and thus saluted him I will not reckon thee among Christians unlesse I see thee in the church among them Let these men take home this judgement and see how they can digest it The third degree is preferring private before publicke worship If they can say they read pray at home though they reade but their owne indictment and pray for their owne punishment in the neglect of Gods rule in assembling they think all is well and conscience is wel enough satisfied But these are enemies to the honor of God to their owne good and to the good of others God is most honoured in the service of assemblies therefore David vowed to give thanks to God in a great congregation He knew that this advanced Gods honour most Our owne good surely shall be greater in assemblies the Lord loves the gates of Sion where publick worship was more then all the dwellings of Iudah and certainely where his love is there are best meanes for our good Besides wee come to seek that which is lost or ready to dye and when many seeke there is more hope of finding Therfore when God was turned away from favour the people were appointed to blow the trumpet in Sion to gather together that they might be more successeful Lastly the profit of others by our examples will be more conspicuous in assemblies our light will there best shine before men For this end was Solamons brazen scaffold in the midst of the court and Ioash stood by the pillar as the manner was It is true that others examples in doing worse must not weaken us in doing better Though Israel play the harlot yet let not Iudah sin we must not follow a multitude to do evill much lesse must ye follow some Examples are not the rule which we should follow If they be good they cleare a law they doe not make it Following of others cannot help us in the day of account I have done as others will be a poore plea. The three and twenty thousand were not helped by the thousand Princes who were their leaders to their destruction But yet if our examples be good in acts of assembling and worship according to Gods rule then will others profit bee helped as by the contrary it will bee much hindered The last degree whereby prophane persons withdraw from our assemblies is not coming with the first and not staying with the last David would not bee guilty he desired to bee a doorekeeper who was first in and last out Hee knew not how better to professe himselfe to be a seeker of God early and to stand in neede of all the acts of worship from the first humbling for a blesssing and craving of it to the last giving of it and thus should it bee with us Wee must come with the first Cornelius and his friends and servants waited for Peter They prevented him that nothing might fall from his ministery untaken up The cripple waited for the moving of the waters at the descending of the angel so must all Gods willing people at the places of assembling Wee must also stay with the last Even the Prince shall bee in the midst of the people in the temple he shal go in when they go in and when they go forth they shall go forth together The Jewes and Gentiles at Antiochia continued in publicke service till the congregation was dissolved And though Zachary stayed long in the middle temple yet the people would not depart without the blessing which the Priest must give If any doe otherwise without necessity they withdraw from our assemblings and are in a way of forsaking SECT 4. 2 The forsakers of our assemblies that would be accounted godly and first of their name THere are others who would bee accounted truely religious who forsake the assembling of our selves together and these have a name of pride and a name of justice The name of pride which they take to themselves is separatists They read sometimes in the scriptures of separation especially when Paul saith according to the prophet come out from among them and be ye separate And when they doe not wisely observe our state which is not to be separated from but see with full contentment their owne vaine separation they will needs glory in the name of Separatists as others doe of catholickes The name of Justice is Brownists which though they love not to heare of because Browne after his platforme of a new way of advancing Christs kingdome upon wiser thoughts returned from them yet how justly they must retaine that name may appeare in that which followes Wee reade of five introductions to this schisme before it was raised to the height it now hath height I say in mold and opinion not in members which have beene so few this sixteene hundred yeares and more that we may demonstratively say it is a brat of mans braine not a child of Christ that so long growes not at all First about two hundred fifty three yeares after Christ wee reade of one Novatus wo first lived under Cyprian next at Rome Hee being willing to get himselfe a name denied repentance to them that had denied Christ thorough heat of persecution though out of feare Yea he denied repentance to believers who after baptisme fell into any grosse sinne After by a strong ambition hee had indeavoured to bee a Bishop and was disappointed he led many poore soules into his sect who because they thought themselves better then other christians upon the former conceits called themselves Cathari or Puritanes These suffered their ebbe and flow for a time as pride and humility tooke turnes I am sure that your forsakers will not childe it from such a father Here was a separation from the unitie of the church but they will not