Aarons Rod Blossoming, Book 1 · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. Master Prynnes Argument from 1 Cor. 10. (which he takes to be unanswerable) discussed and confuted.
MAster Prynne in the 15. page of his Vindication endeavoureth to prove, that spirituall pollution by reason of grosse and scandalous sinnes, did not debaree them that were circumcised from the Passeover. as Paul (saith he) expressely determines 1 Cor. 10. 1. to 10. (an unanswerable Text to this purpose) moreover Brethren I would not that ye should be ignorant that: (the Text saith how that) all our Fathers were under the Cloud, and all passed through the Sea, & were all Baptized unto Moses in the Cloud & in the Sea; and did all eat the same spirituall meat (to wit the Passeover and Manna) and did: all drinke of the same spirituall drinke, for they dranke of the Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But perhaps all these Communicants were visible Saints, free from any legall pollution, at least not Tainted with any scandalous sinne: The Apostle to take off this evasion, subjoynes, in the very next words. But with many of them, God was not well pleased, &c. So that the Israelites being once circumcised, were all admitted to eat the Passeover, though some of them were Idolaters, others lusters after evill things; others fornicators, others tempters of Christ; others murmurers against God and Moses. The same argument he hinteth pag. 9. to prove the like under the Gospell. It's one of Erastus his argments, Confirm. Thes. pag. 118. 119. and as colourable as any other, yet not unanswerable as Master Prynne holds.
For 1. though he saith the Apostle cleerly determines, that those who were tainted with grosse and scandalous sinnes, were admitted to the Passeover; yet I finde nothing of the Passeover, neither in the Text, nor in the sence of any Interpreter which I have looked upon. Nay, it did not so much as fall in the thoughts of Erastus himself; for Beza having objected to him that he ought to have compared our Sacraments with the purely sacred Feasts in the old Testament rather than with the manna, and with the water of the Rock, which were for corporall nourishment; Erastus replyeth nothing concerning the Passeover (which had been his best answer if he had seen any probability for it,) onelyonly he saith that he compareth our Sacraments with the manna and the water of the Rock, as the Apostle doth before him.
2. The Text it self seemeth rather to determine clearly, that the Passeover is not there intended for all the other particulars there mentioned did agree to all the Israelites, men, women, and Children: all these were under the Cloud, and all these passed through the Sea, and all these drank of the water of the Rock; and why shall we not understand, that all these did also eat of the same spirituall meat, that is of the Manna, not of the Passeover, of which women and Children under 13 yeares of age did not eat: neither did all the males above 13 yeares eat of it▪ for the unclean were excluded by the Law: those that were in a journey did not eat of it nor the hired Servant: the sick saith Erastus did not eat of it: the Jewes exclude also the Dumbe and the Deaf. If it be said, that vers. 1. speaketh onelyonly of the Fathers, and that therefore the Text is not to be understood of women and Children also. I answer, This is as inconsequent, as if one would argue, Paul saith Men, Brethren, and Fathers, therefore no women were among that multitude of the people Act. 21. 35. 36. 39. 40. or thus, the Apostle saith Brethren pray for us, therefore he desires not beleeving Sisters to pray for him. In this same Text in hand, the Apostle speakes to the whole Church of Corinth, to make them afraid of Gods judgements if they sinne as the Israelites did. If he had argued onelyonly from the sinne and judgement of the men, and not also of the women in the wildernesse, the women in Corinth had so much the lesse applyed it to themselves. But if I should grant (which will never be proved) that by the Fathers are understood the men onelyonly, yet it cannot be said that as all the men of Israel were Baptized in the Cloud and Sea, and all of them drank of the same spirituall drink which came out of the Rock, so all of them did eat the Passeover▪ for even of the males divers were excluded from the Passeover, as the unclean, the hired Servant, the Child, the sick, &c. so that this would make the Apostles argumentation running upon a fivefold all to hang ill together. I had not insisted at all upon this, but to shew the weak grounds of Mr. Prynnes strong confidence.
3. If this argument of his hold good, he must grant by Analogy that all Baptized persons must be admitted to the Lords Table, though they be Idolaters, fornicators, &c. which as it is contrary to the Ordinance of Parliament, so to his own professed Tenents, for he professeth otherwhere, he is not for the admission of scandalous persons to the Sacrament, and that he would have them in case of obstinacy, not onelyonly suspended from the Sacrament, but excommunicated from all other Ordinances, till publike satisfaction given for the scandall, and till externall symptomes of repentance appear. So the Antidote animadverted tells us and his owne vindication pag. 50. If this be his minde, then it is incumbent to him to loose his owne knot, all circumcised persons though Tainted with grosse scandalous sinnes, as Idolatry, and Fornication, were admitted to the Passeover, and so it ought to be under the Gospell. If he say that those scandalous sinners in the wildernesse had not been admonished, were not obstinate, or that they professed repentance, and promised amendment, and did not in the meane while persevere in their wickednesse, but satisfied for the scandall: first how proves he that? next, in so saying he will answer for us as well as for himself, and his argument (if all granted) cannot prove that such scandalous sinners as have manifest symptoms of impenitency, or doe not confesse and forsake their sinne, may be admitted to the Lords Table.
4. The Manna and the water out of the Rock, though they had a spirituall and evangelicall signification, and di… typifie Jesus Christ, yet they were also the ordinary Food and Drink of the people in the wildernesse: so that if scandalous sinners had been excluded from partaking of these, they had been deprived of their ordinary daily corporall nourishment; which makes a vast difference between their case in the wildernesse, and ours at the Lords Table.
