THE RIGHT SEPARATION INCOVRAGED IN A SERMON PREACHED To the Right Honorable the House of LORDS in the Abbey-Church at Westminster on Wednesday Novem. 27. 1644. being the day of the Monethly publick Fast By THOMAS HILL B. D. Pastor of Tychmersh in Northamptonshire and one of the Members of the Assembly of DIVINES Hebr. 7. 26. Such an high Priest became us who is holy harmlesse undefiled separate from sinners Luk. 3. 17. Whose fan is in his hand and hee will throughly purge his floore and will gather the Wheat into his Garner but the chaffe will hee burn with fire unquenchable Jude ver. 22 23. And of some have compassion making a difference And others save with feare pulling them out of the fire hating even the garment spotted by the flesh LONDON Printed by R. Cotes for John Bellamy and Philemon Stephens 1645. Die Veneris 29 Novemb. 1644. IT is this day Ordered by the Lords in Parliament That this House doth hereby return thanks to Mr. Thomas Hill for his great paines taken in his Sermon Preached by him on Wednesday last before their Lordships in the Abbey Church Westminster it being the day of the Monethly Fast And this House doth hereby desire him to Print and Publish the same And lastly it is Ordered that none shall Print or re-print his said Sermon without being authorized so to doe under the hand of the said Mr. Hill Joh. Brown Cler. Parl. I doe hereby appoint John Bellamy and Philemon Stephens to Print my Sermon THOMAS HILL TO THE Right Honorable the House of PEERES Assembled in PARLIAMENT Sitting at Westminster My Lords GODS Providence hath cast you into these times wherein there are very many of Solomons Puritans Prov. 30. 12. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes and yet is not washed from their filthinesse Wherin Iudes Separatists swarm such mockers who walk after their owne ungodly lusts who separate themselves sensuall having not the Spirit Iude ver. 19 20. But I hope his Spirit is teaching you to bee Pauls Separatists acquainting you with such a pure Separation from unclean persons and things as may well bee the object of your thoughts the matter of your Counsels the summe of your Prayers and scope of your Indevours It will bee a very great addition to your greatnesse to ingage your selves fully herein There are no men more miserable then those who are great and evill none more happy then they who are great and good It is noblenesse indeed to have an heroicall spirit for God It is true high-mindednesse to bee heavenly minded to have pure mindes This poore Church hath had her Autumn her declining under many pollutions and her Winter of Humiliation Blessed bee the good hand of God wee see some hopes of a Spring of pure Reformation which will usher in a Summer of deliverance It is true wee are still in the Wildernesse where wee meet with many Amalekites who do oppose us and with divers false spies who raise an evill report of the promised Land disparaging by their tongues and pens our hop't for Reformation The Lord keep us all from Wildernesse sins from repining and quarrelling at his dispensations farre bee it from any to desire such Captaines as would bring us back againe to Aegypt Your Lordships have had the honour to bee our Ioshuahs to bee our Leaders in several steps of the Reformation which will stand upon Record to the everlasting renowne of the House of Peers and I hope you have tasted some such bunches of Grapes from the Holy Land as will quicken your desires after a more full separation from all impurity There are two taking words abroad grown very familiar in our discourses Purity and Liberty Sweet words precious things it is pity they should ever bee severed It is well worthy of your care to incourage such a purity as will adorn and sweeten Liberty and withall to countenance such a Liberty as will maintain and cherish purity God forbid that any should expect countenance from you for any thing like licentiousnes whereby purity should bee in the least measure blemished and betrayed Sometimes amongst Physicians there is as much in the Method as in the Medicine I beleeve Politicians may finde the same I doubt not but in your Treaty for Peace you will begin with Purity the wisedome which is from above is first pure and then peaceable and rather abate in any thing which concernes your selves then in purity wherein the honour of God is so much interessed Ride on prosperously in all your Marches after Scripture purity If you meet with Mountaines of difficulty in the way bee not dismayed Remember Lots Wife what it cost her who looked back only though she went not back You wel know that Faith and Friendship are best tryed in extremities and in the heat of opposition If the distractions still continue without labour to get and keep a calm within no feast like that of a good Conscience which is Meat Mufick Welcome No such Friend who will bee a cheerefull Companion though alone even in the worst seasons Bee yee therefore doing much for your God in the cause of purity alwayes abouding in his work forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord Bee pleased to accept this from a Remembrancer to Your Honours in the behalf of purity and for your own Salvation THOMAS HILL THE RIGHT SEPARATION INCOVRAGED 2 COR. 6. 