Whosoever Will be saved May be saved God Wills it and it is Man only Will not And shall we think that if any would come in to these External Means whereby his Grace is Communicated that they are to be Refused It is a strange thing that Divines should be able to see how Christ how the Spirit it self or its Help can be the Fruit of Vniversal Grace and yet their Eyes be holden as not to see the External Ordinances to be so while they make the Church to consist of the Regenerate only I pray let us consider a little of other Societies What is it makes a Man the Member of any other Society which he may be of if he will Is it not his Consent only to be of it his Coming-in it self that which gives him his Right and makes him one of that Company And why is it otherwise with the Church or Society of Christians It is the Will of a Man upon his Hearing the Gospel Preached or his Receiving the Gospel Preached so as to be Willing is the Foundation I should say Condition to speak exactly of his Right to be Received If he will be Baptized upon it he may be Baptized without more terms It is his Consent to it is the Ratio fundandi in This as in other Voluntary Relations It is true that the Nature of Christian Society is such as requires that a Man be one that hath Received the Christian Doctrine that is to be a Believer and that he lives not in any open gross Sin seeing that would Excommunicate from it if he were In But supposing him such a one that believes that Christ is the Son of God I mean it according to the Articles of the Creed for how shall he be Baptized in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost if he Believe not the Trinity and stands not actually Guilty of any such notorious Sin as if the were in the Church he must to be turn'd out for it there is nothing but his Willingness enjoyned of God nor ought to be required of us to the Receiving Him There are some says St. Austin that Put on Christ so far as to come into the Church and be Baptized Vsque ad Sacramentorum receptionem in his Words and some that put Him on ad vitae Sanctificationem unto that Sanctification of Life as brings them to Heaven I add so much because there are Many Saints or Sanctified Men says Mr. Richard Baxter that shall never come thither There are Saints by Separation from Paganism unto Fellowship with the Political Body of Christians which yet are not so by Separation from all Vngodliness into Fellowship with the Mystical Body of Christ The Door of the Church says that Learned and Pious Author is incomparably wider than that of Heaven and the Gospel is a free Offer to All. If any Man will come quite over in Spirit to Christ they shall be welcome if they will come but only to a Visible Profession He will not deny them Admittance there because they intend to go no farther but will let them come as near as they will and that they come no farther shall be their own fault Saints Rest Part 4. Sect. 3. Let me make bold to set this right and as I have put in before Political Body of Christians instead of his terms Visible Church and also left out the word Visible so instead of Visible Profession let me say Participation of Ordinances as St. Austin but now hath it and I take it to be very happily spoken As for the terms Visible and Invisible which our Divines use ordinarily when they distinguish the Congregate and Mystical Church I do avoid them they are a Snare to us The Sense of the term Visible can have no Place with God who Judges always according to Truth and hath no footing therefore neither in Scripture There is indeed the Outward Jew and Inward Jew in Scripture but the Outward Jew was a Real Jew or really a Jew in God's and Man's Account alike who had thereby ex intentione Dei Ordinantis a Right to be Circumcised and consequently to the Priviledge of all the Ordinances of Israel But a Visible Christian a Visible Member according to our common Notion of Visible is one that is not a Christian or Member Indeed but one only that Appears to be a Christian or Member and as None hath no Right therefore to the Ordinances at all in God's Sight A Visible Profession must be consequently an Hypocritical Profession that hath nothing in it but a Lie and Falshood altogether And can Mr. Baxter indeed say That if any will come to Such a Profession he is welcome No no God Almighty indeed is willing that All should come in to Him and They may come as Far as they will if but to be Baptized or Circumcised they are Welcome But I am against that Doctrine and Practice which depends upon this ensnaring Distinction I am for a Believing in Earnest the Gospel Preached and a Man's Coming-in thereupon and being Willing to be Received or to be Baptized and then I say whosoever Will he May. Whosoever would be Circumcised or Take hold of the Covenant Isa 56.4 6. he might Whosoever will be Baptized under the New-Testament he may Whosoever will come in to Christ so far as ever he Will Come this must be held for certain He will in no wise cast him out But no Man must nor be suffered to say He Believes he Repentâ— if he does Not at least in any Sense otherwise than he Does We must have none of this fame Visible Profession whatsoever comes of it We must see our Way clear how we can admit the Vnregenerate as well as the Regenerate