unto it being of no other religion then what the Gospel teacheth they may be said to be worthy whatever they are for sincerity and truth so again Matth. 22. concerning the invited guests to the marriage Supper which set forth the fat things of the Gospel administrations and the grace thereof the messengers were sent to call in the guests that were bidden but they made light of it and would not come and some went to their farms and others to their merchandize and others abused the servants that invited them c. Then the King was wroth and destroyed those murderers and said to his servants The wedding is ready but they that were invited were not worthy vers 8. This was meant of the unbelieving Jews that totally rejected Christ and would never come under his external administrations set up in his Church in order to salvation they are said you may see not to be worthy or unworthy but the Gentiles that came in though soâ—â— came absurdly and perished too at last yâ—â— there is no such thing said of them no the were worthy though they consisted of gooâ— and bad The invitation priviledged allâ— come there is no pleading I am unworth to come but refusal was that which the unworthinesse consisted in only From the hints of Scriptures we may conceive there no such thing as personal unworthinesse â— order to observance and duty of persoâ— in Covenant relation which all are the have entred Covenant though but in the parents untill they renounce the Covenanâ— or for their hating to be reformed by thâ— Churches just censures they be discovenanteâ— conditionally that if they never repent 〈◊〉 return to their obedience in a right way the are gone forever Now then I say if tâ— Scriptures charge not any with unworthynesse of person but such as I have instanced in who can imagin that the Churâ—â— of Corinth was punished for that I would gladly know of Mr. Collings of any other learned man where the Scriptureâ— threaten punishment against personal unworthinesse simply Or where can they give an instance that ever any wese punished for habitual unworthinesse at all in the Old or New Testament If you cannot finde such a thing in all the whole Bible what reason can you have to judge that the Corinths were punished for personal unworthinesse It 's true the sin of our natures derived from the first man is punished with death for we al dye in Adam but this natural death is a common lot appointed for all good and bad It 's appointed for all men once to dye Heb. 9.27 And we see death reigns over Infants that have not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression Rom. 5. but in this both original sin and death that follows thereupon is of unavoidable necessity by the decree of God So likewise as actual sin is the transgression of the law he that so transgresseth is lyable to the punishment of that law 1 Tim. 1.9 10. And the whole Law it self is made for the lawlesse and disobedient for the ungodly and for sinners for murderers for whoremongers for lyars and for perjured persons c. that is for the punishment of all wilful disobedience of men And so it is said of the Church If you will walk contrary to me I will walk contrary to you You have I known of all the families of the earth yet the Lord will punish them for their sins And wherefore doth living man complain for the punishment of his sin Lam. 3.39 all the punishments threatned in the Word and inflicted either by God or man were for actual offendings but we never read of any coming to the Ordinances that were punished for a meer want of regeneration circumcision of the heart an interest in Christ c. This is a case the Lord hath alwayes pityâ— and promised the cure of unto his Church forasmuch as no man can convert and reneâ— his own soul of himself nay of thosâ— that have the means and use the ordinarâ— means of their salvation as the Jews diâ— It 's said not of him that willeth nor of bâ— that runneth but it is God that sheweth mercy Râ— 9. Habitual unworthinesse in that respeâ— is unavoidable and is the common stateâ— all by nature as well them that are born the Church as those that are born out of iâ— Ephes 2. but the Covenants of promise aâ— made to the Church for the cure of this dâ— praved state And the Lord hath set up 〈◊〉 Ordinances of Word Sacraments and Prayâ— in the Church as the ordinary means foâ— men to use in their conversion and salvation revealed in the promises of the Covenant the neglect whereof is usually punishe with blindenesse and profanenesse not diligent frequenting of them But what iâ— God doth punish habitual or natural uâ—â— worthinesse it being an effect of Adams defection What is that to the Church that iâ— bounded by a rule May they contrary tâ— all rule judge of it and punish it therefore with suspension from the Sacrament Our blessed Saviour rebukes this rash humour in men saying Judge not lest you be judged It 's clear enough that we may judge of mens actions and finding them transgresfors we may punish their persons but we have nothing to doe to judge of mens persons let them be good or bad as to their persons that is nothing to us we must leave them to stand or fall to their own Master for what have we to doe to judge another mans servant But if either be found transgressors so far as their offendings come within the Churches cognisance to punish let them