17 18. 17 Wherefore comes out from among them and bee yee separate saith the Lord and touch not the uncleanâ— thing and I will receive you 18 And will bee a Father unto you and yee shall bee my Sons and Daughters saith the Lord Almighty IT need not seeme strange that Chrysostome spent so many pages in the high Commendation of Paul being hee was so superlatively abundant in the work of the Gospel 1 Cor. 1â— 10. None of the Apostles hath spoken written done and suffered so much Hee being overcome with the love of his Saviour felt a sweet violence constraining his spirit to study how hee might expresse as much zeale for him as ever hee had shewed against him An Epitome of Pauls Journall concerning his Apostolicall peregrination you have here drawn up in this sixth Chapter which yet hee modestly expresseth in the plurall number ver. 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. Giving no offence in any thing that the Ministery bee not blamed but in all thing â—…oving our selves or the Ministers of God in much patience 〈…〉 in necessities in distresses c. Hee very well knew that the good life of a Minister gives new life unto his Sermons in the hearts of his hearers and that the godly example of the leaders is the most compelling Rhetorick to ingage the followers Hereupon having besought the Corinthians ver. 1. That they receive not the Grace of God in vaine hee would have them proportion the crop to the seed and answer Gospel Grace appearing to them with the
graces of the Gospel shining in them This counsell unto them hee edgeth with the Summary of his own doings and sufferings for them Then hee renues his importunity with profession of great affection unto them and with expectation of the like from them ver. 11 12 13. using this as an ingaging insinuation And so in the following verses the better to advance his Gospel designe that they may with improvement intertaine the Grace of God hee puts in caveats by way of dehortation against communion with the ungodly in their sinfull wayes and this by severall arguments 1. One drawn from the imparity that is betwixt Saints and unbeleevers ver. 14. Bee not unequally yoked How unmeet a match is it for you Corinthians to bee yoked with such you cannot well draw together in Gospel wayes 2. Another from the high autipathy and invincible contrarietie that is betwixt them ver. 14 15. What concord you may as well reconcile light and darknesse Christ and Beliall as Beleevers and Infidels 3. The last from the rich advantage they have by their interest in such precious priviledges and promises ver. 16. That hee may make them perfect Separatists from evill and the more prevailingly perswade them to walk with God as becommeth Saints you shall finde in these words two generall things to that purpose First A serious Adhortation to make a full Separation from unclean persons and things ver. 17. and this as a conclusion out of the foregoing premises intimated in that particle of illation wherefore This {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} this wherefore carries an ingagement with it Wherefore come out from among them and bee yee separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing Secondly A quickning incouragement to act it ver. 17 18. And I will receive you and will bee a Father unto 〈◊〉 and yee shall bee my Sonnes and Daughters saith the Lord Almighty The Spirit of God knew wee need strong arguments to dis-ingage us from our Belived evils Nothing below God himselfe can bee a prevailing attractive his love and favour is the best loadstone to draw us from sin to himselfe This Adhortation of the Apostle ver. 17. is expressed almost in the words of the Lord by his Prophet Isaiah Chap. 52. 11. Depart yee depart yee goe yee out from thence touch no uncleane thing goe yee out of the middest of her bee yee clean Thus our Translators following the Hebrew wherein likewise they have Hierome going before them render the words Indeed the Seventy Interpreters in their Greek Translation make here some difference The word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which Hierome renders mundamini and our Translators bee yee cleane they read it {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} bee yee separate This Paul makes use of by his Apostolicall Authority though it seeme not every way so answerable to the Hebrew I confesse many have been puzzled about some places of Scripture quoted out of the Old Testament in the New as in Hebr. 2. 13. c. partly because our narrow mindes are not able to comprehend the whole wisedome of the Spirit of God therein as in Hebr. 5. 5. c. partly because wee doe not observe that Liberty which the Holy Ghost useth many times to follow the sense rather then the words as in 1 Cor. 2. 9. c. partly because wee doe not consider that in citing some places out of the Old Testament the Originall is not alwayes exactly followed but sometimes the Septuagint even where that differs somewhat from the Hebrew Text This appeares if you compare Act. 8. 