Respondent indeed But what he might have said as befitted a Respondent in a few lines he must spend many leaves upon though not altogether in the following part of his booke This being the very point of my argument and this place most fit to consider it more throughly I shall here make my reply to him upon it once for all §. 3. Visible unbeleevers is not taken saith he p. 47. in the same sense in the Major and Minor In the Major according to the ancient and famous sense of the Catholique Church for pagan Infidels for men without for non-receivers of Christian doctrine but positively standing under the delusion of some visible Idoll or Idolls In the Minor according to your moderne Brownisme that 's one of the flowers he useth to dress me a garland with and private sense for Christians within the Church baptized and adult but manifestly defective in their Christian Ethicks though orthodoxall otherwise in all points of faith and frequenters of our Church Assemblyes and solemnities as professedly of our Protestant perswasion in point of Religion and divine worship By the way I might reply What if these baptized adult persons are not orthodox in faith nor frequenters of our Church assemblies and Solemnities Are they then unbelievers in the first sense or must there be a third sense devised for them The Reader will observe this confusion But if he had applied this distinction such an one as it is he had done somewhat becoming the place he hath taken upon him But that he leaves at large Well since one good turn requires another I will endeavour to make out his Answer as he ere-while thought to do my Argument And it may be this Visibly unbelievers may be taken in a two-fold sense 1. For Pagan-infidels 2. Morbid-Christians under which term I suppose he will contain scandalous and notoriously-prophane Christians or else he saith nothing to the question Now take visible unbelievers in the former sense for Pagan-Insidels and then I grant the Major Those who are visibly unbelievers that is Pagans are such to whom the Lords Supper ought not to be administred And then I deny the Minor All who in word openly renounce Christ are not visibly unbelievers that is visibly Pagans But take visible unbelievers in the later sense for Morbid-Christians and then I grant the Minor Those who by word openly renounce Christ are visibly unbelievers that is Morbid Christians But then I deny the Major and say That those who are visibly unbelievers that is Morbid Christians are not such to whom the Lords Supper ought to be administred I appeal to any judicious Reader whether I wrong Mr. W. in this guessing at the application of his distinction and answer thereupon to my Argument And indeed this elsewhere he gives us in as his sense many times over and over p. 50. saith he You mis-judge in taking the Morbid Church members of our Parochial Assemblies to be unbelievers and Infidels positively as Pagans c. So p. 51 52 53. and passim alibi §. 4. Here Mr. W. asserts that to use the word Infidel or unbeliever for any but Pagans who never took on them a positive obligation to the service of the true God is Brownisme And that the Scripture and Catholique sense of the word doth onely denote Pagans But how hastily was this asserted by him shall be shewed in the following observations concerning the Scripture use of the word 1. Christ said to Thomas John 20.27 Be not thou 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be not an unbeliever but a believer Was not he now in a possibility ex natura rei though baptized to have become an unbeliever by apostasie from the principles of the Christian faith especially this that Jesus is the Messias 2. Those two Texts 2 Cor. 6.14 15. Be not unequally yoaked with unbelievers What part hath a believer with an Infidel and Titus 1.15 To the unbelievers nothing is pure c. are both expounded by Dr Hammond whose reasons are worth weighing to be understood of the Gnostick Hereticks called there Infidels or unbelievers in that their doctrines and practices made so great an opposition to the Gospel 3. And on Matth. 24.51 he makes those two words hypocrites and unbelievers of equall importance i. e. saith he Knaves false deeeitfull persons expressed by S. Luke in setting this down ch 12.46 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unbelievers or unfaithfull And he renders the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rev. 21.8 unfaithful that fall off from Christ 4. The Jewes after Christs ascension who received not Jesus for their Christ or Messias were unbelievers in Scripture-sense Act. 14.2 and 17.5 yet were they not then Pagans under no positive obligation of worshiping a false God And an excommunicate person who hath been baptized and still professeth the Christian faith is to be dealt with as an Heathen yet he is no Pagan nor absolutely cut off from the Church as hath been shewed above And the Apostle tells us that the Jewes were broken off by unbelief though they were Church-members before Rom. 11.23 5. Belief doth ordinarily in scripture-Scripture-sense denote such a professed acceptance of the Gospel-call as includes sincere obedience and visible believing visibly sincere actuall obedience And on the contrary unbelief and unbelieving may in Scripture-sense denote wilfull disobedience and rebellion against the Gospel and visible unbelief such visible notorious rebellion or actuall disobedience Therefore some disobedient within the Church may be termed unbelievers For the Concrete is rightly denominated from the abstract a just man from justice so an unbeliever from unbelief prevailing The Antecedent is manifest in many Scripture-instances 1. That believing to which justification and pardon of sin is annexed is a sincere and obedientiall believing 2. And so also is that to which salvation is promised But to a Scripture-believing is annexed justification Act. 16.39 and pardon of sin Act. 10.43 And also to it is promised salvation and that most frequently Act. 16.31 Rom. 10.9 1 Cor. 1.21 Gal. 3.22 Eph. 1.19 2 Thess 1.10 Heb. 4.3 10.39 John 3.15 16 18 36. 6.35 40 47. 11.25 26. 12.46 Rom. 1.16 9.33 Mark 16.16 1 Pet. 2.6 1 Iohn 5.10 3. It may also be observed how Abraham is called the Father of believers in respect of that eminent and exemplary faith of his which was truly justifying and saving and included in it sincere actuall obedience Rom. 4.3 Gal. 3.6 So not to believe is not to obey Rom. 15.31 Rom. 10.16 They have not all obeyed the Gospel For Esaias saith Lord who hath believed our report And this is referred to the Jewes who were Church-members at least before Christs death And those in the later time who should depart from the faith may be called unbelievers those departers from the faith mentioned 1 Tim. 4.1 2 3 4. the learned Mr. Mede doth shew are meant of Papists and the grand apostasie of the Antichristian Man of Sin So those who draw back from the truth
another Scriture phrase referring to the casting of a person out of the communion of the Church In the 2 Thess 3. There are two other phrases both relating to the denying some communion to disorderly Christians Many think these especially the first of these belong not to any authoritative sententiall excommunication pronounced and declared by the Officers of the Church but shew the duty lying on all Christians to use their own discretion to discern and seperate from these offenders so far as concerned them in their places and stations The first of them is at verse 6. We command you brethren to withdraw your selves from every brother that walketh disorderly And the later is at verse 14. If any man obey not our word by this Epistle note that man and have no company with him that he may be ashamed yet count him not as an enemy c. That also is a denying of some Christian communion which the Apostle exhorts to in the third Epistle of John verse 10 11. If there come any to you and bring not this doctrine that is a doctrine contrary to the doctrine they had received before mentioned receive him not into your house nor bid him god speed For he that biddeth him god speed is partaker of his evill deeds the which Doctor Hammond interprets of the wicked and Apostatizing Christian Gnosticks who taught men to deny Christ in time of persecution §. 6. From these hints the Scripture gives us about withdrawing communion from wicked Christians duely perused we may gather 1. That Excommunication is no Scripture word but is used by the Church to signifie all that just Ecclesiastical severity which over and besides admonition is to be used towards a wicked brother in respect of the Churches behaviour towards him for the reclaiming of him ond freeing the Church from the pollution of his intimate society For this description doth agree to the texts before mentioned as is manifest and therefore if excommunication do signifie what is the sense of those texts we shall not in the description aforesaid misconceive the importance of it That it is a part of Ecclesiasticall severity no one doubts all the texts mentioned do evince that That it is all that Ecclesiasticall severity the Church and members thereof do make use of besides admonition will not I think be questioned because so generally Authors do make Admonition and Excommunication the only divident members of Church censures in generall and because also neither the texts quoted nor any other do give ground for adding a third part of Ecclesiasticall censure distinct from these The rest of the description also is so plain in the texts that I shall not insist upon any of the particulars thereof viz. that the object of Excommunication is a wicked Brother that it is inflicted by the Church and the members thereof and that for the ends mentioned It is implyed in just Ecclesiasticall severity that it is done according to the appointment of Jesus Christ 2. Excommunication is nothing else but a Suspension of a person at present from personal priviledges not a cuttig him off simply from the Church But as I said a suspending him from the priviledges which as an orderly Church-member he might rightfully enjoy Mr. W. renders extra communionem ejectio an ejection out of the common union p. 15. But though some excommunicate persons are to be dealt with in some eminent respects as if they were cut off from and were none of the Church in reference whereto it is ordinary for Divines to speak of them as cut off Yet they are not simply cut off from all union with the Church thereby nor are so to he reputed which may be evinced from the forementioned Scriptures For 1. he that is most excommunicate according to those Scriptures is to be but as an heathen therefore not an heathen Simile quâ simile non est idem Now if he were simply cut off he should be an heathen and not onely as an heathen 2. Some excommunicate are to be accounted as Brethren 2 Thess 3.15 Therefore they are not reputed no Church-members 3. The Pastors are to have a pastorall care over the excommunicate and they and other Church members are still to admonish him as a brother 4. He is onely as a sick person under cure and Church remedies in order to his recovery 1 Cor. 5.5 Mat. 18.15 1 Tim. 1.20 Now there is no physicking of a member simply cut off 5. He is obliged to hear the word as a Church-member and to receive admonitions in publick and private For he is tied by vertue of the baptismall Covenant he hath professedly entred into to exercise himself in all the ordinances of Christ he hath opportunity for as he hath for hearing the word as well as an heathen with hope of receiving good thereby and for some other ordinances it is said that he looseth at present possessionem rather then jus as Mr Rutherford expresseth it and explains it by the similitude of a man having three houses who is for some offence confined to some one of them and sequestred from the other so as he may not make use of them 6. If he were made no Church-member by excommunication he should upon his repentance be rebaptized and so the Donatists rebaptized those who came into their Societies which was reasonable enough upon supposition that they were before no members of the visible Church as Mr. W. speaks pag. 22. 23. and passim alibi But the excommunicate when readmitted are not to be rebaptized therefore they were not reputed simply no Church-members whiles they were excommunicate 7. All say they are cut off but conditionally if they do not repent therefore they are not cut off till that condition be fulfilled which cannot be before their death for ought we know the sin against the Holy Ghost or the sin unto death I suppose can hardly if at all be known to be committed by any individuall person so as that the Church should conclude him absolutely irrecoverable To say a person is cut off conditionally includes he is not simply and absolutely cut off whiles that condition of his finall impenitency is not existent and accomplished Doctor Ricard Field of the Church lib. 1. ch 13 14 15. shewes how those three sorts of men who go out of the Church viz. Schismaticks Hereticks and notoriously wicked persons who are excommunicate do yet all of them remain still parts of the Church of God And concerning the last of them he thus speaks ch 15. Excommunication doth not wholly cut off the excommunicate from the visible Church of God For they may and often do retain the intire prosession of saving Truth together with the Character of Baptisme which is the mark of Christianity and so far forth notwithstanding their disobedience still acknowledge them to be their lawfull Pastors and Guides by whose sentence they are excommunicate that they would rather endure and suffer any thing then schismatically joyn themselves to
