I say as he affirmeth and whether I have not both Scripture and reason for what I say through my whole book and if he shall upon mature examination perceive that I have good authority for what I say then let him judg whether or no M. Knollys all his complices that thus upon all occasions traduce me bee not a generation of the accusers of the brethren and whether both Mr Knollys and all his confederats be not a company of calumniators raylors and Lyers rather then Saints For I bless God I have both Scripture and sound reason for all that I say and I speak it here in the presence of the great GOD that if I had ever seen the least ground of truth in all the Scripture of truth for what they of the congregationall way hold about their Church I would rather have suffered any misery in the world then ever have opened my mouth against their way much lesse have written against it but finding it not only a novell Opinion but hereticall indeed the very sourse of all heresies and errors and of dangerous consequence and such an one that if it be not speedily looked unto will not onely bring down the plagues and judgements of God upon the Nation and overthrow all the Christian Religion and all power of godlynesse but all government in Church and State through City and Country and bring a miserable desolation and utter ruine upon the 3 Kingdoms which God of his infinite mercy and goodnesse prevent And the consideration of all these things in the presence of God I say it again and no other put me upon this imployment to oppose the error of the wayes of all the Independents and Sectaries and in this course I am now in by the grace of God and his blessed assistance I will persevere in with all my endeavours to the last period of my dayes And now I come to reply to what Mr Knollys hath here set down by way of answer and although I have formerly given an answer to all the fond cavills of the Independents concerning their severall meetings together in the Temple and in Solomons Porch which the Reader I am confident will say is satisfactory enough to any that know what reason is yet here again for Master Knollys farther satisfaction if he will with any thing be satisfied I answer as followeth to what he childishly bables against this Argument of mine This argument of the Doctors saith he I answer first by denying the Assumption c. One would have expected that when Master Knollys began with this word first which amongst learned and rationall men in disputing it being a word of relation hath ever reference to some second answer at lest if not a third and fourth that he had had some second and third reserve of reasons at least to have fallen upon my argument with this I say all wise men would have imagined And yet there followes neither a second third or fourth answer But howsoever he may speak nonsense by his calling and by vertue of his Independency I will take no advantage against him for that I will examine onely the futility of his denyall which he calls a reason which indeede is a meer contradiction not only of himselfe but of the holy Scripture and is a giving of the spirit of God the lye as at other times as will forth with appear For whereas he saith that the Scriptures produced by me do not in expresse words declare that there were divers Assemblies and Congregations of Beleevers in the Church of Jerusalem and that the Scriptures quoted do in expresse termes declare the contrary it is most abominably false and that by his own confession as we shall by and by see For should I grant unto Master Knollys which I cannot do for many reasons set down in my foregoing Discourse That when there were but three thousand converted and added to the Church that they might then all meet together in any one place or congregation to partake in all Ordinances and that when there were five thousand more added to them they might still likewise all meet together either in the Temple or in Solomons Porch to hear the Word I say should I to gratifie Master Knollys grant him all this yet it will not follow that when there were dayly new additions upon additions of other Converts and Beleevers and that of many thousands that then they could still doe the same But I cannot grant all this for it would be against all reason and contrary to daily experience which tels us that eight thousand men cannot meet in any one Congregation to partake in all acts of worship to edification Yea if I should grant this to Master Knollys both hee himselfe and all his Fraternity would laugh at mee all learned men would conclude that I were indeed a mad man as my brother Burton speakes of mee for it is most certaine that all the Beleevers and Converts in the Church of Ierusalem did never all together partake in all Ordinances and in all acts of worship either in the Temple or in Solomons porch for wee never reade that they either baptized or brake bread in either of them neither would the Magistrate have ever indured or suffered it and yet both these were the discriminating and sealing Ordinances by which all Christians were distinguished from Jewes and Gentiles and all Vnbeleevers and it is well knowne that there was no room in any private house that could containe such a multitude to partake in all Ordinances to edification and this my brother Burton accordeth to saying in expresse words that there was no roome or place large enough to containe them all and the very Scripture also is cleare in this point in many places Yea Master Knollys assenteth to this though hee takes no notice of what hee sayes at any time But because hee perhaps will beleeve himself rather then me and because also his Followers and Schollers will give credit to his words rather then to any reasons produced by mee let them I pray heare what hee saith The Apostles and all the Beleevers in the Church of Jerusalem saith hee met together with one accord in one place to wit the Temple and in Solomons Porch and brake bread from house to house 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Domatim not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 per singulas domos and thus they did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quotidie day by day and they continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayer c. These are Master Knollys his owne words From the which all learned men may easily perceive the force of truth and the weaknesse and feeblenesse of errour for whiles the man labours to enervate my Argument he contradicteth himselfe and the holy Scriptures and overthrowes his owne Principles and confirmes my opinion for by his owne words it is evident there were many Congregations and Assemblies of Beleevers in Ierusalem
by the rest to make one entire platforme For the Scripture consists of many parts as so many Members in one body one Member cannot say to another I have no need of thee 1 Cor. 12. Againe the Church at Jerusalem if it must be a paterne for all other Churches then in this that all other Churches must be subject to some one Church because Acts 15. things in question were there debated and determined and sent to other Churches to be observed But for as much as that Church at that time in those things was infallibly guided by the Holy Ghost wherewith the Apostles there were inspired in which respect their resolutions were with authority it pleased the Holy Ghost and us that which no particular Church since the Apostles could ever say it followeth that the Church then at Jerusalem remaines not in all things a paterne for other Churches for a paterne must be in all things imitable and perfect Lastly for Appeales so much agitated and pressed I have said enough before and else-where as in my vindication to vindicate the right use of that in point of Church matters And so I passe briefly from your first question to your second which is concerning the manner of gathering of Churches and admitting of Members and Officers I have set downe my Brother Burtons expressions at large that all men may see how fairely I deale with hâ—m â—s for his censure upon all my Arguments that went before by which I proved my first Proposition that they are rather words and tautoligies then arguments by which I toyled my selfe and my Reader I passe it by as neither regarding his pr yses nor sleightings who was never yet constant to the Principles either of Humanity or Religion but like the Camelion hee speaketh of page 3. receives impressions of sundry formes changeable according to the present condition And as it is said of King Henry the eight that hee never spared any man in his rage so it may truly be averred of him that hee never spared any in his fury passion neither living nor dead upon the least conceived displeasure against them no not those hee was most obliged to as all that have beene familiarly acquainted with him and his frothy Pamphlets and language can testifie for he spares not the King himselfe nor Parliament upon all occasions to the one of which notwithstanding hee was not onely obliged in all Loyaltie as a subject but as a speciall servant and to the other if ever any man was ingaged in all the obligations of duty and veneration hee was who is bound unto that great Councell for his Liberty which is the life of life and for his honour and good name which is better then life and yet hee hath spared neither but hath most unchristianly and undutifully and that publickly and privately aspersed them upon all occurrences and therefore if at pleasure hee can vilipend sleight traduce and speake evill of those dignities I may not thinke my selfe agrieved if hee most unbrotherly in his scriblings abuse me Yea I am so farre from being offended at him for this his so dealing with mee as I thinke my selfe honoured by it and account it matter of rejoycing having learned that lesson of my heavenly Master That when men revile me reproach me and speake all manner of evill of me falsely for his names sake that I should rejoyce and be exceeding glad for so they have done by all the Prophets Matth. 5. Luke the 6. and Paul tooke such dealing from the false Teachers of his time for matter of triumph 2 Cor. 12. verse 10. saying I take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches in necessities in persecutions in distresses for Christs sake for when I am weake then am I strong This I apply unto my selfe who have suffered as much from him and those of his party in reproaches in persecutions and in all manner of reviling and blasting language as their daily Pamphlets and words can witnesse as any man now living and for no other cause that I know of but that I maintaine the truth against error and oppose the novelties and groundlesse opinions of the times all the which will the more aggravate their judgement because they did as immoderately prayse me as can be proved before they knew my differing opinion from them as they doe now maliciously and causelesly vituperate mee and the Lord knowes that I am not changed in my opinion in any knowne truth from what I both beleeved and to my power practised above these thirty yeares neither had I any reason to vary from my Principles they being grounded upon the unerring word of truth and therefore for my brother Burtons and his parties sleighting of mee and my indeavours I wave them as meere Grolleries knowing that my bookes have beene read by more judicious men then either himselfe or any of his Fraternity and have had the approbation of learned men at home and abroad And now I come to his Argument for hee hath not so much candour and faire dealing in him as to lay downe my reasons that the Reader might see the grounds of truth but conceals them all and makes a Syllogisme of his owne or else hath borrowed it from some of his American friends and fetcht it out of the new World For I never read the like in either Europian or Asian Writer no nor in any African Author yet that Country was famous for Monsters and usually esteemed to be the Mother and Nursery of prodigious births and yet such a Syllogisme I never saw brought forth by any of that Nation as this of his framing and I am confident that every sucking Sophister will bee ready truly to say of it as hee falsely speakes of those multitudes baptized by Iohn Christs disciples that they were not formed into a Church or Churches the same I say will any but a Novice in the Art of disputation conclude of his Syllogisme that it hath neither forme mood or figure and that I could easily make evident were it not for mispending of precious time and that I desire not to displease the good old Father in discovering his nakednesse and infirmities who if hee were so highly offended with mee because hee conceived I meant him when I spake of a Basket-hilted beard how much would hee be inraged if I should discover his ignorance and make it appeare that hee is a meer stranger in the art of Logick which hee would perswade the world hee were so great a Master in But leaving that I will come the matter in hand which is of publicke concernment and in the first place I must needs blame him for his Sacriledge and unjust dealing who at one time robbs the Church of Christ of such multitudes of believers as were converted and baptized by the Baptist and Christs Disciples and by them added unto the Church of the Iews who were then the only visible Church upon earth and proclaimed by Christ himself Iohn 4. to be the
all men therefore they that pray that as there is but one God one truth and one true Religion so that no other may bee tolerated pray according to his will and are the onely true praying people and those that pray for liberty of conscience and the toleration of them all as the Independents doe are not the onely true praying people whatsoever they pretend unto the deluded world for they pray not according to Gods will Againe the truly praying people are taught to say thy Kingdome come in which Petition they are instructed to pray not onely that the Kingdome of Glory may come but the Kingdome of Grace viz. that the Gospel may be everywhere published preached and set up and to that end that God would send faithfull Labourers into his Vineyard and Harvest and in so praying they earnestly desire that whatsoever hinders the preaching of the Gospel as the toleration of all Religions doth may be taken away now the Independents pray for a toleration and for liberty of conscience and labour as much as in them lyes the hinderance of sending faithfull Labourers into Gods Harvest and much discourage those that are already sent and hinder also the setting up of that Discipline and Government that would most make for the advancement of Christs Kingdome and for the coming of the same therefore they are not the truly praying people for they pray not according to Gods will Againe the true praying people are taught to say thy will beeâ— done on earth as it is in heaven and in their so praying they are instructed to pray for the removall of all such things as are against the good will and pleasure of God and doe hinder the doing of his will Now God hath revealed in his will that as there is but one God and one Mediator so there is but one Faith one Baptism and one Religion and that all the people of God should bring up their children and families in the nurture knowledge and fear of this one and onely true God as Abraham Jacob Joshua and Cornelius and all the faithfull and dear servants of God in all ages have ever done and that they should instruct their children and housholds in the Statutes and Commandments of the Lord at their lying down and rising up at their goings out and commings in Deut. 6. Deut. 11. and Eph. 6. v. 4. And that both they and their men-servants and maide servants and the stranger within their gates should sanctifie Gods Sabboths and keep all his Commandments Exod. 20. And this is the duty of all parents and masters of families and this they are for ever tyed unto by the revealed will of God and that they should not spare their nighest allies and kindred that should labour or indeavour to bring in any other Religion then that God hath appointed in his holy and blessed word Den. 13. and this they that pray aright and according to Gods will pray may be done to the end of the world and that both they and their families and all the families of the earth may continue to instruct their housholds and families according to the commandments of God which is his revealed will and that whatsoever shall hinder the doing of this will of God may be removed abominated and abhorred as the toleration of all Religions will do and that pretended liberty of conscience as hourly experience teacheth us for by this both the duties of the first and second tables are neglected on all sides for neither fathers nor masters of families can performe or discharge their duties if a Toleration of all Religions should once be set up for then both servants and children and the strangers within their houses should every one of them be left to the liberty of their consciences without controlâ— so that they may go whither they will and imbrace what Religion or Heresie they please and therefore it concernes all men more earnestly to pray for the setting up and establishing of the onely true Religion and the rooting out of all false and erroneous Religions for in this they do according to Gods will And they onely that thus pray are the true praying people But the Il dependents pray that there own wils may be done not Gods will for they pray for a Toleration of all Religions and that against the revealed will of God who hath declared his will to the contrary Deut. 13. Yea Christ himselfe in his Epistles to the Church of Pergamos and Thyatyra Rev. 2. ver 12. c. 18. sheweth his high displeasure against them for but suffering and conniving at those false doctrines that were taught amongst them Yea in this blessed prayer of Christ we are taught to pray not only that the will of God may be done on earth but he farther addeth by way of example and for a patern of our imitation that it may be done on earth as it is in heaven Now all those that are Christs Disciples know that there is but one Religion in Heaven and one way of worship there as there is but one God they therefore that pray for a Toleration of all Religions as the Il-dependents do are not the onely true praying people seeing they would have the will of God otherwise done on earth then it is done in heaven for in heaven there is but one Religion and therefore they pray contrary to the will of God when they pray for liberty of conscience and a Toleration of all Religions Again the truly praying people are taught to pray lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evill therefore they pray against the toleration of all Religions which is not onely a great temptation and an occasion of evill but the very sourse and fountain of all errours schismes heresies and of all abominations and of all the evills both of sin and punishment that can light upon any Church Nation or Kingdome as we may see by the example of the Churches of Pergamos and Thyatyra to the which the Lord saith Repent or else I will come unto thee quickly and will fight against thee with the sword of my mouth And I will cast her into a bed of great tribulation and will kill her with death and all the Churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reines and hearts and I will give unto every one of you according to your works I say therefore from very good ground that a Toleration of all Religions is not onely a great temptation but the greatest evill in the world and would be a meanes of bringing plagues and judgements upon the three Kingdomes and a distraction and disorder amongst all the people and a confusion of all things against all the which as so many temptations and capitall evills all truly godly praying people if they will pray according to Gods will ought incessantly to put up their dayly supplications as they desire the favour of God and the removeall of his judgements and in their so praying they do but