impartially doe it without respect of persons in the Church We read that those that are appointed to judge amongst their brethren Deut. 1 16 17. are to judge righteously between every man and his brother without respect of persons in judgement to hear the small as well as the great not fearing the face of any man for the judgement is the Lords and the cause that is too hard for man to judge of was to be brought before the Lord and he would hear it there is a rule given to judge of causes and actions between brother and brother And yet in point of causes and things external that brethren might differ in these might be too hard for men to judge of How much more hard is it to judge of the spirits of men within them whether they have an interest in Christ or no surely if in the other much more in this we are to refer it to the Lord besides you may see in judging about things which concerns the Church Matth. 18. 1. It must be of evill actions only 2. Upon sufficient proof 3. And in case of obstinacy refusing 〈◊〉 hear the Church c. before any judgement can issue out against them Tell me hoâ— you can apply this rule to personal unworâ— thinesse Can this be attested upon Oath oâ— is the Church able to convince any in particular of it Or is it
the judgement of any able Divines by my opinion wherein I dissent from them it must be the simplicity of truth and the justnesse of what I maintain only that bean me up against those I have to deal with in this controversie I am a meer naked man that am ingaged with men of compleat harness and arms that History Arts and Tongue can furnish them withall I must confesse I am strongly perswaded of the truth of what I have writ in this controversie and that it is the onely way to bring the Churcher peace and truth together and for Sions sake I can have no rest but am drawn on to doe things not so well becoming my rank and calling in the Church I beg your pardon I hope some will confesse they can see something of God in it excuse me for it is not so much the judgement of Divines as the Scripture grounds that will satisfie my spirit in this thing Next pag. 30. Mr. Collins saith But if they be to examine themselves no more then whether they discern the Lords Body we conceive it enough for discerning must imply knowledge 1. To know the Lords Body Sacramentally 2. As the Lords Body 3. Acknowledge of the sign and thing signified in the Sacrament 4. Acknowledge of the two natures of Christ and of what he hath done and suffered for me 5. And of the nature of the Sacrament and what is held forth in it to the soul From hence he saith will easily follow an answer to the sixt query That ignorant persons though by profession they do own the true Religion yet are not in a capacity to examine themselves so as to prevent the judgement c. I grant that every one that comes to this Ordinance Answ 1 should be able to discern the Lords body at least notionally by the outward signes and that the thing signified by the instituted signes is the same and that the bread and wine is to be received in remembrance of the death of Christ whose bloud was shed for remission of sins but for to know the two natures of Christ and what he hath done and suffered for me and to understand the nature of the Sacrament distinctly and what is held out in it to the soul is more then the Apostle taught the Church of Corinth in order to their receiving and therefore these requisites require further proof before he can conclude any thing from them In charity I judge that there is not any that live under any painful Preachers but are so well instructed as to understand that the Sacrament is a holy Ordinance of God appointed for the good of their souls in general And that accordingly they humbly and reverently make their addresses unto it to receive the outward signes in remembrance that Christ shed his bloud to save sinners c. and this is upon the matter as much as the Apostle requires unto worthy receiving let it be proved that such a receiving was ever blamed or punished in the holy Scriptures if it cannot be proved why doe men bring such needlesse troubles and distractions in the Church by their own traditions It was not so much the ignorance of the Corinths that was punished as their profane actions which they were guilty of in the time of receiving it 's a question whether their ignorance simply were punished at all any otherwise then accompanyed with those horrible effects the which doth very rarely touch the worst of our Congregations in the Church let Mr. Collins better consider of these things before he answer them for although many of ours should be more ignorant then they of Corinth yet so long as they doe not openly profane the Ordinance by their actual miscarriages at the time of worship as the Corinthians did it doth not follow that they eat and drink unworthily and so their own damnation as they of Corinth It 's true also that the Lord may justly punish persons for their ignorance under the means But doth it follow that therefore men may too with debarring them from the Sacrament I think not untill by some clear ground of Scripture Mr. Collins or some other can prove the Eldership may And I shall intreat them to make it good with the greatest strength they can for otherwise they must look to be baffled in it so long as they grant