THE Old Leaven purged out OR THE APOSTACY Of this DAY further Opened BEING A true and faithful Narrative of the orderly Proceedings and Dealings of the Lesser part of the Congregation formerly walking with Mr. John Sympson with and against severall Souldiers of the Army who being fallen in with the APOSTACY of this DAY contrary to Professed and Declared Principles and the many out-goings of the Lord thereupon are withdrawn and separated from together with Mr. Sympson their Chief Abettor and others after neer two Years labouring whilest we were in the Congregation and neer two Years more since AS ALSO The true Coppies of seven of the Letters which Mr. Sympson wrote with his own Hand and sent to the Congregation whilest he was a Prisoner for Truth in Windsor-Castle WITH An Answer to severall Objections that have been or may be raised against Printing and Publishing the Whole ALL Humbly presented to Publique view not in Strife Vain-glory or to be seen of Men but we hope out of conscience to endeavour a Recovering of the Name of the Lord which hath layen under so great reproach through Misreports raised of us since our first withdrawing 2 Cor. 6.17 18. Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you And will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my Sons and Daughters saith the Lord Almighty 2 Thes 3.6 Now we command you Brethren in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you withdraw your selves from every Brother that walketh disorderly c. 2 Tim. 3.4 5. Traytors heady high-minded lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof from such turn away Printed in the Year of our Lord 1658. To all that love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity in this evill day whether in Churches or out Beloved in our Lord INcrease of Faith Hope Love Humility Zeal Wisdom and Patience with all other the fruits of the Spirit be multiplied unto and bestowed upon you according to the purchase of our Lord Jesus who is King of Saints and Nations that you may bee able to stand upon the Sea of glasse mingled with Fire and maintain your Victorie over the Beast and his Image and Number of his name having the Harps of God in your hands that when his Iudgments shall be made manifest and a reward given to Babylon according to his word you may not with the Merchants and great Men of the Earth stand afar off crying alas alas but may with the Angell and the followers of the Lamb who are called chosen and faithfull with rejoycing say Righteous art thou O Lord because thou hast judged thus How unmeet such as we are above any who have obtained like precious faith to appear in this publike manner is best knowne to the Lord and our own souls being in some measure through his Free grace made sensible of our insufficiency to so weighty a Work the consideration whereof might wholly discourage our proceeding herein did not the honor of God the interest of Christ Jesus our Lord groundedly provoke us thereunto for now as all will behold whether Saints or Sinners so many being already prejudiced in their judgments thorough false reports received of us as they have been apt enough will shoot their arrowes against us but with how much unwarrantableness on their parts let the Reader judge by this ensuing Narrative Others being convinced of the truth and goodness of the cause we are ingaged in as they do not speak against us so on the other hand lest they should come under the like reproach with us are silent in saying any thing on our behalf yet some Elijahs there are who have been and still are willing to bear part of the burthen with us Adding hereunto that we are a stumbling block to many thorough the many failings infirmities and miscarriages such poor nothing-creatures as we are have been compassed with in the management of so honourable and weighty a cause as this is for which each one of us have great reason to be truly humbled before the Lord though hereby we may humbly say Are we as Signs and Wonders in Isreal Howerver notwithstanding all the reproaches and hard speeches that hitherto hath attended us from many of our Brethren and Familiars whom we desire dearly to love in the Lord as wel as from the Apostates of this day the latter of which as we have may expect it so we do not much regard it We have been strengthned in our Head the Lord Jesus to bear up under all though many halts stops have been made in this work thereby which hath caused some searchings of heart amongst us and we trust that the same power and goodness of our Father which hath been so wonderfully manifested towards us to this very day will still carry us on therein to the glory of his grace by Jesus Christ which is to be acknowledged by us before him and his people with all humility and thankfulness some passages whereof are inserted in these following particulars First by frustrating the intentions of those from whom we are seperated to have proceeded against us even to a casting out though the chiefest of them were unanimous therein and in making them confused and abortive in all their indeavors that way Secondly that when they had sent as they apprehended to the soberest and choicest of the Independent and Baptised Congregations in the City to countenance them therein who accordingly sent chief men from amongst them they hitherto have been so over-ruled by the Lord as that they have not been capable of advising therein Thirdly In keeping us together as one intire body from first to last though full of weaknesses inabling us from time to time that according to Gospel-rule to admonish those from whom we are seperated end to watch over one another in love though Mr. Sympson gave out upon our first with-drawing that he was confident we should break asunder within three moneths or thereabouts as the just hand of the Lord against us And therefore the Lord having so graciously owned us we do not desire to be fore-casting what will be the event or issue of this our publike testimony but looking up to him desire to rest satisfied in this that herein we have done no more then our duty for these following reasons First That in regard the Lord hath been and is so greatly dishonoured by a professing generation sinning against so great light as never was known before amongst whom the Souldiers and Mr. Sympson we are seperated from are apart it may appear there is a remnant among the Churches of Christ who do not wink at or comply with so great iniquity but do desire to bear a sutable Testimony against and make a due seperation from it Reas 2. There being many reproaches and calumnies cast upon us as to the matter and
