second chapter of this second Epistle they are set forth in their colours to be such as had escaped the pollutions that are in the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and by apostasie were intangled again therein and overcome and so their latter end was worse then the beginning They that have been converted from their heathen sins by receiving the knowledge and faith of Christ and then again relapse and turn to them again this latter estate of theirs this Christian Heathenisme is worse then their bare Heathenisme at first They had knowledge enough to bring in damnable heresies and wicked loose opinions to wrest the Scriptures to trouble the Church and unsettle many but they were willingly ignorant of the Word of God they had the knowledge of Scripture but against their knowledge did pervert the same and wrest all the Scriptures to their own destruction as the learned Papists and our Apostate Sects do But what is this to the simple ignorant among us that out of carelesnesse meerly or incapacity and weaknesse are so and yet adhere to the true religion by profession amongst us These are strange mistakes and applications of Scriptures but I hope the Doctor is not willingly ignorant By this he may see how severe he is against that in Mr. H. which he is more guilty of himself But I have done with this intreating him and all others into whose hands this shall come to make a charitable sense and construction of what I have here written and not to be offended or prejudiced at the plainnesse of the matter or rudenesse of the expressions and method because I want those advantages that should help all this The Lord knowes that I herein intend plainnesse and so farr as I know my own heart I have thus declared my judgement in these things in uprightnesse and sincerity hoping they may be a means of the Churches good tending to her peace and unity and I am perswaded will be so if prejudice or some other thing do not hinder the serious consideration right understanding and use of what I have here written And so I have done with the reverend Doctor And I shall now from the grounds and principles laid down in the foregoing discourse crave leave to hint a few things to the dissenting brethren of the Congregationall way and the rather because if the Presbyterian way as some do practise will not hold and stand good much lesse will the Independent novelty in point of separation and gathering Churches out of Presbyterian congregations or others and therefore give me leave you that are for that way to speak freely unto you in a few words If you judge the Ministry and the ordinances and particular congregations lawfull as to the main why do you separate from them and gather out their best members from them would you be content to be so served by other separated Churches Doth not this sensibly insinuate to the world that those gathered Churches are the only Churches of Christ and so all other congregations not after your moulding thereby called into question whether they be Churches of Christ or no Are you for order and edification and for the peace of the whole or are you not Do you intend the reformation of the whole or of a part only If you be only for the reformation of a part and your desire be to draw up some to purity of ordinances and spirituall communion with Christ their head and one with another what must become of all the rest that are not of your minde nor indeed in a capacity of admittance unto you upon your termes and qualifications of members what will you make of them that are not so qualified will you account them members of the true visible Catholick Church and yet not fit to be of particular congregations and enjoy communion with Christ in all his holy ordinances Are they by vertue of the holy Covenant of grace Church natives and members borne and declared to be such by publick testimony on the Churches part in administring of Baptisme unto them a great Church priviledge of right belonging to none but such as are in externall Covenant with God at least either by profession of faith in themselves or by their parents and yet not fit to be owned or received into communion by any particular congregation Why what a case are we in then Your selves were equall with the rest in your Baptisme and under the same administration of worship and service that others were and if you have found a blessing in your regeneration and effectuall calling keeping in that station why doe you forsake it now Hath the Covenant of grace in the use of ordinary means brought quickning grace and life to your souls which is the main in order to eternall blessednesse whither will you go to mend your selves Why should you be so offended at the presence of such as you your selves once were Did such kinde of persons hinder the power and blessing of ordinances from doing you good before that you are so zealous in separating from them now Will not the effects of free grace which you have already received convince you that it is good for you to keep your former station and wait upon the same God in covenant for increase and compleating of what he hath begun What fault can you finde with Word Sacraments and Prayer the main essentials of holy worship they being the same both with us and you only you are grieved that sinners should enjoy the benefit of all these though you as bad as they have found good in the use of all these Would you have Jesus Christ save no more then those that are already saved or in a saving state Would you have the effects of Covenant love flowing from a bleeding Saviour unto sinners now to cease Had not meer grace and mercy prevented when you were sinners you had been impenitent sinners still like to the worst Will not the remembrance of what you once were beget some bowels of tendernesse toward such sinners Is this your separation the way to draw on others that are weak ones and to recover offending brethren Is this the way to do their souls good to rail and revile them with reproachfull speeches and slanders calling them the World in opposition to the Church and unbeleevers aliens profane ones dogs and swine and the like Nay is not this the way rather to cast stumbling blocks before the blinde and to destroy many weak brethren whom Christ hath died for by hardning them in an evill way Is it not a means to make them apostatize from the true Religion and turn Papists or any thing to keep the name of Christians rather then to be under that reproach of Infidels Heathens the profane world c. You would have them left to wander in their own waies and so you make them objects of the threatnings but not of the grace of the Gospell and promises under the commands but
lawfully refuse to baptize them at the present without any long deferring of it although they had been Heathens born I would I did but understand your answer to this supposition I conceive that all those that being of years are in a capacity for Baptisme are in a capacity also of all other Christian communion I presume the Apostles baptized upon as easie termes and so might you except you have a different commission or understand the Apostles commission in some other sense then they themselves did But I must contract my self aske you once again whether you ever found any president in the Word for what you practise in this point what Church under the administration of the Gospell will afford a president for your practise Do you separate according to Apostolicall order and rule or by vertue of some new commission or light the Scriptures never taught you I pray you again consider you had need be sure of good warrant to bear you out for you have been the cause and means of our being without discipline Sacraments union and communion with other reformed Churches indulgence to you hath been the occasion of an unlimited Toleration the misery of all those factions Schismes Heresies Blasphemies now abounding in every corner of the Land Well if your foundation be only the wisdome of the flesh and a worldly interest time will discover more of the Babel you are building when the consequences of your principles practise and design are come to full maturity It may come to that passe and it is much to be feared it will that you would retreat if you could tell how In the mean time the wilde beasts of the wildernesse come into Gods vineyard and by heresies destroy the tender grapes and many follow their pernicious wayes by reason of whom the way of truth is evill spoken of Men arise from among our selves speaking perverse things to draw away Disciples after them 2 Pet. 2.2 Act. 20.30 But mark them thut cause divisions and avoid them Rom. 16.17 But let me speak one word more in order to discipline which as you were never yet willing to come under as to the reforming of the whole so have your indevours been all along most fierce to obstruct and retard the discipline debated on in order to that end Again when the fittest way in Christian prudence according to rule was agreed upon as a means to reforme the whole and confirmed by the supreme Authority of this Nation designs were driven on to obstruct it and such things attempted as are the greatest scandals to the Protestant Religion that ever it suffered under And thirdly notwithstanding many symptomes and sad omens of a carnall design tending to the confusion and ruine of the whole and those the proper products of your own miscarriages do already appear yet you persist in your own contrivances and will not retract untill not only the Church but also the flourishing state of the Common wealth be involved in the same confusion and ruine The very sinewes of the Common-wealth are the fear of God and divine order in carrying on the same in all its parts uniformly different parties and factions too much indulged do ever beget jealousies and fears the common nursery of sedition and rebellion And that which cannot be held without gratifying of all factions and parties cannot in reason and policy hold long Why may not men truly fear God and carry on the power of godlinesse in their several functions and places under an establishment of Doctrine worship and order the only way to honour God And the best expedient to preserve the whole uniformity in the Church is a good foundation of peace and tranquillity in the Common-wealth And that is ever the best policy amongst Christians that is subordinate to true piety and our greatest freedome desired will be soonest attained in the way of religiousnesse when sin will be a snare to any people I confesse it is meerly occasionally that some things have dropped from my pen of this nature I would not offend any nor have I undertaken to meddle with the Independent way strictly taken they have been sufficiently answered by divers learned and reverend Gentlemen and the inconsistences contradictions absurdities and mistakes of their way discovered and not yâ—t vindicated by any that ever I heard of I only have hinted some things tending as I conceive to the Churches peace and unity in vindicating Church members from reproach and slander and inference to the preceding discourse And therefore I shall end with Mr. Humphreys wishes adding some of mine own 1. I wish we had a government establisht in the Church the nearest in Christian prudence that may be to the word of God 2. I wish the duty of fraternall correption a watching over and admonishing one another in love were better known and practised amongst us 3. I wish that men would look more to their own consciences and leave the judging of others spirits heart and reins alone to the judgement seat of Christ 4. I wish though there may be some judging by the fruits that wise religious men would be more cautious of countenancing the separations in the visible Church seeing upon the same ground that you go to gather a Church out of any mixt congregation another will gather a separation out of your Church and so continue as I have intimated from our sad experience an endlesse separating untill this first separation shall in a few years be able to take up the saying of that greatest Grand-mother unto those many Schismes shee shall see issuing as her naturall off-spring out of her owne bowels Rise up daughter go to thy daughter for thy daughters daughter has a daughter for this separations separation has a separation so farre Mr. Humfrey I adde 1. I wish that the distinction of beleevers and unbeleevers Church and world Christ and Belial holy and profane worthy Church members and unworthy were used in the Church of God according to Scripture meaning and with due caution and no otherwise 2. I wish that Sacraments were more clearly understood in respect of their nature and end attributing unto them their due according to the Scripture avoiding all humane boldnesse either in adding to advance them or in diminishing them so as in the least degree to debase them 3. I wish that the Lord Jesus may have the liberty and full scope of his own instituted ordinances given for the spirituall good of his Church that he may use them as instruments of his Spirit in order to that end upon the spirits of all his subjects according to their necessities and spirituall wants 4. I wish that a godly care may be taken in the education of all borne in the Church that being instructed in the plainest way of faith and obedience in the Christian religion they may be prepared to profit by every ordinance in the Church when they come to years 5. I wish that all of years may be made to understand their duties
