10. Heb. 10 â—â— 1 Pet. 2. 9. 1 Joh. 1. 7. 2 Joh. v. 10 11. Revel 2. 14 15 20. Chap 18. 4. and 19. 20. A remarkable Passage in the Vindication-Booke ANd if our Assembly and Ministers will but diligently preach against that Catalogue of scandalous sins and sinners they have presented to the Parliament and the Parliament prescribe severe Temporall Lawes and Punishments against them and appoint good Civill Magistrates to see them duly executed inflicted I am confident that this would work a greater Reformation in our Church and State in one halfe yeare then all the Church-Discipline and Censures now so eagerly contested for will do in an Age and will be the only true way and speediest course to reforme both Church and State at once which I hope the Parliament will consider of and take care that our Ministers like the Bishops formerly may not now be taken up with Ruling and Governing but Preaching and Instructing which is worke enough wholly to engrosse their time and thoughts FINIS LEt this Way of Peace and Reconciler among Brethren intituled The Smoke in the Temple more then ordinarily usefull in these times be printed Imprimatur IOHN BACHILER The Smoke in the Temple WHEREIN IS A DESIGNE FOR PEACE RECONCILIATION of Beleevers of the severall OPINIONS of these Times about ORDINANCES to a Forbearance of each other in Love and Meeknesse and Humility With the opening of each Opinion and upon what SCRIPTURES each is grounded With the severall EXCEPTIONS which may be made against each Opinion from the SCRIPTURES With one Argument for Liberty of Conscience from the NATIONALL CONVENANT With another Argument to prove the Gospell or New Testament of Iesus Christ the very Word of God Tendred to all the Beleeuers to shew them how little we have attained and there is a more glorious Fulnesse to be revealed With a Discovery of the Antichristian way of Peace c. for Opinions With a full Answer to Master LEY One of the Assembly of Divines against my late New Quaere With some spirituall Principles drawn forth of the Controversie Rev. 15. 8. And the Temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power and and no man was able to enter into the Temple till the seven plagues of the seven Angels were fulfilled By Iohn Saltmarsh Preacher of the Gospell at Brasteed in KENT THE THIRD EDITION Printed for Giles Calvert at the Signe of the Black Spread-Eagle at the West-End of S. PAULS 1646. To the Right Honourable the Lord Vicount SAY and SEALE and Lieutenant Generall CROMWEL Noble Patriots IF I mistake not you may here single out somthing of the Lords from what is mine and discerne some beames of God amongst many things of man I know the candle of the Lord cannot shine any where with more snuff then in me however since the Lord hath lighted it I dare not but let it shine or rather glimmer before men I have writ your Names to my Book that I may be one of your Remembrancers amongst the rest to the advancement of Truth not but they who know ye know ye to be acted by a Spirit of Truth in your selves The Lord remember ye according to all the good ye have done in your severall Ministrations to this people and do that for ye which gives you most and yet takes most from ye even filling ye with himself till he hath emptied ye of all but his own glory and gathered ye up into the fulnesse and righteousnesse of himselfe in Christ where we are only nothing in our selves and every thing in him and surely the most and best and greatest thing he can do for the sons of men is thus to make them nothing in their own account that he that glorieth may glory in the Lord. I may seeme strange to wish ye thus but I know it is not strange to ye who know the Mystery of the Spirit and of Christ My Lord and Sir Go on still yet still laying your designes in a glory above that of States and Kingdomes and involving all your Counsels there where there is most of Heaven and least of the world So praies Your Servant in the Lord IOHN SALTMARSH To the Beleevers of severall Opinions for outward Ordinances or dispensations scandalously called Independents Presbyterians Anabaptists Seekers Brethren I Have fairly set down how far each of you have attained in the Mystery of Truth and surely we are all short of the glory which shall be revealed in the Temple or Church of God and there are such clouds rolling about each opinion that may darken it or something of it So as things are not so cleare as they are commonly taken by each of us If any man think he knoweth anything he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know So as the common ignorance and infirmity amongst us may be a rise for a common Vnity amongst us and seeing we all come out of Babylon though in several waies to the glorious Temple or Tabernacle which God hath sent down to be with men and walk thus diversly thither yet our severall and distinct goings are but like so many Travellers to the City of London some travell from the North some from the South and from the West some from the East