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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A83501	Reasons against the independant government of particular congregations: as also against the toleration of such churches to be erected in this kingdome. Together with an answer to such reasons as are commonly alledged for such a toleration. Presented in all humility to the Honourable House of Commons, now assembled in Parliament. By Tho. Edvvards, minister of the Gospel.	Edwards, Thomas, 1599-1647.; England and Wales. Parliament.	1641 (1641)	Wing E233; Thomason E167_16; ESTC R21753	47,020	78

REASONS against the INDEPENDANT GOVERNMENT of Particular CONGREGATIONS As also against the Toleration of such Churches to be erected in this KINGDOME Together with an Answer to such Reasons as are commonly alledged for such a Toleration Presented in all humility to the Honourable House of Commons now Assembled in Parliament By THO. EDVVARDS Minister of the Gospel 1 Cor. 12. 21. And the eye cannot say unto the hand I have no need of thee nor againe the head to the feete I have no need of you Rom. 16. 17. Now I beseech you Brethren marke them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the Doctrine which you have learned and avoid them LONDON Printed by Richard Cotes for Jo. Bellamie Ralph Smith dwelling at the signe of the three Golden Lions in Corne-hill neere the Royall Exchange 1641. TO THE HONORABLE THE KNIGHTS CITIZENS and BVRGESSES Of the Commons House OF PARLIAMENT T Is not unknowne to You Right Noble and Worthy Senators that the Great and Present Controversie of these Times is about the Church and Church Government In the dayes of Luther Zuinglius Calvin Bucer and the rest of those Worthies the controversie of that age was concerning the Sacrament of the Lords Supper being generally stiled Bellum Sacramentarium and the Sacramentary Controversie the contention about it even amongst the Servants of God being so sharpe that it produced most sad and wofull effects The e was not any one thing more hindred the cause of God or the free passage of the Word or the progresse of the worke of God begun in the Church then this This weakened and wounded the Protestant party their weapons being turned each against other this made them a gratefull spectacle to their enemies this strengthened the Popish side they placing more confidence in their cause by these differences than in all other wayes besides This Sacramentarie controversie kindled such a fire in many Reformed Churches that it even burnt them up and turned them much a side from that true edification which is in Christ and in the practise of godlinesse And hath proved such a lasting fire that it is not quenched till this day although those Churches have had sword famine and Pestilence to put it out Now in our dayes in this Kingdome the chiefe question is about the Church and the discipline of the Church and our Controversie may fitly be tearmed the Disciplinary Controversie which however it differs from the Sacramentary in the subject matter yet it is too like it in the manner way of it being likely to bring forth as sad births and fruites as did that What Is it not so that we do see already that I may speake with Hierome that our differences about the Church and Discipline are the losse of friends the gaine of enemies and the publicke flames of Divine wrath The great differences in this Kingdome about the Church and Discipline are one of the saddest and greatest symptomes of Gods displeasure against us These contentions and opinions make us forget the proper causes of God and that maine building up of one another which is in faith and love so crastily doth that old Serpent know how to delude our ignorance as Iurius speakes upon a like case Oh there is such a fire kindled in this Kingdome about these points that unlesse the Lord looke downe from Heaven and graciously be pleased to quench it timely it may hazzard the burning and consuming all Now it is the duty of all the Sonnes of Sion to endeavour in their places the putting out this fire before it goe too farre as by povring out buckets of teares and prayers before the Lord so by all other good wayes but especially of the Ministers of the Gospell by all meane both by themselves and by stirring up of others to doe it The serious consideration of which hath stirred up in me strong resolutions to lay out my selfe according to that measure of the gist of Christ bestowed upon me for the healing of this schisme and quenching this fire Now the first borne of this kind though not the first conceived is this present Treatise against Independant Government and the Toleration of it which I here humbly present to this Honourable House submitting it to your grave Judgements and serious Considerations humbly desiring your Acceptance of it Now the Reasons moving me to take this boldnesse to Dedicate this Booke to your Honours are these First that great and generall liberty you grant of free accesse to your Honourable House unto all rankes of persons in this Kingdome both by Petitions and Bookes Secondly that hereby I might take an occasion to testifie my humble duty and thankefullnesse