should also behold the diverse alterations of things in the worship and service of God and if he should with all consider that if the church should have been onely to be found where there had been such visible ordinances and formes of Worship and Government as God had appointed and no where else then there would not have been a church of God any where visibly to appear and be found many times in the world in those dayes and yet the true church alwayes remained in Abrahams Family and God had his people and a true church amongst his seed as will appear by these examples I will briefly name some We know that the Israelites and Hebrewes the onely people of God and his first borne continued many generations as strangers in Aegypt all the which time they never offered up any outward Sacrifices unto God for that had been an abomination to the Aegyptians and they would not tolerate and suffer that in their land which moved Moses to sollicite Pharaoh to give the people of God leave that they might go a dayes journy to sacrifice in the Wilderness giving him the reason of his postulation saying that they could not sacrifice in Aegypt for that was an abomination to the Aegyptians So that it is apparent that all the time they remained in Egypt they had not that publike Ordinance that externall form of worship And yet all that while they were a true Church and were visibly known by their Religion to be distinct from the Egyptians as who professed the knowledge and worship of the true God whose name they called upon through all their tribes and whom they served night and day and yet I say they had not the use of publike sacrifices onely they had Circumcision amongst them that discriminating Ordinance from other nations But if that had been the forme of this true Church then all the time they remained in the wilderness which was forty years there was no visible forme of a Church for they circumcised not their children there and that reproach was not taken away till they came to Gilgall or at lest had passed the red Sea So that if the Church had been tyed to externall formes we shall for many years together finde no true formed Church in those times Nay when they were come into the land of Canaan how often was the face of the Church in the dayes of the Judges so deformed as no man almost could see any forme or comlinesse in it all the externall beauty which was the worship being either wholy forgotten or so adulterated and polluted with Idolatry as there was not left any appearance of a true Church amongst them and yet at that time they were the people of God and his chosen people and a true Church but if they had sought to know it by any externall form it could never have bin found So that the Church of God may be a true church though it want an outward form and discipline Yea after that God had set up his worship in the dayes of David and Solomon and had commanded that that forme of Government should be continued and perpetuated to the coming of the Messiah how many alterations notwithstanding were there found both in Iuda and Israel and how did Idolatry spread it selfe abroad through both those Kingdomes So that Idolatry was not only committed under every green tree and in all groves and upon every mountain and high place but even in Jerusalem the holy city yea in the very Temple So that now there was no externall forme of a Church left and yet then also had God his Church there and they were the people of God and dearly beloved of him And again when they were carryed into captivity into Babilon we know that all the time they continued there they had neither sacrifices nor many other ordinances that God had appointed amongst them they could not so much as sing a song of Sion in that strange land and wee read of no other exercises amongst them but of the morall worship of prayer and reading the prophets and of prophecying and comforting of one another in the Lord and of their resolution not so much as to bow in the least to worship any Idoll of the heathens or so much as stooping to reverence any professed enemy of the people of God as Mordecay would not to Haman nor the three children to the idoll of Nebuchadnezer nor Daniel leave his praying but all these kinde of services are not accompted the forme of a Church amongst the learned and yet wee read of no other formes of worship the Jews had neither through all the Provinces of Ahasuerus and through all Babilon and Assyria and Aegypt where they were scattered We read indeed that they fasted and prayed upon all occasions and that they spake one to another and they exercised amongst themselves the morall worship in all their Synagogues which were all the true Churches of God then through the world and yet they had not that visible forme that God had appointed in any of those Countryes whither they were driven and carryed captives they onely made their prayers and supplications toward Ierusalem and the Temple the holy place So that if the Church of God had been at any time tyed to externall formes they could not then have been Churches properly so called as not having any externall forme and yet they were all before the law and under the law and since the law true Churches notwithstanding they wanted the externall forme and discipline And