The Loyal Baptist OR AN APOLOGY FOR THE BAPTIZED BELIEVERS CONTAINING I. His humble Resolution to be a constant Conformist to the Scriptures and especially in these four great Duties viz. 1. To Honour all Men. 2. To Love the Brotherhood 3. To Fear God 4. To Honour the King According to 1 Peter 2. 17. II. His unfeigned endeavour for Unity in the Truth with the Church of England wherein is shewed what 〈◊〉 a distinction in Communion between the Parochial 〈…〉 those of the Baptized Believers Wherein fourteen 〈◊〉 lately published by Mr. N. T. M. A. in defence of Infant-Baptism are considered and answered III. His Plea for Church-Assemblies to be permitted to the Baptized Believers To which purpose is declared IV. The Nature of his Call to Christianity and to the work of the Ministry OCCASIONED By the great and long continued Sufferings of the Baptized Believers in this Nation BY THOMAS GRANTHAM a Servant of Christ Job 21. 4. As for me is my complaint to 〈◊〉 And if it were so why should not my Spirit be troubled Causabon's Birth of Heresy c. 3. p. 11. In all Ages Men have never been contented with the true Adoration instituted by God But instead of external Signs instituted by God they have forged and brought in their own Inventions London Printed for the Author and are to be Sold by Tho. Fabian at the Bible in St. Paul's Church-yard 1684. The Loyal Baptist OR AN APOLOGY FOR THE BAPTIZED BELIEVERS BEING ALSO An Earnest Persuasive to them and all Christians to study to be Quiet and do their own Business in these important Particulars VIZ. I. To Honour all Men. II. To Love the Brotherhood III. To Fear God IV. To Honour the King Delivered in two Sermons upon 1 Pet. 2. 17. By THOMAS GRANTHAM a Servant of Christ My Son fear thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change Prov. 24. 21. But whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judg ye Acts 4. 19. London Printed for the Author and are to be Sold by Tho. Fabian at the Bible in St. Paul's Church-yard 1674. To all the Baptized Believers in England c. Grace and Peace through Christ our Lord be multiplied THE great Apostle St. Paul having taught the Christian Churches in Creet their Duties towards God and towards Caesar and leaving Titus a Messenger of the Churches behind him there very strictly warns him to put them in mind of their Subjection to Principalities and Powers and to obey Magistrates Knowing how impossible it would be to propagate the Profession of Christianity if Christians did not adorn their Profession with a meek and harmless Conversation towards all Men and especially by their Obedience to those in Authority And considering the manifold Temptations that attend Christians in these days upon that account I thought it my Duty as one that has obtained Mercy to be faithful to do my best in giving warning to my Brethren lest any of them should be ensnared with ill Principles or specious Pretences to speak or do any thing that may be inconsistent with Gospel-Rules either in things relating more immediately to Almighty God or to the King's Majesty and those that are in Authority under him Such heady Persons there were in the Apostle's Days and therefore the less strange if now some such be found in the best of Churches as are not afraid to speak Evil of Dignities All Ages and sorts of Christians have been troubled with such Evil-Workers And as it hath been the care of faithful Men all along to protest against them that the Truth which such Wretches only prophane by their Profession of it might not be worse thought of because of them So let it be our care to bear a faithful Testimony against all such in these Days And I beseech you Brethren whom God hath made as Guides to the rest that you give all diligence to teach and instruct those under your Charge in the Duties which pertain to every state of Life as well as in things which pertain to the Worship of our Gracious God For these are the things which become sound Doctrine and of these our Obedience to Magistrates is not the least I commit the ensuing Discourses to the Consideration of all Christians and to the Blessing of God and remain Your Brother and Servant in the Gospel THO. GRANTHAM The Loyal Baptist OR AN APOLOGY FOR THE BAPTIZED BELIEVERS BEING ALSO An Earnest Persuasive to them all to study to be Quiet and to do their own Business in these important Particulars VIZ. I. To Honour all Men. II. To Love the Brotherhood III. To Fear God IV. To Honour the King Delivered in several Discourses upon 1 Pet. 2. 17. Honour all Men Love the Brotherhood Fear God Honour the King THis great Apostle St. Peter having preached Christ in many Countries thought it meet to leave some Monuments of his holy Doctrine with all the Churches And having in two sacred Epistles assured them of the certainty of the Doctrine which he had preached and that it was no Fable or new Device but the very Truth which from the Beginning God made known to his Prophets He then exhorts them to Stedfastness and to hope to the end for the grace or fulness of Glory which shall be brought to all true Christians at the revelation or second coming of Christ He warns them to beware of Sin chiefly that root of Malice Envy and Hypocrisy for these are usually complicated in one for as it gave being to all our Misery and has been all along the ruine of Nations Churches and Communities so we are advertised that it will abound towards the end of the World To avoid this damning Iniquity we are willed to consider our new Birth and as new-born Babes to evidence our delight to be in the sincere Milk of the Word of God not in the Vanities of this World where we are but Pilgrims and Strangers assuring us that as Christ is the sure Foundation to support his Church So however some Builders do set him at naught he is the Head of the Corner and will certainly in time confound the Disobedient 1 Pet. 2. 7 8. Howbeit lest Christians should be too impatient of the seeming delay of Christ's Exaltation and of the manifold Tribulations which in the mean time they must suffer he further warns them to be of an obedient and submissive Spirit to such as are in Authority and to adorn their Profession by an honest Conversation as the best way to silence their Opposers For so is the Will of God that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish Men 1 Pet. 2. 15. For tho it be very true that all Christians are the Lord's Freemen 1 Cor. 7. 22. yet they may not maliciously despise any Man nor dishonour any Man much less any that are in Authority Christianity being indeed the greatest Obligation that any Man can be
