ground your self in this Truth It may cost you much and though it should stand you never so much it is worth the avowing Christ himself suffered on this account as we have already shown and others of his servants have thought it their Glory to be called unto suffering for it Who am I saith Master Welsh That he hath not only called me to be a Preacher of glad things but also to be a sufferer for his cause and Kingdom To wittness that good confession That Jesus Christ is the King of Saints and that his Church is a most free Kingdom Yea as free as any Kingdom under Heaven That she is free in her Government from all other Jurisdiction on Earth except only Christs We are waiting saith he with joyfulness to leave the last Testimony of our blood for the confirmation of this Truth If it would please our God to be so favourable as to honour us with that dignity Thus He. And who knowes how soon he may honour some of us with that dignity A dignity indeed to suffer for the Royal Crown and Diadem of Our Lord Jesus SECT IV. A BRIEF REFUTATION OF THE DOCTRINE OF Independency Head I. The Power of Church Government is in the Church Officers and not in the Body of Church-Members THE dayes by-past we spake against the Doctrine of Erastianism And shew you that however it had many fair pretences yet it is to be reckoned among those Doctrines which are not of God We are now with the Lords assistance to speak against the Doctrine of Independency Ye Remember when we entered on these controversies about Church Government We shew you there were Four points of Truth which we should Labour to make good The first was That Jesus Christ the head of his Church had appointed in his word a way for the Governing and Ruling of his Church and that he had not left it to the power of the Civil Magistrate King or Parliament To establish what way of Government they please The second point was That this Government of the Church which Christ established in his word was not in the hands of the Civil Magistrate to be Executed by him Thir two points we have made good in our former Disputs against Erastianism The third point of Truth is this That Jesus Christ the head of the Church hath not committed the power of Governing his Church unto the Body of Believers To the community of Church Members but hath established it in the hands of his own officers Ministers and Elders The Fourth point of Truth which we promised to prove was this That Jesus Christ the head of the Church hath not given particular Elderships and Church Sessions the Supream power of Church Government in their hands so as that there should be none above them to call them to an account But that they are subject in the Lord to Superior Church Judicatories such as Presbytries Synods and General Assemblies These two last points we are to make out in Refuting this Doctrine of Independency This Error of Independency above all other we may call a fountain Error It is the Sluce whereby an entrance is made to all other Errors of what sort soever This is the Error whereby the most part of those that hath fallen from the way of Truth these years by past have been first hooked They first turned Independents yet rested not long there but proceeded from evil to worse Our scope shall be in this as in the former points to show That however it hath many fair pretences yet when it is brought to the Tryal it will be found not to be of God There are two main heads of this Error of Independency opposit to the two last points of Truth which we promised to make out The first is That whereby they affirm That Jesus Christ has given the power of Governing the Church unto all those that are Members of the Church Although they be not Ministers or Elders To the community of believers as they call it The second Head of their Error is this They do affirm that Jesus Christ hath intrusted particular Congregations Elderships or Church Sessions with the highest power of Church Government on earth so that there is no Judicatory above them to call them to an account As for the first Head of their Error which we are to speak against at this time Therein they have different Opinions among themselves some affirming that the power of Governing the Church is given to the Body of Church Members the community of Believers without the Minister and Elders yea a power over them to ordain them Censure depose them and inflict all other Church Censures Others give them this power conjunctly with the Church Officers Ministers and Elders Secondly Some give only the power and Authority to Govern to the Church Members But for the Exercise of that power they allow it to the Elders Yet so as to the Peoples deputs to whom they must give an account Others give the People not only the power and Authority but also the Exercise of this Government So that the People may sit down in Church Judicatories themselves enact Church Canons inflict Church Censures c. Thirdly Some give them the Exercise of this power only in some things as the Excercise of the power of Jurisdiction to make Church Canons and inflict Church Censures But not to Preach Others give them a full Exercise of Authority to do all We in opposition to all these lay down this conclusion which we shall Labour to make good from the word of God and solid Reason to wit That Jesus Christ hath not given to the Body of Church Members or to private Christians either the power or Exercise of Church Government neither in whole nor in part but hath intrusted it wholly to his own Officers Ministers and Elders I prosecuting this point we shall follow forth the former Method First We shall clear the