unto together with my high thoughts and estimation of this Honourable House for all the Indefatigable paines and care bestowed on the Publicke Seeing that by You under God and the Kings most Excellent Majesty I and hundreds of my Brethren enjoy so great quietnesse and freedome in our Ministeries Estates Persons after so great a storme and that very worthy deeds are done both to us and to this Nation by your Providence we accept it alwayes and in all places most Noble Patriots with all thankfullnesse and here I offer to you the first fruites of my labours as a lasting Monument of Gratitude Thirdly that by presenting it to You both my selfe and Booke might here take Sanctuary and have your Protection against the many Calumnies and Reproaches which will be cast upon us from that spirit of Separation Neither flye I to this Honourable House as if I were conscious to my selfe of any crimes or just grounds of such revilings for had I not Innocency and Integrity in my actions and intentions I durst not present this Booke to this Just and Honourable House as knowing well you are a refuge onely for Innocent and oppressed persons and persons who seeke the Publicke good Or as if I were not fore-armed to beare them I know whom I serve in this worke and that therefore whoever doth willingly detract from my name doth but adde to my reward I know also t is a Royall priviledge for a man to beare ill when he hath done well and I have long agoe given my backe to the smiters and by the grace of Christ hope to beare all calumnies with much quietnesse of spirit having in part learned that lesson to goe through bad report even amongst good men as well as amongst evill men and to be counted an enemy as Paul was for telling the Truth but I therefore present it to your Honours and put it under your shadow that so your Countenance and Acceptance of it according as you finde it may counter-ballance and weigh downe with all sorts of men the calumnies and censures cast upon it to hinder that good intended by it and may the more commend the Worke to make it take with many for their satisfaction Fourthly I take this boldnesse that so I might have an opportunity

the wayes of peace and Communion with any who agree in the maine and have something of God and Christ in them The practise of Anicetus and Polycarpus with that of Cyprian are infinitely pleasing to me and I wish they were more imitated Polycarpus and Anicetus in the difference about keeping of dayes though neither of them could perswade the other to change their custome yet they kept fast the bond of Christian fellowship Anicetus admitting Polycarpus to the Communion of the Roman Church and departing in peace one from the other Cyprian though he erred in the point of rebaptization yet he would not condemne them rashly who were of a contrary opinion nor refuse Communion with them professing that for the difference of opinions he would not breake the Lords peace with his Colleagues nor remove any that was of a different minde from him from the right of Communion So that men may be tolerated in their differences of opinions so long as they keepe Communion with a Church and submit to the Discipline and Orders so as to be peaceable and not to speake against what 's established by common consent nor practise to the scandall and contempt of the Magistrates and Church But if a few men halfe a dozen or halfe a score Ministers refuse Communion with a Church rending from the body by setting up of a Church against a Church Preaching and venting their opinions every where to the disturbance of a Kingdome and the drawing of Disciples after them though they were Ministers of gold and had the tongue of men and Angells yet they should not have a Toleration upon which subject they may read a Calvins last Epistle to Farellus wherein Calvins counsell concerning Farellus Colleague is this That if he will not be reduced to Order the Ministers should tell him that he is not to be reckoned of as a brother who doth disturbe the common Discipline by his contumacie This was ever a custome in the Church which was decreed in ancient Synods that who would not subject to the Lawes of common Discipline should bee put by his place Neither is the authority of men here to bee sought after when as the Spirit of God pronounces of such 1 Cor. 11. 16. That the Church hath no custome of contending So that in all this discourse against a Toleration I have not written out of violence of Spirit cruelty or ill will to the men for I love and respect them though for the present in an errour but from a zeale to the Glory of God and the good of this Church for the preservation of purity of doctrine holinesse of life and peace which cannot stand with a Toleration and though I be earnest in this cause t is not from suddaine apprehension or passion for I have had long thoughts of this Church way and I doe apprehend more evill in it than men doe see at first or than the Independants can see it being their owne cause and they many wayes engaged in it O that the Independant Ministers would with an impartiall desire of satisfaction consider what hath beene written and be perswaded to lay aside