symbolizing with legal Ceremonies Gal. 2. that so the Truth of the Gospel might continue in the Churches of Galatia plainly shewing that as Light and Darkness cannot dwell together so the Gospel is exclusive of legal Ceremonies and humane Innovations And seeing all must grant there has been a very great departure from the Truth of the Gospel both in Doctrine and Practice there cannot be a better Method I suppose thought on to amend what is amiss in the Christian World and thereby to restore true brotherly Fellowship than that used by our Lord Mat. 19. 8. to reform a Corruption among the Jews and such an Error too as had a shew of Scripture-Authority for it I mean the Case of Divorce yet our Saviour suppresseth that Custom by referring to the primitive Institution of Marriage From the Beginning it was not so And upon this Text how well does our Brethren I mean the Sober and Pious in the Church of England defend themselves against Popish Innovations both in Opinion and Practice One of them speaks thus As touching each of these Errors we can say with our Saviour in this present Correption of the Pharisees that from the Beginning it was not so and we care not whence they come unless they come from the Beginning This hath ever been saith he the Rule the warrantable Rule to reform a Church When Esdras was intent on building the Temple he sent not to Ephesus much less to Rome he did not enquire into the Rituals of Numa Pompilius but had recourse for a Temple to that of Solomon and for a Rite to that of Moses Indeed for Things meerly indifferent as he observes there must be preserved a Liberty in all Churches to consult and do for the best I dare not say as he To make Constitutions for that 's a great word but to manage her Affairs with Decency Order and Charity But to come more directly to our Doctrine which is Brotherly Fellowship Love and Vnity is carefully to be endeavoured and maintained by all Christians Certain it is that our Love as Christians may go much further than our actual Communion in all things Christian may do and yet this Love it self is a kind of Fellowship The Angels have Fellowship with us and acknowledg themselves our Fellow Servants Rev. 19. 10. and yet they do not partake with us in all our acts of Religion but only by approbation and corroboration in things which are well done Now the best or most orderly sort of Christians cannot conceive a greater disproportion between their Churches and the Churches of the most erring if but well-meaning Societies that conscientiously profess Love and Obedience to Christ And even hence we are obliged to hold as much Brotherly Fellowship with them as we can especially that of Love and Brotherly Compassion For when we consider that even some of all sorts of Christians will rather dye than basely deny their Lord and Master we cannot but have Fellowship with such in our Spirits whilst it is the same and not a feigned Christ to whom they shew their utmost testimony of Love And this Consideration alone may suffice to take away that imbitteredness which is too often found among Christians dissenting one from another Let their Appellations be what they will so that they believe in the true Christ and live well being also faithful to what they know And tho they be never so angry with me for opposing them in their Traditions or erring Notions otherwise yet I must have a Brotherly tenderness towards them all for the Truths sake which dwelleth in them But now for ample or full Communion I see not how that can be attained and maintained but where there is antecedent to it an Union both in Doctrine and Practice in things necessary to the true Constitution and Government of the Church of Christ And seeing also our Differences about these things are not small or trivial it cannot I think be better ordered than that a Friendly Distinction and Brotherly Forbearance be permitted as to ample Communion for that Men cannot comfortably nor peaceably join together till they be agreed in these things I see not that the difference betwixt Paul and Barnabas was so great as to the thing about which they differed as the things about which Christians differ in these days and yet its certain their Contention being great for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies provoking gauling and imbittered Speeches and Minds say the Learned it is certain they could not transact their Affairs in the Gospel together but apart And this was written perhaps to shew that a competent Unity in Judgment must precede our actual Communion and till that be attained among us there is a necessity in regard partly of human Frailty and partly in regard of some precious Truths to forbear one another without destroying the Truth to which we have attained respectively And this is the greatest Love we can extend to one another under these difficult Circumstances 1. To pity and heartily to pray one for another for the Servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle towards all Men in Meekness instructing those that oppose themselves 2. There must be all Patience exercised and Compassion shewed to the Ignorant and those that are out of the way especially where the scruple is tender and conscientious And in the mean time the faithful Minister of God must hold fast the form of sound Words he must teach the same Doctrine which was committed to his Trust by the Apostles He must warn others that they teach no other Doctrine He must not give place to Jewish or other Fables And the Church must so walk in Christ as they first received him rooted in the Foundation-Principles established and built up in him Not carried about with every Wind of Doctrine but speaking the Truth in Love must endeavour to grow up into Christ in all things In a word it is the Duty of this Brotherhood to stick close to the whole Councel of God and not to partake with other Mens Sins or Errors in Life or Religion which cannot be done where contrarieties in Doctrine and Practice about things necessary to the true State and Government of the Church of Christ are allowed in the same Fellowship or Community Love the Brotherhood This Fraternity are in a special manner to love one another 1. Because God himself hath loved them with a special kind of Love And if God so loved us we ought also to love one another 1 John 3. It is happy when the Love of Christians is founded upon this bottom viz. the Manifestation of God's Love to them and not upon any thing of human Excellency for this is to have Mens Persons in Admiration and not to admire this Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us 2. Because this is the sweetest Manifestation that we are the Children of God for in this is manifest the Children of God 1 John 3. 10. namely that they
