of the truth as the only means of ingraffing the unbeleeving Jew or Gentile into the true Olive or visible Church of Christ out of which is no salvation because they have not the ordinary means of attaining the same And where the means is the Word profits not when it is not mixt with faith in them that hear it The Jew beleeved not the truth of the Gospell at all And he that comes to God must beleeve in the first place Heb. 11.6 that God is and then that he is a bountifull rewarder of them that diligently seek him And that leads me to the next thing namely to conceive of all those that are in externall convenant with God in regard of their being in possession of the Divine oracles and ordinances precepts and promises that all such are under all the commands of Jesus Christ and the observance of those commands seems to me to be the condition of the Gospell and the grace thereof to be attained unto in the use of instituted means and wayes appointed by Jesus Christ in order to that end And I do also conceive that not only half promises and it may bees but whole promises seem to respect persons in the Church doing but the morall reasonable and externall duties Aske and ye shall receive knock and it shall be opened unto you seek and ye shall finde If you that are evill know how to give good things to your children much more will your heavenly Father give the Spirit to them that aske it even to them that have it not Hear ye deaf and see ye blinde that ye may see Isa 42.18 And again hear and thy soul shall live Isa 55.3 Cease to do evill learn to do well and then come and let us reason together though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool Isa 1.16 17 18. And after the Lord was pleased to express the greatest freeness of his grace to the house of Israel in promising to give to them a new heart and to put his spirit in them and to make them his people he addes yet will I be required of for this by the house of Israel to do it for them Ezek. 36 26 27 28 37. And as the Lord hath made many promises to the use of means so the use of means is ordinarily successefull and blessed to attainment of grace I do not say that any by the use of means deserve grace or that God is bound to give grace to all use of means or that he gives grace to any for the use of means and reasonable serving of God The blessing of grace is promised and also given freely according to the good pleasure of Gods own will And both the means the blessing upon the means is a fruit of Christs purchase by his bloud The like may be said of those in whom the promises of the first grace are performed they ought diligently to apply themselves to the use of all good means and walk in all holy waies of Christian obedience for further growth and increase therein All men stand bound to imploy all their abilities and to put forth themselves in all reall endevours to improve their talents either of common or generall endowments or more peculiar blessings of supernaturall grace according to the advantages and opportunities given them and shall be accountable to their Lord for them this is the tenour of Scripture and thus man is bound to do whether God give the blessing or no duties belong to man the issue is the Lords man is bound to him but he is free to do whatsoever he pleaseth in heaven and in earth And yet it 's true also that the promises of eternall glory and blessednesse belong only to those that are actually justified and sanctified and do patiently continue in weldoing Rom. 2.7 And this I think is neither Antinomianism nor Pelagianism but the tenour and scope of the Covenant of grace to man So then if we consider men under sin and misery being in the Church they are under the commands of the Gospel which justifies their observance of those commands in hope of a blessing And according to promises in that particular case the unworthy guesse in the parable was not sentenced for his being unworthy and without the wedding garment when he was commanded to come to the feast for so were all that were bidden as well as he but his partaking of the Gospell and having liberty to sit down and eat of every dish of that feast of fat things and yet at the end of the feast being found to be one not having a wedding garment this was damning and for this he was sentenced to be bound hand and foot and to be cast into utter darkness where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat. 22.11 12 13. This is a place usually misapplyed for it proves no more then this That of those that have the advantage of Gospell administrations some may and do perish for not having the grace of the Gospell Many are called but few are chosen But this by the way I will return to the other part of the objection made by the Doctor against Mr. H. free admission which is this namely That it makes sad the hearts of the godly to see the ordinance profaned c. To which I answer Why should the hearts of the godly be made sad because unregenerate persons join with them in duties of homage and worship and are willing to join with them in the use of the Word and Prayer as well as the Sacrament as means of a blessing Why should any be grieved that wicked men and sinners are objects of Redemption Covenant blessings and mercy shall the eye of any be evill because God is good in sending Christ into the world to save sinners Should not all remember that they themselves were such though now through free grace they be washed and sanctified and justified Christians that are partakers of this grace are all this by vertue of Electing love Redemption and Covenant grace None of us by nature were any better then our fellow sinners It was the meer good pleasure of God in Christ that hath made us to differ And what have any that they have not received and that in the use of the same ordinary means you stomach at in others your fellow sinners Where would you have sinners to seek Christ Jesus but in the Temple Where shall they finde him but where he is Christ bids all that will come and take of the true bread and water of life freely Rev. 22.17 He doth no where discourage any from coming to him O that Ministers would rather woo sinners and seek by all fairnesse and love to draw them to wait upon Christ in the way of all his ordinances in order to blessing then causlesly upon mistake to discourage them and take them off from endevouring after their duty of remembring the love of
