THE INCONSISTENCIE OF THE Independent way With Scripture and It Self Manifested in a threefold Discourse I. Vindiciae Vindiciarum with M. Cotton II. A Review of M. Hookers Survey of Church-Discipline The first part III. A Diatribe with the same M. Hooker Concerning Baptism of Infants of Non-confederate parents Cap. 2. Of his third part By DANIEL CAWDREY a Member of the Assembly and late Preacher at Martins in the Fields JEREMY 6.16 Stand ye in the waies and see and ask for the old paths where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall finde rest for your souls LONDON Printed by A. Miller for Christopher Meredith at the Sign of the Crane in Pauls Church-yard MDCLI THE EPISTLE TO THE Dissenting Brethren IT is some mens happinesse I know not how or why unlesse it be out of the partiality of their Followers to their own way and party that write they or preach they never so weakly or absurdly they finde some admirers to cry them up all their words as Oracles and all their works as Wonders Other men though they do clearly discover perhaps because they do discover the weaknesses and contradictions of those waies and works must have their Books buried in silence slighted and scorn'd or themselves censured and traduced Ep. to the Way cleared pag. 2. as carrying on a design endeavouring by pen to blot the fair Copy of Truth and to crosse out of the Book of mens memory and esteem the names of them whom God will honour though they will not c. I have observed it as a depth of Romish policy of late That they have left off to answer to any controverted points being beaten out of the field by the full and clear confutations of their Doctrines by our late learned Champions and betake themselves now to a complyance with all Heresies and Sects so to oppresse the Truth in another way by crying down both Ministry and Learning To which purpose some Jesuiticall Pamphlets have been vented of late in severall dresses The Swords Abuse asserted The vanity of the present Churches c. and scattered abroad to do mischief which have been answered and confuted but they have the wit not to reply lest they make the cause worse This practice some of our Independent Brethren have too much imitated Witnesse the Diatribe about Ordination Imposition of hands and preaching by Gifted men not in Office which being learnedly and judiciously answered by D. S. and proved to be a Paradiatribe the Authour thereof thought to be a great man amongst them is unwilling it seems to reply whether out of consciousnesse of his own weaknesse or out of pride and scorn of all not of his own way and opinion that his Disciples may think it is not worth answering The like I may say of Vind. Clav. which having discovered many weaknesses and contradictions in The Keys and Way is answered rather with slighting and scorn then any solid convictions as will appear in this present Vindication Of 7. Chapters in the Vind. Clav. he answers but to one and of 3. Sections in that first Chapter he answers but to two and throughout those 2. Sections doth rather reproach his adversary by the undeserved names of Vindex and Avenger then satisfie his charge And after a threefold promise with attestation of the Name of God twice to give a further answer shakes him off as some contemptible person set to be slighted rather then answered When I had upon the first sight of his book read what he had written I presently set pen to paper and made a draught of this present Vindication but yet was not perswaded to print it partly because I waited till M. Baily and M. Rutherford put out their Reply to joyn it with theirs which I have long in vain expected and partly because I was unwilling to make any further Discovery of the weaknesses of the Reverend Authour and partly because I might think the best answer to a slight answer was no answer But when I considered that the Book was cried up by the Epistler to it as so exquisite a piece in these words In the latter part of this Book The Way Cleared being controversal you have a fair Additional to the Models afore printed of the Church-way so much called for not Magisterially laid down but friendly debated by Scripture and argumentatively disputed out to the utmost inch of ground and defended Cap a pie as they speak from the head to the heel of every branch of truth essentiall to the controversie and when withall I perceived that this and other Books of that Way published were highly esteemed as unanswerable and very taking with weak and unsetled mindes to the disturbance of the peace of the Church I found no rest in my spirit till I had seriously tried the strength thereof especially of that Reverend and Learned M. Hookers Survey of Church-Discipline which I heard most magnified as the strongest piece of that Way and so by the way give in a short answer in Vindication of Vind. Clav. from the Reply of M. J. C. so far as concerned my self Ep. to the Way Ep. to the Way cleared To forward this undertaking I was the rather provoked 1. By the importunate and reiterated recognition of those Tracts those