Church then the doctrine of the Congregationall way falleth to the ground or vanisheth for if there were many and severall Congregations there that had not an absolute authority and jurisdiction Independent within themselvs respectively but were subordinate and subject to another authority above them then of necessity that tenent of the Congregationall way is but a meer chimera or whimsy of your own heads as all the learnedst of your tribe do acknowledge Now when my brother Burton hath not onely granted there were many Congregations of beleevers in that Church but by arguments proved it he hath utterly I say lost the field before he entered into the combat as will yet more perspicuously appear in the following discourse but by that I have now said you may see how unhappy you are in all these your Champions and Generals that give as great wounds unto your cause as any adversaries you have in the world now living ever gave That which I have now to say in the first place to all your leaders and guides is earnestly to intreat them as they look for true comfort in life and death and as they desire the peace of the Church and quiet of this distracted State and Kingdome they would now no longer withhold the truth from the people in unrighteousnesse which hitherto they have done but that they would unfainedly bewaile the errors of their wayes and repent of their seducing and misleading of the poor people let it be enough that they have so highly provoked God and caused the enemies to blaspheme our Christian Religion And in the second place I desire all you that have hitherto been misled and carryed about with every wind of their new doctrine that now you would more seriously prove and examine all things according to the Apostles rule 1 Thess 5. 12. and hold fast that which is good Lay not out your time and moneys for that which will profit you nothing but whiles it is called to day set your selves seriously upon the work of examining all those new doctrines that have been taught you set before your eyes the example of the noble Bereans search the Scriptures whether things be as they have taught you and if you please diligently to read what I have writ out of a zeal of the glory of God and out of love to your selves and a true desire of your eternall felicity If any of you that have erred from the truth shall be converted by it let him know that he that converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins James 5. 19. 20. John Bastwick THE ANTILOQVIE SOLOMON the Wisest of men and one beloved of God gives this counsell to all the sons and daughters of God and to the universality of all man-kind saying unto them all Prov. 23. ver 23. Buy the truth and sell it not also wisdome instruction and understanding He counsells them all to prise truth with wisdome instruction and understanding above all things as the onely means of making men happy not in this life alone but eternally for so Solomon that wise man asserteth Prov. 3. ver 13 14 15 16 17 18. saying Happy is the man that findeth wisdome and the man that getteth understanding For the merchandise of it is better then the merchandise of silver and the gain thereof then fine gold Shee is more precious then rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her Length of dayes is in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honour Her wayes are wayes of pleasantnesse and all her pathes are peace She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her and happy is every one that retaineth her If all the Orators of the World had been gathered together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they could not with so illustrious a brevity have set forth the excellency of wisdome and understanding nor with more glorious encomiums and ellogies have decipher'd the amability of them for the making of them specious and lovely and for the inviting of all men to the ready and willing imbracing of them for if either life profit pleasure honour or any delectable content or any thing indeed desirable in the world can invite any creature to be inamored with any object of love all that can be said in way of the praise thereof is contained in this description of wisdome and understanding delivered by Solomon And yet truth hath the preeminency before them all the first place for dignity being given assigned unto her and by a speciall command from God himself who spake by his servant Solomon all men are injoyned to buy the truth and that upon any termes and not to bartell it away or sell it or to part with it though it might be with never so much worldly emolument unto them Buy the truth saith God sell it not keep it for ever For by the truth thou shalt perfectly attain unto liberty which is the life of life yea which is better then life liberty being that the whole world contends for every man not onely desiring it but fighting for it Now the truth will make every man free so saith Christ John 8. ver 32. The truth shall make you free from all error and from the fear of Hell and Death and from the very terror of both And lest any man should seriously doubt what truth is as Pilate scornfully did Christ himselfe hath taught us John 17. v. 17. saying Thy Word is Truth and that Truth that sanctifieth his people For every thing is sanctified by the the Word and Prayer 1 Tim. 4. v. 5. This precious good Word of God and the faith once delivered unto the Saints Jude 3. contained in it is that that all men are exhorted earnestly to contend for And therefore more especially in these our times every one ought vigorously to stand up and contend for it yea upon any termes or at any rate to buy it when it is become such a rarity as it is scarse to be met with being almost lost in the thickets meanders and labyrinths of so many errors so that the faith once delivered unto the Saints is very rarely to be found amongst the sons of men through the involutions and intanglements of writhing and restlesse spirits whose whole work and designe it is as by their dayly practices it doth appear either wholy to eclipse or darken it or totally to take it away that by this meanes Truth and Light being once removed the deceivers and impostors may the better put off their corrupt and putrid wares and commodities and the poor deluded people may the more facilly and readily be deluded cheated and consened and those that are wayfaring men for the want of its direction may wander in the by-paths of darknesse to their own eternall perdition And the verity is too too many by their needlesse vain and unnecessary janglings about the truth
and the way have lost them both and are now turned Seekers to the dishonour of God and their eternall shame and misery too if they speedily repent not For God in the 30. of Deut. ver 11. saith there This commandement which I command thee this day is not hidden from thee neither is it far of it is not in heaven that thou shouldest say who shall go up for us to heaven and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it Neither is it beyond the sea that thou shouldst say who shall goe over the sea for us and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it But the Word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayst do it See saith the Lord I have set before thee this day life and good and death and evill Now if in the dayes of Moses the truth was so near unto them that the Lord says there unto his people that he had set it before their eyes yea that it was in their hearts so that they had then no need to run from land to sea and from sea to land to finde it how much more obvious is it now may every rationall man conclude when it is so gloriously set forth and that through the whole Scripture of the New Testament And how inexcusable will all such be found that complain the truth is not yet clear unto them So that it may be an astonishment to all men to hear any that have read the holy Word of God say that they are yet in the dark the truth doth not appear unto them And yet such men there are who declare unto the world and professe it that they are expectants and seekers and many have often said unto me when I have been in familiar discourse with them That as yet the truth was not made out unto them concerning the Presbyterian way and therefore they could neither communicate with our Assemblies nor yet joyn with those of the new gathered churches Now that all those who have wandred and strayed from the old way and those that are at a losse and seek it may find it and the truth which they have a command from God to buy and purchase and that they may all clearly perceive that they are in the by-path of error that are still Scepticks and doubting about the way I shall at this time endeavor to be their guide nothing doubting but by the grace of God and his speciall assistance if they will bring docible hearts and willing minds to follow the thred of his Word and be directed by that unerring line of the same they may speedily be led and come into the right way and find the truth and with it peace and comfort to their own souls in life and death I will first therefore dissipate and scatter those mists that have been cast before their eyes by which the truth hath been clouded and remove all those stumbling blocks that have been put before them and then I doubt not howsoever it be thought a difficult work yea an unpossible thing but to make the truth evidently appear unto them and bring them into the right way from which some have wandred and strayed and others yet doubt of And I hope so to clear up the light of the truth that the way of it shall not only be plain to them but to every man and woman that have not lost the eye-sight of their reason or have not sacrificed themselves to error and vanity And therefore that the truth concerning the Presbyterian way may the more elucidately appear to every intelligible man I will here briesly state the question which is fully handled in the following discourse and shew What hath been the principall cause of putting so many out of the way and keeping and deterring others from it and withall I will set down the ground and rise of the Independent tenent shew upon what as a foundation they lay the whole Fabrick of this their new Babell which I hope to make evident to be nothing but a meer chimera and phansie in their own brain and that there is not the least warrant for it in the whole book of God And all that I now say I am confident 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to discover to all those whom the god of this world hath not blinded their eyes that they should not see the clear sunshine of the Gospell of Truth Those that call themselves by the name of Independents and have separated themselves from our Congregations and Assemblies counting us such Saints as Job would not set with the doggs of his flocke calling us the sons of Belial proclaming us to be the enemies the Lord Iesus Christ and his Kingdome for this is their language concerning us all those I say pretend that they have both the Word of God and the example of the Primitive Churches especially that of Jerusalem for the maintenance of their Independency and for these their unbrotherly proceedings whose opinion and doctrine is this That the Church of Ierusalem that Mother Church consisted of of no more beleevers at any time then did ordinarily meet altogether in one place and Congregation to partake in all acts of worship and they teach withall that this Church consisting of no more had an absolute soveraignty within it selfe Independent without reference to any other Church and from the which there might be no appeal for the redresse of any conceived wrong and they moreover affirm that the constitution of this conceited forme of government is the true Gospel forme of Church government and is for ever to be a patern to all Churches in all succeeding ages to doe the same and to exercise the same authority within themselves severally that they imagine this Church did though they consist but of twenty or thirty Members apeece yea fewer This is the opinion of all the Independents saving my Brother Burton who in this differeth from all his brethren beleeving yea acknowledging that there were many Assemblies of Beleevers in the Church at Ierusalem by which he hath overthrowne their opinion whiles notwithstanding hee labours with all his might to maintaine it as will appeare in its due place whereas all the other Independents as I said before confidently assert that there were no more Beleevers in that Church at first and last then could all meet in one Congregation to communicate in all the Ordinances Now the Presbyterians on the other side and that upon very good grounds as will in the sequell of this discourse appeare hold and beleeve that there were many Congregations and Assemblies of Beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem and that all those severall Congregations made but one Church within its pracincts and were all under one Presbyterie and that the government of this Church consisting of many Congregations combined together under the government of a Colledge of Presbyters is a paterne of government to all Churches in succeeding ages to the â—nd
of the world And this I thought fit to speak concerning the first question or controversie betweene the Presbyterians and the Independents The second is concerning the gathering of Churches and admitting of Members into Church fellow-ship communion which the Independents hold and teach must be upon these conditions First that they that are to be admitted and before they can be received into the Church they must walke sometime with them In New-England they make some walke seven yeeres before they can be received and this is their first condition Secondly before their admission they must make every one of them a particular and publicke confession of their faith Thirdly they must bring in the evidences of their conversion declaring the time when the place where and the occasion how they were converted Fourthly they must all and every one of them enter into a particular explicite Covenant Fifthly they must come in and be admitted by the consent of the whole Church Nemine contradicente so that the refusing of any of these hinders their admission and the gathering of Churches after so fashion as the French men use to speake when they learn English is the onely way as they all affirme of setting up Christ as King upon his Throne and this is the opinion and doctrine of all the Independents concerning the gathering of Churches pretending withall that they have the Church of Jerusalem for this their paterne and plat-forme which is nothing else but to abuse the Scripture as will afterwards appeare The Presbyterians on the contrary side hold and beleeve that for the gathering of Churches and for the making of any Members of any Church and for the admitting of them into Church Followship and Communion no other conditions are to be propounded to them by the Ministers for their reception into the society of the Church or to be required at any peoples hands but those that Christ the King of his Church whose voyce is only in Church matters to be listned unto and heard hath propounded viz. Repentance Faith and Baptisme And this is the beliefe and opinion of the Presbyterians concerning the admission of Members and gathering of Churches affirming that the Independents have neither Precept nor President for all their new conditions in the whole Booke of God and therefore that they ought to be rejected as their owne inventions and as the vaine and wicked traditions of their owne braine as will clearely in the following discourse be evidenced to all men And this is briefly the state of the question and difference betweene us Now before I set downe the ground and seeming warrant they pretend for this their fond opinion of Independency by which they have brought trouble and confusion upon this whole Church and Kingdome I thinke it fit I say before the handling of the whole busines to say something concerning the sorts of Independents I have to deale with and against the which all my following Arguments doe militate and I find two sorts of Independents the first are those which for distinction sake I call Homothumadons the other Burtonians Now the Homothumadon Independents that at this day swarme through the whole Kingdome if their owne brags may be beleeved are the universality of all the Sectaries who generally hold that There were no more beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem and in all other the primitive Churches within their respective Precincts then could all ordinarily meet in one Congregation to partake in all Acts of worship and from thence out of this their imaginary opinion they forme all their severall Churches calling their Assemblies the Churches of the Congregationall way and to this their opinion they sticke and cleave immoveably The Burtonian Independents of which my Brother Burton is the Corypheus and Antesignanus and from whom they have received