Justification of Separation from the Church of England, Treatise · Section 103 – Section 104
The Argument is, that, a… continual si…nes & corruptions of the hart… of Mr B.the elect, do not make thē false Christians before God, or no true invisible mē bers of Christ: so neyther do outward offences, or corruptions, m…k open professors of the saith, false Christians before men, or no true visible members of Christ. True, no more; due proportion observed: namely, tha… Answ.those outward offences do not reign in the mortall bodyes of men, … the inward corruptions do not reign in the hearts of the elect.
But let the reader here remember the subiect of the quaestion, which is, men of lewd conversation, and deserving to be excommunicated, and then the noting of Mr B. Arg: wilbe like David… noting the Amal…kites tydings of the death of S…ul, and Ionathan, to the destruction2 Sam. 1. of him that brought them. For by the same rule of proportion I argue thus. As they in whose hearts, sinns, and corruptions reign inwardly, are no true Christians before God, nor actuall members of Christ invisibly: so they in whose lives, and conversations, sinnes and corruptions reign outwardly, are no true Christians before men nor members of Christ visibly. And here comes to my mind an other argument much what like this, in Mr B. 2. book: where he will have a mixt company of godly, and wicked persons to be called holy, or a company of saynts, as well as a person, holy, in whom there is a mixture of the spirit, and flesh. But the difference is playn. In this mixt body of godly, & wicked, sin reigns in some of the members but in no part of body, or faculty of soul of a person, in whom the spirit is, (though never so much flesh be mingled with it) doth sinne reign. He might as well say, the whole Church so mixt shalbe saved: for the whol man shalbe saved, by faith in Christ, notwithstanding all mixture in him.
Now the conclusion Mr B. makes, that, their congregations professe Christ, as is before sayd; that God hath given them his holy word, and sacraments: & moved the harts of all of them outwardly to receive both the one, and the other, is vnproved, and vntrue.
For first, there is no one congregation in the Land whose particular members made that holy profession in any measure, by & according to which the Apostles did constitute and vnite visible congregations. Secondly, I deny that the Lord hath given his sacraments to any congregation in the Land: there are very many in the best ordered parishes, which take them without the Lords gift: as being wicked vsurpers of them, vntounto which by the revealed will of God they have no right. But here I must needs discover Mr Bernards haunt, and the turning, by which in his second book he vsually declines both Mr Ainsworths & Mr Smyths Arguments of this nature: and that is, by telling them, that all are not wicked amongst them, that some, or many hauehave the true knowledge of Gods word: and that the fear of God possesseth the hearts of many: as inpag. 249. 250. &c. this place, that God hath moved the hearts of many of the people effectually, and the like: and that therefore we do them wrong in condemning all for some: and in denying the good their right, for others default. To this I answer first that those that can be truely judged to fear God, are thin strewed in the best places: and not many in comparison of the rest, as is pretended, but a very small handfull: and besides, it is but casuall, and accidentall to the congregation, and nothing to the constitution of it, that there is one man truely fearing God in it. The parish must be a true vivisible constituted Church, as well one as another, and so receive the sacraments together, whether the Lord have had any such work (as is here spoken of) in the hearts of any, or no. And 2. it must be considered, & I pray the teader well to observe it, that the quaestion here betwixt Mr B. and me (and so ordinarily betwixt him, and them) is about the congregation (which consists of all the members ioyntly) and not about some particulars cō sidered severally from the rest, of whom the congregation consists not. I am verily perswaded there are in many congregations many that truely feare God: (and the Lord encrease their number, and graces) and if they were separated from the rest into visible communion, I should not doubt to account them such cō gregations, as vntounto which God had given his sacraments: but take them as they are even one with the rest, in one ioynt communion, as members of one body, making all together one Church, & congregation, so joyned at the first, and so still remayning, I deny that this Church, or congregation is the Lords people in covenaunt with him: or that he hath given vntounto it