Moreover we should thereby have given occasion to some to have given a Reply to many things which we suppose will hereby be avoided But if any notwithstanding our indeavors shall adventure to blemish the Truth and Cause we do hereby contend for we trust the Lord will give us wisdom to make an humble and sober Reply â—o such persons if need be And therefore for the better clearing of truth to the understanding of the Reader some Marginal Annotations are onely added whereby the matter of fact is proved by the Armies Declarations and Engagements c. whilest they pretended to be faithful to the cause of Christ whereof the Souldiers aforementioned were then and still are Members besides several particulars proved against them all being contained in our first paper and after that comes in our gradial proceedings against them and their Abettors upon their perseverance in so great evill that so it may appear we have walked according to Rule in order to the convincing and recovering of them if the Lord had so pleased We know upon perusall of the subject-matter contained in this Book there will be many infirmities and weaknesses shewing forth themselves therein but we hope the Lord hath given you such bowels of tenderness as to pass them over and rather be eying the drift and scope of what is intended hereby and therefore shall take up no more time in an Epistolary way but leave it unto the blessing of the Lord with this Exhortation to you as well as unto our selves Let every one that nameth the Name of Christ depart from iniquity hating even the garment spotted by the flesh that so at the appearing of our Lord Jesus he may say unto us Well done good and faithfull Servants enter you into your Masters Joy Signed in the name and by the appointment of the greater number of the Congregation who have seperated from those now walking with Mr. John Sympson Humphrey Hathorn Caleb Ingold John Seely John Portmans THE Old Leaven purged out OR The Apostacy of this day further opened A true Copy of our first Paper to Mr. SYMPSON and the other part of the Congregation after we were withdrawn upon the account of the Souldiers declaring the grounds and reasons of our withdrawing Dated the first day of the fourth month 1656. Delivered in writing at London-house the next first day after the date hereof by six of our Brethren accompanied with the whole Onely the Marginal Annotations were since added to prove what we have asserted in the body of our papers Dearly beloved Brethren Sisters in our Lord Iesus Christ HAving spent some time together and apart to seek the Lord for counsel and direction since we absented our selves from you having had as we hope some sorrow and grief of heart that we cannot with any comfort partake with you at present of those Ordinances our Lord Jesus hath left his people to be exercised in until his second coming and appearance and we trust have endeavoured in some degree of sincerity to search our own hearts concerning those sins laid to our charge as Vncharitableness Pride Rashness Self-will'dness Arrogancy c. which we must acknowledge to be in as in too great a measure yet doubtless this we may speak to the glory of the free Grace of our Father in Jesus Christ That notwithstanding Satan togegether with the body of sin we carry about us hath had great advantage to blemish that blessed Cause and Interest we have been so long contending for we may we hope declare That in â—â—plicity and godly sincerity this Work hath been managed by us and also that it is out of love to Truth as well as on Truths behalf we are so far engaged It is in the conclusion of our waiting upon and seeking to the Lord much upon our hearts to lay before you the Truth we are so much under a Cloud for that if the Lord will we may find such a fruit of this our seeking to and waiting upon him as will bring most glory to God and comfort to you and us and the provoking the Churches of Christ in this Nation too generally fallen in with the iniquity of this day Dear Brethren and Sisters and longed for in the Lord You very well know how for some years together the Lord hath been risen out of his holy place to punish the Inhabitants of the Earth for their iniquity and notwithstanding those Inhabitants have and do under a form of godliness get into Zion yet so narrow hath the Lord been and still is in his search at this day that the sinners in Zion are afraid for he hath set up his fire in Zion and fornace in Jerusalem and will not leave till he hath throughly purged his floor in which great Work we find that his own people have not been without their refinings in regard of so great filth they carry about them for he saith that he must wash away the filth of the daughter of Zion from the midst thereof and purge away the blood of Jerusalem by a spirit of Judgement and a spirit of Burning that upon all the glory may be a defence The nature of this Work hath been not onely by the Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God