you In the Common-prayer book it is Take eat this in remembrance that Christ died for thee Drink this in remembrance that Christs blood was shed for thee The Directory saith in Pauls words This is the body of Christ which is broken for you Whence I argue The Lords Supper ought not to be administred to them to whom these words may not be spoken particularly in the administration of it But to such unbelievers as are such in respect of their notorious visible disobedience to the Gospel these words may not be spoken particularly in the administration of the Sacrament Therefore to them the Lords Supper ought not to be administred The Major is above exception For those ought not to be admitted to whom the Minister may not say what he ought to apply to the communicants The Minor I shall further insist upon and labour to clear In order whereto I must enquire into the meaning of the foresaid words to be used in the form of administration It must be acknowledged that these words considered absolutely and in themselves may be interpreted more generally either 1. of Christs being sacrificed for the redemption of all the world of mankind the genus humanum and that not onely sufficienter for that which is paid for the redemption of persons is not strictly a price because it is sufficient in its own nature to be a worthy and valuable consideration to redeem them but conditionally by way of Christs intention also to redeem mankind that is upon the condition of believing So that this Gospel may be preached to every humane creature not so to any lapsed Angel He that believeth and is baptized shal be saved God so loved the world c. Or 2. if this please not the fuller explication whereof may be seen in learned Camero and the larger disquisition of it in the acute Amyraldus Christ dyed for all in that he bought all to be Lord and Ruler over them as Mediator in the Kingdome he hath received by dispensation from the Father to be Lord of all Or 3. as he procured some common benefits for all But I conceive it 's manifest these words of administration considered as words of administration in the Sacrament and so with speciall relation to the Sacrament cannot be understood in so large a sense q d. Christ died for thee if thou will believe or on condition of thy faith or Christ died for thee or was broken for thee that he might have power over thee as Lord and Judge or to purchase some common benefits for thee as he did for all mankind For so they might be applyed to heathens yea to the most wicked of heathens and such as are visibly in the most nototious opposition of and apostasie from the very name of Christianity and so this should be no more an application of comfort to the visibly most worthy receiver then is applicable to the vilest Mahumetan on the face of the earth §. 11. There is another as narrow a sense put on the words as the former is large and that is to restrain them to the application of the benefits of Christs death absolutely to every receiver q. d. This is the body of Christ in which thou hast saving interest As surely as thou receivest the outward signes so certainly is the inward grace there also But this cannot be the meaning here because no Church nor Minister can certainly tell who those are who are sincere believers who onely are partakers absolutely of the remission of sins purchased by Christs broken body and his blood made over unto them There remains onely a third sense that I know of which is a mean betwixt the two former And this is to be founded on the manifest sense of other such like passages in Scripture and the nature of the Lords Supper it self Paul saith to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 5.11 But ye are washed but ye are are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God And to the Ephesians Eph. 2.1 8 19 20 21 22. You hath he qu ekned who were dead in trespasses and sins by grace ye are saved through faith chap. 5.8 Ye were sometimes darkness but now are ye light in the Lord. Abundance of such passages there be in Scripture where it is manifest the Apostle applies to them the comforts and benefits of sincere believers as theirs and yet he knew not their sincerity absolutely It must needs then be that according to his knowledge of their sincerity so was the application he makes to them of the priviledges annexed onely to sincerity that is according to the judgement of the Church which received them as such probably If they were such as Ecclesiastieally they appeared to be then all these benefits were really theirs And hence the baptized are said to be illuminated and sanctified because in the judgement of the Church they were such who were admitted to baptisme who if they were really what they were by the Church esteemed to be were certainly sanctified and enlightned so I humbly conceive the meaning of these words This is the body of Christ which is broken for you is this q. d. If thou be really what the Church taking thee into her fellowship judgeth thee to be whiles it being in a capacity to judge hath not judged thee contrary then thou art certainly partaker of the inward grace of this Sacrament All the saving benefits flowing from Christs blood are thine If thou art sincere as the Church or Minister hopes and judgeth of thee in admitting thee then Christ is thine really Not if thou wilt believe Christ is thine but if thou now dost sincerely believe as thou now appearest to do which supposeth that he is taken for one who doth sincerely believe by them who regularly admit him the governing Church or Minister alone in some cases How incongruous would it be to say to a rebell who was erewhile visibly in Armes and was breathing out treason against his Soveraign and hath not yet visibly recanted the same and therefore is still visibly in the way of treason how incongruous would it be to say to such a one If thou art a good subject the King is thy friend And it is manifest in part by what hath been before quoted from the Common-prayer book and Canons that the Church of England which used that form of administration Christ died for thee understood it as to be applied onely to the visibly justified believers because they excluded the notoriously disobedient though not fully excommunicated and warned all to refrain who lived and allowed themselves wilfully in secret sins which the governors of the Church could take no cognizance of Thus in the third Exhortation after the warning of the wicked persons that they come not to the Lords Table In the invitation following those onely are called who are truly penitent To them it 's said Draw neer and take this holy Sacrament to your comfort They never seemed
faithfully set down what in my own thoughts seemed considerable and therefore alledged them not as my Antagonists exceptions as Mr W. insinuates Yet I do not see that he himself hath any thing so materiall to object as I had before objected to my self in these exceptions which he labours but in vain to make good against my argument The first exception was at numb 28. that no baptized person adult and not fully excommunicate tendring himself to communicate will or doth ever so openly in word renounce Christ To which I answered at numb 29 the case may yet be supposed yea it may happen And that is a reall power for censure which may be exercised upon an occasion which may possibly occurre whether it doth actually occurre or no. In reply hereunto he pretends not to deal with the substance of my answer but promises to consider it in the fourth Exception But he hath by businesses enough in the interim to engage in whereby the unwary Reader might be drawn away from the poynt we are upon As the Lapwing makes a great cry to draw the passenger from her nest § 2. 1. He is still angry at the distinction of fully and not fully excommunicate and saith You grant a degree of excommunication to lye upon the party debarred by your suspension and therefore your suspension is essentially excommunication for things that differ gradually are essentially the same p. 69. 1. I do grant a degree of excommunication on him who is properly suspended from the Lords Supper and therefore I told him the question ought not so to be stated Whether one qualified as aforesaid and not at all excommunicated may be debarred the Sacrament For all Divines I think who hold suspension do acknowledge it to be a degree of excommunication But whether such an one as aforesaid not debarred all publick ordinances according to our Antagonists sense of excommunication may be debarred the Lords Supper But this plain sense will not sink into his head and therefore he goes on thus Your pretended Antagonists propound their case candidly clearly and ingenuously see Mr. W. can give good words when he hath a mind and say not excommunicated removing excommunication altogether from the parties they admit look upon them as in Church-fellowship and communion And do not we do so also to them we admit The question is not of them we admit but of those not admitted But you saith he lay down your case obscurely fraudulently and captiously as if you meant no fair dealing And why alas but because I will not trifle in the question to enquire whether one not excommunicated may not be suspended that is in our sense excommunicated or go from my own principles and the principles of our reformed Divines who so generally hold juridicall suspension to be an excommunication 2. Things which differ Physically onely in degree may differ Morally in kind to be adjudged to have a small scarre in the flesh and to have the head cut off differ gradually as a greater or lesser wound yet they are punishments of a different kind and nature the one capitall and the other not The residue of his answer to the exception is almost all a bundle of untruths one of the most eminent whereof is this That none with us are Church members till admitted after our examination and triall of them And this in sense divers times repeared p. 70. And he hereupon tells us how we prepare our people for Anabaptisme Be it known to him the truly learned Mr Blake and Baxter are as likely to understand what is of tendency to Anabaptisme as he no disparagement to him neither and yet they both hold the lawfulness of suspension of some of the persons mentioned in our Question And though they have some differences among themselves yet they both agree against Mr W. his doctrine A second thing I added was The case of some such persons qualified as aforesaid their renouncing Christ is supposeable not onely as possible but probable to occurre at numb 30. if as under the Episcopal government all baptized persons adult should be required under a purse-penalty to communicate once or twice a yeare then many open rejecters of Christianity and who averre there is no Christ without them might to escape the penalty tender themselves to receive The same may be said of hundreds who account the Sacraments meer carnall things in our times To this Mr. W. saith 1. This is my malicious slander of the Prelaticall government If it be a slander doth he know it to be malicious too Hath he dived into my breast Good words I pray Whence is all this heat He tells us the 21 Canon of the Church of England 1. Jacobi enjoyned Ministers so to order matters that every parishioner might communicate at least thrice in the year but not a word of forfeiting any sum of money in case they did not But he tells us not of a 22. Canon next ensuing which requires all to receive the Sacrament thrice a year under the penalty and danger of the Law But wil Mr. W. go about in this age to perswade people that they were not punished by purse-penalties when presented in the Prelaticall Courts for not receiving and accuse them as malicious slanderers who say they were Mr W. talked of one following truth so close that it dash out his teeth This is not Mr. W. he hath not lost his teeth he can bite deep enough I am sure But I am afraid his forehead is in more danger when he can set a face on so notorious a bad businesse Were not they required under a purse-penalty to communicate who were commanded to receive under the penalty and danger of the Law and felt that penalty was chargeable to their purses §. 3. 2. In an angry dialect he saith that those instances I mentioned of such as might deny the essentials of Christianity and yet probably to avoid an externall penalty might come to communicate do no way make for me But he is too wise to tell us why they do not Is there not a possibility yea probability such in such a case would tender themselves to communicate And did not that take off the exception which said none such would come to the Sacrament 3. In the next place he seems to have a mind to extol the Episcopal government And it is not my business to disparage it yet I doubt not the Presbyterian government is lawful according to Scripture But the Reason he gives for the excellency of the Prelaticall government as it was in England formerly above the present Ecclesiasticall government established by the State Aug. 29. 1648. because under that government such monsters durst not appear and prosessedly shew themselves as now swarm every where without controul I say this Reason is not valid For the State-assistance then was afforded which is not now so effectually as to the execution of our government If the State had left men to their liberty then as much as
professedly of the Christian perswasion 2. That he frequent our Assemblyes 3. Heare our doctrine with reverence and attention 4. Visibly submit to the outward meanes of reformation and amendment 5. Not justifying his miscarriages 6 One who gives us visible testimony of his assent to our doctrine Now if the absence of these render a person debarrable It will not sinke into my dul head that Mr. W. or any one else can gratifie us with any scriptural Reason for the same as to debar him who comes not to Church ordinarily which will not debar any prophane swearer drunkard or unclean person notoriously appearing so to be And if any would favour me with a cleere Reason from Scripture why an unintelligent person though baptized adult c. may be debarred the Sacrament as they hold he may although not debarred other ordinances I say if any would give me a proof of this without manifestly overturning thereby the maine props of that structure which the Brethren for general Admission have layd I shall pawn my promise before you to be much engaged for such a discovery which I must professe is not within the reach of my present understanding There hath bin much spoken in the discussion of this subject about polluting holy things casting pearles to swine not distinguishing betwixt the precious and the vile c. which the other party will I think yeeld are pertinent if first it be proved that the persons pleaded for are unwarrantably admitted And unlesse this be soundly evinced they who use those passages must acknowledge they have no edge against their Antagonists For certainly to dispense Ordinances to them whom the word warrants us to dispense them to cannot justly be loaded with any of those aggravations For Scripture is the Rule of purity And so on the other hand the Arguments for the general admission contended for taken from Christs command to administer to Disciples Beleevers that the Sacrament is a converting Ordinance in some sense c. will I suppose be granted by those who make use of them to have no force against us if this be once cleered to them that the Disciples and Beleevers to whom the Lords Supper belongs are not all such Disciples or Beleevers as are so called in respect of their professed entrance into Christs school and positive engagement to beleeve in him which no Apostate Arrian nor Mahometan can loose or put off from him but those only who are such visibly in regard of serving Christ and abiding in his wayes the proving hereof is the designe of a maine part of the Treatise following And though herein I may seeme too strict it may be I shall be censured on the other hand by some when they read how favourable my judgement is in the judging and discerning who are visibly in a way of disobedience inconsistent with the exercise of justifying faith For there I thinke charity hath its place not in widening the Rule but in application of the Rule to particular persons But I shall not anticipate your perusing the booke as you may have leasure by a tumultuary mentioning of the contents thereof here But I most earnestly desire your serious studying the Question which is weighty and of practical continuall importance And this I crave not only in reference to your selves and those to whom you are guides in your particular Congregations but also with some respect to my selfe who may hope to receive benefit by the imparting your digested apprehensions concerning this Argument For by a brotherly private impartial discussion of a controverted point I should think peaceable Dissenters from each other may most probably and effectually receive satisfaction