have it theirs Secondly about three hundred thirty and one yeares after Christ or as some write something lower wee read of one Donatus who not being able to make his party good against Cecilianus his Bishop took stomach and drew a strong party after him for a time They had this pretense for their separation that the wicked did defile the good in the communion of the sacraments They accounted the church to bee no where but in Africk amongst themselves They judged their time to bee the harvest of the church they being a choise remnant like a little wheat in much chaffe If they were pressed to conformity by the authority of the Emperour they cried out what hath the Emperour to doe with the church Being asked how they could prove that they onely were the church They replied from the wonders of Donatus from their prayers heard at the sepulchers of the Donatists and from the visions and dreames of the members of their church They accounted sacraments holy onely when administred by holy persons They account no true baptisme but in their church and therefore they rebaptized
reconciled from the heart God will not be reconciled unto him hee shall into the prison till he hath paid the utmost farthing But it may be said how shall I be assured that upon my brothers submission and mine and my witnesses acceptance that his bond of guilt shall be loosed by God From Christs promise that if two shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall aske it shall bâ— done for them to their brethren of my Father which is in Heaven Thus Saint Basil of old If two shall aske by consent it shall be done what this meaneth the processe of the place shewes saith he for immediately before Christ speaketh of him that reproveth his brother and him that is reproved and If he that be reproved be grieved for his fault and be joyned with the reprover in the same minde the pardon which is asked shall be granted from our most gracious God This I alledge as I could in this cause many other not because they like it but because they may know that this sense is not a new one of my owne I know that they runne a new and uncharitable way for when they reade that Christ promiseth not doing for them that aske except they agree on earth they peremptorily conclude that they ought not to pray with them that doe not consent with them in their opinions Therefore would they neither pray with me nor suffer me to pray with them to our good God to lead us us into the way of truth nor will they pray with their owne wives and children though never so pious if they doe not meet in the same center of conceits Yea but say they all the Text before must be understood of publike Church scandals because of Christs promise Where two or three be gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them which is ever applyed to publike meetings It is true it is so applyed and so may and must For it holds strongly that iâ— Christ be present with private persons who agree in building up one another in charity much more is he present in publike conventions where faith climbes hope rootes charity flames and zeale burnes up corruption when they are well used But yet this proves not but that here Christ may treate of private scandals as the whole context shewes and may incourage brotherly prayers one for another in peace because Christ is present with them But all this is but a flash to them yet for this text must needes bee a rule of their perfect discipline in the body of their members because the Apostle blames the whole church of Corinth for not casting out of the incestuous person That this is no perfect rule of discipline may appeare to any man that will consider that heere is no direction to proceed against sins against God or others but onely against thee thee Heere is no excommunication ordained for it is not said put him out from among you but let him bee to thee for seeking further remedy Lastly heere is no determining power given to the church for the party offended is principall to admonish tell fine The church is not to excommunicate but to turne the offender over to the offended party let him be to thee not to us yea the church is not to call him by summons but to expect the plaintiffes comming and moreover if heere were a perfect rule it might fall out that two or three men yea women pretending to bee gathered in Christs name might cast out whole congregations for not consenting unto them And for that place to the Corinths where Saint Paul is charged to countenance this their new parish discipline because hee blamed the Corinthians that the incestuous person was not cast out I answer hee might have had just cause to blame them if hee had committed any such thing to their trust by devolving his authority to them but that hee did not yet put over his authority to them in body appeares divers waies First though the power of governement in respect of use belong to the whole church for benefit that where the fact is notorious the law might be notorious too so as the whole church may bee witnesse of the doome when they are gathered together yet in regard of the possession for managing of it it belongs onely to the Pastors and chiefe Bishops For when Christ made that promise of binding and loosing to his disciples hee did not make it to them as Apostles properly for it is no such personall priviledge as not to descend It is needefull for the church in all ages therefore not tyed to any Neither did he make it unto them as the body of