Justification of Separation from the Church of England, Treatise · Section 20 – Section 25
That we not onelyonly disclayme and conde…n… the corruptions and notorious Mr Bern.wicked, but withall forsake all Christian profession amongst them, casting off the word by which wee were made alive, the ministers our fathers which have begot vsus, yea and all fellowship of the godly with them, and so account them ever false Christians, and Idolaters, having a false faith, false repentance, & false baptisme.
And from these evils thus suggested he both disswades the reader with some passionate Rhyme in the margent, and deterrs him by sundry bitter curses cast out against vsus both in the margent and text.Answer.
There is no truth of doctrine, nor ordinance of Christ taught or practised in the Church of England which we enioy not, with farr more libertie, better right, and greater purity then any person in England doth or can, as Mr Ber. knoweth right well; & for the good graces of God in many, wee do both know, & acknowledge them, and it is our great grief (though their owne fault) that we cannot have communiō with the persons in whom so eminent graces of God are: and if there be any of them which are sory for our departure from the assemblies, we are much more sory (& so have more cause) for their continuance in the same. In which their estate whilst we withdraw ourselves from them, we do in no sort condemn their persons, (which stand or fall to the Lord) much lesse any good thing in them, or truth amongst them. It is one thing simply to condemn that which is good for evill, and another thing to forbeare the vse of it in the concrete, for the commixture of evil, from which in that vse it is inseparable.
When Paul forbad the Corinthians to eat and drink in the Idol temples, 1 Cor. 10. 20. …1. he did not condemne meat, & drink. Neyther did the same Apostle when he directed the same Corinthians to excommunicate the incestuous person, and so to have no fellowship with him, 1 Cor. 5. enjoyne them to renounce the fayth which that person professed, or the baptisme which they with him had received.
And as a Church excommunicating an offender for some one scandalous sin and so refusing all communion with him, cannot be chalenged for renouncing or reiecting the faith which that person professeth, or any other personall good thing appearing in him; so neyther may any person or persons forsaking a Church and all fellowship with it for some one or few iust causes, iustly be accused as renouncing or disclayming the other good things there remayning.
Lastly let me ask Mr B. whether he disclayme one God sub…sting in three persons, & one Lord Iesus God and man, and withall, the Christian vertues of zeale, patience, temperance, humility▪ meeknes, and the like. And why not he as well in refusing communion with the Church of Rome where these things are to be found, as we in disclayming the Church of Engl. where the same and other the like good things are known to be?
Thus when a mans eyes are blynded, by partiality towards himselfe, and his mouth opened by mallice against his adversary, it is mervaylous to see what vnequall judgment he will passe.
But least Mr B. in charging our beginning (as he doth) as accursed, vncharitable, vnnaturall, and vngodly, might seeme to curse where God curseth not, he annexeth certayn portions of scripture, which he also sets downe at large, as though they made largely against vsus, and our separation, and the end why he alleadgeth them is to prove that there is cause of reioycing in the Church of England. The scriptures are these. Rom. 15. 17. 18. Act. 10. 34. 35. Rom. 14. 17. 18. To which I do answer first in generall.
There may be & oft tymes is cause of reioycing in the events and issues of things by a speciall hand of God determining them, though the secundary meanes and instruments which the Lord vseth for the producing, and bringing forth of these issues & events (as of light out of darknes) be most accursed. Wherein more, or els, hath a christian heart cause of reioycing then in the death of Christ? And yet what can be imagined more abominable then the meanes and instruments of working it.
But to speak nearer Mr B. purpose. If some Iesuite, or other, sent by the Pope into America amongst the Pagans and Infidels, should there perswade any to beleeve & confesse one God, and his sonne Iesus Christ made man for the redemption of the world, & that they should also give vp their lives for these truthes, there were cause of reioycing in theyr testimony, and yet I suppose Mr B. (knowing as he doth) would be loath to have communion in the Iesuits Ministery. More particularly. The Apostle Rom. 15. 17 18. in commendation of his Apostleship layes downe the effects of it and how great cause of reioycing he had, that God by his ministery had planted the Churches of the Gentiles whom he further describes by theyr obedience in word and deed.
And how serves this for the Church of England? Thus. It serves first to exclude all those word Saynts for whom Mr B. pleads so much in his book.
Secondly it serves to shew what small cause there is of reioying for the English Churches being planted of such vniversally & so still continuing as are indeed abhominable and disobedient, & to every good work reprobate.