which then might be made publique if they saw cause by mutual consent of both parties all impertinencies and mistakes on each hand discovered being first lopt off Whereas Disceptations in print at the first dash are usually full of mistakes and great Temptations to the Authours thereof From you therefore my much honoured Fathers and Brethren wherein any of you do or may dissent from me I shall readily receive rational correction And if I approve my selfe to you truly studious of truth without bitternesse to such as may be of different judgement from me herein I shall have little cause to be sollicitous about the Rejoynder to mee which my Gentleman Publisher hath already talked of in his printed Apology If he rationally convince me of the faultiness of the main parts of my discourse I shall endeavour to let you and others know my sense thereof if not you may conjecture by my silence Controversies must not be endlesse and I will not contend with him for a scowlds prize to have the last word Some of you and others may perhaps think this Treatise too long ere it came and now too long when it is come forth In reference to the latter I desire the weightinesse of the subject which in the main is treated upon may be considered and the necessity of taking in some extravagancies mine Antagonist had with much noyse cast in my way At least comparatively I hope I shall be excused For since Mr. W. spent 9 sheets in answering my one If I had taken a proportionable liberty I should have taken up 9 times 9 81 in a reply to his The like may be considered for some satisfaction to the former complaint If those monthes he had for his answer to my sheet be multiplyed by 9 times so many monthes due to me for returning a reply to his nine I shall be found much to have prevented the day I might have taken on that account But it s known to Divers that I was long before I could be perswaded to entertaine a resolution for such a businesse considering how unhandsomly he had proceeded And when I began to look more seriously on it I must acknowledge it was not quickly that I could read his book without disturbance which necessitated me to lay it aside till I perceived my selfe composed to peruse it calmely as if I felt not my selfe scarce at all personally concerned therein And then the heavy affliction which befell me June 1. 1657. which I doubt not many of you had a share in will easily be supposed by you a great discomposure of my studyes for such a service as this I mention not my other imployments ordinary and extraordinary The Treatise was ready before Michaelmas and sent up to London the week following Let the rest be imputed to my dulnesse and slownesse and if you will to that Mr. W. hath spyed in me my timorousnesse I deferred the dispatch of this Epistle till I saw some sheets of the book printed which I did not till the last week ¶ And now you will expect I should cease to be further troublesome to you And such of you as are already tired have the law in your own hands to help your selves by leaving off here if you please But presuming that some of you will afford me your patience a little
longer I shall make bold at the urgent request of some whose judgement is not to be sleighted here to annex a short discourse concerning the privacy or publiquenesse of administring the other Sacrament viz. of Baptisme which will not be unsutably joyned with the main subject of the discourse following And this challengeth its place here because it so particularly concernes the Ministry and is therefore to be submissively presented to your serious consideration and candid censure Let this then be the Question to be discussed before you viz. Whether or if at all in what cases Baptisme may be now administred privately not publiquely To publique is sometimes opposed in Scripture that which we render from house to house especially in that text Act. 20.20 But I humbly conceive the phrase so rendred viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not equivalent to private or per singulas demos as Erasmus in Act. 2.46 renders the phrase for which he is justly blamed by the Learned Beza The phrase and the importance thereof is worth a strict enquiry In Pauls farewel speech to the Elders or Bishops of the Church of Ephesus Act. 20. for to them only he there speaks and if from house to house be to be understood of private houses its manifest it must relate only to the private houses of the said Bishops not the private houses of the people he avoucheth his integrity in the discharge of his Apostolical Ministry as in other Instances thereof so especially in that he saith ver 20. I have kept back nothing from you that was profitable for you But have shewed and taught you publiquely and from house to house or at the houses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 testifying both to Jewes and also to the Greeks repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ This adverb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seemes to signifie not only publiquely but openly popularly and agrees to an action exposed to open view and cognizance of the people and multitude without distinction of Christians from Jewes or Heathens and that with or pretending to the State authority Act. 5.18 the word is translated openly Act. 16.37 They have saith Paul beaten us openly i. e. exposed us to open shame before the promiscuous multitude Act. 18.28 Apollos mightily convinced the Jewes and that publiquely in their Synagogue vers 26. that Jesus was the Christ And being here opposed to the Christian houses it denotes the Temple Synagogue Market places or such open conventions to which persecutors and enemies as well as Christians had a free accesse and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies not meere private houses but the Church Assemblyes which used to convene in severall houses appointed for that purpose which are therefore opposed to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they were not built nor appointed by any publique act of the State and 2. because here was not a reception of the people friends foes promiscuously at least not at all times but of the brethren joyned together in ecclesiastical Christian society For the cleering hereof I shall shew 1. that this phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the N. T. though sundry times there used is ever appropriated to the signifying of the Church meetings in their houses 2. And always I take it some other phrase is used to denote such as are in a meere private house This latter may be seene in Act. 16.32 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 11.34 14.35 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal 2.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The former I shal more insist upon for the demonstration whereof I shal produce all the places of the N. T. where the phrase is used Rom. 16.5 Greet the Church in their house 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 16.19 Aquila and Priscilla salute you with the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 4.15 Salute Nymphas and the Church which is at his house 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Philemon vers 2. to the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That this phrase in these Texts signifies the Church meetings and Christian Assemblyes is demonstrated already by the learned Mr. Mede above all contradiction I shall only quote one passage or two of his for this which he hath in his discourse called Churches i. e. appropriate places for Christian worship p. 22. Unlesse saith he this should be the meaning why should this appendant be so singularly mentioned in the salutation of some and not of others and that not once but againe if the same names be again remembred as of Aquila and Priscilla Had none in those catalogues of salutation christian families but some only who are thus remembred It is very improbable nay if peruse them well we shal find they had but otherwise expressed as in that prolix catalogue Rom. 16. we find Aristobulus and Narcissus saluted with their houshold Asyncritus Phlegon c. with the brethren which are with them c. Others with the Saints which are with them 2 Tim. 4.19 the houshold of Onesiphorus this therefore so singular an appendix must meane some singular thing not common to them with the rest but peculiar to them alone And what should this be but what I have shewed thus that happy Interpreter There are only two more places where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used in the N. T. both which comply with the forementioned sense of Church meetings in houses Act. 2.46 Breaking bread 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 compared with ver 42. referring to the love-feasts which they had in common to which the celebration of the Lords Supper was sometimes annexed in several houses appointed among them for that purpose see Beza on the place Act. 5.42 the Apostles dayly in the Temple and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ceased not to teach preach Jesus Christ where preaching in the Temple promiscuously is opposed to the preaching in Church meetings of the Christian brethren as it was in the text last quoted and therefore is fairly interpreted to the same sense here as it was there I shal only adde one thing more which makes it probable that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Act. 20.20 should denote the Church Assemblyes rather then the private houses of the Ephesian Elders as such One designe of Pauls speech appeares to be the confirming the Ephesian Elders by his example of constancy and boldness in the Christian faith and his function notwithanding all persecutions v. 19. Yet saith he v. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have not through fear or cowardize withdrawn in any thing needful see the importance of the word as it s used elswhere Gal. 2.12 Heb. 10.23 25. comp with ver 38. his boldness is instanced in preaching both publiquely or openly before friends and foes and at their Church Assemblyes notwithstāding the danger of coming thither which made some to withdraw themselves Heb. 10.25 Now to instruct privately in Christian families was no such instance of boldness as
of those Hereticks who so much pressed circumcision It is by the learned Doctor Hammond made parallel to that of 1 Cor. 16.22 viz. as he saith on the place as an expression of excommunication of the highest degree answerable to the SHAMATHA among the Jewes which he explained on 1 Cor. 16.22 to be excommunicated from the hope of the Lord and as leaving the offender to Divine vengeance agreeable to the denunciation of Enoch Jude v. 14. which is denounced against them who love not Christ that is as he excellently expounds it who fall from Christ by renouncing of him to avoid persecution especially if teachers of others so to do and justifying the thing as lawfull as it is said the Gnosticks did See Doctor Hammond in Apoc. 21.8 denying the Lord before men who bought them 3. That phrase also of delivering to Satan though a tolerable sense of it may be and is accommodated to the ordinary excommunication still in use in the Church yet many if not most learned Interpreters think it had a further and more peculiar sense in those Apostolicall times which the Church doth not now look at nor expect viz. the externall buffeting the offender by Satan 4. There are two other passages which though they are by divers referred to some excommunication yet I think we can build little or nothing upon them in the explication of this point The first is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be cast out of the Synagogue used John 9.22 and 14.42 and 16.2 Now this is applyed only to the Jewes their wicked practice against them who owned Christ and the phrase is no where that I know of justified by Christ or his Apostles And me thinks we have little reason to seek for the nature of Christs Otdinance in the vile practice of his enemies taken by it self The other passage is in 3 John 10. where Diotrephes is said to cast the Christian Jewes out of the Church that is a Church of the Gentile-Christians Let us a little peruse the Text which runs thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. I would ask Who are these he cast out of the Church Not those who would entertain the Jewish Christian strangers there is no probability any would be so sottish as to excommunicate them for their will desire or intention to have entertained those guests and if those he is said to have cast out were the guests themselves called the brethren then excommunication cannot be here meant because they were not under the jurisdiction of that Gentile-Church nor any Officer therof and so could not be cast out of that particular Church in which they were not before 2. It cannot be proved that Diotrephes was any Church-officer in that Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may signifie one who seeks inordinatly or assumeth dignity as well as one that useth immoderatly the same and it is very probable saith Doctor Hammond that this Diotrephes did this without having any reall authority in the Church as a presumptuous confident bold person and then his act in casting any out of the Church would not be accounted a sentential excommunication 3. The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is frequently used in the New Testament to signifie any hindring although it be not by any act authoritative forbidding nor pretend thereunto and is rendred to hinder Luke 11.52 and to withstand Acts. 11.17 and to let Rom. 1.13 and therefore that passage wherein this Diotrephes is said to forbid or hinder and withstand them who would be more hospitable then himself doth not invite us at all to interpret the following words of any authoritative Ecclesiasticall censure Upon the whole matter I humbly conceive that this passage here He casts them out of the Church doth denote nothing else but his thrusting out the Jewish guests from being kindly harboured telieved and accommodated in that Church he by his factious and pragmatical endeavours taking upon him to be thought some body more then ordinary laboured to draw the Church to joyn with him in that inhospitality wherein he had among many too good successe But I shall not contend in this onely I have signified the probabilities which incline me to conceive that Ecclesiasticall excommunication is not strictly signified by the phrase of casting out of the Church here used at least that it is so dubious that it will be no foundation stone in the Doctrine of Excommunication §. 3. I shall now proceed to consider the less questionable and more plain phrases and passages in the New Testament whereby excommunication is intimated which are such as these Let him be to thee as an Heathen and Publican Matth. 18.17 that is in some respects as to thy behaviour towards him and esteem of him as generally the Interpreters I meet with do understand it To bind on earth v. 18. doth also relate to the same thing That fifth chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians hath most in it concerning Excommunication of any one chapter in the Bible Here are severall phrases signifying the same thing v. 2. That he who hath done this deed might be taken away from you So also v. 13. Put away from among your selves that wicked person The phrase of delivering to Satan used vers 5. and 1 Tim. 1.20 so far as it may signifie what is yet of continued use in the Church is commonly interpreted by the words of Christ before mentioned Matth. 18.17 Let him be to thee as an Heathen and Publican Satan being visibly the God of the Infidell world and of the manifestly and notoriously prophane and wicked men as the Publicans though Jewes were accounted by their own Nation But there are in this chapter two more expressions concerning excomunication which we must somwhat more insist upon especially the former which wil help to clear the later The one of these in v. 9. and 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I wrote to you in an Epistle not to keep company with fornicators c. the meaning wherof he cautions against mistake v. 10. yet not altogether with Fornica-tors of this world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be rendred not at all as 1 Cor. 16.12 or in no wise as Rom. 3.9 or taking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for an Adverb of confirming not surely as Luke 4.23 Act. 18.21 21.22 28.4 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not found in that ancient manuscript which the profoundly learned Doctor Hammond hath given us an account of in what it differs from the other received Greek Copies Quasi dicat What I wrote to you concerning your not keeping company or not being mingled with fornicators In that word Fornicators I meant not at all or surely I meant not or at least I did not altogether mean the Fornicators of this world c. For ye must needs go out of this world For with Calvin I so understand those words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 q. d. Quid opus est vobis praeclpere de fili is seculi quando ut semel
