Selected quad for the lemma: law_n
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A51995
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The purity of Gospel communion, or, Grounds and reasons for separation from persons of corrupt manners, or that hold erroneous doctrine in matters of faith essential to salvation, or that are guilty of false worship, or irregular administration of Gospel ordinances briefly discussed to prevent the increase of sin and disorder by a mixed communion in church fellowship / by Isaac Marlow.
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Marlow, Isaac.
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1694
(1694)
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Wing M694; ESTC R18243
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42,542
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83
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against Matters of Faith Essential to Salvation For 1. 2 Tim. 2 22. We are commanded to follow Righteonsness Faith Charity Peace with them that call on the Name of the Lord out of a pure Heart but such as Err in fundamentals of Salvation thereby declare their Hearts to be unwashed with Regeneration and the Renewings of the Holy Ghost and therefore we should not hold our Communion with such at the Lords Table 2. It farther appears to be the Duty of Christians to separate themselves from the Communion of all those that hold such Erroneous Doctrine Col. 2.20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the Rudiments of the World why as tho' living in the World are ye subject to Ordinances Touch not taste not handle not which all are to perish with the using after the Commandments and Doctrines of Men which things have indeed a shew of Wisdom in Will-worship and Humility and neglecting of the Body not in any Honour to the satisfying of the Flesh Here I shall observe that the Apostle having in the foregoing part of this Chapter warned the Colossians against the Traditions of Men and the Rudiments of the World viz. to beware of Phylosophy and vain Deceit of the Jewish Ceremonies and other voluntary Worship and Humility he delivers them a general command that they should not Touch Taste nor Handle viz. no ways to meddle with that which others perish with the using after the Commandments and Doctrines of Men tho' others use them yet we are strictly prohibited in the least to Touch or Taste of their practical Ordinances or of their Doctrines for these also are there forbidden because the command hath a reference to the Rudiments of the World Ver. 20. which signifieth the first Teaching or Instruction a beginning a Principle and hath respect to Matters of Faith Ver. 3. to 10. Seeing therefore we are forbidden to Touch Taste or Handle the Commandments and Doctrines of Men then surely we ought not to be in full Communion at the Lords Table with Persons that hold such Erroneous Principles for our Assenting to their right of Communion with us is an owning their Principles as truly fundamental to Salvation and so we either virtually deny our own to be such or confound the true Profession of our Faith to the hazard of Mens Souls or else admit of Persons to partake of the Holy Supper that apparently have no right to it for want of those Gospel Principles that are essential to their visible Interest in the Obedience Sufferings and Resurrection of Jesus Christ either of which is a Sin 3. It appears from Gal. 1.6 7 8. that we should not hold Communion at the Lords Table with Persons that hold such erroneous Principles for the Apostle saith I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the Grace of Christ unto another Gospel Which is not another but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the Gospel of Christ But tho' we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed And in the following Verse he repeats it over again and in Chap. 5.12 he saith I would they were even cut off which trouble you Now if we duly search after the Cause of this censure we may plainly see that it was not for bringing in of another Gospel but as the Apostle saith because there were some that troubled the Church of Galatia with perverting the. Gal. 6.12 Chap. 5.3 Gospel of Christ by constraining them to be circumcised and so to become Debtors to do the whole Law And we find by the Apostles Discourse that they sought to be justified by the Works of the Law Chap. 2 c. as Chap. 2.16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the Works of the Law but by the Faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the Faith of Christ and not by the Works of the Law for by the Works of the Law shall no Flesh be justified And Chap. 4.21 Tell me ye that desire to be under the Law do ye not hear the Law So that the perverting of the Gospel before mentioned was by bringing in of the Works of the Law for Justification and this we find was made a Matter of Separation the Apostle wishing the Persons even cut off or accursed that so troubled the Church of Christ which to apply to some in our present day I shall here note that altho' those Jewish Christians that held it needful to be circumcised and so endeavoured to bring the Gentiles under the Law for Justification to Eternal Life did it in a Mcsaical formal way which Christians now repugn by denying that formal Obligation to keep the old Law yet as their Principles oblige them to seek for Justification by works of Obedience to a new Law under the Gospel which they have no Power in themselves to perform their Principle with the case of the Church of Galatia respecting the effect is in substance the same and therefore there is Reason founded on Scripture for us to withdraw or remove our Communion from all Persons that are leavened with the works of the Law for Justification whether it be under the form of the Law or of the Gospel Administration Gal. 5.9 1 Cor. 5.8 For that being called Leaven seeing Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us we are commanded tho' on a different occasion to keep the Feast not with old leaven neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness but with the unleavened Bread of of Sincerity and Truth Observe it well we are here forbidden to eat the Christian Passover or Lords Supper with the old leaven c. and are commanded to keep it with Truth And therefore we should not have Communion in that Ordinance with fundamental Errors in the Christian Faith 4. The Apostle saith Rom. 16.17 Now I beseech you Brethren Mark them which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine which ye have Learned and avoid them 1 Tim. 6.3 4 5. And Paul commanded Timothy to withdraw from such as taught otherwise and consented not to wholsome Words even the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Doctrine which is according to Godliness c. And we are exhorted earnestly to contend for the Faith which was once delivered unto the Saints Jude 3. Phil. 1.27 And to stand fast in one Spirit with one Mind striving together for the Faith of the Gospel and therefore we are not to unite our selves into one Body with Persons that erre from the true Faith for as two cannot walk together except they be agreed Amos 3.3 so if we are not united in one Faith we shall quickly be contending and striving with each other and not together for the Faith of the Gospel 5. It is said by way of Politive Command A Man that is an Heretick