33. with Isai. 53. 8. and also in divers other places The Greek Translation of the Old Testament was then most common and amongst them then best understood and when the Apostles made use of it if they did not finde it yet possibly they might make it Scripture they being guided by the Spirit of God infallibly what they revealed as the mind of God to the Churches in what words so ever it was Canonicall Therefore bee not offended at any little variation here when you compare the words of the Apostle Paul and of the Prophet Isaiah Onely for your better direction herein bee pleased to remember that whereas the Prophet Isa. 52. 11. exhorted the remnant of Israel that they would come fully out of unclean Babylon the Apostle here applies it to Christians to the Saints at Corinth perswading them so farre to renounce communion with the wicked that they bee not polluted by them Herein they were to take three steppes wherein you are to follow them First Come out from amongst them Sometimes even locally by a personall withdrawing of your selves The pollutions may grow so generall that you cannot dwell amongst them without infection from them You may heare a voyce from Heaven calling the people of God out of Babylon Rev. 18. 4. when ever Rome becomes a Sodome for filthy uncleannesse an Aegypt for cruell bondage and a Babylon for Idolatry and other great abominations it is high time for the Saints to leave it Secondly Bee yee Separate if you doe not alwayes bodily and locally renounce the society of all wicked men yet evermore spiritually bee yee separate from them expresse your dislike of their wicked courses bearing witnesse against them Possibly your Callings and Relations may oblige you to civill converse with them yet whilst you are constrained to stay amongst them thinke affect speak act as men of another spirit maintaining an holy separation from their impurity Thirdly Touch not the unclean thing Here the Apostle bespeaks a more ful renouncing of fellowship with al uncleannesse Moses Law provided against unclean touches under the Gospel Saints should bee as carefull Hee doth not only say beware lest you wallow in filthinesse not onely forbid them to act that which is evill but dischargeth them from touching the unclean thing Suffer not your spirits and consciences to bee defiled in any degree no not with the least touch of wickednesse by any voluntary compliance with it The incouragement backs the Adhortation And I will receive you and will bee a Father c. That you may bee willing to act the Adhortation separating your selves from all uncleannesse you may finde here almost as many incouraging arguments as words First God promises receptionem I will receive you As if the Lord should say when I have called you out from amongst the wicked and discharged you from fellowship with the uncleane you must make account as you separate from them they will with scoffes scornes and persecutions disclaime you when Saul was become a Paul there was a change in his old friends as well as in him his former Patrons became his bitter persecutors the more zealous hee grew for his God the more violently did they oppose him In such a case the Lord would have all Proselytes know they shall exchange with advantage suppose by
renouncing fellowship with their wickednesse you lose their personall favours yet bee not discouraged I will own you when they throw you off I will receive you into my spirituall and eternall House You shall have communion with mee in my Church on Earth and bee made everlastingly happy by the injoyment of mee in Heaven Secondly God promises adoptionem I will receive them as a Father doth his children They shall have not onely house-roome but also heart-roome I will receive you not onely into my house but into my favour Under the sweet relation of a Father as beloved Sonnes and Daughters I will entertain you I will expresse the affection of a Father and you shall injoy the priviledges of children The Lord Almighty will performe this His love as a Father will ingage his power his power as Almighty will secure and advance his love Here is the Saints Incouragement to a right Separation These two generals will commend to your consciences and considerations two suitable Observations God expects the Saints should make a Separation from uncleannesse It is a great peece of the Devils policy agere {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as much as hee can at least to pretend an imitation of the wise God in his actions Hereupon as the Lord hath communicated himselfe to his people by a Covenant which hee publisheth by his Ministerâ— and confirmes by his Sacraments So the devill by way of resemblance conveyes himselfe by compacts by sorceries by charmes And likewise as the Spirit of God gaines much upon us by names inviting us to Piety under the name of wisdome deterring us from sinne by calling it folly In the same method Satan indevours to ingage some in wayes of intemperance