teach Thus these two Pillars of the Protestant Reformation are so far from deriving their Call to the Ministry through the Papacy as some late Protestants pretend to do that they do utterly reject any Ordination which comes from them Nor was Luther and Beza ordained after they came from the Papists Mr. Stub's Occas Quaer But Beza is said to defend his Call to the Ministry by Instances of those that were called extraordinarily as Isaiah Daniel Amos Zecharias c. These things premised we may assume that either of these ways as approved by our Reformers respectively could we go to defend our Call to the Ministry as well as they Being first many of us ordained by those who received Ordination from you and some may run with you to Bishop Cranmer who was ordained by the Papacy and then proceed till we come up to Clemens or Lucius and so to St. Peter And as for the pretence of Beza or Luther about their extraordinary Call it 's not impossible for us to give as fair a Demonstration of it as either of them specially if we take the Rules given by Mr. Beza to judg of such a Call by to be cogent viz. good Life sound Doctrine and the Election of the People But to be plain we do not very well like either of these ways Not the first it is so sordid as that the Papists themselves in deriving their Call through the Papacy are forced to take it from so many false pretended Popes or Diabolical Popes even Witches and Devils incarnate by their own confession that they make but a lamentable Succession of it in the end And especially if Stapleton may be regarded tho a Papist who tells us That it is not a bare and personal Succession but lawful Succession which is a note of a true Church and defineth that to be lawful Succession when not only the latter succeeds into the void rooms of those that went before them being lawfully called thereunto but also hold the Faith which their Predecessors did Now let this Rule be honestly stood by and we are sure the Papists shall never be able to prove a Succession of many points of their Faith and Doctrines from the Apostles whilst the World stands and consequently neither can the Protestants derive a lawful Succession from them We like not the second way for we will not compare with Isaiah Daniel Amos nor Zechariah in respect of their immediate Mission But this we say That our Call to the Ministry is no otherwise extraordinary than our Call to believe the Gospel is so or as it stands clear from all the idle Ceremonies used by Papists or others in their Ordinations or as it is ordered as near as we can according to the Word of God And is the sacred Word of Power to beget us to God and by the assistance of his Spirit to make us his Children or Christians and is it not of Power or Authority sufficient to enable us to worship God in his own Ordinances which were made for Christians and not Christians for them This seems justly ridiculous We make no doubt but that it 's easy with God and no extraordinary thing to raise a People to himself in a Nation where all have corrupted the way of Christianity or lost the State and Praise of a true Church meerly through his Blessing upon the reading and diligent searching of the Scriptures I speak of a Nation where the Scriptures are received as that is our case The Truth is all the ways of God's Worship are in the Word made ready for us and laid at our Doors and we do but take up gladly what others let lie as useless things that they may hug their own Devices But now to silence a Papist for ever which some will think to be a difficult undertaking do they not allow even by the Pen of the Learned Bellarmine chap. 7. that even an Heathen that is not baptized may administer Baptism in case of Necessity And this they esteem a valid Baptism And why then may not we when God hath opened our Eyes to see any other Truth as well as that enter upon the dutiful observance of it in the best way we can our Circumstances especially the case of Necessity being considered For is not Necessity as good a Warrant to take up the practice of or to restore one Truth as well as another Certainly one Ordinance is as sacred as another and where Churches are setled ought to be dispensed in the most honourable way and by the most fit Instruments even Christ's Ministers Wherefore till the Papists shall recal their opinion about Baptism and prove a Succession as necessary to Baptism as Ordination they can with no shew of reason insist upon the necessity of Ordination to be founded upon Succession But further It 's evident from the Scriptures Acts 13. that a Succession is not necessary to true Ordination for tho the Apostles were yet living it was not thought necessary that they should impose Hands upon Barnabas and Paul but this is done by gifted Men or the Prophets that were in the Church at Antioch The only question here to be resolved is Whether this laying on of Hands was for Ordination The Papists do hold it was some Protestants deny it but some Protestants do affirm it Mr. Churchman in his History of Episcopacy tells out of Chrysostom That tho Paul was an Apostle neither of Men nor by Men yet as for the Work to which he was separated ask the said Father saith he and he will tell you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That it was the Office of an Apostle and that he was ordained an Apostle here that he might preach the Gospel with greater Pewer And certainly that he had not the Apostleship before may be made manifest by that which followed after But tho some Protestants doubt whether this were Paul's Ordination tho the matter is clear of it self yet here is the Ordination of Barnabas without all question and then it is evident that there was an Interruption of Succession in the case of Ordination even in the Apostles Days and therefore by no means to be held to be necessary in our Days who are so far removed from the times of the Holy Apostles that in vain do Men think to find a clear and undoubted Succession of any one Ordinance from them Wherefore we may safely conclude that where the Truth of the Gospel is received with the Gifts of God's Spirit as that was the case at Antioch there is a sufficiency of Power on the Persons so gifted with the advice of the Church to send forth or appoint Men to the work of the Ministry altho 't is true this course is most warrantable in the case of necessity and in no wise to be done in contempt or wilful neglect of that way which is more ordinary and regular Howbeit to tye all Power of Ordination so strictly to the Persons of Men ordained by such as were ordained by
Disciples when such a Spirit appeared in them And have we not seen a refined Generation as they would be thought peeping forth with the Name of Blood or the smiting Principle written on their Forehead with direction to their Proselites to pray that God would destroy all Oppressior and Oppressors from off the face of the Earth Lord what is this The greatest part of Mankind peradventure are Oppressors in one thing or other and must a Christian pray for their Destruction or for their Conversion Sure the latter is the Duty of all Christians 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. They cannot desire such a woful Day but that Mercy may be extended knowing that themselves were sometimes foolish disobedient living in Malice hateful and hating one another Tit. 3. But alas do not these Men pray for their own Destruction Who sees not that such a Principle is pregnant with Oppression O let all Christians beware of it And let us pray for them that hate us persecute us and speak all manner of Evil against us falsly for his Names sake who hath called us not only to believe but also to suffer for his sake Thus leaving all Men of bloody violent and treacherous Principles to consider what Spirit they