the more Christian and Orderly managing of this our Brotherly Agreement and Association we do agree First That every Man at his entering into this Society tender us a Certificate of his Painfulness in the Ministry and of his Godliness in Conversation under the Hands of two godly Ministers at least not of the Society and of two or three godly Christians known to some of the Society And that all the Certificates be brought into and kept in the Hands of one of the Brethren that by common Consent shall be appointed thereunto Secondly That every Man that cometh into this Society and Agreement be desired to express his willingness in case of any Miscarriage whereby he shall give just occasion of Offence unto the Society to submit unto the Reproof and Determination of the whole or the major part of the Society so farforth as their Reproof and Determination shall be warranted by the Scripture Thirdly That our Meetings be constantly begun and ended with Prayer to be made by the Moderator pro tempore who at the first Meeting is to be chosen for the Meeting next following and so continually for the better ordering of our Meetings and Debates Fourthly That no private Matters be propounded in our General Meetings but by the Moderator and that not while any Publick Business is in debate without the leave and consent of the whole Society or the major part Fifthly That any Brother that shall be willing to joyn hereafter into this Society may upon the same Terms be freely accepted into this Brotherly Agreement The Independant Churches also in Ireland led by Dr. Winter Pastor of their Church in Dublin associated with the moderate Presbyterians there upon these Provocations and the Perswasions of Col. Iohn Bridges my Neighbour And they sent us together their Desires of Correspondency with which our Answer is here subjoyned Honoured and Beloved Brethren in the Lord IT hath pleased the good hand of Heaven to bring into our Parts our much esteemed Friend Coll. Bridges in much Mercy to us all and by him as also by several other hands to give us some acquaintance with the State of Christ's Affairs among you which very much obliges us to Sympathise with you according to the several Administrations of Providence as becomes the Relation of Fellow-members and Subjects in Christ's Kingdom His Return into your Parts affords us an Opportunity to signify the same and how much we desire to manifest it by real Demonstrations through the good Will of him that dwelt in the Bush. In order thereunto we thought fit to testify our Willingness to contribute our utmost through his Assistance to the maintaining of a Christian Correspondency between us that we may mutually receive and give the Right Hand of Fellowship in a Season of so much need Whilst the common Enemy is still labouring to divide and destroy the Friends of Christ in all parts it concerns us nearly to be so much the more industrious and active in the promoting of Christ's Interest against his Power and Policy the bitter Fruits of unchristian Divisions we have too much tasted of and through the Lord's Goodness have reaped already some Benefit from our brotherly Association whereinto we entered not long ago The present Condition of God's People in Foreign Parts as among us calls a loud for a more cordial Union and Communion among all such who desire to fear his Name It 's therefore our Hearts Desire not to be wanting in our Faith and Prayers Resolves and Endeavours to the fulfilling of those exceeding great and precious Truths do eminently centre in these latter Days that Christ's Friends may receive one Mind and Heart to serve him with one Lip and Shoulder We are thereby much encouraged to request your Christian Assistance and Brotherly Correspondency that we may all be the better able in our several Stations and Relations to promote more vigorously the Interest of Christ and of his People After the sad shakings of this Land and his many turnings of things upside down the Lord is pleased to promise us a little Reviving and to open a Door of Hope even in the Valley of Achor Your favourable help is therefore earnestly craved that Ireland may once more partake of the glad Tidings of Heaven and the wants of many Thousand starving Souls may be seasonably supply'd with the Bread of Life The particular of our Affairs Coll. Bridges will give you a more exact Account of and will be ready to convey to us the Signification of your Christian Compliance with our longing Desire To the Blessing of the most High we humbly recommend the care of the several Nurseries of Christ among you that the Plants of his House may flourish in his Courts through the Supplies of Christ's Spirit in whom we cordially desire to be and appear Your affectionate Brethren in the Bonds of the Gospel to serve you through Grace Sam. Winter Pastor of the Church in Dublin Claudius Gilbert Pastor of the Church at Limerick Ed. Reynolds M. J. Warren M. Will. Markham Tho. Osmonton M. In the Name of the associated