5 Concerning the quantity of a Church that it may consist of divers Assemblies Mr. Hooker grants Survey part â— p. 129. that the Church of Jerusalem was so numerous that they must needs meet in divers Congregations Several dissenting Brethren have yielded that Corinth had more than one Congregation 6 Concerning the gathering of Members into Congregations Respect is to bee had to vicinity of habitation Mr. Borroughs Heart Div. p. 163. 169. according to the rule of Christ All beleevers who live in a place together ought so far as they can to joyn in one Church though they bee of different judgements and tempers The way of Christ all along in Scripture is that those in a place that are not more than can joyn in one should joyn together and make but one Church 7 Concerning the return of Church-Members from gathered Churches to their proper Pastors in the places of their Habitations Mr. Borroughs Heart div p. 165. Do you pray for and endeavour the putting on reformation to the uttermost and then see what they will do They have not yet declared themselves so joyned by any Covenant that they may not joyn with you 8 Against Separation from our Churches as no true Churches Mr. Cotton Way p. 111 112. Wee cannot but conceive the Churches of England were rightly gathered and planted according to the rule of the Gospel at first So that all the work is now not to make them Churches which were none before but to reduce and restore them to their primitive institution Congr Way cleared p. 14 Mr. Robinsons denial of the Parishional Congregations in England to bee true Churches was never received into any heart from thence to inferre a nullity of their Church-state Neither was our departure from them even in those evil times a separation from them as no true Churches Mr. Burroughs Heart div p. 163. Men must not separâ—â—â— from a Church though there be corruption in it to gather into a new Church which may bee more pure and in some respects more comfortable Because wee never finde the Saints in Scripture separating or raising Churches in such a case and there would bee no continuance in Church-fellowship if this were admitted 9 Of Election and Ordination of Church-Officers Mr. Bains Dioces trial p. 84. If any fail in any Office the Church hath not power of supplying that but a Ministry of calling one whom Christ hath described that from Christ he may have power of Office given him in the place vacant Mr. Cotton Keys p. 21. Way p. 40 Ordination of Officers whether Elders or Deacons belongs to the Elders of the Church and is to be performed by prayer fasting and imposition of hands Mr. Hooker Surveys part 2. p. 76. Mr. Noyes p. 69. When Churches are rightly constituted and compleated the right of Ordination belongs to the Elders The act appertaines to the Presbyters when an Officer is invested in his place for of these it is expresly spoken 1 Tim. 4.14 It hath been proved that common Members may not ordain by themselves without Officers 10 Concerning the Ordination of the Ministers of the Church of England Congregational Brethren generally acknowledge the Ordination of our Ministers to bee valid and that they need not any new ordination nor those that have been ordained by them 11 Concerning the power of Synods Wee dare not say Mr. Cotton Keies p. 25. that their power reacheth no farther than giving of Counsell They have power by the grace of Christ also to command and injoyn the things to be beleeved and done Act. 15.28 In case a particular Church p. 47. bee disturbed with error or scandal maintained by a faction now a Synod of Churches or their Messengers is the first subject of that power and authority whereby error is judicially convinced and condemned and the way of truth and peace declared and imposed on the Churches See also Mr. Noyes Temple measured p. 56 57 58. Thus far and in several other particulars wee and the congregational Brethren are or at least were sometimes agreed And did they own what may bee from these principles inferred and practice what they lead to I doubt not but that wee should soon bee fully agreed But a generation of men are now Risen up who yet would be accounted one with these terming themselves Congregational also who call most if not all these principles into question and instead of tending to an accommodation raise and heighten our divisions proclaiming our Churches Ministry Government to bee Antichristian c. Among whom I have found my Antagonist laying about him to this end with all his might I confess I have dealt plainly with him but beleeve that my sharpest expressions fall short of his merit Reader consider and judge and the Lord lead thee with me and all his people into all truth So prays From my study in Waldron this 12th of August 1658. Thy Servant for Jesus sake EZECHIEL CHARKE The Table Sections 1 ANimadversions upon some passages in the Epistle concerning the Magistrates Power in matters of Religion Pages 1 Sections 2 Of Mr. P's Text and the interpretation thereof and inferences from it particularly of the coming out of Babylon and an Antichristian Church-state Pages 6 Sections 3 Of National Churches Pages 11 Sections 4 Of parish-Parish-Churches Ministers maintenance the Churches of England the Witnesses and Separation Pages 13 Sections 5 Of Congregational Presbyterial Classical Churches and of the Church Catholick and Synods Pages 28 Sections 6 An Examination of Mr. P's Answers to the Objections hee mentions as made against his Doctrine of Separation and of his Reasons for Separation Pages 61 Sections 7 Of Mr. P's injunctions to the Magistrate and first concerning Parishes Parish-Temples and Patrons Pages 80 Sections 8 Of Tithes Pages 89 Sections 9 Concerning the Commissioners for approbation of publike Preachers Pages 101 Sections 10 Of Mr. P's Counsels and Directions for Reformation Pages 104 Sections 11 Of the Call of our Ministers Pages 106 Sections 12 A Question discussed Whether any unordained persons among us are lawful and compleat Ministers of the Gospel with an Answer to the six Arguments for Popular Ordination brought by the Answerers of Jus Div. Min. Evangelici in their Book called the Preacher sent Pages 110 Sections 13 Containing the Authors humble supplication to those in Authority for Reformation Pages 123 Sections 14 Of Mr. P's Conclusion abusing that of the Lord Du Plessis his book Pages 125 AN Answer to Mr. Postelthwaite's Book Entituled A voice from Heaven SECT I. Animadversions upon some Passages in the Epistle Concerning the Magistrates Power in matters of RELIGION CAn God indure to bee prescribed by Creatures shall man coine Laws for Rules of acceptable walking with God in spirituall Civil or Ecclesiastical things c. You are not ignorant that in Ecclesiastical things both for Doctrine and Discipline wee own no other Rule but the written Word of God by which both Magistrates and
Tabernacle which they were afterwards by Aaron and his Sons and the ordaining of Ministers with impositions of hands by the people and that without Officers now under the New Testament where we have clearly institution and example to declare it to be the Ministers work They proceed to say None of the texts which speak of Ordination limit it to Officers only Let our brethren prove any such limitation else private beleevers may warrantably ordain VVhat Readers did these Brethren think their Book would meet with to urge this reasoning again and again as an argument for popular Ordination They might have considered how easie the proof is Either it is limited to Officers only or committed to others as well as them But it is not committed to others therefore it is limited to Officers only Let them shew by Scripture-precept or example out of the New Testament that it is committed to others else private beleevers Ordaining must needs remain unwarrantable Let them shew private Beleevers warrant as Ministers can theirs We prove it is committed to Officers they cannot prove it is committed to others doth it not then follow that it is limited to Officers only May they not by their way of reasoning as well say that Magistrates as such may ordain Ministers because they are not by name excluded and so screw Erastus his way one pin higher than ever he durst bring it to Nay may they not by this reasoning argue that private beleevers may administer the Sacraments since no place of Scripture doth express the administration of them to be limited to Officers by excluding the people from it These Brethrens Arguments then are not at all conclusive for their purpose The Holy Ghost hath committed Ordination to Ministers and no where to the people for them therefore to act in it is a gross and very sinful usurpation Hence also it will follow that people cannot without sin own unordained persons or such as are ordained only by the People as Ministers of Jesus Christ As these may bee justly charged to run before they are sent as those did Jerem. 23.21 so those may be charged justly as the Israelites about their Kings Hos 8.4 to set up Pastors but not by him and Ministers but he knew not approved not of it Therefore let such supposed Ministers bee humbled for their rash intrusion and seek for Ordination at the hands of Gospel-Ministers And People who have such Pastors urge them to it and upon their refusal and neglect of it let them know that they cannot own them as Ministers of Christ SECT XIII Containing the Author's humble supplication to those in Authority for Reformation SInce notwithstanding the Criminations of the Accuser whom this Book answereth and the several charges from others our Churches remain true Churches of Christ and need not new making but reforming and our Ministry a true Ministry and that it appears that such only are lawful Ministers of Jesus Christ and Embassadours for him among us who have a constituted Church as have been ordained by a Presbytery of preaching Elders My humble request to the Magistrates of our Land is 1 That they would improve to their utmost the power put into their hands by the King of the Church Jesus Christ for Reformation in our Churches by stirring up and enjoyning Ministers to lay out themselves more fully for the instructing admonishing and reforming of the flocks committed to them and people to receive yeeld and submit unto their Ministerial labours and authority in order to the due use of all the Ordinances of Christ and such a conversation as becometh the Gospel And that therefore they would bee pleased to countenance and enjoyn the nâ—cessary works of Catechising and private instruction and by their authority to strengthen the hands of Christs Ministers in their keeping the Ordinances of Christ and particularly that of his Supper from profanation 2 That they would take care that every Congregation so farre as may be stand furnished with a Minister of the Gospel rightly qualified and invested into office by Ordination received from Ministers of the Gospel according to Christs institution Jehosaphat sent none with his Princes to teach the People the Law of God but Levites and Priests persons regularly invested with office 2 Chron. 