State of the Question Secondly Bring Arguments for the Truth And Thirdly We shall propone and answer their Arguments brought against the Truth And Fourthly We shall shall apply the whole to some use I. For clearing the state of the Question Thâ—a it may be known what we do grant to private Christians and what we deny several distinctions would be given First There is difference betwixt Church power or Authority and Christian priviledges We do grant several Christian priviledges to private Christians but these do not infer any Church power or Authority of Governing the Church As for Example We do grant to the People a Power of Electing their own Officers Ministers or Elders we grant to them a power to try the Spirits whether they be of God i e They are not to believe blindly what Ministers say but have a power to Try what they say in Relation to their practice To pass a Judgment of discretion upon it whether it be according to the word or not We grant these priviledges to the People but none of them doth
in the minds of many if it were but for this one Reason that they who are intrusted with it do not Labour to beautify it It is looked on by many as a place of respect and not of Office If a man be Richer than his neighbour he thinks he is not respected if he be not an Elder and having goten the name he cares for no more Now is that the way either to make People respect thy Person or thy Office Let me obtest and charge all of you who have taken on this Heavenly Calling as ye will Answer on your hazard to Jesus Christ the chief sheepherd that ye would study by all means so to walk in it as to beautify it and that so much the more as the Devil is Labouring to disgrace it And this now for the First Head of Independency Head II. The highest Power of Church Government is not in Church-Sessions or Congregational Elderships WE come now to the Second Head And it is That for which mainly they are called Independents The point they affirm is this That every particular Church Session or Congregational Eldership is instructed with the highest power of Church Government on Earth so that there is no power in the Church above them to call them to an account when they go wrong to rescind any Act once concluded though it were never so unjust They grant that a Synod of Ministers and Elders may meet to consult about matters but withall affirm that they have no Ecclesiasticall power to command in the Lord any Congregation whatsoever So that if a man be wronged by a Session As for instance if he be unjustly censured as it may very readily fall out he must sit with his wrong there is no power to right it till Christ come in the Clouds Or if a particular Congregation divide turn Hereticks run wrong as many of the Independent Congregations doe there is no Church power to heal the breach unless it be by giving an advice which they may either follow or not follow as likes them best We again grant That particular Elderships have a power from Jesus Christ to Exercise Discipline in these things which concern the Congregation in particular But as for other things of more publick concernment that is to say Things that concern other Congregations as well as them these ought to be handled by a Superior Judicatory And that even in those things of particular concernment They are lyable to Appeals and the inspection of the Superior Judicatory So that wherein they shall be found wrong partial or Erronious They may be called to an account For shewing the fashood of this Error as also for the vindicating of the Government of the Church of Scotland that is now so much spoken against we shall labour to make out with the Lords assistance these Three Truths from the word of God The first it this That besides the power of Church Government that Christ hath given to particular Elderships There is also holden forth in his word A plat-form or a Copy of the Government of many Congregations by one Presbytry over them all in common The Second Truth that we shall make out is this That besides the Church Government that Christ hath established by Presbytries there is also holden out in the word greater Church Judicatories to wit Synods made up of Commissioners from several Presbytries instructed with power of Church Government from Christ also And Thirdly We shall labour to make out this Truth That the inferior Judicatories are to be Subject to the Superior as Sessions to Presbytries Presbytries to Synods Synods to General Assemblies So that the Superior judicatories have power over the Inferior in the Lord to receive Appeals from them and complaints 〈◊〉 them to Censure them for Miscarying in the matter of Discipline and to enact Church Canons or conclusions binding to them which Inferior Judicatories are bound to obey in the Lord. ¶ I. There is a Platform of the Government of many Congregations by one common Presbytery holden out in Scripture COncerning the State of this Question I only premit this That however we have the very name of this Presbytry whereabout we dispute holden out in 1 Tim 4. 