them Church-members I shall now see what Mr. Collins excepts against my answer to the eight query that is Whether a carelesse incapable neglect of self-examination doth excuse and give a writ of ease from that precept Doe this in remembrance of me He saith If I can prove this an universal precept that concerns every individuall person that is baptized and of years of discretion he may tell me that such neglect makes them doubly guilty c. pag. 31. He saith further That he conceives that precept onely to concern the disciples of Christ and none but true disciples I wonder what Mr. Collins will make of ours that are baptized Answ and externally at least adhere to the true religion are they Pagans If not then they are disciples and followers of Christ by profession And upon his own grant come under that precept Do this in remembrance of me I am far from going about to divide these duties I would have them examine and come too yet the neglect of the one doth not excuse from the other a man must not onely goe and be reconciled with his brother but he must come and offer his gift also He saith It will not much trouble him what I have said from Matth. 28.19 20. the Apostles were bound to call upon those they preacht unto to observe all Christs commands either that proves the they were to call upon Pagans to come to the Sacrament or else to call upon all to observe such things that he had commanded them respectively and then it will still remain to prove that Christ hath commanded an ignorant person to come to the Sacrament It 's very true Answ 1 for to avoid the trouble he is not willing to reach the argument as you may see pag. 23. Bar removed the argument was drawn from the charge of Christ to his Apostles in order to them that came under baptism not to the Pagans they preached unto but to them that by their preaching were converted and added unto the Church by baptism Christ chargeth them to teach his Church to observe and doe all whatever he hath commanded them and loe he will be with them alwayes Where are the Apostles bid to teach the Heathen as such to observe all that he hath commanded He gives his statutes and his judgements unto Israel as for the Heathen they have not known his laws This very charge of Christ is just the language of God to the Church in Moses and the Prophets upon the like encouragement of a blessing As Circumcision brought all the uncircumcised under all observances of the old administration even the Passeover upon their lives So
my self pag. 37. The Bar removed as touching the query in hand The end of the Sacrament is to put the Church in minde of the death of Christ and that satisfaction made by him by which all the saving blessings of the Covenant are procured unto faln man Christs bloud was shed for many for remission of sins That he might gather into one the children of God scattered abroad in all the world and ages thereof is the end of his death Joh. 11.52 And the Sacrament is to be observed in remembrance of this by all in the Church that professe they hope to be saved by the merits of his death which the unregenrate does whom we cannot exclude from being the sheep Christ dyed for and therefore it 's as proper and congruous for such to be put in mind of the death of Christ by the Sacrament for their spiritual good as others regenerating grace being a blessing of the Covenant procured by the death of Christ as well as salvation is Unto this Mr. Collins answers somewhat feebly 1. Restraining the benefits that come by the death of Christ unto those only that have a lively hope purifying themselves as God is pure c. 2. He queries How if such be ignorant of what Christ is and did how can such doe it in remembrance of him 3. Or how if by bloudy Oaths and blasphemies profane his bloud How can they doe it in a practical remembrance of him That the unregenerate as such Answ have not a lively hope c. I grant but that they have a warrantable hope as professing the true Christian Religion relying upon the mercy of God through the merits of Christs death Christ being the right object of all hope which is a good encouragement for such to use the means in hope of a blessing forasmuch as not any man in special can exempt himself from the saving benefits of his death whom they by the outward signs are put in minde of every Sacrament As before he would not have them objects of the promises of first grace because they have not faith to apply the promises c. So now he will have none to have any ground of hope to receive the saving benefits that are procured for sinners by the death of Christ which Sacraments represent but those in the Church that have a lively hope Doth Mr. Collins think thas a man may have faith to apply the promise before he hath grace Or doth he think those promises have no object Or that any shall have grace to whom it is not promised in the Church So likewise if none but those that have a lively hope can receive benefit by the death of Christ then it will follow 1. That the first regenerating grace is not a benefit that flows from the death of Christ except a man can have this lively hope before he be regenerate 2. That regeneration as it is a benefit of the death of Christ belongs to none but regenerate persons that have a lively hope and then we shall exclude the unregenerate from all benefit