A Friendly Epistle TO THE Bishops and Ministers OF THE Church of England FOR Plain Truth and sound Peace BETWEEN The Pious Protestants of the Church of ENGLAND AND Those of the Baptised Believers Written with the Advice of divers Pastors and Brethren of the Baptised Congregations By THO. GRANTHAM Follow Peace with all Men and Holiness without which no Man shall see the Lord. Heb. 12. 14. London Printed in the Year 1680. THE PREFACE TO THE READER THe Complaint is both great and just that Christians are so divided amongst themselves that it 's hard for an impartial Christian to find where to fix for his own comfortable Society And this Calamity is much aggravated by the backwardness of each Party to offer any thing to accommodate these Differences each expecting rather that their Opposites should wholly conform to their Sentiments and relinquish their own And what may be thought in that case of this present Overture we cannot certainly divine nor will be too confident that there is nothing of that nature in it But of this we will be confident that the things here desired do carry much of their reasonableness in the very nature of them and have their approbation both from the sacred Word and the Works of those to whom they now address themselves for a Christian Compliance But it will be said What are the Men that make this Overture Our Answer is We are the Servants of the Living God or We are Christians and having seen the Discords and Ruines which have befallen the Christian Nations do heartily desire those Breaches may be made up And as it is not so 't is hoped it will not be deemed any Transgression of the Law of God or man for any Christians to seek for Peace one with another in the Truth notwithstanding their differing Circumstances in respect of worldly Honours or the disparity of their Education seeing they ought all to be cloathed with humility the strong to bear the infirmity of the weak and not to please themselves The Brother of high degree to rejoyce in that he is made low and the Chief to become Servant to the rest When Paul heard of the Divisions which happened in the Church at Corinth how does he blame them for their Carnality as the cause and bestir himself to recover their Unity in the truth which at first they had received 1 Cor. 1. 10. Now I beseech you Brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no Divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same Judgment Referring them to the Foundation and Rule of all Christian Unity that only Christ was Crucified for them that Christ is not to be divided and that they were baptized in the Name of Christ and that therefore they should not follow any Man but as he follows Christ But it seems this great Apostle did not live to see an end of their Divisions as appears not only from the close of his last Epistle to them 2 Cor. 12. 20 21. but also from the Epistle of Clement who survived him which he wrote upon the occasion of that ungodly Sedition so he calls it which had kindled among them through pride and self-love which he vehemently laboured to extinguish by many Arguments but specially by reducing them to the blessed Example of Christ their Leader and the practise of such as lived after a godly sort His words are these Christ Jesus our Lord the Scepter of the Majesty of God came not in vain boasting of Arrogance and Pride although he could do all things but in humility of mind according as the Holy Spirit had spoken concerning him See beloved Friends what an Example is given unto us for if the Lord was so humble what shall we do who are come under the yoke of his Grace let us stick to these therefore who live godly and peaceably and not to them who hypocritically only seem to desire Peace for somewhere he saith they blessed with their Mouth but with their Heart they cursed for their Heart was not right with Him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant Now if the Points in Controversie among the Christians at Corinth were of as great moment as ours as that may be made evident then 't is as rational for us to seek for concord each with other as it was for Paul and Clement to seek to unite them And hence we are the more desirous to make this present Overture for Christian Amity with the pious Protestants in the Church of England for divers Causes And first As it is very evident there hath bin a great departure from the simplicity of the Gospel both in the Form and Power of it since the plantation of it in the World by Christ and his Apostles so also it is certain that many good Men in Ages past as well as in this present Age have still bin labouring and that often-times under great tryals for the Restoration of the Truth to its Purity some in one point and some in another more especially And here the English Protestant hath bin as active as others some in reforming divers things in Doctrine and Practice others in keeping the ground they have gained against the opposers of Reformation Now this Work as it is of God ought to be carried on in the Nations of the World to its perfection Namely till the Truths of the Gospel be delivered from all humane Innovations which have incumbred it to the disturbance of the peace of Christians in all ages since they found opportunity to croud themselves into the Service of God But the great obstruction of this work of Reformation has