14. Whereby I might easily show is meaned the Presbytry we plead for yet we shall not dispute about names Though the Name were not yet it is sufficient that the Thing be in it And this we shall make good to wit That in Scripture is holden out a pattern of the Government of many Congregations by one common Presbytry The proof of this point we might instance almost in all the Churches that were planted in the Apostles time As in the Church of Jerusalem The Church of Antioch Ephesus Thessalonica Corinth and of Rome We might easily make it appear that those Churches were not single Congregations but Presbyterial Churches under one common Government But in stead of spending of time in pointing out this in all these Churches we shall instance it only in the Church of Ierusalem That by this One ye may know what to judge of the rest And first concerning the Church of Jerusalem planted by the Apostles we shall labour to make out thir two things 1. That in that one Church there were many particular Congregations And 2. That all these particular Congregations made up but one Church and was guided by one common Presbytry and Judicatory set over them all in common Which two being made out the point we intend will appear evidently to wit That there was here a Government set over many Congregations in one common Judicatory such as our Presbytry is over all the particular Church-Sessions in the bounds The first thing we shall make out is this That there were moe Congregations in the Church of Jerusalem than one and this from four grounds First From the multitude of Church Members that were in Jerusalem Secondly From the multitude of Pastors Teachers and Elders that were there moe than could get work in one single Congregation Thirdly From the diversities of Languages that were among the People of that Church And Fourthly From the way of their meeting and the place they resorted to for Gods service And first For the multitude of Church Members that was at Jerusalem If we compare place with place we will find that they amounted to many thousands and so behooved to be moe than one single Congregation Take a view of some of these places Acts 1. 15. they are numbred to be about ane hundred and twenty And Act. 2. 41. there are added unto them about three thousand Souls and then in v. 47. There is daily Addition of moe and moe the Lord added unto the Church daily such as should be saved Act. 4. 4. We see yet a greater increase There are about five thousand and the nuâ—ber of the men was about five thousand concerning which five thousand it is necessarly to be understood that they were added presently excluding the rest of the numbers before
the Communion and not only so but to quite That Church and set up a new Church of Their own We shall begin first with that Doctrine that concerns the Constitution of Visible Churches And therein we shall follow our usual Order First Clear the Question Secondly Bring Arguments for the Truth Thirdly Answer those they bring against the Truth And Fourthly Apply the whole to some Use. I. First For clearing of the Question ye would know what Church it is concerning which the Controversy is First It is not that place where Gods people meet to go about Gods publick Worship such as this House we now are in which is called the Church by a Figure improperly But it is the People gathered together in it which People are really and properly the Church although the House be so called because it contains them by an usual Figure The Church that we are to dispute of is made up of Men and Women And not that which is built of Timber and Stone Secondly The Controversy betwixt Us and Them is not concerning the Invisible Church that is called the Church of the First-born Those who by vertue of their Effectual Calling are united to Jesus Christ the Head are living Members of His Mystical Body and draw Spiritual Influence from him Concerning the Church taken in this Sense There is no Controversy betwixt Us and the Separatists but that the Members of this Church are only made up of Believers are all gracious because this Church is Christs Mystical Body a Royal Priest-hood the Lambs Wife all fair undefiled c. Thirdly The Question Then is concerning the Church Visible which is a Company of Men and Women who have according to the Tenor of Gods Covenant with the Visible Church an Outward Ecclesiastical which is in its kind a real Right to enjoy the Outward Priviledges of the Children of God This being the Church about which the Controversy betwixt Us and the Separatists is We shall speak a litle to clear what is meaned by it And First The Church is called Visible not because the Members of it may be seen For in that respect the Church Invisible the Church of Believers may be called Visible For the Members of it being believing Men and Women may be seen also But the difference betwixt the Churches in those two Senses is taken from that which makes one to be a Member of the one Church as it differs from that which makes one a Member of the other That which makes One man a Member of the Invisible Church is True Grace sincere Faith inward Marks thereof Now Grace is a thing that cannot be seen by another certainly It s true there are outward effects of it but they are such that a Hypocrite may have the counterfeit of them so as the one cannot be discerned from the other by a Beholder The nature of Grace is only known Infallibly and certainly to God And therefore This Church is called Invisible Again that which makes a Man or Woman a Member of the Visible Church is something that may be seen something that may be judged of by those who have Power to receive Members into the Church and cast them out from it Secondly We said that this Visible Church is a Company or Society of Men and Women that have an Ecclesiastical Right to enjoy the Outward Priviledges of the Sons of God For understanding what is meaned by enjoying of Outward Priviledges we shall show you That there are Outward Priviledges and Inward Priviledges of those who are the Sons of God Inward Priviledges are Jesus Christ himself a Right to him a saving Right to the Covenant of Grace and Life Eternal These are the Inward