be open Enemies and persecuters of the church and then they are justly to bee suspected saith the Dr. page 102. untill they have given publike Evidence by witnesse to the Ministers of their true Conversion and there produceth a plaine instance to prove this page 102. Acts. 9.26,27,28 And when Saul was come to Ierusalem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tentabat jungi he assayed to joyne himselfe to the Disciples but they were all afraid of him and beleeved not that hee was a Disciple c. Now this liberty have all the disciples in the like case because Ierusalem the Mother church is the pattern of all other the Daughter Churches as the Doctor confesseth yea affirmeth page 97. And saith all men acknowledge That the Mother Church must give an example of government to all the Daughter churches And this is also by the Doctor acknowledged page 102. to be a part of the power of the Keyes to open and shut the doores of the Church that is to admit such as are for their Faith Knowledge and Repentance sufficiently qualified and fitted to be made members and to refuse such as are not fit to be recived into the fellowship of the church either for their Ignorance or other sins and offences c. Now then when it doth evidently appear That the Disciples or Brethren not to say Sisters though they are Disciples also of the Church in Jerusalem in her most flourishing condition had this libertie to declare their feares and the ground thereof against Paul who was at that time a Beleever a Baptized person a Preacher or minister of the Gospell so that although hee came and assayed to be joyned to the Disciples and be admitted a member among them that he might have fellowship with them in the worship and ordinances of the Gospell Yet was thereby hindered from admittance untill Barnabas witnessed his condition and conversation to the Apostle and then he was with them coming in going out at Jerusalem How can the Doctor make good that ' The Presbyters alone without the consent of Brethren may admit members and cast out members and that the Brethren or the congregation hath nothing to doe to hinder any such thing page 102.106 For further proof hereof ' The Doctor urgeth Act. 8.35 to 40. The example of the Eunuch to whom Philip being sent preached Jesus and Baptisme in his Name and it is related That when they came to a certaine water the Eunuch said unto him See here is Water What doth hinder me to be Baptized And Philip said If thou beleevest with all thy heart thou mayest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 licet And he answered and said I beleeve that Jesus Christ is the Son of God And he commanded the Charet to stand still And they went downe both into the water both Philip and the Eunuch and he Baptized him Here we set saith the Doctor that PHILIP admits him into the number of beleevers and makes him a member of the Church But the Doctor saith this was without consulting with the Congregation by his owne authority and upon the Eunuch his own testimonie pag. 106. I answer that PHILIP had a speciall command from God for what he did herein and so had Ananias Act. 9.15 touching Saul which is the next Instance which the Doctor brings in this same 106. pag. And albeit the Doctor affirme ' That ANANIAS did not say to SAUL I will consult with the Church to see whither they will admit thee to be a member for thou hast greatly wasted the Church and made havock of the Saints and therefore I will have their approbation and consent and thou shalt give in evidences of thy true Conversion c. And so be received and admitted ' But without all this ado saith the Dr. pag. 107. he baptized Paul and admitteth him into the number of Beleevers and makes him a Member of the Church Yet if the Reader look back into the 102. page of his Book The Dr. there makes an exception from the power which he a little before had affirmed the Presbyters have to admit Members by vertue of Christ his commission upon the profession of their faith and repentance and receiving baptisme without any further Testimony ' Unlesse saith the Dr. they had been formerly known to be open enemies and persecutors of the Church and then they were justly to be suspected till they had given publike evidence by witnesse of their true conversion And gives an instance in Paul who for a time the Disciples feared Acts 9.26.27 till they had better information and proof that he now preached the faith that he had once persecuted and had suffered for it pag. 102. To rehearse all the Scriptures alledged to prove this method of God and practise of the Apostles were needlesse But passing by such as are not so plain and clear for the proof thereof and also omitting what the Doctor hath said touching the Brethren in comparing their practise with the Apostles Because the Dr. is mistaken in stateing the Question and also in his Queries as before I mentioned in the 14 page of this my answer and the Reader may see pag. 98 99. and 100. of the Doctors Book I shall give the Reader the result of all that the Dr. hath written from pag. 100. to the end of his Book touching Gods method and the Apostles practice in gathering of Churches and admitting Members viz. ' First That Christ having given a Commission to his Apostles to teach all Nations and baptize them Matth. 