christians for when hee made good his promise hee tells us that hee sent and inspired them and after both these gave this commission of binding and loosing but hee sent not all nor inspired all as he signified by breathing upon the Apostles But he did it to them as pastors and chiefe Bishops and so to men of office for the use and comfort of the church for ever And terrour of ungodly men Secondly the persons to whom this authority of perpetuall governement of the church in ecclesiasticall way was committed were the chief Pastours as Bishops were anciently called therefore if Paul had fixed the blame in that particular upon any it would have been upon the Angel and chiefe overseer of that church For Paul and Christ are not of a severall spirit and judgement in church-discipline Thirdly if therefore Paul blame any for this it is under the whole church those that by office were to redresse these outrages and to see to the holinesse charity and comelinesse of that church But lastly if wee looke into the words more narrowly wee shall finde the true fault that hee blamed the church of Corinth for They had a common fame of such a wickednesse committed amongst them that the Gentiles by the light of nature did abhorre Paul having as yet supreame power ecclesiasticall under Christ in his owne hand and for ought we know not having setled a Bishop in highest church governement as in Ephesus Creta Asia did expect from them woefull complaints of this disorder that hee might have directed theÌ„ accordingly for the taking of it away from among them with the author of it But they were so farre from this that they were puffed up with their owne gifts and lamented not that wickednesse that raigned among them that by dâ—e course it might bee removed This therefore is that which the Apostle blameth in the Corinthians Therefore that hee may shew them that they are not so much to admire themselves as to take off their eyes from the great faults committed against them and that they are to lament and doe their best that such wicked persons might be taken away from among them and not thrust out in a crowd the Apostle doth three things
ascension Christ had a true Church before Deacons were thought of Put case Bishops did no hurt this way yet they impose oathes upon good men to accuse themselves say they which is against the law of nature justice and religion Certainely nature is for the preservation of the whole body and head and so is justice and religion too If therefore such oathes are for the maintenance of the head and body in publicke peace and tranquility why they may not stand with nature justice and religion I cannot see If one man bee intrusted with another mans goods which perish and he pretend that it be dead or stolne then saith the law an oath of the Lord shall bee betweene them and the loser shal accept it or the wronger shal make restitution What is heere but an imposing an oath upon a man to accuse or excuse himselfe If a man trespassed against his neighbour an oath was to be layed upon him to cause him to sweare before the altar in Gods house yea and if any person were concealed from the King he tooke an oath of the kingdome and nation that they found him not as Obadiah saith to Elijah what is heere againe but an oath imposed to excuse or to accuse a mans selfe And what doe our Bishops more then thus If Iacob bound Esau by an oath to secure that which he had bought of him If Salomon bound Shimeâ— by an oath to his confinement in Ierusalem because hee knew hee had a wicked heart against governement from his grievous curse against David to secure his peace why may not our Bishops having law in their hand secure the rights of the Church and peace of the state by the like oath also How is it possible that the Church and state can ever live securely when false brethren come in privily to bring us into bondage when they creep into houses and lead captive simple women when certaine men creep in unawares whose words eate as doth a canker being closely conveyed and having secret operations upon weake spirits I say how is it possible to bee safe from thâ—se but by the oath of God to make them manifest Aâ— when treason is detected suspected presumed or fained I hope no man thinke it unfit that the king who is worth tenne thousand of us should be secured by an oath though it bee to the losse of thousands of lives so nor I thinke can they judge it unfit that the Church the spouse of Christ should be secured of her rights and peace by an oath though thousands doe suffer in goods and liberty by it But say they if Bishops may be excused in former things yet can they not in the base usage of the censure of excommunication I am yet glad that they doe so highly account of it for it is a fearefull censure indeed when men by it are separated from publike Communion and fellowship with Christ in his ordinances of salvation and so bound and held under the guilt of sinne Too many doe too highly esteeme it and because some zealous men in former times have called the Excommunication of the Pope and his clergy when it was whetted against grace and the true worship of God a woodden dagger therefore they think that they may doe the like against ours Why not say the Brownists seeing the Bishops doe ingrosse it to themselves when it is a common power to the whole Church They doe use it no otherwise than Paul who while hee kept that key in his owne hands by his owne spirit and authority cast out the incestuous person as I have