their doctrine they hold and beleeve that there were many Congregations and Assemblies of beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem but deny that those severall Congregations were Churches properly so called This I say is the opinion of my Brother Burton and his disciples So that my first Brigade of Arguments and Forces that I have drawn out of Saint Iohn the Baptists Christs and his blessed Apostles and seventy Disciples quarters and that before Christs death with all those I have taken out of the strong garrison of Ierusalem after Christs ascension and have brought into the field to dispute this controversie and question they militate against the whole Army of the Homothumadon Sectaries that under the command of Hanserdo Knollys and I. S. their Generalls indeavored to maintain and keep this ground viz. That there were no more Beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem at first and last then could and did ordinarily all meet together in one place or Congregation to partake in all acts of worship The other companies that I have taken out of the Apostles quarters after Christs death resurrection and ascension militate against all the Burtonian Independents in the head of which Army he himselfe comes out into the field as their Generall maintaining that those severall Assemblies in the Church of Ierusalem were not Churches properly so called And he Goliah-like appears armed with his sword and Phocions hatchet which is his pol-ax bidding defiance to the whole host of Presbyterians presuming to make good this ground against them all viz. That those severall Assemblies of Beleevers in the Church at Ierusalem were not Churches properly so called challenging me by name saying Page 7. Come on Brother let you and I try it out by the dint of this swoâ—d adding moreover these words and truly I shall by the helpe of my Godmake no long worke of it I shall saith he assay with one stroke of Phocions Hatchet to cut in two the long thread of your Alcibiadian fluent and luxuriant Rhetorications Thus valiant old Harry tryumphs before the victory and even conjures it out And in this dispute betweene my Forces and all the Independent Army after a few skirmishes they shall see not only a private Duell fought betweene Generall Burton and my selfe but the fall of that their Champion with their totall rout and see their whole Army to fly and leave the field and that most cowardly though they were three to one howsoever their scattered Forces now and then make some false alarums and speake bigge words what reserves they yet have and what great things they will doe and how they will rally againe and come upon me and breake through and through to the totall routing of all my Forces They that are acquainted with the feats of Armes and expert souldiers in this Militia will well perceive that it is but selfe confidence in them all and that all their swelling words will tend to their owne dishonour I have three Generals to encounter with in the Independent Army two under the name of all the Homothumadons Hanserdo Knollys and I. S. and Henry Burton in the name of all those of his party besides some whibling reserves
in the Church of Jerusalem and yet all these as the Holy Scripture asserteth in many places made all but one Church and the Independents themselves acknowledge there was but one Church in Jerusalem Now how in any ordinary mans understanding can many congregations be one politicall ministeriall Church except only because they are united and associated under one Presbyteriall government that is to say under the government of a whole colledg of Presbyters which the Church of Ierusalem was for there was many Presbyters there as this 21. ch testifieth and the 15. chap. and many other places of holy writ all which had the government over that Church committed to them in common So that it may be a wonder to all rationall men that there should any appear in the world notwithstanding the abundant evidence out of the holy Word of God that should yet assert there were no more beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem then could all meet in one Congregation which assertion of theirs besides the Scripture very common reason overthrows for if we consider Jerusalem it is said to be the city of the great King in which there were never lesse then seven or eight hundred thousand inhabitants who dayly expected the Messiah who it is well known when he came had twelve Apostles and seventy Disciples at his command to go and come at pleasure whose powerfull preaching was such that it is related that Satan was seen fall down like iightning from heaven that is to say whose Kingdome was overthrown by their ministery and by all whose efficacious preaching and miracles we have this testimony that at one of their Miracles and Sermons there were three thousand converted at one time besides dayly additions added unto that Church by the Lord and five thousand men besides women at another and multitudes of beleevers both of men and women at another and that there was dayly increase of beleevers upon increase with a multitude of Priests besides a whole colledge of Presbyters settled Ministers amongst them and that all these should yet prevail to convert no more in future time then could all meet in one Congregation it seems a thing very incredible and truly for any to persevere in this error against all reason and against the evident testimonies of holy Scripture where we have it recorded there were many ten thousands of very weak beleevers in that one Church besides the strong it is an open and wilfull fighting against God and a resisting of his spirit which is a fearfull sin for all these are convincing arguments to prove the numberlesse multitudes and congregations of beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem And all thâ—s brigade of arguments militate against the whole Army of the Homothumadon Sectaries and shall I hope for ever serve to vanquish them all and to make good this field of truth That there were many Congregations and Assemblies of beleevers in the Church of Jerusalem and yet they were not every one a Church or Churches severally considered by themselves exercising an absolute soveraignty Independent within themselves respectively as all our new gathered Churches do now here in London but all those congregations in Jerusalem were all subordinate and being combined together made all of them but one Church and were all under a common Counsell or Colledg of Presbyters within that Precinct the example of which mother-Mother-Church is left upon record to all posterity for imitation and therefore that tenent of the Homothumadon Independents concerning the congregationall way hath no ground for it in the whole Word of God but is a meer whimsy of their own brain and hath its foundation only in the aire and will soon vanish or be speedily blown away by the blast and breath of truth Now my other companies drawn out of the Apostles quarters after Christs death and ascension they militate against all the Burtonian Independents who acknowledge that there were many Assemblies of beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem but deny they were Churches properly so called now though by their grant they have lost the day as in the following skirmishes will appear yet that all men may see that this sconse of error to which they have betaken themselves cannot defend their cause I shall with one company at this time beat them out of that hold and fully vanquish them in the pitcht field It is recorded Act. 2. v. 42. of all those new converts which were in many assemblies in many houses that they continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers This very troop alone serves for the beating of them all out of what bulwark soever they can betake themselves to for shelter for if all these congregations and Assemblies of believers were equall in all priviledges and immunities with any Churches that ever were on earth and had in them severally whatsoever did make the whole Church of Ierusalem the first formed Church then they were all and every one of them Churches properly so called But the antecedent is true Ergo the consequent so that to any rationall man this question is also out of controversie for let any man but duly examine what it was in the whole church of Jerusalem that made it the first formed church and a church properly so called and he shall find the same in every one of those particular congregations and assemblies for the making of them churches properly so called so that thâ—y each of them severally may as truly challenge the name of Church as the whole Church can they communicating in whatsoever is essentiall for the making of any church a compleat church or a church properly so called if partaking in all Ordinances by lawfull Ministers can make any assembly or congregation a church properly so called So that by this one company and by this very argument all the whibling reserves of all the Burtonian Independents are dissipated and scattered and that place of truth maintained against them all viz. that every one of those Assemblies in Jerusalem were churches properly so called and yet all of them made up but one intire Church and they were not every of them severally considered by themselves and apart Independent and exercising an absolute soveraignty within themselves And therefore this truth shall for ever stand good against all sorts of Independents That many congregations combined together and subordinate to some one colledg of Presbyters make all of them within their precincts but one entire Church and that this is Gods Ordinance and not that tenent of the congregationall way which hath neither precept or president for it in all Gods holy Word So that by all these encounters and frequent skirmishes and by the mighty power and assistance of the great Lord of Hostes the Generall of all the Armies of heaven and earth I have vanquished all the forces both of the Homothumadon Independents and all the Burtonian Sectaries and maintained and kept not onely the field of truth but these
impossible thing that they should all meet in one place or a few I shall desire the Reader here to consider what Master Knollys and I. S. have replyed by way of answer to all these Arguments I will first set downe Master Knollys his Reply with his Reasons and give my answer to him and then in order come to what I. S. that learned Gentleman hath to gainesay Master Knollys denyes all the Minors of these Arguments as his manner is and gives some slender reasons and makes some sleight evasions and thinkes that enough His words are these pag. 8. As for the world of beleevers mentioned in these arguments drawne from John 12. 19. Behold the world is gone after him that Scripture doth not say they beleeved in him much lesse that there was a world of beleevers in the Church of Jerusalem These are Master Knollys formall words and all the ground of his denyall of the minor of all my Arguments yea all that he hath to say against them And it is wonderfull to see how the people are satisfied with such delusions But by this kind of Disputing if it be sufficient for refutation to deny any Arguments grounded upon the holy Scriptures confirmed and corroborated by sound reasons then for ought I know men may not only confute the whole word of God and whatsoever is evidently proved from thence but indeed deny the Christian Religion But that all men may take notice of this mans ignorance and blasphemy for to say the truth he giveth the Spirit of God the lye whiles hee labours to maintaine his erroneous opinion that my answer may be the more satisfactory I will make these two Propositions evidently appeare First that the world here mentioned that went after Christ were such as beleeved in him Secondly that there was a world of beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem and that they were inhabitants there both which if I make good then my Arguments will stand for ever immoveable and it will follow that there were more beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem before Christs death converted by himselfe and by his Disciples then could all possibly meet in any one place or congregation or a few besides those that were converted by Iohns Ministry and that this deniall of Mr. Knollys is groundlesse vaine and impious For proofe therefore of my first Proposition viz. that the world here mentioned were beleevers it is manifest by the insuing reasons First from the manner of the Scriptures dialect and that in many places which intimate and prove that to follow Christ with love affection and approbation is to be his Schollers and Disciples and to beleeve in him Matth. the 16. vers 24. Marke the 8. v. 34. Luke the 9. verse 29. If any man saith Christ will come after mee let him deny himselfe and take up his Crosse daily and follow me So that by these testimonies in Scripture language to goe aâ—ter Christ and to follow him in sincerity is to be Christs Scholler and Disciple and to beleeve in him For Châ—ist himselfe hath so taught us in the 12. of Iohn verse 26. whose words are these If any man will serve me let him follow mee and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve mee him will my Father honour So that to serve Christ and to follow Christ in Gods dialect is to beleeve in Christ Secondly this is so cleare a truth that the very blind Pharisees those Leaders of the blind did well perceive it and tooke the multitudes following of him in this sense that they beleeved in him which their very expression doth sufficiently declare For say they verse 29. Perceive yee not how you prevaile nothing Behold the world is gone after him out of which words of theirs it is sufficiently evident that they did not understand that like a company of giddy headed people they were gone after him to gaze and looke upon him as upon some novelty but that the multitudes aâ—d world that followed him were such indeed as adhered to him and beleeved in him for otherwise it had not beene a matter worthy of admiration and an Ecce and a behold for no man wonders at an ordinary thing to see a company of people run after an eminent man to view him and looke upon him for there is nothing more common nor of lesse admiration neither would such a spectacle have put them all in feare and upon a consultation how they might destroy him and take him out of the world if they had only thought or beleeved that the world went after him only to take notice of him and so to have gone home againe certainly such an opinion in the Priests Pharisees as this would never have so inraged them against Chrisâ— and have made them all lay their heads together which way to murther him Neither would it ever have extorted such words out of their heads as to say amongst themselves in private and that in a rage and out of indignation and in a serious way when they were in a deliberate consultation behold or perceive you not how the world is gone after him but when these words proceeded from them in private and when they were in a deepe debate and counsell it is manifest that they spake so out of malice envie and from very madnesse which arose from this that they well perceived that they that followed Christ beleeved in him which is yet more confirmed by many places of holy Scripture that might be produced but amongst others those testimonies in the seventh of Iohn where in expresse words it is related that many of the people beleeved on him and said when Christ cometh will hee doe more miracles then these which this man hath done and in the 40. verse many of the people said of a truth this is the Prophet others said this is the Christ and all this was in Ierusalem and vers 48. Have any of the Rulers and Pharisees say they beleeved in him but this people that knoweth not the Law is accursed out of the which place it is now abundantly evident that the world spake of in the 12. chap. were beleevers for here the Rulers and Pharisees make a distribution of the people of Ierusalem divide them into two parties and then they compare them together the one that beleeved in Christ and followed him and were his schollers and the other that professed they were Abrahams children and Moses his disciples yet they were Christs professed enemies and such as declared themselves not to beleeeve in him now here what the Rulers and Pharisees judgement was concerning this busines which was one of the parties who knew very well what they spake and the people of whom they spake and of themselves they spake thus have any of the Rulers and Pharisees beleeved in him but this people that knoweth not the Law is accursed So that being thus compared together the unbeleevers are the Pharisees and Rulers and their