Priviledges of the Sons of God And only Believers have right to those Painted Hypocrites have no right to them But Secondly There are Outward Priviledges of the Sons of God such as these To be ordinary Hearers of the Word Preached To be taken a care of by Jesus Christ his Servants To have liberty to come to the Sacraments These are Outward Priviledges And these are Priviledges that a Member of the Visible Church hath a right to We said they had an Ecclesiastical Right or a Church Right to them That is such a Right as gives Warrand to the Church for receiving them to enjoy these Priviledges and yet possibly they have not a Right to them before God As for Example when there is a painted Hypocrite in a Congregation who makes Conscience seemingly to use the Means That man hath an Ecclesiastical Right to come to a Communion such a Right as may Warrand the Minister for admitting of him although he have not a Right to come before God God will challenge the Hypocrite for coming and not the Minister for suffering him to come Yet we are still to consider that tho' this Ecclesiestical Right be not Saving yet it is Real in its kind being founded upon Gods Covenant with the Visible Church and his Ordinance of admitting such therein Now ye may know somewhat by this what we mean by an Ecclesiastical Right it 's That which gives warrand to Church Officers to admit a man to enjoy these Outward Priviledges And so ye may know what we mean by the Visible Church whereof we Dispute There are several differences betwixt Us and the Separatists Concerning the Visible Church First They affirm That there is no Visible Church on Earth But a single Congregation As many as may meet in one place This we refuted in the former Controversie by shewing That in the Church of Jerusalem there were far moe than could meet in one single Congregation yea many particular Congregations And yet are called but One Church Secondly They differ much from us as also from the Truth concerning the power They give to this Visible Church They give them the full power of Church Government and that Independently from any Chuch power on earth This difference also we spoke of in the preceeding Debate And so we shall stand now no longer upon it Thirdly We differ concerning That which gives a Being to the Church Visible They say To make a Society of People a Visible Church so as to have right to partake of the Priviledges there of It is requisite that all the Members of that Society Swear a Covenant one to another wherein they bind themselves to submit one to another in the Lord to walk in all the Ordinances of God and not to leave that Society till liberty be given them by the rest So that tho a man should be never so truely Godly and Gracious yet if he take not such a Covenant and if he Swear not such an Oath He is without the Visible Church He is in the state of a â—agan to live and to die without any Church Ordinance The Judgement of our Church and that of Truth herein is this That wherever a man comes out of one Particular Congregation which we call a Paroch to another By his so doing he comes
suppress sin as well as then Is not Christ perfect in all his House as well as Moses Yea in a word there can nothing be alleadged for a necessity to have a Church Government under the Old Testament but the same may be brought to prove the necessity of it under the New The Second Argument we bring to prove this point is taken from the native end of Church Government which is spiritual to wit For the edifying of the Body of Christ Ephes 4. 12. To gain the Soul of our offended Brother to Repentence Matth 18. 15. It is that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus 1 Corinth 5 5. So the end of the Church Government is a spiritual end and therefore it must have a Divine Original Church Government whose end is spiritual can be no humane Ordinance for such produceth no supernatural effects therefore it must have a higher warrand for it than that of the Magistrate Our Third Argument is taken from this that all the substantials of Church Government are set down expresly in Scripture from which we make this Argument That Government whose substantial parts are all set down expresly in Scripture the Magistrate hath no power to alter it or put an other in its place but so it is that all the substantial parts of Church Government are set down expresly in Scripture Therefore the Magistrate hath no power to alter it The thing we have to make out in this Argument is this That all the substantials of Church Government are set down in Scripture And to clear this we shall reckon up five things First That Church officers have their warrand from Scripture Thess 5 12. 1 Tim 5. 17. Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour especially they who labour in the word and Doctrine There is a Ruler or an officer with power to rule established in Gods house What they say That by Ruling there is meaned Preaching because Ministers guide People by Preaching is a frivolous Exception and that because of what is in the end of the Verse especially they who labour in the word and Doctrine So labouring in the word and Doctrine is one thing and Ruling is another thing and not one and the same as their Exception affirmeth But we shall find a more clear place for it in Heb. 13. 17. Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves There are Officers established with power to Rule and the People are commanded to submit and give Obedience to them and so there are Rulers Officers established in Gods Church Secondly The Courts and Judicatories of the Church have a warrand in Gods word and for this see Matth 18. 