into our Mixt Churcher without a Lie or we must allow none but Gathâ—red ones and turn all Independents unless we should Preach One thing and Pâ—actisâ— Another which no honest Man but must hate to do The People of Samaria are all said to believe Philip Preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God and were Baptized and Simon himself believed also Here we have none of this Visible Faith or Visible Profession but a Real Belief of what was Preached and that Belief prevailing upon the Will their Willingness to be Baptized is the Ratâ—o Baptizandi the Ground of their Baptism and Fight to be Admitted Simon Magus believed What is that Is it a Profession that he Did when he did Not No such matter his Faith and That of the City was Real and shewn by the Deed in their being Baptized A Man must Believe Indeed and his Faith be True as True does signifie Vndissembled or else he cannot be Baptized But his Faith may be far from True as Simon 's was as True does signifie Saving and yet so far as he can come in with any Truth he hath his Warrant from the Gospel SECT II. I Proceed now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to my Arguments If the common Opinion be received and a
which though One Assembly at first they were to encrease into Many as they are now at this Day making up that one Church Insimae Speciei which can admit of no other under it but only several Congregations as Parts of it that can themselves be no Political Societies upon that Account These Men it must be confessed therefore do destroy the Parish Pastor and Church and their Opinion is to be opposed by us all Conformist and Non-Conformist espâ—cially when they take upon them to deliver the Judgment of the Church of England which in her Declaration of the Work or Office with which She Charges the Minister at his Ordination as well as otherwise does say enough for the Confutation of these Men. There are others then more temperate who hold thus only That Christ having instituted a Superiority and Inferiority in the Ministry and the Apostles and Evangelists ceasing in regard to the Extraordinary Part of their Office the sixed Bishop succâ—eds in thâ— Ordinary Part of it But as thâ— Elders or Pastors in Scripture-time had a Power conferred on them by their Ordination which they continued over their Congregations notwithstanding the over-ruling Authority of the Apostles and did exercise it when they interposed not or were prâ—sent with them So is the Superintendency of the Bishops their Successors now but Cumulative and not Destructive of the Government which the Minister hath over his Parish by vertue of Christ's Institution And these Men by such soft Words do quite turn the Edge of this Argument Of Those who hold Episcopacy to be only of Humane Right there are some that are ready to acknowledge and approve of it as Prudent and of Ecclesiastical Institution when they will in no wise endure it to be obtruded on us as Apostolical or of Divine Right for this Reason more especially because then it can never be alter'd whatsoever Occasion there be for it There are Others that though they cannot but acknowledge the Antiquity of Bishops as of Ecclesiastical Right yet are they not willing to receive them if they could help it but only being Establish't by the Supreme Power they submit to thâ—m And the Truth is so long as all Power Ecclesiastical or Civil which is but Human is subordinate to the Supreme Magistrate it is the King's Authority must be their chiefest Hold who if He please may put into their Hands the Executive Part of that Power Circa Sacra which belongs to Princes making it Coercive so far as He will and no Body I know could deny Obedience to them upon that Account when if they challenge any from the Authority of Christ there are many will be apt to think they owe them none Now to draw up to the Argument or this First Ground of the Separatist I must say first That true it is there are some by their Opinion Quantum in se do destroy the Pastoral Office of the Parish Minister but These are not to be accounted the Church of England or the Law but Innovators whosoever they be I must say then next That suppose we were mistaken and the Church and Law did or does Establish such an Episcopacy as this the Authority of Law in this Case and Church too is or were of no Force because the Authority of Christ must take place A Pastor and People Associated for carrying on the Worship of God and a Christian Life is a Church of Christ's Institution Such Associations are our Parishes Such Pastors also have Power though the Exercise be obstructed and they may exert it if they will and venture the Issue Such Churches I say again have nothing wanting in the Essentials of true Churches and to Separate from them therefore without other Cause is Schism For Answer to the latter Ground which is the old stated Ground of Donatist and Brownist I have prepared this ensuing Discourse That our Churches are True Churches in opposition to or Answer of the first Ground Argument or Objection it hath been I must confess but the fresh Work of another Person and in such a piece of Impartiality and Self-denyal as is in my Opinion very engaging to the Church of England if She could acknowledge it for he hath removed all their