Justification of Separation from the Church of England, Treatise · Section 114 – Section 115
Now as from the matter, & form of the Church concurring do arise the properties, so would Mr B. in the next place iustify against us, that the congregations amongst them have the true visible properties of the Church, which he makes three in number: the first, their continuance Mr B.in he…ng of the d…h me of Christ re…r…ved, and vsing of the sacraments, and prayer. 2. the holding out of this truth, and the sacraments, as banners displayed against the enemy. 3. a care for the welfare of all, and every one for the whole, and each for other: though in his “…ag …83. …84. …85.2. book (as if it …ad not been he) 1. the h…ldin… out of the profession of the person covenāted with, Christ Iesus: 2. the holding the words of the covenant…, the written w… of God: 3. the m…ng of the publication of this covenant by the … and … the assemblies, are become the properties of the Church: as if the Church were as chaungeable in her properties, as … in his.
And here I must needs take knowledge of Mr B. distinction inAnsw. his▪ 2. book betwixt the properties and priviledges of the Church, and the rather, bycause he layes it down with great ostentation for our learning, as he sayth. His distinction is, that properties arise from within the Church, and priviledges from without: and my learning frō his distinctiō is, that he vndertakes to teach others, where he hath not yet learnt himself. His errour then is in the too streyt acceptiō of the term property, which he should take in a larger sense, as Mr Smyth hath rightly taught him: namely that, whatsoever is proper vntounto a person, or thing (whether within, or without) and not common to other things, or persons with him, or it, that is a property, or property of that person, or thing. And so since all the priviledges wherewith Christ hath endowed his Church, are proper, and peculiar vntounto the Church, and not common to her with the world, it is most evident, they are all of them the Churches properties, and so to be accounted, though she may for a tyme want the actuall vse of many of them. And even those priviledges, which your self bring for instances, are true properties of the Church: as to be called saynts, faithful, elect: to suffer for Christ: to be the ark to keep the books of the covenant: to set to the seales: to vse the keyes to open, & to shut heaven: then which what can be more proper or peculiar vntounto the Church? And it is strange that sayntship, and holynes, grace to suffer for Christ, and the like should not be accounted more naturall propertyes of the Church, then a prophane profession of faith and vsurpation of some ordinances of religion by lewd, and vngodly persons.
But towching the properties of the Church by you layd down, my answer is, that except your nationall Church be that true Israell of God, which he hath admitted joyntly, and severally into the covenant & fellowship of grace, & salvation, and to whom he hath given the promises of that covenant, and to whom by his revealed will the seales, and sacraments for the confirmation of those promises, do apperteyn, the more you meddle with this covenant by professing or publishing it, the more you take Gods name in vayn; and the more of the ordinances of God, & his covenant, you vse, and injoy, the more you abuse, & vsurp: & the longer you continue in so doing, the more dangerous is your estate, & the more to be bewayled.
And for the things themselves by which you would hauehave the Ch: of Christ distinguished from all other assemblies, they are such, as may in the outward ceremony, and observation of them, without any sanctifyed vse (which is the point in controversy between me and you) both be performed, and continued in, eyther for feare, or fashion by any accursed conventicle of atheists, murderers, adulterers or the like; yea by a company of men, and women excommunicated for these, & the like trāsgressions. And can these things which ly thus in comō to all, be the true properties of the Church?
2. I must be bould to tell you Mr B. that the holding out of the truth, & sacraments are not so properly the displayed banners of your Church, as is the observation of your popish ceremonies. The surplise is a banner far broader displayed then the preaching of the gospel, or ministration of the sacraments; the crosse is a standard higher advanced then baptism; so is kneeling, then the Lords supper: without th…se neyther the word may be preached, nor the sacraments administred, but where these banners are set vp, and fayre borne, there is that which is required, & will serve the turn, though there be very litle truth held out, eyther by preaching, knowledge, or obedience, but the contrary.
Lastly, where speaking of the marks, and tokens of the true Ch: you will the reader to observe well, that they are not the word truely preached, nor the sacramēts rightly administred: but the true word preached, and the true sacraments administred▪ I cannot but observe it well, and in it, both your errour, and lightnes. In your litle †pag. 13. 14.catechism printed 1602. you demaund this quaestion▪ What are the marks of the true Church here on earth? to which your answer is, amongst some other things: Christs word truely preached, and his sacraments rightly administred. But now in your Separatists schism, not the word truely preached, *Pag. 122 132.but the true word, nor the sacraments rightly administred, but the true sacraments are the infallible, and convertible marks, and tokens of the Ch: in the iudgement of ill the divines at home, and in all the reformed Churches in Christendome. Now that which I observe hence is, that Mr B. is one in his catechism, where he labours with good conscience to instruct his people in the knowledge of God, and another in his Invective, headily begun, and unconscionably prosequuted. In the former he endeavoured with good conscience to lay down the grounds of Christian religion: but now considering that the Christian grounds there layd will not beare the Antichristian confused building, which he is to defend in his latter book, he chuseth rather to rase his former Christian foundations, and to lay new, & those contrary, then to leave one stone of Babell vndawbed with his vntempered morter. Now for the point it self let the reader obserue these few particulars.
