and for the truth S.T. TRUTH VINDICATED From the false Accusations of those of the Independent Society c. 1. THat the Church of England is a true Church of Christ for the cleering of this I will shew First the divers acceptations of the word Church 2. In what sence the Church of England is said to bee a true Church of Christ 3. I will lay downe arguments grounded upon the word of God whereby it doth appeare that the Church of England is a true Church of Christ For the first the word Church is put first for all those that shall be saved Heb. 12.23 To the generall assembly and Church of the first born that are written in heaven Colos 1.18 And he is the head of the body the Church Secondly it is put for the faithfull of a family we reade of the Church in Priscillaes and Aquilaes house Rom. 16.5 1 Cor. 16.19 of the Church in Nymphas house Colos 4.15 And of the Church in Philemons house Philemon verse 2. Thirdly it is put for the houses or places where the faithfull do meete together to preach the word of God and to administer the Sacraments as appeares if you compare 1 Cor. 11.18 verse with the 20 verse In the 18 verse he saith when ye come together in the Church and in the 20. verse when ye come together in one place Fourthly it is put for the professors of Christ scattered throughout severall Regions Acts 8.13 Acts. 12.1 The Apostle Peter writing to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithynia in the 1 Peter 1.1 he calleth them in the second Chapter of that Epistle and the 5 verse lively stones built up to a spirituall house that is a Church of God Fiftly it is put for every congregation gathered together to worship God 1 Cor. 14.23 If therefore the whole Church be come together into some place 1 Cor. 4.17 As I teach every where in every Church Sixtly it is put for the representative Church that is those who have the government of the Church in their hands and are to provide for the order peace and discipline of it Mat. 18.17 And if he shall neglect to hear them tell it to the Church that is to the Ministers or Governors of the Church who have power to cast him out as a heathen man and a publican not every particular member of the Church as appeares by the Apostle 2 Cor. 2.6 sufficient to such a man is this punishment or censure which was inflicted by many he would not have restrained it to many if it had been done by all Seventhly and lastly by Church in Scripture is understood a Kingdome or Nation Province County or City enjoying the word and ordinances of God and professing faith in God Such a Church was the Church of the Jewes to whom were committed the Oracles of God Rom. 3.2 And from whom should proceed the word by which God worketh salvation Isay 2.3 By which word they were distinguished from all other Nations in the World Psal 147.19.20 and became the peculier people of God Deut. 7.6 And thus the Kingdome of Israel became the Kingdome of God or Church of God Our Saviour Christ speaking of the rejection of the Iewes from being his people and Church over whom he raigned by his Word and Spirit saith Mat. 21.43 the Kingdome of God shall be taken from you and given to a Nation bringing forth the fruits thereof intimating that whatsoever Nation received and believed the word of God did become the Church and people of God as the Nation of the Jewes was before they were rejected The Prophet Isay prophesying of the conversion of the Gentiles saith Isay 55.5 behold thou shall call a Nation thou knewest not and Nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee by which it appeareth that whole Nations shall become the Church and people of God according to that promise Isay 52.15 he shall sprinkle many Nations And thus ye have the divers acceptations of the word Church 2. I come now in the second place to shew in what sense the Church of England is said to be a true Church of God And that is according to the last acceptation of the word Church which is when a Nation joyne themselves to the Lord by receiving professing believing and practising the word of God to salvation by which God becomes their God dwelling in the midst of them and they become his people Psal 33.12 according to that in Zach. 2.11 and many Nations shall be joyned to the Lord in that day and shall be my people and I will dwell in the midst of them which was practised Jerem. 50.5 Come let us joyne our selves to the Lord in a perpetuall Covenant that shall not be forgotten And it was most exactly performed in this Nation Deut. 26.17.18 by our late Nationall Covenant made with God We read of a Covenant between God and his people consisting of mutuall conditions on the peoples part the conditions are faith whereby they embrace him and rely upon him as their God and obedience to his commands as their Lawmaker and Governour verse 17. and on Gods part the conditions are to take them for his people which imployeth both his protection of them and provision for them both for this life and the next in this 18 verse the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his people and in the 9 verse of the next Chapter this day thou art become the people of the Lord. Not that they were not Gods Church and people before for we find it expressed they were so Deut 7.6.7 Deut. 14.2 But hereby it is yet further confirmed to them they were Gods Church and people And thus and in this sence the Church of England is a true Church of God And this leads me to The third thing