his sacraments: yea or that those, which truely fear God, & are accepted of him in their persons, have in that communion, the right, and lawfull vse of them in many particulars. They cannot take them for pawnes and pledges of Gods love, and the forgivenes of sinns, to that congregatiō, wherewith they ioyn in the vse of them: nor as testimonies of true spirituall love amongst the persons communicating in them: nor as notes & badges of d…stinction, of that assembly, from all profane & vnhallowed assemblies in the world. And yet are all these common ends, and vses of the sacrament, as it is a communion, or cō mon vnion of the members with the head, and one with another mutually. Since therefore your congregations, or parish assemblies are (& alwayes have been) so constituted, as that neyther the greatest part of them (being prophane) have any interest in the sacraments, or can have any right vse of them in their persons, nor yet the rest in their communion: it must needs follow, (except the Lord have given his sacraments to them, which can hauehave no right vse of them, and to whom they apperteyn not) that the Lord hath not given his holy sacraments to your congregations. And where you further adde, that God hath moved the harts of all the people of your congregations outwardly to receive both the word, and sacraments, it is one, amongst the rest of your bold, but bare affirmations. Are there not many thowsands amongst you that vnderstand not Heb. 6. 1.the doctrine of the beginning of Christ, the very first principles of christiā religiō? And hath God perswaded the harts of these to receive the word & sacramēts in any sence? The Lord Iesus teacheth vsus in the gospel that †Ioh. 3. 20.every man that doth evill, hateth the light, neyther commeth to light, least his deeds should be reproved. And yet you will hauehave vsus beleeve, that God hath perswaded the hearts of all the evill-doers amongst you, not onelyonly to come to the light, but also to receive it. Let your own parish Mr B: stand for instance. There were in it (to myne own knowledge) when you wrote this book, that held most blasphemous errours touching the very Trinity; and there are at this day, (as I am certaynly informed) who are so moved to receive the word, as that your Church-wardens are driven to spend a great part of the Lords day in hunting them from the ale-house to the temple. And if this be your case, what is the condition of the most congregations in the Land, to which the word of God hath not so much as been offered in any indifferent measure for the moving of their harts to receive it? The truth is, the people are drawn in the most congregations, the most of them, and many in all, by compulsive lawes, to keep their Parish Church, to heare divine service, to communicate at Easter, and to receive the sacraments, and other rites: as is commaunded in the communion book: but how farre the most are from having their harts thus moved, as is pretended of all, to receive the word of God, appeareth too evidently in that great contempt, and hatred wherein they have such amongst themselves, as do in any sinceritie eyther preach or professe the same. To these things I may further adde, that, since the Lord hath given his word and sacraments to be dispensed to no people, but by the meanes which he hath prescribed in his word▪ except the English Preisthood, and leitourgy were prescribed by the word of God, for these ministrations, even in this respect God cannot be …ayd to have given his word, and sacraments to the congregations spoken of.
Now although this which hath been sayd in answer to your grounds, be sufficient to disprove the form of your Church, as you your self Mr B. rayse it, yet for your further conviction, I will adde certayn Arguments to manifest, and make playn, that wicked, and vngodly men, and women are vncapable, by the word of the Lord, of his covenaunt, and of all spirituall visible vnion with him; & so consequently your congregations (gathered of such persons at the first, and of such still consisting generally, with a handfull godly minded scattered amongst them) to remayn vnformed, by the Lords holy covenant. The Arguments are,
First, bycause godly, and wicked men are contraries, as beingI. guided, and led by contrary causes, the one sort by *Gal. 5. 1….the spirit, and the other by the fl…sh, which are contrary one unto another. Now two contraries are not capable of one, and the same form.
Wicked men, and such as †Psal. 50. 16. 17.hate to be reformed are forbidden, byII. the revealed will of God, from medling with his covenant, or ordinances: and therefore are not by the revealed wil of God received into covenant with him, or to the participation of his ordinances▪ which are both one.
