The Loyal Baptist, Part 2 · Section 4
SECT. IV. A Plea for the Church-Aſſemblies of the Baptized Believers.
MAny and very great has been the Sufferings of the Baptized Believers in this Nation, ſince the publication of the Act, entitled, an Act to prevent and ſuppreſs ſeditious Conventicles. And if the meaning of the ſaid Act be to reſtrict all Chriſtian Aſſemblies, (except the Parochial) to the number of four Perſons, beſides the Families where they do aſſemble, We ſee not how we can, with ſafety to our Souls, conform to the Limits thereby preſcribed. But foraſmuch as the ſaid Act pretends only the prevention and ſuppreſſion of Seditious Conventicles, We humbly conceive, that thoſe who are free from Seditious Deſigns in their meeting together to worſhip God, are rationally acquitted from the Imputation of Sedition; and conſequently no Man can conſcienciouſly proſecute any of us upon that Statute, being utterly unable to prove any ſuch Crime againſt us; nor could any ever yet convict us of ſuch an Evil, nor, by the Grace of God, ſhall they (I hope) ever be able to do it.
Upon a due Enquiry it will evidently appear, that it is the Lord himſelf that hath ordered his People to convene or congregate, for the better diſcharge of the great Duties of Prayer, Preaching, and the Celebration of other his holy Ordinances; to which holy Ends he has allowed, not four Perſons only, but the whole Church, in any Town or City, to come together into one Place, among whom alſo ſuch as do not believe the Goſpel, are allowed to appear, in order to their Illumination, and this without any limitation in reſpect of Number: So that it ſeems to exceed the due Bounds of humane Power, to uſe Reſtraint, where God hath given ſuch gracious Liberty. 1 Cor. 14. 23, 24, 25. Jam. 2. 2, 3. Heb. 10. 24.
Foraſmuch then as God has not given any Power upon Earth, to forbid any Chriſtian, or ſuch as deſire to know Chriſt, to hear his Word at any time, or in any place; but on the contrary, commands every Man that hath an Ear, to hear what the Spirit ſaith unto the Churches, Rev. 2. 7. ſaying, To day if ye will hear his Voice, harden not your Hearts, Pſal. 95. 7. Proclaiming to every one that thirſteth, to come and take of the Waters of Life freely: Iſa. 55. 1. To whoſe gracious Invitation the Spirit and the Bride (the Church) agreeth, ſaying, Come, Rev. 22. 17. It muſt needs be very dangerous for any Man to ſay, Do not come, when they deſire to drink of theſe living Waters, which flow in the lively Preaching of the Goſpel of Chriſt. And how can we think that our gracious God, who in Things pertaining to this Life, will not allow us to ſay to our Neighbour, Go away, and come again to morrow, and I will give, when we have it by us, Prov. 3. 27, 28. will ever accept us with a Well-done, good and faithful Servant, if in the more weighty Matters of his Law we put Men off with delatory Anſwers? Behold, now is the accepted Time; behold, now is the Day of Salvation.
It muſt be granted, that the Church is the Light of the World, a City ſet upon a Hill, that cannot be hid; whilſt therefore we are conſcionably, and (we truſt) groundedly perſuaded, that we are a part of this Church, a neceſſity lieth upon us, to make manifeſt the Savour of the Knowledg of Chriſt in every Place. For as it was truly ſaid to Chriſt, That no Man doth any thing in ſecret, and himſelf deſires to be known openly: So neither muſt the Church of Chriſt obſcure her Light by a ſecret Profeſſion of Chriſtianity, leſt ſhe contradict her own Prayer, and the Practice of the Primitive Churches, held forth in theſe Words: God be merciful to us, and bleſs us, and cauſe his Face to ſhine upon us, that his Way may be known upon the Earth, and his Saving-Health among all Nations. And now, Lord, behold their Threatnings, and grant unto thy Servants, that with all boldneſs they may ſpeak thy Word.—And they ſpake the Word with boldneſs.—And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb, by the Word of their Teſtimony; and they loved not their Lives unto the Death.—And became Followers of the Churches of God, having received the Word in much Affliction, with Joy of the Holy-Ghoſt.
And if for the like faithful Teſtimony we muſt ſtill ſuffer, as we have done, we ſhall rejoyce, as Chriſt hath exhorted us. The Church is taught of God to hold faſt, not her Faith only, but alſo the Profeſſion of her Faith; and this not by Starts and Girds, as Men give them Licenſe or Toleration, but with all conſtancy, and without wavering. And ſurely our Lord foreſeeing, and by his Apoſtles foreſhewing what would come to paſs, required that this Profeſſion be held without wavering in the Buſineſs of Church-Aſſembling, Heb. 10. 25. becauſe without ſuch Aſſemblies, the whole Service of God (in a Church-way) is like to fall to the ground.
