Parallels Censures, Letter 1 · Section 17 – Section 18
The ſevententh Section.
Your ſixtenth point followeth, viz.
16. That our Churches ought to be raſed downe, & not to be employed to the worship of God: we are not abſolute & peremptorie in this: only this we think for the preſent that al the reliques, shapes, formes, memorials, inſtruments, & remembrances of Antichriſtian Idolatry ought now as wel to be defaced, as in the old Teſtament ought Reliques of paganiſme, bicauſe that the proportion of paganiſme & Antichriſtianiſme is equal, therfor the L. calleth Rome & al Antichriſtian aſſemblies, Babylon, Egipt Sodom, Apoc. 18.2. & 11.8. & Antichriſtians are called by the ſame reaſon, Gentils, Apo. 11.2. even Babylonians, Egiptians, Sodomites & ſo by conſequent proportion the Temples Babylonish Temples, pagan Temples, Egiptian Temples, Sodomitish Temples: & therfore to be defaced vtterly according to the commaundement, Deut 7.5.6. & 12.2. Iudg. 2.2. Gen. 35 1-4.2. King. 10.27.28. & 18.4.5. Pſal. 16.4. Exod. 23.13. Eſay. 30.22. the ſame may be ſaid of your holydayes, your tithes & offerings, your Surplices, Copes, Croſſes, Fonts, & al other Superſtitious reliques, that God wil not be honored by inſtruments of Idolatry: nor Idols muſt not bee ſo much honored as to retayne a nayle or pinne of them or their implements to honor God with all: Lett vsus ſee Mr. Bernard what you can ſay, to convince vsus of error: You ſee the reaſons that move vsus thus to think till wee ſee better.
Paralleles, Cenſures, Obſervations, aperteyning to the ſevententh Section.
Although Mr. Ainsw. hath ſufficiently ſtopt your mouth Mr. Bern. in this particular, yet I think it not amiſſe to add thus much, for further cleering of the matter: know therefore, that as Iehu turned the Temple of Baal into a jakes after he had defaced it, 2. King 10.27. and as Hezechiah brake in peeces the braſen Serpent, the Lords owne ordinance being abuſed to Idolatry, 2. King. 18, 4. So the Kings of the earth should doe wel to follow the Holy Ghoſts prophecy, Revel. 17.16. even to make the whore of Babylon deſolate, and naked, to eate her Flesh, and burne her with fire: and not duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page to ſuffer her wares, that is her veſſels of wood, Ivory, Braſſe, Iron, marble, to be bought any more: which I am perſwaded shal in due tyme be accomplished: that as the goodly buildings of the Abbayes, Monaſteries, & Nunries, are already deſtroyed, & made barnes, ſtables, ſwineſlyes, jakes, ſo shal it be done with al the Idol Temples when the howre of their viſitation shal come: & whereas you object for the juſtifying of the vſe of the Idol Temples, that ſeing Antichriſt ſitteth in the Church of God, that therfor when the Idol Temples were built, the Church took poſſeſſion of them to keep poſſeſſion for the Lord in his creatures, therby concluding a lawful vſe of them now for the Church reſtored, I answer you: your ground is faulty, & therfor your building tottereth: the place of the Apoſtle, 2. Theſ. 2.4, wher it is ſaid that Antichriſt ſitteth in the Temple of God, is falſely by you conceaved & interpreted, for it doth not import that (as you would have it), Antichriſts Church, & the true Church of Chriſt are one & the ſame, & that the ſame company of men can be, and are, both the true viſible Church of Chriſt, & at that ſame tyme the Church of Antichriſt: this is impoſſible: for the true Church is not the falſe Church. But this is the meaning, viz: either that Antichriſt shal ſitt in the conſciences of men which is properly the Temple of God: Or that Antichriſt shall ariſe vp out of that company of men which once were the Temple of God, as Rome was: or that the Church being true in the conſtitution, Antichriſt shal foyſt into it by litle and litle his falſe miniſtery, VVorship, and Government, as experience teacheth he hath done: For a true Church may have Antichriſtian ordinances retayned & raiſed vp in it: this being the true meaning of the Apoſtle, how can you hence conclude ſoundly that the true Church tooke poſſeſſion of the Temples, which the falſe Church of Antichriſt built? Seing the true Church is not the falſe Church, & ſeing that the temples were built in the palpable darknes of groſſe popery, ſome of them perhaps dedicated to heathen Idols, ſome of them to Antichriſtian Idols, as ther Hee, & shee Saints; al of them to Devils. For if Ieroboams Preiſts were appointed for Devils, 2. Chron. 