Since wicked men are by the word of God (as you your selfIII. graunt) to be excommunicated, that is to be cut off from the visible vnion with Christ and his Church, how can they be sayd by the same word of God, to be capable of this vnion with Christ and his Church? nothing can be eyther more vnreasonably affirmed, or more vngodlily practised.
Lastly, the scriptures do expressely debarre men of lewd, and vngodly IIII.conversation, of all fellowship, vnion, and communion with God. If wee say, that we hauehave fellowship with him, and walk in darknes, we ly and do not truely, sayth the Apostle, Ioh. 1. Ep: 1. 6. and what fellowship sayth Paul, hath righteousnes with vnrighteousnes? & what communion hath light with darknes? and what concord hath Christ with Bel… ill? or what part hath the beleever with the vnbeleever, or infidel? &c. 2 Cor. 6. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. The former of these scriptures is so directly against you, as if it were recorded by the holy Ghost with particular respect to your errour. You say that men though of a lewd conversation, that is, walking in darknes, have visible fellowship, vnion, and communion with God, if they professe they beleeve in Christ, or so say; Iohn on the contrary teacheth that they which walk in darknes, have no fellowship with God, though they so say, but are lyars. The other scripture must be further opened, and inforced: considering how you charge vsus in your 2. book with the wretched abuse of it; and labour by a long discoursepag. 140. to wring it out of our hands: as being our speciall weapon (as you say) to fight for separation, and to defend the same. The four heads vnderunder which you reduce all the particulars about it, I will prosequ…te in order, as they are by you layd down. 1. the occasion. 2. the scope. 3. the matter intreated of. 4. the persons spoken of.
For the first, it is true you affirm of the Christian Corinthians Mr B.going to the idol feasts in the idol temples at the bidding of their freinds, and kinsfolks the heathen Corinthians: which I also acknowledg to hauehaveAnsw. been the mayn, and most immediate occasion of the Apostles writing, as he doth, but not the onelyonly occasion. There was a former occasion of that, namely their marying with the vnbeleevers, & their †ver. 14.vnequall yoking with them that way: by which the other mischeif was occasioned amongst them, as it had been with other the servants of God before them, from the beginning of the world. Gen. 6. 2. In which respect therefore the Lord in the law forbad †Exod. 34. 16.the Israelites to take of the daughters of the heathen vntounto their sonnes, least they provoked them to go awhoring after their Gods: which when they neglected, and mingled themselves with Idolaters in mariage, they presently fell into that monstrous mixture in religion, against which the Apostle dealeth, Numb. 25. 1 King. 11. 1. 2. 3. 4. Ezra 9. 1. 2.
But where for the clearing of your selves of the very occasion, you do adde, that you dwell not in civill society with idolaters, but vnderunder a Christian King, and with a people professing Christ, where no publick Idols are set vp, nor any feasting in honour of them, you follow your old fashion of bold boasting without measure, or modesty. Do you not live in civil society with the Idolaters? HaueHave you no Papists in your kingdom? I may say in your Parish? or are Papists become no idolaters with you, as Rome was right now no false Church, nor Iesuites false subiects? The face of your charity Mr B. is so full set towards Rome, and Papists, as no marvayl though you be so vnequall towards vsus, as you are. The truth is, you are in the most streyt bond of civil society with Popish idolaters, that may be. Ther is nothing more common amongst them of your Church, then to ioyn in mariage with them: neyther is there (to my knowledge) amongst all your canons any one against this▪ prophane commixture. Neyther is it any thing you speak of living vnderunder a Christian King, or with a people professing Christ: for idolaters may live vnderunder a Christian King, and professe Christ too in a measure, as both many others, and all antichristiā idolaters do. Yea I have formerly manifested, that you live not onelyonly in civill, but even in religious society with Papists, and you your self graunt as much of Atheists in the beginning of your book: and will you say that visible Atheists are true visible matter of the Church, and capable, by the word of God, of true visible fellowship, and communion with Christ, and the true members of his body?