some publick offence which they lie under as hath been already opened Surely though this third reason reach not Infants yet the two former doe and prevent as their Parents of just claime of the Lords Supper so them of due right of Baptisme with us For neither have wee power over them neither have they communion with any particular Church being dismissed from the Church where they were baptized and recommended to none Against this sundry things are objected and such as seeme of much weight as 1. That the Sacrament of Baptisme hath been administred to some who were no members of any visible Church and therefore why not to the Children of non-members as Philip baptized the Eunuch Acts 8.37 38. and Peter baptized Cornelius and his houshold Acts 10.47 48. Paul baptized Lydia and her houshold the Gaoler and his houshold Acts 16.15.33 To which wee answer three things * First The Apostles had an unlimited power and might baptize beleevers professing the faith and their seed wheresoever they came but the power of Pastors and Teachers is limited to their own particular visible Church which hath called them to minister unto them * Secondly It cannot be proved that the Apostles or Evangelists baptized any but such as either were members of some visible Church before they preached to them or else they gathered them into a visible Church estate before they baptized them * The Eunuch in Acts 8. was a Proselyte to the Church of Jerusalem for the Text saith he came up to Hierusalem for to worship Acts 8.27 Neither let any man object that his membership at Hierusalem would not intitle him to Baptisme seeing Baptisme is a Sacrament of the Christian Church not of the Jewish * for whatsoever member of the Jewish Church as beleeved in Christ as the Messiah and professed that faith he was capable of Baptisme for such they were whom John baptized Mat. 3.6 and Christs Disciples Joh. 4.2 yea all the Israelites were baptized in the cloud and in the Sea in the dayes of Moses 1 Cor. 10.2 * As for Lydia and the Gaoler and both their families they lived together in the same Citie of Philippi Act. 16.12 where was a company also of other brethren ver 4. and from the beginning of the Gospel which doubtlesse was when he preached to them Acts 16. he speaketh of them as a Church Know yee Philippians saith he that in the beginning of the Gospel no Church communicated with mee as concerning giving and receiving but yee onely Phil. 4.15 Which evidently holdeth them forth as a Church at that time and that Paul did first gather the brethren there into a Church when he baptized Lydia and the Gaoler and others there And indeed the Commission which Christ gave his Apostles holdeth it forth that they were by preaching to make Disciples before they baptized them and their children Mat. 28.19 Now a Disciple as the meaning of the word implyeth is a Scholler in Christs schoole and therefore when the Apostles were directed to make Disciples before they did baptize them they were not onely to convert them to the faith but also to gather them as Disciples or Schollers into a Schoole of Christ and the Schoole of Christ is every particular visible Christian Church wherein some are teachers some are Disciples or Schollers and his Discipline is exercised amongst them Neither is it credible that the Apostles would baptize any that is apply to them the seale of the Covenant given unto the Church before they had taught them the Covenant it selfe and entred them into it in which regard wee cannot easily thinke that when Peter baptized Cornelius and his family he did onely perceive they had received the holy Ghost and evidently professed the same in new tongues Acts 10.45 46 47. but that he did also gather them into one body directing them to the spirituall use of the newly received gifts in the Communion of Saints and baptized them into the fellowship of the Lord Jesus and of one another in his Name Thirdly Wee answer as the Apostles were transcendent Officers of the Church so they received transcendent power to administer their worke As the Father sent Christ so Christ sent them Job 20.21 to wit Cum amplitudine plenitudine potestatis with all fulnesse of power so that any one Apostle received both the gifts and power of all the Officers of the Church Any Apostle might doe the worke not onely of an Apostle but of a Prophet of an Evangelist of a Pastor of a Teacher of a Deacon Rev. 1.1 They doe foretell as Prophets things to come Acts 27.22 They travelled up and downe not onely to plant Churches but to water Churches as Evangelists Acts 15.41 They as Pastors feed the flock of Christ with wholsome words of exhortation 1 Tim. 2.7 Joh. 21.25 They as Teachers of the Gentiles as Paul speaketh of himselfe taught them in the mysteries of the kingdome of God They as Elders ruled the Church not as Lords but as examples to the flocke and as Deacons they received the oblations of the Church and distributed the same according to the necessitie of the Saints Yea Acts 4.35 though when the Apostles came where Churches were