said before Nay they doe not ingrosse it to themselves for they doe denounce it according to Canons and rules which are made in Synods and convocations of Bishops and Presbyters gathered by the authority of their Princes But say they they are decreed by Chancellors Commissaries and Officials By them indeed as servants to the Lawes and Canons of the Church under their jurisdiction for execution For the censures are not referred to them or any but according to Lawes and Constitutions which they are sworn to execute justly and impartially I thinke that they cannot blame this service of theirs if they consider the originall First Bishops judged ecclesiasticall causes in person under which burthen they groaned and the Church was deprived of other comforts Then when causes increased by the increase of the Church and all ordinary cases were ruled by the canons of Counsels there was lesse need of Bishops presence And when matters of Tythes Testamentary and Matrimoniall by the favour of Princes were referred to Ecclesiasticall cognisance then such assistants were ordained as by such study and industry were usefull to serve the Church under Bishops and what hurt is here Sweet servants indeed say they who having this spirituall Sword in their hands doe thus abuse it Doe we not see indulgences and pardons by their absolutions and suspensions of processes flye abroad for money in their commutations and purse penances As for Indulgences they are of two sorts Papall and Evangelicall the Pope grants them out of Papall authority by way of mitigation of these satisfactions we owe to God these we abhorre and disclaime as impious But in our Church they are granted upon repentance and promise of amendment by way of mitigation of that satisfaction wee owe to men offended by us Of these Paul doth speake sufficient to such a man is this punishment yee ought to forgive him lest he be swallowed up with too much sorrow And if this be not regulated aright the fault is in persons not in this good order It is true that this is granted when offenders doe but say to them I am sorry I repent I will doe it no more which though it be not enough to take off the merit of sinne before God yet is it enough to take off the censure of excommunication For this is a sure rule that that which is enough to constitute an outward member of the visible Church is enough to admit a wounded member into the outward priviledges of it And for purse penances and commutations of which you speake let it be considered that it hath some ground in the Word of God For if there may bee a commutation by the purse for murther as ye may see in the law of the owners Oxe killing a man as I have said why not for lesse matters when it is well regulated Yea but say they doe we not see more abominations yet Is not power by their dispensing of Excommunications taken from Churches to remove scandals and purge out wicked livers to the annoyance of the Kingdome of Christ Put case wee had not power to remove scandals must they therefore separate If they abstained from the approbation of sinne and labored to supply the defect of this power by holinesse of life might they not thus judge the world
of the church requires to excommunicate and receive in and to order all things in their assemblies for the advancement of Christs kingdome without the leave or restraint of any Fourthly it must assemble for acts of governement and solemne worship without which it is but a shadow that is it must meete in their meeting places to pray preach prophecy baptize and communicate as the spirit gives wisedome and utterance Now because they finde not our churches thus made up according to their owne fansies therefore doe they forsake them as false or at the least no true churches This is their new way of churching and unchurching of assemblies so farre as I can gather by their conferences and writings and they judge of our assemblies after this mould I hope they will not deny us to have assemblies or to be separate from Iewes Turkes Pagans Idolaters and wicked Belialists in communion for spirituall life by Christ that wee have authority and power for ordination excommunication absolution and order or that wee have assemblies for governement and solemne worship and for the rest of the frame it is but the issue of their owne braine and not of the law and rule of Christ For first whereas they would have no nationall churches but particular in dependent congregations they must confesse that the whole nation of Israel was but one church And though then they had but one Tabernacle yet when after they were divided into severall Synagogues did they not continue the only church of God were they not still reputed of God as one man though some were better and more worse It is true say they because they had but one high-priest a figure of Christ which was to vanish Nay rather because they were but one people and common-wealth professing the same religion and ruled by the same lawes both before they had one high-priest and after when by corruption they had two Neither was the high-priest in respect of governement a type of Christ for so was Melchizedech of whose order Christ was and not after the order of Aaron but in respect of his sacrifice and intercession for the whole people and his enterance alone into the holy of holies bearing the names of the twelve tribes and Christs governement belongs to his kingdome not to his priest-hood Besides must they not confesse that that one church of the