Tit. 3.10 11. after the first and second Admonition reject Knowing that he that is such is subverted and sinneth being condemned of himself Now an Heritick is one that stisly maintains false opinions against the Scriptures in matters of Faith fundamental to Salvation which tho' we should be tender of judging such Christians to be Hereticks as there is Reason to hope have more the shew in weak expressions of some such like salse Principles than a being under the Power and Conduct of them seeing the Scripture saith Jude 22. we should of some have Compassion making a difference and others save with fear pulling them out of the Fire hating even the garment spotted by the Flesh Yet our Charitable Thoughts of such Christians while they are under their cloudy Profession of such Errours tho' crouded amongst other Truths whereby they are the more concealed are no warrant nor allowance for us to hold Communion with them till we can plainly see them delivered from those Errours seeing they are clearly prohibited in the Scriptures Thirdly It is the Duty of Christians to withdraw their Communion from all disorderly Persons in false Worship or in corrupt Administrations of Gospel-Ordinances And 1. Our Lord saith The hour cometh John 4.23 24. and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth For the Father seeketh such to worship him God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth From hence I observe that true Worshippers must worship the Father both in Spirit and in Truth otherwise therwise they are not true Worshippers And then if we find by the Word of Truth as we are commanded to try the Spirits whither they are of God that they are such who separate themselves 1 Joh. 4.1 Jude 19. sensual having not the Spirit or that do not worship in Truth but with erroneous Matter or in a false Manner I say then we should withdraw our Communion from such as disorderly Persons in Divine Worship Mat. 15.9 And our Lord also tells us that in vain they do worship him teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of Men. So that to keep our selves from the Guilt of vain Worship we should not by our selves Isa 29.19 nor with any others worship God after the Commandment of Men but according to Gospel-Institutions 2. The Apostle saith 1 Cor. 11.2 I praise you Brethren that you remember me in all things and keep the Ordinances as I delivered them to you On this Text Mr. Will. Kissin noteth See his Book called A Sober Discourse of right to Church-Communion in his Presace That our Translation of the Greek Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rendring it Ordinances is excepted against by some Papists who would have it translated Traditions to countenance the Romish Opinion to which saith he shall be opposed that the Greek Word signifieth indeed Tradition that is in English a Delivery viz. of Doctrines Ordinances Instructions or Institutions 2 Thes 2.15 by those Evangelical Preachers to their Auditors which is nothing else but the Doctrine of the Gospel first preached and afterwards committed to writing by the Evangelists and Apostles as standing Records to future Ages so that any Traditions besides what is written are justly to be excepted against and in matters relating to Divine Worship to be esteemed Apocryphal Now as the aforesaid Author saith What was praise-worthy in those Primitive Christians to whom the Apostle Paul writes can be no blemish but really a Duty in other Christians in after times to imitate To which I add That to corrupt the worship of God with mens Traditions contrary to the Apostolical Pattern is a Sin and Disorder to be purged out by the Church of Christ as farther appears in the next Section 3. It 's said 2 Thes 3.6 Now we command you Brethren in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye withdraw your selves from every Brother that walketh disorderly and not after the Tradition which he received of us 1. This general Command to the Church of the Thessalonians appears from the following Verses to be occasioned from some particular disorders that were amongst them as Ver. 11 12 14 15. For even when we were with you this we commanded you that if any would not work neither should he eat For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly working not at all but are busie bodies Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ that with quietness they work and eat their own Bread And 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 as an Enemy but admonish him as a Brother But yet this instance lest us on sacred Record may give us light into other Cases for seeing we are commanded to withdraw our Communion so as to have no Company with such a disorderly Brother that through Idleness when he may have work eateth not his own Bread and is a busie body who may have this to plead against such an Act of the Church that he hath not stolen nor defrauded any but getteth his Meat from House to House amongst his Christian Friends then there is ground and command for us to withdraw our selves from all those that offend in other things of the like Nature and that are guilty of frand or deceit and wrong to any Person And that this command in Ver. 6. is general including all disorders in Manners Doctrine and false