17.8 9. The Churches of God in Primitive times in after ages at this day in Scotland France Sweden Denmark Helvetia Germany the Netherlands new-New-England all the Presbyterian Churches in England yea of Congregational Churches almost all doe with one consent affirm that authoritative preaching of the Word and dispensing of the Sacraments belong only to a lawfully Ordained Ministry I beseech our Rulers in the bowels of Christ that effectual care bee taken that all our Ministers may be such that countenance publick places and publick maintenance bee afforded only to such How should wee expect our comforts should bee dear to God if wee are not zealous for that which so nearly concerns his glory 3 That they would be pleased effectually to suppress to their power all Blasphemies Heresies and Anti-fundamental Errours that they may not bee written taught vented promoted to the prejudice of the Truth trouble of the Church and endangering the immortal Souls of people and that men may not have liberty to defame and every Blatero to rail at and charge with Antichristianism the Churches and ways of God which Protestants have generally owned and sealed their testimony unto with the bloud of multitudes of Martyrs Then would their light break forth as the morning and the glory of the Lord would be their rereward Let timid spirits cry out of Lions in the way and fear that if there bee an owning of thorow Reformation erroneous and loose persons will bee discontented and ready to joyn with forreign enemies to disturb the publick peace and procure the ruine of Church and State But let Magistrates who are the Ministers of God and bear his Name zealously goe through with the work of the Lord and expect confidently protection and a blessing from him in it setting before them that excellent pattern Jehosaphat 2 Chron. 17. whose care and zeal for Reformation was remarkably owned and rewarded by God for He stablished the Kingdom in his hand all Judah brought him presents and the Philistines and Arabians tribute he had riches and honour in abundance and the fear of the Lord fell upon the Kingdoms of the Lands that were round about Judah so that they made no warre against Jehosaphat Thus will the Lord reward Rulers that are zealous for his honour and against whatsoever strikes at it And our Supream Magistrate and Chief Rulers may in the discharge of this work look for like success SECT XIV Of Mr. P's conclusion abusing that of the Lord Du Plessis his Book I Shall conclude all with that noble Speech P. 95 96. of that noble Lord Du Plessis May we not lawfully say with the Prophet We would have cured Babel but she would not be cured forsake her
their Fathers name c. That their standing synchronizeth with the standing of the Antichristian Church appeareth Rev. 13.16 17. with the four first verses of the 14th Chapter For the company of the Lambs marked ones is opposite to the Beasts whole marked company whilst it was such whilst the Church-State of the Beast was false and corrupt the Church-State of the 144000 was true And it is said they were not defiled with women which argues that the Whore was at the time of their standing seducing And the Apostle John at the same time sees an Angel going forth and crying Forbes Gyffard Fulk Deut. Fox Bernard Broughton Babylon is fallen Accordingly Brightman Mede and sundry other worthy Expositors understand this context of the 144000 to denote the true Church of God in the midst of whom Christ reigned who were fed with purer ordinances and worship during Antichrists reign and standing out all along against his Idolatry Now seeing the Congregational Churches are as it were but of yesterday who are those 144000 that have stood with the Lamb upon Mount-Sion all along the time of Antichrists reign Either you must assert the loss of a true Church-State in the world for many ages past or else you must acknowledge that the Churches that have maintained a true profession all along the time of Antichrists reign were true Churches and that the Protestant Churches that have owned and maintained the same profession to this day have been and are true Churches and are in the number of the 144000. If you dare not say the former as I suppose you do not you must confess the latter and then with what face or reason will you justifie that separation from them as Antichristian Churches which you contend for Consider I beseech you what you have to answer for before the Lord in branding all the Christian Churches in the world from the rise of Antichrist to this day who have disowned and opposed him except a few separate Congregations of these latter daies as false and Antichristian Churches And the Lord give you repentance from this rash and unchristian dealing SECT III. Of National Churches CIvil co-habitation with wicked men is dangerous Ecclesiastical communion with them in the times of the Gospel p. 6 7 8. much more dangerous and unwarrantable 1 Cor. 5.1 To worship God with a strange worship is to worship a strange God Stephen lost his life for preaching against the Temple and so consequently against the Jews National Church the bond of which was their meeting together at the Temple in one individual worship That the Church is not of the world all grant but that it should not bee in the world is strange Christ gives his Disciples leave when persecuted in one City to flie to another Matth. 10.23 but never requires his followers to forsake their habitations because neer wicked neighbours As for that 1 Cor. 5. touching the incestuous person it is uncharitably managed by you for separation from Protestant Churches who contend for the excommunicating of scandalous persons to their power But it commeth too close to YOUR OWN DOOR verbum sapienti sat The other Texts you mention set forth the danger of society and intimate converse and communion with Idolaters but fasten not upon us because our Churches are not Idolatrous nor our worship strange worship not grounded upon the Word as shall bee made appear In what you alledge of Stephens bearing testimony against the National Church of the Jews and so consequently as you would bee understood against all National Churches as inconsistent with Gospel times the consequence follows not by Stephens Logick but your own For how doth it appear that because hee preached against the Temple and the Ceremonial-Law as things which had an end put to them by the death of Christ therefore hee preached against a National Church as inconsistent with Gospel times in respect of the Nationality of it Or that a National Church purely in respect of its Nationality considered without the adjuncts of one single person as the head of it and one single place of worship to which all should repaire at some set time for you know wee plead not for these things but acknowledge them to have been peculiar to the Church of the Jews is contrary to the institution of Christ and his Apostles in the New Testament If it bee said wee have no example of a National Church in the time of the Apostles nor yet in the times of the primitive Church This cannot bee an objection of weight For in those times whole Nations were not converted to the profession of the Gospel and Magistrates in most of them were bloody persecutors of the Christian profession But yet See Divine right of the Ministery of England p. 12. 13. 1 Wee have both prophecies and promises in the Old Testament of National Churches under the Gospel Psa 72.10 11 17. and Isa 19.18 to the end Here 't is prophecied and promised that Nations shall serve God and bee his people and that they shall combine and hold communion with one another for the better carrying on of Gods service and worship and God approveth of them and blesseth them upon that account 2 There have been National Christian Churches in the world since the primitive times according to the Apostle Johns historical prophecie Rev. 12.7 8 9. wee have a short description of the Heathen Emperours See History of the life of Constantine Maxentius Licinus Maximius overthrown by the victorious armes of Constantine the Great the Man-child that the Church brought forth and now saies verse 10. is come salvation and strength and the Kingdome of our God and the power of his Christ to wit brought into the Roman Empire Persecutors Idolatry and Heresie being suppressed and Christian religion countenanced professed promoted by the godly zeal of Constantine in his dominions Again Rev. 11. Wee have a description of the downfall of Antichrist verse 13. the tenth part of the City fell many of the places under the Roman jurisdiction cast off the Pope then it followes verse 15. The Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of the Lord and of his Christ The Kingdomes which before were the Kingdomes of the Beast become professedly subject to the Laws of Christ and embrace his Gospel which our eyes have been so happy as in part to see And indeed considering that the Nationality of a Church lies properly in this that the body of a Nation living under one Civil Government and professing the Gospel should have one way of Doctrine and Worship established in all the Congregations of it and one way of Government by greater and lesser Assemblies how such a constitution as this should bee contrary to the mind of God concerning Churches under the New Testament I do not see nor beleeve any man can demonstrate SECT IV. Of Parish Churches Ministers maintenance the Churches of England the Witnesses and Separation I Shall now explain what I mean by