Churches of Christ in Ireland Dublin 5. M. 8. D. 1655. Iuly 5. These for the Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter Pastor of the Church of Christ in Kiderminster to be by him communicated to the several Churches of that Association Our Answer whereto was as follows Much honoured and beloved Brethren in the Lord WE received your welcome Lines from the Hand of our faithful and much honoured Friend Coll. John Bridges It much rejoiceth us to hear of your brotherly Affeciation and the Success and more that your Hearts are enlarged with such Desires for the farther promoting of this healing Work and that you thus breath after the Union of the Saints It doth not only rejoice us on your own behalf and on the behalf of that desolate Land where you abide but also on the behalf of the Churches in general because we seem to discern the gracious Thoughts of God unto his People in sounding a Retreat to their unbrotherly Contentions by sending forth that Spirit of Love and Peace which we know must build us up if ever we are built When God was pulling down and laying Waste be witheld this Mercy and let out upon his Churches a Spirit of Contention Bitterness and Division which hath gone on to demolish and break in pieces and made our own Hands the Executioners of those heavy Iudgments which have laid us so long in Shame and Sorrow and filled our Enemies Mouths with Scorn While this evil Spirit that made desolate did prevail Division seemed aimable and dividing Principles seemed glorious Truths and all Motions to Reconciliations were unsavory things and rejected as a Defection from Truth or Zeal and as a carnal Compliance with the ways of Darkness and even those that were zealous for Truth and Holiness were too many of them cold for Peace and Unity reading those Scriptures which so earnestly press them as if they read them not never
that was the fourth Sect the Quakers who were but the Ranters turned from horrid Prophaneness and Blasphemy to a Life of extream Austerity on the other side Their Doctrines were mostly the same with the Ranters They make the Light which every Man hath within him to be his sufficient Rule and consequently the Scripture and Ministry are set light by They speak much for the dwelling and working of the Spirit in us but little of Justification and the Pardon of Sin and our Reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ They pretend their dependance on the Spirit 's Conduct against Set-times of Prayer and against Sacraments and against their due esteem of Scripture and Ministry They will not have the Scripture called the Word of God Their principal Zeal lyeth in railing at the Ministers as Hirelings Deceivers False Prophets c. and in refusing to Swear before a Magistrate or to put off their Hat to any or to say You instead of Thou or Thee which are their words to all At first they did use to fall into Tremblings and sometime Vomitings in their Meetings and pretended to be violently acted by the Spirit but now that is ceased they only meet and he that pretendeth to be moved by the Spirit speaketh and sometime they say nothing but sit an hour or more in silence and then depart One while divers of them went Naked through divers chief Towns and Cities of the Land as a Prophetical act Some of them have famished and drowned themselves in Melancholy and others undertaken by the Power of the Spirit to raise them as Susan Pierson did at Claines near Worcester where they took a Man out of his Grave that had so made away himself and commanded him to arise and live but to their shame Their chief Leader Iames Nayler acted the part of Christ at Bristol according to much of the History of the Gospel and was long laid in Bridewell for it and his Tongue bored as a Blasphemer by the Parliament Many Franciscan Fryers and other Papists have been proved to be Disguised Speakers in their Assemblies and to be among them and it 's like are the very Soul of all these horrible Delusions But of late one William Penn is become their Leader and would reform the Sect and Set up a kind of Ministry among them § 124. The fifth Sect are the Bethmenists whose Opinions go much toward the way of the former for the Sufficiency of the Light of Nature the Salvation of Hearthens as well as Christians and a dependence on Revelations c. But they are fewer in Number and seem to have attained to greater Meekness and conquest of Passions than any of the rest Their Doctrine is to be seen in Iacob Behmen's Books by him that hath nothing else to do than to bestow a great deal of time to understand him that was not willing to be easily understood and to know that his bombasted words do signifie nothing more than before was easily known by common familiar terms The chiefest of these in England are Dr. Pordage and his Family who live together in Community and pretend to hold visible and sensible Communion with Angels whom they sometime see and sometime smell c. Mr. Fowler of Redding accused him before the Committee