the same may be said of the Church of God since the beginning and growth of Antichrist that it hath been so defaced for many generations together that none by its externall forme or discipline could find a true Church in it yet God had in this spirituall Babylon a true Church ever and therefore the true Church is not confined to externall formes and discipline But to say nothing of that if the Christian Church be bounded within these limits either the Papists or the Independents encompasse in their Churches with then I affirme that the very Church of Jerusalem was not a true formed Church which notwithstanding they both acknowledge was a true Church and the Independents confesse that it was the first formed Church Acts the second For in the Church of Ierusalem there was neither Pope nor Cardinalls nor Patriarkes nor Primates nor Paultripolitans nor Archbishops nor any Conclave nor any Masses nor any of that Service they have set up in their Romish Church nor that Forme of Church Government they have established neither had they any of these fixed officers And therefore the Church of Rome having lost that forme the Church of Ierusalem had and being adulterated both in doctrine discipline and manners that cannot be a true Church and then it will follow That the true Church is not so tyed to any externall forms that if they be failing they cannot be a true Church for then there shoâ—ld have been no
that if those of their nighest relations should go about to intice any to Idolatry or to the worshipping of false gods or the true God in a false manner or should endeavour but to bring in another Religion than that the Lord had appointed that then they should bring them forth and have justice done against them so that God abhorreth that any Religion amongst his own people should be tolerated or set up besides that he himselfe hath commanded and he had forbid in his law that any man should make to themselves any graven Image or set up any way of worshipping him but that which he himself had ordained and injoyned and commanded that they that should attempt any such thing should be put to death We see likewise what Ioshua did according to the commandment of God who ought to be a pattern to all Christians and all Christian Magistrates chap. 24. verse 14 15 16. Now therefore saith he fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood and in Aegypt and serve ye the Lord and if it seem evill unto you to serve the Lord choose you this day whom ye will serve whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell but for me and my house we will serve the Lord And the people answered and said God forbid that we should forsake the Lord and serve other gods for the Lord our God is he that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Aegypt out of the house of bondage c. Here we may observe first that Ioshua injoynes them to serve the Lord in sincerity and in truth and that they might do that to put away all their idols he gives no toleration of all Religions and the like may be said of Ioshua Ioshua 24. 15. and that they might with the more alacrity yeeld obedience to God's command he sets his own example before their eyes with his resolution which was that both he and his houshold would serve the Lord onely and set up his worship and all the people likewise assented to do the same and gave their reason why they would serve the Lord and tolerate no other Religion because say they the Lord hath brought us up out of the land of Aegypt and out of the house of bondage and made us his peculiar people and therefore they resolved to serve him onely and tolerate no other service amongst them but that which God himself had commanded and appointed And this example of Ioshua and the people of Israel is left to all the people of God to all ages for imitation whose duty it is to set up the true worship of God only amongst them and none but that which Christ their Redeemer King and Law-giver hath injoyned them and therefore all such as would have all Religions tolerated do exceedingly forget themselves and are highly unthankfull to Christ their King and Redeemer And if we look into the story of the Judges the book following that of Ioshua when this generation was dead and that they had forgot their covenant and began to tolerate all Religions amongst them they brought down all those plagues upon themselves by it that were written in the law of Moses and for no other cause saith the holy Scripture but for that they set up those Religions the heathens had served their gods by as is manifest from the sixth chapter for when the people cryed unto the Lord because of the Midianites the Lord sent a Prophet unto them first who told them that the cause of all the judgements was because they had not obeyed the voyce of the Lord but had served the gods of the nations which he had forbidden them and afterwards he sent an Angel unto Gideon and commanded him to break down the Altar of Baal which his father had made and to cut down the Grove that was by it and to set up an Altar to the Lord In the first place Gideon was enjoyned to root out idolatry and then to set up Gods true worship onely here we finde no toleration of any Religion but the true Religion when they set upon the work of reformation and when