propounded to lay downe arguments grounded upon the word of God by which it cleerly appeares that the Church of England is a true Church of God Our Saviour Christ when he would prove to the woman of Samaria that the Church of the Jewes was the true Church of God he doth it thus Iohn 4.22 Ye worship ye know not what we know what we worship for salvation is of the Jewes Whence I infer this first argument 1. That Church in which salvation is obtained and God is worshipped according to the knowledge of his will revealed in his word is the true Church of God but in the Church of England salvation is obtained and God is worshipped according to his will revealed in his word Therefore the Church of England is the true Church of God A second argument may be made which is necessarily implied in the text thus 2. Salvation is not ordinarily obtained out of the true Church of God but salvation is ordinarily obtained by the preaching of the word in the Church of England therfore the Church of England is the true Church of God An other argument may be grounded upon that by which the
Apostle proves the Ephesians to be the true Church or houshold of God Ephe. 2.19.20.21 now therefore yee are no more strangers and foraigners but fellow Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God and are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himselfe being the corner stone c. whence I frame this argument 3. They that build upon the Apostles and Prophets making Christ the corner stone are no strangers but fellow Citizens with the Saints and of the Church or houshold of God but the Church of England is sound in Doctrine building upon the Apostles and Prophets making Christ Jesus the corner stone Therefore it is the true Church of God A fourth argument may be gathered from that text 1 Tim. 3.15 But if I tary long that thou maist know how thou oughtest to behave thy selfe in the house of God which is the Church of the living God the piller and ground of truth by which text it appears that truth is the signe whereby the Church of God is knowne and from whence I thus reason 4. Every Church that as on a piller hold forth the truth of God is the house of God the Church of the living God But the Church of England doe hold forth the word of truth Iohn 17.17 which is the Gospel of Christ that bringeth salvation Rom. 1.16 Therefore the Church of England is the true Church of God I take these arguments for granted and therefore I doe not prove all these things to be found in the Church of England because they are so cleerly manifest that I thinke none will deny them but if any should I desire to know it and I doubt not but to satisfie them therein There is one objection made by them that deny the Church of England to be a true Church which I desire to answer It is this the true Church of Christ consist of none but visible Saints but the Church of England is a mixt company of ignorant wicked and prophane persons Therefore they are not the true Church of God To which I answer That the true Church of Christ ought to consist of none but visible Saints for the well being thereof is a truth But that a Church ceases to be a true Church because they are not all visible Saints but some are ignorant wicked and prophane persons this is false The Church of Corinth was a true Church yet some of them were ignorant and had not the knowledge of God 1 Cor. 15.34 some denyed the Resurrection 1 Cor. 15.12 some were wicked and prophane for they were drunke when they came to the Sacrament 1 Cor. 11.21 Therefore not all visible Saints yet a true Church In the Church of Galatia some erred in the great point of justification against which errour Saint Paul opposed his Epistle written to them and yet they were a true Church In the Church in Pergamos some held the doctrine of Balam and of the Nicholaitans teaching to eate things sacrificed to Idols and to commit fornication Rev. 2.14 surely therefore not all visible Saints and yet a true Church of God In the Church there are vessels of wood and earth as well as of gold and silver 2 Tim. 2.20 And thus it appeares that notwithstanding there are ignorant wicked and prophane persons in the Church of England yet it is the true Church of God And so I come to the second proposition 2. That it is a sin to seperate from the true Church We ought not to depart from a Church in which God dwels and abides lest we be found departers from God But God walketh in the midst of his Church Revel 2.1 yea he desireth to dwell there Psal 132.13 14. and he promiseth to walke amongst them Levit. 26.12 therefore it cannot but be a sin to seperate and walke from them Our Saviour Christ did not seperate from the Church of the Jews although it was exceedingly corrupted in worship doctrine and discipline they saying well but doing ill yet he was circumcised Luke 2.21 and baptised in it Luke 3.21 holding communion with it In the Apologeticall Narration pag. 6. they professe before God and all the world that multitudes of the Assemblies and parochiall Congregations of the Church of England are the true Church and body of Christ and the Ministery thereof a true Ministery And when the Churches of England were the most either actually overspread with desilements or in the greatest danger thereof they then both did and would hold a communion with them as the Churches of Christ If this was their judgement then certainely now that wee are cleansed from those defilements and a