 25. If against what has beene said against exercise of authority by this meeting over the Churches that vers 28 of laying a burden of necessary things upon them be objected Let it be considered whether there be not as much said of the Assertion of the Pharisees vers 5. whether therebe not as much said of their Assertion vers 10. And thus you see how hard it will be to grant any more with Scripture-warrant if we should grant classical Elderships and combinations but we shall not grant these for want of instance in Scripture or any other sound ground for them For the most Numerous of Churches that we read of we have already shewed at large that it was Congregational viz. the Church at Hierusalem And I conceive that the Numerousness of the Churches we read of in Scripture called severally even the most Numerous but by the name of Church in the singular Number without the mention of any more then one company of Elders I conceive that hath occasioned the conceit of classical Churches and Elderships but without warrant from Scripture as may appeare I say from that the Holy Ghost hath been so punctual in shewing that the most numerous Churches have still met together in one place To the Church of Hierusalem we may adde that of Corinth 'T is plaine that the Apostle writes to the body of the congregation by the epither he gives them in the inscriptions of both Epistles These he hints their ordinary coming together to joyne in the same individual acts when he enjoynes them the casting out of the incestuous person When ye are gathered together to deliver such a one to Satan 1 Ep. chap. 5. vers 4 5. A like hint we have in the same Epistle chap. 14. vers 23. And here we may take notice not onely that this Numerous Church of Corinth how Numerous soever pretended to be was congregational but that this Church had and exercised the power of the Keys for neglect of exercising which she is blamed 1 Cor. 5. 2. although Paul had not before this written to manifest his determination and that the exercise of this great piece of the Power of the Keys viz. Power of excommunication I say the exercise of this Power is put upon the body of the congregation by Paul without any distinct application of his speech to the Presbyterie And in the same manner that the Power of binding is put upon them in the same manner is the Power of loosing put on them 2 Cor. 2. 6. c. without any mention of their Eldership in particular but wrapping up Elders and People together as which were both to concur in this exercise of Ecclesiastick discipline and that with a concurrence of like nature as to the substance of the matter leaving to each their due place in the body the one going before the other following in the Lord. But to return if these most numerous congregations were congregational not Classical I cannot think there were any Classical Churches except there be a Scripture produced as plain for their Classicalness as these are that I have quoted to the congregrationalness of these that I have instanced in For reason will carry any man to thinke if the most Numerous Churches were congregationall that the less Numerous were so too and nothing but a plaine Scripture can stop the course of such a reasoning And thus the whole fabrick of the Classical way falls to the ground in my Judgement Their appropriating all authority and power of exercising Ecclesiastick discipline to the Presbyterie the secluding the Presbytery of a particular congregation from such authority together with the whole course of subordinations of combinations of Churches and Elders from the Classical that is the lowest to Oecumenical that is the highest combination they can none of them shew their genealogie nor derive their Pedigree from Scripture And what difference betwixt the Episcopal and Presbyterial Government wherein does their constitution differ except in the exorbitant power of a Chair-man that the Presbyterians cut by the height of the rest of the Presbyters in the several combinations And what difference betwixt the Vniversal Church of the Papists and that of of the Presbyterians is it more then Circumstantial The Papists refer the Roote and head of the Universality to Rome the Presbyterians do not the Papists subject it unto the Pope the Presbyterians do not but unto a general Councel and some Papists plead for no more save in the interim of the general Councel Vide Ellis Vind. Cathol Pag. 16. Let it be seriously considered that the Bishop of Rome is not reckoned the Antichrist from what time he got the peaceable possession of his Universal Bishoprick with all the exorbitant Power thereunto belonging but from what Vide Cot. in Rev. 13. Pag. 36. time he aipired to and carryed it ambitiously and had it yeelded usually unto him to sway Bishops and Churches at his pleasure and from this time at least before he proceeded farther he is reckoned Antichrist and the seventh head of the Monstrous Beast Rev. 13. 1. c. That is no
