Justification of Separation from the Church of England, Treatise · Section 113
Lastly, unto that vvhichwhich Mr B. ob…teth in the fifth, and last place against our exposition of this scripture to the Corinth: for our separatiō, namely that at this very tyme, when the Apostles thusMr B. writ, there were of them which did partake with the heathē that they were a mixt company, among whom were dissentions, envying, open incest, drunkennes at the Lords supper, fornication, wantonnes, men denying the resurrection, I do give this answer.
As there was this mixture in the Church at this tyme, so dothAnsw. the Apostle most severely reprove the same. For the incestuous man suffred vncensured, he pronounceth the whole lump levened, 1. Epist. 5. chapt: For th… abuse of the Lords supper, that they came together not with profit, but with hurt, chap. 11. 17. where I entreat the reader also to take knowledge of the counsayl, which vponupon that occasion Beza gives in his Annotations vponupon ver. 31. which is, that we try, and examine our selves, by faith, and repentance, separating our selves frō the wick…d. For this very sin here spoken of▪ namely their partaking with Idols in the Idolothytes, that they could not partake of the Lords supper. “1 Cor. 10 21.You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, & the cup of Divels. You cannot be partakers of the Lords table, & of the table of Divels. And in this very place about which we now cōtend, that except they separated thēselves, & left this their vngodly mixture, they could not hauehave the promise of the Lord, that he would dwel among them, and walk there, & that he would be their God, and hauehave them his people, ver. 16. And doth the holy Ghost in leaving these things recorded give any countenance to a mixt company? or can you from hence eyther take unto your self, or give unto others any comfort in your, or their confused walking? Will you make your self a medicine of their poyson? or a playster of their vlcers? You are a physition of no val…w. Besides, it must be considered, that all the evils mentioned amongst the Corinthians were contrary to their constitution, and so many aberrations, and defections from that estate, and condition wherein the the Ch: was gathered. It is evident that Paul † 1 Cor. 3. 6. 9.planted the Ch: at Corinth, he being Gods labourer, and it Gods husbandry. Now who dare open so prophane a mouth, as to affirm, that this faithfull labourer would plant the Lords vineyard with such imps, or gather vntounto him a Church of any such slagitious persons, as fornicators, drunkers, incestuous men, or such as denyed the resurrection?
But what is this to your nationall Church, which was constituted, and gathered, for the greatest part, of fornicatours, drunkerds, blasphemers and the like? with such wild branches was your vineyard planted.
Thus much of our interpretation, & application of 2 Cor. 6.
I will here onelyonly adde one argument more to prove your nationall Church vncapable of the new covenant, or testament, by which you your self do graunt, and truely, the Church of Christ to be formed.
The Prophet Ieremy spe…king in the name of the Lord, of the calling of the Gentiles into the new covenaunt, or testament, as the authour to the Hebrewes expoundeth him, testifieth, that with whom soever the Lord would make that †…ere. 31. 3… 33. 34. Heb 8. 8. 10. 11. 12.testament, or covenant, he would put his law in their mind, and write them in their heart, and so be their God, and make them his people: and that they should all know him from the least to the greatest, and that he would be mercifull vntounto their s…nes, and remember their iniquities no more. But your nationall Ch: never came within the cōpasse of this promise, that all in it should know the Lord, hauehave their sinnes forgiven them, and his lawes written in their heart. Therefore your nationall Church is not within the Lords covenaunt, nor ever …, nor his people havingPag. 153. him for their God. Your exceptious in your 2. book to this Argument are insufficient. The first is, that by this exposition hypocrit…s should not be under the covenaunt, bycause the law of God is not written in their harts. But my answer is that hypocrites in respect of God and his secret, invisible, and approving will, and calling, are not of the Church, nor under the covenaunt: but in respect of men, & of the revealed will of God, according to which mē must judge, all that are outwardly holy, have their sinns forgiven, and the law of God written in their harts. And to your 2. exception, namely, that the place is not vnderstood barely of a member of the visible Church, but so of it, as withall he be an elect saynt, I do answer, it is true you say, …ōsidering what bare members of the visible Church you make, & of what members your Church is most what made, even such as ar both bare, and empty of all grace, and appearance of grace. But let them be such in any measure, as of whom the Lord in his word gives approbation, and whom he entitles to the visible ordinances in his Church, and then they are not barely visible members, as you speak, but elect saynts also, in the respects formerly mentioned. It is evident that both Ieremy, and the Apostle to the Hebrewes speak of the new testament, or covenant of grace, whereof Christ is the mediatour in his own blood; opposed to the old testament, and covenaunt of works established by Moses in the blood of bulles, and goates: and of the persons with whom the Lord makes this covenant, and which hauehave legacies in this will, and testament of Christ, which he hath also confirmed by his death: which do all know God, and have his law written in their harts, and their sinns pardoned. And there is nothing more derogatory to the grace of God, and blood of Christ, then that any within the compasse of this covenant of grace, or having a portion in this testament established in Christs blood, should not hauehave his iniquities forgiven, and his heart sanctifyed by the spirit, truely or in appearance, as he is truely or apparantly partaker of the former graces. And here also appears the vanity of your third exception so oft repeated by you, to wit, that you are not all without the law of God written in your harts, and without the forgivenes of sinnes, but that some of you have obteyned this grace. As though the quaestion were of some few in your Church, & not of the whole Church. If you minded what you had in hand, you should see, that to prove your Church within the covenaunt of the new testament, you were bound to manifest, not that some few, but that all the members of it were (at the least in the constitution) partakers, of those promises, wherein it is established: the reason is bycause not some few severally, but all the members joyntly considered, do make the Church.
Iohn in *Chap. 9. 7. 8.the Revelation describing the Locusts, sayth of them, that they had faces like the faces of men, & hayre like the hayre of women. Doth it therefore follow they were men, or womē, bycause they had eyes, mouthes, noses, & some other mēbers that men, & women hauehave? So neyther is a profane people a true Christian Church, or body of Christ for some few Christianlike persōs v…tequally yoked with them, since the Church, or body, as I hauehave formerly sayd, consisteth not of some few but of all the members coupled, and combyned together in one communion.
And thus much to prove that lewd & vngodly persons, so continuing, are uncapable of the new covenant, or testament consumed by the death of Christ: and that they hauehave no fellowship, or vnion with God in Christ, in whom alone he establisheth his covenant: and if any man will affirm the contrary, not I, but Iohn by the word of God, reproveth him expressely for *1 Ioh. …. 8a lyar. And in deed what more impudēt untruth can there be affirmed, then that an apparant visible lim of Satan should be an apparant, or visible member of Christ, or that gracelesse persons should be within the covenant of grace, and salvation, as is that coven…t into which the Lord gathereth, and in which he uniteth his Ch: vntounto himself?
For conclusion of this point, let the reader observe, that as the Church is essentially constituted by this vnion of the mēbers with God, and one with another, so, consider it as an ecclesiasticall policy instituted by Christ the King thereof; and then that form, or ord…r of government, which he hath set, and which the Apostolik Churches vsed, and enjoyed, is the form of it: as it is in all other po…ici…s, corporations, and cōmon wealthes in the world. Which form of government the Church of England is so far from enjoying, a… it hates worse then Papists all that in any measure desire it.