Worship and so is a Confirmation of all I have said before for proof thereof appears as followeth 1. Because in Ver. 7 8. there is a plain Intimation that the command Ver. 6. To withdraw from every Brother that walketh disorderly does respect other disorders besides the particular Case of eating other Mens Bread for nought For the Apostle saith Ver. 7 8. Your selves know how ye ought to follow us for we behaved not our selves disorderly among you neither did we eat any Mans Bread for nought Observe the Word Neither imports a different disorder to what he implyed before in Opposition to his Example So that to me it 's plain that the command in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ was to withdraw from those disorders that were contrary to the Apostles examples and which were not after the Tradition which they received of them and therefore it is a general command as was said before 2. I shall give a brief Citation of what is said on the same Text in a Book intitled Asober Discourse of Right to Church Communion in Page 5. it 's said Written by Mr. Will. Kiffin quoting 2 Thes 3.6 Now we command you Brethren in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye withdraw your selves from every Brother that walketh disorderly and not after the Tradition which he received of us Which last Phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word Paradosis
Divine Worship See his Book intitled the Breach Repaired in Gods Worship Page 183 184. that if the Spirit of the Lord does not lift up a spiritual standard against it we may fear the increase of Artificial Worship in our Churches for he saith There is I must ' tell you an Art in speaking and no Man but has need to learn and be instructed to speak as he ought especially when he speaks about Divine Things Also there is an Art in preaching and all young Men when they begin to take upon them that work need Instruction how to handle a Doctrine And saith he so I may say in Praying too So that we see how naturally the Art of singing which he is there pleading for does draw Men in to plead for an Art in Praying too And as I have said in my Reply to him See my Book Page 18. is not this a forward step for him or others that may if the Lord of his Mercy does not prevent hereafter build upon this Foundation to bring into use a prestinted Form of Prayer for Gospel-Worship for if Nature and Grace may and ought to be improved by Art to express the Matter of our Prayers to God what Art can he mean or can any others think is best for Prayer than to use an Artificial Form of Words I mention these things to shew the danger that we are in of loosing the true spiritual Worship of God by the apostatizing of some in our Profession to the Errour of prestinted Forms of Singing And if we do not incourage such gracious Brethren as may be found among us better principled whether with or without the Knowldge of other Tongues to improve their Gifts which through the Blessing of God may be fit for the publick Service of our Churches many of them are like to crumble away for want of Ministers suitable to their Principles and those others which have been advanced to the Ministry by the publick Fund will have the greater opportunity through the necessities of our Churches to infect our Profession with their Error of common set form Singing and I fear with mixed Communion too which seem like twins to go hand in hand together As for their Mode of of Singing I have largely shewed that which was never answered by any of them and plainly proved in my Reply to Mr. Benjamin Keaches Book of Singing Intitled the Breach Repaired c. That we have no Command nor Example neither under the Law nor under the Gospel for the Ministers and all the People to sing with united Voices together in the settled worship of God in his Church And that his common way of Singing is not that Mode of spiritual singing which was used in the Apostles time nor is it the natural but an Artificial Mode of Worship And also that we have not the least ground to conclude that Christ and his Disciples at or after the Lords Supper did sing the Hymn or Praise which they gave to God for those Texts Math. 26.30 Mark 14.26 and Acts 16.25 are not rightly translated in our last Bibles which are witnessed against by many of our old English Bibles and many learned Authours as I have abundantly shewed in my aforesaid Reply to Mr. Keach But to return It is therefore high time for all that have any Love for the Truth and Purity of Gospel-worship to awake out of sleep for the necessities of many Churches call upon us earnestly to seek the Lord by Humiliations Fastings and Prayers that he would graciously raise up Ministers not only sound in the Faith but in all their Principles of Divine Worship in the Spirit of Love and Meekness And tho' we may find some of our Ministers and other Brethren that are for the new Modelling of our Churches with their formal Worship and mixed Communion to decline this Work with us by Reason their different Principles cannot join with our particular Requests relating thereunto yet this should in no wise hinder our People from flocking together and crying fervently to the Lord for the pourings forth of the Holy Spirit according to his promise to bear