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A30136 A confession of my faith and a reason of my practice, or, With who, and who not, I can hold church-fellowship, or the communion of saints Bunyan, John, 1628-1688. 1672 (1672) Wing B5506; ESTC R36326 44,845 152

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vain janglings backbitings and strangenes among the Christians 13. It occasioneth the World to reproach us 14. It holdeth staggering consciences in doubt of the right way of the Lord. 15. It giveth Occasion to many to turn aside to most dangerous heresies 16. It abuseth the holy Scriptures It wresteth Gods ordinances out of their place 17. It is a Prop to Antichrist 18. Shall I add It is not that which greatly prevailed to bring down these judgments which at present we feel and groan under I will dare to say it was the cause thereof Tenthly and Lastly Bear with one word farther What greater contempt can be thrown upon the Saints then for their Brethren to cast them off or to debar them Church communion Think you not that the World may groundly say Some great iniquity lyes hid in the skirts of your Brethren when in truth the transgression is yet your own But I say what can the Church do more to the sinner or open prophane Civil commerce you will have with the worst and what more have you with these Perhaps you will say we can pray and Preach with these and hold them Christians Saints and Godly Well but let me ask you one word farther Do you believe that of very conscience they cannot consent as you to that of Water baptism And that if they had light therein they would as willingly do it as you Why then as I have shewed you our refusal to hold communion with them is without a ground from the word of God But can you commit your Soul to their Ministry and joyne with them in Prayer and yet not count them meet for other Gospel p●iviledges I would know by what Scripture you do it Perhaps you will say I commit not my Sou to their Ministry only hear them occasionally for tryall If this be all the respect thou hast for them and their Ministry thou mayest have as much for the worst that pisseth against the Wall But if thou canst hear them as Gods Ministers and sit under their Ministry as Gods ordinance then shew me where God hath such a Gospel Ministry as that the persons Ministring may not though desiring it be admitted with you to the closest communion of Saints But if thou sitest under their Ministry for fleshly politick ends thou hearest the word like an Atheist and art thy self while thou judgest thy Brother in the practise of the worst of men But I say where do you find this peicemeal communion with men that profess Faith and Holyness as you and separation from the World If you object that my Principles lead me to have communion with all I answer with all as afore described if they will have communion with me Object Then you may have communion with the members of Antichrist Answ. If there be a visible Saint yet remaining in that Church let him come to us and we will have communion with him Quest What! Though he yet stand a member of that sinfull number and profess himself one of them Answ. You suppose an impossibility For it cannot be that at the same time a man should visibly stand a member of two bodys diametrically opposite one to another Wherefore it must be supposed that he who professeth himself a member of a Church of Christ must forthwith nay before forsake the Antichristian one The which if he refuseth to do it is evident he doth not sincerely desire to have fellowship with the Saints But he saith he cannot see that that company to which you stand opposite and conclude Antichristian is indeed the Antichristian Church If so he cannot desire to joyn with another if he know them to be professedly and directly opposite I hold therefore to what I said at first That if there be any Saints in the Antichristian Church my heart and the door of our Congregation is open to receive them into closest fellowship with us Object But how if they yet retain some Antichristian principles Answ. If they be such as eat out the bowels of a Church so soon as they are detected he must be either be kept out while out or cast out if in For it must be the prudence of every community to preserve its own unity with peace and truth The which the Churches of Christ may do and yet as I have shewed already receive such persons as differ upon the point of Water-baptism For the doing or not doing of that neither maketh nor marreth the bowels or foundation of Church communion Object But this is receiving for opinion sake as before you said of us Answ. No We receive him for the sake of Christ and grace and for our mutual edification in the Faith and that we respect not opinions I mean in lesser matters 't is evident for things wherein we differ are no breach of communion among us We let every man have his own Faith in such things to himself before God I now come to a short Application I Keep a strict separation I pray you from communion with the open prophane and let no man use his liberty in Church relation as an occasion to the flesh but in Love serve one another Looking diligently least any root of bitterness any poisonfull herb Deut. 29.18 springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled