his bloud and which he hath promised to drink with us new in his Fathers Kingdome Nor will the wine be alwayes new to those that are renewed as they ought to be indeed for your Parishes which you call old Bottles I am sure the wine or pure government is too new for them Nor will the Bottles be older as you say the longer the government is delayed if the power of the Word be there for renewing them But you say What sense is this What logicall connexion I answer that shall appear there is sense enough and connexion enough and Logike enough though I had rather have more Scripture and lesse Logike for all I aim at is what the Scripture aims at that the bottles should be fit for the wine the necks for the yoke and the subjects for the commands Master Ley's Resolution Page 23 24. To that of his That Jesus Christ could as easily have set up his government by miracle had there been such a primary c. necessity c. 1. The acts and times for divine Providence towards his Church are various God had his Church at first and no written Word for it till the Law was writ and Moses wrote c. And God added to the morall Lawes ceremoniall and judiciall divers of which were not executed till forty yeares after at their comming into Canaan so far ws God beforehand 2. Whereas he saith Christ could as easily have setled the government by miracle we grant it yea and more without a miracle and yet more that he did so in Mat. 16. 19. John 10. 23. Mat. 18. 15 16 17. 3. If Christs delay of Government must be our example then as well for the Anabaptisticall delay of Baptism till his age Luke 3. 23. nor was it Johns office to set up a Government but to prepare the way c. And Christs publike Ministery lasted but foure yeares or three yeares and a half and he began then to set up Government Reply All your proof reaches but to this 1. That God dealt variously with his Church They had first no written Word and after a written Word 2. That Christ could have setled his Government by miracle but did not 3. That Christs delay of Government must be no more our example then his Baptisme My proofe was to shew there was no such morall necessity of the setling because it was not setled Now what have you overthrown here Not that Christ suspended his Government and the seâ—ling of it for that you grant with me and prove it more at large then I did so as all your rest will be answered in two particulars 1. To that of Gods Church and Government before his Word c. which you would insinuate as some advantage to your serling c. What is that to Gods dispensation now if there wanted a Word there was a supplement of vision and dreams c. And I hope you will not goe before the Law so much as you doe for a Patern You goe too far when you goe to the times of the Law You have a Prophet now to hear in all things Act. 3. 22 2. To that of Baptism to be delayed as well as Government from Christs example I cannot dispute that here Master Tomes will satisfie you at large in his learned Examen where he hath made work for a whole Assembly That he knowes not but it may be delayed till they be of years But to answer you in your scope You bring this to prove That Christ is not to be imitated in all things I grant it But what is that to prove that Christ setled not his Government when he began his Ministery or Iohns For the businesse on your part is to find out either that the Government was setled before or with the Ministery or there was as much necessity of it as of the Word but for some reason and not from any thing in the nature of the Government but some other extrinsicall reason it was delayed Which ought not to take place now And this is yet to prove all your proof summed up reaches not to this But you imply The will of God in his dispensations was the cause But the will of God in his dispensations carries a rule of righteousnesse along with it and of spirituall reason And in Gospell dispensations and extrinsicall proceedings of Gods will you will find a rule and golden reed of righteousnesse measuring the Temple and every dispensation and even this of suspending Government hath its rule in the Gospell that a word of obedience must precede and go before a forme of obedience and a word of faith before the obedience of faith and living stones before a living Temple Master Ley's Resolution Page 24 25. Whereas he saith the gifts for Government were not given till Christ ascended it is answered 1. That he ascended 43 dayes after his ministration and that added to the yeare forementioned makes but small difference c. 2. He put his Apostles upon neither of these offices preaching or governing without competent gifts an â—â—ualifications 3. For the modell of it which he saith people fell under as they were capable If he mean the written modell in the Word though it were young in Christs time or his Apostles yet not now we have had 1500 years siâ—câ— Why should that which is so old in constitution be thought too soone for execution And bisides Scripture directions we have many years the paterns of â—â— in many Reformed Churches 4. It hath by soft and slow degrees been brought in aâ— both in debates of Assembly Parliament c. And so sor execution â—â—â— First an Ordinance for Ordination and then a Directory c. Reply You prove here 