yet all thither though too there may be some mistaking of the way in each because of the little light that is abroad The gathering of the Saints into the Heaven or Kingdom below in this day of Revelation is like the gathering at the last day which shall be all into one glorious Body though the gathering shall be from the four winds or ends of the Earth by the severall Trumpets or Angels One thing I have more Let us seek for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to open to us the Mystery of the Scriptures called The Revelation for in that Book is the Prophecie of the Churches laid up and the seasons and times for Truth revealed Let us search and seek out by the Spirit of Iesus even that Iesus which was in the Vision and gave it out to Iohn for there is none found worthy to open the Book with Seals but the Lambe Surely in the Mystery of Angels Vials Sea of glasse with fire Temple with Smoke the Angell with the everlasting Gospell the Angell enlightning the Earth the Whore in skarlet and pretious pearles the Cup of abomination the Beast like a Lamb the Image of the Beast the Horus and Kings of the Earth the marke in the forehead and in the right hand the buying and selling the Tabernacle of God with men the first and second Resurrection the Ihronâ— of God the pure Chrystall River of water the Holy Ierusalem descending from God c. In these is much of the glory wrapped up and from these shall the Truth we contend for appeare to our further enlightning Yet one thing more We that are thus contenders for Ordinances for the Temple and the Vessels in it let us
of Master Goodwyns and Master Nye not so pleasant as true The Clergie had at first the golden ball of government amongst themselves and it is not much mended any where but in that Church where the people have their Interests as well as others they are the Clergie properly a notion which the Ministers got only to themselves till of late The interest of the people in Christs Kingdom is not only an interest of complyancy and obedience and submission but of consultation of debating counselling prophesying voting c. and let us stand fast in that liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free Presbytery it self is founded on Principles of separation which yet they condemn for Schism in other Churches nay is the greatest separation VVHat is a Presbytery over Congregations or a Congregation but a Church gathered out of a Church Nay is not that the only Church and the remainder of people made but an accessory or something of another kind or rather the Nation or Kingdom which is only subject to this power supream And though Presbytery be but a Church-gathering and founded on a Principle of seperation yet do they not disapprove and condemn seperation and semi or halfe-seperation and Church-gathering for Schism c When their own power is a Schism respectively to the Parishes that are distinct and whatever distinction is formed to make them appear as part of their Congregations yet is it indeed so Is not their whole power defended to be entirely essentially dispensatively in the Presbytery called by themselves the Church and by the very authority of one whom I name with reverence to his learning and moderation Master Herle So as I wonder why there should be such envyings raylings accusings dissentings betwixt us that are beleevers though of severall waies when as each is principled founded administred upon the same ground and way of Schism seperation and Church-gathering nay the Presbytery hath more Schism and separation in it then the rest by how much it is constituted from the people and Brethren and Acts in its ministration apart too viz. over the people rather then with them None to be forced under Christs Kingdom as in the Kingdoms of the world IN a Spirituall Government the ignorance of people which some would have for expedition that they may practically know it is no Scripture way of knowing in practicall godlinesse things must be known before practically known and practice is to begin from faith and faith from knowledge else the obedience can be but blind mixt and Popish Indeed in things civill or morall practice may bring in knowledge habits may be acquired and gotten by Acts a man may grow temperate by practising temperance and civilly obedient by practising civill obedience but it is not so in spirituals there habits go before acts spirituall infusions before practices Indeed the Laws of States and Kingdoms and Civill Policy teach men best by ruling them practically but it is not so in the Church men are not to be forced into Christs Kingdom as into the Kingdoms of the world the Kings of the Nations exercise their Dominion it shall not be so among you The power of a formall Râ—formation in a Government makes it not Christs Government A Government though not purely Christs may be made up of such Scripture and prudentiall materials as may much reform the outward man even as a meer prudentiall Civill-Government may do if severely