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A89160 A confvtation of the new Presbyterian error. Shewing not onely how neere our late Presbyterians come to the Anabaptists, in restrayning the Supper of the Lord from the people, by way of examination, as they doe children from the sacrament of baptisme, by way of confession; but also how they agree with Papists in auricular confession: and that their practise is sacriligious, new, usurped, and tyrannicall. By Alexander Mingzeis, minister of Gods word. Mingzeis, Alexander. 1648 (1648) Wing M2191; Thomason E1181_10 8,429 23

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soules neerer unto Christ have driven innumerable thousands farther from him through their unadvised and rash proceedings in the same against them Secondly I say that this new yoke of tyrannizing over the soules and consciences of the people is not onely new usurped but also Antichristian And as it is like unto Anabaptists in Sacramentall confession so it is like unto Papists in auricular For as the Papist will admit none to the eating of their breaden God or wafer cake before he hath made confession of his sinnes so our new Presbyterians will admit none to the partaking of the holy Communion before hee have gone through the pikes of a new invented and tyrannicall discipline having neither warrant in the word of God nor any tracke of example either in the primitive times or true reformed Churches so farre as ever I have read or understood Thirdly and lastly as it is sacrilegious and Antichristian so is it tyrannicall and contrary to the Apostles advice which is that we should not rule as Lords over Gods heritage but with meeknesse c. Which I prove from the inconveniences thence arising being twofold First in that it discourages people from comming to Christ in that it drives them further from him First I say it discourages people from comming into Christ by thus with●lding the Supper of the Lord from them because they know they have right to it as being within the Covenant and borne within the pale of the Church and of Christian Parents and therefore if they have right to Christ in whom they believe why should they not much more have right to the outward ordinances And therefore as long as they are unlawfully kept and detained from thence they will not come to the Ministery of the word though wee preach with the tongue of men and Angels though I confessed should not be so but the best of the Saints and chosen children of God have somewhat of nature in them for if a mans person be once disaffected his doctrine will ever hardly be liked be it never so powerfull or effectuall Besides what innumerable poore soules have been very neere driven to dispaire because they have been judged as they have conceived unworthy of the body and bloud of Christ or communion with him in that blessed Sacrament with teares I have been told they have beene kept from it and with teares of joy they have come to it againe Now is not this an offending of Christs little ones and the weak brethren for whō Christ dyed Is not this a Lording it over the soules and consciences of men Is not this a pushing and shoving of the weaker cattle from the Fountaine of living waters is not this a shutting up of the Kingdome of God against all and neither will go in our selves nor suffer them that are entring to go in or is there not a woe proclaimed and doth belong to them that doe so Christ will have mercy and not sacrifice Math. 9.13 our new Doctours will have sacrifice and not mercy Christ saith come unto me all yee that labour and are heavy laden Math. 11.28 they drive all away Christ will not breake the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax Matth. 12.20 they doe both Christ requires faith but as big as a graine of mustard seed Matth. 17.20 they will have it as bigge as a mountain Nay they are worse then good Hezekiah the King for he prayed for them that came not prepared with the due preparation of the Sanctuary 2. Chro. 30.19 but they drive them away and keep all backe in thus with-holding c. But by this with holding the Communion from the people while they are duly prepared it rather should fit them then discourage them I answer yes if but new Presbyterians could also give grace and incline their hearts then they might keepe the Communion from them at their pleasure but we must not doe evill upon uncertaine and unwarrantable grounds that good may come of it But they have power so to doe having the keyes committed to their charge and the dispensation of the word and Sacraments I answer they have the keyes some of them it may be supposed but not to open hell and shut heaven Neither is the dispensation of the word Sacraments committed to their charge to be disposed of at their pleasure but at the will and pleasure of the Almighty and as occasion time place and persons shall call for the same and desire it They are Ministers of the word and Sacraments not Lords But the Sacraments are but outward ordinances and in themselves indifferent therefore c. The minor is proved by that of Matthew wheras Christ saith expresly speaking of the bread This is my body not that I therefore take the bread properly to be Christs body but a type and figure of the same howbeit they are so united in the worthy receiver that they can be no more severed then the shadow and the substance or the kirnell and the shell Now wee may finde by the shadow that there is a body so likewise the Sacrament of the holy Communion puts us in minde of the death and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and of his body and bloud therefore sayth Christ Doe this in remembrance of me And the Apostle as often as we eat of that bread and drinke of