1. That Christ gave gifts when he ascended and not any longtime in all his ministration and sending gifts 2. That he qualified â—â—s Apostles for government and preaching 3. That the government of Christ now so old should be seen set up as in other Kingdomes 4. That it proceeded by degrees in its setting up here Now all this thus gathered up proves not any thing against my assertion that Christ proceeded by degrees in his Ministery and giving out his government but rather strengthens my assertion And for your Arguments for setling implyed in these particulars 1. That Christs government was but a while in bringing forth the years considered 2. That the government in the Gospel being now so old might to be soone executed 3. That the Paterns of it are in other Reformed Churches I answer to all these in as few words 1. Prove your Argument first to be Christâ— the particulars and entirenesse accordingly and then I shall allow you your Argument but you grant it to be but partly Christs and partly the Assemblies or of Prudence 2. You must prove but the same againe that the government you have is the government there withall Gospel-necessaries take in else though the Gospel-government be never so old yours is but new and this Argument
be established by Law or no and going usually no higher nor further then a Statute or Act of State for their Religion 3. Christ Iesus himselfe could as easily have setled his Gospell-Government by miracle as any can now by a Civill power if there had been such a primary or moral necessity of establishing it so soon upon a people scarce enlightned for any part of it But we see the contrary first in himselfe he taught long and Iohn before him and so the Disciples and the gâ—â—â—s for Government were not given till he ascended and the Modell for Government not brought forth but by degrees and as people fell in and were capable of the Yoake and would â—ould more easily to the Commandements of Christs and whether then or no is yet a Question which some who have sit out the debates too though not with me who am fully assured of a power of order which the Apostle rejoyced to behold though a power with as little dominion in Government as tradition in Worship 4. We never read in the new Testament of a Gospell-government setled upon any that were not brought first under Gospell-obedience by the power of the Word and Spirit which thousands of Congregations in this Kingdom are not For as in materiall Buildings Stone and Timber are not to be clâ—pt together without howing and squaring so nor in the spirituall And whereas in the Temple there should neither be Axe nor Hammer heard because things were fitted before hand and so laid together I question how this could be in our Congregations now I beleeve there would be now more of the Axe and the Hammer heard then of the building seen 5. We have found by experience that the speedy setling of Government upon the Nation hath made Reformation take little root save in the outward man or formall Obedience and the reason was Because they received not Reformation first in the power of the Word but of the State which went not so deep into their Consciences but they could part with it at any time upon a Law Oh then Why do not daies speake and multitude of yeares teach knowledge 6. It is against the nature of Christs description of himselfe and against that sutablenesse which he presses for amongst all such as should submit to his Commandements He shall not strive nor cry neither shall any man heare his voyce in the streets Matth. 11. 19. My yoke is easie and my burden light Matth. 11. 29. His Commandements are not grievous 1 Joh. 5. 3. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles All which cannot be fulfilled in the Parochiall Congregations 7. The more time for trying the spirits and proving all things there is lesse danger to that State of errings in things received and authorized and of involving it selfe into the designes of Ecclesiasticall power then which nothing hath sooner broken the Civill power as may be seen in Popish Kingdoms and our late Prelaticall There can be no great danger in the not sudden incorporating the two powers Since Moses is not alive to bring down the just Paterne of the Tabernacle there may a new Star arise which was not seen at first which if we shut up our selves too soone while the smoake is in the Temple cannot appeare 8. We have not yet any experiment of our new Clergie who are many of them branches of the old stock and so may weild the Government too much of the Episcopall Faction as the Samaritans did with the Iewish Government because they were not naturall Iews It is not safe trusting a power too far into those hands Our Brethren of Scotland have been more used to the way of Presbytery and may better trust one another upon mutuall experience then we can yet 9. We experience in part some remainders of Prelacy working in many which shewes a constitution not so cleare nor pure as the Disciples of Christ should have then whether it be safe committing the power too suddenly For though I question not but some may be like the ten yet there are others like the two Brethren who strove which should be greatest till the Lord ended the difference It shall not be so amongst