signifiing not only Doctrine delivered Math. 15.2 3. but also a Command Ordinance or Institution as before 2 Thes 2.15 plainly makes out that they were not only to withdraw from Persons of disorderly Conversation or defective in Morals but also from such as were corrupt in Doctrine or disorderly in their Gospel Administrations that being as great a Violation of Gospel Order and as pernitious to Christians as Immorality Which must be granted or else there is no Authority given to the Church to deal with Members of corrupt Principles c. Now this Command saith he being general includes all disorders of any kind in Manners Doctrine or Practice and is a sufficient warrant were there no more for our Obedience to exclude such as disorderly practise the Ordinance of Baptism from our immediate Communion at the Lords Table tho' not from our Love and Affections Having hitherto been discovering the Scripture Grounds of Separation from Church Communion with all disorderly Persons in Manners Doctrine false Worship or irregular Administrations of Gospel Ordinances I shall now proceed as followeth 1. To Answer the chiefest Objections I find against such Gospel Separation 2. To give a particular Instance of some confused Matter about Communion already Printed amongst us with several Queries thereupon 3. I shall present my humble Advice to some of our Baptized Churches And 4. I shall leave some few things to the serious Consideration of those that have received a Gracious Discovery of the Love and Favour of God unto their Souls or that have good Hope thro' Grace of Eternal Life and yet are walking at large out of the Communion of a Gospel Church As also an Exhortation in another Case concerning Gospel Communion Lastly in a Postscript I have shewed that it is the Duty of all true Believers in Order to Church Communion to subject themselves to the Ordinance of Water Baptism and have also discoursed against excess of apparel and then made a general Conclusion of this Treatise Objections Answered I. Object Rev. Chap. 2. Chap. 3. None of the seven Churches of Asia in the Epistles to them were commanded to withdraw their Communion or separate themselves from any of those Persons among them which the Holy Ghost charged with Evil. And therefore neither Churches from any of their Members nor any Members from their Churches should separate themselves from one anothers full Communion at the Lords Table unless it be for gross and scandalous Evils Answer If this Argument holdeth good and warrantable for Persons and Churches to keep their Communion at the Lords Table under the Guilt and Non-repentance of lesser Evils it will also justifie such Communion with those that are guilty of grosser Sins For the Church of Pergamos had them that held the Doctrine of Balaam Ch. 2.14 who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the Children of Israel to eat things sacrificed unto Idols and to commit Fornication And this was also the Sin of the Church in Thyatira Ver. 24 25. to whom it s said That unto the rest in Thyatira as many as have not this Doctrine and which have not known the depths of Stan as they speak I will put upon you none other burthen But that which you have already hold fast till I come And therefore seeing the Church of Thyratira suffered that Woman Jezebel to seduce the Servants of Christ Ver. 20. to commit Fornication and to eat things sacrificed to Idols which must be meant in honour to them 1 Cor. 8.9 10. Ch. 10.27 28 29. for otherwise Meats sacrificed to Idols were not unlawful to eat tho' sometimes not expedient for the sake of weak Brethren then surely the rest that escaped those Pollutions and had no other burthen put upon them than to hold fast that they had already cannot rationally be thought then to be in the same Communion with those Idolaters and Fornicators Gal. 5.19 20 21. for such have no Inheritance in the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 5.2 4 5. Besides we have an Instance of a Fornicator that was separated from the Church or delivered up unto Satan So that tho' there is no express command in the Epistles to those seven Churches of Asia for withdrawing their Communion from any evils mentioned therein yet doubtless it was their Duty from other Precepts then written to cast out those that were guilty of such notorious Sins as were in some of those Churches And those Christians of Thyatira which the Holy Ghost commended that were in the same City with those that were reproved and perhaps originally in full Communion together in one Body it is rational to believe were separated from their Communion for Dr. Hammond in his Margin reads in Ver. 24. thus But unto you I say the rest in Thyatira c. for the Kings M. S. reads it so * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See also the Bibles Printed by the Deputies of Chris Barker 1599. and by Robert Barker 1607. Ch. 2.2 which imports another distinct Church or People in that City And the Reason why Christ threatned those defiled Christians which were the Church to whom the Epistle was primarily directed was because they suffered those evils when they should have purged out such Offenders