Subjects must be guided And therefore your flourishing insinuations of the contrary are very uncharitable and vain Wee wish that those golden verses Deut. 17.18 19 20. were written in the hearts and transcribed in the lives of all Christian Princes Wee acknowledge that Magistrates have no power to create new Laws for the Government of the Church contrary to the Divine pattern laid down in the Word But have not Magistrates power to make Penal Laws to inforce obedience to the Law of God in matters of Ecclesiastical concernment Your book doth in effect deny them all power For the Magistrates Power in matters of Religion Consider 1. The light of Nature pleads for it It hath taught Heathen Princes to interpose their Power in matters of Religion and their people to acknowledge it Scripture examples clearly evince this which God seals with his approbation Ezra 7. 25 26 27. Dan. 3.29 Jonah 3.6 c. And Heathens generally have looked upon the blessing of God upon States and people as a consequent of their care and zeal for Religion 2 The Magistrates and Kings of Israel had and exercised power in matters of Religion Moses and Joshuah had so Exod. 32.27 28. Josh 5.2 c. Josh 24.14 to 29. So it was with the Judges 1 Sam. 7.3 4. And the Kings succeeded the Judges herein as that which God called them to Psa 78.70 71 72. Pascant reges principes suos subditor primum coelesti doctrina hoc est curent recte doceri ecclesiam prohibeant idololattiam superstitiosos cultus extirpent errores in ecclesia compescant blasphemos conferant opes ad conservationem ministerii studiorum necessariorum Deinde current etiam corpora subditorum Moller in locum He took him from the sheepfold to feed Jacob his people and Israel his inheritance Not only to protect them in their Civil immunities and priviledges But to feed or see them fed with heavenly Doctrine pure Ordinances and Worship to countenance true Religion and extirpate Idolatry This is the principal part of a Kings Office in reference to Gods inheritance So did David So did all other good Kings and Rulers feed Israel 2 Chro. 14.17 29 30 31. Chapters and Nehem. 13. And Gods frequent complaints against the Kings of Israel for not so doing are pregnant proofs of their power in matters of Religion 3 Under the Gospel the Christian Magistrate as such hath answerably power in matters of Religion For 1. All those Texts wherein this power of the Magistrate under the Law is made out whether by way of Precept approved example or blame for not exercising it shew the duty and Power of Magistrates under the Gospel Since we no where find the charge that God then laid upon those repealed or taken off in relation to these 2. The Commission of the Christian Magistrate as such is not onely as authentique but every whit as large as that of the Jewish Magistrate Rom. 13.1 2 3 4. 1 Tim. 2.1 2. Titus 3.1 1 Pet. 2.13 14. Here Magistrates are said to be sent and ordained of God Mali nomen comprehendit etiam omne quod circa sacra committiâ— tu◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bonum qualecunque Grot. de imper Sum potest The end for and work about which they are sent and ordained is to punish evil and encourage good works The comprehensivenesse of those expressions shews plainly that the Magistrates power refers even to Religious concernments Wee must not distinguish where the Law doth not If therefore to blaspheme the name of God break the Sabbath c. bee evil works they fall under the Sword of the Civill Magistrate no lesse than Murder or Adultery and so the Magistrate is custos utriusque Tabulae the keeper of both the Tables of the Law Therefore wee are commanded to obey them as Ministers of God for good resisting their lawful commands is called a resisting of God and wee must pray for them that under them as Rulers wee may live in all Piety towards God as well as in all Righteousnesse towards men 3 The same reasons from the object which required the interposition of the Magistrates power in matters of Religion under the Law are of as much force under the Gospel Mens spirits are as licentious and prone to seduce people now as then The name of God is as much blasphemed by damnable heretical Doctrines Men are as apt to bee seduced by the subtle craftiness of those that lye in waite to deceive All mâ—ans without the Magistrates sword are as ineffectuall Will such as decry all Churches deny Christ's Deity and the Scriptures to be our Rule care for a bare Church-censure 4 The judgement of the Ancients Si omnis vestra Quis vos excipit ab Universitate Bern. ad Archiep that lived near the time of Christ and of the reformed Churches in these last ages is fully for it The Fathers generally assert it Chrysostome infers from Rom. 13.1 That even Apostles Evangelists and Prophets were bound to bee subject to the Magistrate Constantine was termed the Maintainer of Faith and Religion Kings saith Austin Serve God as they are men one way as Kings another As men they serve God by a faithful obedience to his Laws But as Kings they serve God by commanding things just Aug. ad Bonif. and prohibiting the unlawful restraining them with convenient rigour making and putting Laws in execution for beating down sin and promoting Gods glory Thus Hezekiah thus Josiah served God and thus Kings become nursing fathers and Queens Nursing Mothers to the Church as it was promised Isa 49.23 60.16 The Confessions of the Reformed Churches are exceeding full and unanimous in this point See Corpus Conf. And most of the Brethren of the Congregational way have seemed to bee suffragators to them herein Plat-form of Church government ch 17. Those of new-New-England are very expresse for it And our five Apologists for that way courted once the Magistrate to beleeve that their opinion allowed him more power in matters of Religion than the judgement of others To the Magistrates power say they wee give as much and as wee think more than the principle Apologetical Narratioâ— p. 19. 〈◊〉 the Presbyterial Government will suffer them to yeild which how it may be I understand not unlesse in a sense in the which I would not understand it by giving it more than the principles of their own government will suffer them to yeild So that the Churches in all ages are agreeed that the Magistrate hath power in matters of Religion Neque enim aliud aut belli laboribus aut pacis consilits ordinamus nisi ut verum Dei cultum Orbis nostri plebs devota custodiat Theod. Honor ad Marcel Caesarei est muneris ut non solum pacifie sed pie etiam subditi vivant Theod. ad Cyril against which stand onely a small company of dissenters muchly led by Anabaptistical unscriptural principles And accordingly the first
Yet this vial is as yet poured out but in part as are also severall others of the Vials The dregs of them and of this in particular remaining to bee poured upon the beast in a doctrinal way by this Angel who shall give the last warning of Babylons instant ruine The effect whereof is that the earth is inlightned that is many more of the common people are drawn off from communion with Babylon and joyn issue with some of the ten horns fallen off from the Whore and hating her But as for her more honourable slaves and vassals they receive no benefit by the Ministery of this Angell but either perish in Babylons ruine or by the dregs of the vials poured out upon her associates Vers 2. Cecidit cecidit i. e. Paulo post casura certissime gravissime Pisc Here we have the summe of the report of this Angel concerning Babylons fall which is by way of anticipation set down as actually come to pass after the manner of the Prophets to note the certainty of it and the expression doubled to note the grievousnesse of her fall Vers 3. Here wee have the procuring cause of Babylons fall her abominable Idolatries and whoring seducings wherein shee continueth after convictions admonitions and threatnings Vers 4 Here t is observable Militaris exhortatio ut non solum ab ea secedant sed et acriter eam oppugnent Grass that the Holy Ghost alters the usual manner and way of witnessing against Babylon for here is no Angel but a voice from heaven It may bee vox è castris a voice from the campe God is mustering up his Armies and the warre is advancing to the very gates of Rome and now the voice of Providence doth thereby cry out aloud Come out c. By Babylon I understand with Pareus c. not onely the City of Rome but all those places that are under the power and jurisdiction of the Pope where his authority takes place and where his idolatrous worship and doctrines are submitted to and imbraced To come out of Babylon is to renounce communion with her in her soule sinnes and abominable Idolatries and to disclaim and reject the usurped power of Antichrist both in temporals and especially in spirituals The not doing of this maketh men her associates and will cause them to partake of her plagues Rev. 13.16 17. Rev. 14.8 9 10. and here Rev. 18.3 4. From these Texts I observe 1 That Antichrists sin lies principally in this that hee causeth all under great penalties to receive the mark of the name of the beast in their right hands or foreheads that is to own the universal headship of the Pope especially in spirituals So that no point of Christian faith must bee received unless warranted by his authority and whatsoever is stampt with his authority must bee owned though never so contrary to the Scriptures 2 The sin of his followers lyeth in this that they resign up themselves in obedience to the Pope and make him soveraign Lord over their persons rights and consciences in all things receiving owning pleading fighting for his abominable Doctrines worship and usurpation Kings themselves submitting their crowns to him and maintaining by their Laws and edicts his blasphemous doctrines and tyranny 3 Those onely are threatned to partake of Babylons plagues that partake with her in her sins And who those are the Holy Ghost tells us Rev. 13.16 17. All and onely they that receive a marke the name of the beast or the number of his name in their right hand or in their fore-head That is that own the usurped authority of the Pope and his doctrines and idolatries because stampt with his authority which whosoever doth to the death cannot bee saved Rev. 16.3 The Doctrine of the Church of Rome as set forth and confirmed for such by the Tridentine Council is this Sea consisting of the popish errors collected into one body as many waters meet in the Sea The Angell that turned this Sea into bloud might bee among others Martin Chemuitius who poured out his vial on it when hee wrote his Examination of the Trent Council And every Soul living in this Sea dyed whosoever owneth the Popish Religion as set forth by that Councill and dies in that Faith cannot bee saved for what the Apostle saith of one of its anti-Scriptural doctrines Gal. 5.4 may be said of all of them that rase the foundation On the contrary those that renounce the universal headship of the Pope and all his anti-scriptural doctrines as the insufficiency of the Scriptures the authority and necessity of his traditions justification by works praying to glorified Saints and Angels worshiping Images and Crucifixes Purgatory and Indulgences c. and withal abhorre and renounce his Idolatrous worship and profess themselves resolved to resist unto blood rather than hold communion with him in his sins All such persons and Churches are come out of Babylon already And among such are the Protestant Churches in England Scotland Holland France Germany c. professing the sound doctrines of the Gospel in opposition to Antichrists Idolatries How those Churches that disown and reject the corrupt doctrine and worship of the Roman Church and have sealed their witness against them with their blood being by their profession and sufferings the instruments whereby God hath shaken the Kingdome of the Beast How these Churches should yet bee Antichristian limbs of the Beast may well bee a Mystery to all considerate and unprejudiced men And whereas Mr. P. beleeves that none save a few separate Churches named Congregational are yet come out of Babylon which the Brownists Anabaptists Quakers c. plead each for themselves I have one text to offer to his consideration thereupon which is Rev. 14.1 2 3 4. 1 By the Lamb is undoubtedly meant the Lord Jesus Christ 2 Mount-Sion is opposed to Babylon the Gospel-Church to the Church Antichristian 3 The 144000 that stand upon Mount-Sion a definite number for an indefinite and have their Fathers name written in their fore-heads must therefore bee members of the true Church in opposition to the members of the Church of Anti-Christ who have his name or mark in their right hand or forehead 4 By their having their Fathers name written in their forehead is therefore hinted their keeping close in the main to Gods institutions in profession and worship in opposition to the Idolatries of the Antichristian Church Which further appears in that it is said that they are not defiled with women vers 4. that is with the Idolatries of the great Whore Now can any man say that those of whom the holy Ghost thus speaketh are yet in Babylon How can they bee upon Mount-Sion and yet in Babylon too 5 The 144000 signifie some definite number of the people of God that in all ages from the first rise of Antichrists Kingdome have cleaved to the Lamb and kept a true Church-State which is signified by their standing with the Lamb upon Mount-Sion with