terrour belongs c. I shall in answer to this objection Solut. promise severall things 1. That Sacraments are of no other signification then what they are appointed to signifie by the Word 2. That what Sacraments signifie that only they do necessarily teach and nothing else 3. That the subject of Sacramentall teaching or that which they chiefly teach is Christ crucified together with all the benefits that come thereby to the visible Church included in that particular blessing of remission of sinnes 4. That the main end of the whole service is to bear in our mindes a continuall remembrance of the death of Christ the meriting and procuring cause of all grace and glory bestowed upon baptized man 5. That the Administration of the Sacrament is appointed in the Church as well to be a means of grace as a pledge to assure thereof To all this adde what hath been said before concerning the unregenerate in order to the Sacrament and then make it out he that can that the language or administration of the Sacrament to the wicked or unregenerate remaining in the Church doth strengthen the hands of the wicked more then the Word may do or promise them lies in the name of the Lord. I grant that false conclusions and applications may be drawn from the truest premises in the Word and so likewise from the use of the Sacrament through mistake of our selves but it doth not therefore follow that the Word or Sacrament promiseth lies to the hearer or receiver when through an ignorant deceitfull heart they misapply the Word or Sacrament For there are generall truths held forth indefinitely to all in both though all do not rightly apply the same And the very same that is said of the Sacrament may be truly said of the Word as to the particular in hand when rightly dispensed to men in the Church Is not this the great and most true assertion of the Gospell worthy to be received of all men That Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 And also to seek and to save that which is lost to call to repentance to justifie the ungodly and to die for enemies who yet in other places are called sheep his Church and friends according to Gods electing love and gracious purpose And is not this Gospell to be preached to every creature in order to the working and effecting these ends of grace and salvation in such as are sinners absolutely and lost in themselves and simply ungodly And dare any say this is to promise lies to the ungodly and sinners in the Church and so to strengthen the hands of the wicked that they may not return from their wickednesse And what is the Sacrament given and received but a visible representation of the death of Christ and satisfaction made by him for sinners to put us in remembrance of all this and which opens a door of hope to all in generall and a peculiar comfort to them that can from their experience of grace received with Paul apply this to themselves Christ came into the world to save sinners whereof I am chief I know what is usually put in against this generall assertion of the Gospell limiting the same to penitent sinners sensible of their being lost and of being enemies c. But doubtlesse out of some mistake and such as doth reflect somewhat upon the publick Ministery to which I would not be any way in the least degree injurious but because such like quotations in Mr. H. are excepted against by the reverend Doctor I shall crave leave to expresse some of my thoughts in vindication of him The Doctor saith Christ came not to call the righteous that is such as think themselves so but sinners to repentance that is saith he such sinners that are sensible of their sinfulnesse sick and lost c. But will not this then follow that all naturall men dead in trespasses and sins thinking themselves righteous whole and in the right way and that they have need of nothing with the Laodiceans not knowing that they are wretched and miserable poor and blinde and naked are out of the number Christ came to call and so by consequence he came to call none at all because all by nature are sinners under the forementioned Characters and black qualification of insensiblenesse of sin and misery and high thoughts of themselves And therefore the Doctors sense is not like to be the true sense and meaning For we know what counsell Christ gives to the Laodiceans who were such conceited senslesse sinners Rev. 3.18 And how that he gives life to quicken them that are dead in sins and trespasses Ephes 2.1 And is sent to give repentance to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and remission of sins Act. 5.31 For to say he gives repentance to the penitent and life to the living as he doth if the Doctors sense be right is not the sense of the Gospell nor indeed a truth in its proper sense without the advancing of the power of nature too high And therefore such supernaturall conditions or qualifications are not required to put persons into a capacity of receiving the benefits of the Gospell Covenant it being the supernatural benefits and blessings of the Covenant that make any to be such It 's true supernaturall grace precedes glory and the first grace precedes the growth and increase therein but it is naturall depravity sinfulnesse and miscry that necessarily precedes