Works of Joseph Hall, Section 5
SECTION V.
YET, if not equitie, it were well you could plead age:The antiquitie and examples of ſeparation. This your ſeparation in the nature and cauſes of it (you ſay) is no leſſe ancient than the firſt inſtitution of enmitie betwixt the two ſeedes: you might hauehave gone a little higher, and hauehave ſaid, than our firſt Parents running from God in the Garden, or their ſeparation from God by their ſinne: But we take your time, and eaſily beleeue that this your late ſeparation was founded vponupon that ancient enmitie of the ſeed of the ſerpent,Euſeb. Hiſt. Ecc. with the womans. That ſubtle Deuill, when he ſaw the Church breath from the perſecutions of Tyrants, vexed her no leſſe with her owne diuiſions; ſeeking that by fraud, which by violence he could not effect. Hence all the fearefull Schiſmes of the Church, whereof yours is part. This enmitie hath not onelyonly beene ſucceſſiuely continued, but alſo too viſibly manifeſted by the actuall (but wilfull) ſeparation of Heretikes and Sectaries from the Church in all ages: But I miſtake you; yours is as ancient as the Goſpell: What?Hen. Steph. Apol. Herod. Fox. Act. & Monu. H. N. his booke Gal. 1.6. Eph. 6.17. Col. 1.5. 1 Tim. 1 11. foreign. that Euangelium aeteruum of the Friers? whoſe name they accurſedly borrowed from Reuel. 14.6. Or that Euangelium Regni of the Familiſts? Or that Euangelium aliud, whereof Saint PAVL taxeth his Galatians? None of all theſe, you ſay; but as that Goſpell of Peace, of Truth, of Glory; ſo ancient, and neuer knowne till Bolton, Barrow, and Browne? Could it eſcape all the holy Prophets, Apoſtles, Doctors of the old, middle, and later world, and light onelyonly vponupon theſe your three Patriarchs? Perhaps, Nonatus or Donatus (thoſe Saints with their Schooles) had ſome little glimpſe of it; but this perfection of knowledge is but late and new: So many rich Mines hauehave lien long vnknowne, and great parts of the World hauehave beene diſcouered by late Venturers. If this courſe hauehave come late to your knowledge and obedience, not ſo to others: For loe, it was practiſed ſucceſſiuely in the conſtitution and collection of all true Churches, through all times, before the Law, vnderunder the Law, after it: We hauehave acknowledged many ſeparations: but as ſoone ſhall you finde the time paſt in the preſent, as your late ſeparation,Iren. de Valen. l. 1. Innumerabilem multitudinem Scripturarum quas ipſi finxerunt, afferunt ad ſtuporem inſenſatorum. Vid. Preface to M. Iacobs and Iohnſon, Confer. and Barr. paſſ. Deſcription of the true viſible Church. Nihil autem miram ſi & ex ipſius inſtrumento aptentur argumenta, cum oporteat hereſes eſſe, quae eſſe non poſſunt, ſi non & perperam Scripturae intelligi poſſunt. Tertull. de Reſurrect. Ibid. So Barrow tearmes Maſt. Gyffords Refut. pag. 102. Si Chriſtianus Iudaicae praeuaricanti carnaliter coniungatur, à commu…ne Eccleſiae ſegregetur. Diſt. 28. q. 1. Ca… & cap. ſiquis Iudaicae, &c. 1 Pet. 3.19. 2 Pet. 2.5. in the ancient and approued. You quote Scriptures, though (to your praiſe) more daintie indeed than your fellowes. Who cannot doe ſo? Who hath not? Euen Satan himſelfe cites the word againſt him which was the word of his Father. Let vsus not number, but weigh your texts: The rather, for that I finde theſe as your Maſter-proofes, ſet as Challengers in eueryevery of your defences: In Geneſ. 4.13. CAIN a bloudy Fratricide is excommunicated: In Geneſ. 6.1, 2. The ſonnes of God married the daughters of men: In Geneſ. 