Models as they call them of the Church-way Ibid. viz. Church-Government Church-Covenant c. and now the late Modell or crambe saepe cocta of M. Bartlet and this Additional of the Way Cleared 2. By the often repeated quarelling Ep. to the Way at our calling for a fuller Treatise and a clearer Modell of the Church-way 3. By the non-performance of that promise so long ago made so often pretended Of a fuller Treatise of the same Subject with ampler demonstrations by joint consent of the Churches of Old and New England But will they never take notice of the Answers given to most or many of those for they all hold out the same things And why are they not rather offended we have told them we are and they ought to have given us satisfaction had they esteemed us brethren offended I say at their own scandalous breach of promise in not exhibiting that fuller Treatise by joint consent c. Our Brethren of the Assembly how long how oft did they promise a full Modell of their Way which yet we have as long and as oft called for and expected but all in vain The time was when some complained but causelesly as an excuse of their neglect of promise Ep. to the Woy That their hands were bound up and of the unwillingnesse of Licensers to License their Tracts c. But sure these last two or three years their hands have been loose enough and the presse open but still this fuller Treatise by joint consent c. cannot finde the way into the Light We have rather cause to think that their disagreement among themselves is the reason why they dare not give us their Model lest the world
should see their differences being so few of them and their Lightnesse and Inconstancy if as oft they have done they should hereafter change their Judgements upon pretence of New Light perhaps as old errour as that they left last That I may briefly declare my judgement concerning this Way so much adored and magnified by many there are three things which have much prevailed with me to perswade me that it is not the way of Christ 1. The contradictions at least the many differences as from the Scriptures so from one another and one man from himself a Scheme whereof is presented at the end of our first part 2. The propensity of many of their principles wherein they differ from the Presbyterians to separation and to the worst of Schism I shall instance in some particulars 1. That there is no Catholike visible Church no Church visible but a particular Congregation which is to deny all communion of Churches and to grant only communion of members yea some grant scarcely so much Witness the Reverend Authour of the Survey of Church-Discipline who saies expresly Surv. par 2. pag. 64 65. He hath professed the course of administration of the Sacrament to those of another Congregation to be unwarrantable because the Administration of the Sacrament is a Ministerial Act and what authority hath he the Pastor to do it or they to receive it from him to whom he is no Pastor This must needs open a door to as many divisions as there are Churches none having any power beyond their own Church whereby all Religions all Heresies may be tolerated and none can hinder it 2. That all Church-power the power of the Keys is independently and solely in a particular Congregation which is the setting up of Church against Church and that Admission and Ejection of members is only into and from a particular Church A childe is baptized into a particular Congregation and not into the Catholike or other Churches to them he is an Infidell And one excommunicated is cast out only of his particular Church because the power extends no further then to a particular Congregation 3. That a Church essentiall or a Congregation of beleevers without Officers may chuse and ordain her own Officers which will be the ready way to break them into separated Assemblies one part chusing one another another 4. That a Minister is a Minister to none but his own Congregation which tends to destroy the unity of the Church and that communion which the Churches of God may and ought to have one with another 5. Gathering of Churches out of true Churches which gives way to every man to separate from his own and to joyn himself with another Church supposed purer with contempt of the former Congregation The Reverend M. Hooker confesseth Praef. to his Survey p. 11. in his Book That the faithful Congregations in England are true Churches and therefore it is sinful to separate from them as no Churches And yet our brethren here practise this separation by gathering their Churches out of ours confessedly true Churches 6. That none but confederates by the explicit Church-Covenant have right to Ordinances which is to keep out many precious souls from communion with their fellow-members and their children from Baptism and to make them no better then Infidels That 's the second thing 3. The many mischievous consequences of those principles and sad effects of the practice of the Independent way in Old England fully manifested in these few last years For instance 1. Under the Name Shadow and Shelter of Independency