Ghost the sonnes and daughters of the Father must be understood as many such priviledges of the universall and invisible Church or when any of them are to be applyed to a particular visible Church they must be understood of that Church not according to every one but only the living and gracious members thereof That such priviledges of the Catholicke invisible Church when they are applyed to a particular visible Congregation are to be understood according to this distinction of members Robinson him selfe while yet in his rigid separation grants it expresly The places thus expounded prove not the point for grant to every Congregation so high priviledges as you will yet if they must be verified of that Congregation only according to some members and not according to all if they be to be understood only of the Elect in that Congregation who have the sanctifying Spirit of Christ not of many others who are dead in nature and yet are such members who have right from God according to our Brethrens own Tenet to perform Church acts such as are the preaching of the Gospel the celebration of the Sacraments the admission of members the execution of censures with such authority from Christ as makes all these acts truly valid for the comfort and salvation of the Elect they prove not the true grace of every person whom we must acknowledge to be a true member of a Church If you will extend these places to every singular member of particular visible Churches as indeed the Argument if it have any strength doth import the absurdity will be great for so it will carry to the Pelagianisme of Arminius in the extent of the true grace of God beyond the Elect to all the members of a visible Church also to the totall and finall Apostacy of many who are the Temples of the holy Ghost the members of Christ the faithfull and sanctified children of God For the Argument maketh every member of any visible Church to be such daily experience proves that many members of every visible Church are castawayes Yea the Argument drives further then any of the Arminians will follow for however they extend the true and saving grace of God beyond the Elect members of a Church yet none of them ever said that this sanctifying and saving grace must be in every person before they can bee admitted members of any Church For this is that grosse errour which the Independents have learned not so much from Arminius as Socinus to put all men unconverted without the Church that in this condition they may be converted by the preaching of private men and if by Pastors yet by their Preaching not as Pastors but as private men dealing with these who are none of their Flock but without the Church Neither doe the Socinians so farre as I know extend their Tenet thus farre as to require all before they be members of the Church to be truly regenerate as if the only instrument of regeneration and conversion were the preaching of private men without the Church and the preaching of Pastors within the Church did serve only for the continuing of the sence of justification and the encrease of sanctification as being performed of purpose only unto these persons who at their first entrance into the Church while yet they were without and but comming in have demonstrate the certainty of their enjoying these graces The second Argument God receives none to be members of the visible Church but those who shall be saved but the Stewards of Gods house may receive none but whom God doth receive Ergo the Stewards of Gods house may receive none to bee members of a visible Church but those who shall be saved Answer The Conclusion is subject to the most of the faults observed upon the conclusion of the former Argument which I doe not repeat only consider that this conclusion beareth expresly that none may be members of a visible Church but these who shall be saved and so who are truly Elect. We would not be deceived with their distinctions of inward and outward holinesse of seeming and reall grace of charitable and veritable discerning for this and the other Argument inferres flatly that no other must be received as members in a visible Church but such as first are tryed and found to bee really holy and who shall be saved We Answer therefore to the Minor That it is evidently false for the Reasons which we brought upon the Minor of the former Argument The place of the Acts brought for the proofe of it is detorted such as were to be saved were added to the Church is this indefinite proposition to be understood universally that all who were to be saved were added to the Church the former Argument maketh this no necessary truth for if men must be justified sanctified and put in the way of salvation before they be added to the Church then though they were never added to the Church they may well bee saved They would doe well here to remember their own ordinary practice contrary to that which here they professe to be the way of God Why doe they not adde to their Church all that are to be saved why exclude they many whom they grant to be truly gracious and Elect upon this ground alone that they cannot approve of their Independency or Covenant Or suppose the proposition to be universall yet must it be reciprocall and convertible Be it so that all who were to be saved were added to the Church yet must all who are added to the Church be saved This is an evident untruth Will they that all the members of their Church must be saved or doe they think that all the persons of their Churches who shall not be saved were never true members of their visible Church Iudas was made a member of the Apostolick society by Christ and many men were brought into the visible Church by the Prophets and Apostles who shall not be saved Shall damnation and want of true grace cast them all out of the true Church and take from them their power and right to do the actions of a Church-member The third Argument If it be put in any forme will readily fall under the exceptions of the first but since the Author puts no forme upon it I shall only consider its matter It consists of the misapplication of three Scriptures first of Peters Confession Matâ—h 8. they alledge that such a profession of Faith as the Father reveales to particular persons is the ground of a visible Church and so who ever is a member of that Church must both professe Faith and have the Spirit to indite that profession Answer This is a strange Argument For first we may not admit that the Church founded upon the Rock is every particular visible Church The priviledges of the Catholike and visible Church which the Iesuites by all their wrestlings have never been able to extort from us for their Idoll
