Works of Joseph Hall, Section 53 – Section 54
SECTION LIII.
THe Church and State, if they bee two, yet they are twins; and that ſo,The neereneſſe of the State & Church, & the great errours found by the Separatiſts in the French and Dutch Churches. as eithers euill proues mutuall: the ſinnes of the Citie not reformed, blemiſh the Church. where the Church hath power and in a ſort comprehends the State; ſhee cannot waſh her hands of tolerated diſorders in the Common-Wealth: hence is my compariſon of the Church (if you could hauehave ſeene it, not the Kingdome) of England, with that of Amſterdam: I doubt not, but you could bee content to ſing the old ſong of vsus, Bona terra, mala gens: Our Land you could like well, if you might bee Lords alone. Thanks be to God it likes not you, and iuſtly thinks the meaneſt corner too good for ſo mutinous a generation: when it is weary of Peace, it will recall you. you that neither in Priſon, nor on the Seas, nor in the Coaſts of Virginia, nor in your way, nor in Netherland could liue in Peace, What ſhall wee hope of your eaſe at home? Where yee are, all you thankfull Tenants cannot in a powerfull Chriſtian ſtate moue God to diſtinguiſh betwixt the knowne ſinnes of the Citie, and the Church: How oft hath our Gracious Soueraigne, and how importunately, beene ſollicited for a Toleration of Religions? It is pittie that the Papiſts hyred not your Advocation: who in this point are thoſe true Caſſanders, Caſſand. de Offic. boni viri.which Reuerend Caluin long ſince confuted: Their wiſhes herein are yours: To our ſhame and their excuſe: his Chriſtian heart held that Toleration vnchriſtian and intollerable, which you either neglect or magnifie: Good Conſtantine winkt at it in his beginning;Bellar. de Laicis. Euſeb. in vita Conſt. but as Dauid at the houſe of Zeruiah…: Succeeding times found theſe Canaanites to bee prickes and thornes, and therefore both by Mulcts and baniſhments ſought either their yeeldance or voydance. If your Magiſtrates hauing once giuen their names to the Church, indeuour not to purge this Augean Stable; how can you preferre their Communion to ours?
But howſoeuer now, leſt wee ſhould thinke your Land-lords hauehave too iuſt cauſe to packe you away for Wranglers, you turne ouer all the blame from the Church to the Citie; yet your Paſtor and Church hauehave ſo found the Citie in the Church and branded it with ſo blacke markes, as that all your ſmooth extenuations cannot make it a leſſe Babylon than the Church of England: Behold now, by your owne Confeſſions, either Amſterdam ſhall be, or England ſhall not be Babylon: Theſe eleuen crimes you hauehave found and proclaimed in thoſe Dutch and French Churches.Fr. Iohnſ. Artic. againſt the French and Dutch Churches.
FIRST, That the Aſſemblies are ſo contriued, that the whole Church comes not together in one: So that the Miniſters cannot together with the Flocke ſanctifie the Lords day; the preſence of the members of the Church cannot be knowne, and finally, no publike action, whether Excommunication, or any other, can rightly be performed. Could you ſay worſe of vsus? Where neither Sabbath can bee rightly ſanctified, nor preſence or abſence knowne, nor any holy action rightly performed, what can there be but meere confuſion?
SECONDLY, That they baptize the ſeede of them who are no members of any Viſible Church; of whom moreouer they hauehave not care as of members, neither admit their Parents to the Lords Supper: Meere Babyloniſme, and ſinne in conſtitution, yea, the ſame that makes vsus no Church: for what ſeparation can there bee in ſuch admittance? what other but a ſinfull commixture? How is the Church of Amſterdam now gathered from the World?
THIRDLY, That in the publike worſhip of God they hauehave deuiſed, and vſed another forme of Prayer, beſides that which Chriſt our Lord hath preſcribed, Matth. 6. reading out of a Booke certaine Prayers inuented and impoſed by man. Behold here our fellow-Idolaters: and (as followes) a daily Sacrifice of a ſet Seruice-Booke, which in ſtead of the ſweet Incenſe of ſpirituall Praiers is offered to God; very Swines-fleſh,Barr. againſt G…ff. a new Portuiſe, and an equall participation with vsus of the Curſe of addition to the Word.
FOVRTHLY, That rule and commandement of Chriſt, Matth. 18.15. they neither obſerue, nor ſuffer rightly to bee obſerued among them. How oft hauehave you ſaid that there can bee no ſound Church without this courſe, becauſe no ſeparation? Behold the maine blemiſh of England in the face of Amſterdam!
FIFTHLY, That they worſhip God in the Idoll Temples of Antichriſt: ſo the Wine is marr'd with the Veſſell; their ſeruice, abomination with ours: neither doe theſe Antichriſtian ſtones want all glorious ornaments of the Romiſh Harlot yet more.
SIXTLY, That their Miniſters hauehave their ſet maintenance in another manner than Chriſt hath ordained, 1 Chron. 14. and that alſo ſuch, as by which any Miniſterie at all, whether Popiſh or other, might be maintained: Either Tythes, or as ill: Behold, one of the maine Arguments whereby our Miniſterie is condemned as falſe and Antichriſtian, falling heauy vponupon our Neighbours.
SEVENTHLY, That their Elders change yeerely, and doe not continue in their Office, according to the Doctrine of the Apoſtles and practiſe of the Primitiue Church: What can our Church hauehave worſe than falſe Gouernors? Both annuall and perpetuall they cannot be: What is (if not this) a wrong in Conſtitution?
EIGHTLY, That they celebrate marriage in the Church, as if it were a part of the Eccleſiaſticall Adminiſtration: a foule ſhame and ſinne: and what better than our third Sacrament?