17 18. And if he shall neglect to hear them tell it unto the Church Verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven The Adversaries are so shamless that they say by the Church is here meaned the Civil Magistrate and that the complaint should be made to them But it is sure the Civil Magistrate is not here meaned And to prove it The Judicatory here meaned is that whereof the Apostles should be Members and therefore in v 16. It is said whatever ye to wit the Apostles shall bind on earth c. Now sure it is Jesus Christ gives no power to his Ministers to sit in Civil Courts and to judge of Civil business The third substantial of Church Government that hath warrand in the word is the subordination of lesser Judicatories to greater and this is warranted in Act 15 2. Where Paul and Barnabas come up from Antioch to a General Council at Jerusalem because the controversie in hand could not be ended at Antioch where there is a Court with power They determine the Question Censure the Schismaticks giving them the name of Lyars v. 24. The Fourth substantial of this Government set down in Scripture is the order of proceeding in relation to Censure 1. By private Admonition Then more pubâ—ick Matth 18. 15. The fifth thing is The nature and kind of thir Censures which are not bodily as takingâ— way the life but spiritual to wit Admonitions reproofs Casting out of the Church Matth 18 17 Let him he unto thee as an Heathen and a Publican Now from all this It evidently appears that Christ hath set down all the Substantials of Church Government in his word And seeing he hath done so what man dare alter it taking any prudential way for the good of the Church at his pleasure Yea there is a charge given to preserve all these inviolable till Christs coming 1 Tim 5. 21. 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 So that which Christ hath set down concerning the Government of his house is unalterable by any person whatsomever till the coming of Jesus Christ. So much for the third Argument There is a Fourth and it shall be our last which is this If so be that Christ hath left his House without any particular Government only referring it to the Civil State to appoint what Government they please it would reflect much on the wisdome of Jesus Christ For the Church visible is his Kingdom his House his Vinyard his Garden And shall we say that he hath appointed no Laws to Govern no Courts to guide this Kingdom but left it to the Civil Magistrate to appoint by whom and how it pleaseth him best A King of Clay would not do so with his Kingdom much less he who is the King of Glory This for the Arguments to confirm the Truth we shall in the next place Answer their Objections III. The First is say they from 2 Tim 3 16. The word of God is able to make a man perfect and therefore there is no need of Government We Answer This same Argument may as well strick against Magistracy But Secondly We say which we made already appear That the Government of the Church is grounded on the Word Hence their Argument proveth not because the Government of the Church is a part of the Word and is commanded by it and so it is not an adding to it But if they say the bare Preaching of the word is enough We Answer Not to detract any thing from the word Preached which is the mean appointed by God to save Souls yet the Exercise of Dicipline is necessary also It is necessary we say for Three Reasons 1. To keep the Ordinances of God from being polluted by the rushing foreward of Dogs and Scandalous Persons All the Preaching that can be to bid Scandalous men keep back will not do Then 2. It is necessary for keeping the Church from being infected by the contagion of Scandalous men Hence sayeth the Apostle Paul a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump Therefore put the incestous man from among you 3. It is necessary for the good of the Soul
not have saluted every one man by man and therefore certainly it must be the prime men of the Church But Secondly The name of the Church is very usualy given to Rulers and Judges whether Ecclesiastick or Civil without the People in the Old Testament So Psalm 82 1. God standeth in the congation of the mighty The same word rendred there Congregation is rendred the Church elsewhere And by the Congregation there is meaned the Judges and not the People so we find it taken for the Rulers by comparing Exod 20. 18. 19. with Deut 5. 23. 2 Chron 1. 3. Where Solomon takes up the whole Congregation with him And yet that Congregation is exponed v. 2. to have been Chief-men and Rulers so that usualy in the Old Testament the word Church is taken from Rulers And Thirdly it must be so taken in this place also for in the verse following he telleth what a Church he meaned by v 18 Verily I say unto you whatsoever yee shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven c. Speaking to the Apostles So it must be the Church of Rulers who are so called because they represent the Church doing her business wherein she is concerned Objection Fifth This were say they to establish a yoke of Tyranny over Church Members if power be put in the hands of Officers to make Acts binding to them and they to have no hand in making these Acts themselves We Answer it is no yoke of Tyranny to instruct Officers with power to be over the People in the Lord To Rule them according to his will to make use of their power not for destruction but for edification And this is all we do teach It s true Church Officers may abuse their power but there is no power were it never so good but coming in mans hand may be wrongly used