in the 〈◊〉 of his Servrnts the Prophets but also by the Sword of a man or the material Sword and herein we find the Saints not onely by their prayers but their persons also have been instrumental making good that Word in the Psalms Let the high praises of God be in their â—â—â—ths and a two-edged Sword in their hands to execute upon the Adversaries of his glory the judgments written to binde their * * VVas not the vengeance executed upon the King his Issue Nobles Gentry Clergy and other abettors a manifest return of prayer to the Lords people and in part a fulfilling of that Scripture Yea let the army the souldiers from whom we are separated look ouer their Declarations and Remonstrances c. upon this-account See Abridgm Remonst at Albâ—ns pag 30-31 oâ— Book called The Looking Glass and Decl July 19 1650 pag 46 47 of that Book Decl Aug 1. 1650 p 48 49 50. or in a sheet or paper commonly seen Decl after old Parl was dissolved p. 53 54 in their Speech to the little Part p. 55 56 58 61 62 63 of the aforementioned book and we entreat all the churches of Christ in this city and the three Nations to consider how far they encouraged the army therein whether they did not take up arms for the interest and cause of Christ at the invitation of their Pastors and Elders if not so we are not able to judge upon what account churches as churches should be sent unto to take up the material Sword but if tâ—â—e what means this general silence under falling in with the present power upon the old â—â—ock of Monarchy who not onely have taken the remainder of the great Houses
as they began to lay their sin to their charge they withdrew themselves and came no more to them as we are since informed otherwise they had proceeded further against them cast out of two Churches in Wales upon the same occasion to wit Mr. Jenkin Jones Mr. Powells Churches and likewise as we hear another in England whose Name at present we have forgotten 13 13. Whether that Principle of the Congregation namely Communion with Saints upon the account of union with the Head be not unduly charged as broken by us when it is not intended by so good and righteous a principle that a Brother or Sister should take a liberty thereby as an occasion to the Flesh to walk scandalously among Saints and sinners for that is the corruption and not the true end of it The consideration whereof we think doth lye with such sorrow upon our souls as we may truly say hath wrung tears out of some of our hard hearts We shall not add more at present fearing it may be thought we have been too large in this already onely this that whereas it is said Nothing would content us but the sudden casting out of our Brethren without an orderly process according to the Scripture to which end we had resolved our present withdrawing before we came to the Church We do therefore desire to leave this with you as before the Lord That it was the least in our thoughts so to do for we hoped that truth would have taken so much place as that our brethren would have been admonished of their sin by the Church and so to have withdrawn from them if happily thorow a more narrow search into their hearts hereby the Lord might please out of his Grace to discover this their sin which hath and doth bring so great dishonor to the Name of the Lord though at present as they say unseen to them and in this Work not to have counted them as enemies but admonished them as brethren but so sudden a vote for communion with them lying under so great sin as we judge by what was offered that day did so amaze us that when we came out of London-House we knew not what to do only some of us did then conclude to meet together to enquire what was the mind of the Lord in this thing in which way of seeking to him we have continued to this day Now we hope you will bear with us and put a brotherly interpretation upon any thing therein that may not seem to carry with it that Love Affection and Gentleness which we desire from our hearts should be it not being our intention to justifie our selves in any evil but rather to lye at the Lords and your feet therein yet would gladly be found faithful to the Lord in such a day as this when they that tempt God are delivered and they that work wickedness are set up yea he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey and a snare is laid for him that reproveth in the Gate Thus we humbly leave these our thoughts to your serious consideration hoping that whatever our failings may be yet we shall not want the guidance and direction of his spirit in every way of truth and we also trust That as you are in some measure pressing after that excellent Grace of Love so you may abound therein more and more in knowledge and in all judgement that you may approve things that are excellent in such a day as this being sincere and without offence until the day of Christ being filled with the fruits of Righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the praise and glory of God and then it will be our joy and rejoycing to return unto you and in the mean time we judge it our duty to be waiting upon the Lord and you till his mind and Will be further revealed concerning us in whose protection we leave you and remain Dated the first day of the fourth Month 1656. Your poor destitute and mourning Brethren and Sisters in some measure till the Lord restore you to your primitive spirit of Faith Light Love and Zeal for his glory wherein you have been as a Beacon upon the top of a Mountain AFter some solemn waiting upon the Lord this Paper was signed by threescore in number or thereabouts and was intended so to have been given in but was otherwise determined upon for these two Reasons First Because in such an evil day as this we ought not to trust in a Friend no not