for divers things as for preaching against Imputed Righteousness and perswading married Persons from the Carnal Knowledge of each other c. but especially for Familiarity with Devils or Conjuration The Doctor wrote a Book to vindicate himself in which he professeth to have sensible Communion with Angels and to know by sights and smells c. good Spirits from bad But he saith that indeed one Month his House was molested with Evil Spirits which was occasioned by one Everard whom he taketh to be a Conjurer who stayed so long with him as desiring to be of their Communion In this time he saith that a fiery Dragon so big as to fill a very great Room conflicted visibly with him many hours that one appeared to him in his Chamber in the likeness of Everard with Boots Spurs c. that an impression was made on the Brick-wall of his Chimney of a Coach drawn with Tygers and Lions which could not be got out till it was hewed out with Pick-Axes and another on his Glass-window which yet remaineth c. Whether these things be true or false I know not but the chief Person of the Doctor 's Family-Communion being a Gentleman and Student of All Souls in Oxford was thus made known to me His Mother being a sober pious Woman being dissatisfied with his way could prevail with him to suffer her to open it to none but me of whole Conversion to them their Charity was much desirous Upon discourse with the young man I found a very good Disposition aspiring after the highest Spiritual state and thinking that visible Communion with Angels was it he much expected it and protest in some measure to have attained it for some lights and odd sights he had seen but upon strict Examination he knew not whether it were with the Eye of the Body or of the Mind nor I knew not whether it were any thing real or but fantastical He would not dispute because he thought he knew things by a higher light than Reason even by Intuition by the extraordinary Irradiation of the Mind He was much against Propriety and against Relations of Magistrates Subjects Husbands Wives Masters Servants c. But I perceived he was a young raw Scholar of some Fryar whom he understood not and when he should but have commended the Perfection of a Monastical Life which is the thing that they so highly magnifie he carried it too far and made it seem more necessary than he should They then professed to wait for such a Coming down of the holy Ghost upon them as should send them out as his Missionaries to unite and reconcile and heal the Churches and do wonders in the World But its fifteen years ago and yet they are latent and their work undone § 125. Among these fall in many other Sect-makers as Dr. Gell of London known partly by a printed Volume in Folio and one Mr. Parker who got in to the Earl of Pembroke and was one that wrote a Book against the Assemblies Confession In which as the rest he taketh up most of the Popish Doctrines and riseth up against them with Papal Pride and Contempt but owneth not the Pope himself but headeth his Body of Doctrine with the Spirit as the Papists do with the Pope And if they could bring men to receive the rest it will be easie to spurn down the Idol of their Fantasie or pretended Spirit and to set on the proper Head again To these also must be added Dr. Gibbon who goeth about with his Scheme to Proselyte men whom I have more cause to know than some of the rest All these with subtile Diligence promote most of the Papal Cause and get in with the Religious sort
disrelishing the Practices and Assertions of some in unchurching all besides themselves he began to be provoked and pressed much in Spirit to consider the Grounds of separating upon the account of Baptism and in that Survey still their Weakness which appeared the more by reading yours Mr. Io. Goodwin and Homes Books of Baptism begot in him not only a Sight of Weakness in his Grounds about Separating but weakened his Confidence as to the opposing of Infant Baptism In this time as things appeared to him he being free and open Hearted was ready to express his Thoughts to those he conversed with who being rigid about Separation still persuaded him these new Thoughts were Satan's Temptations to hinder him in the Lord's Work Which occasioned much Prayer and Fasting and Prayer that if these Thoughts were not of God's Holy Spirit they might dye from his Soul But still they increased and came with such Light and Power argumentative from Scripture detecting his former Principles as to Separation In this interim he conversed with divers Ministers in Town as Mr. Goodwin's Book Mr. Manton Dr. Reignold's about the meaning of 1 Cor. 12. 