as the Church of Ephesus did for what else can be meant by those Words I know thy Works how thou canst not bear them which are Evil and thou hast tried them which say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them liars who were therefore doubtless rejected from their Communion But if any say that these Words thou canst not bear them which are evil have only respect to the following Words And thou hast tryed them which say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them lyars I have this to Answer 1. That if it were so yet it shews that this Church did not bear with such Lyars in their Communion otherwise they could not be properly commended for not bearing with them 2. The Word and thou hast tryed them c. implieth a particular different thing or other Persons to those preceding Words in general And how thou canst not bear them which are evil like as we find in the same Verse that the Word and thy Labour and thy Patience denoteth different things to each other and particulars of the general Word I know thy Works So that the Text does clearly demonstrate that the Church of Ephesus did neither bear those that were Evil nor those false Apostles in their Communion which Exposition is confirmed by the Dutch Annotations on those Words and how thou canst not bear them which are evil that is say they such as are scandalous in Life and Doctrine Thus their Zealis commended here in the Evercise of Ecclesiastical Discipline So that the aforesaid Objection That none of the seven Churches of Asia were commanded in their Epistles to separate themselves from any of those Persons which the Holy Ghost charged with evil is invalid And
considering also that his silence may be improved if we give ear to such a groundless Argument for holding Communion with grosser as well as lesser Sins we have Reason to believe that some of those Churches and Christians that were concerned in those Epistles from the Authority of some other part of the Holy Scriptures did separate themselves from those offenders that by the Laws of Christ they were not to bear in their Communion And that those Churches who suffered themselves to be polluted through the neglect of their Duty in bearing with those evils they should have purged out did thereby bring themselves under the anger and displeasure of God for it as appears in their Epistles II. Object Is from Phil. 3.15 16. Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded God shall reveal even this unto you Nevertheless whereto we have already attained let us walk by the same Rule let us mind the same Thing That these Words give no allowance for any to hold a corrupt Communion is very plain because the Apostle is not here arguing to prove the Resurrection of the Dead or any fundamental Article of our Faith or on any essential part of Divine Worship or of such practical Obedience as that the failure thereof is to be noted as disorderly walking But he is Treating in the preceding Verses that he had not attained but was following after the Resurrection-state of Perfection and of his pressing towards the Mark for the Prize of the high Calling of God in Christ Jesus and then it follows Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded God shall reveal even this unto you As if he should fay Let us therefore as many as be perfect that is 1 Cor. 3.1 1 Joh. 2.14 Heb. 5.12 13 14. 1 Cor. 2.6 as are not babes in Christ that have need of Milk but are strong Men of full Age skilful in the Word of Righteousness who by Reason of use have their Senses exercised to discern both good and evil Perfect 2 Tim. 3.17 Col. 4.12 Jam. 3.2 Eph. 3.18 19. throughly surnished unto all good Works Perfect and compleat in all the Will of God To be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and heighth and to know the Love of Christ which passeth Knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God Now consider that as we cannot know that which passeth Knowledge but as the Apostle saith we know in part 1 Cor. 13.12 and as none but Christ was ever filled with all the fulness of the Perfection of God but of the Knowledge of his Will and Love to us in all its parts necessary to a Holy Life of Faith the true Worship of God and Eternal Life So if any came short of this kind of Perfection the Apostle told them God should reveal even this unto them And therefore the Text does not any ways prohibit a Separation from such aforesaid Errours that are noted in Holy Writ as disorders in Manners Doctrine or Worship But it containeth a comfortable Promise to those that are rather free from them that tho' they are weak in Faith and Babes in the Knowledge of Christ yet sincerely minding the some things which according to Rule they have attained to and labouring to grow in Grace 2 Pet. 3.18 and in the Knowledge of Christ they shall have in due Season a more full discovery of that perfect Love 1 Joh. 4.12 18. which casteth out fear and of the Will of God in the Revelation of the Gospel and shall be built up in their most Holy Faith from a babe-like-state to a perfect Man in Christ Jesus in some Scripture Sense So that there is nothing in the Text that implieth a Prohibition