are of how unlike our Lord Christ how different from the Primitive Christians how contrary to Humanity it self which teaches all to do to others not as they do but as we would they should do to us We shall proceed to the next Point of Doctrine grounded upon the second Direction in the Text Love the Brotherhood Doct. II. Brotherly Fellowship Love and Vnity is carefully to be endeavoured and maintained by all Christians This Brotherhood being not natural but spiritual and mystical admits of a twofold Consideration 1. In the largest Sence the Word and Use of it in Scripture will bear 2. In a more strict and special Sence In the first we must comprehend all that own the holy Scriptures for the Rule of Faith believing in the only true God the Father Son and Holy-Ghost for these three are one that Christ died for our Sins and rose again for our Justification that live soberly according to the general Rules of Christianity tho they may be diversly persuaded in the Methods of Christian Worship Or I could be content if the State of Christianity would bear it in these Days to express my self in this Case in the Words of St. Paul 1 Cor. 1. 2. All that in every place call upon the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ among whom he found Diversities of Opinions as well as Disorders in practice of Ordinances Not that he allows either but labours to reform both yet so as he would preserve Amity among them as they were Brethren tho some of them were carnal 1 Cor. 3. others allowing themselves a very dangerous Liberty in religious Matters even to eat Things sacrificed to Idols some doubting of the Resurrection others very loose in their Devotion at the Lord's Table they were some tumultuous others otherwise vicious 2 Cor. 13. Now whether the Apostle in his Exhortations to Unity intends that notwithstanding these Errors they should hold ample Communion with the Erroneous or whether upon adhering to Reproof by him given and their obeying the Epistles which he sent to them he obliges them to maintain and uphold their Communion is the Business to be considered The first it is not like to be for then few Errors either in Doctrine or Life could break this brotherly Fellowship among Christians And then to what purpose are these Rules given Mark them which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them Rom. 16. 17. Withdraw your selves from every Brother which walks disorderly c. 2 Thess 3. 6. Surely all that can be required as to Unity with these Christians is a brotherly Compassion to encourage what we can the Truth they hold or the Good they do to hold with them in the common Cause of Christianity against the common Enemy of it I conceive the latter to be the only safe way viz. That notwithstanding their great Carnality Weakness of Judgment or Frowardness in their erroneous Opinions c. if now they would receive the Counsel of the Lord's Messenger or which the Lord by his Messenger had sent unto them that then the Brotherhood once found among them should still continue tho they had too evidently forfeited their Privileges Thus to take the Apostle's meaning is to make him harmonize with himself 2 Thess 3. 14. If any Man obey not our Word by this Epistle note that Man and have no Company with him that he may be ashamed yet count him not an Enemy but admonish him as a Brother But to take the Apostle in the first Sence would make him irreconcileable to or with himself So then Paul did not advise the Faithful at Corinth to hold ample Communion with those of ill Life and erroneous Principles in the necessary parts of Religion such as the Resurrection and Separation from Idolatry doubtless are for he that denies the first denies Christ to be risen makes the Apostles false Witnesses and the Faith of Christians vain 1 Cor. 15. 1 2 3. And the second makes Men uncapable to serve God Ye cannot drink the Cup of the Lord and the Cup of Idols or Devils 1 Cor. 1. 10. Let us then consider the second or more strict Sence of the Word Brotherhood in our Text. And here we must take it as it pertains to truly constituted and well-governed Societies of Christians For undoubtedly God intended to have the Christian Religion stated and maintained in all Nations according to the pristine Simplicity of the Gospel without the mixtures of Legal Ceremonies or humane Innovations For when Jesus gave commission to his Apostles to teach all Nations baptizing them and then to teach them to observe all Things whatsoever he commanded them Mat. 28. 19 20. and gave being to this Order to continue to the end of the World it must needs be highly rational on the part of all such as do piously stand to this Form of Doctrine as explicated and delivered to the Churches Rom. 6. 17. Heb. 6. 1 2. And consequently it must needs be very pleasing to God and commendable in the Church that his Institutes be kept with the greatest exactness as they were delivered at first 1 Cor. 11. 2. For if once Variations in either the Doctrinal or Practical Parts of the Christian Religion be admitted there can be no certain duration of any Truth A little Leaven leaveneth the whole Lump Gal. 5. 7. And this the Apostle speaks too with relation to the Imposition of some Legal Rites which once had a Divine Original and Use in the Church of God and yet now could not consist with obedience to the Truth Gal. 5. 7. Ye did run well who did hinder you that you should not obey the Truth Hence Saint Paul would not give place to St. Peter himself when too much
in all Humility prostrate my self at his Royal Feet with this humble Supplication That it would graciously please his Majesty according to his wonted Goodness and Princely Clemency to consider and pity the distressed condition of many of his faithful Subjects who dissent from the Church of England in the case of Infant-Baptism and some other Ceremonies and cannot in Conscience to God conform to them nor deny the exercise of their Religion of which they are convinced and persuaded to be according to the Will of God O let our Lord the King consider that this is the greatest strait that any honest Christian can be put upon either to deny what he believes to be true or profess that to be true which he believes to be otherwise O let the God of Heaven be always his Majesties Chief Counsellour That by his direction he may rightly distinguish between those that are harmless in his Realm and such as have abused his Kindnesses which have been very great and thankfully to be remembred and that the present Severities against the Innocent may be abated and removed lest they be made miserable in their Native Countrey God Almighty bless the King c. FINIS The SECOND PART of the APOLOGY FOR THE Baptized Believers Wherein the GROUNDS of INFANT-BAPTISM Are REVIEWED In ANSWER to Fourteen ARGUMENTS delivered by Mr. Nathaniel Taylor M. A. in a SERMON on Matth. 28. 