to repair to him for the more cherishing all good desires and affections in him till he arrive at a competency of knowledg but all this while doth not make him known to the Church so that his infirmities are not blazoned abroad in the World in the least by this way of proceeding Phil. My Friend I pray inform me what you intend by a separate Society and can you justifie separation you know how it 's cryed out against by most learned Divines Ch. Therefore I put in that word because I am sure Separation is a necessary adjunct that doth belong to every true Constituted Church of Christ nay is there any that doth pretend to be a Church of Christ that doth not separate more or less doth not the pretended Church of Rome separate from Turks and mere Pagans doth not our Church of England separate from Rome and why Either because some say it 's no true Church others because it 's corrupted in Doctrine and Worship though a true Church and thereby justifie their separation from it And may not other Churches upon the same ground separate from the Church of England either because as some will say it 's not a true constituted Gospel Church but Antichristian or because as others will say they allow it to be a Church of Christ but polluted in Doctrine Worship Manners both as to the Ministry and People and therefore to be separated from for the enjoyment of a purer Church State and Communion Again the Church of England in her Catechism teacheth separation and solemnly vows it Infants in Baptism Promise by the Sureties or Vangers to forsake the World the Flesh and the Devil What is this but separation And if this were practised as it is promised the members of the Church of England would be a separate people Lastly there is nothing clearer than that a visible Church of Christ ought to be separate 1 Pet. 2.9 What is a choice peculiar people a holy Nation to shew forth the praises of him that hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light but a separate people a Holy Nation in a world lying in wickedness a people called out of a dark world into marvellous light as the Church of old in Goshen had marvellous light while Egypt was in darkness and the praises of Christ thus separating themselves they shew forth in the Churches And what can be opposed with any evidence against that plain and full place to this purpose 2 Cor. 6.14 be not unequally-yoaked together with unbelievers ver 15. what part hath he that believeth with an unbeliever i. e. a visible unbeliever it ought not to be rendered an Infidel as if one sort of unbeliever only was meant for it 's the same Word every where else and v. 14. rendred unbeliever but our English Divines render the word Infidel insinuating that none but Turks and Pagans were to be understood by this Text that we are required to separate from But the Text is most express that it is from all visible Unbelievers The Temple of God is the Gospel Church the fellowship is Church fellowship therefore he bids us come out from among Unbelievers and from all false worship and be separate v. 17. and then God Promiseth to be their God to dwell with them c. I shall add no more at present on this point though much more might be said Phil. You have fully confirmed me in this point I pray tell me whether there be any that are not actual believers that are Church-members Christ All Church members come in upon the right of a Visible Profession but it follows not thence that all Church-members are actual believers for many Hypocrites come in upon the right of Profession but are not actual believers Again Infants and Children of believing Parents come into Churches and are justly made and called members upon the right of Profession but it is of their Parents not of their own Personal Profession neither are they actual Believers their Profession is in the Parents their Covenant Obligation is in the Parents the Priviledges they are capable of is belonging to them by virtue of a Promise wherein they are concerned with their Parents and primarily for the Confirmation of the Parents Faith and secondarily in order to the Salvation of their Children But a little more of this when I come to Baptism Phil. I pray Sir proceed then to speak to the Visible bond whereby this Church Society is bound together Christ I hinted before that Churches are denominated from their bond of Union as from their Communion from Mystical Union and Communion the Church is called Invisible from Visible Union and Communion it is that Churches are called Visible It 's thus in any civil Corporation and Society every man doth not come and partake of the Priviledges of it at his pleasure and leave it when he please no not every one of such a Profession qualified according to the Laws of the Society none but such as being qualified comes and lays claim to his admission on his qualifications wherein to be approved he puts himself upon the Test being approved he immediately enters into a mutual bond or obligation he promiseth by Oath or otherwise to submit to the Laws of the Society they admit him a member to partake of all the Priviledges So it is in Visible Churches which are so many particular Societies that have given up themselves to Christ and bound