in a Guide but to keep the door of our mouths from those that lye in our bosome If so then not to trust our hands with those who had so unworthily betrayed the Cause of Christ Secondly It was judged most for the glory of God to go in person all of us being about twelve more then signed it and own the said Paper which would be more authentick and less advantage given against any particular person and therefore an exact Copy was drawn out and carryed unsigned all of us accompanying the Brethren to whom it was chiefly committed unto London-House the next first day after the date thereof when being come a Brother of ours stood up and spake a few Words to this effect That we were here come to present unto them in brotherly love after solemn waiting upon the Lord a Paper containing the evil of those persons amongst them against whom we had been so long contending together with the Grounds and Reasons of our withdrawing to this day which we had the more hastened to give in in regard we were several times urged thereunto by several Brethren sent by their appointment unto us and further desired that liberty might be granted unto one of the Brethren by us intrusted for the reading of it Which was not onely denyed us but much scruple raised by some What Scripture-Warrant we had to give in our dissatisfactions in Writing To which answer was made That we judged it our Gospel-liberty to give it in by writing or otherwise as might be most for the glory of God for by this writing we did give in our joynt Testimony against the present evil with the reasons of our withdrawing which we apprehended could not be so well done by a private brother or brethren in speaking but that we might have had just grounds of exceptions against some things that might be spoken against such brethren Hereupon our Brother Marsh who walks with them said That he thought it was not onely our Gospel-liberty but the Scripture would warrant our practice else Pauls writing to the Corinthians about the incestuous person was not warrantable but if it was then our practice had ground in Scripture and therefore conceived there need be no further discourse about that And by this means was that Scruple in some measure removed and some Way made for the reading of our Paper but not by any one of us which although we judged it a little unreasonable yet for peace sake we condescended thereunto
excusing of them and by his suddain starting such a question of Non-communion without serious consideration whereby many Brethren and Sisters were ensnared as they afterwards confessed and notwithstanding that truth had such hard usage from the beginning almost to that time yet we have since our withdrawing been waiting upon the Lord almost one whole year and half thereby bearing a more particular Testimony against their evil also by admonishing them twice according to the rule of the Gospel but no repentance as we can discern apprearing but rather hardness of heart and their sin every day more and more manifesting it self to the great dishonour of God and reproach of his Name We do therefore hereby declare That we can have no more fellowship and Communion with them then with Heathens and Publicans till the Lord shall give repentance unto life by acknowledging and forsaking their iniquity and do hereby humbly Testifie our separation from the accordingly Secondly That our Brother Sympson whose condition we desire to mourn for yet can but humbly testifie that he hath been for many moneths a secret opposer of those Brethren that prosecuted the cause of Christ against the evils of those Brethren of the Army and every day more and more did and doth stand by maintain and plead for them Nay more he is not afraid nor ashamed to plead for those very evils which he himself hath declared against openly and for which he for sometime suffered very boldly so that we can do no less then declare before the Lord Angels and men that he is now become guilty with the other Apostates to build again the things which he and they formerly destroyed and is become very skilful to cover the iniquity of this day which appeareth to all unbyast persons But least any should think that we had neglected our duty in not admonishing him privately before this publique testimony against him we answer That several Brethren had been with him privately upon that account Moreover we did at another time by several Brethren in the name of the whole apply our selves unto him intending particularly in love and due respects to have opened our hearts concerning his evil but in stead thereof he absolutely refused to give the least entertainment unto us as Brethren and Sisters or to hear any thing we should say unto him upon that account but looked upon us as Heathens and Publicans and thereupon refused so much as to pray with the Brethren who were sent by us Adding hereunto that thorow his pleading for and excusing of them he hath been the Instrumental Cause of this breach and separation and hardning the hearts of the Souldiers when some of them were in some measure convinced of their evil as we thought saying That if it were a sin to have Communion with them let it be charged upon himself and such as were satisfied with them as they should answer it at the day of the Lord Jesus For which and much more if needful at this time to declare We can have no more fellowship with him nor scarce so much as with those Brethren among you that wear the sword whose wickedness we have been so long contending against onely leaving him unto the Lord who can when he pleaseth convince him of his evil and give him grace to do his first works Thirdly That several other Brethren whom we could Name if need require have likewise much abetted excused and pleaded for this iniquity and particularly one of them who