you We find the hottest Controversie is now moved about Church-government and there hath been most written and spoken this way and in most violence Now when the contention for power is so much and the Controversie streames most in Government we may soon discerne dispositions Well is it good parting with the stakes yet while there is such quarrelling for them when one party cannot but take it for an injury if wholly given to the other It is to be feared there is too much of man because the bias runs most in these times towards this one truth of government many other are wholly set by which might well be lookt upon with it which if there were not a Principle in man more fitted for a truth of this kind then any other would not be But every truth hath its age and season This only for caution 10. There is no Religion established by State but there is some proportion in the two Powers and some compliancy betwixt the Civill and Ecclesiasticall so as the establishing the one will draw with it some motions in the other And we all see how hazardous it is to disinteresse any in the Civill part even in Kingdomes that are more firme as France where the Protestants are partly allowed their Religion in pay for their Civill engagements and so in other States And sure I am that State is most free where the conscience is least straitned where the Tares and the Wheat grow together till the harvest 11. Our parties or dissenting Brethren being now together and clasped by interest against the common enemy this foundation of common unity is such as may draw in both affections and judgements if not too suddenly determined into Hereticks and Schismaticks It is possible while a Controversie is long suspended and time given for conclusion of things Opinions may be sooner at peace A fire let alone may dye out under that wood which stirred in would kindle it The Contentions of Brethren are like the strong bars of a Castle and a Brother that is offended is harder to be won then a strong City Prov. 18. 19. OBIECTIONS I. BUt the Temple was builded with all speed in Nehemiahs time and therefore c. And Haggai cals to the building Is it time Hag. 1. 4. Answ Yea but the matteriall Patterne was more clearly left and known then the Gospell-patternes The other were more in the letter and these more in the Spirit Now there must be a proving all things else there may be more hast then good speed and the Temple may be built by a false Paterne as well as a true and then better no Building then no right Cedar to build with And there were Prophets then who knew the periods of times and could Prophesie as Haggai and Zechariah but none
10. Heb. 10 â—â— 1 Pet. 2. 9. 1 Joh. 1. 7. 2 Joh. v. 10 11. Revel 2. 14 15 20. Chap 18. 4. and 19. 20. A remarkable Passage in the Vindication-Booke ANd if our Assembly and Ministers will but diligently preach against that Catalogue of scandalous sins and sinners they have presented to the Parliament and the Parliament prescribe severe Temporall Lawes and Punishments against them and appoint good Civill Magistrates to see them duly executed inflicted I am confident that this would work a greater Reformation in our Church and State in one halfe yeare then all the Church-Discipline and Censures now so eagerly contested for will do in an Age and will be the only true way and speediest course to reforme both Church and State at once which I hope the Parliament will consider of and take care that our Ministers like the Bishops formerly may not now be taken up with Ruling and Governing but Preaching and Instructing which is worke enough wholly to engrosse their time and thoughts FINIS LEt this Way of Peace and Reconciler among Brethren intituled The Smoke in the Temple more then ordinarily usefull in these times be printed Imprimatur IOHN BACHILER The Smoke in the Temple WHEREIN IS A DESIGNE FOR PEACE RECONCILIATION of Beleevers of the severall OPINIONS of these Times about ORDINANCES to a Forbearance of each other in Love and Meeknesse and Humility With the opening of each Opinion and upon what SCRIPTURES each is grounded With the severall EXCEPTIONS which may be made against each Opinion from the SCRIPTURES With one Argument for Liberty of Conscience from the NATIONALL CONVENANT With another Argument to prove the Gospell or New Testament of Iesus Christ the very Word of God Tendred to all the Beleeuers to shew them how little we have attained and there is a more glorious Fulnesse to be revealed With a Discovery of the Antichristian way of Peace c. for Opinions With a full Answer to Master LEY One of the Assembly of Divines against my late New Quaere With some spirituall Principles drawn forth of the Controversie Rev. 15. 