that cup we shew or set forth the Lords death untill his comming againe And can the bride or beloved spouse but rejoyce to thinke and heare of her beloved especially to bee made one with him as she is in that blessed Sacrament which being the shell that is broken in the distributing thereof shee comes to the kirnell Christ himselfe whom her soule seeketh and in whom she is delighted Now let our new Presbyterians call the Sacrament an outward ordinance alone and a thing indifferent they may easily receive heereby if they will not bee wilfully blinded and shut their eyes how indifferent it ●s and what they have kept the people from all ●his while viz. from the communion and participation of their blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Lastly I prove this with-holding the Communion from the people under pretence of examination to be meerly tyrannicall as it drives people further from God But because I have sufficiently spoken of this before therefore I come now to exhort my brethren to desist and leave off this new kinde of discipline and government in the Church first because it is new usurped and tyrannicall Secondly because it hath no warrant in the word of God nor by the practise and example of the primitive times and true reformed Churches Thirdly because it swayes too much with common baptisme and Popery and to bee contented to bee ruled by the word of God and the custome and practise of the primitive times and all true reformed Churches Which consists first in being diligent in Catechising the youth of their severall Parishes and Congregations and so laying the grounds of sayth and principles of Christian Religion and vertue among them Secondly in being diligent to teach the word of God among the elder sort of people and how they ought to come to the partaking of the Sacrament of the holy Communion how they ought to be prepared for it the benefit which they are to receive thereby and the danger that will and doeth ensue in case they eat and drinke unworthily Thirdly in case hee finde any meerly ignorant indeed to take a little the more extraordinary paines with him both in publike and private so he will be content to be taught but in case hee prove obstinate and hate to bee reformed then he may note such an one and not give him the Communion untill hee come in and yeeld himselfe to wholesome instruction and government for though he bee interessed as before yet not being able to examine himselfe whether he be in the fayth or to discerne the Lords body in that blessed Sacrament and his obstinacy makes him altogether uncapable of that blessed Sacrament therefore the key or censure of the Church is to bee used against such an one but in case there bee any measure of faith in the party and that hee can give but any competent account of the same and have a desire being of yeeres the Sacrament is not in my opinion to bee denied him because Christ begins to bee new formed in him hee thirsts after the water of life Hee is the smoking fl●x which Christ will not quench untill such time as hee hath brought judgement into victory seeing the Sacrament of the holy Communion serveth not only to signe and seal our salvation but also convey grace to the worthy receiver and nourish it in him But in case any in the Congregation being qualified as before doe receive unworthily the Minister not being privy to it the fault is not the Ministers but the parties receiving and his bloud shall be upon his owne head because the Minister hath told him the danger of unworthy receiving But what if the Minister doe suspect any of scandall or insufficiency will it be objected I answer hee hath power to keepe the party backe from receiving untill such times as his suspition be better informed and his doubt cleared But this hee must take heede of that nothing be done of malice but upon just grounds and probable But what if the Minister bee altogether a stranger I answer then he is to use the advice and direction of the Elders and Churchwardens until such time as he be better acquainted but not therefore to leave the administration of the Sacraments no more then hee doth of preaching the word of God And let him know this withall or resolve with himselfe that when he hath done all that he can he shall still finde chaffe among the good corn goats amongst the sheep a Judas amongst the Apostles and one without his wedding garment at that heavenly banket And therefore it is not all the examination and triall in the world that wee can use that will make all worthy Receivers but the blessing and event must be left and reserved to God only to whom be prayse and dominion now and for ever Amen FINIS
A CONFVTATION of the New Presbyterian Error Shewing not onely how neere our late Presbyterians come to the Anabaptists in restrayning the Supper of the Lord from the people by way of Examination as they doe children from the Sacrament of Baptisme by way of Confession but also how they agree with Papists in Auricular Confession and that their practise is sacrilegious new usurped and tyrannicall By Alexander Mingzeis Minister of Gods word Every plant that my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up Matth. 