whose examples are preceptive to Christian Magistrates now And shall wee think that God bears a less tender respect to a Gospel than to a Legal Ministery neither appointing them a certain maintenance nor means to raise it if it bee with-held 2 Dependance upon voluntary contributions is the ready way to tempt Ministers to bee the greatest temporizers in the world since it will force many of them to please their givers or starve 3 Duties required of Ministers under the Gospel call for a liberal and certain maintenance They must bee given to hospitality But they cannot exercise it without a maintenance liberal and certain 4 That command to hearers of the Gospel Gal. 6.6 7. leaves not men to their liberty but chargeth a duty upon their consciences which they cannot neglect without mocking God 5 Ministers may require this maintenance in an authoritative way as an absolute due debt for their work in the Ministery 1 Cor. 9.11 12 13 14. Now a liberal maintenance being by Gods Ordinance due to the Gospel Ministery what hinders but that the fixing of it should bee a lawful yea a necessary means for their injoying of it Before there were any Christian Magistrates in the world the revenue of the Church was not altogether unsetled Constantine the first Christian Emperour being come to the Crown enacts that the Church Lands or goods that had been injuriously taken away though annext to his own Crown should bee restored that such as had purchased Church-Lands should make present restitution of the same These lands and possessions were 't is probable long before purchased out of the publick bank of the mony laid at the Apostles feet and other charitable donations since that time and setled upon the Church that so Ministers having some certain maintenance might serve God in their places with the less distraction And therefore the building Oratories and Churches and endowing them with maintenance for the certain support of fixed Ministers which you make the object of your contempt appears to bee in it self considered a lively imitation of primitive practice These things considered I demand 1 Where a maintenance is already established and hath been so for many hundreds of years together and that by as firme Laws as any man hath for his personal estate Whether now the Magistrate may not animate those Laws and make meet new ones for the due payment of that established maintenance as Hezekiah did 1 Chron. 31.4 2 Where maintenance is wanting whether the Magistrate may not provide and settle it by a levy upon the people Seeing 't is Gods ordinance there should bee a liberal maintenance and that many people if left to themselves will rather want the Gospel than bee at charge for it and that it is a duty incumbent on the Christian Magistrate to provide for the good of mens souls and for the continuance support and incouragement of the Ministery for that end But to returne to Parish-Churches you say Consider what Babels of confusion and superstition they bee Here you may see Saints and sinners jumbled together without any kindly separation of the precious from the vile Great care that all may bee consecrated but the worshippers Are they not given unto the Gentiles P. 13 19 20 do not men of uncircumcised hearts for so are the Major part in those Churches stand seized of the power of the keyes Let us say to those christened Gentiles that upon pretence of being of the same Religion and Church with us would interess themselves in rebuilding our Gospel-Temple as the Jews did to the Samaritanes Ezra 4.1 2 3. Specious arguments to take ignorant persons 'T is common with those of your way to argue against the Church-state of Churches from the corruptions in manners which are found in them Whereas the Scripture every where declares such an arguing to bee of no force witness its owning the Church of the Jews as such under its great and severely reprovered corruptions So the degenrate Churches of Asia dead Sardis and lukewarme and miserable Laodicea If a man fix his eye on those Churches under their then condition and apply your charge to them as hee may and thence conclude that they were no true Chruches will hee not contradict the holy Ghost and the Truth and what then doth your arguing prove Whatever corruption is in out Churches wee make as much the matter of our grief as you of your scorn and are as ready to bear witness against it as your self But not with you to incourage the sin of separation but to advance the duty of reformation This many Church-guides do zealously indeavour after in our Churches so unjust is your charge generally fastened upon them that they take care all may bee consecrated but the worshippers and that they make no kindly separation of the precious from the vile You seem to make use of a bad rule Calumniare fort it er aliquid haerebit Your own knowledge of the contrary to your charge in many Parish-Congregations should make you blush for these expressions And truly that they are no more reformed and others in no way for reformation may bee as much ascribed to the practices of your self and many of your way in drawing off from them helpful members and hindring endeavours for healing and restauration as to any other single cause yea as to many of them put together And had not men of your way in a time when uniformity in worship according to the Word was about to have been established by the Magistrate in the Churches of England hindered that good work 't is very probable that reformation had been much forwarded in our Churches at this day and many of our civil shakings and overturnings prevented thereby Your comparing of those that comply not with your opinion in matter of Church-State and Government to the Idolatrous Samaritans and loading them with the opprobrious name of christened Gentiles is very devoid of modesty and truth Many Church-guides in our Congregations are as free from the least taint of Superstition as any of your way And for the members of our Churches who have been baptized in them and owne their Baptisme though the most of them do not appear to bee godly yet they differ very much from Heathens being taken into an external Covenant with God and in the number of those that are called And are as much the people of God as sometime formal and prophane Israelites were the estate of the Gentiles at this day to whom the ordinances are given being not inferiour to that of Israelites of old Rom. 11.17 And therefore as the Infants of the Israelites had generally right to Circumcision So have the children of Professors of Christianity owning their Baptisme though corrupt in their conversation but promising reformation right to Baptisme Else were the grace of God streighter under the Gospel than before Christ was exhibited in the flesh which cannot bee But you have this more against our Churches that men of uncircumcised
Moses and Aaron who did turne the waters to blood and did smite the Egyptian earth with all Plagues Exod. 7. Now it is observable 1 That in two of these three paire of types one beares the person of a Magistrate the other of a Minister or Prophet Moses and Zerubbabel were Magistrates Aaron and Joshuah Ministers 2 That in the times of the Baalitical Apostacy which answers most fitly to the times of the Apostacy of Antichrist the witnesses are onely Prophets Elias and Elisha 3 That wee have in these three paire of types four Prophets for two Magistrates These things considered By the two Witnesses I understand Magistrates and Ministers some of both sorts who have in their several ages witnessed against Antichrist from the very first rise of him down to our times But in no age have Prophets been wanting to this office and work whereas Magistrates appear in it at some times onely as 1 In the beginning of reformation in a Land or Nation as Moses appeared with Aaron when the people were brought out of Egypt to serve the Lord and Zerubbabel appears with Joshua in the beginning of the reformation after the Babylonish captivity 2 Towards the end of Antichrists reign Rev. 17.16 But now the Prophets they must prophesie in sackcloth one thousand two hundred and sixty daies that is all along the Tyranny of Antichrist which hath been in great part made good by the event This being so overthrows his notion of the Witnesses neither can Congregational Ministers bee any otherwise reckoned any part of the Witnesses than as they are taken in conjunction with the other godly Ministers of this and other reformed and Rome-renouncing Churches that have and in this age do stand up as a part of the two Witnesses against Antichrist and for Gods truth and worship And though in a large sense all those may bee reckoned as witnesses against Antichrist that have made open profession of the grand truths of the Gospel in opposition to Antichrist and those who have laid down their lives in that witness Yet in a strict sense Effecta quae efficiunt Praecâ—nes illi in electis duo consolatio illuminatio quarom illa significatur nomine Olearum ista vero nomine Candelabrorum Pisc the Witnesses are Magistrates and Ministers and yet more especially Ministers who have in all ages opposed themselves to Antichrists Idolatries These are the two Olive-trees and the two Candlesticks that enlighten comfort and feed the Church of God during the whole time of Antichrists reign Rev. 11.3 4. and Rev. 12.6 compared To what you cite out of the Epistle to the Little-stone that Almost nine parts of ten in the Churches of Scotland are not sheep nor fit for civil much less for spiritual priviledges I answer P. 21. I am not easily induced to beleeve the State of the Church of Scotland to bee so corrupt considering what an honourable testimony holy Mr. Burroughs hath given concerning it Lect. 13. on Hosea p. 368. And whereas it is said that many of the sheep there turne head against their Shepherds The more I say is the pity But certainly the reason of it is the present laxness of Church-Government to which those of your way contribute not a little and which if it should recover its ancient vigour and strength and beauty would remedy this