was formerly so convinced of the Soldiers evil as being the first person that put pen to paper to draw up Articles against them who said It was true but he thought it would not come to this And therefore we do judge it our duty also humbly to Testifie against them and separate from them as such who are greatly partakers of the Souldiers evil though it is possible that they may be much oversway'd in ther judgements by our Brother Sympson and cannot have Communion with them till such time that the Lord doth convince them of their evil and cause them to return from whence they are fallen and do their first works Fourthly That many other Brethren and Sisters though they have little to plead for the Souldiers as under those sins laid to their charge yet care not for inquiring into truth neither considering that Scripture 1 Cor. 5.6 Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump purge out therefore the old leaven that you may become a new lump But are willing to have their judgements byassed thorow affection to our Brother Sympson and so are willing to stand or fall in his bottom as we have just ground to fear and thereby become partakers of their evill deeds and if the Lord do not in time graciously awaken them out of this drowsie sleepy frame of Spirit we fear they may in time feel the sorrow of that Scripture Isa 9.16 For the Leaders of this people cause them to erre and they that are led of them are destroyed And therefore hereby testifie and declare that we cannot hold Communion with them till the Lord shall discover unto them their evil therein Fifthly As for those Brethren and Sisters amongst you that groan and mourn under the sense of those crying abominations that our Brethren the Souldiers with their Abettors are guilty of we do desire to open our hearts to them with all bowels of tenderness and compassion declaring that although we can see no Scripture ground or bottom for their present practise and the rather when the Lord hath enabled their poor unworthy Brethren and Sisters though but a remnant to withdraw and separate from the evil doers whereby the decission is made And that Scripture Psal 26.4 5.6 Seems unto us a plain word of Instruction for them in these words I have not sate with vain persons neither will I go in with dissemblers I will wash my hands in innocency and so will I compass â—â—â—e Altar Whence the Spirit of the Lord seems to hint himself not innocent had he not refused Communion with dissemblers and vain persons without having respect whether they were the greater or the lesser number And how they can call that part of the Body a Church when those they joyn with are onely the disorderly walkers for those who bear the Testimony are withdrawn we do not well understand which is the more considerable when they are commanded to withdraw from every Brother that walks disorderly However we judge it our duty to continue our prayers for them and to spread their condition before the Lord in secret as if it were out own that he would enlighten and inform them in their duty and give them obedient hearts thereunto that the Lord would deliver their feet out of the snare and do hereby intreat exhort and desire them as they tender the glory of God and the comfort of their own Souls in the time of Tryal and Temptation to come out from amongst them and separate
for a time have acted their parts with applause upon this stage How bravely did Judas act his part in praying preaching working of miracles by Christ and afterward betrayed his Master How well did Demas manage his businesse before he embraced this present world Alexander the Copper-Smith who did much wrong unto Paul and against whom he prayed in the Spirit of the Gospel that God would reward him according unto his works had almost suffered death as a Martyr for Jesus Christ Acts 19.33 May we go so far in paths of light and righteousness and afterwards prove like the Renegado Turks the greatest Persecutors of Christians in the world Oh! Then how ought we to examine our works our prayers our hearing our speaking of the things of God lest there should be any root of bitternesse in them which at length springing up should discover us to be Liars Impostures Mamonists Hypocrites before God Angels Saints and sinners My Letters unto you as yet have been as suits of clothes made up but not fitted for any particular person if they fit any Men and their guilty Conscience do apply particularly unto themselves the things spoken and prophesied of in them in general I shall begin to be perswaded that I do not drop Ink upon paper in vain give me leave therefore to come home into your bosoms hearts and consciences in a word of Trial of your works gifts duties actions professions performances and the like First try the original of your Actions if the spring of your Actions be poysoned the streams cannot be healthy if flesh be the fountain whatsoever proceeds from it is fleshly If the tree be evil the fruit cannot be good Ask thy soul this question dost thou pray and speak of spiritual things by a gift or by the Spirit of regeneration the prayers of the Formalists though never so well guilded are abominable unto Jehovah because they are not from the spirit of the New Creation Secondly Try the rule of thy Actions Christians are to walk exactly by rule and by line darest thou bring thy heart and thy Actions to be tryed by the good light of the word of God Thirdly Try thy wayes by the good example of Saints and prophets Take my brethren the prophets for an example Jam. 5.10 Not the court Chaplains and Temporizing Demases of this backsliding generation Fourthly Try thy Actions by thy faith two men may do the same thing Abel and Cain the one doth the will of same thing it is not the same thing which they do One man Preaches