further Reformation is dayly intended and endeavoured they cannot but acknowledge it to be a great sin to seperate from our parochiall Churches renouncing them as false Churches and utterly denying to hold communion with them I shall not need further to cleere this All acknowledge it to be a sin to seperate from the true Church They in the Apologeticall Narration do acknowledge our parochiall Churches to bee the true Churches and body of Christ Therefore I proceed to the third thing propounded 3. That the Independent Society in the City of Norwich is no true Church of Christ I shall do it by these following arguments the first is this They that seperate from the true Church of Christ are Schismaticks And a company of Schismaticks being joyned in society together make a society of Schismaticks but not a true Church of Christ But the Independent Society doe seperate from the Church of England which as hath beene proved is the true Church of Christ Therefore the Independent Society is no true Church of Christ The Major proposition is cleered to mee by that text in 1 Iohn 2.19 where it appeares that they that seperate from the Church cannot be members of the Church Doctor Ames in his fourth book of Conscience pag. 141. In his answer to this question Whether or no Schismaticks are members of the true Church saith If an obstinate seperation be made from all true Churches or from any one for a case common to all then such Schismaticks although it may be retaining the faith they continue members of the Church Catholike they cannot be esteemed as visible members of the Church And for the Minor proposition themselves cannot deny but they were converted in the Church of England And it is a strange Paradox to me that they should be converted in a false Church and so made fit members for a true Church Certainely that Church in which they had their spirituall fathers to beget them to God that Church is their spirituall Mother The Apostle saith the Church of Corinth had ten thousand instructors in Christ yet not many fathers 1 Cor. 4.15 but blessed be God in the Church of England there are and have beene many spirituall fathers who through the preaching of the Gospel of Christ have and doe daily beget many to Christ and they are the Ministers of God by
of their dutie 3. Thirdly by seperating from the Church of England and joyning to the Independent society Divine precepts are violated For we are commanded that all thingss should be done in charity 1 Cor. 16.14 it is a sin not to walke charitably Rom. 14.15 but what charity is it to renounce a whole Church without a ground It is true Gods people are commanded to seperate from Heathens and Idolaters 2 Cor. 6.17 Isa 52.11 to depart out of Babilon Revel 18.4 but not out of Sion Not forsaking the assemblings of Gods Church and people Heb. 10.25 Therefore they that seperate must account the Church of England as Babylon they must reckon them amongst the Heathens and Idolaters or else they cannot justifie their seperation from them And if they so Judge where is their charity Againe saith the Apostle Rom. 16.17 now I beseech you brethren marke them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoyd them And we are commanded not to meddle or mix our selves with those that are given to change Prov. 24.21 And well may such receive that checke that the Prophet Jeremie giveth Jer. 2.36 why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way But how doe those performe these precepts that cause divisions and seperations and gad about so much to change their way Fourthly it is denounced as a judgement of God to be seperated from the Congregation of Gods Church and people Ezra 10.8 But the Independent societie make themselves the executioners of this judgement upon themselves for God casts them not out neither doth the Church cast them out but themselves seperate themselves from the Church and people of God what greater evill then under pretence of joyning to the Church of God to depart from the Church in the midst whereof God abides Ps 46.5 Is it not to depart from God Fifthly by seperating from the true Church of God the unity of Christs mysticall body is in a manner destroyed for all the faithfull are of one houshold Gal 6.10 children of one and the same father Rom. 8.14 Ephes 4.6 and mother Gal. 4.26 hauing all one elder brother Heb. 2.11 and are all begotten by the same spirituall seed 1 Peter 1.23 and are all nourished by the same milke 1 Peter 2.2 and are all heires of the same kingdome Iames 2.5 Mat. 25.34 all souldiers under the same Captaine 2 Tim. 2.3 all having the same enemies Ephes 6.12 Therefore it cannot but be a great sin for them to seperate and divide Sixtly they that seperate cause divisions and discover themselves to bee carnall in so doing saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 3.3 for ye are yet carnall for whereas there is amongst you envying and strife and divisions or factions are yee not carnall and walke as men as carnall and wicked men Iude ver 19. These be they that seperate themselves sensuall having not the Spirit or as some reade the words These are makers of Sects c. and in the verse before they are called mockers Wee finde that haters of Gods people seperated Gods people from their company Luke 6.22 but wee finde not Gods people rejecting of and seperating themselves from the company of the Church and people of God yet so do the Independents Seventhly and lastly