elements as common things to please the outward man and not to that end for which the Lord Jesus appointed them And these men in a manner confesse as much that they being newly come out of idolatry in imitation of their idolatrous feasts had their love-feasts when they came to the Lords Supper and that there was excesse among them though not precisely at the Lords Supper These men are not willing to yeeld they were drunk at the administration precisely but immediately before or if at the time of receiving yet not with the wine consecrated for that holy and spirituall end the remembrance of the death of Christ And therefore as most Divines conjecture their excesse was at their love-feast spoken of in Jude But I conceive it is very uncertain whether they had any such feast or no that place in Jude doth not determine it much lesse the keeping of it immediately before the Lords Supper or in the place where they met together for the celebration of that holy service But whether they came drunk or eat and drank unto excesse of the elements liberally provided it was such a profanenesse that neither 〈…〉 nor Mr. H. I hope shall never 〈…〉 what ever these men charge 〈◊〉 with in this respect telling the 〈…〉 he 〈…〉 the admission of idolaters drunkards and impenitents to the Sacrament pag 32.33 34. compared But is this brotherly dealing think you to mâ—ke such a wilde in 〈…〉 a Minister shew what 〈…〉 was â—or which God so severely punished the Câ—â—intâ—â—anâ— but he must be reproached as â—ne pleading for the admittance of idolaters drunkards and impenitentâ— to the Sacrament Hath not Mr. H. said enough in his Book to free himself from this crime He said indeed there was nothing against their coming for that was their duty which these men deny unlesse they be so qualisied but he doth not only say they ought to come but to come prepared yet mens impenitency and unpreparednesse doth not make void the commandement of God neither is the principall to be neglected for an 〈…〉 subservient thereto And I pray you whom doth the Apostle set up to be judge of theâ—â—â—â—â—â—â—fications in the Church What 〈…〉 hath he appointed for this Is it not clear that every man is to examine himself and judge himself that he may not be judged of the Lord Can men devise better waies to carry on Gods Ordinances with purity thâ—n himself hath prescribed The Câ—rinthians sinning was in unworthy actions at the time of the administration and I pray you who could foresee that to prevent it better then themselves And as for their persons and reall worthinesse the Apostle meddles not with it at all Neither may we denominâ—te men such in person really as some unworthy acts done by them do import for if we do so we shall condemn the generation of the just righteous men may be overtaken with some unrighteous actions for in many things we offend all Jam. 3.2 And I grant this unworthy receiving was out of weaknesse and ignorance as these Gentlemen plead the Corinthians coming newly out of their heathenism but what is this to them that are not guilty of their unworthy receiving at all as for matter of order and reverent decorum in the observances not one among a thousand offending therein And for unworthinesse of person there is not one word in the Text in reference to coming to the Sacrament and yet that makes all the trouble and causes many to run into a world of mischief in the Church Hence they inferre that the unregenerate in the Church receiving eat and drink judgement to themselves and therefore teach them to omit the duty contrary to all rule both in the Old and New Testament and all Scripture Churches And hence they make schismes and separations in the Church And hence they make this the highest ordinance as being a communion for Saints only and upon the matter the least of all in other respects detracting from the wisdome power and goodnesse of God in denying it to be a means of regenerating grace unto Church members And hence they have invented suspension from the Lords Supper with the losse or neglect of true discipline And hence these tlemen have commended unto us as the only expedient for reformation to begin with the minor part leaving out the rest as judged to be excommunicable without any tryall Hence it is that many are afraid of being guilty in partaking with others in their sins in unworthy receiving especially in the sin of murdering Christ And many other like errors they run into by reason of this one error in taking that eating and drinking unworthily to be meant of unworthinesse of person The holy Ghost intends the manner of eating but they will have it to be intended of the worthinesse of the man that eats And upon this error is grounded all that these men have to say against M. H. book I could wish they would better consider of it For still I say the Corinthians were commended for keeping this ordinance as well as any other in the Church and reproved only for some great abuse in their manner of carrying on that service the which abuse did not lie in coming unworthily nor in their other miscarriages which were many upon other occasions but in this their abusing of the holy signs unto câ—â—nall and common ends For this 〈…〉 and sickly amongst them an 〈…〉 So that this place cannot be urged against any that are Christians and exâ—â—nally at least commâ—â— to the holy actions required in this service but against open abuses of the institution But these men will say of me Object as they do of M. H. pag. 88 That I know well enough but that I would blinde poor souls that Do this in remembrance of me was spoken to the Disciples such as were of Christs family and not to all c. I know sure enough Answ that this command was spoken to the Disciples of Christs family not to all but then I know also and so might they that all that are born in the Church of Christ and baptized and of years and under Church indulgence are Disciples of Christs family and therefore that command is spoken to them and they are bound to observe it except they can produce some dispensation for the neglect of duty in this more then in all other observances for the baptized come under the obligation of doing all that Christ commands Mat. 28.19 20. And let the reader then judge who are most guilty of blinding poor souls they that teach them to observe and do all that Christ commands or they that teach men to omit and neglect some necessary duties of homage and service which Christ commands for the good of their souls as these Gentlemen make very bold to do but how they will answer it before their Master I leave to themselves to consider And when I say all ought to come I do not mean the justly excommunicated who while they
THE BAR to Free Admission TO THE LORDS-SVPPER REMOVED OR A Vindication of Mr. Humfreys Free Admission to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Wherein the most materiall Exceptions and Objections of Doctor Drake against it in his Book called A Bar to Free Admission c. are taken off and answered Whereunto is annexed an expostulatory Speech unto them of the Congregationall way And also an Examination of the Book called A Scripture Rail to the Communion Table by some Ministers in Glocester shire By JOHN TIMSON a private Christian of Great Bowden in Leicester-shire JOH 15.14 Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you London Printed by E. Cotes and are to be sold by Will. Tompson Book-seller in Harborough 1654. To the Reader COURTEOUS READER I Am necessitated not only to give thee some advertisement concerning the following discourse but also to make some Apologie for my self in this my so bold undertaking as this will be thought to be and that perhaps even by some truly godly sober Christians and reverend Ministers of the Gospel to whom it may seem unfit that such a one as I should interpose in this Controversie concerning Admission to the Lords Supper and that I should undertake to make answer to a Reverend Doctor about these things And therefore let me intreat thy patience though I seem somewhat tedious in this Epistle by reason of the length of it I trust it will not be impertinent nor unprofitable but helping to the following discourse to free my self from blame and to help thee in the right understanding of what thou shalt read and of my end and aime therein The truth is these few sheets were not at first intended for publique view but only to be sent privately to the reverend Doctor that by the answer which I hoped he would return my self and some friends of mine might receive some satisfaction but through the importunity of some others to whom I imparted my thoughts herein I am now overcome perswaded to make them publique but with great disadvantage not having time to perfect and amplifie things sutable to so different an end from what I first intended And I confesse I have not so heedfully kept to the Doctors expressions nor writen arguments with that latitude or fulnesse nor kept to his method orderly as he goes on in answering Mr. Humfrey as I should and would have done if my intent at first had been to appear in publique But yet I have been as carefull as I could in taking his sense and have not omitted any thing of moment which I had occasion to insert and answer in my own method and way which I propounded to my self at first And for Mr. Humfreys arguments I have made but little use of them more out of haste then out of any dissenting from him and chusing rather to adde to what he hath asserted and strongly evinced then to repeat his own because I have an earnest desire that this controversie may be better sifted and more throughly searched into it being of greater concernment then most even of those that are godly have or do judge it to be for the ending of the present distractions and divisions in this unsetled Church Our being dissatisfied about Sacramental communion hath been the great occasion and instrumentall cause of our confusions and disorders tending to the Churches destruction If satisfaction can but be given in the warrant of free Admissions I conceive the only instrumentall cause of the Churches unsetlednesse will be removed and nothing will much hinder the falling in of Presbyterians and Independents into one way of communion and discipline especially the orthodox party of both And as for those that deny our Baptisme Church and Ministry as Antichristian there is little hope of gaining their return I desire it may be put to some solemn and serious debate impartially For although the principles committed to consideration in the ensuing discourse be somewhat against the common stream yet I have some hope they may be a means to discover some common mistakes with such glimmering of rationall and Scripture light as better heads may make to shine more bright in the Christian world I look to be censured for this my presumption in dissenting from the common interpretations of severall Scriptures and asserting some things against the judgement of many or most Divines and godly Christians who will be ready to object against me and charge me with a fault herein against which give me leave to make some defence First by confessing that this very thing of dissenting from so many learned and godly hath been a greater barre in my way then any ground of Scripture or strength of argument I