Free-grace and the Interest of Christ and Saints in the flesh and then abhors his own Preaching the other doth Preach the same things in faith and hath the smile of God for the present and his Crown of glory hereafter for a reward Fifthly Try thy wayes by the sincerity and uprightness of thy heart upright walking is sure walking Let Jehu say Come see my Zeal for the Lord of hosts But be thou able to say with Hezekiah Lord thou knowest that I have walked uprightly before thee Sixthly Try thy Actions by thy affectionate willingness to do or suffer for God Gods people are a willing People in the day of his power Psal 110. Christ loveth chearfull and obedient Servants Seventhly Try thy Actions by the Testimony of a pure and enlightned Conscience Beloved if our hearts condemn us not then have we confidence towards God and whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his Commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight 1 John 3.21 22. Lastly that my Letters may not be burthen some try and search your wayes by your aims and ends do nothing as to man or to your selves but all as to God and the glory of God 1 Cor. 10.31 I put you not to a harder task then by the help of Christ I have done many times since I came into this place And after my most exact scrutiny and search into my own heart the Spirit of truth bearing me witness To me it is given not onely to believe but to suffer as a Prisoner for Jesus Christ By the light of the Spirit I do like my Cause in which I suffer every day better and better I do rise higher in my faith for obtaining promises Heb. 11.33 That God will bring down Tyrants and Persecutors new and old I do not repent but rejoyce in the things which I have delivered and am confident that within a few years not to say moneths I shall be found without Cromwells timely repentance as true a Prophet unto him as I was to the long sitting Parliament In the mean while abstain from all appearance of evil abhor Jezabels Fasts pray down the Antichristian Clergy and their Nasty Nests the Universities Believe down Antichrists High Commissioners with Patrons Parsons Vicars Curates Lecturers and their Tythes and all things belonging to that New Hierarchy wait for the pouring forth of the Spirit in grace and gifes and the power of God and the grace of Christ shall be with you and him who is Christs Prisoner John Sympson Windsor the last day 1. Moneth 1654. This is a true Coppy of the Original examined by us Tho. Cary. John Clementa Brethren in Christ GOd hath brought you upon the stage of this world to live in such times in which the hearts of many Hypocritical Professors shall be discovered and the inward parts of all Saints shall be very much tried And thereofre it doth concern you all to be much in Trying and Examining your base deceitful hearts lest any of you having walked a great way hand in hand with the Saints should at Lengt shamefully and wrectchedly forsake them and with Demas imbrace this present world If ever the Devil had an advantage against Professors he hath an advantage against them in these times He cometh unto them as he did unto Christ with his last and strongest temptation Matth. 4. 9. These things will I give you How many eminent Professors doth the Devil swallow down his wide throat and doth bury them alive in the belly of this world Secondly How evident doth that truth of Christ shine forth at this time Ye cannot serve God and Mammon Your gilded Mamonists in London will not be able to hold long their profession without wavering but will basely and unworthily desert the Cause and Interest of Christ and his People for a morsel of Bread You will finde that many who were very Zealous for the interest of Christ when it was calm will not be able to hold it out in a storm They that pleaded for Christ and his Interest in the Sun-shine day will in the clouldy rainy and stormy day plead against him and his People such Christians who have not learned to deny themselves daily and to take up their Gross and follow him will forsake him The whole world will wonder after the Beast and his horns Rev. 13.3 If God doth not put you among
might according to our Christian liberty in this extraordinary case choose on our part faithful Brethren many of which had hazarded their lives for the Name and Cause of our Lord Jesus Christ so openly betrayed at this day against whom We trust there shall be no just grounds of exceptions as to their lives and conversations and you may proceed to send unto the Churches on your part as you shall think meet Now least the objection you made when the Brethren were last with you by our appointment to wit That by this Answer we do wave that our sleves which we have pressed upon you about sending to the neighbouring Congregations when we were not willing to join therein Which we do plainly deny for we never moved it unto you much less pressed it upon you but your proceeding herein hath been your ovvn voluntary act without us though indeed we excepted against your practice as it was by yourselves without our consent therewith also apprehending your present estate to be no less then the plain fruit of open backsliding from the Cause of our Lord Jesus Christ though we desire to mention it with fear and trembling and due respect unto some amongst you as not so guilty herein as others are likewise we have ground to fear that most of the Churches of Christ in this City are more or less tainted with the sore Apostacy of this day not that we delight in such reflections but desire to speak it with humility grief and sorrow of heart and should be glad there vvere no just ground for such a jealousie This pre-considered it seems more obliging unto you to follow that practice then unto us at this time and may excuse the formality of the practice