5. The Apostle speakes of those scandalous sinnes, as committed, not before, but after the eating of that spirituall meat, and drinking of that spirituall drink; first this is cleer of their Baptisme in the Cloud and in the Sea, which was at their passing through the Red Sea, Exod. 14. before any of the grosse and scandalous sinnes there mentioned were committed; and therefore was not pertinent to be objected. Immediately thereafter they did eat of the spirituall meat, that is of the manna Exo. 16. and drank of the spirituall drink, that is of the Water out of the Rock which followed them Exod. 17. to give drink to my people, my chosen saith the Lord Isa. 43. 20. Now after those men had eaten of the spirituall meat, and drunk of the spirituall drink, they did fall into Idolatry, Fornication, &c. and this is all which the Apostle saith, thereby warning the Corinthians not to presume upon their partaking in the Ordinances, nor to think all well with themselves, because they were Baptized, and had eaten and drunk at the Lords Table; for after all this they had need to take heed, lest they fall in foule sinnes, and lust after evill things, and so draw upon themselves the heavier judgements. That which Master Prynne takes for granted (upon a marvellous mistake of the Apostles words) he hath yet to prove, that is, that after some of them had fallen into Idolatry, others into fornication, others into murmuring against God, those who were known to have committed those grosse and scandalous sinnes, were allowed and admitted, as before, to eat of the spirituall meat, and drink of the spirituall drink. I mean not onelyonly the Passeover, (which is not at all meant in this Text) but even from the Manna and the water of the Rock those scandalous sinners were cut off by death, except such of them as did repent and turn, for whom atonement was made to God. As soon as Moses came into the camp, he gave a charge to slay every man his Brother, and every man his companion which had committed the sinne of Idolatry: and for the rest who survived Moses made atonement, and got an answer of Peace from God, concerning them. Exo. 32. & 33. We read also that the Lord plagued the people, because of their Idolatry Exo. 32. 35. and the people did mourn and humble themselves and cast off their Ornaments Exo. 33. 4. So that (I am sure) the first case mentioned by the Apostle maketh much against our Opposites. The second example is the matter of Peor, where they did fall both into Idolatry and Fornication together; but what came of it? Moses gave a charge to the Judges of Israel, to slay every one his men that were joyned to Baal Peor Numb. 25. 5. and there died also of the Plague 24000. v. 9. But what was the peoples part in Repenting? vers. 6. tells us, that all the congregation of the Children of Israel were weeping before the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation; and for those that remained alive, Phinehes made atonement, and the Lord smelled a savour of rest vers. 11. 13. As for the third case, instanced by the Apostle, which is the tempting of Christ, much people of Israel dyed for it, and the remnant did repent, and confesse that particular sinne that they had spoken against the Lord and against Moses, and therefore did desire Moses, to pray unto the Lord for them. Num. 21. 6. 7. Lastly, for that of murmuring, those that had the chiefe hand in it died of the Plague, Num. 14. 37. and the people mourned greatly, and confessed, We have sinned vers. 34. 40. And thus by searching for an Answer to our Opposites argument, we have found this argument against them. If God himself did execute such Discipline upon those who were tainted with the grosse and scandalous sinnes of Idolatry, Fornication, &c. That he would not permit them to enjoy their former liberty of eating of the Manna, and drinking of the Water of the Rock, (being spirituall meat, and spirituall drink, as Typifying Christ, though appointed of God also for ordinary daily food and drink to his people) untill they mourned, repented, confessed, and atonement was made for them: It is much lesse the will of God, that such scandalous sinners, as are manifestly impenitent and manifestly not reconciled to God, should be admitted and received to the Lords Supper, which is an Ordinance purely spirituall. But the former part is true. Therefore so is the latter.
6. Another Answer I shall adde, (though I need adde no more) Those sinnes mentioned by the Apostle were not scandals given by a few persons, nor yet by a few Families, nor by a Tribe, but they were common nationall sinnes; and so fall not within the verge of our Controversie, which is not concerning the suspending of a scandalous Nation from the Sacrament, for some nationall sinne; but concerning the suspension of scandalons persons for their personall publike offences. If it be objected unto me, that the Apostle saith, that some of them were Idolaters, and some of them did commit Fornication, &c. I answer, when he saith some, he saith so in reference to the All which had gone before, that is, all the Israelites who did eat of the Manna and drink of the water of the Rock, during the 40 yeers in the wildernesse, successively: so that he makes a distribution of Israel in the wildernesse, comparing one passage with another, not distributing those that lived together at one and the same time. And that it must needs be so understood I prove from Exo. 32. where we find all the people falling into Idolatry, so Num. 14. 2. And all the Children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron. The other two are also called the sinnes of the people, and of Israel, and the people were punished, and for one of them all the Heads of the people commanded to be hanged. Num. 21. 5. 6. & 25. 3. 4. Peradventure every one did not act in each of these sinnes, but yet they were nationall (as we call nationall) sinnes, the generality of the Children of Israel, either acting or partaking therein. In such a case Augustine thought fit to suspend the exercising of Excommunication for the sinne of drunkennesse rather than to excommunicate all Africa. These are my six answers to Master Prynnes unanswerable argument.
The end of the first Book.