or hope by Christ unlesse they can convert themselves which they cannot and so exclude them from the day of grace and mercy and make them aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel strangers to the Covenant of promise and without hope and God in the world equal with the Pagan world which upon grosse mistake he hath done all along in this present Controversie But I hope enough hath been spoke to satisfie my Reader as to that particular And therefore the unregenerate being so much concerned in the benefits of the death of Christ which Sacraments are remembrancers of it 's very meet and sutable they should partake of the signes that are so much concerned in the thing represented and exhibited thereby Unto his second I If they be so ignorant Answ they ought to be instructed better which hath been spoken to already Hardly can any be excepted against for ignorance that are intelligent if a Minister will doe his duty to instruct them in a plain familiar way And for such as are scandalous they should be dealt withall in a regular way for their amendment that their actual miscarriages indulged doe not leaven the whole and hinder the blessing of every Ordinance from themselves And although a practical remembrance may be desired of all yet in the visible Church we shall alwayes meet with many loose carnal wretched sinners that will offend scandalously and so abuse the grace of Gospel Ordinances to their utter ruine if the Lord prevent it not by giving them his grace to repent The Sacrament is a means to ingage unto amendment as proper as any other Ordinance untill they be Juridically cast out Nothing else can disoblige them from duties of publick worship as the Sacrament is I confesse it is a sad and a lamentable condition that such wretched miserable persons are in that wofully abuse the Grace of the Gospel and make such desperate returns for such exceeding rich grace and mercy abusing the patience and long-suffering of God which should lead to repentance How dare any profane persons bear up themselves upon the name of the Lord and hope they shall be saved by Jesus Christ and yet live in licentious courses and hate instruction and will not have Christ to rule over them by his Word and Scepter Why consider this yea that forget God lest he tear you in peices and there be none to deliver doe not flatter your selves the more because you are in the visible Church for so long as you are but chaffe and tares you are lyable every moment to be pluckt up and burnt in unquenchable flames What though thou mayst escape the censures of the Church be sure thou shall not escape the judgement of God if thou continuest thy rebellion against him It may be thou art spared for the sake of some precious wheat of Gods Elect whom he will cause to spring out of thy roots though a wicked tare thy self and thy ancestors before thee Remember Judas that desperate Traytor and son of perdition that was false to the Lord Jesus his false heart and unworthy actions to his Lord whom he religiously professed made him swell untill he burst asunder and all his bowels gushed out If thou wilt swear blaspheme be drunk and scoffe at godlinesse and live an idle filthy voluptuous life and yet hope to be saved by Christ and professest thy self a Christian it may be thou hadst as good have been that Judas as such a wretch as thou art adding obstinacy unto thy former rebellion untill the wrath of the Lord and his jealousie smoake against thee bringing all the plagues written in his Book upon thee and blot out thy name from under heaven Either doe what in thee lies to walk up to thy profession of the true Religion that Sacraments oblige thee unto or else be sure thy profession will rather aggravate thy abominable doings and sink thee deeper in the bottomelesse pit
by the authority of the Church baptizing them as members of the visible body of Christ cannot be legally put out of Church communion at the pleasure of some few Elders of themselves unlesse deligated so to act from a National Assembly of Presbyters Though the right of discipline may be inherent in every lawful Presbyter yet the exercise thereof is proper only unto those that are intrusted therewith by the representatives of the whole Irregular actings and good ends cannot stand together to doe evil that good may come is not only dangerous but damnable The state of unregeneracy and personal unworthinesse in the Church doth not bar any one from the Sacrament nor doth come within the verge of the Church to judge of or correct in the least Actual unworthinesse persisted in unto obstinacy is the only object of Church censures of persons in the Church yet all actual unworthinesse doth not necessarily run persons upon eating and drinking the Lords Supper unworthily in the Apostles sense There is no personal unworthinesse in the Church in a relative sense in reference to the Sacrament or any uther Ordinance but the carelesse neglect thereof is most unworthy and punishable Not to discern the Lords Body is not to put a difference between common bread and the instituted signes set a part by Word and Prayer to represent the death of Christ for remission of sins Examination is a private duty to be performed between God and the conscience unto a profitable receiving having a special eye to the rules of the whole administration