themselves to walk together in a visible submissionto constant waiting upon Jesus Christ in all his Gospel Institutions and Appointments and it 's requisite this obligation be explicite because first The Church Society is visible and explicite such therefore must the bond be 2. The Profession of his Faith is explicite such therefore should his obligation be to future walking 3. As no man can be a member of any Society constituted by voluntary consent without he voluntarily offer himself so none is governable there by the Laws of it without such an obligation and otherwise the Government of it would be wholly precarious for a man cannot be a subject duely unless a man be a slave and under compulsion to any society but by natural as a Child to a Family or voluntary submission and obligation as here 1. All societies of this nature do justly expect and demand that a Man be true to them and submit to their Laws if he will have protection and partake of their Priviledges Phil. But they say you have no Scripture grounds for this Bond or Church Covenant as some call it Christ It might be enough to say that a society must be encreased the same way as it is made at first and that after Members must be joyned upon the same terms on which the first embodied and associated together but there is no incorporate society but joyn together at first by mutual agreements under some Charter for enjoyment of some priviledges and submit to the prescribed Laws thereof and on these terms
Doctrine the commandments of men I was much startled at that Text once by an able Preacher slipping in a strange place into a Conventicle where no body knew me who did open and apply that place notably I wished in my mind some of my acquaintance had heard him but that was not a day for such as I and them to be seen at a Conventicle Christ Sir I shall now most gladly comply with you in the command you lay upon me but I pray Sir how came you so in love with the Lord Jesus Christ you may remember how in your familiar discourses with me at your Table you would take occasion a little merrily to descant upon my name and say it was a marvelous Puritanick name sure thy Father was a great Puritan Brownist or Anabaptist Phil. Sir I remember it very well and I am convinced I did very ill in it to jest with spiritual things for I find now I had as good have joked on the name Christian for indeed he is not worthy of that name who is not a friend of Christ and such I desire to be and hope through the free grace of God I shall be for ever hereafter and oh that through the Word of God and the effectual operation of his Spirit I may be made wise unto salvation and then my name will not only be Philomathes but Polumathes Christ Amen It is my hearty desire and prayer to God for you that you may be saved and always hath been since I knew you but I pray how came you all of a sudden to be so great a friend unto Christ as I hear you now profess to my unspeakable rejoycing Phil. On a sudden no no man it is not on a sudden God hath been longer dealing with my heart than you or any one hath known of though you hear of it but now It would be too long to acquaint you with the dealings of God with me the many convictions of conscience that I have wrestled with and at last through the prevailing power of Sin and Satan palliated with some Religion or stifled with merry companions or by resolutely casting off convictions from reading the Word from hearing it from the good Education my good Parents gave me for indeed to tell you the truth they were Puritans and I the Lord forgive me an Apostate wretch from the Principles I was instructed in however all was palliated under the name and carriage of a prudential man convictions from the conversation of good men from the sins of prophane ones that I was often an eye and ear-witness of convictions from the preaching of our Parson that preached against some sins that he was too too much guilty of I was convinced it was my duty to do as he said not as he did but all this while I was in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity whatever I or others thought of me for I knew not Christ and tasted no true savour of him I had something of a form of godliness but no power my Religion such as it was was a meer slavery to me the world and the lusts of my own heart kept me a slave to the Devil Christ When do you think those bonds began first to be broken and how Phil. Truly it was by the Word of God for when I considered some places of Scripture such as Rom. 10.17 faith comes by hearing c. Jam. 1.18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth it wrought upon me to look out a little in my prudential way after good Preaching that I might find the gates of Wisdom And I would hear some of the ablest men of our Church especially when I went to London and truly I heard many notable discourses for Eloquence and Learning and they seemed for to make a great jingle in my imagination for the present but no impression on my heart that remained very lean still And the main substance of their discourses was usually to cry up our Church for the purest in the world and natural Religion and the power of the natural man's free will to the imbracing the things of God the Doctrine of Non-Resistance and Passive Obedience and in the hearing of those Doctrines I was so far from profiting that my heart told me still while I heard that I sufficiently knew by mine own experience that they preached Lies and that they caused the people to err such as are spoken of Jer. 14.14 23.25 26 32. Ezek. 13.8 9. 