as another Trojan Horse have not only other Sectaries but had liberty to set up their Churches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but also the Jesuites themselves have masked under this Vizard transforming themselves into all shapes and sects and have had the fairest or rather the foulest opportunity to propagate all monstrous and soul destroying errours and to ruin not only the Presbyterian but the Independent Churches also Evident it is that most of the points of Popery are preached and published in these Churches as a fair inducement to usher in the Antichristian Religion whenever the secular power shall come into their hand 2. Their Renouncing of their former Ordination in our Churches which is reported to be done by some if not most of our Dissenting Brethren hath ministred occasion to Jesuites Anabaptists profane persons and such like to cry down our Ministry as Antichristian or null and hath exposed us to all those foul reproaches of Baals Priests False Prophets Black-coats c. which are daily poured out against the faithfull Ministers of Jesus Christ It is by one of them laid to our charge as a great crime that we also have not followed them in this Renunciation This he saies M Bart Model p 119 120. As learned and godly as the most and best of the Ministers are in the Church of England yet with grief of heart let it be spoken very few of them have learned to this very day to disclaim and renounce the evill and errour of the way of coming into the Ministry I mean their Antichristian Ordination received from the Prelates c. Those Bishops being Antichristian their Ordination also must needs be so c. To which I say these things 1. I desire him to remember his own distinction Pag. 80. We must distinguish between the corruption of things and the things themselves between the essentials of a Church-state and the accidentals Now it cannot be denied but in respect of the Accidentals of a Church-state so all is lost under the defection of Antichrist that is in respect of the right order and administration of Ministry Ordinances and Government but not the essentials of these and so long as these remain the Church-state is not lost c. Our Ordination therefore was not Antichristian though it be granted that the Title and Office of a Diocesan Bishop were Antichristian Nay he seems to say and hold that in Rome it self the Church-state is not lost so long as the essentials remain viderit ipse But we say The Prelates were certainly Presbyters and ordained not alone but together with the hands of a Presbytery And if they did arrogate such power to themselves as that no Ordination could passe without them yet that was but an Additional corrupt circumstance And himself tels us That the corruption of Administration doth not wholly make it null or void Pag. 10.5 Then we say again Our Ordination was not Antichristian that which was so if any thing in it was so was rather the errour of the Ordainers then of the Ordination or ordained 2. If the call of our Congregations will give us a right Ordination most of us if not all have that to shew as well as themselves A call or consent of our people either explicit or implicit which is confessed sufficient by the Reverend Surveyor of Church-Discipline Par. 1. pag. 47. Thus the people and parishâ—s c. and
acknowledged to be in our Churches why then should we renounce our Ordination 3. If it be necessary to renounce our Ordination as Antichristian because of a corruption in the Ordainers I would ask him whether Baptism administred I say not by a Romish Priest by a Minister so ordained be not also Antichristian as Anabaptists do sometimes object And whether he himself did ever to this day renounce and disclaim his Baptism like enough done with the Sign of the crosse by some prelatical Minister as Antichristian Himself propounds a like Question thus Are not those that we judge godly Modell p. 105. and in a capacity to make use of all the holy Ordinances of Worship to be baptized again And he answers negatively they are not for this reason amongst others Because it is supposed they have been though corruptly baptized already Now the corruption of any administration doth not wholly make it void and null if they had the essentials of that Ordinance c. He might have been as favourable to our Ordination if he had pleased But he may remember and satisfie another Query propounded by himself to some Anabaptists to be seriously considered Whether there be any lawfull Baptism Pag. 71. where the Administratour hath no lawfull calling thereunto And I would propound it as seriously to be considered by him Whether if our Ordination be as he makes it Antichristian the Administratour of his Baptism had any lawfull calling thereunto and consequently whether his Baptism be lawfull or null and he must not be rebaptized And thereby gratifie the Anabaptists as in others so in this opinion and practice But I proceed to another 3. Their preaching as Gifted Brethren for so they only are to all Congregations but their own hath caused this generall