First, that rightly, and truely in preaching, and administration, are by Mr B. very ignorantly restrayned to the holy graces of the Church: for which, right, and lawfull persons by, and to whom these administrations are to be made, are required. And are persons graces, Mr Bernard?
2. It is not true you affirm, that all divines hould the true word, and true sacraments (though not truely nor rightly administred) the infallible tokens of the Church. I do not remember that ever I read this phrase the true word before, in any wryters. Such as write of these things are generally against you, as you are againstArt. 19. the truth. Your own articles of religion condemn you, which make it a property of the Church to hauehave the sacraments duely administred. And since the word, and sacraments are divine ordinances instituted by the Lord for certayn ends, and purposes, and determined to circumstances of persons, as by, & to whom they must be administred, it is necessary wee measure, and defyne them by the manner of ministration: otherwise wee make them but as the charmes of wizards, or at the best, as the prayers of Papists, which they account true, if so many words be sayd over by whomsoever, or howsoever. The word of God may be, and oft times is, in a great measure preached, or published vponupon a stage; and what if the sacraments should be added to it, were here a true Church marked out? And as the word, and sacraments may be sacrilegiously vsurped by them which are no Church of Christ, nor hauehave any right at all vntounto them, so may the true Church of Christ be for a time without them, though never without spirituall right vntounto them; as in the tyme of some great plague, when the Church dare not assemble, or of persequ…tion, when it is severed eyther by bonds, or …light. It doth not then cease to be a Church, no nor a visible Church neyther. It remayns visible in it self though it be not actually seen, or open to the ey of all (as you speak) as colours are alwayes visible, and soūds audible in themselves, though for the present they be neyther seen nor heard. But what do I striving with this man, which needs none other adversary but himself? As he crosses his first book with his second: so doth he both crosse, and confute his second by his third. In his first, he will hauehave the word truely taught, and the sacraments rightly administred to be the marks of the true Church: in his 2. the true word preached though not truly, & the true sacramēts administred though not rightly, are in…allible tokens, and reciprocally converted with the Church: in the 3. & last book, †Pag. 286the Church may be a Ch: without the vse of the sacramēts for a long tyme, as the Ch: of Israel was in the wildernes, so it be not done of contempt: and such as are eyther no Church of God at all, or an antichristian assembly, may hauehave, and vsurp the seales put to a blank as Ismael, & Esau out of the Church had circumcision, and the Papists now have baptism. And that which he sayth of Baptism, may as truely be sayd in cases, of the word, and the publication of it by reading, and interpretation. As the true Church may for a time want the vse of both, so may a false Ch: vsurp, and abuse both, as well the wryting, as the seal. '*Rev. 2. 1. …. 5. He that held the seven starres in his right hand, and walked in the middest of the seven golden candlesticks, threatned the Church of Ephesus, that he would shortly remove her candlestickout of his place, for leaving her f…rst love, except she repented, though she still held and vsed the word, and sacraments: and if a company of schismatiques leaving a Church without cause, or of excommunicates justly cast out of the Church should vnite themselves together, vsurping and assuming the word, and sacraments, and professing the covenant outwardly, and in the letter, did this their …old vsurpation make them a true visible Church of Christ? The matter is, the true Church may want vponupon occasion the vse, or administration of the word, and sacraments, but never the right, power, and interest in, and vntounto them: so may a false assembly vsurp o… assume them, but never have right or power from Christ unto them. And this spirituall power, and liberty arising from the Lords visible covenaunt, to communicate, and partake in the visible promises, & ordinances of it, is the true essentiall propertie of the visible Church: as is the faculty of reasoning the property of a reasonable man, and the faculty of seing, hearing, tasting, and the like, the property of a sensible creature; though neyther the one hauehave the actuall vse of reason for the present, nor the other of sense.
The third, and last property of the Church Mr B: makes, the care for the welfare of all, and every one for the whole, and each for other: Mr B.& this eyther corporall for the maintenance of the body, as in almes deeds. Act. 2. 42. or spirituall touching the sowle, which standeth in admonition, and exhortation, and so …orth, as 1 Thes. 5. 11. which also he sayth they, and their congregations have.
It is noted of some persons beside themselves, that all theAnsw. ships they see in the haven, and fayr houses in the country, they think, and say, are theirs: where if they were in their right witts, they would both know and acknowledge, that they were poore, and beggarly, and had nothing. So is it with this man, bycause he reads in the scriptures, that the Apostolicall Churches consisted of saynts; and were gathered by voluntary profession, into the covenant of God; that they had given them, and did enjoy by the Lords gift, and donation, his word, sacraments, & other ordinances; and did in that holy communion, whereunto they were called, exercise themseves mutually for the welfare one of another both bodily, and spiritually: therevpon he concludes peremptorily that the Church of England, whereof he is, and for which he pleads, hath all these things: and that they hauehave all these properties: where if he had a sound mind, and an honest heart in the things of God, he would both see & confesse, that things were nothing lesse with them, then as he sayth; and that in stead of this great and vniversall aboundance, whereof he boasteth, there were generally nothing but spirituall beggary, and want. “Rev. 3. 1…Thou sayest I am rich, and increased with goods, & have need of nothing, & knowest not how thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor▪ and blind, and naked.