all thoughts of setting up separated assemblies and come and grow into one body joyning in one way with us For which end I will commend to them the Councell of b Calvin given in a like case concerning a Minister who dissented from the the rest of his fellowes Let him remember amongst other things what Paul requires in a Pastor this is not the last that he ought not to be selfe willed that is addicted to his own proper judgement and certainely this is one of the chiefe vertues of a good Pastor so from the whole heart to feare contentions that he may never dissent from his brethren unlesse it be for causes greatly necessary Now considering what they may enjoy in this Church as I have before shewed at large in the Answers to the three Reasons some circumstances about the manner and forme of Discipline as the exercising of it Independantly cannot be a cause greatly necessary especially if we will beleeve Calvin c who affirmes that the Scriptures expresse the substance of Ecclesiasticall Discipline but the forme of exercising it because t is not prescribed by the Lord it ought to be ordered and appointed by the Ministers for edification Please not your selves in your opinions be not so addicted to your owne judgement for t is certaine saith Calvin d that every mar who is addicted and wedded to his owne judgement so soone as ever an occasion offers it selfe will be a Schismaticke of which reade more in that place And thus I have delivered my owne soule hoping that either our brethren will withdraw their Petitions so as they shall never be read in the Honourable House of Commons or if they should I hope the House will cast them out for I am perswaded it shall never be sayd of this Parliament in the ages to come that they were the first that opened a dore for Tolerations and for setting up of Churches against the Church which if ever that dore should be opened which God of his mercy keepe shut I leave it to their great wisedomes to fore-see what infinite evils would in processe of time come upon this Kingdome and whether the succeeding generations would not write in their Chronicles and Histories as is written of Naaman 2 King 5. 1. Now Naaman was a great man with his Master and honourable because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria He was also a mighty man in valour but he was a Leper Such a Parliament was great and Honourable because by them the Lord gave deliverance unto England it was also a mighty Parliament for executing justice and for making such and such excellent Lawes but it granted a Toleration whether this would not cast a darke shaddow upon their glorious light and be as a dead flye in the Oyntment of the Apothecary I humbly submit to their judgement But to conclude this discourse both against Independancie and against Tolerations the day is shortly comming will try all and I rejoyce in the thoughts of it in regard of the accounts I shall give about this controversie of Separation nothing doubting but in that great day Christ of his rich grace pardoning the weaknesses that have may and doe cleave to me in the manner of managing it will owne my whole worke and endeavours against that way of Separation as stirred up by his owne Spirit and followed all along by his Spirit enabling mee in it and to it above my owne strength and though I expect many censures and reproaches from that sort of men yet then I shall have prayse with God and the reward of all my labour for truth love peace and holinesse which I aime at in this and all other Discourses about this Controversie FINIS Melch. Adam vita Oecolamp pag. 53. Melch. Adam vit Bucer p. 213. Melch. Ad. vit Tosan pag. 702. Melc Ad vita

to move and stirre you up most Noble Worthies to put to your hands for the earely and timely compounding of this great Controversie about the Church and Church Government When fires are begun in great Cities and Townes or Tumults raised the Fathers of Families and the Citizens run to the Magistrates and Governours to acquaint them with the case and to desire their helpe who having power to command both Men Armes Waters Engines buckets from every quarter the fire is quickely out and the peace setled Now be pleased to suffer me to mind you of that which few or none doe namely of our danger from errors on the right hand the growing and spreading evill of this present time Every one minds you by Petitions Sermous Bookes concerning the Reformation of this Church in Government Ministery Ceremonies and worship and God forbid that a word should ever fall from my mouth or my pen draw a line to call you off from it Goe on strongly and fully in the worke of Reformation to purge this Church thorowly and purely to take away all our drosse and tinne cast out of the way all stumbling blocks gather out all things that offend let nothing be left to hurt or to destroy in Gods holy mountaine Break downe all Images and Crucifixes throw downe all Altars remove the High Places breake to peeces the brazen Serpents which have beene so abused to Idolatry and superstition put out the unpreaching and scandalous Ministers take a course for setting up good Pastors and Ministers in every Congregation and