renunciastis mundo it a oportet vos ab ecorum onsortio subducere totus enim mundus in maligno positus est saith Calvin on the place Neither doth it at all prejudice this interpretation that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here seems to be left out For though sometime it signifie and is rendred Then as Matth. 12.42 1 Cor. 7.14 yet it is also elswhere but an expletive particle signifying no more then nempe to wit so Act. 7.1 1 Cor. 15.15 And that I may further pursue this sense 1. I humbly conceive the Corinthians could scarce need such an admonition and instruction viz. that their separation from the world obliged them not to a totall separation from all persons not of the Church 2. Divers learned Interpreters think that in this tenth verse the Apostle referrs not to any Canonical Epistle of his now lost but to the second verse of this chapter where he had admonished them concerning their duty of withdrawing from Fornicators And the vvv or none in the beginning of the eleventh verse is but an ordinary transition 3. The phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used in Scripture but rarely and then it is used to signifie the Churches withdrawing from a brother offending So it is manifestly taken 1 Cor. 5.11 and 2 Thess 3.14 and it is never else used in the New Testament save in this ninth verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore here it must be so sensed unlesse there were some cogent reason for the contrary which to me appears not And being thus sensed in v. 9. the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the beginning of verse 10. must be read not at all or to that purpose and not not altogether whereby the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should be in part referred to the not keeping company with heathens which is to Church or Ecclesiasticall withdrawing by way of censure 4. According to the sense our translation hath of the tenth verse which many other learned Interpreters comply with it should seem but a temporary monition of not altogether avoyding the company of Heathens viz. so long as the altogether avoyding them would necessitate the believers to go out of the world or to have almost no converse with men And then in a Christian Nation we might have no converse at all with a heathen which no one will assert 5. What an harsh Ellipsis is there in the sense of our translation I wrote to you not to keep company or to be mingled with Fornicators yet here we must supply I wrote not to you not to keep company not altogether with the Fornicators of this world But if you take it with the most excellent Interpreter Calvin it runs easily referring 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very last word before q. d. I wrote to you not to keep company with Fornicators we may either leave out And as the Kings M. S. Copy doth or else translate it but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being frequently an adversative particle put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Stephanus shewes in divers instances See his Graeco-lat Concord Nov. Test. in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But not at all the Fornicators of this world for ye must needs depart from the word as if he should say I meà nt not the heathen Idolaters and fornicators when I warned you not to keep company with fornicators those I was not speaking of for or since that yee ought to go out from them the Church being called out of the world and therefore ye ought not onely to shun their sinfull wayes but that personall converse with them which might countenance them therein or endanger your selves thereby This I thought not needfull to admonish you of you knew it well enough before But now I have written to you not to keep company with a wicked brother c. And thus I have shewed in clearing the context that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is peculiar to Ecclesiasticall withdrawing or excommunication as it is used in the New Testament §. 4. The other intimation of excommunication we have in the later end of the eleventh verse of this 1 Cor. 5. not to eat which as all agree includes exclusion from the Lrods Supper so it 's very probable it must be extended so far further as to leave the wicked brother censured under as great a separation from the privat familiarity of the church as the heathen was see the phrase elswhere used Luk 15.2 Acts 11.3 Gal. 2.12 I suppose there is little difference betwixt the import of this and the other last mentioned But here that is expressed proverbially or Symbolically which there is more plainly A persons eating with another when he doth it upon choyce and design being a symbol of intimate friendship and voluntary complacential communion with him At least so it seems to have been in those times of Christ and his Apostles Matth. 11.18 19. The whole significancy of the phrase as to the present point is grounded on the opinion and custome of the time and place where eating with any as aforesaid is notoriously reputed to be an owning of the courses of them with whom we eat or drink and a testification of that complacentiall respect to them which may probably harden them in their wickednesse and incourage others in the same there not to eat is a necessary withdrawing or not mingling our selves But where eating with is not a probable sign of countenancing of them as aforesaid and there are more evident sighes of discountenancing them manifested at that time I suppose that phrase then and there ceaseth to signifie the withdrawing mentioned in this chapter The learned Doctor Hammond thus paraphraseth on this eleventh verse But the purpose of my writing is onely to interdict you that free encouraging converse with Christian professors guilty of any of these sensuall heathen sins used by Idolaters and to command that with such an one you enter not any friendly commerce so much as to eat with him much less to admit him to the Sacrament or the feast that attends that untill he do reform §. 5. Another phrase is used Rom. 16.17 Mark them who cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine ye have learned avoyd them It must be confessed some learned Interpreters make this exhortation parallel to that of our Saviours Beware of false prophets and that Christ his sheep should not hear but fly from the voyce of the stranger and salse shepheard But others interpret it of discountenancing those seditious persons by shunning communion with them From such ye are to separate that others may not be deceived by taking them for men as orthodox as any as Doctor Hammond paraphraseth it And Paraeus saith Hos igitur observari vitari hoc est ab Ecclesiae consortio excludi monet Apostolus And he parallels it with Titus 3.10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject Which is
me Reproath and shame For I have kept thy way 23 Crown'd Princes ' gainst me sate and spake But on thy Lawes I thought 24 Certaine delight in these I take And from them counsell sought CHAP. IV. §. 1. TO my first syllogisme at numb 21. of the Copy of my M S. he answers p. 33. 1 by quarrelling with my conclusion and that in two respects Besides his exception against the phrase fully excommunicate which hath been reselled above 1 that there 's left out of it They expressing their desire to receive and offering themselves But how vaine is this cavill expressing the desire he hath to receive any evasion that offers it selfe For 1. will he grant we may suspend them who do not profess their desire to receive and do not offer themselves If so then Church-membership alone doth not give right to the adult for the Sacrament and so his cause is marr'd And he a little before and in his Epistle puts in the limitation of intelligent persons at yeares who only with him are admittable so that if they are not intelligent they are to be debarred though they express their desire to receive and offer themselves Now let Mr. W. shew what Scripture debarrs these from the Sacrament and not from the prayers and other publique ordinances of the Church But that he attempts not to doe If he had it were ten to one the same proofes would bring in more limitations as well as that But it s sufficient for him for his part to cavill against others 2 Againe my argument proceeds concerning the law of Christ debarring a visible prophane person and then who sees not that it concludes against him whether he desire and offer himselfe to be admitted or no And yet with these shifts it seemes he non-plust my paper when he and it were together and tells it he could stop its course here and since it brisled not againe he is heartned to let the world know how brave acts he could do if he would 2 The other quarrell he hath against my conclusion is That its a Tautology and that is meanes that some baptized persons at yeares suspended may be suspended For saith he by not fully excommunicate we understand your meaning to be suspended Suspending may either denote the sentence of debarring or the execution of that sentence To say some persons censured with abstension or suspension may be suspended that is have the Lords Supper denyd to them is no Tautology no more then to say a person censured with full excommunication may be debarrd all publique Church ordinances according to their sense of it But the pofition I undertooke after stating the Question was this viz. That its lawfull to debar some persons the Lords Supper who are baptized and not warned to depart or kept from other publique ordinances of hearing praying singing in the publique Congregations of the Church And immediately after this I began my argument the conclusion whereof was Some baptized persons at yeares not fully excommunicated may be suspended from the Lords Supper Whereby its manifest that by not fully excommunicate I meant not kept from all publique ordinances in the Church which is their sense of excommunication And is this a Tautology some baptized persons not kept from all publique ordinances may be suspended from the Lords Supper My own judgement concerning full excommunication hath been shewed before in the last Chapter But what a pittifull business is this that Mr. W. so much quarrels at the state of the Question and sometimes saith I say what he holds himselfe in it and yet he would never rectifie the same in a line or two though desired as I am informed so to do if it pleased him not that we might have been agreed on that before we proceeded to dispute upon it But he seemes to imitate the crafty Gunner who would alwayes say he aimed at that which he hit but would never agree before he shot what should be the mark he would shoot at Thus much concerning the conclusion of my Syllogisme Now he comes to the premisses §. 2. The major he saith p. 35. he grants with my elucidation thereof in such general termes as they stand Yet after he bethinks himselfe and will as he seemes to me grant it upon condition that the granting of it may do no hurt to his own opinion Whether this be not the sense of his p. 36 37 38. let the Reader judge who will peruse the same The proof of my Minor which the Reader may receive if he please to turn back to the Copie of my paper M S. at numb 24. Mr W. sets down in his p. 39. and gives us words upon it p. 40 41 42 43. without distinguishing upon or denying any proposition therein He talkes much of Accademicall disputings Be it known to him I am not ignorant of the method of Disputation used in both our Universities But if the Respondent as he here makes himselfe should in stead of giving a short answer as he ought by denying or distinguishing upon the terms of either proposition run out into such extravagancies as he here doth he would and that most deservedly be hist out of the Schools He raps again at the distinction of greater and lesser fully and not fully excommunicate but impotently without any proof offered against the same And then lest the practice of the Church of England formerly used should give any countenance to the distinction he endeavours to clear the Church of England who manifestly used that distinction But the great fault is that it is now used by us what in them he excuseth in us Presbyterians is a crime he can hardly find terms of aggravation and disgrace bad enough to put upon it §. 3. Let us then first see what was the practice of the Church of England herein And then how Mr W. takes us off from pleading that and I shall give my reply thereto And first let us observe what was required by the Church of England formerly in reference to the manifestation of the knowleledge of such as were to be admitted to the communion and their understanding owning of the Christian faith In the order for Confirmation it 's thought good that none be confirmed but such as can say the Articles of the Creed the Lords Prayer ten Commandements and can answer to such questions of the Catechisme as the Bishop or such as he shall appoint shall by his discretion appose them in And this order is most convenient to be observed for divers considerations First because that when children come to years of discretion and have learned what their God-fathers and God-mothers promised for them in baptisme they may then themselves with their own mouth and with their own conseat openly before the Church ratifie and confirm the same And also promise that by the grace of God they will evermore endeavour faithfully to observe and keep such things as they by their mouth and confession have assented unto c.