19. entituled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And therewithal The Reasons of the Separation of the Baptized Believers from the Pedobaptists modestly propounded Upon the occasion of their great and long-continued Sufferings By T. Grantham a Servant of Christ LONDON Printed for the Author 1684. AN APOLOGY FOR THE Baptized Believers c. PRESENTED To all Pious and Well-disposed Christians in the Church of ENGLAND SECT I. Honoured and Beloved Brethren TO prevent a Mistake and to remove an Aspersion too frequently cast upon us be pleased to know that tho we differ from you and others in some things relating to the Constitution and Government of a true Church yet we do not therefore arrogate to our selves alone the Christian Name nor exalt our selves in our Imaginations above others but do believe and hope that the Number of the saved Ones will be gathered out of all sorts of Christians who heartily love God and our Lord Jesus Christ and live holily and charitably among Men tho they be diversified in respect of Ceremonies by reason of the Place and Government where they live Yea we have Charity for all Men who are faithful to the Means of Grace afforded them how small soever knowing that our God delights in Mercy and does not exact the utmost Farthing of any Man But for all this as it is certain there hath been abundance of Errors introduced among Christians so it has pleased God to raise up a People still to testify against them the Memories of whom are blessed tho they were frequently persecuted So we believe it a Duty incumbent upon us to bear our Testimony to what Truth we know and not to partake with any in their By-Paths in Life or Religion and yet endeavour as much as in us lieth after Unity and Concord with all that fear God and own the Christian Profession To which purpose we have humbly proposed what we thought concern'd us in order to a better Understanding and Compliance in our Friendly Epistle to the Bishops and Ministers of the Church of England published some Years ago but has not been publickly taken notice of till lately one Mr. Taylor a Person of Worth for his Integrity and Zeal for the Protestant Interest and for his gentle Disposition towards such as fear God tho differing from him in the Case of Ceremonies It hath pleased him I say to take notice of our said Epistle and to offer something in order to a Composure of Differences which I confess with him to be a thing greatly to be desired But then he is pleased to shew us nothing of Mitigation or Hopes of the removal of the Things which hath occasioned our Disunion but does rather wholly charge the Cause of Division upon us and supposes our Difference about Baptism to be the chief Cause of our dissenting from the Church of England But tho this is indeed a matter of great Importance because true Baptism is antecedent to Church-Communion yet that which is greater in our Judgment is that open Prophaneness which God knows reigns and rages in the Church of England and therewithal the utter Neglect of Discipline to reform those Iniquities and also that persecuting Spirit which appears even in too many of the Guides of the Church by whose Cruelty our Sufferings have been much augmented For these Causes we have thought our selves concerned to make this our Christian Apology in which we crave leave to use that Freedom of Speech which the Matters depending do require And yet seeing we must acknowledg that we are not infallible as neither does the Church of England pretend so to be we shall speak under Correction and by the help of God with resolution to submit to a clear Conviction if indeed it shall appear that the Things wherein we dissent are justifiable on the part of the Church of England but till this be done it would be Hypocrisy and Baseness in us to violate our Consciences in Things pertaining to Religion to obtain Favour from Men for if we should so please Men we should not be the Servants of Christ Gal. 1. 10. And we do the 〈◊〉 desire to be heard at this time partly for that Mr. Taylor is pleased to impute Folly to us in separating from the Church of England because we allow of the most of the Thirty Nine Articles but especially being thereunto required by some of Eminency and great Authority in the Church of England who also told us That unless we could shew that the Church of England does hold some Error in point of Faith or that she does practise something in her Religion which is sinful we cannot justify our Separation from her And whether we be able on this wise to vindicate our present Separation is the Business which we pray may be seriously considered SECT II. A brief Account of the Reasons why the Baptized Believers cannot conform to the Ceremonies of the Church of England REserving all due Honour to the Church of England so far as she holds the Truth in the Thirty Nine Articles and as she is a good Fortress against much Popish Superstition and Idolatry we shall humbly make our Objections in three Particulars 1. Concerning Infant-Baptism 2. Concerning her Discipline 3. Concerning her Imposing of Ceremonies From all which we think we may safely argue thus It is lawful just and needful to maintain a prudent and friendly Separation from such a Church as does believe hold and maintain such Things as are evidently and actually destructive of that Christian Liberty wherewith Christ hath made his Churches free and of that sacred Baptism and holy
Cause why we think your pretended Baptism a Nullity for your Error about the Subject is more than the other 3. What you say further is to make us believe that Christ did not go into the Water that the Eunuch went to the Water only because the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies ad to But your Conscience will tell you it signifies into as well as to and indeed you grant it and then to what putpose do you quarrel our Translation However we have proved that Christ was baptized in the River and 't is expresly said of the many Thousands which came to Jordan that they were all baptized in the River confessing their Sins Now Sir here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cannot be rendred to the River nor with the River without egregious Folly and then 't is very plain that they were all dipped in the River for it had been absolute Folly to go into the River to sprinkle the Face Hand or any other part of the Body Seeing then they went into the River to baptize it shews it cannot rightly be done without going into the Water and therefore of necessity we must understand Dipping is the only true Mode of Baptizing 4. I marvel how any wise Man can look upon that Text John 3. 