of Separation in the aforesaid Cases of corrupt Manners Erroneous Doctrine false Worship or irregular Administrations of Gospel Ordinances III. Object Is from 1 Pet. 4.8 and Math. 18.21 22. And above all things have fervent Charity among your selves for Charity shall cover a Multitude of Sins And Peter said Lord How oft shall my Brother Sin against me and I forgive him till seven times Jesus said unto him I say not unto thee until seven times but until seventy times seven from which Scriptures some may think that Christians should bear with Sins in Communion with one another and cover them all in Love Answer Our Lord himself shews plainly us what is meant by those Scriptures Luke 17.3 Take heed to your selves If thy Brother trespass against thee rebuke him and if he repent forgive him And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turn again to thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him From whence it appears 1. That we are to rebuke our Brother for his Trespass 2. To forgive him but mind it well it must be if he return and repenteth he must turn again as well as say he repenteth and so tho' Charity should cover a multitude of Sins that are turned from and repented of yet it should cover none from the Church which ought to come under her Cognizance for our Charity should consist with our Obedience to the Procepts of Christ IV. Object It is said Rebuke not an Elder and therefore there should be a difference between dealing with an Elder of a Church and a private Member for Sin Answer 1 Tim. 4.12 The Apostle Paul in this Epistle to Timothy saith Let no Man despise thy Youth And in Chap. 5.1 2. he exhorteth him saying Rebuke not an Elder but intreat him as a Father and the younger Men as Brethren the Elder Women as Mothers the younger as Sisters with all Purity And Chap. 3.14 15. These things write I unto thee that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy self in the House of God In these Scriptures the Apostle instructed Timothy that young Servant of Christ and in him others how they should behave themselves in reproving not only Elders but younger Brethren and Sisters that as an Elder Bishop or Pastour which is the same in Office Tir. 1.7 should not be soon angry so Timothy and others should not in an angry Spirit rebuke either Elders or younger Brethren and Sisters but rather reprove them by intreaties It 's true it 's also said Let the Elders that Rule well be counted worthy of double Honour But yet by Sin they may lose and justly forfeit their double and single Honour too Ver. 19.20 21. for it s said Against an Elder receive not an Accusation but before or as it is in our Margin under two or three witnesses Them that Sin rebuke before all that others also may fear I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the Elect Angels that thou observe these things without preferring one before another doing nothing by partiality
Matter which is already Printed among us in Mr. Keaches Book intitled the Breach Repaired and of several Queries made upon it in my Reply to him with some Additions to them To proceed therefore I shall premise some particular things in Mr. Keaches Gold Refined or Treatise of Baptism Page 181 182. where he saith thus Let me conclude all with one Use of Caution to my Brethren that are Baptized as Believers and yet take Liberty to walk in Communion with such Churches as dissent from them in respect of this Ordinance and sprinkle Babes I am more concerned about you than any other People because you seem to pull down with one Hand that which you build with the other ought you not to follow the best and highest Reformation and clearest discovery of God and to be in the most perfect and compleat Order of the Gospel you are able to arrive to the Knowledge of is not Truth and Righteousness to be joined with Peace and Love Nay and doth not my Love run out to our Brethren in a cleaner Channel than yours And in his Treatise of Laying on of Hands Page 99. he hath these Words Can we comfortably have Communion with such that oppose a Holy Oracle or Command of God Ought not Communion to flow from Christian Union especially in all fundamental Principles of Church-Constitution Ought we not in these things to be agreed before we can in an orderly way sit down together But notwithstanding Mr. Benjamin Keach thus refuseth Communion with those that are not under Believers-Baptism See my Ep. to my Reply to Mr. Keach's Breach Repaired p. 10 c. and laying on of Hands yet in his general Epistle to his pretended Answer to my Appendix Page 9. he saith We do not say our dissatisfied Brethren shall sing with us or we will have no fellowship with them No God forbid we should impose on their Consciences We do not look upon Singing c. an Essential of Communion it is not for the being but for the Comfort and well being of the Church To which I there Reply to Mr. Keach Let me ask you in your own Words See his darkness c. Vanquished or Truth in its Primitive Purity p. 96. Why should you have a greater esteem for one than for another Institution If it be as you say that your way of Singing is a Gospel-Ordinance for the Practice of the