16.29 22.28 I pitied the poor Souls that sate constantly under such teaching and resolved to give them off and betake my self to Conventicles but my covetous heart in love still with the world was too hard for me for there was danger yet in it whereupon I talked with some Whigs that were not so strait-lac'd but that they would hear good Preaching in the Church and Common-prayer too if need were but would shake their heads and make great complaint of the Publick Ministry In brief I find they were sick of my disease though I liked them the better for it then they told me of a man or two which the Whigs that had been affrighted from Conventicles had smelt out and went to hear but they are say some reckoned but Phanaticks in a Mask the true Sons of the Church hate them with a perfect hatred quoth I it 's no matter for that I will hear them what they say if it please God Indeed I was so dissatisfied in the preaching of some of their London Dons that I had rather hear our Country Doctor which I look upon as more orthodox and was just resolving to leave the Church and venter it at the Conventicles No say my honest Latitudinarian Whigs as true Blues for the Peoples Civil Rights as any in the world but since I find them meer bogglers at the Interest of Christ and there are some N. C. Divines that give large measures to their consciences too but no more of that don 't do any thing rashly consider you have a plentiful Estate God be thanked and you have a Wife and many Children it becomes you to mind the main chance these are but Punctilio's of difference between the Church of England and the Dissenters the great danger is of Popery let 's all combine against that and not let Protestants break one another by these small Indifferences We confess we are troubled at this Devil of Persecution that is broke out in the Church but we think too they are a sort of imprudent rash People that will be cast into Prisons and ruine their Estates and Family's for non-compliance in indifferent things in which cause we believe they could not justifie themselves to die There are many things indeed should be rectified in our Church but you know our Articles are very sound and as for the Prayers and Ceremony's they are as our first Reformers and Martyrs left them These things being spoken at a noted Coffee-house for Whiggs took
much impression upon me and fix'd me with more Resolution to adhere to the Church for I knew they were old Professors and as cunning Shifters as I was or I could be in matters of Religion I thought my self now but a fool to them seeing they had studied and practised this Point so thorowly and condemned a narrow throated Conscience for one of the worst things in the World for a Wise man it was fit only for Religious fools But I told them if I did keep my Church I would hear some or other that preached Salvation by Jesus Christ and if I found such an one I would go near to move my Family and come up to London so I took my leave and went away paying my Dish Christ And did you go to hear the man or men they directed you to Phil. Yea I 'le warrant you and with a greedy appetite and there was a great crowd of Whiggs many of which I knew when they would not have gone to Church for a great deal sed tempora mutantur nos c. Christ And what was the Subject he was upon Phil. Eph. 2.1 And you hath he quickned who were dead in Trespasses and Sins c. He insisted on the dead state of the Natural man shew'd how all the Imagination of his Heart was evil he could not of himself do any good Rom. 3.12 and backed his Doctrine with so many full and plain places of Scripture that my mouth was fully stopped and my Heart became guilty before God I said with my self Blessed be God I hope some men in the Church have got the cue of the Gospel I hope all have not abdicated the thirty nine Articles from their Pulpits I went in the Afternoon to hear a man much commended too and he was on that Text Mat. 16.26 What will it profit a man c. And he described the excellency and worth of a mans Soul so well shewing nothing could be a valuable ransom for it but Christ and decried the world at such a rate especially when it comes in competition with the Eternal welfare of the Soul that my two great bulwarks were battered down in a manner in one day and Christ even ready to take possession I saw now I was but a poor undone wretched wicked condemned creature and that I had hitherto sold my Soul to preserve my Estate Whereupon I retired my self to my Lodging and spent much time in Prayers and Tears and resolved now if God would give me strength I would slip into a Conventicle which accordingly I did next Sunday where I heard a very awakening discourse upon Gal. 3.10 As many as are of the Works of the Law are under the Curse Whereby I understood the desperate Condition I was in in Relation to the Law which he opened exceeding well