either in respect of doctrinall or practicall apostasie are opposed to them who believe Heb. 10.38 39. Therefore those who apostatize do not believe and so are not believers in some scripture-Scripture-sense which also agrees with the usuall signification of the word Budeus Comment Ling. Graec. saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cui credi debet fidem faciens verbo suo And Scapula explains 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be incredulus qui fidem non adhibet Item infidus cujus suspecta est sides cui fidendum non est Item perfidus 6. I acknowledge the words believe and not believe belieliever and unbeliever are used more largely sometimes in Scripture as I shall perhaps shew beneath But that some Church-members that is such men on each as by their positive engagements and promises are obliged to believe in Christ and forsake their sins may yet by their notorious disobedience become visibly unbelievers in some Scripture-sense is all that I here contend for And therefore my reverend brother comes off me thinks but blewly who puts so great an honour on Brown as to call this the Brownisticall sense of unbeliever opposing it to the Scripturall and Catholique sense of the same §. 5. 2. Now I proceed to the application of the foresaid distinction and the very stress of our controversie will lye on this point Whether to those who are visibly unbelievers in this sense I have proved to be a scripture-Scripture-sense of the word that is as are visibly in the way of actuall notorious disobedience to the Gospel whether to these I say the Lords Supper ought not to bè administred though they be baptized adult intelligent and not excluded other publique ordinances in the Church I explicated visibly unbelievers by such as are according to the word of God to be judged and taken to be thus unbelievers Such explications Mr. W. cannot endure Oh! how he puffs and storms at them p. 60 61. and in very sad earnest calls them Bombast c. But let us leave our brother to cool at his leasure and calmly consider the thing it selfe now before us And herein I shall design 1. To premise some considerations as introductory to what followes 2. To determine and prove against Mr. W. the negative of the question last proposed 3. To annex some cautions at the later end for the further clearing and preventing mistake in this doctrine I must insist upon The considerations to be premised are these 1. It is certain that a distinction ought to be made betwixt Believers and those we are to account and deal with as in the way of believing actually The same is to be said of the difference to be put between unbelievers and those we are to account and deal with as in the way of notorious disobedience and unbelief As to the habit of faith or unbelief and the denomination a person may receive from the existence or predominancy of either of them we cannot certainly know that any besides our selves are so believers or unbelievers But we may know who are visibly in the way of faith or unbelief And therefore I own and comply with the substance of what Mr. W. saith concerning the impossibility of our knowing who are true believers in respect of the habit p. 55 57. c. 2. Yea I do not onely grant this in respect of the habit of justisying and saving faith but in respect also of a dogmaticall faith that is assent to the propositions of the Christian faith as truths such as the Divels may have and the damned who doubt not of the truth of the Gospel And if this be made out I hope the Disputes may be somewhat allay'd which are at present on foot betwixt very learned and godly men viz. Whether a dogmaticall faith or justifying faith entitle to the Sacraments The one may with like reason be granted as the other and both are attended with equall difficulties or inconveniences supposeable I may as certainly know whom I am to account a justified believer as whom I am to account a dogmaticall believer yea and most commonly perhaps as easily too Is a persons professing his assent to the Articles of the Creed or owning the Scriptures a sufficient character of his believing dogmatically or historically So is his professing consent and cordiall submission to the doctrine of the Gospel as sufficient and ready a note to us of his being a justified believer yet we cannot be certain he is of that perswasion in the Articles he professeth assent unto no more then we can be assured he sincerely consents to the same according to his profession of sincerity Is on the contrary a persons disclaiming the principles of the Christian faith a sufficient token whereby we may be directed in accounting him dogmatically or historically no believer so his professed renouncing of subjection to Christs Lawes quasi dicat I will not yet forsake my lusts that I may obey Christ is a sufficient note whereby we are to account him at present as out of the way of actuall justifying faith Is a persons denying Christs divinity a note to us that he is not a dogmaticall believer though yet he profess he believes the Scriptures to be true and so contradicts himself So is a persons disobedience to and actuall rebellion against the Commands of Christ when notorious a sufficient token to us that he is not in the way of actuall justifying faith although he doth profess in word that he believes sincerely and obedientially and so in this contradicts himself But of this we shall have occasion to say somewhat more beneath §. 6. 3. Sometimes persons are called holy and Saints and perhaps may be beleevers too and such like titles attributed to them whiles here alive in this world on the account of their being positively obliged by their own promise to holiness faith and the service of the true God so as the Heathens and other Nations were not Thus all the nation of the Jewes who were devoted to God by their professed acceptance of the Covenant of God tendred to them were an holy people children of the Kingdome the Church of God c. And so all those persons alive are now Saints and holy and beleevers who have solemnly taken an engagement upon themselves by their promise made to believe in Christ and they are in Covenant that is they have by their own promise covenanted with God and bound themselves thereby unto his service so as Pagans are not And no one can be sure that that promise was not in sincerity and therefore we cannot say absolutely of any such though never so wicked and censured too that he is no Church-member that is that the hath not devoted himselfe to Christ in truth But now an heathen hath not visibly devoted himselfe at all to Christ and therefore cannot be a Church-member yea though he be of Gods Elect. But for those who have visibly devoted themselves to Christ this indelible character remaines on them though they
peices of letters But the Hebrew phrase here used answering to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Becol leb which is ordinarily if not constantly applyed to the doing of a thing affectionatly unfeinedly willingly c. Deut. 13.13 That he may try you whether ye love the Lord with all your heart and soul The latine Interpretation of the Arabick version in our London Bibles saith 〈◊〉 appareat utrum vos sitis amici sui sinceri ex cordibus et aniâ—â—abus vestris Deut. 26.16 30.6 Josh 25.5 1 Sam. 12.20 Scrve the Lord with all your heart further explained verse 4. Serve him in truth with your whole heart So to do any thing with the whole heart is to do it willingly and sincerely and applyed to duties it denotes the doing them in a right manner as to praise the Lord with the whol heart Psal 86.12 to sweare with the whole heart 2 Chron. 15.12 To seek God with all the heart 2 Chron. 15.12 22.9 To turne to the Lord with all the heart Deut. 16.10 1 King 8.48 Jocl 2.12 To follow the Lord with all the heart 1 King 2.4 and such like Now if the phrase in the Hebrew used there do relate to the whole soul and therein especially to the will and the Greek phrase coming from thence not used in the new Testament elswhere but manifestly in this sense then according to the safe Rule of interpreting Scripture by Scripture we must take it here to denote sincere affectionate beleeving in a right or acceptable manner which was required visibly in the Eunuch as a necessary prerequisite to his Baptisme And that the rather because of the Apostles explication of beleeving with or in the heart Rom. 10.8 9 10. of an undoubted saving faith §. 8. Having thus shewed I thinke convincingly that Philips proposal of beleeving with all the heart as a condition of Baptisme did intend more then a bare historical dogmatical faith which may be and is in Divels Now I thinke it will not be bogled at That the Eunuch his profession of faith was apprehended by Philip as coming up to that demand and though the Divels often said the same or like words as the Eunuch here expresseth his faith by and wherein Peter made that glorious confession which Christ so much magnifies Math. 16.16 17 18. and on which Christ will build his Church Yet there 's no doubt Peters faith in that was more than dogmatical and what might be in Divels and the acknowledging of the then hardest Article of the Christian faith to wit that Jesus was the Christ or Messiah was a probable testimony that the men who professed this would not stick at taking him for their Saviour And therefore such assent to Christianity is spoken of in Scripture to denote that intire faith which is justifying and saving as in the Epistles of John and elswhere §. 9. Thus much for answer to one of the exceptions made against the force of our present argument The other is that Philip requires more then was necessary to his admission to baptisme as hath been before explained To this I answer There are cleare testimonies that Philip required this beleeving with all the heart as a necessary prerequisite condition of the Eunuchs admission to baptisme if we will but allow Philips and the Eunuchs words to be the Interpreters of their own minds without miserable torturing and forcing of them to abuse their Masters For 1. The Eunuch saith What hinders me to be baptized To this Question Philip answers If thou beleevest with all thine heart thou mayst Therefore in answer to the Question is implyed If thou dost not beleeve with all thy heart thou mayst not and then no more but necessaries are here required I have often enough explained this to be meant of visible beleeving with all his heart 2. The Eunuch saith Here is water what hinders me to be baptized He enquites therefore if there were nay such defect now as should so bar his being baptized as the want of water would have done if that had not been there then therefore the Eunuch enquires If there were any effectual bar now against his baptisme 3. To which Philip answers as we have heard If thou beleevest with all thy heart thou mayst viz. be baptized now there is water at hand and Philip an Evangelist no doubt Commissioned to dispence this Sacrament There 's nothing now to hinder except there should be a want of a visible sincere and hearty beleeving and that should hinder thee If this do not but rather thou by thy profession approvest thy selfe thus to beleeve thou mayst I appeal to any Judicious Reader whether this be not the genuine fairest and easiest sense of the words and how tortured strained is that the Exception puts upon them As if a man coming to one authorized to marry people should say Sir here 's a fit match for me what hinders me to be marryed and then the Commissioner should say If yee both are agreed with all your hearts yee may Is not this their appearing serious agreement signified whether they do inwardly and sincerely so agree or no the marrier looks not after the necessary prerequisite condition which being visibly wanting would hinder his attompt to marry them And if he should say as the Reverend Objector supposeth paralel to this text If ye feare the Lord ye may marry how unsutable would it be to the Question proposed by them 4. If such plaine words as these What hinders me to be baptized If thou beleevest with all thy heart thou mayst may be expounded q. d. To that Question of thine What hinders me to be baptized I answer Though thou do not visibly beleeve sincerely thou mayst I know not what security we shall have for the sense of almost any Scripture especially where no absurdity forceth us to depart from the manifest genuine usuall proper sense of the words I shall leave it to the Readers serious thoughts whether I have not proved that Philip required a visible beleeving with all the heart or justifying faith as the necessary condition of the Eunuchs admission to Baptisme and then it follows that a persons beleeving in respect of such a faith as connotes visible obedience to the Gospel is the Rule of admission of the adult to Baptisme and by consequence of such only to the Lords Supper as are visibly so qualified One thing more I shall observe before I pass this viz. that the Eunuchs Question was as seemes directly and primarily an enquiry upon what termes Philip would baptize him and so refers to his right to baptisme in soro ecclesiae and therefore I have interpreted the beleeving with all the heart in Philips answer to be meant of a visibly sincere beleeving according to the Rules Philip was to judge by who were to be treated as sincere beleevers And to refer it to the forum Dei as distinguished from the sorum ecclesiae is
his judicat occultorum scrutator cognitor citò venturus c. And that by accipere communicationem he means to receive the Lords Supper is evident by his words a little before where he urgeth to entertain the lapsed penitents Cum ad hoc fiat Eucharistia ut possit accipientibus esse tutela Nam quomodo docemus aut provocamus eos in confessione Nominis sanguinem fundere si eis militaturis Christi sanguinem denegamus Aut quomodo ad Martyrii poculum idoneos facimus se non eos prius ad bibendum in Ecclesiâ poculum Domini jure communicationis admittimus And in his 61 Epistle Euchratio Fratri To him who had enquired his judgement de histrione an talis debeat communicare nobiscum Cyrian answers Puto nee majestati divinae nec evangelicae disciplinae congruere ut pudor et honor Ecclesiae tam turpi et infamî contagione soedetur And Chrysoslom Ad populum Antiochen hom 60. de sumentibus indigne divina et sancta mysteria saith Nos ministrorum tenemus locum qui ver ô sanctificat ea et immutat ipse est nullus itaque Judas assistat nullus avarus si quis est discipulus adsit Nam tales mensa non sascipit ait enim Cum discipulis me is pascha facio c. And that 's a famous place in Justin Martyr in his second defence of the Christians ad Antonium pium Johanne Lang q Interprete where about a little after the middle relating the manner and order of the Christians service and divine worship or Liturgy he saith Porro alimentum hoc apud nos appellatur Eucharistia quod nulli alij participare licitum est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quam veram esse doctrinam nostram credenti et lavacro propter remissionem peccatorum regenerationem abluto ita ut Christus tradidit viventi And then that the Lords Supper be not administred to the appatently scandalous as these quotations say it ought not should be the special care of them who are to dispence the same Let a Minister thinke with himselfe if he shall neglect to reprove a wicked man appearing such whether he thinke he may safely excuse himselfe before the Lord with saying There was no governing Church where I was Minister by whose sentence he might have been declared a wicked man If there had I would have reproved him as such and then see whether the using a notorious wicked person in the Sacrament as if he were an orderly Christian will be excused with saying I wanted Prelates or a Classis or an Eldership by any of whose authoritative judgement he should have been declared a wicked liver And if this were well weighed what a mighty burthen lyes on the Minister in this thing where there are no Church-governours besides I thinke it would quicken Ministers in more serious labouring for assistance in the work §. 10. 