just Offence and the Substance of it I think I have set down in this little Only I must add thus much more yet in his behalf That whereas the Dispute between him and his chief Opposer lies in this Point Whether it be lawful to Communicate with the Parish Assemblies as by Law required I must say That the Question thus proposed includes a Fallacy in it which is the Fallacy plurium Interrogationum as we call it The only Enquiry should be Whether we may go to Church the Law requiring it The word As As by Law required includes I say another or farther Interrogation which is not needful to be Answered and therefore is Fallacious which I put in as a Suppletory to what that worthy good Man hath omitted The Law requires that we go to our Parish Church whether as to a Part only of the Diocesan or as to a True Particular Church agreeable to Christ's Appointment is a Matter of Contention which is Needless and may be Endless It is enough that it is lawful for us to go to Church There is this Difference between the Law of Man and God's That when our Obedience to Him must not only be in the Matter but in the Manner of his Commands to be accâ—ptable to Him If the thing which the Law of Man requires be but in the Matter done and may be done there is no more comes into Examination That our Churches are True Churches in answer of or opposition to the Second Ground I do make the Work de Industria of these Sheets that is I do make it My Work because indeed it can never be that Worthier Man 's seeing the Way he hath gone hitherto which because Common they call Orthodox will never make any Work of it For let us try If we Answer hereunto That the Church of Christ does indeed consist only of the Sound Bâ—liever or Regenerate Persons but the Church as Visible that is which appears the Church in Man's Account consists of the Vnregenerate also Or Those that are Members really and in the Sight of God are only Regenerate Believers but those are Members in our Esteem that profess themselves to be such Christians as the Regenerate tho' they be not the Argument then will come to this The Church as visible to use here for once the common Term in the common Sense is a number of Profâ—ssors This Profession must be of a Regenerate Saving Faith and of no less that we may believe the Professor to be such as is sit Matter for Christ's Church according to our Protestant Divines But in our Parish Churches there is no such Profession Therefore They are no True Churches This I say is the old and constant Foundation of the Separatist and who is there that goes the
Profession of no less than True Grace or a Regenerate Faith be the Rule of Admission to the Church and Sacraments I do not see in the First place but we must all give up the Cause of our Mixed Churches Parochial or National to the Separatist They who require such a Profession in the Adult as necessary to give Right to Church Communion and do indeed understand themselves will say It must be a Profession de praesenti Serious Intelligent Resolved with whatsoever else is needful to make it Credibly Significant of the Thing they profess so that the Person Professing must be indeed Regenerate to be able to Make it and the Persons that Receive him must look on him as Regenerate upon his Making it And what more can be imagined for the yielding to the Congregationalist his whole Foundation It is true that some will persist and say The Independent does require yet more than this Profession they require also a Church-Covenant But this is in good earnest to Impose upon them The Judicious among them will avouch That let but a Man make his Profession of the Baptismal Covenant and his Profession be only thus qualified which Mr. Baxter in his Books still insists upon and there is nothing Besides but what on necessity does arise upon a Man's joyning meerly in Society is or can be required of any It is this Profession individuated into a Particular Congregation is all they do and will stand upon even so understood so qualified so explained But now such a Profession as this will they all say is incompatible with our Parochial National Churches There are none can make a Profession of what they have not There are but few here and there who are Regenerate and consent Indeed to the Covenant in the Sense as the Baptismal Covenant is understood There are but Few that are Elect in comparison of the Multitude of others And seeing there are none but these Few as I say are able to make such a Profession it is They who ought and must be Gathered out of the rest into their Select Congregations And what can be offered with more Reason if this indeed were Christ's Rule of Communion I must for my part protest therefore as one that loves to be plain and single-hearted I see not in good earnest but either we must come Off from this Rule or we must come Over to their Gathered Congregations In the Second place This Opinion does not only fundamentally Yield but Betray our Cause by a Defence that will stand us in no stead It defends our Parochial Churches upon a Supposition of what it Would have not upon a Supposition of What is It would have us Bâ—ptize our Children upon Profession of the Parents as in Covenant with them and whâ—n they come of Age themselves to be Confirmed upon their Own