bin the falling out of the Reformers among themselves And this is the case of the sober Protestant and the Baptised Believer in this Age and Nation the latter not so honouring the first as he ought with respect to what God hath done by him and the former despising the latter by whom God is pleased notwithstanding to bring to light some antient Truths which the former overslip'd or took not due notice of And by this impatience and disrespect in each towards other they prove inimical to the very Work which in the main they both design to promote It is the way of ingenuous Men in reviving decayed Arts to honour their Predecessors though inferior to themselves and to encourage those that succeed to attempt things more excellent Why are not Christians as ingenuous in their endeavours to restore decayed Religion There is nothing in the Authour of our Profession or the Profession it felf but candor and ingenuity Wherefore if we intend the furtherance of the Work of Reformation hitherto carried on through manifold Afflictions let us timely consider our common Interest which is to make one Shoulder to defend what our Ancestors have worthily atcheived as also to joyn our industry for the restoration of every Truth which
Spirit of Pride and BLOOD-THIRSTINESS from amongst the Christian People And let all that are called by that Name be ashamed that ever such wrath hath bin found amongst them and let them be humbled before thy Majesty in the remembrance of it O Lord we beseech thee Most Gracious God we confess unto Thee we are not worthy to undertake any thing in behalf of the Peace and Vnity of divided Christians But thou O God that despisest not the base and weak things of this World be intreated to bless our present Enterprise as it is consistent with thy pleasure to the good of thy People universally That they may be one in Truth and Peace according to thy Word which is Truth We beseech thee to bow the Heart of the Mighty the Wise and Honorable in the Christian Nations to study Truth and Peace to condescend to any thing for thy Glory and thy Peoples Happiness and we pray that none who are called by thy Name may any longer be puffed up for one and against another O teach those that love Thee to strive together with one mind for the Truth and Power of Religion according to the Gospel Good Lord be intreated for thy Names sake in behalf of all those that are of pious meaning in these Nations especially that their Hearts being intirely knit together in the great and more necessary parts of thy Worship they may Glorifie thy Name with one consent by a charitable forbearance in things which are not sinful in thy sight We intreat Thee our God make us thy Servants ever to be ready on our parts to evidence by act what here we propose in words and grant thy Spirit to enable us herein to serve Thee and all such as fear Thee and love thy Testimonies And grant that none of thy People may uncharitably censure this our undertaking for Concord amongst thy Servants Grant them Patience to consider what is here offered and where we may seem deficient herein lead others to supply what is wanting that through thy Blessing upon our united Endeavours the Good here intended may be prosperously promoted to thy Praise O Lord to the great increase of Charity and therewith to the true comfort of thy People throughout the whole World Even so Lord God Almighty Even so Amen A Friendly Epistle TO All the Bishops Ministers OF THE Church of England Reverend Sirs MAy it please you in the meekness and gentleness of Christ to lay aside a little those exterior Honours which are conferred upon you and to condescend to Men of low degree and in that Condescention seriously to ponder what is herein with Humility and Sincerity submitted to your Consideration We do seriously account it a part of our Infelicity to see the Distractions and Divisions which are in our Land about things relating to the Worship of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ and therewithal it is too evident that the Power of Godliness is much neglected and the Ways of Christianity greatly depraved whereupon many that love the Lord Jesus are so estranged among themselves as to become Adversaries to their own Peace and the Comfort of each other May it then please God to lead us all to the Consideration of these ill Effects and to remove the Causes of them And seeing we may perhaps be under worse Apprehensions concerning one another than there is real cause for let it be calmly considered on both parts that our greatest differences are about Ceremonies And those also of Humane device as we conceive the best of which are not worth the loss of one Soul and therefore in no wise fit to adventure the breach of our Peace and Christian Concord for their sake which may be the cause of perishing to many May it therefore seem well pleasing to you the Bishops of the Church of England with your Brethren of the Ministery to admit of some friendly and free Debate with the Bishops and Teachers of the Baptized Churches in this Nation to try if by any means a way may be found to bring us to Christian Concrd in the Gospel of God To effect this is either impossible or difficult only Not the first sith our differences lie not in the doctrinal part of any Foundation-Article of the Christian Religion so much as in the application or practick part of