Justification of Separation from the Church of England, Treatise · Section 99 – Section 102
That which comes next into consideration, in M… B: order, is the visible form of the Church; as he calls it, which he makes (& truely) the vniting of vsus vntounto God, & one to another visibly, & in his †pag. 277.2. book, the covenant, by which Godsets vp a people to be his people, and they him mutually to be their God. This description he illustrateth by a similitude borrowed from a materiall building, whose form ariseth from the coupling together of the stones vponupon the foundatiō: which he also further manifesteth, by comparing it with the form of the invisible Church, by which the faithfull are vnited to God, through Christ invisibly, and one vntounto another. Of the termes of which comparison, and their proportion, wee shall speak by, and by. I do onelyonly in the mean while intreat the reader to observ with me these two things. The former, that, Mr B: having in the beginning of his book censured vsus very severely, and that with D. Allisons concurring testimony, for misapplying 1 Pet. 2. 5. to the visible Church, which sayd they, was meant of the invisible Church, here notwithstanding he interprets it of the visible Church, even as we do. The latter, that speaking of the invisible Church, and the form of it, he brings in sundry scriptures, as so to be expounded, which are apparantly intended of the visible Church: & amongst the rest these three. Ephe. 2. 22. and 4. 4. 1 Cor. 12. 13. the last of which he himself also within a few pages following expounds as meant ofpag. 125. the visible Church, and the properties thereof. Now for the comparison betwixt the form of the invisible, and visible Church▪ wherein if Mr B. observed due proportion, and made the form of the visible Church the same visibly, externally, & in respect of men, which he doth the form of the invisible Church invisibly, internally, and in respect of God, and so layd down things in simple, and playn terms, the truth in the point would easily appeare, & much needles labour be spared on both sides. The form of the invisible Church he noteth, first, and on Gods part to be raysed, by the spirit, by which invisible hand, God taketh men immediately by the hart, and … B.sayth he wilbe th… God: 2. and on mans part, by …aith, by which invisible hand the beleevers do take hold of the promise of the spirit, beleeving that they are his people, and he their God: and that thru God and man are invisibly vnited▪ and 3. by love, by which men take hold one of another and so are vnited together invisibly. And all this he confirms sufficiently by the scriptures. Answerable vntounto which 3. invisible hands for this invisible vnion, he makes 3. visible handes for the visible vnion: 1. vntounto the spirit, the word: 2. vntounto faith, the profission of faith: 3. vntounto love, the sacrament of the Lords supper: for …o he proportioneth them. The colour of truth, which these things may seem to hauehave in their mutuall reference, will …ub off in the very touching of the particulars. But if Mr B. would ha…e observed just proportion, and hauehave set things down playnly, he should hauehave said thus, or to this effect. As the invisible, internall, and effectuall vnion of God with man, of man with God, and of one man with another is raysed from the invisible, internall, and effectuall work of the spirit, invisible, internall, and effectuall faith, and love, which are onelyonly seen, and known of God, and of the parties themselves, in whom they are; so must the visible, externall, and apparant vnion of God with man, of man with God, and of one man with an other, arise from the visible, externall, and apparent work of the spirit; visible, externall, and apparant faith, and love, which are seen of men, and made sensible to the ey of charity, which judgeth probably of thinges which are not seen, by the things which are seen. For albeit, it be true, which Mr B. hath in his 2. book, that weepag. 136. are not therefore a Church of God, bycause men so judge vsus, but bycause God hath received vsus into covenant with himself; yet it must also be considered, that the Church is not called visible in respect of God, but of men, to whom it doth, or may appear, & by whom it is so discerned, and judged probably.