Whereby the Law came Sin revived and I died Rom. 7. After this I made a shift to get into a place where I heard a worthy man preach very lively and clearly on Act. 16 31. whence he opened the Nature of Faith and shewed how it saved viz. Instrumentally by closing with and laying hold upon the Lord Jesus Christ for Justification and Sanctification and how Christ was made Sin for us and bare the Curse After this I began to savour the preaching of Jesus Christ and found my Soul more refreshed with one of these Sermons than with an hundred others I heard also from Acts 4.12 There is no other Name under Heaven given whereby we can be saved and from Heb. 7.25 He is able to save to the uttermost all them that come c. from Joh. 14.6 I am the Way the Truth c. It would be endless to acquaint you with the precious discourses that I have since heard in London when I came up especially from the time of Liberty and what warmth of Love was wrought in me to the Lord Jesus Christ with some measure I trust of a true and lively Faith that through the strength of Free-grace I hope I shall be a Christophilus now all my days but I must tell you one thing that the Devil is a Conventicler too as well as a Son of the Church for I see many very loose persons there for hearers and not a little false Doctrine deliver'd in many of them Christ These things always have and will be as for prophane hearers I dislike not that for there is then the more matter for a converting Ministry to work upon and as for false teachers they were many in the Apostles time as Paul and Peter tell us in their Epistles This should not discourage you But be faithful to the Death and you shall have a Crown of Life Rev. 2.10 Phil. I hope by the help of God I shall but I will tell you there is one difficulty I cannot get over yet and that is this I have heard you say it 's the Duty of a Believer to follow Christ fully to deny himself and take up his Cross and to add or joyn himself to some Church which I have not done any otherwise than to partake sometimes with the Church of England and sometimes at a Meeting which I am much dissatisfied in for many weighty reasons not to be now insisted on That which keeps me at this day is my great Ignorance of and Estrangedness to the order of the Gospel I being not fully satisfied whether Christ hath instituted any Stated Gospel Church and if he hath where among all your different perswasions in matters of worship it is to be found I wish you would be pleased to give me the clearest account you are able in brief of your perswasion and practice in these matters Christ Sir I shall chearfully endeavour it but that things may be more clear and plain to your understanding I pray make your enquiries of the points you would be resolved in and your objections as they occur Chap. I. Of the Church Catholick CASE II. Phil. I Pray Sir what doth the word Church import Christ Church or Kirk is but an abreviation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the proper idioms of Languages English and Scotch it signifies the House of God and hence our places of publick assembling are called Churches in Conformity to the Jews of old who called the Temple the House of God according to which Christ speaks Mat. 21.13 there being a Levitical Holiness ascribed to it which Holiness of places hath ceased with it and the Gospel Church is made only of living stones Heb. 3.8 1 Pet. 2.4 though when we in England speak of a place for publick assembly we call it a Church not that any wise Protestants do take it so in a proper sence but Metonymically only as for others they think and speak after the Papists Phil. What do the Greek and Hebrew words import Christ They always signifie an Assembly or Congregation there was two words used for it in the old Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both signifie
entrusted and authorized by the Lord Jesus Christ the Members are to obey and submit themselves unto them Heb. 13.17 Phil. You seem to give away all the power from the Officers to the People and make the Officers insignificant Christ I say the power is wholly in the People before there is Officers and when there is Officers they have not given away their power but retain it in conjunction with their Officers I mean as to the decisive power or key for letting in and out it is the Officers and Brethren Though the authoritative management of Church rule as to declaration of the mind of Christ the prudential ordering matters and presiding in all cases belongs to Officers The management of our civil rights in England is a great illustration in this case We chuse to be judged by our Peers in matters of Life and Estate as to matter of fact the Jury adjudges the decisive power is committed to them and the Judge doth but preside in the Court and see that all things be legally and orderly managed declares the mind of the Law unto the Jury and then delivers the Sentence of the Law as the Jury finds the fact So it is in Churches the Officers for rule have as much power in a Church according to the nature of that Constitution as a Judge or a Mayor hath that sits on the Bench to hear and determine civil concerns Phil. You have greatly satisfied me now that as our