ever heard or have seen from any godly man And were the Church in a well ordered setled state I had rather chosen in some lesser things to erre with the Church then dare to do any thing that mâ—ght break the peace and order of the same But in an unsetled disorderly condition of the Church as it is now with us all things in the Church being now upon the brinck of confusion and ruine it concerns even every private member to shew himself and to contribute his mite toward the conservation of the whole In vain do we look to have the effects and consequences our divisions breakings and separations to cease while the most sober and godly nourish them in their rise and cause The same principles maintained by the godly in the Bishops times would as necessarily have run us into the same separations and divisions had not the severity of discipline put a restraint to our excesse from the same or like mistakes Secondly I deny that this free admission pleaded for is altogether novell or a new thing For did not our first reformers maintain a free Admission nay command a generall observance of the Supper of the Lord three times in the year at least under some punishment to be inflicted for unnecessary neglect grounded I conceive from the equity of the Law of the Passeover Numb 9. and the command of Jesus Christ Do this in remembrance of me And will any say that our first reformers were not godly and learned men It 's true they urged it not till Church members were of years of discretion and not under Church censure and required that all should learn the Lords Prayer the Creed and the Ten Commandements c. which would be now easily yeelded to in order to the Sacrament Thirdly do not Protestant godly writers in all reformed Churches maintain infant Baptisme upon Covenant relation in that the children of Christians by birth priviledge are really members of the Church and so esteemed to be as truly as those that by nature are aliens and admitted upon their profession of faith And is not there the same reason for the injoyment of the other Sacrament of the Supper being of years and already admitted members should not these have as much priviledge as those that come in
pleading thy right during thy priviledge of positive Church membership And in the last place I shall in all humility offer a few words to the reverend Ministers of God as a means to quench the present flames that are in the Church of Christ in England First let me beseech you not to urge upon your people any practise under necessity of duties of worship either publique or private that is not evidently commanded or at least deducted from the clear and genuine sense of holy Scripture by necessary consequence Secondly labour so to agree among your selves in the main essentials of Doctrine Worship and Discipline that in every place there may be a preaching and holding forth of the same things in all Thirdly condescend to the meanest of your people with an equall respect in all your ministeriall administrations both publique and private that none may be discouraged nor any indulged in an evill way Fourthly be as watchfull of those that are inclined to an inordinate zeal in the smaller matters of Religion as of those that expresse but little zeal at all in Gods worship Fifthly allow the worst of your people the title of Christians beleevers members and allow them all other externall priviledges which of right are theirs in regard of their relative state as they are such yet deal faithfully with them as touching their reall state in order to their eternall weal or woe Sixthly decline as much as may be novelty and variety in profession catechismes and all essentials of publique worship that your people may more willingly adhere to you and give you the greater advantage to advance the Christian Religion among them Lastly What in you lies restore with the spirit of meeknesse in your private admonitions weak brethren that through infirmity fall do not exasperate any w th pulpit invections unlesse it be in case of known obstinacy But I shall leave all to your charitable construction and sober apprehension of what I do here offer to your consideration I am a poor worm and look to be despised for medling with things out of my spheare but I see it 's the common lot of the most learned in these times to be reproached and therefore I shall the better bear it though for this my vindicating of Mr. Humfrey from reproach I be the more reproached I am sorry his principles be not vindicated from the reverend Doctors exceptions and objections by a better pen then his Who is thy humble servant breathing after the simplicity of truth John Timson The Barre to free Admission to the LORDS SVPPER removed MEEting with a Book called A Barre to free Admission to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper written by Doctor Drake in answer to Mr. Humphrey and having diligently read both I finde that even good men are too apt to reprove one another in things controverted betwixt them which ought not so to be As for Mr. Humphreys vindication of free admission as he states bounds and handles it it seems to me more rationall and clear then to deserve so many harsh expressions from the reverend Doctor as he hath let slip whether in haste or more deliberately I leave to himself to consider Sure I am some words might better have been spared then so published in print to the world it being not yet determined whether Mr. Humphreys discourse be untrue or no though disputable with the Doctor it seems whether it be more full of words or untruthes which is very uncharitable and unbrotherly dealing but I forbear Both the reverend Doctor and Mr. Humprey are Gentlemen I am altogether unacquainted with whose gifts learned abilities I yet much reverence and wish this poor distracted Church may never want such officers to rule and feed her in the Lord as the meanest of them be It 's an unhappy controversie I confesse and little cause there is to take content in these debates yet as times are it hath need of scanning and sifting because much of the unity and welbeing of the nationall Church depends upon the right stating and clearing of this Question our doubts and scruples concerning the holy Supper having upon the matter unsetled all Some mistakes about admission thereto have run thousands into faction schisme and separation under a zeal of separating the Precious from the Vile of withholding the childrens bread from dogs of preserving the Ordinances pure c. The premises are good conducing much to reformation were they not misapplyed in respect of persons and in respect of the right way and means of putting them in execution as things now stand as I beleeve it will appear they are by this following discourse wherein I shall endevour to vindicate that little Tract of Mr. Humphrey from the Doctors unbrotherly dealing with him according to my measure and meannesse Not that I intend an orderly and exact reply to every particular which neither my capacity nor occasions of my laborious calling will bear but to undermine his chiefest strength passing by the rest And first of all for the Text which Mr. Humphrey delivers his discourse upon though he may be thought not so happy in his choice of it in order to what he insisteth on as having rather a sound then a true and full sense of the question and point concluded yet I doubt not but the discourse will as to the substance thereof be warranted by other Scriptures And for Judas his receiving or not receiving I look not upon it as clearly argumentative one way or other Neither do I think that first president without the supply of other Scriptures would make much for or against us in this matter they being Apostles only that then received whose office in the Church is now ceased In short I shall not go about to defend every quotation or assertion in Mr. H. Book nor to clear him from some inconsistences pointed out by the reverend Doctor it 's sufficient that he hath made good the main thing asserted namely That all Church members of years and under Church indulgence not rightly excommunicated may come freely to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper His free Admission is limited with exceptions of infants distracted the excommunicated and he might say the drunk Now the Doctor saith That by the same reason that he excepts these we may may except the grosly ignorant and scandalous in the Church Concerning which this twofold inquiry is made 1. Whether Church members of years having the exercise of reason being ignorant be as uncapable of the Sacrament as Infants or distraught 2. Whether scandalous members under Church indulgence may be equally debarred this Church priviledge with the regularly excommunicated To the former of these the Doctor saith That the grosly ignorant are as uncapable to examine themselves and discerne the Lords body as Infants and therefore as justly to be excepted against nay more because Infants and distraught may have the grace of the covenant really the other not To which I answer what the secret working of the
Spirit may be in such comes not within the Churches cognisance to inquire but what is agreeable to the revealed will of God and then if any of years being baptized professing the true religion be in the same incapacity as Infants or distracted it 's true there is the same exception against them otherwise not For mine own part I never knew any of years but could take and eat and drink of the consecrated signes reverently and orderly according to the institution as to the externals of that service which the state of Infants is uncapable of And mad men would indanger the abuse of the holy signes by their undecent and unreverent demeanour in those necessary acts of communion and worship And it must be granted that persons at years are not under that naturall incapacity that infants are in order to the outward form of worship Neither are Infants as such under the obligation of precepts of worship as grown persons in the Church are Nor can it be reasonably imagined that such a state of persons in the Church should be admitted actually to receive that in the discretion of the Church are no proper objects of Church censures in point of offending which grown persons in the Church are though never so ignorant And what though the Doctor say he can teach a childe of three or four years old as much or more then some of our people at years have learned all their life time A Parrat may be taught to speak words but can he make such children rationally understand what they are taught and exercise devotion from a principle of conscience in reference to religious worship as in charity we may hope of grown ones according to that little they know which may be conceived by their desires after it and their demeanour in the Sacramentall actions Moreover I doubt not but the Doctor or any other Minister of the Gospell may in a short time inform the ignorant among their people so as to make them capable of discerning the Lords body and to eat and drink lawfully in the Apostles sense though not in the sense I shall give account of hereafter All which being laid together I conceive that Church members of years most ignorant are not so uncapable of the Sacrament as Infants or mad men are and therefore the same or like ground of excepting against the one will not equally reach the other And then the Doctors often retorting Mr. H. exception doth rather discover weaknesse then adde any strength to the cause This to the first inquiry As for the other namely whether the scandalous members under Church indulgence may be equally debarred this Church priviledge with the regularly excommunicated I do not finde the Doctors judgement so expresly delivered but he seems to debar such from the Sacrament But sure to debar Church members scandalous their externall priviledge during Church indulgence and toleration they being under triall or otherwise is contrary to the judgement and practise of the independent Churches and seems irrationall and unjust to execute before a judiciall triall and sentence I confesse I am unsatisfied with their proceedings as Presbytered toward Church members of years admitted 1. They set up an Eldership whose office is very doubtfull too doubtfull to assume and exercise the keyes of Christs Kingdome especially where there is no association of Churches so that upon the matter