Truth Prevailing Against the Fiercest Opposition, Part 4
Your fourth Conſideration being of one heart and ſoul with the third, I ſhall have the leſſe to ſay to it, it is for ſubſtance this: THat perſons that have fellowſhip and Communion with God, are thereby immediately fittted for communion with the Church, without Baptiſme, otherwiſe it is not againſt us.
This Propoſition Mr. Goodwin ſuppoſeth proved by the 14. Rom. 1, 2, 3. Him that is weak in the faith receive you. Again, let not him that eateth deſpiſe him that eateth not; the reaſon, why he muſt be received and not deſpiſed, is, For God hath accepted him.
But how Mr. Goodwin, or any man elſe, can make this follow from thence, that therefore all perſons that have fellowſhip with God, have a preſent right to Church communion without Baptiſme, I underſtand not.
For 1. The weak in faith, that this Text ſpeaketh of, were baptiſed perſons, which appeareth by the ſixth chapter, where he uſeth their Baptiſme as an argument to mortification, and a new life. That the words in the third verſe (So many of us) is not partitive of the Diſciples amongſt themſelves, which Brother Allen hath proved unanſwerably from the ſcope, to which Mr. Goodwin hath made no reply; and to the further clearing whereof I ſhall ſpeak ſomething in due place.
2. Mr. Goodwin ſuppoſeth, that the object of receiving is into Church communion, (when the Text ſaith, Him that is weak in the faith receive you) which I humbly apprehend, is an ungrounded conjecture, becauſe the Apoſtle writeth to an eſtabliſh'd Church, whereof thoſe weak ones were a part, which by vertue of their memberſhip were already in full communion with the Church.
Beſides, is it a reaſonable thing to imagine, that ſuch a thought would enter into the heart of the Church, to caſt brethren out of fellowſhip with the Church of Chriſt, that was regularly immembred, becauſe they were more ſelf denying than others, by eating hearbs, which they did unto the Lord, Rom. 14.6. Surely the Church wanted no exhortation to that, ſo that this caution therefore ſerveth ſome other deſign, as I humbly apprehend, namely, the common reſpect of Chriſtians, which ſtrong ones can hardly vouchſafe to the weak, for as the weak are apt to judge the ſtrong, ſo the ſtrong to ſlight and deſpiſe the weak, which is the words of the Text, Rom. 14.3. Let not him that eateth DESPISE him that eateth not.
But by deſpiſing them, to underſtand, the rejection of them from Church communion, the Scripture ſaith no ſuch thing, and for you to ſay it, it is to be guilty of that which you charge us with, namely, to take a half for a whole, and to indulge a light appearance, and to let it paſs for an evident demonſtration.
But 3. Suppoſe the word (receive) ſhould reſpect the Communion of the Church, and the Argument this. That God having received the weak into communion with himſelf, it is the Churches duty to receive …hem into her communion: Doth it follow from thence, that it would be her duty to receive them, diſorderly, into her communion? To come a little cloſer, Cornelius, the perſon you inſtance in, from Acts 10.25 being a fearer of God, and worker of righteouſneſs, was ACCEPTED of God; yet when God had a purpoſe to adde him to the viſible Church of Chriſt, he ſendeth him to a Miniſter of Chriſt, and inſpireth him, to command Cornelius to be baptized, in the Name of the Lord Jeſus, Acts 10.48. Neither doth Peter, notwithſtanding he was convinced of his being a perſon accepted of God, hold any Church communion with him before it, what ever he did after.
4. If fellowſhip with God give immediate right to full communion with the Church, ſimply, upon that account, then not onelyonly the godly of the Presbyterians have ſuch a right, but the Epiſcopal party too, nay, 'tis probable, a many in the darkneſs of Popery (for I ſuppoſe no body can be ſo uncharitable, as to think there are no perſons there upright) nay, to ſhew the unreaſonableneſs of this opinion, I could go further and ſay,Pagans debt and Dowry, p. 14. many amongſt the Heathen, which in your judgement may be in the ſtate of grace; Theſe and all theſe have a preſent actual, immediate right to Church communion.
In a word, as this principle was contrary to your judgement heretofore, ſo alſo hath your practiſe been ever ſince you took up the Church way; I remember not one man, that ever ſat down with the Church, in the conſtant fellowſhip thereof, but was orderly joyn'd, according to the Independant principles. Nor one man that ever occaſionally broak bread with the Church, but it was matter of offence to ſome, except they were members of ſome Church or other.
Who then may not ſee, whoſe eyes are not too heavy to open, what a ſtrait your oppoſing us bringeth you too, namely, to turn head upon the principles of the way you walk in, and your own conſtant practiſe (and what man is he, who doth not glory in men, whoſe faith and practiſe ſtandeth not in the wiſdome of men, but in the power of God, 1 Cor. 3.21 1 Cor. 2.5. James 2.1.and that hath not the faith of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt with reſpect of perſons) but muſt conceive with jealouſies as ſtrong as death, that that cauſe which you now plead is not right, which putteth ſo learned a man as your ſelf to ſo deſperate a loſſe.