evil And I beleeve some Brethren of the Congreganal way have cause enough to make the same complaint of their Sheep One of them godly and learned told mee some few years ago that their people were grown to such a passe that they knew not what to do with them Mr. W. G. And how many sad proofs have wee seen hereof in these late years Neither let it seem harsh to any that admire the antiquity of Churches in England which they conceive began to bee planted by Joseph of Arimathea or Simon Zelotes that I press the casting out of the Parish-Churches the deemed successors of them They retain not their priviledge whose neither constitution nor conversation they can bee found to imitate And wee know P. 24 25. that the Holy Ghost teacheth us to say of as few as may bee to give a valid testimony against the Antichristians of two witnessing Churches These are the two Candlesticks i. e. Churches standing before the God of the earth Whereby the Churchdome of these witnessing separated Churches is not onely established and approved but the much claimed Churchdome of others rejected Your prohibition cannot hinder it from seeming harsh not onely to us but also to some Congregational Brethren that you should unchurch our Churches Way p. 54 because Parochial It appears saith Mr. Cotton to bee an errour to say there is no limitation or distinction of Parishes Way p. 112. meaning of Churches jure divino and speaking of the Churches of England All the work now is not to make them Churches which were none before but to reduce and restore them to their primitive Institution Your self do not deny our Parish-Churches to bee the successors of the Churches planted here by the mentioned worthies and on that account one would think reformation should serve your turne without rising so high as separation But this you think will beare you out that they do not imitate the constitution nor conversation of those first Churches If you should go about to prove either part of this assertion which you wisely forbeare to do you would finde a hard task of it Because it is not possible you should certainly know what was the constitution or conversation of those first Churches But I shall grant and do beleeve ours do not generally imitate their conversation being more corrupted in manners through the neglect of Discipline And what then doth the Scripture any where teach you that corruption in manners yea in many regards in administration and use of ordinances whilst the fundamentals and essentials are retained in doctrine and worship is a sufficient ground for Separation I provoke you to make that appear And indeed this is the point that you Separatists stand bound to make good and which if you cannot as I am sure you cannot from the Word all your declamations against our Churches will not a whit free you from the guilt of Schisme As for the other branch of not imitating their constitution 't is a charge as weakly bottomed and inferring as the other For the particular constitution of those Churches is as I have said unknown to you and our Churches are not now newly constituting but have been long constituted and are successors of those first Churches And no more unchurched and necessitated to bee newly constituted by the intervention of Papal corruptions then the Church of Israel was by the intervention of heathenish Idolatries in it during the reign of bad Kings And that way of constitution still holds our Churches in their State which gave and maintained an ecclesiastical being to the Apostolical Churches even the professing and owning of the
Of Congregational Presbyterial Classical Churches and of the Church Catholick and Synods P. 25 26 WEe come now in the second place to interpret Antichristian Churches by Episcopal Churches that are the greater territories formed into Diocesan Provincial and Oecumenical Churches under the several orders of Bishops Episcopacy of the kind you mention being now discharged among us you might have spared your reader about this matter Let those that would see what is said for and against that Government read the treatises of learned men on that subject I shall onely here say to you in general that corruption in Church-Government is no sufficient cause for separation from a Church Wee must not say you p. 52. for respect to a right faith swallow a wrong order And wee must not say I because of some corruptions in the form of Church-Government forsake communion with a Church professing the true faith Your assertion in your sense stands onely upon your own authority Mine stands in the very light of the Scripture The Apostle John in his third Epistle mentions a great corruption in Church-Government but giveth not thereupon any precept for or encouragement to separation There were great corruptions crept into the form of Church-Government among the Jews in Christs time The Lord had appointed that there should bee onely one High-Priest at a time and hee was to continue in his office during life But there were then two High-Priests together that acted in the function each his year successively John 11.47 49. Besides the High Priesthood was at that time bought for mony procured by favour at the hands of the Romans Multitudes of corruptions there were also in the Priests actings c. Yet the Lord Christ gives no command or intimation to his Disciples to separate from them as from a false Church but onely bids them take heed of being leavened with their corrupt doctrines and drawn to an imitation of their wicked actions And the Lord himself held communion with them as a true Church in his life time Jesus Christ hath instituted no other visible integral Organical Church or Church with Officers P. 26. for the practice of his visible publick and solemn worship but one particular Congregation that may meet together ordinarily in the same place to worship in all the Ordinances of Gods house Such was the Church at Jerusalem there were added to it about three thousand Act. 2.41 They grew to five thousand more Chap. 4.4 yet they were all in Solomons porch Chap. 5.12 Multitudes were added Chap. 5.14 yet the Apostles call them together to them Chap. 6.2 5. And Chap. 15.4 Paul and Barnabas were received of the Church that is all the multitude verse 12. who were present at the disputation verse 6 7. Here indeed is the Hinge of the Controversies between us and our Reverend Brethren of the Congregational way in Old and New England who stand to their first professed principles owning our Congregations as true Churches but scrupling the Government of them by their Guides united confining all power of Government to a single Congregation and contending that it ought to bee so with all Gospel-Churches Had Mr. P. been such a one I should more gladly have entred the lists with him than I do But hee hath much out-grown his Brethren in Scruples and nothing will satisfie him concerning our Churches but what the Edomites wish'd against Jerusalem even the rasing of them to the foundation thereof For our parts wee beleeve that Gospel Churches may and commonly ought to consist of divers single Congregations united under and governed by their Elders in common and that wee have primitive examples for it and among them in the first and chief place that of the Church of Jerusalem in the Apostles times which is that that Mr. P. instanceth in to establish the contrary opinion Before I enter upon the dispute I desire it may bee considered that the enquiry is not of what number of members a Church consisted when it began first to bee planted But the inquiry is how it was with Churches when arrived to strength and maturity during the times in which the Apostles lived This premised I begin with the Church of Jerusalem and say that the Church of Jerusalem 1 Of the Church of Jerusalem when it grew numerous enough for it consisted of divers single Congregations as of so many parts making up one intire and compleat Church For proof whereof let it bee considered that 1 There was a Church at Jerusalem before the addition of the first three thousand Act. 2.41 And the members of the Church at that time cannot bee conceived to have been conteined within the limits of one single Congregation For the Ministery of Christ was exceeding successeful Mark 5.31 John 2.23 John 12.19 It is said of John Matth. 3.5 6. Jerusalem and all Judea and all the Region round about Jordan went out to him and were baptized of him And yet of Christ it is said hee made and baptized more disciples than John John 4.1 Visibly more so that the Pharisees could take notice of it Unto these converted by Johns and Christs Ministery add those brought in by the Ministery of the Apostles and seventy Disciples whom Christ endued with a power to work miracles that thereby they might gain faith to their doctrine Mark 6. Luk. 10. and yet still there is great want of labourers the Harvest was so great Luk. 10.2 and besides these more are found not without Christs approbation labouring in his Vineyard impowered also to work miracles to confirme Christs doctrine which they taught Mark 9.38 39. and of those there seem to have been many Matth. 7.22 Now seeing our Brethren will not grant that by Baptisme men are admitted into any other than a particular Church and there is no mention in Scripture of any other particular Church till long after this time but that of Jerusalem onely Let them from the premises judge whether the Church of Jerusalem even before the addition of the first three thousand must not needs consist of more Congregations than one But supposing that as yet there might bee but one Congregation in Jerusalem yet when wee consider from the Texts Mr. P. quotes the addition of the three thousand and of five thousand more and afterwards of multitudes and adde hereunto Act. 6.1.7 and 12.24 which speak of the farther prevailing of the Word and great increase of the number of the Disciples and together therewith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reflect on that Act. 21.20 Thou seest how many ten thousands of the Jews there are which beleeve mee thinks reason should compel men to acknowledge that the Church of Jerusalem must needs in the Apostles time consist of divers single Congregations What is said against these Texts shall bee anon considered 2 There was a great number of labourers in the Church of Jerusalem There were at first the twelve Apostles and one hundred and eight Disciples and most likely 't is there
