this viz. it urgeth such an union as cannot hold resemblance to that most sacred union which is between the Father and the Sonne therefore the internall union only is not the union intended by our Saviour Both propositions are sufficiently manifest from the words if we rightly observe because the condition and perfection of union in the Church ought to be in this world as is the perfection of unity which is between the Father and the Sonne Now this union is most perfect and that also whereby the Father and the Sonne doe enjoy each the other mutually actually most blessâ—dly and immediarely where one hath a reall influence into the other for which cause the Son as God is said to live by the Father John 6. 57. Such must be the fruition as far as is imitable by a creature in a Church-member they ought to be where this union can be had each to other and in a spirituall and convenient way as is the Father to the Son or the Sonne to the Father but in members scattered abroad as the Scripture speaketh there cannot be that resemblance of perfection of unity as is between the Father and the Sonne because that sort of Members are often distressed for want of fellowship with their fellow Saints as was Esiah who desired to live no longer for want of it And in times of persecution for want of this Church-fellowship the Saints of God have complained that they are as an owle in the desert or as a Sparrow on the House top therefore the 17 chapter of St. John and the like places must be understood of the Saints actuall enjoying one another not onely by an internall but also by an externall Church-fellowship I say againe what so hath been and is de facto yet de jure it ought to be and shall be at Christs second coming in spite of the Devill and all his Malignant Instruments Secondly We argue from the end of the union intended by our Saviour in these words That the world may believe that thou hast sent mee Whence briefly thus Whatsoever does keep men from believing that Christ is sent of the Father That in gathering of a Church is not to be practised but to admit of any for Church members which doe not visibly at least resemble the holinesse and unity of God and Christ is to keepe men from believing that Christ is sent of the Father therefore to gather into Church-fellowship such as are not visibly holy is not to be practised The minor is thus proved Whatsoever is held forth as a fit sole and sufficient means to gaine men to believe and is not so ordained by God this cannot gather men unto Christ and consequently keepeth them from believing because our Saviour saith Whosoever gathereth noâ— with me scattereth but to think that the preaching of the word is this fit sole and sufficient meanes to bring men to Christ is to think otherwise then God hath ordained therefore such as come no better furnished to gather believers doe so far keep men from believing that Christ is sent of the Father The major I suppose will be denyed by none The minor is as manifest from the Scripture for though it cannot be denyed that faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word Rom. 10. 17. So that the word received by faith iâ— as the plowed ground sowen but I demand then how can men plough their ground without a plough All the Scriptures will testifie even from Gen. to the end of the Revel that either miracles â—r the Church rightly ordered or rightly gathered comming in place have been ever as the plough to the dâ—ctrine of the Gospell we shall find 3. things requisite to gaine the world to become believers 1. Men must preach purely that in point of Doctâ—iâ—e they may resemble the Sun 2. The potentiall or materiall members to be gathered must in their conversation be faire as the Moone 3. This is not all neither Preachers and Professers for all this will be esteemed of as a company of imperâ—inent and light-headed or vain-glorious men therefore a third thing required she must be terrible either by miracles or by all right done here as an Armie with banners 3. We argue from that 17. of John explained by the Apostle Eph. 4. 4. 5. One body one spirit one Lord one faith one baptisme one God and Father c. whence briefly thus None are to be taken into the body or externall fellowship of the faithfull but as such are of on faith and one spirit with them 't is evident for if it were otherwise there must be either 2. bodies or 2 spirits But civill honest men or men barely catechised have not one spirit that is are not endued with spirituall graces as the faithfull are Ergo they are not to be received into Church fellowship with them both propositions must be assented unto by such as wil take Scripture for their rule 3. We argue from the third end of gathering churches which is that members already gathered may be further built up thus Whatsoever doth of its own nature threaten the destruction or at least retard the growth of the whole body that in gathering of a church is not to be suffered but to admit of a member not visibly holy is either to destroy the whole that is to threaten with destruction because the true members of Chrâ—st cannot be uterly that is to say spiritually destroyed or to hinder and retard the growth of other members therefore a mixture of Church members or taking into Church-fellowship such as are not visibly holy is not to be suffered The major will be easily granted because whatsoever is done in a Church must be done to the edification of all When one sins all are scandalized 1 Cor. 5. 