23. John baptized in Enon because there was much Water there and so much as think Sprinkling to be a lawful way of baptizing If he will use any of his Wit he cannot but infer Baptism could not be rightly done with a few drops of Water seein John chose Enon because there was much Water there And what tho 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signify many Waters yet it does not signify many Rivers but by the Noise of many Waters is often meant the Noise of much Water in one Source or Channel However you say the Greek signifies the Confluence of these two Springs Jordan and Jaboc but yet you are unwilling that they should yield so much Water as might suffice to dip in And yet the Scripture tells you elsewhere that Jordan overflows all her Banks at certain times and Lithgow that was at it will give you an account that it is a River sufficient to dip a bigger Man than your self in But here you say is no mention of dipping Yes Sir but there is for when you hear that John was baptizing in Enon he was either dipping or sprinkling The latter would make the Speech absurd and nonsensical the former therefore was his Business for he was dipping in Enon near Salem because there was much Water there Your Church therefore is very much to blame in leaving the Way of Truth and following her own Tradition and is therefore the cause of our present disunion and will be till she turn to the Truth both in the Subject and Manner of Baptism or at least forbear to impose upon us without Authority from Heaven What you add by way of answer to some of our Objections against Infant Baptism is answered in my Reply to Dr. Stillingfleet and Mr. J. Barret which is bound up with my Book of Primitive Christianity and to that I will refer you What you add about Sureties or God-Fathers c. I shall not take notice of at this time and indeed the usage is so odd that Dr. Jer. Taylor well said if it had been God's will to have had them It is to be supposed he would have given them Commission to have transacted the Solemnity with better Circumstances and given Answers with more Truth for if the God Fathers answer in the Name of the Child I do believe it is notorious they speak false and ridiculously And this is even enough to say to such an Innovation But what absurdity is it which being once made a Cannon by learned Men will not find some to daub it up with untempered Mortar Could Men but remember Nadab and Abihu Lev. 10. they would fear to add to or take from the Ordinances of Christ under what pretence of Piety or Prudence soever Thus Sir I have briefly answered your Arguments and hope I have not mistaken your Sence in any Passage I except against And for a Conclusion I crave leave to say That the way to obtain that Unity which is so desirable between the Baptized Believers and the Church of England is not to fall to it by Disputation but by proposing what Abatements may be made about such things as are not mentioned in the Scripture as this of Poedo-Baptism is not or at least what mitigation may be hoped for as to the imposition of such things And on the other side I trust in the Lord that you shall call for nothing from us wherein we may submit without sinning against God but we shall gladly hearken to you In the mean time constant Prayer to God for the Blessing of Truth and Peace and friendly conference between the leading Men on both parts may do much to further so good a Work specially if his Majesty would be graciously pleased to permit such friendly Treaties But of writing many Books there is no end SECT IV. A Plea for the Church-Assemblies of the Baptized Believers MAny and very great has been the Sufferings of the Baptized Believers in this Nation since the publication of the Act entitled an Act to prevent and suppress seditious Conventicles And if the meaning of the said Act be to restrict all Christian Assemblies except the Parochial to the number of four Persons besides the Families where they do assemble We see not how we can with safety to our Souls conform to the Limits thereby prescribed But forasmuch as the said Act pretends only the prevention and suppression of Seditious Conventicles We humbly conceive that those who are free from Seditious Designs in their meeting together to worship God are rationally acquitted from the Imputation of Sedition and consequently no Man can conscienciously prosecute any of us upon that Statute being utterly unable to prove any such Crime against us nor could any ever yet convict us of such an Evil nor by the Grace of God shall they I hope ever be able to do it Upon a due Enquiry it will evidently appear that it is the Lord himself that hath ordered his People to convene or congregate for the better discharge of the great Duties of Prayer Preaching and the Celebration of other his holy Ordinances to which holy Ends he has allowed not four Persons only but the whole Church in any Town or City to come together into one Place among whom also such as do not believe the Gospel are allowed to appear in order to their Illumination and this without any limitation in respect of Number So that it seems to exceed the due Bounds of humane Power to use Restraint where God hath given such gracious Liberty 1 Cor. 14. 23 24 25. Jam. 2. 2 3. Heb. 10. 24. Forasmuch then as God has not given any Power upon Earth to forbid any Christian or such as desire to know Christ to hear his
Word at any time or in any place but on the contrary commands every Man that hath an Ear to hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches Rev. 2. 7. saying To day if ye will hear his Voice harden not your Hearts Psal 95. 7. Proclaiming to every one that thirsteth to come and take of the Waters of Life freely Isa 55. 1. To whose gracious Invitation the Spirit and the Bride the Church agreeth saying Come Rev. 22. 17. It must needs be very dangerous for any Man to say Do not come when they desire to drink of these living Waters which flow in the lively Preaching of the Gospel of Christ And how can we think that our gracious God who in Things pertaining to this Life will not allow us to say to our Neighbour Go away and come again to morrow and I will give when we have it by us Prov. 3. 27 28. will ever accept us with a Well-done good and faithful Servant if in the more weighty Matters of his Law we put Men off with delatory Answers Behold now is the accepted Time behold now is the Day of Salvation It must be granted that the Church is the Light of the World a City set upon a Hill that cannot be hid whilst therefore we are conscionably and we trust groundedly persuaded that we are a part of this Church a necessity lieth upon us to make manifest the Savour of the Knowledg of Christ in every Place For as it was truly said to Christ That no Man doth any thing in secret and himself desires to be known openly So neither must the Church of Christ obscure her Light by a secret Profession of Christianity lest she contradict her own Prayer and the Practice of the Primitive Churches held forth in these Words God be merciful to us and bless us and cause his Face to shine upon us that his Way may be known upon the Earth and his Saving-Health among all Nations And now Lord behold their Threatnings and grant unto thy Servants that with all boldness they may speak thy Word And they spake the Word with boldness And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb by the Word of their Testimony and they loved not their Lives unto the Death And became Followers of the Churches of God having received the Word in much Affliction with Joy of the Holy-Ghost And if for the like faithful Testimony we must still suffer as we have done we shall rejoyce as Christ hath exhorted us The Church is taught of God to hold fast not her Faith only but also the Profession of her Faith and this not by Starts and Girds as Men give them License or Toleration but with all constancy and without wavering And surely our Lord foreseeing and by his Apostles foreshewing what would come to pass required that this Profession be held without wavering in the Business of Church-Assembling Heb. 10. 