But secondly There is as great danger of Tyranny in the Independent way and more also than in this For if the major part of the Congregation should enact what is wrong and press it on the fewer and better part would not that be Tyranny And surely there is as great liklyhood of this as of what they say that the Eldership may press unjust Acts upon the Congregation And as it is as likly so it is more remeedless for though a Congregation or any in it be wronged by the Elerdership they have a Superior Judicatory to complean to according to our Doctrine But if the lesser part of the Congregation be wronged and Tyrannized over by the greater according to their Doctrine there is no power under Heaven to right the wrong to call the oppressing party to an account So of all Governments under Heaven Independency is the most Tyrannical Obj. VI. The Sixth Objection they bring against the Truth is from Matth 16. 19. Where Christ sayes I will give unto thee the keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatsoever shall be bound on earth c. It is agreed on by both sides that by the Keys there is meaned the power of Governing the Church Now from this place they would infer that the Keys are given to the Body of the People we shall propone and Answer Three of their Objections whereby they labour to prove this consequence The first is this The Keys are given to the Church built on the Rock whereof Christ spake in the preceeding 18 v. But sure it is all that are believers are built on this Rock Therefore the power of the Keys are given unto them We Answer What they say that the power of the Keyes are given to the Church built on the Rock Is said without a ground For he doth not say Vnto this Church built on a rock do I give the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven But I give it to thee Peter Sure none needs to learn our Lord to speak and this change of Person is not without a Reason in the preceeding verse he says upon this rock I will build my Church Now if Christ had meaned to have established the Government in the hands of the body of the Church he might have as easily said unto this Church will I give the keys c. But he says not so but changes the person unto thee to wit Peter will I give the keyes Besides this also every believing woman is a part of this Church built on the rock And yet according to their own grant the power of the Keys is not given unto them The Second Argument they bring from this place is this The power of the Keys is given to those whom Peter did represent But Peter did represent all believers the body of the Church therefore the power of the Keys is given unto them For answer to this we deny what is affirmed that Peter in this place doth represent all believers he doth but represent the rest of the Apostles and those who were to succeed to the Apostes in Preaching the word and Administrating the Sacraments And this we shall make good from other places of Scripture wherein the grant of this power is renewed and confirmed The first place is John 20. 21. Then said Iesus to them again Peace be unto you as my father hath sent me even so send I you and v 23 Whosoevers sins ye remit they are remitted unto them c. Where it is clear the above mentioned grant is renewed and renewed to the Apostles Secondly He did not only represent the Apostles but all Ministers who succeed to the Apostles in Preaching the word and Administrating the Sacraments As in plain also from Matth 28. 19 20. Where ye will find these things clear 1. That there is a grant of power by Jesus Christ unto the Apostles 2 That this grant is made there not only to the Apostles but to these who should succeed to them in Preaching and Baptizing to the end of the World For it is said lo I am with you alway even unto the end of the World And so from this we retort the Argument on themselves That the power of the Keys is given to these whom Peter did represent But so it is Peter did represent the Apostles and Ministers who were to succeed to them in Preaching the word c. And therefore the power of the Keys is given unto them They argue Thirdly from this place that the grant of the Keys is of as large extent as Peters confession v. 16 Thou art Christ the son of the living God Now this Confession belongs to all believers and so also must the power of the Keys We Answer 1. That the grant of the power of the Keys doth belong to all who hold out Peters Confession hath no ground but their own Assertion And 2. We say it is false For this Confession belongs to all faithful Women and Children as well as men who yet by our Opposits own concession have not the Power of the Keys Their last Objection is taken from 1 Cor 5. 5. Where the Apostle commands the Church of Corinth to
under a duty and Obligation which he is bound to before God and the Congregation also to discharge himself in Namely all the Duties pertaining to a Member of that Particular Congregation or Paroch to which he comes Although he Swear not such an Oath We say Secondly he may also Swear to do these Duties But Thirdly To bind this on all the Consciences of the Members of the Church to take such an Oath so as if they take it not They are not Church Members We say It is Will Worship not commanded by God either by Practice or Precept in Old or New Testament We might easily prove that Jesus Christ never took This way to gather a Visible Church But the main difference is the Fourth and that is Concerning those who are to be kept or received Members of the Church Visible Or who they are that have right to these Outward Priviledges we spoke of That which they hold