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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30650	A vindicaton of churches, commonly called Independent, or, A briefe answer to two books the one, intituled, Twelve considerable serious questions, touching church-government, the other, Independency examined, unmasked, refuted, &c. : both lately published by William Prinne ... / Henry Burton ...	Burton, Henry, 1578-1648.	1644 (1644)	Wing B6176; ESTC R20892	61,118	78

A VINDICATION OF CHURCHES COMMONLY CALLED INDEPENDENT OR A BRIEFE ANSVVER to two Books the one intituled Twelve considerable serious Questions touching CHURCH-GOVERNMENT The other INDEPENDENCY examined unmasked refuted c. Both lately published by WILLIAM PRINNE of LINCOLNES-Inne Esquire By HENRY BURTON a Brother of his and late Companion in Tribulation MAT. 10. 34 35 36. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth I came not to send peace but a sword For I am come to set a man at variance against his father and the daughter against her mother and the daughter in law against her mother in law And a mans foes shall be they of his owne houshold If any man will come after me let him deny himselfe and take up his crosse daily and follow me Luk. 9. 23. The second Edition Entred and printed according to Order LONDON Printed for Henry Overton in Popes-head Alley 1644. To Mr. WILLIAM PRINNE c. MY deare Brother and late companion in tribulation you propound your twelve Questions to all sober minded Christians cordially affecting a speedy setled Reformation and brotherly Christian union in all the Churches as you write in Front and myselfe being one of these and no other you shall find me doe with the right hand take your Propositions as made to me among the rest craving your leave to returne you a brotherly Answer And brotherly in nothing more then by a candid and Christian dealing with you all along and that also in a matter of such high moment as concernes the kingdome and glory of Jesus Christ The zeale whereof is that alone which puts me upon this task it being otherwise far beyond my thoughts that you and I having been fellow-sufferers and spectacles to the world upon that tragicall stage of Antichristian tyranny should ever come upon the Theatre as Antagonists one against the other about the Kingdome of Jesus Christ But surely as an Antagonist against you I come not but in the bowells of a brother And had not the Book had your name in the Front my stomack had not stooped so low as to take it up or downe But because most men are apt to take all upon trust where they find Mr. Prinnes name engaged and the Cause being so precious as it hath by right taken up my whole heart to become an Advocate to plead the excellency of it I could not though the meanest of all but for the love of Christ constraining me and by his grace assisting undertake this taske Otherwise unwilling in hoc ulcere esse unguis as the Roman Orator said in another case And this Answer was brought to the birth soone after yours but it wanted a Midwife whereof you have plenty And I have had many interruptions Nor am I so quick of foot as you But I may say as Ierome once to young Augustin Bos lassus fortiùs figit pedem And so in the spirit of love I come to your Booke A VINDICATION OF CHURCHES COMMONLY CALLED INDEPENDENT YOu are for a speedy accomplishment of a Reformation And so am I and so our late Covenant taken binds every man to begin with himselfe and those under him and each to prevent other in the worke But yet this is sooner said then done For * shall a Nation be borne at once Shall a corrupt prophane polluted Land not yet washed from her old superstitions not yet wained from the Aegyptian fleshpots not yet wrought off from the spirit of bondage become all on a sudden a Reformed Nation But yet Optandum est ut fiat conandum est ut fiat to use Augustins words of the Conversion of the Jewes It were to be wished and should be ind●voured But as Rome was not built in one day nor the mystery of iniquitie perfected in one day so neither can Rome be so easily pulled downe in one day nor can England become a Mount Sion in one day first the old rubbish will require some time to be removed out of your Church-walls but how much longer time out of mens hearts where they have been so long so fast incorporated And you know that the materialls of that typicall Temple the timber the stone were all ●ewed first and squared before they came to make up the building Therefore soft and faire The People are generally ignorant of a right Reformation A right Reformation is a setting up of Christs spirituall kingdome first over the hearts and consciences and then over the severall Churches For this the * Carpenters and Masons must be set a work godly and able Ministers must be sought out and sought for of the Lord to fit the crooked timber and rugged stones for the Spirituall Temple For England is generally ignorant of the mysterie of Christs Kingdome the Prelates usurped all suppressed altogether this Spirituall kingdom no Ministers durst so much as mutter a word of it Who durst say that mens Consciences are subject to none but Christ That Christ is the only Law-giver of his Church That the Churches of Christ ought not to be burthened with any humane ordinances in Gods Worship That all humane rites and ceremonies invented by men and imposed on men in Gods service are all a * will-worship condemned by the Apostle And the like And yet wee deny not that every member in a Church is to be subject to the Officers thereof holding out the Word for conscience sake Hebr. 13. 