nation of Jewes was governed by one law and one king one law for the substance of governement and one king to order both priests and people and that not as a type of Christ but as a king by royall authority as head of the tribes as I shal cleare hereafter Yea doe wee not reade of the church of Ephesus which was one house of God over which Timothy was the first angell and Bishop as it comes to us from oldest records to rule all Presbyters Deacons Widowes and people in their severall assemblies For how fond were it to thinke that all the Elders Deacons and believers that Paul gives him Jurisdiction over there should be of one assembly Especially seeing Titus his fellow-Bishop was left in Creta to ordeine elders and oversee them in every city according to the necessity of severall assemblies Secondly whereas they urge that a true church must be separate from all false waies it is true it must be thus in profession when they are plainely discovered by undoubted scriptures but that it must be actually thus or be unchurched is utterly false Israel was Gods people when the sonnes of Eli in communion with them were sonnes of Belial and knew not the Lord. Moses calls them Gods people even when they were not separated from Idolatry because he had no authority to cast them off before God himselfe had given a bill of divorce God by Esay calls the Jewes his children and people when they were so farre from being separated from rulers of Sodome rebellious Princes companions of theeves that they had such teachers as caused them to erre such women as were full of hellish pride such rich men as were cruell oppressours such inhabitants as the earth was defiled under them and such a face of the church as the faithfull city was become an harlot with their oakes and gardens of idolatrie ready to bring confusion Paul calls the Corinthians a church of God saints by calling when at that instant many in communion with them had debates envyings whisperings wraths strifes backbitings swellings tumults and had not repented of the uncleannesse fornication and lasciviousnesse which they had committed Read the epistles of Christ to the seven churches in Asia and yee shall finde much abominable wickednesse and yet they were crowned by Christ himselfe with the name of churches If the Brownists plead that these churches should have beene separated Indeed they should have better then they were and because they were not they after felt the heavie hand of God but that the good should have fallen out with God for the sinne of man and beene separated from the good things of God for the wickednesse of those that were in outward communion of christianity that we no where nor ever I am sure shall read Thirdly whereas they plead that every particular congregation hath sufficient power by generall vote of members in all causes ecclesiasticall I must wonder before answere what have the people all the members power of jurisdiction over all What new scripture hath ever Christ made for this confusion Surely we finde it not before the law for then power of governement lay upon Adam Noah Abraham Isaack Iacob Ioseph and their peeres Surely it was not under the law for then power of governement lay upon Moses and his assistants even by the advice of Iethro and upon Aaron to whom the people must assent The law was delivered to the priests and elders and they were charged to looke to the rest It is as sure also that it is not under the Gospel The people attempted nothing but by the liking leave and approbation of the Apostles The Apostles ordeined elders in every city for the people without them and conferred with the elders of the church for the good of their assemblies without the people yea and upon consultation did decreâ— a matter for the peace of the church without them when their gifts were at the height It is true that sometimes the people were acquainted with some great matter in counsell not because they had authority without which the Apostles and elders could doe nothing but to acquâ—int them with reasons and to incourage them in their graces Thus Bishop Cyprian sometimes did and sometimes superiours do require the assent of inferiours for better peace and love And that the people had no authority in governing the church appeares by the commission of Christ to his Apostles and those that should succeed them goe yee saith Christ and teach and baptise
the full advantage of their plea. But if all this were true it doth not follow that wee are not the true ministers of Christ nor that our Church is not his true Church Not the first because that exposition of Christs words is their owne and not Christs If Christ had said unto us that hee would have such a governement erected in every parish then wee should dishonour our master and rob Gods people not to preach it Others have with prayer care and conscience looked upon those words of Christ as well as they and yet some finde in that Church mentioned by Christ onely the Iewish Sanhedrim some the Pope and his conclave some the presbytery of mixt elders some the consistory of preaching elders and some Bishops and superintendents who have the highest oversight to punish Church scandals under the Magistrates under whom they live But these men as if they would exclude other mens discourses and binde up their consciences to their interpretations will have their meaning to be the true sence and no other Neither doth it follow that our Church is not the true Church of Christ What