executed The Romans by how much they excelled other Nations in Laws so much the more they excelled them in a people reformed moralized and civilized in many Civill States meerly from their wholsome Policy and administration excellent and precious flowers spring up many morall vertues as prudence temperance obedience meeknesse love justice fortitude Yet all this makes not a Government to be Christs but only that which is meerly the Discipline of Christ and Policie of Christ Prelacie in its Primitive time did reforme the beast like a lamb which compelled the Nations to Worship and made even fire to come down from Heaven or was religious in the eyes of men and did miracles yet was no true nor heavenly Power neither There are certain parts and degrees of Reformation common and communicable with the Government of Christ and other Governments but then there is a forme and Image of Christ in it which no others have and some certain spirituall operations and workings which exceed the power of all other Governments and this makes the difference and puts on the essentiall true and individuall forme upon it so as in choyce of Governments they are not to be chosen by some Summer fruit in the outward man but by the Word and Spirit The visible Church or Communion is the Image of the invisible or mysticall THe invisible or mysticall Church is made up of pure living stones all is spirituall and yet all not spirituall in the like kind nor degree Jesus Christ the corner stone is both God and man and some of his differ in glory as one Star differs from another and as it is here in this spirituall invisible glorious building so it is in the outward visible Communion below or building here which is the Image of that above The Temple here is acording to the Patern there and as that is of true reall essentially spirituall living stones so the Church here is to consist of such as visibly formally and outwardly appeare so and therefore called Saints and golden Candlesticks and holy Natio c. And though all the materials in this building are to be proportionable and pure to make up a representative of the Church above yet all is not of one square and measure and polishing some are greater and some lesse some Babes and children in Christ some smoaking Flax and bruised Reeds And as this Church bears the Image of the heavenly so the mateâ—â—â—ll one bore the Image of this there was pâ—ne stones gold and Cedar so as there is room in the Church now for any small stone or the least peece of timber if it be but lively or squared if Cedar or Firrâ— How Christ is a King of the Nations and of the Church and how an Head CHrist is a King to the Nations and to the Church nor doth he rule the Nations as the Church nor the Church as the Nations he rules ministerially in his Church and Monarchically in the Nations he rules with a goldâ—n Scepter in his Church with an iron Rod in the Nations Nor doth Christ rule as the Kings of the Nations who finding people rude barbarous uncivill subdue them into obedience and civility but so doth not Christ in his Church that we know on the dispenâ—ation of his Word not of the Government first â—ubdues And it is true Christ is an Head but not an Head to every body he will have a body proportionable to his Head both here and hereafter in earth as well as in heaven he is a pure holy glorious Head in his Gospel-dispensation and
and severall Colours in wars whereby men are gathered into severall Orders Armies and bodies of division one against another one saith I am of Paul and I of Apollo and I of Cephas Is Christ divided 3 Passions and railings forborn Let a spirit of meeknesse run in the arterie of Preaching and Printing Let not passions evill speaking railings which inflame and doe not edefie be heard amongst us the angry stir up strife wherefore let all bitternesse wrath malice with evill speaking be put away from you 4 Reviling each other for infirmities forborn Let there be no rifling into each others infirmities to the advantaging or disadvantaging the cause What is any thing of the man to the thing it self What is ones darknesse to the light he professes Any ones errours to a single truth There is rubbish enough every where if swept from every corner 5 The sins of any not to be laid on the Cause Let not the miscarriages the failings the sins the hypocrisie c. of any that professe a Truth with others be charged upon the Truth he or they professe making such sins to be the sins of opinion not of the Person as one of late who hath charged the unfortunate end of one as a fruit of seperation whereas he might so argue against the very Doctrine of Christ because of one Iudas who did the like to himself 6 Liberty for Printing and speaking Let there be liberty of the Presse for Printing to those that are not allowed Pulpits for Preaching let that light come in at the window which cannot come in at the doore that all may speak and write one way that cannot another let the Waters of the Sanctuary have issue and