the men of the City made inquiry after him that had broken down the Altar and cut down the Grove and would have put him to death it is related that Ioash the Father of Gideon said to all those that stood against him Will ye plead for Baal will ye save him he that will plead for him let him be put to death whiles it is yet morning if he be a god let him plead for himselfe because one hath cast down his Altar Here we finde no toleration of Baal's Religion but that they that would plead for him should be put to death and surely those that will plead for a toleration of all Religions do no lesse than fight against God But now let us see what Elias did 1 King 18. ver 21. who was counted as the Chariots and Horse-men of Israel with Baals Priests and what he said to all those of his times How long saith he to the people will ye halt between two Religions if the Lord be God follow him but if Baal be God then follow him The holy Prophet would not admit of a toleration of all Religions but when God had miraculously manifested from Heaven that Elias his Religion was the true Religion and which God in his holy Word had established all Baals Priests were put to death and that by Elias his command who said Take the Prophets of Baal let none of them escape and they took them and Elias took them and brought them down to the Brook Kishon and slew them there And so upon all reformations all other Religions were cast out but the true Religion as we may see through the whole Scripture as in the stories of the Kings and Chronicles and those of Nehemiah and Ezra and through all the Prophets and the Lord in the second of Ieremiah complaineth against his people That they had forsaken the fountain of living water that is they had forsaken the true God and served other gods and forsaken their maker and had been more unconstant than the very Heathen who had not forsaken their idoll gods and therefore for this their Rebellion and ingratitude the Prophet denounces all those plagues that were written in the Law against them as all the other Propheâ—s did for there is not any sinne in all the old Testament that the Lord more complaines of than that of Idolatry and the toleration of many Religions amongst them as is most abundantly set down both in Isaiah Ieremiah and Ezechiel Daniel and in all the other Prophets all which were written for our learning so that if the people of God shall imitate them in their sinnes they must look to partake with them in their
two sconses and bulwarks of the same viz. The first that there were many congregations and assemblies of believers in the church of Jerusalem The second that all those severall congregations and assemblies were churches properly so called which when it comes to the main battell will be fully made good and withall it will be maintained that all those severall congregations made all of them but one Church and were all of them combined together and subordinate to one Presbytery that is to a Colledg of Presbyters who by Gods own appointment had the rule over them committed to them in common by all which the doctrine of the Congregationall way is utterly overthrown whose tenent and opinion it is that every Congregation of beleevers be it greater or smaller ought to be a distinct Church or body by it self exercising all Church power and authority within it self Independent and ought not to have reference or relation to any other church or congregation for matter of government no farther then pleaseth themselves and this they affirme to be Gods Ordinance and Constitution whereas in the Church at Ierusalem the Mother-church there were innumerable Congregations and Assemblies of beleevers and yet all of them made up but one Church For those severall congregations as the Burtonian Independents do affirme were but branches of that one entire Church these are their words By all which it now appeareth that it is Gods Ordinance and his Appointment that many congregations combined together in any city or vicinity within some Precinct should all of them within that jurisdiction make up but one Church and be under a Colledg of Presbyters to be governed by them in common which is indeed a meer ecclesiasticall Corporation and therefore this kind of government might without any offence or diviation from the holy Word of God be compared by me to any civill Corporation as that of London or the like For though I. S. and my brother Burton spend much time and many words to no purpose about my simile yet it will stand for ever immoveable and serve to all intelligible Christians for that very end I propound it viz. to declare the state of the question yea by I. S. his own words pag the fourth of his Pamphlet it is authorized for he there after much babble thus expresseth himself concerning this point when saith he we know the true nature of spirituall things of the devices of God as I may call them we may find a resemblance of them in things here below which are made after them but we cannot fetch the knowledg of heavenly composures from these earthly things Thus J. S. speaks there So that I having from the holy Word of God and from the constitution of the Church at Jerusalem the first true formed Church and originall Church found out the true nature of that spirituall and