under the title of good-fellowship others in the wayes of covetousnesse calling it good-husbandry And withall often times doth hee most industriously practice to discourage us from that which hee knowes to bee good by branding it with some bad name Hence evermore the best Persons and things have been reproached with the worst names Even the sweet and precious name of Christian given to the Disciples at Antioch was soon stained by blasphemous wits and tongues By the Jewes they were in contempt called Nazarites by Julian scornfully termed Galileans by Vlpian under Severus Impostors by Demetrian whom Cyprian confuted procurers of all the Plagues of God that came upon the world This afterwards proved to bee the portion of the Waldenses in the Lateran Councell to bee condemned as Catharists Publicans c. They did indeed discover the Prelates and Briests amongst the Papists to bee the grand Soule-deceivers Deeeptores animarum Diaboli laqueos Hereupon the Popish Clergie conceived themselves concerned how to render them odious to the world under the most ignominious names The Saints in this Church have found the same designe practiced against them in these later times Though the Scripture commands purity and so highly commends it that our Saviour makes it one of the Beatitudes Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God yet under the nick-name of Puritans the most gracious Christians have been not a little disparaged At first indeed there were Ceremoniall Puritans onely so they were traduced who would not comply heartily with Prelaticall Ceremonies Then afterwards the iniquity of our times rose to this height that any Ministers Orthodox in Judgement and conscientious in practice were opposed as Doctrinall and morall Puritans And at last such Nobles and Gentry who had but good State-principles and were faithfull to the publick were cryed down as State-puritans and accounted 〈…〉 many the Troublers of this Israel The Devill and his agents are now acting the same part against the power of godlinesse though in another new dresse The beauty and purity of true Christianity is amongst many in England at this time clouded under the name of Separation as if the word Separate did alwayes carry a crime with it Wee doe not enough consider that there is a Right desirable inoffensive Separation unto which the Scripture directs Indeed because divers do runne into unhappy extremities of â—â—paration whom yet wee should pity and with meeknesse of wisdome seek to reduce because they seem to aime at purity therein hence it is grown so common to represent all such who conscientiously endevour to separate from sinne as guilty of a sinfull Separation not onely at Tables and Tavernes but even in Pulpits too often such as long to see purity and unity meet in the Churches of Christ are by some involved in a reproach full Separation yea our zealous Reformers are by intemperate tongues and pennes lashed as odious Separatists I hope therefore it will not bee thought unseasonable to presâ—â—â— to this Noble Auditory who have so farre ingaged themselves for a pure Reformation what that Right Separation is which is so much incouraged by God himselfe Two things I shall indevour by the helpe of Gods holy Spirit to discover First From what the Saints are to Separate Secondly Why they are to make such a Separation There is a fivefold Separation which the Lord who is glorious in holinesse challenges from all his Saints First The Saints must separate from all unclean courses They should all accept and act that counsell which Daniel gave Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 4. 27. Break off thy sinnes by righteousnesse It is not enough upon a day of Humiliation and now whilest God is breaking us by his Judgements to bee somewhat broken for our sinnes unlesse wee by Reformation break off from them They are not worthy the name of Saints who live in any grosse sinfull practices or allow themselves in any little ones Paul 2. 〈◊〉 1. calls for this improvement of these gracious promises that the Corintbians should bee cleansing themselves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God They should not stint themselves with any degree of holinesse Gods owne purity being their Copy 1. Joh. 3. 3. but evermore bee purging out all defilements which fall either upon their bodies or upon their spirits Secondly The Saints must separate from unclean company What should Doves doe amongst Crowes when David did appeale to God Psal. 26. 4 5. in the integrity of his heart hee could mâ—ke this profession which would bee as comfortable to you as it was to him I have not sate with vaine persons neither will I goe in with dissemblers I have hated the congregation of evill doers and will not sit with the wicked Possibly your callings your relations may tye you to a frequent converse with some unclean persons which is a sad portion where ever it falls yet â—electively it is not agreeable to the spirit of a Saint to single out such as your Companions as your bosome friends as the people of your delight to make a league and combination with them Wise Solomon advises Prov. 22. 24 25. Make no friendship with an angry