all meet in any one place or a few and that in John the Baptists and Christs dayes and all this without any mistake or Paradox but from very good reason which if this Puny Divine I. S. had beene guilty of hee would never have beene so unadvised as to have opposed the Scripture it selfe and all solid and learned men in speaking so rashly And now I referre all that I have hitherto said by way of reply to Master Knollys and I. S. to the judgement of the learned to consider whether there is either honesty or reason in these men who to maintaine their fond errors wil deny or affirme any thing though never so repugnant to the Scripture and to the very light of reason and all this only to mislead the ignorant people and this is all that I. S. hath to say against my Arguments drawn from the Baptisme of Iohn and Christs and his Apostles Ministry by which I proved that in the very dayes of John the Baptist and in Christs time there were then many more beleevers in the Church of Jerusalem then could all meet in any one Congregation Now for the following Arguments by which I proved it was much more impossible for them to meet together after there were daily added so many thousands to the Church after Christs Ascension by the miracles and Ministry of the blessed Apostles and Christs seventy Disciples and the other Ministers of those times I. S. doth not so much as meddle with them but saith pag. 10. That he had thought to have bestowd as much time on the rest but that other considerations forbad him and because as he saith there were those so able already ingaged in the Dispute these are his words And in his wise Epistle to me he saith that his health forbade him Now what a vaine fellow is this to vapour that he had whipped me out of the field and beat up my quarters and quartered my book and taken hold of the pillars of my discourse and shaken them and overthrowne my building as yee may see at large in the title page and in his Epistle to mee and yet in the tenth page of his Booke the place above quoted and in the same Epistle hee confesseth his indisposition of body and other considerations forbad him to bestow any more time upon the Booke and saith in expresse termes he left the worke to others whether therefore this be not a worthlesse and witlesse Fellow to brag and glory of a victory and beating up of a mans quarters when hee hath only flung a squib or two at them a farre off and then cowardly and basely ran away pretending sicknesse as fresh water souldiers commonly use to doe I leave it to the judgement of others to consider But of I. S. I may truly say thus much that hee is a meere quagmire of ignorance and wicked impudency and farre unfit for any serious or solid imployment much lesse to be a Captaine or Commander in Christs Armies I doe not deny but hee may make a prettie souldier at an Independent Festivity and I beleeve that were it to shake or pull downe the pillars of a March-pane or to beat up the quarters of a Custard to breake up a Wood-cock or to storme a Venison Pastie or to plunder a Banquet that in the Militia of good cheer he would doe very well but notwithstanding I would have I. S. being now in a course of Physick and of an infirme body to use some moderation when hee comes where good cheer is stirring and therefore because hee thinkes that my judgement in such matters may be worthy of some account for so hee intimateth in his learned Epistle I would advise him for a time to feed upon Snayl pyes and Mushromes and of those kind of creatures hee may find abundance about the Wels at Tunbridge that low kind of diet is best for him if he followes this now in the spring but some weekes and drinks lustily of the waters there they will wash him till hee be cleane and fit for my fingring againe and free him from his Frensie and make him as cleane and neat as he saith my Postscript hee left in those waters will be And this is the counsell I give unto I. S. gratis for all his learned paines in beating up my quarters And so I have done with him at this time I have now a few things yet to answer to what Master Knollys hath to say to those Arguments I rayse from the Ministry of the Apostles and the multitudes converted by them after Christs Ascension which yee shall find punctually set downe in their due places I will now therefore take a survey of the numbers that were added to the Church and to those Beleevers that were converted by Iohns Christs Ministry by the powerfull preaching and miracles of the Apostles after Christs Ascension and from the divers places I shall gather out of the Acts of the Apostles frame such arguments as shall make it yet more evident that there were such multitudes in the Church of Ierusalem as they could not all possibly meet together at one time or in one place or roome or in one Congregation to injoy all the Ordinances and partake in all acts of worship but must necessarily be distributed into divers congregations and assemblies if they would all be edified and that before the persecution wee reade of in the Acts 3. 1. and in the persecution and after the persecution But before I come to the proofe of the particulars I must answer to some objections made by our brethren the Independents the first of the which is out of the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles from which they indeavour to prove that the number and multitude of Beleevers in the Church of Jerusalem was not so great but that they might all meet in one roome or place and in one congregation to partake in all acts of worship The words on which they ground their Arguments are these and in those dayes Peter stood up in the middest of the Disciples and said the number of the names together were about an hundred and twenty men and brethren c. From whence they conclude that the whole Church in Ierusalem that is to say all the Beleevers did meet in one place for in this number of names they would have all the whole Church in Ierusalem included or confined which to moe is a wonder that such learned men as many of them are should so argue for this must be the scope of the Argument if they intend to prove That the whole Church in Jerusalem and all the Beleevers there were not so numerous but that they might all meete in one place and partake in all acts of worship and that these in Peters Company were all that Church and all the Believers that were in Ierusalem this I say must of necessitie be their meaning or else their Argument concludes nothing to the purpose The invalidity of the which
whiles with their scriblings they trouble the world in making rents and schismes in church and state But heare yet how hee cavilleth the church of Ierusalem saith hee cannot bee a paterne to all churches for then all Churches must have seven Deacons and must bee all subject to some one Church because things in question were there debated and determined and sent to other Churches to be observed and in regard also that that Church was infallibly guided by the Holy Ghost in which respect the resolution of that Church was with authority it pleased the Holy Ghost and us which no particular Church since can ever say In these respects saith hee it followes then that the Church of Ierusalem remaines not in all things a patterne for other Churches for a paterne must bee in all things imitable and perfect Thus my Brother Burton makes a noyse to little purpose contradicting all those of his owne party that I ever yet read or talked with who all acknowledge that the Church of Ierusalem was a paterne to all churches and from the example of that church as they pretend they forme and governe all their churches and labour to reduce all to that paterne and ground all their proceedings upon the Plat-forme of that church and doe all as they affirme in imitation of that holding Synods to bee one of Gods ordinances and ground it upon the meeting of the Apostles and Elders in the 15. of the Acts and yet my Brother Burton here maintaineth the contrary as his words sufficiently declare for which his grollery I beleeve all those of his Fraternity will give him little thankes and blame him for his so great haste in answering mee who in his wise Epistle to the Reader saith I hasted at last as fast as before I was slow if possible to recover our brother so that it seemes hee made more haste then good speed according to the Proverbe Canis festinans caecos parit catulos and will have cause at leisure to repent for hee hath by this his jugling and conjuring quite rased the foundation and overthrowne the whole Fabrick of the new Bable of Independency which his brethren had beene so busie and diligent to lay erect maintaine and uphold and that from the example of the Church of Ierusalem But it will not be amisse to examine his trifling reasons of this his gain-saying and denyall that the Church of Ierusalem cannot be a paterne to other churches for then saith he every Church must have seven Deacons and all Churches must be subject to one Church and to the Decrees of that Church which they cannot be there being none now infallibly guided Thus my Brother Burton out of the acumen of his wit disputes at randoun after the very same manner did the Prelates in their generation dispute against the godly people they termed Puritans when they alleaged the example of Christ and the blessed Apostles in receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as that they all received it either sitting or using a Table-gesture and therefore that all Christians and Christs Disciples were bound to imitate and to follow his and the Apostles examples rather then Antichrists as a paterne set downe to them of receiving the Holy Communion to the end of the world To which the Prelates and those of that faction replyed that if the Puritans would make Christ and his Apostles in receiving the Lords Supper a paterne for their imitation then they must always celebrate it in an evening and that after supper and in an upper roome and in a private house and not in publick and then they must never exceed twelve or thirteene communicants and they must be all men and no women and an hundred such other toyes they brought to prove that the example of our blessed Saviour and his holy Apostles was not to be a paterne of imitation for the receiving of the Lords Supper to all Christians in succeeding ages and after the same manner doth my brother Burton now trifle to no purpose For as the example of Christ and the blessed Apostles was a paterne in respect of substance and not in every circumstance which was never required so was the church of Ierusalem in respect of substance and not in every circumstance to be a paterne to all churches for their imitating to the end of the world As for instance The church at Ierusalem had liberty given them by the Apostles to nominate and make choyce of Deacons when there was a necessitie of such Officers to nominate and make choyce of as many as they thought sufficient for their occasions And in this it was a paterne to all churches in succeeding ages that they likewise if they had need of Deacons might make choyce of holy and godly men and of approved integrity and of as many as they had need of whether fewer or more and as often as their occasions required no church being limited for the number and as the Apostles onely in that church ordained the Deacons and not the people so the Ministers and Presbyters only in all churches should doe the same And as upon any difference amongst the brethren that are joyned together in church Fellowship as it hapned then betweene the Grecians and the Hebrewes Acts 6. about their widowes who they thought were neglected in the daily Administration they made their appeales to the Apostles for redresse so in this the church at Ierusalem is a patern to all other churches upon any occasions of such or the like difference to appeale unto their severall Presbyteries and as they willingly submitted themselves to their determination so when the Presbyters command or appoint any thing in the Lord and according to his word the people are to yeeld willing subjection obedience to their order and in their so doing to make the church of Ierusalem their paterne and as in the church of Ierusalem there were many congregations and churches and all these were combined together and subordinate to one Presbyterie in this also the church of Ierusalem is to be a paterne to all churches in succeeding ages that they may doe the like in imitation of that church which is for ever to be a paterne to them and as upon occasion then certaine men went downe from Iudaea to Antioch Acts 15. 1. and troubled the people there and in other churches with words subverting their soules saying that they must be circumcised and keepe the Law vers 24. pretending they came from the Apostles and had a command from them of their so doing so that upon this the churches sent unto the Apostles and the Elders at Ierusalem for the determination of this busines in debate waited patiently for their resolution without making any rents or schismes in the church and as the Apostles and Elders of that church and of other churches called a councell and Synode and there disputed and debated the matter with arguments and reasons searching the holy Scriptures What was the good will
succeeding ages to the end of the world that they may do the same in their severall and respective Presbyteries Neither is there any president or example in all the holy Scriptures of the new-Testament that any church had its peculiar Pastor and Teacher or Doctor alloted to it with but two or three Elders and a Deacon with a slender congregation of people of the which they only had the cure and care for the feeding and ruling of it and the which had absolute Authority within it self and from which there was no appeale the which notwithstanding the Independents assert is a true formed church after the new testament forme such a modell of a church I affirme can never be shewed or proved in all the new testament God saith Saint Paul 1 Cor. 12. vers 28. hath set some in the church first Apostles Secondarily Prophets thirdly Teachers after Miracles then Gifts of healing helps in government diversities of Tongues are all Apostles are all Prophets are all Teachers c. and in the 4. of the Ephesians vers 11. When Christ ascended on high he gave gifts unto Men c. and he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints c. all the which places are to be understood concerning the Catholicke visible church So that to appropriate these places of Scripture to any particular church as those of the Congregationall way do is to abuse and pervert the holy Scriptures for the upholding of their unwarrantable proceedings for if these Scriptures are to be applyed unto every particular congregationall church then there must not only be a Pastor and a Teacher but many Pastors and many Teachers in each of them besides other church officers and then the Pastors and Teachers would be more in number many times then the flocke and if we looke upon all particular Churches founded by the Apostles which must be a paterne indeed to all churches then we shall finde that in all of them severally they had many Presbyters as in the 14. of the Acts and in the 20. of the same and in all the above cited Scriptures doth abundantly appeare So that there is no ground in all the holy Scripture of the new modell of the Congregationall way for following the expresse Scripture to use my brother Burtons owne words the first formed church we finde is in the Acts the second which consisted of many thousands and in that church there were no distinct officers and members united into one church body respectively for all the Apostles and Ministers of that church fed and ruled that church in common and therefore after the very same example and paterne may all Christian churches to the end of the world do the same and be well formed churches yet have neither a particular Pastor nor Teacher nor distinct officers amongst them for neither the church of Ierusalem nor any of the Primitive and Apostolike Churches had that distinction of officers amongst them and all and every one of them neverthelesse were well formed churches and therefore in this they be a paterne to all churches And as in the church of Ierusalem and in all the other churches all those that were converted and added to them were none of them forced to walke either Dayes or Moneths or years with them before their admission that they might either know the Saints and Members of that Church or be known of them noâ— were ever forced to make a publike confession of their faith and bring in the evidences of their conversion or to enter in by an explicite particular covenant and to obtain the consent of the whole church before their admittance So in this the Church of Jerusalem and the other Churches of the New Testament are to be a pattern to all other churches to the end of the World that they may follow the example of that Mother Church and all the primitive Daughter-Churches in admitting of their Members without any of these things for that was the first formed Church and yet shee required no such things of any that were added into her But of this in its due place And as the Ministers of the Church in Jerusalem the Apostles and Teaches only had the power of government and admitting of Members and did it without the consent of the people as wee may see in their first admission of Members who applyed themselves unto the Apostles onely saying men and brethren what shall wee doe and not unto the people and as in that Church when the people and Beleevers opposed any that desired to be admitted as they did Saint Paul Acts the 9. verse 26 27. of whom they were afraid not beleeving hee was a disciple and hee then appealing to the Apostles who upon hearing of the truth of the busines they admitted him comming in and going out without their consent in this also the Church of Jerusalem is to be a paterne to all Ministers and people in all succeeding Churches that it is the Ministers place onely to admit of Members and not the peoples and if they should gaine-say the admission of any upon either their feares or jealousies or out of other respects that then they may have their appeales from them to the Presbyters in each Church and giving them an account of their faith they are by them to be admitted notwithstanding the dislike and dissenting of their brethren for of this way of proceeding wee have the Church of Ierusalem for a paterne And as the Church at Ierusalem and all the other Primitive Churches never made any rents and schismes from the publike assemblies for some faylings but alwayes constantly frequented their publike meeting places notwithstanding the many corruptions of the Teachers both in Doctrine Discipline and Manners and had not only the example of the blessed Apostles but of Christ also in so doing who when he was questioned concerning his doctrine said I taught publickely in the Temple and in the Synagogue and not in corners and by places and he inioyned the people also to doe the same Matth. 23 saying the Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses his seat all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and doe but doe not yee after their workes c. So likewise other Churches to the end of the world ought to imitate this Church as their paterne not to separate from the publike assemblies and those Churches for some faylings especially when they are found in doctrine and preach all saving truths needfull to salvation without any mixture of humane inventions and so much the rather all Churches ought to imitate the example of the church of Ierusalem and the other Primitive Churches in this not only because they have Christs both example and precept for it but because also separation is blamed by the Apostle Paul in the Hebrewes Heb. 10. and therefore forbidden who saith verse 23 24 25. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without