13 c. his thoughts still carrying him on till he had formed them into three Sheets of Paper but all the way it was a Fight with Temptations as often is declared yet his Light plainly evincing the evil of Saints dividing upon the account of Baptism although it should stand good Baptism should belong only to believers And as I conceive those Temptations partly occasioned by Friends who out of their Love would charge him to take heed for some Rooâ— of Bitterness or other was the Ground of these Thoughts and some Carnal end he had and was weary of Christ's Yoke and the Woes to Backsliders would be his Portion c. and that never any owned these Principles that forsook them but they became sad Objects of God's Displeasure Satan sitting in when these did occasion great Distress and Searchings of Heart many Fears Prayers and Tears fore Temptations that he was not sincere which was heightened by one Thought that he had espied in his Heart when he was amidst these thoughts namely that to break the Neck of those straiâ— Principles which would not permit any to Marry but to those in their own way would be a Freedom in respect of his Daughters in their Marriages who are but now Ten and Eleven Years of Age the Fears least the having of this in his Thoughts should in answer to this argue the Predominancy of the interest of the Flesh hath filled his Soul with great distress which I declare to you as a spiritual Physician that you may know the whole Case After seeking God a little help was attained in this and he received some Testimony of Conscience that this Thought was not the moving Cause of his change of Mind or any predominant end only an after Thought which had some encouragement in it When this Temptation was over then as bitter Fears about apostacy all those Texts seeming to apply themselves to him as speaks of an evil Heart of unbelief in departing from God of being cast out as a withered Branch and these attended with Tears and woundings of Spirit If he did cease from drawing up his Arguments then be should have ease but the Light of them was so pressing upon his Mind that he could not forbear This hath been his Life for these Eight or Nine Months having declared his Arguments the People to whom he is Elder they grow offended and disturbed if he have any thought of returning to Mr. Goodwin's Church again then nothing but Horror and as it were a flaming Sword in his Spirit is not that a Ground that he ought not return thither He finds most ease in his tender and fair Intreaties of the People he is now with to keep them from Separating to the further prejudice of their Souls Having a little ease about the Fear of Apostacy by finding by Experience that his Soul never went out in such strong Desires and high Praisings of Jesus Christ and earnest Desires to serve him in his Gospel and having in this time more abundantly than ever found his Soul emptied of self-esteem and sence of his need of Christ's Nourishing and Cherishing After this the next Temptation which now he wrestles with is hard Thoughts of God as if he were hard not easy to be intreated c. These sore Temptations hath made him ready to saint saying sometimes O that he were setled in his former Thoughts against Infant Baptism and could practice with a good Concience as he had done the other to this it 's suggested no now it shall be hid from him he received not the Truth in the Love of it c. and Heb. 12. 17. made use of to wound him that he obtained not the Blessing though he sought it carefully with Tears These Thoughts occasioned strong Cryes and Tears and great Distress of Soul Yet Sir take notice that all this while his now Arguments to one Communion with all Saints as Saints are never questioned in his Judgment but all admitted to him nay all that have seen them who are divers of the Re-baptism have not any of them as yet offered any thing to detect them but contrarywise they have had their force in the Minds of some Now dear Sir I hope you understand my Scriblings the end of all is to intreat your help as one that Christ hath set in his Church for the edifying and establishing of his Members judging you faithful and one of a Thousand in experience I have taken the boldness to intreat your Answer to the following Particulars 1. Whether God doth use to leave any of his Servants to such bitter Temptations when they are about a Service acceptable to him If so what his Ends may be in it 2. Whether these Distresses of Spirit can be any Demonstration that his former Practices and Principles about restraining Communion to after Baptism nor more pleasing to God's Spirit which hath seemed to be proved and so Dependant These latter Arguments about largeness in that kind 3. Whether considering his former Relation to Mr. Goodwin's Congregation from whom he withdrew upon the Thought he had of unlawfulness to communicate with unbaptised Persons which now he sees the Vanity of it be not now his Duty to return thither and if so then 1. What should be the Reason that his Conscience though very tender in other things should have little or no sense of that as his Duty And 2. What should then be the Reason that when he hath had any Thoughts tending that way such Terrors like a flaming Sword should pierce his Soul 4. Whether having been an Instrument to draw so many together into this way it be not rather his Duty to continue with them applying himself in all ways of Love and Forbearance to inlarge their Spirits which he judges his Duty because he finds a sensible ease in his Soul upon such Resolutions