the power of sentence is in the Pastour alone or in those whom Jesus Christ never impowered with the keys at all to binde and loose authoratively 2. They set up such a way of triall and Church examination of native Church members in order to the Sacrament the observance whereof is both their duty and their priviledge as no word doth warrant discouraging the most from indevouring after their duty and priviledge so that upon the matter they are left out without any regular casting out 3. They cause a carelesse forbearance of the Sacrament and make their suspension and excommunication upon the matter all one and the Doctor allowes all presence at every ordinance denying only the act of receiving to the worst 4. They positively suspend Church members for ignorance and such like wants and comings short of what they should be to God for which there is not the least warrant either of rule or president in divine writ 5. They make excommunication lesse then it is indeed in allowing the excommunicate presence in the congregation at every ordinance and make it more then indeed it is in dismembring Church members by it it being appointed as the last remedy to heal diseased members not to destroy them They are not thereby dismembred but to be lookt upon saith Mr. Cawdry as diseased members under cure 6. No more priviledge is allowed to Church members not approved of by the eldership though not yet under any positive sentence then is allowed to Heathens and to the excommunicate as much of priviledge in the ordinances of the Church is allowed as to Heathens All which upon triall will be found to be beside the rule I think and yet such are the consequences that flow from the Doctors own principles and premises in his Bar to free admission to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper In the next place the Doctor declares his judgement concerning a scandalous member of a congregation impresbytered presuming to receive what is to be done in such a case As first the Minister is to tell him of the sinne and desire him to forbear if that will not do then to shew him the present danger of murdering Christ and eating and drinking judgement to himself and he hath done his duty But then it may be inquired whether he mean only in case of common fame the scandall having been publick otherwise I suppose it will not be a time to nominate any members sinne or person in publique first Then secondly I question whether a scandalous member doth necessarily murder Christ and eat and drink judgement to himself in the Scripture sense whether the person be regenerate or unregenerate For he may be Scandalous and yet knowing and able to put a difference between common bread and the instituted signs in order to their end He might be drunk the week before and yet sober scrious and reverent in the act of receiving and not guilty of the body and bloud of Christ nor eat and drink judgement to himself in the Doctors sense He often distinguishes of worthy Church members and unworthy according to the judgement of visibility accounting the regenerate in the Church only worthy of admittance but not the other they not having a personall worthinesse must necessarily eat and drink unworthily and so judgement to themselves in the Apostles sense c. Now because all his conclusions seem to be deducted from meer mistakes and misapplyings of the Apostles sense 1 Cor. 11.20 to the 34. to the great perill and danger of the visible Church of Christ as causing rents and divisions therein I shall therefore make
bold to present to consideration these necessary queries in reference to a discovery of the most probable sense of the place humbly praying the Reader when ever he think of me to think seriously and impartially of them 1. Enquiry is to be made whether the Apostle intends any such thing as personall worthinesse or unworthinesse in order to the Sacrament 2. Whether the unworthinesse the Apostle speaks to were not meerly their miscarriages and actuall offending in or about the externals of Sacramentall actions and order 3. What were those sins that provok'd the Lord so immediately to punish them for the present and made them liable to be further punished for the future 4. Whether they were chastised for unworthinesse of person or other sins they were guilty of before they came together to celebrate the holy Supper 5. What is the remedy the Apostle prescribes to that Church to prevent future judgement and to enjoy present benefit 6. Whether the unregenerate and most ignorant person professing and owning the true Religion among them were not in a capacity so to use the remedy as to prevent the judgement and receive benefit by the ordinance where God gave a blessing 7. Whether the duty of self-examination in order to the Sacrament is not to be restrained to the premises treated on in the context 8. Whether a carelesse neglect or incapacity of this duty of self-examination before do excuse and give a writ of ease from that precept of publique duty and service Do this in remembrance of me 9. Whether there be any thing in the institution nature end language action of the Sacrament in the context or elsewhere incongruous to the receiving of the unregenerate in the Church I doubt not but an ingenuous answer to these Queries would much moderate the unchristian rigour of these times about Sacramentall communion if not to make the controversie to cease among sober godly men And therefore pardon my boldnesse in adventuring to present to publick view my confused apprehensions in answer to these queries and that with as much brevity as I can Something must be done and if I can discover the truth or give occasion unto some more able to doe it I shall blesse God and think my labour well bestowed For the first I conceive there is not the least hint or sound of unworthinesse of persons in the Church of Corinth spoken to by the Apostle in reference to the Sacrament nor are they blamed or punished for their reall unworthinesse as to God visible to the Church though it 's probable they had such amongst them in that communion For in the beginning of this Epistle the Apostle gives them the titles of the Church of God sanctified in Christ Jusus called to be Saints c. And of those that were punished for profaning the ordinance the Apostle speaks very hopefully nay confidently that their persons were justified they were chastened of the Lord that they might not be condemned with the world But it may be said Object The Church of Corinth were all of them at least visibly worthy in respect of their persons and therefore their free admission is no warrant for us seeing many of ours want that visible worthinesse And if those that were visibly worthy did through their miscarriage eat judgement to themselves what may we think of ours that have not so much as that visible worthinesse which they had 1. I answer Solution If there be nothing against personall unworthinesse in persons professing the true religion in the context in order to the Sacrament then unworthinesse of person in such can be no bar against them but the former is true therefore the latter is true also 2. If the Apostle upon so weighty occasion meddle not with their unworthinesse of person in reference to their receiving then neither need we to meddle with it it is sufficient that those we admit be baptized and of the true Religion under Church indulgence to entitle them to all the ordinances which they are to use as means of their spirituall good they being given to the visible Church to that very end 3. If our Baptisme were rightly administred according to the Word then ours of years that are of the same with them of the Church of Corinth have as much externall priviledge in the Church as they had till either by Apostasie they fall off or by the right exercise of Discipline they be put out And had we the same charity the Apostle had we would allow them the title of Saints beleevers brethren by profession and calling as they did all along For the second and third Quere I am sure the Text is clear for the affirmative namely that their unworthinesse was meerly their miscarriages and actuall offending about the externals of Sacramentall actions and order And they did eat and drink unworthily not discerning the Lords body and they profaned the holy Ordinance in that they put no difference between their own supper and the Lords Supper their own bread and the instituted signs And for persons to make the consecrated signs appointed by Jesus Christ to spirituall ends as in the institution a common or civill thing to please and satisfie the outward man must needs be a great evill and was that high and provoking sin for which they are there punished as well they might For indeed it was a sin worse then carrying the Arke of the Covenant contrary to order and yet for that the Lord made a breach upon them And Nadab and Abihu were destroyed for offering strange fire which the Lord commanded not so dangerous a thing it is not to come up to or to adde to or to profane divine institutions Doubtlesse the Corinthians were very rude unreverent and disorderly in the present observance some were hungry and some drunk some had too much and others could get none or but little as is intimated in the remedy or direction given to that particular case To tarry one for another as to order and if any hunger let him eat at home not make the holy Supper a meer businesse of eating and drinking that they come not together to condemnation for time to come as they had done before To the fourth Query I answer They were not chastened for unworthinesse of person or for any other sins they were guilty of before but for unworthy actings in the act of receiving or at that time For this cause some are weak and some are sick and some are fallen asleep that is for eating and drinking unworthily contrary to order and decency the which word unworthily respects their manner of doing not their persons It 's no were said Whoso eateth and drinketh being unworthy is guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord. And I think it is no where else the language of Scripture to require reall worthinesse of person before they be sit to come under precepts of duty and service Doth not Baptisme lay ingagements upon all to observe all the commands of Christ
committing of some grosse and scandalous sinne is made by God an occasion of conversion shall any take warrant therefrom to commit scandalous sins c. To all which I answer That all which he hath to that purpose is argued from meer mistakes he taking for granted all along that the unregenerate in the Church do necessarily eat and drink unworthily in the Apostles sense whereas I conceive the contrary hath been already fully declared And therefore it would be well if he would see his mistake and alter his judgement that others might not be in danger of being misled by him In the mean time what he hath charged Mr. H. with in point of excommunication untruly may be retorted upon himself justly It is a cruell assertion a bloudy tenent c. And that not only in his depriving many souls of the benefit and spirituall good of so blessed an ordinance but in his detracting also from the goodnesse grace and power of God in that ordinance as if Christ had appointed it in the Church rather for the hurt then for the spirituall good of his visible subjects they partaking thereof conformly according to their present capacity Object But then saith the Doctor If it be a convering ordinance we may administer the Sacrament to the Heathen to convert them to Christianity for if it will convert those in the Church that have but the form to the power of Religion then it will sure convert the Heathen at least to the form if it will do the greater much more the lesser To this I answer Solution That an argument drawn from the greater to the lesser must be of things of the same kinde and so of men under an equall capacity else it will not hold I can throw a stone over a house can I therefore throw a feather this is lesse then the other and yet though the same arme and strength be put forth it will not do it The fallacy of the argument lies in this That there is not the same capacity of receiving good by the Sacrament in both the formall professing Christian is not in such an incapacity of receiving good by that ordinance as the Heathen are We know that to Heathens that never heard of