the midst of the sea This was one of my statute laws will Christ the King of his Church say Now you of the congregationall way take no notice of me nor of them that beleeved in me and were baptized in my name by John and my Disciples as formed into a church or churches for these are your own expressions I therefore will take no notice of you of the oongregationall by-path as formed into a church or churches not onely for these your hard speeches against me and those that beleeved in me but because in all my holy word I never appointed such a modell and forme of churches as you have erected amongst you I therefore in all these respects take no notice of you as formed into a church or churches I know you not depart from me this I presume any rationall man will be ready to gather will be the doome of those that take no notice of Christ and his Followers Of these their words and of this their dealing therefore except my brother Burton and his associates seriously unfainedly and speedily repent they must give a dreadfull accompt at the last day For if we must give an accompt of every idle word what an accompt then must be given of such expressions as these are which despise Christ himselfe and his blessed Apostles and all his Followers and all that beleeved in him when he was upon the earth and take no notice of them as formed into a church or churches And what a dreadfull reckoning must he and his abetters give for all those erroneous impious and uncharitable opinions they have of late hatched and brought into the world the very naming of the which would be unpleasant to a true sanctified soule as this amongst the other that they take no notice of Christ and his Disciples and Followers and all those that were baptized by John to be formed into a church or churches Yea what a fearfull accompt must they at that day give for all their bitter and reviling speeches and malitious practises against all their Christian brethren through the Reformed churches who they have all unchurched Yea my brother Burton and his complices must also give a great accompt of this that whereas they should have taught the people the way of God truly and plainly and have delivered unto them the whole counsell of God they not onely professe they will keep a reserve Donec ad triarios redierit res contrary to the command of God who hath injoyned all his servants to be ready to give an accompt of their hope to whosoever shall demand it 1 Pet. 3. and preach it publickly and upon the house topp whatsoever he taught his Disciples in secret and privately but blame all churches but their own of the congregationall way as not rightly formed according to the New Testament forme and yet would never set down to their brethren the modell of that forme and shew it unto the people and Saints of God that they might all be undeceived if in an error although they have bin often again sollicited thereunto and although also they by promise had ingaged themselves to deliver in their modell by such a time and by this their unjust and unrighteous dealing have kept the people of God and many pretious souls in ignorance of many principall truths if their doctrine be true and caused the people by that means exceedingly to erre and to remain still in darknesse when notwithstanding they glory that they set up every day many New Lights which is in them all a most fearfull and abominable sinne and of the which as of all their hard words against their brethren and of all their calumnies and reproaches and bringing up an evill name and report against the Presbyterian government as the wicked Spies did against the good Land of all these things I say as of all their errors scismes and heresies and especially of their taking no notice of those multitudes baptized by John and Christs Disciples to be formed into a church or churches they except they speedily repent must give a dreadfull accompt at the great day and my brother Burton especially for he is one of the principall Leaders and Captains in this Militia and new Modell of Ill-dependency If some yong Sprigge that had been turn'd about with every stream of opinion and carryed about this way and that way with every wind of doctrine had spake such words only and had bin the author of such novell opinions and of such double dealing and jugling I should never have wondred at it knowing how unstable youth is but for an old Tree in which the sap of youth should now be well dryed up and which should be stiffe and unmoveable and for ever to be settled for such a one I say as my brother Burton was expected to be to be unstable thus tossing and tumbling about with every stream of new doctrine or every novell blast of any windy opinion it sheweth that it is either founded upon a sandy ground or a brittle foundation or rotten at the very root and that if it be not speedily looked unto and underpropped that it will suddenly fall and that the fall thereof will be very great which that it may not happen to my brother Burton and that the Lord would give him and his associates repentance for all their unthankfulnesse to God and for all their evill dealings and uncharitablenesse towards their brethren and especially towards my selfe it shall be my earnest prayer for them all who they have so much despised and â—ilified And this I thought fit to speak concerning my brother Burtons reply to whatsoever he had to say in way of answer concerning my first four propositions and the whole first part of my booke What he hath to reply to my arguments about the second question touching the gathering of churches shall be answered in their due place after I have spake alittle according to my promise concerning the Independents definition of their Church which occasionally I met with when from their owne Principles I confirmed my arguments that if any thing it might make them more specious in the Independents eyes or at least that they might not be so inraged against me hereafter when they shall take notice that I spake nothing but what I ratified and made good from their own grounds Their definition of their church is this A visible Church is say they a mysticall body whereof Christ is the head the Members Saints called out of the world and united together into one Congregation by an holy Covenant to worship the Lord and to edifie one an other in all his holy Ordinances Before I discover all the errors of this definition and come to shew that according to this their description of a Church there has never as yet beene a true formed church and that none of the congregationall churches themselves if this their definition bee good be true formed churches and which is more that they must of necessity
is apparent to any that will not wilfully put out their eyes In the time of the Prelates raign every ceremony they brought in was excepted against as a human tradition and that worthily and every invention and tradition of man was rejected as Popery and will-worship was abhorred as Antichristian and to serve God by the precepts of men and by a service established onely by humane authority was rejected as a thing displeasing unto God and thought unsufferable and to have Prelates set over them to Lord it over Gods heritage was thought the highest point of tyranny and for the removall of them root and branch with all their trumpery and appertinances all the Independents themselves with the whole city and the greatest part of the Kingdome petitioned the great Councell of the Kingdome and not onely so but many of them have ventured their lives in the just defence of their Christian libertie and have offered their estates and exposed themselves and theirs to greatest dangers in this good quarrell which will ever be to the immortall honour of them all to all succeeding ages and they will be an example to other Nations to do the like Yet behold every one of these things revived now and brought in amongst the ignorant people and contended for with all severity and eagernesse as for the Oracles of God notwithstanding ding they are but the inventions of men there being neither precept nor president for them in the whole Word of God nor any practise of them in any of the Apostolicall and Primitive Churches and therefore it doth necessarily follow That their whole service and Discipline with all their concomitants are but their own appointments for which there is no warrant or pattern in the whole Word of truth and as for their Ministers and Pastors both in New England in their new Congregations here they Lord it over the poor people in as high a manner as can be proved as ever the lordly Prelates did in respect of their supercilious behaviour and yet the people swallow all these things as Gods Ordinances and bind themselves by their unholy Covenant to observe them which in any understanding mans judgement that knows what his Christian lâ—berty is and in the which he is commanded to stand fast in Gal. 5. ver 1. is the most intolerable yoak of bondage which the world yet ever saw And thus having briefly discovered some of the errors of their definition and shewed the absurdities of it and the inconveniences of such a Church as they would have and evinced also that according to that there has never yet bin a true formed Church on earth and that all the congregationall Churches if they will be included within the compasse of that discription they must necessarily be Dependent I will now come to my last and main conclusion which is to prove that none of the Churches of the Congregationall way are true Churches as not consisting of all visible Saints and therefore not to be communicated with in holy things which I shall do from their own argument For thus they dispute against us Those Assemblies say they or Churches in which the Members are not visible Saints called out of the world and united together into their severall Congregations by an holy Covenant to worship the Lord and to edifie one another in all his holy Ordinances they are no true formed Churches according to the New Testament forme and ought not to be communicated with in holy things but are to be separated from unlesse they will be made companions with such kinde of Saints as Job would not set with the doggs of his flocke being tagg ragg with whom godly soules can no more converse then with heathens But the Parochiall Congregations through the whole Kingdome are such Ergo they are not true formed Churches after the New Testament forme and ought not to be communicated with unlesse c. This is the Il-dependents doctrine they teach their Disciples concerning our Churches as appeareth in all their Pamphlets as in that of I. S. and my brother Burtons especially and this is one of the capital arguments which they use to maintain their separation from us and upon which they ground the gathering of their new Congregations the futility and vanity of the which every one that shall but vouchsafe to read this book shall finde in many places discovered I will therefore in this place make use of the same against themselvs to prove that their Churches and new gathered congregations are not true formed Churches after the New Testament forme as not consisting of all visible Saints and therefore not to be communicated with in holy things as the severall insuing arguments will declare which I desire the Independents themselves would without any prejudice seriously consider and ponder that they may the better discern into the errors of their wayes and in time repent of all their unrighteous and uncharitable dealing towards their brethren I thus argue Those Churches and Congregations the Members of the which are not visible Saints called out of the world and united together into their severall Assemblies by an holy Covenant to serve the Lord in all his holy Ordinances but are joyned together in a wicked conspiracy and combination against the people of God and his Ordinances and to hinder the reformation of the Church they are no true formed Churches after the New Testament forme and the Members of them are not true visible Saints and therefore ought not to be communicated with in holy things but to be separated from But all the Churches of the Congregationall way are such Ergo they are not true formed Churches after the New Testament forme and therefore by their own doctrine not to be communicated with in holy things but to be separate from and that for the same reasons the Il-dependents falsly pretend they sever themselves from our publique Assemblies The Major of this Syllogisme is their own and therefore they cannot gainsay it the Minor therefore being proved the conclusion will necessarily insue And as for the Minor I thus evince it Those Churches and Congregations whose Members are raylors révilers slanderers covenant-breakers with God and man ordinary lyars notorious calumniators and false accusers such as in holy Scripture are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Devils heretiques open seducers and causers of division and offences contrary unto the doctrine of Christ such as all Christians have a special command to take heed of and to shun and are prohibited to receive into their houses or bid God speed or so much as to eat with they are no visible Saints nor good Damons and therefore no true formed Churches nor to be communicated with in holy things But the churches of the congregationall way consist of such Members Ergo they are not visible Saints and therefore no true formed churches nor to be communicated with in holy things For the Major of this Syllogism it is grounded upon Godsown word and has its warrant for
Doctor might have also considered that the brethren even the whole Church the multitude how many soever the Doctor can make of them were present as well as the Presbyters Acts 15. 4. 12. 22. 23 25 27 28. and so have made the brethren the multitude even the whole Church Independent also and the Doctor might as well have affirmed that the brethren even the whole Church might say it seemed good to the holy Ghost and to us Thus Master Knollys pleaseth his own humour in heaping up a senselesse and confused multitude of words and that onely to delude the people But should I make a full discovery of all the errours of this his babble and nonsense and give a full answer to them truly I might make a very large discourse I will therefore study brevity and answer him in a few words though I will omit nothing worthy to be taken notice of But by the way I may say thus much that this his answer is nothing to the purpose and his reasons are as vain frivilous and fond as by the sequell will appear But whereas he denyeth that the Apostles though they be called Presbyters acted as Presbyters and that they cannot therein be a pattern and president for Presbyters it is a meer begging the question and a fond trifling in a serious and weighty matter when it was sufficiently proved and that out of the holy Scripture that the blessed Apostles were not onely called Presbyters but that they were Presbyters really as well as virtually which the Independents themselves deny not and that they acted also as Presbyters at Jerusalem that is as ordinary rulers and officers in all acts of government as also in that Councell in the 15. of the Acts for otherwise their example could not indeed have been a pattern of government to all Ministers and Presbytes in all succeeding ages if in either of them they had acted as extraordinary men by a transcendent and superlative power and by an inimitable authority and as men immediately assisted by the holy Ghost as when they wrought Miracles and when they writ the holy Scripture Now that the Apostles in all those acts of government were and are to be a pattern to all Ministers in the ages to come all the learnedst of the Independent tribe and all their brethren of New England do acknowledge it and take the ordination of Deacons and Elders in their new Churches from the example of the Apostles in the sixth of the Acts and the fourteenth chapter of the same book and they acknowledge and accord that Synods and Councells in like manner are one of Gods Ordinances and ground it upon the Apostles and Presbyters meeting in the 15. of the Acts and take their example for a pattern and president of gathering into Synods and Councells upon the like occasions all which they could not do if the Apostles in all those acts of Government had acted and managed them onely as Apostles and in an extraordinary way with a transcendent and infallible authority and by a speciall dispensation from heaven and as only peculiar unto themselves as miraculous and extraordinary governours So that whiles Master Knollys fights against the truth and against mee he with the same weapon wounds his own cause and overthrows the Independents doctrine who from the examples of the Apostles though extraordinary men take their ordination of Deacons and Elders and of calling Synods And therefore in the first place this may serve for the discovering of his ignorance and futility As for his reasons of his denyall that the Apostles cannot be a paterne and president for Presbyters because the Apostles as he saith had the care of all churches and the Presbyters were limited and confined to their particular charges they are foolish and vain and make nothing for the enervating or weakning of my argument for it doth not follow as the learned well know that because the Apostles in some respects were extraordinary men and rulers therefore in all acts of Government they did nothing ordinary or for the imitation of other Church governours I say this can never follow with any good reason neither will any judicious man thus argue because the Apostles were extraordinary men and officers therefore they did not the acts of ordinary governours whereas when they assembled themselves about the affaires of the Church and for the good of it it was for this very end and purpose that they might leave an example and president to the ages to come and to all Ministers that should succeed them of doing the like and therefore we are ever to consider the Apostles in all acts of government to have acted as ordinary governours and rulers and for a president and pattern to all Ministers to the end of the world But whereas Master Knollys grollishly saith that the Apostles were Independent in the Government of all the Churches and that the Presbyters of Jerusalem and Ephesus and all the Churches were Dependent upon the Apostles and the Apostles onely Dependent upon Christ by whose spirit they were alwayes guided in the government of their Churches and therefore they said Acts 15. 28. It seemed good to the holy Ghost and to us In every sentence I might say word there is an error For first the Apostles were not Independent at all no more then the Presbyters but they were ever tyed unto the word of God and his revealed will and that by Christ himself who said John 5. search the Scriptures and Luke 14. They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them Yea Saint Peter 2 Epist chap. 1. v. 19. teacheth us That we have a more sure word of prophecy whereunto we do well to take heed c. So that the Apostles themselves were tyed to the Scriptures And Paul the great Apostle of the Gentiles in the 24. of the Acts and in many other places makes the Law and the Prophets the rule of his faith professing that he beleeved all things according to them So that when Peter swarved from that rule began amongst the Galatians to halt temporize Paul resisted him to his face and accused him openly of prevarication Nay which is more so far they were from being independents that they were alwayes to follow the guidance of the spirit they were not to move but as he directed Act. 16. Yea the Apostles themselves were subject to the Presbytery at Ierusalem and were to give an account of their actions to them at any time as we may see Acts 11. where Peter was questioned and was forced to give in his answer for satisfaction the other Apostles also were subject unto that Presbyterie and gave an account how they had spent their time amongst the Gentiles yea Paul himselfe received orders from the Presbyterie in Ierusalem Acts 21. and was ruled by them yea they were not onely subject to the Church in Ierusalem but to all other Churches also and were sent on their message at any time For Peter and John were