yeelded yet how will they prove that the Scribes and Pharisees were of any other Tribe then of Levi CHAP. IX Whether the power of Ecclesiastick Iurisdiction belongs to the People or to the Presbyterie THe next Question concernes the power of Ecclesiastick Jurisdiction to whom it may be due by Ecclesiastick Jurisdiction is understood the admission of Members into a Church their casting out againe by Excomunication their reconciliation after repentance the Ordination of Officers their deposition from their charge the Determining of Questions the deciding of Controversies and such other acts of Ecclesiastick authority Till of late the state of the Question here was very cleare and plaine the Reformed Churches doe put both the power and the exercise of Jurisdiction into the hand of the Presbytery that is the company of Elders and Colledge of Church Governours The Brownists and after them the Independents did ascribe all these acts to the Church as well without as with a Presbytery but of late Master Cotton in his Booke of the Keyes and his Brethren in their Synodick meetings of New-England have so subtilized and as to me it seemes involved the Question with a multitude of new distinctions that it is very hard to apprehend with any certaintie and clearenesse their meaning and more hard to reconcile any one with himselfe much lesse one with another They would seeme to differ much from the Brownists they stand not to put them in the Category of Morellius the first Patron of Democracie and popular government in the Church they professe a midway of government well ballanced with a prudent mixture of the Officers power with the peoples giving a part to both and all to neither They bring a multitude of distinctions rather to eschew the dint of our former arguments in the darkenesse of these Thickets then to give any light to this very great Question They insist most on two distinctions whereby they thinke to answer all we bring against them First they distinguish betwixt a Church Organized or Presbyterated as they speake and a Church inorganized and unpresbyterated the one is a body Heterogeneous a covenanted people with their Officers framed in a Presbitery the other a body Homogeneous a people in a Church Covenant without Officers at least without a Presbytery They would seeme to plead or else the distinction is for no purpose for the power onely of an Organized and a Presbyterated Church If they would stand to this in earnest and firmely we should be glad for so they should openly desert not onely the whole race of the Brownists but all their owne former Writings practises and enervate the best of these very arguments they still adhere unto for if ye will consider what is written by Mr. Cotton either in his Catechisme or way or answer to the thirty two Questions or the Arguments that still he insists upon in the Keyes or their generall practise in Holland and New-England to this day you will see that they maintaine the Jurisdiction of a Church as well unpresbyterated without a Presbytery without Officers as of a Church Presbiterated for the power of Ordination of Officers and of their deposition the power of admitting and casting out of Members which are the highest acts of Jurisdiction they ascribe expressely to every Church whether it have or want Officers as its proper and undeniable priviledge Their other new distinction wherein openly they applaud so much one another as it were contending who should have the glory of its invention is of a double power one of Authority and another of Liberty ascribing unto a Presbyterated Church the whole power of Jurisdiction and every part of it both to the Officers of their Presbytery and to the people in their fraternity or brotherhood but so that the interest of the Officers in every act is a power of authority which makes that their action only is valid and binding but the interest of the people is a power of liberty to concurre in these acts of Jurisdiction by an obedientiall yet a necessary and authoritative concurrence This new distinction will not serve their turne for first it s not applicable to the chiefe acts of Jurisdiction in question their Ordination of Officers their admission of Members are done ordinarily by their people alone without the concurrence of any Officers who then are not in being Secondly their arguments for the peoples interest in Excommunication Absolution and other acts of Jurisdiction inferre either nothing at all or much more then that which they call a power of Liberty or of an authoritative concurrence Thirdly this distinction involves the Authors in new unextricable difficulties it makes the Keyes Sword of Christ altogether inserviceable in common and ordinary cases wherein they have most neede and occasion to be set on worke Not onely according to their former principles they make every Congregation uncensurable for any possible crime But by this new Doctrine they confesse that every Presbytery in a Congregation becomes uncensurable and that every people of a Congregation becometh uncapable of any censure Yea farther if the most part of the Presbytery suppose two ruling Elders joyne together in the greatest heresies and crimes the whole people with the rest of the Presbitery suppose the Pastor cannot censure these two Elders also if the greatest part of the people should joyne in the greatest wickednesse yet the whole Presbytery with the rest of the people that remaine sincere and gracious cannot censure the wicked In all these and divers such ordinary cases they have no remedy but Separation and alwayes Separation upon Separation till their Church be dissolved into so small portions that it cannot by more Separations be farther divided But let us consider the Arguments upon both sides First we reason thus The people are not the Governors of the Church But the acts of Ecclesiastick Jurisdiction belong to the Governors of the Church Ergo The acts of Ecclesiastick Jurisdiction belong not to the people The Minor is cleare from the nature of the very termes for Jurisdiction is either all one with Government or a chiefe part of it now Government is essentially relative to Governors The Major is proved by many Scriptures which make the people so farre from being Governors that they are obliged to be subject and obedient to their Officers as to them by whom God will have them governed Heb. 13.17 Obey them that have the rule over you for they watch for your soules as they who must give an account 1 Tim. 5.17 Let the Elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honour 1 Thes 5.12 Know them which are over you in the Lord and esteeme them very highly in love for their workes sake God hath made them Pastors and the people their flocke them Builders the people the stones laid by them in the building them Fathers the people children begotten by their Ministry them Stewards the people domesticks under their conduct Secondly whosoever
common in their members are of easy disgestion dd Concerning the other part of the Church essence its forme their Covenant in this the Disciples go much above their Master Mr Cotton hath perfected by an expresse Treatise this part of Brownism ee as many others The Covenants of New â—ngland are much straiter then any that ever we heard of at Amsterdam It is true that of late both in Old and New England the Independents seem much to modify the rigour of their Covenant ff but whatever may be said of their profession I never could learne of their practice to admit any into their society who gave not full assurance of embracing their whole way and all their differences from the Reformed Churches Sure I am they did never admit any upon easier tearms then lately I my self did hear Mr Can admit a member into his Church at Amsterdam yet if Mr Prynnes information be well grounded they are become at London more rigid in their Covenant then ever he tells us that now it is their custome to make it a part of their Oath to oppugne the Government of the Reformed Churches and to defend Independency with armes and violence ff 2. Unto the constitution we may referre the efficient of a Church and the number of its members in both the Schollars follow punctually their Masters As for the efficient it is not only the Brownists but the Independents also who put the power of gathering Churches and joyning together by Covenant in a Church way in the hand of private Christians alone without any Officer or the authority of any Magistrate It is presumption