And let those that before were reasons for my separation be motives to you maintain the like and remember that when men have said what they can for a sinfull mixture in the worship of God the arm of the Lord is made bare against it 2. In the midst of your zeal for the Lord remember that the visible Saint is his and is priviledged in all those spiritual things that you have in the word and live in the practise of and that he is to partake thereof according to his light therein Quarrel not with him about things that are circumstantial but receive him in the Lord as becometh Saints if he will not have communion with you the neglect is his not yours But saith the open prophane Why cannot we be reckoned Saints also We have been Christened we go to Church we take the Communion Poor People This will not do for so long as in Life and Conversation you appear to be open prophane we cannot unless we sin receive you into our fellowship For by your ungodly lives you shew that you know not Christ and while you are such by the word you are reputed but Beasts Now then judge your selves if it be not a strange community that consisteth of men and Beasts Let Beasts be with the Beasts you know your selves do so you receive not your Horse nor your Hog to your Table you put them in a room by themselves Besides I have shewed you before that for many reasons we cannot have communion with you 1. The Church of God must be Holy Lev. 11.44 chap 19 2. chap. 20.7 1 Pet. 1.15 16. Isa. 26.2 Psa. 128.20 Ezek. 43.12 chap. 44. 9. Isa. 52.11 2. The example of the Churches of Christ before hath been a community of visible Saints Rom. 1.7 1 Cor. 1.2 Eph. 1.1 2. Col. 1.1 1 Thes. 1.1 2. 2 Thes. 1.1 Poor carnal man there are many other reasons urged in this little book that shew why we cannot have communion with thee Not that we refuse of pride or stoutness or because we scorn you as men No we pity you and pray to God for you and could if you were converted with joy receive you to fellowship with us Did you never read in Daniel That Iron is not mixed with miry Clay Dan. 2.43 No more can the Saints with you in the worship of God and fellowship of the Gospel When those you read of in the fourth of Ezra attempted to joyn in Temple work with the children of the captivity what said the children of Judah you have nothing to do with us to build an house to the Lord our God but we our selves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel c. Ezra 4 1 2 3. I return now to those that are visible Saints by Calling that stand at a distance one from another upon the accounts before specifyed Brethren Close Close Be one as the Father and Christ is one 1. This the way to convince the World that you are Christs and the Subjects of one Lord whereas the contrary makes them doubt it Joh. 13.34 35. Joh. 17.23 2. This is the way to increase Love that Grace so much desired by some and so little enjoyned by others 2 Cor. 7.14 15. 3. This is the way to favour and taste the Spirit of God in each others experience for which if you find it in truth you cannot but bless if you be Saints the name our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thes. 1.2 3 4. 4. This is the way to increase knowledge or to see more in the word of God for that may be known by two that is not seen by one Isa. 52.8 5. This is the way to remove secret jealousies and murmurings one against the other yea this is the way to prevent much sin and greatly to frustrate that design of hell Prov. 6.16 17 18 19. 6. This is the way to bring them out of the World into fellowship that now stand off from our Gospel priviledges for the sake of our vain janglings 7. This is the way to make Antichrist shake totter and tumble Isa 11.13 14. 8. This is the way to leave Babylon as an habitation for Divels only and to make it an hold for soul Spirits and a cage only for every unclean and hatefull bird 9. This is the way to hasten the work of Christs Kingdom in the World and to forward his coming to the eternal judgment 10. And this is the way to obtain much of that Well done Good and Faithfull Servant when you stand before his face I beseech you Brethren suffer the word of exhortation for I have written a Letter unto you in few words Heb 13.22 FINIS Of justification Of R●pentance Of Love Saul was in Antioch before but being brought into suspicion by false Apostles he had need of a new commendation The Strongest may sometimes be out of the way
the conusail of his own will Rom. 11.5 6. 2 Tim. 2.19 Eph. 1.11 2. I believe that this decree choyce or election was before the foundation of the world and so before the elect themselves had being in themselves For God who quickeneth the dead and calleth those things which be not as though they were stayes not for the being of things to determine his eternal purpose by but having all things present to and in his wisdome he made his choice before the world was Rom. 4.17 Eph. 1.4 2 Tim. 1.9 3. I believe that the decree of election is so far off from making works in us foreseen the ground or cause of the choyce that it containeth in the bowels of it not onely the persons but the graces that accompany their salvation And hence it is that it is said Wa are predestinated to be conformed to the image of his son not because we are but that we should be holy and without blame before him in love For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto Good workes which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them He blessed us according as he chose us in Christ. And hence it is again that the salvation and calling of which we are now made partakers is no other then what was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began according to his eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Eph 1.3 4. chap. 2 10. chap. 3.8 9 10 11. 