5. Lastly I would by way of caution note that though the Rule for non-admission or suspension before asserted may not be infringed yet there ought to be much charitable candor rendernesse and wisdome in the application of it to particular persons I shall not take upon me to give particular Directions in this matter what crimes may now denominate one scandalously prophane that is in wayes of wickedness and unbeliefe inconsistent visibly with any exercise of saving faith Only in generall I shall say It is my opinion 1. That such miscarriages as are not more hainous and scandalous than those are which are generally acknowledged to be incident to the godly I mean to them who walk godly will not be marks to us of any particular persons unbeliefe in the sense aforesaid I will not be particular here in making comparisons betwixt neglect of admenition and neglect of ordinary family duty betwixt backbiting censoriousness and some vaine words containing in them an unnecessary attestation by faith truth and the like But the judicious Reader may if he please easily bethinke himselfe of many such Instances to be compared 2. Those crimes which are visibly inconsistent with the exercise of faith at sometimes may not be so at other times as polygamy in the old Testament compared with the New Testament times 3. The like variation may be rationall in respect of persons considering the difference betwixt one and another in respect of temptations helps warnings convictions company and the like 4. Where a multitude are enwrapped in some crime commonly the Ringleaders are much more deeply guilty than the rest drawn in by the company example perswasions of their leader §. 11. 5. To conclude in point of ignorance I thinke few can be thus judged of where the Ministers do what they may for their instruction Fundamentalls are very few and plaine And I hope upon good encouragement in sundry Parishes in my neighbourhood we shall not have one debarrable upon the account of ignorance as indeed I thinke there are few very few comparatively already through Gods blessing upon our endeavours for private and personal instruction which oh that all Ministers would set upon We finde great encouragement even among those aged people we suspected would have been most averse They generally thanke us when we come to their houses or elswhere conferre with them Which I mention that none may discourage themselves with supposed feares of the untractableness of any whom they have not first tryed after a loving tender and gentle application of themselves to them for their instruction Much wisdome is needfull herein oh that God would give us a greater measure of it but the designe is of noble tendency and I hope many a soule will and doth bless God for the zeale of that Worcestershire burning and shining light and his Associates which have provoked many to this unquestionable good work And in point of practical miscarriages we have Directions given us in the Ordinance of Lords and Commons after advice had with the Assembly which may justly beare some sway with us as to the discerning what persons are debarrable upon their notorious miscarriages visibly inconsistent with the exercise of sincere faith §. 12. Upon the whole matter I conclude that there are few comparatively in the Parishes I am acquainted with who may lawfully be judged by us to be in such wayes of wickedness as are inconsistent with the exercise of godliness either because through Gods mercy such wickednesses do not notoriously appeare and de occultis non judicat ecclesia or because upon their being admonished thereof they are ready to condemn themselves and professing repentance to promise reformation The maine obstacle lying in this is that some notoriously guilty of wickedness publiquely known through the nature of the crime it selfe they have committed are unwilling to profess publiquely their repentance for the same And yet in my experience this doth rarely happen And I humbly conceive that learned Gentleman Mr Maurice hath done an acceptable service to the Church of God in opposing the practices of
whatsoever For I am of opinion there is no need of excommunicating or suspending a man after he is dead nor of judging of him in order thereunto §. 4. 4. Mr. W. tells us Papists are Christians But we need not suspend them from the Lords Supper their phansie of transubstantiation and other heretical Mormoes save us the labour I know not why Papists may not without destroying their principles tender themselves to receive with us unless the necessity of their obedience to the Popes prohibition hinder them and yet that is not a principle to the French Papists But if a Papist remaining such and owning transubstantiation Popish Indulgencies merit in the Jesuits sense prayers to Saints religious adoration or worshipping of Images c. tender himselfe to receive will Mr. W. admit him why them doth he not plainly say he would as indeed his doctrine leads him to admit him if the Papist be not excommunicated in such sense as I thinke none in England are But those words of his save us the labour I suppose intimate that if they did not withdraw themselves from our Communion but should tender themselves to receive we should be at the labour of suspending them And yet Papists are not forbidden to come to Church nor separated from all other Ordinances in the Church And then the universal negative Mr. W. pretends to defend that no baptized person adult intelligent not excommunicated may be debarred the Lords Supper if he tender himselfe is againe battered by another Instance which his own pen hath afforded May not a Papist be baptized adult intelligent and not excommunicated the publique Congregations if he exclude not himselfe as some others doe And yet I thinke Mr. W. grants he may be kept back from the Lords Supper whiles he professedly remaines a Papist and it s to my admiration that this Gentleman can so confidently defend the said universal negative before mentioned and yet overthrow it by divers such concessions as this in his booke §. 5. 5. Mr. W. tells me I delude men with the contracted notion of saving faith and I may tell him 1. that he doth as much delude men with the contracted notion of doctrinal or dogmatical faith 2. And that it s not the notion of saving faith but the resting in a common verbal profession of Christianity crying Lord Lord which will be found to be the great deluder of men when the day of trying all things shall come And then he informes us that Sacraments are not seales of a personal and inward faith only They are visible scales of the righteousnes of faith i. e. of the doctrine of faith in Christ unto justification in the sight of God without the workes of the Law From whence he inferres And why should not all baptized persons adult and not excommunicated personally testifie their assent to this doctrine by taking the consecrated bread and wine into their hands as the visible similitudes of the body of Christ sacrificed for us c. To which I reply Who hath said that they are seales of a personal faith only But doth not Mr. W. here grant as well he may that they are seales of a personal inward faith though not only Sacraments are considered 1. in respect of the Institutor and Author 2. of the Receiver both wayes they are seales In respect of the Author they seale his tender of the Covenant of grace wherein salvation is freely promised to all that beleeve In respect of the Receivers they are instituted and appointed by God for their solemn sealing or testifying their beleeving and obediential embracing of the Covenant of grace in the blood of Christ And as the Administrator is to attend both so in subserviency to his Master both these are to be designed by him in the celebration of the holy mysteries The seales as is often said are commensurate with the Covenant sealed If a single covenant or meere promise tendered to all who will beleeve that they shall be saved might be sealed with the Sacraments there were nothing in the nature of the Sacraments which should hinder the administring of them to heathens remaining such to whom this Gospel is to be preached Mark 16.15 John 3.16 But it s manifest these seales can be administred only where there is visibly a mutual covenant viz. God promising justification on the condition of faith to the Communicant and the Communicant visibly closing with that condition of beleeving to justification This is manifest in that famous text Mr. W. relates to which is Rom. 4.11 concerning Abraham his receiving Circumcision as a seale of the righteousness of faith §. 6. This text requires our most serious perusall And here I shall observe That though Gods sealing or confirming his promise or single covenant of grace is not excluded yet this text doth very eminently refer to the sealing or confirming of Abrahams personal faith and that not only a dogmatical but justifying and saving faith professed by him in receiving Circumcision The Question Paul disputes in the context is whether a man may be justified without the works of the Mosaical Law as such and he proves our affirmative in the example of Abraham Abraham was a righteous person and justified by faith his faith was imputed to him for righteousness that is God dealt with him and accepted of him through Christ as if he had been perfectly righteous in himselfe having pardoned his sins as the phrase is explicated v. 6 7 8. That this is the cleere and easie importance of the phrase of imputing a thing to another I thinke I first learned from our learned Wotton on John 1.12 a notion much better than fine gold which is demonstrated by two places of this Epistle where the same manner of speech is used Rom. 2.26 If the uncircumcision keep the Law shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is he shall fare no worse than if circumcised so Rom. 9 8. Now that Abraham was thus justified without those Mosaicall works the Apostle proves 1. In that he was justified before the workes of the Law as such were in force For he was justified before he received Circumcision one use whereof afterwards was to engage the receivers thereof to all the Mosaical Law Gal. 5.3 2. In that Circumcision in its designe and intendment and to Abraham effectually was to be a seale of the righteousness of faith before received and hence as well as from other texts Divines so unanimously conclude that the Sacraments are not instituted for the unconverted but converted I say instituted For its vaine to speake of the possibility of conversion in the event by or at the Sacrament as thence to inferre the manifestly prophane and unconverted may be admitted For no one can say of an heathen or excommunicated person if he be sinfully present and partake that he shall not may not be converted at or by that sinfull partaking The spirit bloweth where it listeth The concurrent judgement
severely they were punished and thence concludes against the Jewes for their abusing the Prophets and rejecting Christ himself as they themselves perceived verse 45. The force of such arguments lies not in the existence of the case supposed but in the merits of the cause supposed and in the parallel and likeness betwixt the case supposed and their cases whom he deals with Comparata etiam ficta arguunt fidemque faciunt as P. Ramus rightly observes and gives many examples thereof Dialect l. 1. c. 18. So here whether word-renouncer of Christianity be existent or no if he be to be debarred the Sacrament and the case of one who in deeds rejects Christ be parallel to that as to a visible renouncing of Christ the Argument is valid from the former to the debarring of the later §. 4. 2. Another exception Mr. W. makes against the expression he saith is mine of quotidian and ordinary rejectings of Christ. This expression saith he is somwhat harsh and rigorous p. 96. the like he hath p. 103. But expressions warranted by Scripture are not too harsh nor rigorous but such is this For the Scripture frequently puts this language on the notorious acts of disobedience even amongst Gods people by dedication and verball profession 1 Sam. 8.7 10.19 15.23 26. 2 King 17.15 Jerem. 16.19 8.9 Hosea 4.6 And Christ Jesus makes these two phrases of rejecting him and not receiving his word of equall importance John 12.48 And would to God this were not too ordinary and frequent 3. Mr. W. adds p. 96 97. Perhaps some of your reverend Pastors grave Elders may possibly be involved in the crime It is supposeable nay possible to use your own weapon that such may be word or deed-rejecters of Christ in your sense If such an extraordinary emergent as this appears who then shall suspend the Parish Pope or his Vestry Cardinals They will haply have a privat Mass though none of the Congregation wil joyn with them In this supposable case which possibly may occur though it doth never actually occur what instantaneous Remedy have you Methinks such wise men as you should foresee the evill and be furnished with an instantaneous Remedy against it when such a case shall occur though it never actually doth occur Shall I retort upon you this Counter-buff viz. That God hath placed a power somewhere in his Church for the instantaneous checking of this supposable evil or else must you renounce your principle which upon a close pursuit will cast you on this rock We onely here improve your Argument to such further usefulnesse as you never expected and the improvement is rather good against you than against us because it is your own argument Despising his scornfull language I answer 1. Mr W. doth here manifestly abuse me For in his Counter-buffe as he calls it he puts this Pofition down in a different Character as if it had been mine assertion and words viz. That God hath placed a power somewhere in his Church for the instantaneous checking of this supposable evill The passage of mine he alludes to was in the beginning of the Argument where one proposition in my Syllogisme was Those who are visibly such as the Lord hath in his word declared to be persons to whom he would not have the Lords Supper administred may be suspended from the Lords Supper And this I said is clear because God hath placed a power somewhere in his Church for the managing his Ordinances so as they may not be dispensed to such as he hath declared in his word he would not have them administred unto And I had before limited the Question thus That we are not now enquiring by what power any may be suspended but only concerning the lawfulness of the act of suspending the persons mentioned in the question by any person or persons whatsoever in whatsoever capacity they are or by whatsoever kind of power it may be exerted by them or any of them So that if it were lawfull for a Generall Council to suspend it proved the assertion sufficiently which I undertook You see then 1. that the expression of an Instantaneous remedy he talkes on was not mine but his own 2. Besides we may distinguish of debarring 1. by a Rule for debarring and 2. by the execution of that debarring the Rule appoints In the former sense there 's an Instantaneous remedy as he speakes in the case propounded by him to keep the ordinances from being dispensed to such as have no actuall right thereunto For the word of God so debarres them that they ought not to approach to the seal of the Covenant without their reall and present accepting of the Covenant-terms which they cannot do whiles they lye under notorious wickedness unrepented of In the later sense there may not be ever an instantaneous remedy to execute the Rule effectually But we are not disputing what men do but what they ought to do according to Scripture-Rule He might in the same manner trifle about suspending the unclean from the Passcover and say But what if the Priests and Governours were to keep back the Legally unclean were so unclean themselves who must suspend them and hence argue that they might not debarre others because there was none to debarre them or not instantly when as yet the Rule debarred them as well as others and they sinned in not complying with it themselves as well as in not executing the same for the debarring of others And thus the Reader may perceive our Gentlemans Counter-buffe is but the blind-mans-buff and fitter for an hood-winkt boy than a learned censurer of others Logick But O my soul stop here restrain yea extinguish the rise of a seeming just indignation by attending wholly to the divine and calming meditation of PSALM 119. Part 16. Q. 121 Quietly I do judgement just Save me from Tyranny 122 Quasht let me not be by proud dust For good be my surety 123 Quite fail mine eyes for thy goodness and for thy right'ous word 124 Quickly to me mercy express Teach me thy Statutes Lord. 125 Qualifie me with grace to know thy Testimonies right 126 Quickly Lord work It is time now For men thy Law null quite 127 Questionless therefore I do love Thy Truth above gold best 128 Questionless thy Lawes right I prove and each false way detest CHAP. XVII §. 1. THe consequence in my argumentation at numb 41. If word rejecters of Christianity though baptized adult and not fully excommunicate may be debarred the Sacrament then also some such deed-rejecters of Christianity may be debarred my paper proved at numb 42. as is related by Mr. W. p. 98 99. Which we shall have occasion anon to repeat I shall now gather up the summe of what Mr. W. answers for the enervating thereof and then having compared my argumentations with the pretended solutions he returnes thereunto I shall make my Reply to them severally and then adde more proofe for the confirmation of my Consequence aforesaid 1.