liberty of preaching by men not in Office of all Trades and Professions to the contempt of the Ministry to the multiplication of schisms divisions and separations from their former Ministers and Churches while every man hath liberty to propagate his own erroneous notions and every man takes the License to hear whom he likes best as most agreeable to his own opinion Yea this very Liberty taken and allowed by them hath almost brought as much contempt upon themselves as on the Presbyterian Ministers Many of their followers chusing rather to hear even Boy-preachers then themselves 4. Their placing all power in a particular Congregation independently without any power of appeal makes an unjust censure irremedible For this New-England it self affords us a fresh and sad instance upon the report of very credible persons There was an Excommunication passed by the major part of a Congregation there against a person who thought himself wronged and desired his cause to be heard by the Elders of other Churches who upon the hearing doubted whether the Excommunication could be justified And they desired the rehearing of it But it would not be granted by that Congregation or prevailing party in it whereupon one of the Elders a reverend Pastor of another Congregation writes thus to a friend It will be a trouble to poor M. Ch. not to have his businesse examined but he must consider how the case is and look up to heaven for I can assure him there is no help to be had upon earth till the Churches are reformed and become Presbyterian I speak seriously I think that such things will make some incline to the Presbyterian way who formerly have been as firm Independents as M. If Independency do not break all the Churches in New-England except a few Semi-presbyterian Some are deceived c. In consideration whereof he gives his advise to divers other Independent Ministers to think seriously of the Presbyterian way and divers there are become more moderate then formerly Happy were it for Old England if our Dissenting Brethren would hearken betimes to this advice before they have utterly broken their own and our Churches 5. The power given to a Church-essentiall as they call it both to chuse and ordain their own Officers or Ministers as it is and will be a cause of many factions and divisions so it will bring the Ministers maintenance to depend upon the peoples benevolence who may and will upon the least dislike reject him and deny him any allowance which will in a short time destroy the Ministry discourage others from the Ministeriall calling and consequently ruine Religion I have seen a Letter from New-England to this purpose wherein advising his friend to do his endeavour to preserve the stablished maintenance of the Ministry here He saies concerning New-England Ministers thus Though most of the people here grow wealthy yet not one Minister almost hath from the people a competency to maintain himself and family except he have an estate of his own One main design of the Anabaptists or Jesuites in crying down Tithes here is to destroy both Ministry at present and Learning for the time to come when there shall be no certain establishment of a subsistence in that calling How far our brethren have been assistant to this design I wish them seriously to consider 6. It is the observation of many both learned and godly That many of those that once decline from us to the Independent way stay not long with them but fall presently into Anabaptism from thence to Familism from thence to Rantism even the utmost of blasphemy and prophanenesse Some poor souls have tired themselves in seeking and trying all the New waies of Religion and after a weary vagary to finde the truth which they lost have returned home by weeping crosse But few there are that do so which is a Lamentation and shall be for a Lamentation Yea it is observed that those that run not into those extremities of errours blasphemy and prophanesse yet fall strangely from the power and practice of godlinesse wherein sometimes they walked and grow more remisse and loose in secret and family duties in sanctification of the Sabbath c. of which many holy men in former times and later have found and said That it was the Nurse of so much piety in Old England and the glory of our Church and Nation Little did we think that those who outstood the Sabbaticall profanations of the Prelates their reproaches and scoffs of purity precisenesse and strictnesse as they called it would have so soon declined to the same loosenesse with them upon a new pretended principle of Christian Liberty or Liberty of conscience But we see that to be true That the Sun of Toleration can do that with a Traveller to make him cast aside his garment which the stormy windes of persecution could not do 7. And lastly To adde no more Those sad and never enough to be lamented Divisions in Towns Congregations and Families those animosities jealousies bitternesses heart-burnings amongst brethren attended with so much contempt and scorn of those Churches and brethren they have forsaken being the fruits of this New Way make it more then probable this way is not the