11.15. & if the Antichriſtian preiſts are the Spirit of Devils, Revel. 16.14. & the worship of Antichriſtians the worship of Devils, Revel. 9.20. & the Antichriſtian Churches the habitation of Devils, Revel. 18.2. then the Temples are dedicated to Devils: not that they intended ſo to dedicate them. but for that they are ſo indeed the Lord accounting that to be done to the Devil, which is not done to him as he hath commaunded: & the Devill ſubſtituting himſelf in Gods place, when men go a whoring after ther owne inventions: Therefor the Apoſtle ſaith plainly that the Gentils Sacrifice to Devils, 1. Cor. 10.20. to conclude this point therfor, & ſo to leave you to meditate vppon theſe things: Seing the Gentils Sacrifice to Devils, ſeing the Antichriſtians worship Devils, ſeing Ieroboams preiſts were appointed for Devils: & yet al theſe intended to worship God even the true God: then it followeth that though the Antichriſtians did intend to dedicate their Temples to the true God (which yet is not granted) nevertheleſſe they were dedicated to Devils: & therfor are to be raced downe & converted to the habitation of Iim, & Zijm, Satyres, Shrich …yles, & Raveas as the Prophet ſpeaketh Eſay. 34.8-15.
The eighteenth Section.
Your firſt point now commeth in the laſt place to be conſidered, viz.
1. In ſeperating from al the reformed Churches: you ſay we do il: Let vsus conſider what we hold: Surely we ſay the Churches are of two ſorts, falſe Churches ſuch as yours of workſop is, & al others of like fashion: 2. true Churches, & thoſe alſo of two ſorts: pure, wherin no open knowne ſinne is ſuffered corrupt, wherin ſome one or more knowne ſinne is tolerated: to the true Churches which are pure wee may & wil joyne: to the true Churches which are corrupt we cary our ſelves thus: Firſt, we labor to diſcover their faults vntounto them, admonishing them to reforme which wee are bound to doe, bicauſe they are our brethren. Secondly, if they wil not reforme after we have convinced their errors vntounto them, we depart from them leſt wee should partake with their ſinnes: this is our judgment, & practiſe: if you can reprove it, let vsus heer from you wee pray you.
Paralleles, Cenſures, Obſervations, aperteyning to the eighteenth Section.
Heer I deſire the Gentle Reader not to be offended that wee endevouring to walk in the liberty of the goſpel, do not tie our ſelves to any Church or Churches whatſoever, but only to the rules of Gods word: & therfor howſoever it may ſeem odious that wee Seperate from al churches, yet the cauſſes being indifferently conſidered, the matter wil ſeme reaſonable, for we Seperate from al Churches vppon ſeveral reaſons, 1. From ſome (ſuch as are the English Churches) we Seperate for the Falſehood of them: & that is a juſt cauſe in any indifferent mans judgment, 2. from other (ſuch as are the Reformed Churches) wee Seperate not for that they are falſe, but for that being true they are corrupt: & herein our Seperation is not total but for a tyme, til we have performed our dutyes vntounto them: whē we have therfor admonished them of their corruptions & they repent, then we joyne in communion with them: if they repent not wee leave them to the Lord: & we muſt needes keep our ſelves vnſpotted, & take heed that we partake not with other mens ſinnes,