in your great Wisdomes and zeale be pleased to consider of wayes to provide oyle for al the Lampes of the Sanctuary Goe on Comfortably for God is with you and the Ministers with sounding Trumpets of Ministery of Word and Prayer and the people of God with you covering you all over with earnest prayers and and teares as also with praises to God for you and be pleased to remember not to doe the worke of God by halves or negligently Perfect and thorow Reformation will be your praise both with God and all good men at home and abroad and your zeale may provoke other Kingdomes and States and many will arise up and call you blessed for the good Pastors and pure Ordinances that they shall enjoy T is the blemish of some of the good Kings that were reformers as Asa and Iehosaphat But neverthelesse the high places were not taken away It was the praise of other Kings that they were taken away as of King Hezekiah Perfect Reformation takes away all possibility and hopes from men of bringing things backe againe but an imperfect leaves both a ground-worke and faire possibility upon any advantage or opportunity to returne Theodoret in his Eccle. historie relates that Theodosius that most faithfull Emperor being fully set to overthrow the errors of the Gentiles he made Lawes by which he commanded that the Temples of the Images should be puld downe Constantine the great with some other Emperours who succeeded Constantine forbad all Sacrifices and worships to the heathen gods and their Images and forbad any to come to their temples but they did not demolish the temples places wherin they were worshipped so that Iulian and Valens Emperours who came after did renew the impiety of the Gentiles so that fire was kindled againe upon the Altars and Sacrifices were offered to the Images All which things when Theodosius understood for certaine hee did not onely shut up the Idols houses forbidding all to come to the Temples but he did extirpate them by the rootes and tooke care to have them buried in eternall oblivion It was the saying of Zisca the famous leader of the Thaborites That the very nests of the Storkes are to be puld downe lest they returne againe And may it please this Honorable House to purge us thoroughly and the rather for this because the more perfect our Reformation is according to the will of God you shall by this lay the better and surer ground-worke for healing and composing the great schisme and divisions risen about the Church and Church Government But amidst all your care and paines in this kinde I beseech you cast an eye upon the errors and evills of the other hand as Anabaptisme Brownisme c. and be pleased to take into your serious considerations the meanes and wayes how to hinder their growth and so much the rather in regard there is not now in this Kingdome things standing as they doe so much danger of errors on the left hand Popery superstition prophanenesse have beene so discountenanced of late so discovered and their nakednesse laid so open as that Altars Images pressing of Ceremonies and prophane Ministers are falling of themselves Satan for this time hath even done with errors on the left hand and their time is going out growing like an Almanacke out of date Any man who hath but halfe an Eye in his head and observes the course of things may see that errors on the right hand are now comming on the stage to take their turne also and to act their part the Devill seeing he cannot effect his ends in the former wayes he went he will now try others as Theodoret speaks in the case of Nestorius that Satan gave over moving against the Church by outward manifest enemies but came under the show of the Orthodox and in the habit of great strictnesse bewitching many drawing the injudicious common people to a desire after him Satan is now transforming himselfe from an Angell of darknesse into an Angell of light and though hee must use other kind of instruments and goe other waies yet t is to bring about the same things the upholding of his kingdome and the hindring of Gods so that he will now labour to doe that by correcting and building up which hee did before by persecuting and pulling downe as Luther speakes In a word plainly to expresse my meaning one extremitie as many examples both antient and moderne testifie a hath caused another the Tyrannie of Episcopall government in some Bishops hath brought forth the Democracie and Independencie the violent pressing of some pretended orders hath set many against all order and Satan seing hee cannot doe as he did the times not favouring those things they being growne old and even antiquated that every man is ready to hisse at them hee now goes about by other waies and if he can but effect what he is in a faire way for and what he hath begun in a great measure he hath enough T is reported of the Fish called * Polypus that it will be of the colour of that stone to which it cleaves whether white or blacke or any other so will Satan be of that colour and that temper just that the men are of with whom he deales and the times are of For besides this that Satan hath more wayes to kill Soules and advance his designes then one as when he cannot have his