looked upon as Churches in point of salvation another to bee looked upon as Churches in respect of outward constitution c. For if they are not to bee looked upon as Churches in respect of outward constitution they are not to bee looked upon as Churches at all unless hee can make it appear that beleevers out of Church-order make up Churches and that there are many mystical Churches And if reformed Churches are to be looked upon as Churches in point of salvation they looking to no other way of salvation but by the bloud of the Lamb and he can give the right hand of fellowship to them on that account hee thereby asserts their Churchstate and separates practically from them therefore without sufficient ground For if they are Churches in point of salvation they have the essentials of Church-order and are not to bee separated from The Protestants would not have separated from the Church of Rome if they could have looked upon her especially after the Sanctions of the Trent Council as a Church in point of Salvation looking to no other way of salvation but by the blood of the Lamb. So that notwithstanding his distinctions Mr. P's doctrine doth absolutely null all the Reformed Churches and all Churches that have disowned Papal Rome from the rise of Antichrist to this last age And thereby denyeth that there hath been a true Ministery and a true Church-state during many hundreds of years since Christ in the world Directly contrary to Matth. 28.19 20. Eph. 4.11 12 13. Rev. 11.1 2. Rev. 14.1 8. Eph. 3.21 To the instances which hee brings of Churches of his way ushering them in with a boast of their setting up Christs order in the face and to the teeth of the beast though in danger to bee slain for it I Answer that surely the Congregational Brethren of our daies have not waded through such great dangers in contending for and setting up their popular government They have had and have as much countenance from the Civil Powers as they can desire On which account many have struck in with Independency to bee of the rising side Surely there are some whom they know that have out-gone them in sufferings for cleaving to their principles and whilst the Powers did oppose their way heretofore flying to New-England and Holland was not a setting up of the order which they deemed to bee Christ's in the face and to the teeth of the Beast But to his instances I suppose that Congregation in Queen Marie's daies to have consisted of holy persons but cannot from the relation that History gives us of it see upon what grounds hee presumes them to have been a party of his own way in point of order and government Mr. Bentham their last Minister is there said to have been soon after Bishop of Coventry and Litchfield and therefore in all probability no Independent As to the hundred persons in Queen Elizabeths daies which Mr. Cotton mentions I should have liked their witnessing against the corruptions in the Church so far forth as their call would bear them out but if they separated from the Congregations in England in general as no true Churches no man is able to prove their separation lawful by the word of God and the words of the same Mr. Cotton pag. 14. of that book will condemn them where hee saith Mr. Robinsons denial of the Parishional Congregations in England to bee true Churches was never received into any heart from thence to infer a nullity of their Church-state Neither was our departure from them even in those evil times a separation from them as no Churches So that grant these two companies to have been Independent Churches yet if they separated from the Churches of England as no true Churches they were in Mr. Cottons judgement so farre in an errour and much more is Mr. P. for nulling all the reformed Churches in the world whereby he maketh his Independentism to become Donatism Hee addeth to justify himself Wee must not for respect to a right faith swallow a wrong Order hath not the letting go the right Order p. 52. let in a wrong faith Yes it hath indeed by those of your way most evidently For whereas the word of God placeth most evidently the power of Church-government in the Officers of the Church as hath been above proved your letting go this Gospel Order and bringing in the room of it a phantastick Democratical government strange to the word of God hath let in a wrong faith with a witnesse for at this back door have entered all the rabble of Sectaries Anabaptists now generally at least semi-Papists Seekers Quakers and Fifth-Monarchy-men of the last edition enemies to Magistratical and Ministerial power as their seditious Pamphlets Sermons and practices tending to imbrew the State in blood and Church in confusion do witness Object 2 It will be said this laies a ground to question all the Ordinances that have been administered in any other way P. 52. to 55 than that which you press for whether they are to be counted null and void Answ Some Ordinances have been corrupted in the essentials of them as the Lords Supper in the Popish-Churches and when so they become no Ordinances and of no efficacy Others were circumstantially corrupted onely as Baptism and when so though wee have cause to be humbled yet wee cannot reject the Ordinance When 't is promised that the Woman should be nourished in the Wilderness Rev. 12.6 it must needs imply that there should be some Ordinances preserved from corruption in their essentials and that Gods people should be accepted in the use of them Yet that is no argument against coming out of the Wilderness no more is the validness of Ordinances in the Episcopal Classical Parochial Churches against separating from them And this separation doth not require rebaptization for 1 The Scripture speaks nothing of it 2 Wee must either own our Baptism received in the Catholick visible Church of Rome the Mother or in the Diocesan or National Churches the Harlot Daughters or else wee must conclude that the Churches owned of God during the four and twenty months of Antichrist of which Rev. 11.4 shall want utterly the initiatory seal of the New Testament and of this wee finde no president or hint in Scripture Or else there must be an extraordinary way of reviving the lost Ordinance of Baptism in these Churches and of this I know neither promise nor experience for these hundreds of years since there have been such Churches Therefore the first must be granted for from the Churches rest till the Wilderness began to set up particular visible Churches by the Waldenses and Albigenses 't is rare to finde a man that would acknowledge any other Church than the Beast and his Images that would acknowledge a particuliar visible Church Answ It is hard for Mr. P. to manage an argument that doth not fall back upon his cause In answering this second Objection hee overthrows what hee had said and
swerving from his institution as of those that seek him in a way conformable to his Institution I suppose you will answer negatively But now through Gods goodness wee are able to say that God is and hath been as much found of us in our Churches and way and our Ministers have received as glorious a seal of their Ministery as any Churches that wee know of since the Apostles daies and farre more than our Congregational Brethren themselves in their way who although they deal out this hard measure to us to cry down our Ministery and Churches as Antichristian owe most of them that are renewed their conversion unto God unto our Ministery as the instrument for it in Gods hand themselves being Judges Though they had ten thousand Independent Instructors yet could they not say they are their Fathers for in Christ Jesus the Ministery of our Churches hath begotten them to the Gospel If I am become a fool in glorying they have compelled mee Object 4 But there may be and hath been good done this way errours suppressed c. and those that reject it now P. 61. made use of it once Answ The good that God brings out of evil is not to be construed into a divine approbation of it Nor the use that hath been made by good men of a false way of Churches to bee drawn into an argument to continue in it Answ What good there hath been done by reformed Churches few can bee ignorant of What good hath been done by Independent Churches hath not yet much appeared That some of their flocks are pure they owe to our Churches as hath been said Errours have been indeed suppressed by ours but not by theirs it appears therefore they have made but a bad exchange but cherished by many of them who have been to them as Cities of refuge and out of which they have swarmed abundantly into all parts of the Land and for this the Land groans And thinks Mr. P. to put off this so sleightly with his begged supposition of the truth of the Churches of his way and the falseness of ours Surely the beating down of errour and the promoting of truth is no contemptible note of a true Church though some corruptions bee found in it Rev. 2.2 4. and on the contrary c. That those that owned our Churches once have now rejected them I judge from the word to be their sin They should have continued in them since Christ hath not divorced them though he hath somewhat against them and have indeavoured to reform them But they have not laboured to heal yea they have widened and encreased our wounds and then they insult over us Antichristianize us separate from us and draw away the best of our flocks boasting in other mens lines of things made ready to their hands The Lord judge between us and them Object 5. and 6. But shall wee do it without the authority of the Magistrate P. 62 63 64 without the consent of the Church Answ That which is pressed is but the doing of the duty that lies upon every Christian to separate from unwarrantable societies The Text hath no such proviso if the Magistrate bid or give you leave then come out of Babylon Therefore wee are to resolve with Peter Martyr and with Wollebius c. After God hath made known his truth saies the first wee must not delay Consent indeed is to be expected if the matter be dubious and obscure to wit to him to whom it is revealed as the course of his speech makes manifest Answ The Magistrate is as no body with you unless you have him on your side and then you can change your note But wee hold that very much respect is to bee had to the Magistrate in this matter and all means possible are to bee used to ingage the Magistrate to carry on the work of Reformation Give mee but one example in all the Old Testament of any considerable reformation in the Church without the interposition of the power of the Magistrate or one example of it in Ecclesiastical history in a time when there were Christian Magistrates Can our Magistrates endure that their authority and power should bee contemned as it is I hope they will not but that they will exert it for the good of the Church in discountenancing restraining and punishing men of corrupt minds principles and practices leading to separation blasphemies errours and rebellion sheltring themselves under this notion that the Magistrate hath nothing to do with Church-matters and that all men are therein to bee left to their liberty and the dictates of their own spirits The places that you pick out of Martyr and Wollebius favour not your fancy The place of Wollebius taken in his sense I readily yeeld to That when Religion is depraved it is to bee reformed by the Magistrate But if reformation cannot be obtained of the Magistrate hee being an enemy to the Church then reformation lies upon those whom God hath furnished with necessary gifts for it neither is the consent of Roman Bishops to bee expected for if our Fathers had done so saies hee there