a lively Testimony against all unrighteousness and false worship Isa 44.3 to 6. Ch. 59.21 Eph. 4.11 12 13. Isa 59.19 20 21. Jer. 3.15 and to give us Pastours according to his heart which shall feed his People with Knowledg and Understanding even such as shall worship him in Spirit and Truth without any mixture of humane Forms and meer Inventions of men For if instead of sound Elders we should have only those for the publick service of God that are for a piece of false worship and mixed communion what else can be expected from new Converts and those who joyn themselves to our Churches but that through Love and Affections to their Ministers they will suck in their Erroneous Principles as sad Experience hath shewed and so in time will overturn the former order and settlement of our Churches and put back that blessed Reformation which God has wrought among us and which many precious Saints have suffered for that the Purity of the Gospel which some are now betraying might be handed down to future ages Fourthly I shall leave a few things to the serious consideration of those who have received the manifestation of the special Grace of God in Christ to their souls through faith which worketh by love and yet are walking at large in neglect of his holy Ordinances as if they were left to Christians liberty to obey or reject them at their pleasures Let me ask a few Questions for thee to answer in thine own Conscience Rom. 2.15 16. which shall either accuse or else excuse thee in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to the Gospel Why art thou partial in Gods laws or in Christs institutions Mal. 2.9 so as to pick and choose which of them thou wilt obey Remember Psal 119.6 David saith Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandments Wilt thou partake of the Benefit of the publick Prayers of the Saints and of the Ministration of the Gospel of Christ in his Church and not put to thy helping hand to support it in the World and to convey it down to future ages what had become of thy precious soul and many thousands more if our late Reformers had bin of thy Mind how should the true worship of God have bin maintained and how little preaching should we have in our present day if Christians did not imbody themselves into Societies to encourage the Gospel Ministers for where can their light best appear if not on a Gospel Candlestick No marvel Soul if thou hast not peace of Conscience and strength of Grace against the power of Sins and Temptations if thy feet are not found in the ways of Christ whose ways are ways of pleasantness Prov. 3.17 Ch. 10.29 Isa 64.5 and all his paths are peace and strength to
the upright There God has said he meets his people that remember him in his ways and Christ has much intailed his gracious presence on the faithful obedience of his Saints He that hath my Commandments Joh. 14.21 and keepeth them he it is that loveth we And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self to him If a man love me he will keep my words And my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him And therefore the more obedient a Soul is the more of Christs fulness he shall receive John 1.16 and Grace for Grace But 2. If thou standest off from Church-Communion because thou thinkest thy self unworthy of it or unmeet for it or till thou hast a special inspiration to thrust thee forth in thy duty my Answer is that in this snare I was intangled my self for divers years but at last I was satisfied in my Conscience that seeing I had true saving Faith and Light in Gospel Ordinances my personal unworthiness through the infirmity of Nature was no sufficient Ground for me to neglect the Institutions of Christ and that I could not rationally expect any extraordinary motions to do that which the Word of God did plainly express to be my Duty Besides for Christians to wait for a more than ordinary impulse of Spirit to thrust them forth in their Duty when clearly exprest in the Holy Scriptures is thro' weakness of Faith a Tempting God to confirm his written Will by extraordinary Inspiration which is a Sin Math. 4.7 Moreover I shall farther remove this objection from 1 Cor. 11.27 Whosoever shall eat this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. This unworthiness cannot respect our natural infirmities for then the best of men would be excluded from that Ordinance but the unworthiness there mentioned is described to us in the same Chapter to be Divisions and Drunkeness See ver 18.20 21 22 33. and such like Disorders as should not be suffered in a Gospel-Church or that shew they despise the Church of God And therefore Christians having light in Gospel Ordinances tho' they are but weak in Faith and Babes in Christ and have not yet attained to the Faith of Assurance of their Election 2 Pet. 1.10 or to the clear witnessings of the Spirit of God with their Spirits Rom. 8.16 that they are the Children of God yet having the true Faith of cleaving to Christ with full purpose of heart and of reliance on his death and merits for Salvation and eternal life those have a right to full Communion with the Church at the Lords Table and we are bound to receive them Rom. 14.1 but not to doubtful Disputations But. If thou art one within the visible pale