Christ or at least do not acknowledge him their redeeming Lord so as to come under his Lawes no not so much as Baptisme the outward elements are but meer civill things And they might be easily perswaded to take and eat of those elements of Bread and Wine in order to the good of their bodies but not for the good of their souls before they own Christ to be their Lord Redeemer and Saviour till then they know not what these things mean But those among us educated in the true Religion do acknowledge Christ their redeeming Lord and they do know in some measure what these things of God mean so that the Sacrament in an ordinary way may work some proper effect upon the one but can have none upon the other without a miracle Besides it is clear enough that as no uncircumcised persons were to enter into the Sanctuary or to eat of the Passeover so no unbaptized person is to partake of the holy Supper in that Communion Were there the like ground of denying the Sacrament to the ignorant and scandalous persons under Church indulgence that there is of denying it to infidels this controversie had been at an end before this time It cannot be denyed but excommunication is appointed in the Church to convert and reduce the obstinate and wilful sinners therein doth it therefore follow that we may exercise this means of conversion to Heathens out of the Church What can be more absurd Nay what have we to do to judge them that are without 1 Cor. 5.12 The Doctor knowes well enough that different premises will not bear the same conclusions and the truth is for want of making premises equall according to Scripture presidents we have run upon false conclusions to instance in some 1. Because we finde in Scripture the distinction of beleever and unbeleever used to distinguish the Church from the World how commonly is the same used to make a distinction in the Church amongst us who in Scripture sense are all beleevers for it is evident that an unbeleever in the Scripture sense is either a Pagan infidell or an unbeleeving Jew that absolutely renounces Christ under the notion of a false Christ a deceiver a devill c. refusing to obey his Lawes or to expect salvation by him 2. Because we finde that these unbeleevers are under wrath Aliens from the common-wealth of Israel strangers to the Covenants of promise without hope and without God in the world Ephes 2.12 Which was true of the Ephesians before they received the Gospell that therefore the unregenerate in the Church are under the same condition though they beleeve in a true sense though not sincerely and are under the Covenant and persons to whom the adoption and the giving of the Law and the service of God pertains as once to the Jewes Rom. 9.4 34. finding warrant in the word to separate from the Infidell and idolatrous world especially in matter of worship therefore they conclude we must separate our selves from the unregenerate in the Church 4. Because we finde that some beleevers have by their unworthy and undecent behaviour in time of administration profaned the Sacrament to their own perill and judgement therefore we conclude First That those whose persons are unworthy as not being regenerate eat and drink unworthily Secondly That some other unworthy actions of Christians committed before their comming to the Sacrament renders them uncapable of worthy receiving and consequently renders them liable to judgement therein 5. Because we finde in the Scripture some excommunicated for foul and scandalous sins and blasphemous opinions therefore we conclude we may exercise Church censures for any sin even for omission of such duties as are dubious whether injoyned in the word or no but I have done with these false conclusions There is one objection more which the Doctor makes against Mr. H. Free Admission to which I desire to speak something The objection is this Object That Mr. H. Free Admission strengthens the hands of the wicked by promising them lies in the Name of the Lord and makes sad the hearts of the righteous whom God would not have made sad by their profaning the ordinance c. And this he endevours to back with the language of the Sacrament or words which the Minister uses in the delivering of the Sacrament to particular persons by his words and action giving and tendring Christ and all his benefits of grace and glory to the wicked as well as to the godly the which grace and glory the Sacraments are appointed to assure and confirm c. When as in the preaching of the word it is farre otherwise the Minister therein not dispensing the same to all alike but preaching comfort to whom comfort belongs and terrour to whom
Christ in his laying down his life for sinners but I must contract But then saies the Doctor If this be so Object let all come pell-mell and then where is the reformation so much indevoured after of late To this I answer Solut. That if by coming all pell-mell be meant all though they come to mock at or openly to abuse the ordinance I say it doth no way follow from what I have asserted nor from any thing Mr. H. hath said For he hath very well stated the question and excepted infants distracted and justly excommunicated persons and these being excepted if he or I say let all come that will I think it neither to be absurd nor dangerous seeing that Christ when he offers himself and the thing signified in the Sacrament saith Let him that is athirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely Rev. 22.17 Why may not we say of all of years under Church indulgence whether Presbytered or not Presbytered they offering themselves to receive are not to be denyed the Sacrament for supposed incapacity or unworthinesse Besides Mr. H. hath given a rationall account of his own practise to acquit himself from such reproachfull expressions as are used against him namely That he hath done his utmost de jure that all come prepared And that none may charge him with arrogance he modestly and humbly breaks out into this patheticall expression But woe is me if I justifie my self who am a man of unclean lips and dwell among people of unclean lips eminent only in failings By which words he doth not detract what he had said before but only shewes that though such were his frailty that he as all other failed and came short in every duty yet he had not willingly neglected or wholly omitted any duty in that respect which Christ requires of him And so whether Mr. H. or the Doctor favours most of pride and vanity let the intelligent and sober judge Now to the other part of the objection namely Where is the reformation so long indevoured after if we allow of such a free admission I answer 1. I would learned men did more study by the right means and in the right way to reform a true Church labouring under some corruptions in Doctrine worship and discipline which is our case 2. I would fain know whether the debarring of Church members of years and not excommunicated from the Sacrament be a means of reforming approved in the Word 3. Whether the want of discipline do justifie a totall neglect or suspension of Sacraments in order to reformation 4. Whether separation in the Church be a good expedient to further the reformation of the whole 5. Whether to abolish the essentials of Church discipline in the use thereof for some exorbitant abuses be a good expedient to reform the thing 6. Whether denying the Sacrament to those whom the Church cannot justly proceed against the positive excommunication be any furtherance to reformation 7. Whether there can be any reformation of the Church in that respect untill discipline be restored and uniformly exercised in the same and if so whether the Sacrament must be suspended till then and whether it be any thing towards reformation so to doe 8. Whether the very nature and being of reformation in the visible Church stands not only in the externall conformity to the indisputable Lawes of Christ their head constraining all to an uniformity thereunto When these few queries are answered either by the reverend Doctor or any other that holds the Church of England a true constituted Church as to its essentials and being if I live and God enable me thereto I may take occasion to make a further and more direct answer to that latter part of the objection concerning reformation In the mean time I shall go on to vindicate Mr. H. in what he asserts touching excommunication and censures of the Church For what he hath asserted concerning these is by the Doctor charged to be false bloudy tenants c. And here I shal first assert what I conceive is truth and then answer to what the Doctor hath said 1. I conceive that none are proper objects of excommunication but such as are in the true Church of God and in fellowship with the Saints in all acts of communication and worship publick For what have I to do to judge them that are without them God judges 1 Cor. 5.12 2. That no one is to be excommunicated but in case of violating some manifest and known Law of Christ and that violation peristed in to obstinacy after a judiciall triall conviction and patient waiting of the Church for his reformation 3. That none may exercise the key of Ecclesiasticall Discipline but such persons in office to whom all the keys of Christs Kingdome are committed being appointed by him to preach the Word and administer the Sacraments as well as exercise discipline 4. That no single pastour alone but such as are so in an association as to derive authority from the whole can exercise Church censures authoritatively and that every Presbyter in generall is not to have a part in this power but some in speciall chosen by the whole Church which are more eminently qualified and fitted for the exercise of Ecclesiasticall rule and government 5. That excommunication when it is just is a solemn ejecting or putting out of obstinate sinners in the Church from all acts of communion and worship of God in the publick congregation untill by repentance they manifest both their shame and sorrow for their sin and upon the manifestation of this and publick promise of amendment the Church ought to be satisfied therewith and the penitent offender to be restored and regularly admitted to all externall Church priviledges again 6. That those have much to answer for that were the occasion of laying Gods vineyard waste by throwing down the wall and plucking up the hedge of discipline established before they were agreed of another warranted by the Word to be set up in stead thereof By this time they may both see their folly and feel the smart of it in the evil effects and consequences Well having laid down these propositions let me a little apply them and shew you what will follow upon the truth of them And first if the first be true as I conceive it is then those that never were admitted to the Lords Supper are not in a capacity of these censures of the Church nor to be amended by them what ever their enormities be If the second be true then none in the Church may be censured for ignorance or for the omitting of doubtfull duties especially that of submitting to Church examination in order to the Sacrament If the third be true then not only the common members but the ruling Elders will be called in question for usurping the key of Discipline they not having power to exercise the key of Doctrine and Sacraments If the fourth be true then we may take notice how little