Church Is there any Church Ordinance of Divine Worship that is not essential to her orderly being as well as for her Comfort and well Being Who gave you Power to dispence with any one Ordinance more than others And in Page 13. of my Epistle I farther tell Mr. Keach that there are divers things that I and others cannot reconcile to the Word of God and his confused Principles of Communion some of which I offer to his Consideration by way of Query 1. Whether it be lawful for a Christian to withdraw or remove his Communion at the Lords Table from a Church that practiseth any one Ordinance of Divine Worship or of Church-Constitution in a false Manner to join with a Church that is more pure And whether it is his Duty if enlightned therein so to do 2. Whether there is any Liberty given in the Word of God for a Christian to have Communion with a Church that practiseth any one Ordinance of Gospel-Worship or of Church-Constitution in a false Manner more than of any other such Ordinances so performed and if there be which it is or which they are and where the allowance is given 3. Whether thanking and praising of God be as much an Ordinance and of as high a Nature as Prayer to him 4. Whether the Mode of Singing the Praises of God be also as much an Ordinance and of as high a Nature as Prayer 5. Why it is not as unlawful to have Communion with a Church that practiseth Singing the Praises of God in a false Manner as with a Church that performeth Prayer in a false Manner 6. Seeing you have made a Common Praise-Book so I call it wherein you say is contained some hundred of Sacred Hymns out of which as I hear is sometimes read and sang an Hymn in your Congregation for publick Worship So if another Ministring Brother of your own or of another Congregation in full Communion with you at the Lords Table should also make prestinted set Forms of Prayer and read them or say them in the Church for publick Worship I Query Whether you would nevertheless hold and continue your full Communion with such a Person or Church as so useth such humane prestinted Forms of Prayer 7. Whether it be not a worshipping of God in a false Manner and so unlawful and a Sin for any of our Brethren alone by themselves to pray in their own or anothers set humane prestinted form of Words and if it can be proved against him that he useth such private Prayers Whether the Church should still hold their full Communion with him without Repentance for it 8. Whether it be not unlawful for any of our Churches to hold full Communion with a Brother at the Lords Table who sometimes useth to pray with another different People in a false Manner in a set humane prestinted form of Words and if this be unlawful whether it is not equally unlawful for a Church to hold such Communion with a Brother who tho' he cannot practice Singing the Praises of God in as false a Manner in his own Church yet he sometimes as falsely singeth in other Congregations 9. Whether the Mode of Singing an Hymn is a piece of Worship Essential to the Regular and Compleat Administration of the Lords Supper If our Singers deny this why do so many of them make such a stir about it and commend that practice of Singing See the Reply to Mr. Steed's Epist pag. 8.40 41 45 47 49. as they boldly say from the Example of Christ and his Disciples as a perfect Pattern and Rule for us to follow And if they believe in their Consciences that the Mode of Singing an Hymn is so Essential to that Ordinance How can any of those Gospel-Ministers as I have heard say administer the Lords Supper without it and contrary to the Light of their own Consciences dispense with that which belongs as they believe to Christs Ordinance as if they choose to please Men rather than God in his Worship I have added the more Queries because such stating of the matter divers ways will lay a greater Necessity on any who may pretend to answer them either to discover the Discord and Confusion of their Principles of Communion and the natural tendency of them or to unmasque the farther designs of those that are apostatizing from the true Worship of God Thirdly I shall here humbly present my Advice to some of our Baptized Churches And 1. To those whose sixed Pastours and Ministers differ from their Churches in some Principles Essential either to the true Manner of
Manner of Conversation 1 Cor. 10.32 and to give none offence neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles nor to the Church of God But as the Apostle saith whatsoever things are true Phil. 4.8 honest just pure lovely of good report if there be any Virtue and if there be any Praise think on these things Now from these Scriptures we may conclude that tho' our present excessive fashions are not all expresly forbidden yet if any kind of adornings are prohibited and if those Texts were written for our Instruction as I think none can doubt thereof or be so bold to deny it that have any Sence of true Religion then surely they require all the Saints both Men and Women at least to abstain from all those excesses in Apparel which are not of good report among sober Men and whoever putteth on such Attire or Ornaments of Apparel as are not of