then only Apostles or only Elders had received all Church-power Does it not follow as well If Peter received the power of the Keys quatenus a Beleever then only Beleevers had received all Church-power But Peter received the power of the Keys quatenus a Beleever not as an Apostle nor as an Elder saies he expresly The Way p. 27. Therefore only beleevers have received all Church-power And if all Church-power then of administring Sacraments which he after denies Besides in the place named the Way pag. 45. he gives the brethren the greater part of Church-power viz. to ordain and excommunicate all their Officers which are the highest Acts of Rule as he elsewhere speaks therefore he may not deny them the lesser to administer Sacraments Yet he saies He that saith Peter received the power of the Keys as in the room of all sorts of Officers and members he affirmeth that Peter received all Church-power found in Beleevers Officers or Brethren And is there any passage in the Keys which crosseth or contradicteth this The Assertor did not say there was any passage in the Keys that contradicts this but he still saies as then he said there is a passage in the Way that not only crosses but contradicts this and that flatly as never man more Thus he that saies Peter received the Keys not as an Apostle nor as an Elder but that is only as a Beleever contradicts that as now is evident to any eye 2. But a second answer is given to help out the first If there had been some difference between the Way and the Keys in some expressions yet as the Praefacers c. it lay rather in Logical terms then in doctrine or Church-practice and such is this about the first subject of the power of the Keys c. Had it been only a lesser difference about a Logicall notion as he minces it the Assertor had not observed it but a difference of the highest magnitude to contradiction in delivering a new way is very remarkable How shall we be brought to agree with them that contradict not only one another but one man himself 2. The first subject is indeed a Logicall term but the matter discoursed is doctrinall Divinity and whatever the practice be it is in Divinity as well as in Logick a contradiction to say The Keys were given to Peter as a Beleever only and to Peter as an Apostle and Elder too To say all the power of the Keys is given to the Brethren as Beleevers and yet to say The power of administring Sacraments is not given to them And if the practice be not sutable to the doctrine it makes yet a more remarkable difference why this is also told us The Way p. 45. They the brethren might proceed against all Officers as well as one yet in such cases our Churches are never wont to proceed but in the presence and with the consent and approbation of other Churches But then their Doctrine and practice agree not which is the greater blemish seeing they hold that power of the Church to be jure divino and immediatly from Christ And as for administration of Sacraments and preaching the Word ordinarily we know not what you practise in New-England but we are sure in Old-England They that were never Evangelically ordained or have renounced their Ordination do both preach and administer Sacraments and so doctrine and practice contradict one another 3. There is yet a third answer to succour both the former It were no just matter of calumny if in fome latter Tractate I should retract or expresse more commodiously what I wrote in a former lesse safely as Augustine c. Truly Sir it had been no just matter of calumny so to do but of honour and reputation rather But to write contradictions and to take no notice of them till observed by others and then to be so far from retracting as to stand upon justification of them is nothing like S. Augustines practice and so fals short of his reputation There are in that Epistle Praefatory as also in the Animadversions upon the Epistle to the Keys other differences observed between their Authour and the Praefacers but he is not pleased to take notice of them It is too hard perhaps to reconcile others with himself It is well if he can reconcile himself to himself which how and how far he is pleased to do we now follow him to consider Errata PAge 5. line 10. for on reade or p. 9. l. 15. for not r. yet and put in be in the end of the line p. 11. l. 17. for sent r. shut p. 12. l. 29. for declared r. enlarged p. 24. in marg for 7. r. 3. p. 34. l. 3. after else put in then but. p. 37. l. 12. for effect r. affect Ibid l. 28. for wickednesses r. weaknesses p. 38. l. 3. for new r. now p. 40. sect 1. for fill r. full p. 53. l. 1. for Criticall r. Crypticall p. 72. l. 8. for Congregation r. Corporation p. 77. l. 34. for promises r. premises p. 83. l. 27. for oratio r. operatio p. 89. l. 31. for if r. is p. 93. l. 15. r. his meaning and theirs to be as p. 97. l. 14. for precious r. previous p. 104. l. 3. for consideration r. confederation p. 106. l. 27. for both r. but. p. 121. l. 1. for entrusted r. interested p. 125. l. 1. after before put in us