sent to Samaria by the Apostles Act. the 8. and Paul and Barnabas were sent from Antioch by that Church there to Ierusalem and from Jerusalem they were sent againe to Antioch Syria Galatia so that they were as much dependent as any other Ministers of the Gospel and therefore M. Knollys is altogether in error in asserting that the Apostles were independent neither is that true also that the presbyters were dependent upon the Apostles any farther then they commanded in the Lord for there was a speciall caution caveat made to the contrary not only by Christ himselfe who said to all his Followers and Disciples beware of false Prophets and false Christs but also by the Apostles themselves and that in the Synod at Ierusalem Acts the 15. who bad all the Gentiles beware and take heed that they listned not to any as comming from them unlesse they taught according to the word of God and their decrees yea Saint Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians Gal 1. verse 7 8. gives them and all Christians a speciall charge that if hee himselfe or any of the Apostles or an Angell from heaven should teach otherwise then hee had taught them that they should account him accursed and the same doctrine hee delivereth to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 10. and 11. charging them to take heed of fals Apostles although they transformed themselves into the Ministers of Righteousnesse and injoynes Timothy and Titus to doe the same and in them warnes all Christians to beware of false Teachers though they come in the name of Apostles if they bring not the doctrine of Christ and teach not according to sound words and the same doth Saint Peter in his Epistles and Saint Iohn in all his Epistles and commandeth them withall that they should not receive them into their houses nor bid them God speed and the same doth Saint Iude in his and the Church of Ephesus Revel the 2. verse 2. is commended for discovering and casting out the false Apostles by all which and many more proofs and reasons that might be alleaged it is apparently evident that the Presbyters did not depend upon the Apostles themselves but upon Christ whose Ministers and Angels they were and the stars in his right hand Apocalyp the 2. verse 1. who had their authority and Commission as well from Christ as the Apostles themselves had theirs and who preserved and protected them as well as hee did the Apostles bidding them not to be affraid what man could doe against them as the second and third chapters of the Revelations sufficiently declare and therefore they were all dependent upon Christ and not upon the Apostles as Master Knollys fondly saith who were their fellow servants though in a higher degree and order and if wee duly consider the transaction of all the busines in the Synod at Ierusalem Acts 15. the Presbyters were as much guided by the spirit in that Councell as the Apostles themselves as I said in my Argument and shall by and by by Gods assistance more abundantly prove that all the world may see the vanity of Master Knollys who thinkes all men should take for an Oracle every word that fals from his pen though it be never so erroneous and never so lyable to exception and just controule as that other of his expressions is where he saith that the Apostles were alwayes guided by the spirit in the Government of their Churches in the which words there is a twofold error for Peter was not guided by the spirit neither when Christ called him Sathan neither when he denyed his Master nor when he temporized amongst the Galatians besides the Churches were not the Apostles Churches as he erroneously and ignorantly speaketh but they were Christs golden Candlesticks Revel 1. ver 20. who walked amongst them And the Apostles professe 2 Cor. 4. ver 5. that they preached not themselves but Jesus Christ the Lord and themselves the servants of the Church for Jesus his sake and in the first of the Corinthians chap. 3. ver 21 22 23. Therefore let no man glory in men saith the Apostle for all things are yours whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the World or Life or Death or things present or things to come all are yours and ye are Christs and Christ is Gods If the Churches therefore be Christs golden Candlesticks and his Churches and his houses as Paul in the 1 of Timothy averreth ch 3. ver 14 15. where he saith These things I write unto thee that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy self in the house of God which is the Church of the living God the pillar and ground of truth if therefore I say Churches be the houses of God and the Churches of the living God and the golden Candlesticks of Jesus Christ and he be the Lord of them and there be also a speciall prohibition given by Christ himselfe to all his Apostles and to all ministers that they should not Lord it over his people as the Princes of the Gentils did over them that were their subjects how then can Mr Knollys say that the Churches were the Apostles Churches Every man I conceive that hath any ordinary understanding that with deliberation shall read Mr Knollys scriblings will conclude of him That he is altogether ignorant in sacred things and if he had not been a frontlesse man and without all shame he would never have published so many errors and so much ignorance as he hath done to the view of the world neither would he ever have said that though the Apostles were called Presbyters in the Scripture yet they acted not as Presbyters especially when it was proved unto him and all those of his fraternity in my first book that they acted in all acts of Government and in that Synod at Jerusalem Acts 15. as ordinary Presbyters But because Mr Knollys is not yet satisfied about that point nor perhaps never will be for the more ample satisfaction if not to him at least to others I will here prove that point a little more fully viz. that the Apostles acted as Presbyters in an ordinary way as the other did and after I have done that I will briefly also answer Mr Knollys his grolleries concerning the fufferage and votes of the Church and people in that Synod in Ierusalem But first I will prove that the Apostles in the debate and controversie in the Synod and in that whole businesse did not act as Apostles with a transcendent and infallible authority but as Presbyters in such a way as makes their meeting a president and pattern to ordinary Councels and Synods For first Paul an Apostle and Barnabas though both extraordinary men and indued with an infallible spirit yet were at that time sent to Ierusalem by the Church of Antioch ver 2. as servants of that Presbytery who willingly and in obedience to the order of that Church subjected themselves to their determination which they would not have done had they acted as
and Presbyters may any man suppose if they had been admiâ—ted into that Synod and should then and there have heard them dispute against the ceremoniall law condemning it as a burden too heavy for them and to be such as neither they nor their fathers could bear and therefore decreed that it should not be imposed upon the beleeving Gentiles I say it stands with all good reason if the weak believers in Ierusalem which were many ten thousands should have heard these disputes it would have put them all in such a heate and rage as they would have set the whole Citie in an uproar to the hazarding of the lives of both the Apostles and Presbyters there and all such as should have sided with them and so much the more it would have incensed them against the Apostles and Presbyters because they granted greater Priviledges to the Gentiles and gave them an immunity from the observation of the Ceremoniall Law which the Iewes still observed and strictly kept so that many of the Iews going from Iudaea wheresoever they came urged the observation of the ceremoniall Law amongst the Gentiles also as necessary to salvation now I say if these Zealots of the Law had all both men and women how many soever can bee made of them to use Master Knollys expression beene present as hee groundlessely affirmes and should have heard these disputes they would have beene so farre from voting with the Apostles and Elders and saying it seemed good unto the Holy Ghost and us as they would have voted the contrary and for this that I say it is evident from the Holy Scripture for in the one and twentieth chapter of the Acts it is said that they would have staine Paul for this their jealousie onely that he preached and taught the Gentiles against the Ceremoniall Law which they would never have beene offended with him for if the Brethren in Ierusalem those beleeving Iewes the multitude even the whole Church how many soever the Doctor can make of them as master Knollys saith had then had their voice in the Councell and Synod at Ierusalem and had assented and voted against the ceremoniall Law and for the abrogation of it as Master Knollys against all reason saith they did for then they would never have beene displeased with Paul for instructing the Gentiles and all people in their christian liberty and for teaching them that they were freed from the Ceremoniall Law for that Councell and Synod made those Decrees for the benefit of the Gentiles but they would rather have beene offended with Paul if they had heard that he yet urged the observation of it amongst the Gentiles if they with the Apostles and Presbyters had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with one unanimous consent and agreement had by searching the holy Scripture found out what was the good and acceptable will of God and from thence had decreed the abolishing of the Ceremoniall Law I say if all the beleevers in Ierusalem the whole Church and multitude as many as can be made of them as Master Knollys affirms had been present in the Synod with the Apostles and Presbyters and should have voted with them it seemed good to the holy Ghost and to us to abrogate the Ceremoniall Law and to free the Gentiles from it they could not then have been displeased with Saint Paul for observing their Order and Decrees and for obeying their injunctions but when they were displeased with him for but hearing he taught the Gentiles against the Law of Moses and the Temple it is apparently evident that by brethren spake of in the text by the whole church the multitude cannot be understood all the beleevers in Jerusalem how many so ever could be made of them as he grollishly asserteth could they have all possibly met together in one place for then they themselves should be transgressors of their own Decrees and be offended with others for observing what they themselves had commanded which is a sin and therefore by brethren there First all sisters are excluded for they are not numbred amongst them and so then not all the beleevers for sisters also are beleevers and of the multitude and Secondly all those zelots spake of in the 21 chapter had no vote in that Synod and were not present there for they were enemies to Saint Paul for Preaching according to those Decrees made and Voted there so that Mr Knollys in time may come to see his Error and by brethren there and the multitude and the whole Church may very well understand that they were such as Judas and Sylas were viz. Prophets and chosen men and assistants to the Apostles members of the Church in Jerusalem of which they had store for many of the Priests were converted and were members there though not fixt Officers and Presbyters and Elders as the other were who Synecdochically were called the Church a part being understood for the whole which is usuall in the holy Scripture and to these may be added all the Presbyters that came out of all the Churches of Iudaea from among whom those false teachers were gone and had taught among the Gentiles the observation of the Ceremoniall Law as necessary to Salvation which was a cause of their meeting together and with these also may be reckoned those that came with Paul and Barnabas to that councell from the Church of Antioch which were the brethren spoken of as the Text doth sufficiently declare so that to all men that read but the 15 chapter of the Acts with judgement they will soon be satisfied That by brethren and the whole Church and the multitude there spoken of are to be understood some chosen men men of eminency for all divine knowledge Prophets who disputed and argued the businesses there and debated the matter by reason such as Iudas and Sylas were for so the Scripture speaketh and not the people men and women the whole Church the multitude how many so ever the Doctor can make of them as Master Knollys and those of his fraternity dayly though falsely assert and upon this false ground and rotten foundation laid in their own brain would erect and build their new confused Babel of Independency admitting all people both men and women not onely to Votes in their new Congregations but also in Councells and Synods and free them from all dependency upon other Churches which tends to nothing else but to the bringing in of a confusion in Church and State and to meer Anarchy and therefore from all that I have now said these two conclusions will evidently insue and plainly arise First That all the Apostles and Presbyters were all equally Depending upon God and his Word and that all the Churches we read of in the New Testament were all likewise Dependent one upon another and upon their severall Presbyteries Secondly That the people neither brethren nor sisters in those dayes were to have their Votes or suffrage in the Government of the Churches and admission of members
principalest and the choicest ones to my knowledge the women had their voices both for the receiving in of members and for the casting of them out upon any scandal so that there were none admitted either men or women though of never so great rank and quality without the leave and good liking of the women so that if at any time they opposed the entrance of any though it were but upon meer jealousies that they were not godly they could not be admitted members of those Congregations But it seems they are now ashamed of this their practice and therefore plead ignorance in the businesse But that the world may see I write nothing in my first Book concerning womens voting of it in Churches I shall recite some two or three stories omitting many to prove their practices in those dayes And what I shall relate and much more I undertake to prove by sufficient witnesses whensoever the Independents shall put me upon it And withall I shall make it appear there was never greater juggling then hath been amongst those of the Congregational-way in admitting of members The stories briefly are these A Gentlewoman of my acquaintance coming up to London since these New Lights broke out was so infatuated with them that shee had a great desire to joyne her selfe to one of the prime Churches of the congregationall way concerning the which Gentlewoman I can say thus much upon my owne experience and it can be proved by many that whatsoever shee is now before shee became an Independent she was a woman not onely of an emaculate life and conversation but a woman of singular piety and charity towards all to her ability and who ordinarily twice or thrice a week was wont to set dayes apart in private to seeke God and to humble her selfe by fasting and prayer and this was her constant course of life Yet this woman assaying to joyne her selfe unto these new disciples and being to make the confession of her faith before the congregation and to bring in the evidences of her conversion shee not having had many moneths acquaintance with them and having not walked with them above halfe a yeare or there-abouts was forced the better to make the Church understand the worke of grace wrought in her heart to recite unto them her course of life how shee had constantly walked with God and what communion she had with him signifying with all that shee had ever loved the Saints and brethren a sufficient token of conversion and of being one of Christs disciples if either Christs owne testimonie or Saint Iohns may be beleeved Yet when shee had made an end of her confession of her faith and produced her evidences a Wench rose up in the Congregation and profest before them all that shee was not satisfied with her evidences that shee was a beleever for as much as the Pharisees for all outward performances could say as much as shee did or used words to this effect Vpon which the Church could not admit her for the sister was not satisfied So that the Gentlewoman since joyned her selfe to another Congregation An other president is of a young man reputed amongst his neighbours very godly who being much inamoured with the new way of Church-fellowship assayed to joyne himselfe to one of their congregations not that I spake of before and being to make his confession and to bring in his evidences and having to satisfie the Church done as much as they injoyned him to doe two of the women in that Assembly opposed his admission so that without their