good honest and modest report they are guilty of breaking the Commandments of Christ and so are to be dealt withal by the Church as disorderly Persons who bring a scandal upon their Holy Profession Besides it is not only a grief for sober Christians to see such Pride of Spirit appearing in their Communion but it s also a stumbling to others which are well inclined to walk in the ways of the Lord with them as I have found by my own experience For when I was first awakened to seek the Lord and the good of my Soul the extravagant Dresses of some Professors among whom I heard the Gospel preached occasioned me to think there was the less Religion in them and that they looked not as if they were Christs People and for this cause alone I having then no Light in Gospel-Ordinances of Communion I departed to another Church which appeared more like sober Christians and there I have continued about five and twenty years And considering the Scripture saith the Lord hateth a proud look And God resisteth the proud Prov. 6.16 17. Jam. 4.6 1 Pet. 5.5 Math. 16.24 Rom. 6.4 but giveth Grace unto the Humble And that the Commandments of Christ require our Conformity in all things suitable to his Name and Truth and those Holy and Self-denying Principles we profess how can such excesses in Apparel which even gives their Profession the Lie consist with their sincere Obedience to him Jam. 2.18 How do they shew their Holy Faith therein by their Works but rather as it is said of her that liveth in Pleasure that she is dead while she liveth Gal. 6.7 Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a Man soweth that shall he also reap For he that soweth to his Flesh shall of the Flesh reap Corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap Life Everlasting To conclude our Baptized Churches that are for particular Election and final Perseverance in the same Faith and Order of the Gospel in full Communion together they nor many others have not any Reason to reflect on the true design of this Treatise or on the Matters contained therein as any ways tending to the Interruption of our Peace on the settled Principles of our Churches but to the purging out the leaven of unrighteousness that may be found among them nor can any Person in our Communion appear against the plain Contents of this Treatise but they must at the same time appear for and Countenance such sinful Manners Erroneous Doctrine false Worship and corrupt Administration of Gospel-Ordinances as the Word of God and the general Profession of our Churches does plainly witness against and consequently they will apparently shew themselves opposers of Reformation or such as labour to weaken and confound the Baptist Churches and our pure Religion Yea farther if corrupt Manners which is manifestly sinful by the Moral Law of God or such Erroneous Doctrine false Worship or irregular Administrations of Gospel Ordinances as are prohibited our Communion by the Holy Scriptures should be knowingly suffered therein it is a visible Mark of Degeneration and thereby the Church partakes of the Sins of particular Members Lev. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thine Heart thou shalt in any wise rebuket thy Neighbour and not suffer Sin upon him Or as it is in our Margin that thou bare not Sin for him And Paul saith to Timothy Lay Hands suddenly on no Man 1 Tim. 5.22 neither be partakers of other Mens Sins keep thy self Pure Besides it is shewed before what warrant and command we have in the New Testament for withdrawing our Communion in the aforesaid Cases of Sin and from disorderly Persons And therefore when a Church persisteth in a wilful neglect of this Duty she brings her self under the guilt of Sin for breaking of Christs Commandment but in Case this were faithfully performed yet the Church should still endeavour 2 Thes 3.14 15. Tit. 3.10 by due admonishing of such Offenders to reduce them to their Obedience and if no Repentance be found Gal. 5.12 1 Cor. 5.4 5. 1 Tim. 1.20 she ought to proceed to a farther Act of Authority and cut them wholly off from her fellowship But if any plead that so strict a Discipline as hath been argued for in this Treatise cannot be duely observed without indangering their Church-state It deserves our Noting either as a Carnal Reflection on the Holy and Righteous Precepts of Christ and on his Wisdom as not prescribing such Laws which conduceth most to the Glory of God and the good of his People here on Earth or it is a sign that such a Church has been so long in the neglect of their Duty towards Christ and one another and are so far degenerated in their Spirits as that they seem to be past recovery And if this be the State of some who perhaps may have as high a Conceit of themselves as the Church of the Laodiceans had and say Rev. 3.17 18 19. I am Rich and increased with Goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Christ counselleth such to buy of him Gold tried in the Fire that thou mayest be rich and white Raiment that thou mayest be Cloathed and that the shame of thy Nakedness do not appear and anoint thine Eyes with Eye-Salve that thou mayest see And saith our Lord As many as I love I