which should be thâ—n such a one But as this Use of Confirmation cannot be evidently proved in Scripture nor Aâ—y at all perhaps since the Extraordâ—nary Gifts of the Holy Ghost by the Laying on of Hands are ceased So is it more apparent that our Infants are Baptized in our Parish Churches upon the Child 's Own Profession and not the Parents The Godfathers Make Profession in their Names And how an Infant can Make a Profession which is Vnderstanding Serious and Credibly Significant that it Is or Does what it Professes or how any other can make such a Profession de praesenti for Children in their Names there are none who will Speak plain but must say they cannot apprehend And who can yet say That such a Profession as is supposed is required by the Bishops of the Confirmed or lookt after as any such Test of Christianity in our Days In the Third place The Going this way hath cast a vile Slander on the Catholick National Parochial Churches as if They were but a Company of Hypocrites mixt with a few of the Elect and Regenerate among them It is their Submission only to this Rule makes the Vnregenerate to be Hypocrites A Man were no Hypocrite to come to Church and joyn with the Congregation for Conversion But if he must Profess that he is Converted before his Coming and he be Not then is he made a Liar a Dissemblâ—r and Hypocrite indeed If it were not ordinary in the Mouths of Divines but the Language only of Two or Three that speak thus it would be a most hateful opprobrious kind of speaking to call every Vnregenerate Christian and Hypocrite I will not be one therefore that chuse to Speak or Vnderstand thus that the Church consists of the Regenerate and Hypocrites but of the Converted and those that are in the Way to it In the Fourth place This Rule unless it be stated after the Congregational manner will not answer the End unto which it is designed A Profession is not required as a Duty for it Self but for the Admitters that supposing none may be of the Church but the Regenerate this Profession of Regeneration does make the Party to be reputed to be Such whether he be or not and consequently to be Admitted Now it is not sufficient to this end that a Profession be Credible only or Credibly Significant only of that which is Professed unless it be Credited I cannot report a Story for True let it be never so credible unless I my self do Credit it It is but a Lie else In like manner although a Man's Profession be never so Credible yet if it be not more than Credible that is unless it be also Credited the Church cannot account or Repute the Professor to be what he professes because our Account and Repute of things must be according to what we Think or else our Account and Repute is a Lie In us as their Profession is In them that are Hypocrites You will say It is our Duty when they Profess to Believe them unless we can Disprove them I Answer It is true yet if the Church does not Believe them they cannot Account them Regenerate and receive them for Such as they do not think them whether they ought or no. And unto This there is nothing to be Answered substantially but by the Congregational Men who will say That they leave not this Business on the Judgment of the Single Minister but on the Whole Society and they require the Profession to be such as gives the Major Part Satisfaction So that it is upon a Profession Credited and upon a Real Belief of Man's being what he Professes that he is Admâ—tted And this is to make something of the Rule in earnest For to what purpose should there be any Proâ—ession at all if it be less than what is Satisfactory as to the End of it Especially considering that upon Profession of the Party it is not the Pastor only but the Whole Society is concern'd to receive him as a Bâ—other and which requires Offices from thâ—m in that Relation Blame not this Prâ—â—eding then of Tyranny If this be the Rule hâ—re is nothing
Soul It is not so easie a thing with every Good Man as with So good a One to assume to himself so much as but amounts to All that is necessary to make a Man a Christian when he speaketh but as he thinks upon faithful Endeavours to avoid Deceit There may be Thousands of the Temper of Holy Mr. Bradford who the more tender they are of their Duty the more sensible they are of their Defects and more fearful of Hypocrisie And God forbid but many of them whose Consciences do condemn them should yet be acquitted by Him who is Greater than their Consciences and who Does and Will do it while they are secretly yet borne up in their Desponding Dependence on his Goodness and Mercy It was more fairly said once to me by a Chief Pastor of the Anabaptists That the Way they went was not Thus but the Person that offers himself to their Church said he was only to declare what Work of God there is on his Heart and the Church are to make Judgment of it So that though the Man himself should profess he did Not believe his own Sincerity and yet the Church Did they could Receive him This I told him I liked well but it was to depart so much from the received Rule of Profession and to verge towards Mine that is towards an Admission of the Willing who are to come as I cannot chuse but think to the Vse of the Means for Grace if they have it Not as well as for farther Edification