3. Moreover severall members in a Church are and must be to that Church whereof they are members as the members in a naturall body whereof all even the weakest must serve to and be active for the whole body as is plainely taught 1 Cor. 12. Rom. 12. 5. All the members of a Church should at least visibly and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as they say be what the forwardest professe they are because all are acted by the same spirit of grace and live the same life of faith they all draw essence and growth from one mysticall head even as the naturall head doth compleat and actuate all it's members 1 Cor. 2. Therefore now if any mysticall member want that supply of spirituall nourishment as the Apostle further teacheth Ephes 4. 15. It must necessaâ—ily at least retard and keep back the growth of the whole body neither can this be understood of one that outwardly is good and inwardly unsound because such hurt none but themselves The minor proposition is proved sufficiently from the Church of the Jews where the coldness of morallists whom the Apostle calleth Abrahams carnall â—eed did much hinder the growth and scandalize the graces of the truly godly among them
through errour of Doctrine that ought not now in our time of reformation to be practised but to gather Church-members other hâ—n of such as are vâ—sibly holy doth this it magnifiâ—th and setteth up errors of Dâ—ctrine and mistakes of former ages Ergo are not now to be practised The major I suppose will be undeniably granted The Minor is proved by instance vide conceâ—ning Baptisme the Doctrina about not onely the esse but the absolute necessity of Infants Baptisme have as it is knowne to all beene the cause in former ages of taking every one into Church-fellowship witnesse the Primitive times if we may call them Primitive wherein Augustine Ambrose Chrysostome the Gregorys and such famous worthies lived it is well known to all who have read their works that those most godly and zeâ—lous Worthies not having the Light which we have did unanimouslâ— hold that Baptisme made Infants Christians and that children uâ—baptized could not be saved Neither in this Tenent do the Papists at all erre from the Doctrine of the Antients Suâ—table though happily not the same altogether was the Episcopall Tenent That Baptisme was not onely a seal as circumcision was to which this of Baptisme succeeded but a means also to receive grace whence it waâ— gâ—â—erally believed that Infantâ— did receive such a tincture such an indeluble character and stamp of holinesse in the Ordinance that mens particular failings as they called them though this were no other then grosse sin did no whit unchristianize but a little blemish their Christianity Whence millions are so besotted that they believe that as their fathers and mothers in the course of nature have made them men and women the Minister at the Font made them Christians Now if all upon this notion were taken in for Church-members and the ground of all this in these dayes of light be â—ound extreamly faulty what reason but the building on such an unsure foundation erected should be now demolished and other and better Members upon further Gospell discoveries to be taken in The thirteenth Arâ—ument is tâ—ken from the great scandall which a Church otherwise gathered giveth our adversaries the Papists thuâ— That which maketh the Protestants justly excepted against and taxed by the Papists to be a company of grosse and Athiesticall Libertines that is not by any means to be allowed but to gather a Church of common Protestants or of such as are but barely catechised is to make all Protestants by the Papists to be so accounted Ergo to gather members of other than of such as are visibly holy is not to be allowed The major being granted The minor is thus proved That Profession the profesâ—ors whereof doe come short of Papists in point of practise as touching the Religion they professe that profession doe scandalize the Papists and consequently gives them cause to thinke that all such professors are but grosse and Atheisticall Libertines but this doe a mixture in gathering Church-members it makes them come short of Papists in point of practise as touching the Religion they professe Ergo it makes the Papist to think that the Protestants are a company of grosse and Atheisticall Libertines and consequently such a Church-gathering is not to be allowed The major being granted The minor is proved by instance viz. By comparing the common protestant and the papist together in practicall part of Religion in which of these most religious forwardness is to be discerned and to begin with the papists let him be but