A Defense of the Answer Made Unto Nine Questions, Notice
ADƲERTISEMENTS TO THE READER.
TO the Epiſtle of the Author of this Reply wee ſay nothing, becauſe it ſavours (for the moſt part) of love and deſire of unity, which we thankfully acknowledge; onelyonly we cannot but take notice of two paſſages.
1 A complaint made againſt ſome ſtanding affected New-England ward, who have carryed it ſo, as if a chiefe part of holineſſe conſiſted in ſeparation; and that therefore ſome have ſeparated from all private and publique communion there; others from all publique, but not from private; others from the Sacraments onelyonly, allowing publique communion otherwiſe.
To which wee anſwer, that as the Church fell by degrees into univerſall pollution, by the Apoſtacy foretold to bee under the Man of Sin; ſo by degrees it recovers it out of it againe: If therefore ſeparation reach no farther then ſeparation from ſinnes, and ſuch ſinnes of Churches wherein our ſelves in joyning with them muſt bee involved, wee ſuppoſe ſuch ſeparation (all due reſpect and love reſerved and profeſſed to the Churches themſelves) cannot juſtly bee accounted unwarrantable; and 'tis the profeſſion of the Author in his Epiſtle, to plead for communion with the Churches of Chriſt, no farther then they hold communion with Chriſt: If any tranſgreſſe theſe bounds, either in reſpect of private or publique communion in England, wee muſt profeſſe openly, that if any mourn for it, wee are (or would bee) companions with them in that griefe. Whoſe heart bleeds not to ſee Gods flock ſcattered, and needleſſe rents made? that ſcarce Truth or errour can now adayes bee received, but it is maintained in a way of Schiſme; directly contrary to the gathering and uniting Spirit of Jeſus Chriſt: A wide Conſcience calls evill, good, and therefore can communicate with any evill; a ſtrait Conſcience cals good, evill, (as Gerſon obſerves) and therefore can readily ſeparate even from that which is good. When raſh and ſudden men are grown maſters of their Conſciences, it troubles not them from whom they divide, nor whither they run in ſeparate wayes; when weak (yet godly men) are under the tenderneſſe, (yet much darkneſſe) of Conſcience, being very timorous of wayes that are evill, grow many times ſhy (at leaſt in ſimplicity are led) from wayes that afterward are found to be lawfull and good. 'Tis the uſuall miſery of Engliſh ſpirits, either to ſpin the Spiders web, and ſwallow down all corruptions in Churches; or ſo to breake downe the gap in forſaking corruptions utterly to abandon the Churches themſelves: The wine of cauſeleſſe ſeparation hath a ſpirit in it, (if God graciouſly prevent not) that hurries men headlong to ſtrange diſtances, that in ſeparating from publique, they ſeparate from private; in ſeparating from corrupt Churches (as no Churches) they ſeparate from the pureſt, even thoſe of their own; in ſeparating from pollutions of Gods ordinances, at laſt they fall to the ſtorming of ſome, if not to the utter renouncing of all the Ordinances themſelves: we mourne (wee ſay) for ſuch evills, and could with bended knees deſire our deare Countrey-men to conſider, whether this bee the Spirit of Chriſt Jeſus that ſo carries them; to reject them whom the Lord Jeſus hath not yet wholly forſaken; and not rather with one heart, and with bowells of compaſſion (if any liberty can bee procured) to ſtudy how to heale the bleeding breaches, and manifold evills of ſick and ſinfull England, that in their owne recovery from pollutions, the whole may ariſe and ſhare alike with them therein; tolerating with all long-ſuffering many things amiſſe, & mourning daily after the Lord, till ſuch times come wherein he wil give his people his ordinances, not only in purity, but alſo in power; when the Lord ſhall be one, and his name one, Zach. 14.9. over all the earth. As for our ſelves, wee look not upon our departure to theſe parts to be a ſeparation (rigidly taken) but a lawfull ſeceſſion, or a heavenly tranſlation from corrupt to more pure Churches, by the hand of our God; and how far we allow of ſeparation, the enſuing Treatiſe will declare.
2 The ſecond is, That we diſſent one from another as much as others from us, and perhaps the leſſer part of us.
Anſw. We confeſſe we know but little, and that but in part, and therefore if we ſhould ſay, that in ſome things we did not diſſent, we ſhould not ſpeak the truth, nor ſay that we were ſinfull men; yet this we muſt ſpeak to his praiſe whoſe we are, and whom we ſerve with our ſpirits in the Goſpel of his Son; that although Satan hath been oft buſie to make breaches among us, yet the Miniſters of Chriſt have been hitherto generally (if not all) of one heart and mind in the maine and principall things of his Kingdom amongſt us: and (which is obſerved by many) where ever differences are ſown, yet the Miniſters never diſagree: and that although ſome differences have and doe ariſe before their convening together, yet they never yet met, but grace hath over-wreſtled corruption; peace, trouble; and truth, errour▪ and ſo have moſt ſweetly accorded in one; the thoughts of which Chriſt-like peaceableneſſe of ſpirit and love, as it oft ſweetens many other ſorrows, ſo we deſire to bee ſpared herein▪ and that this our crowne may not bee taken from us by ſuch paſſages, (ſuggeſting great differences) as theſe be.
Now for the Reply it ſelf, we deſire the Reader to conſider▪ that we had neither time, nor Bookes rea…y at hand to conſider ſome of the quotations made in … argent▪ and therfore being ſuch teſtimonies … caſt not the ballance one way or another, we have paſſed moſt of them by with ſilence.
It had alſo been eaſie for us to have Analyſed more orderly the words of the Reply, then as they are ſet downe; but (becauſe we would not doe the leaſt wrong) we have ſet them down as we finde them in the Book; not every paſſage (for that were needleſſe) but thoſe things wherein there ſeemes to bee any obſervable matter of diſpute between us; nor are we conſcious of doing the Author the leaſt wrong in ſetting down his own words, as hereafter you find them.
We confeſſe, that in ſundry of our Anſwers, we have ſtudied not onelyonly to anſwer to the Reply, but have taken in what ſundry others godly learned object againſt our principles, but without mentioning (ſcarce any time) their Names, of which we are ſparing for no other reaſon, but becauſe we honour the men from our very hearts, and could wiſh (though differently minded from us in ſome things) as Melanchthon did in another the like caſe, to live and die in their boſomes. The name of this ſervant of Chriſt now aſleep, is an oyntment poured out and precious to us; we could therefore have wiſht it our portion to have anſwered the Booke without the leaſt reflecting upon him, but the neceſſity herein is unavoydable. This onelyonly we adde, that whatever weakneſſes may paſſe from us, let them not bee imputed to thoſe ſervants of Chriſt, that ſet us on work, and have wanted leiſure to review what is here done; Every one may not bee in all things of the ſame mind with us, for they may meet us in the ſame end, though they uſe not the ſame arguments, or become followers of us in the ſame path; yet we know wee are not alone in any thing, but may ſafely ſay this much, that what is here defended, is generally acknowledged and received in theſe Churches of Chriſt.