8. And the Temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power and and no man was able to enter into the Temple till the seven plagues of the seven Angels were fulfilled By Iohn Saltmarsh Preacher of the Gospell at Brasteed in KENT THE THIRD EDITION Printed for Giles Calvert at the Signe of the Black Spread-Eagle at the West-End of S. PAULS 1646. To the Right Honourable the Lord Vicount SAY and SEALE and Lieutenant Generall CROMWEL Noble Patriots IF I mistake not you may here single out somthing of the Lords from what is mine and discerne some beames of God amongst many things of man I know the candle of the Lord cannot shine any where with more snuff then in me however since the Lord hath lighted it I dare not but let it shine or rather glimmer before men I have writ your Names to my Book that I may be one of your Remembrancers amongst the rest to the advancement of Truth not but they who know ye know ye to be acted by a Spirit of Truth in your selves The Lord remember ye according to all the good ye have done in your severall Ministrations to this people and do that for ye which gives you most and yet takes most from ye even filling ye with himself till he hath emptied ye of all but his own glory and gathered ye up into the fulnesse and righteousnesse of himselfe in Christ where we are only nothing in our selves and every thing in him and surely the most and best and greatest thing he can do for the sons of men is thus to make them nothing in their own account that he that glorieth may glory in the Lord. I may seeme strange to wish ye thus but I know it is not strange to ye who know the Mystery of the Spirit and of Christ My Lord and Sir Go on still yet still laying your designes in a glory above that of States and Kingdomes and involving all your Counsels there where there is most of Heaven and least of the world So praies Your Servant in the Lord IOHN SALTMARSH To the Beleevers of severall Opinions for outward Ordinances or dispensations scandalously called Independents Presbyterians Anabaptists Seekers Brethren I Have fairly set down how far each of you have attained in the Mystery of Truth and surely we are all short of the glory which shall be revealed in the Temple or Church of God and there are such clouds rolling about each opinion that may darken it or something of it So as things are not so cleare as they are commonly taken by each of us If any man think he knoweth anything he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know So as the common ignorance and infirmity amongst us may be a rise for a common Vnity amongst us and seeing we all come out of Babylon though in several waies to the glorious Temple or Tabernacle which God hath sent down to be with men and walk thus diversly thither yet our severall and distinct goings are but like so many Travellers to the City of London some travell from the North some from the South and from the West some from the East yet all thither though too there may be some mistaking of the way in each because of the little light that is abroad The gathering of the Saints into the Heaven or Kingdom below in this day of Revelation is like the gathering at the last day which shall be all into one glorious Body though the gathering shall be from the four winds or ends of the Earth by the severall Trumpets or Angels One thing I have more Let us seek for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to open to us the Mystery of the Scriptures called The Revelation for in that Book is the Prophecie of the Churches laid up and the seasons and times for Truth revealed Let us search and seek out by the Spirit of Iesus even that Iesus which was in the Vision and gave it out to Iohn for there is none found worthy to open the Book with Seals but the Lambe Surely in the Mystery of Angels Vials Sea of glasse with fire Temple with Smoke the Angell with the everlasting Gospell the Angell enlightning the Earth the Whore in skarlet and pretious pearles the Cup of abomination the Beast like a Lamb the Image of the Beast the Horus and Kings of the Earth the marke in the forehead and in the right hand the buying and selling the Tabernacle of God with men the first and second Resurrection the Ihronâ— of God the pure Chrystall River of water the Holy Ierusalem descending from God c. In these is much of the glory wrapped up and from these shall the Truth we contend for appeare to our further enlightning Yet one thing more We that are thus contenders for Ordinances for the Temple and the Vessels in it let us
experementally known 15. These Scriptures we have as they are do make a Discovery of such a way of Religion as reason never yet in any age attained to The men of purest reason as your old Philosophers never attained further then the knowledge of something infinite which they did not know and a Religion of humane or morall righteousnesse and purity and some sacrifices of atonement c. And there is not any Religion in the world Jewish or Turkish but they are made up of carnall principles and are founded upon reason and nature but this Gospell Religion hath opened a new way of righteousnesse in one that is both God and Man in a most rationall though infinite way of salvation and a way of Worship crosse to all methods and wates of reason and the world opening new waies by a new Spirit purifying naturall reason into more divine and glorious notions then ever it yet attained bringing in a way of beleeving and placing a Religion upon a spirituall perswasion called Faith which is more proportionable to an infinite God and an infinite way and depth of salvation then reason ever invented viz. for the soule to beleeve upon one even Jesus Christ in whom God hath laid up all love and fulnesse and so for man to become one with him who is God and Man and there cannot be a more