making their approaches there accordingly externally at least There is a real difference to be put between the unregenerate Christian and an unregenerate Infidel the Church and the world believer and unbeliever the confounding of these hath run us into Brownism of late The whole Church is in Covenant with God and are the immediate objects of the promises but the world lies in wickednesse and under wrath without the promises of the Covenant and hope and God in the world The whole Church are under all Gospel observance the whole work of the Ministry as the ordinary means of their conversion and salvation The Pagan world for the most part never had the advantage of so much as any part of that work the Gospel being hid to them that perish Salvation is of the Christian Church but no salvation out of it How can they call on him in whom they have not believed and how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard And there is salvation in no other Name whatsoever save only in Jesus Christ That the legally unclean were not so much debarred the benefit of the Passeover as other Sacrifices or spiritual observances in that Church That the Moral uncleannesse then was no more bar to the Passeover then unto all other observances in the Church Nay that was either punished by the Judges according unto their Judicial proceedings or otherwise cleansed from it by a continual course of Sacrifices And therefore no bar at all against any That no persons in the Church of the Old Testament or in the Churches of the New read of in Scriptures were ever debarred the Passeover or the Sacrament of the holy Supper and allowed the benefit of all the other Ordinances in the Church Hence I cannot but conceive that suspension from the Sacrament alone usually called the minor Excommunication is but a humane invention in the Church More is required to the Lords Supper then to Baptism in the Church yet lesse is required to the holy Supper of them that are Church-members then of Heathens unto Baptism We must distinguish of real and relative personal worthinesse The whole visible Church not under Church censures are personally worthy in a relative sense And hence there is no personal unworthinesse in the Church 2. Of believing in a large sense and of believing in a strict sense both to be accounted true believers in Scripture sense The denomination of a Believer is as well derived from a right object believed on as from the right and holinesse of the Subject believing 3. Of entring into the Covenant and of continuing in the Covenant The former is proper for Infidels the latter concerns the Church for it is supposed that all in the Church have entred the Gospel Covenant And in the Church we must distinguish of transgressing the Covenant and renouncing the Covenant of breaking and renewing it and whosoever is entred into the Covenant comes under the whole administration thereof and cannot be disobliged from any observance thereof but by the binding power of the Keys of Christs Kingdome exercised Juridically Beloved Friends I have now given you an account of the most of my principles that I build upon and conclude free admission to the holy Supper from And I judge they are such that have their rise from the holy Scriptures or are rational deductions drawn from thence which are not in the least loosened nor shaken by Mr. Collins nor any other of his judgement nor I think never will notwithstanding his forwardnesse of spirit in the close of his Book to cry up a victory when he has not so much as routed me in any one thing in all my Book which argues a bold conceited vapouring spirit a little too much Therefore now in short I shall collect some of his main strength and magisterial principles made use of to undermine the foundations of mine either exprest or implyed He denyes that Church-membership alone doth give a full right to the Sacrament therefore superaddes knowledge faith and the fruits of holinesse to give one right all which say I is included in Membership And his superadding will give a Pagan right He affirms that he looks upon all Church-members habitually worthy from their interest in Christ until they discover the contrary by their actual offendings Then say I he holds That all Infants are habitually worthy from their interest in Christ and commonly fall away from that state of grace He sayes 'T is not much material whether the Corinths were punished for habitual unworthinesse or no and yet upon the matter that the whole he disputes against He saith the unregenerate are personally unworthy and therefore cannot receive He sayes there is no promise belongs to the unregenerate in the Church that have not faith to apply it and that they are rather objects of the first grace then of the promise of that grace and that the Heathen are as much objects of the promises of first grace as the unregenerate part of the Church And doubts whether any promise belong to men as unregenerate if so then Heathen may come to the Sacrament He puts no difference between the unregenerate in the Church and the Pagan world in respect of promises titles duties priviledges except it be the baptizing their children he undisciples them unduties them uncovenants them in reference to the holy Supper and yet will have them Church-members and present their children unto baptism