of true discipline is practised in the Church of England and in what an incapacity we are for the present of any true reformation whatever some pretend But the sixt and last I intend more especially to clear up in vindication of Mr. H. And take it thus Excommunication is a delivering to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. It 's a great thunder-bolt punishment inflicted by the Church as the last remedy to reduce the obstinate from the way of perishing Calvin saith As Christ is in the Church so Satan is out of the Church to which condition the excommunicated are sentenced but with a mercifull end to reduce them to Christian obedience where God gives the blessing Otherwise it is the very beginning of hell and eternall wrath when the sentence is just it being confirmed in heaven Put out from among you that wicked person 1 Cor. 5.13 He must be put out from among themselves and so out of all communion The same word seems to be Joh. 9.22 and 12.42 where it is said of some that they durst not confesse Christ for fear of the Jews for they had a greed that if any did confesse him they should be put out of the Synagogue So that if the Apostle Paul in the censure of the incestuous person have any reference to the practise of the Jewes as the Doctor seems to hint why then doubtlesse he was put out of the Churches assemblies For it is most certain the Synagogues were places of case where the Jewes publiquely assembled for divine worship of prayer reading preaching c. Act. 13 14 15 16. So that I say if Paul followed the practise of the Jewes or meant that the Corinthians should proceed according to their practise in this then his meaning was that they should put out that wicked person from their assemblies for communion and worship I professe I cannot but wonder the Doctor should be so tart with Mr. Humphrey in this thing he having the very letter of the Text and the practise of the Jewes Church to warrant what he hath asserted in this point For let me aske the reverend Doctor how he or any other of his opinion will reconcile that delivering to Satan out of the Church and allowing their presence in the congregation in all acts of worship and spirituall communion except actuall receiving of the Sacrament of the Supper To put out that wicked person from among themselves and at the same time to allow him presence among themselves and to have communion with them in all acts of worship except the Supper are altogether inconsistent Neither doth that any thing at all help which the Doctor so often urges in his book Let him be as a Heathen or publican But Heathens and publicans may be present at all the ordinances 1 Cor. 14.24 And therefore the excommunicate may because they are not to be unto the Church worse then a Heathen c. For to this I have many words to say which I think will answer the argument 1. It will appear that scandalous brethren are in some respect worse then infidels If any provide not for his own specially for those of his own house he hath denyed the faith and is worse then an infidell 1 Tim. 5.8 And it had been better for revolting Christians never to have known the way of righteousnesse 2 Pet. 2.21 And there was not such a thing so much as named among the Gentiles that one should have his fathers wife 1 Cor. 5.1 And when scandalous brethren are worse then Heathens in sinning under such means of better obedience that Heathens have not there is reason they should be denied something of priviledge that Heathens may have 2. It 's clear that scandalous brethren are to be denied that priviledge in civill commerce and familiarity that Heathens are allowed to have with Christians and Christians with them 1 Cor. 5.9 10 11. 2 Thess 3.14 1 Cor. 10.27 compared Liberty is given to Christians to have civill and friendly familiarity with infidels and fornicators of the world which yet is absolutely to be denyed to scandalous and disorderly brethren as a means to bring them to shame And if scandalous brethren under triall or actuall censure are to be debarred of some priviledge that heathens are allowed it will somewhat weaken the strength of the Doctors argument 3. The Apostles had direct and expresse commission after Christs ascension to preach unto the Heathen and therefore had warrant to admit of their voluntary presence to hear in any place where opportunity might give the advantage of converting them But yet upon their rejecting the Gospel when it was faithfully tendred to them the Apostles might shake off the dust of their feet against them and leave them deeper under wrath The unbeleeving Jewes were within the commission too but when they rejected the words of eternall life and abused the messengers of Christ that preached this to them it 's said they judged themselves unworthy of eternall life and upon that account the Apostles forsake them Most terrible things are written against the disobedient to the Gospell And I am sure Christians that reject the Lawes of Christ as the excommunicated are supposed to do are worse then Infidels that never had the means of knowing and doing what Christ commands As in respect of sin and eternall punishment those that live under the Gospell but refuse to submit to it may be said to be worse then Heathens so why not in point of externall Church priviledge likewise they having forfeited all those priviledges of word prayer Sacraments ingaging all powerfull means of their reformation which heathens never had the advantage of And it is supposed that Christ is rejected in all the ordinary means appointed to reclaim the scandalous and obstinate in the Church before this sentence of excommunication is pronounced and put in execution against them And just it is that they that obstinately reject all should be banished from all that they may either return to their duty by repentance and thereby give satisfaction to the Church and be again received into communion or else adde to obstinacy apostasie also be rejected for ever that the Name of God be not evill spoken of because of such scandalous members 4. Let him be to thee as a Heathen or Publican that is let the excommunicated be as odious and as abominable to thee as a Publican or Roman officer sitting at the receit of custome was to the Jewes or as a Heathen was to the Jewes during the present state of the Jewish Church with respect to which Christ speaks when the uncircumcised were an abomination to the Jewes they being forbidden to let any stranger or uncircūcised in the flesh come into Gods Sanctuary or partake of any priviledge of worship but upon being a Proselyte And let the excommunicated be as such a one and then what hath the Doctor and his party gotten Touching the
and Church priviledges and be incouraged unto Church communion in all the waies of Christ that so they may come under Church discipline the best remedy to reclaim the obstinate and wilfull offenders 6. I wish the gifted brethren were better imployed then in unchurching our Churches and gathering Churches out of them it were a work more proper and acceptable either to be content to exercise their gifts to the edifying and building up of that Church in which they received them or else to goe into the infidell world as the Apostles did and preach the Gospel and plant Churches there The Scripture Raile Examined REader since I parted with what I had written in answer to Doctor Drake in the foregoing discourse there came to my hand Mr. Humfreys Rejoyner in vindication of himself a work very well performed by him wherein the truth formerly by him asserted is better cleared and confirmed to the satisfaction of many souls fearing God and breathing forth their earnest desires after the settlement reformation and uniformity of the Church of God in England according to the Word of God Be not prejudiced against his book by other learned men who have and still do appear with much bitternesse and passion against him more to affright with words and humane dictates meerly then with matter of grounded truth according to the sense of the holy Scripture witnesse that book put forth by some Ministers of Glocester-shire intituled A Scripture Raile to the Communion Table I confesse the title is good for we do acknowledge there ought to be such a thing but not in their sense as I hope shall appear by the discovery made in this short discourse following in which I shall wave what hath been already written in answer to D. Drake by Mr. Humfrey and my self and take notice only of some things in the Scripture Raile which have not yet been spoken to that I know of And this I shall do as briefly as I can because I would not anticipate him whom it doth more nearly concern And first of all because I would not leave the weak and incautelous Reader deceived with vain and groundlesse words in reading this Scripture Raile let this be noted that I take Scripture discipline to be the only Rail for the Communion Table which I hope both the Author reproached and my self earnestly desire may be set up and all our indevours tend as conducible means to that end as being assured that the first stone in the building of the reformation as to our case is holy discipline And whether their principles or ours tend most to that I hope to make appear to sober and unprejudiced Christians And the way I shall take shall be to discover some of these Gentlemens unbrotherly dealings with Mr. Humfrey first in perverting his sense Secondly in setting up a Raile to the Lords Table by perverting Scripture and so making that Raile to be a pretended discipline meerly 1. They have damned and censured his Book to be an ungodly pamphlet in which is a masse of perverting Scriptures tending to destroy all Church reformation little better then carnall and profane reasoning sophistry a heterodox piece abomination a vile piece with divers other such hard censures language enough to affright any from ever looking into it that have any care of their souls to avoid their own destruction in complying with that soul damning practise of maintaining mixt communion as they call it I must confesse these men seem very confident in reproaching and censuring both the Book and the man but in this their indeavour to make it thus vile and odious to the world they have not the least evidence of truth or strength of reason to evince it that I can finde in their Book And it will so appear if you minde what is Mr. H. scope and end in his discourse and what are the principles upon which it is founded As 1. That the visible Church of Christ consists of men making a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and so are Saints by calling what ever they are in truth while they so professe and adhere to the true worship the means and matter of which are hearing the word receiving the Sacrament and prayer and of these many are called and few are chosen 2. That all of these of years come under the obligation of Christs commands and are bound to do their duty homage to Christ their Lord as well as they can according to Mat. 28.19 20. 3. That all such ought to submit to Church discipline and not to be excluded from any observance nor denyed any Church priviledge untill they be judicially proceeded against and debarred by vertue of positive excommunication 4. That Ministers by vertue of their function and office may lawfully administer the Sacraments to Church members though they be ignorant and scandalous he doing his duty as well as he may in preparing them in the want of Church discipline These I dare boldly affirme are the main things asserted in that little despised piece which with a sober spirit the Author hath soberly discussed and cleared from the common exceptions made against it by men of different mindes for which his pains first and last I verily beleeve the Church of God in England have great cause to be thankfull to the Lord of the harvest for sending such a faithfull plain-hearted labourer amongst us the sweet temperature of his spirit so adorned with wisdome charity and such a peaceable frame bespeaks him taught of God the true sense of his will in his holy Scriptures rather then his reproachers 1. Touching the visible Church what evill hath he done in asserting it to consist of men making a profession of faith in Christ Wherein doth he dissent from the most orthodox writers in all ages in judging the Church of England a true Church It is confessed by the adversaries and also that a parochiall congregation where the Word is truly preached and the Sacraments administred according to order being a part of the whole is a true Church likewise And this is also confessed by these Gentlemen for they grant that our parochiall Churches are true Churches in a large sense and that is enough as to this and so I hope there is no evill in this first position 2. For the next thing by him asserted namely that all of years in a parish being baptized come under the obligation of all Christs commands it is proved by the text before cited Mat. 28.19 20. And that in order to the Lords Supper Do this in remembrance of me is a known duty belonging to every particular member of the Church in common with all other parts of the worship and service of God And is it then profane reasoning to urge Church members to do their duty and homage in this particular more then in all others To this these Gentlemen have said but little that I can finde to take off what is urged by Mr. H. As for that of the Passeover Mr. H.