if they Have In the Last place to come home I have in my fore-going Discourse delivered my Thoughts about the Church and Covenant And though it be true that no Man can Enter or be in Covenant with God in that Sense which signifies the Performing the Condition but he must be Regenerate and a Member of Christ's Mystical Body or Church taking the Covenant whether Abstractly or Complexly for the Covenant of Life Yet as for Admitting Men and Women into the Society of Christians which is the Congregate Church or Christ's Political Body and Entring them into the Covenant of Peculiarity whereby they obtain only the Advantage of the Ordinances as Means for the bringing them up to the Terms of Salvation if they are not Effectually Converted already whereof I have all the way before been speaking I apprehend the Scene is as it were quite changed and I must stand still upon this That if any one Receives the Gospel and Believes it but so far Let not any one then say foolishly That when I let those That Will come into the Church I let in Turks Jews Infidels for by Receiving the Gospel i. e. the Doctrine or Creed of it I do suppose them turn'd Christians as to be Willing to come in and be Baptized whether he makes any other Profession or not This is sufficient hereunto and there is nothing Else I find required of him unless we doubt whether a Man be In Earnest and a Christian in his Heart when he comes and then are we to Put the Question to him and he is to own the Faith Or unless he be a Profligate Scandalous Sinner who then must make his open Confession and declare his Repentance or be kept out I see not but the Owning the True God in opposition to all false Religions and other Gods was the main Intendment of the Jews Covenant and that a Common Faith left the word Dogmatical be too short which is less than Saving did suffice to the Entring it or Taking hold of it and that the Vnregenerate consequently as well as the Regenerate were in the Intention of God to be Members of that Church And I do think that the same Latitude ought to be maintained in regard to the same Kingdom as it is now Enlarged over the Nations and put into Christ's Hands which belonged to it before when a Theocracy of the Jews Indeed it must be confessed lest I seem Deficient in waving That before though once touch't upon which was needless till Now That besides their taking God to Worship Him only there was a Consent in the Generality likewise to all that Political Ceremonial Moral External Obedience which was required in that Covenant according to those Words of theirs All things that the Lord hath commanded we will do Only this must be known withal that these All Things which they were to do as the Matter of that Covenant in Observing all the Commandments thereof was short of the Righteousness of a Regenerate Man or of that Righteousness that justifies a Christian This appears expresly by St. Paul who was a Pharisee of the chiefest Sect of the Jews and Touching the Righteousness of the Law he says blameless but yet in point of Justification he tells us He Counted it but Loss desiring to be Found in Christ not having his own Righteousness but the Righteousness which is of God by Faith The Apostle by his Own Righteousness understands the Righteousness which he had as a Jew the Righteousness of Moses's Covenant described by him thus And it shall be our Righteousness if we observe to do all these Commandments Deut. 6.25 24.13 It shall be Our Righteousness that is so as the Law hath nothing against Such but that they shall live in the Land and be Blessed or that God as Rector shall Reward them with the Temporal Blessings promised in that Covenant But it was never intended by God for such a Righteousness as should Justifie a Man to Life Everlasting for how then should Enoch Job Melchisedeck and those Good Men that lived before the Law have been Justified Were they Justified any other ways than we If Righteousness come by the Law then is Christ dead in vain The Jews indeed generally that were not Saducees thought to obtain Salvation by their Works according to this Covenant which proved so deadly to them For they being ignorant of God's Righteousness and going about to Establish their own Righteousness did not submit to the Righteousness of God This Righteousness of Theirs and Paul's Own which he calls so I say as a Jew for his Own as a Christian he must have and be Judged according to it is that Righteousness whereof Christ speaks when He tells his Disciples that were Jews Vnless your Righteousness exceeds the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you cannot be saved There is a Conformity to the Law or Covenant of Moses which is the Righteousness of the Jew and so of the Scribes and Pharisees And there is a Conformity to the Law or Covenant of Grace and This is the Christian Righteousness that exceeds the Other The One consists in External Obedience in the Political Ceremonial Moral External Obedience I say of That Covenant The Other in Sincerity of Heart and Life accepted through Christ which is That which exceeds the Former As Abraham's Walking Vprightly before God exceeded his being Circumcised This Righteousness is called the Righteousness of God as of his Inventing Appointing Accepting instead of