But look back and see whether this reason of mine he assaults was at all mentioned much lesse answered before in the dispute thy two eyes will give thee better information herein than his tale twice two times told §. 2. 2. In the next place he saith You know we are not against the excommunicating of scandalous notorious and stubborn delinquents but before such excommunication we maintain their externall right unto the Lords Supper and their right of free accesse thereunto And a Ministers admission of them is not considerable in the present case They come not thereunto upon his courtesie as if he had power to admit or not admit This is extrinsecal to the matter in hand But they come upon their own proper and internal right i. e. their baptismal interest as Christians to perform visible homage to their Lord and Saviour And he that debars them as long as they are in visible communion with Christians in other ordinances of equal sanctity is injurious to God and to them also 1. Reader suppose all this true and see whether it wound my Reason he is answering Will it hence follow that some deeds of wickedness are not as significative of a persons rejecting Christ as words are which was the proposition by me to be proved or that if this were not so no man who in words did not renounce Christ might be fully excommunicated which was my Reason to prove the foresaid proposition by 20 To the things he mentions though impertinent to this place I shall also make some reply 1. Though mine Antagonists do not simply deny excommunication yet they some of them at least so lay their train as to deny excommunication among us in England in these times For they quarrell with any power claiming to manage it Congregational Independent power will not sure be allowed by them and Classical Presbyterial power is the object of their scorns and contempt And unless we could have Bishops again and those assisted by the State I see not how they would allow of excommunication here in England In England I say For I hope to the reformed Churches beyond Seas they will be more favourable than to deny them the use of Church censures for want of Prelates But if they are impartial and will take in them too whose case to say truth differs not from ours then shall excommunication be owned by them in all Europe no where or onely among the Papists who still have Prelates And are not these Gentlemen very libeâ—all now that they should tell us of it themselves for granting excommunication on this fashion §. 3. 2. I hold also that after a person is regularly admitted to the participation of the Lords Supper that is after a solemne personall owning of his baptismall engagements he is not to be debarred the Lords Supper before he fall under some excommunication viz. either jure or facto less or greater 3. One while M. W. speaks of their externall right to the Lords Supper as if he asserted onely their external right But soon after he saith They come upon their own proper and internal right i. e. their baptismall interest c. 1. We should here distinguish of 1. a direct and proper right they may have by Gods grant to them to receive the Lords Supper and the benefits represented therein 2. an improper right and collateral by Gods authorizing the Ministers to administer to them whiles they visibly appear such as have interest in those benefits Many may have right in the later sense externally or before the Church i. e. Ecclesia judice who have not right in the former sense internally and properly A man who onely seems to be poor and distressed may have an external improper collaterall right to my almes before men as I am bound to relieve him and sin if I do not Prov. 3.27 Withhold not good from him to whom it is due that is the Needy as the LXX turns it when it is in the power of thine hand to do it Yet if he do but counterfeit poverty and distress 〈◊〉 hath no inward proper right to my almes These two therâ—fore should not have been confounded and jumbled together as they are here by our Authour 4. If such as we have spoken of have no right to be admitted and do visibly so appear I think the Minister is concerned in the admission or debarring of them if he will approve himself a faithfull Steward of the divine Mysteries that it lyes wholly in him where there is no governing Church but where there is it lies on him joyntly with others instructed by the Church As for that passage often before of the Ministers courtefie in admission it hath been once and again repelled as an odious and wretched impertinent and false insinuation he must admit according to the Rule prescribed him by his master to whom he must give account without being swayed awry either by base fear and passion or partiall respects I think Chrysostome was of this mind when in his 60. Homily ad Pop. Antioch de sumentibus indignè c. he saith Let no cruell unmercifull man approach no impure one any way These things I would have spoken as well to you who communicate as to you who minister No small punishment hangs over your head if ye permit any to partake of this Table whom you know to be held with any wickedness for his blood shall be required at your hands c. 5. Their baptismall engagement to celebrate the Lords Supper doth not hinder their being justly debarred in the case under consideration no more than a Heathen who hears the Gospel preached to him his engagement to be baptized doth hinder his being justly debarred baptisme for want of scrious profession of the Christian faith antecedently necessary to baptisme as all I think do grant Let Mr W. shew the contrary if he can I say the one is aeque though not aequaliter engaged as the other as truly though not so solemnly and multifariously A man is as truly obliged to obey God who hears his will clearly revealed as he is who hath by his own profession further positively bound himself to obey 6. The learned and ingenuous Mr Humphreys a Gentleman worthy indeed to be answered acknowledgeth as we have seen above that as an heathen so an excommunicate may be admitted both to the prayers and hearing of the word preached in the Church and the thing is manifest in it selfe as hâ—th been shewed And yet saith this our confident Authour â—â—â—ou hear He that debars them as long as they are in visible communion with Christians in other ordinances is injurious to God and to them also What he will say he means by visible communion in other ordinances I know not But they may be present with them in the Congregation and that in a constant course and that as doing their dutie there as well as others and they may account themselves and so be lawfully owned by others as Church-members
Corinthian Lais I dare not answer according to this folly No wonder if he crow over me as wanting stomack and not being stomackfull enough p. 108 118. for such doughty disputings He makes it appeare though unmannerly what a full stomack he hath by his continuall cructations of such putrid and adust choler For after all this he is rifting again in this very place and afterward as sowrely as if he had had no vent before and at last p. 114. brings up that crude calumny which he for the once belcheth forth to besmear me with it viz. the denying the Pope to be Antichrist .. I see its parlous to be neer a man in his casting fits or that owing one a spite hath the trick of the new organon salutis and can with his provang unload his stomack at his pleasure And this he ushers in with a parturiunt montes and saith you know my meaning I know indeed what followes and thence conclude M. W. is content to be a Mouse-trap that my paper may seeme ridiculous But if he remember the story Sir Walter Rawleigh hath out of Herodotus it may lessen his confidence of vanquishing the Mouse he laughs at The story is thus in History of the world p. 612. Herodotus saith Senacheribs great hoast which he had when he threaned Hezekia by Rabsheca was intended against Aegypt But a great multitude of feild mice entring the Camp of Senacherib by night did so gnaw the bowes quivers strings and straps of his mens armour that they were faine the next day to fly away in all hast finding themselves disarmed In memory whereof saith Herodotus the statue of this King is set up in the Temple of Vulcan holding a mouse in his hand with this Inscription Let him who beholds mee serve God I 'le not apply the particulars but only thus The mouse Mr. W. despiseth if it may have faire play I doubt not will disarme this warriour and cut in sunder the nerves of his arguments But the parturiunt montes I thinke may be more fitly applyed to his â—â—â—ving and groaning to be delivered of that flatulent falshood that Mola or monstrous birth of the Antichristian lye which at last he brings forth and exposeth to the view of the world And let the world at his own instance and desire behold how he travaileth with iniquity hath conceived mischiefe and brought forth falshood But this filth I shall wipe off beneath For I am afraid of displeasing the Reader by having too much of these personal fooleries together I shall therefore leave them and speak only to the thing remaining which Mr. W. hath here touched upon namely concerning the description of Excommunication which he pretends to gather out of some expressions of mine to be a declaring of a person to be as an heathen and so to be dealt with If he had perused Math. 18.17 Let him be to thee as an heathen and publican sure he durst not have scoft at that He that is to be to us an heathen is to be judged as an heathen and so to be dealt with that is in some respects viz. in those wherein he is to be to us as an heathen Neither the Scripture nor my paper here said he was to be judged an heathen simply But it saith let him be to thee as an heathen with which manner of expression my scriblings as Mr. W. fitly calls them did wholly comply And what now hath our learned Gentleman to oppose hereunto that you may seeke for some where else unlesse this may be allowed the place and honour of an objection in stead of a better which skulkes in an implicit Ambuscado namely the interpretation he puts on my expressions aforesaid that is saith our learned Expositor to be counted as an enemy and not to be admonished as a brother But if Paul be not against his Master this will do us no hurt Even an heathen any neighbour as such is to be admonished as a Brother in some sense and not counted an enemy simply Eph. 5.11 Levit. 19.17 10.36 Mark 12.33 And a Christian excommunicate ought to be admonished though in some respects he is to be to us as an Heathen The reconciliation is easie Take it in the learned Zanchius his words on 2 Thess 3. Obj. Videtur sibi contrarius Apostolus praecipit ne commercium habeatis cum eo excommunicato tamen habete eum pro fratre Resp Prohibet familiaritatem non necessariam periculosam noxiam quâ indulgeamus eorum vitijs aut saltem conniveamus non edentes ullam significationem odij improbationis peccatorum quâ denique in similia peccata induci ipsorum scabiae inquinari possimus or as Zepperus thus Although no one ought to joyne himselfe in stricter familiarity and private offices to the excommunicate yet charity shall be exercised towards him in publique and private prayers to God and frequent admonitions de polit ecclesiâ p. 164 165. But the excommunicate are not to be driven away from the publique Assemblyes of the Church to heare Gods word least they should grow hopelesse and the doores of repentance be shut to them §. 5. 6. The Rest Mr. W. hath besides personal vagaries is the old business of Examination p. 113 114. and his Question what difference we make betwixt suspension and full excommunication hath been answer'd before And now let the Reader use his own eyes and judgement whether any or all these six answers do in the least infringe my argument he pretends to evervate hereby Which was this If deed rejecting of Christ may not be a cause of Excommunication where there 's a desire signified to receive the Sacrament then none who desire to receive may be excommunicated The latter is false therefore so is the former Fit now his answers to this mark and then determine of them as Reason directs I must crave thy excuse for holding thee so long in the examination of Mr. W. pretensions on this point Wee will now the more greedily and eagerly drinke of those cordial waters of the Sanctuary PSALM 119. Part 20. V. V. 153 View thou my straites save me thy Lawes I forget not O Lord. 154 Unloose my bonds plead thou my cause Quicken mee by thy Word 155 Vile men are from salvation farre Who seek not thy command 156 Very great Lord thy mercies are Life by thy Judgements send 157 Various foes strive mee to oppresse Thine hests I 'le not forsake 158 Viewing Transgressours greiv'd I was When they thy statutes brake 159 Vouchsafe to see thy Law I love Lord kindly quicken mee 160 Very true I thy Word long prove Thy Judgements lasting bee CHAP. XXI §. 1. BE of good cheer my Reader Mr. W now saith I pray let us come to an end I hope he is somewhat neer for this time an end of his revilings and impertinencies How-ever having tyred thy patience sufficiently whiles I have insisted too long on his extravagancies in the last chapter I 'le promise thee
defence of my hypothesis require I should There are some other passages of his mixt with these I have related I cannot digest which have been answered elsewhere and I am not willing to quarrell with them here as long as the main of his discourse hereon seems such as I do comply with I will not compare with Mr. W. nor any other in rigorous pressing of doctrines this in speciall for mens conviction and reformation But I do endeavour it according to my poor measure and I think here 's nothing for substance of these things which hath not been heard from me But the knot lies not here whether they are obliged both to labour for knowledge and leave prophanesse so to come But in this whether they may not be debarred the later for their visible want of the former And he may be pleased to remember that the Fallacia divisionis is as ill Logick as the Fallacia compositionis to argue à bene conjunct is ad malè divisa is as consequent as à bene divisis ad malè conjuncta which he minds us of p. 128. and I have explained my self on this point before ch 10. § 1 2. and elsewhere I shewed that obligation to duty doth not ever give or argue a right of admission to the performance thereof simply without any more a-doe A drunken Christian is not disobliged from the publick service of God while such nor doth any excommunication disoblige from the Lords Supper they both sin in both not waiting on God in his ordinances and hindring themselves by their own default That divers things debar from the performance of duties which do not excuse nor disoblige from them is a truth so plain that he that runs may read it §. 4. 5. Mr. W. p. 131.132 answers the Query how infants are not obliged to receive 1. By Analogie to the Infants among the Jewes in reference to the Passcover but that point deserves a more accurate consideration 2. By shewing that his Assertion is consined to baptized persons adult they are bound immediately to examine themselves and to come to the Lords Table and they sin against knowledge and conscience by neglecting these duties being urged upon them and made known to them and they cannot be so urged and made known to infants by reason of their incapacity c. But this last reason is not valid For if their incapacity of knowing and having Baptisme urged on them hinders them not from being baptized why shall this alone hinder them from the Lords Supper They may be brought to one as well as the other when two or three years old and therefore are no more incapable of the one than the other upon this account 6. Mr. W. shewes the incongruity of denying children their board and not bed belike to teach us that none in the Church should be denied the Sacrament But that I have refuted ch 3. at the later end of the sixth Section These are the Returns he hath given for the confuting the sum of my foresaid argument which have as much influence into that design as Tenterton steeple hath for the causing of Goodwin sands according to the story I remember Father Latimer hath in one of his Sermons PSALM 119. Part. 21. W. 161 Without a cause Princes wrong'd me But thy word awes my mind 162 Words sacred joy my soul as he joyes who great spoyls doth find 163 Wretched lies I abhor alwayes But love thy commandments 164 Within th' day sev'n times I thee praise for all thy right Judgments 165 Who love thy Law great peace procure nothing shall them offend 166 Waiting I hop'd for thy Law sure and did thy will attend 167 With my soul I have kept thy word and truly love it most 168 Well have I mark't thy precepts Lord For all my wayes thou know'st CHAP. XXII §. 