in any Minister if he assay to make up a Church only people must associate themselves into a Church and then create their Ministers and other Officers gg In New England at the erection of a new Church they are content with the presence both of the Magistrate and Ministers of the neighbour Churches but they declare that neither is necessary and that the presence of either gives no authority to the action and the absence of both detracts no authority from it hh That the whole power to gather a Congregation and to erect a Church is alone in the covenanting persons ii As for the number of the members the Independents go as low as the Brownists avowing that seven persons make a full ministeriall and compleatly organized Church kk nor do they extend the number any farther then the Brownists avowing that no Church except the universall may have any more members then conveniently can meet and be accommodated in one place for the exercise of all holy duties ll not only preaching of the Word whereat thousands may be present but celebration of the Sacraments and administring all parts of Discipline to which acts a few hundreds cannot commodiously meet The Independents minde about the gathering and erecting of Congregations may be clearly perceived by their late practice in the Sommer Islands wherein they are applauded by the Churches of New England and defended by Master White against Master Prynnes Fresh Discovery with a great deale of confidence and high language there hee justifies the necessity of the dissolution of all the Churches in the Barmudaes which yet he professes were among the best of all the English Plantations there were above 3000 people in the Isle who had lived without all controversie with any of their Ministers from their first planting till the yeare 1641 when their Ministers perswaded by some writs of the Brethren of New England found it necessary to lay down their charges and become meere private men denying to administer to their old flocks any Ordinance till three of them entring in a Covenant and thereby becomming a new Church did perswade of the 3000 Islanders some thirty or forty at most to joyn with them in their new Church Covenant these covenanted persons did chuse one of their old Ministers for their Pastor and two others of them for Ruling Elders who as gifted men were content to joyne with the Pastor in preaching not only to the Church members but to the whole Isle to fit them to be Church members but all the three refused absolutely to celebrate any Sacrament or administer any Discipline or do any act of a Pastor to any but to the forty named only All this Mr White maintains as just and necessary and petitions the Parliament in print for their countenance and approbation whereby it seems it is the Independents avowed and cleare intention when they have power to dissolve and annull all the Churches of England yea of the world to spoile all Ministers living of their pastorall charge and all people of all Church priviledges and to erect new Churches of their own framing into which they are to admit at most not one of an hundred of those who now do count themselves Christians all this you may see at length in Mr Whites very peremptory Reply to Mr Prynnes Fresh Discovery Leaving the constitution their chiefe Tenets concerne the power of the Congregation so constitute as is said in this they come up fully to their Masters side for they give unto their Church that is their seven covenanted persons the whole Ecclesiastick power and that independently upon any person under heaven First they put it in their hands to create all the Officers they not only give them suffrages in their election mm but the whole power of Ordination also nn the examination of their Pastor in all the abilities requisite for his charge oo the laying all the parts of his Office upon him publique prayer imposition of hands and what other acts are requisite for a regular Ordination are all performed by one of the people whom the rest have appointed for that end pp As they have power to make all their Officers so they have power to unmake them to depose and excommunicate all their Ministers qq to cognosce and finally to determine without any appeal in all cases both in life and doctrine of all Heresies and Scismes of all Truths and Errours to order all things belonging to the worship of God and to do all things else rr which other Churches ascribe to the most Generall Assemblies of the most learned Divines Upon this passage of Power come in the differences which divided the Brownists among themselves whilst Iohnson would give all these acts of power to the Eldership and Ainsworth would keep them for the Congregation these same questions vex the Independents to this day and are likely to divide the Children as they did the Fathers The most of the New English Divines with Ainsworth attribute the whole Ecclesiastick power to the body of the people unto the Eldership they give the preparation of affaires ss but the judgement and determination of all doth passe by the plurality of the peoples voices tt the power of the keyes they put in the hand not of the Presbytery but of the fraternity ww as they speak And in some
in matters of Civill Iustice as of devotion and holinesse mmmmmm 2 and if so then they must make it as unlawfull and contrary to the Scriptures perfection for any man to make Lawes in matters of Righteousnesse and of the State as in matters of Holinesse and of the Church That beside things in themselves good or evill which Scripture determines by its Lawes expresly things of an indifferent nature whereupon the most of civill Laws are made must be regulated according to the Scripture rules of Piety Charity and Conscience so farre that the expediency and reason of the Law must ever carry and convince the conscience of the Subject that no man is obliged to the obedience of a civill Law in a thing never so indifferent by the authority of the Law-giver but every man whose conscience is not convinced of the piety and charity of that Law is free from all obedience and subjection thereto Thus farre Mr Cotton mmmmmm 3. Eightly what men besides them have made so bold with Kings and Parliaments as not only to break in pieces their old Lawes and to divest them of all power to make new ones but also under the pretext of a divine right to put upon their necks that unsupportable yoak of the Iudiciall Law of the â—ewes for peace and for warre without any power to dispence either in addition or substraction nnnnnn 1 I grant this principle of Barrow is limited by Mr Cotton to such Iudicials as do containe in them a morall equity nnnnnn 2 but this morall equity is extended by him to so many particulars as Williams confesses the whole Iudiciall Law to be brought back again thereby no lesse then by the plaine simple and unlimited Tenet of the rigidest Brownists nnnnnn 3. Ninthly doth any Reformed Church appoint their Ministers to be members of the highest civill Courts with power of voiceing in the election of the supream Magistrate oooooo Do any Divines but theirs since the Bishops were abolished joyne themselves as companions with the Magistrates to draw out of Scripture a body of civill Lawes for the Government of the State pppppp Tenthly did ever any Divines but theirs so evidently mock the Magistrate by instructing him according to their own interest as it were from heaven to contradictory practises in New-England where the Magistrate is in their way to perswade him the necessity under paine of sinne and judgement to kill all Idolaters and