Works of Joseph Hall, Section 4
SECTION IIII.
The kinds of the Separation, and which is iuſt. foreign.YET there is a commendable and happy ſeparation from the World, from the Prince and men of the World, and whatſoeuer is contrary to God: who doubts it? There were no Heauen for vsus without this, no Church; which hath her name giuen by her Father and Husband, of calling out from other. Out of the Aegypt of the World doth God call his ſonnes: But this ſeparation is into the viſible Church from the World; not (as yours) out of the Church, becauſe of ſome particular mixtures with the World: or (if you had rather take it of profeſſion) out of the World of Pagans and Infidels, into the viſible Church; not out of the World of true (though faulty) Chriſtians, into a purer Church, That I may here at once for all giuegive light to this point of ſeparation: we finde in Scripture a ſeparation either to good, or from euill: To good;Num. 8.1…. Num. 16.9. Deut. ….1…. Exod. 1….12. Leuit. 15.…1. Deut. 1.41. Rom. 1.1. foreign. ſo the Leuites were ſeparated from among the children of Iſrael to beare the Arke, and to miniſter: ſo the firſt borne, firſt fruits, and Cities of refuge: So Paul was (foreign) ſeparated, which ſome would hauehave allude to his Phariſaiſme, but hath plaine reference to Gods owne words (Acts 13.2.) Separate mee Barnabas and Saul: Though this is rather a deſtination to ſome worthy purpoſe, than a properly called ſeparation.
From euill, whether ſinne or ſinners: From ſinne; ſo eueryevery ſoule muſt eſchew euill, whether of doctrine or manners, and diſclaime all fellowſhip with the vnfruitfull works of darkneſſe,1 Theſſ. vlt. ad fin. Ier. 15.19. Vide Tremel. & Ti…. whether in himſelfe or others. So S. Paul charges vsus to hold that which is good, and abſtaine from all appearance of euill: ſo Ieremie is charged to ſeparate the precious (doctrine or practiſe) from the vile. From ſinners, not onelyonly practiſed by God himſelfe (to omit his eternall and ſecret Decree,Num. 16. Mat. 15. ad fin. 2 Chron. 19.2. 1. Cor. 6. ad fin. Nulla cum malis conviuia vel colloquia miſceantur, ſimuſ que abijs t…m Separati, quam ſunt illi ab eccleſia Dei profugi. Cypr. l. 1. epiſt. ad Corn. 2. whereby the Elect are ſeparated from the Reprobate) both in his gracious vocation, ſequeſtring them from nature and ſinne, as alſo in his excecution of iudgement, whether particular, as of the Iſraelites from the Tabernacles of Corah; or vniuerſall, and finall, of the Sheepe from the Goats; But alſo inioyned from God to men, in reſpect either of our affection, or of our yoke, and familiar ſociety, whereof Saint PAVL: Bee not vnequally yoked with Infidels, Come out from among them, and ſeparate your ſelues. In all this wee agree: In the latitude of this laſt onelyonly wee differ: I finde you call for a double ſeparation. A faſt ſeparation in the gathering of the Church: A ſecond in the menaging of it: The firſt at our entrance into the Church, the ſecond in our continuance: The firſt of the Church, from Pagans and Worldlings, an initiatorie profeſſion; The ſecond of lewd men from the Church by iuſt cenſures; You ſpeake confuſedly of your owne ſeparation; one while of both, another while of either ſingle. For the firſt, either confeſſe it done by our Baptiſme, or elſe you ſhall be forced to hold, we muſt rebaptize:Charact. of Beaſt Praef. But of this Conſtitutiue ſeparation anon: For the ſecond of ſinners, whether in iudgement, or life, ſome are more groſſe, hainous, incorrigible: others leſſe notorious, and more tractable: thoſe other muſt be ſeparated by iuſt cenſures; not theſe. Which cenſures if they be neglected, the Church is foule, and (in your Paſtors word) faultie,Iohnſ. Inquir. and therefore calls for our teares, not for our flight. Now of Churches faultie and corrupted, ſome raze the foundation, others on the true foundation build timber, hay, ſtubble: From thoſe we muſt ſeparate, from theſe we may not. PETERS rule is eternall,Ioh. 6.68. Whither ſhall wee goe from thee? thou haſt the words of eternall life: where theſe words are found, woe be to vsus, if we be not found. Amongſt many good ſeparations then, yours cannot be ſeparated from euill, for that we ſhould ſo farre ſeparate from the euill, that therefore we ſhould ſeparate from Gods children in the communion of the holy things of God, that for ſome (after your worſt done) not fundamentall corruptions,H. Cl. Epiſtle before Treatiſe of Sinne againſt the Holy Ghoſt. we ſhould ſeparate from that Church, in whoſe wombe wee were conceiued, and from betwixt whoſe knees we fell to God: in a word, (as one of yours once ſaid) to ſeparate not onelyonly from viſible euill, but from viſible good, as all Antichriſtian: who but yours can thinke leſſe than abſurd and impious? Grant, we ſhould be cleane ſeparated from the World; yet if we be not, muſt you be ſeparated from vsus? Doe but ſtay till God hauehave ſeparated vsus from himſelfe:Neque propter paleam relinquam aream Domini, neque propter piſces males rumpimus retia Domini. Aug. epiſt. 48, will the wiſe Husbandman caſt away his Corne-heap for the chaffe and duſt? Shall the Fiſher caſt away a good draught, becauſe his Drag-Net hath Weeds? Doth God ſeparate from the faithfull ſoule, becauſe it hath ſome corruptions her Inmates, though not her commanders? Certainly, if you could thorowly ſeparate the World from you, you would neuer thus ſeparate your ſelues from vsus: Begin at home, ſeparate all ſelfe-louelove, and ſelfe-will, and vncharitableneſſe from your hearts, and you cannot but ioyne with that Church, from which you hauehave ſeparated: Your Doctor would perſwade vsus, you ſeparate from nothing but our corruptious:Anſw. Counterpoyſon, p. 2. you are honeſter, and grant it from our Church: it were happy for you, if he lied not; who in the next page confutes himſelfe, ſhewing that you ſeparate from vsus, as Chriſt from the Samaritans, namely from the Church, not the corruptions onelyonly;Counterpoyſon, p. 7. & 8. &c. and not as he did from the Iewes, namely from their corruptions, not from their Church: His memorie ſaues our labour, and marres his diſcourſe.
SEP.
The ſeparation we hauehave made in reſpect of our knowledge, and obedience, is indeed late, and new: yet is it in the nature and cauſes thereof as ancient as the Goſpell, which was firſt founded in the enmitie which God himſelfe put betwixt the ſeed of the Woman, and the ſeede of the Serpent, Geneſ. 3.15. which enmitie hath not onelyonly beene ſucceſsiuely continued, but alſo viſibly manifeſted by the actuall ſeparation of all true Churches, from the World in their collection and conſtitution, before the Law, vnderunder the Law, and vnderunder the Goſpell, Geneſ. 4.13, 14.16. & 6.1, 2. & 7.1.7. with 1 Pet. 3.20.12. & 12.2. Leuit. 20.24.26. Nehem. 9.2. Ioh. 17.14.16. Acts 2.40. & 19.9. 1 Cor. 6.17.