separation from uncleannesse and fellowship with wicked men therein as they come to share in their sins so will they bee involved in their calamities If Israel had not separated themselves from Aegypt by the blood of the Paschall Lambe but had communicated with them in their Idolatry they might have felt the sword of the destroying Angell in their houses as well as the Aegyptians It did cost them very deare afterwards that they had such fellowship with Achans offence for his act they smarted indeed because Josh. 7. 1. The children of Israel committed a trespasse in the accursed thing they were not carefull to keepe themselves and one another from that evill as God had charged them Josh. 6. 18. It was a seasonable prayer of that man of God Lord deliver mee from my other mens sinnes God knowes wee have personall finnes enow standing upon our score to undoe our soules eternally the greater reason have wee to renounce all communion with other mens uncleannesse Hence Paul calls upon the Saints in Ephesus Ephes. 5. 11 Have no fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darknesse but reprove them rather make them not your sinnes by command counsell consent connivence nor any other way but rather beare witnesse against them at least by a checking silence if not by a seasonable speech by lookes by gestures by some rebuking actions if not by downe-right reproofes If you joyne hearts in sinning against God expect to goe hand in hand under punishments from him If God lookes that all his Saints should make such a separation as not to touch any uncleannesse then behold how much worke you have this day for deepe humiliation So farre are you from answering Gods expectation herein that many of you are drenched in great defilements and wallow in grosse impurity The Lord helpe you to behold it with weeping eyes over your selves and this unclean Nation May not the Lord send his Prophet to you as once hee did Ezekiel to Hierusalem Ezek. 22. 24. c. Son of man say unto her Thou art the Land that is not cleansed nor rained upon in the day of Indignation sometimes raine waters and makes a barren Land fruitfull sometimes there is a raine of righteousnesse which washeth away unrighteousnesse Hos. 10. 12. 25 There is a conspiracy of her Prophets in the midst thereof like a roaring Lyon ravening the prey They have devoured soules they have taken the Treasure and pretious things they have made her many Widowes in the midst thereof 26 Her Priests have violated my Law and have profaned my holy things they have put no difference between the holy and profane neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths and I am profaned among them 27 Her Princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey to shed blood and to destroy soules to get dis-honest gaine 28 And her Prophets have daubed them with untempered morter seeing vanity and divining lies unto them saying Thus saith the Lord God when the Lord hath not spoken 29 The people of the Land have used oppression and exercised robbery and have vexed the poore and needy yea they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully It concernes you wisely to consider that the complaint in the 30 verse bee not as justly taken up against you 30 And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before mee for the Land that I should not destroy it but I found none What no mourners none that sigh and groan for Englands filthinesse then the sad portion in the 31 verse may prove yours 31 Therefore I have powred out my indignation upon them I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath their owne way have I recompensed upon their heads saith the Lord May you not heare God speaking to this polluted Kingdom as once to his Hierusalem Jer. 13. 27. I have seen thy adulteries and thy neighings the lewdnesse of thy whoredome and thine abominations on the hills in the field Woe unto thee O Jerusalem wilt thou not bee made clean when shall it once bee What not after so many yeeres purifying Sermons not after so many melting mercies which should have led thee to repentance not after so many purging judgements What not yet cleansed by all these rivers of teares upon so many praying dayes by all these streames of blood in so many cruell fights Oh when shall it once bee What England never cleansed from her old abominations Doubtlesse if wee still tread in Hierusalems steps wee must expect her cup of Trembling to bee put into our hands till wee bee utterly overturned Historians make a sad relation of the Desolation of Hierusalem twelve severall times the heavy judgements of God fell upon them as the wofull fruites of their abominations So as at last it became the Jews prison and then their grave and after an heape of carkasses then of stones Luk. 19. 