on our pare and the rather when you proceeded in such a VVork not onely without the consent but without so much as a tender thereof unto your brethren and sisters joyntly concerned therein until this last time which was not so much of your selves as seemingly necessitated thereunto by those Brethren of other Churches who refused to advise you in or hear any thing of the matter in difference till at least you had asked our consent and approbation thereof and therein you may please to remember the stress of their refusal did lye to heare ought you had to say and if so we humbly apprehend it will take off that scandal of hypocrisie and changedness of mind laid to our charge by some amongst you Thus having given you a brief account of our last Message together with what hath passed between us and you since our last Paper was given in having therein unfeignedly and in all plainness opened our hearts unto you we shall not add more onely desiring That in case you do not think meet to receive our tender herein but proceed as formerly yon have done that then you will favour us so far or rather the Truth as to let this Paper be read unto the Brethren you shall send for before any proceeding be afterward the other two in their order as your intention was the last time the Messengers of other Churches were with you Intending here to conclude not having ought considerable to add some of our Brethren inform us of a Message received from you the last sixth day was a seven night to be communicated to us in words to this purpose That you did think meet to offer unto us that there might be a day of solemn fasting and prayer unto the Lord wherein you desire our conjunction the chief end of the duty being upon these three accounts First That both you and we might be deepely humbled before the Lord and be made sensible of all our evils and miscaerriages especially as they do relate to the present difference between you and us Secondly To enquire of the Lord a right way what you and we ought to do for the healing of it Thirdly That if there were any other thing we bought necessary to be put in we had our freedom to add thereto The consideration whereof hath put us upon a further enlargement in writing by way of answer and to which we desire to give this humble Reply That as to the VVork of humiliation it self and a day to be appointed in order thereunto we do fully approve of as being not onely a Gospel Ordinance but also incumbent on the Lords People in this day of sore affliction and time of Jacobs Trouble not onely as it may relate to our miscarriages evils committed since our first withdrawing wherein we desire to acknowledge before the Lord and you that herein we have ground sufficient to lie low before him and cover our Faces with shame in the sence thereof so far as it may not eclipse the riches of Grace in our Lord Jesus Christ but also in respect of the crying evils through the backsliding of professors under so great light which we fear doth fore-run some sore judgement upon this Nation in general and upon professors in particular but how to join with you as the case now stands between us we can see no Scripture-bottom or rational ground for the same it being pre-supposed first That you have amongst you those that are guilty of gross and scandalous sins upon which account We are withdrawn from you Secondly that you have not onely voted communion with such persons notwithstanding their sins but by a second Vote and continued practice justifie them in their evil and so many of you are become greatly partakers with them of their evil deeds and the rest also though less guilty Thirdly That you have so far own'd and approved of them as to forget their evil and charge us your poor brethren and sisters with making a rent and division for doing our duty when they indeed are the persons from whom the offence first came and some chief among you as greatly guilty as they by pleading for and excusing of them and so properly to be charged with making a rent and division in the Church Fourthly You have endeavoured to carry it on against us so as to take upon you the power of the Church without us and thereby would have proceeded to admonish us son making air out as you say in the Church had not the Lord wonderfully frustrated you in all your endeavours that Way though We should have rejoiced therein being comfortably satisfied that it would have been for his Namesake because We are contending for truth against the great iniquity among you and so the persons offending with their Abettors though the greater number to be admonished and withdrawn from by the lesser which if true then the power of the Church resides in the Lesser number and this in effect is no more then according to the practice of all the Congregational Churches in their withdrawing from the Parochial Churches Dear Brethren and Sisters these things are plain and true and therefore bear with us for We have yet longings of heart after you and desire to