ecclesiasticall government that heavenly composure and that device of God as he grollishly calleth it it was then no sin in me in I. S. his opinion to find a resemblance of it in things below And therefore both he himselfe and my brother Burton might have saved all that labour they needlesly spent about that simile which will ever stand good against whatsoever they shall be able to say against it for the elucidating and cleering of the point of difference between the Presbyterians and the Independents which was the onely end I made use of it for and there fore all the pudder they made about that simile was but to beat the aire and to vent their own vanity But from all this dispute that I may now speak something concerning Nationall Churches which the Independents deny I farther gather That if many hundred Congregations being combined together under one Presbytery in any great City or Vicinity within any large Jurisdiction may all of them make up but one Church within that Precinct and may take its name or denomination from the City or place in which it is I see no reason why a thousand Parishes yea ten thousand all of them imbracing the Gospell and making profession of the true Christian Religion in what Kingdome Nation Province Country or Commonwealth soever they be may not all of them in those severall Countries being all of them combined together and under some grand Presbyteries take their severall names and denominations either from those respective nations or languages and be called either the Greek Church or the Hebrew Church or the Latin Church or the French Church or the Dutch Church c. or be called the Church of England Scotland Ireland or or such a Provinciall Church or such a Nationall Church I say I see no reason why if all those severall Nations coming in at the sound of the Gospel and all of them giving up their names to the profession of the Christian faith may not as well from those severall Nations take the name of the Church from the Nation as they may take it from Jerusalem or from any other City as that of Corinth Ephesus c. and so become Nationall churches I desire therefore any man to give me a good and solid reason to the contrary for this I am sure of that it was promised unto Abraham that he should be a Father of many Nations which he was not in respect of his naturall posterity for he was onely in that regard a Father of the Hebrews who challenged Abraham to be their Father and therefore it must necessarily be in respect of their faith and spirituall parentage in that they are all of them his children in regard of their common faith and beleif in the Messiah whose day Abraham by faith saw and rejoyced in it which all the Nations of beleevers do and therefore they likewise in that respect are called the children sons and daughters of Abraham and may therefore be truly called Nationall Churches which all the Independents with my brother Burton and I. S. deny for Christ is called the light of the Gentiles yea there are many glorious promises concerning the calling of the Nations and Gentiles as that in Isaiah 19. ver 23 24. where it is said In that day shall there be a highway out of Aegypt to Assyria and the Assyrian shall come into Aegypt and the Aegyptian into Assyria and the Aegyptians shall serve with the Assyrians In that day shall Israel be the third with Aegypt and with Assyria even a blessing in the midst of the Land Here all these three Nations are called three sister Churches if we mark the coherence And for farther proof of Nationall Churches under the Gospell it is said Isaiah 55. 5. Thou shalt call a Nation which thou knowest not and Nations which knew not thee shall run unto thee which words are spake of Christ under the Gospell in the which is set down both Gods Call of a Nation and the Nations Answer to that Call and there can be no more required to make a Church And it is prophecyed of Gospell times Psal 22. 27.
that were baptized by Iohn Baptist were Christians and beleevers but also that they were in such multitudes as they could not all possibly meete in any one place or congregation to communicate in all the Ordinances and all Acts of worship to edification The dint and force of the which Argument he thinkes he sufficiently evadeth by denying that they were Christians at all So that if this Answer be well looked into and examined it will appeare that whiles he boasteth and glorieth that he hath beate up my quarters he beates up Saint Iohns quarters yea Christs quarters and all his Disciples quarters before Christs death and Ascension and all the quarters of all Christians that now live in the world For if none are well Baptised and made Christians indeede but such as are Baptised with the Holy Ghost and with fire then all those that were baptised before Christs Ascension were no true Christians nor no Christians in these our times nor many Generations before us who were not baptised by the Holy Ghost and with fire and by these his fond cavills he overthroweth the Scripture it self and all Divine and humane Authority and gives the Spirit of God the lye And truly such a peece of impious ignorance with such impudent confidence my eyes yet never beheld before I. S. and his complices came into the World So that it stranges me eceedingly