NINTHLY, That they vſe a new cenſure of ſuſpenſion which Chriſt hath not appointed: no leſſe than Engliſh preſumption.
TENTHLY That they obſerue daies and times, conſecrating certaine daies in the yeere to the Natiuitie, Reſurrection, Aſcenſion of Chriſt: Behold their Calendar as truely poſſeſſed: Two Commandements ſolemnly broken at once; and we not Idolaters alone.
ELEVENTHLY, which is laſt and worſt, that they receiue vnrepentant Excommunicates to bee members of their Church, which by this meanes becomes one bodie with ſuch as bee deliuered vntounto Satan; therefore none of Chriſts bodie: England can bee but a miſcelline rabble of prophane men;H. Ainſworth in his Counterpoyſon. The Dutch and French Churches are belike no better: who can be worſe than an vnrepentant Excommunicate? Goe now, and ſay, It is the Apoſtaſie of Antichriſt to hauehave communion with the World in the holy things of God, which are the peculiars of the Church, and cannot without Sacriledge bee ſo proſtituted and prophaned; Goe ſay, that the Plaguy-ſpirituall-leproſie of ſinne riſing vp in the foreheads of many in that Church, vnſhut vp, vncouered, (yea, wilfully let looſe) infects all both perſons and things amongſt them: Goe now and flie out of this Babylon alſo, as the He-Goates before the flocke, or returne to ours: But how-euer theſe errors be groſſe, perhaps they are tractable; Not the ſinne vndoes the Church, but obſtinacie: here is no euaſion. For behold, you doe no more accuſe thoſe Churches of corruption, than of wilfulneſſe: for diuers times hauehave you dealt with them about theſe fearefull enormities: yea, you hauehave often deſired, that knowledge thereof might bee by themſelues giuen to the whole bodie of their Church, or that (at leaſt) they would take order it might be done by you: They hauehave refuſed both; What remaines, but they bee our fellow-Heathens and Publicans? And not they alone, but all Reformed Churches beſide in Chriſtendome, which doe ioyntly partake in all theſe (except one or two perſonall) abominations: will you neuer leaue, till you hauehave wrangled your ſelues out of the world?
But now I feare I hauehave drawne you to ſay, that the Helliſh impieties both in the Citie and Church of Amſterdam, ar… but Frogs, Lice, Flies, Murraine and other Aegyptian plagues, not preiudicing your Goſhen: Say ſo if you dare; I feare they would ſoone make the Ocean your Red Sea, and Virginia your Wilderneſſe.
The Church is Noahs Arke, which gaue ſafety to her Gueſts, whereof ye are part; but remember that it had vncleane beaſts alſo, and ſome ſauage: If the waues drowne you not, yet (me thinkes) you ſhould complaine of noiſome ſocietie. Satans throne could not preiudice the Church of Pergamus: but did not the Balaamites (the Nicolaitans?) Yet their heauenly Communion ſtood, and the Angell is ſent away with but threats.
SEP.
It is the will of God and of Chriſt, that his Church ſhould abide in the world, and conuerſe with it in the affaires thereof, which are common to both: But it is the Apoſtaſie of Antichriſt to hauehave C…nion wi…h the World in the holy things of God, which are the peculiars of the Church, and … without great ſacriledge be ſo proſtitute… and prophaned.
SECTION LIV.
AS it were madneſſe to deny that the Church ſhould conuerſe with the World in the affaires thereof: So to deny her Communion in Gods Holy things,Conuerſation with the World. with any of thoſe of the World, which profeſſe Chriſtianity (as yet vnconſuted) is a point of An…baptiſticall Apoſtaſie ſuch …f the World are ſtill of the Church. As my cenſure cannot eiect them, ſo their ſinne (after my priuate endeuour of redreſſe) cannot defile me: I ſpeake of priuate Communicants: If an vnbidden Gueſt come with a r…gged garment, and vnwaſhen hands, ſhall I forbeare Gods heauenly dainties▪ The Maſter of the Feaſt can ſay, Friend, how cameſt thou in hither? not, Friends, why came you hither with ſuch a Gueſt? God bids mee come: Hee hath impoſed this neceſſity, neuer allowed this excuſe:Duobus nodis non te maculat malus, videlicet ſi non conſentis, & ſi red…guis. d. 23. q. 4. à mali…. My teeth ſhall not beſet on edge with the fowre Grapes of others: If the Church caſt not out the knowne vnworthy, the ſinne is hers: If a man will come vnworthy, the ſinne is his: But if I come not, becauſe he comes, the ſinne is mine: I ſhall not anſwer for that others ſinne: I ſhall anſwer for mine owne neglect: Another mans fault cannot diſpenſe with my duty.
SEP.
The aire of the Goſpell which you draw in, is nothing ſo free and cleare as you make ſhew: it is onelyonly becauſe you are vſed to it, that makes you ſo iudge. The thicke ſmoke of your Canons, eſpecially of ſuch as are planted againſt the Kingdome of Chriſt the viſible Church, and the adminiſtration of it, doe both obſcure and poiſon the aire, which you all draw in, and wherein you breathe. The pl…g…y ſpirituall … of ſe… riſing vp in the forth…ds of ſo many thouſands in the Church, vnſhut vp, vncouered, infects all, both perſons and things amongst you, Leuit. 13.45, 46, 47. 2 Cor. 6.17. The blaſting Hierarchie ſuffers no good thing to grow, or proſper, but withers all, both bud and branch. The daily ſacrifice of the Seruice-booke, which in ſtead of ſpirituall Prayer, ſwe… as Incenſe, you offer vp Morning and Euening, ſmels ſo ſtron… of the Popes Portuiſe, as it makes many hundreds amongst your ſelues, ſtop their noſes as it; and yet you boaſt of the free and cleere aire of the Goſpell, wherein you breathe.