the first saving grace so that that cannot be a condition of the first grace that is either the first grace it self or growth therein The Covenant in this case is absolute and inconditionall but then I conceive the Covenant to be conditionall in other respects in an easie and favourable sense thus The tenour of the Gospell to people that never yet imbraced nor owned the Doctrine and ordinances of the Gospell runs thus He that beleeves shall be saved but the wrath of God abides upon those nations people and persons that either have not the Gospell in the tender of it or being tendred receive it not But those that upon the tender receive the Gospell so as to credit the truth thereof and willingly come under the lawes and worship injoyned forsaking all false religions and joyn with the professors of the true such are reckoned for beleevers and come under the promises of grace and glory upon that account And therefore the Apostle sends salutations to all that in every place call upon the name of the Lord both theirs and ours and he applies that of the Prophet in this case Whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved 1 Cor. 1.2 Rom. 10.13 That is such people are under the promises of salvation in opposition to those that call not upon the Name of Christ Jesus the Lord at all as Jer. 10.25 Pour out thy fury upon the Heathen that know thee not and upon the families that call not on thy Name I look upon belief
duties are common and universall to all of the same relations and sex And what though it be not the duty of all Church members to preach and administer Sacraments yet it is the duty of all Ministers what ever so to do But Mr. H. argument is If all other service lie in common it is an intrenchment upon the common liberty to put an inclosure upon the Sacraments And if the Sacrament come under the obligation of the first Table as a part of Gods worship it is equally binding to all and so in common with the rest of worship notwithstanding any thing yet made out to the contrary It is true affirmative precepts do not binde to every moment of time but that will not justifie a carelesse and wilfull neglect at any time And whereas it is said that Church members are not bid absolutely to come but so to come it seems strange to me I had thought that all precepts of worship had been absolute to persons of years in the Church of Christ And do this in remembrance of me is absolute and the principall duty however the Doctor is pleased to call it carnall Divinity and a setting up the form above the power of worship For in every duty there is a forme which is heedfully to be observed and it 's impossible there should be the power of godlinesse without the form To obey the voyce of God in regard of the matter injoyned seems to be the main as respecting reasonable man and when there is an externall conformity to the commands of the Lord such are said to walk in the waies of the Lord failings in the manner there will still be both good and bad are under a necessity of failings and miscarriages in every thing which is to be imputed to the common frailty of man fallen But not 〈◊〉 what God commands at all is voluntary rebellion and that which the Scriptures most usually threaten severe judgements unto But I hope the Doctor doth not mean that the celebration of the Lords Supper is the form and self-examination the power which yet he seems to do by his exceptions against making receiving to be the principal the other but an accessary To which exceptions I say First that this duty of examination of our selves is a private duty and the private is subordinate to the publick Secondly This duty was prescribed occasionally as a remedy to that particular case of making a breach upon the materials of divine institution and order and therefore a means to further them in the right observance of the Supper and we may most safely say the end is most principall the means lesse Besides where the duty ceaseth in some respects it is not to be urged in those respects but it 's clear there is not the same reason for point of offending in the Church of England as there was at Corinth about the Administration of the Sacrament the work of our congregations demeaning themselves more reverently and orderly in a way sutable to the carrying on of that service in regard of the externall part according to the rule of institution And therefore that duty is not to be urged upon ours with the same necessity of danger of eating and drinking unworthily as to the Church of Corinth It is true their ignorance and not discerning of the Lords body represented by the instituted signs was the cause of all their other miscarriages But some may say Object Doth it not therefore follow that the ignorant amongst us do necessarily run upon the same danger of miscarriage I answer Solut. we know they do not for ours many of them rather erre on the other hand by putting too much holinesse in the consecrated elements then by using them as common things such hath been the education of the most every where that they conceive this Sacrament to be a most holy ordinance of God appointed for the good of their souls And therefore out of fear and reverence they do demean themselves orderly and regularly conform to the externals of the institution Had the Corinthians come up to that conformity of Sacramentall actions and order that ours generally do we should not have read of their punishment for unworthy receiving as I humbly conceive nor of their being urged so to come for that principall duty is not to be neglected though through carelesnesse the other be But then saith the Doctor It is a sen to disswade men from doing their duty Object be they never so vile To which I say Solut. the Doctor knowes there be other waies to reform such enormities He instances in perswading to