peaceable Reformation among us than to break down This Partition-Wall for there is nothing provokes more than this doth to deny such Churches to be true Churches of Christ. For do but think with your selves and I will give you a familiar Example You come to a Man whom you think to be a godly Man you tell him He hath these and these Sins in him and they are great ones It is as much as he can hear though you tell him he is a Saint and acknowledge him so but if you come to him and say besides this You are a Limb of the Devil and you have no Grace in you this provoketh all in a Man when there is any Ground in himself to think so or in another to judge him so so it is here Come to Church and say You have these Defects among you and these things to be reformed But if you will come and say Your Churches and your Ministers are Antichristian and come from Babylon there is nothing provoketh more Therefore if there be a Truth in it as I believe there is Men should be Zealous to express it For this is the great Partition Wall that hindreth of twain making one Then again This is that which I consider and it is a great Consideration also I know that Jesus Christ hath given his People Light in Matters of this Nature by degrees Thousands of good Souls that have been bred up and born in our Assemblies and enjoy the Ordinances of God and have done it comfortably cannot suddenly take in other Principles You must wait on Christ to do it In this Case Men are not to be wrought off by Falshoods God hath no need of them no rather till Men do take in Light you should give them all that is comfortable in the Condition they are in we should acknowledge every good thing in every Man in every Church in every thing and that is a way to work upon Men and to prevail with them as it is Philem. v. 6. That the Communication of thy Faith may become effectual acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Iesus It is that which buildeth Men up by acknowledgment of every good thing that is in them Lastly The last Inconvenience is this It doth deprive Men of all those Gifts that are found amongst our Ministers and in this Kingdom that they cannot hold any Communion or fellowship with them So that I profess my self as Zealous in this Point as in any other I know And for my part this I say and I say it with much Integrity I never yet took up Religion by Parties in the Lump I have found by tryal of things that there is some truth on all Sides I have found Holiness where you would little think it and so likewise Truth And I have learned this Principle which I hope I shall never lay down till I am swallowed up of Imortality and that is that which I said before To acknowledge every good thing and hold Communion with it in Men in Churches or Whatsoever else I learn this from Paul I learn this from Jesus Christ himself He filleth All in All He is in the Hearts of his People and filleth them in his Ordinances to this Day And where Jesus Christ filleth why should we deny an Acknowledgment and a right Hand of Fellowship and Communion My Brethren this Rule that I have now mentioned which I profess I have lived by and shall do while I live I know I shall never please Men in it Why It is plain for this is the Nature and Condition of all Mankind if a Man dissents from others in one thing he loseth himself in all the rest And therefore it a Man do take what is good of all sides he is apt to lose them all But he pleaseth Christ by it and so I will for this particular Thus far Dr. T. Goodwin prefaced and commended by Thankful Owen and Iames Barron worthy and peaceable Men deceased The Transcriber craveth judicious Resolutions of these two Questions 1. Whether it be lawful to be a fixed Member of a grosly Schismatical Church that is guilty of such separating from slandering almost all others as is here reproved when Communion with better may be had Quest. 2. How far others are bound to reprove and Testify against such dividing Principles Ministers and Churches especially after and under doleful Experience of their sinful calamitous Effects Dear Brother I Have felt that in my own Soul and seen that upon my Brethren for these two or three Years last past which persuadeth me that God is about the healing of our Wounds having communicated more healing Principles and Affections and poured out more of the Spirit of Catholick Love and Peace than I have perceived heretofore Love is arisen and shineth upon the Children of the Day and your congealed Stiffness begins to vanish and a Christian Tenderness to succeed The Prince of Peace erects his Banner and the Sons of Peace flock in apace It is a shame to be the last but a misery to be none God will bring his divided distracted Servants nearer together and it is Pity he should be put to bear down any resisting Saints among the