rationall way for man to become one with God then by one who is both God and Man 16. That though there be not such glorious powrings out of Spirit and such gifts as Beleevers both may and shall have yet all Beleevers ought to practice so far of the outward Ordinance as is clearly revealed they may 17. That the Scriptures or Gospell of the New Testament being as many hundred years old as from the Apostles even in that Originall we have them no very materiall differences in Copies as it seems and though they have passed through the great Apostacy yet they have not had the power to corrupt them materially in their Originall to advantage their heresies and corruptions which very constant preservation of Truth in the midst of the very Enemies of Truth is both a constant and standing miracle of it selfe and so we need not stay for a Ministery with miracle being we have a Word with miracle which in its matter subject power speaking of God of his Son God and Man of his Spirit the Actor in man from both by waies of outward Ordinances of the depths windings and workings of reason c. is of as much efficacy to perswade as any thing else we can have and the way of the pure Spirit is a more glorious way of operation then any other of a visible sensuall nature And God may be more glorified by quickning and spiritualizing a word and using the spiritually glorious Ministery of that then of man and they are far too low who look for their originall teaching from man and not from the Word and Spirit CONCLUSION I Have drawne out this map of each opinion that your eye may travell over that in an houre which otherwise you might be a yeare in going over Thus each are discovered in a narrow yet full Discovery and I thinke all that are divinely rationall will see no such cause to thinke that each hath attained so far that either they should presume in their degree or look down from the pinacle of an infallibilitie upon each other I have set the strength and weaknes of each opinion before it self that on the one side as it may glory so on the other side it may fear and be humble All I wish now is that we be all so far one at least in infirmity and this Common weaknesse as may be a ground of Common embodying and associating against the Common Enemy or Grand Antichrist as in States when they are at lowest have least factions and when weakest are most peaceable with one another The Gospell or New Testament of JESUS CHRIST proved undeniably to be the very Word of God without Miracles to assure us of the particular duties in it Because there are some men now of more reason then sound belief I cannot but in a spirituall rationally way beare witnesse to our salvation in the written Word 1. IF there were not a Word or Will of God revealed in Lawes and Ordinances written God were worse provided then the Lawgivers of Nations and Kingdomes and the World were left to their owne wils which is esteemed ridiculous in the eyes of all the Nations of the world in their very politick condition 2. The Laws and Ordinances contained in the Word or New Testament beare only the Image of a God in their holinesse purity righteousnesse glory infinitenesse eternity immortality which are all with many more things of like excellency there which are as the beams of light to the Sun or so many things of God revealing God 3. The Word is so tempered into a middle nature betwixt God and man as no Word can be more revealing the most glorious spirituall infinite things from a God in a meane literall figurative comparative significative way to man 4. To have a standing Word as the Gospell is is more for the glory and authority of a God then any ministry of man though with miracles and signs because such a Word where none can joyn themselves as Authors or Parties as in other wayes of dispensation by men men may joyne themselves doth undoubtedly hold forth most of God and of divine Authority and thus to maintaine or preserve a Law or Word in the world is not so much with God as for King and Princes to maintaine Statutes and Lawes in their Kingdomes 5. A Word as the New Testament is may be as well a way and dispensation to an infinite God to make out himself by as any other either of dreame or vision or Revelation or Oracle all being but wayes of a naturall straine and condition no more then the Word 6. The very manner of dispensation or writing is such as hath the authority power wisedome counsels of a God the whole businesse of it being a work discovered to be begun by God and amongst men to let forth the glory of God the mercy love and wisdome of God and the way by the Son of God and Spirit of God and all to be glorified with God and thus treating only of things divine and a work divine in a way divine 7. We must either give up our selves to this Word wholly or not at all and then let the world and experience judge what kind of Religion reason at large unbounded or unenlightened will bring forth by the former paterns of Heathenish and Gentilish Religion 8. Why should it not be thought the most clean and direct way for God to manifest himself to man by Word Gospell and Epistle and so by an infinite and invisible power and hand commend and conveigh it from age to age from generation to generation as well as for men to make out