it is a means of conversion as these Gentlemen do confess the Magistrate may constrain all in the Church to come under it and submit to it They say Iesus Christ should rule by the Word of his mouth and not by the Magistrates compelling edicts and yet they say That in bringing all to converting ordinances they humbly conceive the Magistrate is to put forth his power pag. 176. And then will it not hence follow that as discipline is a means of conversion the Magistrate is to put forth his power for the bringing of all under it Yea doubtlesse and to assist the Church in the setling exercise and execution of it And to withdraw without a judiciall proceeding neither doth nor can attain the true end but doth harden and prejudice sinners a great deal more and so makes them worse in stead of making them better The end of withdrawing according to the Scripture is to bring the persons withdrawn from to shame and repentance and is this a likely way to attain that end for a Minister and some ten or twenty of his people to withdraw from three or four hundred as in some places would be the case they all professing the true Religion Do these men think the Apostle meant such a withdrawing to bring sinners in the Church to shame The rule is in reference to a disorderly brother to bring him to shame but in our times applyed to hundreds at once by the minor part in a Church and that very unfitly too there being many in some such places that as truly fear God and live in Christian obedience beyond some of them that withdraw from them who yet had rather be reckoned among sinners then to joine with them that by schisme break the peace of the Church Besides grant that many of them should be excommunicable doth that warrant a separation when it is not in our power to do it regularly It is ten to one that those that are so zealous for separating did never deal with their offending brethren so far as they lawfully may and ought to amend them If we should deal thus in the Kingdome of this world as they do in the Kingdome of Christ there would be but a sad accompt given of many subjects therein If it were enough to say such are fellons and hangable by the Law and thereupon never bring them to triall but knock them on the head and there 's an end of them How long think you would this Common-wealth stand were such a confusion and barbarisme tolerated Suppose these Gentlemen in Glocestershire are run into a dangerous way of schisme in the Church through error and mistake would they be content without any ordinary means used to convince them of their error or warning and admonishing them to retract to be forthwith sentenced by a Bench of Elders as schismaticall persons and upon that accompt suspended from their Ministry I think they would not And yet by what they appear by their Book to be I think they are scarce qualified as Bishops ought to be that undertake the rule of Christs Flock and my prayer is that their uncharitable practises may not be an occasion of destroying many weak brethren for whom Christ died As for Mat. 18. it comes now to be examined that we may see how it is appliable to these new found models of Discipline hinted at by these men in the preamble of their Book And it is most clear and certain that the main scope of our Saviour is to teach us these two things in generall First That the meanest person coming to Christ and professing faith in him is not to be despised Secondly That not to deal with offending brethren in the way and order by him there prescribed is to despise them And then for the way prescribed by our Saviour it ought to begin with private admonition in case of a brother offending and if that prevail for his amendment he is not to be put to publick shame but if that will not work upon him then upon sufficient proof of the fact he may and ought to be complained of to the Church and the Church may convent him before them admonish to confesse and reform his sin But if out of obstinacy he stubbornly refuse to hear the Church after first and second admonition then to be cast out not otherwise Now what is there in all this to favour or warrant these Gentlemens practise do they proceed after this manner with every offending brother in their severall parishes before they deny them Christian communion in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper If not why will they urge a rule from Jesus Christ to others which they themselves will not practise Would they have others do that themselves neither will nor can do as themselves confesse where the greater part is corrupt And this being the case of most Parishes in England how shall we take up an establishment of discipline from this place Why they tell us by withdrawing from the major part of the Church But then it will be demanded whether this Scripture do warrant any such practise and it must needs be granted it doth not Thus you may see how sutable these new models are to those Scriptures alledged by themselves for proof thereof But to proceed a little further concerning this Scripture Mat. 18. The greatest difficulty as I conceive lies in the word Church when our Saviour bids tell the Church I shall give my thoughts concerning that also and leave them to the intelligent reader to consider 1. I conceive our Saviours rules here given in this case respected the present state of the Jewes Church as well as the Christian Churches in after times and was practicable in that present state of the Jewes Church 2. According to the same rules and order his Disciples and their followers should act in after ages as vers 18. doth plainly shew Concerning the former of these as the rule given by our Saviour respected the present state of the Jewes and was practicable in that Church we are to inquire whether the complaint were to be made to the whole Church consisting of rulers and ruled assembled together in holy worship or to the Rulers and Officers of the Church only assembled in a Court of Judicature for the hearing of complaints and trying of offenders and punishing evill manners To this I answer That to one it seems very probable that Church here is to be taken in the latter sense because the common people among the Jewes never had any such authority in that Church as to judge of manners and censure according to the rule given by our Saviour in this Scripture But it is clear that they had a Councell of Elders called the Sanhedrin Mat. 5.22 that judged of manners and punished such as reviled their brother intimated in these words He that shall say to his Brother Racha shall be in danger of the Councell or Sanhedrin The Pharisees and chief Priests were chief in that Councell or
it consisted wholly of them for they undertook to cast out of the Synagogue Joh. 9. 12. And when Saul breathed out threatnings against the Saints in zeal of reducing them to the Church from which they were departed and seduced as he thought he went to the chief Priests and all the estate of the Elders for his commission and he received anthority from them to bring both men and women unto Jerusalem to be punished Act. 22.15 And that estate of Elders in the originall is called a Presbytery which also shewes that it was made up of chief Officers of the Church called Presbyters some of which were chief Priests the other Pharisees and some subordinate Presbyters were joyned with them to make up that assembly having authority to judge of manners according to the Lawes of God however upon mistake they punished the true professors of the Christian Religion yet not under the notion of professors of the true Religion but out of zeal to reduce the beleeving Jewes to conformity to the old administration as judging it still in force as it was delivered by Moses If any make question whether this Presbytery according to the Text were the Church to whom complaint was to be made concerning stubborn offenders I answer that Councell or Presbytery was made up of the chief Officers of the whole Church and so the Church representative on whom alone all the authority of the Church was involved for the punishing of sin and preserving the peace of the whole And for the word Church they that are acquainted with the Original language know it is used for any assembly or congregation called together whether to civill or sacred ends and so these Elders and Rulers of the Jewes assembled together for the ends aforesaid are not unproperly called a Church And for the latter thing propounded before namely that the Christian Churches in after ages are to proceed by the same rule and in the same order the Church of the Jewes then did that is to say by a Presbytery seems to me very probable For first of all there were in use in the Christian Church in reference to the rule and government thereof the same names that were in the Church of the Jewes which is a sign that there was the same thing Saint Paul who was well acquainted with the nature of the Presbytery at Jerusalem from whom he received authority to trouble the beleeving Jewes cals an assembly of Elders or Church officers a Presbytery of which what better reason may be conceived then this the resemblance that was between this Eldership and the great Councel in the Church of the Jewes It is clear the Apostles themselves did order all things in the Church ordained Elders and authorized them in the Name of Christ to ordain others c. And they were as much Rulers and Officers over the Catholick Church as the chief Priests and Elders were to the Jewes And hence in the Apostolical Churches Ordination of Ministers was derived from them that were Officers to the whole Church and in a most immediate manner by Jesus Christ were constituted so to be which makes me inclinable to beleeve that those still that are ordained Officers for the good and benefit of the whole should be ordained by such a Presbytery that are intrusted with that power by the Officers of the whole as much as may be So farre am I from consenting to these men that take it for granted that the common members of a particular society may chuse and install their own officers Now what is there in all this for that pretended way of discipline which these Gentlemen commend to their reader here is not the least warrant for any to separate from the Church or withdraw for all is one nor for the people to rule and chuse their own Officers nor for imposing a Church Covenant explicitly to be professed in the congregation and those that will not come up to this and such like termes must not be admitted unto Sacramentall communion Nor is here any warrant for sentencing Church members before a regular triall nay here is no warrant for any single Minister to set up discipline over his people without the consent and conjunction of the reverent brethren of the Ministry with them The key of discipline is not at all in one alone but rather in the whole together A word more on that Scripture as it is directed to the Apostles vers 18 19 20. and so in them to the officers of the Church in succeeding ages to the end of the world Verily saith our Saviour there if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall aske it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven for where two or three are gathered together in my Name there am I in the midst of them These