Instruments of Satan and that any of their Carcasses should be found on the Ground when he conquereth the Enemies of Peace The Lord is about revealing to his Servants the Error of their Consoriousness Harshness Uncharitableness and Divisions and how grievously they have wronged him and themselves by departing so far from Christian Love and Unity He will let them see how much of the Cause was secret and undiscerned Pride and Self-conceitedness and want of Holy Christian Love while little was pretended or discerned but Strictness and Obedience He will shew them more fully wherein the true Nature of Grace and Holy Obedience doth consist and teach them by the Impress of his Spirit what he so emphatically commanded them by his Word to go learn what that meaneth I will have Mercy and not Sacrifice It 's pity we should not understand the meaning of Words so plain but it 's Sin and Shame as well as Pity that we have studied them no better after such a Memorandum and Command as this But many of God's Servants have in the Points of Unity and Peace been like those miserable Souls that are described to have Eyes and see not Ears and hear not Hearts and understand not these blessed Precepts of Love and Unity though none more plain and frequent and urgent for the time was not come that they should be recovered and healed though this Defection be not in the Essence of Christianity but the Degrees nor for Perpetuity but a Time yet it 's sad that such a Spirit of deadness should so far prevail that Men inquisitive after Truth and zealous of Holiness should least understand the plainest nearest frequent Precepts and so little feel their Obligations to such weighty Duties that the Lord is pleased to stir upon their
to Troas Acts 20. he and all his Company are admitted among the Disciples in breaking Bread and that not as Members of any particular Church but as Christians Some Christians are lawfully excused and necessarily deprived of stated Church-Membership in a particular Church as Princes Ambassadors that may spend their Lives in motion and action in several places c. And shall all these Christians be deprived of actual Communion Sacraments c. in the Places where they come because they are uncapable of any fixed station Yea when perhaps it may be the Work or Cause of God that is the Cause of their unsettledness 10. Dare you undertake to exempt all but those that you judge Baptized from the frequent Precepts of knowing those that are over them in the Lord and submitting themselves and esteeming them highly in love for their work sake and being at peace among themselves 1 Thess. 5. 12 13. and from giving double honour to the Elders 1 Tim. 5. 17. and obeying those that rule over them c. Hebr. 13. 7 17. All Christians that have opportunity are bound to submit to and obey their Guides and Pastors and that cannot be statedly but in a particular Church And then if you look to the beneficial part it 's plain that when Christ ascended up on high and gave gifts to men it was for the perfecting of the Saints and the work of the Ministry and edifying of the Body of Christ even that Pastors and Teachers were given till we all come in the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect Man Ephes. 4. 9 11 12 13. And will you exclude twenty if not five hundred parts of the Church from this all this benefit of Pastors and Teachers when Christ provided them for all Consider what you do 11. The Unity of the Catholick Body and their commanded correspondency requireth a Fellowship with all the Parts according to opportunity From Christ the whole Body fitly joyned together or jointed which is by Officers Order and Love and compacted by that which every joynt supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part when you exclude a hundred or many hundred parts from their Communion maketh increase of the Body to the edifying of it self in love not only secret unknown love but love appearing in Communion Ephes. 4. 16. 12. Excommunication out of particular Church-Communion in instituted Ordinances is a grievous Censure and never inflicted on the holy Servants of Christ that never wilfully resist or reject his Truth or Precepts No nor on Offenders but for impenitency or grievous Crimes Durst you Excommunicate me out of your Church if I were in it and professing my owning of Baptism and my hearty longing to know and obey the will of Christ. There is many an honest humble Christian in this Town that I conjecture you may know and deal for that if you should cast out on such an account I am confident infinite Love would be offended with you and say you have toucht the Apple of mine Eye Inasmuch as you cast out these my Members you did that which was too like casting out me And sure you must cast them out upon your grounds if they were in your Church because you judge them uncapable of a station and communion with you and judge your selves bound to separate from such 13. You seem to exalt an outward Act even when the heart disclaims