The same causes as will justifie a single Persons removing his Communion to another Church will also justisie a Parties Separation to sit down by themselves in a Church-state otherwise there is no erecting of Reformed Churches to be allowed where there was none before Which if it be there lawful to reform as surely it cannot be denied there is neither Scripture nor Reason as I can find to debar a reforming party from settling themselves in the Order of a Regular Gospel-Church where there is one already if they find it expedient for them But 2. To prevent such misapprehensions of giving Church-members too great a Liberty I shall here remind the Reader that if he duely considers what I have said in this small Discourse he will not find the least allowance for Persons to remove their Communion out of Novelty or meerly for their Pleasures-sake or for Trivial Matters and Pretences for herein the Church is bound in faithfulness to Christ and the Souls that are under her special care to use the means directed to in the Scripture for preserving her mutual Peace and Welfare But for real Conscience-sake Separation should be allowed to keep themselves pure from corrupt and sinful Manners Erroneous Doctrines in essentials to Salvation and from false Worship and irregular Ordinances and unless there be a Moral Necessity or a real Expediency for it no Separation else is lawful for every Member is or should be in Covenant with the Church to walk in the ways of the Lord together with them But yet when a Church of Christ shall alter in any part of their Faith or Practice essential to a regular Church the Members thereof are free from their former Covenant Not simply because the Church has broken the Conditions of it for that were to acknowledge her Members to be under an absolute tye while she makes no Alteration of her Faith and Practice For as none of our Churches in Covenanting with their Members by giving them the right hand of fellowship does intend thereby absolutely to bind themselves from any future Alteration of their Faith or Practice if in Conscience they should be otherwise informed so the like Liberty is but equitable for the Members to have and therefore as there is the same Reason for it so it ought to be equally taken for granted in their Covenanting with the Church that each Member in Covenant hath an equal Reservation of Liberty of Conscience to the Church and neither side ought to impose on each other for that is a making themselves the perfect standard of Religion like the Church of Rome 3. 2 Pet. 5.1 2 3. The Apostle Peter exhorteth the Elders to take the oversight of the Flock Not by constraint but willingly not for filthy Lucre but of a ready Mind Neither as being Lords over Gods Heritage but being ensamples to the Flock And Paul saith That to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth 2 Cor. 1.23 24. 1 Tim. 6.2 5. 2 Tim. 2.22 Chap. 3.5 Not for that we have Dominion over your Faith but are helpers of your Joy And Timothy was commanded as a single Person to withdraw himself from those Professors of Religion that were corrupt in Doctrine Now if the Apostles who were the infallible Pen-men of sacred Scripture disclaimed Lordship over the Saints and Dominion over their Faith Why should any hold such Principles as will naturally assume such a regal Power over the Consciences of their Brethren as tendeth to enthral them in divers troubles when they go about to remove their Communion from them for Conscience-sake considering also they themselves are but lately delivered from the Yoak of Persecution And for such who make it their frequent Practice to receive Members that remove for Conscience-sake from other Congregations that are true Churches of Christ as to their visible Matter and part of their Form to hold such Principles as will deny their own Members Liberty of Conscience without their Censures Snares or Inthralments to frighten their weak Brethren to continue in their Communion against the Light which they have received is consequently assuming such an Arbitrary Dominion over their Faith and Consciences which neither God nor Nature hath given to them and is not Consonant to the Law for doing to others as they would have others do to them in the like Case And to speak the plain Truth of such a Principle and Practice it is no better then claiming a right of Imposition on the Consciences of their Brethren and a holding fast all they have and all they can so get right or wrong And therefore seeing the Light of Scripture and Reason with common Equity is repugnant to such an Arbitrary Dominion over the Faith and Consciences of the Saints and that this Principle of denying a single Member his Liberty of Communion according to his Light is also a bar to Religious Reformation I conceive none should go about to hinder a single Persons removing from them for Conscience-sake any other ways than by Arguments from the Scriptures for the Regularity of their Communion and if herein they cannot satisfie his Mind I believe the Church should do no more then if they please to enter him in their Book departed from them for the cause for which he leaveth them for as much as his Principles are not opposite to any of their Essentials of Communion And in Case they were yet if he holdeth no Error in fundamentals to Salvation it better suits with the Grace of Love and universal Charity to one another to let him peaceably remove his Communion than by a harsh and sower Spirit to widen the Differences that are between Saints and Saints and to fright a weak and tender Conscience with the Censure of a Church which if it be not according to Christs Institutions it is neither bound in Heaven nor should it be binding on our Consciences But if a single Member should alter in his Faith or Practice from any of his Church Essentials of Communion and yet seek to continue in the same Church then to prevent the spreading of his Leaven to the Pollution of the Body or their being defiled with his Errour by Participation in full Communion with him they have ground on Non-repentance to withdraw from him and if he persisteth in such an Errour to purge him out from their Communion But to conclude the aforesaid Objection What spiritual Comfort can any have in Church-Communion where there is not an agreement in the Essentials thereof doth not the sweetest Communion depend on the greatest Union in Faith and Practice why then should any Christians be kept in Bondage and be deprived of the chiefest ends of Church-Communion which are to glorifie God in the purest worship they can attain to the Knowledge and Practice of and to enjoy the comfortable Communion of Saints in the Unity of Faith and of the Spirit which is the bond of Peace Secondly I shall present you with a particular instance of the confused