rebuke and chasten Be zealous therefore and repent least he come and fight against thee with the Sword of his Mouth Behold Rev. 2.16 saith he I stand at the Door and knock If any Man hear my Voice and open the Door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me Be not afraid therefore to go about this good work of Reformation do thy Duty and leave the success to God whose Blessing you may expect and whose awful presence may so far attend the Authority of Christ by which you Act as to stop the Mouth of carnal Reasonings insomuch that instead of indangering the loss of your Church-state Math. 16.18 Jam. 4.8 9 10. you may rather expect and find the Lord will strengthen establish and settle it on the Rock of Ages against which the Gates of Hell shall not prevail To close Altho' I have used the Word withdraw in the Case of a Private Members removing Communion from a Church which may not be done in so solemn a Manner as when a Church withdraws her Communion from a Member because this is done by an Act of Duty and Authority given to the Body and the other is done as an Act of Liberty and Duty pertaining to a Member and warranted by the Scriptures as hath been shewed yet the Word withdraw being it self of a harmless and indifferent Signification it cannot be excepted against unless it be for want of other Matters to Cavil at However I have also this to say that the Word with-draw was thought proper to be used in the same Case in the Congregationals twenty eighth Article of the Institution of Churches before recited FINIS ADVERTISEMENTS THere is Published by the same Author a Book Intitled Truth soberly Defended in a serious Reply to Mr. B. Keach's Book called The Breach Repaired in Gods Worship c. As also a Vindication of a Book Intitled Prelimited Forms of Praising God vocally Sung by all the Church together proved to be no Gospel-Ordinance with a Narrative wherein is detected Mr. Keach's Abuses under the Hands of several Elders and other Brethren By Isaac Marlow Price bound 1 s. There is likewise Published a Treatise of the Holy Trin unity Asserting the Deity of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in the Unity of Essence with God the Father By I Marlow Price bound 9 d. Moreover there is Published A Tract on the Sabbath day wherein the keeping of the First-day of the Week a Sabbath is justified by a Divine Command and a Double Example contained in the Old and New Testament c. By Isaac Marlow Price 1 s.
praising God in publick Worship or to the Regular Constitution of a Gospel-Church my humble Advice to you is That notwithstanding if they rightly administer all Gospel-Ordinances according to the Principles of their Churches for the present necessity you continue as you are And as their Office is to watch over you in the Lord Heb. 13.17 1 Thes 5.12 so your Duty is to obey them so far as they rule by the Laws of Christ and to continue your Affections and abound in Love to them and all the Saints But yet if they put such different and erroneous Principles in practice and thereby interrupt the pure Communion of their Churches contrary to their Faith and settled Order or go about to disturb your Peace with any of them then as ye are bound to follow your Pastours and Ministers only so far as they are followers of Christ and his Apostles 1 Cor. 11.1 Phil. 3.17 so it is your Duty to use all Diligence to preserve the Peace and right Constitution of your Churches against their Innovations and rather than to have your Communion corrupted by them you are to part with them and all things else tho' never so near and dear to you 2. To those Churches which are destitute of a settled Pastour I shall offer this to your serious Consideration That it is a weak Imagination to think that honest and sincere hearted Ministers tho' naturally of a mild and peaceable Temper will not labour to promote the practice of those things in their Churches which they believe to be the Will of God for if they are faithful Men they will do it in Obedience to Christs Commission wherein they are required to teach all Nations whatsoever he hath commanded them Math. 28.20 And therefore if you expect that such a Minister as you design to call to settle with you will not for the sake of some in the Church who differ from him declare and promote according to his Conscience the practice of all things which God requires you have equal Reason to expect that for the sake of those Persons he will not be faithful to his Principles and then how can any think he will be faithful to his Church or any thing else he takes in hand any farther than it suits with his private interest so that whatever Love Peace and Union a Church may propose to themselves under the care of such a fixed Pastour as differs in his Principles from it in any Essentials of a Regular Church viz. Either in Doctrinals to Salvation Practicals in Divine Worship or in Administrations of Gospel-Ordinances such a Church does only delude themselves with an Expectation of that which they lay a Foundation to destroy for if such a Pastour be faithful to his Principles it being irrational to conceive that a whole Church will be for altering their