them For to touch a little the grand points about which we differ viz. Sacred Baptism and the Discipline of the Church of these we spake the same thing for thus you teach That in Baptism there is an inward and spiritual Grace and an outward and visible Sign And that Repentance whereby we forsake Sin And Faith whereby we stedfastly believe the Promises of God made to us in that Sacrament are the things required of all Persons that are to be baptized And hereunto we do most heartily subscribe And touching holy Discipline your Doctrine is That the manner of proceeding in Excommunication is first by gentle Admonition and that once or twice given with the Spirit of meekness if the fault be not notoriously known and next by open reprehension afterwards by publick sentence of the Church to put him from the company of the faithful to deliver him to Satan to denounce him an Heathen and a Publican if no Admonitions will serve and the crimes be very offensive To this Doctrine like wise we do give our full consent Nevertheless it must be granted a very great difficulty as things now stand to reform what is really amiss on your part in the practice relating to those two points of the Christian Religion especially seeing that the worldly interest of so many carnal-minded men seems to depend upon the continuation of the Errors which have befallen you in the practice of these holy Institutes Howbeit this Difficulty is not greater than it was to reform what was as really amiss in that great Ordinance the Lord's Table whether we consider their Error who for many Centuries gave the Communion to Infants or theirs who by their Transubstantiation destroy the very nature of the Sacrament Nor shall we here forget but thankfully remember the great Travel and Sufferings of your Martyrs and the pious Zeal which appeared in many of them when called to reduce that holy Ordinance of the Lord's Supper from many corruptions by which it had been prophaned But yet we must needs condole their shortness in not looking with like diligence into the pristine purity of the other Sacrament By which oversight we which survive them are exposed the more to our present Difficulties And hence we may borrow that passage in 1 Chron. 15. 13. Because ye did it not at the first therefore the Lord our God made a breach upon us for that we sought him not after the due order And here we ought to learn that seeing God would not indulge his Servant David in such an oversight when yet his intention was very pious will have his own Methods duly observed in things pertaining to his Service
effectual Course be resolveâ— upon to keep as far as may be consistent with Trutâ— and Charity a holy and just Distinction between thosâ— who lead wicked and Scandalous Lives and them thaâ— live holily according to the general Rules of Christianity without respect of Persons 2. That this Care be taken more especially concerning the Ministery otherwise we shall still have multitudes of prophane and debauched Men set up as Leaders And we see by Experientce the People are too ready to follow their ill Examples and the consequence musâ— needs be lamentable as it is written They eat up thâ— Sins of my People and set their Heart on their Iniquities and there shall be like People like Priest And 〈◊〉 will punish them for their Wayes and reward theâ— their Doings Jer. 15. 18. II. Concerning the means to effect the Vnity desired 1. That it would please you the Bishops of the Church of England to petition the King's Majesty that it may be made lawful by an Act of Parliament or by his Royall Permission for a competent Number of Representatives of such Dissenters as have a mind to unite with the Church of England to meet in Christian Counsel with your selves and to agree upon mature Deliberation on such Articles as may if God see iâ— good put a Period to our present Animosities and Divisions 2. That if these Proposals do not hold Agreement with the good old way of Christianity then we desire they may be rejected and that you would be plâ—ased to propose things which may be more effectual to procure the Unity desired For our Record is on high and we have also the Testimony of our Conscience that in Simâ—licity and godly Sincerity not with fleshly Wisdom but by â—he Grace of God we desire to have our Conversation 〈◊〉 the Gospel with you and with all that love Christ 〈◊〉 our Nation Trusting in the Lord that the uâ—â—ting of such in the Truth in general may effectually â—ove many to Jealousie with themselves who are now â—â—tangled in Error or involved in Prophaneness that â—hey may be converted from the Evil of their Ways and â—onsequently our Nation to abound with all Blessings â—specially the Blessing of the Gospel of Peace For Godliness hath the Promise of the Life that now is and of that which is to come Finally if these Endeavours for Christian Concord with all that fear God and work Righteousness in this Nation be rejected yet herein shall we have some Peace and Comfort that we have made the best Essay we could for Brotherly Concord with them Being also â—eriously desirous utterly to forget all the hard things which in time past we have suffered from our Countrey-Men Hoping that the sober Protestant hath had good Occasion by this time to observe that God Almighty hath pleaded the Innocency of our Principles and Purpose from the Evils too