The scriptures do speak of a †Ro…. 3. a… ….iustification before God, which is by …aith alone; and of “Iam. 2.a iustification before men, which is by work…: the former of which we may truely call invisible justification, as known to none but God, and the conscience of the party justifyed: the other visible justification, as being manifest, and made visible vntounto men, by works, as ver: 18. of the Chapter before named, where the Apostle speaketh of shewing, manifesting, or making visible faith▪ and so consequently justification; by works. And look what is here sayd of visible, and invisible faith, and justification, the same from other scriptures compared together may be affirmed of visible, and invisible election, redemption, sanctification; as also of visible, and invisible saynts for the matter; and of the visible and invisible vnion for the form of the visible, and invisible Church: the invisible being certayn, infallible, and so known to be, of God: the visible, morall, probable, and so appearing vntounto men. There is in deed, and in the right disposition of things by the revealed will of God, but *Cant. 6. 8. Ephe. 4. 4. & 1. 22. 23 Act. 20. 28.one Church of Christ, which is his body, whereof he is the head, and which he hath purchased with his blood: for Christ hath not purchased two Churches with his blood, but one, neyther is the head of two bodyes, but of one: and according to this purchase of Christ, and ordinance of God, all that are of the visible Church are also of the invisible, and all of the invisible of the visible Church, which are indeed not two, but one Church, in two sundry respects, as I have formerly shewed. I deny not, but that, as it hath been sayd of old, there are many sheep without, and many wolves within: many of the visible Church, which are not of the invisible Church, and so answerably, many of the invisible Church, which never come into the visible Church. But this say I, is not according to the revealed will of God, in his word; but by mans default, and sin. It is their sin of ignorance or infirmity, which (being of the invisible Church) do not, (if possibly they can) joyn themselues vntounto the visible Church, there to partake in the visible ordinances: it is their sinne of hypocrisie, and presumption, which not being of the invisible Church; do adjoyn themselves to the visible Church, there to prophane the Lords covenant, & ordinances, to which they have no right. For how can they being wicked, and vnholy, chalendge the LORD to be their GOD, that is, all happines, & goodnes, vntounto them, which is one part of the covenant. or professe themselves to be his people, which is another part? when the Divel is their God, and their lusts; and they his, & their people, and servants, to whom they obey? or what have they to do to meddle with Gods covenant, whom he expresly forbids to take it in their mouthes? It is therefore a vile & profane defence, which you are driven to, Mr B: by pleading, that wicked persons are true matter of the Church, and so admitted into covenant with God, in the 2. book; that obedience onelyonly followes the covenant pag. 279.as the fruit of it: and that God requires not actuall obedience, or that wee should be actually good, or holy, before, or when we covenant with him: but that he should make vsus good; and that wee should be good, and perform actuall obedience afterward; which as it is notable Anabaptistry, and in deed the ground of that haeresy being applyed to the covenant of the Iewish Church: so being applyed to the covenant of the Church now, it is worse then Anabaptistry. And consider this man, he makes the sacrament of the Lords supper a ground, and part of the covenant, and yet affirms, that God for mens entering into this covenant, requires not that they should be holy, and good: and so by this deep divinity, it must needs follow, that the Lord requires not that men should be good, or holy for their partaking in the sacrament of the Lords supper.
The particulars now follow, in which you place this visible vnion, and covenant of the Lord with his people, of them with him, and of one of them with another. The first whereof is his word, which (say you) is the onelyonly first visible note, and testimony from God, by Mr B.which he makes a people his people. Ps. 147. 19. Rom. 3. 1. 2. Ioh. 17▪ 6. and so you go on to prove, that this word is Gods outstretched hand to subdue people vntounto him: the sword of the spirit by which he smiteth: the immortall seed, by which he begetteth, and maketh alive: the word of reconcilation, by which he reconcileth his Church, and people. And therevpon you conclude, that to whomsoever God sends his word, to them he testifieth his love, and desire to make them his Church, and people.
To let passe the repugnancy in your words, as first, where youAnsw. speak of the onelyonly first note, as though there could possibly be more firsts then one: and 2. where you make the word a note, and testimony, by which God makes a people his people: whereas notes and testimonyes do not make that to be, which is not, but do shew and declare it to be already. I do answer, that as it is true, that where God sends his word, there …e testifieth his love; and is desirous, that is, in respect of the outward offer of the meanes to make such a people his Church; so is it most vntrue, that to whomsoever God sends his word, and testifyes his desire outwardly to make them his people, and Church, that those he makes his Church, and people, or vnites himself visibly unto them. The vniting of God vntounto men is an effect of the word, which it alwayes hath not vponupon them to whom it is sent. Externall efficients do never prove & argue their effects necessarily, except they work naturally, and infallibly also, which the wor… doth not, but morally, and according to the good pleasure, and blessing of the Lord vponupon it. It is as you truely say, Mr B. the outstretched hand of the Lord in it self, but it doth not vnite the Lord to any, except he take hold of them with it: it is in it self hat▪ immortall seed, but may fall vponupon †Math. 13. 19.the very high way, and so have no good effect at all, eyther in truth or appearance: the messengers of it are the Lords mouth vntounto them to whom it is sent, but all receive not this message to whom it comes; *Mat. 22. 4. 5. 6.some make light of it, & neglect it, others do evilly entreat them that bring it, hating, reviling, and persequuting both them and it. Act. 13. 45. and 17. 18. Now will you say that God strikes hands with these men, & on his part enters covenant with them actually, bycause his word is published amongst them? The inward, and invisible hand of the spirit must not onelyonly be stretched out by the Lord, but must seaze, and take hold of the heart, and be effectuall invisibly, and internally, before this invisible vnion be made on the Lords part: so must the Lords outward, and visible hand, his word, not onelyonly be stretched out, but also seaze, and take hold of the outward man, at the least, and be effectuall visibly, and externally vponupon him, before the Lord can be sayd on his part to hauehave contracted any visible vnion.