thrown down 'T is to our shame that we have no more knowledge of God then to suffer such plain monuments of Idolatry I confess were it not to cry out against the Altar of Bethel and gain an advantage of speaking to them that otherwise I cannot have after the example of the Churches meeting in Solomons Porch after the temple was abolished Act. 5. 12. I would never more preach or perform any holy duty in them A way with Patrons or lay-founders those most abominable usurpers They usurpe the prerogative of Christ they will found Churches not onely build a Synagogue but appoint the Church and the minister and herein they usurpe over the Church too Is it not wisdomes priviledge to build the house and hew out the 7 Pillars thereof Pro. 9. 1. is not Christ Jesus the builder of the house and is not this his prerogative founded in his Godhead Heb. 3. 3 4. Durst Paul and Barnabas exercise such tyranny as to impose a minister on the people as these do with the helpe of the Bishop formerly of the Commissioners for tryal of ministers now See Act. 14. 23. Mr. Calvin on the place having rendred the text thus When by suffrages they had made them Elders in every Church He comments thus The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to decree somthing by up-lifted hands by which form of speech is best of all expressed the right way of making Pastours Paul and Barnabas are said to to Chuse Elders Did they do this alone by their own office but rather they put it to the suffrages of all c. Away therefore I say with these abominable usurpers And although this usurpation appeare not so clearely in the continuance as in the beginning of patrons and though it lie under more restraint now then formerly this will not salve the matter For the Patrons now a dayes hold their right to present by vertue of the first usurpations of their Ancestours which yet they also imitate and uphold and so now all the wickedness of them and withall Scripture will not beare a mincing reformation Lopping and plashing of bad plants Neither will the blood of Christ beare it and the power of his Spirit When the fountain is opened for sin and uncleanness the names of the Idols shall be cut off and be no more remembered Zach. 12. 1 3. 'T was evil to sacrifice and burne incense on the high places though it were unto the Lord onely God will be served onely in his own way and wisdome will send forth her maidens Pro. 9. 3. which she cannot be said to do when men will minister to her in a strange way in the doing of it And mark these maidens are such as go abroad to them that are without that are simple without understanding and walke with the foolish vers 4. 6. let the world as well as the Church be supplied with ministers according to Christs institution That which is stuck at much is the rights and properties of Patrons the taking away these is looked on as a piece of injustice Remember Pharaoh King of Aegypt and Sihon King of Heshbon how their hearts were hardered by abuse of righteous principles urging them against Gods commands and his Churches good Do you ever finde when Images are broken and burnt groves cut down and burnt and high places destroyed that there is any regard had unto the right that any had to the materials The great Proprietarie of all the world calls in these rights who shall with-hold them I am sorry for men in these dayes See the Narrative of the Parlaments dissolution on Dec. 12. 1653. with the Ordin for impowering the Commissioners for trial of publik preachers p. 1. that make it a ground to breake up Parliaments and make Ordinances to preserve the rights and properties of Patrons God calls for them and they may yeeld them without any dammage except that they shall want a way to oblige Ministers to daube them with untempered mortar and sow pillowes under their elbows that they may lie easily in their sins and go in ease to their everlasting paines A way with Tythes that old-Testament-maintenance that seemes to me plainly distinguished from the new-Testament-maintenance in that argument of the Apostle for the maintenance of the ministers of the Gospel 1 Cor. 9. 13 14. 't is plain he argues a simili from the like and like is not the same And to this suffrages judicious Mr. Hooker in his Survey of Church-discipline Part 2. ch 1 pag. 31. This way of raising maintenance saies he appointed in the Gospel is far differing from that way of the tything in the Law c. Mr. Mede hath this passage touching difference of the Lawmaintenance of ministers and the Gospel maintenance That which was onely required for acknowledgment of the divine dominion under the bondage of the Law is now turned into the nature of an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or gift for good tidings but this does not fully teach the difference betwixt law and Gospel-maintenance of ministers which differs not onely in the motive and end but in the very kind For one is a legal Ceremony and the other is a Gospel-institution the one is Jewish the other is Christian the one reformed the other popish according to the epithers I find put on the way of tything by Mr. Hooker calling it the popish Jewish way of Tything Survey part 1. chap. 1. p. 29. Concerning the popery of it I shall onely adde what Mr. Cotton speakes opening the number of the beast The foundation sayes he is six that he opens by the six books of Decretals now says he if you would know why this six comes to be multiplied by ten If you observe it all the Government and maintenance of the Roman State is by tenths by tythes all the people must give the tenth to the Priest and the Priest to the Bishop for the maintenance of the Catholique Church and so the whole Government comes to be multiplied maintained and established All the Roman Catholiques are built upon popish Laws and decrees all which require subjection to the popish Church and submission to that Church and to the Pope as the head of that Church receiving doctrine and worship and discipline from that Church and that was founded in six in the six books of their decrees and it is multiplied viz. by tenths according to the same bookes to maintaine all the Clergy from the Pope to the lowest Parish-priest But my argument that I would follow is that Tythes are Jewish that is much to be suspected because they are Popish the Papists being so much addicted to be the Jews Apes and the rather because they have seemed to make much of the Jewish Church-Government in composing theirs and so their Maintenance was most sutable to uphold it But which is more the maintenance by Tythes had reference to the Temple They that minister in holy things do live of the things of the Temple 1 Cor. 9.