28.19.20 Mark 16 15 16. the Apostles practised accordingly Acts 2.37.38 Acts 10.44.45.46.47.48 and so did Philip Acts 8.35.36.37.38 and Ananias Acts 9.10.18 Secondly That the condition or tearmes which they were to propound unto all Nations and people upon which they were to be admitted into the Church were Faith Repentance and Baptisme Mark 16.15,16 For the commission was delivered to the Apostles that they should admit whosoever beleeved and would be baptized and they that beleeved not and would not be baptized were not to be admitted pag. 102. and pag. 104. The Apostles saith the Dr. propounded no other condition or tearmes for making all and every one Members of the Church but Repentance and Baptisme Acts 2.37.38 Thirdly that the Apostles and all succeeding Ministers of the Gospell should admit whosoever beleeved and were baptized to be Members of the Church and teach them to observe no other things but what Christ commanded them and for which they had his Word and warrant pag. 101. and 102. Matth. 28.19.20 And this saith the Dr. the Apostles did practice without requiring them to take a private covenant or enter into the Church by way of a particular covenant pag. 105. Acts 2.37.38 This being the summe and result of that method and practice which the Dr. conceives should be done in gathering Churches and admitting Members which the Scriptures will warrant and Christ Jesus approve of as his fathers will I shall now take liberty to declare what I know by mine own experience to be the practice of some Churches of God in this City That so both the Dr. and the Reader may judge how near the Saints who walk together in the Fellowship of the Gospell do come in their practice to these Apostolicall rules and practice propounded by the Dr. as Gods method in gathering Churches and admitting Members I say that I know by mine own experience having walked with them That they were thus gathered viz. Some godly and learned men of approved guifts and abilities for the Ministerie being driven out of the Countries where they lived by the persecution of the Prelates came to sojourn in this great City and preached the Word of God both publikely and from house to house and daily in the Temples and in every house they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ and some of them have dwelt in their own hired houses and received all that came in unto them preaching the Kingdome of God and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ Matth. 28.18.19.20 Mark 16.15 Act. 8.4 â—ap 1â— 19 20.21.22 Act. 10.20.21 Act. 5.42 Act. 28.23.30.31 Acts 17.1.2,3,4,5 Acts 17.5.11,12 Acts 2.38.40,41,42 And when many sinners were converted by their preaching of the Gospell some of them that beleeved consorted with them and of professors a great many and of the chief women not a few And the condition which those Preachers both publikely and privately propounded to the people unto whom they Preached upon which they were to be admitted into the Church was Faith Repentance and Baptisme and none other And whosoever poor as well as rich bond as well as free servants as well as Masters did make a profession of their Faith in Christ Jesus and would be baptized with water into the Name of the Father Sonne and Holy Spirit were admitted Members of the Church but such as did nor beleeve and would not be baptized they would not admit into Church-communion Act. 16.30,31,32,33 Acts 8.35.37.38,39 Acts 8.12 Acts 18.8 This hath been the practice of some Churches of God in this City without urging or making any particular covenant with Members upon admittance which I desire may be examined by the Scriptures cited in the Margent and then compared with the Doctors three conclusions from the same Scriptures whereby it may appear to the judicious Reader how near the Churches some of them come to the practice of the Apostles rule and practice of the primitive Churches both in gathering and admitting Members And my humble request to the Doctor is That he will use all meanes that the method of God and practice of the Apostles in gathering of Churches and admitting Members may be conscionably practised by his Brethren of both sides according to the revealed Word and Will of the Father FJNJS
which the Presbyters acted as Presbyters But the Apostles in governing the Church of Ierusalem acted and Ordered things in a joynt body and Common-councell with the Presbytery or Presbyters either of that Church Ergo the Apostles acted as Presbyters This should have been the Doctors conclusion Now the truth is though the Apostles were called Presbyters in the Scripture yet it followeth not that they acted as Presbyters but as Apostles Acts 15. And they cannot therein be a pattern and president for Presbyters First because the Apostles had the care and charge of and over all Churches 2 Cor. 11.28 But the Presbyters had the care and oversight of some one Church onely as Ephesus Acts 20.28 or Philippi Phil. 1.1 and this the Dr. often inserts in his Book That all the Churches we read of in the new Testament though they were Presbyterially governed were dependent upon their severall Presbyters pag. 12. Pag. 12. And secondly because this would make the Presbyters Independents indeed for so the Apostles were in the Government of all the Churches The Presbyters of Jerusalem of Ephesus and of all the Churches were dependent upon the Apostles and the Apostles onely depended on Christ by whose holy spirit they were all alwayes guided in the government of their Churches and therefore they said Acts 15.28 It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and us And though the Doctor say the Presbyters might say so as well as the Apostles