of the Church and such a wonderful and horrible thing is therein or shall happen as was in Israel tho' in a different manner the Prophets prophesied falsly Jere. 5.31 and the Priests bear Rule by their means and the people loved to have it so As the Lord said to them so will I say to thee if then thou art of their Spirit what wilt thou do in the end thereof when the Lord shall visit for these things canst thou bear yea like and plead for an Alteration in thy Church-Constitution or in Gods worship because thy Pastour will have it so Take heed lest thou givest ground to say of thee as it was said to Israel Isa 3.12 Ch. 9.16 O my People they which lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths and they that are led of them are destroyed 1 Cor. 10.22 Brethren beware lest ye provoke the Lord to Jealousy are ye stronger than he Deut. 12.32 hath he not said what things soever I command you observe to do it Thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it And have we not divers instances of his sore Displeasure for breaking his Rule of Worship as in Nadab and Abihu Lev. 7.11 to 19. who for offering of strange fire died before the Lord And might not some have thought it a small matter to have eaten of the Peace or Thank-offering after the first day or of the Vow-offering if any of it had been left on the third day but we see how great an offence it was to make so small an Addition to Gods Ordinance as that it should not be accepted neither should it be imputed to him that offered it It should be an Abomination and that soul should bear his iniquity Moreover we read how the Lord smote above fifty thousand of the men of Beth-she-mesh for but looking into his Ark and how Vzzah lost his life for touching the Ark of God 2 Sam. 6.6 1 Sam. 6.19 2 Chr. 26.16 because they sought him not after the due manner And how Vzziah the King for medling with Gods Ordinance and burning incense before the Lord 1 Chr. 15.13 contrary to his revealed Will was smote with leprosy unto his dying Day And Christ tells us Mat. 159. that in vain they do worship him teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of Men. Therefore to the Law and to the Testimony Isa 8.20 If they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no light in them Joh. 4.24 and let us keep the Commandments of God and worship him in Spirit and in Truth 1 Tim. 4 8. for Godliness is profitable unto all things having promise of the Life that now is and of that which is to come Postscript AFter I had penned the preceeding Treatise meeting with some other Motives I thought it necessary to add a brief Discourse on two particular Cases The First to shew that it is the Duty of Gospel-Ministers and all true Believers in Order to Church-Communion to subject themselves to the Ordinance of Water-Baptism The Second is against Excess in Apparel And First I shall premise some few things that are worth our Observation which I find in Mr. William Kiffins Book Intitled A Sober Discourse of Right to Church-Communion Where in his Epistle he saith The sence I have of my own weakness and inability would have been a Bar to me to appear in this publick way did I not see a necessity lying upon me for the Truths sake and the sakes of many by reason of some that have lately risen up to weaken if not make void that great Ordinance of Baptism by endeavouring to maintain that all Persons that believe altho' they never did nor do practice the same may partake of the Ordinance of the Lords Supper and all other Gospel instituted Duties A Notion not only contrary to the primitive Pattern but the constant Practice of all that ever prosessed the Christian Religion or that own the Scriptures to be the Rule of Faith and Practice And speaking somewhat of the like nature in p.
3. he also saith We shall therefore direct this Discourse to our dissenting Brethren of the baptized way only And in page 13 14. he argueth saying If unbaptized Persons may be admitted to all Church Priviledges does not such a Practice plainly suppose that it is unnecessary The Baptists if once such a Belief prevails would be easily tempted to lay aside that reproachful Practice And challenge their Church Communion by Vertue of their Faith only and such as baptize Infants would be satisfied to discontinue the Practice when once they are perswaded that their Children may be regular Church-members without it and by consequence be in a likely condition to loose one of the Sacraments which would easily make way for the loss of the other both having an equal sanction in Scripture and the Arguments that disanul the one will destroy the other and consequently all Ordinances and Modes of Worship and lastly Religion it self And in page 118. In answer to an Objection he saith This Objection supposes things very dangerous As that holiness without Baptism invests a right to other Ghurch-Ordinances which is not to be supposed for Christ the Lamb of God was holy in the highest degree and in him was found no sin yet he was baptized before he entred upon his publick Ministry which is a most illustrious Example and the Pattern which the Saints followed for in a word the great Apostle Paul and all those primitive Saints recorded by the Spirit to be Believers and therefore