planted they did put forth no act of transcendent authoritie but did all with the consent of the Church yet in the absence of the Churches they might doe any act which any Church and all the Officers thereof might doe together As for ought wee know they might in such a case impose hands alone so Paul might set apart Timothy to some speciall office 2 Tim. 1.6 they might alone deliver unto Satan 1 Tim. 1.20 they alone might baptize in as much as the presence and the power and fellowship of any one of them did comprehend as much as the presence and power and fellowship of the whole Church together * their acts therefore in such transcendent cases are not patterns nor presidents for us but according to the measure of the gift of Christ wee are to move in our owne line and to act onely as the Ministers of Christ and his Church in the presence and fellowship of the Church 2. It is objected againe that children of excommunicated persons such as being cast out are not holden as members of the Church have yet right unto Baptisme and therefore it is not well done of us to deny the Baptisme of the children of such as are not Members That children of Excommunicated persons have right to Baptisme they prove by sundry Arguments 1. From the consideration of the divers sorts of Members some are members not actually but in the eternall Counsell of God as Paul before his conversion 2. Some are member onely in shew and appearance as hypocrites which are as woodden legs fastned to the body 3. Some are lively members knit to Christ by faith to the brethren by the spirit of love 4. Some are decayed members which though they belong to Gods Election
offered up to God either by the Pastor or Teacher and the Word read and expounded by them who preached in the morning if there be time and preached by the other and the Sacrament of Baptisme administred if any of the Church doe offer their children thereunto the Deacons who sit in a seate under the Elders yet in sundry Churches lifted up higher then the other pewes doe call upon the people that as God hath prospered them and hath made their hearts willing there is now time left for contribution presently the people from the highest to the lowest in sundry Churches do arise the first pew first the next next and so the rest in order and present before the Lord their holy offerings For in the old Testament at their solemne feasts none was to appeare before the Lord empty Deut. 16.16 And the Lords day is onely unto Christians the ordinary solemne feast of the Lord in the new Testament the Christians laid downe their oblations at the Apostles feete Acts 4.35 into whose place for that service Deacons were substituted Acts 6.3 And to that purpose the Apostle gave order unto the Churches that upon the first day of the weeke every one should lay by him into the treasury as the word signifieth for the supply of the Saints as God had prospened them 1 Cor. 1.2 Which ordinance Justin Martyr speaketh of in his time that the abler sort on the Lords day did contribute to the necessities of the brethren in the end of the second Apologie And Cyprian rebuketh a wealthy rich widow for beleeving shee could celebrate the Lords day as holy and yet neglect to contribute to the Lords treasurie in his first Sermon de Eleemosynâ Locuples dives Dominicum celebrare te credis quae Corbonam omnino non respicis After the contribution ended the time left is taken up in sundry Churches in the publike tryall and admission of such as are to be received Members into the Church in such manner as hath been before declared and so after a Psalme of praise to God with thanksgiving and prayer to God for a blessing upon all the ordinances administred that day and a blessing pronounced upon the people the Assembly is dismissed Besides the celebration of the Lords day every weeke we sometimes upon extraordinary occasions either of notable judgements doe set a part a day of humiliation or upon speciall mercies wee set apart a day of thankesgiving The grounds whereof wee conceive are generally knowne and approved amongst Christians Moreover every weeke in most of our Churches Lectures are kept on some or other of the weeke dayes so that such whose hearts God maketh willing and his hand doth not detaine by bodily infirmitie or other necessary imployments if they dwell in the heart of the Bay may have opportunitie to heare the Word almost every day of the weeke in one Church or other not farre distant from them SECT IV. IN all these administrations onely two or three things may seeme to require clearing from the Word of God as 1. Why in our publick prayers wee forbeare to use set formes of prescript Liturgies 2. Why in our Sacraments wee doe not admit the members of the Church of England to the fellowship of the Lords Table and their children to Baptisme as was said before wee did receive the Members of other Churches in this Countrey For the former the reasons usually given may suffice 1. From the patterne of all the Churches both in the old and new Testament God never gave leave