would have been no reformation And hee produceth the examples of Gideon Jehoiada the Maccabes the Apostles c. to make good his assertion Now when you shall have proved 1 That the supreme Magistrate is an enemy of Religion the Church and reformation 2 That the way of reformation you contend for is indeed the way of God 3 That all lawful means have been used and notwithstanding reformation cannot be obtained at the Magistrates hands 4 That Englands condition and the State of the Church in the time of Gideon Jehoiada the Maccabes the Apostles and Protestant reformers are alike 5 That you have Instruments that have the like call from God and are furnished with such abilities for reforming as they had and were Then I confess this place will speak something for you 6 The reformation Wollebius speaks of referres chiefly to essentials in Religion and that hee is an Antagonist to your way of separation from reformed Churches appears sufficiently in his book Martyr you much mistake also 1 The reformation hee presseth referres chiefly to fundamentals in Religion 2 Those whose consent hee saies was not to bee expected were the Roman Bishops whom hee calls sworn enemies to the truth 3 Hee doth not incite and stirre up the people to set upon the work without the consent of the Magistrate but the inferiour Magistrates to endeavour in their places a reformation of Religion in banishing the impure Masse out of their Cities c. and how doth this reach your case 4 The cause hee saies was clear and such as was confessed to be Gods and delaies might indanger the loss of a good cause Consent indeed saies hee is to be expected if the matter bee dubious and obscure And here you bring in your shameful Parenthesis to wit to whom it is revealed which Parenthesis spoils and abuseth Peter Martyrs Text For his
race his Father Egbert being the first which brought the former Heptarchie under one sole Prince conferred the Tythes of all the Kingdome upon the Church by his Royal Charter King Ethelwolph saith Ingulph with the consent of his Prelates and Princes which ruled in England under him in their several Provinces did first inrich the Church of England with the Tythes of all his Lands and Goods by his Charter Royal. Hee gave saith Ethelward the Tythe of his possessions for the Lords own portion and ordered it to bee so in all parts of the Kingdome Hee discharged saith Florence of Worcester the tenth part of his Realm of all tributes and services due unto the Crown and by his perpetual Charter offered it to the three-one God The Charter makes it evident that the King did not onely give de facto the Tythe or tenth part of his whole Realm to the use of the Clergy but that hee had a right and a power to do it as being not onely the Lord Paramount but the Proprietary of the whole Lands The Lords and great men of the Realm not having then a property or estates of permanency but as accomptants to the King whose the whole Land was And this appears yet further by a Law of King Athelstanes made in the year 930. about which time not onely the Prelates of the Church as formerly but the great men of the Realm began to be settled in estates of permanency and to claim a property in those Lands which they held of the Crown and claiming so begun it seems to make bold to subduct their Tithes For remedy whereof the King made this Law commanding all his Ministers throughout the Kingdome that in the first place they should pay the Tythes of his own estate which hee held in his own hands and had not estated out to his Lords and Barons and that the Bishops did the like of what they held in right of their Churches and his Nobles and Officers of that which they held in property as their own possessions or inheritance So then the Land being charged thus with the paiment of Tythes came with this clog unto the Lords and great men of the Realm and hath been so transmitted and passed over from one hand to another until it came to the possession of the present owners who whatsoever right they have to the other nine parts either of Fee-simple Lease or Copy have certainly none at all in the Tythe or tenth which is no more theirs or to be so thought of than the other nine parts are the Clergies For in whatsoever tenure they hold their Lands they purchased them on this tacit condition that besides the Rents and Services they pay to the Lord they are to pay to the Clergy or those who succeed in their right a tenth of all the fruits of the earth and of the fruits of their Cattel and all Creatures tytheable And by how many Acts of Parliament Tithes have been confirmed to the Clergy on this account in the reigns of several of our Princes unto this day appears fully in the Treatises of learned Lawyers as also what care hath been taken for the true paiment of them These things considered it is evident that by Donation the Ministery of England hath as good a civil right to the Tithes as any other persons have to the other nine parts possessed by them And I fear therefore that many of those who are now so hot for the abolishing of Tithes would soon labour if they had power in their hands to extinguish Landlords Rents also Thus Tithes are made over and held may be claimed and ought to be paid on the account of the Magistrates lawful appointment determination and Laws and the right of ancient Donation in England And these two grounds well-considered are sufficient to satisfie any man that there is no need to take them away though the Divine right of them should not bee made good Sufficeth there is a firm civil right for them But yet because Mr. P. is so confident and peremptory in denying and opposing the Divine right of Tithes though as his manner is he answers not the many and weighty arguments urged by no mean Divines and Masters of reason for it I shall view what hee saith to that plea. Consider wee then that 3 Some plead for Tithes upon the account of Divine right alledging that this way of Ministers maintenance by Tithes was appointed by God before the Law and under the Law and is not repealed or any other substituted in its room by the Gospel And that therefore Tythes are due by a Moral and perpetually binding Law of God What says Mr. P. to this It is an Old-Testament maintenance Be it so this is that is pleaded The older the better as to evidence if it be not repealed The Sabbath is an Old-Testament Ordinance and hath no New-Testament Law exprest to establish it will he therefore say away with the Sabbath What saith he to the repeal of Tythe-maintenance It seems to me plainly distinguished from the New-Testament maintenance in that 1 Cor. 9.13 14. Plainly Every man hath not so good eyes as Mr. P. I see not the least appearance of any such thing in that text 'T is well he says to me plainly for I dare engage upon my little reading that no Expositor of note did ever see any such thing in this Scripture much less see it plainly Some of them have thought they have seen the contrary to this notion in it and have pleaded from the SO for the Divine right of Tythes but none that I know of did ever behold the maintenances plainly or indeed at all distinguished in it This sharpness of sight Mr. P. shall carry away the glory of Well but he will make us see it Behold we then 'T is plain says he he argues a Simili from the like and like is not the same Now it is plain to me that Mr. P. understands not the text and that he abuseth Logick though not out of ill will to it I suppose The Logick is too too bad even for a Midsummer Bachelaur For the axiome as used by him hath a gross fallacy in it A dicto secundum quid ad dictum simpliciter It is true that like is not cannot be the same Numerically but it may be the same Specifically and is and if Mr. P. had been better acquainted with Aristotle hee might have known so much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 10. E◠c. 3. Like things are not the same simply but they are the same as to species or kind Suppose then the Apostle to argue from the like when hee argues for a Gospel-maintenance from the consideration of the maintenance had under the Law doth it follow he must mean another kind of maintenance by that which he pleads for Are not Tythes paid under the Law and Tythes paid under the Gospel alike as Tythes paid and yet are not they the same as they are one kind of
P's Counsels and direction for Reformation IN his 89. 90. page hee subjoynes to his injunctions to the Magistrate an exhortation to all to come out of Babylon that is in his sense Reformed Churches And to this end makes use of his old unworthy Art of abusing Authors The greatest part of those pages being a citing of some passages out of Diodati and Calvin Minister in the Protestant Church at Geneva intended against Rome as separated from by that and all other Protestant Churches and wresting them to carry on his exhortation to separation from those separating Protestant Churches This is a way of abusing Protestant writers whereby Mr. P. outstrips the very Papists themselves who though they bee their sworn enemies yet never had such a foreheadlesse impudence as to abuse them in this kinde His Directions follow 1 Reform not onely substance but circumstance hate the garment spotted by the flesh p. 91. c. Here is nothing but unkinde insinuations that wee labour not so to do the contrary to which hath been evinced I wish rigid Separatists had the substance of Religion well reformed among them and did not look more after Circumstances than it and that Mr. P. whilst hee is so zealous about Circumstances close not in with those of them that have imbraced Popish opinions and doctrines and so pervert the substance But what Circumstances inconsistent with the word do wee retain Mr. P. mentions none here Si accusare sat est quis erit innocens 2 Take away not onely Idolatrous notions but the things God say those Reverend Lights p. 92. Dod and Cleaver in Deut. 7.25 forbids the Israelites to covet or touch the plate of Idols covered with gold and silver lâ—st it should make them remember the Idol and so Worship it So wee must lay aside all superstitious things and actions I suppose hee strikes here at our Parish-Churches Tithes and Temples which have been abundantly proved to bee no Idolatrous things and which those pious writers never thought of when they wrote this or imagined that any man would bee so unreasonable as thus to mis-apply and abuse their expressions But it is observable that Mr. P. who calls them Reverend lights and hath thus flowers at hand See whom this resembleth Matth. 