it before a heart that is right with God without the Act. For if you had one twice or thrice Baptized in your Church that afterward disclaimed it and owned none but his Infant Baptism what would you do with this Man If you would retain him you would lay more stress on a disclaimed outward Action than on the Life of Grace If you would reject him then it seems you judge not the Baptism and Entrance which you suppose right to be enough in Fact and Existence but you think a belief of its Necessity necessary and so you put it among the Credenda and not the Agenda only when it was never in the Churches Creed For if it be a necessary Article of Faith they must perish that reject it 14. Paul and other Penmen of the Scripture telling us of many greater Errours than the thing you oppose doth not require an avoiding of the Communion of the Erroneous yea commandeth us to receive them that are weak in the faith but not to doubtful Disputations Rom. 14. 10. and dare you reject a strong Believer upon a doubtful Disputation 15. Search observe and judge whether the abundant earnest Precepts for Special Love and Company and Endearedness of Saints as Saints I could soon fill a Sheet with pertinent Citations will possibly consist with your rejecting them from special Communion and Separating from them Is this the appearance of your honouring them that fear the Lord Psal. 15. and your Loving the Brethren and that with a pure heart fervently Can all Men know you by this to be Christ's Disciples Communion is but the expression of this special Love and holy Improvement of each other for God and our mutual Benefit As he contradicts himself that saith He loveth God and hateth his Brother so doth he that saith he loveth his Brother and yet separateth from him or rejecteth him and most such on Earth for an unavoidable infirmity If you that are strong or think so are bound to bear the Infirmities of the weak then not to Excommunicate them Rom. 15. 1. Though this Body hath some Parts which we think less honourable yet must there be no Schism in it but the Members must have the same care one of another as Suffering being honoured and rejoycing together 1 Cor. 12. 24 25 26. nor must one part say to another I have no need of thee nor cut it off from the Communion of the Body The general command of Love Company Familiarity Edifying and Admonishing one another comprehends the Means in which this Communion must be held or will not be fulfilled in rejecting such Persons 16. When you are in doubt between two Difficulties the clearest and greatest Truth should prevail against the less But much more when on one side there is great weight and no difficulty and on the other much difficulty and far less weight the uncertain smaller Point should give place to the greater and more certain But it is of clearest certainty and greatest weight that we dearly love the Saints as Saints and use them as Saints and have Communion with them as Saints But you are not so sure that you must not reject almost all the Saints on Earth for want of your season of Baptism nor hath God laid weight by Promise upon such a Duty or by a Threatning driven you to it but contrarily condemned it as a sin 17. Doth not your Cause plainly bear an Image contrary to that of God Love is likest him that is Love Charity covereth infirmities and thinketh no evil and
shall we find them and make them in our Brethren Christ gathereth and will you scatter he reconcileth and uniteth and will you divide he justifieth and will you be he that shall condemn Even them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit and all for want of delaying Baptism till your time when in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth nothing nor uncircumcision but the New Creature and Faith that worketh by Love Have you mark'd how Unity and Love is inculcated in the New Testament and that as Omnipotency is most eminently engraven upon the Creation and Wisdom on the Laws of God so Goodness is most eminently engraven on the Redeemer and that in this Glass the Father in his Love and Goodness must be known and hereby the Impress and Image of Love must be made upon our Souls They that are least for Love and holy Unity are least like God and least for him and most like his Enemy and ours 18. Christ is both King Prophet and Priest and no one is sincerely related unto him in any of these respects but is related to him in all And Ergo all Christians are to be under his Church-Government and Protection in his Family as well as under his Teaching If they are by your own confession Fellow Citizens of the Saints and of the houshold of God do not disfranchise them nor deny them their Priviledges 19. Will not your Principles lead to narrowness of holy Charity in Communication of worldly Goods and destroy Christian Communion in this Those that were in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship in breaking of Bread and Prayer not through levelling but charitable Community had all