Arrow Against the Separationists, Discourse · Chapter 15
CHAP. XV. Touching the preſent meeting-houſe ſtill reteyned by Mr. Ainſworth.
Hen. Ainſ.FOr your 1. and 2. obiections from the houſes wherin we meet: I have aIn the defenſe of our 6t. reaſon.before proved, they are not, neyther ever were Idolies, nor by any law of God to be deſtroyed, though Iewes or any, have worſhiped in them.
Anſwer.
Io. Pa.AS you did formerly vſe a Iewes ſynagogue for the place of your worſhip: ſo do you now preſently vſe the ſynagogue or meeting-houſe, where Mr. Iohnſon and his people after your diviſion and ſeparation from them, did ſtill vſe to meete together for the publique ſervice of God: And this meeting houſe according to your doctrine is an Idolie, or place of Idols, which by you ought to be avoyded as well as our temples.
Firſt, for the conſtitution of Mr. Iohnſons Church aſſembling in that place: by your teſtimonie and dealing therewith it muſt needes be falſe in as much as they did degenerate and prove obſtinate ſinners, in your account: while you witneſſe of them, that //Animad. p. 48.their errour did eat out the very conſtitution of the church: that they aAnimadv. p. 129.departed from and ſpake evill of, and perſecuted the truth and way of God, wherein they had once walked with you. You ſay that bIbidem. p. 132.dayly in their publique doctrines and prayers they inveighed againſt the truth they formerly profeſsed, wounded the conſciences of the brethren & ſought all occaſions to draw men from the right way and practiſe of the Goſpell. What ſhould we doo, but ſhake of the duſt of our feet againſt ſuch authors of errours and peace breakers? Now ſuch obſtinate & degenerate apoſtates, againſt whom men may ſhake of the duſt of their feet, cannot by your owne confeſsion be thetrue matter of a Church, nor yeeld a true conſtitution thereof: and being a falſe conſtitution ſet vp in stead of a true, you alſo therein acknowleage it cCounterp. p. 172.a very Idol. And as you thus make the body of their conſtitution in generall to be an Idol; ſo the ſeverall members in particular being according th your judgement of them, wicked apoſtates, perſiſting in ſin, they alſo by your writing are to be deemed dIbid. p. 144.Satans images, pictures of the divell and helliſh repreſentations, and conſequently their meeting houſe an Idol-temple.
Secondly, for the worſhip of that Church: you muſt needes confeſſe it to be Idolatrous alſo, vpō the former ground. For whereas you write that eCoūterp. p. 142. 143. 144. 145.the bodies and ſoules of men are ſpirituall and living ſacrifices, and the perſons offred in the Church by the miniſtery of the Goſpell, ſhould be as the holy flock, as the flock of Ieruſalem in the ſolemne feast, &c. The people of Mr. Iohnſons company being as you have accuſed them obſtinate and degenerate apoſtates, perſiſting in wickednes, herevpon all that blame which you impute vntounto the worſhip in the Church of England falles vponupon their heads vponupon your owne graunt; namely that they neither deſerve to be layd on Gods Altar nor to be touched of any true Iſraelite in ſuch reſpect, &c. that the precious body and blood of Chriſt repreſented by bread and wine at his ſupper, is proſtituted vntounto the wicked and vnworthy receyvers in that church, &c. that baptiſme is there given vntounto the ſeed of the moſt vngodly, blaſphemers & enimies of Chriſt, vntounto whom by no right it doth apperteyne: That there is a ſacrilegious profanation of the holy myſteries, &c. That the bringing of Satans ſeed into the Church, vntounto the aliar of God may further be minded as a high degree of violating the ſecond commandement, whereby all images, idols or ſimilitudes whatſoever, of the Divils or mens invention or forming, are ſeverely forbidden to be brought into Gods houſe, or vſed in his worſhip, &c. That they remayning in impenitency, &c. have no word or promiſe in ſcripture that Chriſt is the Prieſt or ſacrificer of ſuch worſhip or worſhippers. And muſt not that place where all this falſe and Idolatrous worſhip hath bene performed, be acknowledged to be an Idol-temple? yet isit now your temple.
Thirdly, for the miniſters of Mr. Iohnſons company. I fPag. 26.ſhewed them before out of your owne writings to be Idolles: and you deny it not. And it may further appeare by that which you vvrite againſt their gAnimadv p. 59.—67.miniſterie executed by ſuch as have not rightly bene called by the Church whereof they ſtand miniſters, &c.
Fourthly for their governement; you call it a hIbid. p. 36 38. 42.prelacie: a new eſtabliſhed hierarchie: a ſpirituall tyrannie: and ſuch governours, you hold to be iArrow againſt Idol. p. 19.Idolles. Beſides Mr. Iohnſon vſing the cenſure of ſuſpenſion which heretofore you held to be an kH.B. diſc. p. 234. & 236.Idol, his governement in that reſpect is idolatrous according to your profeſſion. Novv there being ſo many Idolles in the conſtitution, miniſtery, vvorſhip and governement of that Church, the 4. maine heads of tranſgreſſion imputed by you vntounto the Church of England, hovv can you blame vsus for our vſe of temples, whē as yourſelves even to this houre do ſtill reteyne that meeting houſe, where all theſe Idols have bene diſcovered by you?
If you will diſtinguiſh betwixt Idols, whereof ſome cauſe ruine to the temples, and others not: ſhew vsus a cleare warrant from the ſcriptures for ſuch diſtinction, & you ſhall then finde hovv many wayes it will returne vponupon your owne heads. And beſides you cannot help yourſelf with any ſuch diſtinction, becauſe you do already here affirme in expreſſe words, that theſe houſes are not to be deſtroyed though Iewes or any have worſhipped in them. So that though Indians had vvorſhipped the divell in his ovvne perſon in your ſynagogue neither that nor any other of the groſſeſt Idolatry ſhould have hurt your priviledged place, though far leſſe Idolatries might tumble dovvne our Churches.
If you vvill ſend vsus ſtill vntounto the defenſe of your 6t. reaſon; you may ſee it before refuted and beſides, that vvhichwhich you there ſayd of private dvvelling houſes, vvill not ſerve to excuſe your plate of ordinary and publique aſſembly for the vvorſhip of God.
If you or any of yours ſhould except, that this your ſynagoguevvas not built by Antichriſt, nor dedicate to Antichriſtian Idolatry: that vvill not help you: you cut of yourſelf from having any excuſe thereby, vvhiles in your reply vntounto Mr. Ber. making ſuch a like anſvver vntounto you, you ſay in effect, that lCounterp. p. 199.the law of God makes no inquiry, by vvhom ſuch places have bene built, but vvhether Idolaters have ſet vp their Idolatry there and vvorſhipped in ſuch places. Yea if your arguing be ſound, if the Church of God ſhould build a nevv temple for his lavvfull ſervice & vvorſhip, and if the Papiſts or other Idolaters ſhould by violence take the ſame from them and vſe it but one yeare or one monethmonth for their Idolatrous ſervice: by your doctrine it could never be lawfully employed againe vntounto the ſervice of Chriſte by any true Chriſtians. And therfore by the ſame reaſon is your meeting houſe to be aboliſhed and deſtroyed, having bene defiled with ſo many Idolles.