23.29 30 31. to strew upon the hearses of these dead Ministers would notwithstanding have the Living lights of our Churches who are men of the same Principles in matters of faith and discipline put under a bushel and laid aside as broken vessels of no farther use in the Church of God Mr. P. may remember time place and company when where and in which hee thus exprest himself I professe were I a man in absolute authority I would make SCAVINGERS of all the Parish-Priests in England to clean the waies or rake the dunghills Reader art thou not amazed Truly though I cannot sometimes but answer him according to his folly my soul mourns for him and I fear God will severely visit these murderous intentions desires and expressions upon him How sad is it that such thoughts of heart should bee found and manifested to be in him in relation to many as worthy dear painful Servants of the Lord as are this day in the world only because they close not with his apprehensions and differ from Congregatinal men in matters of discipline Certainly we may judge by this that wee should have a sad Reformation were it referred to Mr. P's will The gravest holiest and most painful Parish-Ministers would bee accounted Idolatrous things and so taken away according to his Direction How well is it for England that God hath given him no more power in it As for the mentioned Comment we readily assent to it and it toucheth us not Wee have shewed that our Churches Maintenance Temples cannot bee proved to be Idols or Idolatrous But Mr. P. must bee again minded that though it was not lawful for the Israelites to convert the silver and gold of the Canaanitish Idols to their own private use yet they were not forbidden to convert it to the use of the house of the Lord. And there is a command for it Josh 6.18 19.24 It was an accursed thing if they took it to their own private use But being brought into and bestowed upon the house of God it was holy to the Lord. And so answerably now Places and Things however idolatrously used heretofore being consecrated to God and imployed in his service and for his worship do no more remain Idolatrous p. 93 3 Return NOT only to the true object of worship but to the right means that are instituted in the word of God Understands not Mr. P. what the right means of Gods worship are or doth hee knowingly and falsely accuse his Christian Brethren Prayer Preaching Singing of Psalmes administration of the Sacraments these are the principal means of Gods Worship and have wee not these in our Congregations But Mr. P. doth I suppose apprehend Discipline and a form of Church-Government to contain virtually all the means of worship But surely Church-government is no means of worship though it bee a means to preserve the Ordinances of God free from pollution And as to Church-Government I suppose and beleeve to have proved in this Treatise that that which we plead for is agreeable to the Divine pattern and the Independent not so That 2 Cor. 11.3 4. is misapplied by him The Apostle speaks not there of Church-Discipline but of Fundamental Christian doctrins SECT 11. Of the Call of our Ministers p. 94 LAstly beware of Antichrists Brokers and buy nothing of him at second hand This mans modesty is pleased to call as pious able and successeful a Ministry as the Christian world hath Antichrists Brokers And why so Our Ordination is that which will not down with him it is from Rome and therefore we are Antichrists Brokers and Antichristian For answer I conceive that this Objection and charge may be two waies taken off I shall propound them and leave them with the judicious Reader Jus Div. Min. Angl. p. 33 c. 1 The common Answer which is that that is in particular laid down improved and urged by the Reverend Provincial Assembly of London is that Our Ordination and Ministry is descended to us from Christ and his Apostles and the primitive Churches through but not from the Apostate Church of Rome And that the receiving of our Ministry thus through Rome makes it no more null and void than the receiving the Scriptures Sacraments or any other Ordinance of God through Antichristian Rome doth make them null and void Nay that it is a great strengthening to our Ministry that it appears hereby derived to us from Christ and his Apostles by the succession of a Ministry continued for 1600. years And that wee have not onely a lineal succession from Christ and his Apostles but also a Doctrinal succession which is more c. So much they have said in vindication of our
Ministry from Antichristianism as I am confident can never be fairly answered Mr. P. as his manner is in other points takes no notice of what they or others have said in this argument But cries out Antichristian Ministers Antichrists Brokers c. How easy is it but how unreasonable and absurd thus to keep fresh and renew charges without removing the answers that have taken them off And upon what ground can men that act so expect that any notice bee taken of what they say But one good turn is that Mr. P. in this charging book answers himself and saies that which doth in effect establish the mentioned Plea for the validity of our Ordination and Ministry When Ordinances saith hee page 53. are but circumstantially corrupted wee cannot reject them no more than the Israelites could reject the Ark because it was carried in a Cart of the Philistims making And hee instanceth in Baptism in which though much were added as Annointing Crossing c. yet the essentials were retained whilst it alwaies was administred by washing sprinkling or dipping in water in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Let any man now apply this to our Ordination and Ministry and see whether it will not fit them as well as Baptism The essentials of Ordination have been alwaies retained Ministers being ordained by Ministers of the Gospel with Prayer and imposition of hands according to Christs institution Act. 13.1 2 3. 1 Tim. 4.14 5.22 Therfore though some Circumstantial Corruptions cleaved to our Ordination received through Rome yet according to Mr. P's own conclusion wee may not renounce it Neither can hee say any thing against the validity of Ordination so received which will not equally strike at Baptism received through Rome also Our Ministers are no more Antichristian Ministers or Antichrists Brokers because they received their Ordination through Rome than those that have undergone the Ordinance of Baptism among us and Mr. P. among them are Antichrists Christians or Antichristian baptised persons because the Ordinance came to them through Rome Wee must saith hee own our Baptism received in the Church of Rome and is there not as much ground to say wee must own our Ordination received in the Church of Rome Especially in England which had a true and pure Ministry in primitive times as the Congregational Brethren confess Now this Ministry for the Essentialness of it hath been derived successively to our times wherein it is purged from those corruptions that did during the prevalency of Popery cleave unto it And our Ministry thus derived can no more bee called an Antichristian Ministry than the Ministry and Priest-hood of those Priests under the Law that were consecrated during the prevalency of Idolatrey in that Church or of those that succeeded them could bee called when the service of the Lord was restored in purity and they attended upon it a Heathen Ministry or Priesthood 2 Though I account that answer good and strong and beleeve that our accusers will never bee able to remove it Yet I conceive wee need not grant them so much as that our Ministery is descended to us through Rome The Congregational Brethren say some of them that wee are Antichristian Ministers because wee received our Ordination from Rome Papists say wee are not Christian Ministers because wee do not receive our Ordination from Rome Well let those two parties dispute it out Wee need not trouble our selves with the controversy Wee may assert the Christianity of our Ministery upon another account which is this The Ministers of the Protestant Reformed Churches have their Doctrinal and Lineal Succession from the hands of Christ and his Apostles FROM and THROUGH the hands of the witnesses prophecying in Sackcloath during Antichrists reign To evidence this let it bee considered 1 That there have been true Churches of Christ in the World yea in the territories and Nations where Antichrist hath prevailed more or fewer all along the time of his reign to this last age maintaining the profession and Ordinances of the Gospel of Christ in opposition to his corruptions though he hath persecuted and sought to destroy them for it And among these those of Bohemia and the Waldenses and Albigenses are famously known to have continued a long while Enemies themselves acknowledge concerning these last that in all likelihood they had their beginning though possibly under other names near the time of the Apostles 2 That in these Churches considered in their order of time there was both a Doctrinal and lineal succession from Christ and his Apostles unto the rise of the Churches called Protestant 3 That the Protestant Reformers and the Churches that with-drew with them from Rome did own the same fundamental truthes in Doctrine and Discipline that those did as sufficiently appears by the History of the Waldenses and the conferences that passed between the Protestant Reformers and them about it 4 That although whereas it is certain that the Waldenses being by persecution scattered did sow the seeds of the true religion in sundry Countries where afterwards Protestant Churches were established which did lay a ground-work for their arising we have not much evidence of the Protestant Ministers receiving Ordination from their Ministers yet wee are assured from the Histories of those times that there was a very cheerful and unanimous consent between those Waldensian Churches and the Protestant Churches and a full concurring in matters of Doctrin Worship Discipline and Ministry as also there was for the main between the Protestant Churches beyond the Seas and ours afterwards in England in their time of Reformation Now in cases so extraordinary as those of the Protestant Churches in their first rising were the right hand of fellowship which some of the Congregational Brethren judge in ordinary cases sufficient being given in effect to the Ministery of beyond-sea Protestant Churches by the Ministery of those former Churches and to the Ministery of our Churches by the Ministery of those Protestant Churches may well bee thought enough to supply the want and stand in the room of formal Ordination from them And this Ministery of Protestant Churches received from Christ through the Witnesses prophecying in Sack-cloath hath been since continued by formal Ordination both beyond Seas and among us as that which in fixed Churches and where it may be had compleatly is of necessity according to the rule of the Word to be maintained and used formally for the continuation of a Gospel Ministry SECT 12. A Question discussed Whether any unordained persons among us are lawful and compleat Ministers of the Gospel With An Answer to the six Arguments for Popular Ordination brought by the Answerers of Jus Div. Min. Evangelici in their Book called The Preacher sent VVHilst Mr. P. and the Congregational Brethren of his form are so forward to condemn our Ministry as Antichristian it will bee hard for them to free their own from that charge This proposition I will engage to make good Those Preachers that are