41 42 43 44. I hope you will Right Honourable and Beloved seriously humble your selves before God this day for that you have in many things walked so unbecomming Saints Instead of Separating from all Impurity the All-seeing God knows you have contributed very much to make England more unclean First Every one of you hath an unclean spring within in your own corrupt natures which bubbles up daily in many impure thoughts desires c. Jer. 4. 14. O Jerusalem wash thine heart from wickednesse that thou mayest bee saved how long shall thy vaine thoughts lodge within thee And in Matth. 15. 19. 20. For out of the heart proceed evill thoughts murders adulteries fornications thefts false witnesse blasphemies these are the things which defile a man The heart is the Fountain which is full of filth many carnall principles sinfull inclination c. hence so many unclean streames in our polluting actions Secondly You defile both your selves and others by corrupt speeches and sinfull conversing together Ephes. 4. 29. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace to the hearers Sometimes one rotten hearted person in a family like one rotten apple upon an heape corrupts many others they little know what it is to speak to edify profitably but rather at a Table in a with-drawing roome pull down that in one houres discourse which a faithfull Minister hath been building up by many Sermons ver. 30. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God such sinfull discoursing doth not onely sad the spirits of the Saints but even grieve the Spirit of God himselfe ver. 31. Let all bitternesse and wrath and angor and clamour and evills speaking bee put away from you with all malice One passionate word begets another and so you doe mutually helpe to defile one anothers soules Thirdly You adde much to the common pollution even by the iniquity of your
holy things If you please to consult with Exod. 28. 38. you shall finde there a course prescribed how Aaron was to beare the iniquity of the holy things among the children of Israel that they may bee accepted before the Lord Which cleerly intimates that there are not onely evill doings but also evill of our good doings there are Sermon sinnes Prayer sinnes Communion sinnes Humiliation sinnes many Sanctuary sins which doe defile both our spirits and performances and cast more mudde into Englands unclean streames whereby wee become more obnoxious to the displeasure of the Holy God Hence you may observe Ezek. 9. 6. God gave commission to the destroyers to begin at the Sanctuary For the most part pollution beginnes at the Sanctuary and there should they beginne destruction Fourthly Possibly besides all your owne personall sinnes whereby the Land is so much defiled you may by compliance owne them yea and helpe to make the Kingdome guilty of all the sinnes that are committed by any in the Kingdome Hereby you who are advanced to such authority in the State may make those sinnes which were too common before in some kind to become Nationall and leave a destructive guilt upon the Kingdome As Ministers by not reproving their flock so Magistrates by not punishing the offenders stâ—nd charged with their sinnes The Lord teach you wisely to consider how angry hee was with Eli for his connivence 1 Sam. 3. 13. God would ruine his house because his Sonnes made themselves vile and hee restrained them not It is high time to looke about you lest your indulgence to any other mens sinnes multiply so much uncleannesse as may both ruine your own-houses and hazzard the whole Kingdome If God expects his Saints should separate then give mee leave here to enter a Caveat against rash censuring and condemning of all Separation God himselfe by his Word and by his practice teacheth there may there must bee some Separation First in his owne eternall counsels hee makes a separation his electing love singles out some chusing them to grace and glory passing by others Secondly his Spirit in the Ministery of the Gospel makes a separation picking out here and there one drawing them to communion with Christ Thirdly when the Son of man shall come in his glory with all the holy Angels hee will separate the sheep from the goates the sheep on his right hand the goates on the left And here Paul invites you to a separation and therefore doubtlesse there is no reason you should bee offended at the Name or Thing when it is rightly stated and practised This I shall indevour to represent in these two following Conclusions There must bee no Separation made from fellowship with the Catholick Church Such a separation would rend the very body of Christ himselfe Hee is pleased to call the Church his body the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all Ephes. 1. 23. This would dis-joynt that sweet Harmony which is the beauty and strength of that body Ephes. 4. 16. The improvement of the Gospel is the advancing of Saints to this honour and happinesse Heb. 12. 