good liking hee could not be admitted a Member and hee applying himselfe unto their Pastor and to the Elders gave many signes of his true conversion so that they related unto him that for their parts they had nothing to say to him in way of opposition but wisht him to apply himselfe to those sisters telling him that without their consent they could not admit him into Church-fellowship whereupon hee makes his addresses to them and sometimes hee courted them for their favour sometime hee expostulated with them desiring to know their reasons why they were so adverse to him and would not grant their consents demanding of them if they knew any thing by his conversation and they replyed no but they could not beleeve he was godly and sanctified and fit for Church fellowship and whether or no hee was ever admitted in that Congregation I know not but at that time hee could not be admitted and for no other reason that can be given but that the sisters did not give their consents and they could alleage no other ground of their not agreeing to his admission but that they conceived he was not godly The third Storie is of one that was reputed a very honest and godly man amongst all his acquaintance and who had also walked sometime amongst them in one of their new congregations and earnestly desired to be admitted a joyned Member and hee bringing in his evidences and making the confession of his faith satisfactory enough to many of the Church for the proving of himselfe fit for Member-ship a married woman rose up in the congregation and profest before them all she could not beleeve he was fit tobe admitted as a Member of that church and used some triviall reasons for her not assenting to his admssion and for that time hee could not be received into the congregation having not given the good sister plenary satisfaction and whether hee be yet received into church-fellowship I know not but that he was by the woman at that time put off that I shall be able to prove with the other two Stories and be able likewise to produce many such Presidents more Now I referre this to any understanding mans judgement whether the Keyes in many of the new gathered churches be not tyed unto the womens Girdles and whether my Brother Burton and I. S. are alwayes to be credited either in their denials or affirmations And this shall suffice to have spake of the fifth querie And now I come to the sixth and last querie viz. Whether the practising and preaching of all these things c. be to set up Christ as King upon his Throne to the which querie my Brother Burton and I. S. answer as two Jugglers nothing to the purpose My Brother Burtons words are these page 19 Those Churches saith hee that are for matter and forme true Churches and are governed according to Christs Word doe set up Christ as King upon his Throne and for such as are otherwise let them consider whether they doe as they ought set up Christ as King upon his Throne This is my Brother Burtons answer to my sixt querie Now whether this be a direct answer to my querie I leave it to the judgement of the Learned But from this his answer I may boldly conclude that their new congregations doe not set up Christ as King upon his Throne they fayling both for the matter and forme of true churches and
of the Saints and that by vertue of their beleeving Repentance and Baptism as the Scripture relateth Here is nothing recorded of walking any time for they were suddenly admitted here is nothing of a publike confâ—ssion of their faith nothing of bringing in the evidences of their conversion nothing of an explicite particular Covenant not a word of the consent of the people And yet this was the first formed Church after the New Testament Forme by all which it doth sufficiently appear that all the practice and prattle of the new gathered Churches hath neither precept nor president for it in the Mother Church But it is not amisse to produce an example or two more omitting many through the Acts. In the fifth chapter upon the sudden and miraculous death of Ananias Saphira and through the other wonders and miracles that were wrought it is said that beleevers were the more added unto the Lord multitudes both of men and women that is to say many more Congregations and Assemblies of beleevers were added to the Lord and admitted to be Members of that Church And all these also were admitted to be Members by the Apostles sole authority and that as soon as they offered themselves to be entertained without any of those conditions they now require in their new gathered Churches And yet let me tell the Independents by the way that at this time also the Apostles and Disciples might have challenged a right to have propounded those conditions if they might at any time have been urged upon the people for they might have suspected that this suddain conversion proceeded more from the miracles then from any sound conviction of them from the conscience of their sinne And therefore they might have urged that it was now very fit that they should propound some other conditions of admission then they had formerly imposed upon them and that it was requisite and convenient that they should now walk sometime in church-fellowship with them that they might have more better assurance of their real and true conversion and that they ought therefore before their admission be urged to make all and every one of them a particular confession of their faith and bring in the evidences of their conversion and enter into a particular explicite Covenant for the better preserving of Church Communion especially they seeing now before their eyes a president of so grosse hypocrisie and false dealing in Ananias and Saphira and what a consternation came upon the whole church by it and by the which also God was so much displeased therefore I say in all these regards they might then with very good reason if at any time have urged all those conditions and withall they might well have added that they should not be admitted without the consent of the whole church of all which when there is no mention it is abundantly evident that they were received into church communion without them and that by the sole authority of the Apoâ—tlâ—s which is left for a rule for all other churches to the end of the World of admitting Members after the same manner which when the Independents in all their new gathered churches dayly swarve from in their admission of Members they are in their so doing prevaricators both against the precept of Christ the King of his church and against the example of the blessed Apostles and against the example of the church at Ierusalem which was the first formed church after the New Testament Forme by which practice of theirs they make themselves offenders in an elevated nature Now I will adde one example more of ordinary admission of Members and that in the same Church chap. 6. it is said verse 7. that the Word of God increased and the number of Disciples multiplyed in Jerusalem greatly and a great company of the Priests were obedient to the faith All these also were by the Apostles sole authority admitted Members of that Church And here likewise the Apostles and Disciples might upon very good ground have urged the imposing of new conditions of admitting Members if they might at any time have done it in regard of those Priâ—sts for they were notoriously knowne to have beene Christs enemies in his life and death and â—ad a great stroke in his crucifying and therefore if the Disciples were affraid of Paul as it is relâ—ted in the ninth chapter because hee had persecuted the Church and in that regard were unwilling that hee should be a joynt Member with them they had very good warrant here of being affraid of this great company of Priests and might therefore have desired that they might not bee admitted Members into Church-fellowship till they had walked some time with them that they might have some testimonies of their true conversion and that they might also for the satisfying of the whole Church every one of them make a particular confession of their faith and bring in the evidences of their conversion and enter into a particular explicite Covenant and be received in by the consent of the whole church all these things I say they might have urged with great authority and have beene as well affraid of these Priests as they were of Paul Now in that the Apostles admitted here of all those Priests as they did of Paul Acts 9. by their sole authority and without their either walking with them in Fellowship some time or without a publicke confession of their faith or bringing in their evidences of their conversion or without a particular explicite Covenant or without the consent of the people I say in all these regards it is manifest to all such as will not put out their owne eyes that all the Independents that impose other Lawes upon the people in their admission of Members into Church-fellowship with them are Trangrâ—ssors in a high degree against both the command and example of Christ who admitted of all that came to him and refused none and against the example of all the holy Apostles and against the practice of the Mother Church and the first formed Church after the New Testament Form and therefore I will be bold to say thus much That all those Ministers and people of the Congregational by-path that shall notwithstanding all that I have now set before them out of the good Word of God still persist in their unwarrantable practices against both the precâ—pâ— and president of Christ the King of his Church and of all his blâ—ssâ—d Apostles they will be found fighters against God and iâ— they do not all of them that have had their hand in these unwarrantable proceedings speedily repent and relinguish thâ—se theâ—â— râ—bellious courses they will highly provoke the Lord King of his Church to come out in wrath and indignation against them And who knows but as he let the devil loose upon the sons of Sceva those exorcists for abusing his Authority and using his Nâ—mâ— for all their wicked dealings I say who knows but the righteous and just God may in
their husbands goe out one way the wife another their children to this Assembly their servants to that Congregation and as it was among the Corinthians which Paul blames in them one said I am of Paul another I am of Apollo the third I am of Cephas and so they flutter about like a company of chickings without either heads or wit and none will bee under obedience to either Parents or Masters not withstanding God hath commanded children to obey their Parents and servants their Masters no farther than pleaseth their owne humours and all this they have learned by the traditions of the younger and whether I have wronged the Brethren in any thing I have now said I report my selfe to all the distracted Families in the Kingdome where they have beene preaching and the daily experience of any moderate minded Christian and if ever there was a Pantheon of all Religions in the world it is now in England by reason of these new teachers to the great dishonour of God the hinderance of Reformation and the alienating of the affections one from another of those that are joyned together in nighest relations Now whereas Master Knollys and my Brother Burton passing by the Church of Ierusalem in their march as I said before make some poore weake skirmishes against my forces drawne out of the Garrisons of holy Writ as that of the Eunuch Paul Cornelius Lydia and the Goaler which I had formerly brought into the field pretending they were extraordinary and not binding because they were not as they say admitted in any particular Church constituted according to the Gospel forme but into the catholike visible Church I cannot passe by their trifling without some answer unto their bravado and therefore I thought good in this place before I march on to fight them that they may not hereafter boast vapour that I durst not incounter them or looke upon their most materiall Reserves which is concerning Cornelius and those that were with him which they especially pitch upon conceiving they have a great advantage against mee for the making of this ground good viz. that the sole power of admitting any to bee Members of any Church doth not reside and lye soly in the Ministers of the Gospel but that the people also have a hand as well in their admission as they and if they shall dislike the reception of any that then the Ministers cannot by their owne and sole authority admit them though never so well qualified for this must necessarily be the scope of their incounter for to what end otherwise should it be made yea their very words manifest as much which are these first Master Knollys page 15. and 16. thus declareth himselfe that the brethren did not intermeddle in that busines saith he viz. of the admittance of Cornelius and those that were with him by Baptisme into the Church I conceive the reason why the Brethren did not intermeddle to hinder their admittance to that Ordinance of Baptisme was not because they had not that liberty but because they had no just objections to declare to Peter Now that the Brethren had a liberty to declare any thing which might justly have hindred doth appeare by the question the Apostle expounded saith hee I conceive hee meant propounded verse 47. Can any man forbid water that these should not bee baptized And the Doctor himselfe saith hee acknowledgeth that the Brethren or Disciples of the Church of Jerusalem which must be a paterne of all Churches had this liberty to except against some sort of persons in case that such persons have beene formerly knowne to have beene open Enemies and Persecutors of the Church and then they are justly to bee suspected untill they have given publick evidence by witnesse to the Ministers of their true conversation and there produceth a plaine instance to prove this out of Acts the ninth where Paul comming to Jerusalem assayed to joyne himselfe to the Disciples but they were all affraid of him beleeving not that hee was a Disciple Thus Master Knollys speaks and then concludes that all the Disciples in the like case have the same liberty because Jerusalem the mother-Mother-church is to bee a paterne to all other Daughter-churches therefore saith hee when it doth evidently appeare that the Disciples or Brethren of the Church of Ierusalem in her most flourishing condition had this liberty to declare their feares and their ground thereof against Paul How can the Doctor saith he make good that the Presbyters alone without the consent of Brethren may admit Members and cast out Members and that the Brethren and the Congregation have nothing to doe to hinder any such thing I have faithfully set downe his words and the force of his Argument to which I will by and by give my answer after I have set downe also what my Brother Burton hath to say in this busines and then I will reply to them both in order My Brother Burtons words are these page 17. It is one thing saith he to preach and instrumentally to convert soules which chiefly pertaines to those that are called thereunto but in the case of Church-government of admitting and casting out it is otherwise And here let Peter himselfe whose words you alleage resolves us who when the Holy Ghost so wonderfully fell on all of them that heard the Word said can any man forbid water that these men should not be baptized c. Which words imply that if any exceptions could have been made it was in those Jews present to give forth their allegations why those beleeving Gentiles should not be admitted to become one Church with the beleeving Jews So as your Observations fall to the ground as that first Peter was sent to and â—ot the Church And secondly Peter commanded them to be baptized Again this example was extraordinary in all the circumstances of it Your instance of the Eunuch Act. 8. 8. of Lydia Act. 16. as many other are meer extravagants We faith he speak of Churches constituted not of single converts here and there one not yet joyned into a particular Church-body Thus my brother Burton declareth himselfe whose words I have faithfully set down and all he hath to say against all those examples But before I come to my answer I shall desire the Reader to take notice of these mens dealings they make all these examples either extravagants or extraordinary and yet they would from the example of Cornelius and Peters question to the brethren that came along with him inferre that the authority of admission of Members lay not onely in the Ministers hand but in the peoples also as who had the liberty to bring in their exceptions against any for their not admission So that these men at pleasure will make the same Scripture they except against as not authoritative and binding for us yet to be bindingly presidentiall for themselvs So that as far as in their own opinion it makes for their grolleries and serves their turn it shall be for