This Duty, as it is of greateſt importance, ſo it is founded upon Heavens Authority: Forſake not the Aſſembling of your ſelves together. And it is granted by the learned Proteſtants, That againſt the Law of God or Nature no contrary Cuſtom doth ever prevail. [Dr. Field of the Church, lib. 4.] He that doth any thing by Command from the King, contrary to the Command of God, does not fear God, (ſaith Dr. Savage, Chaplain to K. Charles II, in his Dew of Hermon, p. 36, to 39.) And, ſpeaking of the firſt Preachers of the Goſpel, he ſaith, Their Rulers enjoined them not to preach Chriſt, and therein they did well to diſobey; for otherwiſe they had not feared God, inaſmuch as tho their Rulers were above them, yet God was above them both.—For in commanding any thing contrary to the Word and Will of God, they abuſe their Power, either through their Ignorance or Wilfulneſs; and in that caſe meerly Paſſive Obedience is to be yielded. Theſe latter Sentences are the more remarkable, being written by one of his Majeſties Chaplains, in Anſwer to a Book written by the Baptized Believers in this Age, entitled, Sion's Groans for her Diſtreſſed; which Book, whilſt he pretends to confute, he has confirmed it, in the main ſcope and Intent of it.
As it is impoſſible, by Mulcts and Penalties to overcome the faithful Profeſſors of the Truth, (for that which is of God, Men cannot overthrow, Acts 5. 39.) ſo neither will thoſe that are zealous for Error, be vanquiſhed by that way. And the miſchief is, their Errors are by their Sufferings made the more taking with thoſe of weak Judgments. What then is the reſult of Perſecution for Religion? Is it not commonly this, That the Hypocrites or Timeſervers do fill that Church which has the Power of the Magiſtrate on her ſide? And ſuppoſe ſhe have the Truth on her ſide, yet thoſe Temporizers come not to her Communion for the Truths ſake, and therefore cannot be a Bleſſing to her, nor ſhe to them; nay, theſe ſhall, the ſooneſt of all others, betray her, when ever Time ſhall miniſter occaſion; for thoſe who are not true to God, and their own Conſcience, will never be faithful to Men. They worſhip not the King of Heaven, but the Earthly Crown and Scepter, much like Euripus, carried headlong ſometimes this way, ſometimes that way. Socrat. lib. 3. cap. 21.
But, ſhortly, to ſum up what is or might be further ſaid in this Caſe.
1. To reſtrict our Aſſemblies to the Limits of the ſaid Act, is to obey Man rather than God, who gives liberty, without limiting the Numbers of thoſe that meet, to worſhip him in a Church-way. And whilſt we believe our Aſſemblies are true Churches, we muſt endeavour to meet in God's way, whoever countermands it.
2. For thus to limit our Aſſemblies to the Number of Four; will certainly deſtroy all our Church-Aſſemblies: For, ſuppoſe ſome Congregation or Church conſiſt but of an hundred Perſons, theſe being divided into Fours, have no Church-Aſſembly, unleſs every of theſe four be a Church. And if the Magiſtrate have juſt power to divide us into Fours or Fives, he has power to ſubdivide us into Two's, and by conſequence to diſſolve all our Aſſemblies. I confeſs, a ſmall Number may conſtitute a true Church. Gregory Thaumaturgus, tho a Biſhop, had a Church conſiſting but of ſeventeen Perſons. [Baſil. de Spirit. Sanct. cap. 29.] Our Saviour has promiſed his preſence, where two or three are met together in his Name. But then in his Name, ſignifieth in his Authority, and according to his Appointment. Now Chriſt has no where appointed, that four, and no more, ſhould come together into one Houſe or Place; no, tho an hundred Perſons be come together, if more do come, they cannot be prohibited by all that Power which God has given to Man, as we have ſhewed.
3. Our zealous Country-Men of the Parochial Way, would think it very unlawful to be limited in their Meetings to fours or fives; and yet they ought to be reſtrain'd from Seditious Practices as well as others; and we do by as good Right think it unlawful for us to be ſo reſtrained. We hope our Legiſlators did not intend at all to exalt their Authority againſt the Lord, whoſe Power is above all. But yet when theſe Laws come to be executed upon good Men, by the Induſtry of mercenary Fellows, meerly for worſhipping God, then are they turned into Snares to the ruin of the Innocent, and diſhonour of that Power which gave them being. And all this falls out, for want of better proviſion in the ſaid Laws, to convict Men of Sedition, than only becauſe they were obſerv'd to preach or pray.
4. Wherefore, being fully ſatisfied that our Aſſemblies are true Church-Aſſemblies, and that upon the ſtricteſt enquiry we are able to make into the due Nature and Order of ſuch Aſſemblies, we conceive our ſelves indiſpenſibly bound by the Word of God, the Examples of the firſt and beſt Churches, and the Tie of Conſcience, as regulated by a ſincere Love of Religion, to hold faſt the Profeſſion of our Faith without wavering or changing, by reaſon of the Change of Times, or Man's Laws. Being alſo rationally perſuaded, that the more publick and free Men are to ſerve the Lord, the leſs danger of Sedition. Wherefore, with innocent Hearts, and pure Hands, (as to any Deſign of Sedition) in the ſtrength of Chriſt, we will keep his Way, and let the Lord do with us as ſeemeth him good.