to any ordinary Officers of his Church neither did any of them take leave to impose any formes of Liturgie upon any Church And yet if ever there had been place for prescribing set formes to any it had been most seasonable in the Jewish Synagogues whose members being as children under age Gal. 4.2 3. might stand in most need of such a help It is easily acknowledged Moses prescribed a forme of blessing Nunb 6.23 to 26. and David sundry Psalmes of praise and prayers and the Lord Jesus taught his Disciples not onely to pray after this manner but thus or these words Luk. 11.2 But neither were these ordinary Officers of the Churches neither did they prescribe any use but arbitrary and occasionall of these formes as they might suite our occasions God by immediate revelation and by the hand of his extraordinary Messengers may prescribe this or that forme to his Church but will not warrant ordinary Officers who have onely received a common measure of the Spirit to doe the like God who forbad his people to make to themselves Images or imaginations inventions and formes of worship hath not restrained himselfe to set up what images or formes himselfe seeth good Object These formes of prayer or praise though as they be parts of holy Scripture they are of God yet as they are applyed without speciall commandement to be the matter or forme of a prayer or thanksgiving at this time so they are the device of man c. Answ They are not applyed to be matter and forme of prayer or thanksgiving without commandement or at least without such directions as amount to a lawfull warrant from God for Moses expresly saith On this wise shall yee blesse the Children of Israel and say unto them Numb 6.23 The 102. Psalme is expressed in the title not onely to be a prayer of one that was afflicted but of any in like estate And the Apostles exhortation is generall concerning all the Psalmes and hymnes and spirituall songs of David as well as of others that wee should sing them with holy melody unto the Lord Eph. 5.19 and Christs words Luk. 11.2 When yee pray say our Father c. A second reason why wee forbeare a set forme of prescript Liturgies is taken from the meaning of the second Commandement which wee conceive prohibiteth such prescript Liturgies It is a rule generally knowne in the exposition of the Commandements that all sinnes forbidden in the Word of God are reduced to the ten Commandements and fall under the prohibition of one of them or other for there is no sinne but is a transgression of some or other commandement of the law 1 Joh. 3.4 and upon the two Tables of the Law hang all the Law and the Prophets Mat. 22.40 Now it is plaine that all sinnes are not contained in the letter of the ten Commandements and therefore there is no judicious Expositor of them but openeth the letter of the Commandements by Synecdoches and Metonymies Synecdoches to comprehend all sinnes of the like kinde and all the degrees thereof and Metonymies to comprehend all causes and meanes and occasions thereof so that for opening the second Commandement which forbids both making and the worshipping of any image or similitude it is requisite to consider in what sense or respects Images or similitudes are forbidden Images or similitudes are forbidden in the second Commandement not as objects of worship for all false objects of worship are the
whom onely the Church and the Covenant of grace unto them and their seed and the seales of the Covenant were granted Object If it be objected that all that were circumcised amongst the people of Israel might come and keepe the Passeover amongst them but wee here withhold the Lords Supper from them that are baptized Answ Our answer is they that were circumcised amongst the Israelites might rightly keepe the Passeover amongst them because the whole Nation of Israel made but one Church and the Officers or Ministers of any one Synagogue the Priests and Levites were Ministers in common to the whole house of Israel In proportion whereunto they that are baptized in any particular Church may in like sort require the Lords Supper in the same particular church where they are baptized if there be no other impediment in regard of their unfitnesse to examine themselves which is a thing requisite to the receiving of the Lords Supper more then was required to the receiving of the Passeover But now because the Churches of the new Testament are of another constitution none of them nationall as the Church of Israel was but all of them congregationall Baptisme in one Church doth not give a man right to the Lords Supper in another unlesse the Officers of one Church were the Officers of all as in Israel they were or unlesse that one Church and the Officers thereof did recommend their right and power to another 3. A third ground of our practise in this point is taken from the case of publick offence which we conceive ought to be removed from all such as are to partake together at the Lords Table so we deale with the members of our own Church and so wee deale with the members of neighbour