Constitution is the best in the World were it not abused for judging civil concerns so I believe such a Constitution of a Church must needs be the freest from exception For 1. A people cannot be offended at such a judgment as is passed by themselves for who would a Member of any Society be freer to be tryed by than his Peers And the Apostle blames the Corinthians for seeking a decision in doubtful cases of civil matters out of the Church 1 Cor. 6.2 2. And as for Church Officers I think the most judicious would not desire an absolute power in themselves to lye liable to the many censures of men and the odium that would be cast by reproachful Tongues upon their most righteous and upright proceedings Christ If the matters of the greatest concern in civil affairs as to Life and Estate be tryed by twelve honest neighbours of ordinary Morality scarce so much many times and all men usually acquiesce in it how much more ought we to be satisfied that all Ecclesiastical debates should come to decision as to matter of Fact by the judgment of so choice a community as a Church of Christ is or should be Phil. But ordinary Christians are to seek in many great and weighty matters of Faith Order and cannot determine where the Truth lies it is fitter for Divines to judge Christ I distinguish between matter of Fact and matter of Law The Churches decision is of matter of Fact as to matter of the Law or the mind and will of Christ it 's the Pastor or Elders place to inform them and if they are not satisfied therewith it may be carried as a case to advise upon with other Churches or Elders Phil. I have little farther to object against the principles of Order which you have laid down only one thing which is I confess of no great weight to me I have heard some Church-Members say they joyn to this or that Church only because of the present Pastor yea that they joyned to the Pastor only not to the Church and when the Pastor dieth they are at liberty to go whither they please Christ This proceeds from the Ignorance Corruption of many Members who are not or will not be rightly informed in the Principles which they would seem to profess This is so absurd a thing that the asserters thereof would be ashamed of it in civil Societies of such a Nature Doth any Man joyn himself to the Master or Wardens of the Company only or to the Company it self when he is made a Member Officers are changeable either by the fundamental Constitution of the Society or by Death and if this were so then all Churches were dissolved upon the Death of their Pastor Besides the terms of admission into Congregational Societies speaks plainly otherwise that they give up themselves to Christ and the Congregation put themselves under the Office watch and the watch of each Member are admitted by the common suffrage of the Church therefore such things as these are but some of the Wiles and Subterfuges of Satan which loose-spirited and Principled Members make use of for the shaking off the Yoak of Christ Phil. But when a case falls out to be determined by the decisive power of the Church after due debate as supposing the choosing of an Officer or in the Key of rule in admission or exclusion of a Member and the Fraternity or the Elders and Fraternity divide into a Major and Minor part what should the Minor do Christ It is by the known Laws of the Society to acquiesce in what is done by the major part as that which is the Churches act or else it 's not possible to maintain any Societies of that Nature yea they must fall Butif a particular Member or more will not acquiesce in the Churches Act as he is not fit to continue for the Peace and Order of the Church so he may peaceably depart at the same door he came in at to another Church by an express dismission Phil. What if he will not ask such a dismission but withdraw from Communion and reject it in a kind of defiance and continue incorrigible therein Christ Such an one ought to be dealt with in form and manner as in some scandalous sin of another nature for such an one is herein scandalous Besides he is incorrigible whereupon the Church is to proceed against him as such an one he appearing to others but a man of Belial which is an ungovernable person for so the Spirit speaks 2 Cor. 6.15 What fellowship hath Christ with Belial viz. a lawless person that is not fit for any Society especially of the Church he will not bear the yoke of Christs Government Chap. IV. Of Officers extraordinary Phil. I Desire you will now acquaint me what are the Offices and Ordinances which Christ hath Instituted in his Church Christ The Officers Instituted by Christ are Pastoral and Diaconal viz. Bishops and Deacons Phil. 1.1 Phil. Are not Presbyters and Bishops distinct Orders Our Church makes them so Christ Nay the Scripture make Presbyters and Bishops the same there 's no difference between them For a Bishop is but an Overseer of the Church so is every Presbyter or Elder see Acts 20.28 and there he is no more than an Elder to a Particular Congregation Phil. How comes it to pass that our Bishops are exalted so far above Presbyters in Office and Benefice Christ From the corruptions of the pretended Church and Ministry viz. through Ambition Covetousness and Human