Justification of Separation from the Church of England, Treatise · Section 28
To the further charge of vncharitablenes layd against vsus, as beingMr B. glad when they contend amongst themselves never praying for the peace & welfare of the ministery &c. I do answere, that we reioyce for all peaceAnsw. in truth amongst all men but for peace in iniquity, which is a wicked conspiracy, and fearful judgment of God we reioyce not, we pray not. Let Mr B. aske the godly Ministers with whose supply he backs his book, whither they reioice in his & other mens peaceable subscription & conformity? or whither they could not rather have wished they had contended against the same? yea let me ask Mr B. himselfe whither he reioyce in the peace of the representative Church of England the Convocation house, and in theyr vnanimous consent in framing and imposing their canons and constitutions? or whither he would not rather clap his wings and craw for ioy, if the two Archprelates with the rest of theyr horned Clergy there, would oppose and crosse one another? And let me ask him yet further for the wellfare of which order of Ministery he would have vsus pray? or whither he himselfe pray for the welfare of the Bishops (except it be sometymes before theyr faces.) And for vsus to pray for the inferiour Ministery and not for the prelacy is to dally with God, and to blesse the branch, and not the root.
And in alledging (as you do) Act. 11. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. to prove that holy men have reioyced for the people receaving of the gospel and not at theyr standing in a constitution, you do injuriously separate things to be conioyned. For the same persons that received the gospell ioyned themselves in a constitution, or constituted Church as appeareth ver. 26. And it is expresly sayd, Act. 2. 41. that they that receaved the word were added to the Church, and being baptised they must needs be of a Church for baptism is not without, but within the Church and an ordinance given unto it.
And how profanely bould soever you (Mr B.) are to blaspheme the tabernacle of God which he hath pitcht amongst men, or visible Church framed according to the pattern given by a greater then Moses, yet is it good for vsus to consider what the H. Ghost noteth, in the last verse of the forenamed Chap. that the Lord added to the Church from day to day such as should be saved. Neyther can you possibly produce one example or other proof in the scriptures of one man teaching the gospell but he was a member of a true Church, nor receiving it but he ioyned vntounto one. And for the man that cast out Divels in Christs name but followed him not, Mark. 9. 39. he can no way help you for what purpose soever you alledge him.
For first he was a member of a true constituted Church the the Church of the Iewes, which was yet vndissolved. 2. he had no office but a gift. 3. his gift and calling to vse it, was extraordinary and miraculous.
Now for our love towards you, wherein you blame vsus as defective, it is the same in generall which we beare towards all men, and more speciall according to the speciall bonds betwixt vsus and you, and towards many very great both for the many good things we know to be in them, and vnderunder the hope also of their further progresse.
And for our prayers, as it is true that wee cannot pray for you as visible members of Gods Church, for God never gathered Church of the visible and apparent members of the Divel as the greatest part of yours were & are: so is it vnjustly infinuated against us that wee pray no otherwise for you thē for Papists Atheists and the like. We pray for the perfecting of Gods work in you, and that as we think many of you his people in Babylon, so you may come out of her.