because the Elders or Presbyters are mentioned there The Dr. might have also considered that the Brethren even the whole church the multitude how many soever the D. can make of them were present as wel as the Presbyters Acts 15.4.12.22.23.25.27.28 And so have made the Brethren the multitude even the whole Church Independent also and the Dr. might as well have affirmed that the Brethren even the whole Church might say It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us To the fourth proposition ' That the Church of Jerusalem and the Government of the same is to be a pattern for all Congregations and Assemblies in any City or vicinity to unite into one Church and for the Officers and Presbyters of those congregations to govern that Church joyntly in a Colledge or Presbytery pag. 97. And for the proof of this fourth Proposition the Doctor saith ' That all men acknowledge that the mother Church must give an example of Government to all the Daughter Churches Neither do the Brethren deny saith the Dr. but the Government of the Church of Jerusalem must be the pattern of Government to all Churches But the Dr. knowes that the Brethren deny that the Church of Ierusalem consisted of divers Congregations and severall assemblies under a Common-councell Consistory Colledge or Court of Presbyters And this they have not granted neither hath the Doctor proved And this may be sufficient to be said in answer to the four Propositions touching the first question And now I come to the second Question which is concerning the manner of gathering of Churches and admitting of Members and Officers pag. 98. which Question the Dr. thus states viz. ' Whether Ministers of the Gospell may out of already gathered assemblies of Beleevers select and chuse the most principle of them into a Church-fellowship peculiar unto themselves and admit of none into their society but such as shall enter in by a private Covenant and are allowed by the consent and approbation of all the Congregation And this Question the Doctor brancheth into sixe Queries pag. 98.99 Wherein the judicious Reader may perceive the Doctor through mis-information I conceive hath mistaken the stateing of the Question which he partly acknowledgeth pag. 100. ' But now I shall set down saith the Dr. pag. 100 Gods method and the Apostles practice in gathering of Churches and the manner they used in making Members in every Church and compare it with the method our Brethren the Independents use c. And to this purpose the Doctor begins with Christs commission Matth. 28.19,20 and Mark 16.15,16 and Acts 26.15,16.17,18,19,20 Out of these severall Scriptures the Doctor observes these three things pag. 101. and 102. To wit First ' That they should teach no other things but what Christ commanded them and appeared to them in and for which thy had his Word and warrant Secondly the condition which they were to propound unto all nations and people upon which they were admitted into the Church was Faith Repentance and Baptisme And thirdly that this commission was delivered onely to the Apostles and Ministers of the Gospel that they should admit whosoever beleeved and were baptized And they that beleeved not would not be baptized were not to be admitted These are the Doctors owne words page 102. and page 103. The Doctor for proofe quotes the third Chapter of Matthew and Luke 3.7 And the sum of Iohns preaching saith the Dr. is mentioned verse 3. It was the baptisme of Repentance for the Remission of sinnes Also he there cites Luke 7.29 That all the people that heard him and the Publicans justified God being Baptized with the Baptisme of Iohn But the Pharisees and the Lawyers rejected the councell of God against themselves being no Baptized of him page 103.104 But now to go on saith the Dr. pag 104. after the Resurrection and Assension of Christ c. Where he quotes Acts 2.37,38 Then they that gladly received the Word were Baptized and the same day were added unto them about three thousand soules Hence the Doctor observes that the Apostles propounded no other condition or termes for the making all and every one of them members of the Church but Repentance and Baptisme The which when the people had accepted of saith the Doctor They were forthwith admitted c. page 104. For another proofe the Doctor produceth Acts 10.44,47,48 Where the Doctor affirmeth page 106. That those Brethren who came with Peter did not intermeddle in that businesse to wit of their admittance by Baptisme into the Church Now I conceive the reason why those Brethren did not intermeddle to hinder their admittance to that Ordinance of Jesus Christ to wit Baptisme in water and so to an entrance into the Church was not because they had not such Libertie but because the Brethren had no just objections or kindrance to declare to Peter That the Brethren had a liberty to have declared any thing which might justly have hindred the administration of that Ordinance of Baptisme unto them doth appeare by the Question which the Apostle expounded verse 47. Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized ' And the Dr. himselfe acknowledged pag. 102. That the Brethren or Disciples of the Church of Jerusalem who must be a patterne saith the Dr. of all churches had this libertie to except against some sorts of persons and hinder their admittance into the church though baptized according to Christs Commission and Preachers chosen and sent by Christ himselfe And that in case such persons have been formerly known to