forbear duties of homage and worship but not only Mr. H. but many other sober Christians Ministers and others judge that all the visible subjects of Christs Kingdome are under the obligation of his commands And do this in remembrance of me is one not to be restrained to sex sunction or any particular relations but to be observed in common by all the baptized of years under Church indulgence And if the Doctor hath any thing further to say that may give satisfaction in that point my self and others will be very thankfull 9. And so I come to the last Querie propounded namely whether there be any thing in the nature language actions or end of the Sacrament in that place of the Corinths or elsewhere incongruous to the actuall receiving of the unregenerate in the Church Before I come to answer directly to the Querie I shall lay down these six propositions 1. I conceive that Sacraments in generall and this in particular were instituted for the spirituall good of the visible Church of Christ comprehensively taken in which every particular member is included 2. That the visible Church of Christ consists of persons regenerate and unregenerate professing the true religion and their seed 3. That the unregenerate in the Church are the only proper and immediate objects of the most sundamentall promises in the Gospell Covenant of the giving the first grace 4. That the whole administration of the Covenant belongs to those in the Church that are the immediate objects of the absolute promises in the Covenant they being of years of discretion to use the same in order to the Lords putting the promises into execution and performance 5. That whom the promises of grace do respect to them the use of the Sacraments do belong Sacraments being visible representations of the death and bloud of Christ on which those promises of grace are founded and by which they are confirmed 6. That those in the Church and of years whom we cannot exclude from covenant relation we may not exclude from the Sacraments they being visible seales and pledges of Covenant love to that people that are in possession of Covenant administrations of divine Ordinances of worship as ours are These being truths as I conceive they all are I think it will follow that there is nothing in the Word against the receiving of the unregenerate in the Church being of years
lawfully refuse to baptize them at the present without any long deferring of it although they had been Heathens born I would I did but understand your answer to this supposition I conceive that all those that being of years are in a capacity for Baptisme are in a capacity also of all other Christian communion I presume the Apostles baptized upon as easie termes and so might you except you have a different commission or understand the Apostles commission in some other sense then they themselves did But I must contract my self aske you once again whether you ever found any president in the Word for what you practise in this point what Church under the administration of the Gospell will afford a president for your practise Do you separate according to Apostolicall order and rule or by vertue of some new commission or light the Scriptures never taught you I pray you again consider you had need be sure of good warrant to bear you out for you have been the cause and means of our being without discipline Sacraments union and communion with other reformed Churches indulgence to you hath been the occasion of an unlimited Toleration the misery of all those factions Schismes Heresies Blasphemies now abounding in every corner of the Land Well if your foundation be only the wisdome of the flesh and a worldly interest time will discover more of the Babel you are building when the consequences of your principles practise and design are come to full maturity It may come to that passe and it is much to be feared it will that you would retreat if you could tell how In the mean time the wilde beasts of the wildernesse come into Gods vineyard and by heresies destroy the tender grapes and many follow their pernicious wayes by reason of whom the way of truth is evill spoken of Men arise from among our selves speaking perverse things to draw away Disciples after them 2 Pet. 2.2 Act. 20.30 But mark them thut cause divisions and avoid them Rom. 16.17 But let me speak one word more in order to discipline which as you were never yet willing to come under as to the reforming of the whole so have your indevours been all along most fierce to obstruct and retard the discipline debated on in order to that end Again when the fittest way in Christian prudence according to rule was agreed upon as a means to reforme the whole and confirmed by the supreme Authority of this Nation designs were driven on to obstruct it and such things attempted as are the greatest scandals to the Protestant Religion that ever it suffered under And thirdly notwithstanding many symptomes and sad omens of a carnall design tending to the confusion and ruine of the whole and those the proper products of your own miscarriages do already appear yet you persist in your own contrivances and will not retract untill not only the Church but also the flourishing state of the Common wealth be involved in the same confusion and ruine The very sinewes of the Common-wealth are the fear of God and divine order in carrying on the same in all its parts uniformly different parties and factions too much indulged do ever beget jealousies and fears the common nursery of sedition and rebellion And that which cannot be held without gratifying of all factions and parties cannot in reason and policy hold long Why may not men truly fear God and carry on the power of godlinesse in their several functions and places under an establishment of Doctrine worship and order the only way to honour God And the