22 23. But yee are come unto Mount Sion and unto the City of the living God c. To the Generall Assembly and Church of the first-borne In this your pilgrimage you must still bee comming to this Church but never separating from it because in comming hither you come to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant ver. 24. You need not make a separation from a particular Church because there are some defects found in it If you are bound to separate because of defects to what particular Church will you associate which shall not bee defective Onely the Church Triumphant in Heaven is absolutely perfect weeds will incessantly bee springing up in all Gods Gardens here on earth This hath evermore been taken for granted amongst all sober spirits that imperfections doe not presently unchurch a True Church and so though they cry for a Reformation yet doe not warrant a Separation Quest But what if some wicked persons continue in Church Society doth not that give a just occasion of separation unto others Answ. Such Divines to whom God hath revealed much of his minde concerning Church-affaires give divers reasons why the tolerating of some wicked persons in a Church is not a sufficient ground for others to separate suddenly from it First because that tolerating may bee onely an errour or infirmity of the Church wherein you are to beare with it and not thereupon to separate from it Secondly Patience is to bee used towards a particular Brother when hee is overtaken Gal. 6. 1. Much more must you in such a case expresse it towards a Church Thirdly The suddain separating of the godly is not the best method to cure a sick Church but rather puts it into a more desperate condition c. Quest Doth not the fellowship of wicked persons in the Ordinances make them ineffectuall Answ. Their wickednesse may make the precious Ordinances of God ineffectuall to themselves yet not to such others whom the Lord invited and for whom he prepared these Gospel-dainties Will a loving Father deny his owne children their bread because some dogges creep under the Tables Indeed as in Hag. 2. 13. If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these shall it bee unclean And the Priests answered and said It shall bee unclean To whom was this uncleannesse contracted not to others but to themselves And hence 1 Cor. 11. 28. Let a man examine Himself and so let him eate Hee doth not say let him examine all others that come It is indeed a very desirable and beautifull thing which would much increase our Communion comforts to see none but Christs Members at his own Table Yet how can the very being of an ungodly person there enervate the power of the Ordinances unto thy soule It is most true A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump 1 Cor. 5. 6. That incestuous person and so others leaven a Church Physically not by their presence simply because they are there Then the being of an Hypocrite in Church fellowship however hee creep in would leaven all if bare presence did it But Morally by his Impurity hee being suffered without censure for so great an offence doth imbolden and harden others in sin whereby the whole Congregation might in time bee sowred with such leaven The presence of an unclean person cannot hurt you further then you make his uncleannesse yours by not doing your duty against it What though 1 Cor. 10. 17. they being many are one bread If an unclean unworthy person by creeping unto Gods Ordinances and enjoying communion with the Saints therein doe obtain this advantage so as by profession to seem one bread with them yet this doth not imply that the Saints are thereby made one with him in his wickednesse If an unclean person challenge more then belongs to him this doth not
suspect our selves and yet to make more exact inquiry what impure things and persons there are amongst us Wee in England may powre out Joshuahs complaint Josh. 7. 8. O Lord what shall I say when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies and expect the Lords answer to him ver. 10 11. And the Lord said unto Joshuah Get thee up wherefore lyest thou thus upon thy face Israel hath sinned and they have also transgressed my Covenant which I commanded them Now is a proper season to consider whether there bee no Achan in the camp whether no Jonahs still asleepe in a corner which occasions the storme and indangers the ship This were most suitable work for a day of Humiliation You may have many Praying dayes yet if they bee not cleansing and scouring dayes your Prayers will still miscarry your Counsels bee shattered and your grand undertakings bee disappointed Remember Judg. 10. 10. The children of Israel cryed unto the Lord yet to little purpose till they swept away the unclean things The Lord repulsed their prayers and bade them ver. 14. Goe and cry unto the Gods which yee have chosen let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation Indeed when they said ver. 15. Wee have sinned and when ver. 16. They put away the strange Gods from among them and served the Lord Then His soule was grieved for the misery of Israel Could wee in England act our prayers not onely bemoane our uncleannesse but put it away from among us renounce all our impurity wee might hope to find our Heavenly Father so farre grieved with our miseries that our sorrows might bee turned into rejoycings Then let all the Saints who have indevoured to separate themselves from all uncleannesse learn hence with all humble boldnesse to improve this blessed priviledge make use of this sweet Relation you have unto God runne to the Throne of Grace and cry Abba Father Rom. 8. 