17. Now if the People have not heard of Christ thus a King no not to this day in most Congregations of England do heare or understand any thing of Christs kingly Office over Consciences and Churches as whereupon a right reformation doth principally depend how can such a Reformation be speedily set up when the preaching up of Christs Kingdome is altogether silent as if Ministers mouths were not yet freed from their old muzzle Therefore I conceive if the better heed be not taken there may be more hoste to a Reformation then good speed when among so many Congregations so many thousands in England very few would be found to have on the Wedding garment A Reformation therefore such as God requires will necessarily require longer time yet that we may not go blind-fold about it You tell us that importunity of some reverend friends hath drawn from you your digested subitane apprehensions of these distracting Controversies Who those reverend friends are it matters not But had I been accounted worthy to be reckoned among those reverend friends to have been made acquainted with such a purpose I should have used all importunity seasoned with strong reasons to have disswaded you from those subitane apprehensions And seeing I come to know them though somewhat too late in that they cannot be recalled admit your self were Aristotle and your friend Plato yet I will say Amicus Aristotles Amicus Plato sed magis amica veritas And therefore I must be plaine with you otherwise I should neither love you nor your friend nor yet the truth

in all Christian Realmes States from their first reception of the Gospell till this present compared with twelve places of Scripture at the least c. Therefore there must be of necessity a common Presbyterian Classicall government to which particular Congregations persons ought to be subordinate to the apparent subversion of the Novell Independent Inventions Now for answer to this large Argument brieflly And first to the Proposition I deny that you can bring any infallible proofes or one proof that there either are or ever have been any Nationall Churches by any other institution but meerly humane nor any one of divine institution but onely that of the Jewes in the old Testament and now wholly dissolved of which we have spoken sufficiently before And which also was not onely Nationall but in a manner Oecumenick and universall as appeares Acts 2. and such therefore as I hope you contend not for now for then there would be a Pope as there was an high Priest then c. And brother you must give us leave to stand upon this as for our lives that we dare not admit of any Churches as the true and genuine Churches of Christ which are not of his owne institution that is such as are not called and gathered by the voyce of Christ in his word and by that Scepter of his swayed and by that alone Law of his governed And therefore be intreated good brother not to presse upon us such your Churches whose not onely institution in their severall divisions but government also in their combinations is meerly humane and therefore as a house founded on a sand which against a storme cannot stand You must first be able to found your Nationall Church in the Scripture or assure yourselfe if a man will build upon it a common Presbyteriall Classicall government and dwell there he will bring an old house upon his head when God shall begin to storm it But to come to your perticular instances in the Assumption for the proofe of your Nationall Church The first is the Catholicke Church throughout the world What is this to a Nationall Church Though the Catholick include all the true Churches throughout the world yet doth it not therefore conclude any Church to be Nationall The second instance is the Nationall Church of the Jewes and from hence you can conclude as little for your Nationall Churches as before we have shewed For bring us any one Nationall that is one intire Church or congregation as that of the Jewes was or that is of one family as that was or that is a type of Christs spirituall Kingdome as that was or that is the universall Church of God visible on earth as that was or that is governed by the like lawes that that was when your selfe doe confesse that the government of your Nationall Churches is to be regulated by humane Lawes Customes Manners and not by Gods word alone whereas that of the Jewes was wholly governed by Gods own Law and not at all by the Lawes of men untill it came to be corrupted contrary to the expresse Law of God And you confesse also that the government of your Nationall Churches is alterable according to the Lawes Customes Manners of severall Nations whereas the government of the Church of the Iewes was unalterable till Christ himselfe did put a period to that Oeconomy In a word your Nationall Churches are a mixed multitude consisting for the greatest part of prophane persons being as a confused lu●p whereof there are nine parts of leaven to one of pure flowre so as the whole is miserably soured and the flowre made altogether unsavoury But that of the Iewes in its naturall and externall constitution was all holy an holy Nation a Royall Priesthood a peculiar People all the congregation holy every one of them So as in no one particular doe your Nationall Churches hold parallell with that of the Iewes no