holy were nevertheless Baptized which might have been forborn but that it was an indispensable Duty And Secondly It seemeth strange to me that any professing Obedience to Gospel-Ordinances should so far countenance others in the neglect of a positive Institution of Christ as to plead for Church-Communion with Christians without Baptism when our Lord hath plainly commanded his Apostles and Ministers to the end of the World saying Go ye therefore and teach all Nations Math. 28.19 20. Baptizing them teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you And 〈◊〉 I am with you alway even unto the end of the World For seeing the Disciples of Christ were commanded to Baptize as well as to Preach and to teach others successively to do the same It is undeniably clear if Scripture and Reason may take Place that the Gospel Ministers ought to Baptize those that obey their Doctrine Acts a. 38 41. as Peter said Repent and be baptized every one of you then they that gladly received his Word were Baptized and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand Souls And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayer Here we find those new Converts were commanded every of one them to be Baptized and this way they were added to the Primitive Church of Christ at Jerusalem which was the Pattern for all Gospel-Churches to follow in after Ages For there were the twelve Apostles who were endowed with the extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Spirit to shew us the perfect pattern of Gods House And this was the Church that said It seemeth good to the Holy Ghost Acts 15.22 28. and to us to lay upon you no greater Burthen then these necessary things and from this Pattern given as it were in the Mount of God we find Baptism was commanded as the entring Ordinance into Church Communion or upon Confession of Faith before it for baptized Believers tho' the true visible matter of a Gospel-Church were not always immediately formed into a Gospel-Church Order for this was sometimes a work of time as we have an Instance how Paul baptized the twelve Disciples at Ephesus and went into the Synagogue Acts 19.1 to 10. and spake boldly for the space of three Months before he separated the Disciples from the Multitude Moreover we have several other Precepts and Examples that do confirm the Ordinance of Baptism immediately to follow Conversion and Faith in Christ Acts 8.35 to 39. As when Philip Preached unto the Eunuch and he believed he was immediately Baptized And when Cornelius and his Friends were Converted Act. 10.44 48. Act. 16.14 15 32 33. Ch. 18.8 Peter commanded them to be Baptized And so we find Lydia and her Houshold and the Jaylor and his Houshold were Baptized immediately after their Conversion And all these instances plainly shew that Water-Baptism was administred to Converted Believers before they were in Church-Order to receive the Ordinance of the Lords Supper and 't is called a putting on Christ viz. by a visible Profession and signifieth our dying unto Sin Gal. 3.27 Col. 2.12 Rom. 6.3 to 7. Joh. 3 3.5 Mark 16.15 16. and living in newness of Life unto God As also our being born of the Spirit and all these denote Baptism to be the first visible Sign of a Believer in Christ and it is appointed to accompany the Preaching of the Gospel as a Christian Badge on all that shall believe And it was called a Foundation-Principle viz. of a visible Church-state Act. 2.38 41. Ch. 8.12 Ch. 18.8 the matter whereof was and still should be baptized Believers And there being not the least instance in the New Testament of any one Person that was ever added to a Gospel-Church without Water-Baptism nor that any Gospel-Church was ever gathered but of baptized Believers to exclude it as no entring Ordinance into Church-Communion against so many clear Commands and Examples on Sacred Record which shews it is immediately to follow believing in Christ will lay a Foundation to deny all Gospel-Ordinances and the Holy Scriptures themselves to be of use to us to discover the Truth of Gospel-Worship and Obedience I. Object Is from Rom. 14.1 Him that is weak in the Faith receive you Answer To this Scripture Mr. Will. Kiffin in his aforesaid Sober Discourse saith The weakness spoken of in the Text hath Relation only to those Mistakes that did attend some of them touching a Liberty of eating or not eating of Meats or the keeping or not keeping of Days which were things in themselves of an indifferent Nature the doing or not doing of which was not Sin as the Apostle in that Chapter plainly shews and hath no Relation to the Order of Worship prescribed by Christ much less to the Practice or not Practice of Ordinances for then the meaning of the Apostle should be if they did Practice or not Practice it was all one there was no Sin in the Matter But to bring this Text to prove a lawfulness of receiving any that are Christians altho' never so ignorant of the Ordinances and instituted Worship of Christ and the Order prescribed by him is to wring Blood out of it and not that precious Truth that is manifested by it II. Object Is from 1 Cor. 12.13 For by one Spirit are we all Baptized into one Body whether we be Jews or Gentiles whether we be Bond or Free and have been all made to drink