best expedient to preserve the whole uniformity in the Church is a good foundation of peace and tranquillity in the Common-wealth And that is ever the best policy amongst Christians that is subordinate to true piety and our greatest freedome desired will be soonest attained in the way of religiousnesse when sin will be a snare to any people I confesse it is meerly occasionally that some things have dropped from my pen of this nature I would not offend any nor have I undertaken to meddle with the Independent way strictly taken they have been sufficiently answered by divers learned and reverend Gentlemen and the inconsistences contradictions absurdities and mistakes of their way discovered and not yâ—t vindicated by any that ever I heard of I only have hinted some things tending as I conceive to the Churches peace and unity in vindicating Church members from reproach and slander and inference to the preceding discourse And therefore I shall end with Mr. Humphreys wishes adding some of mine own 1. I wish we had a government establisht in the Church the nearest in Christian prudence that may be to the word of God 2. I wish the duty of fraternall correption a watching over and admonishing one another in love were better known and practised amongst us 3. I wish that men would look more to their own consciences and leave the judging of others spirits heart and reins alone to the judgement seat of Christ 4. I wish though there may be some judging by the fruits that wise religious men would be more cautious of countenancing the separations in the visible Church seeing upon the same ground that you go to gather a Church out of any mixt congregation another will gather a separation out of your Church and so continue as I have intimated from our sad experience an endlesse separating untill this first separation shall in a few years be able to take up the saying of that greatest Grand-mother unto those many Schismes shee shall see issuing as her naturall off-spring out of her owne bowels Rise up daughter go to thy daughter for thy daughters daughter has a daughter for this separations separation has a separation so farre Mr. Humfrey I adde 1. I wish that the distinction of beleevers and unbeleevers Church and world Christ and Belial holy and profane worthy Church members and unworthy were used in the Church of God according to Scripture meaning and with due caution and no otherwise 2. I wish that Sacraments were more clearly understood in respect of their nature and end attributing unto them their due according to the Scripture avoiding all humane boldnesse either in adding to advance them or in diminishing them so as in the least degree to debase them 3. I wish that the Lord Jesus may have the liberty and full scope of his own instituted ordinances given for the spirituall good of his Church that he may use them as instruments of his Spirit in order to that end upon the spirits of all his subjects according to their necessities and spirituall wants 4. I wish that a godly care may be taken in the education of all borne in the Church that being instructed in the plainest way of faith and obedience in the Christian religion they may be prepared to profit by every ordinance in the Church when they come to years 5. I wish that all of years may be made to understand their duties
and Church priviledges and be incouraged unto Church communion in all the waies of Christ that so they may come under Church discipline the best remedy to reclaim the obstinate and wilfull offenders 6. I wish the gifted brethren were better imployed then in unchurching our Churches and gathering Churches out of them it were a work more proper and acceptable either to be content to exercise their gifts to the edifying and building up of that Church in which they received them or else to goe into the infidell world as the Apostles did and preach the Gospel and plant Churches there The Scripture Raile Examined REader since I parted with what I had written in answer to Doctor Drake in the foregoing discourse there came to my hand Mr. Humfreys Rejoyner in vindication of himself a work very well performed by him wherein the truth formerly by him asserted is better cleared and confirmed to the satisfaction of many souls fearing God and breathing forth their earnest desires after the settlement reformation and uniformity of the Church of God in England according to the Word of God Be not prejudiced against his book by other learned men who have and still do appear with much bitternesse and passion against him more to affright with words and humane dictates meerly then with matter of grounded truth according to the sense of the holy Scripture witnesse that book put forth by some Ministers of Glocester-shire intituled A Scripture Raile to the Communion Table I confesse the title is good for we do acknowledge there ought to be such a thing but not in their sense as I hope shall appear by the discovery made in this short discourse following in which I shall wave what hath been already written in answer to D. Drake by Mr. Humfrey and my self and take notice only of some things in the Scripture Raile which have not yet been spoken to that I know of And this I shall do as briefly as I can because I would not anticipate him whom it doth more nearly concern And first of all because I would not leave the weak and incautelous Reader deceived with vain and groundlesse words in reading this Scripture Raile let this be noted that I take Scripture discipline to be the only Rail for the Communion Table which I hope both the Author reproached and my self earnestly desire may be set up and all our indevours tend as conducible means to that end as being assured that the first stone in the building of the reformation as to our case is holy discipline And whether their principles or