false Prophets to destroy whole Cities men women and children who are seduced by a false Prophet qqqqqq Making a path-way by this meanes to the slaughter not only of all Papists and Hereticall Sects but also of many good Protestants who to the Brownists are Idolaters for the reading of Prayer and obstinate enemies of the Kingdom of Christ for their mislike of Independency according to the open profession of the prime Independents rrrrrr Their Doctrine in Old England where the Magistrate is out of their way is diametrally opposite to this for here they make it a Theomachy ssssss a fighting with God to deny a free liberty to Papists to the worst Heresies and Schisms to Iudaism Turcism Paganism or if any errour can be imagined to bee more pernicious I beleeve that few prudent Magistrates when they have well ruminated these and the like principles of the Independents will esteem them much more conducible for their ends then the principles of the Reformed Churches In the point of Schools and Learning how farre they will follow the Brownists I cannot say divers of them have as good a share in learning as their neighbours yet whatever they have of that kinde they got it all before they entred into their new way and whatever learning all of them do possesse it is no more then what was among the Brownists when they did most cry down learning The most of their erudition this day dwels in New-England that any reall course hath ever there been taken for its entertainment and propagation I have not heard much though the Magistrate and the whole Land have beene and are at their Devotion and till of late they had no apparant hope of supplying their way from the Schools of other parts of the world Were we not weary we might go on yet farther in the paralell especially in the doctrinall Tenets of the Independents wherein already they have gone farre beyond the Brownists you had a touch of the Arminianism of some in the reall Sanctification of all baptised Infants of the enthusiasms of others in their contemplations of God without Scripture of the Libertinism of a third blaspheming God as the Authour of the sinfulnesse of sin of the Arminian reprobation the Antinomian Montanistâ—ck and Familistick Tenets of a fourth for which I doubt if to this day they have given any satisfaction The whole City hath been filled these many yeares with the noise of the Socinianism of the fifth many of them are passionate for a full liberty of all Religions in every State The Apologists declare that they will have none cast out of the Church for any errours which are not fundamentall and how farre they will extend this principle who can know only it would seem that all the named errours which do lodge or have lodged as is alledged in their prime Leaders without any censure to this day must be taken within the compasse of errours tolerable not only in the State but in the purest Churches And if Arminian Socinian Anabaptistick Antinomian Familistick Enthusiastick errours be declared not fundamentall and tolerable in a Church what shall we say of Prelaticall Cassandrian and the most of the Popish Tenets that are no wayes so grosse Spalato and others have been at great paines to prove that none of all the Popish errours are fundamentall The Remonstrant Apologists labour to free the greatest Heresies that ever were in the Church such as Arrianism of old and Vorstianism of late from that infamy Certainly though our Brethren had kept in their principle of change and not declared their full resolution to go on farther then themselves or others have yet thought what already they have positively delivered giveth to the world just reason of doubt whither they may go and where at last they will stop their very swift and volant progresse The Testimonies of the sixth Chapter a ANtap p. 243. It was agreed upon that they out of hand should bring in a Narrative of their opinions wherein they differed from us and then should joyne with us in preaching against the Brownists and Anabaptists they never brought in their Narrative untill this day and though at full meetings of the Ministers they have been spoken unto and some Ministers have been sent from the Company to some of them and the Narrative was promised at such a time and then at such a time yet it was never performed and whereas the agreement in writing for our side was left in Mr Calamies hand Mr Nye comes after some
whom they being not satisfied in the answer of an offender may appeale unto and in so doing tell the Church such a small number may be a Church and may have the blessing of his presence to be among them ll Ibid. p. 8 9. When a visible Church is to be erected it is necessary that in respect of quantity it be no more in number in the dayes of the New Testament but so many as may meet in one Congregation mm Ibid. p. 15. The Church is before the Ministers seeing the power of chusing Ministers is given to the Church by Christ nn Ibid. p. 68. The Church that hath no Officers may elect Officers unto themselves therefore it may also ordaine them if it hath power from Christ for the one and that the greater it hath also for the other which is the lesser now Ordination is lesse then Election oo Ibid. p. 42. Vnto the 13 question whether you think it convenient that a company of private and illiterate persons should ordinarily examine elect ordaine and depose their Ministers a part of the answer to this question is if there were none among them who had humane learning we doe not see how this could hinder them of their Liberty to chuse Ministers purchased to them by Christs precious blood for they that are fit matter to be combined into a Church body have learned the Doctrine of the holy Scriptures in the fundamentall points thereof they have learned to know the Lord in their owne hearts therefore they may not bee reproached as illiterate or unworthy to chuse their owne Ministers nay they have the best learning without which all other learning is but madnesse and folly pp Plaine Dealing p. 3. They set a day for the Ordination of their Officers and appoint some of themselves to impose hands upon them where there are Ministers or Elders before they impose their hands upon the new Officers but where there is none there some of their chiefest men two or three of good report amongst them though not of the Ministry doe by appointment of the same Church lay hands upon them Cottons way p. 40 41. Towards the end of the day one of the Elders of the Church if they have any if not one of the graver Brethren of the Church appointed by themselves to order the work of the day standeth up and enquireth in the Church c. he advertiseth him who is chosen what duties the Lord requireth of him in that place towards the Church then with the Presbytery of that Church if they have any or if not with two or three others of the gravest Christians among the Brethren of that Church being deputed by the body he doth in the name of the Lord Jesus ordaine him to that Office with imposition of hands calling upon the Lord and so turning the speech to the person on whom their hands are imposed he as the mouth of the Presbytery expresses their Ordination of him and puts a solemne charge upon him to look well to himselfe and the flock After this the Elders of other Churches present observing the presence of God in the orderly proceeding of the Church to the Officers Election and Ordination one of them in the name of all the rest doth give unto him the right hand of Fellowship in the sight of all the Assembly qq Answer to the 32 questions p. 48. If the Church hath power by election to chuse a Minister and so power of instituting him then of destituting also Instituere destituere ejusdem est potestatis rr Ibid. p. 44. We conceive that every Church properly so called though they bee not above ten persons or the least number that you mention have right and power from Christ to transact all their owne Ecclesiasticall businesse if so be they be able and carry matters justly for the power of the Keyes Matth. 