meerly catechised in the principles of his owne Religion he hath in many things the start and precedency above the common protestant First in matter of understanding it is more furnished by far I say not better As for the coâ—mon protestant he is seen but in his Creed whereas the other is taught in the doctrine of 7 Sacraments Secondly his beliefe is racked and screwed up to a farre higher pitch than is the Protestants who is ordinarily accused and thought of by them to be a company of brutish and naturall men to goe no further in their beliefe then to sence and reason as in matter of their carnall presence Thirdly the papist will doe much more for his profession thaâ— the common sort of protestants will doe for theirs As for the papist he will yeeld his outward man to fasting and all kind of pennance and his heart and inward man though to an erroneous yet to an auricular confession whereas the common protestant makes his religion to consist for the most part in the bare deniall of all this But will some object And doe not your visibly holy Saint you speak of denie all these We answer Yea or else he cannot be in his belief any other than a Papist or worse But now observe and yee shall see these visibly holy members as farre as the judgment of charitie will give them for to have that by vertue of a speciall and inward call for which the Papists doe undertake all these works For let papists but retain the true doctrine of their religion and they are taught that all the Sacraments serve but as means to convey grace to such as are in grace to speake in their owne phrase and that by vertue of that they call a foederall Covenant as infant Baptisme where the party baptized cannot ponere obicem or to such as either retaine or at least recover their first grace Now I say if this holy visibly member can wrarantably prove as he may well how that God worketh both how and when and where he pleaseth without these he hath both in his belief and life also proved himself to be more excellent than his neighbour which is the superstitious Papist and the common Protestant The fourteenth Argument is taken from the disgrace which unqualified members doe bring upon members better qualified thus Whatsoever causeth the gifts and graces of the best qualified to be mis-called and mis-censured or mis-construed that in gathering Church-members is not to be practised but to take in members not visibly holy causeth the gifts and graces of the best qualified to be mis-construed and ill spoken of Ergo the taking in members into Church-fellowship not visibly holy is not to be practised The major proposition being granted The minor is thus proved Whatsoever makes the gifts and graces of the best qualified to be counted of the non-discerning superfluous and more then need or which is worse a desire to be seene above others that makes their graces to be mis-called and mis-construed But the taking in of members not visibly holy doth this it makes the gifts and graces of the best qualified to be counted of the non-discerning superfluous and more then need or which is worse it makes them to be counted of such non-discerning spirits to desire only to be seen above others Ergo to take in such kind of members is not lawfull Both propositions will be soone granted if we consider the old axiome frustra fit per plura quod fieri potuit per
because such as are now call'd Presbyterians were in the Bishops times call'd Conformists because they subscribed to the doctrine and discipline then established it must needs follow that if some other weighty cause mooved not viz. a reformation of a Church Member that one of these Parties at least rather sought occasion of exception against the Bishops then found it 3. It setteth Professours together amongst themselves for who knows not that though in respect of practice of taking in or casting out these two Parties differ not but in circumstanciall or matter of discipline yet the judgement upon which such and such are to be taken or not to be taken in is something more and a matter doctrinall The 17th Argument is from the mimicall imitation of the Papists wherein they strive to have all the members of their Church visibly holy thus Whatsoever is pretended by the adversaries of truth and so farre practised by them as more sutable and serviceable to Gods honour that in gathering of Church-members is not of truths friends to be left out and neglected but even the adversaries of truth do by their doctrine and practise teach in pretence at least that only members visibly holy are to be received into Church-fellowship Ergo this ought of truths friends to be sincerely taught and practised The major will be easily granted by all such as thinke it reasonable that for zeale of holinesse Churches professedly reformed come not short of Papists The minor proposition is proved by instance Take those points of popery which are truly so called that is wherein they and we the case so standing doe and must differ and we shall all along still observe that in all their doings they aime at perfection in a