ours tend most to that I hope to make appear to sober and unprejudiced Christians And the way I shall take shall be to discover some of these Gentlemens unbrotherly dealings with Mr. Humfrey first in perverting his sense Secondly in setting up a Raile to the Lords Table by perverting Scripture and so making that Raile to be a pretended discipline meerly 1. They have damned and censured his Book to be an ungodly pamphlet in which is a masse of perverting Scriptures tending to destroy all Church reformation little better then carnall and profane reasoning sophistry a heterodox piece abomination a vile piece with divers other such hard censures language enough to affright any from ever looking into it that have any care of their souls to avoid their own destruction in complying with that soul damning practise of maintaining mixt communion as they call it I must confesse these men seem very confident in reproaching and censuring both the Book and the man but in this their indeavour to make it thus vile and odious to the world they have not the least evidence of truth or strength of reason to evince it that I can finde in their Book And it will so appear if you minde what is Mr. H. scope and end in his discourse and what are the principles upon which it is founded As 1. That the visible Church of Christ consists of men making a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and so are Saints by calling what ever they are in truth while they so professe and adhere to the true worship the means and matter of which are hearing the word receiving the Sacrament and prayer and of these many are called and few are chosen 2. That all of these of years come under the obligation of Christs commands and are bound to do their duty homage to Christ their Lord as well as they can according to Mat. 28.19 20. 3. That all such ought to submit to Church discipline and not to be excluded from any observance nor denyed any Church priviledge untill they be judicially proceeded against and debarred by vertue of positive excommunication 4. That Ministers by vertue of their function and office may lawfully administer the Sacraments to Church members though they be ignorant and scandalous he doing his duty as well as he may in preparing them in the want of Church discipline These I dare boldly affirme are the main things asserted in that little despised piece which with a sober spirit the Author hath soberly discussed and cleared from the common exceptions made against it by men of different mindes for which his pains first and last I verily beleeve the Church of God in England have great cause to be thankfull to the Lord of the harvest for sending such a faithfull plain-hearted labourer amongst us the sweet temperature of his spirit so adorned with wisdome charity and such a peaceable frame bespeaks him taught of God the true sense of his will in his holy Scriptures rather then his reproachers 1. Touching the visible Church what evill hath he done in asserting it to consist of men making a profession of faith in Christ Wherein doth he dissent from the most orthodox writers in all ages in judging the Church of England a true Church It is confessed by the adversaries and also that a parochiall congregation where the Word is truly preached and the Sacraments administred according to order being a part of the whole is a true Church likewise And this is also confessed by these Gentlemen for they grant that our parochiall Churches are true Churches in a large sense and that is enough as to this and so I hope there is no evill in this first position 2. For the next thing by him asserted namely that all of years in a parish being baptized come under the obligation of all Christs commands it is proved by the text before cited Mat. 28.19 20. And that in order to the Lords Supper Do this in remembrance of me is a known duty belonging to every particular member of the Church in common with all other parts of the worship and service of God And is it then profane reasoning to urge Church members to do their duty and homage in this particular more then in all others To this these Gentlemen have said but little that I can finde to take off what is urged by Mr. H. As for that of the Passeover Mr. H.
are so are out of Christs family nor the unbaptized as being against divine order nor any that renounce the Christian Religion casting off the yoke of Christ in defiance of him or the like In the next place I shall take notice how the Gentlemen do most notoriously abuse Mr. Humfreys sense in a passage of his Book telling their reader That Mr. Humfrey saith those dreadfull expressions of the Apostle of being guilty of the body and bloud of Christ and eating and drinking judgement to themselves were not to affright any from coming to the Sacrament pag 39. But whosoever shall but look into Mr. Humfreys Book pag. 71. may easily see what design these men have upon Mr. H. The truth is be it right or wrong they are resolved if possible to render him odious to the inconsiderate who are apt to beleeve every thing they hear from men that can but speak smooth words without further search And who would think that men of such language pretending so much to holinesse and power of religion should dare to pervert and tear in pieces sentences that they might have something to say against the Author to render him odious to the worst of men Mr. H. words are these It is certain those dreadfull expressions of being guilty of the bloud of Christ and eating and drinking damnation are to make men take heed that they prepare themselves and come worthily but saith he I cannot think they are to affright any from the Sacrament This is the result of what went before where he urges both the principall duty and the accessory we are bound to come and to come worthily If a man fail in the