25. because without such Assemblies the whole Service of God in a Church-way is like to fall to the ground This Duty as it is of greatest importance so it is founded upon Heavens Authority Forsake not the Assembling of your selves together And it is granted by the learned Protestants That against the Law of God or Nature no contrary Custom doth ever prevail Dr. Field of the Church lib. 4. He that doth any thing by Command from the King contrary to the Command of God does not fear God saith Dr. Savage Chaplain to K. Charles II in his Dew of Hermon p. 36 to 39. And speaking of the first Preachers of the Gospel he saith Their Rulers enjoined them not to preach Christ and therein they did well to disobey for otherwise they had not feared God inasmuch as tho their Rulers were above them yet God was above them both For in commanding any thing contrary to the Word and Will of God they abuse their Power either through their Ignorance or Wilfulness and in that case meerly Passive Obedience is to be yielded These latter Sentences are the more remarkable being written by one of his Majesties Chaplains in Answer to a Book written by the Baptized Believers in this Age entitled Sion's Groans for her Distressed which Book whilst he pretends to confute he has confirmed it in the main scope and Intent of it As it is impossible by Mulcts and Penalties to overcome the faithful Professors of the Truth for that which is of God Men cannot overthrow Acts 5. 39. so neither will those that are zealous for Error be vanquished by that way And the mischief is their Errors are by their Sufferings made the more taking with those of weak Judgments What then is the result of Persecution for Religion Is it not commonly this That the Hypocrites or Time-servers do fill that Church which has the Power of the Magistrate on her side And suppose she have the Truth on her side yet those Temporizers come not to her Communion for the Truths sake and therefore cannot be a Blessing to her nor she to them nay these shall the soonest of all others betray her when ever Time shall minister occasion for those who are not true to God and their own Conscience will never be faithful to Men. They worship not the King of Heaven but the Earthly Crown and Scepter much like Euripus carried headlong sometimes this way sometimes that way Socrat. lib. 3. cap. 21. But shortly to sum up what is or might be further said in this Case 1. To restrict our Assemblies to the Limits of the said Act is to obey Man rather than God who gives liberty without limiting the Numbers of those that meet to worship him in a Church-way And whilst we believe our Assemblies are true Churches we must endeavour to meet in God's way whoever countermands it 2. For thus to limit our Assemblies to the Number of Four will certainly destroy all our Church-Assemblies For suppose some Congregation or Church consist but of an hundred Persons these being divided into Fours have no Church-Assembly unless every of these four be a Church And if the Magistrate have just power to divide us into Fours or Fives he has power to subdivide us into Two's and by consequence to dissolve all our Assemblies I confess a small Number may constitute a true Church Gregory Thaumaturgus tho a Bishop had a Church consisting but of seventeen Persons Basil de Spirit Sanct. cap. 29. Our Saviour has promised his presence where two or three are met together in his Name But then in his Name signifieth in his Authority and according to his Appointment Now Christ has no where appointed that four and no more should come together into one House or Place no tho an hundred Persons be come together if more do come they cannot be prohibited by all that Power which God has given to Man as we have shewed 3. Our zealous Country-Men of the Parochial Way would think it very unlawful to be limited in their Meetings to fours or fives and yet they ought to
the Apostles themselves would in all likelihood throw the Power of Ordination out of the Church of God at this day especially if we stand upon the due Election and Qualification of Persons so claiming Succession from the Apostles themselves And because due Qualifications and Election is as necessary to a true Minister of Christ as Ordination seeing it 's most certain that unless God do first make Men Ministers it 's impossible for the Church rightly to make them Ministers We shall here add That besides his moral Vertues and Spiritual Gifts he that is regularly called to the Ministry must first be a true Member of the Church and chosen by a true Church to that sacred Employment And then we may boldly yet modestly suppose that true Ordination at least in some part of it is only found in the Congregations of Baptized Believers at this day For where true Baptism is not Ordination cannot be regular Again due Election is found amongst them whilst neglected both by Papists and Prelatists And further the true Form and Order of Ordination is found in our Churches The first is evident of it self No Baptism no due Ordination is a Truth without exception among all that own Ordination And for the second 't is certain none are ordained to any Office in the Baptized Churches till elected by the consent of the Church or the Major part to whom they are to minister And herein they follow the Footsteps of the Apostles Acts 1. when one must be chosen in the room of Judas the 120 which was the whole Assembly allowed the choice of two and good reason there is that where all are equally concerned they should all be satisfied in the choice of such as to whom they commit the care and feeding of their Souls When the seven Deacons were to be ordained the whole Church is consulted Acts 6. and the Election made by them who knew the qualification of the Persons And as holy Scripture so Antiquity stands with us in this case The Nicene Council writing their minds to the Church at Alexandria concerning some that were to succeed other Bishops gives these Directions If so be they shall seem to be worthy and the People shall chuse them What Rules were to be observed in respect of their worthiness for Ministerial Employment may be gathered from Clement Epist ad Corinth Having saith he made trial of them by the Spirit to be Bishops and Deacons And again Others well approved of should succeed into the Office and Ministry who therefore have been constituted by famous and discreet Men with the good liking and consent of all the Church and who withal have of a long time had a good Testimony from all Men. Leo gives the same direction Epist 84. c. 5. charging That none be ordained