not in the least resemblance Your third instance is the Synodall Assembly of the Apostles Elders and Brethren at Ierusalem Acts 15. who made and sent Binding Decrees to the Churches And what of this brother Therefore Nationall Churches or generall Councels or Provinciall have the like power to make and impose binding Decrees and send them to the Churches Why first of all that Assembly was not any Nationall Church representative Secondly neither was it a Generall or Provinciall Councell Thirdly being an Assembly of the Apostles with the Elders and Brethren it could not erre for the Apostles had infallibility of judgement being guided by the holy Ghost infallibly and the Elders and Brethren did assent to their determinations And was there ever such a Synodicall Assembly since that Had euer any Councell besides that infallibility of judgement Shew it brother and then wee will beleeve they may make Binding Decrees and wee will submit unto them Nay dare any Assembly of men on earth say It seemed good to the holy Ghost and Us That 's enough for the black mouth of blasphemy the Roman lying Oracle But in your second thoughts you traverse this * place more largely which wee shall consider when we come to it In the mean time what I have here and before said may suffice to stay the Readers stomace But you adde All this is seconded with all Occumenicall Nationall Provinciall Councels Synods and the Church-government throughout the world in all Christian Realmes States c. Alas brother all these put together are in no sort sutable to make a second to that Apostolicall Assembly they cannot hold the least proportion with it to make a second to that unsampled sample though they make never so great a summe And whereas you make the up-shot of this your question to the apparent sub version of Novell Independent Invention these be your words we have proved it to be neither mans Invention but Gods own institution nor Novell as having its foundation in the New Testament nor yet Independent otherwise then that it depends not upon any humane authority or jurisdiction out of it self not upon any such conformity to humane lawes or customes or manners of every Nation or people as you speake of Neither doe you take away our Argument from the most usuall phrase of the Apostles calling the Churches in the plurall by saying Historians often speake of the Churches in England for they doe not so speak when they mean the congregations but the material Temples but speake of England as one Church when they understand the people and there hath not been shewen any dependence of those Churches as the dependency of the English Churches is knowne The ninth Question Thus reduced in summe That liberty which the Apostles had and used in ordaining supplying instituting new Rites Orders Canons c. for the Churches peace and welfare they transmitted to posteritie But the Apostles had and used such liberty c. Therefore the same liberty have all Churches in the world in all ages succeeding the Apostles in

an eye to the peoples manners and how they stand affected When the Lord Cromwell had set forth the Primmer or Psalter without the Letany all the Popishly affected which were not a few could not be quiet till they had cried up the Letany again into its old place So as in sine through the love of superstition in the people and the love of the world in the Prelats alias the Reformers many of whom afterwards God reformed and purged in the flames of Martyrdome such a Reformation was set up as for Church-government and Discipline onely translating the Popes headship and setting it upon the Kings shoulders was the very same with that which was in Henry 8. his dayes and is at this day in Rome and did so well sute with the Civill Government and manners of the people that a Generall Law was enacted for the ratifying of that Prelaticall Government and Discipline which hath bred such manners in the people generally to this day as if another Reformation shall be set up wherein the peoples manners shall be no lesse looked upon then in the former as you here doe more then seeme to plead for I can conjecture if not certainly divine what a Reformation both for Church-Government and Discipline your Church of England is like to have For if you aske the Prelaticall party consisting of multitudes of their Priests and of their ignorant and prophane people together with all the Kings Army they will all with one voyce and vote roare it out at the Canons mouth W will have the Bishops Church-government and Discipline continued without alteration If ye aske the ordinary Protestant professors at large they cry No no not that but we will have such a Church-government as under which we may injoy no lesse libertie for our manners then we had under the Prelates But you referre us to the serious debate of a Nationall Counsell Synod Parliament But yet give us leave to put a vast difference between all these and the Scripture Christs owne voyce If they truely informe us of the minde of Christ in the Scripture we will blesse God for it but yet if we can find out the mind of Christ by his immediate voyce we dare not suspend our beliefe and practise of it until we have it at the second hand from men And should we waite never so long upon the issae of their debate commended unto us to be such as men conceive to be agreeable and cons●nant to Gods Word yet for as much as we dare not * pinne our soules upon mens sleeves as not knowing as