Church-member As first in their beliefe concerning Baptisme they teach and beleeve that Baptisme doth absolutely take away originall sinne so that those motions of sin or unto sinne by some called reliquiae or the remnants of sinne are not sin properly as indeed they are not of the person but of the nature as our Divines distinguish Neither is it a specificall property of all sinne to be voluntary by their owne confession to instance in originall sinne in an infant But put the case now that a Church-member of theirs fall into a sinne after Baptisme they call mortall they then fall upon another salve for perfection or visible holinesse in a Church-member and that is their doctrine concerning pennance wherein they teach that auricular confession which by them is made a Sacrament conferring grace doe restore them fully to that integritie which they received in Baptisme and when they are thus restored they have a doctrine that of such as are in grace the Law can be fulfilled and kept So that their after-obedience and pennance doe not only ex congruo but ex condigno merit life eternall And all these beliefes though protestants doe justly except against as hay stubble and wood built upon the golden foundation of the christian profession yet from these tenents as bad as they are we may gather thus much That they thinke it a very unreasonable thing to admit of a Church-member into communion in all the ordinances which is not at least visibly holy The eighteenth Argument is from hence That no mischief or spirituall danger can follow the taking into Church fellowship Members only that are visibly holy Thus Whatsoever can be profitably done without the least prejudice or spirituall hinderance of any one not taken in for a Member that caeteris paribus that is to say which can be done without any kind of inconvenience ought to be put in practise But the gathering of Members only visibly holy can be practised without the least hazard of such as are not qualyfied that is they can run no spirituall hazard or danger Ergo such kinde of Church gathering ought to be put in practise The major is easily proved and may well serve for a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or signe of Gods will and pleasure this way for if there were the least hinderance to mans salvation by such a practise we might safely say this or such a way could not be of God For as among Divines that sence of scripture is not to be received which being so taken oppugneth other scriptures so neither is that thought to be Gods ordinance which opposeth the generall good of mans salvation The minor is thus proved Whatsoever hindereth not either the covenant of Gods election or the influence of the spirit from working faith and repentance yea which hindereth not the increase of grace in any that are actually in Gods favour that cannot be a prejudice to the salvation of any but to take in for Members of a Church such onely as are visibly holy doth none of these it neither hindereth the covenant of Gods election nor the influence of the spirit in working faith and repentance neither doth it hinder the increase of grace in any that are actually in Gods favour Ergo to take in only such qualified Members is safely and securely to be practised The major being granted The minor proposition is grounded from the example of the woman of Canaan who was no visible Member of a Church and yet her faith was greater then any's in Israel If indeed we were popish in our beliefe that the Sacraments were not only seales but meanes of grace so farre that they give grace ex opere operate then there might be some question in the point But our beliefe is that one either well catechised or preached unto wanteth nothing externall simply necessary to salvation If any doe now object that if we can with such safety be out of this externall Church communion wherefore then as well not out as in to what end is it to become a member To which we answer First that this might be as safely objected to any professed ordinance which all acknowledge to be of God May we not thus except against Baptisme or the word preached May not reading serve instead of preaching or is it not enough to hear of the doctrin of Baptisme Therefore as in such cavils the usuall answer is That not the want of an Ordinance but the contempt is damnable and that ordinance is contemned which we might enjoy and do not The same answer will serve for this present purpose When we may become members and are not gathered t is our contempt Secondly this exception would serve if we held that Church-communion were only for our selves but this we doe not Church-communion is for more necessary and importent ends as first that Gods will and command in this particular might be fulfilled and done and this all parties confesse not only by their owne practise but by beleeving the communion of Saints Secondly this Church-fellowship is the Citie set upon an hill and a lighted candle set upon a candlestick that others might see this â—â—â—ly work and so glorifie God for it in the day of their conversion FINIS