15. If hee hath bound himselfe to receive you as a Father doe you follow him as children doe not onely say Abba Father but cry Abba Father Sometimes a childe can say or doe nothing to helpe it selfe but cry after his Father Though hee bee stuck fast in the mire yet looking after the Father overtakes him crying after him overcomes him Oftentimes Ah Father proves an effectuall prayer there is prevailing Oratory in the Name in the Relation Therefore if thou canst do nothing else in the behalf of poore England yet put thy finger in thine eye and complain to thy Father tell him how ill it fares with thy poore Brethren and Sisters in gasping Ireland in unsettled Scotland in bleeding England and what a bitter cup of trembling Germany and the Palatinate have had in their hands for above twenty yeeres together As Mary and Martha sent to Christ Joh. 11. 3. saving Lord behold hee whom thou lovest is sick Represent by thy Prayers the sick and sad condition of many of those whom the Lord dearly loveth amongst us Possibly thou mayest heare the same gracious answer concerning the cause and people of God here as in ver. 4. Jesus said This sicknesse is not unto death but for the glory of God that the Sonne of God might bee glorifyed thereby Onely hee will have us to bee brought so low that the sentence of death being passed upon us hee may bee magnifyed in our Resurrection O therefore suffer not your selves to bee discouraged from wonted importunity in Prayer You have here two excellent props of Faith Gods power and Gods will The Lord Almighty is your Father As hee is Almighty hee is abundantly able as hee is a Father hee is as cheerefully willing Hee who is Almighty can work without meanes as well as with meanes by weak meanes as well as by strong contrary to meanes as well as according unto meanes Hee who is a Father will help when you may think your selves at losses and in the dark as hee hath promised Isa. 42. 16. And I will bring the blinde by a way that they know not I will lead them in path that they have not known I will make darknesse light before them and crocked things streight these things will I doe unto them and not forsake them It the Lord Almighty will receive all Right Separatists as a Father this may oblige all the Saints in their moving towards a pure Separation from uncleannesse to imbrace one another as Brethren It is most wholesome counsell 1 Pet. 2. 17. love the Brother-hood not onely love this or that Brother which may bee done upon politick respects because hee is learned discreet or usefull but love the brotherhood the fraternity the whole corporation of Saints Yea 1 Pet. 1. 2. See that yee love one another with a pure heart fervently First It must bee hearty love not lip love onely Secondly From a pure heart not out of carnall selfe-seeking Thirdly It must have fervency as well as purity such love as will not bee quenched by some passions discourtesies differences c. O this were most becomming Saints like children of the same heavenly Father to joyne hearts heads and hands with all Brotherly affection This State were not in so much danger to bee broken by enemies if wee did not give them advantage by breaches amongst our selves And this makes our present Church differences the more sad because many of them are amongst Brethren who are indeed going from Aegypt to Canaan from Babylon to Hierusalem but they forget their Relation to God and one another and most unhappily fall out and quarrell in the way In King Henry the eighths dayes there was a strange temper of things both Protestants and Papists were persecuted At one time three were burned for not subscribing the six Articles and three hanged for denying the Kings Supremacy the sight whereof made a Frenchman cry out Deus bone quomodo hic vivunt Gentes suspenduntur Papistae comburuntur anti-papistae What a place is this where Papists are hanged and antipapists are burned Is it not more prodigiously strange to see Brethren under the names of Independents and Presbyterians not onely persecuted by others but even condemning and doing severe execution upon one another I doubt you doe not often enough remember that of Moses Act. 7. 26. Sirs yee are Brethren why doe yee wrong one to another They who have sweetly agreed in the destructive part of Reformation for the pulling downe Popish superstitions and Prelaticall usurpations They who have joyned like Brethren in one practicall Directory for publike Worship by a prudent moderation settling such an order therein as may prevent confusion in Church-Administrations and withall leaving such liberty as may relieve tender consciences They who have taken divers steppes towards an happy accord in the doctrinall part in one Confession of Faith and form of Catechisme why should not they also as children of one Father as Subjects of the same King by the help of your Prayers and indevours bee brought