former Settlement of Communion they will then find that his differing Principles will breed Division among them and so destroy the bond of Peace and Love which they promised to themselves from the peaceable Temper of such a Pastour And instead thereof those faithful Members that are still for their former Settlement may fall into a Labyrinth of Troubles and if they are the smaller part of the Church the others will be apt to count them the disturbers of its Peace and perhaps when it is too late to recover the Truth and Purity of Gospel-Worship and Communion that was once among them they will mourn under their Troubles and Temptations and for their weakness in choosing or accepting of such a Pastour as thereby to betray the Trust committed to them by Jesus Christ so far as to loose of those things he hath wrought among them insomuch as respecting their publick Trust of the Gospel 2 John 8. as Members of a visible Church of Christ they will come so short of holding fast that which they have received Rev. 3.11 that no Man take their Crown as that they cannot give so good an account of their Stewardship as that evil Servant did Math. 25 25 26. who rendred again what he had received of his Lord. Therefore knowing the aptness of many People to follow others Examples from their Affections to them more than from the real Judgment and Understanding they have of their Principles and considering the experience some have had of the restless endeavours of their Ministers to leaven their Churches with those Principles wherein they differ from them and the Obligation of Conscience they are under according to their Light to declare the whole Counsel of God to the People under their care Acts 20.26 27. I conclude it highly concerns those Churches that have yet their choice to make for the Ministration of Gospel-Ordinances to seek for such Persons as are one with them in the Unity of the Faith and of the Knowledge of Gospel-Institutions For whatsoever Affections you may have to any Person yet above all things you ought to be faithful to the Truth as ye have received it in your Consciences and not by any means to be led aside to betray the Purity of the Gospel committed to your Trust so far as to putit into the Power of any Person to be continually working perhaps while you and others are lull'd asleep in the pretended Bed of Charity the overthrow and confusion of any essential part of the Religion you profess Besides a Pastour should be qualified according to the Word of God which saith A Bishop must be blameless as the Steward of God holding fast the faithful Word as he hath been taught that he may be able by sound Doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gain-sayers Tit. 1.7 9 c. For there are many unruly and vain-talkers and Deceivers especially they of the Circumcision Whose Mouths must be stopped Now consider that one great qualification of an Elder is to be able to stop the Mouths of Gain-sayers And therefore none who differ from their Church in any essential Principles of her Communion are fit for the Office of an Elder in it for such a one in the Matters of difference is principled rather to gain-say the Church than other Persons that oppose the Faith or Practice of it Moreover the Zeal of others which are for the common way of Singing should provoke us to promote the pure Interest of Christ among our Churches for they have used diligence to improve the Benesit of the publick Fund for Learning of such young Brethren the Knowledge of the Tongues the better to sit them for the Gospel Ministry who have sucked in that apostatizing Principle of Singing and I have been told that some of them have gone to School to learn it by Art in and about Bristol or the Western parts of this Land and if I am not misinformed there were eight in number for common set form singing two of which were advanced by more private means then the publick Fund and Mr. Keach has pleaded so much for Art in
the upright There God has said he meets his people that remember him in his ways and Christ has much intailed his gracious presence on the faithful obedience of his Saints He that hath my Commandments Joh. 14.21 and keepeth them he it is that loveth we And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self to him If a man love me he will keep my words And my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him And therefore the more obedient a Soul is the more of Christs fulness he shall receive John 1.16 and Grace for Grace But 2. If thou standest off from Church-Communion because thou thinkest thy self unworthy of it or unmeet for it or till thou hast a special inspiration to thrust thee forth in thy duty my Answer is that in this snare I was intangled my self for divers years but at last I was satisfied in my Conscience that seeing I had true saving Faith and Light in Gospel Ordinances my personal unworthiness through the infirmity of Nature was no sufficient Ground for me to neglect the Institutions of Christ and that I could not rationally expect any extraordinary motions to do that which the Word of God did plainly express to be my Duty Besides for Christians to wait for a more