7.1. & 7. NOAHS time is approued as righteous, and enters the Arke: In 1 Pet. 3.20, 21. The reſt in NOAHS time were diſobedient, and periſhed: What of all this? Alas, what mockage is this of the Reader, and Scriptures? Surely, you euen ioyne Scriptures, as you ſeparate your ſelues: This is right as your Paſtor, to proue all members of the viſible Church, elect and precious ſtones, cites, 1 King. 7.9. where is ſpeech onelyonly of Salomons houſe in the Forreſt of Lebanon, his Porch for his Throne, his Hall, his Palace for Pharaohs daughter, and when he comes to deſcribe the office of his imaginarie Doctor, thwacks fourteene Scriptures into the margent, whereof not any one hath any iuſt colour of inference to his purpoſe: and in this diſcourſe of the power of the Church (that he might ſeeme to honour his margent with ſhew of texts) hath repeated ſix places twice ouer in the ſpace of ſix lines. For theſe of yours: you might obiect the firſt to the Cainites, not to vsus: Cain was caſt out worthily. Doe we either denie, or vtterly forbeare this cenſure? Take heed you follow him not, in your voluntarie exile, to the land of Nod. The ſecond you might obiect to thoſe mungrell Chriſtians that match with Turkes and Pagans. There are ſonnes of God, that is, members of the viſible Church; and daughters of men, which are without the bounds, meere Infidels; it is ſinne for thoſe ſonnes to yoke themſelues with thoſe daughters. What is this to vsus? Noah was righteous, the multitude diſobedient: Who denies it? yet Noah ſeparated not from the corrupted Church, till the floud ſeparated him from the earth, but continued an ancient Preacher of righteouſneſſe, euen to that peruerſe and rebellious Generation. But it ſufficeth you, that Cain and the Giants were ſeparated from the reſt: We yeeld it: what will follow hence, ſaue onelyonly that notorious Malefactors muſt bee caſt out, and profeſſed Heathen not let into the Church? We hold, and wiſh no leſſe: your places euince no more. Theſe, before the Law: In Leuit. 20.24.26. God choſe our Iſrael from other people: This was Gods act, not theirs: a ſequeſtring of his Iſraelites from the Gentiles, not of Iſrael from it ſelfe: yours is your owne, and from men, in all maine points, of your owne profeſſion: But therefore Iſrael muſt be holy: If any man denie holineſſe to be required of eueryevery Chriſtian, let him feele your Maranatha. In Nehem. 9.2. The Iſraelites ſeparated themſelues from the ſtrangers, which were Infidels: whether in their marriage, or deuotion: Neither Gods ſeruice, nor an Iſraelites bed was for Heathens. This was not the conſtituting of a new Church, but reforming of the old: If therefore you can parallel vsus with Pagans, and your ſelues will be Iewes, this place fits you. Laſtly, what if there be an hatred betwixt the World and Chriſts true Diſciples, Ioh. 17.14.16? what if PETER charged his Auditors to ſaue themſelues from the errors and practiſe of that froward Generation, whoſe hands were yet freſhly imbrewed with the bloud of Chriſt, Act. 2.40? What if the ſame which PETER taught, PAVL practiſed, in ſeparating his followers from hearing ſome obſtinate and blaſphemous Iewes, Act. 19.9? What if the Church of Corinth were Saints by calling, 1 Cor. 1.2? and therefore muſt be ſeparated from the yoke of Infidels, 2.6.17? Are theſe your patternes? Are theſe fit matches for your brethren, baptized in the ſame water and name, profeſſing eueryevery point of the ſame true faith, vſing (for ſubſtance) the ſame worſhip with you? He that ſaith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkneſſe, 1 Ioh. 2.9.
SEP.
Which ſeparation the Church of England neither hath made, nor doth make, but ſtands actually one with all that part of the World within the Kingdome, without ſeparation: for which cauſe, amongst others, we hauehave choſen by the grace of God, rather to ſeparate our ſelues to the Lord from it, than with it from him, in the viſible conſtitution of it.