they that seperate from the Church of England to joyne to the Independent Society they are meerely deceived of their ends in their joyning for first they thinke they joyne themselves to a true Church but they doe not Secondly they thinke they shall be bettered by their joyning with them but they are not First in their joyning with them they are so farre from joyning to a true Church as thereby they cast themselves out of a true Church and are made members of no Church And if I mistake not they that excommunicate a whole Church of God and themselves out of it by renouncing it are in a worse condition then those that are excommunicated and cast out by the Church for casting out by the Church is for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may bee saved 1 Cor. 5.5 And although the Church account of such a one as a Heathen and a Publican Mat. 18.17 yet he that is so rejected doth not reject the Church and count them as Heathens and Publicans But they that thus reject the Church of England do account of them as Heathens and Publicans that is to say such a company as it is not fit to hold communion with as the Church of God Now let who will judge who is in the worst condition either he that is rejected by the Church as a remedy against sinne or he that is not rejected by the Church yet make it his sin to despise and reject the whole Church And how a company of such despisers and rejecters of the Church of God should make a Church of God I know not Secondly they that joyne themselves to that most strange Independent Society are exceedingly deceived in thinking they shall be bettered by so doing I know the benefit by meeting for prayer and conference is that which is much aymed at by some that are joyned with them and others that have desired to bee joyned with them for that end but are not I confesse the meetings of christians for prayer and conference are duties I much prise and approve of and have found much benefit by them but it was when there was more sincerity humility and familiarity amongst christians then is generally now to bee found Of late it is come to passe through the pollicy of Satan and the pride and deceitfulnesse of mens hearts that under pretence of meeting for the performing of these duties mens fancies are vented and all the errours amongst us are dayly spread and increased and how can it otherwise be when these duties are performed by those whose judgements are corrupted When christian society was maintained in humility and the feare of God with all that feared God then God did approve of their meeting Mal. 3.16 and they found the fruit of it But since pride and singularity have made a seperation so as not all that feare God are admitted into their Society but onely such as are of their judgement and will walke with them in their way God hath not approved of their Society for God is no such respecter of persons Rom. 3.11 Acts 10.34.35 neither would he have christian conference hindered for any such ends Gal. 2.6 And while it is so hindered how can God be glorified or themselves bettered thereby Doth not experience prove they are the worse since they have entred into the Independent society Doe they not neglect publique ordinances Are not many of them remisse in family duties Are not Gods Ministers neglected if not despised Are not former Freinds slighted and rejected At least is not their love to them abated Doe they not misconstrue every mans words and actions that are not in their affections who have been more ready then they to receive and spread abrode if not to raise false reports of others that have not complied with them Have any credited and divulged the scandalous reports that have been raised of our Brethren the Scots more then they Doe not their very speech bewray that they would be glad if there were sufficient matter of charge against them to occasion falling with violence upon them Have they not high thoughts of themselves Doe each of them in lowlinesse of mind esteeme others better then themselves Phil. 2.3 Doe they abate in sin and increase in grace But can sin abate where love decaies Mat. 24.12 or grace grow where pride increases James 4.6 Surely no. Can a man sin against God and prosper Job 9.4 It is true they that love the Church shall prosper Psal 122 6. but can any cast off the Church and prosper While a man is in a way of sinning against God I cannot but question his thriving in grace I confesse I have heard much boasting of their thriving in the Independent society but I have not seene it I find not growing Thyatira boasting of their growth Rev. 2.18.19 but I find decaying Laodicea vaine gloriously boasting of their riches and increase but it was their ignorance made them thinke so for they were wretched miserable poore blind and naked notwithstanding their boasting Rev. 3.14.17 To conclude if to joyne with the Independent society be a violation of the Covenant a hindering men from performing their duties to others a violating of divine precepts a bringing a judgement of God upon themselves a breaking the unity of Christs mysticall body a discovering themselves to be carnall a seperating themselves from the true Church and making themselves to be no members of any Church of God and a meere deluding themselves All which hath been proved it is Therefore it cannot but be a sin and folly to joyne to that society Consider what hath been said and the Lord give you understanding in all things FINIS