16.19 is committed by Christ unto the Church ss Cottons Catechism p. 10. It is committed to the Presbytery to prepare matters for the Churches hearing tt Answer to the 32 quest p. 60. In this sense matters with us are carried according to the vote of the major part that is with the joynt consent of the whole Church but yet because it is the mind of Christ ww The propositions to which almost all our Elders did agree when they were assembled together the first the Fraternity is the first subject of all Presbyteriall power radicaliter id est causatim per modum collationis non habitualiter non actualiter non formaliter xx Anatom p. 26. I heare of no ruling Elders that ever Mr Simpson had in his Church Anatomist anatomised p. 12. It is true de facto wee had none but were resolved to have them Notwithstanding this answer of Mr Simpsons that Church of Rotterdam to this day hath never had a Presbytery after more then seven yeares delay yy Antap. p. 52. Pastors are necessary Officers in your Churches and yet according to your practises your Churches are many yeares without them zz Keyes p. 10. Authority is a morall power and a superiour Order or State binding or releasing an inferiour in point of subjection Christ hath given no Iurisdiction but to whom he hath given office The Key of power in a large sense or Liberty is in the Church but the Key of authority or rule in a more strict sense is in the Elders of the Church aaa Excommunication is one of the highest acts of Rule and therfore cannot bee performed but by some Rulers now where all the Elders are culpable there be no Rulers left in that Church to censure them as therefore the Presbytery cannot excommunicate the whole Church though apostate for they must tell the Church and joyne with the Church in that censure so neither can the Church excommunicate the whole Presbytery because they have not received from Christ an Office of Rule without their Officers Ib. preface p. 4. He gives unto the Elders or Presbytery a binding power of Rule and Authority peculiar unto them and to the Brethren distinct and apart an interest of power and priviledge to concurre with them and that such affaires should not be transacted but with the joynt agreement of both though out of a different Right so that as a Church of Brethren only could not proceed to any publike censures without they have Elders over them so neither in the Church have the Elders power to censure without the concurrence of the people so as each alone have not power of excommunicating the whole of either though together they have power over any particular person or persons in each bbb Ibid. also Keyes p. 13. Else the Brethren have a power of order and the priviledge to expostulate with their brethren in case of private scandals so in case of publike scandall the whole Church of brethren have power and priviledge to joyne with the Elders in inquiring hearing judging of publike scandals so as to bind notorius offenders and impenitents under censure and
of the Churches infancy they were Idolatry false doctrine open profanenesse were then most abominable and more terribly punished then now by the totall destruction of whole Cities and Countries wherein they were entertained also the duty of mutuall inspection and admonition the contempt whereof is made the grand cause of separation was most clearly enjoyned in the Old Testament What here is replyed that all separation from the Iewish Church was simply impossible because then there was no other Church in the whole earth to goe to We answer that the Replyers themselves will say that a separation must be where there is just cause and where a person cannot abide without pollution and sin although there be no other Church for him to go to for they make it better for men to live alone separate from all then to abide in any Church where they cannot live without the participation of their neighbours sinnes We answer further That it was easie for the godly under the Law to have joyned together in the service of God and to have excluded the wicked thence and whereas it is said that this could not bee done because the Censure of Excommunication was not then in being We answer the Gospel makes it cleare That casting out of the Synagogue which was reall Excommunication was frequent in the Old Testament as also the keeping off from the service with a great deale of circumspection all who were unfit by any legall pollution much more by any known morall uncleannesse Kings themselves when polluted were removed from the Altar and put out of the Sanctuary Again I reason thus That which moved not Christ and his Apostles to separate from the Church of their time is no cause to us of separation but want of satisfaction by convincing signes of the true grace of every member of the Church was to them no cause of separation from the Churches of their times Ergo. The major is cleare except we desire a better pattern for our practices then Christ and his Apostles what ever carrieth us beyond their line must be high presumption and deep hypocrisie The minor is cleare by many Scriptures the Scribes and Pharisees were a generation of vipers Ierusalem worse then Sodom and Gomorrah Corasin and Bethsaida was worse then Tyrus and Sidon and to be cast lower in Hell then these yet the Lord did not give over to preach to pray to go to the Temple with them Iudas when a declared Traytor did not scarre him nor any of his company from the Sacrament After he went from the Table when his wickednesse was revealed that a Devill was in him yet none of the Apostles offered to cast themselves out of the body because this wicked member was not cut off Many members of the Apostolick Churches were so farre from convincing signes of true grace that the works of the flesh were most evident in their life In the Corinthians fundamentall errours open Idolaty grievous scandall bitter contentions profanation of the Lords Table In the Galatians such errours as destroyed grace and made Christ of none effect In the Church of Ephesus of Laodicea and the other golden Candlesticks divers members were so evidently faulty that the Candlestick is threatned to be removed yet from none of these Churches did any of the Apostles ever separate nor gave they the least warrant to any of their Disciples to make a separation from any of them A third Argument The want of that which never was to bee found in any Church is no just cause of separation But satisfaction by convincing Arguments of the true grace of every member was never to be found in any Church The major is unquestionable for what is not cannot have any operation non entis nulla sunt accidentia The minor is demonstrable from the nature of a visible Church it is such a body whose members are never all gracious if we believe Scripture It is not like the Church invisible the Church of the Elect. It is an heterogeneous body the parts of it are very dissimilar some chaffe some corne some wheat some tares a net of fishes good and bad a house wherein are vessels of honour and dishonour a fold of sheep and goats a tree of green and withered branches a table of guests