than ordinary impulse of Spirit to thrust them forth in their Duty when clearly exprest in the Holy Scriptures is thro' weakness of Faith a Tempting God to confirm his written Will by extraordinary Inspiration which is a Sin Math. 4.7 Moreover I shall farther remove this objection from 1 Cor. 11.27 Whosoever shall eat this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. This unworthiness cannot respect our natural infirmities for then the best of men would be excluded from that Ordinance but the unworthiness there mentioned is described to us in the same Chapter to be Divisions and Drunkeness See ver 18.20 21 22 33. and such like Disorders as should not be suffered in a Gospel-Church or that shew they despise the Church of God And therefore Christians having light in Gospel Ordinances tho' they are but weak in Faith and Babes in Christ and have not yet attained to the Faith of Assurance of their Election 2 Pet. 1.10 or to the clear witnessings of the Spirit of God with their Spirits Rom. 8.16 that they are the Children of God yet having the true Faith of cleaving to Christ with full purpose of heart and of reliance on his death and merits for Salvation and eternal life those have a right to full Communion with the Church at the Lords Table and we are bound to receive them Rom. 14.1 but not to doubtful Disputations But. If thou art one within the visible pale of the Church and such a wonderful and horrible thing is therein or shall happen as was in Israel tho' in a different manner the Prophets prophesied falsly Jere. 5.31 and the Priests bear Rule by their means and the people loved to have it so As the Lord said to them so will I say to thee if then thou art of their Spirit what wilt thou do in the end thereof when the Lord shall visit for these things canst thou bear yea like and plead for an Alteration in thy Church-Constitution or in Gods worship because thy Pastour will have it so Take heed lest thou givest ground to say of thee as it was said to Israel Isa 3.12 Ch. 9.16 O my People they which lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths and they that are led of them are destroyed 1 Cor. 10.22 Brethren beware lest ye provoke the Lord to Jealousy are ye stronger than he Deut. 12.32 hath he not said what things soever I command you observe to do it Thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it And have we not divers instances of his sore Displeasure for breaking his Rule of Worship as in Nadab and Abihu Lev. 7.11 to 19. who for offering of strange fire died before the Lord And might not some have thought it a small matter to have eaten of the Peace or Thank-offering after the first day or of the Vow-offering if any of it had been left on the third day but we see how great an offence it was to make so small an Addition to Gods Ordinance as that it should not be accepted neither should it be imputed to him that offered it It should be an Abomination and that soul should bear his iniquity Moreover we read how the Lord smote above fifty thousand of the men of Beth-she-mesh for but looking into his Ark and how Vzzah lost his life for touching the Ark of God 2 Sam. 6.6 1 Sam. 6.19 2 Chr. 26.16 because they sought him not after the due manner And how Vzziah the King for medling with Gods Ordinance and burning incense before the Lord 1 Chr. 15.13 contrary to his revealed Will was smote with leprosy unto his dying Day And Christ tells us Mat. 159. that in vain they do worship him teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of Men. Therefore to the Law and to the Testimony Isa 8.20 If they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no light in them Joh. 4.24 and let us keep the Commandments of God and worship him in Spirit and in Truth 1 Tim. 4 8. for Godliness is profitable unto all things having promise of the Life that now is and of that which is to come Postscript AFter I had penned the preceeding Treatise meeting with some other Motives I thought it necessary to add a brief Discourse on two particular Cases The First to shew that it is the Duty of Gospel-Ministers and all true Believers in Order to Church-Communion to subject themselves to the Ordinance of Water-Baptism The Second is against Excess in Apparel And First I shall premise some few things that are worth our Observation which I find in Mr. William Kiffins Book Intitled A Sober Discourse of Right to Church-Communion Where in his Epistle he saith The sence I have of my own weakness and inability would have been a Bar to me to appear in this publick way did I not see a necessity lying upon me for the Truths sake and the sakes of many by reason of some that have lately risen up to weaken if not make void that great Ordinance of Baptism by endeavouring to maintain that all Persons that believe altho' they never did nor do practice the same may partake of the Ordinance of the Lords Supper and all other Gospel instituted Duties A Notion not only contrary to the primitive Pattern but the constant Practice of all that ever prosessed the Christian Religion or that own the Scriptures to be the Rule of Faith and Practice And speaking somewhat of the like nature in p.