one said whither they might possibly carry them therefore we must examine all mens determinations in matters of Religion by * searching the Scriptures and laying every thing to this line and rule For the Bereans are commended as the more noble in that they examined diligently and daily even the Apostles doctrine by the Scriptures and much more are wee to try the spirits of men that are not Apostles and so not immediately inspired by the Holy Ghost with infallibility of truth as never any Generall Councell after the Apostles hath been So as you know how miserably and shamefully Generall Councels have erred The first Councell of Nice consisting of 318. Bishops how did they all agree to bring in a Doctrine of Devills prohibiting Priests marriage had not one Confessor Paphnutius by evidence of Scripture and reason cryed it downe and so swayed the whole Councell And you know very well that Generall Councels as well as Nationall have not infallibilitie of judgement in all things And it cannot be unknowne to you that even this Assembly of Divines are of different judgements about Church-governement and Discipline nor have they perhaps had so much time since their being under the Prelacy as to be throughly informed of the way of Churches commonly called Independent but that many of them may possibly gaine much more knowledge of it by spending some more time and study in it But Sir besides all this you seeme to lead them such a way should they follow you as would necessarily bring them into an inevitable and inextricable errour in case they should elect such a publick Church-government Rites Discipline as they conceive to be most consonant to Gods Word to the Lawes Government under which we live and manner of the people For if they looke upon the manner of the people which they must needs finde to bee for the most part very loose to speake nothing of Ignorants and Popish Malignants some men might conceive that such a Church-government and Discipline were most sutable as doth most comply with and give some indulgence to such manners as cannot easily be brought to enter in at the straite gate and narrow way that leads into Christs kingdome And whatsoever Church-government and Discipline comes not full home in all things to the word of God is not that which is consonant thereunto and so not pleasing unto God and the more consonant it is to Gods Word the more strict and holy it will be found to be and so the lesse consonant to the common prophane manners of this Nation at this day Worthy of our observation is that of the Lord to the Prophet Jeremy Jere. 15. 19. If thou take forth the pretions from the vile thou shalt be as my mouth let them returne unto thee but returne not thou unto them Whereupon the most learned Interpreter as the learned Beza constantly styles him Calvin among many other excellent observations on this place thus concludeth Summa est veritatem Dei non debere flecti ad hominum arbitrium quae Deus non mutatur ita nec verbum ejus ullam varietatem admittit The summe is That the truth of God ought not to bee bended according to mans will or conceit because God is not mutable so neither doth his Word admit of any change Now the forme of Church-governement and Discipline laid downe in the New Testament is a Doctrine of Christ and no more alterable according to the varieties of mens customes and manners in all nations and ages then the Gospel it selfe is which the Apostle would not have to bee altered into another Gospel though another Gospel cannot bee as neither another kingdome of Christ another Church-governement another Church-discipline ought not to be but that alone which we find in Gods Word which must not bee reduced or conformed as a nose of waxe to which the Papists as Hosius and Pighius doe compare the Scripture to the fashions of worldly governments Rom. 12. 2. and popular manners but these must be conformed to the Scripture Hence it may appeare how rough your conclusion of this Question is if to such a generall law as you propose all particular Churches members of this Kingdome and Nation should not yeeld to be actually obliged in point of conscience and Christianitie and readily to submit thereunto and no waies to seeke an exemption from it under paine of being guiltie

is disaffected with your courses and orders of the family What cause then hath he to complain if upon knowledge thereof you refuse to entertain him If therefore every family should be carefull to provide for its own peace by having all in it of like affection and judgement if possible why not Christs owne house and family And brother the truth is for we love no disguising as to need any unmasking wee love not in a time of reformation after a generall tincture of superstition and will-worship blindly to goe to work to admit of all commers and to cast Christs Pearles and holy things to such as we know not Or if we b● perswaded they be truly godly and yet they are not perswaded of the warrantablenesse of this way how can they with a good conscience desire communion with us And if not how can the Church receive them Nor indeed doe any such offer themselves nor doth the Church impose any such conditions as a godly Christian hath cause not to accept We desire to doe those things that please God namely such as he commends and commands Rev. 2. 