The second Scripture is Act. 10. 34. 35. Of a truth I perceave that God is no accepter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousnes is accepted of him. And is it so?
What sacrilegious presumption then is it in the Church of Enland to compell God to accept of persons, and to accept for his people & servants such as neither fear him, nor work righteousnes but the cōtrary? to offer vp theyr persons & sacrifices to him in the name of Christ in whome they have no portion? to seale vp the covenant of his grace and peace vntounto them in the sacraments with whom it never came into his hart to strike hand, neyther hath he peace with them?
The third Scripture is Rom. 14. 17. 18. The kingdome of God is not meat, not drink, but righteousnes, and peace and ioy in the Holy G. for whosoever in those things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, &c.
Hence (to let passe the drift of the Apostle in this place els where opened) thus much must necessarily follow, that where righteousnes, and peace, and ioy in the Holy Ghost are not, nor men in those things serving Christ, there the kingdome of God is not, nor these men his subiects. And where Gods kingdom is not, there is the kingdome of Satan, and they that are not the subiects of the one, are the slaves of the other. And so I leave it to the godly reader to iudge whither the assemblyes in England gathered at the first, and at this day consisting of such persons for the most part as do not thus nor in these things viz: righteousnes peace and ioy in the Holy Ghost serue Christ, but the contrary, can be rightly & by the word of God accounted the kingdome of God & Church of Christ. Thus the 3. Scriptures which Mr B. stretched out like a threfold coard to hold men in the assemblies, are in truth and in their right meaning as a three stringed whip to scourge those that fear God out of them.
With such a renunciation of the truth must be interteyned much vntruth Mr B.(saith Mr Ber.) as first thou must beleeve their way to be the truth of God, then condemne our Church as a false Church: when themselves have published that the differences betwixt vsus and them are but corruptions. N…w corruptions, do not make a false Church but a corrupt Church, a… corruptions in a man make but a corrupt, but no false man.
If we beare witnes of our selves our witnes is not true,Answ. but if the word of God beare witnes with vsus, and against you, it must stand. And for the advauntage which you suppose you have gayned at vsus, where we acknowledge our differences to be onelyonly your corruptions, it will nothing at all enrich you, or better your Church: For there are corruptions essentiall, and in the very causes constitutive, matter, & forme aswell as els where: there are corruptions which eat out the very heart of a thing, as well as such as hinder the working onelyonly, or steyn the work. And we may truely say of all the abhominable doctrines and devises in Rome, that they are but so many corruptions of those pure truthes, & holy ordinances which that Church at the first received from Christ the Lord.
And for your similitude of a man, whom you say corruptions make not a false man, but a corrupt man, you are deceived in it, whether you consider a man naturally or morally. Naturally, what is death but the corruption of the man? as generatio & corruptio are opposed. And what is rottennes but the corruption of the body? Now these do more then make a corrupt man, or corrupt body, they do destroy the very being. But consider a man morally (as in the case of religion he must be considered) & then morall corruptions & vices do eyther make a false man, or els a traytor, a theif, a cousener is a true man, which patronage I hope Mr B. will not vndertake.
The second rank of reasons which Mr B. brings against us are certayne greivous sinns wherewith (he sayth) all in our way are polluted, for Mr B.which according to our own principle no man may ioyn himselfe vntounto vsus.
The sins he nameth are, a renunciation of Gods mercy, and of all good things, and men with them, vnthankfulnes to God, and the Church, spirituall vncharitablenes, audacious censuring, a desire to hinder, yea to extinguish all the spirituall good they publiquely enioy, and a wish of destruction vntounto the people, and the like.
Greivous accusations certaynly, but if to accuse be to convinceAnsw. who shalbe innocent? not the Lord Iesus himselfe, nor his holy Apostles: whose examples in vndergoing the like reproches, and in patient bearing of the same at the hands of wicked men, if we had not before our eyes, eyther our harts would break in vsus for sorrow, or we should be provoked to render reproach for reproach, & soMr B. sin against God.
Our first supposed sin is that wofull entrance before named, for which I refer the reader to that which hath been before answered.