things as common sure you will refuse this when you refuse Communion in Sacrament you will on the same ground think that those few only of your Opinion are to partake of this Special Communication For the Reason is the same 20. Contrary to the Spirit and Scope of the Gospel you lay greater stress upon the very timing of a holy Ceremony than under the Law was laid upon the being of the Ceremony it self Women had Communion without Circumcision The Males in the Wilderness did hold all holy Communion even in the Passover without Circumcision To all this let me add these few Questions to you 1. Do you think in the most humble frame of your Soul that you have no failing as great as you suppose the mis-timing of our Baptism to be and would you be rejected for it 2. Is this norrowness of special loving Communion answerable to the Principles of Universal Redemption and Grace wherein I suspect you go beyond me 3. Have you well considered that God's Unity is the first of his Attributes next his Being The Lord our God is one God And so the Unity of the Church is next the very Essence of it so to be regarded and maintained The Unity cannot be destroyed without destroying the Essence and therefore many Truths and Duties must be put behind the Churches Unity when accidentally the use of them is made inconsistent with it 4. It hath been the common frame of the Church since the Apostles days till of late to consist of a mixture one half baptized at Age being converted at Age from Infidelity and their Baptism before neglected and the other half that were born of Christian Parents baptized in Infancy And both sorts lived in Peace and Love and no Church History that ever I read doth give us any the least intimation that ever these two Sorts disagreed hereupon or accused one anothers way or made it any occasion of a Division And will you advance Knowledge and Holiness in the end of the World by advancing Uncharitableness and Division 5. Bethink you with sobriety as before the Lord if you had lived in the Church in the second third fourth fifth sixth seventh eighth ninth and tenth Century or lower in all which though many were baptized at Age being not Christians by any Infant Covenant yet no Writer that ever I saw doth tell us of one Church or one Pastor no nor of one Man that was a Catholick Christian no nor of one Heretick that I remember that was against the lawfulness of Infant Baptism I say if you had then lived would you have separated from all the Churches on Earth What! from the Universal Church in your Communion or would you have had all these Ages have laid by all instituted Church Order and Worship The consequences of this would rise so high that I will not name them to you Only I would further ask you 6. If you think their Baptism a Nullity and consequently the instituted Churches Ministry Order Sacraments Nullities that were used in all those Ages the seventh eighth ninth tenth c. when almost none but such as were baptized in Infancy were Church Members how far then do you differ from the Seekers that tell us All these were lost in the Apostacy 2. And how easily will a Papist trample you in the dirt and laugh you to scorn when he puts you to prove Successive Church and Ordinances and Ministry 3. And what advantage give you the Infidels and our own Remnants of Infidelity to deny the Head by so far denying the Body 7. Would you have a Unity and do you ever expect such a thing or not If not If you do on what terms do you expect it You can never with the least Encouragement of Reason expect that all should deny Infant Baptism and come to you These late years have given you as much advantage as you can well expect and yet you see the most of the Godly dare not come to you If therefore you will neither come to them in Judgment nor yet close in Communion with Christians of different Judgment what do you but give up Unity as desperate and fix in your divided State 8. And will you give the Papist Disputants so much Encouragement as to confess to them that among us there is not any hopes of Unity or loving Christian Church Communion I have been longer than I intended upon these Reasonings but it is because I would not neglect you but some one of them at least may stick upon you of which success your lives declaring you so honestly impartially and happily disposed to Love and Peace I make no doubt And now to your Objections which should have been my whole Task but that I would make sure the Issue And 1. to your first Argument I answer 1. It is against you and overthrows your Cause for as ordinarily Women were admitted to the Passover without Circumcision but not without the Covenant and as in extraordinary Cases offered as of all Israel 40 years in the Wilderness the Males also were admitted uncircumcised so much more may it be now in case of Baptism 2. Either the Ordinances and Examples of the Jews about Circumcision afford us Arguments for regulating our Baptism and Communion or not If not then you urge them in