2 Tim. 1.9 Rom 8.26 4 I believe that Christ Jesus is he in whom the elect are alwayes considered and that without him there is neither election Grace nor salvation Having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace Wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace That in the dispensasation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in heaven and which are in earth even in him Neither is their salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved Eph. 1.5 6 7.10 Act. 4.12 5. I believe that there is not any impediment attending the election of God that can hinder their conversion and eternal salvation Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also justifyed and whom he justifyed them he also glorifyed What shall we say to these things if God be for us who can be against us Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's eiect It is God that justifyeth Who is he that condemneth c. What then Israel hath not obta●ned that which he seeketh for but the election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded For Israel hath not been forsaken nor Judah of his God of the Lord of hosts though their land was filled with sin against the holy one of Israel When Ananias made intercession against Saul saying Lord I have heard by many of this man how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem and here he hath authority from the high-priest to bind all that call upon thy name What said God unto him Go thy way for he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and Kings and the children of Israel Rom. 8.30 31 32 33 34. chap. 11.7 Jer. 51.5 Act. 9.12 13 14 15. 6 I believe that no man can know his election but by his calling The vessels of mercy which God afore prepared unto Glory do thus claim a share sherein Even us say they whom he hath called not onely of the Jews but also of the Gentiles As he also saith in O see I will call them my people which were not my people and her beloved which was not beloved Rom. 9.23 24 ●5 7 I believe therefore that election doth not forestall or prevent the means which are of God appointed to bring us to Christ to grace and glory but rather putteth a necessity upon the use and effect thereof because they are chosen to be brought to heaven that way that is by the faith of Jesus Christ which is the end of effectual calling Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure 2 Thes. 2.13 1 Pet. 1.12 2 Pet. 1.10 Of Calling 1. I believe that to effectual Calling the holy Ghost must accompany the word of the Gospel and that with mighty power I mean that calling which of God is made to be the fruit of electing love I know saith Paul to the Thessalonians brethren beloved your election of God for our Gospell came not unto you in word onely but also in power and in the holy Ghost and in much assurance c 1 Thes. 1.4.8 Otherwise men will not cannot hear and turn Samuell was called four times before he knew the voice of him that spake from heaven It is said of them in Hosea That as the Prophets called them so they went from them And instead of turning to them sacrificed to Balaam and burnt incense to Graven Images 1 Sam 4.6.10 Hos. 11.2 The reason is because men by nature are not only dead in sins but enemys in their minds by reason of wicked works The call then is Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Eph. 5.14 Understand therefore that effectual calling is like that word of Christ that raised Lazarus from the dead A word attended with an arm that was omnipotent Lazarus come forth was a word to the dead but not onely so It was a word for the dead a word that raised him from the dead a word that outwent all opposition and that brought him forth of the grave though bound hand and foot therein Joh. 11.43 Eph. 2 1 2. Heb. 10.32 Gal. 1.15 Act. 9. And hence it is that calling is sometimes expressed by quickening awakening illuminating or bringing them forth of darkness to light that amazeth and astonisheth them For as it is a strange thing for a man that lay long dead or never saw the light with his eyes to be raised out of the grave or to be made to see that which he could not so much as once think of before so it is with effectual calling 1 Pet. 2.9 Hence it is that Paul when called stood trembling and was astonished and that Peter saith he hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light Eph. 4.21 Act. 7.2 In effectual calling the voyce of God is heard and the gates of heaven are opened when God called Abraham he appeared to him in glory Oh that of Ananius to Saul is experienced but by few The God of our Fathers hath chosen thee saith he that thou shouldest know his will and see that just one and shouldest hear the voyce of