But they in England (sayth Mr B.) enter by baptisme renouncing Ans.the Divill and sin. So do the Papists as loud as they, and with as many godfathers and godmothers, crossing and blessing themselves against the Divill, and all his works as much as they do. And for the renunciation of Gods mercy and all good men, and good things in them in the Church of England: because we refuse communion there, it is a foule charge layd vponupon vsus, but to which we are no more lyable, then were the Levites when they forsook Ieroboams Church and repayred to Ierusalem †2 Ca. …1. 13. 14.the place which the Lord had chosen. For in Israell which they forsook were to be found both good persons and things. 1 King. 14. 13. and 19. 18.
Now where in the last place Mr B. chargeth vsus not to make vnclean what God hath cleansed Act. 10. 1…. we on the contrary advise him not to account that clean, which sinn and Antichrist doth defyle.
Let him or any other man on earth shew vntounto vsus by the word of God that a Church gathered and consisting of persons for the most part defyled with all manner of impiety, is clensed by God, or that the dayly sacrifice the service book is as a lamb without spot, or that the spirituall courts so miscalled, are sanctified of God for the government of his kingdome on earth, or that the Court keepers the Archflamins and Flamins the Provinciall and Diocesan Bishops with theyr Chauncelers Commissaryes Archdeacons and other officers are his holy ones vponupon whome he hath put his Vrim and Thummim, and then let vsus beare our rebuke if we do not returne to the Church of England and humble ourselves vnderunder her hand, as Hagar did her selfe vnderunder the hand of her mistresse, Gen. 16. 9.
The second sinn wherewith Mr B. chargeth vsus is our great vnthankfulnes, 1. to God that begat vsus by his word, eyther by denying our conversion …r Mr B.els accounting it a false conversion, 2. towards the Church of England our mother whom we desire to make a whore before Christ her husband, condemn …r &c. And this accusation he shutteth vp with most bitter execrations against vsus as vnworthy to breath in the ayre.
For the thankfulnes of our harts vntounto the Lord our God for hisAnsw. vnspeakeable mercies we leave it vntounto him that knowes the hart, and for the manifestation of it vntounto men, we referr them to our entyre (though weak) obedience to the whol revealed wil of God, and ordinances of Christ Iesus, which we take to be the most acceptable sacrifice of thankfulnes which by man can be offered to the Lord.
And for our personall conversion in the Church of England we deny it not but do (and alwayes have so done) iudge and professe it true there: and so was Luthers conversion true in the Church of Rome, els could not his separation from Rome have been of faith or accepted of God.
The same may be sayd of all the persons and Churches in the world which have forsaken Rome.
Our third imagined, sinn is spirituall vncharitablenes appearing in our M. B.deep censures vponupon all at least not inclinable vntounto vsus, condemning such as know not our way as blinded by the God of this world the Divell: such as se… it, & yeeld not vntounto it, as worldlings, fearefull, convinced in conscience, & going on in presumptuous sin: such as forsake it having formerly enclyned vntounto it, Apostates, and if they oppose it, godles persequuters, hunters after soules, such as shall certainly grow worse & worse, so as men shall say, God is revenged on them, &c.
If any one man have thus peremptorily defined eyther in word or writing, as Mr B. witnesseth, it was that one mans fault, and is not to be imputed to the rest of vsus, more then Mr B. most malicious & hateful accusatiōs in this book to all the Ministers, & people in the Church of Engl. wherof I doubt not but thowsāds are ashamed, and to which they would be more vnwilling to subscribe, then he to the Bishops canons.
I for mine own part onelyonly exhort all men in all places, as they look to be approved at that day when the secrets of all hearts shalbe disclosed, that they deale faithfully in the Lords busines, & take heed they neyther forbeare through partiall praejudice, or fleshly feare to inquire after the truth nor with hould it in vnrighteousnes, if they have found it, especially that they oppose it not, eyther in hatred or contempt of the persons professing it, or in flattery of the Prelates and others of their trayne, whom most directly it impugneth. And for the rest whose harts ar vpright before the Lord, myne harty prayer is that according to theyr integrity their comforts may be, & that together with my self they may find mercy with the Lord for all those ignorances, & infirmityes wherewith the sonns of men ar cōpassed about in the dayes of their flesh.
And for you Mr B. where you take God to witnesse, and the Lord to iudge, that you do not oppose vsus of hatred or mallice, nor of purpose to vex vsus, or to encrease our afflictions knowing as you doe the terrours of the iudgments of the Lord, I would seriously advise you, considering what you have spoken and threatened vponupon some personall provocations, to take heed you be not to bould with such deep protestations as these are nor please your selfe too much in them, because you fynd them sometimes profitable to serve your turne vponupon simple people.