some with some without a wedding garment in a word every visible Church is a society wherein many are called few chosen except therefore we will alter the nature of all visible Churches whereof Scripture speaks we must grant that in every Church there are some members which have no true grace and if so how can they give convincing and satisfactory signes of that which is not to be found Hypocrites may make a shew without of that which is not within but shall we lay an obligation upon every hypocriticall member of a Church to be so eminently skilfull in the art of counterfeiting as to produce in the midst of his gracelesnesse so cleare so evident and satisfactory signes of his true grace as may convince the hearts of every one of the Church that the thing is within the mans breast which certainly is not there The fourth Argument The want of that which cannot reasonably be supposed of every member of a Congregation is no just cause of separation from any Church but satisfaction c. Ergo. The major is cleare for if the want of such satisfaction be a just cause of separation from the Church Then the presence of such a satisfaction is very requisite to be in every member as a necessary meane to keep it in union with that Church The minor that such a satisfaction may not justly be supposed in every member of a Congregation for this would import these foure things all which are unreasonable First that every member of a Congregation is to have power to try all its fellow-members to let them in or hold them out according as in this triall he is satisfied This is a large limb of the Brownistick Anarchy putting the key of Authority and Iurisdiction into the hand of every Church-member if all the Independents will defend this let them speak it out plainly Secondly it requires a great deale of more ability in every member of every Church then can be found in any mortall man for not to speak of the impossibility of a grounded and certaine perswasion of true grace in the heart of an Hypocrite who hath no grace at all how is it possible to attaine unto any grounded certainty of true grace in the heart of any other man for the hid man of the heart and the new name are not certainly known to any but to such as have them The grounds of a mans own certain perswasion the act of his faith either direct or reflex the witnesse of his conscience or the seale of the spirit cannot go without his own breast all the demonstrations which can be made to another are so oft found false that in understanding men they
the Keys to every beleever for some beleevers are not Members of any Church and the Keys are onely for Domesticks Neither doe they put the Keys into the hands of beleevers alone for so Judas and many Pastours for want of true fayth could not validly either preach or baptize The Keys therefore are not promised to Peter under the notion of a beleever but in the quality of an Apostle and Elder of the Church as is cleared in the paralled places of Math John where the gift here promised is actually conferred upon all the Apostles who all were Elders and whose Office of opening and closing the doores of Heaven was to remaine in the Church to the worlds end not in the hand of every beleever but of the Governours of the Church joyned in that Presbytery which other Scriptures doe mention Secondly they reason from Maâ— 18. who ever is the Church to whom scandalls must be told and which must be heard under the pain of Excommunication they have the power of Church Censures But the people are that Church Ergo. Ans we deny the Minor with the good leave of our Brethren for albeit they are wont to make the people alone without their Officers the Church in this place proving hence the peoples power of Jurisdiction before they have any Officers also their power to cast out all their Officers when they have gotten them yet now they have gone from the Separatists thus farre as to say that the people alone cannot be the Church here mentioned but the Church must be the people with their Officers whom now they will be loth as sometimes to make meere accidents and adjuncts of this Church for now they hold them for integrall Members so necessary that without them no censure at all can be performed upon any They goe here a little further telling us that the Church in this place cannot be the people though with their Officers but must be taken for the Officers with the people because both the Power and the Execution of censures belongs to the Officers alone though in the presence of the people and with their consent and concurrence They tell us that the Right and Authority of censures is given onely to the Presbytery of governours in such a manner that the Presbytery can be censured by no others neither can any other be censured not onely without their consent but not without their action We adde a third steppe whether our former arguments must draw them that the Church here meant must be the Governours alone without the peoples concurrence for if Excommunication the great act of government did belong to the people either by themselves alone or joyntly by way of concurrence with their Officers it would follow that the people were either sole governours above their Officers or joynt governours with their Officers which albeit our Brethren did hold lately with the Separatists yet now they will not assert so much the more as they declare it to be their judgement and practice that the Elders alone without the People doe meete apart in their Presbytery to heare all offences and to prepare them for publicke Judgement whence I thus argue They to whom offences are to be told immediatly after the two or three witnesses are not heard They are the Church to whom in this place the power of excommunication is given but the Elders alone without the People being set apart in their Presbytery are they to whom offences are to be told c. Ergo The Major is cleare from the Text for it speaks but of one Church which must be told and heard under the paine of censure The Minor is their own confession and practice and if that meeting of the Elders to whom they tell the offence for preparation of the processe to their peoples voice be not the Church here mentioned Then their ordinary practice of bringing scandalls first to the Presbytery before they be heard in the Congregation shall be found not onely groundlesse beside the Scripture but altogether contrary to the Scripture in hand for the method here prescribed is that the Church be told when the witnesses are not heard if therefore that company which is told after the witnesses are contemned be not the Church Christs order is not kept and the Church gets wrong Thirdly they reason from 1 Cor. chap. 5. ver 4.5.7.12.13 They who are gathered together with the Apostles Spirit and the Power of Christ to deliver the incestuous man to Sathan Who were to purge out the old Leaven and to judge them that are within and put away the wicked Person they have power to excommunicate but the People doe all these things Ergo. Answer the Minor is denyed First that gathering together might well be of the Presbytery alone which our Brethren grant most meete in divers preparatory acts to censure Secondly if it were of the whole people which can not be supposed in Corinth where the People and Officers were so many that the Congregations as in Jerusalem and else where were more then one yet suppose that all the people did meete to the excommunication of that wicked man this proves not that every one who did meete unto that censure had either the power or the execution