In the next place comes the visible hand of man, by which he onMr R. his part c…tracts with God, & enters covenant with him visibly: & that Mr B. makes the open profession of faith vntounto the doctrine taught, which such as make, he sayth, have visibly taken hold of the word, & struc…en hands with God.
You make much of nothing Mr B. or of that which is worse thē Answ.nothing. Even now the profession of faith made the true matter of the Church; and here it must make the true form of the Church: and yet the truth is, that in the forming of your nationall English Church by a new covenant from that wherein it stood in Popery, which was by your own graunt, with Saints and Angels in stead of God, &, I adde, with Antichrist, in the stead of Christ, no such profession of faith was made, as your self here do both require, and prove necessary for the forming of the visible Church, or her vniting with God. And that I manifest in two particulars. The former is▪ that the profession of faith required for a peoples vniting with the Lord their God, must be made both freely, and particularly by the persons themselves so vniting. And this appeares both by that which you hauehave sayd of Gods giving, or sending his word, which is his visible outstretched hand, by which he offereth reconcilation vntounto men personally, and so by consequent requires that they stretch out the hand of personall profession to him: and also by the scriptures alledged by you; all which do give witnes of such a confession of faith, and sinnes, as was freely made by the persons themselves particularly, which were ioyned to the Church. Let the reader take knowledg of these scriptures amongst the rest. Mat. …. 6. Act. 2. 38. 1 Cor. 1…. 1. 2. the profession of faith noted in the scriptures by you produced, was not made by men of lewd conversation, or apparantly vnsanctified (of whom alone, and their vnion with God our question is) but by men visibly, and externally holy; and such, as all of them were, visibly, and so far as men in charity could judge, iustified, sanctified, and intitled to the promises of salvation, and life eternall. The scriptures are (besides the th… last named, Math. 3. 6. Act. 2. 38. with which compare vers. 3… ▪ 41 47. 1 Cor. 15. 1.) Mat. 10. 40. 41. & 32. Act. 8. 12. 13. 37. 38. 1 Cor. 6. 1…. Col. 2. 11. 12. Tit. 3. 5. Who but you Mr Bernard would thus wrong eyther these scriptures as iustifying the admission of lewd persons, des…rving to be excommunicated, into the Ch: or the Apostles of Christ for admitting, or baptizing such? And yet these persons are the true bad matter, for which you pleaded so much formerly: and which here by these scriptures, you would bring into a true bad vnion with God. For of these for the most part, hath the nation alwayes consisted, and of these your Ch: was gathered at the first, when it became national, & so hath stood formed ever since.
The 3. & last thing for the perfecting of this visible covenant, & vn…ing of the mēbers one to another, M. B. makes, the holy sacramēt Mr B.of the L. supper, which a… it is a seal of our faith, so i… i… a testimony of that visible com…iō of love, also of one member with another. 1 Cor. 10. 16. 17.
You confound all things in saying the sacrament makes the covenaunt;Answ. which is a seal of it, and praesupposeth both the covenant, and the Church, whereof it is an ordinance. The covenant must be before the Church, and the Church before the sacrament: how then can the sacrament make the Church? And where you further call it an holy sacrament, a seal of …aith, a testimony of the visible cōmunion of love, & of one member with another, you speak the truth, but not truly: such it is in it self, & in the right administration, & use of it: but not in the prophane abuse of it vponupon wicked men, of whom wee speak: and for whom, & their vniting with Christ you here plead. Vpō whom whilest you, & the rest of the ministers of your Church, do prophane it, as you do, the more holy it is in it self, the more vnholy is your fact, & the more heynous your sin. It is as you say, the seal of faith, and of the for…ivenes of sinns through faith to the penitent, & beleevers, but is it therefore so, & such to apparantly impenitent, & vnbeleeving persons? it is in it self a testimony of the cōmunion of love: but is it so vntounto, & among the wicked? or is it not in that abuse made a lying witnes to testifie, & witnes love, where apparant hatred, and malice reigns against God, & good men? It is an outward pledge, or symbole of the cōmunion which the faithful hauehave with Christ, (for of that the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 10. 16. 17. directly) and so by cōsequence, one with another: & bycause it vnites Christ the head with his own members, & one of them with another, doth it therefore vnite Christ or his true members, with the true apparant visible lims of the Divil, which all vngodly men and women are? This is the force of Mr Br. arguments. Bycause the L. supper is of this or that vse unto them, to whō by the word of God it apperteyns, therefore it hath or must be judged to hauehave the same vse amongst them which are apparant vsurpers of it, and to whom by the word of God it apperteyns not. There is nothing more cō mon in both his books, then this kind of deceiptfull arguing.
Here is yet an Arg: of cōparisō to be taken knowledg, & cōsidred of; & the rather because the author both wills the reader to note it, in the margent, and repeats it himself over & over, in the text.