1. THere is nothing further to exercise thy patience good Reader but some descants on the passages I quoted from Salvian and Tertullian And first against those of Salvian Mr W. hath divers Exceptions as 1 that I tell him not where in Salvian to find them 2. That I quote a broken piece concealing what follows adding an c. as a veil under which to hide his sense 3. That I quoting two passages in severall books put them together which he saith is not fair dealing p. 134. 4. And lastly that the thing quoted is perverted to a sense not intended by the Author To these his Exceptions I return 1. to the first When I finished that private paper he hath publickly assaulted I had not my Salvian with me else it had been easie to have turned to the Book and page Every private paper needs not the exactnesse in these things of a publick plea. Doth Mr W. in every Sermon or Lecture when he quotes any passage from an Author name the Chapter Book and page If he do I think it is a needlesse exactnesse when as any one who doubts of or peruseth the quotation may easily have recourse to him for the place where it is to be found 2. His second exception is frivolous unless the words following those I quoted did turn the sense of the former word to another intent than that was for which I quoted them which they do not but rather confirm it as shall be shewed in answering his sourth exception 3. The third exception is removed by what I have said to his first neither is Salvians sense at all injured he speakes to the same purpose in both places as shall appeare immediately And I did not say they were joyned together in Salvian but named them as two severall passages not quoting the book wherein either of them was to be read §. 2. 4. To his 4th Exception which is most material the rest are toyes sutable for him that abounds in leisure for them I answer I quoted not Salvian nor yet Tertullian neither to prove suspension immediatly as Mr. W. pretends p. 136. Your intent saith he in alledging his words is to justisie your debarring men from the Lords Table Mr. W. hath ill hap in telling my intents and yet he will not adone with it But saith he whether Salvian intended any such thing let the Reader judge Reade him againe he is Minimus patrum and it s no great labour to read him over If Minimus patrum referre to the quality of his writings and that he is of least account how comes Mr. W. to be the Judge and Censor of the Fathers If to the quantity as the words following its no great labour to reade him over doe intimate I presume Mr. W. in that hath taken his aime amisse There are other Fathers of whose workes and writings extant the quantity is lesse then Salvians as the Clement about the yeare 93. Polycarpus Ignatius Minutius Faelix c. I know no such controversie mentioned in Salvian as that is we are now discussing to wit about suspension What he intended or foresaw the arguments and matter he treated
mean the light of solid Reason he saith here no more but this q. d. we look on no deductions from Scripture as obligatory to us unless we doe rationally discern that they are right deductions And this suits with a passage he hath a little after The Scriptures saith he were given as a sufficient and infallible Rule for the government of the whole Church so that any deduction not conformable thereunto must either be rejected as erroneous or suspected as impertinent and needlesse 2. But I submit it to the impartial Reader whether his former words do not fairly intimate q. d. That we are not obliged by consequential deductions from Scripture unless the Scripture also cleerely reveale that consequence and then indeed it ceaseth to be a deduction only For he explaines himselfe in the next words viz. For cleere Revelations of holy Scripture are the genuine principles into which our faith is resolved that by cleere Revelations he meanes the revelations of holy Scripture not the reason whereby we draw just deductions from the Scripture I desire the Reader to take Mr. W. in the most favourable sense his words are capable of But I thought meet to disclaime this latter sense least the Quakers should thinke we complyed with them in denying consequences from Scripture to be obligatory to us And the rather because I find that was a studied trick the Papists have long since taught their disciples to put upon us viz to require us to prove all we held by expresse Scriptures because we ground all the points of our Religion upon the Scriptures and not on the authority of the Church And by such like crotchets of denying syllogismes disputing by Queries c. Some of the Papists have bragged they would undertake to make a Cobler able to put the most learned Ministers of France to a non plus As may be seene with the whole Popish plot now acted in England with a little necessary variation of the method discovered in that little but very learned tract of D. Chaloner then Principal of Alban Hall in Oxford entituled Credo Ecclesiam sanctam Catholicam Printed at London 1638. long before the name of a Quaker was heard of in England and therefore appeares not devised to make them odious p. 134 135 160 161 162 c. Where he shewes the Popish designe out of their own Records agreed upon viz. to send Missionaries as they themselves called them culd out of all orders and Universities who dispersing themselves shall after Sermon ended by this method blanke the Ministers of the reformed side The which may not be unprofitable to have observed in reference to our present times and the behaviour of divers under the names of Quakers Seekers c. among us 16 M. W. addes in the page last quoted And for the sense of obscure places of Scripture we prescrre Catholique Expositions before any mans private sense or Interpretation accommodated or applyed to favour his own or his modern parties pretension For answer to this see the last quoted Author Credo Ecclesiam sanctam c. part 1. § 7. p. 150 151. And Bishop Usher in his answer to a challenge made by a Jesuite in Ireland Edit London 1625. p. 32 33 34. Where he shewes that divers of the Papists themselves grant what they blame in us that a man may without arrogance dissent in interpretation of Scripture from what is given by the most of the Doctors before He quotes Fisher the Jesuite confessing that it cannot be obscure to any that many things as well in the Gospels as in the rest of the Scriptures are now more exquisitly discussed by latter wits and more cleerly understood then they have been heretofore And Cardinal Cajetan in the beginning of his Commentaries upon Moses advising the Reader not to loath the new sense of the holy Scripture for this that it dissenteth from the ancient Doctors but to search more exactly the text and context and if he finde it agree to praise God that hath not tyed the exposition of the Scriptures to the senses of the ancient Doctors As for that passage Mr. W. addes Accommodated to favour his own or his modern parties pretension it s only a begging the thing in question All acknowledge that its a wrong to interpret the Scripture in favour of an old or new errour But none will grant his own interpretation is accommodated to an errour But if Mr. W. would have kept to his own Rule he hath here given he would not have set 1 Cor. 9. 3 4. upon the rack in his Title page for the countenancing the designe of his discourse following When as those words he there sets downe Mine answer to them that examine me is this are by the stream of Interpreters I have seene referred to the preceding words v. 3. q. d. mine apology to them who question my Apostleship is this Am I not an Apostle to you doubtless I am For the seale of my Apostleship are yee in the Lord. Not to the following words as he hath by corrupting the text with his viz. inserted before Have we not power to eate and to drinke And if it should referre to the subsequent words Mine apology to them who examine mee is this have we not power to eat and to drinke have we not power to lead about a sister a wife as well as other Apostles c What then is that passage Have we not power to eat or to drinke to sacramental eating or drinking Like as much as paveant illi had to the excusing the Priest from paving Over the head of this quotation he tells us he published his book for the satisfaction of weaker consciences But what ever he thought of their consciences me thinkes he presumed of their strong stomacks and sharp set that he can proffer them such a crude morsel in the first messe a bad omen it s counted to stumble at his own threshold and it brings to minde what D. Whitaker Regius professor sometimes of Cambridge in his defence of his Answer to Campions Reasons said to Duraeus lib. 1. de sacris literis Nihil est quod metuam me tu mihi scripturarum possessionem cripias praesertim cum scripturis aut rarò admodum utaris aut imperitè ac pueriliter abutaris 17 Mr. W. it may be will not take it well if I should neglect the ornaments of his book rather then we should fall out about this I will adventure upon the Readers patience to insert some of them here especially the fine liveries he is pleased to cloath me his meanest servant with Magisterial rashness p. 8. You delude the Countrey with a loud cry p. 9. Specious cheat p. 21. And thus you may see what conscience it is that you pretend to p. 22. Majestical severity Bead roll of words as if you would charm the senses of the vulgar with your rare skill in Logick p. 30. A meere sophister p. 46. Your heterodoxal brownisme p. 53. Your malicious slander p. 72.
Law made known to them And the strength of the Apostles applicatory conviction of the Jewes here seemes to lye mainly in this that since they not only had the light of nature to convince them of their sinfulnesse as those Gentiles had who were without the Law but also the positive revelation of the Scriptures made known to them and so were in or with the Law therefore they especially should not be unacquainted with this point the Scripture did so fully and frequently treat of as was shewed in the places before quoted And indeed it cannot be said as some Interpreters sense the words though with no advantage to Mr. W. that what ever the Law saith it speakes of the Jewes to whom it was given For it speakes often of the Gentiles But this is cleere what it saith it saith to them to whom it is made known and therefore their mouthes together with the Gentiles should be stopped from pleading for justification by their obedience to the Law which none of them had perfectly obeyed Now how can this text be applyed by proportion to inferre that the heathens must be baptized before they come under the commands of the Gospel as Mr. W. would have it q. d. As the Jewes were particularly concerned to take notice of the corrupt nature of man which made justification by workes to be impossible either to Jewes or Gentiles and to take notice of what ever the Law saith to or of them So what shall I say Heathens under the times of the New Testament are not obliged to receive the Lords Supper till they are baptized and positively engaged to Christianity Where 's the proportion which Mr. W. is so confident of that should stop the objectors mouth Such a Rule of proportion as this should rather be called the Leaden then Golden Rule It may be a truth though not gathered from this text that Heathens to whom the Gospel is not revealed shall not be condemned for sinning against the positive Rules of Christianity But if Christianity be revealed to them they are bound immediately to close therewith and so to be baptized and communicate as opportunity is offered They are in the Gospel now according to the proportion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 2.12 though not sub lege having not professed their submission thereunto And the neglect of this latter doth not excuse their disobedience to the positive Rules of Christianity concerning Baptisme and the Lords Supper I meane their not being under the Gospel by professed submission thereunto excuseth them not who are in the Gospel or are not without the Gospel revealed unto them 4. To the maine of the 20th Digression wherein Mr. W. saith The proper intent of the Gospel ministration is the conversion of such as live under the same I answer But what meanes he by being under it Those who have submitted professedly thereunto and testified the same by receiving Baptisme so his other words manifestly lead us to understand him But then what a wild position hath he given us to no purpose When Christ gave Commission to his Ministers to disciple all nations Gentiles as wel as Jewes and then to baptize them and to preach the Gospel to every creature must the scope of their Ministry be properly to bring them only to an external profession of submission to the Gospel that they might receive Baptisme and not properly intend their saving conversion till after they were baptized I had thought the proper intent of the Gospel ministration to the Heathens when it was first preached to them had been to convert them sincerely to turne them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan to God to receive forgivenesse of sins and an inheritance among them who are sanctified by faith in Christ Act. 14.15 26.18 and not properly first to make them hypocrites only dogmatical professors reserving the proper intent of the Gospel ministration for their saving conversion till after they were baptized But if Mr. W. meane by being under the Gospel such as heare the Gospel then he saith true The intent of the Gospel ministration is to convert them who heare it as Heathens doe when it is first preached to them as well as borne Christians But this is impertinent to the scope of Mr. W. his present discourse and the pretended solution of the objection he is now dealing with 21 Mr. W. in sundry places speakes of the rise and publishing of my paper with his answer thereunto In his Epistle having told us the difference happening betwixt himselfe and some of his Parish especially in the point of suspension thereupon saith he in all likelihood the Authour of the Manuscript was sought unto to declare his thoughts concerning the Controversie At length the long lookt for piece came was cordially embraced of the Affectors of the discipline stood for and being judged and taken by him to be satisfactory and a total rout thereby given to our party the Authour thereof was pleased to give way that I should have the sight and perusall thereof and to declare my thoughts concerning it I went to the Gentleman to whom it was pretended to be sent for his satisfaction and desired a copy thereof though there were no name to it and I obtained my desire without reluctancy And p. 116. Mr. W. saith The subject matter hereof is of more general concernment then mine or your particular and therefore I print it for a publique benefit And p. 73. Surely you never intended this for the publique light but the mischiefe you have done by your clandestine dealing and the high opinion that some men have conceived of your learning and integrity makes me print you that men of blind credulity may see what you are and what the men of your pretension and practise have for the justifying of their new Modell I shall give a plaine but briefe Narrative of the transaction of this businesse I was sundry times earnestly solicited by a Minister Mr. N. to let him have an account of my judgement concerning suspension which he desired on the behalfe of Mr. M. the Gentleman Mr. W. mentioned an endeared friend of the said Minister I told him I had nothing written about it but some short animadversions I had long agoe made for my own use upon Mr. Humphrey his first piece on this subject Which upon entreaty I lent to him and it should seeme by what Mr. W. saith p. 115. they were communicated to the Gentleman aforesaid and without my knowledge to Mr. W. Being againe and againe importunately moved by the Minister aforesaid to state the Question and give in my opinion thereon more distinctly I at last consented to endeavour somewhat therein the which I finished at the house of the said Minister being occasionally there one night Upon his further desiring that with my leave this paper might be communicated to Mr. W. I permitted the same if by the Gentleman aforesaid it should be thought fit being certified that upon Mr. M.