Churches in this Countrey None of them are received unto the Lords Table with us whilest they lie under the guilt of any publick scandall before the face of the Church For it is our Saviours direction that if a man bring his gift to the Altar and there remembers that his brother hath ought against him he should there leave his gift and goe first to be reconciled to his brother and then come and offer his gift Mat. 5.23 24. If this be a rule for a mans owne private direction in case of private offences it will be a rule also for a whole Church to direct an offending brother to doe the like in case of a publick offence Wee doe therefore direct both the brethren of our own Church and of any other Church in this Countrey that if they present themselves to communion with us at the Lords Table they should first remove such publick offence as either themselves or the Church from whence they come doe lie under before the Lord and us ☜ that according to the figure in the law of the Passeover no leaven must be found amongst us when wee come to sit downe at the Lords Table together Now though wee rather choose to cover in silence and to mourne in secret for any corruptions found in other Churches especially in these so deare and neare unto us as the Churches of England be yet in this case faithfulnesse to God and them and the necessary defence of our own due proceedings here constraineth us to confesse sundry publick offences under which our English parish Churches lie and wherein our selves also were defiled whilest we lived in them and our Country-men are defiled that come over to us from them 1. It is a publick offence that they come over not as members of any particular visible Church for they leave that relation where they left their habitation but of a Nationall Church whereof Christ hath given us no patterne in the new Testament and in which he hath appointed no nationall Churches nor any nationall worship to be performed by them 2. It is a publick offence that though they were baptized in some parish Church in England upon some Covenant or stipulation of their parents or of some in their stead whom they call god-fathers which also was without warrant yet generally they have come to the Lords Table without any publick profession of their own faith or repentance or promise of performance of those Christian duties which their parents or others in their stead made for them which is an offence not onely contrary to the order of their owne Church expressed in the Rubrick before the Common Catechisme but also contrary to the word of God which receiveth none to the fellowship of the seales of the Covenant but such as professe their taking hold of the Covenant as hath been shewed before 3. It is a publick offence that in their parish Communion which not communion of spirit but co-habitation begetteth they partake with all ignorant and scandalous persons not excluding drunkards whoremongers prophane swearers covetous worldlings Atheists Papists and the like whereby it cometh to passe that not a little leaven but a great masse of leaven hath deeply leavened the whole lump 4. It is a publike offence that they have worshipped God according to the precepts and inventions of men both in prescript formes of Liturgie and Letanies and in such ceremonies as which though they be not ordained of God yet are publickly enjoyned as neither darke nor dull but apt to stirre up the dull mind of man to the remembrance of dutie to God by some notable and speciall signification by which he may be edified 5. It is a publick offence that they have yeelded voluntary subjection and obedience to such a forme of government in the Church as the Lord Jesus hath not appointed in his Word and have approved the same whether by subscription or by oath of Canonicall obedience or by conformitie to their usurpations and injunctions These or such like publick offences as wee have bewailed in our selves so farre as wee had any fellowship with them so wee have thought it needfull that our brethren also who came over to us should professe their repentance of the same at least in a positive acknowledgement of the contrary sincere wayes of the Gospel before they be received to Communion with us SECT VI. IF these grounds may suffice to justifie our non-admittance of all the Country-men promiscuously that come over to us to the fellowship of the Lords Table without further satisfaction the same also or some of them at least may suffice to justifie our non-admittance of their infants unto Baptisme Infants cannot claime right unto Baptisme but in the right of one of their parents or both where neither of the Parents can claime right to the Lords Supper there their infants cannot claime right to Baptisme And they cannot claime right to the Lords Supper if it be so that wee have not lawfull libertie to administer the Lords Supper to the Parents or to one of them at least either for our want of due power over them or through their want of Communion with the Church whereof the Sacrament is a seale or by reason of