many of you Indeed we have ground to fear that many of you are so far become guilty as to call their evil good and our withdrawing from them and you upon this account evil And although we have been now one whole year and half or thereabouts waiting upon you in the Lords way by our withdrawing from you wherein we have been desirous to exercise patience and much long-suffering and as we hope with yearning bowels towards you in some measure willing to have compassion of you as of our own soules left we should also be tempted Likewise a year and half before our withdrawing bearing our Testimony against the evill amongst you so that had there been any heart in you to purge out the old leaven you might have become a new lump unto the Lord in so long time and thereby have been a vessel of honour meet for the Masters use in your generation but notwithstanding their sin hath been so often laid before you by us since as well as before our first withdrawing and having we hope out of love to your soules as well as for the glory of God in discharge of our own duty admonished the Souldiers of their evill and your selves as their Abettors according to the Rule of the Gospel that if it had pleased our heavenly Father you might thereby have been duly humbled under his mighty hand by smiting upon the thigh saying What have I done and each one have considered from whence you are fallen and done your first works Moreover in regard it was imputed to us That we would have none to Judge of or hear the ground of our withdrawing but our selves we did thereupon offer unto you that we were willing others should have the hearing of our Cause or rather the Cause of our Lord Jesus Christ wherein such poor worthlesse wormes as we are ingaged Provided we might have Liberty on our part to choose Persons of known Integrity and Godliness of whose faithfulness to the cause of Christ we might have good ground of Assurance in such an evil day as this is which by your practice you have absolutely denied us and in stead thereof have sent a third time to the several Congregations in and about the City without our consent or approbation that they might by their messengers hear and judge of the Matter in difference between us though they have refused to meddle with it And Oh that the consideration thereof might yet at the last put you upon some serious inquiry what should be the minde and will of the Lord concerning you therein and whether a third denial of this kinde doth not speak that you have so often gone out of the Lords way about that work and have refused susch equal wayes as might tend to the further discovery of truth as we humbly apprehend Likewise about 7. or 8. weeks since after seeking the Lord and receiving advice from such as were faithfull to the cause of Christ in this day we did judge it our duty notwithstanding your refusall to this day yet once more to make the same tender unto you as we had done formerly That the matter in difference might be debated in the presence of a certain number of godly persons one half chosen by you and the rest by us and all of them having equal liberty of speaking as occasion might require To which we received Answer being little less then a plain denial of our tender however we make a speedy reply in writing that our willingness to such a work might appear for answer whereunto we have been about four weeks in expectation but having no return we do discern that the Lord hath shut up your hearts from it which doth the more plainly appear for that we are informed those Members of Churches to whom you have committed the perusal of our last paper did give in their Judgement That our desire therein was but reasonable and ought to be condesscended unto Now we could wish that the sence of your great evil might lie more upon our hearts wherein we would also not be unsensible of our own miscarriages in the management thereof desiring we hope to mourn before the Lord for the same yea we desire not onely in the words but Spirit of the Prophet Jeremiah to say Oh that our heads were water and our eyes a fountain of tears that we might weep night and day for our own sins and iniquities as well as for the great abominations of this time being an open Apostacy from the Cause of Christ and this Nations freedom sealed unto in the late Wars by the Faith Prayers Blond Tea's and Estates of many thousands of whom not a few were Saints whereinto you are so greatly fallen and it is upon the hearts of some of us that if the Lord shall not mercifully yet at the last send his Angel and pull you out from amongst this Apostatizing generation this may probably be your portion That Partaking of their sins you may partake of their Judgements An therefore that we might be remisse in nothing so far as the Lord hath discovered it to be his minde and will unto us It is after seeking of his face for Councel and direction and some searching of our own hearts judged to be our duty to leave this paper with you as our last Testimony against the crying evils and abominations amongst you and cleaved unto by you some more some lesse as is hereafter mentioned First As to our Brethren the Souldiers We humbly declare and testifie in the Name and fear of the Lord who is the searcher of all hearts they do appear unto us very manifestly guilty of those several sins laid to their charge by us as being principall Abetters unto and Supporters of the Apostacy of this day headed by the Person now in Power by whom our Brethen stand and so stiffly contend for as if they would justifie him in all his Oppressions wherein he ariseth and higher to the great reproach of the Gospel The sin we shall onely name being more largely set down in our first paper First Treason having betrayed the Cause and Intrest of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Nations Liberty contended for in the late Wars which did maniselt it self First In pulling down all Antichristian laws Statutes ⋆ Having before proved that there is an Apostacy we now come to shew the rise of it and is as followeth When the War was ended at Worcester the Lords people expected that the good things the Army declared for and promised should be brought forth Also the man in Power and the Army appear'd in words to do so to And do blame and pretend they dissolved the old Parliament for not doing those good things and likewise to call the Little Parliament as men fearing God and Principled to bring them forth as also to Act for the Advancement of Christs Kingdom And go on to say that something was at the door and that we were at the edge and threshold of the