in this Point is That they would have all Visible Churches disolved and then Churches gathered out of these wherein none are to be received or admitted to partake of Church Priviledges so as to be under the care of Ministers Admitted to the Sacraments c. but those who have evident positive signes of Grace and these not only evident to the Minister and a few moe but to all the Members of the Congregation so that every one in the Congregation must be convinced so far as men can attain unto that he hath Grace or else he is no Member of the Visible Church by which Rule they model Congregations But there was never a Congregation since Christ was on the earth so constitute except Their Own For according to this Rule they will cast out the Two Part and of some Congregations leave Ten Parts and take but the Eleventh leaving all the rest as Pagans without Baptising their Children or admitting themselves to any Church Priviledge This is what They hold As for the Judgment of our Church and that which is according to the Word take those Assertions First We hold that every man indeed that is a Member of the Visible Church ought to have Grace so that he sins against God and his own Soul if he have it not And all the priviledges he enjoyes will do him no good without it We say in this respect all the Members of the Church ought to have Grace But to say That they so ought to have Grace that none of them must be admitted to be a Member of the Church Visible without it This we deny It is ill reasoning from unanswerableness to an obligation to a forfaulture of Priviledges For every man that is a Magistrate ought to have Grace so as he sins against God if he have it not yet a man may be a lawful Magistrate and have the Priviledges of a Magistrate although he have not Grace Secondly We do willingly grant that in the Constitution of our Church and admitting of People to the Lords Table Our Practice comes far short of the Rule There is not that care taken to purge out scandalous persons as should be Our practice is indeed short of the Rule But Our Rule which we shall hold out as we shall prove is Good To know then what is the Rule according to which we should admit men to be Members of the Church First There are some who are admitted to some Priviledges only and not to all as to Baptism And these are Members of the Church Incompleatly They are Members but not so fully And those are Infants that are born within the Church Visible They are Members although not to be admitted to the Lords Supper Now betwixt Us and the Separatists herein to wit whether Infants should be Baptized there is no difference Secondly There are some who are admitted to all Priviledges of the Visible Church And those are Members Compleatly and fully And concerning those the dispute is Who are those that ought to be admitted to all the common Priviledges of the Visible Church They mantain as we heard that none should be admitted but those that can give evident Signs of Grace to the satisfaction of the Consciences of all within the Church We hold First that if it be known that Men be Baptized And Secondly If they be free of Scandal And Thirdly If they submit themselves to the Doctrine of the Gospel and have some competent knowledge of the Grounds of the Christian Religion If these things I say be in a man We hold that he is to be received although he cannot give evident signes of the reality of the Grace of God in him to All. And this is the Controversie II. Now we come to prove that which we hold by Arguments The first is John the Baptist did not follow this Rule of Theirs in receiving Members to the Church and therefore it is not the right Rule That John the Baptist did not follow this Rule will appear if we consider Luke 3. Wherein consider Who it was whom John Baptized v 21. Now when all the People were Baptized c. It was all the People Consider Secondly What he requires of this People before he Baptize them We shall find in the preceeding words that he seeks no more than that they would be convinced that they were wrong before And Secondly Profess an earnest desire to amend So we find in v 10. And the People asked him saying what shall we do And the publicans in the 12. v do the same who yet were but Course Men. And in the 14 v The souldiers likewise demanded of him saying what shall we do Now these Questions import this much That they were convinced they were wrong and professed at least a desire to become better And accordingly John instructs them thus and thus ye shall do And without more ado in v 21. He Baptizes them Now it is not possible that John could have got positive signes from every one of them to convince him that they had real Grace Far less That every one of the multitude could have been perswaded in Conscience of the reality of Grace in each other And therefore the Rule of admiting men to be Members of the Visible Church cannot be this That every one to be admitted should have evident signes of Grace satisfactory to the Consciences of all John sought not this of those whom he received It 's true he fals very sharply on the Scribes Matth. 3 v 7 O generations of vipers who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come But it is as true when he hath rebuked them as ill as they were before seing now they professed a desire to amend he Baptizes them in v 11. I indeed Baptise you with water c The same You whom he spoke to in v. 7. As is clear from the Connexion of every Verse If it be Objected that they were not received to be Members of the Church although they were Baptized We shall once for all clear that Baptism sealeth up a mans