one and be not sufficiently prepared I dare not say saith he that must keep him from the Sacrament I am sure it will not excuse him from the other that is the principall duty Besides they should have remembred what Mr. H. laid down in stating his Free Admission before they had made such an outcry against him What not one say they what not an idolater an incestuous person a hater of the godly a witch c. Why doth not Mr. H. after his urging the necessity of coming and that with such strength of argument as I beleeve will never be taken off by any distinguish between a profane and presumptuous coming to an ordinance and a Christian coming in conformity to Gods worship and he saith Though it be better not to come then to come in a profane way that being rebellion and sin in the fact yet it is better to come in a Christian way though but in an outward conformity to Gods service then altogether to neglect it the which being granted and practised of all in all other duties he thinks it but a begging of the question to deny it in the Sacrament pag. 73 74. I professe the Gentlemen in their answer to what Mr. H. hath written in three or four pages together have done nothing but trifle as if they were glad they could but shift their hands of what is urged against them miserably begging the question in every thing they assert But pag. 147. they aske if those do not come in a profane way that come but in an outward conformity and whether the most profane wretches do not so come and think they have done enough and they urge many places of Scripture against this as Isa 1.11 66.5 Jer. 6. 7. chap. from whence they inferre that the distinction is abhorred of the Lord and that whosoever comes in an outward conformity only comes in a presumptuous and profane way I answer that notwithstanding these Scriptures Mr. Humsreys position is still a truth namely that it is better to come in a Christian way though but in outward conformity to Gods service then altogether to neglect it For as he saith it is confessed by all in all other duties therefore it is but a begging of the question to deny it in this And besides these Scriptures do no more respect the Passeover then all other parts of Gods worship and service And I beleeve these Gentlemen will not deny but in other duties of Gods service as prayer hearing the Word and singing of Psalmes c. externall conformity is better and not so abhorred of the Lord who commands these duties as wholly to neglect them But they say Object whosoever comes in a meer outward conformity comes in a presumptuous and profane way Gods commands free such comers from presumption and profanenesse in that particular Solut. as to the matter of obedience and I know nothing in all the holy Scripture against this but doubtlesse the want of outward conformity unto the Lawes of God is accounted rebellion and that which the Lord alwaies complained of in Israel of old and punished them for too And they had many promises and incouragements unto externall obedience and it never went ill with them so long as they outwardly conformed to Gods own appointments nay we know wicked men have been rewarded for outward obedience to the word of the Lord. For that first of Isaiah the scope of the chapter is to demonstrate and shew what a most horrible apostasie there was of the whole people of Judah at that time but especially of the rulers and judges over them vers 21 22 23. in so much that vers 10. they are called rulers of Sodom and princes of Gomorrah because they were so degenerate from what they should be according to divine appointment and therefore no wonder if the Lord do upbraid them with their sacrifices new moons sabbaths and solemn meetings and that the Lord regarded them not why their hands were full of oppression and bloud there was no answerablenesse in other things to the duties of worship they did perform and yet they thought because they had the worship of God amongst them they might do all manner of abominations and that was the use they made of former deliverances And yet it is hard to say that they had been lesse sinfull if they had altogether omitted the duties of worship or that they were condemned because they did perform them The Lord tels them that if they would put away the evill of their doings and cease to do evill and learn to do well seek judgement relieve the oppressed judge the fatherlesse plead the cause of the widow the which things they might do then the Lord promises grace and favour pardon of sin and acceptance in his worship but the want of obedience in those particulars made them not accepted in the things of Gods commanded worship yet they might not leave off the worship of God neither is here any thing to affright them from it but motives and argument used to make them more obedient in all other observances answerable to that worship of God as they expected good from him Now what is all this to them that yeeld an outward conformity at least in all or most things which God requires to prove that it is no better for