that such men as he and they are should be suffered by those of the Congregationall way to go unpunished who may shame them all as indeed they are a shame to all Christian Religion For I appeale to the judgement of all such as have any knowledge in Religion or love to the truth or have any moderation or good temper yet left in them whether this be a thing tolerable in any that has the name of a Christian to play not only the juglers to deceive and delude the poore people but to give the Spirit of God the lye and then to vapour and brag of it as of a conquest But now I will set downe his Arguments in his owne words and give my answer to them severally We saith he answer to your reasons So that he writes in the name of all the Independents as one of the Commanders and Captaines in their Militia and as one of their Champions and therefore in the name of them all sayeth We answer to your reasons Now take notice what he answers in the name of the whole Fraternity 1. Iohns Baptisme was into Christ but it was in Christum moriturum not in Christum mortuum This is J. S. his first answer Truly one that should but looke on all his Answers to my Arguments would wonder what the man meant by them and to what purpose he uttered these words for they are a manifest fighting against the Scripture of truth as all the judicious and learned will wel perceive And I have heard both learned pious men say that they did not beleeve that I. S. did well understand himselfe when he writ this book and there is some reason of this their opinion for hee confesseth in his wise Epistle that hee was in a course of Physick at the wels who knowes but the man might then be somewhat distemperd in his braine and so might doe the actions of a man crased and his very language doth in a manner speake as much both in this his Answer and in many other passages of his Book as in their due places will appeare yea the very title also and his Epistle being senselesse calling his Pamphlet Flagellum flagelli and the beating up of Doctor Bastwicks quarters when he never came nigh them and the taking hold and shaking of the Pillars of his discourse when hee never so much as touched them with many such other expressions all which have no correspondency amongst themselves and shewes that the man is either a very stranger in Rhetorick not knowing how to keep himselfe to his Metaphor or else that hee is crased indeed and truly so every one will conceive if they duly weigh and consider all passages in his booke especially this answer of his to my Arguments by which hee labours to prove that those that were baptized by Iohn the Baptist were no Christians no Beleevers which he doth by very senselesse reasons the first of which I have related viz. that they were baptized into Christ to dye and not dead and therefore in his opinion they were no Christians I omit his latine expression as thinking it a vaine thing in him to insert latine sentences writing in the vulgar tongue especially in handling points of divinity those of great concernment which the people should have set before them in perspicuous and plaine termes But now take notice how the man contradicteth himselfe in his answer for the drift of it is to prove that those that were baptized by Iohn the Baptist were no Christians and yet hee sayeth they were baptized into Christ Then they were Christians by his owne confession for Iesus Christ was yesterday and to day and the same for ever Heb. 13. and He was ever the Messiah the seed of the woman that should breake the Serpents head that Rocke upon which the Church was built against which the gates of Hell should never prevaile Mat. 16. So that they that were baptized into Iesus Christ whether whiles hee was living or dead whether before his Nativity death or ascension or after are all good Christians therefore he contradicteth himselfe in saying they were not Christians for it is not the circumstance of time that makes an alteration in the substance and essence of any thing for the Passeover in Egypt was the same for substance that it was in the Wildernesse and in the land of Canaan for otherwise it should follow that the Supper of the Lord celebrated by Christ himselfe before his passion and in memoriall of his death should not be the same with that it was after Christs Resurrection and Ascension and that the Apostles that received the Lords Supper were not Christians then as well as after his death which I thinke I. S. will not dare affirme but if he should I am confident all the well grounded Christians in the world would be his adversaries in this for the Apostle Saint Paul in the 1. of the Corinth 11. 23 24 25. makes them all one for substance and as the Sacrament of the Lords Supper was the same for essence before Christs death that it was after so was the Sacrament of Baptisme to all that were baptized and hee was as good a Christian that was baptized in to Christ before his death as hee that was baptized into him after his Ascension as all good reason will perswade for Christ was ever the Messiah and King of his Church which will yet more evidently appeare if wee compare earthly things with heavenly I demand therefore of I. S. or any of the congregationall way whether all such subjects as take the oath of allegiance