words seem to have reference unto what was spoken before concerning the authority of the Jewes Church Officers and our Saviour would have his Apostles to know that though their authority may seem to the world yea and to themselves to be weak and contemptible in respect of that great bench of Elders generally submitted unto by the Jewes yet they should have as great authority to binde and loose as the other nay two of them by the authority given them by the Lord of the Church should be equivalent to their great authority And we know it came so to passe They had power to work miracles and were inspired with an extraordinary spirit and had some speciall promises peculiar to them alone as well as gifts They had power to give the holy Ghost by imposition of hands and an extraordinary power in prayer and power to punish and kill the bodies of men for sacriledge and hypocrisie And we know the very Church it self is said to be built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone Now what is this to these Ministers in Glocester-shire Dare two or three of them assume this power for I suppose all the Ministers of the County are not of their minde and way to do as the Apostles did Suppose they be Ministers of the Gospell is the Church built upon them or their Doctrine Where have they any such promise that they shall not erre and whatsoever they shall agree to aske shall be done for them of the Father of Jesus Christ They plead their serious and solemn seeking of God and commend unto us their model of Discipline as the result of their serious debates and returns of their prayers but that authority will not satisfie judicious Christians when the thing it self is so inconsistent with the generall rules of the Word as hath been shewed Besides it is well known that in many places the Ministers of the Gospell have used the like means in behalf of themselves and their people yet but few have run into their waies but either fall into some association of Churches and Presbyteries
framing such expedients as in a manner bring in all under a capacity of Sacramentall communion and discipline as in Worcestershire and other places or else carry on the Ordinances of Jesus Christ by vertue of their office as well as they can without Discipline as being convinced of their incapacity for the present so attain unto the true end and exercise thereof notwithstanding all their search disquisition and indevours to satisfie one another therein And the serious debates and seeking of God concerning this should move to own and assent to what is concluded thereupon I conceive it more safe to adhere to the greater part of sober Divines that have been serious in the use of these and all other means to satisfie themselves and others as well as those men and yet dare not in the least degree countenance their way and practise I would aske them this question whether they did ever read of any such practise that a few particular Ministers by their own authority have had the boldnesse to withdraw from the greatest part of their flocks and set up a way of Discipline of their own framing and upon the matter unchurch the greatest part of their congregations allowing them no other priviledge in the Church then they would to Pagans Did the Apostles ever make so bold with any Christian congregation that adhered to the Gospell administrations or did they ever authorize ordinary Presbyters to do so Nay did any ordinary Presbyter in the Apostles time exercise Discipline but upon the command of the Apostles or do we finde them any where blamed because they did not do it I verily beleeve these Gentlemen may not assume such an interest in the exercise of the Key of Discipline as the Apostles had and yet they are more busie with the rod then ever any of the Apostles were Alas it's pity some care is not taken to restrain their imperious usurpation over their severall flocks I think since the ceasing of the Apostles office it is more sutable to the Scripture alledged and other Scriptures to elect such Presbyteries to judge of manners in the Church as were constituted in the Church of the Jewes which our Saviour approved of which yet would come short of being equall with the Apostles in respect of the authority which they had in the Church of Christ though they were in all places men of the best qualifications for Rule that any attain to in our times and so I have done with that Scripture Mat. 18. I will trouble the reader but with two or three passages more about their new modell for I have a good minde to draw to an end and my other occasions will not permit me to do much in these waies Pag. 4. they tell us of the drawing up a profession of faith wherein they acknowledge their former Abominations in worship professing their repentance before the Lord for them Concerning which I say It is a strange expression of Christians except they were such as came newly out of Paganisme or Popery at least What abominations of worship have been established or practised in our Church since the reformation of it Is it not strange that the Ministers of the Church who should be ready to defend the Church from the wicked slanders and reproaches of Anabaptists and other Separatists should thus publickly join with them and that in such a publick way before the world too How many powerfull and successefull Ministers of the Gospell now with Jesus Christ in glory have justified all the ordinary parts of Gods worship as it was practised in our publick assemblies all along and conformed thereunto chearfully in respect of the substance of our worship Indeed there were some needlesse ceremonies used about worship which were declared by the Church to be no part of the worship now these were born as burthens which many of the godly desired to be eased of by their removall but it never came into their thoughts that they were guilty of abominations in worship because of them How doth Mr. Hildersham in his Lectures upon Joh. 4. justifie the Church of England as a true Church and the severall parts of worship practised therein as being according to the institution of the Lord And how doth he from thence blame those that separated or neglected the publick prayers of the Church and yet himself was one of the old non-conformists And Mr. Cotton that went into new England writing an Epistle to that Book doth therein highly commend the Author for many things but in a speciall manner for confuting the separations of the Brownists and he repeats what another reported of him styling him the hammer of Schismaticks commonly called Brownists Those Gentlemen talk of the Covenant established in Christ into which they require a profession to enter of those they admit to partake of the Seal of that Covenant pag. 10. Concerning this I say it were well if they would act according to their own words for 't is certain all Church communion is sounded upon covenant relation And those whose admittance to the Sacrament we plead for are supposed to have entred Covenant relation either in their parents or in their own personall profession of the true Religion that holy Scriptures teach or both and their voluntary adhering to the administrations of the Covenant doth attest their entring the Covenant and their continuing and abiding in that relation let them say what they can to the contrary But they say Object Persons that have entred Covenant may back-slide and so that relation cease and they instance in Simon Magus but those that brake bread were such as continued in the Apostles doctrin Act. 2.42 And back-sliders are not to be admitted to surther communion 1. Answ How do they know that Simon Magus fell off rom the Christian profession when the last we read concerning him is his retracting his erroneous the uphts desiring the Apostle to pray for him that none of those evils might come upon him 2. Suppose he did backslide and renounce his Baptisme and profession would he then have desired Christian communion in the Ordinances of Christ what more absurd 3. We only plead for such to break bread that continue in the Apostles Doctrine which we say all do that adhere to the administrations of Jesus Christ set up in his Church as the ordinary means of obtaining Covenant grace And for what they say concerning renewing of our Covenant with God after defection from him we heartily allow of it provided it be done according to the Scripture Deut. 29.10 11 12 c. Nâ—hem 10.29 Where in the persons of the chief the whole ingaged to walk in all the waies of the Lord and to observe and do all his commandements and his judgement and his statutes This is contrary to these men that would set up a Rail to hinder Christians from observing all Gods Commands nay rather to uncovenant a people in Covenant then ingage them to renew Covenant and walk worthy their Covenant relation in their observance of all covenant Ordinances in hope of blessing And I wish that if the Church cannot the Magistrate would take down the high places that hinder the Lords people from worshipping at the only place of worship If some have liberty to worship at Dan and Bethel why should any be restrained from worshipping at Jerusalem and doing their homage and service in remembrance of Christ who died for sinners I had thought to have added a word concerning the fourth and last thing proposed in the beginning of this Examination as it was urged by Mr. Humfrey namely that Ministers ought to do their duties as they are Ministers though Discipline be wanting and cannot well be attained as things stand of which duties the administration of the Sacrament is one which by their office they are bound to performe as they will answer the neglect thereof to Jesus Christ himself who commands the observance of all his holy Ordinances in the Church for the feeding of his flock And those that love him will make conscience in their places to be faithfull to him that hath appointed them But I fear I have been too tedious already And Mr. Humfrey in his Rejoynder to Doctor Drake hath abundantly given satisfaction in the vindication of this and other truths asserted in his former Book And if he shall think these Gentlemen worthy of any further answer I shall rather leave it to himself then do any thing that may hinder the Church of God of the faithfull and profitable labours of him or any others FINIS ERRATA PAg. 1. line 7. for reprove read reproach p. 4. l. 24. put out may p. 12. l. 8. f. when r. what p. 21. l. 25. f. many r. main p. 32. l. 12. put out be p. 33 l. 14 f. such r. say p. 34. l. 28. r. not allow p. 35. l. 16. r. simply p. 39. l. 16. in the margin for 42 2. r. 42. p 49 l. 5. l. 34. r. 3. which should begin the line and senâ—ence p. 51. l. 3. r. premise l. 22. f. baptized r. lapsed p 60. l. 26. r. guest p. 65. l. 27. f. the r. by p. 67 l. 8. f. communication r. communion p. 71. l. 13 put a period after worship p. 74. l. 25. f. all r. and p 75. l. 12. f. also r. and so p. 91. l. 18. r. relation p. 99. l. 9. r. reference p. 110. l. 29. f. and Gentiles r. assembilies p. 116 l. 1 2. r. Gillespy p. 117. l. 22. put in the margin 1 Cor. 10.7 8 9 10. p. 120 l. 10. f principles r. priviledges p. 127. l. 5. f. God r. Gospel p. 151. l. 1. s no r not p. 164. l. 14. s drived r. derived p. 173. l. 7. put out the stop after sense