frequently and most unjustly suggested against them and that therefore we may now with the greater freedom of Speech express our selves as in the Premises and conclude with the modest Speech of Augustine This then is our Desire which we do alledge by these Letters unto your Reverence First if it may be that you would confer with our Bishops peaceably and quieâ—ly to the End that Error be taken away from those in whom it shall be found and not that Men be taken away nor punished but gently corrected But before we shut up this Epistle it will be needful to answer two Objections which may seem to be of 〈…〉 we have said Obj 1. It will be objected That we ask or desirâ— many things and grant but few Ans 1. That we hope we have desired nothing buâ— what is rational according to the sound Principles 〈◊〉 Christianity and which will be profitable to the Churcâ— of God when granted 2. We stand ready to hear what our Friends of thâ— Church of England will require of us to answer thoâ— Kindnesses which we desire of them and hope we shadeny them nothing which we may lawfully grant 2. Obj. That the Alteration which we propose in tâ—â— case of Baptism amounts to a Renunciation of thâ—â— Christianity and to begin anew to become Christians Ans The Church of England does not only retaiâ— the Substance of what Truth â—he hath received concerninâ— Baptism by altering to the better but will indeed the be consistant with the Truth of her own Doctrine in the fiâ— paragraph of her 27th Article and her vulgar Catechisâ— which she hath rather made void hitherto by the Custoâ— of Paedobaptism 2. If we take the Text Act. 19. 5. according to tâ— Exposition of the Ancients and divers Modern Writâ— as that is indeed the native and clear Sence of tâ— place It will then be a good president to the Churâ—â— of England to alter the Subject and Manner of her Baâ—tism for here we see these Ephesians being not right instructed concerning the grounds of Baptism when thâ— were baptized unto John's Baptism are therefore baâ—tized again upon more perfect Instruction Yet 〈◊〉 they not renounce the least part of Christianity 〈◊〉 any Truth which they had received concerning Baptisâ— But did rather perfect that Infirm Baptism which thâ— had received And it is a just Presumption that the first Baptism was more valid then Paedobaptism 〈◊〉 Infants know nothing at all either what they do what is done to them but oppose it what in them 〈◊〉 whereas these at Ephesus were Disciples ver 1 â—uch as did know unto what they had been baptized 〈◊〉 3 and yet are baptized again because not duly inâ—ormed before concerning the grounds of Baptism and â—his is written for our Learning when our case is like â—heirs POSTSCRIPT THe Reader may be confident we are not without foresight that our hearty desire and endeavour for Truth â—nd Peace will be little regarded by many some will cenâ—ure us others contemn us and what we have here proâ—osed But be it so yet we also hope some will consider what we â—ave offered and may it but give some Light to a better â—nderstanding of the Case depending or move any whose â—ircumstances may render them more serviceable to promote Truth and Peace amongst Dissenting Christians We shall â—e content to labour and suffer reproach because we trust 〈◊〉 the living God Since the precedent Epistle was written some of us have 〈◊〉 a Sermon lately preached by Dr. Stillingfleet on Phil. â— 16. wherein he also endeavours for Peace amongst Dissening Christians but there is one thing necessary which he â—oes not much meddle with and that is to shew That the â—hurch he would have us to communicate with is such for Constitution and Government as was that at Philippi â—hen he shall do this he may be confident small faults â—â—ll not keep us from her Communion And that she may 〈◊〉 such is the unfeigned desire and eadeavour of the Auâ—â—ors of the precedent Epistle FINIS * By Truth in this place we intend chiefly what is needful to a true Church-state and an holy Life * 1 Cor 3. 3 4. 11. 18 19 20 21. 15. 12 29. 2 Cor. 12. 20 21. see also Clem. Ep. at large and it will fully appear * This Letter has been printed about 24 years and never yet contradicted by Dr. Barlow See Mr. Tombes his Praeface to the Reader in the third part of his full Review of the Dispute concerning Infant Baptism p. 8 9. * Mr. Baxter tells us many both Papists and Prelaâ—ists have maintain'd that Infant Baptism is not determined in Scripture but depends on the Tradition of the Church Def. Princ. of Love p. 7. And Dr. Jer. Taylor tells us there is no prime Tradition for Infant Baptism See his Disswas from Popery * Note that the Division at Corinth was occasioned by laying aside the primitive Institution of Christ concerning the Ministery the ancient Bishops or Elders being thrust out c. And our Divisions are occasioned by either the laying aside or the not duly observing Christ's Ordinances touching the Constitution and Government of his Church according to the primitive pattern See your Church Catechism * And it is granted by learned Protestants that this clause of Christ's Descent into Hell was not always in the 4th Article of the Creed as the Nicen Creed and divers others do witness See Mr. Ross's Abridgment of Divinity pag. 115. See Mr. Calvin Instit L. 1. Chap. 13. Sect. 5. out of whom this Quotation is taken Aug. Ep. 58. ad Jan. Donat.