though-something that Christ hath commanded to be observed be not taught nor observed doth it therefore follow that such a Church is not his What Christian is there that hath all Christs observations taught in every congregation where hee comes or if hee have them all doth observe and doe them as he ought And yet I hope he may be a true Christian and saved in the day of Christ As in a Christian wee must observe what gives him saving fellowship with Christ to wit Repentance from dead workes and Faith unfained and how he walketh worthy of this fellowship in the way of life to wit by deniall of himselfe taking up of the crosse and following Christ so farre that no wilfull nor deliberate sinne raigne in him and then though he do not observe every outward forme and rule yet I hope Christ may be his Christ and he Christs member to life So in a church must we observe what gives it true ecclesiasticall fellowship with Christ to wit the Apostles doctrine and fellowship breaking of bread and praier and then if it professe to know these and to continue in them so far as it is come though it observe not every thing that other men thinke it should yet I hope it is a true church of Christ But say they we have not the Apostles doctrine and fellowship for want of this popular governement Let them prove once that this is any part of the Apostles doctrine and fellowship Indeed they tell us as before that Christ said goe tell the Church and so forth but how this Last serves their feet comes next to bee discussed If this church were every congregation and if one man may bind and loose it is certaine the whole congregation may doe so also and so have the greatest power of church governement in their owne hand but whether the text will conclude for such power is the thing in question Learned men of most ages have much looked upon that text and have applied it either by way of allusion or properly to church discipline some way or other Some churches in this last age have looked upon it fully and as they thinke have squared an exact discipline according to it though I cannot finde that they cut their course fully according to their owne sence Some particular persons finding this to bee the strongest hold for that new discipline have sought to overthrow it so as utterly to roote out excommunication from the church and others finding the good use of that censure for the well being of the church have beene as eagar to maintaine this hold But discipline and that censure hath hold strong enough from other texts though that of Christ bee set in its proper sence For when wee looke to that promise of Christ to his disciples in the name of Peter and how he made it good to his Apostles lay together the rules practises of the apostles especially in the epistles to the Corinthians and to Timothy which last are spent in rules for the well ordering of the governing and the governed we shall find ground sufficient for church governement either in patterne or precept generall or speciall though we suffer this text to appear in its own colors Let me tell them then that as Paul saith Forbeare one another and forgive one another if any man have a quarrel or complaint against any so Christ in that chapter gives a remedy against private contentions This is plaine to everie eye that is not wilfully blinded that Christ in that chapter tells of the danger of scandals and thereupon he gives a double direction first to live so as not to give scandal to others and secondly to carry themselves aright to others that give scandal to them and that all this is to bee referred to private offences the unbroken course of the chapter shewes as Saint Basil hath observed many hundred yeares agoe That which moved Christ to this discourse was the present state of the Iewish disciples under the Romane Empire The Romanes had no governement over them and the authority of their edlers was much diminished For many of the Iewes became servants to the Romanes as their Publicanes to gather in their tribute such were Zacheus yea and Matthew These were freed from the authority of the Iewes as all other Iewes were that were freemen of Rome which made Paul when hee saw oppression before him to appeale to Caesar and to plead that he was free borne This was a great vexation to the Iew in recovering of right and defending himselfe from wrong Therefore Christ to moderate the Iewes passions arising one against another directs them what course to take you must not deale saith hee one with another presently as with Publicanes Heathens who are out of Iewish power and cannot bee impleaded any where but before a Romane barre but to cut off al differences betwixt you and your brethren yee must proceed in a gentle way Why what must they doe If thy brother a Iew shall trespasse against thee a Iew right thy selfe by degrees First deale with him fraternally according to the rule of charity tel him his fault betweene thee and him alone If that will doe no good to gaine him then secondly deale with him legally take with the one or two more that may heare the difference convince him of errour and perswade him to peace for this is Moses law that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word bee established If that will not yet bring him home then thirdly deale with him Iewishly tell it unto the Church complaine to the Sanhedrim tell the seventy elders who sit yet by Gods approbation to heare harder causes and to decide greater doubts against peace and charity If yet hee bee