consider what those false teachers were wee shall find them to be no other but such as under shew of holinesse and piety taught their owne inventions and grolleries and abused the simplicity of the people for their owne advantage and brought them into bondage and devoured them verse 20. as the Phatisees did the Widowes houses under pretence of their long prayers which our Saviour Christ sharpely reproves them for and denounces a woe against them for their so doing after the same manner did these false Teachers amongst the Corinthians who made their owne traditions joyned Members with the Gospel as if they had had a more fine neat eleganter way of gathering of churches and admitting of Members than Paul and the other Apostles But the Apostle bids the Corinthians take heed of all such how glorious soever they seeme to appeare and tels them they cannot teach the way to Heaven and happinesse better than hee and the other Apostles have done and yet neither Saint Paul or any of the Apostles in preaching of the Gospel taught them that they should admit of none to bee joyned Members of the Church although they beleeved and were baptized except they walked sometime in fellowship amongst them that they might have approbation and tryall of their conversation first and after make a publick confession of their faith before the church and did give in evidences of the truth of their conversion to the congregation and entred into a solemne private covenant and were admitted Members by consent of the church Not a word of all this in the Gospel that Saint Paul and the other Apostles taught and therefore all that teach their new wayes their new-borne truths and set up their new lights are wise above that which is written and teach otherwise than Christ and his Apostles have taught or the christians of the Primitive times had received and therefore ought by the Apostles command Gal. 1. verse 8. 9. to be accursed Saint Iohn also in his second Epistle to the Elect Lady verse 9 10. saith Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God hee that continueth in the doctrine of Christ hee hath both the Father and the Sonne If there come any unto you that bringeth not the doctrine of Christ receive him not into your house neither bid him God speed for hee that biddeth him God speed is a partaker of his evill deeds Now the doctrine that the Independent Ministers teach for the gathering of churches and admitting of members and joyning and jumbling of them together was never taught by Christ nor any of his Apostles for they themselves confesse it is a new way and a new borne truth and a new light and therefore not the doctrine of Christ and therefore such novelties are not to be entertained nor imbraced nor the teachers of them if we will be obedient to Apostolicall precepts I desire therefore those of the Independent brethren to produce any one testimony or any one president out of the Word of God where these things following are taught or have beene practised First that although men and women beleeve and are baptized they are not yet to be admitted as joyned Members till they have walked sometime in fellowship with the church for approbation of their conversation this is the first thing I desire of the brethren either a precept or an example for this in Gods Word The second where it is commanded that those that beleeve and are baptized should not be admitted as Members of the church whithout a publike confession of their faith before the church The third where it is enjoyned that to their Faith and Baptisme they should bring in the evidences of the truth of their conversion before they can be capable of their membership The fourth where it is commanded that they should enter into a solemn and private covenant before they can be admitted to church-fellowship The fifth where it is imposed upon those that beleeve and are baptized that they should not be received into the church without the consent of the congregation Sixthly where it is commanded that the Ministers of the Gospell shall run about from their own places and charges into the sheepfolds of their fellow-shepherds and separate and pick out all their best sheep and bring them into their own folds and debar them from all church-fellowship and communicating with the other beleevers in Gods holy Ordinances and Sacraments or where ever it is commanded that the Preachers of the Gospel shall gather beleeving Christians from among beleeving Christians and separate them from the other sheep into Independent congregations and shall proclame all that are not thus moulded up after this new modell to be people out of covenant and to have no right to the seals of the new covenant neither they nor their children though beleevers All these things I desire the brethren by evident places of the holy Scripture to make good and to confirme or by any president or example to declare to have been practised either by Christ or his blessed Apostles for I look for a law from Christ the King of his church who was as faithfull in the house of God as Moses was and hath not left the ordering and disposing of his church to the will of men but hath commanded the church to hear his voice who is the great Pastor and Bishop of our souls and the teacher of his church his Word therefore I look for for a warrant for the ratifying of all these doctrines and I have good ground and reason to demand of them a warrant and authority out of Gods Word for what they both teach and practice for we are taught by Christ the onely Prophet of his church that they that serve God after the precepts of men offer him a vain worship and it stands with all good reason that if all humane traditions though of never so ancient standing and of never so long antiquity were all cast out of the church because they had no footing or ground in Gods Word that all novelties or new inventions of men which notwithstanding are imposed upon the people as the ways of God should be abrogated and nullified and cast out of the church It is recorded in holy writ Ioshua 9. that the Gibeonites deceived Ioshua and the people of Israel under pretence that they came from a farre country and for proofe of that they produced their mouldy bread and their tattered botles and their old shooes and they taking what they said pro confesse and not consulting with the mouth of the Lord as it is fully related in that chapter were deceived by them and entred into a League with their enemies And thus the Papists and Prelates for these many hundred years have deluded the world under pretence of their mouldy antiquities and tattered raggs of traditions and in all this time they prevailed to mislead the poore people because they consulted not with the mouth of God nor examined things
of the Arraignment of Mr Persecution in many more of their scurrilous writings plead for a toleration of all Religions under pretence of liberty of conscience whatsoever they be as Judaisme Turcisme Popery Paganisme and all manner of sects and for the confirming of this their diabolicall tenent they bring in the example of the heathen Nations who suffered all Religions amongst them and the example of Poland Transsylvania and Holland those pantheons of all Religions add tell us of the Parable where Christ commanded that the Tares and the Wheat should be suffered to grow together till the harvest the day of judgement And use or abuse rather some other places of Scripture which as they conceive make all for a toleration of all Religions To all which their pretences I shall at this time briefly anwer after I have set down some grounds out of holy Scripture and produced some examples of Gods dear children friends and servants out of the same which must be the warrant of all Christians to follow to the end of the world for whatsoever was written before was written for our learning 1 Cor. 10. Rom. 15. and by the Word of God and from the example of Gods servants we are ever taught that diversity of Religions amongst Christians ought not to be tolerated And first to begin with Abraham the Father of the faithfull and his seed whose examples all that are his and their children ought to set before their eyes for imitation The Lord called Abraham as it is in Joshua 24. out of his Father Terah's house and from his kindred when they served other gods and made a Covenant with him as it is at large set down in the 12. of Genesis and in divers other places of the same book and in speciall in the 17. of Genesis verse 1 2 3 c. where the Lord reneweth his Covenant with him and his seed and sets down the conditions of his Covenant with Abraham which was that Abraham should walk before him and be perfect and that then he would be his God all sufficient to provide for him and protect him wheresoever he came which covenant the Lord ever kept with Abraham and his seed delivering them out of the hands of all their enemies when they served him according to the conditions of the covenant walking uprightly before him as he will do to all his children to the end of the world walking in father Abraham's steps and of Abraham the Lord says this in the 18. of Genesis ver 17 18 19. Shall I hide from Abraham that which I doe seeing that Abraham shall become a great and a mighty Nation and all the Nations of the earth shall be blessed in him for I know him that he will command his children and houshold after him that they shall keep the way of the Lord to do Iustice and Iudgement that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him c. In these words we have Gods testimony of Abraham in the which he gives this witnesse of him that he would command his children and houshold after him that they should keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgement Then it is manifest that Abraham tolerated neither in his children nor in his houshold any Religion contrary unto that that God had taught him nor suffered no idolatry nor Sects in his family for this had not been to walke uprightly before God for it had been unjust dealing with God so to have done for Abraham and his seed were to walk perfectly and sincerely before God and therefore he would never tolerate all Religions or the worshipping of a false God or the worship of the true God after a false manner which also is Idolatry for this had not been to do justice and judgement but Abraham set up the true worship of God wheresoever he came as the whole story of his life doth abundantly declare And so did Isaac after him and Jacob after him as in the 33. of Genesis doth appear where Jacob said unto his houshold and to all that were with him put away the strange gods that are among you and be clean and change your garments and let us arise and go up to Bethel and I will make there an Altar unto God who answered me in the day of my distresse and was with me in the way which I went and they gave unto Iacob all the strange gods that were in their hands and Iacob hid them under the Oak that was at Sechem and the terror of God was upon the cities which were round about them and they did not pursue after the sons of Iacob In these words we have a president for imitation with the fruit and benefit that doth redound to all those people and Nations that set up the true worship of God and root out all Idolatry and false worship out of their families and Countries for Jacob gives no toleration in his house nor amongst his people for all Religions or for any other but that which God himselfe had appointed he sets up the true worship of God and that onely within his Jurisdiction and buries all the Idols of what price and how rich soever they were and he found the comfort and benefit of this his so doing for the Lord for this his faithfull service blessed him and protected him from the fury of all his provoked enemies for the terror of God was upon them all so that they durst not pursue him And if we take notice in our reading of the holy Scriptures we shall find and that through the whole Word of God that the Lord ever followed that people and those Kings and governours and their whole Kingdomes and Countries with speciall blessings and singular favours that purged their Country from idolatry and all false worships and struck a terror into all their enemies round about them neither did they ever purge their Countries from Idolatry and root out Idolaters but the anger of the Lord was presently appeased by it and it is alwayes recorded to the eternall praise and honour of those Kings Rulers and Judges that were most forward in reformation and that set more throughly upon that good work of reformation and those that did things but to the halves in reformation have not so honourable a testimony in holy Scripture as the other and that God hath ever been pleased when Idolatry hath been rooted out and Idolaters put to death there be many presidents of it in the Word of God Amongst others that in the 32. of Exodus how highly was God displeased there with the making of that Calf and how well was he pleased when execution was done upon the contrivers and authors of that Idolatry that place sufficiently declareth yea in the 13. of Deuteronomie the Lord declaring how much he detesteth Idolatry and all false worship giveth a dispensation to children for disobedience to their parents who by his law they are bound to obey in Gods matters so
are mentioned and therefore if I in Gods quarrell and cause be a little more earnest and use a little more tartnesse which I shall ever wave in my owne it may with any good nature easily plead excuse But before I conclude my Epistle I shall desire you all to consider three passages omitting many I shall here set before your eyes the one out of Master Knollys his Answer the other out of I. S. his Flagellum the third out of my Brother Burtons Vindiciae that you may take notice of the vanity and futility of these men and how much they have wronged your cause before you reade the insuing Discourse Master Knollys thus speaks upon the Frontispice of his Booke A moderate Answer unto Doctor Bastwicks Booke wherein the manner how some Churches in this Citie were gathered and upon what termes their Members were admitted that so both the Doctor and the Reader may judge how neere some ` Beleevers who walke together in the Fellow-ship of the Gospel doe come in their practise to these Apostolicall rules which are propounded by the Doctor as Gods method in gathering Churches and admitting Members These are Master Knollys his own words and in the nineteenth and twentieth page he more fully there testifies his good liking of that method for gathering of Churches that I out of the Word of God propounded and would perswade the world that their Congregations were gathered after that method or manner or came very nigh unto it by all which his expressions and by that their practice he declares that in his judgement I have writ nothing but what is agreeable to Gods Word I appeale now therefore unto you all whether this man deserves not condigne punishment that will goe about undertake and endeavour to confute that Booke which he in his judgement alloweth of and according to which he pretendeth he practiseth andall this for the deluding and misleading of unstable soules to the trouble both of Church and State I am most assured that those that are rationall amongst you and not blinded with passion will say that Master Knollys is not only an unworthy trifler but that hee goeth contrary unto his owne Principles and ought deservedly to be severely punished for his thus wickedly mispending his pretious time and abusing the simple people For if I have writ nothing concerning the gathering of Churches but what he in his conscience beleeveth and practiseth then how unexcusable is that in this man that will speake against what his owne soule dictates unto him to be according to GODS holy Word By all which it is manifest that he is not onely a vain jangler but hath lost the day and wronged that your cause the defence of which notwithstanding he entred into the field to vindicate and maintain against all the Presbyterians And that which I have said of him may deservedly be spake of I. S. and my brother Burton For I. S. in the 13. Page of his Flagelli hath these words If it were granted saith he that many Churches did aggregate and unite in the beginning yet would not this example be bindingly presidential c. and seems there to prove it by arguments and my brother Burton in the 9. and 10. pages of his Pamphlet assenteth unto I. S. his doctrine as you may see at large if you look into it in which you shall find also that he acknowledgeth there were many congregations of beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem and at that time when according to his own reckoning there were but three thousand beleevers in that Church His words are these saying that though they wanted a convenient place so spacious as wherein to break bread or to receive the Lords Supper altogether so as they were constrained to sever themselves into divers companies in severall private houses to communicate c. So that by the learning of all these your great Champions you will in the sequell of this discourse evidently perceive that they have utterly overthrown your doctrine of Independency and of the Congregational way and that whiles they all came out to maintain it For Mr Knollys as I said even now he fights against the light of his own understanding and opposeth that truth which he in his judgement alloweth of And for I. S. and my brother Burton they have ignorantly murthered your cause For all the contention hitherto both in the Synod between the reverend Presbyters there and the Homothumadon dissenting brethren and between all the Independents and Presbyterians through the Kingdome hath been concerning the Church of Jerusalem and the number of beleevers in that Church which the dissenting brethren with all the Independents in England hold were never at first and last more then could all meet in one place or Congregation to partake in all acts of worship and they assert moreover that that Church ought to be a patern for all Churches to the end of the world in respect of its government and do peremptorily affirme that the example of that Church is bindingly presidentiall to all succeeding ages for imitation which is the opinion not only of the Homothumadon dissenting brethren but of all the Sectaries that I know yea the orthodox Presbyterians do all beleeve that the Church of Ierusalem the Mother-Church is to be a pattern of Government to all Churches in all succeeding ages to the end of the World Now I. S. saith that the example of the Church of Ierusalem is not bindingly presidential wickedly comparing it to the confused chaos that indigested moles in the first creatiō so that he makes the church of Ierusalem an imperfect patern So that by his doctrine it is left arbitrary for any Church or State to set up what kind of Church government they please Now whether or no this opinion of his be not contrary to all divinity and the judgement of all orthodox Divines yea to the very tenent of all the Independents I leave it to the consideration of all those amongst you that can judge of things that differ So that you may see that this Champion also of yours hath absolutely overthrown your own principles when he came out to maintain and defend your cause My brother Burton also hath given a fatall blow to that cause he came out so desperately to maintain For all the Independents through the world that ever I heard of with all the Homothumadon brethren in the Assembly by all their arguments have hitherto laboured to evince that there were no more beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem then could all meet in one place or Congregation to communicate in all ordinances acknowledging that if it could be proved there were more Assemblies and Congregations of beleevers in that Church that then they would yeeld the cause and they spake according to reason For if there were many Congregations of beleevers in Ierusalem and all those made up but one Church and were all under one Presbytery as they must of necessity be if they made all but one entire