can and what they cannot let them patiently suffer and with love groan and lament it And to the same purpose he brings in the advice of Augustine touching the abounding of drunkennesse in Africa this and the like evils according to his judgement are to be taken away not roughly nor after an imperious manner but more by teaching then commanding more by admonishing then by threatning and that is the way to deal with a multitude of sinners severity must be exercised on the sin of a few c. And he concludeth thus The command of the Apostle 1 Cor. 5.7 to cast out the wicked is in no case to be neglected when it may be done without perill of breaking the peace of the Church Institut lib. 4. cap. 12. Sect. 11.13 And we may take notice that where there is mention made of the Apostles exercising of Discipline it is only upon particular persons and not upon a multitude when he findes many guilty of evill practises he reproves admonishes and threatens to come with the rod 2 Cor. 12.20 13.21 1 Cor. 4.21 And truly as the state of things now stands I think it will be found a very difficult thing to get into possession of the true way of discipline and to make that use of it that the Churches peace and edification may be promoted and not prejudiced by it For either the supposed unregenerate in the Church shall on the one hand be cast off and separated from as in the Independent way and some others or else on the other hand the dissenting brethren will be judged schismatical for causing divisions and separations in the Church contrary to the Doctrine of Jesus Christ And therefore our condition is the more sad in that Discipline which tends so much to the wel-being of the Church can so hardly be attained amongst us Thus I have given you my judgement and apprehensions in this point Now in the next place Because these Gentlemen have commended a way of Discipline to the godly I shall crave leave a little to examine it whether it be such a one as godly men may safely receive and use as the discipline of Jesus Christ and not rather reject it as having nothing of Christ in the rise and root of it according to holy Scripture and this I shall do very briefly because I have said so much to the point already 1. It 's well they acknowledge our parochiall congregations to be true Churches though it be but in a large sense for being such they come under the same lawes and priviledges externally which belong to true Churches in the strictest sense that is unlesse they can finde a different rule in Scripture for true Churches though not in the same degree of purity which I believe they cannot because I do not finde but Laodicea and Philadelphia as they were both true Churches so they were both under the same rule c. 2. They confesse that none but such as are already excommunicated and such as ought to be excommunicated are to be kept from the Sacrament and in this Mr. H. and they seem to be agreed pag. 27. provided say they that Mr. H. mean such as of right ought to be excommunicated by the Church For his meaning they may be sure he doth not mean that Church members should be censured without regular triall and that by a Church that is in a fit capacity to hear and judge and sentence according to divine rule But how will these gentlemen prove that the greater part in a parish are such as of right ought to be excommunicated and never put it to the triall whether their sinfulnesse be of that nature for which excommunication may and ought to be inflicted It is obstinacy and wilfull persisting in grosse sins after private and publick admonition that is to be punished with excommunication and how can they know that the greater part of a parish do so sin when they never admonish them either privately or publickly Sure there must be a clear conviction of their sins and all fair and amicable Christian means used to reclaim them before they can judge any in their parish excommunicable were they in a capacity thus authoritatively to deal with them which I think they are not 3. But they say This is a most generally received truth that every particular congregation hath power in it self to reforme it self according to what shall be practicable to them pag. 158. To which I shall oppose their own words pag. 7.10 Where first they say That the ignorant and profane must be withdrawn from because it is clear they cannot be regularly cast out by discipline neither is there any way how they should be rightly excommunicated for that the major part of the Church is corrupt and the same may be well supposed of most of the mixt parochiall congregations in England and will not excommunicate nor are fit to do so nor to chuse officers to do it pag. 9 10. Now is not this a strange thing they condemn Mr. Humfrey for not setting up Discipline in his Church and strongly assert That every Congregation hath power to reform it self and yet they say it is clear that the ignorant and profane cannot be regularly cast out by Discipline nor is there any way how they should be rightly excommunicated Reader Canst thou desire a better justification of Mr. Humfreys present practise in the matter of the Sacrament then these mens own words If he cannot reform in a right way must he and others undergoe reproach because they dare not exercise discipline in a wrong way as these gentlemen do There are many sober and godly Ministers that judge it better not to pretend to discipline at all then to take up that way to which some give the name when there is nothing of the nature of true discipline If we cannot exercise it aright why should any be censured for not exercising it wrong To doe evill that good may come the Apostle judges damnable so rarely it is that good ends and evill means stand together But they say Object If they cannot regularly excommunicate the ignorant and scandalous that are excommunicable then the Minister and those that are convinced of their duty to come up to a more close communion and fellowship in the Gospell must withdraw from the corrupt majority and wait for their coming in upon the same termes agreed upon by the minor part and for this they commend to us Mat. 18. 1. Answ It is very harsh to say that the ignorant in the Church are for that excommunicable they may expresse their desires to learn and use the means appointed to that end and so not be excommunicable nor to be separated from And for the scandalous they are to be tryed as was hinted before and then excommunicated if there be just cause else they shall be deprived of a speciall ordinance of the Church intended as the last remedy to convert the obstinate sinner from his evill waies And as