Justification of Separation from the Church of England, Treatise · Section 26
The second poynt of our vncharitablenes spirituall Mr B. makes,Mr B. a most vngodly desire (as ever was heard of) to have the word vtterly extintinguished amongst them, & Egiptian darknes to come over them, rather then it should be preached by such as do not favour our course.
And therevpon he inters into a large commendation of preaching the gospell, as though we eyther despised or vndervalued it: and on the other syde into a most base extenuation of the constitution of the Church and of orderly proceeding in preaching, as things little or nothing regarded by the Prophets, Apostles, and other holy men of God.
For this man thus to accuse vsus as if we desired that the light ofAnsw. the gospel might be put out in the land, and that darknes might cover all, is a most vngodly & impious slaunder (as ever was heard of) and in truth one drop of that gall of bitternes which the Christian reader he confesseth in the preface is like to find in his book.
We are glad and do reioyce for every spark of knowledge kindled in the heart of any person in the land, beseeching him which is both the authour & finisher of all grace, that the same may break out into a perfect flame. But because we are taught, that the least evill may not be practised for the greatest good: Rom. 3. 8. nor aly told for God. Iob. 13. 9. (who needs not mans sin for the accomplishment of his righteousnes) we advise all men to take heed how they adventure to tread the maze of their owne good meanings without warrant of Gods word, or to do that which is good in it self without a lawful calling vntounto it, pleasing thēselves in the vncertain events of things, which are onelyonly in the hands of God: and rather to turn their feet from every evil way into the steppes of righteousnes commending by faith the issues, and events of things vntounto the Lord, whom alone they concerne, and rather to chuse neyther to buy nor sell, then to receive the character or mark of the beast, or the number of his name, Rev. 13. 17. knowing that he which worshippeth the beast and his image, and receaves his character in his forhead or in his hād, shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, of the pure wine powred into the cup of his wrath, and shalbe tormented with fyre and brimstone in the sight of the holy Angels, and before the presence of the Lambe. Rev. 4. 9. 10.
And for the concluding of this point, I would onelyonly demaund of Mr B. whether those godly ministers whom he brings in pag. 130 to bear down all before them, be not of that company which rather chuse to be silenced by the Prelates, yea & so perswade others also, then to submit to their ceremonies, & subscription. I think he wil not deny it, if he be asked the question. And do these godly Ministers there, or other in Engl. mynded as I speak desier that the word may vtterly be extinguished in the land, & that Egyptian darknes may come over all? Indeed the Prelates so charge them as the cause of all Papisme, and Atheisme in the land; but Mr B. (I know) iudgeth otherwise of them: and so would he do of vsus, if the beame of mallice did not blynd his right ey, when he looked towards vsus.
Now for the preaching of the word and gospell of salvation, as Mr B. doth but worthily and according to the excellency of it, magnify and advance the same, so doth he most iniuriously, and deceiptfully oppose it vntounto the holy order within which the Lord hath rainged it, and to the true constitution of the Church and other the ordinances thereof, with which it consorteth necessarily by the Lords appoyntment, and so they make together a most heavenly harmony. And thus to set the ordinances of Christ at iarre amongst themselves, and in the commendation of one principall to bury the rest as vile, and vnnecessary, is a most effectuall delusion, and deep deceipt, by which the mistery of iniquity is much advantaged in the false assemblyes, and the hearts of the simple fast held in the snares of error, and impiety.
The Bishops & those of their sect do in their sermons & writings extoll prayer. But to what end? That they may depresse preaching, and oppresse preachers, and so establish theyr service-saying Preists in the Ministery.
Mr. B. here, and so the forward sorte commonly will magnify preaching: but as he here, so they oft tymes with an evill ey to the right gathering, lawfull goverment, and orderly administration of the holy things of & in the church. Wel, the Lord sees this haulting on both sydes & will avenge the quarrell of his very meanest ordināce, & †Math. 5. 19.least cōmandement vpō all these deceiptful workers. Who is wise that he may vnderstād these things, & prudent that he may take knowledge of them? for the wayes of Iehovah are righteous, and the iust shall walk in them, but the rebells shall fall in them.
And for the preaching of the gospel would Mr B. but turne his eye a litle upon himself, and his nationall Church, he might finde that every text brought by him for the advancement of preaching▪ is as a sworn evidēce both against himself, & the Church for which he pleads.
The more needfull vision is, for which he quotes in the first place Prov. 29. 18. where vision is not, the people perisheth, or is made naked, the more desperate is the estate of the Church of England wherein the greatest part of the Parishes by far have dark midnight for vision: the more vnlawfull and vngodly is the ministery of that Church, to which preaching is but an accident, and no way essentiall or necessary; the more accursed is the Prelacy of the same Church which for indifferent things and so not necessary (as themselves acknowledg) blynde the eyes and stop the mouthes of the best seers, and paynefullest preachers in all places. And if the order which Christ hath left in his Church be so vyle in Mr B. eyes in comparison of his vnorderly preaching, what can he say for his Lords the Bishops which for the orders devised by themselves & by their forefathers of Rome thrust out of so many Churches the ordinance of preaching? A man would think Mr B. zeal should find room enough at home and in his owne Church, and not thus pursue beyond the …as a poore company of despised, and dispersed people.
But to the very poynt which Mr B. drives at. There is not one scripture alledged by him which iustifyes the preaching of the gospell out of a true (much lesse in a false) constitution. They do all and every one of them necessarily presuppose the same, howsoever he would separate the things which God hath ioyned together. Take one for example and that such a one, as he makes a pillar in his building. It is written and so by him alledged, Psa. 147. 19. 20. He shewed his word vntounto Iacob, his statutes and his iudgments vntounto Israell: He hath not so dealt with every nation, &c.
Here (sayth Mr B.) the Lord preferrs his word before a constitution, as a testimony of his speciall love. But vntruly. For in this very place the Lord prefers a constitution before his word, statutes, and iudgments as the cause why he gave them. For wherefore did the Lord shew his word vntounto Iaakob, his statutes & iudgments vntounto Israel, but because of their constitution? that is, because Israel was the Lords peculiar people separated from all other nations, and received by the Lord into covenant, as no other nation was. Lev. 26. …4. 14. Exod. 19. 5. 6. Deut. 19. 10. 11. 12. &c. with Rō ▪ 3. 2. & 9. 4. Act. 2. 39. & 3. 23. how profanely soever this man doth debase and vilify the true constitution of the Church which he is like never to enioy, as Esau did the by…thright, wherewith the Lord never meant to honour him. Gen. 2…. 32. 33.
And amongst other debasements of the constitution of the Church he affirmeth pag: 55. that though an orderly proceeding ought to be had, yet that at no hand for want therof preaching ought to be left of, & to this end pag. 53. and 54. he violently haleth into the same guilt with himselfe the brethren of the dispersion Act. 8. 1. 4. 12. whom he chargeth in preaching the word, not to have stood vp…n every speciall poynt in entering so orderly vntounto the work.
But as theyr enterance was most orderly for that being of a true constituted Church at Ierusalem & dispersed by persequution, they published the gospel in every place where they came, as any member of the Church may do, (as grace is ministred, and occasion offered), so is it on the otherside a Babylonish presumption for any man vnderunder any praetence whatsoever, to enterprise the preaching of the gospell or any other work disorderly.† 1 Co. 14. 40.
The Apostle (speaking especially of prophecying) expresly commaunds, that all things be done according to order: how then dare any petty Pope, or proctor of Babylon dispence with or plead for disorder in this or any other ministration in the Church?Mr B.