against the Wills and Petitions of the People And again Epist 49. The Custom was that he should be chosen of all that was to be over all and wills that the liking of the People and their Testimony be sought That in Ordinations the Rules of the Apostles and Fathers ought to be observed that he that is to be over the Church should not only have the Allowance of the Faithful but the Testimony also of them that are without Cyprian is as clear for us Ep. l. 1. The People who full well and perfectly know the Life of him that is to be ordained Bishop are to be present and to be chosen with their allowance who know the Conversation of every one And he brings Salinius his Colleague for Instance who was chosen by the Voice of the whole Brotherhood and the Judgment of the Bishops which came together Each Church stands free saith Dr. Bilson Perpet Govern by God's Law to admit maintain and obey no Man as their Pastor without their liking and that the Peoples Election dependeth on humane Fellowship and first Principles of humane Society and Assemblies Dr. Field informs us That this Right of the People hath been invaded many ways 1. By great Personages and Magistrates 2. When the Bishops grew to great Pomp and the Clergy began to be enriched by Benefices Elections were and to this day are made according to the Interests of the Rich and Strong whilst the People are not only deprived of but become ignorant that any Right remains in them to chuse their own Ministers or Pastors Now this Privilege tho lost in most National Churches is restored and maintained in the Baptized Churches where none are elected Messengers Bishops or Deacons without the free Choice of the Brotherhood where such Elections are made And after such Election of Persons of known Integrity and competent Ability we proceed to Ordination with Fasting and Prayer and the laying on of Hands according to the Scripture Acts 13. 3. When they had fasted and prayed they laid their Hands on them and sent them away Thus for the Ordination of Messengers which after the manner of some are called Bishops Acts 14. 23. And when they had ordained them Elders in every Church and prayed with Fasting they commended them to the Lord on whom they believed Acts 6. 5 6. And they chose Stephen a Man full of Faith and of the Holy-Ghost and Philip and Prochorus and Nicanor and Timon and Parmenas and Nicholas whom they set before the Apostles and when they had prayed they laid their Hands on them Thus for the Ordination of Deacons All which Apostolical Practices are religiously restored and observed in the Churches of the Baptized Believers without any devised Adjuncts of our own or others By all which it may appear they have a lawful Call to the Work of the Ministry Here I meet with an Objection 'T is doubted by some whether a Man having received Ordination as a Presbyter may afterward have Ordination as a Messenger of the Churches of Christ the Objector supposing that the first Ordination is sufficient only the Church must give him another Commission This Objection I answer three ways 1. By Antiquity 2. By Reason 3. By Scripture 1. Antiquity is directly against this Objection being rather for a threefold Ordination than only one as I shall shew by and by But first I marvel how the Objector would give a Man a Ministerial Commission without Ordination the Church having no other way at all to give Commissions but by Ordination nor can any Man tell us how she can give her Commissions Ministerial but by the very Act of her Ordination and according to the Nature of her Ordination such and no other is her Commission Now our Ancients understood this and therefore did usually bring Men gradually to the degree of a Bishop i. e. a Messenger according to the Scripture Bishop or Overseer being a Name common to Elders in the Primitive Times Thus Chrysostom was first ordained a Deacon then a Presbyter after that he was ordained Bishop of Constantinople by Theophilus Bishop of Alexandria And saith the learned Bilson In the Primitive Church they were first Deacons and upon Trial when they had ministred well and were found blameless they were admitted to be Elders and after that if their Gifts and Pains so deserved they were called to an higher degree so that every one by the ancient Discipline of Christ's Church before he could come from ministring to governing in the Church of God received thrice or at least twice Imposition of Hands 2. Reason tells us that every Man that is called to the Work of the Ministry ought to have a Commission that is an Ordination commensurable to his Ministry It is Christ's peculiar to give Commission by the Word of his Mouth only the Church cannot do so she must confer Ministerial Authority in some solemn Rite or Ceremony This is plain in the case of Deacons it was not sufficient for the Apostles to say of Persons eminently qualified we order or appoint them to serve Tables or look ye to the Poor But besides their great Qualifications and Election they must receive their Commission or Authority by Prayer with the laying on of hands else they have no Commission In like 〈…〉 be solemnly ordained before the Holy-Ghost hath made him an Overseer of the particular Flock committed to his Charge And then in reason if he have a far greater Charge afterward committed to him he has need of a Commission that is an Ordination for other Commission there is none to enable him to take care of many Churches and to plant new Churches in the World We read not of any Messengers that acted as such in that great Trust without an Ordination agreeable to their Work and it is ill venturing to send Men out with a Commission too short for their Employment it being irrational so to do and without any good Example Let us see then what the Scripture will say in favour of our Answers 3. The Apostles had a twofold Apostleship the one limited to the Jewish Nation Mat. 10. the other of extent to all Nations Mat. 28. If they were ordained to either then they were ordained to both and the latter seems to be the more solemn and formal Ordination not only for that when Christ had given them Order what to do he lift up his Hands and blessed them Luk. 24. 50. but also gave them Order to tarry at Jerusalem until they were endowed with Power from on high When their Work was particular or limited they had a limited Commission when their Work was universal they had an universal Commission Sure the Church who hath no way to give Commissions but by Ordination shall do well and wisely to follow Christ the Author of all her Power when she delegates or gives it forth to any of her Ministers This Answer may suffice yet we add Barnabas is confessed to have been one of the Seventy Disciples and had a divine Authority from Christ to preach the Gospel to the Jews but when he is sent to preach to the Gentiles he hath a new Commission even an Ordination as appears Acts 13. FINIS Psal 90. 2. Rev. 4. 10. 1 Tim. 1. 17. Psal 147. 5. Prov. 15. 3. i See the 35th of Elizabeth Luk. 2. 22 23 24. Exod. 13. 2. Lev. c. 12. Socrat. l 6 c. 12 13.