15.3 Printed in the Yeere 1648. A Confutation of the new Presbyterian Error Drawne not onely from the unwarrantablenesse it hath in Scripture but also from the inconvenience thence arising FOR the better cleering wherof ariseth a threefold Question The first is to know what right Christians have to the Lords Supper Secondly what Christians are to be admitted and who not Thirdly what power the Minister hath to withhold the Communion from the people First therefore for the peoples right to that blessed Sacrament I conceive it to bee equall with the right or interest the children of Christian parents have to the Sacrament of Baptisme which I prove by the Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 7.14 where hee hath these words The unbeleeving husband is sanctified by the wife and the unbeleeving wife is sanctified by the husband else were your children uncleane but now are they holy sayth the Apostle From whence our late Presbyterians must eyther with the Anabaptists grant that the children of Christian parents have right to the Sacrament of Baptisme without confession of faith or else grant that Christians that are born within the Covenant pale of the Church have right to the Sacrament of the holy Communion without their rigid and strict examination For as our Church admits the foresaid Infants to the Sacrament of Baptisme by the vertue of the fayth of their parents so I conceive our Church cannot with-hold any from the Sacrament of the Supper of the Lord that is borne within the Covenant the pale of the Church and hath a desire to it But to this will be objected first that by the place aforenamed is meant the legitimation of children borne in lawfull wedlocke and not that children have right to the Sacrament of Baptisme much lesse ignorant and scandalous people to the partaking of the holy Communion Secondly that confession of faith and examination is to be required in the worthy Receiver before his comming to the participation of that blessed Sacrament notwithstanding he b● borne within the Covenant and the pale of the Church and of Christian parents To the former objection I answer that the Ap●stles conclusion is not onely to resolve the law●ull cohabi●ation of a beleever with an infidell but also that their children so begotten in law●u●l wedlocke are interessed to the outward ordinances and priviledges of the Church else he would not have added else were your children uncleane but now they are holy which to be so I prove by another expresse place and warrant of Scripture as when God commanded Abraham Gen. 17.12 not only to circumcise himselfe and his seed but also the stranger that was borne in his house or bought with money all which circumcised of●pring having as free accesse to the externall worship and service of the Sanctuary as Abrahams own posterity I reason from hence That if those within the Covenant under circumcision had right to the outward priviledges of the Sanctuary then much more have we to the ordinances of the Gospel by reason circumcision was not only a type of baptisme but also because wee are called to a greater liberty Christs yoke being easie and his burden light Matt. 11.30 To the second objection I answer that albeit confession of faith and examination is to bee required ●n a worthy receiver before he be admitted to the participation of those divine mysteries yet is it not alwaies such a confession as our Adversaries dream of nor hath the Church any such power to examine as they pretend much lesse to keepe the Communion from the people upon pretence of that examination and confession For first for confession Philip held it enough in the Eunuch to beleeve Jesus Christ to bee the sonne of the living God besides that all which are borne within the pale of the Church are interessed as before But to this it will bee objected that the Divels may goe thus far therefore c. I answer the Divels may beleeve in generall but they cannot apply any thing in particular to themselves Now the rule of faith adviseth us to judge charitably of all men therefore c. As for examination the Apostle willeth a man to examine himselfe 1. Cor. 11.28 and not to be examined by the Elders or Presbytery therefore c. But to this it will bee objected that our people are not so able to examine themselves as the Corinthians were c. I answer that appeares for some of them were drunke and some sober when they came to be breaking of bread and the participation of the blessed Sacrament And I never saw any drunken man yet in England admitted to the partaking of the body and bloud of Christ wherfore heer commeth in in the second place to know who are worthy to receive and who not or who are to be admitted and who not To which I answer all that are interessed as before that have a desire to it and are able to examine themselves Now in examination there is only required these two things viz. First to know whether we be in Christ and Christ in us and whether we are able to discerne the Lords body in that blessed Sacrament First therefore we must examine whether we be in the faith and consequently we in Christ and Christ in us according to that of the Apostle 2. Cor. 13.5 Examine your owne selves whether you be in the faith prove your owne selves know yee not your owne selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you bee reprobates So that all but reprobates may know themselves to bee ingrafted into Christ by a true saving faith and Christ into them that they have put on Christ and cannot put him off againe that they are baptised into Christ and with him buried by baptisme into the likenes of his death to the end they may rise with him unto the newnesse of life They carry Christ along with them in the participation of that blessed Sacrament and therefore cannot chuse but finde him there The second thing that is requisite to examin our selves in is to know whether we be able to discerne the Lords body in that blessed Sacrament lest in eating and drinking unworthily we eat and drinke our owne damnation Now to discerne the Lords body in that blessed Sacrament is by faith to see Christ set foorth before us in those blessed elements of bread and wine and him crucified Which calls our sinnes to remembrance and our selves crucified with Christ to them through