other then the Catholick Visible Roman Church as Mr. Cotton has learnedly demonstrated in an exposition of his on that 13 of the Revelations lately published And this reckoning of the beginning of Antichrist is suitable to that description of him that is given 1 Thes 2. 4. That he opposeth and exalteth himself Accordingly we may easily gather that the ambition of a Chair-man with the fond devotion of some Elders and people may soone turn Presbyterie into Episcopacy There needs not an act of State for setling such power on a Chairman and putting Elders people in subjection unto him to constitute either Papacy or Episcopacy Thus you see there is little difference betwixt Presbytery and Episcopacy and an easie transition from Presbytery to Episcopacy yea Papacy and Vide Perk. Probl. Pag. 235. they agree much also in nature being an usurpation of Authority over the particular Congregations the visible Churches of Christs institution and therefore I have put them together as also Mr. Bain's Diocesan tryal qu. 1. pag. 21. Those who subject themselves to a Presbytery sayes he as being under it by subordination may in effect as well be subject to an Episcopal and by consequence I say to a Papal consistory Let it be seriously weighed that the Apostle gives us this Character of the Spirit of Antichrist that such a Spirit confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh John 4. 3. We must not understand this of a confession of words onely but it is sufficient if practice speak it For Antichrist acknowledges that Christ is come in the flesh in words but he denyes it in practise whiles he brings in Judaism or any other way of worship that Christ hath not instituted into the Churches according to that uncontrolled expectation of the Woman of Samaria John 4. 25 26. When the Messias comes he shall tell us all things viz. about worship that was the matter in discourse for that Practise contradicts Christs being come in the flesh when men do not look onely to Christs institution in matter of worship And this is the expectation of the Jewes even at this day that Christ will at his coming give in a sutable platform of his worship sutable to his being come into the world to whō therefore the practice of Judaism must needs be a stumbling-block Though men may thinke they differ from Rome they are of the same spirit if they walk not according to the Gospel-institution of Christ Before I come to the reasons of the Obj. 1 point I shall answer some Objections And first 't will be said This way of separation that you press to be made from the Parochial and Episcopal yea classical Churches nulls all at least the most part of the reformed Churches in the world I answer This tends not to null or Answ make void the faith of the true believers that shall be found in the aforesaid ways of Church-order I deny not their faith whereby they are of the mystical Church of Christ and accordingly destroy not their mystical Churchdom which is acknowledged by a voice from heaven in the text when such as are in Babylon mixt with the Gentiles in the outer Court unmeasured and nourished hitherto in the wilderness of abominable confusion where the great whore sits President when I say such as these are called out of the Babylonish corruption and confusion by the name of Gods people they are plainly acknowledged to be of the mystical Church And yet they are implicitely denyed to be of a right order when they are called and warned to come out of Babylon that must needs mean order since their faith is approved for that being done there remaines nothing to be disapproved but order for under these two the Apostle sums up all to be approved or disapproved in the Church Colos 2. 5. I deny accordingly that the Churches before mentioned are such visible Churches as Christ hath instituted and their politie such as he hath appointed and assert Though their faith be Christian yet their order is Antichristian I deny them not to be the Woman nourished in the wilderness Rev. 12. 6 14. But I deny them to be the Candlesticks that stand before the God of the earth chap. 11. 4. And this need not be grievous since the Holy Ghost hath foretold us of such a distinction of Christians Some are content to walk with the nations in the outer court with so much as will keepe life and soule together and to bite hard in the Wilderness and straggle there from one greene path to another so they can but get a living Others God gives power to be his witnesses against the Gentiles and to set up Christs owne order in the face and to the teeth of the Beast that ascends out of the Bottomless pit though they be slaine for it and will not be content to serve God as Pharaoh will give them leave Such was the Congregation in Queen Mary's time which Mr. Fox mentions Gods preservation of in his 3 Vol. pag. 921. and those of which Mr. Cotton makes mention in the way of Congregational Churches cleared pag. 4. These were in Queen Elizabeths dayes and were remembered by some amongst us but lately dead they were about an hundred and they refused the common Lyturgie and Congregations attending thereunto and used prayer and preaching and Sacraments among themselves and suffered imprisonment for it and pleaded for their separation before the Lord Mayor Bishop Sandes and other Commissioners Jul. 20. 1576. and in this they behaved themselves as faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ 'T is one thing for Churches to be looked upon as Churches in point of salvation and another thing for them to be looked upon as Churches in respect of outward constitution and visible order In the former account we cannot but give the right hand of Fellowship to all that looke to no other way of salvation but by the blood of the Lambe in the latter account we can give the right hand of fellowship onely to those that are after the heavenly patterne laid down in the Word we must not for respect to a right faith swallow a wrong order Hath not the letting go the right order let in a wrong faith Does not the great beast Rev. 13 Blaspheme God and his Tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven meaning the Catholick Church of Rome as Mr. Cotton on the place shews at large Secondly 't will be said this laies a ground to question all the ordinances Obj. 2 that have beene administred in any other way then that you press for whether they are to be accounted null and void To this I answer there is a double degree Answ of corruption that ordinances have met withal Some have beene corrupted in the essentials of them as for instance the Lords supper in the Popish Churches was essentially corrupted The signs were turned into the thing signified one Element denied to the people c. When ordinances are thus essentially corrupted they