of it more then of the Word and Sacraments to which they did more frequently meete Thirdly the purging out of the old Leaven and the putting away the man is commended indefinitely to these unto whom the Apostle wrote which our Brethren grant cannot be expounded without sundry exceptions First none doubt of women and children againe in the next chapter it is written indefinitely you are sanctifyed you are justifyed your Bodyes are the Temples of the Holy Ghost this must be restricted to the elect and regenerate except we will turne Arminians Everywhere in Scripture indefinite propositions must be expounded according as other Scriptures declare the nature of the matter in hand so here the act of purging and putting away ascribed indefinitely to the Church must be expounded not of all the Members but only of the Officers of the Church For the Brownists themselves make not every Member to be a ruler nor doe our Brethren give the formall authority and power of censures to any other but Officers ascribing to the rest of the Members onely a Liberty of concurrence so that the next word of Judging is expounded by them of a Judgement of discretion not of any judiciall and authoritative Judgement which alone is in question Fourthly from Coll. 4.17 they reason the people of Colosse had power to admonish their Minister Archippus to fullfill his Ministery Therefore the People of any Church have power if neede be to excommunicate their Minister Answer First That however our Brethren pretend to have come off from the extremity of the Brownists halfe way towards us yet their arguments drive at the utmost of their old extremities at no lesse then a power for the people to excommunicate their Ministers
which they do belong neither do we know any such thing to be appointed by Christ our Lord for the maintenance of the Ministry in these dayes the bringing in of settled endowments and eminent Preferments into the Church hath been the corruption and to some the destruction of such as lived by them both Church-Officers and Church-members qqqq Cottons Way p. 38. The Deacons were elected and ordained for the serving at Tables to wit the serving of all these Tables which pertained to the Church to provide for which are the Lords Table the Tables of the Ministers or Elders of the Church and the Tables of the poore Brethren whither of their own body or strangers for the maintaining whereof we doe not appoint them to goe up and down to collect the benevolences of abler brethren but as the Apostles received the oblations of the brethren brought and laid down at their feet and thereby made distribution as the use of the Church required so the Deacons receive the oblations of the brethren every Lords day brought unto them and laid down before them and distribute the same as the need of the Church doth require rrrr Ibid. ssss Plaine-dealing p. 19. At some other places they make a rate upon every man as well within as not of the Church residing with them towards the Churches occasions and others are beholding now and then to the generall Court to study wayes to enforce the mantenance of the Ministry tttt Antap. p. 276. Have you not carried a greater port then most of the godly Ministers in the City or Countrey have not some of you the prime Lectures of the City and other good places of advantage and profit besides what some of you have from your own Churches Vide supra Chap. 4. wwww Bastwicks Independency p. 142.143 It is well known and can sufficiently be proved that godly Christians of holy conversation against whom they had no exception either for doctrine or manners and who offered themselves to be admitted members upon their own conditions and yet were not suffered to be joyned members onely because they were poore and this very reason was given them for their not-admission that they would not have their Church over-burdened with poore Ibid. It was replyed that the Congregation of which he was Pastor consisted of great Personages Knights Ladies and rich Merchants and such people as they being but poore could not walk so sutably with them wherefore he perswaded them to joyn themselves with some other Congregation among poore people where they might better walk and more confortably in fellowship with them xxxx Plaine-dealing p. 16. The Pastor begins with solemn prayer continuâ—ing about a quarter of an houre the Teacher then readeth and expoundeth a Chapter then a Psalme is sung which ever one of the ruling Elders dictates after that the Pastor preacheth a Sermon and sometimes ex tempore exhortes then the Teacher concludes with prayer and a blessing yyyy Cottons Way p. 66. First then when we come into the Church according to the Apostles direction 1 Tim. 1. We make prayers and intercessions and thanksgivings for our selves and all men zzzz I have heard the chiefe of our Brethren maintaine this publikely and I understand it is the practice of some of them in the City aaaaa Cottons Catechisme p. 6. Where there bee more Prophets besides the Elders they may Prophesie two or three if the time permit the Elders calling to them whither in the same Church or others if they have any word of exhortation to the people to say on bbbbb Ibid. And for the bettering of a mans selfe or others it may be lawfull for either young or old save only for women to aske questions from the mouth of the Prophets ccccc Answer to the 32 quest p. 78. Some think the people have a liberty to aske their questions publikely for their better satisfaction upon very urgent and weighty cause though even this is doubted of by others and all judge the ordinary practice of it not necessary but if it be not meekly and wisely carried to be inconvenient if not utterly unlawfull and therfore such asking of questions is seldom used in any Church among us and in most Churches never ddddd Anatom p. 26. In the matter of singing of Psalms they differ not only from us but are also at variance among themselves some thinking it unlawfull for any to sing but he who preacheth and this hath been the late practice at Arnheim others thinking it unlawfull for women to sing in the Congregation hence some women at Rotterdam doe not sing I heare also they think it unfit for any at all in such times of the Churches trouble as this eeeee Ibid. fffff Vide supra Chap. 4. SS 1. ggggg If the question be of joyning in some few selected prayers read by an able and faithfull Minister out of the book as of the one side we are tender of imputing sinnes to these that so joyne Vide infra hhhhh hhhhh To that part of the Directory which recommends the use of the Lords Prayer they did enter no dissent an Answer to the 32 Questions p. 55. By a Liturgie and forme of prayer we suppose you meane not a forme of private prayer composed for the help of the weaker as for a forme of prayer in generall we conceive your meaning cannot be of that for it is evident that many Preachers constantly use a set forme of prayer of their owne making before their Sermons with whom the people refuse not to joyne ibid. p. 59. Wee acknowledge the Lords Prayer and other formes set downe in Scripture may be lawfully used as prayers due cautions being observed Cottons pouring out of the spirit p. 10. Not that I would discourage any poore soule from praying on a Book for I think as we may sing Psalms on a Book so we may in some cases pray on a Book iiiii Vide supra s Also see the Petition of the Inhabitants of the Colony of the Sommer Islands p. 2. Our children die unbaptized our selves are deprived of the Lords Supper our daughters cannot be given in marriage kkkkk Plain Dealing p. 40. At New Plymouth Mr Chancey stands for dipping in Baptism only necessary lllll Cottons Catechism p. 4. What manner of men hath God appointed to be received as members of his Church Answ Such as doe willingly offer themselves first to the Lord and then to the Church by confessing of their sins c. mmmmm This wee heare is their ordinary practice at London nnnnn Vide supra Chap. 4. Q R ooooo Vide supra ibid. ppppp This is the Apologists common profession qqqqq This also they professe as a cleare consequent of the former rrrrr Cottons way p. 68. The Lords Supper we administer for the gesture to the people sitting according as Christ administred it to his Disciples sitting Matth. 20.26 who also made a symbolicall use of it to teach the Church their majority over their Ministers in some cases and their Iudiciall