2. Christ commends the Angell of the Church of Ephesus for not hearing with those that are wicked and for trying those that sayd they were Apostles and were not but were found ly●rs So some may come that professe themselves to be Christians that is to be godly to be beleevers but we dare not receive them without triall if they refuse to be tried we may the more suspect them And what interest hath any to Church Communion that is not a member or to the seal that is not in Covenant And we love not to do that for which to repent afterwards We desire all our members may be such as they may peaceably and sweetly continue with us We are loath to have the world offended by the unworthy walking of any one member And we desire by our best providence to prevent that none once admitted should ever be cast out again And brother all this we hold to be our duty for the preferring of the honour of Christ and of his Ordinances and of his Churches in the beauties of holinesse Others may take a broader way if they please wee dare not The Church and body of Christ is not of so slight account with us as that we should carelesly and promiscuously admit of every one that offer themselves without some triall of them both for the Churches satisfaction and for the account shee must make to Jesus Christ How strict the Jews were Airsworth in Gen. 12. v. 17. relates out of the R●●bines And even Bellarmine himselfe had such a cleare apprehension of the generall nature of Christs Church though himselfe did not experimentally and particularly know it that hee useth th●se words Ecclesia precip●è c. The Church especially and intention●lly gathereth onely beleevers such as have true faith in their heart And when any hypocrites are mingled among such as truly beleeve not i● falleth out besides the intention of the Church For if it could know them it would never admit them or being casually admitted it would so thwith exclude them Thus Bell●rmi e which he sets down as a most true speculative Prinple though but ill applied and worse practised by him and his and such like which yet all true Churches should be carefull to observe and pot in practice And truly brother we desire to do this that if it be possible no misbeleever no prophane liver no hypocrite be admitted a member of Christs body though an hypocrite having his viz rd on may sometimes * creep in unawares into the Church And therefore diligent circumspection is used for prevention And ●urpius ejicitur quam non admittitur h●s●es A guest is in refairly kept out then cast out This brother is our course that we hold in admitting of members we think we cannot be too wary though too strict we are not We suspect the gold that will not abide the touch A Christian name may silver over the copper such as the Scripture calls reprobate silver Ierem. 6. 30 Though we know each currant coin hath its allowance of allay and each beleeving Saint so many grains allowance but all sincere no thing counterfeit And as for Church covenant we have sufficiently spoken before The last charge you lay upon Independencie is uncharitablenesse carelesnesse and neglect of one another welfare and the like Brother for uncharitablenesse let our practises the best proofes of true charity plead for us We ●●ve manifested our love and loyalty to the State whereof we are natural and politicall members For the safety thereof we have powred out our estates to the very bottome We dare herein compare with all others of our rank and meanes My selfe a poore man am out for the State between foure and five hundred pounds and I blesse God I have done it with a cheerfull heart nor for squint respects to lay out so much at once to receive of the State so much annuity Yet I speak it not to glory but you have compelled me And besides their means none have more prodigally adventured and spent their lives for the State then your Independents have and for none hath the God of Battels appeared more And but for stirring up envie which needs not I should put you in mind of Marston-moore In a word brother we dare challenge all the world in point of fidelity to the State and our native countrey Where be they that more love honour our Senat Synod Syn●drion Who pray more frequently more fervently for them So that herein you cannot say we are Independents as for want of true love and that of the best kind to the publick Cause and State from which our Independencie is so farre from separating our hearts and affections with all our abilities to serve it as that it hath cleared it self to be as fast firmly united unto it as any other whatsoever And for true charitablenes brother where is it to be found if not in those Churches you call Independent But you will say this love is among our selves And God grant it may ever be so Yet it ends not here but extends to all And brother for a close I challange you to shew me any one parochiall Congregation in England where in there is or can be the like love one to another the like care one for another the like spirituall watchfulnesse one over another the like union and communion of members in one mysticall body in a sympathy of affections in such a fraternitie as is described Psal. 133. a lively type of a true Church of Christ Till you shew us the like in any of your Parochiall Assemblies consisting of your mixed multitude good brother restrain your spirit so mightily imbittered against us lest in charging us with uncharitablenesse your self alone be found to be uncharitable And so I have done with your first twelve Questions A VINDICATION OF CHURCHES COMMONLY CALLED INDEPENDENT OR AN