spring up Vallies as well as Mountains 7 Let all subscribe their names to what they Print Let all that Preach or Print affixe their names that we may know from whom the contrary is a kind of unwarrantable modesty at the best if it be truth they write why doe they not own it if untruth why doe they write Some such must either suppresse themselves for shame or fear and they that dare not own what they doe they suspect the Magistrate or themselves 8 Let all be severally accountable Let all that Teach or Print be accountable yet in a severall way if it be matter of immediate disturbance and trouble to the State let them account for it to the Magistrate under whom we are to live a peaceable and quiet life if matter of Doctrine c. let them be accountable to the Beleevers and Brethren who are offended by conference where there may be mutuall conviction and satisfaction 9 Free Debates and open Conferences Let there be free debates and open conferences and communication for all and of all sorts that will concerning difference in spirituals where doores are not shut there will be no breaking them open so where debates are free there is a way of vent and evacuation the stopping of which hath caused more troubles in the States then any thing for where there is much new wine in old bottles the working will be such as the Parable speaks on still allowing the State to secure all tumults or disturbances 10 Let us call Beleevers though of severall opinions if the Name Brethren cannot be justly allowed Let all who pretend to come out of the Antichristian State be acknowledged as those severall Iewes and Christians who came out of Iudaism and Gentilism in the Apostles times some were more and some lesse zealous of the Law yet all Beleevers some made conscience of the Idoll and sacrifice some not 11 No Beleevers to esteeme too highly of themselves for what they attain to Because we are but yet commings out of Babylon and the fall of Babylon not yet the Smoke yet in the Temple the Angels but powring out the Vials the Angell that enlightens the earth with glory not yet flying through the heavens let not any account of themselves to have attained any thing yet as they ought or to know there is not any Church or Beleevers but if one see more of one truth another may see more of another if one see one thing for a truth another sees another thing for a truth and yet all see short of the fulnesse of truth there is so much want darknesse and so little light or glory in each as is rather matter of humiliation and praise then glorying and exception one against another If any man thinke he knoweth any thing he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know 1 Cor. 8. 2. 12 No assuming infallibility over each other Let us not being under no further degree of the revelation of Truth and comming out of Babylon assume any power of infallibility to each other so as to force up all to our light or degree of knowing or practising for there lies as much on one side for compulsion as on another respectively to one another for anothers evidence is as darke to me as mine to his and mine to his as his to me till the Lord enlighten us both for discerning alike So as when there is no power in us to make that appeare to another which appeares to us there can be no reasonable equity for any inforcing or compelling in spirituals The first great rent betwixt the Eastern and Western Kingdomes began when the Bishop of Rome would needs excommunicate the East for not beleeving as they beleeved 13 No Civill Power drawn into advantages Let not those Beleevers who have the advantage of the Magistrate strive to make any unwarrantable use of it one against another because Scripture principles are not so cleare for it and because they know not the revolution of Providence and we are to do as we would be done to That very day which should have been a bloudy day to the Iewes was turned into the contrary Esther and the Jewes had power over them 14 Tendernesse in offending each other in things of an outward nature Let there be much tendernesse in not offending each other but pleasing one another to edification Paul would not offend the Idolatrous weak The weakest and most superstitious makes most conscience of outward things and the strong should know that Idoll or Idoll-Temple is nothing Many a one are more offended at Truth by the carriage of another who sometimes reformes with as much superstition as the other offends It is as much below the glory of the Gospell to thinke one place unholy as holy No place can defile now Salomons Temple is not standing yet let all Truth be brought forth peaceably Truth and Peace can offend nothing but that which may be justly offended which is the corruption not the person 15 Severall Opinions from the Gospels first discovery yet all Beleevers Consider the differences and severall Opinions from the first discovery of the Gospell Some beleeved not Christs sufferings and Resurrection as the Disciples whom yet Christ took to