authority as Cosessors with him at the last Iudgement Luk. 22.27 to 30. sssss For this the Apologists did plead as much and as sharply as any ttttt I have heard some of their chiefe men discourse publikely enough to this purpose wwwww Cottons Catechism p. 10. The body of the Church hath power from Christ to enquire and heare and assist in the judgement of all publike scandals xxxxx Vide supra Chap. 4. TT yyyyy Vide supra Chap. 6. tt zzzzz Answer to the 32 Quest p. 61. If it appeare they who dissent from the major part are factiously or partially carried the rest labour to convince them of their errour by the rule if they yeeld the consent of all comfortably concurreth in the matter if they still continue obstinate they are admonished and so standing under censure their vote is nullified aaaaaa Ibid. If the difference still continue the sentence is still demurred even till other Churches have beene consulted with if the Church or the Elders should refuse the Testimâ—ny of other Churches according to God they will deny them the right hand of Fellowship c. bbbbbb Short story p. 32. Then Mâ—stris Hutchinson kept open house for all commers and set up two Lecture dayes in the week when they usually met at her house three or fourscore persons the pretence was to repeat Sermons but when that was done she would comment upon the Doctrines and interpret all passages at her pleasure she did lay all that opposed her being neare all the Elders and most of the faithfull Christians in this Countrey under a Covenant of works to advance her Master-piece of immediate revelations wherin she had not failed of her aime to the utter subversion both of Churches and civill State if the Lord had not prevented it Ibid. p. 34. What say you to your weekly publike meetings Answ There were such meetings in use before I came we began it with five or six and though it grew to more in future time yet being tolerated at the first I knew not why it might not continue The Courts reply There were private meetings indeed and are still in many places of some few neâ—ghbours we allow you to teach younger women privately and upon occasion but that gives no warrant for such set meetings for that purpose neither do yee teach them that which the Apostle commands to keep at home cccccc Apologet. Nar. p. 19. To the Magistrate we give as much and aâ— we think more then the principles of the Presbyteriall Government will suffer them to yeeld dddddd Williams paper Prop. 2. That the Saints are not to submit to the powers of the world or worldly powers and that the powers and governments of the world have nothing to doe with them for civill misdemeanors these Governours must keep in their owne spheare as Whales not to govern Whales but other fishes Lions not to governe Lions but the beasts of the forrest Eagles not to governe Eagles but the other foules of the ayre eeeeee Mr Williams related to me that Mistris Hutchinson with whom he was familiarly acquainted and of whom he spake much good after she had come to Rid Island and her husband had beene made Governour there she perswaded him to lay downe his Office upon the opinion which newly she had taken up of the unlawfulnesse of Magistracy ffffff Bloody Tenet p. 135. Williams sets down these words of Cottons modell The proper meanes whereby the civill power may and should attaine its end are only politicall and principally these five First the erecting and establishing what forme of civill Government may seem in wisedome most meet according to the generall rules of the Word and state of the people upon these words Williams comments thus from this grant I inferre that the Soveraign originall and foundation of civill power lies in the people whom they must needs meane by the civill power distinct from the Government set up and if so that a people may erect and establish what forme of Government seems to them most meet for their civill condition it is evident that such Governments as are by them erected and established have no more power nor for no longer time then the civill power or people consenting and agreeing shall betrust them with This is cleare not only in reason but in the experience of all Common-weals where the people are not deprived of their naturall freedome by the power of Tyrants How right this Commentary is Mr Cottons own words will declare set downe p. 140. In a free State no Magistrate hath power over the Bodies Goods Lands Liberties of a free people but by their free consent and because free men are not free Lords of their owne estates but are only stewards under God therefore they may not give their free consents to any Magistrate to dispose upon their Bodies Lands and Liberties at large as themselves please but as God the Soveraigne Lord of all pleases and because the Word is a perfect rule as well of righteousnesse as of holinesse it will be therefore necessary that neither the people give consent nor that the Magistrate take power but according to the lawes of the Word gggggg Vide supra Chap. 5. E. hhhhhh Bastwicks Independency second part Postscript p. 65. It may evidently appeare that all the projects of the Independents in getting prime places by Sea and Land and in the Armies and in the Townes Cities Forts and Castles and all other places and in all Committees is only for the advancement and fomenting of their Faction and this I conceive to be the only cause of all the linsie-woolsie Committees through the Kingdom iiiiii Williams Examination pag. 4. After my publike triall one of the most eminent Magistrates stood up and spoke Mr Williams said he holds forth that it is not lawfull to call a wicked person to sweare to pray as being actions of Gods worship kkkkkk Vide supra Chap. 3. TT WW AAA kkkkkk 2 Lieutenant Generall Cromwells Letter to the Parliament from Bristoll As for being united in formes commonly called uniformity every Christian for peace sake would study and doe as farre as Conscience would permit and from Brethren in things of the minde we look for no compulsion but that of Light and Reason in other things God has put the sword into the Parliaments hands for the terrour of evill doers and the praise of them that doe well if any plead exemption from it he knowes not the Gospell llllll Vide supra Chap. 2. HHHHH IIIII KKKKK mmmmmm 1 Vide supra ibid. mmmmmm 2 Vide infra mmmmmm 3. mmmmmm 3 Cottons Modell of power in the Bloody Tenet p. 140. The Magistrate in making Lawes about civill and indifferent things in the Common-wealth First he hath no power given him of God to make what Lawes he pleases either in restraining from or constraining to the use of indifferent things because that which is indifferent in its nature may sometimes be inexpedient in its use and consequently